Hey, friends. So this is just gonna be a quickie update, and I purposely didn’t post one on Friday so that I could post it today. I’ve decided to take a semi-brake. Basically, its my last summer before I go full time into college and I want to get as much out of it as I can, meaning I want to try and get to some of the the shows/games that I have not yet but have really wanted to. In addition, I want to try and see if I can finally take a trip with my best friend like we’ve been planning for years. Not sure how long I will be on break, but most likely it will not be longer than a month. While I am on break I will still be posting my March Comes in Like a Lion rewatch and be doing the usual bi-weekly updates, but other than that the blog will be relatively inactive.
It will also give me some time to think about where I want to go creatively with the blog, as I have had some mixed feelings about the job I’ve been doing lately.
If anyone needs to get in contact, I will usually be available through my socials, and I occasionally check the blog email: Theaniwriter@gmail.com
Thanks for keeping with my antics, friends. Love you all.
Well, here we are again, taking a look at the second episode of season one of March Comes in Like a Lion in my re-watch/analysis series. In the last post, I touched on how the first episode served as a great character introduction to Rei, setting up the main story threads that will follow him throughout the series, that being both the relationship with his adopted family, but also the love and support he gets from the Kawamoto sisters. With that being said, lets get right into the next episode.
The second episode of March Comes in Like a Lion is used largely to build on the relationship established in the first episode between Rei and the Kawamoto sisters, with the introduction of some other important characters sprinkled in.
Following with the end of the first episode, in the opening minutes of episode two the show introduces Nikaido, Rei’s self-declared rival and later on best friend. The show also quickly establishes Nikaido’s family wealth when Rei asks where “that guy that follows you around is?” to which Nikaido replies “Oh, my servant, he is on vacation.” The two chat about an upcoming Shogi invitational before, heading up to Rei’s apartment and revealing his current disinterest in anything having to do with him.
The next morning, Rei heads to his qualifying match for the NHK tournament. It is at this point, while walking to the train station across the bridge that one of the few things he genuinely likes is the river, and that despite their being a train station closer to his house, on match days he crosses the bridge just to see the river.
It may seem like an insignificant detail, but considering what has already been revealed about Rei’s personality up to this point, it actually gives a lot of context to why he might be in this town in the first place. Also, since this does not fit anywhere else, I thought I should go ahead and mention that the show uses a lot of water metaphors, something I talked about in a different article.
After Rei arrives at the Shogi club, the show introduces two new characters, Issa and Tatsuyuki, that play generally minor roles throughout the show, but for this episode are somewhat important. For his qualifying match, Rei plays against Issa, but beats him relatively quickly. It is revealed after he loses that Issa wanted to get into the tournament so that his grandpa could watch him from the hospital, since the tournament would be broadcast on national television. However, Tatsuyuki quickly lightens the mood by suggesting the three should go out for drinks and that Rei would be buying, not forgetting to mention that the place they would be going is the same place Akari works.
Correction: it was over yet.
It is at this point in the episode where the show reveals the backstory of how Rei and the Kawamoto sisters met. While the three are having a good time drinking, Rei of course not drinking alcohol because he is a minor, Akari comments on how nice Issa and Tatsuyuki seem to be, saying they are good senpais, but immediately after commenting on how there can also be bad senpais that would take advantage of a friend with a lot of money, and abandon them.
It is also worth mentioning the disdain Akari has on her face when she says this, seeming genuinely mad for the first time in the show, and this makes sense, given what comes after. The show flashes back to Rei abandoned on the street in front of the same club. Akari notices him lying there, and helps him back to her house. Considering his need to throw up, and waking up the next morning with his hand to his head, it is implied that the people he was with forced him to drink, something else Akari says she hates.
