Arts & Culture Commentary
Freelance Writer, Actor and more.
Media Criticism, Creative Non-fiction, Journalism, Novelist, Playwright, Screenwriter, Occasional Poet & Stand Up
MFA in Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
BA in Theatre and International Film & Media Studies from Loyola University Chicago
Contributing Writer for The A.V. Club, Stropse.com, Otaquest.com, The Gamer and more...
Email: [email protected]
www.josenateras.com - Twitter: @ josenateras - Instagram: @Jlorca13
Arts & Culture Commentary
When people hear the word generally the first thing to come to mind are the Japanese television shows featuring masked fighters and giant robots. This makes plenty of sense considering series like Super Sentai and Kamen Rider are some of the most obvious examples of the genre.
It's well known that, for the longest time, the esports world has had a reputation of not being the most welcoming environment towards gamers who happen to be
When it comes to queer representation in anime and manga, there are a number of examples that both progressively and problematically portray same-sex relationships, characters, and attraction. However, few mainstream series feature a central character who is, to use contemporary vocabulary, a trans female. Stop!! Hibari-Kun!
From the Olympics to the World Cup, sporting and competition have an established track record of breaking down international barriers. With the globalizing force of the internet and the advent of the esports industry, this is a tradition that has entered a new era in terms of competition, an era closely observed and analyzed by a global fanbase-slash-marketplace ever-eager to understand and capitalize on trends and statistics of all kinds.
As we as a society move beyond outdated gender stereotypes and generalizations, it has become clearer and clearer that the realm of esports could be an ideal industry for gender equality. Unlike more traditional sports and competitions, which use physiological differences to justify gender-based segregation, the world of gaming's meritocracy is gender-neutral.
As the gaming industry works to dismantle preconceived notions and stereotypes surrounding gender and gaming, there is a key demographic often overlooked. A significant percentage of the population identifies as LGBT+, and the community has impacted all facets of culture and industry across the board. The same is true for the gaming industry.
Dario Argento's superior Italian horror Suspiria has long held a fascination for the LGBTQ community. With Luca Guadagnino's reimagining currently hitting the theaters, I decided to ask Adam E. Hoak and Jose Nateras, two of my favorite Chicago actors (and enthusiastic horror buffs) to chat with me about their love for the film,...
Although performance-enhancing drugs have always been a means for athletes to gain a competitive edge, when it comes to esports, the use of steroids might
As competitive gaming continues to work on its shortcomings regarding gender and racial demographics, it's also important to keep in mind the importance of accessibility for gamers who identify as disabled. Because competitive esports relies on skills and abilities beyond the physical prowess of competitors, more than any other competitive industry, esports has the potential to achieve unprecedented levels of inclusivity and equality.
Earlier this week Porchlight Music Theatre, a mainstay in the Chicago theater community, announced the casting for their much anticipated production of Lin Manuel-Miranda's "In the Heights " Aside from the problematic handling of this announcement by The Chicago Sun-Times - Hedy Weiss described the cast as "unusually 'authentic'" - the casting statement was bound to cause an uproar: Porchlight cast a white actor in the central role of Usnavi - a Bodega owner who received his name from the...
At this point, it's commonly understood that a consistent sedentary lifestyle has negative health effects on the body. Numerous studies have been conducted on
In today's society, issues of racial inequality are woven through all of our cultural institutions, systems, and industries. As time has progressed, our conversations around such issues have become more nuanced and correlations between representation and society as a whole have become more apparent.
Hedy Weiss has a long and well-documented track record of being highly problematic, to say the least. F Newsmagazine has covered her antics in the past year alone.
News & Recaps
In what might seem to be a drastic move, Overwatch League team the London Spitfire has released its entire player roster, letting go of their coaching staff
With a track record of working to help the esports world continue to improve itself, LA-based esports organization Cloud9 has done it again. In addition to
The forthcoming movie will be called 1Up and is written by Julia Yorks with direction by Kyle Newman. Newman has previously directed Fanboys, a comedy about
From Jay-Z to Jon Bon Jovi, big name musicians becoming part owners of sports teams is nothing new. However, when it comes to esports, celebrity ownership is
Put some serious Rustin Parr vibes in your Animal Crossing look with this fun little easter egg! Although the trailer for last month's Nintendo Switch release of the Blair Witch game was first released for the back in June, it wasn't until recently that viewers noticed something hidden among all the eerie stick people totems: a hidden code.
The subclasses, College of Spirits for Bards or Undead Patron for Warlocks, allow for players to access a bunch of new spooky powers. In an article recently posted in the recurring Unearthed Arcana feature on the official website for Dungeons & Dragons ,two new subclasses for bards and warlocks were announced.
In each episode of The Shining 2:37, host Suzen Tekla Kruglnska investigates, in order, two minutes and 37 seconds of Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1980 film The Shining. The 2:37 of this episode encapsulates the sequence that starts with Jack Nicholson’s character, Jack Torrance, chasing his son, Danny (played by Dan Lloyd), into a snowy maze. As ever, Kruglnska is joined by a guest, but significantly, this week’s guest is none other than Dan Lloyd himself. Lloyd, now in his mid-40s, has a wealth...
