12th Anniversary Post

Here we are! Twelve years writing about anime and religion. How much things have changed since 2012! The one constant is that I still watch anime. (Fun fact: half of all anime which has ever been made has been aired since 2011.) If I’m good, I should wrap up the anime I’m watching from the current season shortly in order to give you my opinions of them. I’ll just mention here that the show I most looked forward to watching each week was not the much hyped Solo Leveling but Villainess Level 99: I May be the Hidden Boss, but I’m not the Demon Lord. I found the heroine of that anime very charming and comical. May none of you have missed it!

Below is a list of new shows I want to try out from the Spring 2024 season. N.B. I mean try out: this means that each show will be given at least three minutes of my time. So much anime is made these days that it’s not worthwhile to watch an anime which doesn’t grab you from around the start. The only exception is when a friend (or one of my dear readers) tells one that the series is worth at least the standard three episode try. Here’s the list, but feel free to encourage me to give something else a try too:

Happy Yankee Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my dear readers! If you’re not a U.S. citizen, then may you have a pleasant November 28th and a happy Thanksgiving when a similar holiday rolls around for you.

I know an American History professor who refers to today as “Yankee Thanksgiving.” There are two Thanksgivings which took place prior to the one celebrated by the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in 1621. You may hear Floridians brag that their state boasted the first Thanksgiving in what would become the United States. On September 8, 1565, Spanish explorers and the Timucuan tribe held a Thanksgiving mass in St. Augustine–the oldest city in America. As for the other one, English settlers in Virginia held a Thanksgiving event on December 4, 1619, beating the Pilgrims by almost two years. But, it is just as well that our holiday hearkens back to the harvest festival put on in Massachusetts: the other two do not give a ready excuse for eating tons of food!

While I thank God for His innumerable blessings, I want to write a Thanksgiving post which rectifies my long, long hiatus. For the first time, I did not participate at all in National Blog Posting Month. So, I thought that I would write blurbs on all of the anime which I’ve watched in the past few months. After all, just because I have stopped writing about anime does not mean that I have stopped watching them! The list is long, but I promise to limit myself to five sentences per anime. If you don’t see a rating, that means that I have not watched that anime until the end.

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1) Arcadia of My Youth ★★★★1/2

I love Leiji Matsumoto’s work.  This movie acts as a prequel to the events of Captain Harlock.  An alien race has subjugated the Earth.  Captain Harlock, a new friend, and a resistance network must give the men of Earth hope.  Anime fans with a love of bushido are sure to find this film very moving. (Tubi TV, Amazon Prime)

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2) Buddy Complex ★★★

Buddy Complex offers some excellent fights and a plot which keeps you glued to your seat.  We follow a high school boy dragged against his will into a mecha conflict in another world.  The one person connecting him to Earth turns out to be an enemy pilot who wants him dead.  I’m very happy to have watched this anime, but I can’t see myself re-watching it. (Hulu, Tubi TV)

7th Anniversary of Medieval Otaku

Wow!  Seven years of blogging!  It’s been fun getting to know all of you out there and hearing about how my posts piqued your interest.  Thank you for your support and your interest!  It seems like I have not really done enough with the present winter season, but I have finished watching all the shows I set out to watch.  You should see a couple of posts soon where I review all eleven shows in two parts.

Eleven?  That’s right.  I added one more show to my watch list: Karakuri Circus.  This show does not seem to have gotten that much attention, but it’s a very well done shonen.  It excels in both action and characters, making even certain minor characters compelling.  Perhaps the oddest thing about Karakuri Circus, however, is just how much of the action takes place in the past.  I can’t remember the last anime I watched which indulged so much in flashback episodes.  This can be annoying when one would like for nothing more than for the story to advance.  At the same time, it’s fascinating how the action extends from Medieval Europe to Meiji Era Japan to modern America.  The anime is on Amazon Prime, and I highly recommend it.

 

Here is a short list of what I want to post in the near future:

1. Review of Winter 2019, Part 1
2. Review of Winter 2019, Part 2
3. Quick Takes on other anime
4. A post on Karakuri Circus and Charity’s Relationship to Virtue
5. Finally read Dante’s Divine Comedy to the end
6. What the anime Caligula was actually about
7. Spring 2019 Watch List

If anyone gets what the main theme of Caligula was, feel free to comment on it below.

