A rose-colored life and thorns of youth: a Hyouka review

Houtarou Oreki, a high school freshman who believed in conserving his energy, finds himself in the classic club, a club on the verge of dissolution. There he meets Eru Chitanda, a heroine with a hearty curiosity, and his old friends from middle school, Mayaka Ibara and Satoshi Fukube. Together at Kamiyama High School the four of them investigate various incidents in this youthful academy mystery. ~ from ANN

Hyouka is surely one of the most memorable series that came out this year. Many people with different tastes embraced it and I think this speaks for how good it was. One may claim that popularity doesn't equal quality, but here Kyoto Animation amazed us at many levels. I can't say it's a flawless series or that everyone will like it. Yet if get excited with mundane questions and 'mysteries' and if you've got a little bit of patience to see the characters develop slowly, then you'll cherish Hyouka for sure.

It isn't very easy for me to talk about a series which was heavily discussed and for which you can find a review almost in every other anime blog. Nevertheless, I hope my fondness of the series will make up for this fact, and in case you haven't watched the series, I wish my enthousiasm will convince you to try it.

Left Unsaid: 2. Breeding Dehumanization

Preface

Transgenders are the part of the LGBT community that has suffered the most. At least half of them have been kicked out of their homes, bullied in their schools, laughed at in hospitals and churches. People like Charlie Trueman and Tom Blake[1], characters from Tab Kimpton's great webcomic Khaos Komix, have to fight and safeguard their identity all the time, so that one day they will earn universal respect.

Memory and Oblivion in Sora no Woto

The price of a memory, is the memory of the sorrow it brings.
― Pittacus Lore, I Am Number Four


We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.
— Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933)


Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.
― Marcel Proust


The scars that are left in a person’s soul after surviving a war, the ways a society tries to console and redeem itself, how the historical truth gets twisted, suited and tailored to different people’s needs: these are topics that Sora no Woto, beyond its flaws, managed to sing about elegantly. The sound of the sky carried and awakened memories…

Animediet was kind enough to host me once more. Check the rest of my post there.

Okama, gay boys, blue boys, anime 'boys': transgenderism and homosexuality in Japan

Fire Emblem/ Nathan Seymour in his Hero suit

The past week (12-19 November) was Transgender Awareness Week, so I thought of bringing up some thoughts I had concerning how gender dysphoria and transgenderism seem to be often confused with homosexuality in Japan, especially in the media. Also, digging up internetic files can shed light to the aforementioned phenomenon, and I'm here to share the information with you.

Since Tiger & Bunny is a fresh 'hit' and its audience wasn't primarily children, Fire Emblem can be used as a good example of what I'm going to make a point of.

A small comment on Ojii-san no Lamp

Ojii-san no Lamp is a 23 minute long short film that was produced in 2010 for the Young Animator Training Project, an effort for revitalizing the anime industry. Out of the four short films that were produced that year, this one was unanimously the best. Not only did it amaze with its graphics, but also with its plot and storytelling.

A boy finds a strange object while playing hide-and-seek. His grandfather tells him the story of his own youth, and the important role the old lamp played. This story is about the modernization of Japan and the changes that came with it. ~ My Anime List

If you haven't watched it, just go already. The summary should be intriguing enough. If it hasn't convinced you, you can check other reviews and analysis. I'm here to contribute something else, even if it's just a small comment, that hasn't been mentioned up till now: the probable reference and meaning of the opening scene.

Asian Artists: lines & dots

clockwise: Kunie Kunibara, Minoru, pai, Naoki Yamamoto

Here I am again! I'm sharing with you colorful happiness on paper~ Lots of pretty, long hair with dozes of elegance and craziness after the cut!

The nature of love in Yuri and BL

Almost a year ago, 2DT, whom we all know and love, wrote a thought-provoking post over at Yi's Listless Ink, titled Learning the Art of Love: Yuri versus BL. I gave my two cents in the comment section and got the thumps up. And since it's not often you get credit from the most-respected figure in the anisphere, I think I should treasure these ideas here in our diaries, while I revisit them, elaborate on and add to the discussion.

I'll kiss you and you'll fall in love with me- Ramblings on Shoujo

starsamaria: Over at tokyojupiter Anna T. wrote a very nice post about the current running shoujo series. It’s interesting that all 3, Kamisama Hajimemashita, Sukitte Ii Na Yo, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun feature a kiss in the first episode – I’m used to shoujo series taking a bit more time to get that far!

