Welcome to My 5 Favorite Anime Blog Posts from 2022 Week 36!
Every week, I check around 330 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!
Confessions of an Overage Otaku
CHARACTER ANALYSIS: MOMOKA OGINOME
Penguindrum is one of those series that I’m sure I don’t understand nearly as well as I want to. Or as well as I think I do! I should take time to think about this show and others like it that have complex plots and characters. But there’s always a new series to watch, a new novel to read, or a new novel to write. That’s why I really like posts like this one by The Overage Otaku on the site Confessions of an Overage Otaku. He has a talent for breaking down character and story in a way that makes it easy to understand. He turned his attention this week to one of the most important characters in Penguindrum — a character who has very little screen time. How does a character who we barely see have such an important role? You’ll have to read the article to find out!
Fortress William
RWBY: ICE QUEENDOM – A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE OF WEISS SCHNEE
I’m still mourning the passing of Monty Oum. What he created in RWBY showed tremendous promise. It bothers me we’ll never know what else he could have accomplished. That’s why I haven’t watched the new Shaft series RWBY: Ice Queendom. I’ll eventually watch it, partly to honor Monty Oum’s memory, partly because Shaft is the studio, and partly because of posts like this one from GEATSXSHOGUN on the site Fortress William. After reading GEATSXSHOGUN’s review, I’m more intrigued than ever. I especially appreciated his points about Weiss Schnee. See what you think!
I Drink and Watch Anime
I’m noticing a new trend in anime ladies, and I like it!
That dragging sound you suddenly hear? It’s me pulling up my soapbox. I promise it’ll be quick! If you’ve read much of my stuff, you probably know I hold a Bachelors degree in theology. I find what I have learned to be troublesome. Image if you studied Chihuly glass. Imagine that your studies introduced you to the soaring grace, the quiet elegance, and the life-affirming beauty of those works of art. Just being near that those glass works of art puts your mind and soul into a place where beauty matters. Now, imagine you leave class hoping to share this beauty with others. Only to find most humans take those beautiful works of Chihuly art, shatter them, and use the fragments to coerce other humans.
That’s what it’s like having a degree in theology.
Human sexuality has been the broken glass for many of these attacks. It’s fundamental to who we are. I’ve seen glimmers of hope in terms of how some fiction presents human sexuality. Works like that give me hope that we might eventually disarm those who wish to control us. In fact, I just read House of Styx by Derek Künsken, and it gave even jaded me some hope for humanity. So did this post from Irina on I Drink and Watch Anime. She makes having and communicating deep insights look easy. In one post, she placed this entire conversation into context. And then she added a gently scathing rebuke (which I didn’t even know was a thing) of some cliches that have dogged us for years. See if you feel as life-affirmed as I did after reading this!
Mechanical Anime Reviews
SAINT SEIYA: THE LOST CANVAS – AN EARLIER HOLY WAR
This is where I would usually make a joke about sheer enormity of my backlog. Because Scott’s recent post on Mechanical Anime Reviews just introduced me to a series called Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas, and it jumped right into my list of shows I want to see! I’ve watched over 500 series, and I’ve never heard of this one. But I’m not going to joke about my backlog. And do you know why? Because posts like Scott’s help me prioritize that backlog while at the same time making sure I don’t miss out of a worthwhile series. Scott has a talent for bringing series like this to light! So it’s all good. See if you agree!
Mono’s Anime Rants
Ergo Proxy Series Review
Earlier, I mentioned that I don’t understand Penguindrum as much as I’d like. I could say that same thing about Ergo Proxy. Every time I watch it, I see something different. Every review I read, I feel like I find another clue that brings me a step closer to understanding. Yet total understanding remains elusive, until I begin to wonder: is that the point? Is Ergo Proxy less about the conclusions and more about the thought process? Does my consciousness exist within the tension between Re-l and Vincent Law? Am I Raul Creed, destined to die short of finding what I’m searching for? And then I figure it’s time for me to stop drinking for the night, because clearly I’m not making sense.
But do you know what does make sense? This post from 7mononoke on the site Mono’s Anime Rants. This review does a great job establishing the show’s overall context, which is a perspective I find too easy to lose when thinking about this series. The review even mentions the Ergo Proxy’s opening song, Kiri by Monoral, which is my all time favorite OP. It perfectly fits the show. See if you appreciate this review as much as I did!
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, 24-30 August 2022: Princess Tutu Anniversary, Sailor Moon Exhibit, and Queer Icon Miwa Akihiro
- Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner: Anime and Manga Blog Posts That Caught My Eye This Week (September 2, 2022)
Thank you so much for sharing. I had fun writing that post and I hope we see more adjusted ladies in anime.
You’re welcome! I think your post was not only enjoyable — and it was! — but it was also an important post. You gave voice to a topic that needs more coverage. I agree with you — I hope we see more of those adjusted ladies, too.
Thanks for the love, as always.
You’re welcome! And thanks for writing another interesting article!
That’s what it’s like having a degree in theology.
The paragraph preceeding this was some damn fine writing and perfectly expresses to me that feeling. In a much lesser degree I feel your pain. Sometimes it seems like some humans can mess up anything.
Thanks for saying so!
It’s hard to get past that realization — that humans can mess up pretty much anything. It’s hard to focus on the positive. Not impossible, mind you! Just harder than it should be.
Oh, I read Irina’s post about anime ladies! Until she point out the change in young adult female characters in anime, I hadn’t really noticed. Of course, now that it’s been pointed out to me, I feel like it was something I probably should have noticed. And I agree with Irina, it’s definitely a more healthy depiction of teen/twenty-ish young women. I hope anime creators continue to make female characters more realistic and with more depth.
I hope so, too. It probably sounds hyperbolic, but I think honest and authentic depictions help move us forward as a species. And right now, there’s a lot holding us back.