Japanator Radio logo - small (Photo credit: zacbentz)
I will admit, I blogged a lot more often on this blog when it was hosted by Vox.com (the blogging/social network platform that was oddly popular among Japanese users, not the current iteration of it, which is more N. America centric and unconnected to its original). I then started doing more on-the-fly casual blogging with the fan site Ani.Me, downloaded their mobile app, etc. I even applied to write for them professionally a couple of times. I enjoyed their podcasts as well. Alas, Ani.Me is on permanent hiatus, at least in terms of their original main website. They've retreated to their presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Many of the old writing staff are gone and scattered to the four winds.
Some of them landed at Japanator, which is another fairly cool Anime fan site. It also has a team of writers, and a guest blogging system. I thought I would switch over my Ani.Me weekly blogging habits to my new space over at Japanator. One thing I liked about Ani.Me is the personal attention I attracted from the Content Director, L.B. Bryant, who often left helpful comments on my blog entries or shared his thoughts on shows I cared about, etc. I sort of thought of L.B. as the Ani.Me equivalent of "Tom" from MySpace. Anyway, I still actively follow L.B. on Twitter, and was happy to note that he had moved to Japanator as a contributor. Indeed, he joined the Japanator podcast team, which I enjoyed listening to religiously until they too closed up shop on the podcast operation to focus on the writing side of Japanator.
I ultimately decided to revive THIS blog instead because on Japanator, I felt too much performance anxiety. While I felt relatively anonymous blogging for Ani.Me, on Japanator, they really bed over backwards to push new content from new subcribers to the top front of the website for all to see. You have to perform at a consistently high level or else you're quickly dismissed as a "Fail blog" not worth reading. Unlike Ani.Me, it's definitely NOT a site where you can feel free to blog on the fly, just writing down brief entries on whatever related to anime that strike your fancy. Here I can be as brief, obscure and irrelevant as I want, because f*ck, nobody reads this thing anyway...with apologies to what Typepad tells me are 2 actual followers and one lone commenter so far. As you can probably tell, I do this for me, not ya'll.
And I must give Typepad some credit for improving its user functionality over the years. I really like the recent improvements, partnering with other services, etc. I still like the original partnership between Vox.com and Amazon.com better, but the latest improvements at Typepad make me very happy to keep blogging here more often. I'm able to insert images easily on the fly, sometimes related to the show I'm talking about. I've learned I can manipulate Zemanta by sticking in the actual Japanese Kanji and Katakana to the Zemanta search box when the title of a show in English is too generic to give me any useful graphics, etc. It's still not as useful as pulling the Amazon.com box art and linking the purchase information back to Amazon proper, but it is better than nothing, which is what I had when I first got traded off to Typepad from Vox.
I'm trying to resume reviewing shows, usually first impressions of Ep.1-4, which are screened every Tuesday night at Alamo Drafthouse Mason Park, Katy, TX. It's a writing goal I've set for myself and I'm glad to be able to continue it. I also try to review in some form or fashion every box set of Anime that I ultimately finish. Because I prefer English dubs to subs, I realize this puts me way out of step with most Anime fandom, particularly most podcasts, blogs, etc. There are a few podcasts where I am more in step with, like 2Lazy2Botaku, but even then they're pretty bleeding edge new of the latest dub release and I find it hard to keep up even with their pace at times. Shaft+ sometimes covers older anime that I like, as does Otaku Spirit, and very rarely, Anime Addicts Anonymous as well. But that's not to say I care much about "retro" anime nearly as much as A.W.O and other dedicated "retro" enthusiasts as well. I like what I like, I blog about what I like, and most nobody cares and I'm talking into a void and I accept that. I have a few local friends that like what I like and that's good enough for me. I like trying to broaden the horizons of people whose main connection to anime are the BIG long-running titles like Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, etc. I recently lent my friend who is a Naruto nerd my copy of Accel World (both seasons) and he loved it. I also lent him my copy of SAO volume 1, which he finished then continued the rest of it sub-only online via Crunchyroll or whatever. More recently I showed him Girls Und Panzer, which he wants to continue, and also lent him my copy of Campione! which I think he'll like because it involves people with super powers, summoning, fighting mythological beings, etc. I had finished Campione! some time ago, so was happy to lend it out. I turned around and lent my copy of Accel World to yet another friend who I also hope will enjoy it as much as our mutual friend who first borrowed it.
I've admittedly let myself fall behind a bit on Attack on Titan since receiving my Part 1 DVD/Blu-Ray deluxe box set from FUNimation via Amazon. I'm still DVR'ing it, though in a way it's a bit silly to do so until Toonami reaches Ep.13, since now I can watch it in full Blu-Ray brilliance without commercial interruption. Been thinking about re-watching Eureka Seven since receiving my Blu-Ray re-release edition from FUNimation as well, but just so far haven't made the time for it yet. I also still keep up with the Ruroni Kenshin/Samurai X original dub via Crackle.com for sh*ts and giggles. It's a pretty cheesy dub, but I still enjoy it as something different to watch every now and then, despite having to sit through adverts, etc. I just surf Right Stuf! during those commercial breaks, honestly. Recently I was browsing available figures for the hell of it on Right Stuf! and thought very seriously about getting an 1/8 scale Asa Shigure from the older series Shuffle!, or as I call her, "The Best Anime Girlfriend Ever", though perhaps Kurisu Makise of Steins;Gate does give her a run for her money.
Anyway, I wish I made better use of the blog space on Japanator, but I just don't feel confident enough about my writing ability to feel deserving enough to write there and garner wider exposure.