A while back I wrote about some of the more popular tropes used in manga (and anime too!). A single post really doesn't do the topic justice, though, given the huge number of manga tropes out there. The tropes I covered … [Read more...]
There's no arguing that a lot of what we consider stereotypically Japanese actually came from elsewhere. Japan has China to thank for the Japanese language, which is also where ramen is from. Tempura, konpeito, and … [Read more...]
It’s not easy to write about art. Art is highly subjective after all, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a complete plebeian when it comes to art. But someone much wiser than I once said that art is supposed to … [Read more...]
I almost gave up on Japanese once. When I first started self-studying Japanese, I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff there was to learn. I can even remember that panicky feeling like it was yesterday: in one … [Read more...]
Hello, my name's Fiona, and I'm an otaku – or at least, I used to be. My obsession of choice? Comics. I loved them. I was an equal opportunities lover too. At one time my huge collection included Spiderman and Garfield and … [Read more...]
This is a post about food, glorious food. To be more precise, this is a post about the food depicted in Studio Ghibli films – always mouthwateringly detailed and remarkably true to life. Grave of the Fireflies, for … [Read more...]