Mothers and Sons in Garo: The Carved Seal of Flames

“Men are what their mothers made them.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson Garo: The Carved Seal of Flames reminds us that behind every hero, Mom’s involved. It goes without saying that heroes generally want to be like their fathers–strong, brave and heroic–but it’s often really their mothers who play a huge role in shaping their people they […]

The Year of Nobunaga

“The lord [Nobunaga] is certainly not a fool. He is simply beyond our comprehension. And yet everyone calls him a fool.” -Hirate Masahide In 2014 alone, there have been three anime series (Nobunaga the Fool, Nobunagun, and Nobunaga Concerto), and two live-action dramas (Nobunaga Concerto and Nobunaga no Chef) on Oda Nobunaga, who is indisputably the most famous historical figure in Japanese […]

Kou and Empire: The Squalor of Imperialism

(This is part two of the essay series “What Makes a King: Monarchical Representations in Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic. Link to the introduction and essay outline can be found here.) It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Magi. And unlike the coastal, debt-crippled country of Balbadd, the Kou Empire’s the top dog in the neighborhood. It’s of little surprise that their […]