Look forward to these posts and one which I hope will appear on Beneath the Tangles soon.  Dear readers, thank you once again for all your support!

What is Old School Anime?

This is just a little question for my dear readers.  I once argued with someone about the definition of Old School anime.  He argued that the term covered 90’s anime, while I said that it did not apply to 90’s anime.  I’m curious what the consensus is on what qualifies as Old School anime.  So, I’m placing a poll below asking about which decades you think this term applies.

My opinion is that the 90’s counts as a transitional period from the old, hand-drawn cell method of animation to the more computerized version of animation we see in the 21st century.  I just refer to anime from that decade as “90’s anime.”  (You might say that we’ve entered another transitional period starting in around 2015, where CGI animation is becoming more used and accepted.)  I call 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s anime Old School, while anything before the 60’s is simply ancient.  (I ran a search on anime made during the 50’s on Anime-Planet, and the only thing I recognized was Hakujaden, aka The Legend of White Snake or Panda and the Magic Serpent.)  But, I imagine that some of my readers might call 60’s anime or even 70’s anime ancient.  At any rate, please satisfy my curiosity below.

Thanks for participating!

6th Anniversary of Medieval Otaku

What a milestone!  The sixth anniversary of Medieval Otaku!  Most blogs only seem to last for two or three years, and so I’m happy to have dragged myself this far.  It’s really no surprise that most blogs are done after two or three years: the circumstances from which one started have changed by then, and one might want to go on to something different.  I have taken quite a few breaks when my own enthusiasm has flagged.  Somehow, I still want to keep up with this hobby, and for that I can only thank my dedicated readers for all their support.

 

As we are on the brink of a new season, I just want to briefly list all of the new shows which have caught my eye.  Then, I’ll give a brief program of the kinds of articles to expect in the near future.

Very Brief Update

Hello, All!  It’s been too long since my last movie review, and so an update of sorts seems appropriate.  I should get back to the movie reviews starting today.  From up on Poppy Hill and In This Corner of the World were both very well done, and these two films might be treated in the same post.  After that, I’ll get back to writing one movie review a day–if all goes well.

Voting on Ten Movies to 500 Anime

About every two years I add one hundred anime to my Watched list.  (Not too impressive when you consider that shorts, OVAs, and movies also count as separate titles and that I stay away from series with over twenty-six episodes.)  Also, as usual every two years, I want to let my dear readers vote upon what I watch to finish out this new hundred.  Since I ran into Ex-Driver and Submarine 707 Revolution the Movie at my local 2nd and Charles bookstore, you will get to vote on eight of the last ten.  (I think of 2nd and Charles as an earthly paradise of sorts.  Book, manga, and anime lovers who live nearby such a store know what I mean.)  Below is a list of thirty-two movies from my Want to Watch list arranged by production date, please select eight choices.  I intend to review each and every movie in the final lineup.

Thanks for your input on which movies will be in the new series of posts!  Be sure to pass the poll onto your friends so that they can throw in their two cents also.  The poll will remain active through January 23rd.  If a group of movies require a tie breaking vote, I’ll hold another such poll afterwards.  Thanks again!

EDIT: I notice that one title did not come out properly in the poll.  Where you see “(2015),” it ought to read “<Harmony> (2015).”

Curiously Dead Cat Blog

I just discovered the blog of a contributor to Beneath the Tangles named Dr. Steve.  He wrote to me about his new blog, and I recall being very impressed with his article, “What Can a Succubus Teach us about Chastity?”  (There’s an impressive eye-catching title!)  He’s also written “Platitudes and Power in Juni Taisen: Zodiac War” and “Communion and the Food of the Gods in Restaurant to Another World” for Beneath the Tangles.  TWWK encouraged him to make his own blog, and Curiously Dead Cat resulted from this advice.

His favorite show is Gate, by the way.

