May: what a concept! No preamble; I’m too tired, and there’s some really fun stuff in the links below.
On the blog
Fate vs. Free Will in H.E. Edgmon’s Ouroboros Duology – if time is not linear, then it’s simultaneously true that I haven’t read these books yet, I am currently reading these books, and I have read them and am now recommending them. Either way, what a ride.
The Strange Dissonance of Rainbows After Storms – what happens when you fit a secret queer relationship into a slice-of-life comedy formula? A bit of a weird tonal flip-flop, that’s what.
On AniFem
Anime Feminist Recommendations of Winter 2026 – the year started off with some pretty strong stories!
Spring 2026 Three-Episode Check-In – as the season progresses, I find myself pleasantly surprised by MARRIAGETOXIN and unfortunately a bit bored with Even a Replica Can Fall in Love.
Other fun stuff
We’re still stuck in the ‘girls are a niche audience and boys are the default’ media mindset, huh? Colleen discusses, across American and Japanese animation!
Nightclubs are ubiquitous in video games, from sci-fi to gritty crime thrillers. But how exactly do game devs and designers construct the vibe among all that neon and gyrating NPCs, and how has this evolved over time and technology? Any Austin investigates with his usual sincerity and statistical eye!
Many call H.H. Holmes America’s first serial killer. That’s debatable, but he was definitely one of the first truly batshit examples of true crime fanaticism and misinformation becoming embedded in history thanks to shock journalism. Kaz Rowe reports!
Not a new video, but a timely one: here’s everything cool and nice about MARRIAGETOXIN according to Lines in Motion, from its casual queerness to its approach to masculinity!
Agency, consent, and queer monstrosity in This Monster Wants to Eat Me – explores the tangled emotional dynamic and uneasy questions at the heart of this horror yuri series.
State of the Herald: Work On Anime Herald Magazine #2 Officially Begins – big news! No articles from me in this issue, but I’m helping out behind the scenes.
Before ‘Witch Hat,’ Kamome Shirahama Blessed Us With a Hilarious Romp About Gals Being Pals – it is always time to recommend Eniale and Dewiela.
The Rise of Wonky Costume Dramas Is Getting Weird – anachronisms abound in new period dramas, but what creative purpose do they serve, and what are we losing in surface-level attempts to make the past hashtag relatable?
The Book That Made Me Trans: Losing the Stealth Life – as new author Kai Ash explores, sometimes the whole ‘write what you know’ and #OwnVoices thing means putting your identity in the spotlight when you might rather keep it under wraps.
Fighting Evil by Moonlight, Selling It by Daylight: Sailor Moon and the limits of 1990s American girl power – Sailor Moon’s original North American release was a product of its moment, shaped by broadcast standards, marketing logic, and a cultural framework that simply did not have room for everything the original series was doing.
Song of the month
I’ve been listening to this whole album on loop but this one’s a stand-out.
Catch you soon for more posts, folks! I’ve got many words about a Spring anime and – of course – some queer books coming in June. Take care!
The Afictionado 
