Category: Analysis

The serious side of semi-serious

Analysis

A Thematic Analysis of Honey and Clover

When I was still little…one day, riding the green bike I always used to ride, I thought: “how far can I go without turning back?”

Life is like a lot of things; a quick google of the phrase “life is like” is enough to demonstrate that. One of the many things that life is analogous to is riding a bike: traveling forward into the unknown as fast as your legs will pedal you, unsure of what awaits on the rode ahead. The anime Honey and Clover tells a fairly simplistic and wholly relateable story of a group of art college students that are doing just that – crawling, walking, running through life, still ignorant to many of life’s ups and downs. Like a Ferris Wheel or a weather vane or the wheel of a bike, life continues to revolve while they search for the ever-elusive key to their happiness. It isn’t a battle for the fate of the world, or to win the heart of the local silent glasses girl, but it’s a battle in its own right, and it’s something that every human being must struggle with in order to find their own path. This is a story of that battle, that search, and of the bittersweet feelings that came and went over those few years that they spent looking for their four-leafed clovers.

Navigation
Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Takumi Mayama
Page 3: Ayumi Yamada
Page 4: Hagumi Hanamoto
Page 5: Shinobu Morita
Page 6: Yuuta Takemoto
Page 7: Conclusion

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Analysis

A Fanboy’s Analysis of Akiyama Mio

I was an otaku before an anime blogger, I played my first visual novel before reading The Animanachronism. I collect things that have pictures of attractive 2D females printed on to them just because I can. The acronym of my blog’s name spells a familiar word. If I wore glasses, surely they would be rose-tinted.

But that’s not the point. The point is Akiyama Mio. You know, Mio. That Mio, that Mio, that Mio, that Mio…and yes, even that Akiyama Mio. So what does this mean, aside from the fact that Nasu’s pen has infected me? It means that Mio is popular.

…

…And it also means that I’m going to try and figure out why, because that’s what I do!

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Analysis

The Tripartite of Gaming: Theories on an Overlooked Medium

Pardon me for going off topic – yes, I have no way of justifying this post and claiming its relevance to anime – but as I shift in and out of the mood to pursue Japanese cartoons with unparalleled amounts of zeal and energy, irrelevant ideas occasionally cross my mind. Having recently mentioned gaming in a post that was intended to have far more to do with anime than it did, I found myself taking a little break from this medium that we know and love, and indulging in a few solid hours of adventure and conquest.

Now, as for how this is relevant to the topic at hand: in taking a good look at the medium of video games from a perspective that has widened dramatically in the last several months, I’ve come to realize a few things that I never noticed before. In short, I think the enjoyment that players derive from games can be divided into three broad categories – entertainment, competition, and art – and that the mystery behind why some games appear to be “good” while others are “bad” is far less of a mystery than it appears.

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Analysis

Politics, Religion, and Paradise – Speculations on Eden of the East

I’ll admit: there will always be genres that I like more than others, regardless of objective quality. If it isn’t already obvious, I’m the kind of person that likes to dissolve into 13 episodes of rabu-rabu or moe-moe, and if not, I can only hope that the show will be funny enough to entertain me.

But of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and I think Eden of the East fits that bill for this season. Even aside from the unique premise and above average portrayal of America in terms of realism, it didn’t take long at all for the show to captivate me. It should come as no surprise, seeing as it’s an original story from the director of the Ghost in the Shell TV series, but the first two episodes really have exceeded my expectations.

However, the fact remains that there is precious little to say after only a few weeks, so I decided to try something familiar: taking a closer look at the opening and ending sequences and seeing what little treasures I could find.

And believe me, there’s much more than meets the eye.

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Analysis

The Truth Beneath The Surface: Clannad, Key, and the Romantic Fairy Tale

In the beginning, my Clannad pictures only involved Nagisa. Then, it was Nagisa and Tomoya. Now…well, you do the math.

It was a year and a half ago that the Clannad anime began airing, introducing to English speaking fans the latest of Key’s creations in a setting that struck everyone as “sad girls in spring.” No doubt expecting something along the lines of Kanon or AIR, we hopped on the bandwagon and followed Tomoya’s adventures as he encountered a certain hesitant dango-loving girl that was having a little trouble climbing up the hill.

That was a long, long time ago.

Much has been said about the story’s conclusion, and I honestly believe that the blogosphere’s thoughts (compiled skillfully by lelangir) have covered just about every topic I can think of. Yes, I’m late to the party, but I also cannot let an ending like this slide by without saying anything. Therefore, I’ll skim past the things you know already, like how the story is about family and how the reset end feels like a cheap shot against the viewers: if you want a detailed account of the development of Tomoya’s character or a justification for the plot twist, read some of the material that’s already been written (or just check out my last post on the appeal of the show).

Hence, this post is about my take on Clannad, and the reason why my own disappointment is nothing that stands against an excellent story.

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Analysis

Fate/stay night Fate route: Innocence in the Shell

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Saber was an interesting young lady. With her knights’ armor coating her body and her brilliant golden hair tied humbly back, she could not be so easily defined by the word “beautiful.” And yet, the instant Shirou set eyes on her, he was not mesmerized by her cold confidence and imposing stature, but rather, by the softness that dwelled just beneath the surface, forced into slumber.

However, there was much more to this young lady’s story than a bittersweet tale of love between a man and a spirit. She was once a warrior that fought valiantly for her country, who was determined to lay her life on the life to defend the lives of strangers…but even so, the innocence that remained within her never faded away.

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Memories of Eternity