Helen McCarthy
@helenmccarthy51.bsky.social
Writer, speaker, poet, scholar, booklover. Over a dozen books, two more in 2026; hundreds of presentations/articles on anime, manga, cosplay, history, art and craft across the UK, USA, Europe and Asia. You can contact me via my website helenmccarthy.net
Pinned
I'm Helen McCarthy. I tell stories. I've been researching anime, manga and Japan since 1981. My first book was published in 1992. A dozen books since, two more in 2026, cosplay history and talks. Follow me for anime/manga titbits, snippets about Japan, recommendations, daily poems and more.
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
I just watched this talk and I enjoyed it a lot! Full of interesting details about Otsuka and his influence on Takahata, Miyazaki and beyond. It was also a pleasant surprise to see @michaeljleader.bsky.social moderating the Q&A!
#StudioGhibli fan? You really want to book for this #JapanFoundation talk. 25 Nov, 13:00 GMT, free to book. Sorry, space is limited so I booked mine before posting!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/online-tal...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/online-tal...
Online Talk - OHTSUKA Yasuo: The Animator That Inspired a Generation
Talk by Professor KANOH Seiji
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 2:34 PM
I just watched this talk and I enjoyed it a lot! Full of interesting details about Otsuka and his influence on Takahata, Miyazaki and beyond. It was also a pleasant surprise to see @michaeljleader.bsky.social moderating the Q&A!
a few leaves cling
to the branches where they once
fluttered like silk flags
all things are reborn and yet
memory holds us present
#tanka #poetry #memory #lettinggo
to the branches where they once
fluttered like silk flags
all things are reborn and yet
memory holds us present
#tanka #poetry #memory #lettinggo
November 25, 2025 at 12:32 PM
a few leaves cling
to the branches where they once
fluttered like silk flags
all things are reborn and yet
memory holds us present
#tanka #poetry #memory #lettinggo
to the branches where they once
fluttered like silk flags
all things are reborn and yet
memory holds us present
#tanka #poetry #memory #lettinggo
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
You know, I'm not sure I ever really read the Pond Rules at our local nature preserve all that closely before
November 25, 2025 at 1:24 AM
You know, I'm not sure I ever really read the Pond Rules at our local nature preserve all that closely before
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
We have an update on Anime Herald Magazine today! 💖 We're excited to announce that the Digital Edition, plus the extended transcript for our interview with Helen McCarthy will be released tonight. We hope you enjoy it, and look forward to hearing your feedback. 🥰
#anime #magazine #zines
#anime #magazine #zines
It's Anime Herald Magazine's (Digital) Launch Day!
I want to thank you all for your support. It would have been impossible to even dream of making this project a reality without all of you. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this inaugural installment.
hera.fyi
November 25, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
Happy Labor Thanksgiving Day from Naruto, Sanrio's Harmonyland, Sentenced to Be a Hero, Yaiba, Liar Game, Kill Blue, Televi-kun, and more!
Happy Labor Thanksgiving Day From Around the Anime World, Part II
Featuring Naruto, Sanrio's Harmonyland, Sentenced to Be a Hero, Yaiba, Liar Game, Kill Blue, Televi-kun, & more!
www.animenewsnetwork.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Happy Labor Thanksgiving Day from Naruto, Sanrio's Harmonyland, Sentenced to Be a Hero, Yaiba, Liar Game, Kill Blue, Televi-kun, and more!
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
Why is everyone so paranoid about bootleg anime DVDs again, out of the blue? More importantly, why are people still buying DVDs!?
Blu-rays are almost impossible to pirate at scale – you have to burn every single one.
Blu-rays are almost impossible to pirate at scale – you have to burn every single one.
November 25, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Why is everyone so paranoid about bootleg anime DVDs again, out of the blue? More importantly, why are people still buying DVDs!?
Blu-rays are almost impossible to pirate at scale – you have to burn every single one.
Blu-rays are almost impossible to pirate at scale – you have to burn every single one.
The Evangelion Kabuki play is coming in three months!
