Welcome to my favorite anime community posts from 2021 week 09!
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!
My Favorite Anime Community Posts from 2021 Week 09
DoubleSama
RE:ZERO EPISODE 46
I really enjoy Re:ZERO Season 2 Part 2. The longer I watch Re:ZERO, though, the more challenging it becomes to remember who perceives what about whom. How much does Ram know about Roswaal? How much does Roswaal know about Subaru? Sometimes, it comes down to not only perception, but perception in a given unit of time, because the perception can change! That’s solid writing craftsmanship, which is good!
But there’s a lot of fiction vying for my attention on any given day, and keeping all of Re:ZERO’s lore and characters straight can be an issue. I know, it’s a First World Problem! There’s good news, though! There are posts like this one by DoubleSama on the site DoubleSama. DoubleSama not only has kept all of these things straight — DoubleSama can illuminate some of the things that happened in episode 46. Reading this review helped me appreciate the key moments in this episode even more. See what you think!
I Drink and Watch Anime
xxxHOLiC – CLAMP’s fairytales
I have a problem with some anime. It’s a personal thing. Other mediums sometimes triggers it, but not often, and not to the extent that anime does. What’s the problem? The problem is that some series are so beautiful that I can’t describe them. I’m not kidding. I think that’s a real problem. There should be within the bounds of human experience nothing that I can’t describe. Yet, some series leave me utterly wordless. I tried to review The Ancient Mangus’ Bride to increase my emotional vocabulary, and it might have helped. Yet, some anime series are so far outside my ability to describe that they might as well be light years away.
If I asked you to name my favorite series, if you’ve read my Caw of Fame entry for it, you’d probably answer Re:CREATORS. You’d be right, as far as I’ve told you. The thing is, I haven’t told you about the other series that affected me as deeply. I haven’t told you because I don’t know how. Seriously. I simply can’t articulate how much I like this series or why. A prime example is the series xxxHOLiC. But that’s okay, because I found a writer who can capture the spirit and beauty of this series. That writer is Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime. Not only did she manage to convey what makes the series so amazing, she also correctly identified the best character. And she was able to article why she’s the best! Not sure I could ask for much more in a blog post.
Jonah’s Daily Rants
Gabi Braun: Creating a Controversy The Right Way
I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried to review a series that was popular. I’ve accidentally reviewed a popular series or two (*cough* re:ZERO *cough*). Popular series have more viewers — viewers who are more likely to find and read your reviews. I’m more conscious than ever of making sure my voice is authentic. I don’t want to mimic someone else’s position, but at the same time, I don’t want to avoid having an opinion that someone else might also have. Even if I can clearly present my perspective, the optics are still important.
I have a ton of respect for writers who can not only maintain their unique perspective, but who can push the envelop of the community’s discussion of the series. This season of Attack on Titan is a good example. I’ve read a ton about various reactions to Gabi’s character and what that character did to a beloved series regular. A lot of it was interesting, and I don’t want to speak ill of it. But what I look for are deep insights into a character and what that character means to the series, or even within a larger context. That’s exactly what jernahblunt delivered on the site Jonah’s Daily Rants. I haven’t read a more insightful discussion of Gabi and her role within the Attack on Titan universe. It helped me appreciate even more a series I already thought very highly of. See if it does the same for you!
KVASIR 369’S ANIME, MANGA, AND GAME BLOG
Gracious In Defeat (Log Horizon Season 3)
I liked Log Horizon from its very first episode. All of the elements seemed to come together in perfect harmony: the music, the world, the game mechanics, the politics, and, most of all, the characters. It’s not just that the characters like Shiroe and Akatsuki were compelling characters in and of themselves. It’s that together, they were even more compelling and interesting. That carried into the currently-airing season, Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table.
Take, for example, the arc that wrapped up in episode 5, “Blessings.” The arc dealt with a political duel between royalty within the People of the Land and Shiroe and his Round Table. The twist was that the People of Land had recruited Eins, who was a fellow Adventurer with Shiroe. The way that political duel played out was signature Log Horizon goodness, and this post by KVASIR369 on the site KVASIR 369’S ANIME, MANGA, AND GAME BLOG deftly examined what happened. I really enjoyed the episode, and KVASIR369’s analysis helped me appreciate it even more. See if you agree!
MyAnime2Go
Trauma in Anime and Reality: Is it all in our heads?
I’ve lived long enough that I’ve seen human do a lot of terrible things to each other. One of the most upsetting, on a personal level, was a comment in an Ars Technica article. The article itself took serious courage to write, because the author talked not only about his own battle with depression, but his father’s as well. I appreciated his honesty. But then a commenter (FreeDemo) went on at length about how the depression was all in his head. The comment ended with (and please be prepared for language I don’t usually use on this site, “You got to fight this bullshit and fuck this shit depression thinkings of yours. There is nothing wrong with you. STOP IT… RIGHT NOW!”