The latter third of the episode starts with Rei waking up, realizing he has no food, and going to the grocery store across the bridge. While there, picking up his usual assortment of cupped noodles and other treats, he runs into Momo, Hina, and Akari. Akari sees his shopping basket and comments that he never comes to dinner and prefers to eat cup noodles instead of her food. Feeling guilty, Rei chases after them as they turn around, after which Akari hands him an sticks used for Obon celebration, Obon being a celebration of one’s ancestors.
As the four of them, along with the girls grandpa, later gather at the sisters’ house, they enjoy each other company and eat. Grandpa asks Rei where his family is buried, revealing that Rei’s family is dead.
After dinner, Akari gives Rei the leftovers from their meal, telling him to heat it up in the microwave before eating it. She then says to come over again on Monday for the end of the Obon, where she will have a huge feast, saying “it is nice to have company over…” Rei does not hear the rest of what she says, but believes she meant to say “as a distraction.” This scene in the show does two things, 1) it establishes that Akari’s reason for having Rei over a lot is somewhat selfish, but also that 2) That the sisters are still very much grieving from the loss of their mother and grandmother.
Finally, the end of the first episode reveals that after the loss of his family, Rei felt emotionally forced into Shogi, saying “I had nothing else to do.” It has not been revealed yet exactly why this is the case, but nonetheless it establishes more context for Rei’s current life as a pro Shogi player.
Episode two of season one is all about providing more context, both for Rei and his current emotional struggle, and for his relationship with the Kawamoto sisters, as well as the pains they are going through. Overall, the episode is incredibly well executed.
What anime have you all been wanting to re-watch? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter or are just feeling generous, consider donating on Ko-fi or by using one of my affiliate links down below:
If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!
Hello again, friends! For this months OWLS post, I’ll be talking on a bit more of a personal level, as the topic for this month is Happiness.
Happiness is subjective. We all have different definitions of what happiness means to us and we also feel happiness in varying degrees. This month we will be exploring several questions describing our happiness in our fandoms, communities, and hobbies. Why do we find enjoyment watching anime or reading manga? Why did we decide to join the anime or pop culture communities? Why do we blog about our hobbies or cosplay as our favorite characters? This topic is all about the passions we have for our interests and why they are important to us.
As always, make sure to check out more of the OWLS by looking at some of our other members posts, such as Karandi whose post will be coming after mine.
With that being said, here is the post:
Anime
Most people get to a certain point in their lives where they all start asking each other the same two questions: how and why are we even here? This is no less true in the anime community, a group of people who have come together to bask in the glory of Japanese animation. It seems like most people in the anime community have a fairly interesting story to tell when it comes to these questions, so for anyone who cares, here is mine.
Before I found anime as a hobby, I pretty much did nothing. In middle school, I played games on my Nintendo DS and that was about it. Every day was me finishing my homework and chilling alone in my room. I also did not have many friends at the time, and it seems like the ones I did manage to find were constantly moving away. One day, however, the person who would become my best friend introduced me to two different shows: Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist. This was around the time I got my first computer, so of course, I looked them up and started binging them. Bleach was technically the first show I watched, with FMA coming Immediately after.
After watching these two shows, I was hooked and I wanted more. For a while, I went on a quest to find new shows like Bleach and FMA, watching all manner of YouTube top ten videos and reviews for shows that looked interesting. Before I knew it, I stumbled upon what would be one of my favorite shows for a long time to come: Fairytail. After that, I met a friend in the seventh grade who was also an avid anime watcher and gave me even more great recommendations like Death Note, Fruits Basket (the original Deen adaptation), and Hetalia. With that, anime was a part of my life.
Writing
Writing as a passion for me came much later. It was not until I joined my school’s newspaper that I found out just how much I enjoyed writing. Every week I would find something new to report on and make an effort to deep dive into that topic. Sometimes I would even be opinionated enough to make an article talking about something I cared about.
Later on in high school during my sophomore year, I took a creative writing class, where I met a lot of similarly minded people like me, and we just took time enjoying and creating whatever we wanted. Creative writing is also where I discovered my love of poetry and short stories, so there is that.
