Category: Editorials

If She Weighs the Same as a Duck: A Maho Shojo Madoka Magica Post

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I know that Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica has been getting a bunch of people in the anime blogging community talking. The normally light and fluffy visuals mixed with it’s utterly bizarre magical world scenes, sinister tone, and unusual approach to the genre has a good number of people trying feeling this might not follow the normal path of  a magical girl show. The question is HOW will it veer from the path when the deviant nature of this world is revealed. I am throwing in my theories because I love to speculate out loud to see where the mistakes in my predictions are and maybe get someone to expand upon or counter my ideas. Plus everyone knows you get crazy points the earlier you publicly call the big twist.

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The Speakeasy #013: Gin and Tonic, The Ebb and Flow of American Taste

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Anime 3000 presents The Speakeasy Podcast:
Drink #013: Gin and Tonic, The Ebb and Flow of American Taste

The anime version of Bartender mentions that the most popular cocktail among men is the simple and timeless classic: Gin and Tonic. In many ways the American taste in anime has that same simple immutable nature. We look at the origins of American taste, how they have grown and changed, and how they compare to the Japanese and their preferences. Also Hisui goes on a rant about people’s viewing habits like an aggressive self-help book.

We are also starting a mail bag segment so feel free to send in your question and comments  so we can discuss them on the next podcast!

(Listen) (Show Notes)

And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

Gin and Tonic

2 oz gin
5 oz tonic water
1 lime wedge

Pour the gin and the tonic water into a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes. Stir well. Garnish with the lime wedge.

Durarara!!: The Dub

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hisuiconIf anyone reads the blog regularly you will know our general opinion on Durarara!! We both thought that the series was great overall but the first half was certainly stronger than the second half. That said it was a fun ride and I think it has a distinct appeal with a hip vibe and some wonderful characters. So when Aniplex sent us a screener for the first 5 episodes I figured it would be somewhat redundant to  say what we have already said about the show on the blog. What we could comment on was the one major addition to the show that they have added since it was streaming on Crunchyroll, the dub. In an age where dubs are becoming increasingly rare it is a good time to examine one of the few shows popular enough to get a dub that is not coming from Funimation.

Despite how I felt about the second half of Durarara!!, I would still recommend it. And rewatching these first episodes really hits it home how much I liked the characters, the setting, and parts of the show that I did really enjoy (i.e. all the Celty stuff which encompasses the first half, anything involving Shizuo, and these two made up the best parts of the second half as well). And since Durarara!! is full of little hints of its mysteries and characters, it was fun catching little things that explain pieces of the puzzle when you know the answers.

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