With such interesting posts behind him, I decided to check out his new blog.  Curiously Dead Cat has only been around since November 29th, but it has a nice assortment of articles out by now.  My eye was particularly drawn to his posts on Shirayuki Hime (I really need to watch that show) and Recovery of an MMO Junkie, which is my favorite show of the current season–what a shame that it only airs for ten episodes!  I rather enjoyed Dr. Steve’s (who now uses the handle NegativePrimes) post on the opening song of the latter anime and how it displays the idea of the characters having their identities fragmented between real life and the internet world.

At any rate, be sure to check out his blog.  You’ll be glad that you did!

Happy Thanksgiving and a New Feature

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Or, minna, Kanshasai omedetou gozaimasu!   Don’t fail to be grateful to God for your life, faith, family, friends, feasting, gifts, talents, virtues, intellect, grace, health, country, possessions, and all good things which come from our Heavenly Father.

Be grateful that you’re not a character in Galaxy Express 999.

Links Updated!

It’s so easy to leave up dead links or forget to update old ones.  This blog’s sidebar unfortunately included a lot of dead ones.  You’ll be happy to know that all the dead links are gone, links to forgotten blogs cast into oblivion, and some new sites I’m following have been added.  Feel free to browse them and see whether any catch your eye!

TAG – Five Flaming Hotties

MIB did the honor of tagging me in this little game.  Thanks!  Now, I have an excuse to talk about five anime girls I find attractive.  There are two ways to concoct a list like this: 1) a list based on raw physical appearance or 2) a list based on a combination of appearance and personality.  I have chosen the latter so as not to drive away the many female fans of this blog.  This particular game had its start in the blogs Realweegiemidget Reviews and Thoughts All Sorts, which are linked to below.

The creators probably intended for real persons to be named, but all of the movie stars I would name are well past their prime or deceased.  (I’m a huge fan of old movies.)  Also, my dear readers are likely more interested in anime characters than, say, classic stars of cinema like Sophia Loren.   Considering the wide range of personalities among anibloggers and that 82,380 female anime characters now exist according to Anime-Planet, these “top hotties” posts tend to be more interesting than one would initially think.  May my choices encourage you to check out some of the anime in which these heroines star!

Returning to the Aniblogosphere!

Tadaima!  That was a refreshing two months!  Though just two months, it feels like a coon’s age since I’ve blogged on Medieval Otaku.  At any rate, the transition from critic to fan was achieved over this time.  Being a critic is miserable: one watches so much anime that the flaws start standing out more than the good.  At the same time, one feels as though one never watches enough, which induces one to watch mediocre anime and be tortured more than ever.  A truly vicious cycle!

During the past two months, I have kept up with precisely one current anime: Aho Girl (★★★★).  Two have been finished: Eureka 7 and You’re Under Arrest: Full Throttle.  Many consider Eureka 7 (★★★★1/2) one of their favorite shows, and quality and uniqueness shine through the entire series.  For all that, understanding why I enjoyed it is difficult to pinpoint.  Perhaps, if I watched it again, I could take apart more of the ideas–particularly, the comparison of Dewey Novak to Raskolnikov (the protagonist of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment.)

A Long-Expected Hiatus

There comes a time when a blogger must take a break–when blogging becomes a chore instead of a joy.  I’ve reached that point, and have even felt the stirrings of animus towards anime.  Last season, I only finished three shows.  This season in particular strikes me as odiously mediocre, though I’ll heartily endorse Aho Girl.  The series occasionally pushes the envelop too far in regard to the humor driven off sex, but it’s genuinely funny.

Lovely Blog Award from Jiraiyan

I’ve put off writing the acceptance posts for a few awards, and today seems a good day to rectify that.  My thanks goes to Jiraiyan of Otaku Orbit for nominating me.  Be sure to pay his blog a visit!  Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person that nominated you and leave a link to their blog
2. Share 7 facts about yourself
3. Nominate at most 15 people
4. Tell your nominees the good news!

Here are my seven facts.  Chances are that I have mentioned a few in awards posts before, but I hope that they shall be new to you.

