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