Grading the Historical Accuracy of 'Fate' Characters

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So a few months ago I went and saw Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel, which is a movie based off of a popular Japanese visual novel that has a bunch of spinoff games and shows. Despite not understanding all of the movie (due to me only watching like six episodes of Fate/Zero), I liked the overall premise of the series, the premise being that a bunch of magicians summon historical and mythological characters to duke it out in a giant death-match. Said death match will decide who gets the Holy Grail in the sort of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen/Hunger Games/Street Fighter mash-up that the entire US population is too afraid to admit they want.

Dorian Gray is OP. Plz nerf...

Wanting to see if the rest of the franchise could scratch that collective itch, I decided to go ahead and do research. Writers being writers, I wasn't expecting perfection or complete historical accuracy, but the results ended up being more--uh--interesting than I initially imagined.

1. Medea

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Medea is best-known in Greek mythology for her adventures with Jason and the Argonauts and for being a witch who later seeks revenge on Jason for mind-controlling her and literally ruining her life.

How badly did he ruin her life? "She was cursed to blindly love a man she had never seen just because he was favored by the goddess of beauty, which led to her being forced to betray her own father and country ... and cut apart her own brother and throw the pieces into the sea to escape her native country."

Dark. So, uh, yeah the portrayal of her as an evil, empty, magic-using husk of a human being in the series is pretty accurate. What's even worse is that they also made an alternative timeline version of her where she doesn't meet Jason and grows up normal and happy.  Well played, Fate, and way to pull on the heartstrings a little.

Accuracy: 9/10

2. Gilgamesh

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OK, so Gilgamesh probably wasn't a blond bishonen and the removal of that fabulous beard is positively criminal. Physical differences aside, his arrogant personality, combat prowess, and general lack of respect for mortals are pretty much in line with the character in the original tale. His sexual exploits in the epic (*cough* "droit du seigneur" *cough*) thankfully didn't make it in, but he still acts pretty creepy towards a protagonist in the show. So all you history geeks can rest easy knowing his terribleness has been accurately recreated (hooray?).

He also uses his personal treasures as projectile weapons, which isn't all that authentic, so he's not getting as many points as Medea, but the effort is noted.

Accuracy: 7/10

3. Florence Nightingale

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Florence Nightingale was a British nurse who became famous for her efforts to care for soldiers during the Crimean War. She is viewed as a pioneer in modernizing the profession of nursing and the school she founded still exists today as a part of the King's College London. In Fate/Grand Order, she is a lawful good character who wields pistols and is a berserker class servant.

Wait, what?

Yes, you read that correctly: Florence Nightingale is a berserker. I'm not sure if this was intentional or some poor intern didn't translate something right, but either way it's impressive. As a berserker, her limit break is called "Nightingale Pledge" and requires that she "sublimate" her convictions about killing so that she can attack up to 100 people with a giant sword! This is just straight from the wiki, folks, I couldn't make this up if I wanted to.

"I say the whole world must learn of our peaceful ways, by force."

Don't worry, though. It also heals your allies' negative status affects because she's a nurse!

Accuracy: 3/10

4. Julius Caesar

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Well I guess I know why Caesar crossing the Rubicon was such a momentous event. Based on this depiction, I'd be impressed that a man with that physique crossed anything. Guess all of that military training and time spent fighting in Gaul didn't count for much in terms of exercise, eh?

On second glance, though, what is going on with his outfit? Is that a toga ... suit ... combo ... thing? Fat Caesar clearly doesn't play by the rules and with his arms outstretched he dares anyone to question what on earth is going on here. He gets some points for having the toga and the laurels, I guess. Kind of makes you wonder how else the Japanese could further degrade the Roman Empire though.

Accuracy: 5/10

5. Nero

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Japan, that was not a challenge. I don't know what concerns me more, the fact that you made Nero a girl or the fact that you made the person who executed hundreds of Christians a chaotic good character, then included her in a Christmas special.

What makes this even worse is that Nero is saber class, which is supposed to be the most powerful class in the series. Real life Nero had like zero combat ability and preferred playing music and writing bad poetry to actually ruling. He ruled so badly that the empire rebelled against his excesses and had him killed, plunging Rome into civil war.

