1. This week for my US History class I learned why most people only quote the first paragraph or so of Lincoln's 'house divided' speech; because after that it kind of devolves into a paranoid rant of how the Democrats want to impose slavery upon all the states, including speculation that Stephen Douglass etc. were … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Lincoln, Civil War, and More Manga
Anime
Thoughts on ‘Fruits Basket’
Fruits Basket tells the story of the romantic adventures of a rice ball in a basket of fruit. Said rice ball is a cute, sweet, slightly ditzy teenager name Tohru Honda, while the basket of fruit is the Sohma family; an ancient, ultra-rich aristocratic clan with a tendency to extreme good looks and a strange … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Fruits Basket’
Anime Double-Take
One of the joys of watching dubbed anime is that, from what I can tell, there is actually a fairly small pool of professional voice actors who handle it (compared to something like Hollywood). Which means you often run into the same performer over and over, often doing fairly similar voices across very different shows. … Continue reading Anime Double-Take
Friday Flotsam: School and ‘One Piece’
1. At school I've more or less defaulted to lecturing, as trying to get the kids to engage hasn't been too profitable for most of the classes. Though oddly enough, turning to lecturing interspersed with questions has gotten a lot more interaction going, so perhaps it works out. 2. I ended up correcting the history … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: School and ‘One Piece’
‘Spy x Family’ at the Everyman
My latest piece for The Everyman went up today, where I get to talk a bit about Spy x Family: Following a devastating conflict some decades prior, a tense cold war persists between the nations of “Westalis” and “Ostania” (fictionalized versions of West and Easy Germany circa the 1960s). Ace Westalis spy ‘Twilight’ works tirelessly … Continue reading ‘Spy x Family’ at the Everyman
NC Commentary: Villain vs. Villain
My latest story commentary essay is up at Noble Cobra Magazine. Yes, I'm again talking about My Hero Academia, though this time I'm dealing with a part where it falls short by discussing its version of the "villain's rise to power" arc and comparing and contrasting it with what I think is a better done … Continue reading NC Commentary: Villain vs. Villain
Friday Flotsam: On Republics and Anime Girls
1. The purpose of government is to promote the common good. The great danger of any Republic is the loss of the sense of commonality between different parts of the populace. This, of course, can happen under any form of government, but it is a particular danger for Republics, because elected governments incentivize animosity and … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: On Republics and Anime Girls
New Video Upload: ‘My Hero Academia: Be a Man’
Matching this song to this series was simply too natural not to do. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtzgkFuyLtk
Friday Flotsam: Sacred Heart, Consistency, and More
1. A blessed Feast of the Sacred Heart to you all. "Behold the Heart that so loved men as to spare itself in nothing." May our hearts spare Our Lord nothing in return. 2. My next step in bring order to my inner kingdom is trying to establish consistency, which I've so far completely failed … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Sacred Heart, Consistency, and More
Father Figures and Images of God
I happen to be reading/re-reading two very different Manga at the moment (didn't intend it that way, I just stumbled into it on discovering a new outlet): Silver Spoon and My Hero Academia. I've talked about both of these before, but if you're just joining us, Silver Spoon is a comedic slice-of-life series about a … Continue reading Father Figures and Images of God
Serpent's Den 