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Study of Swords

@studyofswords.bsky.social
104 followers 40 following 118 posts

I make videos about Japanese visual media, critical theory, and swords. Panelist. Channel updates/uncut cringe.

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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
If you're going to be at Pretty Heroes, I'll be hosting a panel on Sunday discussing the Top Ten Shōjo of All Time, using scientific (and therefore objectivity correct) methodology 😉 Come and say hi!
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
If you're going to be in Toronto this weekend, why not attend Anime North? If so inclined, here are the panels I will be on. Come say hello!
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Have you ever been curious about the decision by early anime distributors to bring hentai to the US, and how this decision would reverberate to indelibly alter the course of hentai in Japan itself? New Video out now! youtu.be/M2hUsbqSnBM
youtu.be
ℍ𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕚 History: The Anime Artform
YouTube video by Study of Swords
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Went on the Weeb Crew to talk politics
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Asa de Ouro @asaouro.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Extreme Evoboost but I put DiC Sailor Moon music on it
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Excellent video by Pause and Select about the interplay between development and mediated spaces. Give it a watch! youtu.be/o4y_j329Y_Y?...
media.tenor.com
a poster for the return of the king with trees in the background
ALT: a poster for the return of the king with trees in the background
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
If you're going to be attending AN this year, come by and say hi!
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
No, no. TVTropes is inherently bad: not only does it represent the absolute worst tendencies of popular media analysis, it's more often than not the reason such poor analysis exists in the first place. It's to media analysis what The Hero With A Thousand Faces is to the(popular)study of mythology.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
Absolutely solid video from lextorais talking about a subject which is a major area of research for me, personally. Give it a watch! youtu.be/Ek8uMCg_GbE?...
youtu.be
An Incomplete History of ℍ𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕚
YouTube video by Lextorias
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Italy declaring war on Germany ass move. He should be rotting in the Hague.
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Journal of Anime and Manga Studies @animestudies.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Do you study #anime, #manga, #cosplay, or their fandoms? The Call for Papers for JAMS Volume 6 is LIVE! call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/01/... JAMS is full #open-access, and Volume 6 will be published in December 2025!
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
I'm genuinely enjoying Beheneko, but its deployment of fan service is very lacklustre. Definitely a show which would benefit from "less is more". I haven't watched it yet, and so can't say with any insight, but this is a criticism I've also seen about Gushing over Magical Girls.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
One day, the Joseph Campbell Foundation will be made to pay for its crimes.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
media.tenor.com
a man with gray hair and a red vest is looking at something .
ALT: a man with gray hair and a red vest is looking at something .
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
End of the Year Book Recomendations 2024 Edition: You will be hard pressed to find a better intro text on the subject of postmodern theory which doesn't immediately explain why its bad actually. Also features a very creative and engaging framing device.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 25/12/2024
That Grinch NTR really hits different once you've read Anne Allison's seminal work, "Permitted and Prohibited Desires".
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 15/12/2024
Existential dread intensifies.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Excellent stream about the #Dandadan "blackwashing controversy" www.youtube.com/live/vXpYgYh...
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Most anime will have something that makes it interesting enough to watch through at least once.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Name a show you are positive no one remembers but you.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice In Chains.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
4 anime to know me.
