And so my retrospective of the dogs of JoJo concludes with a tribute to JoJo’s most noble hero: Iggy the Fool, who gave up his life so an asshole Frenchman may live. Us stalwart dog lovers salute you, Iggy. You did the best you could in a game you weren’t meant to win.
I’ve enjoyed writing these very silly articles, so I’ll probably think up more nonsense to cover soon enough. I hope you enjoyed them too!
Why It Works: A Eulogy for the Dogs of JoJo, Part Two
Time for a new ANN editorial! I’m diving into Love Live this time, talking about the specific and very noteworthy strengths that make this show so compelling. Love Live embodies a fair number of the qualities that make anime appealing as a medium in general, so I was happy to have a chance to discuss some of its major accomplishments. I could easily talk about camp or communal engagement for far longer than one editorial (and I have before), but for now, I’m happy to have a semi-reasonable excuse to write the phrase “Nico and Maki’s potato marriage” in a critical context. ANYWAY!
The Secret of Love Live’s Success
JoJo has been terribly and consistently unkind to its dogs, and I for one have had enough of it. Part of being a critic is accepting that sometimes you have a moral responsibility to write a two part article in memory of fictional animals. I didn’t choose this duty, but I will not shirk my responsibilities. Dear dogs of JoJo, please accept this offering in memory of your sacrifice.
Why It Works: A Eulogy for the Dogs of JoJo, Part One
Today I got to write a piece on Sweetness & Lightning for the first time, which was nice. The show honestly doesn’t offer that much to dissect a lot of weeks, but the Tsumugi-focused episode was a clear standout, so I had plenty to talk about. Hope you enjoy the piece!
Why It Works: Tsumugi’s Great Adventure
It’s interesting how fan communities often lionize the idea of “thematic depth” in stories, as if fiction with an underlying philosophical message is somehow more worthy than works that are largely concerned with having a good time. It makes sense for a few reasons – we see complexity as an inherent good, we see works that are trying to change the viewers’ minds as more challenging or morally profound, we more deeply connect with the works that taught us something new, etcetera. But it’s also a little funny to me, since there’s no type of art more prone to sermonizing than family entertainment.
I returned to JoJo again this week, unable to avoid the temptation of talking about a Yukako episode. Unfortunately, this article isn’t really about how Yukako herself is awesome – it’s more about the framing of her Cinderella story, and the influences it’s drawing on in both a narrative and visual sense. Hopefully that still sounds pretty entertaining!
Why It Works: Yukako’s Fairy Tale
Today I discuss Orange’s somewhat unique framing device, and the interesting way it colors our relationship with Orange’s characters. Some mild philosophy of the viewer shenanigans for your Saturday afternoon.
Why It Works: Emotional Distance in Orange
I took another stab at JoJo this week, breaking down some of the genre craft stuff that made one of the recent episodes so effective. JoJo’s just a really easy show to talk about, particularly this season – it’s got a wide variety of clear strengths, and yet tends to be strong in ways that make it quite different from most anime. I’m sure I’ll find my way back to covering it again!
Why It Works: Anatomy of a Rat Fight
Everyone has heard that “doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of madness” cliche, but as a critic, I don’t always have the luxury of learning from experience. When I don’t think I’ll like something, I generally just stay away – I’m not a big fan of hatewatching, and feel that if you go into something expecting to dislike it, you’re not likely to learn anything from the experience. But when it comes to the Current Projects, sometimes my life is a sequence of touching a hot stove, burning my hand, hearing someone say “I’ll pay you fifty bucks to touch it again,” and then doing exactly that.
I’ve had difficulty getting into visual novels in the past. I started with Katawa Shoujo, which in retrospect probably gave me some unfortunate preconceptions about the medium at large. I know VN aficionados likely see Katawa Shoujo as an “entry level” piece, but it’s not a bad thing to possess qualities that makes your art accessible to a wider audience. And in Katawa Shoujo’s case, those qualities seem to be things like pacing, a believable interior voice, dialogue that sounds like human beings, and stories that respect the reader’s time and investment.
My experiences since then have been somewhat less positive.
Time for my second Crunchyroll column! This time I take a stab at JoJo, investigating its art design and love of horror classics and all that good stuff. Morioh is a wonderfully terrible place.
Why It Works: The Rolling Hills of Morioh
