At its core, the concept of the “best girl” is a pretty silly one. It ultimately amounts to a fandom game, an arbitrary imposition of indeterminate criteria on a set of character for the sole purpose of crowning a champion. And yet, it’s a game I’ve invested myself into again and again. Perhaps, as the saying goes, “the joy is in playing.”
Aniwords
Aniwords – Haikyuu!! and Capturing the Magic of Intensity
It’s always exciting when a show that’s been long absent from its true identity finally makes a return, and that’s exactly what happened with this week’s Haikyuu!! At long last, I have no complaints about an episode of Haikyuu!!—I’m just pumped up and excited and ready for more!
So, to honor that success, I’ve taken this week’s Aniwords to break down how Haikyuu!! managed to return to form in such a wonderful fashion. I hope you guys enjoy it!
Elements of the Pastoral in Konosuba
My first essay on Konosuba, elaborating on the pastoral elements of the show.
ERASED and the Cinematic Life
An analysis of ERASED‘s first three episode and the incorporation of cinematography into the functioning of the show.
The Universality of Particularity in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
Aniwords – The “Best” Anime of 2015 (Part 2)
After last week’s adventure with the word “best,” I thought it appropriate to come back again this week and talk about a similar, but slightly different word—”favorite.” Kind of fun how you can write entire columns on single words in a fandom context, eh? Hope you guys enjoy this one!
Aniwords – The “Best” Anime of 2015 (Part 1)
I will not deny that this title is perhaps something of a red herring. I regret nothing, as it is perfectly and appropriately descriptive—and because most of the people who comment on it won’t actually read it anyways. So now, if you’re wondering what this column is actually about, I’ve jumped headfirst (or maybe butt first) into the world of rhetorical criticism, with the anime fandom’s lexicon as my subject. In a lot of ways, this is just a introductory piece, but it comes at a nice time in the year. And it was fun to write. Hope you guys enjoy it!
Aniwords – A Very Gundam Christmas, Sort of
Every time Christmas season rolls around, I start to feel bad about not having any ideas for a good anime Christmas post. So I’m kind of glad I was able to halfway write something related to both anime and Christmas this year, even if it might be a little bit of a stretch. Gundam, Toradora!, Christmas, and family themes aren’t necessarily the most obvious bedfellows, but I think I mostly made it work.
I’m a few days early, but Merry Christmas to all my readers! It really is wonderful to have you all around, reading and commenting. May the season (whether your celebrate Christmas or not) fills your life with love, your heart with hope, and our world with peace. 🙂
Aniwords – The Great Waifu Carousel
In my ongoing battle to negotiate the lines of blissfully unattached fandom and genuine media engagement, I’ve run into a lot of different facets of anime watching in which this weird dynamic is found. On the hot seat this week is characters—waifus, husbandos, best girls, and everything else—and thinking about the ways that the general marketplace of fandom and industry seem to be at odds with lasting remembrance of anything at all.
But, sometimes, you find the perfect seat on the carousel. This article is about all of that.
Aniwords – Mean Girls, Anime Style
This topic’s been banging around in my head for a while since I started wondering what it was that attracted me to characters like Yuuko from AKB0048 and Miki from THE iDOLM@STER. As has been pointed out to me multiple times with both, neither are particularly nice people or the kind of person you would want as a coworker (or even as a friend, maybe!). Yet, some how I still found them enchanting. Likewise with Maka Albarn from Soul Eater, who I touch on in the article—why was it that my favorite episode of the show was the one where she’s at her very worst? Well, I think I at least somewhat cracked the code—and this piece is the result.
Mage in a Barrel 