It’s no exaggeration to say that if it weren’t for Japanese animation, I would have never developed a greater interest in Japanese pop culture, and ultimately wouldn’t have made the decision to live in Japan.  My interest in anime has always been quite strong, and my ancillary interest in...

It’s been a quiet five years for Omokage Lucky Hole[1]Now technically “Only Love Hurts,” but whatever. since their last show in 2019. Admittedly timing wasn’t great, as that aforementioned last performance just happened to immediately precede the onset of a pandemic. While they did manage to put out a...

It’s fair to say that many fans of Japanese pop culture get into it via either anime or manga, or even video games to some extent. After that initial hook some may venture deeper, exploring music, film, fashion, or many of the other granular facets of the culture. I’m...