Welcome to my favorite anime community posts, Other Posts to Crow About, for 2021 Week 01!
Every week I look for posts that celebrate amazing moments in anime or otherwise blow me away with their wit and charm. I check hundreds of sites, and I can tell you that the ani-blogging community constantly produces a ton of amazing posts. I hope this list helps you find some of them!
Here’s the list of the sites I check!
Review Order
This week, I reviewed the sites in alphabetical order (A to Z).
My Favorite Anime Posts from 2021 Week 01
At a Glance Anime
The Role of Role-Playing in Goblin Slayer
There was something about Goblin Slayer that I liked from the very first episode. You might have gotten that impression from my review. At the time, I praised its realistic brutality. I tend to prefer fantasies that are more true to life, and that’s how this show felt to me. I didn’t deeply question what I meant by “true”, because obviously, not having ever encountered goblins, I had no idea how they’d fight. But I felt like I did! Well, there’s a reason for that, and TheAwersome from At a Glance Anime just reminded me what it was. Why do I say reminded? What exactly was TheAwersome’s insight? Well, you’ve probably guessed that I’m going to suggest you visit the site to find out for yourself! But I’ll just saw that TheAwersome’s experience with a certain game mirrors mine — and that’s the source of my expectations for goblin behavior!
Aurabolt’s Anime and Manga
Attack on Titan’s Final Season: The Story So Far
Before I say what I’m about to say, I want to make something perfectly clear: I’ve enjoyed the whole franchise up to and including Attack on Titan: The Final Season. So what I’m about to say isn’t a criticism. That said, I have one huge problem with Attack on Titan: The world is too complex! I say that partly in jest, but partly in exasperation. The original Attack on Titan anime came out in Spring 2013, and over the last 7 years, my poor brain has forgotten some of the important details. Unfortunately, some of those details are key to understanding what’s going on now. Fortunately, we have bloggers like LaVon Samuel Davis (Aurabolt) on the site Aurabolt’s Anime and Manga to remind us of the important details. I’ve read through this post several times, and I have an even better appreciation for what Hajime Isayama, Attack on Titan’s author, has achieved. And that’s saying a lot.
Confessions of an Overage Otaku
THE POWER OF TWO: REI AND SHINJI
There will come a time when there are no more posts about Neon Genesis Evangelion. Now is not that time. This series is fascinating, not because it still generates interesting, thoughtful posts 25 years after its anime release. It’s fascinating because of why it still generates those posts. There are many reasons: layered plot, deep symbolism, beautiful animation, and engrossing characters. This post from The Overage Otaku on the site Confessions of an Overage Otaku takes a look at the latter. This site is the source for lots of insightful character studies, and this is yet another great example. The post takes a look at the relationship(s) between Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami (who’s probably my favorite character in the series). What facet of the characters does The Overage Otaku investigate this time? There’s one way to find out!
RABUJOI
Warlords of Sigrdrifa – 12 (Fin) – Sending Odin to Bed Without Supper
Someday I want to research the how different folks experience and manage their suspension of disbelief. I mean, I intuitively understand it, but I’m fascinated when two people with similar backgrounds look at the same series, and one declares it a wreck while the other loves it. I think that an inability maintain suspension of disbelief comes into play. Take a look at Warlords of Sigrdrifa, for example. I’ve read where some bloggers hated it because the humor annoyed them, or that the pacing was a problem. I saw those issues (I mean, I suppose men butt-slapping once might be funny, but a dozen times?). The other aspects of the show, though, more than made up for it, at least for me. So my suspension of disbelief remains intact. I’m glad I came across this post by braverade on RABUJOI, because it managed to present the things I liked about the show without glossing over some of the less positive aspects. I thought this balanced review was a perfect way to cap the series. See what you think!
Season 1 Episode 1
Encountering Turbulence Atop a Witch’s Broom
I have a pet peeve. Okay, I have a couple dozen, but the one I’m talking about right now is mistaking an opinion for an objective fact. Let me present an example using Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina. I’ve seen some Tweets (not from anyone in the ani-blogging sphere, thankfully) stating that the show is bad because the format was a wrong. The format wasn’t wrong. There’s no objective standard to compare it to. The writer made a narrative choice. A reviewer is perfectly free to dislike something and write as much as they like about that dislike. In fact, that’s helpful. That’s why I thought you’d enjoy this review by Jessi Silver from Season 1 Episode 1. It has some positive things to say, but it also says some less positive things — and explains why! Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the show (which you can tell from my reviews), I love reading other, diverse opinions. I mean, good heavens — why wants to live in an echo chamber? I can think of few things more boring. See what you think of the review!
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!
I’ve been rewatching #Sigururi this week, because it turned out to be my favorite show in a long time, and have actually found that the things that annoyed me the first time through (like the fundoshi shield squadron) have come off quite a bit better having better knowledge of the relationships in the series. Another thing that has struck me about the show is the consistency of the characters throughout. They aren’t unchanged by the series, but going back to the beginning, you see the same characters with the same relationships, and while it was a bit jarring the first time through, like being dropped into the middle of something, to me it shows a great consistency of direction.
But to chime in on the suspension of disbelief: I think the driving force is whether you want to or not. And that can depend on a ton of things, from investment in a series, character, or setting to how you’re feeling that particular day. And honestly, watching a show on a personally bad day can ruin the show for you forever, taking you out of the ability to believe in that show ever forward.
“I think the driving force is whether you want to or not.”
I’m glad you said that.
When I go into a show determined to like it and determined to understand what the writers/artists were trying to convey, I get a lot more out of it. From within that mindset, I might disagree with an artistic choice, and I might note that its emotional beats didn’t resonate with me, but I can still enjoy and appreciate what they accomplished.
“And honestly, watching a show on a personally bad day can ruin the show for you forever, taking you out of the ability to believe in that show ever forward.”
I’ve experienced that, too. If I’m in a bad enough mood, I’ll either watch something I have watched a couple dozen times to cheer myself up, or I’ll just do something else. Maybe attack zombies in Left 4 Dead 2 or First Light or something.