It’s that time once again folks; the Backloggers community content round-up! This post will make the 12th one, and it’s so hard to believe that we’ve been doing this for a full year now. We’ve gone through so much good content from you guys and we enjoy putting these small compilations together hopefully as much as you guys enjoy looking at the content from our perspective. We have no intents of stopping these anytime soon (despite how it may seem at times), and we’re striving to keep the good content rolling! We’re always putting effort into making sure y’all are getting quality content presented, so as always, any feedback is appreciated!
Anyway, let’s get to that content!
Mythos’ Picks
Difference, Not Indifference: Violet Evergarden, autistic representation, and the social model of disability – Devin Buchanan (@rugoseappendage) for AniFem
A while ago, I had an exchange with Devin as I had retweeted their dissection of Violet from Violet Evergarden, which they stated was some solid representation for an autistic individual. It became one of my more favorite discussions that came from this show and for me, at least, it is the way I interpret this character. That’s why when Devin hit me up and let me know they had written a whole article on the subject, I dropped everything and immediately read the whole thing. It’s a great piece and from everything that’s stated, I think this is basically the exact interpretation the show’s creators were going for, if not what the original author had intended. This is a must read if you have seen or plan to see this show.
Manga’s Most Bizarre Trope Has a Dark Secret – Dorkly
This piece is one that gets pretty dark but I think it’s important that we as fans of anime admit to some of the real fucked up things that continue to pervade the medium. Dorkly takes a look through the incredibly skeevy trope of depicting women as literal objects, whether it’s someone’s crush being turned into their right hand, a robot/android who has a master a la Chobits, or in one of the worst versions (you’ll see why), a doorknob. Dorkly does a great job of dissecting the issues of this genre of anime and overall does pretty well in lightening the mood to make watching this more palatable but this specific genre of anime goes in some real fucked up directions so forewarning. However, I think it is important for everybody to see this video and be aware that this is not an isolated genre in how messed up it is, and we should all both celebrate the amazing anime out there but also condemn the fucked up ones as well.
Behind the Music of MEGALOBOX – Marc from Oh no, Anime!
To end on a happier note, Oh no, Anime! has taken a deep dive look at the artists behind the just absolutely incredible soundtrack of Megalo Box. Using this as a jumping off point, Marc from Oh no, Anime! details some of the history of the hip hop and rap scene that is present in Japan, and the culture of amazing artists that sprung from it. It’s no secret that I love music and love dissecting it and its use both by itself and in other mediums. But even if you’re not that invested in it, I highly recommend watching this video essay, as it’s fascinating to see how hip hop has spread and evolved in other countries, allowing Japan to make it their own in very unique ways.
Owningmatt93’s Picks
Reina Kousaka + Quest to be Special – Subtitled Anime
I wouldn’t say that Hibike! Euphonium is my favorite KyoAni show out of the bunch, but it definitely is one that’s grown on me over time, with thanks to many of the people I follow on Twitter always talking about the show’s inherent strengths, especially within its main cast of characters. This video focuses specifically on Reina Kousaka and delves into her personal struggles and successes that the show provides her with. SubtitledAnime does an excellent job in his presentation of her character and her quest to surpass any barrier she comes across, whether that’s in her ability to play or within her mindset to allow her to continue doing so with confidence. It’s an important aspect of what makes Reina and Kumiko’s relationship a crucial and awesome part of Hibike! Euphonium, and this video absolutely nails those character aspects.
If you haven’t seen Hibike! Euphonium yet, please do so. If you have and enjoyed the show, then this video is an absolute must-watch.
The Importance of MyAnimeList – Lethargic Ramblings
In case you weren’t aware, recently many of MyAnimeLists features were taken offline due to a rework of their site backend to fix crucial holes in their code. While the whole incident is interesting from a technological perspective, there’s plenty to discuss from the perspective of an anime fan as well, something that Lethargic Ramblings does very well in his article. He discusses many of the features of MAL that we took for granted and many people never really thought about until the site began to be reconstructed, losing a majority of its core features for some time.
Of course, many fans have their own thoughts about MAL as a website as well as its user-base and rating system usage, and while some of those complaints may be valid, that does not invalidate the useful capabilities of this site as a whole. I definitely never thought about some of the aspects of the site that I used so often until I couldn’t use then anymore, and many fans like Lethargic Ramblings feel the same. We should take the time to appreciate the site for what it does for the fandom despite its issues, and I hope to see full functionality of the site restored soon!
3-Gatsu no Lion is About Food (The Kawamotos and Poverty) – Kamimashita
There’s been so many shows revolving around the concept food in the recent years such as Food Wars!, Koufuku Graffiti, and Sweetness and Lightning, you probably wouldn’t think of March Comes in Like a Lion as a food anime like the others I listed. While each one has a different approach on its subject matter of food, Kamimashita’s take on its usage within this show is a bit different than most other takes that I’ve seen concerning shows involving the thematic element of food.
Kamimashita presents a clear take on his observations of those themes within March Comes in Like a Lion, pointing out the many links between food in the show and the Kawamoto sisters being from a family with little spare cash to go around. He even furthers this by telling his own personal story involving his family in tight financial situations at times. Personal anecdotes are something that I love to see within an analysis piece because they can tightly create a connection to a writer and the work being discussed, and this video is an absolute pristine example of that. Excellent work!
General Tofu’s Picks
Hisone and Masotan: A Story About Love and Work-Life Balance – Frog-kun
Frog-kun discusses one of the season’s most unique shows, Hisone to Masotan, giving some interesting insight into the show’s relationship between the D-Pilots’ work and romance. He lays out his journey from incredulity at the concept to a more understanding perspective, discussing how the show actually may be addressing real-world issues that Japanese women in the workplace face on a daily basis. It’s a fascinating look at the show itself, and I would highly recommend it.
Fan culture and growth in IDOLiSH7 – Atelier Emily
Though it’s a short read, this piece by Atelier Emily talks about the recently-wrapped-up boy idol show IDOLiSH7 and its fascinating method of examining fandom through the show’s narrative. Emily discusses how IDOLiSH7 shows the group’s growth as a result of not just hard work, but through devoted fans and the work they also put in to spread their fandom. It’s a neat look at an aspect of idol shows that often seems to be overlooked, so if idol shows interest you, it’s well worth your time.
Kill la Kill – Feminism, Sexuality… Revisited – Mythos
I also wanted to highlight this particular post by our good good co-conspirator, Mythos, wherein which he revisits the very first post written for The Backloggers blog. It’s an interesting piece, seeing how his views on Kill la Kill have changed over the last few years, and it’s important to see this as an aspect of the reflective process of both writing and personal growth. Both it and the original piece are worth a read, so be sure to check them out!
Outro
As a bit of a deviation from our normal monthly outro, I just wanted to take a few words to shout out to everyone that’s been churning out content over the past year. I love that the anime content creators are always striving to improve and create interesting content, and I just wanted to take this one year anniversary of our monthly round-ups to appreciate everyone contributing to the anime community. You guys are awesome!
And of course, if you do have any suggestions to improve our format or think we missed something that just absolutely has to be shared, you can always talk to any of us through the website, our blog or personal Twitters, or just drop a comment below. We always enjoy seeing what you guys have to say.
Thanks for reading (and just generally being cool people)!
The Backloggers 