Reflections on Animanga Blogs- The Roundup

Blog carnival round up from Iris Alepoudeli

Some updates and a request

GLorious Love- Part 3 (special edition)

"The love that cannot speak its name" has long come out in streets in many countries around the world and talks in loud and prideful voice for itself. But queers aren't only the L and the G or even the B in LGBT. What about the T? Or the I that is still missing in many occasions or gets represented by the Q. This post suggests manga that are about transgenderism and intersexuality. We shouldn't forget these friends of us who go outside of binaries.

This post is dedicated to @PodaDixa and @anya_fennec.

The latter accepted my invitation and offers kindly her opinion on the featured manga as well as some tips to the young members of the transgender family. Anya is the blogger over at Forty-Four Fennecs, a MtF herself, and is currently writing a novel, Sweets and Steel, which deals with sexuality and transgendered issues. Feel free to contact her, if you need to ask anything!

GLorious Love - Part 2

This month the Pride Festivals around the world come to an end for this year. Before that, though, let's see some GL manga that take their protagonists' sexuality seriously. 

BLazed Passion - Part 2

Two dads can be equally awesome as other families - but doubly sexy ;) Yaoi sure understand that women have a thing for caring men and took advantage of the fact. And like always, there are very few of the bunch that stand out and show plausible situations and relationships. Let's take a look at the delicious titles I've gathered here.

When I wish upon a star

Ok, I know Tanabata was a month ago, but since I mixed things up, I can't do much. You'll just pretend the wishing paper was hung on the tree the proper day.

Left Unsaid: 1. Voluntary Death

Preface

This is the first post of a series of articles called Left Unsaid. The project will be dedicated on analyzing various social and personal aspects of life, usually subjects of ambiguous debate. We wish to use this series as a tool to go deeper into our own experiences and to help other people through mutually beneficial discussions. We believe that the world is beautiful and we wish to make it even better. This is one of our contributions to this effort.

Introduction

As a teenager I remember a word very intriguing to me: death. When I truly started to think and analyze the world around me, the majesty and absolute power of death seemed overwhelming to the eyes of this young boy. Like many other kids my age, I felt like it was something I desired to experience. On this article, I am using volume one of Confidential Confessions (CC) and the story of its heroines, Manatsu and Asparagus, to talk about my own experiences and explain how manga art treats one's wish to voluntary abandon life.

Reflections on Animanga Blogs

Allow me to start first to give you an idea of what I have in mind for this massive taking-notes session. :D

Blog Carnival: Reflections on Animanga Blogs

Grief and Loss in Anime: a case examination of Puella Madoka Magica Magi, Mawaru Penguindrum and X

Either you are recently introduced to anime or you are a seasoned fan, it's highly unlikely you haven't watched or simply heard about the first two shows in the picture above, because twitter, forums and blogs were abuzz and overly hyped about them last year. Now, it's highly possible you don't even recognize the hunks in the bottom and the anime/manga they are from, unless you are an obsessed fan of CLAMP or a MADHOUSE admirer. All three of them have as central themes the loss and how people face them. The important issue here is how these series present the themes and how well they handle them...

Retrospect on CLAMP: In good and bad times...

5 things I LOVE about CLAMP and 5 things I want to complain about...

Their destiny was foreordained - an X/1999 review

The seven angels and the seven seals.

  At the millennial edge, the concluding battle for humanity's future is staged. Kamui Shirou's destiny has been decided as he returns to Tokyo to face his ultimate challenge. The Dragon of Heaven, defenders of the Earth, stand ready to protect the world from the Dragon of Earth, the seven angels of legend, who embrace the devastation of the planet to bring about its purification. Now Kamui must decide which side to fight for although he finds the idea utterly unappealing. It isn't until realizing that his two childhood friends, Fuma and Kotori Monou, are in grievous peril that Kamui decides to step into his fated position in the climactic struggle of the Year of Destiny: 1999.

Do you love Tokyo? - a Tokyo Babylon review

From right to left: Subaru, Hokuto, Seishiro

   The year is 1990. The city is Tokyo, a busy megalopolis where people are caught in dreams, anonymity, loneliness, sadness and crushed hopes underneath the fevered rush for success and wealth. Sometimes the high-pitched emotions and acute despair manifest themselves into ghosts and curses.
   Enter Sumeragi Subaru, 13th head of the Sumeragi clan and a 16-year-old onmyouji. He uses his spiritual power and genuine compassion to help people, exorcise trapped spirits and undo maledictions. In this modern world, where nothing is truly black and white, this is hardly easy, especially because of Subaru's tendency to care too much for people. His twin sister Hokuto is there to help him, to cheer him up, and to make him wear eccentrically fashionable clothing. Sakurazuka Seishirou is a (male) 25-year-old gentle veterinarian friend of the twins, who professes to love Subaru.
   Hokuto thinks that making them a couple would be a marvelous idea, even though - or maybe because - she believes that Seishirou is the mysterious Sakurazukamori, an assassin onmyouji said to protect Japan from the shadows.

