Tag Archives: oregairu

My Top 10 Favorite Anime (As of August 2021)

August 15, 2021 Jack Scheibelein 11 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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Well, It certainly has been a while since I made this list, about three years to be exact. Sometimes it can feel a bit pointless to try and nail down favorites because tastes are constantly changing, but I have watched a few series lately that I feel strongly about, and thus I thought it would be fun time to remake this list and share it with all of you. With that being said, let us get started.

10. Terror in Resonance

Honestly, I thought out of all the shows on my previous list, “Terror in Resonance” would have not made it on still, and yet, through hours of internal debate, it still managed to find a spot. I would say that its one thing in particular that keeps me thinking about it, but that would lie. From the gorgeous animation produced by then up and coming studio MAPPA to the gorgeous Icelandic vocal filled soundtrack, this show has so much. As time has gone on, my sympathies for the series’ political messages have also gone up significantly. While “Terror in Resonance” might have just barely made the list, do not take that to mean I think it is bad, because that is far from the truth.

9. Fire Force

Speaking of shows that I did not think would be on this list. Although, what can I say, it grew on me. “Fire Force” may have some serious problems when it comes to its female characters, which I will definitely continue to talk about, but it also just has a really cool premise that it executes on fairly well. Couple that with the fact that the series was created by the original author of “Soul Eater,” and thus has some fairly similar character designs, and yeah I am on board. It may have taken me a bit more time to fully get into it, but it has certainly earned its place on this list.

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8. Robotics;Notes

Oh, look, its the anime that got me somewhat interested in mecha. Not sure how Scott will feel about that, but it is true. Without “Robotics;Notes,” “Gurren Lagann” probably would have ended up as the extent of my mecha experience. However, this show is also just good on its own merits. The character-driven, sci-fi mystery plotline has twists and turns at virtually every stage of its progression, as well as boasting one of the most interesting fictionally diseases in the form of Cat and Mouse Syndrome. I have wanted to revisit this series for a while now, and since I now own the “Robotics;Notes” visual novel, I may just do so…

(This is totally a hint that you should follow me on twitch ;))

7. No Game No Life

Look, I get it, the show is a bit problematic in its depiction of Sora and Shiro’s relationship. Ngl, kinda cringe. However, for those who are willing to look past this, there is a lot to like about “No Game No Life.” Not only did Madhouse do a great job animating the entire series, from the games to conversations between characters, the color palate for this show looks gorgeous, though I am incredibly biased because purple. On top of that, there are some intriguing ideas when it comes to the series’ message and philosophy. For those who are fans of Isekai stories and have somehow not come across “No Game No Life,” this is a much watch.

6. A Place Further Than the Universe

Oh boy. I can count of two hands the number of series that have made me cry, and “A Place Further Than the Universe” happens to be one of them. What is even crazier is that, it does not use any incredibly sappy set up to try and pull at your heart strings immediately. Rather, it just tells the story of a girl who really wants to follow in her mother’s foot steps, and three others who are along for the ride. They share the adventure of a lifetime going to Antarctica and…well, not to spoil too much, but it is certainly an experience.

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5. Log Horizon

Alright, so I have a confession to make. I have yet to watch the third seasons for both of the next two series. I know, I know, it feels a bit weird to still have them on here without having technically watched all of them. In my defense though, the first two season of “Log Horizon” are just good enough on their own. Drama, politics, worldbuilding: “Log Horizon” has it all, and then some. It may not be the best looking show ever, but when its got one of the best hype anthems ever written by Man on a Mission fronting every episode, it does not have to be. I said before that Isekai fans should have “No Game No Life” on their to watch list, and that goes more-so for this series.

4. Oregairu

Truth be told, the only reason I did not end up watching the third season for “Oregairu” is because me and my friend got a little too intoxicated while we were re-watching the first two and, well, let us just say it got messy. Regardless, like with “Log Horizon,” “Oregairu” could be carried by its first two seasons. I am still a little bit salty about the change in art style after season one, but honestly, given how good the show is, that is a minor complaint. There really is not too much else to say for this one other than it is a fantastic slice of life comedy that is certainly worth anyone’s time.

