Welcome to My 5 Favorite Anime Blog Posts from 2022 Week 29!
Every week, I check around 325 anime sites looking for posts that celebrate amazing moments in anime or otherwise blow me away with their wit and charm. The ani-blogging community constantly produces a lot of amazing posts. I hope this list helps you find some of them!
You can see a list of the sites I check here: Massive List of Sites!
9 Tailed Kitsune
Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl) Review
My backlog intimidates me. And that’s saying something, because I don’t intimidate easily. But my backlog is huge, and every week, it seems to grow. Between family time, my primary career, anime blogging, and novel writing, I just can’t seem to make time to dent that backlog! So, most of the time, I try to ignore it.
Then I read posts like this one by Louis on 9 Tailed Kitsune. And it reminds me all over again have far behind I’ve fallen! In this case, Louis writes about the series Hell Girl. It’s a series that I started. I didn’t drop it, but I never finished it, either. Louis’s post eloquently reminded me why the series is so interesting and engaging. The post is even well-organized! So now I’m bummed because I’m reminded of that looming backlog. But I’m sure you’ll come away from the post with a much more positive view!
I Drink and Watch Anime
Localization and the search for the “authentic” anime experience
I’m not sure when it happened. It might have been as long ago as the late 1990s, when I was active in USENET. But at some point, I decided that not only was I not going to participate in online “discussions,” but that there was no point in doing so. Some of the flame wars back then were cruel. And then there was a situation where someone announced they were going to take their own life, and none of my words made any difference. I talked about that here. Since then, it’s rare that I even allow myself to read any kind of online debate.
But sometimes, I read something the challenges my despair. I read something that remind me that there are still minds out there that not only consider complex and controversial topics, but understand them. And on even more rare occasions, I read something that articulates those concepts in a way that encourages understanding. I came across one of those posts this week: Irina, on her site I Drink and Watch Anime, wrote about localization, which is about as polarizing a topic as you can find in anime fandom. And she did so in such a nuanced, complete way that it reminded me of my college days — in a very good way! That was a time that encouraged curiosity and charitable debate. It did my heart good knowing that people can still communicate that way. It reminds me there might still be hope for us yet! See if you come away with a similar impression.
Karmaburn
12 July 2022: I’m too old to enjoy Engage Kiss, but I still do
I tried to watch the first episode of Engage Kiss when I was trying to decide which series I would review this season. I didn’t finish it. It came down to the main character, Shuu Ogata. I wasn’t looking for a show to enjoy; I was looking for a series that captured my imagination so I could review it. The long and short of it is that I think I might have missed a fun show.
Why do I think that? Because of Evirus’ review on the site Karmaburn. It sounds like I should have watched the show until at least the end of the first episode. Yeah, I bailed even before the ended. How embarrassing is that? Two things struck me about Evirus’ review. First, Evirus is aware that enjoying a series is more important than listening to others’ expectations about what one should watch, especially when it’s based on an arbitrary demographic. And second, Evirus talked about how Engage Kiss played with tropes — and when a show does that, it’s almost always fun. See what you think!
Never Argue with a Fish
Anime Corner: My Dress-Up Darling Review
One of my hobbies is trying to understand why this or that show speaks to me. If you watch My Dress-Up Darling, you might take one look at Marin and say, “Dude, you really don’t know why you like this show?” And I’ll admit, Marin’s smile on the cover of manga volume 1 was what first drew my attention to the show. But that’s not enough to keep my attention. What is?
Well, that’s something I’ve been asking myself, especially about this series. Just what made it so compelling? I reviewed the series, so you can see my initial thoughts. But I’m still looking for the answer or answers! I want to learn so I can write stories equally as compelling. That’s why I like this review by neverarguewithafish on the site Never Argue with a Fish. Writing an insightful review that’s fun to read, even about a thoroughly enjoyable series like this, is hard. And neverarguewithafish, as usual, makes it look easy! It even gave me some more insights to think about. See if you come away with a similar reaction!
Season 1 Episode 1
Summer 2022 First Impressions – Vermeil in Gold
There are times when I start an episode but drop it too soon, like we just discussed. Then there are times when I didn’t even try a series, which is the case with Vermeil in Gold. I can’t even remember why I chose not to try it; or maybe I just didn’t see it. My schedule doesn’t permit excessive breathing, much less watching anime I’m not reviewing. So I’m guessing that was it.
Man, I miss casual breathing…
One of the reasons I like the beginning of a season is because I get to read so many of Jessi Silver’s reviews. She is most prolific at the beginning of the season (which matches the name of the site, Season 1 Episode 1). This review caught my attention because she called out how the show messes with its genre’s tropes, which is something I find tremendously entertaining! Her insights about Vermeil made the series sound so interesting that I logged straight into HIDIVE and added it to my queue. And once again, my backlog grows… But maybe I’ll be able to finish it this season! So maybe it won’t become part of the backlog! Hope springs eternal, after all.
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!
Also I just saw that a site called amezomovies seems to have stolen your post
Yeah — and at about the same time, infomaniahub started stealing them, too. They even kept the original links intact, so I get a pingback for every post they stole. Plus, all the links and titles point back to my site.
I keep trying to work up the energy to file a DMCA takedown request. I even looked up who hosts them.
Thanks for mentioning it!
DMCA? Are they hosted in the States? That’s a bit surprising
They aren’t hosted in the US, but the advice I’d gotten suggested that starting with a DMCA was the way forward.
But now that you’ve mentioned it, that doesn’t make sense, does it? I guess I need to file an abuse report with the hosting company, don’t I?
See how little energy I have? I should have thought of that.
Thanks for pointing it out!
You can start with a simple cease and desist. It’s surprising how often it works
Thanks! I’ll give that a shot.
Thank you so much for the shout out. There were some really interesting comments on that post
You’re welcome! Your posts do a great job generating comments!
Thanks so much Crow. Glad you enjoyed the review.
I’m glad you were able to capture so much of what made the show special. And I still love your artwork!
Now I’m blushing.