Kara Dennison Mar 24, 2020. 4 minute read
Revisiting BEN Drowned on the 20th Anniversary of Majora’s Mask
We’re living in a creepypasta boom. Anything you want, you can find it — or make it yourself and get an audience. Cursed video games? You can literally download and play them. Ruined childhood? Some of it’s even being made into TV series and films. Creators and analysts have built…
READ MORE >
FEATURES
Kara Dennison Mar 9, 2020. 4 minute read
A Decade Later, Ace Attorney Investigations Remains Criminally Slept On
When we hear the title Ace Attorney, most of us think of Phoenix Wright: the spiky-haired rookie lawyer with a loud voice and a gift for lateral thinking. But if you’re one of the fans who picked up Ace Attorney Investigations sometime over the last decade, you’ve seen the flip side…
READ MORE >
FEATURES
Kara Dennison Feb 25, 2020. 7 minute read
The Four Faces of Doki Doki Literature Club
This article contains discussion of mental illness, self-harm, and suicide. In 2018, I found a visual novel in my Steam library that I was sure I hadn’t ordered. I knew the title Doki Doki Literature Club at this point — fellow industry members spoke of it in the same ominous,…
READ MORE >
FEATURES
Kara Dennison Feb 4, 2020. 4 minute read
How Rascal the Raccoon Literally Took Over Japan
Japan is the uncontested champion of the cute animal mascot scene. Of course, there are the overseas hits like Hello Kitty and Pikachu, but one you might not be aware of is Rascal the Raccoon. This cuddly character is a perennial favorite in Japan, thanks to a popular anime series.…
READ MORE >
FEATURES
Kara Dennison Jan 17, 2020. 2 minute read
New Film Asks: “What If We Just Tried to Build Anime For Real?”
The makers of giant robot anime rarely, if ever, set out to make something believable — hell, that tends to be the exact opposite of their goal. From Gunbuster compressing the planet Jupiter into a bomb to the galaxy-flinging final battle of Gurren-Lagann, the Rule of Cool typically takes precedence. …
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Jan 8, 2020. 2 minute read
I Was So, So Wrong About the SpongeBob Musical
A friend of mine recently noted — very rightly — that pretty much everything is becoming a musical now. Though for every Beetlejuice and Mean Girls popping up in recent months, there’s a Little Shop of Horrors or Sunset Boulevard that tried and succeeded at the exact same exercises. The…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Dec 30, 2019. 2 minute read
‘The Case Files of Jeweler Richard’ Could Be Winter’s Feel-Good Anime
A new season of anime is starting up this January, and with it comes the usual selection of shonen series continuations, remakes, adaptations, and mobile game tie-ins. There are some notable bright spots in the mix, though — both reliable favorites and promising new titles. Among them is a light…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Dec 18, 2019. 2 minute read
Twin Peaks Returns to Virtual Reality
David Lynch and Mark Frost were decades ahead of their time with the creepy appointment TV epic Twin Peaks, taking us to a world that was equal parts soap opera, murder mystery, and cheese dream. The recent final season took things even further off the rails, raising as many questions…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Dec 13, 2019. 2 minute read
This Light Novel Adaptation Is Your D&D Campaign as an Anime
Isekai anime seems to be, if not changing entirely, at least taking some steps in a different direction. Whereas most genre protagonists are teen or twentysomething guys with not a lot going for them except a crush and one overclocked power, newer series are led by overachieving girls just trying…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Dec 10, 2019. 2 minute read
Keith Courage Returns in His True Anime Form Next Year
Hey, gamers! Remember Keith Courage in Alpha Zones? The 1989 sci-fi/action platformer for the Turbografx-16 cast you as a heroic member of the Nations for International Citizens of Earth, wielding a mighty sword against invaders from the planet of Beastly Alien Dudes. When the going got tough, you could throw…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Dec 3, 2019. 3 minute read
I Watched a Mushy Christmas Movie for Your Entertainment
So up front: I love Christmas. As soon as Santa shows up in the Macy’s Parade, I go all out. In all ways but one: I don’t do Christmas Movies. Well, okay. I do It’s a Wonderful Life and White Christmas. I even do the contentious “set at Christmas so…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Nov 23, 2019. 3 minute read
Antrum Delivers on Everything (Except Actually Killing You)
So far, the track record for YouTube’s dark media scene in the mainstream is a bit like Tiny Tim (the Dickens one): short and unfortunate. Unsurprisingly, it’s not really the original creators’ fault; once Hollywood gets a whiff of something like Marble Hornets, their instinct is to try and improve…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Nov 12, 2019. 2 minute read
Twitch Sings Unleashes Your Inner Karaoke Star
One of the greatest revelations in my life was discovering that karaoke wasn’t initially meant to be performed in front of two dozen drunk strangers. A steady diet of anime and Japanese drama introduced me to the concept of private karaoke rooms, rented out by a group for an evening…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Nov 4, 2019. 2 minute read
I Never Cared About Fortnite Until They Blew It Up
I was once a fairly avid MMO player (World of Warcraft was my poison of choice), but I eventually fell off the majority of online titles in favor of more personal or party games. There were a few reasons, but one loomed large: I couldn’t keep up. As much as…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Oct 25, 2019. 2 minute read
Virtual Reality Skin Suits Are Coming
Every day, we get closer and closer to Minority Report-level tech. We’ve got touchscreen devices in our pockets. We can 3D print body parts. Quantum computing is a thing now. But the most exciting development of all — at least for now — might just be the promise of actually…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Oct 17, 2019. 2 minute read
This Year’s Lupin III Film Is Going Back to Basics
If you’re an anime fan, you’ve almost certainly heard of Lupin III. You may also know that the sport jacket-wearing, globetrotting gentleman thief is inspired by a much earlier character. If the hero’s history is still nebulous to you, expect that to clear up this year. Lupin III has been…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Oct 14, 2019. 2 minute read
Netflix’s ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Has Its Ein, and He’s Such a Good Boy
Let’s not mince words: we’re all a little worried about what the upcoming Netflix adaptation of Cowboy Bebop will bring. Live-action anime adaptations are already hit-or-miss to begin with, no matter where they come from. But for the time being, Netflix is getting one more check mark in the “Good”…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Oct 9, 2019. 2 minute read
Ascendance of a Bookworm Might Cure Your Isekai Exhaustion
Two years ago, Kodansha banned isekai stories from their annual light novel competition. If that’s not a sign of the times, I don’t know what is. The isekai genre — in which the protagonist travels to an alternate, usually fantasy, world — has been a tried-and-true formula for centuries around…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Oct 3, 2019. 2 minute read
Kind Words Offers Lo Fi Chill Beats to Feel Better To
I’m not shy about the fact that I have anxiety. Some days it’s completely silent; others, it’s there with me first thing in the morning. On those bad days, I’m always looking for ways to tame it so I can go on with my life. A friend and fellow anxiety…
READ MORE >
TRENDING
Kara Dennison Sep 18, 2019. 5 minute read
5 Anime for Back-to-School Season
School life seems to be a part of most anime out there. And that makes sense, because a lot of anime and manga are created with a high school readership in mind, turning everyday life into exciting adventures with otherworldly characters, magical powers, or (more often than not) half a…
READ MORE >
LISTS