Worth Reading – 10/31/2019

New rule for Worth Reading – five entries, or end of the month, whichever comes first.  By the luck of the draw, I hit both about the same time this time around.

Somehow, I also ended up with what I think is a nice thematic collection too.  Can you guess what it is?  (I’ll reveal it at the end.)

So, let’s hit the jump and take a look at what’s Worth Reading!

Do you see what’s happened here? Spike is strong physically but beatable. He is bright intellectually but doesn’t see what’s in front of his face. He is detached emotionally but still wedded to his gang and Julia.

First up, Dave at Confessions of an Overage Otaku gives us a well written character analysis of Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop.

I know, I’ve been going on about by planned post of Cowboy Bebop AMV’s for half of forever…  But this one, casting Spike as the POV character in Johnny Cash’s brilliant cover of Hurt, just fits so well with Dave’s post.

The Cowboy Bebop film is like an extension of the famous Cowboy Bebop anime. I also think that it is considered as Cowboy Bebop episode 23.5 or The last major mission or bounty hunt with the whole crew before the beautiful finale of the show itself. That doesn’t mean that people who haven’t seen Cowboy Bebop before can’t see this film. Just like a lot of episodes in Bebop, consider this movie another episodic adventure with the Bebop crew.

Just by happenstance and good timing…  Scott at Mechanical Anime Reviews published a review of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie just this morning.

For my part, I was always a little perplexed by the movie as it never seemed to me to quite connect/fit into the series.  Then I started looking at it as “the crew of the Bebop hired to play themselves in a Cowboy Bebop movie”…  I don’t know if that makes any sense, but it works for me.

Either way, looking at the anime as a whole (and I tried to spoil as little as possible outside Otonashi’s personal story), it is deeply emotional and significant. It deals with issues of life and death, and how one must learn to deal with and accept the both of them if one is to continue functioning.

Next up, Merlin of Merlin’s Musings gives us a deeply personal review of Angel Beats.  Honestly, one of the best looks at the series that I’ve ever read.  If I had to pick one article from this post that I really think people should read – this would be it.  (Which of course should not be interpreted as any kind of slight against the others.)

It’s reminiscent of the many tales of creation, Frankenstein, Prometheus. We’re not gods, no matter how much creation is at our hands. We’re fallible, and the outcomes of our creations are rarely what was in the minds eye.

Over at Peachs’s Almanac, Chris takes us on a journey through life and love with his post Exploring Chobits: Love, AI, Comedy.  It’s a fascinating look at the growth of the main characters as persons – and the implications thereof.

Chobits is one of those older shows that, in my opinion doesn’t get nearly enough attention.  I wouldn’t go so far as calling it a classic, but it’s certainly one worth watching and thinking about.  It’s currently available in the US on Funimation, and if you have the chance you really should check it out.  Hopefully Chris’ article will help convince you that it’s worth doing.

While the overall outline of the story is a pretty familiar tale, I think the series has some interesting twists along the way. There’s a lot of discussion about identity and finding meaning that I quite liked while watching the series.

Granbelm got a lot of buzz early on last season, but that kinda died away as the series hit a rough patch in the middle third.  (Sadly, the last third was a bit muddled…)  I still think it’s worth watching.  With that in mind, I enjoyed Marth’s review: Granbelm Review: Magic always brings suffering.  Despite the show’s manifest flaws, I think it’s worth slogging through for some of the issues and questions it raises.  The ending is a bit more open than I might have liked…  But isn’t that point?  Aren’t those answers deeply personal?

Dammit…  Watching this scene to find the screenshot I wanted brought the onion ninjas.  It always does.

Quite a collection this time around…  To me, they all revolve around the cycle.  Life, living, growth, friendship, acceptance, and finally – death and it’s meaning.

After watching a ton of anime, I’ve both been inspired and at times disappointed by the use of Death scenes in anime. Death in anime is always something to pay attention to, in fact, Death in almost any form of art is actually a powerful artistic tool. Whether it be paintings, poems, theatre or anime, the concept of Death when employed strategically can effectively evoke strong emotions in the audience.

And that brings us to the final (last but not least!) entry in this post…  Tiger at Tiger Anime tackles the role(s) death plays in anime in Deaths In Anime Aren’t Always About Being Sad.  It hadn’t really occurred to me that they could be categorized, and then analyzed…  Tiger does a good job of doing so.  Now I kinda want to tackle the same topic.  (Of course, I need another post idea or draft like I need another hole in my head.)

=========

Well, there you have it – a collection of posts well worth reading.  Feel free to comment here or there.  If you liked a particular article – please drop a like or a comment on the article itself.