Visuals and Narrative

Supposing that I am a painter. I have in mind an image of a person staring through a vast, open space clutching a fidget spinner on his right hand. How do I bring about the life of this image onto my blank canvas? I've been seeing enough arguments about 'visuals vs. narrative' on my Twitter …

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou OVA – A Sweet Slice of Boring

Turns out I was yet to take a slice of the other side of the cake. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou was a surprising watch given that I've thought hitherto all I needed for my iyashikei fix were Aria, Aria, and Aria. Lately, I've been immersing myself into numerous amount of slice of life materials. Majority of which seems to be indicative …

Yotsuba, Mimesis, and A Product of its own Time

It's not everyday that we take a moment to sit back, reminiscing those times we made mama angry, or, smiling at the thought of something stupid your 7 y/o self would probably do. We're too preoccupied with what's in front of us nowadays, and, normally, that very same preoccupation will slowly evolve into a daily routine -- a …

Welcome to the NHK! – Coming Full Circle

Welcome to the NHK! has been on my favorites list as far as I can remember. However, the reasoning behind that is a bit complicated in comparison to the other shows that garnered the same distinction. I hate Welcome to the NHK! I hate Misaki. I hate Satou Tatsuhiro. And more importantly, I hate its author -- Tatsuhiro Takimoto. I …

Aria – A nod to traditional Japanese aesthetics

I finally had the privilege to watch Aria, and by golly, it only took me one season out of three to be convinced that it's one of the greatest things I can ask for an anime.