Tag Archives: Why It Works

Why It Works: The Beauty and Excitement of Exploring New Art

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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 something like homework, so I tried to focus on both the satisfaction and the immediate benefits of branching out, rather than framing it as any kind of obligation. Bringing great but lesser-known works into the light is one of a critic’s highest callings, so I hope I did right by my duties this time, and also that you all enjoy the piece!

The Beauty and Excitement of Exploring New Art

Why It Works: How Usopp the Liar Became a True Hero in One Piece

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You all knew this One Piece rampage would inspire some articles eventually, right? Well, here’s the opening salvo, as we explore the journey of my current favorite One Piece character. Usopp’s journey was fascinating to me for several reasons, but the article’s right there, so you might as well click through. I really enjoyed writing this one!

How Usopp the Liar Became a True Hero in One Piece

One Piece

Why It Works: Hope Lights the Way Through Desolation in To Your Eternity

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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 I link them all on Twitter anyway, but I’m particularly proud of this one, so I figured I’d post it here too. Here’s the piece!

Hope Lights the Way Through Desolation in To Your Eternity

Why It Works: Kaiju Are Making a Comeback!

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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 surprisingly good MonsterVerse films, and even a pair of high-profile kaiju anime coming this spring. As someone who’s only recently gotten into the genre myself (I just watched the original Godzilla this weekend!), it’s nice to have so many great examples of the form to choose from, and I was happy to shed a bit more light on these excellent productions. Here’s the piece!

Kaiju Are Making a Comeback!

Shin Godzilla

Why It Works: The Madness of Hunter x Hunter’s Hero

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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 unique ways the show characterizes its protagonist, and how it manipulates our expectations regarding its genre to essentially conceal Gon’s most frightening qualities. I’ve sorta been going through Hunter x Hunter one arc at a time, highlighting various strengths of the show along the way, and this time I cheated a bit – this is technically the “Greed Island article,” but it’s more about Gon than Greed Island itself. Still, I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it too. Let’s get to it!

The Madness of Hunter x Hunter’s Hero

Why It Works: The Quiet Lessons of Laid-Back Camp

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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 article, which digs into the ways Laid-Back Camp’s methodical approach to camping, as well as its general framing of the outside world, essentially works as a form of mindfulness training. Let’s get to it!

The Quiet Lessons of Laid-Back Camp

Why It Works: Gen Urobuchi’s Puppet Masterpiece Returns This Spring!

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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 to all hell, and make sure at least a few more skeptical anime fans check out Urobuchi’s most hilarious production. If any of you haven’t seen it, I’d strongly urge you give Thunderbolt Fantasy’s first episode a try; the script is terrific, and the puppet art design has a tendency to grow on you, if you’re not already on board. Here’s the piece!

Gen Urobuchi’s Puppet Masterpiece Returns This Spring!

Why It Works: Here’s Why You Should Be Excited for Josee, the Tiger and the Fish!

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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 many production assets, and hopefully get a few more people excited about this delicate-looking romance. We’ve actually got a bunch of interesting film projects coming, but Josee is high among them, and I’m eager to see it for myself. Here’s the piece!

Here’s Why You Should Be Excited for Josee, the Tiger and the Fish!

Why It Works: One Perfect Moment – Atmosphere as Drama in Anime

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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 through careful scene-setting. This also serves as a general “becoming a more active media consumer” lesson, as I once more encourage people to connect with art in ways aside from the purely plot-focused. I’ve come to accept I probably won’t singlehandedly instigate a sea change in how fandom engages with art, but I think I’m okay with encouraging just a few people to think just a little differently about storytelling. Anyway, let’s get to it!

One Perfect Moment – Atmosphere as Drama in Anime

Why It Works: Ojamajo Doremi and the Magic of Children’s Animation

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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 excited this revival project exists. Beyond that, this article is more generally about how children’s anime tends to actually inhabit a more mature, thoughtful perspective than late-night anime, largely because it’s written to help kids grow, rather than to make teens feel badass. Let’s get to it!

Ojamajo Doremi and the Magic of Children’s Animation