What to Watch in Spring 2019

I’ve been too tired to write about my favorite anime from Winter 2019, i.e. the top 5.  While my dear readers are patiently waiting for them, I thought to myself that I would quickly scribble about what I’m watching in Spring 2019.  There are nine anime in total–one less than I watched last season.  So, I’d like to invite my dear readers to comment below about what anime should be my tenth.  (Nine is the elvish number for luck, but ten strikes me as a nice round number.)  You can make multiple suggestions, but whatsoever anime is mentioned by the most people is the one which I will add.

At any rate, I’m continuing to watch four shows from previous seasons:

1. Bungo Stray Dog
2. Dororo
3. Karakuri Circus
4. The Rising of the Shield Hero

The following are the five new ones premiering this season:

Boy With Luv (작은 것들을 위한 시) by BTS feat. Halsey

It’s good to see some quick takes from Nami again. Be sure to give these a look.

The Drama Llama

— 1 —

It seems cliche to choose BTS’s new title song as the song for this week but I did it because of the Korean title – 작은 것들을 위한 시, literally meaning in English, “A Poem for Small Things.”

It’s about a lover who is entirely absorbed in their beloved and wanting to know everything about them. It’s not deep in the sense of being the most beautifully made iteration of this idea, but it’s a pleasant, joyous, euphoric one.  And despite what some might say, it completes a logical progression plot-wise from “Boy in Luv” and even through “DNA” and “Fake Love.”

“Boy in Luv” is the angsty adolescent love focused on self; “DNA” revels in the romance and speaks as if it’s fated, de-emphasizing choice; “Fake Love” reveals that destiny and feelings might not be the best way to determine love; and “Boy with Luv” is…

View original post 1,161 more words

Rating the Anime of Winter 2019, pt. 1

Here begins the first part of a long set of reviews–at least, of what I call reviews.  I tend to describe the facets of each show which I found enjoyable or deplorable.  After all, the other anime reviewers have covered all the technical points by now, and I’d likely only be repeating myself.

The following six out of the eleven anime watched in Winter 2019 rate from 2 1/2 to 3 stars.  For me, two and a half stars refers to a mediocre anime which disappointed me, but not enough for me to consider it to have been a waste of my time.  Three stars designates a decent anime which I enjoyed but will not watch again.  Three and a half star anime are good enough to be worth watching again in the future and contain aspects which make them memorable.  I’m inclined to be generous with that last rating.  Thankfully, I did not run into any anime I’d rate two stars or less this season, which are all levels of poor quality.

Let’s begin, shall we?  Spoilers ahead!

7th Anniversary of Medieval Otaku

Wow!  Seven years of blogging!  It’s been fun getting to know all of you out there and hearing about how my posts piqued your interest.  Thank you for your support and your interest!  It seems like I have not really done enough with the present winter season, but I have finished watching all the shows I set out to watch.  You should see a couple of posts soon where I review all eleven shows in two parts.

Eleven?  That’s right.  I added one more show to my watch list: Karakuri Circus.  This show does not seem to have gotten that much attention, but it’s a very well done shonen.  It excels in both action and characters, making even certain minor characters compelling.  Perhaps the oddest thing about Karakuri Circus, however, is just how much of the action takes place in the past.  I can’t remember the last anime I watched which indulged so much in flashback episodes.  This can be annoying when one would like for nothing more than for the story to advance.  At the same time, it’s fascinating how the action extends from Medieval Europe to Meiji Era Japan to modern America.  The anime is on Amazon Prime, and I highly recommend it.

 

Here is a short list of what I want to post in the near future:

1. Review of Winter 2019, Part 1
2. Review of Winter 2019, Part 2
3. Quick Takes on other anime
4. A post on Karakuri Circus and Charity’s Relationship to Virtue
5. Finally read Dante’s Divine Comedy to the end
6. What the anime Caligula was actually about
7. Spring 2019 Watch List

If anyone gets what the main theme of Caligula was, feel free to comment on it below.

Look forward to these posts and one which I hope will appear on Beneath the Tangles soon.  Dear readers, thank you once again for all your support!