Over the decades, the number of fantastical stories starring female characters has slowly but significantly risen. As that number has gone up, so too have the number of lady action heroes. Girls and women are no longer relegated to the roles of “white mage” or “brainiac”; they can sling spells, slay vampires, and punch supervillains …
Created as an anime-original project in 1998, Princess Nine spends the first three-quarters of its 26-episode run with an often spot-on understanding of the sexism girls and women face when trying to enter traditionally masculine fields. Through its narrative and characters, it challenges gender norms and argues for female participation both in boys’ sports and adult leadership positions. …
No witch left behind. Witch Hat Atelier begins with the premise that “anyone can become a witch” and then spends practically every volume introducing us to someone who’s been told “no, actually, you can’t,” whether because of their family, their learning speed or style, their physical abilities, or their mental health. Thankfully, the series always proves …
Bring on the lovers, liars, and clowns! Caitlin, Vrai, and I dust off some obscure musical references and recommend a slew of comedy series to help give you a little reprieve from the whole… well, Everything going on in the world nowadays. From the wacky to the sweet, the school life to the pet life, …
I’m just happy about this thing—and I hope I have more reason to be in the future! At about the ten-minute mark of the first episode of Yesterday wo Utatte (Sing “Yesterday” for Me), I was starting to feel like the episode was getting ready to close, so I took a quite look at the …
In which soldiers do un-soldier-like things. In Sora no Woto, all five of the main characters are soldiers. Despite the comfortable, relatively untroubled lives they lead from day to day, reminders of their past and current realities of military service are always present. But presence isn’t the same as prominence, and you could be forgiven …
