When the truth becomes a danger to the state, violence is deployed so the ruling class can maintain power. How does truth win? How do we fight state power?
Fall of the House of Shinra
On a dreary day in October, I realize that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is nothing short of a horror story. To wish for Aeris to live once more, and not let the dead past be, we are wishing to be cursed. Haunted by our past and trapped in the neverending present.
Dungeon Messy: The Ethics of Eating Monsters
When is a food item considered taboo? How does it reach such a designation? In Delicious in Dungeon, the party brings their own philosophies of food to the table. When eating monsters is the only way to survive, how far can you go maintaining your ethical stance?
Eulogy for a Cat in the Digital Age
When we leave the emotional labor of memory creation to the machine, what effect does it have on how we remember someone? Do the memories stored in our hearts sync up with memories stored on our phones?
Memories, Loss, & Regret in Frieren
How do we make sense of time? It can be running out, or we can have all of it in the world. It can be of the essence, it can stand still. We wish we had more of it, but one day, ours will be up. How we view the precious little time we have on this planet is at the center of Frieren.
Anime Aloha/Hawaii is Burning
Depictions of Hawaii in anime are often an essentialized, tourist brochure friendly view of the islands. While the devastating fires burned in West Maui, anime boys pose on a beach for a photoshoot, and tourists keep showing up, their trip to paradise won’t be interrupted.
Not Up To Interpretation
The word “married” has weight. It matters. Particularly as LGBTQ+ people in Japan fight for their right to be married. Gundam: The Witch From Mercury gave us a canon queer romance that ended with a married lesbian couple. Until Bandai Namco PR decided it wasn't.
Ignorance is Bliss
Avoiding spoilers for a game as big as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is no easy feat. But what does it feel like to know next to nothing about it?
In the Eternity of the Land of Fairies
Kyoto Animation produces work with an emotional resonance that can’t be matched. Let’s look at a few reasons why.
The Spectacle of Excess: Kimetsu no Yaiba-hen
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is filled with epic fights and sublime animation that have drawn in fans the world over. Why it works so well can be traced back to Greek Drama, bull fighting, and Roland Barthes’ essay World of Wrestling.
Immersion and Narrative: Video Games and the World
The Final Part of a series on Immersion and Narrative in video games. Maybe it’s the games industry itself that needs an adjustment so that we, the player, can take time to be reflexive. A final look at the idea of games as film, games as worlds, fandom, and where games can go from here.
Immersion and Narrative: Games as Worlds
Part Two of a short series on Immersion and Narrative in video games. By going back to fundamentals and creating worlds that players want to hang out in, do games like Undertale and Omori do a better job of creating immersion and stronger narrative connections for the player?
Immersion and Narrative: Games as Film
Part One of a short series on Immersion and Narrative in video games. In their quest for cultural legitimacy, video games have adopted cinematic qualities in their design. By taking from the medium of film, are games better for it? Or is video game as film an exercise in futility?
Stuck in Headspace
Gamification has taken over our world. From Uber to Amazon to social media clout chasing, we are stuck playing games in our lives that ultimately have no win condition. Using the charming indie RPG OMORI and McKenzie Wark’s book Gamer Theory let’s dive into the insidious nature of gamification.
Escaping the Present
As young people in Japan worry about their future prospects, the allure of escaping to a nostalgic past seems to be just the ticket. Anime airing today are taking viewers away from the capitalist drudgery of the big city to the simple life of a rural Japan that exists only in a dreamworld of nostalgic escapism.
We've Played This Game Before
As the fallout for Activision Blizzard continues in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment and mistreatment of women in the workplace, one has to wonder if anything will actually change in the games industry.
(Un)Limited Animation
5 seconds, using just 30 frames of animation, is all it takes to show a deep and intimate connection between two characters in the anime Wonder Egg Priority. The beauty of limited animation focuses attention and causes the viewer to reflect on the scene before them.
Gall of Duty
With the US Military increasing its presence in the world of streaming, it is generating concern that recruitment via Twitch should not be tolerated. But, this latest effort only serves to highlight how insidious the Military Entertainment Complex is in all realms of pop culture.
The Superscription of Narrative
Layering the past, present, and future on top of one another, 2006 anime Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni plays with time to critique stuffy traditions and also opens up its world infinitely to iteration. Postmodernity at its finest.
Queerness in Anime: Gender Identity And A Wandering Son
Japan lags behind when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, and navigating the legal waters towards recognition for transgender individuals is particularly harrowing. Hourou Musuko presents a heartfelt story of a boy who wants to be a girl, and the struggles transgender Japanese youth face.