Check out the full tour schedule below for Finding God in Anime: A Devotional for Otakus, Volume 2 and read my review below!

Title: Finding God in Anime: A Devotional for Otakus, Volume 2
Contributing Authors: Laura A. Grace, Moriah Jane, Amy Lynn McConahy, Angela R. Watts, Brianna Wilkie,  Daniel Andrade, E.N. Chaffin, Hannah Carter, Hannah Mae, Jessica Bertrand, Joshua Reid, Kandi J. Wyatt, Kathleen Bird, Kayla E. Green, Lisa Kay Tate, Matt Star, Megan Dill, M.H. Elrich, Sarah Ryder, S.E.M. Ishida, Simon Barbu, Reneé Le Vine, Writer Rockbell, Wyn Estelle Owens, and Yakira Goldsberry
Published: 2022

About the Book:  

"Have you ever wanted a season two of your favorite anime but found out it is unlikely for the company to produce one? 

Stinks, doesn’t it? Well, Finding God in Anime definitely isn’t like that. After all, you’re looking at volume two right now! 

Welcome to the second installment of the acclaimed devotional: Finding God in Anime! Each bite-size piece comes straight from the passionate otaku souls in our collective of Christian authors. You will find anime-inspired pieces from across tons of beloved genres within this devotional, and each one presents a unique and Biblical outlook on your favorite shows! 

• Find God’s fatherly love in 'Daddy’s Girl,' inspired by Fullmetal Alchemist
• Go down to your atoms to discover God’s purpose for us in 'Jobs,' inspired by Cells at Work
• Huddle up to hear God’s game plan for living like Him in 'Get Your Head in the Game,' inspired by Kuroko’s Basketball

…and so many others! So grab your shuriken or computerized make-up compact and join us on the exciting adventure of finding God’s teachings in anime!"

The Artist Librarian Review:
After thoroughly enjoying Finding God in Anime: A Devotional for Otakus last year, I was thrilled to find out editors Laura and Moriah would be continuing the devotional anthology and releasing a companion volume (which you can download for free for a limited time --with volume 1-- starting June 1, 2022)! Volume 2 features 46 devotionals from 25 contributing authors, and like the first, you can use this book as a daily devotional for quiet time or read in one sitting. I always enjoy the variety of anime and manga featured, from iconic series like Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist, to popular mainstream titles such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Naruto, to lesser known series like Shugo Chara or Maquia. My personal highlights were reading devotionals featuring some of my all time fave series like Digimon Tamers, Yona of the Dawn, and The Promised Neverland.  As with the previous "FGiA" book, no major spoilers are shared, so even if you aren't familiar with a series, if a devotion chapter piques your interest, you can look into watching or reading the original series yourself for the full experience.  It's wonderful to again discover the insights that other Christians gleaned from anime and manga and I eagerly look forward to future installments of the Finding God in Anime anthology series!

 

Release Day Goodies!

The first 40 people who order a paperback of volume 2 and email a receipt proof of purchase to findinggodinanime[at]gmail[dot]com will receive a free postcard and two stickers (artwork designed by Pippa at @strawberryshojo)!

[Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the editors for review purposes.]

About the Organizers:

"Laura A. Grace and Moriah Jane’s life consists of giving each other manga recommendations until they see whose TBR pile will fall on them first. Rest assured they're both still safe...until another manga releases. In the meantime, they enjoy sharing beautiful pictures of Japan and trying to make each other laugh with anime memes. They both have an appreciation for cute stickers, samurai, and pins. If they're not chatting about all things otaku, you can find them trying to write their next story or surviving on ramen and Pocky after their latest manga order. Learn more at https://www.lauraagrace.com/findinggodinanime."

Blog Tour Schedule:

Monday, May 30th
Elrich’s Expressions
The Artist Librarian [You are here!]

Tuesday, May 31st
Paper Ink & Lizard
Imperial Scribis

Wednesday, June 1st
2¢ Movie Reviews
Beneath the Tangles
Geek Devotions

Thursday, June 2nd
Clean Fiction Blog
Jenna Terese
The Faerie Review

Friday, June 3rd
The Writing Corner
Laura A. Grace—Manga Starter Giveaway Pack 

Saturday, June 4th
Laura A. Grace—Blog Tour Wrap-Up

Check out the full tour schedule below for Finding God in Anime: A Devotional for Otakus and read my review below!

Title: Finding God in Anime: A Devotional for Otakus
Contributing Authors: Laura A. Grace, Moriah Jane, Angela R. Watts, Kandi J. Wyatt, E.N. Chaffin, Amy Lynn McConahy, Megan Dill, C.O. Bonham, A.D. Sheehan, Jessica Bertrand, Hannah Carter, SJ Barnard, Reneé Le Vine, Daniel Andrade, Joshua Reid, Nathan Peterson, Morgan L. Busse, H.S.J. Williams, and Teddi Deppner.
Published: 2021

About the Book:  

"Being a Christian can be tough. Being an otaku can be tough. But being both at once? 

