The anime adaptation of Made in Abyss released in 2017, and featured thirteen episodes of some of the most visually stunning animation ever put out into the world. With an astonishing soundtrack and clever world-building, Made in Abyss stands tall as one of its decade’s best anime. With a world this mysterious and engrossing, it’s …
The anime adaptation of The Promised Neverland manga released its first season in 2019 to critical praise. The show finally offered answers to anime fans wondering why manga readers were so obsessed with the series. But, for fans won over by the anime, is The Promised Neverland manga worth reading? Yes. Here’s why. What is …
Manga is appreciated by many for its endless range of genres, stunning art, and imaginative stories, but it can be difficult to find a manga that isn’t guilty of objectifying and stereotyping female characters. Shounen manga often depicts women with ridiculously large breasts and tiny waits, shown from revealing angles through the male gaze, or …
We’re living through a turbulent and unknowable time where all aspects of life are shifting. What was once clear is now murky, and nothing is certain anymore. For many of us, the first thing to go was our enjoyment of simple pleasures like reading (myself included). Where did all that happy reading go? Many of …
“Let’s face it, manga has always been lame! . . . But it’s okay that it’s lame.” — Inio Asano, “A Tour Through Inio Asano’s Workplace” In one way at least millennials are lucky: we were the first generation in the West for whom imported Japanese culture was completely unremarkable. Though it comes from a …
Since reading Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, I’ve been a big fan of the graphic memoir. Using drawing as a medium to deliver a message isn’t a new concept but I’m so grateful for the slew of comics in the last couple of years that deal with the more difficult concepts in life. From the simply …
Grass is a starkly beautiful graphic novel which reveals the true-life story of a Korean ‘comfort woman’ during the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. The occupation ended after the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II, following the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Grass is a timely and gravely …
Supernatural stories, haunted tales, scary campfire stories of every kind are read and told at Halloween. Be they stories from myth, stories by horror legends like Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe, or stories you found online. But what are some of the best short ghost stories around? Ones that make for perfect scary campfire …
August is Women in Translation Month, a time to celebrate as loudly and proudly as you can the incredible women writers from around the world who have been translated into English for us to enjoy. Across Asia, women writers are changing the literary landscape by pointing a finger at the patriarchy, by writing clever and …
When it comes to adaptation, book-lovers often feel divided. Some welcome film adaptations; others don’t see the point. Some spend hours debating which is better. I am of the opinion that a book and a film are too far apart to be compared clearly and fairly. But graphic adaptations exist in the gap between literature …
