12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 3 – The Aniblog Tourney

As I’ve made an emphasis about the anime community throughout these Twelve Days posts, I figure it’s about time for one of the greatest, most memorable and wholly entertaining events of the year: The Second Anime Blog Tournament or Aniblog Tourney.  With the first one occurring in 2010, before I discovered and read anime blogs, this was the first such event where a majority of the aniblogger community gathered together to share and explore bits and pieces of the community that may have gone unnoticed previously.  Seizing the opportunity, this blog was accepted into the tournament.  However, the act of putting my blog in the Aniblog Tourney is not the reason for it making the Twelve Days list.  Rather, it was the social aspects of the Aniblog Tourney which were the most influential and enduring.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 4 – Awakening to the Sports Genre

Unbeknownst to most, if not all, I am a passionate and fervent sports fan.  All throughout my life, sports has had a fundamental and irreplaceable role.  Even today, I spend more time watching, following, and discussing sports than all my time spent on anime, manga and this blog combined.  You figure it’d only be natural for me to be a fan of sports anime seeing how enthusiastic I am about sports.  Well, for whatever reasons, I never found myself interested or excited about any sports anime, save for Battle Athletes Victory back in the 2000.  In fact, I believe that was the last true sports anime I’ve watched (shows like Softenni do not count).  Then, in Autumn of 2011, I started Chihayafuru, an anime revolving around one girl’s love of competitive karuta.  It wasn’t until well into the second half before I realized I was watching a genuine sports anime.  Not only that, but I was loving it, too!

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 5 – Dancing Openings and Endings of 2012

Let’s face it, if there were a hierarchy of anime openings and endings, then the fanservice dancing ones would be on top.  They’re like the royalty of anime OPs and EDs, not only in terms of quality and fondness but also in how unforgettable or distinctive they are.  Remember that dance in Haruhi?  Or the Lucky Star opening? Or my personal favorite, the seconding ending to xxxHOLiC?  As soon as you infuse some dancing into an opening or ending, they improve or, at the very least, become more memorable.  This year, we witnessed the origination of several new dancing openings and endings, with each showing its influence by being some of the most cherished and celebrated sequences of the year.  And for this day, I want to honor these select few openings and endings for being some of the best in 2012.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 6 – 2 Year Anniversary and Lessons from Anime Blogging

December 20, 2012 marks the second anniversary of Avvesione’s Anime Blog.  Over the course of these two years, I have done more than just write about anime here; rather, it’s a clumsy combination of critiquing, evaluating, and reflecting upon various aspects of various anime presented in the form of words accompanied by unrelated but cute or amusing screenshots.  As a result of this blogging experience, I have learned an exceptional amount about how to properly articulate my assessment and perception of anime as I discover what it is about these shows that I like and dislike.  It has been a tremendous experience in improving my understanding and appreciation for anime.  However, not every aspect of blogging is marvelous or even significant.  Sometimes it’s frustrating or taxing, inconvenient or annoying.  But learning to deal with these negativities is one area where I felt myself grow as an anime blogger in 2012.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 7 – Bye-bye in Rinne no Lagrange

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 9 – Subscription to Ultra Jump

As you may already know, I am an avid, enthusiastic follower of the Needless manga and have been since soon after I began watching the anime.  Unfortunately for me, Needless is published monthly in Ultra Jump, a manga magazine that is sold in Japan and not available overseas.  However, after various situations and circumstances, I decided to research my options and learned of way to order a subscription to Ultra Jump despite living outside of Japan.  The outcome of this subscription to a manga magazine has unquestionably influenced how I read and enjoy manga and has allowed me to discover numerous new manga that I now find myself interested in.

12 Days of Anime (2012) – Day 10 – Sakura-Con, My First Anime Convention

In April of 2012, I attended my first anime convention, Sakura-Con, the premier anime convention in the Pacific Northwest.  Although I’ve had numerous opportunities to attend the convention since its inception in 1998 and even made legitimate plans to go while in high school, this year was the first that I actually went to.  For three days, I witnessed and participated in a paradise created by and intended for anime fans such as myself and my experience has provided a permanent impression on how I watch, understand and appreciate anime.