Hello World!

I've decided that I want to share my ever-growing knowledge and views on Japanese animation and comic books, also known as Anime (like Annie-May) and Manga. For a long time I have been developing what has now become an obsession, and have found few (read as NONE) reviews and critiques written by women. This is probably due to the fact that in North America these two vehicles for fiction have been consumed by males for the most part. It is only recently - within the last ten years, really - that stories targeted to women and young girls have been translated and distributed.

Now, I know there are a lot of you out there thinking: "Hey! I watched Sailor Moon when I was younger, and I'm a girl!" I will admit there have been a few exceptions, although it should be noted that these titles, and Sailor Moon in particular, were not really marketed as Anime. The themes were toned down and the content was edited in order to gear it towards young girls in North America. If, however, you decided to pick up an elusive original copy of the third season of the show, you would find that it is very different and deals with much more adult content and issues. In fact, the final season was never licensed to be translated into English at all, and can only be found with English subtitles as bootleg copies.

Back to the topic at hand! I'm hoping to share my views with you all, and comment on upcoming news and events in the world of Anime and Manga culture. I won't focus on a single genre, since I love them all. My collection includes girly dramas and abstract movies; robots fighting in outer space and samurai tales of romance; popular serial titles and oldies that have been long forgotten. Maybe this way I can share my passion with you all, and perhaps introduce you to a title that will become a favourite. Also, if you're new to the Anime culture as a whole, I welcome you into this wonderfully colourful and entertaining world!

O tanoshimi kudasai!