Every week, I visit over 200 anime sites looking for posts that celebrate amazing moments in anime or otherwise blow me away with their wit and charm. These are my five favorite posts for the week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
You can see a list of the sites I check here: Massive List of Sites!
Arum Journal
Witch Hat Atelier Episode 8 Review – Morally Ambiguous Witches
It’s fun to celebrate a show you enjoy with others. But you know what else is fun, if you practice moderation? Grousing about characters who are cruel or capricious. Episode 8 of Witch Hat Atelier gave us plenty to grouse about — intentionally, too! That’s one of the things I liked about this post by ecargmura on the site Arum Journal. Ecargmura objected to the activities of the Knights Moralis almost as much as I did. They were almost comically villainous. I mean, have those guys never heard about due process? Then I compared them to certain factions that we have to deal with even today, in the modern United States, and realized that’s just how unchecked power operates. We humans (even if we’re witches) just can’t handle our power. But enough of my philosophizing — go see what ecargmura has to say on the topic!
More Post from Arum Journal
Confessions of an Overage Otaku
The Antagonist: One’s Own Self
I can’t remember who introduced me to the idea of “polishing action,” but I remember thinking how useful the concept was. I’d been an idiot at the time — I thought I knew what I was doing when it came to software development. Never mind that I was quite successful. I just thought I knew more than I did, so I thought I was too good for most training. But I missed an essential point. I might have been an “expert,” but I was limited by my own narrow experience. Even I knew that I could always learn a little more — I could polish my performance with new techniques.
I understand the idea of the main character’s own self being the antagonist in a story. But it’s limited by the stories I’ve read, the stories I’ve written, or the preconceptions I’ve held. That’s why I enjoyed this post from The Overage Otaku on the site Confessions of an Overage Otaku so much. It started with a concept I had well in hand, added some new experiences and some great examples, and ended up helping me understand it even better! Go see if you have a similar experience!
More Posts from Confessions of an Overage Otaku
Kvasir369
Witch Hat Atelier – Episode 7 Review
Have you ever tried to design a fictional world? It’s an absolute blast, and I enjoy almost everything about it. But did you notice I didn’t claim to be particularly good at it? There’s a reason for that: it’s tough to get it right! If you define too much too fast without developing the plot alongside it, you might box yourself in and block a desirable plot direction. Or you might miss an opportunity to encourage a dramatic development. Or — worst of all! — you might contradict yourself!
So when I see a world that withstands scrutiny while at the same time supporting great characters and drama, I know the writer did a great job. In this post, kvasir369, on the site Kvasir369, pushed hard on the world within Witch Hat Atelier, and do you know what he concluded? I do, but I don’t want to spoil the fun, so head on over to this post and find out!
More Posts from Kvasir369
Merlin’s Musings
A Lady Like This Most Certainly May Ask For One Final Thing, and More Besides!
I think I’ve mentioned before that if I come across a review of a show I really enjoyed, it automatically attracts my attention. But at the same time, it dramatically increases my expectations of that post. I’m all about celebrating anime, after all, and I don’t like to see my favorite shows treated poorly! Yes, I know that “poorly” is relative, but we this site is in the context of my tastes, so I’m allowed to set the scale. Anyway. This week Merlin, on the site Merlin’s Musings, reviewed May I Ask for One Final Thing?, which I thoroughly enjoyed. You’ve probably guessed that Merlin treated the show well, or I would not have celebrated it here. True! But it’s only the starting point! The real fun is in how he treated the show well. So please feel free to head on over and find out!
More Posts from Merlin’s Musings
Shallow Dives in Anime
Vinland Saga Season 2: First the Harvest, then the Existential Reflection
Imagine you’re a writer (so if you really are, that part is probably equal parts easy and asking “Am I really a writer?” — imposter syndrome being what it is). Now, imagine (and this is hard for many of us writers) that you’ve written a series that’s beloved by fans all over the world. Pretty cool to imagine, isn’t it? As that writer, you might be tempted to just keep doing the same thing to keep the adoration (and cash) rolling in!
But some of us writers want to create characters and situations that grow and breathe, much like real people. And that means change. We don’t want to coast or rest of our theoretical laurels. It sounds admirable, and it is — but it’s risky. Not just creatively, but financially. What if you write something the fans don’t like? So when I see a writer take that chance, I respect it, even if he or she stumbles. It seems like Dewbond, on the site Shallow Dives in Anime, has a keen eye for that sort of thing, too. In this post, he examines Vinland Saga Season 2 from the perspective of a change in the show’s narrative perspective, and I have to say I agree with his conclusions. Great use of examples, too! Go see what I mean!
More Posts from Shallow Dives in Anime
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?
- Animated Observations: Secondary Findings: Spring 2026
- Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner: Anime, Manga, and Light Novel Blog Posts That Caught My Eye This Week (May 22, 2026)
TCrow, one thing I forgot to mention about Episode 74 is that amnesiac Subaru went absolutely ballistic after Emilia tried to comfort him by touching his back after he’d died a second time after losing his memories, and that’s why Subaru thought back to being pushed off the ledge after she did that.
TCrow, I appreciate the comment you left on my blog. I did reply to you back on my blog, but I’m not sure if those who I reply to on my blog even get a notification.
Whoops, I forgot to link it. Here it is: https://thoroughwatch.org/?p=269
TCrow, here’s my write-up on Episode 74 (Season 4 Episode 8) of Re:Zero. I thought it was the best episode of the season. It had everything that made me love Re:Zero in the first place.
It was a disturbing return to form — in a good way!
TCrow, here’s another write-up on Re:Zero, this time on why Shaula may have been given the rules she has to enforce for protecting the Pleiades Watchtower: https://thoroughwatch.org/?p=267
TCrow, here’s an extra write-up on Re:Zero which I touched upon briefly for my write-up on Episode 73. I believe Flügel may have been the type to have multiple partners and was intimate with both Satella and Shaula.
https://thoroughwatch.org/?p=263
Yeah, I read the post by Confessions of an Over Aged Otaku, and it was really good! I learned a lot about duality of characters and how protagonists can be their own antagonists. Definitely a good read!