Being a big fan of anime and other things, I always feel the need to have something on my person that shows it, whether it’s a keychain, pins on my bag, or an anime T-shirt. A few years ago I actually wrote all about how I “wear” anime on my person all the time in a past post. There I described how, over the years, I’ve always kept little fan trinkets on me, like pictures on my school notebook or charms on my phone – the “how” of advertising my fandom if you will. But today, I wanted to look at the “why” and “why not” of people who like to publicly show that they’re anime fans and people who don’t…
Archives for January 2014
Frozen and the evolution of Disney storytelling
Art credited to 天然風 on pixiv
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you probably know that in addition to anime I’m also a Disney fan, as well as a fan of animation in general. I go to the theaters to see most of the big animated movies that come out in the US each year, but I don’t talk about them much here since this is, well, an anime blog. However, once in a while I feel like talking about other animated works, and during the last week of 2013 I saw Frozen, Disney’s latest animated film, which has been nothing short of a huge hit among audiences and critics alike. It already managed to reclaim the #1 spot at the box office over a month after its release on Thanksgiving, and currently it’s Disney’s highest grossing animated film of all time, beating the previous record holder, The Lion King (though Frozen would still be second only if you add the earnings from The Lion King’s 3D re-release in 2011). After seeing Frozen, I can’t say I was anything less than blown away – it not only managed to recapture the music and magic of the Disney I loved when I was a kid, but it also inverted many established Disney cliches, making for a really unpredictable story. That together with an amazing staff, actual Broadway talents included for the music, it’s not hard to see why it’s such a hit – but I wanted to examine it on a deeper level…
Defining yourself as a fan
Wherever there’s works of art there will always be praise and criticism, in varying amounts depending on the work in question, anime being no different of course. It’s perfectly normal to feel good when you see that others share in the love you have for a particular anime, and to feel a sting when you find others who passionately dislike it. If you consider yourself a “fan” of an anime, or of any media work really, how much does your fandom define who you are, to the extent that it becomes personal if someone bashes that fandom…
Fall ’13 reviews part 2 and my top 5 anime of 2013
I decided to combine the rest of my 2013 anime reviews and my list of top 5 anime of 2013 into one post. The winter 2014 season is already upon us after all, so I need to finish up all the 2013 stuff and start checking out all the new shows! XD So much anime and blogging to do and so little time…