This week on Why It Works, I dug into the power of a great musical cue, something I personally am an absolute sucker for. Nearly all of my favorite moments in anime take strong advantage of a impac…
Aug 3, 2020 • Subscribe
More like this
Why It Works: What Are the Best Anime About Anime?
This week I’m once again diving into Eizouken-adjacent articles, as I use the show’s unique production focus to shamelessly promote some of my other favorite anime, like Shirobako…
Why It Works: What Are the Fundamentals of Great Horror Anime?
This week in Why It Works, I capitalized on Halloween’s approach to write a general article about how tricky it is to make animation scary, and what tools…
Why It Works: Kaiju Are Making a Comeback!
For this week’s Why It Works, I took stock of just how generous our current era is in terms of kaiju productions. We’ve got the Anno-Higuchi films, Legendary’s…
What Are Your Five Favorite Non-Shonen Anime? Here are Ours!
One of our Twitch streamers, negativeprimes, recently tagged a number of our staffers on a Twitter post that’s making the rounds asking users to name their five favorite…
Fruits Basket, Interviews with Monster Girls, Library War, Monster, A Place Further Than the Universe
Who are your favorite women leaders in anime?
What traits define your fave? Which characters are strong women without being Strong Female Characters? Do you prefer relatably flawed or wish fulfillment fantasy versions of the archetype? The…
[AniFemTalk] What are your favorite light novel adaptations?
What makes a good LN adaptation? What are your favorite anime based on light novels? Are any LNs better as manga? Comments are open! Please read our comments policy before…
Why It Works: What Does It Truly Mean to Be “Over 9000?”
I had a whole lot of fun with this week’s Why It Works article, as it fell into one of my favorite categories of criticism: thorough explorations of…
Why It Works: Hope Lights the Way Through Desolation in To Your Eternity
For this week’s Why It Works piece, I wrote a response to To Your Eternity’s phenomenal first episode. I haven’t been cross-posting my Why It Works pieces, since…
Why It Works: One Perfect Moment – Atmosphere as Drama in Anime
For this week’s Why It Works, I discussed anime’s laudable focus on atmospheric storytelling, and its ability to convey emotional truths or the precise tension of a moment…
Why It Works: What Anime Should You Check Out After Avatar: The Last Airbender?
With the spring season largely cancelled by COVID, the anime-adjacent thing I’ve most enjoyed recently has undoubtedly been the utterly fantastic Avatar: The Last Airbender. And fortunately, …
What was your favorite Spring 2021 anime?
What was your overall fave? Any titles surprise you in a good way? Anything you’d been enjoying end up fizzling out?
What was your favorite Summer 2022 anime?
What was your favorite original series? Favorite sequel? What series went way above or fell short of your expectations?
What was your favorite Winter 2023 anime?
Favorite new series? Favorite sequel or continuation? Any series that ended up surprising you?
What was your favorite Summer 2020 anime?
What was your overall favorite? Which series surprised you? Which series ended up a disappointment?
What was your favorite Fall 2021 anime?
What was your favorite new series? Favorite carryovers or sequels? What series surprised you or fell short of your expectations?
What was your favorite Spring 2022 anime?
What was your favorite new series? Favorite sequel? Was there a title that surprised you, positively or negatively?
What was your favorite Fall 2023 anime?
Favorite new series? Favorite sequel or continuation? Series that surprised you, positively or negatively?
What was your favorite Winter 2024 anime?
Favorite new series? Favorites sequel/continuation? Series that surprised you, for better or worse?
What was your favorite Summer 2021 anime?
What was your overall favorite? Which show ended up surprising you? Which show turned out underwhelming?
What was your favorite anime of 2021?
What was your fave new series? Favorite sequel? What show continuing into 2022 are you most excited about?
What was your favorite Spring 2023 anime?
Favorite new premiere? Favorite continuation or sequel? Series that surprised you, positively or negatively?
What was your favorite Summer 2023 anime?
Favorite new title? Sequel or continuation? A show that surprised you, positively or negatively?
What was your favorite Winter 2022 anime?
What was your favorite new series? Favorite sequel? Was there a sequel that fell short of your expectations?
What was your favorite anime of 2023?
Your top five for the year? Favorite series you feel got overlooked? Favorite series you personally watched for the first time in 2023?
What was your favorite Fall 2022 anime?
Best new series? Best sequel? Title that ended up surprising you?
What was your favorite Summer 2024 anime?
Best new series? Best continuation or sequel? A series that surprised you, positively or negatively?
What was your favorite Winter 2021 anime?