Food 4 Thot focuses on relationships, race, sex, and identity hosted by Fran Tirado (Deputy Editor, Out magazine), Tommy Pico (poet), Dennis Norris II (former figure skater, former violinist, current writer), and Joseph Osmundson (scientist and non-fiction writer). This episode they’re joined by guest Steven Canals, creator of FX’s ’80s dance musical Pose. Having such a diverse group of hosts is beautifully refreshing when it comes to queer, male conversations, and the entire series is a...
Players of Wanderhome will get to explore the world of Hæth as anthropomorphic animals called Kith. Tabletop RPG players who are also fans of tenderhearted anthropomorphic animals and tranquil nature scenes seen in a Hayao Miyazaki film have reason to rejoice: Wanderhome.
Interviews & Profiles
Following her recent nomination as a Marketer of the Year finalist at the 2020 Tempest Esports Business Awards, the awesome Brooke Grant, Head of Marketing at FaZe Clan, took some time out of her busy schedule to talk to Stropse. As the Head of Marketing for FaZe Clan, Grant is no stranger to being the subject of an interview.
After starting his career with international acclaim and the title of "Player of the Century," Billy Mitchell once seemed like a gaming icon too sure to fail.
Few theme songs are as iconic and meaningful to anime fans as the theme song to Neon Genesis Evangelion, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" or "Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze." While there are a number of reasons for the song's success, a lot of credit must be given to singer Yoko Takahashi.
As the industry of pro gaming continues to develop and grow, there's a lot of interest in the ways in which gaming crosses over from pastime to profession. Along with all of the sponsorships and competitions, pro gamers have to deal with a number of responsibilities and decisions unique to their position in the industry.
For many Western gamers, their first introduction to the character of Ness was as an unlockable character in 1999's Super Smash Bros. In fact, Ness first appeared in the 1995 game EarthBound- released in Japan in 1994 as Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back).
By recently landing a professional esports contract, Rocky Stoutenburgh has officially become the first ever quadriplegic gamer to do so. In a stand-out
A lot has been written about Black issues and the varied initiatives to improve things in the community. Take, for instance, our following pieces: "Diversity
It is apparent that the esports industry has a significant problem when it comes to diversity in terms of gender and race, and very often, it seems as though
I started working as a host at The Cherry Circle Room (CCR) over a year ago, just a short while before Alan Epstein - the photographer behind the " What Was Breakfast " project - started as a server there himself.
Reviews
When you think of survival horror video games, a few titles are sure to come to mind. Series like Resident Evil and Silent Hill are iconic among the genre.
In fact, for some the mentality of why fix what isn't broken prevailed. However, considering the game's overall positive reception and winning a couple of choice awards of its own the remake would appear to be a good idea. 2005's computer-animated movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, picks up two years after the events of the original game.
Even though it's been eight years since the last installment in the iconic survival horror game series was released(2012's Silent Hill: Book of Memories ) the Silent Hill franchise remains one of the most influential horror video game series out there.
The title of Sukeban Deka , translated to "Delinquent Girl Detective," is probably the best way to describe the series it belongs to. Anime fans will recognize the character type of the Sukeban: the tough girl in sailor style school uniform, but with an extra long skirt; she generally has a bad attitude and is good at fighting.
Few films have been able to generate the specific sort of word-of-mouth that Julia Ducournau's "Raw" has. Yes, Ducournau's film has built a name for itself as being a spectacular entry to the horror film genre. Yes, "Raw" has joined the ranks of "The Babadook" and "American Psycho" as chill-inducing genre fare, helmed by female directors.
There are few surprises to be had in “Love, Simon.” If you’ve seen any teen rom-com from the last couple of decades, you’ll be able to spot each major plot point coming. “Love, Simon” makes no attempt to reinvent the wheel. It is familiar, charming, mainstream, and marketable... *Winner: Illinois College Press Association — 2nd Place: Critical Review, Film - 2018
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at 7:38PM Post-Apocalypticon. Clayton Smith. Dapper Press, October 24, 2018, Trade Paperback and E-book, 269 Pages. Reviewed by Jose Nateras. In "The Apocalypticon Trilogy," Clayton Smith has crafted a world readers will find both familiar and drastically changed by the events of the apocalypse.
Either peering from the cover of the two-tape VHS set at the local Blockbuster or peeking up from a rain-gutter in a popular meme; fewer cinematic representations of the horror of childhood have made the same sort of cultural impact as Stephen King’s Pennywise the Clown. As the titular antagonist of King’s 1986 Novel, “IT,” Pennywise serves as one of the many faces that an interdimensional evil wears as it terrorizes the town of Derry, Maine... * Honorable Mention: Illinois College Press...
As a child, until around seven or eight years old, I was convinced that Aladdin was Mexican. I was positive. Here was a character that looked like me, regardless of any song lyrics identifying a fictionalized "Arabia" as the setting of the film; I had found a character I could identify with.
Kaiju movies, which focus on giant monsters like "Godzilla," have been popular for decades. Recent films -"Kong: Skull Island," new incarnations of "Godzilla," "Pacific Rim," "The Host," and "Cloverfield" to name a few - demonstrate that this trend is as lively as ever.