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Neon Genesis Evangelion is a dense and messy thing. But even at its most troubled it still hits the powerful truth that we all want to love and be loved. It’s the consistent thread holding together all of its character journeys, the thing that guides the lives and goals and decisions of its cast. Episode 9 may not be the most conventional place to look at this, but it’s the first time we really see the vulnerability that fuels two of Evangelion‘s most prominent relationships: the one between Shinji and Asuka, and the one between Misato and Kaji. Humans desire intimacy, and these four characters each struggle with it in different ways.
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The Best of 2017 – Juni Taisen
This is an excerpt from my upcoming Top 10 New Anime of 2017 list.
I never knew I wanted a death game anime from Monogatari author Nisio Isin, but I’m sure glad I got it. Juni Taisen hits the obvious trappings of a death game series with its schlocky premise and eccentric designs, but from there it takes things in pretty bizarre and wonderful directions.
The Best of 2017 – Sakura Quest
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This is an excerpt from my upcoming Top 10 New Anime of 2017 list.
Sakura Quest is another series from the “working series” line of shows by PA Works, following in the footsteps of Hanasaku Iroha and the phenomenal Shirobako. It’s a worthy addition to the grounded adult narratives the studio has been delivering, lightly funny and charming but at its core a sincere story about coming into adulthood in an ageing Japanese society.
The Best of 2017 – Made In Abyss
This is an excerpt from my upcoming Top 10 New Anime of 2017 list.
Made In Abyss is a darn impressive adventure series. In its first 13 episodes it’s shown a level of craft and world-building that very few anime can express. If you’ve heard any of the buzz around Made In Abyss you’ll probably know that things get pretty dark, but it never lies about the harrowing abyss.
Girls’ Last Tour Review (2017)
Sometimes I find it hard to have faith in the world we’ve left ourselves. In a heartbeat we could lose it all because of the whims of a few people, so how could we trust that our best intentions will prevail? It seems impossible, it defies rationality. But we aren’t always rational. We’re willing to keep pushing on with only a moment of unconditional support and compassion. And when you distil us to our most primal selves you may find that we can be mean and selfish, but you’ll also find the power we have to care. To care for others, to care for our passions, to care for what we have. Girls’ Last Tour believes in the goodness of others.
Let’s Talk About Slice of Life Anime
Let’s talk about slice of life anime. Yes, that slice of life. The one allegedly responsible for the fiery death of the anime industry a few years back. It’s no secret that a lot of anime fans don’t really care for slice of life shows. Heck, some would go so far as to say it’s a genuine threat to Good Creators and their ability to make Good Anime. But what if I actually like these shows? This led me to think more about the reasons why I watch slice of life things, and after some soul searching I realised that I still like my cute stuff. A lot of these shows are a hard sell to anyone who hasn’t already sold their soul to the moe gods, but maybe just maybe there’s something to appreciate.
Gravity Falls and Twins (Redux)
Growing up, I was always mesmerised by the idea of adulthood. Now that I’m an adult I can say it wasn’t as profound a change as I hoped it would be, but I’m still glad to be an adult simply because I can be more individual. That was a feeling I never really had growing up, and it took until I began living on my own to actually feel like my own person. Being a twin is seen as a sort of wonderful novelty, which is seen in jokes like “which one is the evil twin?” and in the overwhelming number of media depictions that depict twins as some sort of collective unit. It’s hard to really communicate why this hurt myself self-esteem for so many years because it’s such a specific and personal thing. But at least there’s Gravity Falls.
