Returning to the Aniblogosphere!

Tadaima!  That was a refreshing two months!  Though just two months, it feels like a coon’s age since I’ve blogged on Medieval Otaku.  At any rate, the transition from critic to fan was achieved over this time.  Being a critic is miserable: one watches so much anime that the flaws start standing out more than the good.  At the same time, one feels as though one never watches enough, which induces one to watch mediocre anime and be tortured more than ever.  A truly vicious cycle!

During the past two months, I have kept up with precisely one current anime: Aho Girl (★★★★).  Two have been finished: Eureka 7 and You’re Under Arrest: Full Throttle.  Many consider Eureka 7 (★★★★1/2) one of their favorite shows, and quality and uniqueness shine through the entire series.  For all that, understanding why I enjoyed it is difficult to pinpoint.  Perhaps, if I watched it again, I could take apart more of the ideas–particularly, the comparison of Dewey Novak to Raskolnikov (the protagonist of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment.)

What Medieval Otaku’s Been Doing, Part II

Below are various shows I’ve been watching but have yet to finish.  Many of them are quite old with the oldest produced in 1978 and the latest in 2014.  Tomorrow or the day after, I propose to finally get around to writing about how I feel about the new season.  Let’s get started!

1) Space Pirate Captain Harlock

Many of my dear readers may not understand the appeal of a thirty-seven year old anime.  After all, the animation is rougher, the action less fluid, and the characters often downright cartoony–a trait undesirable for many anime fans.  Also, the opening song is much more military sounding than in those found in contemporary shows.  Perhaps, it is the differences which make it my recent favorite.  Captain Harlock is a singular figure.  At first, I thought of him as the prototype for Alexander Row of Last Exile, but Captain Harlock is not a Byronic hero.  After watching over twenty episodes, Harlock’s personality strikes one as rather similar to Robert E. Lee’s.  (An article on that forthcoming.  And yes, my reference to General Lee in a prior article was not random.)  You’re not going to find a character comparable to one of the South’s greatest heroes in contemporary anime!

Anime Report for Winter 2015

 

As you know, my dear readers, I’ve dedicated this season to watching the classics, with Ashita no Joe, Angel Cop, and Urusei Yatsura featuring prominently among the following anime.  But some new shows managed to sneak onto my list due to the good things I have heard about them: Death Parade, Assassination Classroom, Rolling Girls, and–most recently–KanColle.  Usually, this kind of post appears in the middle of the season and seems extraneous with the season’s end around the corner.  Yet, I wish to collect my thoughts on various shows and place them before you before writing my final ratings.  The shows are listed in order of enjoyment from least to greatest.

Medieval Otaku’s Second Quick Takes

Well, here’s another set of quick takes for you.  Once again, they have been inspired by Nami’s Quick Takes on The Budding Philosopher.  I feel like I should post, but don’t have energy to concentrate on writing a proper post.  May you enjoy these quick takes!

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My laptop adapter broke.  So, I’ve been relying on my smart phone for the past while, which is the least pleasant way to browse the internet.  At any rate, I’m happy to report that the replacement adapter has arrived.  So, I hope to make up for lost time in reading my fellow bloggers’ articles.

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Pennsylvania produces my favorite beers.  I love beers from Weyerbacher, Yards, Victory, Sly Fox, and Troegs.  One unpleasant surprise I had in regard to these beers, however, is that the Troegenator doppelbock–at least, the last time I had it–actually tasted pretty bad.  As my friend said, it tasted like malt liquor, which is sad because the Troegenator launched my interest in the realm of craft beer.  Troegs brewery seems to have made up for it in their Cultivator Helles Bock.  The flavor is quite fresh with a creamy mouthfeel and notes of biscuit and raspberry.  Very good stuff!