January Animanga SOTM

Hi everyone! This was my first time volunteering to pick SOTM and it was enjoyable. I encourage everyone to submit nominations each month and consider volunteering to pick SOTM in the future. Varen does a very thorough job of organizing everything and guiding you though the process. Either method of participation doesn't take much time at all, and you'll appreciate the opportunity to reflect on the shrines you visit.

When I saw the list of nominations this month, I thought, "This is going to be impossible." Great shrines were picked that I'm sure will be nominated again and again until they win. When I started reading through them though, one shrine stood out by seducing me with the owner's vivid writing style and varied approach to showcasing her character. The January Animanga Site of the Month is...


Shiori is well-known to be a gifted writer. Her words are highly analytical with a sprinkle of lofty wit. I've never seen Witchblade, so I expected to struggle through the material. The opposite occurred. Before I knew it, hours had flown by and I had read every single page. Black Cherry paints a crystal-clear description on who Reina is as a mother, as a lover, as a daughter, and as a professional. Shiori also helps us out by frequently including screencaps, in-text references to DVD booklets, creator commentary, magazine articles, and conversation quotes.

The best sections would be Black Cherry's Relationships pages. While it's easy to get lost in the series-specific terminology of action-fantasy anime, themes of family values are easily understood and relevant to most visitors. For most of the relationship pages, Reina is examined in regards to one aspect of her identity. Because there is a lengthy factual description of events + further analysis of Reina's role in each relationship, it feels like each separate part of Reina's life could be a stand alone story. These various isolated sides all collectively build to an attractive image of Reina as a multi-dimensional character.

In the words of her nominator:
Saya said, "Even if I don't know the series, I still wanted to read this one, because I love how Shiori introduces stuff and how she writes. And I wasn't wrong to do so, because I want to see witchblade because of it. The information as always is presented clearly and in an understandable way. And the shrine shows lot of dedication. A great read and entrainment as always"