In praise of being a fan in private
Most of the time, I love my career. I get to review anime, report on fandom, and write about all kinds of interesting topics for a living. But it’s only…
Five Years of Weekly Anime Streaming Reviews
In the summer of 2014, I became an Anime News Network weekly streaming reviewer. I just finished up my reviews for summer 2018 and realized it’s been five years. Interestingly,…
How cosplay helped me find my confidence again
Styling a wig in my kitchen. This thing is 50% hairspray. 2018 is the year my body betrayed me. I’ve had some health problems, lost hair, lost weight. After a…
Burnout, grief, and the way forward
This summer has been difficult. I’ve been grappling with grief one year after a loss, and the meta-guilt of still being so sad after this much time. I think about…
My Otakon 2018 Panel Line-Up
When my to-do list is packed, updating this blog is the first thing to go. Over the last few weeks, John and I bought a condo and moved in—a life-changing…
The ‘Free! -Dive to the Future-‘ friend circle is familiar, but not unchanged
Free! -Dive to the Future- marks a new era in Haru’s life. Our swim boy protagonist is attending college now, a major milestone in anybody’s life. But while college is…
How I unexpectedly found myself doing PR
Usually, my name can be found in the byline of an article. But last week, it was in reporters’ inboxes, too. That’s because I was in charge of sending the J-Novel…
On writing about cartoons in Hell World
There’s no going around it: this month has been a hellscape. The discovery that my country is imprisoning children and babies is horrific, even if it’s what we’ve always done.…
Standing still in 2018
First off, I wanted to let you know I’m giving a talk at the Japan America Society this Friday. You can still sign up for it here. I’ve been a…
Where to find me at AnimeNEXT 2018
John and I will be wearing our Gunpla 101 shirts and talking about mecha. Giving panels at anime conventions feels like coming full circle. At 19, when I attended my…