What We Can Learn from Maple’s Carefree Gaming Style in BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense.

What We Can Learn from Maple’s Carefree Gaming Style in BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense.

Mary Lee Sauder
Blog Post

Kaede, also known by her character name “Maple” in the VRMMO New World Online, barely knows anything about video games. She only got it in the first place because her competitive gamer friend Risa/”Sally” wanted to play it with her as a fun bonding activity, and so she has no preconceived notions of how games are supposed to be played. Maple decides to put all of her skill points into defense so she doesn’t have to take damage, and thus begins her carefree journey of accidental success in BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense!

The History of "School Wonders" as Seen in Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun and Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story

The History of "School Wonders" as Seen in Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun and Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story

Mary Lee Sauder
Blog Post

In the Winter 2020 anime season, two different anime have given a spotlight to the strange Japanese phenomenon known as “School Wonders”. You may have come across these whispered rumors in other anime like Attack on Titan: Junior High, where they’re used as pranks to make a test of courage more frightening, or even in Ghost Stories, where they’re actually shown to be real. So where did the idea of “The Seven School Wonders” come from? and how do Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun and Magia Record use the concept in their narratives? Let’s investigate!

Does Magia Record's Story Suffer from Being a Mobile Game Adaptation? - Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story

Does Magia Record's Story Suffer from Being a Mobile Game Adaptation? - Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story

Mary Lee Sauder
Blog Post

When Puella Magi Madoka Magica exploded onto the scene back in 2011, it shook up the entire magical girl genre by deconstructing its usual tropes and telling a surprisingly dark, insightful tale about what would really happen if young teenage girls were forced to fight monsters every day. It spawned many manga and game spinoffs, perhaps chief among them being the mobile gatcha game Magia Record and its anime adaptation that began airing this season.

The Existential Horror of Nekopara

The Existential Horror of Nekopara

Mary Lee Sauder
Blog Post

Nekopara is a sweet little seasonal anime based on the visual novel of the same name about catgirls living a peaceful life together with their human companions and working at a patisserie. They’re all named after dessert flavors and even have an adorable kitten friend who joins their family after she follows them home. What could possibly be horrific about such a pure, pleasant, and positively moe concept? Well... you’re about to find out.

Ishuzoku Reviewers (Interspecies Reviewers) - Offensive Mess, or the Greatest Ecchi Ever?

Ishuzoku Reviewers (Interspecies Reviewers) - Offensive Mess, or the Greatest Ecchi Ever?

Mary Lee Sauder
Blog Post

Winter 2020 has revealed to us one of the raunchiest anime ever birthed from the minds of humans and brought onto the screen—Ishuzoku Reviewers. It’s a show about three horny guys who sleep with monster girl prostitutes and write up reviews to determine once and for all which species is best in bed. Sounds like a dumpster fire waiting to happen, right? Well, that’s sort of true, but Ishuzoku Reviewers has also proven itself to be one of the best ecchi anime of all time. Let’s find out why!

Why Anime Romances Take So Darn Long

Why Anime Romances Take So Darn Long

Mary Lee Sauder

Western movies and television will prolong a “will they or won’t they” situation between two people who obviously like each other for as long as they can get away with it, but in the end, the lovebirds will usually at least kiss or formally get together. This even happens in children’s shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Danny Phantom. Anime, on the other hand, prefers to drag out romantic tension for so long that the lead characters may not even confess to one another by the end—we’re looking at you, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun!

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