March 2023 Patron Newsletter and Staff Recommendations

Other than some troubling harassment and attempted doxxing of one of our contributors, it's been a quiet month without much to report -- except that we've dipped a toe into Instagram. Will we manage TIkTok someday? Only time will tell. 

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March Recommendations

The Great Passage

Format: Anime (subtitled only)

Picked by: Caitlin

What’s it about? Majime Mitsuya works in the sales department for Genbu Publishing, but he’s not much of a salesman. When his love of words and training in linguistics catches the eye of an editor, he’s recruited to the dictionary department. His project: work with a team to create a new dictionary emphasizing inclusiveness, to serve an ever-changing society.

Content considerations: Not much, really

Why we love it: I can’t imagine why The Great Passage never found much of an audience in English; a grounded series about adults building an inclusive dictionary sounds like a sure-fire hit! Who wouldn’t love a series that consists primarily of adults sitting around and talking about how to define classic concepts like love in a way that takes into consideration society’s shifting values and evolving understanding of gender and sexuality? Everyone would find this fascinating!

Oh wait, that’s just me. The Great Passage is a story that feels aimed extremely specifically at me and only me, with my BA in linguistics and work that focuses on inclusivity and social justice. While I recognize that’s extraordinarily narrow appeal, my hope is that some of you out there share this niche with me, because The Great Passage is a love letter to the ever-evolving nature of language. The characters are challenging heteronormativity in a real way, erasing bias from the dictionary definitions that bigots so love to turn to. Although I would have loved to see a queerer cast of characters – the dictionary team is mostly male, and the only relationships depicted are between men and women – it’s still a quiet, yet profound form of allyship.

Monologue Woven for You

Format: Manga (3 volumes, complete)

Picked by: Dee

What’s it about? Haruka used to love acting, but then one day in high school she suddenly quit and wouldn't go near the theatre. Now in college, she meets Nao, an up-and-coming actress at her university. The pair quickly hit it off and begin dating, but can their relationship survive Haruka's complicated feelings about the theatre—or the interconnected pasts the two are hiding from each other?

Content considerations: Depictions of depression; mild sexual content (mostly in the form of smooching and one brief, above-the-shoulders sex scene).

Why we like it: This one starts as a fluffy yuri about two girlfriends being cute together, then develops into a story about art, dreams, guilt, and depression. That's not to suggest it gets grimdark or maudlin (it doesn't); just that it's willing to delve into thornier feelings than the first volume may suggest.

In addition to showing the developing, supportive relationship between Haruka and Nao, Monologue Woven for You engages with the highs and lows of working in the arts, and especially theatre. Artists have the potential to inspire and hurt others—often unintentionally—and the way the final volume depicts that emotional seesaw really resonated with this anxious wannabe creative.

Monologue is about people trying hard not to hurt each other, often to the point of it backfiring, and as such it's very much a story where conflict comes from internal fears rather than external roadblocks. If you're looking for a plot-driven melodrama or a rom-com, this probably won't do much for you. But if you like your fluffy romances with a dash of pathos—or if you're a theatre nerd with an anxiety bird on your shoulder—then this little series may be right up your alley.