It wasn’t until my Junior year of high school, where I was overwhelmed with the amount of work I had going on, that I decided to create a blog for fun. At the time I just needed something to get my mind of all my stress and just have control over something creatively. Quickly, though, it turned from something to do in my free time to a hobby to something I love doing (almost) all the time.
Where Do I Go from Here?
Honestly, I don’t know yet. I still want to try and make this something of a part-time or even full-time job if possible, but I also still have a lot to learn when it comes to being creative on the internet. I’m still not even fully sure if what I am doing with my blog now is what I will be doing in a few years from now. However, I do know one thing, that it is enjoyable for me, and right now that is a lot of what matters. Anime, Writing, and this blog are a lot of what brings me happiness.
What are your guy’s plans for the future? Let me know in comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter or are just feeling generous, consider donating on ko-fi or using one of the affiliate links below:
If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!
Hello, everyone, and welcome to a series that I only really got the idea for a few days ago, but I now am really excited about. This post now marks the beginning of my March Comes in Like a Lion re-watch/analysis. It has been a minute since I’ve seen the series. The last time I watched it was while it was airing a little over a year ago. Since I don’t mention it that often, I feel I should reiterate: this show is one of my favorite, if not my outright favorite, anime of all time. As such, I wanted to take some more time to reflect on it, from the beginning. I hope you all will follow along with me in this journey, as I want to really dig into the meat of this show and revisit what works, and even what does not. Anyway, enough rambling. Here are my thoughts on the show’s first episode.
It has definitely been a while since I have seen the show’s very first episode, and honestly, the first thing I have to say is Damn. I did not remember the show being that emotionally gripping in the first episode, and there is so much to unpack.
The first thing I want to point out is just how well the show establishes the amount of emotional turbulence Rei is going through in the opening moments of the show. We see what looks to be a storm, Raging on around Rei, but after the show’s intro finishes it cuts back to that same seen, introducing Rei’s sister Akari, it gives more context to what the storm means. It is the storm inside Rei’s head, unending and relentless.
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We get even more context a few minutes later in the episode, when Rei faces off against his dad in a game of Shogi. In between their match, the show cuts to flashbacks of what looks to be Rei’s first tournament as a kid. He ends up winning that tournament, but his adopted brother and sister, Ayumi and Kyoko, resent him. During the match Rei does not say a thing to his father. In fact, it is quite tonally significant that the first thing Rei says five or six minutes into the first episode is a response to his dad saying the family misses him, “That’s a lie.”
The overall tone of this first third of the episode is fairly somber, and yet also deeply angry. This also comes through after Rei meets up with the Kawamoto sisters and the four of them have dinner. While eating, a report comes on the TV talking about a son who had brutally beaten his father. At this point, Rei explains that every move he made in their earlier Shogi match felt like a fist to the face, like he was getting back at his adopted father, and yet, Rei is still deeply resentful.
This is later shown when Hina comes to bring him a blanket, only to remove the glasses Rei had left on while falling asleep and reveal the tears still in his eyes, implying that Rei had been crying while sleeping.
However, amid this confusion and sadness, there is also a major paradigm shift for Rei. The first episode also shows just how much love and support Rei does have. The Kawamoto sisters all seem to genuinely care about Rei, as if they had always been family. Not only does the family offer to feed them twice in the first episode, and Hina gives him a huge lunch when he wakes up, they also tell him at the end of the episode that he is welcome over any time.
The first episode is not only a great on its own, but it also serves as a fantastic character introduction to Rei Kiriyama, showing both the emotional turbulence that he will have to deal with throughout the show, but also the potential to overcome it with the help of the people who care.
Edit: I accidentally said Kyoko’s sister was Akari, but I meant to write Kyoko. Apologies.
By the way, I have not yet decided how often I plan on doing these, but more than likely it will be an at least once a week type thing. Anyway, thank you all for taking a read. If you would like to support The Aniwriter or are just feeling generous, consider donating on ko-fi or by using one of my affiliate links down below:
If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!
