Tag Archives: Why It Works

Why It Works: Suffering Alone in March comes in like a lion

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Today on Crunchyroll, I’ve got a piece focused on how well March articulates the difficulty of actually reaching out for help when you find yourself in a bad place. The topic is just a small element of March’s much larger dramatic aspirations, but it’s a tough issue that I deeply relate to, and I was happy to celebrate how March handles it. The show has been low-key excellent for forever, and it’s always nice to find another reason to promote it for a wider audience.

Suffering Alone in March comes in like a lion

Why It Works: Character Economy in Juni Taisen (Part Two)

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Today I conclude my journey through Juni Taisen’s early episodes, talking about how well the show executed on Chicken’s story and also how episode four set up a variety of dramatic tentpoles for the show to come. This is pretty much as far as you can go with an article series like this – as episode six has gleefully demonstrated, we are now in the part of the narrative where all bets are off, and characters will be dying quickly in order to make way for the final confrontations. At least I got half an article dedicated to Monkey before that bastard Nisio killed her off :(((

Why It Works: Character Economy in Juni Taisen (Part Two)

Character Economy in Juni Taisen (Part One)

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Today on Crunchyroll, I dug into how well Juni Taisen has balanced the assumptions of its premise and the general demands of dramatic characterization. The show isn’t wasting time killing off its contenders, but those contenders are being used well – their deaths are all meaningful in their own way, and the fact that I actually felt very sad for Chicken and Boar is a testament to the show’s overall writing. You can check out my full piece over at Crunchyroll!

Character Economy in Juni Taisen (Part One)

Why It Works: Wonder and Terror in The Ancient Magus’ Bride

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Today on Crunchyroll, I dug into the unique axis of magical intrigue that guides Magus’ Bride’s most beautiful and chilling moments. The show is extremely good at capturing a specific kind of Old World magic that you don’t often see in anime, and I was happy to explore the eccentricities of its style. I hope you enjoy the piece!

Wonder and Terror in The Ancient Magus’ Bride

Why It Works: Taking Love Seriously in Tsuredure Children

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Today I return to Tsuredure Children for one more Crunchyroll article, this time diving into its thoughtful take on the messier side of romance. I really enjoyed how even in a fairly farcical comedy, Tsuredure Children still managed to clearly respect the feelings and boundaries of its leads. Kana and Chiaki’s breakup fit cleanly within the show’s general atmosphere while never minimizing the serious nature of their actions. It was an impressively articulated arc, and I’m happy to celebrate it today.

Taking Love Seriously in Tsuredure Children

Why It Works: My Hero Academia’s Final Exams: Preliminary Report

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Today on Why It Works, I jumped back to My Hero Academia for a pretty silly concept piece. My Hero Academia’s sturdy tactical foundations both make its action very satisfying and also make it a rewarding show to break down in a narrative sense, and today I spun that quasi-criticism into an after-action report. “Who would win in a fight, Goku or Naruto” is generally not the most illuminating genre of criticism, but My Hero Academia is actually constructed in such a way that it rewards such in-universe tactical discussions. I had fun with this piece, and I hope you enjoy it too!

My Hero Academia’s Final Exams: Preliminary Report

The New Champions of Atmosphere in the Crunchyroll Catalog

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Today on Why It Works, I took advantage of Crunchyroll’s recent slate of acquisitions to rep a few lesser-known but very beautiful shows. It was nice to return to .hack, even if I was just looking for background images, and scouring through Aria episodes convinced me yet again that I really need to find time for that show. There sure are a lot of terrific anime out there.

The New Champions of Atmosphere in the Crunchyroll Catalog

Why It Works: A Monogatari Art Exhibition, Part Two

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Today I conclude my journey through Monogatari’s various art styles, diving into its evolution in the post-Oishi era. This piece bounces between general style shift appreciation and digging into the actual dramatic effect of Monogatari’s various visual choices, and on the whole I’m pretty happy with it. I hope you enjoy the piece!

Why It Works: A Monogatari Art Exhibition, Part Two

Why It Works: Translating Tension in My Hero Academia

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Today on Crunchyroll I looked back on the Hero Killer arc, in an article that’s more or less trying to suss out my own feelings as to why this arc felt more effective in anime than in manga. The added material for the anime was all pretty great, but I also just felt the anime polished the Stain battle in a variety of ways, and it was fun to break those things down. Hope you enjoy the piece!

Why It Works: Translating Tension in My Hero Academia

Why It Works: The Soul of Horror in Shiki

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With Crunchyroll having just picked up Shiki’s streaming rights, I felt it was pretty much required for me to write an article hyping the show. Shiki’s one of my all-time favorites, and also one of the shows that’s least-known among those favorites. The show winds up being one of the smarter “ugly nature of mankind” shows I’ve seen in anime, but its immediate strengths were more my focus for this article. Check it out!

Why It Works: The Soul of Horror in Shiki