Kill la Kill (2013)The Adventures of Gamba (1975(Ai Yori Aoshi (2002)Ruin Explores: Fam and Ihrie (1995)
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
I'm starting to get concerned with the difficulties that anime fans have with being able to comprehend even the most basic of narrative details. Media literacy has become a meme, but there was a point where it wasn't? Like the line between shit posting and just being wrong has become threadbare.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 10/11/2024
You will simply not find a better resource for finding books, theses and articles centered on Anime and Manga. And yes, you can do a keyword search! #anime #manga
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 09/11/2024
The only non-AniTube (or Ani-Tube adjacent) video on this list. "Explaining Postmodernism: Beyond Bad Faith" A critique of one of the most popular texts on the subject of Postmodern Theory, Stephen Hicks text "Eaplaining Postmodernism" youtu.be/b3tEhw_EjXU
youtu.be
Explaining Postmodernism: Beyond Bad Faith
YouTube video by Study of Swords
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 09/11/2024
I have a thing for Studio Trigger works examining systems of control. "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners vs Kill la KIll" Looking at how the constraints of the metatext necessarily informs and limits the narrative of the text. youtu.be/4LQ3xADUroE
youtu.be
Cyberpunk Edgerunners vs Kill la Kill
YouTube video by Study of Swords
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 09/11/2024
An examination of the development and popularization of the concept of the "Deconstruction" through online anime fandom. "You are wrong about: Deconstruction" It's pretty scathing, but a necessary corrective to a concept that has become endemic in the discourse. youtu.be/fiXzVaqdIgo
youtu.be
You Are WRONG About Deconstruction
YouTube video by Study of Swords
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 09/11/2024
An earlier effort, so the video editing it very basic, but still some of my best analysis on my favourite game. "Final Fantasy Tactics: No War But Class War" An five part series examining Final Fantasy Tactics through a marxist/historicist lens. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
Final Fantasy Tactics: No War But Class War - YouTube
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 09/11/2024
Posting Links to some of the videos I've made over the years. The four part series "Looking at Kill la Kill" was my first significant transition to AniTube content. Examining the series through the lens of "gaze" theory, semiotics and Otaku studies. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
Looking at Kill la Kill - YouTube
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 09/11/2024
(So this image, which precipitated the following thread on twitter, was originally posted by @ebiebieshrimp.bsky.social there - not posted on their bsky account.) What follows is a thread on the intertextual treatment of girl-type Ranma (aka Ranma-chan), from the titular series Ranma 1/2🧵
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Sadie (comms open) @zulc22.site · 06/11/2024
90147987301
Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 07/11/2024
This? This you can trust.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 05/11/2024
This manga has been an absolute delight, and if the adaptation gets an even halfway decent release then it's gonna be a good time. For all you romance anime fans looking for: Adults Couple is already together creeping existential dread of late capitalism Sweet and wholesome romance
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 05/11/2024
The Cambridge Companion to Manga and Anime was released on Oct 31 and is currently available: www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...
cambridge.org
The Cambridge Companion to Manga and Anime
Cambridge Core - Asian Literature - The Cambridge Companion to Manga and Anime
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 05/11/2024
1. Harris wins and the Dems were correct in not doing anything to appeal to the left. 2. Trump wins and it's because the left didn't vote/supported Trump. These aren't really predictions, this has happened for the last two election cycles. This is just how liberal political discourse works now.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 01/11/2024
I'm genuinely curious what the reaction among the current Anglo anime fandom would be to an animated adaptation of Rosen Garten Saga. Would it become a culture war flashpoint, or would its hyperbolic nature marginalize it? I suppose it would also depend on the perceived quality of the show?
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 30/10/2024
For the few who follow me here and not on twitter, uh . . . Better late than never? This video did way better than I was expecting it to do, surpassing even my Kill la Kill video in views. youtu.be/GiRhIxECFjY
youtu.be
A Critical Response to Kawaii: Anime, Propaganda, and Soft Power Politics
YouTube video by Study of Swords
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 23/10/2024
Algorithmically generated images (aka AI Images) are fascinating from a Baudrillardian perspective. They represent what may be the very last vestiges of the real, wherein they act as the ultimate alibi - because even the images into which the real has disappeared, at last have their own simulacra.
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 06/07/2024
I realize I've been remiss and didn't share the Weeb Crew stream here. www.youtube.com/live/30aY5mZ...
youtube.com
Anime Has Been LYING To You
This is a response to @moon-channel's "Kawaii: Anime, Propaganda, and Soft Power Politics."0:00 Preamble Before The Big Ramble3:25 Who is Moon Channel?5:20 W...
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 06/07/2024
If you've already watched the Weeb Crew stream then you know what I have coming soon, if not, well . . . If you want to get the most out of my next video, I'd recommend watching Moon Channel's "Kawaii: Anime, Propaganda, and Soft Power Politics" youtu.be/IM2VIKfaY0Y?...
youtu.be
Kawaii: Anime, Propaganda, and Soft Power Politics.
