I wish more anime were directed like these two productions.
Author: iblessall
Aniwords – Power, Kindness, & Adulthood in Mob Psycho 100
We’re back at it again with Mob Psycho 100, a show I never really thought I was going to get a chance to talk about on a theme level because it was just so disjointed. But here we are, as it turns out, “Be kind,” is a rightfully powerful unifying force. It’s pretty neat to see how such a simply idea can bring together so many scattered thoughts and make sense of them. And for it to be one as important as kindness is pretty cool, too.
Help Choose Mage in a Barrel’s Next Episodic Project!
Hello, friends!
It’s taken a while, but I’ve finally recovered enough from the (what felt like to me) Herculean effort that was my Hyouka episodic posts and I’m ready to pick up something new. I’ve got a shortlist of things that you can vote on, but if you’d like to really make a cast for something on this list – or, better yet, recommend something not on here at all – leave me a comment!
Note that the upper limit here is 26 episodes. Maybe someday I’ll do episodics for Turn A Gundam, but I’m just not there yet.
Here’s the shortlist poll—and I’ve got more thoughts on why I’m interested in writing on these shows below. As always, I reserve the write to chuck all feedback out the window and do something else entirely (although I doubt that’ll happen in this case).
The Magic of Konobi’s Anime Adaptation
There’s gold to be found in the heart, and treasure to be found in the working of it.
Love Live! Sunshine, Macross, and the Resonance of Franchise Lore
The sad truth: not all idol shows can be Macross. On the other hand, this is in defense of Love Live! and Love Live! Sunshine.
Aniwords – 91 Days and the Cinematography of Murder
Hello, hello! Let’s talk about murder! Or, more specifically, how murder looks (in 91 Days). I’ve been wanting to write something about 91 Days‘ visuals for a while now, but despite some attempts at cinematographic motifs, the show never quite gave me a concrete visual paradigm to explore. But, somehow, I came up with this kind of topical approach, and while I think it could use some refining in the future, I also think it’s pretty good!
Aniwords – What Does It Mean to Have a “Favorite Anime”?
Someone let the highly sentimental version of me out of the box this week, and the result is this piece. Ultimately, it just comes down to another rendition of me trying to plead for people to be nice to each and me winding up utterly failing to capture the incredible feeling of wonder I got from watching people’s responses pop up by the dozens (the dozens!) on Twitter, but I think it does alright anyways.
How New Game! Makes Moe Real
New Game! has kind of sneakily become one of my favorite shows of the Summer 2016 season, but it’s not just because of the great character designs or the pretty colors. Instead, I think there are some elements to the show that really ground it in a semi-reality and make it feel much more substantial (even if it’s only softly so) than your normal cute girls doing cute things anime.
I’ve Updated My Top Anime List!
After more than two years, I’ve finally updated (and expanded!) my top anime list! Instead of 20 shows, I’ve now got 25 on the list, with all new pictures, blurbs, and even some reordering! What a relief—it’s nice to feel my list fully represents my current tastes again.
If you want to get reading it right away: My Top 25 Anime List.
After the jump, I’ll be talking through the details of this overhaul: what’s new, what got kicked out, and what just barely missed the cut.
The Tension Between: Emotionalism and Criticism
Ostensibly for anime critics; theoretically for everyone.
Mage in a Barrel 