The Student News Site of The American School in Japan Sat, 06 Apr 2024 07:02:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 /arts-entertainment/the-role-of-music-in-the-ocarina-of-time/ /arts-entertainment/the-role-of-music-in-the-ocarina-of-time/#respond Sat, 06 Apr 2024 07:02:04 +0000 /?p=4917 Reading Time: 3 minutes Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was one of the world’s first video games to utilize 3D graphics. Yet perhaps its most iconic element is its soundtrack, which plays an integral role in the game’s storyline.  With only a small, flute-like instrument called an ocarina, Link, the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda...]]> /arts-entertainment/the-role-of-music-in-the-ocarina-of-time/feed/ 0 /arts-entertainment/the-resurgence-of-film-photography-in-younger-generations/ /arts-entertainment/the-resurgence-of-film-photography-in-younger-generations/#respond Sun, 17 Mar 2024 09:52:09 +0000 /?p=4786 Reading Time: 2 minutes Despite the availability of new and more convenient digital photo-taking methods, film cameras are regaining popularity. Since 2018, California based photo lab The Darkroom has seen a more than 20% annual increase in 35mm film processing. In 2022, Kodak announced that they hired more than 300 people for their film manufacturing department to keep up...]]> /arts-entertainment/the-resurgence-of-film-photography-in-younger-generations/feed/ 0 /arts-entertainment/why-dog-movies-make-us-cry-so-much/ /arts-entertainment/why-dog-movies-make-us-cry-so-much/#respond Fri, 08 Mar 2024 12:27:31 +0000 /?p=4768 Reading Time: 3 minutes Marley and Me, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, A Dog’s Purpose, A Dog’s Journey, and just when you thought there couldn’t be any more iterations of titles starting with  “A Dog’s,” there is A Dog’s Way Home to top it off. These are contemporary examples of dog movies that have pulled at audiences’ heartstrings worldwide. And...]]> /arts-entertainment/why-dog-movies-make-us-cry-so-much/feed/ 0 /arts-entertainment/the-best-live-jazz-venues-in-tokyo/ /arts-entertainment/the-best-live-jazz-venues-in-tokyo/#respond Tue, 27 Feb 2024 12:12:25 +0000 /?p=4705 Reading Time: 3 minutes Throughout the past century, Jazz has developed into many unique variations, giving a beautiful platform for musicians to transcend the barriers of language in order to communicate the depths of human emotion.  Personally, I have grown to love singing, playing, and listening to jazz over the years as it ignites passion and creativity inside me....]]> /arts-entertainment/the-best-live-jazz-venues-in-tokyo/feed/ 0 /arts-entertainment/mattel-and-barbie-honor-stevie-nicks/ /arts-entertainment/mattel-and-barbie-honor-stevie-nicks/#comments Sat, 27 Jan 2024 03:40:08 +0000 /?p=4638 Reading Time: 2 minutes On October 1, 2023, Stevie Nicks, lead singer of the popular British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, unveiled a secret collaboration with Mattel to an audience of concert-goers at Madison Square Garden.  As a gift for her 75th birthday, Mattel, the toy company best known for their Barbie dolls, reached out to Nicks asking if she...]]> /arts-entertainment/mattel-and-barbie-honor-stevie-nicks/feed/ 1 /arts-entertainment/avatar-the-way-of-water-cultural-appropriation-or-appreciation/ /arts-entertainment/avatar-the-way-of-water-cultural-appropriation-or-appreciation/#respond Fri, 26 Jan 2024 03:45:42 +0000 /?p=4622 Reading Time: 2 minutes Nearly 15 years after its release, Avatar (2009) remains the highest-grossing feature film of all time. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) proved to be another massive hit, ranking as the third highest-grossing movie ever. The films have collected a total of $5.2 billion at the box office, making their director, James Cameron,...]]> /arts-entertainment/avatar-the-way-of-water-cultural-appropriation-or-appreciation/feed/ 0 /arts-entertainment/guernica-an-anti-war-icon/ /arts-entertainment/guernica-an-anti-war-icon/#respond Wed, 17 Jan 2024 01:11:26 +0000 /?p=4613 Reading Time: 3 minutes In the pantheon of anti-war artwork, one of the most notable works is Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica. Since its creation in the 1930s, Guernica has endured as a powerful symbol of protest against violent conflict around the world.  At 25 feet in length and 11 in height, Picasso’s mural is no small feat. The painting—originally...]]> /arts-entertainment/guernica-an-anti-war-icon/feed/ 0 /arts-entertainment/taylor-made-the-success-of-taylor-swifts-re-recorded-albums/ /arts-entertainment/taylor-made-the-success-of-taylor-swifts-re-recorded-albums/#respond Thu, 07 Dec 2023 13:11:26 +0000 /?p=4596 Reading Time: 3 minutes After nearly two decades, Taylor Swift has cemented herself as a household name in the music industry. Her ongoing, massively successful “Eras Tour” is her sixth international concert tour since 2009. She has also written a substantial amount of music, including ten studio albums, four live albums, and most recently, four re-recorded albums.  Taylor’s Version...]]> /arts-entertainment/taylor-made-the-success-of-taylor-swifts-re-recorded-albums/feed/ 0 /arts-entertainment/the-psychology-of-losing-yourself-in-fiction/ /arts-entertainment/the-psychology-of-losing-yourself-in-fiction/#respond Wed, 29 Nov 2023 05:34:27 +0000 /?p=4570 Reading Time: 2 minutes We all have favorite fictional stories. It’s not only the plot that attracts us to stories, but the characters that make or break a good tale. Movies, TV series, books, and games are all forms of media that tell us the stories of such fictional characters. If you find yourself relating to these characters, scientists...]]> /arts-entertainment/the-psychology-of-losing-yourself-in-fiction/feed/ 0 /arts-entertainment/the-evolution-of-sherlock-holmes/ /arts-entertainment/the-evolution-of-sherlock-holmes/#respond Tue, 14 Nov 2023 12:31:59 +0000 /?p=4553 Reading Time: 2 minutes Dressed smartly in a tweed suit, deerstalker hat, and smoking a pipe, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is the brilliant fictional detective who has become a household name. His sharp wit and keen observations have served him well through numerous adventures and have entertained readers for decades.  The character of Sherlock Holmes was inspired by...]]> /arts-entertainment/the-evolution-of-sherlock-holmes/feed/ 0