Summer 2013 – First Week Impressions (Part 3)

This post reviews: Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui!, Silver Spoon, Gatchaman Crowds, Choujigen Game Neptune the Animation and Fate⁄Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya.

Winter 2013 – Week 12 Anime Review

This week: appreciating the evolution of Akane’s character in Psycho-Pass, thoughts on how others face anxiety and pressure in Chihayafuru 2, the perspective and surprise of tricks in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and thinking about the story going full circle in Zetsuen no Tempest.

Winter 2013 – Week 4 Anime Review

This week: Shiori’s social anxiety in Tamako Market, the non-existent character development in Maoyuu Maou Yuusha, how the Sibyl System has changed perception in Psycho-Pass, and questioning Hibito’s actions in Space Brothers.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 1 – The Pinnacle of Character Development: Cruz Schild in Needless

Earlier this year, the 100^th chapter of Needless debuted, a remarkable milestone for any manga, especially for one that is published monthly.  Not only did the chapter serve as a landmark for the manga itself, but it corresponded with the crowning achievement of the series protagonist, Cruz Schild, commonly known as Yamada.  As Needless has progressed through these past nine years, the story has evolved into one that emphasizes the growth and maturity of its central, most-dynamic character.  It has literally become the story of a boy becoming a man (while dressed as a girl), and the events and adventures over the entire manga easily demonstrate the greatest exhibition of character development that I have ever witnessed in my limited history of anime/manga and is a viable candidate for the greatest of all-time.

Summer 2012 – Week 2 Anime Review

This week: a fantastic and supplementary use to the overlays in Sengoku Collection, examining fragmentation of the Classics Club in Hyouka, and that annoying convenience in Tari Tari.

Needless – Chapter 102

Anytime a manga, anime, or other series does something you don’t anticipate, weren’t prepared for, or goes in a direction you don’t want, it quickly becomes a shocking or sensitive subject.  What suddenly becomes more important than the actual developments is how this delicate topic is handled and what satisfaction or salvation can be gained by those in disagreement to what’s happening.  The events of Needless Chapter 102 were able to solve most of these issues but not all of them. **Warning: spoilers below**

Sakamichi no Apollon – 6

Assuming the primary cast of Sakamichi no Apollon is limited to Kaoru, Sentarou, Ritsuko, Yurika, and Jun, then presently, each lead character is confronting their own personal challenges.  The sixth episode reiterated, magnified, or illuminated all the problems that each character is currently facing.  It has been staged in a way so that these issues have now become the forefront of the anime, surpassing previous themes and other storylines.  The effect has been the reshaping of how Sakamichi no Apollon presents and narrates its story and represents its characters.  But no single problem has been responsible for this drastic and fundamental change.  Every character and their distinctive challenges have been integral in this restructuring of Sakamichi no Apollon.