Yes, the end of 2009 is upon us: time to reflect on what we’re grateful for, what we regret, what we hope to do better next year…you know, sort of like all the other holidays. In that spirit, I thought I would share with you guys why I sometimes (read:always) talk about anime, manga and other modern Japanese stuff as if it weren’t just enjoyable, but profoundly significant. Don’t worry, this won’t be one of those silly, look-at-me-I-went-to-college exercises that you see in books with titles such as The Simpsons and Philosophy and James Bond and Philosophy. If anything, it’s the opposite: I think the story of anime and manga (hereafter animanga, because I never liked having to refer to them separately) is quite simple, that any critic worth his salt could piece it together easily…if they could just bring themselves to take it seriously.

This is part one, in which I don’t actually talk about animanga at all. More »

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Time for the Weekly Bento and with it, a week’s worth of articles for you to catch up on. This week was packed full of christmas cheer in celebration of everyone’s favorite gift-giving holiday. In addition to that, other articles such as anime youtube videos to check out, the adventures of Michael Moore in Japan, and even some cute Aardman Studios animations were there to round out the week. More »

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So, dressed in kimono of bold red and white Zetsubou, o’er the neighborhood rooftops, took flight For he had filled his sack with a quite thoughtful mix Of nice gifts for the girls of class two, section six. More »

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The most wonderful time of the year is again upon us, and you know what that means: fanfiction! And since Zetsubou-sensei is on my mind right now, gather round, boys and girls, and hear the story of how Zetsubou-sensei saved Christmas.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei is the intellectual property of Koji Kumeta; the images used are from the anime by Shaft Studios. How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Night Before Christmas have been parodied so many times I don’t really need to give credit, right? More »

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It seems like, come December, Santa runs into all kinds of problems. Whether somebody steals or destroys all the presents, or he breaks his leg, or some other dramatic inconvenience, Christmas just can’t get a break. And while I’m sure there are plenty of good anime and manga characters to step in and save the holiday, there are also a lot you wouldn’t want near it with a fifty foot pole. In part one, I will tell you three of my choices.

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There is a certain narrative about teachers running through modern Japan. It seems to begin with the wise and kind-hearted Kinpachi-sensei, who helps his students through the troubles of their young lives. This is turned on its head with the malevolent Kinpatsu-sensei of Battle Royale, who forces his “students” to kill each other. Then you have Great Teacher Onizuka, the thickheaded biker punk with laughable dreams of becoming like Kinpachi-sensei but who nonetheless, through his good heart, helps his students through the troubles of their young lives. Finally, we have Koji Kumeta’s Zetsubou-Sensei (”Mr. Despair”) who, when not trying to kill himself, tries to convince his students that life is pointless. More »

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This past week marked the Viz Pictures release of 20th Century Boys 1 on DVD, the first in a sure-to-be-a-hit trilogy, as well as first news of Studio Ghibli’s next project. In addition, there were a wide range of subjects explored during the week ranging from japanese travel to literature and even free music (and who doesn’t like free music?). Check it out. More »

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Recently, more and more video games have been getting the manga treatment and it seems the Legend of Zelda is no different. More »

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If you’ve ever dreamed of being a writer for your favorite manga series, this is for you!

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From Ningin: I absolutely love to read. I read everywhere I go- when I’m riding the bus, when I’m in class (though I’m not suppose to), when I’m cooking (which sometimes leads to disastrous results), when I’m fantasizing about kissing Daniel Henney under the stars- just name a place and I’ll read there. Do you know what kind of book I like to read the most? Manga of course! Mangas are like picture books ranging all ages and I wish I had a library full of them. More »