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.
Spring 2015, Week 3: Highlights of the Week
To be entirely honest, it’s a minor miracle that this post is out on time this week, what with falling seven shows behind over the weekend thanks to Anime St. Louis. Despite that, though, I was treated to an excellent slate of episodes in the past week, with my “non-serious yet dearly beloved” crop of shows (Show by Rock!, Nisekoi:, etc.) continuing to be exactly what I need and want them to be: really enjoyable entertainment.
Note: Hoping to get the Blood Blockade Battlefront write-up out on Thursday. I’ve got all the ideas set, just need to pull it all together.
Why Danmachi Works: Moe and Family Soften the Heart
I’ve been thinking lately about the difference in my personal response to the first couple episode of Danmachi (aka Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?) from the reaction of the wider anime-watching public. If you’ve been pretty much anywhere online where discussion (or, in this case “discussion”) about anime happens, you’ve probably seen the Hestia fanart craze that blew up pretty much from the moment the first episode of Danmachi finished airing. The reason? Her, uh, unconventional method of supporting her breasts—known around the fandom as the “boob string.” But, for me, the blue ribbon encircling Hestia’s torso was never something that really caught my attention before the fanart craze and meme running started and I found myself actually a bit peeved by the intense focus on a relatively inconsequential element of a show I liked for other reasons. But why should this be so?
Ore Monogatari!!, Episode 2
I suppose I can just betray my character bias right off the bat so no one accuses me of hiding it later: I think Makoto Sunakawa is being set up to enact one of the all-time great bro roles in anime history. I really do. Of course, that’s not all I came away with from this episode—which was delightful, by the way—but the relationship between Takeo and Suna has really been the big focus of these early episodes as Ore Monogatari!! works to build their characters. Rinko, I’m sure, will get her turn, but right now Ore Monogatari!! is all about the bromance.
Spring 2015, Week 2: Highlights of the Week
Whoa, highlights are on a different day this season! That’s right, they sure are! Due to Ore Monogatari!! being a blog show and airing on Wednesday, Wednesdays are going to be pretty tight for me schedule wise, so I’m bumping highlights back to Tuesday for Spring 2015. This actually works pretty well, as it means the majority of shows will be on the same episode number, with a few shows (Nisekoi:, Punchline, Pleiades, Ore Monogatari!!) being an episode back. For full disclosure, there’s also a matter of search rankings: the Ore Monogatari!! posts will rank better if there’s been posting on the blog in the days prior. So, that’s that! Hope it doesn’t bother anyone much! Let’s get to it!
Blood Blockade Battlefront, Episode 2
Before I launch into this post, I want to direct readers to something I wrote over on Tumblr last night, an abbreviated essay called “Blood Blockade Battlefront: Style vs Substance(?) and Cinematic Language.” This essay lays out the theoretical framework this post will be operating out of—simply, that visual language is a valid semiotic code [1] capable of expressing meaning, just as more traditional methods are. So, the point of today’s post is to essentially lay out an example of how this is true, breaking down the way director Rie Matsumoto and her team have constructed a cinematic code that conveys information, themes, and ideas to the audience through the images on the screen.
Mage in a Barrel 
