Automating Blog Tasks – Bring All Your Skills to the Table Every week, I publish my top five favorite posts from other bloggers. It’s a feature I call Other Posts to Crow About. My goal is to draw attention to posts my readers might like, but from blogs other than mine. I wrote a post […]
Quick Summary In Fruits Basket episode 9, “Yuki Was My First Love,” Yuki Souma is coming down with a cold. Tooru Honda is beside herself with worry and she begs him to stay home, but Kyou Souma won’t hear of it: There’s a long-distance run tomorrow, and he’s bound and determined to beat Yuki. Will Yuki’s cold flare […]
Quick Summary In To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts Episode 12, “Those Who Seek,” Hank Henriette leads that attack against Centaurus and Cain Madhouse’s fortress. Hank’s coordination with sergeant Gerald Corlani was absolutely perfect — until Martin Wall, the North’s commanding officer, issues a command that changes everything. When Cain makes the full extent of his plan clear, Claude […]
“Always nice to meet a fellow fan of Asterisk… No, it’s not an anime for the ages (no sin there, few are), but it’s surprisingly good at what it does.”
It’s just fun, isn’t it? I doubt I’ll ever put it in the Call of Fame, but I sure do like rewatching it!
Heh, I don’t like Charlotte much (I think that Jun Maeda is really overrated and kind of a hack, and that ending was atrocious), but I do love another PA Works show that gets completely dumped on: Glasslip. Writing about that show was like trying to calm down an angry mob. 🙂 I also loved writing about shows that were polarizing but more evenly split, like Cross Ange (I thought it was just terrific, the person covering it on our blog normally thought it was awful, so I “stole” the series review from him).
But writing for 3 years is a great milestone! I hope you’re enjoying it, because it certainly seems to come out in your posts that way! I’ve only just started visiting your blog, but I like your content.
You didn’t like Charlotte’s ending? Gasp! Seriously, the only reason I loved it was that I enjoy themes that explore the idea of power’s effect on people. I liked how something small could remind Yuu of his promise to Nao. Cosmic power held in check by simple human affection. Yeah, I’m a sucker for stuff like that!
I quite enjoyed the characters in Glasslip. I thought it was a pleasant change of pace. Bummer that you faced such an uprising because of it! Are the posts still up?
I adored Cross Ange! That’s another show I have several plot threads to write fanfic about! And those plots may or may not have anything to do with Hilda… Seriously, I thought its world was compelling and rich! Really liked how Ange developed — she never lost her core strength and she won through a combination of leadership and personal strength. Cool stuff!
Glad you like the content! I do enjoy it. Quite a bit, in fact! I’m trying to learn to let it show, since most of my writing lately has been technical.
It was more “how” they got to the ending in Charlotte: They wasted something on the order of four whole episodes throughout the series (on power-of-the-week and Yuu being a dope stuff), and then jammed what could have been a very interesting journey to deal with everyone’s powers, as well as expanding on the interesting question of the ethics of taking away everyone’s powers, into less than an episode. The themes were good. The execution was horrible.
“The themes were good. The execution was horrible.”
I’d love to come up with an argument here, but I got nothing! I think I loved it so much because my imagination just filled in the blanks — that’s how much I liked that theme!
I enjoyed reading your Glasslip reviews! I should probably know the answer, but are you still writing for any anime blogs?
Metanorn looked like an interesting site! It’s almost sad how its Twitter, blog, Facebook, and other social media just went dead. Felt like I was walking onto the USS Exeter in the original Star Trek series…
Well, I know what happened. 🙂 The main thing that happened was that the majority of the writers grew into the rest of their lives. Last years of grad school for quite a few of them, and the site owner changed continents, and upkeep of the site became a big problem, since it was running a custom WordPress version. And with all that, the writers that were still around (me, skylion, and foshizzel) all got burnt out and we were losing audience as well. So we all really just… stopped.
I am not blogging about anime anywhere, the most I do is leave comments at Cactus Matt’s site (and now yours). I still watch quite a bit (I’m current on 18 airing shows right now, which feels like not that many after 25-ish for a long time), but I’m really not interested in solo blogging. I really liked the dynamics of a group blog, the way that the more regularly spaced content encourages readers to come back regularly (I think Metanorn went something like 8 years with at least one post every day). I sometimes get an itch to write something, but I don’t want the weight of a solo blog on my shoulders.
Thanks for the kind words about my writing. I sometimes am surprised that I wrote some of the things I did, but my writing style is “write something I’d want to read.” By the way, I get the impression that we’re of a similar age bracket (I thought I read you were actually older than me, a rarity in aniblogging for someone nearing AARP age like myself) in the first post I read on your site. Is that mistaken?
“I’m current on 18 airing shows right now, which feels like not that many after 25-ish for a long time”
That’s impressive! I’m around 15, but only 10 get regular attention!
“By the way, I get the impression that we’re of a similar age bracket…”
I’m north of 50. Okay, a _little_ north of 55! And I explored joining AARP, but I was buried under paper spam!
Never again…
I like the perspective that age gives me. Sure, I still enjoy the ecchi themes in High School of the Dead, but I also thoroughly appreciate Zouroku’s perspective from Alice to Zouroku!
