Anime

Plus manga, visual novels, Vocaloid and more

I became interested in anime as a teenager. The medium has been a very important part of my life and I've seen over 500 series. Being part of this fandom in part inspired my interest in travel, as my first taste of freedom upon becoming an adult was travelling to MCM Comic Con Glasgow where I had a wonderful time with a very close friend. Since then, I've been to a number of other events (my favourite being Hatsune Miku Expo 2020 in London!) and more recently served as Vice President of my university's Anime Society.

These days, a strong interest of mine is academic perspectives on anime and manga. I really like the work of people such as Jonathan Clements, and actually wrote an essay myself about decolonial perspectives in Golden Kamuy; an excellent series with a strong focus on Ainu history and culture. Something else of particular interest to me as an IR student is the phenomenon of Japanese soft power via the anime and manga industry.

I've amassed a pretty impressive collection of physical manga over the years, and love historical series in particular. Golden Kamuy, A Bride's Story, Message to Adolf, Ayako. I can't get enough of that kind of fiction.

A couple of manga that have had a strong impact on me are Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, which inspires me to keep seeing as much of the world as I can, and Is Love The Answer? which is the first time I've seen characters of my sexual orientation (ace) represented in fiction.

To keep up with anime and manga that I watch/read, follow me on Anilist, which was actually created by an Aberystwyth University alumni!