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Tag: essay

Movies

An Ode to ‘Up’ a Decade After It Broke Our Hearts

May 28, 2019December 30, 2019 Isabel GalweyComments Off on An Ode to ‘Up’ a Decade After It Broke Our Hearts

A personal reflection on Pixar’s most poignant tearjerker, 10 years after it came out.

fullmetal alchemist brotherhood
TV

The Only Way Out Is (Not) Through (Alchemy)

April 8, 2019December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on The Only Way Out Is (Not) Through (Alchemy)

All traumatized children would bring their parents back to life if they could. The Elrics show us why the past should stay dead.

madoka magica
TV

Inside the Godhood in ‘Madoka Magica’

September 28, 2018May 6, 2019 Fiona DayComments Off on Inside the Godhood in ‘Madoka Magica’

Let’s unpack why Madoka was a holdout among her friends.

powerpuff girls
TV

Why So Many Early ’00s Cartoons Couldn’t Escape the Male Gaze

June 15, 2018May 9, 2019 Shelby PeakeComments Off on Why So Many Early ’00s Cartoons Couldn’t Escape the Male Gaze

Animation has long been a boys’ club—and the 21st Century has mostly been no exception. Until now.

morty sanchez
TV

Morty Is Mixed, Just Like Me. And That’s Complicated.

June 7, 2018May 9, 2019 Izzy KingsComments Off on Morty Is Mixed, Just Like Me. And That’s Complicated.

The soul of ‘Rick and Morty’ is a mixed-race boy who goes on inter-dimensional adventures. What do we expect of him?

TV

‘Trigun’ Celebrated Its 20th Anniversary Last Month. I’ll Never Forget Its Story.

May 30, 2018April 25, 2020 Wyatt ErchakComments Off on ‘Trigun’ Celebrated Its 20th Anniversary Last Month. I’ll Never Forget Its Story.

A look back at Vash, Meryl, and one of the most powerful anime series ever.

julia real folk blues cowboy bebop
TV

How the Invisible Hand of Julia Drove the Plot of ‘Cowboy Bebop’

April 27, 2018May 9, 2019 Victoria FreyreComments Off on How the Invisible Hand of Julia Drove the Plot of ‘Cowboy Bebop’

It’s impossible to get her out of your head.

my funny valentine faye cowboy bebop
TV

To Faye, From Faye: Be Your Own Goddamn Valentine

April 20, 2018May 9, 2019 Maya GittelmanComments Off on To Faye, From Faye: Be Your Own Goddamn Valentine

A poetic love letter, from one kickass survivor to another.

jupiter jazz cowboy bebop
TV

The Hidden Parallels in ‘Cowboy Bebop’—and Its Links to Cormac McCarthy

April 18, 2018April 18, 2020 John MaherComments Off on The Hidden Parallels in ‘Cowboy Bebop’—and Its Links to Cormac McCarthy

Spike is Gren? Spike is Vicious? Spike is Odin, the wanderer god whose ravens represent thought and memory? Spike is Cormac McCarthy’s nameless Kid from ‘Blood Meridian’? Good questions.

ballad of fallen angels cowboy bebop
TV

I Watched “Ballad of Fallen Angels” and Have So Many Questions

April 6, 2018September 7, 2022 Bruce BohriComments Off on I Watched “Ballad of Fallen Angels” and Have So Many Questions

The fifth episode of ‘Bebop’ is one of its best, but I never watched the rest of the show. Here are all the things I still wonder about.

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EDITORS PICKS

rugrats

How Rugrats Taught a Shiksha Like Me to Love Passover

By Kate Drozynski

25 years ago this week, Nickelodeon debuted Rugrats, one of the first three Nicktoons. In honor of the anniversary, here’s a look back at a Very Special Episode…

deku vs kacchan bakugo

In “Deku vs. Kacchan, Part 2,” Bakugo Finally Gets Emotional

By Sarra Sedghi

He’s carried a weight Deku didn’t even consider.

You’ll Never Guess What BoJack Horseman Had to Say About His New Show

By John Maher

Horseman Roars Himself Hoarse in Coarse Discourse, Gores ‘Philbert’ With Force

Hey Arnold! Had the Best Veteran’s Day Episode Ever Put on TV

By Eric Vilas-Boas

‘Hey Arnold!’ gave this special episode one of the most human treatments possible—and it *also* gave Hitler a giant wedgie.

ghost in the shell

Just Pretend That Other ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Doesn’t Exist

By Eric Vilas-Boas

Ffs, just watch the original.

The Untold Saga of the Gross D+L Logos We Rejected and the One We Finally Picked

By Eric Vilas-Boas

Sometimes our designs are bad. Laughably bad.

The Dot and Line’s Editors on the Legacy of ‘BoJack Horseman’

By The Dot and Line

After the series finale, "Nice While It Lasted," we needed to talk about what it all means. So we did.

How ‘BoJack’ Skewers the #MeToo “Comeback”

By Nicole Ortiz

Through Vance Waggoner, Season 5 of ‘BoJack Horseman’ is perfectly aligned with the reemergence of Louis C.K.

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GREATEST HITS

ghost in the shell

Just Pretend That Other ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Doesn’t Exist

By Eric Vilas-Boas

Ffs, just watch the original.

35 Haiku Written for the Cartoon Heroines of Our Time

By The Dot and Line

We asked a group of creative friends to send us haiku in honor of their favorite leading ladies in cartoons.

2017 editorial | Editorial by MysteryThemes.