Komi Can’t Communicate is Hugely Relatable

My dad once told me everyone is a bit introverted…I don’t believe him, but the reason this manga is relatable is because everyone gets a little tongue-tied once in a while. Meta context: After a break of about two weeks and finishing some series later, I'm back with another post! Yes, it's not what I...

It’s Getting Hot in Here… (Tag Post)

Taking on Shoujo's open invitation, but I'm also going to leave this open for anyone else to take up. The rules https://melinanimeland.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/ffh.jpg?w=809 (Source: Shoujo's post) Mention the name of the blog you were tagged by, as well as the creators of this game, Realweegiemidget Reviews and Thoughts All Sorts, and include the picture above.List five of your greatest...

On the Gendering of Merchandise

I went on a long ramble in the tags of a magicalgirlsandcerulean post, so I might as well elaborate on my thoughts here… Although sometimes it may not seem like it, anime merchandise can be quite gendered. Certainly, it makes sense for clothing items which are exclusive to some gender presentations to be gendered –...

Should Translator Visibility Matter?

There's this concept called "the visibility of the translator" in translation studies. Certainly, people like us anime and manga fans, who consume translations, would be more aware of this concept, right? The question is, after you take into account what I said above the cut, is why aren't we more aware of who's translating the...

The World Ends With You(r Nostalgia)

The reason why the Spellbook hasn’t been semi-retired is because The World Ends With You…kinda sorta. See, I think I still have more to say in this semi-official weekly platform and there is still a post or few I actually do want to complete, as opposed to the pile of drafts I’ve been relying on...

What’s the Point of Magical Boys?

Some weird merchandising ideas for Fairy Ranmaru made me think: who are magical boys for? Let’s face it – by this point in the decade, an entire generation of magical girl fans has been raised on Sailor Moon and PreCure, among other magical girl series. However, what do magical girl fans move on to after...

Life in an Anime Fandom

This was originally a response to Scott, but I ended up weaving my own post about a topic I wanted to write about anyway, so…here we are. From having bothered with a blog centred around a specific fandom (magicalgirlsandcerulean), the average time spent in a fandom is 2 years because the first year is when...

Breaking Down the Visions in Mashiro no Oto

By “visions”, I mean two things – mental images and dreams. Mashiro no Oto does what all good series about obscure topics do – it sucks you in, begging you to google the things it’s going on about. However, that effect has to be created by a strong framework. In Piano no Mori, this is...

Who’s a Critic Now?

I didn't realise Kim Morrissy was a woman. For the longest time, I swore the person who posted about light novels and used the pseudonym "Frog-kun" was a dude... ...but enough of my misconceptions, I want to talk about a piece of hers.  These days, it feels like everyone's a critic, or at least has the...

Can “Pretty” Really Carry a Series?

This is somewhat related to the issues raised in this post. Meta context: Another posts found in the depths of my drafts folder, except this one actually had the start of something I wanted to say anyway due to it being relevant this season (you'll see why in the post itself). As per the opening...