Eighteenth week of 2019 edition!
This is a Crow’s eye view of the posts that caught my attention this week. Typically, they’ll be posts that celebrate some aspect of anime, like strong characters, moments of beauty, or amazing worlds.
There are only two rules:
- I have to find the site to read it. I publish a list of the sites I review every week, so please do look for your site! If you don’t see it, I’d love for you to mention your site in the comments so I can add it to the list!
- Your post had to have been published during the last seven days (or so)
Remember, you can find a list of the sites I check every week here.
There’re a lot of good posts in the anime blogosphere. I hope this article helps you find some of them!
Review Order
This week, I reviewed the sites in reverse alphabetical order (Z to A).
Tara’s Anime World
Top 5 Anime Opening Songs of Spring (2019)
Do you love anime openings (OPs) and endings (EDs)? I do. Like, a lot. WhenI find a new one I like, I play it to absolute death. Not only does my wife get exasperated, but I’m absolutely sure that my cat is judging me, too. The Spring 2019 season has its fair share of great music, and Tara’s post from Tara’s Anime World picks the top 5. I have to say that I have rarely found a list where I agree with every pick — and this post is very, very close! I would have swapped number 3 for number 1. But really, that’s a nit, isn’t it? See if you agree with the selection and ranking.
Mechanical Anime Reviews
A Silent Voice: When Past Mistakes Come To Haunt You!
I’m going to be honest here: I haven’t been able to watch A Silent Voice. There’re a lot of reasons, but there’s one that people who know me will understand instantly: my son is deaf. I know how this world treats people with disabilities, and I haven’t been able to force myself to watch a fictitious treatment of a reality that’s really close to home. I just read Scott’s post on Mechanical Anime Reviews, and you know what? I’m this close to breaking down and watching the movie. I knew the movie was well done. This post gave me insight into just how well done. I’d love to make some kind of pithy comment, but I’d rather you head over the read the article!
Lumi Reviews Things
The Significance of Holding Hands
Animation can portray subtle gestures, and sometimes those gestures can transform a moment from mundane to transformative. The gesture can be sometime as simple as a smile — a happy grin? a skeletal grimace? a resigned smirk? Or, it can be something that’s every bit as common, but every bit as varied. Take holding hands, for example. Before I read Lumi’s post on Lumi Reviews Things, I didn’t think much about hand-holding in anime. Friends hold hands differently than lovers, but beyond that, I really didn’t give it much thought. That’s one of the reasons diversity of thought is so important: reading this post, I feel like I not only achieved a better appreciation of the subtleties of characterization, but maybe even a better understanding of how humans relate! Yeah, I know, but look, we all have our limitations, all right? Just go read the article!
A Girl & Her Anime
Anime that Made Me Cry: A List
If you don’t mind, I’m going to be cliche for a second. As a man, I don’t cry at anime. Ever. I react with appropriate emotional consideration. If an anime is particularly sad, I will become contemplative and think about humanity’s place in the cosmos. Not buying it? Well, please don’t blame me for trying! There are times when an anime is so well crafted that it pierces whatever emotional defenses we have. It lays bare the plight of another and encourages empathy with another. In this sense, it doesn’t matter that the other is a fictional anime character. The examples Amelia uses in this post from A Girl & Her Anime are fantastic. The first example was almost unfair; and if it’s possible, the examples got more emotional from there! Are the series that most affected you listed?
Beneath the Tangles
Fruits Basket Episode 4: Letting Your Guard Down
I’ve really enjoyed Fruits Basket so far this season. The show has not only been enjoyable to watch, but it’s generated some great discussion in the anime blogosphere. Take this post from TWWK from Beneath the Tangles, for example. While the introduction of Kagura Souma stole the spotlight, there were some beautiful and significant interactions between Tooru Honda and Kyou Souma in episode 4. These interactions were not only beautiful character moments; they were not only important to plot development. They had more universal applications. By exploring these ideas, this article make the case that Fruits Basket is a lot more than “just” a romantic comedy.
Great round up of blog posts.
Thanks! As always, I’m amazed by the talent and insight within this community!
Oh no, that’s so heart breaking. I didn’t even realize.
I think your review was great! And honestly, I should have watched watched A Silent Voice well before now.
Over the years, I’ve watched lots of folks with different disabilities try to navigate the world. Once, I wore hearing aids in a store just to see how people would react. I wanted to see the world through my son’s eyes, even if it was only simulated. I was amazed — or maybe, it’s more accurate to say dismayed — by the looks I got. Some pitying, some almost annoyed. I still don’t understand the motivation behind those glances.
But if a movie like A Silent Voice can help, then it’s long past time I got onboard! So thanks for your review.
Oh thank you. I knew this was a sensitive topic and I didn’t want to barge into it like a bull in a China shop. A massive reason why I asked to give Irina a second opinion on it.
Oh, that response is kind of frightening. While my older brother and some cousins have different levels and while I’ve seen how people react from the outside, I’ve never tried to live through all that myself.