Category Archives: Essay

Why It Works: Music in Anime: The Song is the Story

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Today I’ve got a Why It Works post I’m very happy with, as I got to write at length on a topic I’m always fascinated by – storytelling conveyed without narrative, and particularly storytelling conveyed through sound design. The entry point for this discussion was how well Carole & Tuesday’s songwriting expresses its protagonists’ growth, but many of my favorite shows use not just music, but in-show musical performance as key emotional moments and character turns. As a musician and songwriter myself, I’m naturally inclined to embrace music-focused anime, and fortunately, several of my favorite anime directors seem to love musical performances just as much as I do. Here’s the piece!

Music in Anime: The Song is the Story

Why It Works: Five Shows to Scratch that Game of Thrones Itch!

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For this week’s Why It Works article, I shamelessly embraced the conclusion of Game of Thrones to try and trick people into watching a bunch of really good anime. My means may have been duplicitous, but my intentions are good, which I feel is at least honoring the spirit of our fondest Westerosi friends. Any opportunity to rep Shinsekai Yori and Bokurano feels like a net positive to me!

Five Shows to Scratch that Game of Thrones Itch!

Why It Works: Searching for Home in the Anime of Kunihiko Ikuhara

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Today on Why It Works, I used the reveal of Toi’s backstory as a jumping-off point to explore the searching for a home that dominates all of Ikuhara’s anime productions. It’s nice to be able to put all those hours spent exploring and detailing Penguindrum’s themes to good use, and always a treat to revisit the art design of Ikuhara’s works in general. Here’s the piece!

Searching for Home in the Anime of Kunihiko Ikuhara

Why It Works: The Digital Arenas of Demon Slayer’s Battles

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Today on Why It Works, I explored the unique ways Haruo Sotozaki and studio ufotable bring Demon Slayer’s battles to life. It’s always a little dicey to talk about “house styles” when it comes to anime studios, since the specific individuals on any given team can vary so much, but if ufotable can be known for anything, it’d be the unique way their expansive CG department informs their action cinematography. Today’s article is all about that, and I’m eager to get to it. Here’s the piece!

The Digital Arenas of Demon Slayer’s Battles

Japan Railway Journal: Yamanote Line

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Well folks, today we’re diving into something entirely different. I normally keep things pretty anime-centric around these parts, or at least fiction-specific more generally, but today we’re branching out to something new: a video episode of the Japan Railway Journal. The Japan Railway Journal is Japan’s episodic NHK documentary on the various train lines of Japan, and today we’ll be exploring the Yamanote Line – the loop that services the Tokyo region, handling a ridiculous density of commuter traffic every single morning. And if you’d like to follow along, you can easily watch the episode yourself!

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Why It Works: JoJo’s Bizarre Survival Guide, Part Two

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Yeap, turns out it takes more than four or five handy tips to survive in the JoJo universe. Today I returned to JoJo’s Bizarre Survival Guide, and had an altogether wonderful time pulling together a few more key rules for surviving in Araki’s wild wilderness. Let’s get to it!

JoJo’s Bizarre Survival Guide, Part Two

Something Good Will Happen: Forgiveness and Spirit Circle

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From the beginning, Koko has clearly seen Spirit Circle as a kind of revenge narrative. She must get her revenge on Fuuta, and hopefully break the cycle in the process, but the revenge part at least is paramount. Of course, simply punishing this boy who doesn’t even know what he’s done wouldn’t be particularly satisfying – so first, she must make him understand the weight of all the suffering he’s caused her. It’s an instinct almost anyone can relate to; revenge is in large part about wanting someone else to understand and pay back the pain they inflicted on you, and if we could simply share our pain directly, then we might not lash out through other means.

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Why It Works: Nick’s Anime Picks for Spring 2019

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For this week’s Why It Works, I wrote up my traditional slew of recommendations for Crunchyroll-specific properties. All four of this article’s properties genuinely seemed pretty darn great to me, and though I probably won’t be sticking with all of them, they’re certainly fine entries in their own genres. Let’s get to it!

Nick’s Anime Picks for Spring 2019

Why It Works: Surviving this Bizarre World: JoJo’s Bizarre Survival Guide

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Today on Why It Works, I return to JoJo with another mostly nonsensical article about bizarre adventure best practices. While it’s true that JoJo is full of incredibly bullshit abilities that will kill you for the most preposterous of reasons, the seasons so far have also established a clear catalog of actions that will pretty much always get you injured, killed, or otherwise punished for your foolishness. Today we break down just a few of those classic mistakes in JoJo’s Bizarre Survival Guide!

Surviving this Bizarre World: JoJo’s Bizarre Survival Guide

Why It Works: Revolutionary Girl Utena’s Ikuhara is Directing an Anime this Spring!

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Today I wrote the necessary followup to last week’s Watanabe-focused article, this time exploring the career of the equally remarkable Kunihiko Ikuhara. It’s a pretty classic retrospective, focusing on both his themes and influences, with a solid shoutout to Junichi Sato for good measure. Let’s get to it!

Revolutionary Girl Utena’s Ikuhara is Directing an Anime this Spring!