The Chuuni Corner

Anime reviews, Chuunibyou, and other writings

Tag: Fune wo Amu

August 22, 2017

Banjo’s Top 5 Fall 2016 Anime

Fune wo Amu / Episode 3 / Kaguya looking both mature and beautiful

And the winners of Fall 2016 are…

I got to see something yesterday that I never have before: a solar eclipse.

Many parts of the world and half the Internet were abuzz with the phenomenon; it got me that much more excited. Thankfully, our workplace handed out those special protective glasses, and they allowed the entire office to step outside for around ten minutes.

While just one celestial body moving in front of another, and only partial coverage occurred from my location, it was truly an amazing sight. An event hundreds of thousands of miles away that manages to get people looking upwards and thinking for a brief period about something that almost anyone can agree on as being downright interesting.

I’m lucky enough to encounter a similar sort of experience all the time with anime. Yes, I get to see more anime than I do eclipses. But when I start up a story that centers on an impassioned ice skater or that blazes ahead in occult fashion, I can’t help but get excited about what interesting events are in store for my viewing pleasure.

Thus, it has also come time for us (mostly me because I’m seasonally behind at the moment) to celebrate what interesting anime Fall 2016 had to offer. Ten anime got into position, and five stood out above the rest. But only one eclipsed the others, earning the grand title of Best Anime of Fall 2016.

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August 10, 2017

Review/discussion about: Fune wo Amu

Fune wo Amu / Episode 8 / The Ferris wheel and the ship

Definition: A really good anime

I believe I have written this anecdote before, but it’s entirely too relevant to not bring up again.

In the fourth grade, I “read” the entire dictionary. “Read” is in quotes there because, while I technically read through it, I didn’t read all the definitions. I simply read each word. In order. From A to Z.

In my mind, doing so would make me “smarter.” I have always been prideful of my intelligence, of wanting to prove my brains to the world. Doubly so when I was a young kid who had everyone telling him I was overly smart for my age.

I don’t remember too much of my little adventure, for I was “reading” it so fast. I hadn’t realized there were so manywords, but, once I started, I knew I couldn’t stop.

At the minimum, when I finished the dictionary, I had a greater appreciation for words. Not just the amount but the variety, weirdness, and importance of them.

Fune wo Amu isn’t something one reads through quickly. Rather, it’s something that rewards patience with a wholly satisfying experience.

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August 6, 2017

Fune wo Amu and the Words of Dialogue

Fune wo Amu / Episode 2 / The Daitokai dictionary in figurative form

What does dialogue do for a story?

“To be or not to be, that is the question.”

That’s the start to one of Shakespeare’s most famous soliloquies, and it’s arguably his most well-known line. It comes from Hamlet, a play about the titular prince as he attempts to uncover the unjust death against his father (the king) while he contemplates life and semi-devolves into madness.

It’s been on my mind because I recently finished 1948’s Hamlet [1], starring Sir Laurence Olivier as the prince himself. (He also directed and produced the film; he could do it all.) The acting was great, and the specter was spooky, but it was really Shakespeare’s words that drove the entire story. Puns, memorable quotes. More specifically, the dialogues — be that with a group, one other person, or with themselves — created the drama and breathed life into the characters.

Shortly after completing Hamlet, I also finished an anime that went somewhat undetected during the Fall 2016 season: Fune wo Amu. This anime likewise places heavy emphasis on words but to a more thematic level. So, it got me thinking. How does Fune wo Amu use its own words to craft dialogue?

The following essay will investigate dialogue. What it is, what it can do, and ultimately what it creates. Hopefully, by the end of this piece, you will not only have a better appreciation of Fune wo Amu but also a greater understanding of dialogue as a whole.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

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