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 are phenomenal, blessed by a terrific core t…
May 18, 2020 • Subscribe
More like this
Why It Works: Here’s Why You Absolutely Need to Catch Up on My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU!
With the summer season nearly upon us, this week’s Why It Works ended up being unsurprisingly dedicated to singing the praises of Oregairu, one of my very favorite…
Pokemon: Twilight Wings Episode 4
When Nessa was first revealed in a trailer for Pokemon Sword and Shield she became an instant fan favorite. Many fans created beautiful fan art. This latest episode…
Pokemon: Twilight Wings Episode 4
When Nessa was first revealed in a trailer for Pokemon Sword and Shield she became an instant fan favorite. Many fans created beautiful fan art. This latest episode…
Pokemon: Twilight Wings Episode 6
In the sixth episode of Pokemon Twilight Wings, Tommy from the first episode tries to apologize to his friend John. With the help of Allistar he succeeds.
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 You Should Check Out Gamedle
I can’t quite remember the specifics of how I discovered Gamedle but I do know that it was through a recommended video on YouTube and it clearly intrigued…
You Need To Check Out This Monogatari-inspired Short Story!
My good friend, “Sad Scientist,” is an awesome writer and two years ago he wrote a short story called Scorpion Grass. It was a supernatural mystery set in…
Pokemon: Twilight Wings Episode 5: Recap and Review
Pokemon: Twilight Wings episode 5 centers on the Vice-President of Macro Cosmos, Oleana. Hard working scientists, she is dedicated to understanding Pokemon.
Pokemon Twilight Wings: Episode 7 Recap and Review
In the final episode of Pokemon Twilight Wings, John finally has dream realised when he gets to watch Champion Leon battle.
Twilight Wings: A Labor Of Love By The Pokemon Generation
Let’s dig into Pokemon Twilight Wings: the simply stunning production, the beautiful exercise in storytelling efficiency, and the secret at the core of it all—a young team channeling…
Why You NEED To Read Hakari vs Kashimo
Subscribe and hit the bell notification so you don't miss when a new video is posted!! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqliODFiFvhB4C1gobR_PYg?sub_confirmation=1 ----------------------------------------------------------- CHECK OUT THIS PLAYLIST FOR HUNTER X HUNTER ANALYSIS CONTENT!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAIotagY4qooyHKSoFWIn_9fs6CQocbD0 ----------------------------------------------------------- CHECK OUT THIS PLAYLIST…
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 You Need To Know Japanese Before You Study In Japan
Here's a quick rundown on why you should know Japanese before studying at a Japanese language school.
Why You Need to Read Diligence of the Shield Hero!
RJ Writing Ink Interviews Allen Blaster, author of the Shield Hero fanfic, Diligence of the Shield Hero. In 2019, The Rising of the Shield Hero made waves in the anime…
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: 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: 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…
Twilight Out of Focus
Twilight Out of Focus is currently streaming on Crunchyroll....
Added “Other Sites to Check Out”
Just a quick update. I added a “blogroll”/links page with a bunch of sites related to anime, manga, psychology, and/or mental health. https://www.dropintomanga.com/other-sites-to-check-out This link...
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 …
Absolutely Killing it: A love letter to Blue Lynx
Hello and welcome back to Otaku Thursday! Today I am not coming at you with a first impressions, but instead talking about something that has been on 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…
Why Do Anime Need to Be Rebooted?
The easiest answer to the title’s question is that they don’t have to be. Like all things, anime is something that exists because people have the passion to…
TWILIGHT OUT OF FOCUS REVIEW
Hello friends! It’s me, your local fujoshi, once again here to recommend to you a BL she’s finished reading. I ran a poll between Twilight Out of Focus…
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…
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: 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…
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 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: 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: 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,…
Pokémon: Twilight Wings Was Beautiful | GITM Podcast Ep. 84
Award Season is over and as I expected, Pokémon: Twilight Wings did not get the recognition it deserved. That is why in this episode, instead of discussing the…
Josei Manga You NEED to Read
Ahhh, josei... The forgotten demographic of anime and manga... Well not on my watch. Read some josei manga expeditiously! Thank you Walt's Comic Shop for sponsoring a portion of…
UGLIEST Manhwa You NEED to Read
Escape Room is a series about a young man Sean, who one day finds himself locked in a strange room. This is probably THE UGLIEST manhwa on Webtoon…
BL Anime You Need to Watch
The few available BL anime makes it easier for the fandom to watch all of them just to satisfy the yearning for 2D action. In this blog, I…
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: 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,…
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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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…
First Impression: Twilight Out of Focus
Second-year high school students Mao Tsuchiya and Hisashi Otomo have a very interesting living arrangement at their all-boys school dormitory. The two boys live within three rules: Mao…
Twilight Out of Focus – Episode 1
The first episode is a beautifully shot little short film that combines filmic artistry with well-executed character beats.
Twilight Out Of Focus Manga Review
Since I am enjoying the anime, I thought to try reading the manga. Here are my thoughts!
Anime Like Twilight Out of Focus
Despite a somewhat rocky start, Mao Tsuchiya and Hisashi Ootomo have found a way to co-exist in their shared dorm room. They made three simple promises for
Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club, Horimiya, Junjo Romantica, Sasaki and Miyano, Sound! Euphonium