Good grief, have we already passed the halfway mark for the Spring 2015 season? I guess time flies when you’re going through major life transitions…or something like that. Anyways, I’m back, which means it’s time for one gigantic post covering the last two weeks I’ve been silent—but before that, how about a little announcement?
Thank Kanbaru: Personal Narratives, “Feminist Anime,” and Normalized Media Portrayals
Let it be known that asking me questions of ask.fm is like is a sneaky way to get me thinking about topics you’d like me to cover in a blog post…this was originally an ask.fm answer, then grew too large for the ask.fm and so became a tumblr post, then kept growing and became more of a philosophical manifesto/personal story than I had originally intended, and thus here we are. To begin, I know I’m treading on sensitive ground here and so, of course, I’d love to hear feedback in the comments. [1] For me, this is very much still a topic I’m learning about and pondering through. But here’s where I am right now.
Blogging Hiatus: Graduation Time
Blood Blockade Battlefront, Episode 4
Unlike episode three, which I found to be quite the tough nut to crack, episode four was a little easier to figure out in terms of its visual code. It’s no less intricate or well-constructed; just a little easier to access. At this point in these write-ups, I suppose I should note that I’ve basically thrown all doubts about “over-analyzing” into the wind. I’ll talk about this somewhere in this post, but the attention to detail in Blood Blockade Battlefront, even when it’s not using super fluid animation, is astounding and has entirely convinced me that I can interpret away with enthusiasm knowing that there are people behind this show (Rie Matsumoto, most prominently) who really care about what they’re doing and are offering up a work of art worthy of our attention and analysis.
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 5
So, I’ve kind of felt like I’ve been spinning my wheels with these posts for the last couple weeks, but no longer! Ore Monogatari!! is still super cute, but this episode’s escapade into the river of character secrets and insecurities has finally given me a reason to dive deep beyond the adorableness and really pull out some brainchildren to talk about…too much?
Spring 2015, Week 5: Highlights of the Week
Well, I’m in the midst of finals week (although I guess I really only have one left, so…), but I’m getting my anime watched. And, after that, it’s graduation—my blogging status immediately post-graduation is up in the air right now, but that’ll be another post entirely. As for this week, I made a little tribute to why I really do love this season a whole bunch. That particular element might not be reflected in the blurbs below, but remember that it’s true!
Blood Blockade Battlefront, Episode 3
Blood Blockade Battlefront is a pretty fun show—not only because it’s wacky and energetic and unpredictable, but because each episode kind of feels like a puzzle to me. I’ll admit, I was pretty stumped on this one (although that’s not really the reason it took me so long to get around to writing this post. This episode, in particular, especially coming out of episode two’s hugely concentrated dose of imagery, felt disconnected and weird and not really quite right to me the first few times through—and then I realized this was an episode of contrasts and it all made sense. Well, as much as it can.
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 4
So, it’s time to venture into relatively unexplored territory, at least as far as romance anime go. What do you do in a romance anime after you already have a canon couple? It’s not like it’s never been done before, but even those that have (looking at you non-Ore Monogatari) don’t usually spend time on the implications of life after the courtship has ended and the relationship has begun. Happily, because Ore Monogatari!! is built with the relationship as its main feature, not just a related thread, we get episodes like this—and, other than (what is starting to becoming a troubling pattern of) diving into melodrama, it was quite lovely.
Spring 2015, Week 4: Highlights of the Week
So, yeah—sorry the blog went silent after the Ore Monogatari!! post last week. It was a pretty terrible week overall (and immensely stressful besides) and, as much as I wanted to keep writing, I was just so burned out and beaten down that I couldn’t muster up the energy to put together a quality post. But I’m back now and feeling a lot better! Thanks to everyone who gave me moral support through the week! I really do appreciate it! Now let’s get on to some anime!
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 3
IT HAPPPENNNNNEDDDDD!!!!!
Ahem. Sorry. I usually try to keep my more, er, effusive expressions of my reactions to episodes to Twitter, but you guys saw the episode! You saw the same things I did! YOU KNOW. YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
Usually, I have some sort of idea of what I want to say when I start writing these posts—but I ain’t got no clue what I’m gonna say today. My brain is just a mush of warm, adorable fuzzy feelings. Because that’s just the sort of show Ore Monogatari!! is.
Mage in a Barrel 
