The Wind Rises

THE WIND RISES Watched via theater/BD WHITNEY CRYSTAL PLOT: The Wind Rises is a semi-biographical historical drama centering around the life and work of Jiro Horikoshi, a famous designer for fighter planes in World War II. It seems rather fitting that Hayao Miyazaki would pick a biography as the subject matter for his last film. … Continue reading →

Silver Spoon

SILVER SPOON Watched via Crunchyroll WHITNEY CRYSTAL PLOT: I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, watching the anime adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s manga series Silver Spoon. I haven’t read the manga yet, but I’ve grown to expect a high level of mastery from the author in regards to plot development and pacing. Since her … Continue reading →

Watamote

WATAMOTE Watched via Crunchyroll WHITNEY CRYSTAL PLOT: Be careful what you wish for; Watamote is not just your typical shy girl anime. I’m always finding myself hoping that shoujo manga will reinvent the genre of the shy girl. In fact, I was very concerned that No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ … Continue reading →

Kick-Heart

KICK-HEART Watched via digital download/BD WHITNEY CRYSTAL PLOT: Kick-Heart is very atypical of your usual animated film. It was created by independent resources and funded by fans through Kickstarter. Because of its unusual origins, I believe that Kick-Heart has been able to break free from the tropes of anime as we know it today. The … Continue reading →