But no, Fate, you're right: he's totally a good person and a heroic spirit. I can only assume that the genderflipped Joseph Stalin and Kim Jong-Un DLC is incoming.

Accuracy: 1/10

6. Quetzalcoatl

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Fate, I'm starting to notice a trend here where we do this gender swapping thing, which would be super progressive if you didn't seem to be doing it only for fanservice.

This design reminds me of all of the sexy Halloween costumes that pop up around the holiday. Clearly, the character designer here was really trying to make some sort of Buzzfeed top 10 list. Hey girls, you've been a sexy nurse, but why not be a sexy feathered serpent who is capable of devouring men whole? What could be more Halloween than requiring blood sacrifices to ensure that the sun will continue to rise?

And yes, I'm aware that Quetzalcoatl had a human form, but unless those Vikings were way better explorers than we give them credit for, there's no way blondes end up in ancient Mesoamerica.

Accuracy: 4/10

7. Oda Nobunaga

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Yeah, I gotta be honest, this pretty much sums up the current state of Japanese culture. Japan would totally make one of its most revered historical figures into a small girl for the sake of garnering sales in a mobile game. Hirohito's empire is gone and in its place is kawaii, anime, and youth idol culture.  Nobunaga's ambition, given this design, is probably to pass algebra and pick out a homecoming dress rather than create a unified Japan.

But hey, she's got a sword and has some sort of military garb on. And at least it's not weirdly sexualized like some of the other ones on this list, so I feel like I can in good conscience give it a pas--

"But Scott, there's a swimsuit edition."

Every day we stray further from God's light

...

Four words I thought I'd never have to type: Oda Nobunaga swimsuit edition.

Yeah, that's it, I'm done. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.

You win, Fate. I can't look at this anymore. I guess this isn't going to be the thing that unites history geeks and classics nerds under a common banner of spectacle and wanton violence. But if anyone wants to Kickstarter the project that will, you've got at least one backer.

What other series do you know that have "unique" views on history?  Sound off in the comments section below.

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Social Constructs and the Individual: An Analysis of Identity and Representation as Shown in 'Bananya'

Modern technology has brought with it the democratization of the arts. Once the domain of kings and religious institutions, the internet allows art to be created and discussed by all. This domain is a platform for a new age of patrons to forge hitherto neglected ideas into reality.

Though Bananya is only 13 three-minute episodes long (a side effect of its crowd-funded origins),  the show will linger long in the hearts and minds of its viewers. In what can only be described as the I, Claudius of the cartoon cat genre, the show encapsulates the struggle for personal identity in an increasingly superficial world.

For those unfamiliar with Bananya, but who want to participate in this dialogue, it can be viewed for free at the link here. (Note: all images used in this post are taken from this link.)

One could be forgiven for believing that Bananya merely tells the tales of a carefree group of cats who adorably live out their lives hopping around in bananas, but behind this premise lies a deeper meaning. The story uses our titular protagonist as an everyman with whom we are meant to connect. Bananya is a a fun-loving cat who enjoys sweets and is driven to achieve his dreams, much like the youth of today. That his dream is to become a chocolate-covered Bananya further serves to develop his uniqueness and authenticity.

May our own dreams be as noble.

His tale is told to us by the narrator who, through research, has discovered this strange variety of tiny cats, each with its own (admittedly limited) personality. This framing device allows us to serve as outsiders and critique the world we find ourselves viewing.

Initially, this world appears to be idyllic, with happy cats enjoying their lives as they bounce about with reckless abandon all while encased in fruit. Quickly, though, the cracks begin to show. It is revealed in an early episode that the lone female Bananya is self-conscious and uses heavy amounts of makeup to maintain her appearance. It is clear that these adorable cats have fears and anxieties similar to ours as humans. Through this, the world we are viewing begins to seem closer to our own.

Only the white parts, so not much.

With this revealed, we then must wonder, what is the driving force behind this anxiety? The answer may lie in the sordid consumerism of the human world that pollutes all who partake in it, even the Bananyas.

