Over the years, critics and everyday people have come to identify media as “Lynchian,” in reverence for how video games, movies, and TV shows evoke the dream-like quality of the late auteur David Lynch. Although most media described as Lynchian takes its inspiration from seminal works like Twin Peaks through referential nods, no show completely […]
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ Prequel Manga Lets Rebecca Bask in the Spotlight
In 2022, Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red and renowned anime studio Trigger jointly released the Netflix anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. In quick succession, the show joined the super exclusive club of phenomenal video game adaptations and revitalized its player base, which had long lost faith in the monumentally hyped game from its historically rocky […]
The Anime Industry Needs to Stop Trying to Make Rurouni Kenshin a Thing Again
Warning: The following story discusses criminal acts around the abuse of children that some readers may find distressing. As with Hollywood and video games, the anime industry is often guilty of carting out some of its older hit-making stories and remaking them for a new audience with mixed results. We’ve seen this time and time […]
This Self-Aware Harem Anime Must Finish Its Story
Harem anime is akin to junk food in the anime world. It’s filled with empty plot calories, overloaded with the instant gratification of fanservice, and binge-watching it as a sole source of entertainment is crazy work. Like shonen and isekai anime—which equally remain a mainstay in seasonal anime releases—harem anime’s mass appeal comes from it […]
Being a Manga Letterer Is More Than Having a Fun Job
When people read manga, they often focus on the Instagram caption-worthy one-liners and larger-than-life illustrations that fill their pages. What usually goes unnoticed in picking up a manga is the work that goes into its lettering and graphic design, done by the folks who pour their craftsmanship into typesetting popular Japanese manga for Western audiences. […]