Twenty-fourth 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).
Random Curiosity
Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin – 10
I’ve been reviewing Midnight occult civil servants this season (like here in the “Best Of Show” review for episode 10), and I have to say that the show is doing a fantastic job with its story. The writers really know how to foreshadow, and they also know their Japanese lore. I’ve always appreciated Random Curiosity’s approach to reviews, and this post by Stars is a great example of why. The post explores the implications of Arata Miyako’s Ears of Sand, especially in light of developments in episodes 9 and 10. If you aren’t watching the series, you might want to after reading this review. Isn’t that often the case with the best reviews?
The Otaku Author
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Episode 10) – Together Forever
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating anime. After all, I started this site for that very reason! So, I get really excited when I read reviews that celebrate an anime series, especially one that deserves to be celebrated like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Episode 10 (which Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime and I reviewed here) had some wonderful moments, and Lynn Sheridan’s review on The Otaku Author captures not only some of those moments, but the spirit of the episode as well. He also raises some interesting questions about where the series is headed, especially regarding Nezuko. See if you agree with the post’s favorite/least favorite moments and characters!
In Asian Spaces
What Attack on Titan Left Behind
This season of Attack on Titan has… Well, it’s stressed my vocabulary, that’s what! There’re only so many ways to say OMG without sounding repetitive. The battle with the Beast Titan; the battle with the Colossal and Armored Titans; the fate of the Survey Corps; the previous episodes drove us brutally to where we are now. And finally, we get the basement episode. I’m not even going to try to describe it. I recognize that there’s no way I can capture the pathos, anguish, courage, and hope that more than 50 episodes have crafted. But In Asian Spaces was somehow able to pull it off. If you haven’t seen the episode yet (and really, there are some series that you really should experience — and this is one of those!), please do give this article a read. Its take on the episode borders on poetic.
I Drink and Watch Anime
Top 5 Anime Cafés
It’s hard to overstate the importance of place in any fiction. The Enterprise in Star Trek. The Kōtetsujō from Kabaneri of The Iron Fortress. The restaurant Wagnaria from Wagnaria!. Wait, what? Yes, that’s right — place isn’t only important in powerful or world-changing series. It’s important in slice of life, comedy, drama… in short, place is important in almost every genre. Sometimes, the fictional place is so enticing that it makes you want to visit it. Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime not only gets that; she put together a post of the five most interesting and compelling cafés places in anime. They’re all interesting, but I have to confess that the spot in the #1 position is particularly amazing. I rarely say something like this, but I would honestly like to visit that café. Heck, even knowing if it existed in real life would somehow make the world a better place. Check out the article to see if it captures your favorites.
Fan Of A Certain Age
Why I Watched…’Fruits Basket’
There’s something about fiction that can seep into your very being. I’m a grown man. I’m starting to think about retirement. Yet, it’s dangerous for me to hear anyone bump an acoustic guitar. Hearing that sound brings all the emotions flooding back from the third episode of Angel Beats and Masami Iwasawa’s story. It’s the same things for books I read decades ago. Looking at a star peak through clouds reminds me of Samwise Gamgee in The Return of the King: “Far above the Ephel Dúath in the West the night-sky was still dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart…” Those moments change us, and that’s a beautiful thing. I’ve rarely come across a post that captures that sentiment as well as this one from Fan of a Certain Age. It’s the second article this week that border on poetic. This time, it riffs on the original Fruits Basket series, and if you’ve ever wondered if it’s “okay” to still enjoy anime at any age, this article will put your mind at ease.
Thank you for mentioning me (=
You’re most welcome!
Good roundup
Thank you! There’s just so much good material posted every week!
Thank you so much for the mention
You’re welcome! Thanks for an interesting post! I think setting gets neglected, so I was happy to see you address it.