The comment does not rise to the level of genocide, but it’s the most personally evil thing I have ever read. That’s the attitude that too many people run into when they finally make the extremely painful decision to seek treatment. Depression in particular and mental illness in general are absolutely real — as real as a shattered bone. In terms of a need for treatment, they are equivalent. I actually had to stop typing this paragraph a few times because my fingers get a bit less precise when my mind is in a rage. Seriously, when our “modern” society understand something so bloody obvious?
Anyway, because of how strongly I feel about this topic, I’m always on the lookout for posts that honestly deal with this issue. This week, I feel fortunate to have come across this post by thenerdygirlnews on the site MyAnime2Go. Not only does thenerdygirlnews bravely share her perspective, she also shows how anime, even more than other mediums, offers examples that both comfort and inspire. That can be helpful on the journey to seeking treatment.
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’m very curious about the trauma article because over the past few days, I’ve been realizing how I’ve been affected by it from a psychological standpoint without realizing some of the ramifications at first. Trust me, I’ve had people offline who said that I over-analyze things or I’m being too sensitive. As someone who has struggled with things like mental health, being bullied, and racially attacked, I certainly dealt with my fair share of pain. If someone has any mental or emotional health issues and are told to just shut up and be happy is beyond insulting.
Yeah, I have heard that crap all of my life. You think my depression is just me being a natural drama queen, that it is all a performance? For who, I live alone, maybe leave my house once a month, have food and groceries anonymously delivered, and maybe get a phone call from my sister once a month.
Like AK said in the comments here, things seem in some ways to be getting better.
At the same time, I don’t know how to get these facts across to people who won’t believe them. You shouldn’t have to explain yourself. The level of public education should be such that all of us know the basics of interacting with people who are living through various conditions.
What bothers me the most, I think, is that there are two sources of support that I would have hoped would be the best at helping. But they seem like they’re the source of the most trouble. Those are family and church. Though maybe my experience is skewed…
I hope the people who have been mistreating you wake up and do a better job of being human.
Not being able to describe how the beauty of something isn’t from inability, nor even a failure of language, but I believe because sometimes beauty is beyond description. And I think that’s a very good thing.
That is a really good point.
I’m used to that idea in the context of theology — I think the term is ineffable. That’s not strictly a theological term, of course, but it’s where I’ve heard it most often.
I still want to get better at it. But remembering that some beauty is beyond us is helpful. Thanks!
“Ineffable” is one of my favorite words.
(Triggered!)
Yeah… that Trauma in Anime and Reality thing. I am explicitly NOT going to read it because I don’t want to have to choke back my visceral reaction to that commenter.
I spent my entire childhood being told that my autistic issues were all just moral shortcomings and bad decisions. “If you would just blah blah blah, you’d be fine! You’re just lazy. You’re too antisocial. You aren’t trying. You’re perverted. You’re not thinking. YOU’RE MAKING IT ALL UP. IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD.”
You can learn to cope but the underlying issues NEVER go away.
Yeah, maybe Asperger’s and depression and ADD are all in my head. Just like my arthritis is all in my joints. And amblyopia and astigmatism and myopia are all in my eyes. And orthostatic hypotension is all in my vascular system. And aging is just my genes slowly running down.
The brain is an organ like any other part of the body and making wishes won’t fix engineering flaws.
(Trigger off) 🙂
“I spent my entire childhood being told that my autistic issues were all just moral shortcomings and bad decisions.”
That sounds way too familiar. I remember some of my friends telling me I didn’t have enough faith or didn’t pray enough/right.
“You can learn to cope but the underlying issues NEVER go away.”
Therapy, medication, counseling… they all help, but as you said, the underlying issues remain. I wish I had come to that understanding a lot earlier!
“Yeah, maybe Asperger’s and depression and ADD are all in my head. Just like my arthritis is all in my joints. And amblyopia and astigmatism and myopia are all in my eyes. ”
I’m going to borrow that! I never thought of it that way, and I think nicely presents the point.
Yeah, I love hearing about how depression is “all in my head” and how I should just “cheer up”. Not being able to open up to family because a lot of them don’t think it’s a real thing. I think everyone who’s had to deal with depression has also had to deal with such garbage, and I can sympathize with that writer. Thankfully, this kind of thinking seems to be dying off now that people are speaking more openly about this and other conditions. Ending that stigma is important..
” Thankfully, this kind of thinking seems to be dying off now that people are speaking more openly about this and other conditions.”
I’m glad you’re seeing that! Honestly, despite some recent setbacks, I think that overall, we’re in a better place than we have been. At the same time, I wish I knew how to convince people that what’s real is real.
“Ending that stigma is important..”
Absolutely!