Sometimes it seems easier to become Hokage rather than explaining your faith and passions to others. That is why we otaku have united in this devotional: To encourage otaku like you spiritually and through a medium we all cherish. 

In this devotional, you will find God in the animes you know and love. Each devotional presents spiritual lessons found in animes ranging from the world-famous Attack on Titan to fan-favorite Haikyu!! to beloved classics like Cowboy Bebop. Each piece will feature a different theme such as: 

Human Will vs. The Holy Spirit in Yona of the Dawn
Choosing to be Free in Free! Swim Club
Not by My Might in My Hero Academia

…and many others! We believe that God can be seen throughout His creation—even in places where people might not intend! So pull out your cosplay and snuggle close with your plushies as you join us in Finding God in Anime."

The Artist Librarian Review:
While I am definitely a manga and anime fan, I always hesitated to label myself an "otaku" because I haven't read or watched a lot of titles. Despite this, I knew I had to get a copy of Finding God in Anime: A Devotional for Otakus (which as of this writing is still a FREE Kindle ebook via Amazon) when Laura and Moriah first announced this project! With 36 devotionals total, it is perfect to use as a daily devotional for a month or can be read in one sitting. Even though I only read/watched a handful of the series featured, I was at least slightly familiar with about half of all the series and hadn't heard of only a couple. Despite this, there were no major spoilers shared (a very good thing) and it was fun to see what insights other Christians were able to glean from these series and expand upon with Scriptures. The anime featured were a good mix of titles that ranged from childhood favorites such as Pokémon and Sailor Moon, mega popular series like My Hero Academia, Naruto, or Attack on Titan, and more obscure titles like Cat's Eye or Run with the Wind.  Otaku old and new should all find something to enjoy in this anime-themed devotional and will perhaps discover some new series to look into further as well!

About the Organizers:

"Laura A. Grace and Moriah Jane’s life consists of giving each other manga recommendations until they see whose TBR pile will fall on them first. Rest assured they're both still safe...until another manga releases. In the meantime, they enjoy sharing beautiful pictures of Japan and trying to make each other laugh with anime memes. They both have an appreciation for cute stickers, samurai, and pins. If they're not chatting about all things otaku, you can find them trying to write their next story or surviving on ramen and Pocky after their latest manga order. Learn more at https://www.lauraagrace.com/findinggodinanime"

Blog Tour Schedule:
Monday, May 31st - Laura A. Grace: Blog Tour Kick-Off |  C.O. Bonham: Special Feature | E.E. Rawls: Book Spotlight 

Tuesday, June 1st - Angela R. Watts: Special Feature | Jenna Terese: Book Spotlight

Wednesday, June 2nd - The Clean Fiction Blog: Book Spotlight

Thursday, June 3rd - Hannah Carter: Book Spotlight 

Friday, June 4th - Deeply Shallow: Book Spotlight 

Saturday, June 5th - SJ Barnard: Book Review 

Monday, June 7th - The Artist Librarian [You are here!] | K.A. Cummins: Behind-the-Scenes Interview

Tuesday, June 8th - Tabitha Caplinger: Book Spotlight 

Wednesday, June 9th - Piper Bee Blog: Book Review 

Thursday, June 10th - Erudessa Gentian Blog: Book Review 

Friday, June 11th - Bigger on the Inside: Special Feature & Review 

Saturday, June 12th - Laura A. Grace: Blog Tour Wrap Up

Celebrate the release of Finding God in Anime by participating in the manga photo challenge on Instagram! During the month of June, the organizers will be spotlighting a variety of manga that have had an anime adaptation by showcasing them using #MangaFestival in their posts. Each title prompt is an anime that is featured in the devotional. Grab your favorite manga and get ready to celebrate:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Laura A. Grace (@lauraagraceauthor)

Today I am thrilled to be part of the cover reveal for an anime-inspired anthology that several of my author friends contributed to! Finding God in Anime: A Devotional for Otakus releases today and is currently available for FREE in ebook form from a variety of book retailer sites including Amazon, iBooks, Nook, and Kobo.

"Finally, otaku have a devotional to call their own, one that’s centered on scripture and as diverse thematically as it is with the anime it discusses . . ." - Twwk, Founder of Beneath the Tangles

First, here's a little about the book:

"Being a Christian can be tough. Being an otaku can be tough. But being both at once?

