Tag Archives: spirited away

Making Fun of Miyazaki, One Fanzine at a Time

By Alex Leavitt | Published: 19 November 2009

Yeah, blog fail, but I’ve been too busy with work at the Consortium, so don’t hold it against me, otaku masses.
Instead, here’s a quick repost of the abstract I sent (two weeks late…) to Colony Drop as a submission for their fanzine (forthcoming, I have no idea the hell when).
—
How Ponyo on the Cliff by [...]

Posted in Uncategorized

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Respond with a comment.

Reflections: Shibata Motoyuki on Japan’s Reception of Media (EXPANDED)

By Alex Leavitt | Published: 31 March 2009

Last Thursday and Friday, I got the opportunity to attend two lectures (one detailed here) by Shibata Motoyuki, who is a professor of American literature at the University of Tokyo and who has translated over fifty English-language texts into Japanese. There’s a good (and humorous) article over at NeoJaponisme that discusses a panel he spoke [...]

Posted in Uncategorized

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Respond with a comment.

Reflections on Anime: Animation and the Academy

By Alex Leavitt | Published: 24 February 2009

On 22 February 2009, the Academy (of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences) held its eighty-first celebration of film, generally known as the Oscars. This year resulted in a big win for Japan, who clinched the prize for best Foreign Language Film with おくりびと (Departures), directed by Yojiro Takita. Why is this win important? If you [...]

Posted in Uncategorized

Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 Comments

  • Department of Alchemy


    Connecting the dots between popular media and social culture.

    伏見いなり、京都

    The Department of Alchemy approaches American, Japanese, and international digital culture from a critical, analytical (and sometimes quite academic) perspective.
    The blog provides commentary, news, essays, reviews, reports, presentations, audio/video, and general thoughts for a mainstream audience, with intended respect to the context of the works and the broader society that encompasses them.

  • Events



    See me speak at Ignite Boston 7 at Microsoft NERD in Boston, MA, on 4 March 2010.


    See me speak at Penny Arcade Expo East in Boston, MA, from March 26th - 28th, 2010.


    See me speak at the Popular Culture Association National Conference in St. Louis, MI, from March 31st - April 3rd, 2010.


    See me speak at Anime Boston in Boston, MA, from April 2nd - 4th, 2010.


    Meet me at ROFLcon II in Boston, MA, from April 30th - May 1st, 2010.


    Meet me at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, CA, from July 1st - 4th, 2010.


    Meet me at Otakon in Baltimore, MD, from July 30th - August 1st, 2010.

  • Archives