A mysterious very young thief- a Man of Many Faces review

Akira, Utako and Akira's mothers

   By day nine year old Akira Ijuyin is a normal student at Clamp School, but at night he becomes the mysterious thief 20 Masks. His thefts are usually subject to the whims of his two stepmothers, which Akira pulls off without any true objections or interactions. One night Akira ducks into the room of five year old Utako Ōkawa in an attempt to hide from the police.   
   Although the pair shares a four year age difference, they find themselves quickly falling for each other even as Akira finds himself being increasingly more involved with thefts, some of which include Utako's family. This as well as several other obstacles give the young couple's budding relationship a fair amount of difficulty.

The Beautiful Sinners: Angel Sanctuary and Diversity

To be called a sinner is one of the hardest accusations a person can face throughout his lifetime. Sinners, through all of mankind's history, have been punished repeatedly for their desires and actions. Yet, through my personal experience in this world, it often seems to me that sin is a blessing, the road to happiness. In this article I try to prove this point by using Angel Sanctuary, mangaka Kaori Yuki's testimony on the nature of sin, as reference material.

Queers and the complicated reality

Look carefully at this picture. Focus on  the rainbow. Can you really tell where each color starts and ends? No, because rainbow is a spectrum of colors. And that's exactly where the problem with the pride flag lies. Its colors aren't gradient. I believe that this fact reflects certain solid ideas within the lgbtq community. Although the colors of the flag stand for ideals and not labels, and reasons of convenience might play a major role in the final creation-symbol (namely the flag), I think that when someone produces 'art', the subconscious always gets involved. In this case, it represents a denial in complexity and fluidity of identities ...

Warning: A comic follows whose last two panels are NSFW.

"Six stars will fall to this plane. The dark stars that will defy the heavens..."- a RG Veda review

From left to right: Ashura, Yasha-ou, Souma-ou, Ryou-ou, Kendappa-ou, Karura-ou

    A 10-volume manga series by CLAMP, notable for being their debut work, and named after the ancient Hindu hymn collection the Rigveda. The series borrows elements of Hindu and Buddhist mythology for its setting and characters.    
300 years ago, the general Taishakuten rebelled against the Heavenly Emperor, killing both him and the guardian god Ashura-ou and installing himself as the king. The Ashura clan was thought to be destroyed until the god Yasha-ou found the remaining child sealed in a forest and began to gather the Six Stars, a group of individuals said to be the prophecied bringers of a celestial revolution.

Down the hole in Clampworld!

“A land that doesn’t need a map” claim CLAMP the world of their works to be, but only in terms of enjoyment; because otherwise their claim is a belief of theirs… Especially after TRC and xxxholic, more readers have question marks floating over their heads about the past of the cameos and how things function in CLAMPverse. And let’s not forget how tags like shoujo and shounen don’t apply to CLAMP due to their diverse writing and styles. For a beginner a guide is useful.

Our Genshiken Diairies: The Greek Community Part 3

Now it is time for the third part of our project "Our Genshiken Diaries: The Greek Community." On part three of our series, we invited some good friends to write about their own experience as members of the j-community.

First comes Marilena, whose blog you can visit here, who speaks about how j-culture and those who care about it influenced her life. Afterwards, Gina, also known as Yu~Kun, a veteran otaku herself, gives us a more detailed version of our story.

Our Genshiken Diairies: The Greek Community Part 2

As we saw in part 1 of this article, being a member of the j-community in Greece has had its ups and downs for the past few years. Yet, how are things now that the hype of the late 00s has calmed?

Majo: Long ago there were witches...

Prepare yourself to enter an unseen world where living means experiencing with your whole being, body and mind. Prepare yourself to take a dip into the world of Witches...

Learning and Teaching in Space Brothers

In episode 13 of Space Brothers the teams of astronauts-to-be are shown what we call a flaming video towards their dreams and possible jobs. There is a journalist who expresses her negative opinion towards space travelling, especially due to its high-cost budget that is supported through the citizen's taxes without any visible results for the present. JAXA asks of them to write a letter as a response.