3. Golden Time

What can be said about “Golden Time” that is not already buried in my 1000 word video script on the series (I meant to put out the video a long ass time ago I just kept forgetting to record and edit.) Romance in anime has felt one note for a pretty long time, outside of some recent exceptions like “Horimiya.” However, the romance in “Golden Time” is dynamic and feels real. While it may have a fantastical element as it core premise, it is believable because all of its characters, including the main character, develop relationships that mean something. In show’s best moments, there is a deep sense of investment in the lives of the people on screen, and to think, it all started with a dude getting slapped with a rose bouquet.

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2. Princess Jellyfish

The hardest part about making this list was not writing these blurbs, but rather deciding who would get second and third between the last two entries. In fact, it probably took me at least an hour going back and forth in my head to make a decision. While “Golden Time” is without a doubt great, I only really felt its impact all at once, at the end, when I could barely contain my tears. “Princess Jellyfish,” on the other hand, was different. It hit in waves, as if at the end I was not able to fully process what I had even just watched. After sitting with the series for a few days, I can be assured in the assessment that “Princess Jellyfish” is a remarkable series.

1. March Comes in Like a Lion

As remarkable as “Princess Jellyfish,” It was unlikely that the series that helped me in one of the darkest periods of my life was ever going to get dethroned. “March Comes in Like a Lion” lacks in no category, and while the subject matter may seem a bit inaccessible, shogi is simply a means to a storytelling-end. Rei, and later on Hina, are two of the most complex characters in all of anime, and their arcs are some of the best storytelling I have ever seen. Couple that with studio shaft’s unique, occasionally minimalist art style and you get a series frankly deserves a lot more recognition than it currently gets.

What are some of your favorite series? Let me know in the comments.

If you are interested in reading more from me, check under blog to read my most recent stuff, or look below for some related posts. Also, if you would like to support Animated Observations, consider donating on Ko-fi or through paypal, or pledging on Patreon. You can even support by just liking and sharing this post.

Check out my writing blog, Solidly Liquid!

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga, Opinion

Anime Sequels and “News” Sites

May 26, 2020 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

I want to start out this post by saying that the anime community as a whole has brought me a lot of joy over the past eight years or so. I have gotten to know so many people who enjoy the same things I do, and I have even gotten to attend a number of anime conventions and start this blog because of it. There is so much about the anime community that is worth exploring and enjoying.

With that being said, there are also many terrible elements within the community as well, and while I could talk about the more serious ones, such as racism against cosplayers, the uncritical defense of sexually depicting young girls in anime, or even the toxic fan bases of specific shows, I wanted to take some time to talk about something more near and dear to my heart.

Now, when I was in high school just a few years ago, I worked for my school’s newspaper. Despite the fact that not many people read the paper, both online and print forms, I still took our work seriously, because getting people accurate information is an important job, and one that should be taken up with the utmost responsibility.

That leads me to one of my pet peeves in the anime community, more specifically with how “news” is delivered by certain publications. While websites like Crunchyroll, Anime News Network, and a few others do a relatively good job at delivering accurate information, it seems as though the vast majority of those who supposedly do this work are just in it for clicks.

My primary example of this has to do with the way that many of these sites talk about anime getting second seasons. Many untrustworthy anime sites will write a headline implying that the second season of popular show has been officially confirmed, when in reality it will be something as minor as the director or assistant director of a show having made some passing comments about wanting to do a sequel.

Anyone who has spent any amount of time doing research on a given show will know what I am talking about. Specifically, I ran into this problem early last year while looking for information about Oregairu season three, and while as of this year the show has been officially confirmed for a third season, despite being pushed back, before then, there was a lot of misinformation running around about its release.

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Another problem that comes up with these “news” sites is that many of them will often not update there articles as new information comes out, which is something responsible news outlets are supposed to do. This can leave many readers thinking that a show might not actually have a sequel when, such as the case with many shows right now due to COVID-19, it is simply just delayed.

Now, in the grand scheme of things, reporting on entertainment and art could be considered significantly less important than on normal world events and politics, and while I might be inclined to agree with that, this sort of lazy misinformation can still create problems.

Back during the initial release of Pokemon Sword and Shield, many articles were making false reports about what would and would not be in the game, thus fueling death threats against the creators.

Ultimately, misinformation is bad for pretty much everyone. On the side of the reader, since many already have a hard time distinguishing between opinion and news, it will likely create even more mistrust of news outlets, even ones that have the reputation to back up their reporting, entertainment or otherwise.

As for the news outlet itself, it not only makes themselves look bad, but will further add to the collapse of journalism by making normal advertisers less likely to trust them. Not to mention, that, in an age where news sites, even primarily online based ones, are relying more on crowdfunding and subscriptions than ever, trust becomes even more important.