Sometimes it seems easier to become Hokage rather than explaining your faith and passions to others. That is why we otaku have united in this devotional: To encourage otaku like you spiritually and through a medium we all cherish.

In this devotional, you will find God in the animes you know and love. Each devotional presents spiritual lessons found in anime ranging from the world-famous Attack on Titan to fan-favorite Haikyu!! to beloved classics like Cowboy Bebop.

Each piece will feature a different theme such as:

• Human Will vs. The Holy Spirit in Yona of the Dawn
• Choosing to be Free in Free! Swim Club
• Not by My Might in My Hero Academia …and many others!

We believe that God can be seen throughout His creation—even in places where people might not intend! So pull out your cosplay and snuggle close with your plushies as you join us in Finding God in Anime."

Writers that contributed to this collection include: Laura A. Grace, Moriah Jane, Angela R. Watts, Kandi J. Wyatt, E.N. Chaffin, Amy Lynn McConahy, Megan Dill, C.O. Bonham, A.D. Sheehan, Jessica Bertrand, Hannah Carter, SJ Barnard, Reneé Le Vine, Daniel Andrade, Joshua Reid, Nathan Peterson, Morgan L. Busse, H.S.J. Williams, and Teddi Deppner.

Sounds pretty cool, right? And take a look at the awesome cover designed by Joanna Alonzo:

I haven't done a Fandom Friday in awhile, so here is my first manga review written originally for my Special Topics in Librarianship: The Graphic Novel class in October 2014.  Updated since this is my new manga/anime obsession ... ;-) 

(c.) 2010 by Kondansha

Title: Attack on Titan, Vol. 1
Creator: Hajime Isayama (English translation by Sheldon Drzka, lettering by Steve Wands)
Published: 2010 (English version published 2012 by Kodansha USA Publishing).
Rating: T - Ages 16+ by the publisher.

About the Book:

In this post-apocalytpic sci-fi story, humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming mankind. Seemingly unintelligent, they have roamed the world for years, killing everyone they see. For the past century, what's left of man has hidden in a giant, three-walled city. People believe their 100-meter-high walls will protect them from the Titans, but the sudden appearance of an immense Titan is about to change everything.

The Artist Librarian Review:
When the Titans break into Shinganshina district, young Eren Yeager vows to end the Titan threat that has destroyed his home.  Five years later, with his best friends, Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman, military trainee Yeager comes face-to-face with his mortal enemies.

So first let me say: Wow.

Shingeki no Kyojin, Attack on Titan's Japanese title literally translates to "Advancing Giants." My first introduction to Attack on Titan was at a pop culture convention in 2014 --there were so many Attack on Titan cosplayers! However, though I thought their uniforms and gear were cool, that alone didn't interest me enough to find out more; to read or watch it.

Now, after reading the first volume for school, I'm torn. I'm intrigued to read more even though I'm a squeamish type of girl ... The back cover review blurbs about the anime being an "action/horror story" and "Japan's equivalent of The Walking Dead" (i.e. the zombie apocalypse AMC show based on a comic book series) worried me for a moment, but the story's got a fascinating pull. Kind of like I wanted to look away but couldn't ... ;-) 

The sketchy, drawn quality of some of the art and panels was an interesting touch. Again, I haven't read a whole lot of manga, but I'm used to associating more cleaner line-work and art to manga. However, I think the roughness of those sections work for the dystopian type of world the humans live in: It's a gritty, believable world. 

And wow, that ending!  It's clear that no one is safe in this manga --anyone can die and it definitely ups the stakes. 

Update: In April, I started watching the anime reruns on Cartoon Network and I am so hooked!  The combat scenes with the 3DMG (i.e. gear that allow the military to fight like Spider-Man with swords against the Titans) are amazingly choreographed.  The English dubbing uses voice actors that I think capture the characters perfectly.  And from first hearing the incredible opening theme, I've fallen in love with the television soundtrack and score by Hiroyuki Sawano.  I don't know how to describe it ... kind of orchestral, with some rock and electronic parts ... The closest I can compare it to is Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy film score, but even that isn't an accurate comparison.  Listen to a sample for yourself here.  I've also mentally added the Survey Corps uniform on my Costuming Wish List ... which officially means that Jen has found a new fandom, LOL.

Fair warning: it's TV-14, so definitely don't let the little guys watch this show.  As with the manga, there's lots of blood depicted, since the Titans do ... eat people (though most of the actual death scenes are off-screen cut-aways, you often see the aftermath), some language (such as b-st-rd, a--hole, sh-t, etc. but they are in their world's equivalent of the military), and some intense sequences.  Unless you know the child well, I'd recommend the manga and anime to teens and up, as the published ratings suggest.  Check out the trailer below to get a feel of the series!



