Writing this post in advance as I prepare to get out of here for a bit. I hope you can do something relaxing this weekend, too!

• Katsuhiro Otomo On Creating ‘Akira.’ Ollie does it again with an interview with one of anime’s great masters, and this one is surprisingly deep—spanning Otomo’s childhood, thoughts on Gundam, and even the new live action Ghost in the Shell.
• Like Its Pint-Sized Protagonist, “The Royal Tutor” is More than Meets the Eye. Dee of Josei Next Door explores why this this season’s Ouran-like offering actually reveals some important messages about not judging a book by its cover.
• 20-Year Veteran Anime Technical Director Reports 100,000-Yen Monthly Salary. Or about $900 a month using today’s exchange rate. Between blu-rays, manga, my Crunchyroll and Anime Strike subscriptions, and visiting cons, this is less than I spend per year on anime. Simply put, it’s just wrong.
• Remember when fans crowdfunded a dorm for underpaid animators? Now there’s a second project for a women’s dorm.
• P.A. Works is one light in the fog, putting real effort into training animators, and giving them salaried positions for their work. Unfortunately this is better than usual.
• Since making my theme, Asuna, free, I’ve started to see it on people’s blogs and I am just thrilled! Never Mind The Gap is one blogger who is using it.
• Recently I was tabling at a local library event and a mom asked me about anime with black characters to show her kids. These aren’t all kid-friendly, but Yattatachi has a longer list of anime with diverse characters.
• Finally, the most perverse activity you’ll ever find in most anime is on full, audacious display at r/handholding. (HT @JacksonOfTrades)

Screenshot via Akira.