One of the highlights of 2019, in terms of Watashi Wa Bucho!!, was getting to blog Fruits Basket (2019) episodically. It was the first time that I had blogged this way since 2012 (feel free to check out my posts on Shin Sekai Yori, if you’re interested. Fantastic show), and, while I think my rustiness definitely showed in places, I still had so much fun with it all! Below are some of the things that I took away from the 25-week-long experience…
Approaching each episode of Furuba with the mindset of “Right, I have to find something that interests me enough to write 500-odd words about.” really improved my overall experience with the show. Let me explain what I mean. Going into an anime with a critical mindset heightens your awareness to the more subtle details that make it up. If I was only half paying attention to Furuba, I would have never noticed things like the use of certain words and the things these words implied, its symbolic use of shadow and colour, or the abundance of foreshadowing, for instance. Noticing these things not only gave me something to write about each week, but also gave me a greater appreciation for the show and all the care and thought its creators put into it.
But that wasn’t all I got out of the experience… I also came away from it with this massive sense of achievement. While I’ve covered shows as they air before (like Shin Sekai Yori, The Legend of Korra, or Mysterious Girlfriend X), I’ve usually missed an episode here and there, for one reason or another. But that wasn’t the case for Furuba. For all my bluster and bravado, I don’t actually like to sound my own trumpet (it must be the English in me). That being said, I’ve got to say that I feel pretty darn good looking back on all that I’ve written, knowing that, for 25 weeks, without fail, even with all I had going on in my personal life, I managed to write something, something that I could be proud of. Sorry, I just had to take a moment to give myself a pat on the back!
More than either of the above two things, the no.1 thing that I took away from covering Furuba was the fun I had interacting with you guys. I loved chatting with you about the show on a weekly basis. I especially loved hearing your crazy theories and what you thought about its characters/events that took place. And there was more than one occasion when you opened my eyes to a whole other perspective, so thank you for that. I hope that, with my posts, I was able to highlight some things that you might have missed in return. For those of you who joined me during those 25 weeks, whether regularly or intermittently, thanks. I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun without you chiming in and engaging with what I had to say. I hope that you’ll join me again for whatever anime I cover next!
Watashi Wa Bucho!! 