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The Flower Language of Liz and the Blue Bird
It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the work of Naoko Yamada that flowers and flower language have their place in her latest film: Liz and the Blue Bird. For Yamada, flowers take the...
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It takes three — the main trio of The Promised Neverland
“Those three are different, hunh? Norman is a genius who has the best brains. And Ray, an intellect who can compete against Norman’s genius. Emma has amazing athletic skills, and her learning ability...
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Through the looking glass and what Koyomi Araragi found there
A few days before my high school graduation it struck me. I was staring out of our front bay window past the dying spider plant that hung on the right side looking towards the cloudy sky and thinking...
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A slightly-too-early primer of Kunihiko Ikuhara’s Sarazanmai
In two weeks, director Kunihiko Ikuhara’s latest original anime, Sarazanmai, will air in Japan. I’ve found few anime as immersive, both coy and direct with their symbolism, and as...
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The Promised Neverland’s Dystopia Revisited
“It was for survival. Longer than anyone.” -Mom Isabella, The Promised Neverland, Episode 12 By design, the dystopian world of The Promised Neverland first placates human children in captivity and...
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Kappas, kawauso (otters), Mawaru Penguindrum, and more early Sarazanmai...
One of the most striking images from the main Sarazanmai preview trailer is of a red stain expanding outwards from an icon of an otter in a heart. The stain looks like a blood droplet spreading across...
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Nostalgia, Touch, and Mix: Meisei Story
When Cross Game initially aired, the small handful of western Mitsuru Adachi went to work, attempting to spread the word of a bestselling Japanese artist who was an unknown in the west. Touch, a...
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Good morning! Sara-zanmai speculation and Ikuhara Greek choruses
Who is Sara? The short answer is, a local idol of Asakusa in Sarazanmai. The longer answer could relate to a kappa’s head dish (sara) and director Kunihiko Ikuhara’s penchant for Greek choruses. Major...
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Carole and Tuesday and how we talk about music
A world without music. A world without art. A world without — insert Shoji Kawamori voice here — culture. This is the setting of Carole and Tuesday. Fifty years after Mars was colonized by humanity,...
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You and I are connected by ア —Sarazanmai Episode 1
“The more boxes you have, the happier you’ll be! Take a Happy Selfie, send it to your special someone, and you’ll be even happier, dish~” -Sara Azuma, Sarazanmai, Episode 1 Prior to Sarazanmai‘s...
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Super Frog Saves H-trio — Himari Takakura and the divine
Himari Takakura’s first brush with divinity came years before she met Sanetoshi in the library. Forgive me, for I am about to blaspheme (a bit). A recurring theme of Mawaru Penguindrum is various...
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Who is Harukappa? — Random thoughts and the visuals of Sarazanmai’s cold open
“I never asked anyone to understand me! This is my own business. It’s the connection between me and Harukappa. For that, I’ll pretend to be anything!” -Kazuki Yasaka, Sarazanmai, Episode 1 Naturally,...
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Call the cops, no not the regular cops — Sarazanmai Episode 2
“Only those who can connect desires can have a future.” -Mabu Akutsu, Sarazanmai, Episode 2 Ah, the things we do for love. One of the oft-repeated refrains of Mawaru Penguindrum‘s first few episodes...
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I want to [㋐] but I don’t want to [B] — Sarazanmai Episode 3
All of Sarazanmai‘s episode titles have been structured as such: “I want to connect/be connected but I want to [X].” The [X] part of the equation is always negative — I want to lie, I want to take —...
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SARAtto Report! — Sara’s messages in Sarazanmai Episodes 1-2
Prior to the series airing, one of the predictions I made was that Sara Azuma, local idol of Asakusa and one of the faces of Sarazanmai, would end up being the series’ Greek chorus element, similar to...
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Because I Love Him — Sarazanmai Episode 4
Won’t forget, can’t regret, what I did for love. One of Nobuyuki Takeuchi’s strengths in his visual direction is taking something established and recontextualizing it with a completely different look...
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SARAtto Report! — Sara’s messages in Sarazanmai Episodes 3-4
This is a continuation of notes on Sara Azuma’s scrolling text reports and what they could be telling us about Sarazanmai‘s thematic elements and plot events. Special thanks to Good Haro for full...
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You and I are supposed to be connected — Sarazanmai Episode 5
“No one can find out (about this secret)” “Go grab it!” “You and I are supposed to be connected.” -lyrics from the kappa’s song at the Field of Desires, Sarazanmai There’s a lot of nuance in “supposed...
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Together they are Sarazanmai — a Reo and Mabu (and Sara) speculation masterpost
A speculation post for everyone’s favorite otter cops: Reo Niiboshi and Mabu Akutsu. Major spoilers for the Sarazanmai manga, Reo and Mabu~ Together They Are Sarazanmai. Translation of Reo and Mabu’s...
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Thank you for choosing me — Sarazanmai Episode 6
“I have faith that he’s going to smile again. I’m not the only one who wants to see Kazu-chan’s smile. Kazu-chan, you’re in the middle of a big circle.” -Haruka Yasaka, Sarazanmai, Episode 6 As others...
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