Christopher Kincaid's Blog, page 37

Yamada and the Seven Witches

Yamada and the Seven Witches is goofier than what I normally watch, but beneath the goofiness wait some interesting currents. The anime follows the blue-haired Yamada and seven witches that hide among the regular high school students. Each witch has a special ability that casts when she kisses someone. Well, through an accident Yamada kisses…

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

I’m not a fan of magical girl anime. I’ve watched a little Sailor Moon and read a few issues of the manga a few years ago so I could write about it. I enjoyed Kill la Kill, but on the whole the genre just isn’t my thing.Puella Magi Madoka Magica(PM3 from here on) languished in…

Wabi Sabi by Beth Kempton

The other day I was at a library for a teen mental health conference. As I usually do, I took the lunch break for some alone time. Conferences have far too much group work and socialness! After wandering around town, I returned to the library and found the book Wabi Sabi by Beth Kempton. I’ve…

Pokemon Sword and Shield, A Game for Kids

I recently finished Pokemon Sword on the Nintendo Switch. It’s an uneven game but fun. Some of the areas have poor textures, and many of the Pokemon animation and effects disappoint. But the game doesn’t warrant the outcry on the Internet. At this point, I shouldn’t be surprised. The Internet outraged? On Metacritic, Pokemon Sword…

Restaurant to Another World

The premise of Restaurant to Another World struck me as odd at first, but I gave the show a try anyway and found it surprisingly charming. The story lacks depth. You really don’t get to know the visitors or characters of the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant is confident, capable, and mostly unshakeable–other than…

Dogged Determination: One of Anime’s Favorite Themes

Determination sits at the top of anime’s favorite themes. When I first considered writing about this, the obviousness of determination made me wonder what I could say about it that wasn’t, uh, obvious. Anime heroes are determined to achieve their goals. Full stop. They aren’t any different from heroes in other stories. But there is…

Anime for the Brokenhearted

If you are brokenhearted, anime can offer some reprieve. Relationships can be rough, and they often end. If you are like me, when I’m brokenhearted I want to watch relationship stories. There’s something comforting in seeing people work through their relationship problems. Of course, sometimes you also want something cathartic. Anger and frustration remain part…

Storytelling in Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Many people criticized The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild for its lack of storytelling. As I revisit the game, I struggle to understand their viewpoints. After all, Breath of the Wild features more storytelling than any other entry in the series. But all of it is subtle. For example, when I wandered into…

Bible-bound Christians and Learning from Anime

Usually I avoid discussing my beliefs on JP. However, (the week I write this) I had an encounter with a Bible-bound lady and then read a thoughtful article on Beneath the Tangles about Christians blogging about Yaoi and Yuri. They sat in contrast to each other. The Bible-bound lady pontificated about how Halloween was wrong…

Arifureta and the Not-So-Common Protagonist

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest runs as a common power-trip isekai. Hajime Nagumo and his classmates transport to a fantasy world modeled after the usual RPG tropes. Hajime doesn’t stand out. He’s not strong, fast, or proficient at anything except material transmutation. When they go into a labyrinth, Hajime is separated from the rest and plunged…