animananime

Holy crap, it’s already been one year…

Anima & Anime is one year old. 😮

To be honest, I got into blogging as a sideline to my main article duties in CrunchyRoll before being ingloriously sacked thanks to restructuring within the Newsletter. But the word “restructuring” is probably a euphemism for something more unpleasant. The truth is that the Newsletter was a remnant of the website’s more user-centric days, given that I had been around since its conception as a site moderator.

But yeah, I kinda felt the whole need for the Newsletter was fading away, and probably that’s why I decided to pour out my anime frustrations into my own personal website. I know I don’t post as often as I should, but many people keep telling me that blogging really is a matter of your own personal capacity. Unless you’re seriously trying to monetize it, you don’t necessarily have to pull out content every single day.

And so I’m not really that surprised that my year-end stats aren’t exactly anything to brag about. But here they are, anyway:

Visitors: 1,130

Views: 2,576

Posts: 96

Followers: 40

The OCD in me wishes that the post count could round up to 100, and yet that was something I definitely could have done given the amount of backlog that I have. And speaking of which, I think I need to just push aside all the pending weekly thoughts and just bring out a summary post for the end of season. Partly because I’m planning on focusing more on curated content (i.e. editorials, unique articles) apart from simply sharing my thoughts on weekly animu.

Because the truth is, people have told me they really appreciate the Lost in Translation series, as well as some other obscure articles I’ve written in the past that aren’t simply a re-iteration of what has happened in animu-land over the week. So yeah, let’s do more special/feature articles going forward!

So credits go to all of you guys for supporting me throughout the year, especially to the new friends I’ve made that have helped and encouraged me to keep writing. In particular, special mention to Alane for literally dragging me out of my “anti-social” cocoon. I was an awkward little creature before she shared my blog with other people — and since then, I’ve been writing less for myself, and more for the joy of sharing my thoughts with others.

And now for some shameless self-promotion: some of my favorite articles, if you ever missed them:

Reveries and the search for hope – A reflection on tragedy in anime, and how a simple five-episode show can be a beacon of hope in a world beset by seemingly insurmountable hardship. [feature anime: Planetarian ~Reverie of a little Planet~]

My Hero Academia [Episode 6 Review] – Although it’s a review, my entry here was more of a mini-defense on the thematic drive of My Hero Academia and how it serves as an indirect challenge to the established structures of the intellectual model of the mind in education. My Hero Academia works not because it recycles tried and tested formulae in the superhero genre, but because it resonates an earnest message of a shared heroism within each and every one of us.

your name. [Review] – The highly-accalimed 2016 feature film by Makoto Shinkai is more than just another tear jerker. Beyond its puppy-dog, feel-good themes is an underlying message that begs us to go beyond our inherent cynicism and self-imposed inadequacies to attain the ideal. In a world where the odds are seemingly against us, your name is a story of love between two individuals that transcends even time and space, making this a romance that is far more compelling than any work Makoto Shinkai has ever produced.

Chitose vs. the World: the Millenial Struggle and Anime – Girlish Number was a show that was easily glossed over by many a viewer, and yet it still remains one of my favorite shows from Fall 2016. It speaks of one girl’s personal triumph over the dehumanizing world of modern industry — a story that may seem superficial at first, but on closer inspection, has wider-reaching implications to a whole generation of disillusioned millennials. The show’s simple and earnest message belies a greater yearning for us to embrace what makes us all special in a world that would otherwise force us to believe that we aren’t. This may very well have been the show that many people might not have known they were waiting for.

 

So yeah, Happy Anniversary to Anima & Anime, and I hope to bring out more and more content for you guys in the future. Until then, ciao!