Twenty-third 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 alphabetical order (A to Z).
100 Word Anime
Attack on Titan Review Season 3 Part 2 Episode 6
The Spring 2019 season is bringing us some fantastic entertainment. Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2 delivered yet another “oh my God did I just see what I think I saw” episode. It’s notable not only for the amazing character moments. I mean, I’d like to say that Mikasa was amazing in particular, but in reality, everyone (well, everyone who’s still alive) put in some heart-rending performances. It was also notable for a development that seems to be controversial. But true to form, Karandi from 100 Word Anime wasn’t content with merely observing the controversy. No, she shared an insight that redefines the moment as a powerful restatement of themes core to the series. Take a look at the article and see if you agree with me that it’s the best interpretation yet!
Black & Yellow Otaku Gamers
Demon Slayer|The New Meta of Shonen
Demon Slayer is shaping up to be one of those series whose appeal endures for year. I’ve been so focused on the episode to episode reviewing with my collaborator Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime (for example, in our review of episode 8) that I haven’t taken the time to step back and ask myself why the series is so appealing. Well, that’s one reason I love reading all the different anime sites. I found an article by Blackatron on Black & Yellow Otaku Gamers that perfectly describes why Demon Slayer is so darned appealing. The article’s insights are like every great observation: obvious after you see it, but hard to articulate otherwise! Give the article a read and see if you agree.
The Illusion of Memories
Shirobako, and displaying the passion-fueled madness of the anime industry
It’s easy to find stories about the terrible working conditions in the Japanese anime industry. From detailed stories about production assistants in Sakuga Blog to surveys of the industry in Kotaku, it’s easy to find news about how hard the industry is on its workers. The thing is, it’s hard to sympathize through news stories. We’re exposed to so many horrible stories on an hourly basis (if you watch news or participate on any of the major social media platforms) that we tend to get numb. It takes creativity to write characters engaging enough to make us care. Shirobako attempts to do just that. Does it succeed? To answer that, let me introduce you to Jacob’s post in The Illusion of Memories. The article explores this idea to good effect. How authentic is it? Are characters like Aoi Miyamori realistic at all? There’s one way to find out!
Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner
Anime Blu-ray Review: Log Horizon Complete Collection
There’s a series that I suspect will eventually end up in my Caw of Fame, and that series is Log Horizon. There’s so much that I like about this show, from the main characters Shiroe, Akatsuki, Marielle, and (my absolute favorite) Henrietta, to the mechanics of the game that became their world. But those aren’t the only things I liked about the show. The series started back in 2013, so I was pleasantly surprised this week to find that Lesley Aeschliman from Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner had written a really good review of the series . If you’ve seen the show, you should check out the article to see if you agree with the writer’s assessment. And if you haven’t seen it, I’ll bet you want to after reading the article!
Lumi Reviews Things
Anime Field Trip: France Loves Anime
You might have heard that France loves anime. You might have heard there are even anime-inspired art hanging in one of the most famous museums on the planet (the Louvre). But do you know how deep this relationship goes? I didn’t, but I do now because I read Lumi’s article on Lumi Reviews Things. I really enjoy articles that expand my view of the world, and that’s just what this article did. I’ll share one spoiler: The anime-inspired exhibit in the Louvre? It has to do with JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure! And that’s not the most interesting revelation in this article!
