One thing I really like about Shinichiro Watanabe’s work is the way he avoids having his characters fall into the same old patterns. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with “the same old patterns.” The tropes and patterns exist because they work in terms of storytelling; they create tension that drives plot or meta-plot forward, so […]
Read more "The Power of Two Plus One: Samurai Champloo"It’s been a while since I talked about meta-plot, the overall structure of a series. Partly that’s because it seems like that talking meta-plot be a case of flagellating the deceased equine; partly because it sometimes seems like meta-plot is just too simple. I mean, after all, there are supposedly only seven basic (meta-)plots: Rags […]
Read more "Hidden Plot: Cowboy Bebop"There are three characters that seem to me to be related to one another because they are all explorations of what it means to be human. The three are Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mokoto Kusunagi from Ghost in the Shell, and Alita, the namesake of Battle Angel Alita. Rei is interesting because she […]
Read more "Character Analysis: Alita"This blog started on February 4, 2018, and since I post the main thoughts on Sunday nights, I might be a day early on celebrating the anniversary. If I’m smart, I’ll get it out there a minute after midnight and hit the anniversary by the skin of my teeth. My first blog lasted one entry. […]
Read more "The Great Sub/Dub Debate: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid"Twenty-four hours before my usual post time, but there’s news. Yes, I blog about anime, but I do so as a trained animator and a published writing. And guess what? Another of my stories dropped today, in Heroic Fiction Quarterly. It’s called The Merit of One Gold Piece, and if you click that title you […]
Read more "Semi-Related Post: Story Drops"
Confessions of an Overage otaku 