Alone in a Crowd: Neurodivergent Travel and Finding Belonging in Japan
On feeling alone in a crowd, and why Japan may feel more forgiving for neurodivergent people.
What if he had tried? Adachi Mitsuru’s Touch
Adachi Mitsuru’s “Touch” is more than a sports manga—it’s a bittersweet story about brothers, grief, and the dreams we bury to protect the people we love. Read it.
I want Discount Hobby back: why I’m starting a Kalamazoo anime store
I’m starting an anime store in Kalamazoo, a third place for otaku. Here’s why 「gan·ba·re!」matters to me, and maybe to you too.
Sailor Moon and the ache of wanting people you’d die for
Sailor Moon isn’t just about fighting evil by moonlight—it’s about love, sacrifice, and the kind of friendship worth dying for.
A whimsical look at Kimagure Orange Road’s iconic love triangle
Ayukawa is a prime example of the tsundere archetype—a character who initially comes off as cold, aloof, or even hostile before eventually showing affection. At first glance, she may appear distant or even unapproachable, but as the series progresses, it becomes clear that there’s much more beneath the surface. It’s not that Ayukawa is…
Voltron sparked my lifelong love of anime and manga
I was like most 80s kids – glued to the TV, mindlessly watching any cartoon I could find. There were shows like Popeye, Looney Tunes, Smurfs, He-Man, and GI Joe. But among all these cartoons, there was a group of shows that felt… different. Namely, they were more mature, the art style was cooler,…