What this situation has to do with learning and teaching? Learning is the change of the behavior and that's the goal of the letter they are asked to write. Teams A,B and C are to 'teach her a lesson' and convince her that what they want to do is worthy and beneficiary to everyone, as well as cancel any negative effects the journalist's stance had to the public.

Asian artists: curvy elegance & smoothness

clockwise: Audrey Kawasaki, Toonikun, kidchan, Matsuo Hiromi

It's been awhile since the last time I've posted about art. Today I bring you some of my most favorite artists. I have much love for art nouveau: the slender figures, the graceful lines and the mesmerizing, at times bizarre, decorative elements/ shapes. And I'm also attracted to textures, be it smooth like the above or rough. These artistic 'Achilleon heels' of mine are presented exquisitely through the four artists you'll be able to explore in this post.

A History Lesson from Hyouka

"It all becomes part of the classics, as per the rules of  historic perspective."

Dear The Paper and gendomike asked me to write for their blog. They are great bloggers and very kind hosts. Visit their blog to check my contribution. Enjoy!

Our Genshiken Diairies: The Greek Community Part 1

Introduction

We may not be advertising it a much, but The Beautiful World is a Greek based blog. As a team, both Foxie Lady and Neko-kun are not crazy about their country but they cannot help it and live in its reality. It is a part of this reality, our experience and opinion of the local j-community that we wish to share with our readers.

The main reasons that led to the creation of this article are as follow:
   - The need to share a positive side of Greece, rather than the -quite reasonable- negativity that goes around these days.
   - The wish to keep a sort memo of what happened the past six years, so that we can evaluate the present and future of the community.
   - The interest to see what some of our closest friends have experienced as Greek "Otaku."

The article is separated in two parts: the first one will present my memories of the past and some interesting information on the Greek Otaku community. The second one is going to be an estimation of the present and the future, written by myself and others whose opinion I treasure.

Some events and periods will be briefly mentioned, to save space and time. The article focuses mostly on the experience I had as an "Otaku" living in Athens.

Prism* and the free market of creativity

Bad news came up some weeks ago, when for reasons of copyright infringement, mangaka Higashiyama Show had been forced to put Prism, our favorite yuri manga of all time, on hold. This means that the constant rise in popularity the story met will also be put on a hold, so manga readers are going to miss a great opportunity to take a look on a realistic, high quality slice-of-life yuri.

The Beautiful World could not be sadder for Prism, one of the series for which, very soon, we plan to dedicate an exclusive article. Right now we would like to make a more general comment on the issue of copyrights. None of us has knowledge of how national or international law treats the subject. So we cannot take the position of an expert, but rather decide a stance as creative people and willing consumers of this market.

Lesbians, inspiration and work ethics

Each work one does has a purpose. Some works were made to be bring profits. Others to earn and build reputation. But there are projects that were thought of, and made for, the satisfaction of passions. This is the sort of a case I am going to present in this article, and it is perhaps my dearest story evolving around one of my projects and what, thanks to a sweet young couple, I found out about work.

Blog Carnival: Our Genshiken Diairies

Let's get to see the bigger picture. There are quite a few blog carnival series that center in the personal journey of each blogger. But what about us and the anime community closest to us? We'd like to know more about how everyone experiences anime culture in his/her local/national community.

What kind of activities are there for anime/manga fans?
Any rants? The highlights?
What are the distinctive characteristics of each community?
How does the anime scene look like internationally?

Share your experience. You may as well invite guests, hold some interviews, research a bit, if you are in the mood. It's about the 'we', after all.
Contact Foxy Lady at her twitter account to link your post here, where you'll be able to find the other contributions as well. If this goes well, we're considering to make this a book by next year. So let's have some fun!

________________________________________

Update: For those who want to write but the single anime community they are members of is the online one, they can participate later. We want to ask their understanding and patience. We don't wish to exclude their experience, but because everyone is online active, we'd like to prioritize the IRL groups that form around anime. Thus, let us wait about a month's time to see how the main theme of this anime carnival goes.

Thank you very much!

IDAHO- Because a 'deviant' sexual orientation isn't a disease

For those who don't know what day is today and what make it a special one: IDAHO stands for International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Just like today, on May 17th 1990, homosexuality was removed from the International Classification of Diseases of World Health Organization.

This blog supports the rights of all people to love and a healthy sexual life. Because we've experienced bullying for one reason or another. Because we know the agony and struggles of not being accepted by people that play a major role in our lives. Because we want to see this world change for the better.

straight or gay, cisgender or transgender love is love

To commemorate this day we share with you personal stories, our opinion on some articles and our thoughts. Acceptance of yourself and the others is a journey. Let your mind open up!

