• My friend Amelia just launched her site, Anime Feminist! I’ve been quietly rooting for it behind the scenes—I was even the first Patreon backer, and I’m overly proud of that. One of my favorite parts of the anime community is that we all come to it with different perspectives, and I’m hoping to see a lot of them there. Stay tuned for an essay from me, eventually.

• Speaking of my writing, Anime News Network weekly streaming assignments are out. I’ll be reviewing season two of Iron-Blooded Orphans (duh) and Natsume’s Book of Friends, a personal favorite of mine.

• My most popular tweet this week was about an anime fan who discovered there was a 40-episode anime written about their aunt! Even stranger—OP and aunt are Canadian! It’s a small world.

• Just how realistic is NEW GAME!? Reporter Callum May interviewed a video game developer in Japan about his experiences, and whether they mirror Aoba’s hectic work schedule.

• I love the attention to detail in Yuri!!! On Ice. Here’s an English translation of an interview with the designer who worked on ice skating costumes for the three main characters.

• Geek franchise writers are beginning to recognize women of color in their work, but the backlash is immense. I suggest that comics fans look to the anime community, where we’ve been emphasizing with Japanese characters who don’t look like us perfectly well for decades.

• Also: my article on the strangest, strongest Newtypes in the Gundam multiverse. The last one is my favorite.

This is a pretty me-heavy link list, so send me stuff next time! Excuse me while I retreat to my Hunter x Hunter marathon.

Photo by Miriam Espacio.