What’s your overall favorite series? Are there any ongoing shows from Fall that have wrapped up well? What series fell short of your hopes?
What was your favorite Spring 2020 anime?
What was your favorite completed series? What series were you waiting to return from hiatus? Any especially good sequels or ongoing cours?
What was your favorite Spring 2024 anime?
Favorite new series? Favorites sequel/continuation? Series that surprised you, for better or worse?
What was your favorite Winter 2020 anime?
Which series was your overall favorite? Which series surprised or disappointed you? What show do you wish more people had watched? The post What was your favorite Winter 2020…
Representation: Why Does It Matter and What Are Its Limits?
Years ago I wrote about representation in media. I think I made some good points, but I also feel like it was a bit vapid. My thoughts on…
Why It Works: Who Defines Justice in My Hero Academia?
This week’s Crunchyroll article returns us to My Hero Academia, as I explore the central question presented by Gentle Criminal’s addition to the narrative. Gentle’s actions aren’t legal,…
[AniFemTalk] Who are your favorite trans characters in anime and manga?
Who are your favorite explicitly trans characters? Has the answer changed over the years? Who are your favorite trans-coded characters? For trans readers, which characters helped you understand…
What was your favorite anime film of 2023?
Favorite theatrical film? Favorite OVA/direct-to-streaming? Movie from any year that you saw in 2023?
Your Lie in April: The Musical
From paid-up Your Lie in April fans to complete outsiders to anime, judging by the noisy goodwill on press night, the crossover audience may come.
What are your Twitter alternatives?
Today’s news that Elon Musk successfully bought out Twitter has resulted in a flurry of conversations about alternatives. While we plan on keeping the site’s Twitter presence for…
Why It Works: A Lifetime of Competition: Growing Up in Chihayafuru
With the spring season rapidly approaching, it felt like about time to write some sort of thematic wrap-up for this season of Chihayafuru. I’ve been thrilled by Chihayafuru’s…
Why It Works: Animating the Impossible, the Breathtaking Works of Kou Yoshinari
This week, I actually took my Why It Works inspiration from an airing show, though not one I’m actually watching. It turns out Kou Yoshinari showed up to…
What series has your favorite localization?
What sticks out about the series? Writing choices, dub, a combination? Do you prefer looser translations that capture the feel of something or more exact translations, even if…
Anime Flu: What Is It and Why Is It So Dramatic?
A detailed and engaging article about anime flu, a common trope in anime where a character gets sick from a minor exposure to cold or rain.
Toradora!, Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Nichijou - My Ordinary Life, Steins;Gate, When They Cry
Why It Works: Worldbuilding, Storytelling, and Weaving a Song
For this week’s Why It Works, I pulled together an old-fashioned “philosophy of storytelling” essay, centered on the relationship between worldbuilding and dramatic structure. As …
Why It Works: Worldbuilding, Storytelling, and Weaving a Song
For this week’s Why It Works, I pulled together an old-fashioned “philosophy of storytelling” essay, centered on the relationship between worldbuilding and dramatic structure. As …
Writing Prompt: What are some of your favourite school clubs in anime?
This one seemed fun to think about. As we all know, clubs are a pretty glorified part of any school anime. And to be fair, I’d say they…
Why It Works: Let’s Explore the Finer Points of Anime Power-Ups!
I’ve got another fairly breezy Why It Works column for you all this week, though this one certainly plays into a fair number of storytelling and conflict-building fundamentals.…
What Are Your Top 10 Anime, Voyager? | Lightning List
As I get older, I find myself continually asking myself "Why in the world are we so fascinated with these lists?"
What are Anime Reactors and Why You Should Watch Them
I've already seen One Piece, in fact, I've seen it multiple times (six). And that really sucks, I'd give almost anything to be able to enjoy it again…
Hit it with your 3×3! Sharing my Favorite Anime
Hey Guys. A list of my favorite anime is not new on this blog, and frankly it hasn’t changed that much. However there hasn’t been a blog event…
Why It Works: Why You Absolutely Need to Check Out Pokemon: Twilight Wings!
As is often the case for Why It Works posts, the title says it all here. The new Pokemon shorts they’ve been producing to promote Sword and Shield…
Why It Works: Fabulous Hair, and Other Character Design Fundamentals
For this week’s Why It Works, I leapfrogged off Ninny’s absolutely fantastic hair from Burn the Witch, in order to discuss the nature and importance of character designs…
Why It Works: Gen Urobuchi’s Puppet Masterpiece Returns This Spring!
Hey folks. I think you can figure this one out by the title – Thunderbolt Fantasy’s on the way back, and so I am conscience-bound to hype it…