Content Warning: Topics on self-harm and bullying will be discussed. The third year of middle school should have been a straightforward year for everyone. Mizuha would have remained the eccentric but cute girl people talk to in classes. Hibiki might have been the popular rebel in school. And Ryuusuke would just be the invisible kid… Read More JPN Review: Strange Voice
Don’t we all want to play video games, watch films, and read books and still get paid for it? As we grow older, we find time and money being siphoned away for school and work. We daydream and imagine ourselves blogging or streaming on Twitch and getting revenue that way. Transforming our hobbies into work… Read More JPN Review: Ryuuou no Oshigoto (Vol 1-5)
From the outside, Japanese subcultures feel like they don’t belong on this Earth. Documentaries about these underground subcultures depict people whose lives can be defined as “drifting” and “antisocial” trying to engage in what looks like to be maddening occult activities. One such subculture is the so-called underground idol subculture (地下アイドル). Documentaries uploaded to YouTube… Read More JPN Review: Melody Lyrik Idol Magik
Two high school girls desperately in love with each other point their rifles toward the 3,000 cops marching into the school. They want their vengeance and more importantly, their love, to be remembered before they are either gunned down or captured. They kiss and it is that moment — that eternal moment that will sweeten… Read More JPN Review: Vanilla – A Sweet Partner
Every year since 2005, a light novel guide book titled Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! (This Light Novel is Amazing!) is published in Japan by Takarajimasha. It features lists such as the top 10 most popular light novels and top 10 favorite light novel characters. The poll has two categories of voters: the homepage survey… Read More Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2018
It looks cute. It looks like a normal light novel with a mysterious transfer student à la Suzumiya Haruhi. And it looks like a short read you can take on a bus ride home. You might be a bit skeptical over the title, Run Over; that sounds like it is referring to roadkill or something like that. But… Read More JPN Review: Run Over
