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 »

2 Comments

This is a test of Rekuru’s emergency broadcast system.

This is an unscheduled post, but I must warn everyone about a safety hazard related to an application found in all good Mac-fearing households, iTunes. In a truly bizarre phenomenon I recently stumbled over, anime songs have begun to appear on iTunes. And not just the theme songs of big shows like Naruto and Bleach, but Aki Hata’s brilliant Lucky Star character songs. Which is great. Or would be, if they were the actual songs and not cover versions. More »

0 Comments

So I was eating Chinese dinner last night; my fortune cookie said: “Quit talking so much, egghead.” To which of course I mentally added “in bed,” which might also be good advice. But in this spirit, here is a return to form with a good old-fashioned Top Five List on the subject of that greatest of time wasters, anime YouTube videos. And if you aren’t already addicted to them, you, my friend, are in for a treat. More »

3 Comments

This post is going to be a little different. Whenever I mention to someone that I’m interested in Japanese literature, the name of Haruki Murakami inevitably comes up; and I find myself having to explain my own sort of complex view of him. Since he’s been on my mind recently, I thought I would set down that view here, if only for my own future reference; but I get the feeling some people might find it of interest. More »

2 Comments

I have to say, I never saw what all the fuss was about award-winning bigshot author Haruki Murakami. He’s a great writer, sure, but from the critical attention he attracts you’d think he was Japan’s only living author. Of course, I hold that the best literature coming out of Japan today is illustrated, but there is a middle ground between the tiny clique of haute couture novelists and Love Hina. Today I’d like to train my spotlight on two female Japanese authors (authoresses?) who’ve achieved some notice in the States, and whose fiction is distinguished not so much by outstanding technical skill as a robust gift for storytelling: Asa Nonami and Miyuki Miyabe. More »

5 Comments

Where: Tokyo, Akihabara station on the Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku JR lines What to do: Thank God (as you understand Him/Her) for the gift of life What not to do: Leave, ever

It was only a matter of time before I wrote something about the happiest place on earth, Tokyo’s Akihabara, AKA Electric Ladyland. In fact I tried to spin it as a feature for date week, since apparently one can find love even in Akihabara, but let’s be honest: being in Japan’s (and by extension the world’s) otaku and electronics capital is infinitely better than the highest raptures of earthly love. More »

3 Comments

Representing Japan in the popular girl with a guitar category, folk-rocker and bokukko Saori Atsumi penned my favorite J-Pop love song, Mou Sukoshi (”A Little More”). A delicate, sweet but strangely haunting melody, the lyrics tread that delicate balance between teenaged crush and deepening adult relationship. More »

1 Comment

Okay, I admit to being a huge nerd during the first wave of anime fandom. Granted I can’t claim, with any authority, not to still be a huge nerd; but if you share my unfortunate heritage, perhaps you remember something we used to do called shipping. This involved latching onto a pair in our favorite anime who exhibited unresolved romantic tension (if even that) and posting endlessly on message boards, for example, “TaiXSoraFTW!!!!” Sometimes we’d even create a portmanteau of their names, as in Taiora. Well, the fact remains that some of those were pretty fine couples, and here are my picks for the ones I most regret never became official. More »

4 Comments

We don’t often look to anime to warm the cockles of our hearts, and so in compiling this, my list of the top four official anime couples, I had to rule out anything involving large age gaps, harems, animals, sadomasochism and tentacles. Yes, official couples: shippers despair. But your hour may yet come.

And so, without further ado, it’s time to ask that all-important question: Just what the heck are “cockles?” More »

4 Comments

Where: Tokyo, Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line What to do: Eat crepes, people-watch What not to do: Take pictures, buy things

Harajuku is among Tokyo’s most famous districts, with a reputation as its fashion capital–at least, for those of us who aren’t super-rich, but still spend way more money on clothes than we should. Personally, I couldn’t know less about fashion, but I still find Harajuku among the most charming and atmospheric districts in a city that can be stifling at times. More »

0 Comments