Acen 2024

 Acen 2024 came and went, and it was a hot one this year. It seems like there was a larger influx of people who came out to enjoy anime and manga festivities. 

I saw many cosplays and some fashionistas that I was enamored with which is always delightful.

Here are some of my favorites:

Met a cute couple <3

Mothers Day

 Happy (late) Mother’s Day to the Mom’s out there. 💖

For some people, it’s not a fun day filled with gifting or receiving roses and cute cards, as some moms may have passed or were abusive to their children. Maybe some moms experienced a miscarriage, lost a child, or may have been abused by their children. 

Hopefully, there can still be some joy found. 

Gyaru Spotlight: Ari Marie

 This (cross posted) Gyaru Spotlight is for Ari Marie! 

I met her around 2010 or so when she applied to a nago-sa project co-founded by me and LA. We didn’t give her a clear cut answer as the Chicago nago-sa/gyaru project was having internal issues that needed to be resolved first and foremost. Our bad for not being upfront about that when you applied. 

Movie Analysis: Nobody Knows

Have you ever had a movie that you’ve watched stick with you after you’ve watched it? I have. I was chatting about current movies the other day and later reflected about the ones I’ve already seen. “Nobody Knows” is one of them. Its not a gyaru movie, but a Japanese one that gave me a glimpse of what some kids may be going through, or have gone through in broken homes in Japan. 

      A pensive, triggering movie suggested to me where a mom moves and finds a new apartment in a new part of town. She introduces herself and her eldest son, Akira to the other tenants, and goes to finish moving in. 

<b>Spoilers ahead!</b>