Third week of 2018 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, in particular strong characters, intricate plots, or amazing worlds.
There are only two rules:
- I have to find the site to read it. So, if you never see your site mentioned, it might be that I don’t know it’s there! Please feel free to note your site in the comments.
- The post had to have been during this week
There’re a lot of good posts in the anime space. I hope this post helps you find some of them!
AngryAnimeBitches
DARLING in the FRANXX Episode 2
DARLING in the FRANXX’s first episode last week blew me away. This week, we got a lot more information about the world. I thought AngryAnimeBitches’ review of episode 2 captured the highlights. I particularly liked the post’s analysis of Hiro’s performance — of lack thereof!
Have to admit, though: I felt very uncomfortable for long stretches at a time in this episode… But that’s this post’s fault!
ATELIER EMILY
The written word and more Victorian-era trappings in Violet Evergarden
Need yet another reason to admire the achievement that is Violet Evergarden? Getting tired of reading about its beautiful animation, or expressive body language, or its vivid and realistic characters? Then ATELIER EMILY has a solution for you! This post talks about what the ability to write means to the characters in this series. It shines a light on another level of depth that KyoAni has woven into the show’s fabric.
Floating into Bliss
[Script] From Page to Screen: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
Let me just get this out of the way: I adored Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid! Some of the things I most enjoyed about it were (of course!) the characters like Kobayashi, Tohru, and Kanna, as well as the theme of family. Its slice of life comedy really appealed to me, too.
So it was with great interest that I read Floating into Bliss‘ post about how the anime version emphasized those aspects over the more comedy-centric material from the manga. Views behind the scenes can be fun and informative, and this post had both in abundance.
KEIKO’s ANIME BLOG
Violet Evergarden ep 1 & 2
I’m glad I’m not reviewing Violet Evergarden for the Winter 2018 season. First, there’s no legal source for me to watch, and making sure the content providers get paid is important to me. Second, I honestly think it’s a level of animation that redefines the upper standard for what emotions anime can express through animation alone. I’m not sure I have the vocabulary or sensibilities to do it justice!
Fortunately, there are blogs like KEIKO’s ANIME BLOG that seems to have a good handle on it. I enjoyed how this post captured the subtleties of not only Violet’s character, but the characters around her. My favorite part of the post was the discussion of Erica Brown.
Mage in a Barrel
Your Body is Not Your Own: Darling in the FranXX and Sexual Agency (or the Lack Thereof)
Last week, I was really enthusiastic about Darling in the FranXX. This week, between the changing scene and the position of the pistil relative the pilot (stamen), I began to wonder if I should even be watching this show!
This post from Mage in a Barrel perfectly expressed what triggered those feelings in me. At this point, I can only hope that the show’s setting up some kind of revolution, maybe led by Zero Two, against what society’s putting these kids through. Otherwise, I wonder if I’ll be able to keep watching — or more precisely, if I should.
Peach’s Almanac
In ‘Defense’ of… Citrus and the Ecchi Genre
I’ve been on the fence about Citrus. In an unusual (and embarrassing!) turn of events for a writer, I really couldn’t say why. Part of the problem is that I just didn’t dedicate the time to going through my impressions and figuring out which were the ones nagging at me. The other problem is that the show’s not in a genre that I have a lot of experience with.
This post from Peach’s Almanac nailed it! It also gave me a lens through which to view the show.
