Jon’s Creator Showcase: February Edition

The Creator Showcase is a monthly project that was created by Jon-san of Jon Spencer Reviews, He originally intended to stop after January due to several reasons, but Rai-san, being Rai-san decided to help out.

And so, the revived Creator’s Showcase is here! (The awesome logo was made by Nesha-san)
I, Auri, will be your host for February’s Edition which will showcase your best works from January~
*cue lights*

Two weeks ago, I had begun collections of posts on Twitter, and we had an amazing response. Which, however, made my task all the more harder.
And no it wasn’t that I had to read posts during final exams (I was doing that anyway haha), but more that I had to choose between these!
To put things into perspective, this month there were over 50 entries of which I had to choose approximately around 10-15.

It was no mere feat, trust me! But here we are, with the list of “Definitely Do NOT Miss Posts of January!”
*cue applause and cheers*

NOTE: Titles are links so click click click!

The Anime Segment

Hakumei to Mikochi, Violet Evergarden, and Historical Context in Anime from Purposefully Lackluster

Per-san gave us this absolutely amazing post about the historical context in two anime series- Violet Evergarden and Hakumei to Mikochi. Not only is it insightful and interesting, the post also very clearly reflects the research and effort that went into it.
If you haven’t read this one yet, be sure to! Per-san brings us a wholesome and extremely satisfying read!

Love Live! Sunshine!! — Hard Work, Failure, and the Ardor of Takami Chika from Leap 250’s Blog

While Per-san’s post showed the dedication, Leap-san’s is about it as well! While I personally haven’t watched Love Live yet (not completely), I was still able to appreciate this wonderful post about it. So I can just imagine the genuine value of this gem to the people who actually did.
Well written and poetic (^^) this post was an absolute treat to read. Make sure not to miss it!

A Calligrapher’s Renaissance: Barakamon from ArchiAnime

Zel-san’s OWLS Blog post for January was a work of art. She managed to bring up several emotions with this post and I confess I did get emotional when I read it. It was really, one of the writings that you can re read and yet get the same feels again. Honestly, thank you for this amazing post Zel-san!
Like they say, some things have to be experienced yourself, so read it yourself and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

The Music Segment

Dreaming with Agust D: ”So Far Away” from Of Midnight Ravings

Chi-san brings us this beautiful analysis/ short explanation about Agust D’s “So Far Away”. Being a BTS fan myself, I found this post a pleasure to read and I’m sure you will too. I agree I’ve always been slightly partial to song related posts, but Chi-san’s post is a wonderful rendition of a wonderful song. I hope none of you have missed this one!

Best Anime Music of the Year (2017) from Humble Ace

Ace-san talks about the personal best music of the year’s anime. Including some remarkable OSTs and EDs, this list was an absolute treat to the ears. Not only were the songs great, the little notes that Ace-san gave us to accompany them were perfect.
Take some time off and give this playlist post a try, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it!

A Celebration of Jonghyun’s “Poet|Artist” from KayBop

KB-san writes a beautiful analysis of Jonghyun’s posthumous album “Poet”. This post, as a tribute to Jonghyun brings forth what KB-san liked (or should I say loved) about his new album.
The in depth analysis that compares several other works is extremely well written, and I suggest you read this posts whether or not you enjoy Kpop.

Segment for Mental Health and Other Social Issues

Let’s Talk About Anxiety. from Arthifis’ Place

Art-san’s post on dealing with anxiety is one in which he talks about his own experiences with the same. Inspiring and marvelous to read, his post is one that would take much courage to write. Art-san never ceases to impress and this post is… well why don’t you tell me after reading it?

Imma be a bit serious here, so this is a non anime/cartoon post from Fueled By Smiling

Smile-san addresses a sensitive topic in her post- race. While she says that the post was ‘random rambling’ I personally think that posts like these should be more regular. Colours and the effect of mimicking colours on the sentiment of people are put forward by Smile-san in a way, that was indeed poetic.
Also that sushi chef video? Brilliant.
This is must read post from Smile-san, so go check it out soon.

Anime Heroes and Responding to Mental Illness from Curiously Dead Cat

Some posts bring out emotions I wasn’t expecting to feel. Prime-san talks about the portrayal and responses to mental illness in anime.
This post was one I was absolutely enamored with. Don’t miss out on this great post from Prime-san. Not even if you have new anime waiting for you.

Fearless from Welcome To My Escape

Synne-chan deals with a largely ignored issue- rape. I myself, have talked about his previously, but as Synne-chan said, it’s about daring to speak up and make a difference.
She talks about “Nirbhaya”, a rape case in India and how it had affected her.
I honestly have no words to tell you why you should read this post, because really, there are no reasons you shouldn’t.

The Gaming Segment

A Defence of “grinding” in JRPGs from Lethargic Rambling

Leth-san puts forward a compelling support for ‘grinding’ in JRPGs. I haven’t really played many JRPGs (my only one being Dragon Fable really) and yet this argument brought me in the favor of grinding.
For all you gamers(?), it’s a post that you should definitely read and I’m sure Leth-san would be open for discussions- for or against. (Right Leth-san?)

Otome Debates: Localization from Nice Job Breaking it, Hero

I’m sorely inexperienced in gaming and even more inexperienced in otome. Sure I’ve played a few, but never completed any.
So, as a complete newbie, Poke-san’s new feature “Otome Debates” was my much awaited series!
In this post, she talks about Localization, what it is, how it’s done and her thoughts on it. Since she explains it simply and neatly, I’ll let you check it out yourself without confusing you….

The Literature Segment

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng – Book Review from Biblionyan

Book reviews are really fun to read! Biblionyan-san reviews Th Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twang Eng, and she has definitely convinced me to check it out!
Articulate and pretty, her review of a pretty book is a must read!

Her Smile from Ryuji Tatsuya’s Anime Corner

And our final pick for February’s Showcase is also our only literary work submitted. This soulful piece from Ryu-kun had generated some strong emotions in all the readers as I’m sure Shoka-san would agree.
Ryu-kun also gave a sequel to this, don’t miss either~

Thank you everyone!

For participating, for submitting and above all for reading!
With this we come to the end of Jon’s Creator Showcase: February Edition.

March will be taken on by Shinku-senpai (Crimson Blogs) and so I’m handing the baton over to her.

Thanks again Jon-san for this wonderful project!