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 of the medium you can use to allevia…
Oct 26, 2020 • Subscribe
More like this
Why It Works: Let’s Explore the Fundamentals of a Great School Festival Arc!
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: 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 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: 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: 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…
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: 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…
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: 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, …
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: The Quiet Lessons of Laid-Back Camp
Laid-Back Camp is friggin’ back, meaning I can once more wax rhapsodic regarding the meditative, life-affirming qualities of the best slice of life anime. That basically covers this…
Why It Works: The Madness of Hunter x Hunter’s Hero
Hey everyone! For this week’s Why It Works, I dove back into Hunter x Hunter, that seemingly infinite well of potential storytelling topics. This time, I explored the…
If Horror Movies Reflect Societal Anxieties What do Horror Anime Say About What Otakus are Afraid of?
I attempt to figure out what Otakus are scared of by looking back at the horror anime of the past two years. I discover something shocking!
Why It Works: Introducing the Incredible Director of the Horimiya Adaptation!
This week (well, last week, technically), I ended up springboarding off the Horimiya anime announcement to ramble about Masashi Ishihama. Ishihama is one of the industry’s unsung greats,…
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: The Beauty and Excitement of Exploring New Art
I’ve got a big Why It Works piece this week, all about the benefits of expanding your artistic horizons. I feel like people often see this process as…
Why It Works: Ojamajo Doremi and the Magic of Children’s Animation
Heck yeah, writing about Doremi on Crunchyroll. I’d likely never have gotten the chance if not for this upcoming film, so count that as another reason I’m so…
Why It Works: Let’s Celebrate the Birthday of A-1 Pictures!
Welp, it’s A-1 Pictures birthday, and I think you all know what that means: time to shamelessly plug every single artistically interesting thing they’ve ever been involved with,…
Why It Works: How Eizouken Embodies the Messy Thrill of Storytelling!
I am sure it could not be less surprising that I’m favoring Eizouken in this season’s Why It Works columns, but you only get so many chances to…
Why Junji Ito is Great At Writing Horror
The boys talk about the upcoming Uzumaki anime and why they enjoy Junji Ito
Why It Works: How Princess Connect! Re:Dive Captures the Spirit of Konosuba!
The title pretty much says it all with this one! Featuring the same director and a variation on the same premise as Konosuba, Princess Connect feels like a…
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: 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…
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: The Young Titans and Ailing Empires of Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Today on Why It Works, I dove once more into Legend of the Galactic Heroes, to explore the fascinating contrast of Reinhard von Lohengram and Yang Wen-li. Each…
Episode 864: The 100 Reasons Why Harems Are Great
This week on Anime Pulse we got solo Joseph, more tales from DC, and the greater harem series of the year. Up first Joseph takes it away by…
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…
Weird Anime Are Great
Kind of a corny video but I'm happy with how it turned out. I just noticed that like half the shows I talked about have girlfriend in the title,…
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 …
Why It Works: The World is the Game: Designing Worlds After Breath of the Wild
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…
Why It Works: Fighting With Impact: The Brilliance of Hunter x Hunter’s Nen System
With the already-limited spring season now experiencing a necessary wave of delays and cancellations, my Why It Works columns are at last able to assume their final form:…
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…
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…
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…
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: 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,…
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…
Why are Harem Anime Popular?
Most harem anime I’ve watched follow a template. A gaggle of various girls chase a guy with little personality and an aversion to making decisions and touching female…
Why Are Slice-of-Life Anime So GOOD
Despite me enjoying the genre, I'll never be able to comprehend why it's so good Check out my channel: https://youtube.com/@cydthemanic Anime Used: Gabriel Dropout Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun Shirobako Jujutsu…
Asobi Asobase - workshop of fun -, Gabriel DropOut, Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu, Beyond the Boundary, Nichijou - My Ordinary Life
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…
7 Great Horror Manga Anthologies
Seven Horror Manga Anthologies: 1. Mist Story 2. Lullabies From Hell 3. Hyakumonogatari 4. Kyoufu 5. From the Depths of Dark Water 6. From a Different Dimension 7. Screaming Lessons #manga #horrormanga #anime
Why Spy x Family Works
Hot take: Spy x Family was a good show. Here's a short little video about some things that made me like it and some things I think are…
Why Asobi Asobase’s Comedy Works
After finishing Asobi Asobase this week, it is safe to say that it is definitely one of the better comedy anime to come out in the last few…
What are some light novels with great female leads?
Favorite female lead in a light novel? Best light novel aimed at female audiences? Best wlw/yuri light novel?
There Are No Great Anime Awards
One last rant on awards before we move on to something else.
The Crazy World Of Horror Anime
Use code BONSAIPOP50 to get 50% OFF your first Factor box plus 20% off your next month of orders at https://bit.ly/3yYecEq! Horror anime is a tought customer. It's not only…
Kakurenbo: Hide and Seek, Perfect Blue, Wicked City, Apocalypse Zero, Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma
Why are anime boxsets so horrible?
This week’s piece doesn’t have much to do with Canaan in particular, but is a burning question that has been on my mind for a while now. I am…