T.H.A.T read of the week – Última semana de marzo

Cos I am liking the Yotsunoha CGs quite badly

As part of That Anime Blog’s continued love to promote the best entries in our anime blogosphere, I have finally revived an editorial piece that is left to the rubbish bin around 6 months ago. This time, I decide to reduce it in a manner so that more of the bloggers in THAT Anime Blog can be involved in the contribution of great articles. Every week, during a slow day where there is little blogging, we will release this little editorial where we will point you to several blog entries that deserve a bit more attention.

So, let’s us start with the recommendation of the week

Impz’s read of the week

My read on the week is by Iwa ni Hana. The title of the post reads, “Is Japan the place of romance in Chinese shoujo light novels? Just as Europe was the place of romance in Japanese old-school shoujo manga?“. In essence, the author questions why Japan is often the backdrop in recent shoujo light novels written by Chinese. He also relates it to how it is similar to how Japan often uses Europe as a backdrop for their light novels, using various examples.

My answer will be somewhat related to the increased globalization that Chinese citizens are undergoing after a few decades of a closed-door policy. I believe that there is a huge influx of Japanese influence in recent years through anime and drama within mainstream China television and culture. That scenario is likely to trigger inspirations by inspiring writers who are likely to have scouted around material for new ideas. Moreover, with the continued exposure toward more foreign sources of entertainment, it is little wonder that recent writers will gather similar thoughts toward a country that they have a thick history in more ways than one.

Extrange’s read of the week

My read of the week was made by DarkMirage. his post “Hope For a Better World” expresses his views and hopes of political changes, after having seen one of the recent speeches of the presidential candidate Barack Obama. His rambling also make remarks about recent issues mediatized because of the recent events related to the Tibet-China issue and the change of power in Cuba.

The real point I want to highlight isn’t the post itself but the discussion generated in the comments. The typical stereotype of a anime fan is of a teen kid wasting time on the computer downloading stuff and flaming on the forums because someone insulted Naruto. And DarkMirage’s blog is essentially a blog about subjects related to the anime world. So it makes me glad that the anime community is paying attention to the current political issues and that are able to express their own views in a friendly toned way and with constructive comments.