Famous Places in Anime: Kansai Region - Madoka
Welcome back, students! As an area rich with history and culture, the Kansai region should be well-known to anime fans. Also referred to as the Kinki region, this area is populated by 22 million people living in seven prefectures, including the cities of Kyoto, Kobe and Osaka...

Famous Places in Anime: Tokyo - Madoka
Welcome to today's lecture, class! You've seen these places so many times in anime that they seem like a second home to you: the Tokyo Tower, the bright lights of Shinjuku and Akihabara or the esteemed University of Tokyo. Tokyo is the hub of Japan and often the background for many anime set in the past, present and future...

History Behind Grave of the Fireflies - Madoka
Grave of the Fireflies, or Hotaru no Haka, is a powerful and emotional anime based on the experiences of author Nosaka Akiyuki during the World War II firebombing raids that ravaged most of the cities of Japan...

History Behind Rurouni Kenshin - Madoka
Rurouni Kenshin is considered by many to be an epic story, due in part to the fact that it has its roots in real Japanese history. Author Watsuki Nobuhiro may have taken creative license with some of his characters, but to many Japanese viewers they were seeing history that could be likened to Americans watching a story of the events of 1776...

Holidays and Events in Japan - Madoka
Welcome back to Cultural Studies class, students! Another facet of Japanese culture that shows itself occasionally in anime is the observance of popular holidays and events of the year. Although there are many to discuss, let us focus today on three of the most often featured in anime: the cherry blossom festival, the summer festival, and the celebration of the New Year...

Japanese Myths and Ghosts - Madoka
Welcome to today's cultural studies class, students! Parts of the Japanese culture that often work their way subtly into anime are the myths and legends. You may be surprised with how familiar you already are with some of them, including the strange kappa, the fearsome demons called oni or the eerie and distinctive ghosts such as the karakasa...