Welcome to My 5 Favorite Anime Blog Posts from 2023 Week 09!
Every week, I visit about 315 anime sites looking for posts that celebrate amazing moments in anime or otherwise blow me away with their wit and charm. 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!
Animated Observations
THE BEST, THE WORST, THE LOT OF US: RYOU YAMADA
I wish I had reviewed Bocchi the Rock! when it aired. There was so much do love about that show. Of course, Hitori Gotou was the main attraction. Though her social anxiety might have been an extreme case, it’s something I could identify with. But as interesting as she was, she wasn’t the main attraction for me. What really captured my imagination and, frankly, gave me hope, was how the characters supported each other as they pursued a shared goal.
Hitori wasn’t the only beneficiary of emotional support. The three other main characters benefited in one way or another. That said, Ryou Yamada might be my favorite character besides Hitori. And this post by JACK SCHEIBELEIN on the site Animated Observations just explained why! What was it about Ryou’s character that I found so appealing? Why did she shine brighter than the others? This post has you covered!
Confessions of an Overage Otaku
CHARACTER ANALYSIS: MARIN KITAGAWA
You’d think I would get tired of talking about My Dress-Up Darling, wouldn’t you? But no. The show is endlessly fascinating. In fact, the longer I go between viewings, the more fondly I remember it. No, it’s not because Marin Kitagawa is Marin Kitagawa. Okay, it’s not only because Marin is Marin. Look, I’m a guy, so you have to cut me at least al little slack! Or this conversation is going to get awkward fast! No, there are two reasons that attract me to this show.
First, I cannot get enough of how well Wakana Gojou and Marin treat each other. Seriously, the more I observe how humans treat each other in real life, the more I value mutual support. I think it’s the foundation of civilization, to be honest. And what’s second? Well, it turns out The Overage Otaku, on the site Confessions of an Overage Otaku, just published a post that nails it. Again. Seriously, is The Overage Otaku incapable of writing an interesting, illuminating post? He’s seriously on a roll. And this time, he nailed something else I liked about the series!
DOUBLESAMA
IS IT WRONG TO TRY TO PICK UP GIRLS IN A DUNGEON? IV PART 2 EPISODE 9
I don’t see many reviews of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? IV Part 2, and I wonder why. The series is as emotionally powerful as it has ever been. Maybe more so. And this season features Ryuu Lion. She is, without doubt and without peer, my favorite character. I’m not disparaging any of the other wonderfully portrayed characters. I’m just saying that even among them, she’s the one beside whom I’d most like to fight. And it’s only partly because, of all of them, she’s in the upper echelon in terms of combat capability.
But aside from the emotionally powerful portrayal of Ryuu, what else makes this season so strongly appealing? This post from DoubleSama on the site DOUBLESAMA will give you some great insights. I’ve always admired DoubleSama’s ability to dissect an episode to get to its essential elements, and that skill is on full display here. I particularly like how DoubleSama pulls pieces together, even from previous seasons, so that things make sense. Please go see what I mean!
Jonah’s Daily Rants
My Review Academia S6 E21: The Heart of a Hero
I’ve watched a lot of long-running series like Naruto Shippuden. Those series have a unique advantage: they draw you into a robust, complex world. They entice you to love the characters. And that combination has the potential to affect you in ways a short-running series cannot.
My Hero Academia Season 6 is my new reference implementation for what a long-running series can achieve. Why do I say that? I don’t have to say anything, because Jonah, on his site Jonah’s Daily Rants, just explained it with emotional depth and intellectual precision. If you want to see the kind of reaction an amazing show can provoke, then this review is for you!
RABUJOI
DanMachi IV – 20 – Her Justice
Did my praise of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? IV Part 2 sound over-the-top? I hope not, because I really try to be level-headed, even if I love a series or its characters. Otherwise, I might miss the opportunity to describe why I like them with any clarity. But, just in case I haven’t made the case let, let me direct your attention to this post by magicalchurlsukui on the site RABUJOI. The way magicalchurlsukui captured the important beats in this episode really spoke to me — especially in terms of Bell’s and Ryuu’s interactions. See if the review speaks to you as much as it did to me!
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, 22-28 February 2023: Protest for Higher Wages, Sci-Fi Yuri, and Steamy Otome
- Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner: Anime and Manga Blog Posts That Caught My Eye This Week (March 3, 2023)
- Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan: February Monthly Favorites 2023
