All Articles
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Chatty AF 135: 2021 Winter Mid-Season Check-in (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Vrai, Peter, and Caitlin check in on the 2021 Winter season, from beefy skate boys to overworked cells.
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Tropical Rouge! Precure – Episode 1
Tropical Rouge is the latest in a long line of Precure series, and in this first episode it’s plain to see the tried-and-trusted formula clicking into place and why that formula works so well.
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Chainsaw Man’s beautiful depiction of platonic relationships
Chainsaw Man, a Shonen Jump series by Fujimoto Tatsuki, has its main character, Denji, realize the value in having a strictly platonic relationship with the leading female protagonist, Power. How Denji reaches this conclusion is incredibly messy and more than a little frustrating in places; which is to say that it epitomizes the uncomfortable struggle of navigating platonic relationships with someone you have the potential to be attracted to, a common aspect of growing up for many, and it’s both heartwarming and validating to see a character experience this part of life in a shounen manga.
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High-Rise Invasion – Episode 1
If schlocky action and gritty murder games are your deal, you might find yourself at home with High-Rise Invasion. However, I’m sure there are many fight-for-survival sci-fis that play with similar ideas with better execution and fewer peeks at the teenaged protagonist’s undies.
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Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House – Episode 1
Despite the strange mid-season start for the show, Kiyo in Kyoto seems to be lovingly crafted and easygoing show meant to get people hungry for Japan.
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Feathers and Glass: How Swan’s heroines find themselves through dance
Swan, which ran in Margaret from 1976 until 1981, follows Hijiri Masumi, an average high school girl from rural Hokkaido, who through the course of the series becomes famous as a modern ballet dancer. One of her key relationships is her friendship and rivalry with Lillianna Maksimova, a Russian classical ballet prodigy. This relationship uplifts them both, as the series uses Lillianna as an avenue to explore just how harmful and restrictive gender roles and expectations can be.
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ADHD as Investigation: How Hyouka’s Chitanda carves space for herself as a leader
ADHD is often maligned as strictly a lack of the willpower necessary to concentrate, or a simple inability to ignore distractions. But through her investigations, Chitanda exhibits behaviors characteristic of ADHD that contribute to, rather than hamper, her ability to lead herself and others.
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How BL and Yuri Helped Me Face My Sexuality
It took years of consuming BL and Yuri to finally face my truth: that I am queer.
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Chatty AF 134: Yuri Manga Variety Hour (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Vrai, Alex, and Mercedez go over the wealth of yuri being published on the English market and share some of their faves!
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You Don’t Have to Kick Ass to Be Kickass: Shoujo fantasy and the value of the noncombatant hero
Over the years, the number of lady action heroes has slowly but significantly risen. And this is a good thing… for the most part. But the ability to enact violence shouldn’t be the only way we define our heroes, regardless of gender.
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Blue Flag vs. Our Dreams at Dusk: A look at LGBTQ+ representation and its audience
Our Dreams at Dusk and Blue Flag are two series about queer characters, but it’s clear that each is aimed at a different target audience.
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My Fave is Problematic: Kakegurui
It soon becomes clear that within Hyakkaou Academy, it’s the women who get shit done. That was where I found what had first caught my interest in the first place: the women of Kakegurui.
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1122: For a Happy Marriage explores how prescribed gender roles can damage marriages
1122: For a Happy Marriage examines two different married couples that are pressured to adhere to gender and allonormative roles within marriage, which ultimately damages their marital relationships.
