Welcome to my 5 favorite anime blog posts from 2021 week 41!
Every week I look for posts that celebrate amazing moments in anime or otherwise blow me away with their wit and charm. I check hundreds of sites, and I can tell you that the ani-blogging community constantly produces a ton of amazing posts. I hope this list helps you find some of them!
Here’s the list of the sites I check!
Anime Feminist
Mieruko-chan – Episode 1
Do you know something that makes life better? Humor. Humor makes life better. Not only that, but humor can allow discussion of topics that might otherwise be too awkward or overloaded with connotation to discuss. In this case, the topic that I was a challenge to discuss is the fanservice in Mieruko-chan. In my review of episode 1, I framed it in the context of the 1980s horror movies that I watched back when. But truth be told, I wasn’t comfortable with that. I don’t think it conveyed the implications I had wanted to convey.
That’s why I liked this post by Alex Henderson on Anime Feminist. Alex addressed the question of the episode’s fanservice at first humorously, which I found disarming and entertaining. Then she explored how that aspect of the show might play out in future episodes. At the same time, Alex talked about many other aspects of the show — aspects that I thought defined the show even more than its fanservice. Maybe that’s why I felt uncomfortable with my handling of the topic. Maybe focusing too much on one part of the show at the expense of the whole didn’t do the show justice. Alex’s post presented a balanced view, and I liked that! See if you agree.
I Drink and Watch Anime
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
You know how there’s that one show that everyone around you keeps talking about, but you just can’t bring yourself to watch? For me, that’s the entire JoJo franchise, which includes JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable. My son in law keeps trying to talk me into watching it from the beginning, but there’s something about it that just screams “NOT FOR YOU!” Maybe it’s the art. Maybe it’s that I don’t understand why the characters look the way they do.
Why, no, I don’t usually judge books by their cover alone. Why do you ask?
In the midst of this massive inner-family conflict, I came across this post by Irina on the site I Drink and Watch Anime. Irina has a knack for conveying the vibe a series gives off. I think it’s because she so effectively and honesty describes how she reacted to the series. I’ve always preferred reviews that tell me how the reviewer feels about the subject, because that feeling often tells me as much or more than the review’s more overt points. If that makes sense. And I hope it does. I’ll work on the phrasing. In the meantime, please do enjoy Irina’s review!
JCEnno
Anime Review: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 (2020)
I’ll tell you a secret if you promise to keep it just between us. Ready? I didn’t watch Jujutsu Kaisen when it came out. Yes, mistakes were made. I’ve seen the error of my ways, and as of this writing (the evening of October 8, 2021), I’ve finished the first 23 episodes, so I only have one left. Not only should I have watched it when it first came out; I should have reviewed it. Not that I would have had time. Fall 2020 was busy!
Anyway. The bottom line is that I inadvertently waited a year to witness the goddess-tier goodness that is Nobara Kugisaki (and, to be honest, the self-proclaimed “useless” Kasumi Miwa had enormous charm, too). To make up for not reviewing it, please do let me present this concise and clear review by jcenno on the site JCEnno. If only I had read this review back in October 2020, I might have not had to bear the shame of missing out. On the other hand, jcenno could not have written the review, because it looks at the whole series… Hmmmm… While I work out the temporal mechanics, please do head over and enjoy the review!
The Magic Planet
Seasonal First Impressions: TAKT OP.DESTINY is The Season’s First Must-Watch
Words are cool. Sometimes, what we have to say so perfectly resonates with our hopes for a better world that the worlds almost glow with delight. No, I’m not drunk. I’m trying to get across the idea that if we experience something wonderful, then let our words express that wonder in the framework of language, sometimes it reads like a glimpse into pure joy.
Okay. I’ll stop being poetic. Admittedly, I’m a prose guy. I’ve always been amazed at people who can write poetry. But I’m even more amazed at writers who can write poetic sentiment in prose. That’s the sense I got when reading Jane The Anime Wizard’s first paragraph in this post from the site The Magic Planet. Jane reviewed takt op.Destiny, and the first paragraph is a masterpiece of expressed sentiment. Seriously — go check it out! See? Was I right or what? The rest of the review maintains the level of intensity, which is quite the testament to the impact this first episode had. I wish I could express it as clearly! And I tried! See what you think!
Shallow Dives in Anime
School Day’s Makoto Itou: Also a Victim
Do you have a series, or maybe more than one, that you just can’t stand? School Days was one of those series for me. Maybe my expectations got the better of me. Maybe I was looking for something a little more light-hearted. Or maybe I was looking for something a little less decapitating. Because I don’t know about you, but I have all the decapitating that I want in my life right now.
But did you notice what I didn’t say? I didn’t say the series wasn’t any good and I didn’t say the characters sucked. I said I didn’t like it. That’s why I did like this review by Dewbond on his site Shallow Dives in Anime. He has a great way of burning through the BS and getting to the heart of the matter. In this post, he talked about Makoto Itou, the main character in School Days, in a thoughtful and insightful way. I don’t think I’ll ever like the series, but after reading posts like this one, I have begun to respect it. That’s almost the same as changing my opinion — and only a handful of people have ever managed that! See if the post helps you appreciate this series a little more.
Want to Read More of My Favorite Anime Post Lists?
Want to explore more amazing anime blog posts? Check out the previous editions of My Favorite Anime Community Posts!
Want to Read Favorite Posts from Other Sites?
- Anime Feminist: Weekly Round-Up, 29 September – 5 October 2021: Zombie Land Saga Interview, Beastars Metaphors, and Living as a Foreigner in Japan
- Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner: Anime and Manga Blog Posts That Caught My Eye This Week (October 8, 2021)
