7 Year Anniversary and… Now What?

It’s been 7 years since I started this anime blog.  It originally began as a challenge for me: a way to force me to think deeply and critically about anime; to share my thoughts and appreciations of the shows I watch; to develop a voice for my creative writing; and to discover and grow my relationships with other anime enthusiasts.  When I look back – as I’ve done with every anniversary post – across these 7 years and 640 other blog posts – I am satisfied with my accomplishments, achieving far more than even my wildest dreams back on December 20, 2010.  But the same can’t really be said of the last year, which saw only a single post get penned in the last 12 months.  If I were to do a reflection of the year, then I’d simply request that you re-read my thoughts on an anime season that concluded 9 months ago.  Instead of looking back at 2017 for this anniversary post, I’ll try something new and look forward to what the future of this blog might look like.

Winter 2017 – Season Recap

If you’re wondering where I’ve been, I hibernated this last winter.  Seriously.

 

 

 

 

Great, and now that I’ve answered all your questions, let’s dive right into… wait, the Winter 2017 anime season started already?  I guess we can skip the Season Preview and jump right into the First… oh, it’s over now?  Wow, that’s uh… well, better late than never, right?  Anyway, here are my reflections from the recently completed Winter 2017 anime season.

Autumn 2016 – Season Preview

Every season has its defining features.  Autumn, for example, is known for its bountiful harvests and leaves falling to the ground.  Likewise, every anime season has its distinguishing characteristics thanks to the anime that air within its interval.  Sometimes, anime seasons are bountiful, like an autumn harvest, and others are barren, like the trees after shedding their leaves.  What type of season will Autumn 2016 bring us?  Let’s take a peak and see what we have in store for the final season of 2016.

Spring 2016 – Week 5 Spotlight – The Shanghai International Settlement in Joker Game

The fourth episode of Joker Game had an astonishing setting, both in terms of its historical context and for the presentation of its story.  Yet, how was such a locale and situation even possible for a plot like this?  This episode was set in Shanghai and between 1937 and 1941, during the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War when Japan was invading and controlling large regions of China.  You may be wondering, with war between Japan and China raging across the nation, how was such a setting possible for Joker Game to utilize?  How was a military police unit, Chinese revolutionaries, and America and British citizens able to coexist in such a place with such turmoil and conflict?  This post on the fourth episode of Joker Game attempts to describe all the details and history of the Shanghai International Settlement and why it was such a remarkable setting for this episode’s narrative.

Spring 2016 – Week 4 Spotlight – Understanding Pain in Kiznaiver

After three episodes, we understand that the Kizuna system is able to sense, quantify, transmit, and inflict pain in Kiznaiver.  Pain is the instrument used to connect and unite these seven unfamiliar classmates; it is the foundation for which to improve awareness, understanding, and sympathy within this fragmented society.  But what exactly is pain in Kiznaiver?  Or rather, given the broad and general meaning of pain, what type of pain are the characters dealing with?  Do the members involved in this experiment experience the same perception and reaction to pain?  And just how does this definition and understanding of pain influence the characters and story of this anime?  This post on the third episode of Kiznaiver attempts to better under the characterization and role of pain used in Kiznaiver.

Spring 2016 – First Impressions (Part 4)

This post reviews: Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge, Kiznaiver, Hai-Furi, Flying Witch, Sansha Sanyou, Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou, Kuromukuro, and Big Order.

Spring 2016 – First Impressions (Part 3)

This post reviews: Joker Game, Sousei no Onmyouji, Bungou Stray Dogs, Anne Happy, Koutetsujou no Kabaneri, Sakamoto desu ga?, and Shounen Maid.