Now, I want to be perfectly clear with what I am saying. This article is not an invitation to harass those with whom some might have perceived political differences. As long as reporters are delivering accurate information in their news sections, their should not be a problem with how those same people choose to express themselves through editorial.

In fact, it is quite the opposite. There are many smaller “news” sites that have cropped up only to deliver misinformation and false reporting, and I think it is worth calling those sites out as a group, because not only are they doing a disservice to readers, they are simply adding to the mistrust that people have about the media.

This is not to say that all of this mistrust is justified, however. If president Donald Trump has demonstrated one thing continuously it is that authoritarians love calling those that hold them accountable “fake” and “biased.” However, for a variety of reasons, it is better to not justify these opinions through actual misinformation.

Alright, so I got out one of my anime community frustrations, but what are some of yours? Let me know in the comments.

Check out my writing blog, Solidly Liquid!

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

OWLS Posts, Series

OWLS March "Devotion" Post: Hachiman and the Problem of Self-Devotion

March 23, 2020 Jack Scheibelein 6 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

At this point, I do not know if I need to explain what OWLS is, but just in case, I will. For those who are totally unaware, OWLS is a group of bloggers and other content creators dedicated to promoting acceptance of all groups, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc. In dedication to that mission, members make one post/video each month dedicated to this idea.

For this month, our theme is “devotion:”

When we talked about fandoms, we show our appreciation and support by buying merchandise, cosplaying, writing fanfiction and etc. In fact, our appreciation can end up looking like a sign of religious worship. For this month, we will be talking about how certain characters express devotion to others, objects, and values. We will also be discussing how devotion can turn into an unhealthy form of passion and obsession and the implications of that.

As always, make sure you also check out posts from the members going before me and after me, which this month is Nyan and Matt Doyle, respectively. The full schedule for this month can be found at the end of this post. With all of that being said though, my post this month focuses on Oregairu. Please enjoy.

The return of Oregairu will likely mean continued growth for its main character Hikigaya. However, even despite this, it is worth remembering where his character started off, and how his progression throughout the series has affected him.

Hachiman Hikigaya started off in the series as fairly sure of himself. Distinct from the rest of his classmates, he felt that most were wasting their lives doing nothing, and that enjoying himself was completely worthless. This attitude attracts the attention of one of his teachers, and is then forced to join the Volunteer Service Club, one which is dedicated to helping others with their problems.

Hachiman, being someone who cares very little about others, takes issue with this immediately. He sees using his time to help others as completely nonsensical, but is forced to nonetheless. Arguably more problematic than his outlook, though, is the way in which he chooses to help others. Hachiman usually takes a more selfish root to solving problems, and even if they do end up working, they usually hurt both others and himself in the process.

A good example of this comes in the final moments of the first season, when the student council president is tasked with giving a speech to open the school festival, but gets stage fright and is unable to do so. In order to save the school festival, Hachiman takes it upon himself to guilt the president into doing her job. Everyone else sees this as going to far, but, at least initially, he accepts this as a necessary evil.

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Hachiman’s biggest problem in this case is his lack of trust in people. Again, he see’s himself as distant from others, and relying on only himself in times of need.

In the show’s second season, Hachiman comes to have a radically different view of people. After spending a lot of time helping others with his club mates Yukino and Yui, he begins to realize that having relationships with other people is important. The bitterness of his past was simply him not giving people a chance.

Hachiman comes to start approaching people’s problem not with a thick-headed, emotionless boredom, but rather with active consideration for people’s feelings. He goes from a die hard individualist to a member of a group, in more ways than one.

His initial problem was that, because of the accident that kept him in a hospital for months, he became devoted to an idea of how he thought things should be, rather than adapting to the situation as it was. People do not make relationship with others by always considering themselves first. They form relationships by understanding others, and coming to rely on others in meaningful ways.

A relationship will only ever be as healthy as those involved allow it to be, and those who take Hachiman’s initial approach likely will not find much success in interacting with others.

How do you all feel about Oregairu and the idea of devotion? Let me know in the comments below.

Check out my writing blog, Solidly Liquid!

