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. I check hundreds of sites, and I’m humbled by the quality and quantity of posts that the ani-blogging community creates. I hope this article helps you find some of those posts.
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 alphabetical order (A to Z).
Anime Feminist
[Feature] Monster Girls and the Fine Line Between Body Positivity and Objectification
I’ve often talked about how much I liked Monster Musume, primarily for the comedy and the fanservice. I think I’ve also talked about how much I honestly liked the characters (especially Miia). Another series that has some thematic overlap was Interviews with Monster Girls. It was toned down sexually compared to the former, but it explored many of the same themes. One aspect of both that I both enjoyed and respected was something I didn’t bring up because a) I didn’t think you’d believe me and b) I wasn’t sure that you’d consider me qualified to talk about it even if you wanted to believe me. One of the themes was both dealt with culture and self-perception. Fortunately, I came across this post by Jordan Mulder on Anime Feminist. The post discusses how both series do a good job (mostly) with the subject. As is often the case with well-written posts, I came away with an even greater appreciation for both series. And given how much I liked them to start with, that’s saying something!
Anime Science 101
K-on! and Perfect Pitch
There are some series that have almost reached the level of legend. Surprisingly, I’m not talking about Neon Genesis Evangelion. This time, I’m talking about Kyoto Animation’s K-On. Between its studio, its animation, its characters, and its music, the show has inspired a huge number of blog posts, a ton of memes, and is a fan favorite. Of all the posts I read about it, though, I’ve never come across one like this one by Chris Meharg from Anime Science 101. One of the main characters in K-On, Yui Hirasawa, is supposed to possess absolute pitch — she’s pitch perfect. I’ve heard the phrase, and I even thought I understood it. But I didn’t understand what it meant in this context — or in the context of languages and mental processing in general. I love it when a post opens new depths of a show I’ve finished watching and loved. Now I have more reason than ever to enjoy the show!
Confessions of an Overage Otaku
HOW LONG IS THIS SERIES: KILL LA KILL
Speaking of legendary series, Kill La Kill is like that for me. The concepts, themes, and characters blew me away, but I could not completely articulate why. There wasn’t anything technically beyond my vocabulary. But plot? That was something else. I thought it was nothing short of amazing — everything fit, in the right place, and at the right time. It utterly served its themes and characters without being obtrusive. I’ve written all my life adult. I can at least pretend to discuss the different approaches writers like Christopher Vogler and Billy Wilder take to plot. I’ve plotted my own stuff. But when it came to Kill La Kill, I couldn’t understand its techniques well enough to describe them succinctly. Fortunately, it’s not a problem for The Overage Otaku from Confessions of an Overage Otaku. He was able to clearly and accurately break down the plot. Like all advanced solutions, once it’s clearly stated, it’s simple and easy to understand — two characteristics that previously eluded me! See what you think of his presentation of Kill La Kill’s plot. And now I want to watch it yet again…
LofZOdyssey Anime Reviews
Anime Hajime Review: Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG
I just got done talking about how a series seemed legendary to me. There are a handful of series that go past legendary to be almost mythic, and it for two reasons: the series affected me strongly, and there were among the first anime series I watched and recognized as anime. I watched Speed Racer, but I was too young to really think of it as anything but a cartoon. It was only later that I began to discern the differences between various kinds of animation. And first among the series I watched and enjoyed knowing it was anime was Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. It was also one of the first anime series I purchased. It wasn’t much later that I bought Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig. So, when I come across posts talking about those series, I immediately check them out. And if the article shows an appreciation for the series? So much the better! That was the case with this post by LofZOdyssey from the site LofZOdyssey Anime Reviews. The article talks about what makes the series so great — and isn’t blind to some of the things that detracts from the overall impact. How the 2nd Gig compare to the first season? Was it worth watching? There’s one way to find out!
Mechanical Anime Reviews
I Try Not To Write Negative Reviews
Here at Crow’s World of Anime, I try to celebrate beautiful moments in anime. I also try to support others with a similar goal. There are a lot of reasons I want to do that, and I tried to describe some of the most important ones in this post, Using an Anime Site to Take a Stand. There’s a lot of dark stuff going on in the world right now. What contribution do you want to make? Cursing the darkness? Extending it? Or maybe lighting a candle? Well, Scott from Mechanical Anime Reviews has made his decision, and it’s decidedly in the “light a candle” camp. Think that’s an over simplification? I don’t think it is, but Scott’s post and the reasoning he presents is more than enough to make the case. I think we owe it not only to ourselves, but to the community as well, to support this kind of thing. Making the world better can happen one post at a time!
Thanks for the shout-out, glad you enjoyed the review. I also hope you’re enjoying (or know about) the other Ghost in the Shell posts I’ve been doing.
“I also hope you’re enjoying (or know about) the other Ghost in the Shell posts I’ve been doing.”
Yes to both (know about and am enjoying)!
I haven’t had a chance to see Solid State Society, and after reading your review, I’m going to try to make time. It didn’t sound like the negatives were enough to derail it.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the shout out, and I’m glad you liked the post.
To think that I’ve only read 1 out of 5 of these great posts. Psycho Pass is taking up too much of my time…
Scott’s post was great and I wish I had that kind of consistent optimism. That and he has the right kind of optimism which isn’t fake or superficial.
“That and he has the right kind of optimism which isn’t fake or superficial.”
That’s critical, isn’t it? An honest optimism isn’t only fun to read — it’s distinctive!
I wasn’t being critical of Scott at all. He’s a great reviewer and person. I totally agree with it being fun to read and distinctive.
My bad! By “critical” I meant important — as in, Scott’s authentic attitude is very important! Very sorry I gave the wrong impression.
I meant that the right kind of optimism is very important to establish a relationship with the reader.
In other words, I was agreeing completely with you!
Oh! Okay. I was a bit confused, but thank you so much. I figured you agreed with me anyway, but that’s still good to know.