Use code moonchannel at https://incogni.com/moonchannel to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan! ⚖️ --- In modern international politics, it is just as important to win hearts and minds, in one's own country and abroad, as it is to have power by force of arms. We call this power over hearts and minds: the power to sway people by persuasion rather than by force, soft power. And no country on Earth has mastered the art of soft power through cultural media quite like Japan has. In this video, we'll explore the roots of Japan's soft power initiatives: how modern anime taps into pre-war orientalism, how war-time propaganda birthed the modern anime industry, how the Japanese government utilized soft power cultural diplomacy to manipulate the world's perception of it, and much more! You are not immune to propaganda. It's OK, neither am I! But with a little awareness, we can at least inoculate ourselves against its effects. --- NOTE CONCERNING BRAZIL FOUNDATION: Apparently, YouTube needs a few days to validate this charity organization. If you choose to donate on your own, send me an email (you can find it in my channel description), with a screenshot of your donation, so I can keep track! https://brazilfoundation.org/en/ --- 10% of Moon Channel's Gross Revenue goes to charity: including our sponsorship income! We are currently supporting Doctors Without Borders (MSF). You can learn more about Doctors Without Borders at https://www.msf.org/. --- Please also consider supporting Moon Channel on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/MoonChannelYT --- Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 04:33 - Historical Context and Orientalism 21:18 - The Power of God (And Anime) 27:31 - Pure or Peril? 50:12 - Soft Power 1:04:37 - The Rise of Modern Anime 1:11:50 - A Strategy Born of Necessity 1:16:57 - The Japan You Were Taught to Adore 1:30:50 - Commodification and Plastic Love 1:47:00 - Summary and Subsidy 1:54:41 - The Cultural-Industrial Complex and the LDP 2:13:49 - Hearts and Minds 2:26:00 - Conclusion/Caveat (Emptor) 2:29:55 - Credits Gag --- The Video's Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLETW98X7fZkO5QgpD3XbIHjfirgvbkToQ&si=Cd55Of7byjcDw0cU --- Attributions and Additional Reading: History - China Illustrata - https://htext.stanford.edu/content/kircher/china/kircher.pdf Valignano, Alessandro (1584). Historia del Principio y Progreso de la Compañía de Jesús en las Indias Orientales. https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/american-visitors-to-meiji-japan/ Akiko Yosano- https://www.jstor.org/stable/488910?read-now=1&oauth_data=eyJlbWFpbCI6Im1vb255Y2hhbm5lbHl0QGdtYWlsLmNvbSIsImluc3RpdHV0aW9uSWRzIjpbXSwicHJvdmlkZXIiOiJnb29nbGUifQ&seq=16#page_scan_tab_contents Soft Power and Anime - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259779790_Geopolitics_and_Soft_Power_Japan%27s_Cultural_Policy_and_Cultural_Diplomacy_in_Asia https://polpemjepangsmjhiugm2015.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/yoshio_sugimoto-an-introduction-to-japanese-society.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20040403225208/http://www.time.com/time/asia/2003/cool_japan/story.html https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/mono_info_service/mono/creative/ https://web.archive.org/web/20110323050051/http://www.gov-online.go.jp/pdf/hlj_ar/vol_0028e/21-23.pdf https://thediplomat.com/2016/01/japans-creative-industrial-complex/ https://fsi.stanford.edu/news/despite-popularity-manga-and-anime-kiyoteru-tsutsui-feels-decline-japanese-studies-united-0 https://theconversation.com/japan-is-using-cultural-diplomacy-to-reassert-its-place-in-the-world-but-is-the-message-too-exclusive-106463 Cool Japan Fund: https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/2791/en https://www.cj-fund.co.jp/en/about/cjfund.html https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Finance/Government-weighs-fate-of-floundering-Cool-Japan-Fund2 https://animationanomaly.com/2013/04/16/a-theory-on-government-subsidies-for-animation/ J-LOP/J-LOX: https://www.cao.go.jp/cool_japan/english/link_en/link_j_lop_en.html https://www.vipo.or.jp/project/j-lop-plus/list/ https://jloxplus-jp.translate.goog/office/?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Assorted Other: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/williamyang/taiwan-comfort-women-statue https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/27/the-silencing-of-japans-free-press-shinzo-abe-media/ https://www.dw.com/en/why-japan-ranks-poorly-in-press-freedom/a-65549778 https://soranews24.com/2014/01/30/ghiblis-hayao-miyazaki-says-the-anime-industrys-problem-is-that-its-full-of-anime-fans/ Miyazaki on Nationalism: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/25/hayao-miyazaki-ponyo-cliff --- Please also check out more work from this video's thumbnail artist, @louritashine Twitter: twitter.com/LouritaShine Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louritashine --- The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Sun Tzu said that. And I'd say he knows a little bit more about fighting than you do pal, because he invented it!
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Study of Swords @studyofswords.bsky.social · 01/06/2024
May as well share to anyone who doesn't also follow me on twitter. Great video on cyberpunk anime by Stevem. youtu.be/zbE9LqPULZY?...
youtu.be
CYBERPUNK anime.
A look through the history of the Cyberpunk anime genre, from Akira to cyberpunk edgerunners. Follow me on Twitter for Updates on Videos- https://twitter.com...
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