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

March Schedule:

10th Aria from The AniManga Spellbook

12th Megan from Nerd Rambles

17th Matt from Matt in the Hat

20th Hazel from heyitszel

21st Neha from Biblionyan

25th Matt from mattdoylemedia

26th Mel from melinanimeland

27th Takuto from Takuto’s Anime Cafe

30th Megan from Geeky Gal

31st Lita from Lita Kino Anime Corner

Anime/Manga, Opinion

Oregairu Season Three Expectations and Hopes

March 28, 2019 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

Well, its actually happening. It was announced roughly a week ago now in a Japanese magazine that Oregairu, or My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, is getting a third season, which was done shortly after the announcement of the release date for the fourteenth volume of the light novel. Since this series is one of my favorite shows of all time, I thought it only appropriate to talk about it.

My Thoughts on the Series Thus Far

Since the only time I have really talked about the show in any depth was on an OWLS post a few months back, it would make sense to summarize my thoughts on the series so far. Now, I don’t often use the word masterpiece, so I won’t here. However, Oregairu is by far and away one of the best slice of life series, possibly even best anime period, I have ever watched. The first season was a pleasant surprise back when it first came out, and when I finished watching it, I thought about it a lot. At the time I was about to be in my freshman year of high school, and I was nervous. The first time I watched it, I was really just interested in Hachiman’s attitude of taking no prisoners, and always being brutally honest. I went back to watch it a second and third time, though, and I started to notice a lot more nuance. Less and less it became about Hachiman fighting his social situation and more about what it was doing to him as a person.

The second season piggy-backed off of this in a way that was both extremely well executed and yet also somehow extremely jarring. More and more Yukino and Yui were confronting him about his self-sacrificial nature and his tendency to always go with the easiest solution, and not necessarily the most graceful one. It was a turning point that signaled an the beginning of the end for Hachiman’s isolationist attitude, and by the end it seemed like all of them were starting to change for the better.

Where the Series Will Go

There are a few things to consider here. First, while I am not familiar with the light novels on a personal level, I do know that the second season adapted volumes seven through eleven, leaving only twelve through fourteen for the final season. Now, assuming that the last three volumes have a similar amount of content to the first eleven, that means that we likely get an anime only ending of some kind.

As for the content, my guess for right now is that much of the third season will focus on the three of them pulling back the personas that they were hiding behind at the end of season two.

A PV that was also recently released for the show seems to imply that there will be some romantic tension between the three of them.

Where the Series Should Go

What the end of season to also seemed to imply heavily is that each of our three main protagonists still have a lot of demons that need to exercised, so one thing I don’t want this season to be is happy-go-lucky. Of course, at the end of the season it would make sense for the three of them to triumph, but if the show doesn’t address any of the problems left after season two, it will be incredibly disappointing.

One other thing that would interesting to see is there life after high school, and what it is they end up doing. Now, of course, there are many anime that center around high school, but in Oregairu’s case especially the idea of social hierarchies is such a core part of its ethos that it would be interesting to see how each of them deal with a new dynamic.

How do you guys feel about the announcement of Oregairu’s third season, and about the show in general? Let me know in the comments below. If you would like to support The Aniwriter, or are just feeling generous, consider donating on ko-fi, or using one of my affiliate links below:

Check out my writing blog, Solidly Liquid!

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, Opinion

My Top Ten Favorite Anime (As of August 2018)

August 20, 2018 Jack Scheibelein 29 Comments

Welcome, weebs and authors alike, to The Aniwriter

Since I haven’t had a lot of interest in watching new shows as of late, and because this will be my 300th post on The Aniwriter, I’ve decided to document my top ten favorite anime of all time. I believe I’ve explained my philosophy on the subject before, but I’ll explain it again. This list is going to be a list of my Favorites, and not what I think is the best. That is a different list entirely, and one I would be happy to make if you’re interested. With that being said, here are my top ten favorite anime of all time, as of this month, anyway.

10. Phi Brain

It’s really hard to describe this show to other people and not get some weird looks. Like, its a show about people battling each other with puzzles. On the surface, it seems like something that should be in the same boring vein as Beyblade, right?

Well, yes, but hear me out. The show has a lot of has a whole lot of entertainment value, from its hilariously edgy characters to the extreme situations they find themselves in. Not to mention the surprisingly messed up backstories of its villains. For those reasons alone, it’s absolutely one of my favorites

9. Terror in Resonance

Two words: the soundtrack. If nothing else, you should absolutely go listen to this show’s soundtrack, even if you don’t like the premise of the show itself. Personally, however, I do think the show it is attached to is worth it. Sure, maybe it’s not the most well-executed story-wise, but I think there’s a lot to relate to when it comes to the main characters. Nine and Twelve go through the entirety of the show with an identity crisis on their hands. They rebel against society because it was society’s institutions that caused them to live without knowing who they are. It seems like their in a perpetual state of being lost, and there is certainly something about that I relate to a lot.

