November 2009

  • Great Manga Gifts

    By akgoemans on 11/25/09 12:02pm
    Add Comment

    What I said, epic battles!What I said, epic battles!

    I came across blogger David Welsh's rant about NYT's Gift Guide (via Manga Blog). In case you were wondering, that Gift Guide was a 'Cool Comics You Can Buy a Geek' sort of guide. He was pointing out, and rightly so, that not a single manga made to that list. Oh no, they didn't! Well, I was inspired by his call to make a list and came up with my own manga gift guide. Here goes.



    Read more >

  • Women in Anime: More Than An Inoue Clone?

    By akgoemans on 11/16/09 8:02am
    1 Comment

    Did anyone hear me curse? Oh crap ... wait, what?Did anyone hear me curse? Oh crap ... wait, what?

    Recently, I came across an interesting article that talked about the role of women in vampire literature. This, together with a recent discussion about the prevalence of 'cutesy' female characters in anime, got me thinking. Surely child-like pretty girls was not the only depiction of female folk in most anime shows? I mean, from what I remember (both from manga and anime), you are likely to come across different types of personalities in most shows. Of course, I could be turning a blind eye to flaws in my favorite shows, thus preferring to think that most shows didn't create one-sided, annoying female characters. Let's take a look, shall we?

    Read more >

  • Various Anime Genres

    By akgoemans on 11/10/09 8:44am
    Add Comment

    ... fans of Abel?... fans of Abel?

    A lot of fuss has been made over anime genres. In most cases, the ruckus starts because someone somewhere didn't quite categorize a certain anime in the right section (i.e. Hello Dragon Ball, where are your pants?). Admittedly, most of the controversies occur because of folks involved in the matter don't know much about these Japanese media forms. Sometimes it is because there is still a prevailing notion that comics and animated series are aimed at children. Well, whatever the case, it is probably a good idea to touch upon the various anime genres and subgenres.



    Read more >

  • Christian Symbols in Anime and Manga

    By akgoemans on 11/3/09 9:44am
    5 Comments

    He's Abel and his bro is Cain ... right!He's Abel and his bro is Cain ... right!

    This week I will be touching on a sensitive topic, at least one that you skirt around with Western audiences/readers – the depiction of Christianity in anime/manga. We all know that the portrayal of religion in any media form is a touchy topic and thus, a lot of folks frown on manga and anime for its rather liberal – not to mention random – use of religious symbols. But am I the only one who wonders about Christian symbols in anime? I mean, it doesn't really matter what your personal beliefs are; what I am talking about in this case is curiosity about the influences on this country's art forms. What exactly is the connection between religion and these media formats?



    Read more >