Thirty-eighth week of 2019 edition!
This is a Crow’s eye view of the posts that caught my attention this week. I especially look for posts that celebrate amazing moments in anime or otherwise blow me away with their wit and charm. Every week I check hundreds of sites, and I’m humbled by the quality and volume of work that the ani-blogging community creates! I hope this article helps you find some of those works!
What sites do I check every week? You can see the list of the sites here!
Review Order
This week, I reviewed the sites in reverse alphabetical order (Z to A).
tfwanime
The Greatness of Saki Hanajima
Did you ever see The Incredibles? I loved that movie. There’s a scene where Bob Parr is working for an insurance company. His boss is furious because Bob’s customers seem to know the company’s inner workings — they’re “penetrating the bureaucracy!” See 2:56 in that video. There are times when I come across a post and I wonder if the writer has discovered the secret key to guaranteeing a spot in Other Posts to Crow About. Maybe they think that once they’re highlighted here, fame and fortune will be theirs! Whatever the reason, this post by TFWANIME on the site tfwanime was right in my strike zone. The post talks about Saki Hanajima, my favorite character in Fruits Basket — a series packed with interesting and compelling characters? Check. Says insightful and thought-provoking things about said character? Check! Seriously, I’m not sure I could avoid recommending this article! So go read it!
The Otaku Author
Dr. Stone (Episode 11) – Clear World
There’s something about Dr. Stone that appeals to me on a fundamental level. Maybe it’s the emphasis on the scientific method as a way of life. The longer I live, the more I appreciate basing one’s decisions on things that can be proven. Maybe it’s Senkuu’s drive and clarity of thought. Maybe it’s Kohaku’s fearlessness and strength. Or maybe it’s some of the characters and moments that Lynn Sheridan wrote about in his post on The Otaku Author. Or heck, maybe it’s a combination of all those things! Lynn’s article talks about some of the coolness that was in episode 11. There’s a lot to enjoy in this post, but the way the post — and others in the same series on Lynn’s site — treat Kohaku makes one thing very clear: These posts know what they’re talking about.
I Watched an Anime
Mysterious Girlfriend X
Have you seen Mysterious Girlfriend X? You’ve probably not read anything from me on that series. I saw it several years ago, and I’ll be honest: it impressed me. I through the female lead, Mikoto Urabe, was amazing. She was strong. She knew what she wanted. And she knew how to say “no” — and occasionally “yes” — to the male lead, Akira Tsubaki. She also had a mysterious power that figured into the series’ title. The series itself had an unusual charm, and I think this post by IWatchedAnAnime on the site I Watched an Anime did a great job of describing that appeal. The series is hard to describe, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll probably want to after reading this article.
I Drink and Watch Anime
Irina’s Top 5 Waifus and Matt’s Top 5 Husbandos
It’s pretty typical for someone like me to name what female characters would make good “waifu” characters. It’s pretty typical to name male characters as desirable “husbando” characters, too. But what if we spice it up a bit? What if we have Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime pick the waifu characters, and Matt from Anime QandA pick the husbandos? That puts an interesting spin on the question, doesn’t it? At least it did for me. I could guess some of their picks, like both of their first picks. But after that? Let’s just say I hope you can guess better than I did! But honestly? Start to finish, they had some great choices.
Christine’s Cinema Corner
Fruits Basket (2019) Ep. 23-24 Review
I’ve said before how I don’t understand how Fruits Basket can deliver so many honest emotional moments without resorting to melodrama or other cheap tricks. I knew intellectually that there was artistic skill and effort involved, but as a writer myself, I was at a loss. Well, I came across a post this week that completely changes my perspective. Christine from Christine’s Cinema Corner took everything I loved about the last episode — and there was a lot! — and analyzed how the animators brought the story to life. The level of analytical detail was amazing. The more the article explained the techniques, the more impressed I was that the animators made it all look easy. I didn’t think it was possible, but I like the series even more now. I think you will, too, after reading this article!
The Backloggers
Your Lie in April – A Shining Light Within A Sea of Despair
Do you remember Your Lie in April? One of the main characters, Kousei Arima, was a prodigy pianist. Struggling with his past, he was just getting into the high school piano recital scene after an absence of years. The story is about how Kaori Miyazono comes into his life. The story hit me hard, in part because my daughter was also playing in her high school piano recitals as the series aired. It was almost like I was watching her and her peers compete! That made the story seem so realistic that the plot just hammered me. The series was more than the tragedies it shared with us, though. I’ve never been able to articulate just how. Fortunately, I just came across this post by Owningmatt93 on The Backloggers. It said everything I haven’t been able to put into words. The series was beautiful, and now I can appreciate it that much more.
Thank you for the shout out!!!
You’re welcome! Your list was a lot of fun!