Today on Crunchyroll, I directly explored a topic that’s always been very interesting to me, but I’ve never really handled explicitly before. That’s frankly become a rarity at this point, given the hundreds of articles I’ve written, so I was happy to do a very specific dive into the various ways a smartly chosen ending song can actually elevate the drama of a show. I hope you enjoy the piece!
The Dramatic Power of a Great Anime Ending Song
With the new season fully underway, it’s time for yet another seasonal tradition – my Crunchyroll roundup of all the shows I’d highly recommend. I didn’t really have to stretch at all for picks this time, seeing as the season’s actually terrific, and was even nice enough to distribute its quality across a broad spectrum of genres. Here’s the piece!
With the summer season well and truly over, the time for subtlety has passed. More people absolutely need to watch Planet With, and so today I offered my final hard sell, trying to sum up all the many things that made this series so special. I’m sure you all have heard me gush about this series more than enough at this point, but for some reason Crunchyroll gave me a platform, and goddamnit I’m gonna use that platform for what I consider good. PLANET WITH FOREVER.
Here’s Why You Need to Catch Up with Planet With!
Well, I’d guess that title pretty much says it all, right? With the fall season basically upon us, it seemed about time to hype up all the great shows that will be gaining new sequels in the future. I’m not really sure either JoJo or Monogatari need the help, but I was happy to find another excuse to rep Thunderbolt Fantasy, and it’s not like promoting those titans could actually hurt. Anyway, if you know me well you probably already know what I’m selling, but if not, please enjoy these recommendations!
Here are the Shows to Cram Before the Fall Season
With a new season of Monogatari on the way, it felt like the right time to once again explore some unique facet of this singular series. This time, with Ougi Dark having essentially concluded Araragi’s personal arc, I focused on how Monogatari is a story and show that isn’t really beholden to traditional narrative structures and endings, and how it’s basically always been a show about the laborious, continuous work of persistently recommitting to becoming your best self. I personally wouldn’t mind if Monogatari continued forever because I just like to watch it, but it’s nice that the concept of endings runs thematically counter to the show altogether, as well!
Today on Crunchyroll, I combined my appreciation for the subtle uniqueness of Todoroki’s most recent conflicts with My Hero Academia’s current reflections on how heroism demands more than just strength, and came up with an article that I’m pretty sure all fits together! My Hero Academia’s focus on heroes as sources of inspiration and hope has always been sorta assumed in the background, but with All Might retiring, the story’s adults are actually having to straight-up articulate their need for a societal symbol of peace. Todoroki could very well become that symbol, but you can’t inspire others when the only thing fueling you is your own anger. Todoroki failed at the license exams, but I’m pretty sure he still picked up that lesson, and is stronger for it. This kid is gonna be okay!
The Ideal Hero: Todoroki’s Personal Mountain
It is absolutely time for more gushing about Planet With. After last week’s more serious and theme-focused article, I figured it was probably appropriate to also write an article about Planet With’s sillier side. Of course, Ginko isn’t a comic relief character at all – she’s just naturally funny, like most of this show’s cast. And beyond adding a bunch of charm to the production, her story echoes Planet With’s generally fatigued-but-humanist outlook, representing a hard-fought belief in the validity of all life. Ginko is great, and I’m happy to make a small tribute to her.
This Season’s Greatest Hero is a Space Princess
Today on Crunchyroll, I finally took my first stab at a Planet With article, which will hopefully be the first of many. There are a million possible angles to tackle this show from, but I went with a pretty central one to start: the moral ambiguity of the various shifting factions in this very unique show. There are no clear villains in this one – even the friggin’ dragon has his own ethos, as horribly violent as it is. I’m excited to see how alliances shift in the second half!
Planet With’s Villains Are Right
Today on Crunchyroll, I expanded my vague thoughts on the recent Yaoyorozu episode into a general commentary on how the adaptation is approaching anime-original material. My Hero Academia has been very smart about choosing when and how to embellish on the source material, capitalizing on the fact that the original manga was already full of moments that wouldn’t really mind some elaboration. Adaptation is a complex and fascinating thing, and I’m happy to celebrate shows that handle it well!
My Hero Academia’s Clever Approach to Anime-Original Content
I sure hope the universe never runs out of good reasons for me to ramble about Nichijou. Today I’ve got another solid one, as Nichijou has returned to Crunchyroll, giving me one more excuse to gush about this wonderful show. I genuinely love being an evangelist for my favorites, and Nichijou specifically is a show that I feel could actually have very broad appeal, if only people gave it a chance. The show’s scattershot and often highly experimental approach to comedy means it’s not necessarily always going to work for any given audience member, but it’s so diverse in its comedy styles and so good at all of them that most people who enjoy the concept of laughter should find something to love. Anyway, I’m gushing again already, so let’s just get to the piece!
Breaking News: Nichijou is Back on Crunchyroll!