The world of Anime is a vast and interesting one, filled with many unique genres and stories to tell, but anime isn’t the only place where animation is excelling. Taking a look across the ocean, many of America’s modern animation has similarly took a turn for the better. While the many of the cartoons of the past have opted to stay sporadic and more episodically focused, The cartoons of now have decided to take a more narrative approach. Here are some of the most interesting modern cartoons.
Avatar: The Legend of Korra
Following in the footsteps of its universally loved predecessor, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Korra is informed by many of the same things, with a much different setting.
The story follows Korra, who is the next avatar after Aang, and who lives 100 years in the future. After it is discovered that Korra is the next avatar, she begins her training and eventually moves to Republic City, the world’s bastion of advancement and technology. At first, she struggles adjusting to city life, but after meeting Mako and Bolin, she manages to find her way around.
A lot of what Korra deals with, at least in the first season, is the idea that the world has advanced, and the need for the avatar is waning. This, along with the struggle between her freedom and her responsibility, leads to a bit of an identity crisis. The second season, meanwhile, deals more with the struggle between technology and nature, and the two contrasting lifestyles those things entail. Its a bit harder to describe the last two seasons in any detail without going into spoilers, but suffice it to say that both of the last two seasons of Korra are also incredible.
What Makes Legend of Korra such an amazing predecessor to the original avatar is the way it adapts to its new characters and environment to tell a unique and original story. Korra is a noticeably different character than Aang. Much like Toph, Korra isn’t afraid of conflict, and starts out aggressive to the point of being detrimental. In a world where technology is quickly outpacing the feats of benders, her role as a peacemaker, not just between nations, but between benders and non-benders, and between spirits and humans, becomes even more important.
There is also the struggle of relationships. Between Mako and Bolin, and later Asami, her relationships often change dramatically, with friendships becoming romances, romances becoming friendships, and friendships becoming strained. All of this happens while she is trying to perform her duties as avatar.
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Steven Universe
Rebecca Sugar’s Steven Universe, while not always as narratively focused as a show like The Legend of Korra, still brings a lot to the table in terms of the story it does tell.
Steven Universe is about, well, Steven Universe, a boy who is half gem and half human, and who is often raised by Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst, creatures known as gems who original came from Gem Home-world, but ended up living on earth after defending it from invasion. Together, Steven and the gems go on adventures.
While the first half of the season one of Steven Universe is marred with filler, the show quickly picks up after the show’s mid-season finale, in which the gems fight off Jasper and Peridot, who attempt to take the crystal gems back to home-world. After that, the show largely becomes about Steven’s identity, both as person and as a crystal gem. Steven also wants to know more about his mother Rose Quartz, but is continually brushed off by the other gems for large portions of the show, and is forced to look for answers on his own.
In connection with Steven’s questions about his identity, the show also explores a lot of elements of Sex and Gender. While the gems, except for Steven, are implied to be female, because they are gems, their exact gender is left ambiguous in the show.
Another example of this is a concept in the show known as fusion. If two gems with a strong emotional connection come together, the two can form a new gem out of their component parts. In addition, if the two gems somehow become disconnected while fuse, they will break apart into their original parts. As a metaphor for something more intimate, the show establishes through fusion that the only healthy relationship is one in which their are two willing participants who care about one another and want to be together. Later on in the show, Steven and his best friend Connie fuse together into a person they call Stevonnie after the two dance together.
The show also explores the idea of bigotry on a systemic level. In gem society, gems are divided into castes based on their identity. Pearls are a servant class, and Amethysts are a worker class, and any departure from this caste is shamed. The main reason for the war for earth, in fact, was Rose Quartz’s resentment of gem society.
However, the show becomes even more than that. Towards the beginning of the latest season, the show again transforms into a show not just about Steven’s identity, but rather about the expectations that precipitated the questions about his identity in the first place, and about the structure of gem society and what it would mean for that to change.