8. The Devil is a Part-Timer

On a much lighter note, what if the Devil worked in fast food? Yeah, this show is entirely underrated, and the fact that it didn’t get a second season makes me extremely angry. It has a hilarious premise, plus the side characters make the show even better. One of my favorite running gags in the show is how Maou thinks that getting promoted at MgRonalds will somehow allow him to conquer earth. Lucifer is also pretty hilarious the way he just sits in the apartment all day and does literally nothing. If you’re ever looking for something to just sit back and relax with, give this a watch.

7. Black Lagoon

Black Lagoon is awesome, plain and simple. I remember the first time I watched this show, and it immediately blew my mind. It was a lot like those memes with people using song lyrics and then saying “My thirteen-year-old mind:” and then showing the Kermit the frog picture. Much of that awesomeness comes from Revy, who frequently rushes in and just starts blowing everything up without much of a second thought. By the end of the series, Rock becomes pretty awesome too, especially in the last scene of Roberta’s Blood Trail, where even Revy notices a large change in his behavior. Then, of course, there are the various fights which also look incredible, so yeah.

6. Spice and Wolf

Shoutout to one of my best friends Sean for recomending this show to me, because without him it would have never even shown up on my radar. Slice of Life really is one of the most interesting genres to me, because there are so many possibilities in terms of characters, setting, and the challenges people face in their everyday lives. Spice and Wolf, though, manages to bring together such a unique combination of storytelling mechanics, and at the center of it all is Holo, one of the more interesting main characters not just in Slice of Life, but in anime in general. Her view on life is a blend of optimism and pessimism. Lawrence is cut from a similar cloth, which seems to be why they connect so early on in the show. And this is where I make a joke about medieval economics and then move on.

5. No Game No Life

Definitely a newer entry on my list, but none the less an important one. You might also notice about most of the entries on this list that a lot of the main characters of these shows are ones that I find extremely relatable, and Sora and Shiro are not different. Their core philosophy is that “Life is just a shitty game,” and for a lot of people, that’s true. A lot of people don’t get the same opportunities to succeed as others. Most people are born in countries where the living conditions aren’t the best and some are even born into active war zones. For Sora and Shiro, from what has been revealed about their past, it was not having parents that even remotely cared for them. Having the ability to escape to another world in which everything is ultimately decided by your willingness to succeed is exactly what they wanted.

4. Robotics;Notes

Two Words: The Opening. No, seriously, this shows opening is absolutely hype. I honestly might have to bring back opening of the week just to do a post about this show’s opening, because I love it so much. Yeah, it is pretty generic J-Rock, but Junjou Spectra by Zwei gets me hype every time I listen to it. However, it is not just the music in the show that makes it one of my favorites. Robotics;Notes has a wealth of interesting scientific lore. One of the most interesting parts by far is the Condition of the two main characters: Elephant and Mouse Syndrome. The former causes your perception of time to slow down, while the latter speeds it up. Without giving spoilers, the show is able to use this fictional condition to some interesting effects.

3. Oregairu

Some might look at this show and think: “with a title like that I’m sure it will just be some generic garbage.” Now, to be honest, if you talked to me right before I started watching this show, I wouldn’t have blamed you. The English title is “My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU,” but at first I didn’t really feel like it was worth watching, and I sort of just started it on a whim. However, after having watched through the show, I changed my opinion a lot, and now we’re here. Sometimes it can be hard to know who you should really be letting into your life. A lot of people act fake, either because they want something from you or because they think being friends with you will offer some kind of benefit. Oregairu is a show that exposes that kind of fakeness and lays it out for everyone to see, and that’s what I love about it.

2. Fairytail

Fairytail was, in a sense, a lot of my childhood. It was one of the first shows I watched when I discovered what anime was, and ever since then, I’ve watched it religiously. More and more viewing of the show has lead me to realize that it is most certainly not the greatest show out there, but its one that’s been with me for a while. If you had asked me in 2016 whether or not this show was my number one, I would have said yes without hesitation, but after seriously thinking about this list, there really was only one answer.