Our protagonist's dream appears to be derived from this culture. In the third episode, Bananya is shown to quite literally worship the chocolate-covered bananas on the television, suggesting that advertising is the origin of his motivations. The cheap but ubiquitous tactic of purveying sex appeal for the sake of profit is also on display as stereotypical trappings of societal gender constructs are used to draw the unsuspecting cat in and deprive him of his self-determination.

Pictured: A cat trying to motorboat a television

As if to add insult to injury, it is revealed at the end of the episode that Baby Bananya is responsible for the rapid changing of the channels, only amplifying the arbitrariness of this dream. Are we so different in our own lives? Would thousands of little girls dream of being princesses if there was no Disney around to peddle such stories?

This cultural pressure is further alluded to in Bananya's friendship with a mouse in episode four. So long as Bananya is on his own, the friendship remains, but as soon as another cat is brought into the situation, Bananya falls victim to peer pressure, much to the chagrin of the mouse.

Chagrin = Terror

This vignette clearly highlights the struggles between the internal and external self. Separated from the external world, Bananya's inner morality holds fast. But these cats do not exist in a vacuum (that would suck) and face pressures from their own cultural groups to act in certain ways. The limits of this clan mentality can only develop in isolation from the real world for so long. Eventually, Bananya ventures out in to the real world to a grocery store where his naïveté is on full display.

"I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going."

Here he meets Namaste Bananya and the regal Elizabeth Bananya. These characters are shallow and presented as caricatures of their respective nationalities (Indian and British). Our protagonist is surely not a well-traveled Bananya and quickly falls back on crude stereotypes to make sense of his experiences.

In a world with innumerable individuals, all with their own story to be told, how can we hope to understand others in a finite lifetime? Simplification allows an easier-to-understand narrative, but something is always lost in the process. The greater risk is that through this process, the whole will be lost and we will be left with tenuous fragments of experience akin to Baby Bananya rapidly changing the channel. 

This is further exemplified by the problematic interaction with Black Bananya. Walking through the house late at night, the various Bananyas become terrified, believing that danger lurks in the darkness. When it is at last revealed that the shadowy figure was only Black Bananya, the narrator makes a crude joke for humorous affect.

The insensitivity displayed by this offhand remark is contrasted when, at the end of the episode, it is revealed that he is a cultured cat who hails from France and loves fine wine and food.

While the narrator is quick to defend his joke through this portrayal, these details do little more than create additional questions around issues such as Western hegemony and colonial imperialism. Furthermore, Black Bananya does not protest this treatment, suggesting that these experiences are so commonplace that he lacks an internal locus of control in a society that has institutionalized his mistreatment.

Clearly, the internal worlds we create are fraught with error due to the limitation of time. This then begs the question: can these internal models be reconciled with the external world, or will we forever be adrift from others like ships passing in the night?

Bananya as a show clearly takes the latter viewpoint. In episode eight, Bananya encounters a regular-sized cat who does not live in a banana. In this scene, the stray cat urges Bananya to open the window and let him in; Bananya comes close to doing so, but eventually falls asleep, closing the curtain (literally) on this scene. The house represents our internal world with the window acting as the lens with which we view our surroundings. These worlds cannot be reconciled, but so long as we give this no thought, peace can be achieved, as it is with Bananya when he falls asleep at the end of the episode.

With this development in mind, the purpose of the bananas the cats live in becomes clear. The peel serves as a metaphor for outward societal presentation, with the inner fruit (er, cat) representing our authentic self. The tough outer peel bears little relation to the sweet inner fruit, but is needed to protect what lies within. We, like the Bananyas choose when and how we show ourselves and hide behind our "peels" when exhausted. In an anxiety-fraught world where we are bombarded by a constant stream of messages, we return to the peel more and more, severing our understanding of others further.

Can true happiness be achieved in a world like this? According to Bananya, only ephemerally. The show ends with Bananya fulfilling his dream of becoming a chocolate-covered Bananya, but a closer examination reveals that the chocolate is all on the peel, implying that in the end, his success and happiness is only superficial.

