Tag Archives: Why It Works

Why It Works: It’s Time to Get Caught Up For Next Season’s Chihayafuru!

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With one of my favorite goddamn shows premiering in just a few short weeks, it seemed about time to sing the praises of the endlessly entertaining Chihayafuru. It’s hard to summarize Chihayafuru’s appeal in just a few hundred words, but I did my best to highlight how it’s one of those rare and wonderful shows where your investment in the tactical mechanics of sports drama is always rewarded, often in ways you’d never expect. Here’s the piece!

It’s Time to Get Caught Up For Next Season’s Chihayafuru!

Why It Works: Announcing the Contenders of This Season’s High-Stakes GRANBELM

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Today on Why It Works, I had a great deal of fun writing another in-universe flavor article, this time about GRANBELM’s many ferocious heroines. I always really enjoy writing these sorts of pieces, which is one reason I tend to write so many Crunchyroll articles about My Hero Academia and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures – they’re both universes that invite tactical speculation, and embody a specific authorial tone that’s really fun to emulate. GRANBELM occupies a similar combination of tactics and tone, and has been keeping me fully stocked on satisfying action even as the season’s ostensible shonen front-runners have faltered. Let’s get to it!

Announcing the Contenders of This Season’s High-Stakes GRANBELM

Why It Works: What to Expect from the My Hero Academia Anime’s Fourth Season!

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Today on Why It Works, it’s time for some shameless promotion, as I break down just a few of the things to look forward to in My Hero Academia’s fast-approaching fourth season. If you’ve read the manga, none of this will be new to you, but if you haven’t, this post should offer a spoiler-free sampler of the directions the story will soon be taking. Have at it!

What to Expect from the My Hero Academia Anime’s Fourth Season!

Why It Works: Drama with All the Senses: The Rich Storytelling of the Anime given

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Jeez, these titles don’t really work when my crunchyroll title also contains a colon, huh? Anyway, today on Why It Works, I dive into the excellent use of visual and sound design in this season’s terrific given, specifically breaking down the tonal tricks and visual metaphors of the fifth’s episode most important scene. Let’s get to it!

Drama with All the Senses: The Rich Storytelling of the Anime given

Why It Works: Celebrating the Quiet Beauty of Kyoto Animation

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Today on Crunchyroll I’ve got something a little different, as I reflect back on my own relationship with the incredible works of Kyoto Animation. This studio’s shows have genuinely, deeply impacted the course of my life, and given me so much hope and joy over the years. I wish Kyoto Animation’s brilliant family all the best in overcoming this tragedy, and can only say again how grateful I am for all the treasures and feelings they’ve shared with me.

Celebrating the Quiet Beauty of Kyoto Animation

Why It Works: So You Just Finished Neon Genesis Evangelion. What’s Next?

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This week on Why It Works, I run through a wide array of recommendations for all those brave souls who’ve just finished their first watch of Neon Genesis Evangelion. There are plenty of shows that directly echo the narrative tropes or iconography of Evangelion, but capturing its underlying appeal is a lot trickier, and I felt I did a fair enough job of offering selections for a variety of Evangelion’s strengths. March comes in like a lion feels like a weirdly appropriate spiritual successor to Evangelion, while other choices like Flip Flappers are more obvious, but still well-worth watching. Anyway, here’s the piece!

So You Just Finished Neon Genesis Evangelion. What’s Next?

Why It Works: Five Highlights of the Fire Force Anime’s Thrilling Debut

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That’s fucking right, I somehow also wrote a Why It Works column during this ridiculous hell weekend. It’s about Fire Force, features some detailed breakdowns of the show’s visual merits, and I have no more time to continue to describing it. I’m off to continue my rampage through the season premieres, so please enjoy!

Five Highlights of the Fire Force Anime’s Thrilling Debut!

Why It Works: Meet the Staff of the Upcoming Fire Force!

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Today on Why It Works, I dug into the key staff behind the new season’s Fire Force, because holy crap does this show have a great staff. The director Yuki Yase in particular has been a force at SHAFT for years now, and though it’s sad to see SHAFT losing so much key talent, I’m excited to see what he does with a major production like this. The wild card, as always, will be the writing – there’s plenty of strong studio talent here, but if the obnoxious comedy that knocked me off Soul Eater is prominent enough, none of that will matter. Here’s to hoping Fire Force is a story worthy of its excellent team!

Meet the Staff of the Upcoming Fire Force!

10 Anime to Inspire Your Summer Vacation!

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Today on Why It Works, I’ve got another topical list for everyone, courtesy of the end-of-season drought of things to actually critique. This one’s a pretty fun list though, and runs down a pretty wide array of shows I’ve enjoyed over recent years, highlighting them for tonal strengths that are sometimes overshadowed by their overt premises. Here’s the list!

10 Anime to Inspire Your Summer Vacation!

Why It Works: Anime to Look Out For in the Summer Season!

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Today on Why It Works, I offered my usual rapid-fire list of upcoming seasonal contenders, with the summer’s particularly broad slate giving me plenty of shows to talk about. I’m not sure how many of these action shows I’ll actually be keeping up with, but with JoJo ending and Demon Slayer continuing to disappoint, I’m guessing I’ll at least be picking up Dr. Stone and Fire Force. O Maidens also seems like a given, and Granbelm definitely has a lot of potential. Without clear guidelines like “Watanabe and Ikuhara are making shows,” the season’s prospects are a lot more open, and I’m excited to see where all these shows sort out. Here’s my list!

Anime to Look Out For in the Summer Season!