A Fantasy Novel by Yours Truly

Here, I’m going to try my hand at marketing–again.  As you see from the title, my dear readers, I’ve self-published a fantasy novel–a medieval, military, fantasy, adventure novel to be more precise.  The roots of this novel lie in an old manuscript I created at seventeen years of age and completed at nineteen.  The tome, dubbed Ketil’s Saga, stretched for over three hundred Word Document pages, was written in a pompous and abstruse style, and contains one of the most meandering plots never to have been inflicted on the public.  I dream of one day polishing it enough to be presentable trilogy; but, writing a new story set within the same world seems an easier proposition.

All Man’s Clotted Clay might be a familiar title, since this book was submitted to Athanatos Christian Ministries’ 2015 Novel Contest and made the semi-finals.  As such, it has received extensive editing by one of the contest judges and by yours truly–so much so that I developed a disgust for revising it and an irresistible urge to bring it before the reading public.  All Man’s Clotted Clay is set three hundred years before the events of the unpublished Ketil’s Saga.  It concerns the struggle of a heroic pikeman to win the love of his life and defeat the enemies of his country.  (What can I say?  I love romances of this sort–the medieval kind–and am even reading one such tale now: St. George for England by G. A. Henty.)

Examining Light Novels: Medieval and Modern Castes

Here is the latest post in my Examining Light Novels column.  I talk about the medieval caste system with a focus on executioners, who would have been considered untouchables at the time, and try to compare that to how one’s social status in modern society causes people to view one.  What makes for a favored class of persons changes in every age, but people’s desire to measure others by their particular situations doesn’t.  Click the link below!

I’ve had a lot of fun talking about Spice and Wolf and how accurately the author portrays the medieval era or the medieval Church.  But, it’s time for me to move onto greener pastures.  My next post for the column will be gleaned from the light novel series Slayers.  Unlike Spice and Wolf, I’ll be reading this one from the original Japanese, which–though more verbose–is actually a little easier than many popular manga.

Anime Winter 2017 & Some Blog Resolutions

The winter anime season is practically upon us, and I’ve yet to wrap up Izetta, Trickster, and Flip Flappers.  But, these shows ought to be finished and reviewed with the other fall anime choices of mine on or before January 7th, which appears to be the new season’s official start.  And, I’ll have to reveal my favorite anime of last year!

Many upcoming shows caught my eye:

1. ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka
2. Chain Chronicle
3. Chaos; Child
4. KonoSuba 2
5. Little Witch Academia
6. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
7. Onihei
8. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu 2
9. Spiritpact

Lovely Blog Award from LynLynSays

Almost a year ago, LynLynSays honored me with a Lovely Blog Award, for which I am very grateful.  (It’s about time I write this post!)  LynLyn has a very entertaining and cogent style of writing, and I can’t encourage you enough to read her posts.

Here are the rules:

• You must thank person who nominated you and include a link to their blog
• You must list the rules and display the award
• You must add 7 facts about yourself
• You must nominate 15 other bloggers

Quick Takes: Turkish-style Coffee and Other Things

Welcome to a suitably random series of quick takes, as you can tell from the first topic.  Those who wish to read a random assortment of things about yours truly are encouraged to continue.  Which reminds me, there are two award posts I should do in the near future from Josh W and Lynlynsays.  Look forward to them!

 

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I’ve determined that my favorite method of brewing coffee is the Turkish method: stirring very fine coffee grinds into some water, simmering it for five minutes (I try to keep it between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit), and then stirring before pouring it into a cup.  My grandmother uses this method, though I never employed it myself until the past month.  One interesting thing about this method is how one can stir up the grinds on the bottom of one’s cup to heighten the flavor.  The end result is very strong–especially with the Death Wish Coffee (the most caffeinated coffee in the world) I’m using now.

New Page: Anime for Christians

Well, I finally have my list of anime recommendations for Christians up.  I expect to continue working and updating this page over the months and years, but plenty of great anime are posted there.  You’ll find this new page as a sub page of “About Me and This Blog.”  Feel free to recommend more anime which you feel might belong up there or if you want to contest the way any anime has been categorized.  (You’ll see what I mean when you read it.)

Anime for Christians