And for my number one…

1. March Comes in Like a Lion

There isn’t much I can say here that I haven’t already said about this show in other posts. In fact, I think the last post I wrote about the show probably explains my feelings the best, so check it out. But, In summary, March Comes in Like a Lion provides a cathartic experience for me that no other show has. From its incredibly beautiful visual presentation to the characters whose lives sometimes feel more real than my own. If I could get everyone I know to watch one show, it would be this one.

I know I always ask a question at the end of my posts, but this time I am genuinely curious, what are some of your favorite anime? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you want to support the Aniwriter through donations or are just feeling generous, consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi. Otherwise, thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!

Anime/Manga, OWLS Posts

OWLS Blog Tour June Pride Post: Hachiman Hikigaya, A Benefactor, and Victim, of Pride

June 20, 2018 Jack Scheibelein 9 Comments

Hello again everyone. Welcome to my first ever OWLS post. I joined OWLS around a week ago now, and if you want to hear the full version why I joined this wonderful group of individuals, then you can read my recent blog update here.

As a short recap for those who don’t know what OWLS is, OWLS stands for Otaku Warriors for Liberty and Self-Respect, and they are a group dedicated to promoting acceptance of all individuals regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disability.

This month’s theme is pride, as described down below:

In honor of “Pride Month,” we will be discussing the word, “Pride” and its meaning. We will be exploring pop culture characters’ most satisfying and joyful achievements or skills that they possessed and whether or not these qualities could be seen as a positive or negative aspect in their personal lives and/or society.

Before you get into my post though, I would highly recommend you check out yesterday’s post from OWLS member Naja, who wrote about the characters of Piano no Mori. You should also look at Marth’s post for today as well.

The pop culture figure I have chosen to focus on is one that has had a fair bit of impact on me, ever since I watched the show he comes from. Today, I’ll be talking about Hachiman Hikigaya.

Walking into a room full of unknown people can be hard. Glares from eyes that may or may not be looking come crashing down like a ton of bricks. Taking a seat reveals that isolation is your only friend. No one in the room is familiar, and everyone is talking to someone else, except you. You have been gone from school for three months, because of an accident that wasn’t your fault. The room, however, does not know or care. They only continue to ignore.

That is the situation of Hachiman Hikigaya, a student at Soubu High School. Lost in the flood of cliques and friend groups that he had no ability to become apart of, Hachiman, at the start of Oregairu, is alone. A limousine hitting him while he tried to save a passerby’s dog left him in the hospital for three months, unable to return to school and interact with others. These three months away from people during his first year of high school had a profound effect Hachiman, leaving him cynical and uncaring about the world around him. In this way, Hachiman’s pride was a burden, as he was unwilling to admit that he was lonely and wanted interaction with others.

His teacher, Shizuka, recognized his god complex right away, and after he turned in a terrible paper, she decided to punish, and help him, by forcing him to join the service club, with the only other member being Yukino Yukinoshita, another girl who seems to have emotional retreated from the world around her. Hachiman, instinctively, let his pride bury any chance to form a meaningful relationship with Yukino. He resists with all of his being any willingness to be friends with Yukino.

The same happens later on with the show’s third main character. After finding out that Yui was the owner of the dog he saved, he immediately lets his pride take over, assuming that the only reason Yui decided to hang out with him, and by extension join the club, was out of pity. Hachiman lashes out, and tells Yui is she should just leave him alone if all she is doing is pitying him.

Sure, eventually Hachiman is fine. He lowers his guard, realizes that there was no need to isolate himself, and allows his trust to be tested. But for a time, there was a benefit to always carrying a shield around.

Admittedly, it is hard to trust people sometimes, especially when your in high school. There are those that only seek to take advantage of you, like what happened to Yui. Sure, maybe when you hould your shield out in front of you all the time, you can never see the faces of the the ones in front. But, at least you know you are safe. When someone swings, there will be no pain, only the momentary ping of avoided conflict.

Hachiman is also not like others. While he may have longed for the need of a real relationship with people, there are others who do not need it. The moment people forget that being alone and being lonely are not the same is the moment reaching out with a weapon in your hand looks the same as an attack.