It is clear that, according to Bananya, the external world cannot give us meaning, for at its core, it is a world that isolates us and prevents us from achieving the true human (cat?) connection we all crave. Can we leap this chasm, or are we forever left hiding in our peel? Left to ponder the implications of this, what more can be said except woe, woe unto Bananya. For in this world, all is vanity and chasing after the wind.

What is your favorite show involving cats? Sound off in the comments section below.

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Anime You Might Not Have Tried #2: 'Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet'

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There's something to be said for shorter shows. Our culture is so enamored with stirring epics and long-running franchises that we often undervalue works that come in, make a good impression, then end, leaving us to savor the moments spent with it. Given this, it's easy to forget just how hard it is to craft a memorable experience in just a few episodes. With little time to develop the setting or characters, a shorter show is required to catch the viewer's attention and make an impact on them immediately, as there is little time to make up for missed chances.

While in most western television a one- or two-season show implies poor ratings or executive meddling (see Firefly for further details), many Anime are created purposefully for 12 to 24-episode runs, often to draw attention to the ongoing manga or light novels that they support. Since the writers know how much time they have to tell a story, overall closure and structure for a series tends to be better in anime than in western works.

Enter Gargantia. Though this 13-episode show will never be considered the Citizen Kane of the giant fighting robot sci-fi genre, it nonetheless sports gorgeous visuals, solid characterization, and a strong theme that make it worth a quick Netflix binge.

The show centers on Agent Ledo and his pilot support system "Chamber," who find themselves in an endless war against giant squid-like aliens called the Hideauze. These creatures have pushed humanity to the brink, forcing people to serve most of their lives in military service in order to protect the giant space station that is the last bastion of humanity. Things go badly almost immediately for Ledo, as he finds himself on the losing side of a massive battle which results in him getting sucked into a wormhole. The result? He and his robot are transported to the now legendary planet of Earth that has been forgotten for centuries.

Much has changed since humanity took to the stars. Earth is now almost entirely covered with water with the humans left behind living as scavengers on large fleets of ships. Despite this, there is relative peace and no signs of the Hideauze anywhere. Ledo and Chamber are found by the fleet "Gargantia," with Ledo forced to integrate with the locals if he's to find any hope of making it back home again.

The Fleet in Question

The visuals and initial framing of the narrative immediately set Gargantia apart from other series, as the animators clearly intended to make a gorgeous show. Humanity's conflict and the brutality of the war they find themselves in is well-conveyed, and the viewer is immediately pulled into a compelling world. Backgrounds in particular are brilliant with scenes of the darkness of space contrasted with the clear blue waters and radiant sunsets of Earth. The visuals are stunning and the actual fleet of Gargantia has a decaying industrial feel combined with winding corridors and dark alleys reminiscent of some of Miyazaki's works. These industrial corridors give way to verdant pastures and green spaces needed to support the large population contained on the ship. The animation goes to great lengths to give the fleet its own style and there is a sort of strange beauty in the rusting amalgamation of ancient ships. Small touches such as sunburn on exposed skin and scuffs and dirt on old containers further set the animation and art apart from similar shows.

So much space. Gotta see it all.

Plot-wise, the show is enjoyable, but less revolutionary. The story of an outsider learning how to cope in a foreign society is not terribly original (see Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai, Avatar, et al.), but the care the writers and animators took in portraying the characters puts the show above other examples of the trope. Ledo's society is one based on efficiency with no time for pleasures in a hostile world, and he finds many of the aspects of Gargantia strange. His friendship with a messenger named Amy (and her incredibly adorable pet flying squirrel) and her contrasting outlook help him to make sense of the world he's in. The show takes no shortcuts with the issues that come with differing languages and cultures and the initial adjustment is rough to say the least. Amy is Ledo's sole advocate on a fleet that has no use for a soldier and questions his value in the fleet. The friendship between the two develops naturally over the course of the series and the two share some sweet moments in the second half, with the authors doing justice to the relationship over the course of the show.

