by Ryan Mathews

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December 1997

Merry Christmas!

Of course, when this article hits the web, we won't even be past Thanksgiving. So it occurs to me that I'm guilty of perpetuating the one thing I hate about Christmas, namely that the media and the stores shove it down your throat for the six weeks prior to the holiday, so that when December 25th actually arrives, you're sick of it. But such is the problem with schedules. The next column won't be out until December 22nd, by which time the season's almost over, so I have to do my Christmas shtick now.

Now for this month's Christmas-themed topic. But first, I want to quickly take advantage of a rare crossover between two things I enjoy in my life. I'd like to congratulate Japan on qualifying for their first ever soccer World Cup by defeating Iran in a playoff! It makes me curious to know if there are any soccer-themed anime or manga out there.

On to the topic!