Star vs The Forces of Evil
Well, there is already one show on this list about friends from space, so why not two? Much like Steven Universe, while it may take a bit for its plot to get going, Star vs The Forces of Evil is a show with another great story.
The show follows Marco Diaz and Princess Star Butterfly after the two are united on earth. Star is sent away from her home planet Mewni in order to learn more about the world. Meanwhile, Marco is looking to just get through high school, but when Star comes into his life, things get a lot more exciting.
Star vs The Forces of Evil, now on its forth season, has been extremely story focused since the end of its first season, and despite some minor side plots that have thus far gone nowhere, the story’s cohesiveness has remained strong. What started as a comedy with magical elements thrown in has grown and matured significantly.
Staring with season two, the show has explored a lot of the history of the Butterfly family, including how Star’s signature magical powers work and where they originate from.
Along with a lot of world building and history of Mewni and the magic associated with it, the show also dives headlong into themes about racism and bigotry by telling the story of the monsters that live on Mewni. The Mewmans that live there are, at least at the beginning, extremely hostile to monsters, not allowing them to live in Mewman cities. But, after Star comes to know some of the monsters that Mewmans have demonized, she comes to the realization that things need to change. From about the middle of season two onward, this tension between Mewmans and Monsters becomes a central thread throughout the story.
This tension comes to a head in season four, where Star and Marco must deal with the fallout of Eclipsa, one of Star’s relatives who was frozen in ice after she ran away with a monster that spread destruction across Mewni, escapes and becomes queen after Star find out what really happened in her family’s past.
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Why These Shows Matter
Aside from the aforementioned Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are not many western shows that get brought up when it comes to the conversation of good animated storytelling. However, I would argue that all three of these shows should be put up for discussion, for their brilliant stories.
However, what matters about these shows is not just how good they are. Arguably the most important element of these shows is the messages they send, specifically towards a younger audience. All of these shows, in one way or another, send the message that we should love and respect one another regardless of our differences, whether its Star through its message against racism, Steven Universe’s message of gender acceptance, and Korra’s more general message of peace and love.
What non-anime shows have you all been watching recently? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter or are just feeling generous, consider donating on Ko-fi, or by using one of my afilliate links down below.
If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!
I am back once again to bring you another contemplative piece about… well, something. The topic for this month is masculinity, as described down below:
This month the OWLS bloggers will explore the concept of masculinity. We each have our own definition of what it means to be masculine and we will explore our definitions using “masculine” characters from various pop culture fandoms. We will discuss how these characters are “masculine” or show signs of a masculine persona. We will also share our personal stories about the amazing men that supported us in our lives as well as sharing some of our experiences growing up as a man or knowing men who struggled with the masculine identity.
Also, be sure to check out Scott and Lyn’s posts that will be coming out before and after mine, respectively.
With that said, my post today will be about Fullmetal Alchemist, so here it is:
One of the most iconic moments from both the original Fullmetal Alchemist as well as the Brotherhood remake is one of the opening episodes which takes place in the city of Lior. The Elric brothers end up in Lior after hearing about a miracle worker named Father Cornello, who also claims to be the prophet of the sun god Leto, and who also appears to have a philosopher’s stone, the thing the Elric brothers have been searching for in order to get Alphonse’s body back.
In their first meeting with Father Cornello, and Rose, one of Cornello’s devout followers who told Rose that he would help bring back her dead lover, Ed gives a description of the elements that make up a human body, and after said description explains that even with the power of science, bringing back a human life is impossible, and that Rose’s trust of religion to do the same is misguided. Eventually, after a short battle between ed and Cornello, the two brothers expose to the people of Lior that Cornello’s miracles are fake and that he is no profit at all, only a phony with a fake philosopher stone. Of course, the message of the episode is fairly pro-science, or in this case pro-alchemy and anti-religion, but when it comes to similarities, there is one big one that science and religion in the Fullmetal Alchemist universe share: the problem of masculinity.
