For this actual week’s Why It Works post, I ended up writing an article I’ve been meaning to write for years, and gushing a whole lot about how Breath of the Wild fundamentally changed …
Oct 5, 2020 • Subscribe
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Storytelling in Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Many people criticized The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild for its lack of storytelling. As I revisit the game, I struggle to understand their viewpoints. After…
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If you’ve seen any discussion surrounding miHoYo’s Genshin Impact, one comparison is brought up consistently. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And it’s really not that…
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Why It Works: Chihayafuru and the Makings of a Great Tournament Arc
I finally got to write about Chihayafuru for Why It Works this week, which I’m sure you all saw coming the moment season three was announced. Chihayafuru is…
Why It Works: How Princess Connect! Re:Dive Captures the Spirit of Konosuba!
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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.…
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…
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Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Delayed to Spring 2023
The Legend of Zelda series producer, Eiji Aonuma, announced via a video package that the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be delayed…
Why Is It Always the Girl?
This is a response to Galvanic Media (or specifically Voyager’s) post. You’re going to need to read that before this (and that will also explain why some works…
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: The Young Titans and Ailing Empires of Legend of the Galactic Heroes
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This week’s Why It Works column is pretty self-explanatory, as I use the convenient approach of My Hero Academia’s school festival arc to talk about why these festivals…
Why It Works: How Eizouken Embodies the Messy Thrill of Storytelling (Part Two)
Today on Crunchyroll, I conclude my early breakdown of how Eizouken explores the genuine fundamentals of creating stories generally, and producing anime specifically. The show’s progression actually ended…
My Uncle from Another World is WILD
My uncle from another world is wild....but in the best way possible. ⛔️WICHTIG/IMPORTANT⛔️ 📌I have no rights on the anime images! 📌I have no rights on the background music! 📌Alle Rechte…
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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 …
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…
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Have You Heard of the Latest Craze? It’s Called “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.”
I’m five years late to the party. As others started playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, I decided to dust off my barely touched Breath…
Designing the Powerpuff Girls
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How to Study for the JLPT: Designing Your Game Plan
With no set curriculum for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, how can you know what to study for the JLPT? Read on to find out!
Why It Works: Chihayafuru is Back! But Where Do Its Heroes Go From Here?
Did you really think I wouldn’t also be rambling about Chihayafuru over on Crunchyroll? Considering it’s easily the platform’s strongest pickup of the season, I expect to be gushing…
Why It Works: Here’s Why You Should Be Excited for Josee, the Tiger and the Fish!
Welp, the title kinda covers it, right? BONES’ upcoming film Josee looks phenomenal in basically every regard, so it was a no-brainer to write a rundown of its…
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…
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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…
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…
Why It Works: My Hero Academia’s Most Terrifying Team-Ups!
Today I’ve got a pretty silly Why It Works feature, mostly prompted by how much fun the new My Hero Academia movie was. Inspired by that film’s generous…
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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,…
The Worlds of Tomino
[This post was inspired by a bit of a conversation between Biblionyan and I on Discord. Thanks for talking with me, let’s talk more often.] Yoshiyuki Tomino is…
Is it Fair to Compare Works by the Same Studio?
The critical evaluation of anime (and media in general) is driven by comparison. This is only natural since we base all our opinions off of previous experiences. If…
DARLING in the FRANXX, Sword Art Online, The Seven Deadly Sins
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Figure I’ll start this off with a fairly uncomplicated question. This one’s honestly been bouncing around in my head for a long time. You know those stories that…
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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 Are Your Favorite Musical Cues in Anime?
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…
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…