Evangelion Kabuki Project Unveils Main Cast, Staff
Performance to be conclude anime's 30th anniversary festival on February 23
www.animenewsnetwork.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:05 AM
This is the truth straight from an anime creator. A business that can't even get started without stealing from other businesses isn't a business. It's a #scam, a #fraud, a grift. #GenAI is a lot of ugly things but a legit business is not one of them.
www.linkedin.com/posts/khoaot...
www.linkedin.com/posts/khoaot...
#khoatrinh #otsulabs #ai #ethicsinai #copyright #ipprotection #creativeleadership #futureofwork | Khoa Trinh
AI is stealing.
And the industry needs to stop pretending it’s an accident.
Sora 2 didn’t “learn” anime.
It consumed it.
It used copyrighted art as free training data.
That is not innovation.
That is...
www.linkedin.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:57 PM
This is the truth straight from an anime creator. A business that can't even get started without stealing from other businesses isn't a business. It's a #scam, a #fraud, a grift. #GenAI is a lot of ugly things but a legit business is not one of them.
www.linkedin.com/posts/khoaot...
www.linkedin.com/posts/khoaot...
This is a beautiful piece about how we as fans find that our heroes can inspire us to become and achieve more than we thought possible.
When faced with a life-changing accident, Jean-Karlo turned to Hiroshi Fujioka's performance as Kamen Rider and the series' enduring story of hope.
How Kamen Rider Helped Me Recover from Trauma
www.animenewsnetwork.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:11 PM
This is a beautiful piece about how we as fans find that our heroes can inspire us to become and achieve more than we thought possible.
like a chain of ice
the frozen puddles binding
night’s cold to morning
#haiku #poetry #winter #Londonmorning
the frozen puddles binding
night’s cold to morning
#haiku #poetry #winter #Londonmorning
November 24, 2025 at 11:57 AM
like a chain of ice
the frozen puddles binding
night’s cold to morning
#haiku #poetry #winter #Londonmorning
the frozen puddles binding
night’s cold to morning
#haiku #poetry #winter #Londonmorning
On this day in 1877 Anna Sewell's novel 'Black Beauty' was sold to Jarrolds publishers for £40. She died just five months later. Born into a poor Quaker family, crippled by an accident at fourteen, she wrote only one book, but it had an impact on the lives of working horses and remains a classic.
November 24, 2025 at 11:39 AM
On this day in 1877 Anna Sewell's novel 'Black Beauty' was sold to Jarrolds publishers for £40. She died just five months later. Born into a poor Quaker family, crippled by an accident at fourteen, she wrote only one book, but it had an impact on the lives of working horses and remains a classic.
Every otaku visitor to Tokyo raids branches of BookOff and Mandarake. Here's a Jinbocho bookstore with over a century of specialist film and theatre knowledge that now caters to rakugo, kabuki and sumo otaku as well as offering film posters and sc-fi magazines.
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
Century-old Tokyo bookstore draws fans with wall of rare finds | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
In the heart of Kanda-Jinbocho, Tokyo’s famed district for secondhand books, a stucco building stands out with bookshelves covering its outer walls. The eye-catching display often stops people in thei...
www.asahi.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Every otaku visitor to Tokyo raids branches of BookOff and Mandarake. Here's a Jinbocho bookstore with over a century of specialist film and theatre knowledge that now caters to rakugo, kabuki and sumo otaku as well as offering film posters and sc-fi magazines.
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
"The Future is agentic." Latest AI marketing slogan is a new term intended to make terror fluffier: the Men in Black will act autonomously on your behalf, but (allegedly) without stun guns.
mainichi.jp/english/arti...
mainichi.jp/english/arti...
What does 'agentic' AI mean? Tech's newest buzzword is mix of marketing fluff, real promise - The Mainichi
(AP) -- For technology adopters looking for the next big thing,
mainichi.jp
November 24, 2025 at 10:59 AM
"The Future is agentic." Latest AI marketing slogan is a new term intended to make terror fluffier: the Men in Black will act autonomously on your behalf, but (allegedly) without stun guns.
mainichi.jp/english/arti...
mainichi.jp/english/arti...
