7 Year Anniversary and… Now What?

It’s been 7 years since I started this anime blog.  It originally began as a challenge for me: a way to force me to think deeply and critically about anime; to share my thoughts and appreciations of the shows I watch; to develop a voice for my creative writing; and to discover and grow my relationships with other anime enthusiasts.  When I look back – as I’ve done with every anniversary post – across these 7 years and 640 other blog posts – I am satisfied with my accomplishments, achieving far more than even my wildest dreams back on December 20, 2010.  But the same can’t really be said of the last year, which saw only a single post get penned in the last 12 months.  If I were to do a reflection of the year, then I’d simply request that you re-read my thoughts on an anime season that concluded 9 months ago.  Instead of looking back at 2017 for this anniversary post, I’ll try something new and look forward to what the future of this blog might look like.

Autumn 2016 – Season Preview

Every season has its defining features.  Autumn, for example, is known for its bountiful harvests and leaves falling to the ground.  Likewise, every anime season has its distinguishing characteristics thanks to the anime that air within its interval.  Sometimes, anime seasons are bountiful, like an autumn harvest, and others are barren, like the trees after shedding their leaves.  What type of season will Autumn 2016 bring us?  Let’s take a peak and see what we have in store for the final season of 2016.

Winter 2016 – Week 4 Anime Review

For Week 4: adoring the transformation and westernization of the setting in Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, the authenticity, weight, and significance of battles in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, why the letterbox formatting is my favorite directing decision of Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, and disruption in the sense of community in Durarara!!x2 Ketsu.

Winter 2016 – First Impressions (Part 2)

This post reviews: Tabi Machi Late Show, Koukaku no Pandora, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, Dagashi Kashi, Bubuki Buranki, and Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R.

Winter 2016 – Season Preview

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness. It was the Spring Autumn of hope, it was the Winter of despair. Or rather, it was the Autumn 2015 anime season, it was the Winter 2016 anime season. Never have I seen such a stark, significant contrast in the types and content of anime between consecutive seasons, but we’re following up arguably the best anime season in recent memory with quite possibly the worst. If you haven’t checked, now might be a good time to see why I am so crestfallen with the anime airing this winter.

Top 15 Anime and Top 15 Characters of 2015

Let’s start 2016 with a proper farewell to 2015. Before we look forward to another year of anime, we should look back on 2015 and reflect on what made it one of the best years of anime in recent memory. There were numerous anime and characters that were incredible, dazzling, brilliant sensational, influential, and monumental in 2015, and today, I want to take a moment to provide my thoughts and opinions on the 15 most significant anime and characters from this last year. Come, take a look and re-experience why the anime of 2015 are so remarkable and unforgettable.

12 Days of Anime (2015) – Day 2 – Speaking with Hiromi Katou, Character Design for Needless, at Sakuracon

Hiromi Katou is a gifted and experienced talent, having a successful career in the anime industry through a variety of roles. Among his notable accomplishments, he was the character designs for Guilty Crown, Kobato., and Hakkenden, the animation directors for Beck, Gunslinger Stratos, and Fantasia Doll, and a key animator for Death Note, Azumanga Daioh, Shingeki no Kyojin, and many more. However, his most distinguished achievement, to me at least, is that he was the character design for Needless, which you might guess from previous posts is my favorite anime. I was extremely fortunate that Hiromi Katou was invited as a guest for Sakuracon this year and made sure to visit his Q&A panel, so that I could ask him some questions regarding Needless. So, for Day 2 of my 12 Days of Anime, I’ll recall my time with Hiromi Katou and the answers he provided about his experience with Needless.