Japanese comic books
Hello! As you may have seen, Merve decided to pass the torch last week, so from now on Grumproro (that’s me!) will be posting this every week. I guess I’ll introduce myself first…um…I’m kind of nervous! My name is Grumproro, … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (March 25th, 2020)
22/7 is a multimedia project spanning an idol group, a variety show, a rhythm game, and most recently, an anime series by A-1 Pictures. They are so named because 22/7 is a common approximation for π, a transcendental number,[footnote]A transcendental … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (March 18th, 2020)
ID: Invaded is an anime television series by NAZ about a world in which people can enter a murderer’s psyche to solve crimes. The show follows a group of investigators who attempt to catch John Walker, an elusive man linked … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (March 11th, 2020)
In/Spectre is a Japanese supernatural mystery novel series by Kyo Shirodaira. It tells the story of two young university students who had special experiences with yōkai in their youth. An anime adaptation by Brain’s Base is currently airing. What have … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (March 4th, 2020)
Smile Down the Runway is a shōnen manga series by Kotoba Inoya about an aspiring fashion designer and an aspiring model who team up to fulfill their respective dreams. An anime adaptation by Ezo’la is currently airing. What have you … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (February 26th, 2020)
Ride Your Wave is the latest film from Masaaki Yuasa and Eunyoung Choi’s animation studio, Science SARU. It tells the story of a surfer and a firefighter who fall in love, though their romantic bliss may be short-lived. The film … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (February 19th, 2020)
The Wonderland is a coming-of-age fantasy adventure film directed by Keiichi Hara. It tells the story of a teenage girl and an older family friend who get whisked away to an alternate dimension that they must save from ruin. The … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (February 12th, 2020)
Somali and the Forest Spirit is a seinen manga series by Yako Gureishi. It tells the story of a father-daughter bond that forms between a golem and a lone human girl. An anime adaptation by Satelight and HORNETS is currently … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (February 5th, 2019)
BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. is a comedic light novel series by Yuumikan about a teenage girl who plays a VR MMO and prioritizes defensive stats to a ridiculous degree. An anime … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 29th, 2020)
Weathering With You is the latest feature from Japanese filmmaker Makoto Shinkai and his studio CoMix Wave. It tells the story of a teenage runaway and a “sunshine girl” with the power to control weather. A chance encounter between them … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 22nd, 2020)
Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It is a shōnen manga series by Alifred Yamamoto about two graduate students at Saitama University who are attracted to each other, but are unsure if what they’re experience is “love,” … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 15th, 2020)
The winter anime season is almost upon us, so it’s time for a quick preview. For a full list of what’s on offer, AniChart has got you covered. This season has some continuations, most notably Chihayafuru, My Hero Academia, and … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 8th, 2020)
Happy new year, and welcome to the Japanese pop culture thread! I’m on vacation right now, so this is all you get. Next week, I’ll have a preview of the winter 2020 anime season. Header image from Persona 5: The … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 1st, 2020)
Merry Christmas! Here’s a video of Japanese electronic rock quartet Negoto performing「水中都市」(“Underwater City”) at their last ever live concert before their disbandment. What have you been watching/eating/playing/reading/listening to lately. (Header gif from Kyōran Kazoku Nikki.) Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (December 25th, 2019)
Food Wars! is a shōnen manga series written by Yūto Tsukuda and illustrated by Shun Saeki, set in an elite Tokyo culinary school. An anime series by J.C.Staff, based on the manga, is currently airing its fourth season. What have … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (December 18th, 2019)
Vinland Saga is a historical manga series by Makoto Yukimura about the Viking invasion of Dane-controlled English during the 11th century CE. An anime adaptation of the manga by Wit Studio is currently airing. If you haven’t already, please get … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (December 11th, 2019)
No Guns Life is a seinen manga series by Tasuku Karasuma, serialized in Ultra Jump. It’s set in a future in which cyborg war veterans turn to crime in order to survive, and it tells the story of one cyborg … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (December 4th, 2019)
Oresuki is a romantic comedy light novel series by the mononymous Rakuda. It’s about a high school boy who thinks he’s going to end up in one love triangle only to end up in a completely different one. An anime … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (November 27th, 2019)
Chihayafuru is a josei manga series about a girl who dreams of becoming the world’s greatest competitive karuta[footnote]Karuta is a generic term for Japanese playing cards that are derived either from Portuguese playing cards or cards used in a picture-matching … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (November 20th, 2019)
Death Stranding is an open-world action-stealth-exploration-adventure game by Tokyo game studio Kojima Productions, released last week for PlayStation 4. Starring Norman Reedus as the protagonist, Sam Porter Bridges, it tells the story of his quest to reunite the fractured city … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (November 13th, 2019)
Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious is a semi-parodic isekai light novel series whose premise is pretty easy to discern from the title. It has been adapted into a manga, as well as an anime series produced … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (November 6th, 2019)
