Sean Navat Balanon

Great article~ I joined Pottermore when it first launched, but couldn’t really get into the swing of it due to the lack of interaction with other users. It became boring really quick. I did appreciate the illustrations and new reading material though.

Great analysis. The different examples you brought in really support the article. I find it interesting how the media portrays the villains in ways similar to the Nazi aesthetic, thus presenting to the audience that they should be against such movements in real life. Is pop culture convincing us to conform to this nonconformity? Ah-ha~

Great intro into the subculture and artform that is cosplay. I wasn’t aware that its origins stem from the 1930s. Wonderful!

Really in-depth! I like that you’ve made the point of it being timeless due to its history and identity. In relation to modern pop music, folk music certainly stands the test of time.

I do enjoy some slice of life anime, and I’m glad you included Ouran as an example. I never would have thought to classify Haruhi Suzumiya and Chuunibyou under the slice of life genre though, but they do fit well into your theme of Insane Sanity.

Very engaging article. I’ve been waiting to read something that describes sex in cinema as something more than just smut or a product for male-gaze. The examples you bring up and how you’ve explained them give a good look into how we can analyze different films and really see these scenes for what they’re meant to be.

I read Lost at Sea a few months ago, and found how O’Malley presented Raleigh’s inner conflict very interesting. As readers, we’re taken inside Raleigh’s mind and become aware of what she is experiencing. Everything happening externally on their road trip felt very fleeting in opposition to the internal. Which had a good impact, I feel — it’s relatable, as far as dealing with your own interior life while you navigate the exterior, where others may not be so aware of what you’re going through.

I enjoyed reading how poetry is used as a platform for truth — more so than the news and multimedia of the time (and even in our present time). Poetry certainly serves as an outlet to express oneself more openly, which you’ve made clear in your writing with the great war poets. Fantastic work.