Run with the Wind – Redefining Masculinity in the Context of Male Friendships

I’ll usually look less favourably upon an anime with no strong female characters (I get a real kick out of seeing my sex represented in a positive, significant way). And whilst Run with the Wind is one such show (with only one female character – and a minor one at that), I still adore the bare bones of it! It may be a bit of a sausage party, but, contrary to what you might expect, the way that our main characters interact with each other is completely and utterly devoid of any exaggerated masculinity. If anything, many of their interactions actually contain the hallmarks of, not male, but female friendships. These include intimacy, the tendency to encourage one another, vulnerability, and insight into each other’s characters…

Ty’s Year in Review (2018)

This has been the first year (since 2012, and, boy, does that feel like an age ago now) that I’ve made a conscious effort to watch a good percentage of seasonal anime. I do feel that, as an aniblogger, it’s important to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the anime world and that keeping up with seasonal shows is a good way to do that. But, blogging aside, it’s also so much fun to be part of the conversation and to share memes, news, and theories with other anime fans. That’s difficult to do if you’re only watching the most ancient and/or obscure shows out there!

Anyway… I managed to watch 30 of this year’s anime. I know that that’s a pretty paltry figure to some, but I’m not in the habit of dropping shows, so I prefer to only pick a handful per season that I know beforehand that I’m likely to enjoy. In the following post I attempt to collate what I loved (or loathed) about the 30 shows that I watched this year.

Author’s note: if you feel that an anime has been unduly underrepresented, chances are, I didn’t see it. See the bottom of this post for a list of the shows that I did see this year. If you’re looking for something a bit more comprehensive, check out The First Ever WordPress Anime Awards. This features an impressive collection of categories and nominations put together by a team of brilliant bloggers (including yours truly)!

Run with the Wind – Passion vs. Practicality

Bar Jojo Part 5 (natch), Run with the Wind is probably my favourite anime this season. As I’ve said many, many, many times before, I love sports anime! It also helps that the show’s characters are extremely entertaining and that there’s awesome chemistry between them. During episode 5 we see King wrestle with his commitment to his newfound hobby, running, as he struggles to find paid employment. This got me thinking about a recurring theme in anime: passion vs. practicality. What do I mean by this? Well, anime about plucky characters with heads full of dreams are a dime a dozen. Maybe they want to be recognised by other people, go to nationals with their sports team, or make it big with their band… But what happens when life, with all of its obstacles, gets in the way of these dreams? Today I wanted to devote some time to exploring this conundrum, using Run with the Wind as a springboard for discussion.

Ty’s Top Picks for Fall 2018

Fall, or autumn, for my fellow Brits, is almost upon us! But what’s even more exciting than the thought of cool weather, back to school shopping (what? That’s exciting, right?), and pumpkin spice everything is that we’re due yet another promising season of anime! As with my last season preview I will list the shows that I’ve chosen to watch. These will be divided into three categories: continuing from the last season (so, summer), sequels, and standalones. Based on my research (which involves pouring through reviews, news articles, and source materials) I’ll briefly discuss what it was about these shows that appealed to me. I hope that this will help you decide what to watch yourself!