An echo of the world of Harry Potter in a Japanese university. I hope it's less trans-hostile than the franchise.
mainichi.jp/english/arti...
mainichi.jp/english/arti...
Retro Japan: Stately library at Kobe University looks like world of 'Harry Potter' - The Mainichi
KOBE -- The stately main reading room of a Kobe University library that survived World War II as well as the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake is reminisc
mainichi.jp
November 24, 2025 at 10:55 AM
An echo of the world of Harry Potter in a Japanese university. I hope it's less trans-hostile than the franchise.
mainichi.jp/english/arti...
mainichi.jp/english/arti...
Mamoru Hosoda's Hamlet: Matt Schley on the latest feature from the director of 'Belle', itself a take on 'Beauty and the Beast'. Directors and writers all over the world mine old texts for enduring human experience. I'll be interested to see how this works.
www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...
www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...
Mamoru Hosoda’s ‘Scarlet’ takes on ‘Hamlet’ with bold visual departure
The Oscar-nominated director re-imagines the Shakespearean tale as an animated quest through the afterlife.
www.japantimes.co.jp
November 24, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Mamoru Hosoda's Hamlet: Matt Schley on the latest feature from the director of 'Belle', itself a take on 'Beauty and the Beast'. Directors and writers all over the world mine old texts for enduring human experience. I'll be interested to see how this works.
www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...
www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025...
Debora Aoki interviews Yu Saito,
Editor-in-Chief of Werkly Sjonen Jump, at Anime NYC, August 2025. Enjoy.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=xs4Q...
Editor-in-Chief of Werkly Sjonen Jump, at Anime NYC, August 2025. Enjoy.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=xs4Q...
Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief at Anime NYC 2025 | Behind Weekly Shonen Jump
YouTube video by The Japan Foundation, New York
m.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Debora Aoki interviews Yu Saito,
Editor-in-Chief of Werkly Sjonen Jump, at Anime NYC, August 2025. Enjoy.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=xs4Q...
Editor-in-Chief of Werkly Sjonen Jump, at Anime NYC, August 2025. Enjoy.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=xs4Q...
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
Today on Okazu – Paris 2025: Musée D'Orsay, The Louvre and Manga at the Musée Guimet
Manga. Tout un Art! at Le musée national des Arts asiatiques - Guimet, was fantastic. Time with some old manga friends and items from the Guimet’s permanent collection!
okazu.yuricon.com/2025/11/23/p...
Manga. Tout un Art! at Le musée national des Arts asiatiques - Guimet, was fantastic. Time with some old manga friends and items from the Guimet’s permanent collection!
okazu.yuricon.com/2025/11/23/p...
November 23, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Today on Okazu – Paris 2025: Musée D'Orsay, The Louvre and Manga at the Musée Guimet
Manga. Tout un Art! at Le musée national des Arts asiatiques - Guimet, was fantastic. Time with some old manga friends and items from the Guimet’s permanent collection!
okazu.yuricon.com/2025/11/23/p...
Manga. Tout un Art! at Le musée national des Arts asiatiques - Guimet, was fantastic. Time with some old manga friends and items from the Guimet’s permanent collection!
okazu.yuricon.com/2025/11/23/p...
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
Anime News Network was allowed to check out the tour as it stopped by the Japan Society in New York City, where I was able to enjoy a lot of the strong enthusiasm for this franchise firsthand.
A Special Evening with Ultraman
www.animenewsnetwork.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Anime News Network was allowed to check out the tour as it stopped by the Japan Society in New York City, where I was able to enjoy a lot of the strong enthusiasm for this franchise firsthand.
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
There has literally never been a universal basic income trial program that didn't deliver real and measurable results above and beyond any other form of social welfare, and every time another concludes with the same findings the powers that be go "interesting! Anyway," and pretend it wouldn't work.
November 22, 2025 at 6:00 AM
There has literally never been a universal basic income trial program that didn't deliver real and measurable results above and beyond any other form of social welfare, and every time another concludes with the same findings the powers that be go "interesting! Anyway," and pretend it wouldn't work.
