Welcome to My 5 Favorite Anime Blog Posts from 2023 Week 23!
Every week, I visit over 295 anime sites looking for posts that celebrate amazing moments in anime or otherwise blow me away with their wit and charm. These five posts are my favorite for the week! I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did!
You can see a list of the sites I check here: Massive List of Sites!
Anime Feminist
Forcing Yourself for Love: Hotaru, Sailor Moon, and “Overcoming Disability” Narratives
As the father of a deaf son, I keep an eye open for articles and posts that show an understanding of the challenges related to people with disabilities. I often see what well-intentioned sentimentality distort the reality of living with disabilities, and I’ve become adept at recognizing writers who have fallen prey to that trap. So, when I come across this post by Toni Sun Prickett on the site Anime Feminist, I immediately recognized that they wrote from an authentic perspective. That was only the first of many reasons this post is one of my favorites this week — I mean, how can I see a phrase like “the reality of disabled life as shaped by capitalism and the limits of our bodies” and not recommend this? Take a look and you’ll see what I mean.
The Con Artists
Hell’s Paradise – Episode 09
I’ve enjoyed Hell’s Paradise so far (you can probably tell from my reviews!). That might make you suspect that I give an unfair advantage to posts that say nice things about the series. Not so! I can honestly say that I’ve never promoted a post that I didn’t think deserved to be promoted, regardless of my opinion of the series. Take this post by CONARTISTDAN on the site The Con Artists, for example. Yes, I like the series, but I picked this post because I enjoyed CONARTISTDAN’s insights about the episode — especially the insight about Senta. That’s the kind of thing I really enjoy reading on a Friday night!
I Drink and Watch Anime
The Fire Hunter – What a Great Premise Can Do
Why do we watch anime? Why do we talk about it? Is it to ride the waves of public opinion — looking for trends and hot topics to stay relevant? I think social media makes that approach attractive, at least in the short term. If folks want to do that, that’s cool with me. ButI think they’re missing out. I think they’re setting themselves up for burnout. Because here’s the thing: popularity is fleeting, and its trappings are not nearly as valuable as they appear when you’re chasing them. They’re draining, and in the long run, they impart nothing of lasting value.
What do I offer as an alternative? I think everyone has to answer that on their own. My answer right now is this site that tries its hand at “celebrating amazing moments in anime.” I look for reasons to celebrate a given episode instead of looking for reasons to disparage it. But it’s one thing to say that. It’s another to live it and give the world an example. That’s just what Irina just did on her site I Drink and Watch Anime in this discussion of The Fire Hunter. At the risk of sounding corny, her approach is much more sustainable than chasing the illusion of popularity, because it pursues instead the aspects of art that are life-giving. I don’t know about you, but I can use more sources of life-giving energy in my life!
Kvasir369
Ancient Magus Bride: Season 2 – Episode 10 Review
The Ancient Magus’ Bride is hitting all the right notes for me this season. So much so that I find myself wanting to know more about each episode. I don’t want spoilers, but I do want to understand the nuances that my stupidly-hectic life prevents me from noticing. I don’t have time to watch and rewatch each episode, but it turns out that I don’t have to! That’s because kvasir369’s review on Kvasir369 not only gives me a concise summary of the episode — he also gives me an in-depth analysis based on his own deep knowledge of the show and its lore. Not only that, he also provides an analysis of how the episode differed from the source manga. It’s exactly the kind of thing I was looking for!
The Spooky Redhead
5 Facts to Know About Ordinary Woman (Ippan Josei)
The first time I saw Ordinary Woman in My Hero Academia Season 6, I liked her. Her character design, her manner, her voice — everything just clicked with me. Turns out, there’s a good reason for that! This post from thespookyredhead on the site The Spooky Redhead tells us exactly why! This post also gives us four other interesting facts about this character. Fact number three is my favorite, but there’re all cool. See which you like the best!
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, 31 May – 6 June 2023: Director Utsumi Hiroko, Crunchyroll vs Unions (Again), and Anti-Racism in Game Design
- Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner: Anime, Manga, and Light Novel Blog Posts That Caught My Eye This Week (June 9, 2023)
Thank you for pointing out Irina’s post! I’m an avid reader of her blog, but somehow I managed to miss that one.
You’re welcome! Glad you caught it — it’s an uplifting post!