I'm currently working on catching up with the manga --that fascinating pull I wrote about earlier?  It's definitely the characters: As they wrestle with survivor's guilt, questions unanswered about the Titans' origins, and struggle with morality (e.g. Do the ends justify the means? Do the needs of the many outweigh the few? What does it mean to be human? etc.), like many dystopians, you may find yourself looking at the world around you in a different light. 

What do you think about Attack on Titan?  Have you ever read manga or watched anime?  Are there any you recommend?  What about dystopians?  Why do you think they are so popular right now?

With the 87th Academy Award winners  announced yesterday, I thought I'd go over the animated feature films nominated for the Oscars and other awards over the last quarter.  I meant to get this out before the Oscars were revealed, but long story short, I accidentally erased my blog post (note to self, always write up in a word processor first)! *facepalm*  So without further adieu ...

Oscars - Best Animated Feature Film:
Big Hero 6 - Walt Disney Animation Studio
--So, I admit, the Berkian (How to Train Your Dragon fan) in me was disappointed that Big Hero 6 took home the Oscar, but I am eager to get my hands on "BH6" (especially now that it won the Academy Award).  After checking out this interview with Disney Animation Studios Chief Technology Officer, Andy Hendrickson talking about new graphics technology developed for BH6, I'm curious to see how "this film is more complex than our [Disney's] last three films combined."
 

The Boxtrolls - Focus Features/Laika
--I just saw The Boxtrolls (the first stop-motioned animated film I've seen in recent memory) last week and I ended up enjoying it much more than I thought I would!  I was particularly intrigued by their combination of traditional techniques and new technology (e.g. lasercutting, using 3D printing to create the puppets, using CGI animation with stop-motion, etc.) Note: the DVD version contains roughly 45 minutes of behind the scenes extras and featurettes --much better than other bigger studios have provided on their DVDs *cough*Disney'sFrozen*cough*DreamWork'sTheCroods*cough* Check out one of the featurettes on the costume design below:


How to Train Your Dragon 2 - DreamWorks Animation SKG
--For me, HTTYD2 definitely lived up to the hype: --dramatic, emotional, more mature storyline, raised stakes, a shocking twist, amazing animation (I think the snow and ice environments rivaled or were better than Frozen's), beautiful lighting, wonderful voice acting ...
Of course it wasn't perfect: there were a couple plot threads that I feel could have gotten expanded upon if they had more time.  They tried to do a lot (maybe too much?) and perhaps that's where Big Hero 6 topped them ... As with Disney Animation and BH6, DreamWorks Animation also developed new animation technology and HTTYD2 was their first film to be completely created with it. Called Apollo, it received the juried Ub Iwerks Award from the International Animated Film Society this January "for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art or industry of animation."


Song of the Sea - GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
--An Irish animated film by Tomm Moore, co-founder of Cartoon Saloon.  His previous work, The Secret of the Kells, also was nominated for best animated feature.  I never really paid attention to international animation until now, so this was new to me.  It looks very beautiful, almost like the illustrations from a picture book.  I'm glad that there are still animation companies creating feature films that have that traditional, 2D style ... Check out the trailer below:
 

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - GKIDS/Studio Ghibli
Kaguya-hime no Monogatari or The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a Japanese animated film by Isao Takahata.  He is known as the co-founder of Studio Ghibli (with the famed Hayao Miyazaki). Based on the 10th century Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, I was stuck by the lovely pen and ink strokes that evoke Asian brush paintings.  Truly looks like a work of art and I can't wait to see it.  See the official English dubbed trailer below:


72nd Golden Globes - Best Animated Feature Film
--Along with Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 (which won the award), the Golden Globes also nominated these two animated films:

The Book of Life - Reel FX Animation Studios/Twentieth Century Fox
--Produced by Guillermo del Toro (best known to me for the slightly dark, fairy tale inspired film Pan's Labyrinth).  Like The Boxtrolls, the quirky, stylized art makes it stand out from the other animated films this year.  It's very unique and distinctive, though it seems to be aiming at the kids audience by being comedic.  Another film I've yet to check out.


The Lego Movie - Warner Bros. Pictures--So I was a bit surprised at people saying The LEGO Movie was snubbed by not being nominated for the Oscars.  I had previously dismissed this film as one aimed at kids by using juvenile humor and ... well, it's LEGO.  Obviously this was just a hour and a half long commercial for their toys, right?  (Just kidding.)  However, I've found that quite a few adults and film critics enjoyed this film.  Also, the animation is supposed to be pretty good as well, so ... I'll be giving it a shot when I have the time.


Do you have any favorite animated films from 2014?  Have you watched any of the animated films mentioned here?  Any of the movies here catch your eye?  Why?

[Edited for formatting, Golden Globes info]