As mentioned in the last post, I’m hoping to create some kind of structure to this otherwise on-off blog…you know, something I purposely aim to do outside of the column I write for The OASG. And so after some thought, I settled with this: Humble Report. An ongoing series of posts dedicated to looking at shows/movies/OVAs/ONAs that are seen as a little off the community radar. Here is the first show I’ll be looking at; how many more in the future, well, we’ll see…
I won’t lie when I say that this blog has become on-and-off for like forever. And I usually find myself with next to nothing to write about. Even my last post was unrelated to anime and ended up being how frustrated I was with the ranked ladder of one of my favourite games.
I’m hoping to change that though, and have some kind of structure.
What sets this unknown blog from others? Nothing. Some others I highly respect rock because of the angle they have. Anime Feminist look at anime from a feminist and progressive POV, while Beneath the Tangles takes a more Christian look at it. Others I like specialise in their own genres, like shounen and yuri and mecha. Well since I have quite the varied tastes which have changed in the 20+ years I’ve been into anime, I asked myself what exactly should I do?
And then I asked myself: “All the big shows are huge because of their big…ness. So what about the unknowns and the unheard-ofs?”
My time at Japan Curiosity (now no longer updated) worked for me because it helped me write review posts, something I hadn’t done in a long time, and gave me a great excuse to catch up on the anime Netflix had to offer.
So from here on, I’m going to try and get Anime Solstice to become a review site once again. I already watch recent anime and have a column for it on The OASG, and there are plenty of blogs and sites out there that look at the huge anime franchises, so I’ll instead be looking at the unknowns and the unheard-ofs.
I’ll be starting with one little-known show that I’m especially fond of, with a post for it coming soon, so watch this space 🙂
*This is to be a long-ass post about something that isn’t anime*
I have been playing Overwatch since the beta. I fell in love with the game since the cinematic trailer with the two brothers in the Overwatch museum getting stuck in the middle of a battle between Tracer/Winston and Reaper/Widowmaker over a museum relic. I knew straightaway that this could become a competitive esport that would make a name…and it has. Now, we have the Overwatch League, which has done far better than people thought it would, with big sponsors wanting to get involved, huge global multinational companies wanting their own teams, and even the likes of ESPN and the Disney Channel wanting to broadcast the finals that took place in New York. In addition to this, there are the numerous people on the competitive ladder playing to their heart’s content, forsaking real-life things like jobs, school/college, food, and general adulting, because they want to be in an Overwatch team themselves.
I know my limits though. I’m trash at the game and I know it. But that still doesn’t stop me from loving this game, and continuing to love this game. I’ve been trying my best to do what I can in the competitive ladder, but starting today, I must leave ranked play. And there’s a few reasons why…
Oh look, it’s been about 15 months since I last wrote in this thing. The last post was about what I did when my Madoka Magica fandom got the better of me, and turned me into a total and complete jerk of an anime follower. I probably drafted up some other little things and then just deleted them, but other than that, I’ve done nothing here.
I did end up spending some time writing reviews for UK anime site Japan Curiosity, which has now disbanded sadly. There, I did some reviews of UK anime home video releases and whatever shows appeared on Netflix, from Violet Evergarden to Dragon Pilot – both of which have quickly become two of my top five shows of the year.
So what the hell should I do now? Well in case you didn’t know, I’m training to become an ESL teacher: something which has suddenly come out of nowhere, I know. Well I’ve always had a love for education, and so I suppose this was just one of those ‘why-didnt-i-think-of-this-sooner’ moments, maybe?
Am I too bored to write anymore? Well I remain committed to my weekly column on The OASG: Neomo’s Otaku Theater, where I randomly pick shows and either praise them on a weekly basis, or go absolutely nuts and trash-talk them (like I did in the summer, where I ended up picking Revue Starlight – it has since become one of my most hated shows).
Sorry that this post doesn’t really have much in the way of meaning; just a ‘i-might-write-here-again-who-knows’ declaration…
NB: This post contains spoilers for the Rebellion movie.
Whilst writing this post, I’ve had to go and do not just a lot of memory back-tracking, but a lot of self-reflection as an anime fan. Madoka Magica is one of the shows that has made me the kind of fan I am, but it is because of what the franchise has become now is why I must walk away from it. 6 years of fanart, fanfiction, outspoken posts about the numerous hidden metaphors in the show, bizarre rumours and a abnormally long wait for new material has made me walk away from Madoka, Homura, Mami, Sayaka and Kyouko (as well as everyone else) for good. And here are the reasons why…
