Welcome to a Crow’s eye view of the posts that caught my attention this week. I 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 can tell you that the ani-blogging community’s quality and quantity of posts is amazing. I hope this helps you find some of them!
You can see the list of the sites I check here!
Review Order
This week, I reviewed the sites in alphabetical order (A to Z).
Everything is Bad for You
IN DEFENSE OF OFFENSIVE CONTENT
There’s a big problem knowing history. You have to watch in agony as others repeat it. Again. And again. And just when you think that surely someone’s learned something, you have to watch it again. There are tons of reasons no sane human should advocate for censorship, by which I mean the government (any government) taking action to interfere with the freedom of speech. I’m not talking about defending yelling “Fire!” in a crowded movie theater (well, unless there’s a fire). I’m talking about the government acting against ideas it doesn’t like. And I honestly don’t freaking care how bad those ideas seem. Why? Because a government acting against free speech is infinitely worse than any “harm” ideas might do. Okay, that’s more forceful than I usually get (or I at least try to hide it!). But dang it, I don’t get why people don’t understand that the right — no, the responsibility — to express oneself if fundamental to human freedom. Don’t believe me? Then check out his post by AK on Everything is Bad for You. It’s an in-depth, methodical analysis of the arguments for limiting free speech, whether by government intervention or convincing others in the private sector to engage in limiting the range of human expression. It’s a great defense of creativity. If you want a little reassurance that yes, somewhere in the universe, sanity prevails, then I have the perfect article for you!
The Illusion of Memories
Shiki – An Analytical Breakdown Part 1
How good was the series Shiki? It’s a loaded question. It was so “good” that I dropped it at episode 11 of 12, but you know the theme of this site. I celebrate anime. Any time I don’t like a series, I ask myself whether I misunderstood something. I ask myself if I didn’t give the series enough of a chance. Reading “Shiki – Countdown to Halloween” on Irina’s site I Drink and Watch Anime increased by self-doubts. She has a good eye for series — what had I missed? Then I read Jacob’s post on The Illusion of Memories. It’s the first part of a Shiki discussion, and it only increased its credibility (as far as I’m concerned!) by referencing The Crucible. An anime that evokes Arthur Miller’s creative genius? Yes, please! How does Shiki relate to The Crucible? Well, I know exactly how to answer that. I’ll point you at the article!
Jonah’s Daily Rants
The Difference Between a Villain and an Antagonist
I’ve been thinking about the message I’m trying to send with my site. I try to celebrate amazing moments in anime. I try to use my review writing approach to bring a sense of positivity to the world. I mean, just look around — we kinda need that! But there are times I think I might give the impression that I have a non-critical eye — i.e., an approach that lacks even the ability to discern well-constructed fiction from its counterparts. I’d argue that’s not so! I’d point to the research I’ve done and the works I’ve had published. I’d also point out the insightful posts I’ve highlighted here, particularly ones about story elements (for example, this one from summer 2019 about Asuka Langley Soryu that The Overage Otaku published). Maybe I’m feeling a little defensive? Well, regardless, I offer this post by Jonah Hunt from Jonah’s Daily Rants. It’s all about about story craftsmanship in terms of building a good villain — and the difference between a villain and an antagonist. There’s a diference that makes perfect sense after reading this article. See if you agree!
The Lost Otaku
Keijo!!!!! Anime Review, Buttfights are AMAZING | When Sirius Writes
So, The Lost Otaku actually published two posts this week that I considered as candidates for Other Posts to Crow About. The first was about the cerebral and intricately plotted ACCA-13. Every character seemed to be stronger than the last, with Mauve being the most fascinating (in my not nearly humble enough opinion). The second was about how an athletic group of young women used their breasts and bottoms to fight competitively. I am not ashamed to say that the post about Keijo!!!!!!!! was the post I decided to celebrate. Why? How about I let Will Sirius from The Lost Otaku explain just how amazing Keijo!!!!! was. And I promise it only as a lot to do with Nozomi Kaminashi!
Sakura Sunrise
My Favorite Women of Anime
I’ve not tried to hide how much I like strong women characters. In fact, I even published a list of 5 women I’d be happy to fight beside in the early days of this blog. I think all 5 people who read it thought highly of it! At the very least, I got no complaints. So, when I come across a post that talks about female characters, I get cautiously excited. “Cautiously” because while I like lists highlighting attractive women folk, I’m really interested in something a little different. Physical beauty is only one dimension of a character, after all! I came across this post by THESAKURASUNRISE on the site Sakura Sunrise. I started down the list of top five favorite characters, and the closer I got to #1, the happier I felt! Number 1 was a surprise, and a good one at that. Then the post had to go and peg the cool-o-meter by by talking about actual human women who contribute to anime, not star in it. As soon as I read about my number 1 favorite composer of all time (who is among the greatest composer ever born on Sol III), I knew I just had to celebrate this article with you.
Thanks for the mention! People need to realize that they can’t just have speech they don’t like suppressed and expect that they’ll still be able to say whatever they want — once censorship is made acceptable, all bets are off. Unfortunately, as you say, history keeps repeating itself and we don’t learn from it.
“once censorship is made acceptable, all bets are off.”
Absolutely.
“Unfortunately, as you say, history keeps repeating itself and we don’t learn from it.”
I wasn’t kidding when I said it’s painful! I mean, every day brings a new little jab. That’s why I think posts like yours are so heartening. They honestly give me hope!