Winter 2013 – Week 5 Anime Review

This week: why I don’t consider Senran Kagura an ecchi anime anymore, wondering about the comedy in Zetsuen no Tempest, the diversity of karuta opponents in Chihayafuru 2 and remembering the forgotten Reiko in Shin Sekai Yori.

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.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 3 – The Aniblog Tourney

As I’ve made an emphasis about the anime community throughout these Twelve Days posts, I figure it’s about time for one of the greatest, most memorable and wholly entertaining events of the year: The Second Anime Blog Tournament or Aniblog Tourney.  With the first one occurring in 2010, before I discovered and read anime blogs, this was the first such event where a majority of the aniblogger community gathered together to share and explore bits and pieces of the community that may have gone unnoticed previously.  Seizing the opportunity, this blog was accepted into the tournament.  However, the act of putting my blog in the Aniblog Tourney is not the reason for it making the Twelve Days list.  Rather, it was the social aspects of the Aniblog Tourney which were the most influential and enduring.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 6 – 2 Year Anniversary and Lessons from Anime Blogging

December 20, 2012 marks the second anniversary of Avvesione’s Anime Blog.  Over the course of these two years, I have done more than just write about anime here; rather, it’s a clumsy combination of critiquing, evaluating, and reflecting upon various aspects of various anime presented in the form of words accompanied by unrelated but cute or amusing screenshots.  As a result of this blogging experience, I have learned an exceptional amount about how to properly articulate my assessment and perception of anime as I discover what it is about these shows that I like and dislike.  It has been a tremendous experience in improving my understanding and appreciation for anime.  However, not every aspect of blogging is marvelous or even significant.  Sometimes it’s frustrating or taxing, inconvenient or annoying.  But learning to deal with these negativities is one area where I felt myself grow as an anime blogger in 2012.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 9 – Subscription to Ultra Jump

As you may already know, I am an avid, enthusiastic follower of the Needless manga and have been since soon after I began watching the anime.  Unfortunately for me, Needless is published monthly in Ultra Jump, a manga magazine that is sold in Japan and not available overseas.  However, after various situations and circumstances, I decided to research my options and learned of way to order a subscription to Ultra Jump despite living outside of Japan.  The outcome of this subscription to a manga magazine has unquestionably influenced how I read and enjoy manga and has allowed me to discover numerous new manga that I now find myself interested in.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 12 – 13 Hours in Tokyo

Today marks the return of the 12 Days of Anime, the series of posts recounting and detailing the twelve greatest moments, influences or events of the year in regards to my anime/manga life.  Over the next twelve days, ending on Christmas Day, I will have a special post documenting some exceptional and unforgettable thing that happened to me this year in hopes of sharing this cherished memory with you and adding a bit of personal touch that otherwise remains absent from this blog.  Be sure to check out the other blogs participating in this tradition and enjoy the fun and celebrations.

In late 2011, my family was planning a vacation to Thailand, the first trip to Asia in my life.  During the planning stages, I took the initiative to see if we or I could spend some time in Japan either heading in or going home.  Since the Thailand portion of my trip was being paid for, I was informed that this excursion would need to be financed by myself but that I could leave a day early to fit it in.  With these circumstances in place, the only chance at visiting Japan was a 22-hour period between arriving from Bangkok and departing to Seattle.  It didn’t even take me a second to decide nor did I even look at the estimated bill; I leapt at the opportunity and this… this is my adventure:

Needless – Chapter 106

Needless is innovative and creative, especially in its storytelling.  Throughout the manga, there have been countless examples of where character development or story progression have been told or shown in a way that directly generates interest, creates suspense and surprise or is just unanticipated fun and amusement (for example: Kuchinashi).  And of all the methods utilized, the most innovative might be how Needless has unveiled its past.  Rather than relying solely on flashbacks or lengthy exposition, Needless has decided to show us its past through a variety of diverse means and styles.  And rather than reveal everything about the past together, it’s been fragmented into various segments, allowing the manga to answer the immediate concerns while raising other questions to create further intrigue and mystery.  And with another new style presented in this chapter, it’s time we recognize a few of the brilliant storytelling techniques employed in Needless.