So all those #anime that show insects processing time were not just anthropomorphising the characters...
Our study of time processing in bumblebees 🐝 covered by @cnn.com here edition.cnn.com/2025/11/12/s... . Our summary is here youtu.be/hsGxU65OMQk and the original paper royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.... @royalsocietypublishing.org
Scientists now know that bees can process time, a first in insects | CNN
Bumblebees can process the duration of flashes of light and use the information to decide where to look for food, a new study has found.
edition.cnn.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:45 PM
So all those #anime that show insects processing time were not just anthropomorphising the characters...
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
“If you go back a million minutes, you reach 2023. Go back a billion minutes, you reach the Roman Empire — that’s the scale of inequality we’re living with.”
Zack Polanski on #BBCLauraK discussing inequality and why a wealth tax should be in the budget
Zack Polanski on #BBCLauraK discussing inequality and why a wealth tax should be in the budget
November 23, 2025 at 10:31 AM
“If you go back a million minutes, you reach 2023. Go back a billion minutes, you reach the Roman Empire — that’s the scale of inequality we’re living with.”
Zack Polanski on #BBCLauraK discussing inequality and why a wealth tax should be in the budget
Zack Polanski on #BBCLauraK discussing inequality and why a wealth tax should be in the budget
one rosebud frozen
in the snow-covered garden
too late to open
an unread poem a song
that will never now be heard
#tanka #poetry #lostrosebud #livenow
in the snow-covered garden
too late to open
an unread poem a song
that will never now be heard
#tanka #poetry #lostrosebud #livenow
November 23, 2025 at 1:39 PM
one rosebud frozen
in the snow-covered garden
too late to open
an unread poem a song
that will never now be heard
#tanka #poetry #lostrosebud #livenow
in the snow-covered garden
too late to open
an unread poem a song
that will never now be heard
#tanka #poetry #lostrosebud #livenow
The 2025 Reith Lectures are on BBC Radio 4 next week and BBC Sounds after. One of my favourite historians, Rutger Bregman, who called out the elite at Davos for taking private jets to hear David Attenborough talk about climate change, on "Moral Ambition." Unmissable. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/a...
BBC Radio 4 - The Reith Lectures - BBC Reith Lectures 2025 – Moral Revolution
Historian and author Rutger Bregman announced as BBC Radio 4's Reith lecturer for 2025.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 12:10 PM
The 2025 Reith Lectures are on BBC Radio 4 next week and BBC Sounds after. One of my favourite historians, Rutger Bregman, who called out the elite at Davos for taking private jets to hear David Attenborough talk about climate change, on "Moral Ambition." Unmissable. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/a...
Going through my archive posts: this one is from 2011, talking about #manga before #OsamuTezuka. It's astonishing how far scholarship has come in 14 years, with new scholars and ideas emerging, but I think this is still a good general intro to the time and topic.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc15...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc15...
Otalku, episode 17: Helen McCarthy and Pre-Tezuka Manga, part 2 of 3
YouTube video by AnimeArchaeology
www.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Going through my archive posts: this one is from 2011, talking about #manga before #OsamuTezuka. It's astonishing how far scholarship has come in 14 years, with new scholars and ideas emerging, but I think this is still a good general intro to the time and topic.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc15...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc15...
Reposted by Helen McCarthy
If you liked (or were confused by) Angel’s Egg, you could do worse than my book on Mamoru Oshii’s films.
The publisher has it for a decent price right now.
link.springer.com/book/10.1057...
The publisher has it for a decent price right now.
link.springer.com/book/10.1057...
Stray Dog of Anime
Upon its US release in the mid 1990s, Ghost in the Shell , directed by Mamoru Oshii, quickly became one of the most popular Japanese animated films in the country. Despite this, Oshii is known as a ma...
link.springer.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:24 PM
If you liked (or were confused by) Angel’s Egg, you could do worse than my book on Mamoru Oshii’s films.
The publisher has it for a decent price right now.
link.springer.com/book/10.1057...
The publisher has it for a decent price right now.
link.springer.com/book/10.1057...