Yeah, yeah, I know—this post was maybe a bit lazy. However, people seem to be having a good time with them AND I started a Monmusu best girl war in the comments, so I’m considering it a success.
Aniwords
Aniwords – Let’s Play an Anime Game!
After last week’s column on the “trapped in an MMO” genre, I was feeling pretty frisky about genre analysis, so I went back to sweep up the shows people mentioned that I didn’t address. This time, however, I’m playing around with the idea of genre and “gamified world” settings—it gets a bit more theoretical and less pointed than last weeks, but I think the post is more fun because the ideas are more adventurous.
Aniwords – What’s Up with “Trapped in an MMO” Anime?
As a disclaimer, since all of the commentors on Crunchyroll felt obligated to point this out—yes, I’m fully aware the stuff I’m talking about in this post wasn’t “invented” by anime for this particular genre. Of course, I probably don’t need to tell you guys that. You know me well enough to actually listen to what I’m trying to say. Ah, well, such is the price for writing for an audience on a big site versus on my blog. That’ll teach me to sell out…
Aniwords – What is Moe and Should You Be Afraid of It?
Hey, guys!
My latest Aniwords column is live on Crunchyroll and it’s a real important one this time.
It’s about moe.
Aniwords – Is Rating Shows Meaningless?
Sorry I’m late with this one—the internet guys broke my internet on Tuesday night. Anyways, this week’s column is a thesis of sort on why I continue to rate shows, despite knowing all the arguments against it, arguments espoused by many of my fellow anibloggers whose thoughts on art I really respect. But, I like to be a bit contrary sometimes, so here I go~
Here’s the link! I apologize for not having any bonus content ready for this week—busted internet has really screwed up my writing schedule…
Aniwords – What Makes a “Good” Season?
This week’s Aniwords is kind of fluffy (at least by my standards), but with the new season exploding in piles of new anime all around me, I think I can be forgiven by putting out a somewhat less intense effort.
So, Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon or Not?
It was a simple question—”Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon?” But simple questions don’t always have correspondingly simple answers, and so it is with Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?‘s ridiculous titular query. And why? Because Danmachi, in specifically calling attention to the issue of how one ought to interact with girls met in a dungeon, actually intiates a strange sort of dialogue with the question. Now, really, watching Danmachi for the answer to the question of whether or not it is morally permissible to attempt to hit on and/or physically pick up girls while traversing the depths of a monster-filled dungeon isn’t necessarily the way I’d suggest watching it, but it does provide an interesting lens with which to view the way the show.
Playing Your Own Way: Kuroko’s Basketball and the Quest for Identity
One of the things that’s fascinated me about the Kuroko’s Basketball franchise (hereafter abbreviated as Kurobas) since even before I saddled up and watched the entirety of the 25-episode first season over the weekend has been the show’s alternate English title,The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. Besides being hilariously awkward while also technically correct English grammar, the longer title actually contains, I think, a slightly different implication than that of the more commonly accepted translation. The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays externalizes and differentiates “basketball” from the titular protagonist, Kuroko—basketball is something he does. However, Kuroko’s Basketball uses the possessive form of Kuroko’s name, which implies that “basketball” belongs to Kuroko.
Aniwords – Is There a Correct Way to Ship?
Got a good recommendation on Twitter (I think it was kind of tongue-in-cheek, but I ended up running with it) and popped out my longest Aniwords column yet. I’ve kind of been trying to keep them around 750 words, but this one just got away from me…whoops! So, how about a full version of that lovely article thumbnail?
Aniwords – Why Like Idol Anime?
This week’s Aniwords is basically a love letter to idol anime—a favorite anime genre of mine that you’re probably aware of if you’ve been following me for any length of time (especially on Twitter, where my idol-related convulsions are more…unfiltered than they are on here). The column’s really, officially started now, which is both exciting and a little bit scary!
Mage in a Barrel 