Since its inception as an art form, anime has engaged with themes, symbols and narrative strategies drawn from the realm of magic. In recent years, the medium has increasingly turned to magic specifically as a metaphor for a wide range of cultural, philosophical and psychological concerns. This book first examines a range of Eastern and Western approaches to magic in anime, addressing magical thinking as an overarching concept which unites numerous titles despite their generic and tonal diversity. It then explores the collusion of anime and magic with reference to specific topics. A close study of cardinal titles is complemented by allusions to ancillary productions in order to situate the medium's fascination with magic within an appropriately broad historical context.
When the herbalist Nils realizes that he’s completely out of mandrake root, he asks Shiori and Alec to accompany him on a gathering expedition in Hortensia Cavern. Upon arrival, however, the group of adventurers quickly realize that they’ll have to face a magical beast which feeds on the fears of its prey. And when this monster gets a hold of Alec, he is forced to confront not just his past, but a potential tragic future too...
Paul Westhead was teaching high school in his native Philadelphia when he was named La Salle University’s men’s basketball coach in 1970. By 1980 he was a Los Angeles Lakers assistant, soon to be hired as head coach, winning an NBA title with Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and rookie guard Magic Johnson. After compiling a 112-50 record, he was fired in November 1981. After a short stay as coach of the Chicago Bulls, Westhead reemerged in the mideighties as a coach at Loyola Marymount in California, where he designed his highly unusual signature run-and-gun offense that came to be known as “The system.” The Speed Game offers a vibrant account of how Westhead helped develop a style of basketball that not only won at the highest levels but went on to influence basketball as it’s played today. Known for implementing an up-tempo, quick-possession, high-octane offense, Westhead is the only coach to have won championships in both the NBA and WNBA. But his long career can be defined by one simple question he’s heard from journalists, fellow coaches, his wife, and, well, himself: Why? Why did he insist on playing such a controversial style of basketball that could vary from brilliant to busted? Westhead speaks candidly here about the feathers he ruffled and about his own shortcomings as he takes readers from Philadelphia’s West Catholic High, where he couldn’t make varsity, to the birth of the Showtime Lakers and to the powerhouse he built nearly ten years later at Loyola, where his team set records likely never to be approached. Westhead says he always found himself telling prospective bosses, “My speed game is gonna knock your socks off!” So will his story and what it could do to bring back a popular style of play.
Just as Myne gets her foot in the door of making paper, she collapses due to the sickness known as the devouring. She's getting better thanks to the help of those around her, but the devouring remains clouded in mystery. As the world expands, so too does her passion for making books! This volume is the conclusion to Part 1 and shows a glimpse into the future of the series!
Following their fortunate encounter with the village girl Ferrici, Rentt’s party finishes up the rest of their guild requests much more smoothly than expected. Even so, they know that they can’t afford to let their guards down yet—the mysterious third companion of the assassins Goblin and Siren is still out there, waiting to strike! There’s more to the situation than meets the eye, however. When a certain surprise has wild consequences, Rentt finds himself embroiled in the criminal underworld, where he’s forced to make decisions that will affect himself and Lorraine, the Grand Guildmaster of Yaaran, and even the kingdom’s own royal family. Surrounded by intrigue and cloak-and-dagger conspiracies, can Rentt pull through and continue to strive toward his dream of becoming a Mithril-class adventurer? Or will his un-life come to a quick and nasty end?! Find out in the eleventh volume!
A girl out of time, a fish out of waterAlchemists used to be a dime a dozen in the Kingdom of Endalsia, so Mariela was never particularly special. But her skills were put to the test one fateful day when a horde of monsters came stampeding from the nearby forest. In a desperate attempt to escape the horror, the young alchemist put herself in a state of suspended animation that lasted just a little longer than she’d planned—an entire two hundred years! Needless to say, there have been some big changes, and biggest of all: Mariela is now the sole alchemist in the entire kingdom. Her one wish in this strange new environment is to get back her quiet, leisurely, low-key lifestyle!