It's like a really cute squirrel

Various supporting characters such as the salvager Pinion and the ship's captain (along with the rest of the cast) are realistic and well-written, but unexceptional. Their motivations are sound in the context of the world they live in, but the world of Gargantia tends to outshine the individuals in it, aside from the few main characters. The other characters serve to move the plot along and to force Ledo to understand the world he is now in, confront his new life, and to try and uncover the darker secrets that forced humanity from Earth and into the war they now find themselves in. The plotting suffers a bit in the last few episodes because of this, as there are no more reveals to push things forward, with few supporting characters to fall back on, but the ending still results in a satisfying conclusion, even if the motivations of the antagonists don't fit as well into the world as one would like.

The show, through its various revelations, touches on issues of loss of humanity, revenge, and the value of life in an uplifting and memorable way. The contrast between the two societies highlights how the war with the Hideauze has taken away Ledo's humanity and how high the costs of "preserving" humans have been. In the end, people's actions create the world they live in and it is their choice to decide what is worth keeping.

While Gargantia doesn't necessarily bring much new to the table, what it does offer is fully-baked, in contrast to shows that launch innovative ideas at the wall and hope they stick. This overall refinement creates a more effective story in this short but sweet adventure. Gen Urobuchi (of Madoka Magica and Psycho Pass fame) had heavy involvement in the creation of the show and stated that it was targeted toward young people entering into society as a way to encourage them. Ultimately, he succeeds in this goal, with the result being a hidden gem that will likely last longer in the minds of its viewers than it will on any "top 10 greatest" lists.

Have I mentioned it's pretty?

Are shorter shows better? Does innovation trump refinement? Prove me wrong in the comments below.

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Anime You May Not Have Tried #1: 'Steins;Gate'

Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama    Episodes: 24    Rating: PG-13    Original Release: 2009

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Time travel has been a staple of science fiction ever since H. G. Wells wrote The Time Machine back in 1895, though even the most experienced writers struggle to use the plot device properly. This mechanism is often poorly used, as it remains a purely theoretical idea, leaving it up to the writer to define its limitations. Unfortunately, since most writers are writers first, this usually results in ill-defined rules that sacrifice coherence for drama and rarely remain logically consistent. Time travel is also a Pandora’s Box for fan theories: once introduced, it gets attached to every plot and character so that everyone is actually from the year 20XX trying to rescue their lover/assassinate the pope/stave off nuclear disaster/kill Hitler/save Harambe/whatever.

Given this, an anime adaptation of a Japanese visual novel should have the lowest probability of doing justice to something like time travel. Japan already has a proud history of sacrificing coherence for drama including, but not limited to, gender-flipping King Arthur and Nero as women for the purpose of romantic subplots (Fate Series), employing Lucifer as a part-time employee at McDonald's (The Devil Is a Part Timer), and anthropomorphizing the entire Japanese subway system (Miracle Train). Also, given visual novels’ penchant for harems and high levels of fan service, one could be forgiven for not expecting much from Steins;Gate. Thankfully, the show (for the most part) avoids these pitfalls to create an excellent narrative that easily stands as one of the best examples of the genre.

Steins;Gate is the tale of the members of Future Gadget Laboratory (actually just a small apartment) led by Okabe Rintaro, a self-declared mad scientist. He and his close friend Mayuri decide to attend a lecture on time travel where he discovers the dead body of scientific prodigy Makise Kurisu in a storage room in the building. Confused and alarmed, he returns to the building a few days later only to find Makise very much alive and well, with Okabe's friends having no memory of the prior events. Makise, being understandably bewildered by Okabe’s behavior, follows him and Mayuri back to the lab where, several days and much bickering, they discover that the old microwave in the apartment functions as a time machine, after they accidentally send a banana back in time. Naturally, they, along with resident hacker Daru, begin to work on improving the machine.

From left to right: Daru, Makise, Ruka, Faris, Suzuha, Moeka, Mayuri, Okabe

The plot is essentially divided into two parts, with the first twelve episodes introducing the main characters and developing them through what could probably be described as a slice-of-life comedy with some light sci-fi elements. The cast of characters and the overall story is fairly minimalist, focusing on the relationships between characters rather than on an epic plot. Admittedly, this leads to some slow pacing in the early going, as things take quite some time to set up. While this slow build up could be viewed as a negative, it is needed for the events of the second half to have impact. Thankfully, the characters feel human in their interactions, and even if the overall plot builds slow, individual scenes tend to be fast-paced with quick-witted humor.

