Other Posts to Crow About – 2020 Week 17 Edition

Welcome to a Crow’s eye view of the posts that caught my attention this week! How do posts catch my eye? They 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!

Here’s the list of the sites I check!

Review Order

This week, I reviewed the sites in alphabetical order (A to Z).

Couch and Chill

[Review] Food Wars: The Fifth Plate ep. 2

I haven’t had time to watch Food Wars: The Fifth Plate. That bothered me in a “well someday I’ll look at that but I still feel guilty” sort of way. I’d enjoyed previous seasons. I really liked Souma Yukihira. I find it impossible not to root for the diner-trained chef amidst all of the snobbish elites! Speaking of snobbish elites, I also liked Erina Nakiri despite her elitism, because deep down, she really, really loved being a chef, and I admired her passion. Megumi Tadokoro was an absolute dear, and I found her background even more interesting than Yukihira’s! This week, I came across this post by Ang from Couch and Chill talking about that very series. One way I recognize a successful review is if it makes me want to watch the show. Judging from how much my interest jumped after reading the post, it must be a really, really good review! See what you think!

Check out the post here!

I Watched an Anime

5 Binge-Worthy Anime

We live in tough times. On one hand, I’m glad I didn’t the time of the Black Death (1342-1353 according to various source like Wikipedia). On the other hand, I have to resort to the Black Death to find an analogous situation! Suddenly, I’m less optimistic than I was… But to be honest, our medical science is tons more capable now. We understand concepts like “Hey, social distancing is a pretty good idea and do stop sneezing on each other!” All joking aside, you might find yourself at home with extra time on your hands, so it might be nice to have some great anime recommendations. As it turns out, IWatchedanAnime just posted an article on I Watched an Anime that fits the bill perfectly! I can personally attest that each entry in this list is spectacular (except for Dororo — how the heck have I not watched that?). I’ll just give you one warning: the bonus and the number one entries are emotional munitions. Watch with care! But they’re well worth it.

Check out the post here!

Lumi Reviews Things

Beastars and Stylish Racism In Animation

Sometimes, a series comes along that makes people sit up and take notice. Maybe it’s the stunning animation, characters, and world-building of Demon Slayer. Sometimes it’s the almost greatness of a high concept that stumbles, like KADO: The Right Answer. And sometimes it’s something that’s so topical that it’s almost never treated with respect and honesty. I don’t know if you’ve noticed (I say sarcastically, knowing full well that you’ve all noticed it!), but we live in an age that’s a bit, let’s say, polarized. That polarization has been so extreme that something as factual as a medical diagnosis and disease prevention plan now results in a President saying “Hey, chow down on disinfectants.” Which will, by the way, will kill you dead. So don’t do it. In an atmosphere like that, finding an anime that treats the topic of racism not only with honestly, but with artistic integrity, is a rare and precious find. And to find a blog post that does the recognizes and treats the source material with the same respect? Well, that’s just too cool. And that’s exactly what Gab ‘Horror’ Nandez did in a post on Lumi Reviews Things. The series is Beastars, and it’s apparently amazing. See if you agree.

Check out the post here!

Shallow Dives in Anime

Sword Art Online II Episodes 1-14: The Phantom Bullet Arc

There are a ton of characters I really like in anime. Some because I admire their determination and depth. Some because I simply enjoy watching their beauty and grace. Yet others I respect because of their strength and courage. A very small number of character exhibit all of those, and one of them is Shino Asada/Sinon, who we first meet in Sword Art Online II. She’s easily in my top five characters in anime, and I’m not sure she’s not sitting at the top. So I’m always on the lookout for posts that give me more reasons to like her — or even posts that challenge why I like her! So I was really excited when I read Dewbond’s post on Shallow Dives in Anime about her introduction and role in the series, and about the series in general. My affection for the character Sinon aside, I think Dewbond’s series of posts about the Sword Art Online franchise is a fascinating, honest look at a series that deserves this kind of attention. I bet you’ll think the same!

Check out the post here!

Umai Yomu Anime Blog

Bakemonogatari Episode 12 – Tsubasa Cat, Part Two

Bakemonogatari is one of those series that never gets old. No matter how many times I rewatch it or my favorite scenes from it, I notice something new and interesting. The series benefits from some solid characters, like Koyomi Araragi, who captures the traits of an adolescent male with almost painful accuracy. Then there’s Hitagi Senjougahara, another wonderfully realistic character, who is more than a match for Araragi — and who proves that again and again. There’s a scene in the 12th episode that I rarely see people talk about, and I’ve always wondered why. It’s one of the most romantic scenes I’ve seen in literature! That’s one of the reasons I was so happy to find this review by Yomu on Umai Yomu Anime Blog — that scene featured prominently! The other reason was that the post helped me remember how much I enjoyed this episode — and why! I hope it’ll do the same for you.

Check out the post here!