Diary of Anime Lived - Potpourri Part 2

Neko's turn in anime confessions.

Diary of Anime Lived - Potpourri Part 1

by Child of Ginger

Anime is a rich medium that knows how to deliver good/ powerful/ touching stories, if used properly. Their impact, of course, depends also from their viewers' experiences and tastes. When the viewers can see themselves in the story, that's when the strongest emotions are stirred and get unlocked. In this post, we reminiscence such key moments.

Part of the Diary of An Anime Lived Project. You can also check the Remembering Love project by trzr23 that is pretty similar.

Saya Monou: a mermaid of sin

Illustration by CLAMP for the Tarot Collection - 0. The Fool

After I got into CLAMP fandom, I started exploring the various manga out there and of course X, being the masterpiece it is, wasn't left out. It must have been while I was still in high school and I wasn't that aware of the Internet communities out there or the streaming online - if I remember correctly. I was a newbie 'otaku'. So when I read about Saya Monou turning into a mermaid in the afterlife as punishment, question marks started floating over my head. And I guess that I'm not the only one feeling puzzled about this fact, if we take for granted the strong influence of Disney's The Little Mermaid adaption of the homonym fairy tale in the West. This article is my attempt to explain the imagery associated with Saya Monou.

Footnotes on Mushishi

Our culture values written speech a lot and this fact relates to the notion of 'study'. Study as an extended linear analysis didn't exist in oral people (tribes where written code isn't used or isn't common), since the latter didn't have written documents and they depended on collective learning from mouth to mouth a lot. But what exactly is going on with oral culture? What is oral literacy? What's the relationship of oral speech with the written word? And how is it all connected to Mushishi?

Lingerie: Choosing your weapon

Super-duper awesome Yi from Listless Ink offers me one more time the pondium on her brilliant blog. Check it out!

Foxy Lady: They are going to vote for us, right?
Neko: O-of course... why wouldn't they? With such beautiful appearance and wittiness... (and who would dare to anger a goddess like you, anyways?)
Foxy: Oh, they'll certainly gonna honor my tail, right readers?

BLazed Passion - Part 1

wallpaper by infinity-explorer on animepaper

Boys' time!

Lingerie: Weapons of Seduction or Performing Sex

“E-X-P-R-E-S-S
Love, sex, ladies, no regrets […]
I love to make the people stare
They know I have that certain savoir-faire”
 - Christina Aguilera, EXPRESS

Lingerie is art: they’re beautiful and although not necessary for survival, they add that special flare and taste to life and their wearer. Lingerie is a weapon: powerfully unleashing sensuality, signifying sexual mood and rocking your lover’s world.

Have I got your attention?

You threw the glove, I throw my tail...

This is our opponent on 21st of April in this massacre-lustful Aniblog Tourney. Yeah, he is the one certainly. He has admitted it himself. Answer to Question8. Would you vote for such a shady person?

So Inushinde from Shinde Iie Anime Blog & Review took out his weapon first and decided to fire with some magical tricks... I know, I know, impostor is a very used word already, isn't it? Then, what about manipulator?

Ka ka ka ka... you think you can go against a goddess (and a merchant)?

GLorious Love - Part 1

Daydreaming by Strawberry-Chocolate

Spring has arrived, love flourishes like flowers and my yuri/yaoi manga recommendation project begins along with it :) The posts will contain each time 3 manga with different levels of mature content (from 0-3), so that almost everyone can find something of his/her interest to try out. Rape themes aren't my cup of tea, but if there is one handled seriously, it'll be stated with a warning, along with other major info (author, number of volumes etc.). These post will be as spoiler-free as possible and SFW (if some panels are NSFW they'll be set in a link instead of displayed here openly).

Ladies go first, so here we go...

Someday We'll Shine Together - Utena and Us

revolutionizing cosplay and photo by neko-tin and tajfu

Many people have 'their song'; we have 'our anime'. This is the story of how an anime revolutionized our world and how we met. (mildly NSFW photos)

And the game shall begin...

Red Bracket, Yellow Bracket, Blue Bracket, Green  Purple Bracket and  the one left standing will be GoddessMadoka  of the Anisphere

Awards and tourneys are 'in' this season. We got awarded by sweet Marina of Anime B & B the Versatile Blogger Award (thank you >.<) and the Anime Blog Tournament is just around the corner...