Tag Archives: manga

Cherry Blossoms in the GTA: Spring, Transience and International Relations

Cole-Jonathon Neophytou via Shutterstock

We’re on Cherry Blossom Watch everyone!

What is that? Well, that’s when the City of Toronto and its surrounding areas wait with anticipation for the cherry blossom trees in High Park and elsewhere around the city to bloom.

Cherry blossoms (桜 Sakura in Japanese, 벚꽃 Beotkkok in Korean, 櫻花 Yīng Huā in Chinese, etc.) are small five-petal flowers that are often associated with the color pink, but they come in other colors as well, like white. They’re native to areas in east Asia but they’ve been planted all over the world. They’re the national flower of Japan and they bloom for a short period each spring. In our neck of the woods that usually means late April early May, depending on the weather. They can be seen most famously in High Park, but they can also be found in other places around the city, like Toronto Island and Exhibition Place.

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The Way of the Househusband and… Burnout

Book Cover of The Way of the Househusband Gokushufudou by Kousuke Oono Volume 1I don’t know who needs to hear this (everyone?), but The Way of the Househusband is getting an anime (Netflix) this year, so if you haven’t yet discovered this hilarious, wholesome and infinitely uplifting manga series, check it out before it comes out on Netflix – you won’t regret it: Cute puppers? Check. Incredible artwork that captures expressions that border on grotesquely realistic but remain firmly rooted in the manga style? Check. Non-sequiturs flying about based on puns and misunderstandings (because Tatsu is a former yakuza who looks the part)? Check, check, check! A surprising feminist icon highlighting how much invisible labour housewives take on, giving value to that labour and making sure everyone he encounters understands how much work being a house(wife/husband) is? CHECK.

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