Month: January 2017

Crowd Control: Handling Anime Background Characters

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I have a lot of quirks when it comes to watching anime, things that I tend to pick up on or specifically watch for that I’d assume most people wouldn’t really care too much about. Lately, I’ve noticed myself succumbing to somewhat of a “mini-obsession” when watching anime, something that when done poorly now sticks out like a sore thumb to me. Sure, it can sometimes be immersion breaking for a moment, but when handled with style or raw force I usually can’t help but marvel for a second or two. I’m talking about background crowds. Continue reading →

When Your Kokoro Goes Doki Doki: A Guide to Cliché Anime Romance – Chapter 1: Backseat Window Boys

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Let’s start this off with an introduction to what exactly is “When Your Kokoro Goes Doki Doki: A Guide to Cliché Anime Romances by crispyn64”. You see, I consider myself a person that’s open to every type of anime. From dark psychological thrillers to lighthearted shoujo drama, I can find something to enjoy in most every kind of show. However, out of every genre, there’s a clear and uncontested winner for my utmost affinity: slice of life romantic comedies. And while it might be interesting to dig into my own psyche and figure out why the hell I’m like this, that’s not what this [post] is here for. No, I’ve decided that I’d dedicate some of my time to write about the generic formulas of anime romance, drawing from my own experiences and research to define the genre’s conventions and tropes, and because I feel there’s so much to discuss here, I might just make an entire book out of it. So here’s my draft of the first chapter: Backseat Window Boys. Continue reading →

Otaku in Anime: Keima Katsuragi

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Here’s a topic I’ve been meaning to get around to for quite a while. It all started last summer anime season when I was watching This Art Club Has a Problem!. During it, I couldn’t help but notice what I thought was an annoying flaw in an otherwise decent comedy show. My problem with This Art Club Has a Problem! was one which involved the portrayal of Otaku. Now, I’m not saying the show was bad due to its inability to see Otaku culture for what I see it to be. Rather, it failed to define its own perspective in a way that was anything more than a pretty basic stereotype. The character Uchimaki is shown to be a head-in-the-clouds waifu-lover whose simple passion serves to be the butt of most of the show’s jokes. Usami (main character) goes throughout the entire show not trying to look deeper into his hobby, but rather spends most of her time scoffing at it and questioning why she had to fall in love with such a weirdo. Continue reading →