It is important to realize that when I talk about these things, I am talking about them in terms of how they manifest in institutions and not necessarily about them as general concepts. With religion, well, that should be fairly self-explanatory. Cornello leads the church of Leto which tricks its followers into believing he is the prophet in order to gain power over him and so that they will do what they say. As for Alchemy, well, that is a long story.
Per the lore of the franchise, many of Amestris’ most successful alchemists work for the Amestrian government. Some work for government grants that are given based on an evaluation done every two years, while others are employed in the army. However, in the field of Alchemy, one thing, or rather one gender, is often missing. Women, while playing substantial roles in story of Fullmetal Alchemist, are generally missing in the field of Alchemy. Sure, Riza Hawkeye and the Elric Brother’s teacher Izumi are there, but they generally seem to be the exception to the rule. Alchemy, much like religion, seems to be a bit of a boy’s club.
I point this out not to say that Fullmetal Alchemist as a show is sexist or that no one should watch it, but rather to say this: much like in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, power can corrupt, and it does not even have to be absolute power. When talking about Masculinity, one of the most important things to bring up is power dynamics. Whether it be in a work environment or even in a committed relationship between two people, unhealthy power dynamics based on gender can, and likely do exist. It is important to be vigilant so that unhealthy and discriminatory institutions can be called out.
How do you folks feel about Masculinity? Leave your hot takes down in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter, or are just feeling generous, consider donating on Ko-fi or use one of my affiliate links down below:
If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!
Well, its almost over, and by that I mean my suffering. No, just kidding, I mean my semester is almost over, and it feels good. There were a lot of positives and negatives, and I would say that I definitely got a lot out of my classes, especially my English and Philosophy class, even if we randomly finished the course online for some reason.
I can also say that I’m excited to have more free time. There is so much that I have been wanting to do, like finally finishing Persona 5, or playing more Smash than I have been, and especially watching more anime that I haven’t been able to do, or that I just haven’t felt motivated to do. But, speaking of more free time.
What Will the Summer Bring?
I also want to use the summer as a way to focus more on my writing, as well. What does that mean exactly? Well, I want to try and get back into the blogging community more. I haven’t exactly been the most involved recently, and if possible I would like to try and meet some new people and even do some more collaborations. Let’s see if we can hit the ground running this time.
How is everyone else doing this time of year? Anyone else still in school? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter or are just feeling generous, consider donating on Ko-fi or by using one of the affiliate links down below:
If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!
Well, I think Ufotable did it again. They managed to take an IP that I had heard nothing about whatsoever, and make me want to go back and read it in addition to watching the anime. Kimetsu no Yaiba, while not necessarily on the level of some of their best work, at least so far, has managed to come off as incredibly exciting.
Kimetsu no Yaiba follows Tanjiro, a young boy who works to provide for his family after his dad died when he was young. One night, after leaving to go to town, he comes back only to find his family dead and his sister Nezuko barely alive. He soon realizes after going to look for a doctor that his sister is a demon, and is attacked by Nezuko. Soon, he is saved by a demon hunter.
On the surface, Kimetsu no Yaiba seems like a fairly straightforward show, with its plot in episode one set up pretty seamlessly in combination with the ending credits which shows a steady progression of Tanjiro learning to become a demon hunter and avenging his family against multiple foes. In classic shonen action series fashion, Tanjiro will probably continue to power up while making new allies who will also continue to power up and help him along on his quest.
However, even despite this someone simplistic vibe that the show gives off, I am still fairly excited for it. The plot seems to be moving in fairly fast-paced way, and a lot of questions have already been established right off the bat. For example, is there a way to cure his sister of being a demon? I do not know, but I definitely want to find out.
Other than that, though, I do not have much to say other than that I have faith that Ufotable will deliver on the animation, if nothing else.