It is this central dynamic between Okabe and his fellow lab members that comes to define their interactions in these scenes. Each character reacts differently to the protagonist, such as lifelong friend Mayuri, who plays along with the more outrageous aspects of Okabe’s character, versus the colder Makise's frustrations and tsundere personality. Others like Faris embrace the ridiculousness of his character and add their own personalities to each encounter with him. The show is legitimately funny, as the writers clearly let the individual personalities bounce off each other rather than force events or scenes for the sake of moving the plot along.

Over time, the characters grow together and work to better understand the power of time travel that has been granted to them. As they do, the shadowy internet presence of John Titor (surprisingly based on a real world conspiracy theory) acts as a guide to explain the mechanics and implications of what they are doing. The butterfly effect is in full force here as the messages the characters send to their past selves end up having unintended consequences (and we'll just leave it at that). With the help of John Titor, the group begins to discover that they are not the only ones working on time travel, and others do not have as pure of intentions as they do. These actions build up to a climactic confrontation between the two groups that leads into the second half of the show (and is best left unspoiled).

The Tip of the Iceberg

If the first half of the show is a slice-of-life comedy, then the latter half is a series of emotional gut punches and twists wherein Okabe works to undo the damage done by the group’s actions. The show veers into much darker territory as Okabe single-handedly attempts to protect his fellow lab members from horrible fates. The true colors of the characters are revealed, as those who were given the opportunity to change part of the past must be willing to make sacrifices in order to protect those they care about. Issues such as depression, abuse, and death are touched upon and many of the scenes in the tail end of the series are simply heartbreaking. The show works by making you care about the people in the story and them putting them through hell in order to see what they are made of. By doing so, it creates characters that feel real and go past their initial, often stereotypical, portrayals.

"Relativity Theory... it's so romantic. But it's just so tragic too."

Of course, this could all be undone if the viewer’s suspension of disbelief were to waver. Thankfully, the show plays it smarter than most time travel stories and sets hard rules on what can and cannot be done. Rather than give the characters a full-fledged time machine, early efforts are constrained by hard limitations that slowly open up. The theories the show subscribes to limit physical transportation and, rather than create stable time loops, the world shifts to and from a "base" reality, which simplifies what the viewer is expected to keep track of. Furthermore, due to the minimalist nature of the show, the future that is trying to be avoided is only described in vague terms, which builds suspense while preventing the writers from having to predict the future. Steins;Gate plays by the rules it sets up and doesn’t break them for the sake of earning the characters an easy happy ending (though many times you wish it would).

This is all helped by the fact that the show has fairly high production values. Odd camera angles are used to create feelings of uncanniness when the plot demands it and both the animation and writing are well done. References to Martin Heidegger, Don Quixote, and Casablanca reside alongside more modern jokes about the internet and nerd culture. Both the sub and dub versions are of high quality with J. Michael Tatum’s performance as Okabe in the dub deserving a special mention, as he appears to channel his inner William Shatner into some fantastic lines. Alternatively, the moments of gratuitous English Okabe in the sub are worthy of all the YouTube remixes they’ve spawned. Either way, you can’t go wrong, and will probably never view Dr. Pepper the same way again.

You tell 'em, Okabe.

The story is also more willing to stray from some of the painful “WTF, Japan” aspects that plague visual novels. The fan service is almost nonexistent and even parodied for good effect. While the visual novel had multiple romances available to the player, the show smartly plays up one relationship, while keeping the other female characters as friends (and well-developed ones at that). The show also benefits from condensing roughly thirty-some hours of content in the game into twenty-five half-hour episodes. The show covers a lot of content per episode, and even if things are moving fairly slow from a macro perspective, there are a lot of scenes and dialogue going on in the micro side of things. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some “Dang it, Japan” moments, such as the maid cafés, periphery card game tournaments, and an annoyingly androgynous character, but compared to some shows, this is a great starting point for someone who hasn’t watched an anime before and is concerned that the weirdness might turn them off.