Pride is a Double-Edged Sword

Pride, like a double-edged sword, is a contradiction. We expect it to protect us, but in reality it can be our greatest downfall. Pride is like bending yourself to your own will, and in Oregairu, that is exactly what happens. Despite a brief protection from the outside world, Hachiman’s pride eventually came to hurt him. The more he struggled to be released from social obligation, the closer he became to them, and the more he realized that he wanted them.

This is not to say all people who put up barriers, or in some cases fortified military bases, are secretly desperate for attention. But, when it comes to the destructive power of pride, it is important to remember that sacrafising yourself is not the same as protecting others.

How have all of you been celebrating pride month? What did you guys think of this short dive into Hachiman as a character? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you want to support the Aniwriter through donations or are just feeling generous, consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi. Otherwise, thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!

Oh, and here is the schedule for the rest of the month.

“Pride” Blog Tour Schedule
(June 2018)

5: Matthew Castillo (Matt-in-the-Hat)

7: Mel (Mel in Anime Land)

12: Zoe (Let’s Talk Anime)

14: Mistress of Yaoi (Yaoi Playground)

15: Zel (Archi-Anime)

17: Karandi (100 Word Anime)

18: Irina (Drunken Anime Blog)

19: Naja B. (Nice Job Breaking It, Hero)

20: Marth (Marth’s Anime Blog)

20: Jack (The Aniwriter)

21: Dylan (DynamicDylan)

22: Gloria (The Nerdy Girl News)

23: Marina (Anime B&B)

24: Dale (That Baka Blog)

25: Gigi (Animepalooza)

26: Takuto (Takuto’s Anime Cafe)

27: Scott (Mechanical Anime Reviews)

28: Crimson (Crimson is Blogging)

29: Carla (PopCultureLiterary)

30: Matt (MattDoyleMedia)

30 Day Anime Challenge, Anime/Manga

30 Day Anime Challenge – Day 13: The Character I’m Most Similar To

May 5, 2018 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Hello, Anifriends

For day thirteen of the 30 Day Anime Challenge, I’ll be talking about the anime character I’m most similar to

Since I’ve already talked about this character at length, I’ll just go ahead and tell you its Hachiman from Oregairu.

I have a couple reason’s for this, so I’ll just list them off.

Not that I always do it on purpose, but when I feel like I don’t belong in a social situation, I sort of sit there with doing nothing, getting angry about it to myself.
If I’m gonna make someone mad, I like to be creative about it.

Seriously, though, I wouldn’t say that I’m exactly like Hachiman, but I can definitely relate to a lot of what he says, even if the ways he goes about solving his, and other people’s problems can seem a bit unnecessarily harsh.

What do you guys think is the saddest scene in anime? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you want to support the Aniwriter through donations or are just feeling generous, consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi. Otherwise, thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!

30 Day Anime Challenge, Anime/Manga

30 Day Anime Challenge – Day 3: Favorite Male Anime Character

April 25, 2018 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Hello, Anifriends

For the third day of the thirty-day anime challenge, I am going to be talking about my favorite male anime character, who some of you might recognize immediately, even before I say his name.

My Favorite male character is, in some ways, a complete hyperbole of a human being, only denoting the worst that exists in people while not doing a great job at exploring the better side of humanity. In other ways, however, he’s a lot more reflective of me than I would otherwise like to admit.

My favorite male character is Hachiman Hikigaya from Oregairu, and yes I am serious.

I can understand why some might see it as overdramatic to relate to a character like Hachiman, but I really do not feel the same. Sure, he is overdramatic, and a lot of the time he can be a real dick over little stuff, over the course of both seasons, but while a lot of his philosophy can seem a little edgy 15-year-old Atheist-ish, some of it rings very true.

One scene that I often point to as an explanation for why I like him so much is the scene in the middle of the show, where he and Yukino are in the school council and Yukino is clearly getting all of the work. Talking to the student council president, Hachiman points out that the symbol for people looks like a person leaning on another, as opposed to what most people see as two people supporting each other. Hachiman uses this as a segway into the criticism that the people in the student council are simply using him and Yukino in order to not have to work, while still getting all the glory. It’s a situation that’s fairly relatable, especially if you have done a group project where your stuck doing all the work.

Who’s your favorite male anime character? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you want to support the Aniwriter through donations or are just feeling generous, consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi. Otherwise, thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!

Anime/Manga, Videos

A Hidden Gem: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

August 31, 2017 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

I made this video on my YouTube channel a while back, before I started blogging. It’s a little embarrassing because of the quality, but I hope you enjoy!