Ty’s Top Picks for Spring 2019

Though the weather here in Podunk, Arkansas may be just as mercurial as ever, that doesn’t change the fact that spring is, finally, on its way! And you know what that means… A new season of anime! Thanks to shows like Dororo, Kaguya-sama, and The Promised Neverland we’ve had a pretty promising start to the year, but how will 2019, ultimately, compare to 2018 (which shaped up to be an awesome year for anime)? That remains to be seen… But after checking out spring’s shows, I’m certainly feeling positive!

As always, the following list, which contains all of the upcoming anime that piqued my interest, was put together after checking out source material, watching trailers, finding out who’s working on what, looking at promo art, and pouring over synopses and reviews. This type of research isn’t exactly in-depth, it’s all stuff that you can go away and do for yourself, but hopefully I’ve saved you some time and effort by doing it all for you! The reason why I don’t like to do more in-depth research into each upcoming show isn’t laziness, but because I don’t like to spoil shows that I’m about to watch for myself, let alone for other people! As such, the following list is entirely spoiler free! I hope that when it comes to choosing what to watch it comes in handy!

Ty Tries the One Liner Challenge!!!

A big thanks to KimchiSama for tagging me in this! We haven’t known each other for very long, but I’ve loved being able to challenge one another! The aniblogging community is pretty massive, which means that it can be a bit daunting for newcomers like me to put myself out there and get to know other people, but you’ve helped me to feel welcome and included, so thanks!

If you’re new to the one liner challenge, its rules are as follows:

• Accept and thank your challenger(s) by linking back to their post.
• Make a post of one-sentence summaries and/or roasts of at least five books/anime
• No spoilers!
• Link back to The Awkward Book Blogger so she can see your post.
• Challenge as many or as little people as you want!
• Have fun!

Anime’s Less Than Flattering Depiction of Mental Illness

The issue of mental health is one that’s near and dear to my heart. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression ever since I was 11 and have recently been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). I studied psychology for four years at university and, upon graduating, started work as a recovery worker for a mental health charity. So, with anime also being near and dear to my heart, I’m very interested in its portrayal of mental illness. Over the past few years I’ve noticed anime’s depiction of mental illness improve somewhat. A Silent Voice and Orange both depicted depression and suicidality in a sensitive way and it’s interesting to watch Okabe tackle what appears to be post traumatic stress disorder in this season’s Steins;Gate 0. However, to date anime’s depiction of mental illness has been largely insensitive or inaccurate.

Strike Witches: The Pantsu Problem

I recently finished a show called Strike Witches. Strike Witches is set in an alternate 1944 and follows a military unit made up of a group of girls who fight off alien invaders using advanced military technology called Strikers (which are basically jet-powered thigh highs) and their magical powers all while wearing no bottoms. While there are many things about this premise that are ridiculous, the girls going about their lives in little more than their underwear aspect is by far the cream of the crop. However, the fanservice in Strike Witches is not just ridiculous, but also extremely problematic. You may want to grab a cuppa, as this is going to turn into quite the rant!