Steins;Gate is a show that is essentially built for its second half, and anyone who begins watching the show should at least get to the initial twist before deciding it's not their thing. While initially appearing to be a standard anime with a colorful cast of characters and snappy dialogue, it moves far past its original premise to deliver emotional moments that are difficult to find in other shows. Every aspect of the show, from its characters to its writing have depth to them, and like many time travel shows, rewatching it yields a number of Easter eggs that explain the characters' motivations and thoughts in the early goings. While maybe not the most innovative show in terms of plot, by the end, the show is far greater than the sum of its parts and is worth watching for anyone with even a passing interest in science fiction.

Have a show you want to suggest to me? Mention it in the comments below!

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ERASED: An Anime for Everyone

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Anime. The word brings to mind images of animated characters doing karate (or innumerable other forms of combat), robots, weird magic, and many other things. But there's one anime that I think anyone can like, even those who've sworn off this particular art form. It doesn't fit into any of these categories. What's the anime I think anyone could enjoy, no matter their level of anime knowledge? ERASED.

ERASED, or Boku dake ga Inai Machi, tells the story of a man named Satoru who experiences the strange ability to jump back seconds in time before something bad happens, a phenomenon he calls revival. Revival gives him the ability to stop these bad things from happening if he can spot them in time.

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Satoru is just your average artist who delivers pizza to pay the bills until he becomes the prime suspect in the death of his mother, which is connected to the murders of three children during his childhood. As he flees the scene of the crime, he experiences a revival like no other: one that sends him back to childhood!

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Stuck in his eleven-year-old body, Satoru decides to try to keep those three children's murders from happening with the hope of changing the future and saving his mom.

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Does that sound intriguing yet? Hm? Maybe? Well, here are some things to sweeten the deal.

ERASED has something for everyone. It's a murder mystery with suspense, humor, and a sprinkle of adorable romance as well as a dash of time travel.

The story mostly centers on a group of children, sort of like Stranger Things. Like Stranger Things, the use of children is not simply cute or comic, but they actually add a great deal to the story.

Speaking of those children, the characters in this show are brilliant and multifaceted. From Satoru's boss of a mom to Kayo, the melancholy first murder victim that our hero wants to save, each character draws you deeper into the story. 

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The story is unique, breaking plot cliches and twisting a web so intricate and delicious that you'll finish all twelve episodes in one sitting, if you can. 

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If you're looking for an anime--no, a story in general--full of feels, depth, and heart-stopping suspense, look no further. I haven't met anyone who didn't love this show, anime fan or not, so I highly encourage you to check it out. ERASED is available to watch free on Crunchyroll. You have no excuses. Go.

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What's your favorite animated film or television show? Have you seen ERASED?

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Steal My Heart: 5 Upcoming Thief-Themed Fandoms

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Persona 5 released this past Tuesday and I've reallllyyy been wanting to play it, partially because it's been YEARS since they've released a new Persona game. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a little longer to actually try it out, since I'm too busy playing the HD PS4 versions of all the Kingdom Hearts games. But I'll get to it eventually. After all, Persona 5 has teens transforming into thieves to steal the hearts of corrupt individuals! I can already tell that I'm going to love it.

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I'm aware that I have an obsession with thieves (*ahem* Six of Crows, D.N. Angel, Magic Kaito etc.), so that's why I'm extremely excited for a thief-themed Persona. Below, I have listed 5 fandoms about thieves I anticipate experiencing (and thoroughly enjoying) in the coming year(s).

Persona 5

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Though the rest of my list includes upcoming, unreleased fandoms, Persona 5 can be purchased right now! But since this post is dedicated to its release, I felt it was necessary to include it (plus, it hasn't even been out a week yet). In short, Persona 5 is about a group of teenagers who all come to realize that adults are unfairly taking advantage of and suppressing the freedom of others. To combat this, the teens form “The Phantom Thieves of Hearts” in order to steal the root of various adults' corruption. They live dual lives, one in which they're normal students and another in which they're phantom thieves. Just as in previous Persona games, the teens must unleash Personas to unlock special powers and abilities. 

