Year in Review (2021)

Last year I failed to accomplish everything I set out to do for this blog. This year wasn’t much different. 😞 Oh, well. I’ll keep trying. Anyway, 2021 save my blog reach two big milestones. First, I posted my 1,000th post. 🎉 Second, I just missed 200,000 views in 2021 (I just missed 100,000 in 2020) so progress. I’ve decided in 2022, I will summarize the plot/episode and then give my opinion when reviewing. My goal is to give more of my view instead of just recapping the episode. To this end, my top goals for 2022 will be to:

1. Use the anime community more.
2. Be more consistent (blogging).
3. Give more of my opinion.
4. Write more essays.
5. Improve overall writing.

Most Popular Post from 2021

#5 – Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 14: Recap and Review

#4 – Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 10: Recap and Review

#3 – Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 15: Recap and Review

#2 – Bleach Special One Shot

#1 – Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 24: Recap and Review

My favorite posts from 2021

---

Wolf Queens and Girl Heroes: How Lonely Castle in the Mirror Plays with Gendered Fairytale Tropes

“For many of us, fairytales were our very first foray into literature, with famous stories such as Snow White and Cinderella linking us to a literary heritage that winds back centuries. However, they are not without fault. Certain features of fairytales—such as the strength of association between physical beauty and inner virtue, the black-and-white takes on ethics and morality, and (of course) sexist tropes such as the damsel in distress . . .”

Read More Here.

---

Storytelling in the Midst of History: Reflections on Heike Monogatari

While the initial reception has been relatively subdued, many will no doubt look back on Heike Monogatari both for what it is and for what it represents; a significant work of animated cinema which marks a new beginning in director Naoko Yamada’s career. To that end, the sakuga community has already set out analyzing the significance of Yamada’s exit from Kyoto Animation in view of the outside industry’s inability to realize her naturalistic animation philosophy with any degree of consistency.

Read More Here.

---

Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway’s focused excellence and the state of 2D mecha anime

“Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway is the latest iteration of Sunrise Studio 1’s high-profile Gundam productions. A mere look at the synopsis will tell you that it’s not exactly the most welcoming starting point for Gundam‘s Universal Century timeline. Its conflict is a direct consequence of previous events, with the Federation having fallen into its oppressive habits yet again after the Second Neo Zeon War, and protagonist Hathaway Noa’s drive to lead the terrorist organization Mafty to confront them ultimately being the fact that he’s haunted by his actions during Char’s Counterattack…”

Read More Here.

---

Sailor Fuku: The Long and Short of It

“Despite or perhaps even because of its prevalence in anime, the traditional sailor-style school uniform, or sailor fuku, is one of the more misunderstood articles of clothing out there, particularly by those viewers who may watch anime only now and again or have little to no direct knowledge of Japanese daily life. I must admit, even as someone who consumed anime voraciously prior to my actual move to Japan, I was still surprised by some of the things I discovered firsthand, especially when it came to things like school-specific rules around sailor fuku and what students could/could not get away with.”

Read More Here.

---

Anime Review #66: Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0

“After 14 years of production, loaded with lots of hope and speculation rivaled only by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ longstanding playoff incompetence, it is here that my thoughts on the Rebuild of Evangelion series finally comes to a close. I shall review the final film in the quartet, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon A Time, the definitive ending of Hideaki Anno’s re-mastered edition of his 1995 magnum opus.”

Read More Here.

🎊 🎉✨🍾🥳🕛🎆

Happy New Year. Hopefully, 2022 will better than 2021. Thanks to all my supporters. I hope you stick with me for another year.