Tsundere Exposure: Why the Word “Tsundere” has Natural Appeal
I’ve personally noticed that in the past three years or so there’s been an increase in how visible otaku culture has become. In fact, Akihabara, the so-called “Otaku Holy Land” has seen a significant shift in its visitor population; the Japanese government has invested in the area as a major tourist attraction for both Japanese [...]
Capturing Soul in Cosplay Photography
Too often in cosplay photography, the subject becomes an object. Cosplayers are fairly bad at doing anything other than looking sexy (?) and photographers focus too strongly on simply making cosplayers look good. I think we can do better than that.
The East is Burning Red: A Shanghai Otaku Story
While most of NHRV attended Anime Expo, I was halfway across the world. I stepped out of my air-conditioned taxi into the sweltering heat of Shanghai’s exburbs. Facing me was a dusty old factory, recently converted into a small convention hall. A dozen or so itasha were parked outside the hall’s entrance. A few dozen fujoshi were lined [...]
Ano Hana, an Anthology of Comments
It’s been almost three years since I first tried this exercise, in which I re-examine my week-to-week forum posts about a given anime in hindsight, and look at how my opinion has changed over the course of the series. The last time I did this was for Special A, in part because my impression after [...]
Adaptations Suck: A Look at Astarotte no Omocha
I don’t know if Oizaki Fumitoshi is a good director or not. Based on his credentials, he has mostly excelled in character designing. However, he has directed at least three works: the Gonzo production of Romeo X Juliet, the Gonzo production of Welcome to the N.H.K., and Diomedia production of Astarotte no Omocha. Though Welcome [...]