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Why I want to play it:

• I mean, come on, who doesn't want to be a phantom thief?
• The promise of once again playing a game that merges the best qualities of a dating sim with an RPG. 
• You have to be strategic and stealthy. (This intrigues me.)

Thick as Thieves (The Queen's Thief series) by Megan Whalen Turner

(out May 16, 2017) 

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Remember reading The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner? If not, then you’re seriously missing out. For those who aren't familiar, the book is about a magus that seeks out a thief named Gen, whose boasting gets him in major trouble. Gen accompanies the king's magus on a quest to steal an unnamed legendary object. Throughout this charming tale, we find Gen to be both amusing and stunningly clever. To top it off, there are even interesting stories about this world's ancient gods and goddesses. Believe it or not, this series just gets better as it goes along. I didn't want it to end! And with Thick as Thieves, it doesn't have to! Though the story isn't about Gen this time, it still takes place in the same world. To be honest, I haven't heard much about it, except that it features a new character named Kamet, who is set on a different path from the one he expects.

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Why I want to read it:

• More about Gen’s fantastical world!! 
• This book includes a map of the Queen's Thief world!! 
• Megan Whalen Turner is a genius. Enough said. 

The Star Thief  by Lindsey Becker
(out April 11, 2017) 

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Another book I've had my eye on is The Star Thief. The story follows a maid named Honorine, whose whole life has been spent daydreaming about something more. When she stumbles upon a mysterious stranger atop a fiery horse, she finally gets her chance to begin a true adventure. She soon comes to realize that she’s much more important than a maid and that she's in the middle of an epic battle between magic and science. From what I can gather, this story has an interesting fantasy concept (constellations come to life!!) set in a steampunk world.

Why I want to read it:

• Like I said, constellations are coming to LIFE! How cool is that?
• It's steampunk!! 
• This book is an action-packed middle grade book? Sign me up! I need more to booktalk.

The Sly Cooper Movie 
(not likely until after 2017)

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Right around the time that I started playing Kingdom Hearts, I tried Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. Man, I spent many a night playing through this wonderful game. Unfortunately, I never got around to playing the others in the series, but perhaps I'll pick it back up later on.

All the games follow the misdeeds of Sly Cooper the raccoon and his team as they make their way through various heists. What truly brings these games to life is the comic book style animation and need for stealth and carefully timed attacks. That’s why this movie, which has yet to be given a release date, has me so hyped. It makes me wonder what the plot is going to be like. Here’s hoping it stays true to Sly and the gang’s mischief and humor.

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Why I want to watch it:

• Opportunity to relive my childhood
• Awesome stealth scenes (I know, I have an obsession.) 
• It's a heist...WITH ANIMALS!! 

Genies Movie and the Live-Action Aladdin Movie
(release dates TBA)

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Everyone’s aware that Disney is currently revamping most of their classic Disney movies from the golden age, so of course they’re thinking about doing a live-action Aladdin. How awesome would it be to see our most beloved street rat win the heart of the fearless Princess Jasmine?

But before they film Aladdin, they’re hoping to create a live-action prequel called Genies, which will be about (you guessed it, folks) the Genie before he meets Aladdin. Just like Sly Cooper, Genies and Aladdin have yet to have official release dates. The only thing I’m worried about is how the new actor for Genies is ever going to live up to Robin Williams' rendition.

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Why I want to watch it:

• Pure curiosity. Like I said above, how will this guy pull off Genie?
• To find out what Genie was like before Aladdin.  
• Will they get an all Middle Eastern cast? Please, please, please. 

I’ve said this before, but just to reiterate, I adore thieves. Perhaps it’s the thrill of the heist, or maybe it's the love of the unlikely antiheroes triumphing by using just their wits, agility, and dexterous fingers. Thief-themed stories help us see that cleverness trumps strength and that people have flaws, but that doesn't mean that they're terrible human beings. Life's a bit more complicated than that.

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Did I miss any upcoming fandoms involving thieves? Let me know below. 

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