Tag Archives: Kids on the Slope

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: Cowboy Bebop’s Shinichiro Watanabe is Directing an Anime this Spring!

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Today on Why It Works, I used the occasion of Carole & Tuesday’s upcoming release to talk about Watanabe’s work in a more general sense, highlighting the themes and narrative quirks that have remained consistent all through his many years as a director. I get the feeling my insistence his works are all a part of one cohesive statement might not tempt people who are just hoping for Bebop 2, but I gotta try! Regardless, I enjoyed looking and thinking back over Watanabe’s career, and now feel even more excited for his new show. I hope you enjoy the piece!

Cowboy Bebop’s Shinichiro Watanabe is Directing an Anime this Spring!

Top 30 Anime Series of All Time

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Yep, I’ve finally put together a top shows list. As I hopefully made clear in part one and part two of my critical biases post, this is obviously my list – it represents the things I think are most valuable in stories in the way I think they’ve best been articulated. It’s also just a list of shows I enjoy – there’s no hard criteria here, so I wouldn’t stress the numbers too much. Also, it’s a bit front-loaded – I only started watching anime seasonally about two years ago, so the last couple years are disproportionately represented. Incidentally, I’m not including movies here either – I think direct comparisons between shows and films are a bit of a stretch, but if they were included, this list would certainly be somewhat different. And finally, I’m absolutely (and thankfully) certain this list will change over time – there are still piles of widely beloved shows I’ve never seen, so I’m sure the current rankings will be filled out in the years to come. So with that all said, let’s get to the list – Bobduh’s Top 30 Anime of All Time.

-edit- I have now created a Top Shows Addendum for shows that have either fallen off or just barely missed this list. Please enjoy these additional almost-top shows!

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