Sailing the High Seas

I ended up caving for a subscription to my region's main licensing company somewhat recently, which got me thinking, what drives people to piracy in the first place? (...and no, when I say "pirates" in this post, I don't mean those pirates.) Important note: This post is not to defend piracy as a practice -...

The Folkloric Connection in Mahoutsukai no Yome [OWLS Aug. ’20 Blog Tour]

Hello again friendos. If this is your first time landing here, this is the Animanga Spellbook and this is Aria (<- pseudonym). You might have seen me wandering around the OWLS blog doing promotion things as of late and that’s just what happens when you’re stuck in seemingly never-ending lockdown…Speaking of stuff done in lockdown,...

Watch Out for Kaiju No. 8! (An Exercise in Translation)

One good thing about watching manga go live ASAP is how you can examine the translation process up close. Disclaimer: There is no such thing as a "truly correct translation". There is only a "more correct translation" or a "less correct translation", taking into account things like puns, references and the like. Viz is sure...

Unpopular Opinions Time (Tag Post)

Thanks to Mari for the tag. Disclaimer: The title warned you what this is about already, so if you don't want internet arguments, it's best you head to a different post. Also, there are vague spoilers in the love triangle bit (and large spoilers in the alternate answer) - but if I told you what...

Behold, the Universe is Full of Blessings!

Now that we're in our own version of the apocalypse...what did Owari no Seraph, Parasyte and others predict about the end? Meta note: This Planet With post finally came to life by splicing it with a more stream-of-consciousness kind of post which covers several anime (I called it "[an] Irina-like post") I had in my drafts....

Must-read Monthly Monday (Jul. ’20 ed.)

 If it's not specified, the time period covered in this post is from the 22nd of June 2020 to the 20th of July 2020.If it's not specified, the time period covered in this post is from the 22nd of June 2020 to the 20th of July 2020.Other People's ReadsOther People's ReadsIt wouldn't be a round-up...

The “Underrated” Paradox (Or, How to Discover Rare Gems in Manga)

Initially I was replying to this status on the AniList global feed, so you need to read that to discover where I'm coming from. I haven't really been in the mood to blog new stuff recently (aside from a bunch of posts that don't seem to come together), between being forced back into lockdown and...

Anime and Manga Budget Buys

The aim of this post, much like Naja’s Ballin’ on a Budget posts, is to promote deals. However, as you might know from browsing eBay, Amazon and the like, deals vary by currency and whatnot…so what’s a virtual con to do…? Since all our favorite conventions are canceled this summer because of the pandemic, OWLS...

Why Read Manga?

I feel like I need to add more to this post by Nate (Manga Guy). Although I agree with Nate's words for the most part, there are some things that need correcting or just plain rebuttal. Then again, what can I say? This ain't the Animanga Spellbook for nothin'. Nate says people always demand more...

Quarantine Reading Material

I received a call on the 5th of June 2020 (the day I'm writing this opening sentence) and I'm finally going to be able to leave this quarantine lifestyle behind...partially. The call on the 5th said I was going to restart voluneering on the 17th of that month. So just to commemorate being out of...