Christopher Kincaid's Blog, page 42
February 24, 2019
My Sumo Foray — A Sport I Can Actually Enjoy Watching
I’m not one for sports. American football puts me to sleep. Football–soccer–does the same. I’ve never really found a sport I could get into. Too many commercial breaks. Too many rules. I’m a bit soured to sports because of the focus my hometown placed on basketball and American football. The arts were always cut before […]
February 17, 2019
A Tale of Two Old Men – Choosing Our Behavior
Once, a few, few weeks ago there were two old man. One served in World War II, losing many friends to the Japanese. The other old man was drafted just as World War II ended, and he fought not against the Japanese soldiers. The man who lost friends, Clyde shall his name be, had walked […]
February 10, 2019
Understanding Japanese Talismans, Amulets, and Good-luck Charms
Talismans, amulets, and good-luck charms appear throughout anime. Japan isn’t unique for having these–every culture has their own version–but Japanese charms have become a bit more international with their appearance in manga and anime. Some work similar to the American lucky-rabbit’s foot. Others are rather different. Talismans and other charms overlap with toys in Japanese […]
February 3, 2019
Understanding Culture Blindness
A fish doesn’t notice water. You can’t see the forest for the trees. Whenever I visit Amish country, as we call the areas where the Amish live, I’m struck by how a group I’m familiar with can seem foreign to others. If you don’t know, the Amish is a religious group that eschews owning technology […]
January 27, 2019
Examining the Rising of the Shield Hero Controversy
Well, it looks like anime has another controversy on the order of Goblin Slayer’s episode 1 content issue. Across various review websites, such as MyAnimeList, people have spoke out against Rising of the Shield Hero because of a plot device used in the first episode. Rising of the Shield Hero looks to be yet another isekai […]
January 20, 2019
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Review
As I wrote in my first impression, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai surprised me. Instead of the schlock I expected, the story had one of the best sets of characters in 2018. I’m a bit saddened that the publisher didn’t think the story could’ve succeeded without such a fan-service focused title. But […]
January 13, 2019
The Madness Behind Goblin Slayer
I’ve addressed the controversy surrounding the first episode of Goblin Slayer. I’ve also seen (as likely you have) plenty of articles that speak about the status of women in the series. “Rotten Chivalry: The Role of Women in Goblin Slayer” at UEM struck me as one of the best. But the articles also ignore the […]
January 6, 2019
Japan, the Sexless Society?
By 2060, Japan is expected to have a population of 86.7 million, down from the peak of 128 million in 2008. At least 40% of the 86.7 million is expected to be 65 or older. As the population declines, there will be fewer young people to care for the older. Tokyo is expected to have […]
December 30, 2018
Looking Back on 2018
The past year has been a busy one for me. A blur. Older people like to tell me that as I continue to age time will continue to speed up. My response? I’m in the grave tomorrow. But I found looking back over the year, particularly looking back at my writing, allows me to remember […]