How do you guys feel Kimetsu no Yaiba? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter or are just feeling generous, consider donating on ko-fi or by using one the affiliate links down below:
If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!
Well, it would not be The Aniwriter if I was not a weeks late on literally everything. Also, apologies again for the lack of posts for the last week, been caught up in schoolwork. Now, since that is out of the way, lets talk about one of the more anticipated shows of the season: Fruits Basket.
For those who are unfamiliar with the franchise, Fruits Basket is a story about Tohru, a young girl who, after losing both her parents and moving in with her grandfather, decides that she does not want to be a burden and starts living in the woods. After Yuki, a classmate of hers finds this out, he invites Tohru to start living with them. However, soon afterwards Tohru finds out the Soma’s secret: That they are animals.
Ever since the airing of the original anime adaptation by Studio Deen back in 2001, Fruits Basket has been a beloved series by almost all anime fans alike. Even with it being intended as more of a shoujo romance, the show caught on with so many people that it became incredibly popular. So, does the newest adaptation of Natsuki Takaya’s manga live up to the hype of the original?
Well, its hard to say. I’ll be fully transparent and honest hear: I don’t actually remember that much of the original series. I watched it back when I was in seventh grade, a turbulent year for me personally, and during that time it provided a lot of unexpected comfort. It might seem a bit cliche, but I related a lot to both Tohru and Kyo because of their loner status.
Still, even despite largely not living up to today’s standards of good animation and quality, the show definitely still has a lot of nostalgic value.
The newest adaptation of the show does a lot to live up to the spirit of the original. I do like the way they chosen to introduce the characters, emphasizing Tohru’s social front in order to mask her troubles, only to fall down from exhaustion near the middle of the episode. Yuki and Shigure also seem to be fairly faithful to their original characters as well, with Yuki being the cool, mysterious prince and Shigure being the pervy twenty-something.
I am also aware that their was a lot of hype around the English Dub since most of the original voice actors were recast in their role, but I opted to watch the show in the Japanese, so I did not get a chance to hear it. However, I do also remember the dub quite fondly, so more points for that I guess.
How do you guys feel about the newest Fruits Basket adaptation? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you would like to support The Aniwriter or are just feeling generous, consider donating on Ko-fi, or using one of the affiliate links down below:
If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!
Well, I cannot say that much has been going on in the past week, but I did want to talk about some personal stuff, if you guys do not mind indulging me.
The Importance of Mental Health
In any advanced nation, whether we are talking about the U.S., most of Europe, and parts of East Asia, standard of living is generally higher than most other developing nation. People in these developed nations generally do not have to worry about whether or not they will have access to food or drinking water or housing. This is not to say they these problems do not exist in the countries, but simply that less people face them. However, as this standard of living increases, so to does our focus on mental health. Because problems of external survival are largely swept under the rug, problems of internal struggle have more room to shine.
This is also true of different populations within one country. It is true, for example, that people of higher incomes are more likely to commit suicide, suggesting that mental health is a more central problem in those people’s lives people other problems are not. However, this does not mean that addressing mental health should be seen as some privilege enjoyed only by elites. Ordinary people, even those struggling to meet basic needs, deal with these problems, but do not get the chance to talk about them.
I recently read Lina’s post about her situation and struggle with mental health, and what it shows chiefly is that people can be in dire situations of mental health struggle. Mental Health, whether we want to talk about it or not, is important.
Falling Back into a Hole
It is often difficult describe to someone what it feels like to be depressed or stricken by any such similar feelings, but I would say the best way that I can think of, as someone who spent almost a year in such a state, is that it becomes hard to care about the world around you.
For some reason, a recent incident at my work reminded me a lot of this state that I was in, and how it was hard to even care about finishing school. I want to say, to anyone feeling this way, I probably cannot say that I have been in that specific situation, or that I could even relate to those feelings in the same way, but that there is probably a point in which you will have an experience that makes this whole living thing worth it.
Animated Observations 