If you’re interested in guest writing, Irina over at I Drink and Watch Anime just announced (as part of her first blogiversary) that she’s open to guest writers. She’s got a great perspective and lively following. I think it’d be a good match!
I miss collaborative writing, too. I last had that experience with a community newspaper and college literary magazines, and I miss it terribly. But infinite time not being in my inventory, I have to make some hard choices…
Yeah, I’m still “just” 47, but I agree it’s nice to have that kind of wider view, not just into characters, but also into the machinations of life. But I just love the shows from a younger perspective, about making mistakes, learning and growing. I always found it helped me when writing about shows with things like jobs and relationships, because so many of the people who watch anime and read aniblogs just haven’t really done much living. They might think they have, but college just doesn’t get it. 🙂
Always nice to meet a fellow fan of Asterisk… No, it’s not an anime for the ages (no sin there, few are), but it’s surprisingly good at what it does.
And conga-rats on reaching three years!
“Always nice to meet a fellow fan of Asterisk… No, it’s not an anime for the ages (no sin there, few are), but it’s surprisingly good at what it does.”
It’s just fun, isn’t it? I doubt I’ll ever put it in the Call of Fame, but I sure do like rewatching it!
“And conga-rats on reaching three years!”
Thanks much! Time sure flies!
Heh, I don’t like Charlotte much (I think that Jun Maeda is really overrated and kind of a hack, and that ending was atrocious), but I do love another PA Works show that gets completely dumped on: Glasslip. Writing about that show was like trying to calm down an angry mob. 🙂 I also loved writing about shows that were polarizing but more evenly split, like Cross Ange (I thought it was just terrific, the person covering it on our blog normally thought it was awful, so I “stole” the series review from him).
But writing for 3 years is a great milestone! I hope you’re enjoying it, because it certainly seems to come out in your posts that way! I’ve only just started visiting your blog, but I like your content.
You didn’t like Charlotte’s ending? Gasp! Seriously, the only reason I loved it was that I enjoy themes that explore the idea of power’s effect on people. I liked how something small could remind Yuu of his promise to Nao. Cosmic power held in check by simple human affection. Yeah, I’m a sucker for stuff like that!
I quite enjoyed the characters in Glasslip. I thought it was a pleasant change of pace. Bummer that you faced such an uprising because of it! Are the posts still up?
I adored Cross Ange! That’s another show I have several plot threads to write fanfic about! And those plots may or may not have anything to do with Hilda… Seriously, I thought its world was compelling and rich! Really liked how Ange developed — she never lost her core strength and she won through a combination of leadership and personal strength. Cool stuff!
Glad you like the content! I do enjoy it. Quite a bit, in fact! I’m trying to learn to let it show, since most of my writing lately has been technical.
Really appreciate the discussion!
It was more “how” they got to the ending in Charlotte: They wasted something on the order of four whole episodes throughout the series (on power-of-the-week and Yuu being a dope stuff), and then jammed what could have been a very interesting journey to deal with everyone’s powers, as well as expanding on the interesting question of the ethics of taking away everyone’s powers, into less than an episode. The themes were good. The execution was horrible.
My posts on Glasslip are still up here: http://metanorn.net/tag/glasslip-2 and also my Cross Ange review is here: http://metanorn.net/2015/04/cross-ange-series-review
“The themes were good. The execution was horrible.”
I’d love to come up with an argument here, but I got nothing! I think I loved it so much because my imagination just filled in the blanks — that’s how much I liked that theme!
I enjoyed reading your Glasslip reviews! I should probably know the answer, but are you still writing for any anime blogs?
Metanorn looked like an interesting site! It’s almost sad how its Twitter, blog, Facebook, and other social media just went dead. Felt like I was walking onto the USS Exeter in the original Star Trek series…
I wonder what happened?
Well, I know what happened. 🙂 The main thing that happened was that the majority of the writers grew into the rest of their lives. Last years of grad school for quite a few of them, and the site owner changed continents, and upkeep of the site became a big problem, since it was running a custom WordPress version. And with all that, the writers that were still around (me, skylion, and foshizzel) all got burnt out and we were losing audience as well. So we all really just… stopped.
I am not blogging about anime anywhere, the most I do is leave comments at Cactus Matt’s site (and now yours). I still watch quite a bit (I’m current on 18 airing shows right now, which feels like not that many after 25-ish for a long time), but I’m really not interested in solo blogging. I really liked the dynamics of a group blog, the way that the more regularly spaced content encourages readers to come back regularly (I think Metanorn went something like 8 years with at least one post every day). I sometimes get an itch to write something, but I don’t want the weight of a solo blog on my shoulders.
Thanks for the kind words about my writing. I sometimes am surprised that I wrote some of the things I did, but my writing style is “write something I’d want to read.” By the way, I get the impression that we’re of a similar age bracket (I thought I read you were actually older than me, a rarity in aniblogging for someone nearing AARP age like myself) in the first post I read on your site. Is that mistaken?
“I’m current on 18 airing shows right now, which feels like not that many after 25-ish for a long time”
That’s impressive! I’m around 15, but only 10 get regular attention!
“By the way, I get the impression that we’re of a similar age bracket…”
I’m north of 50. Okay, a _little_ north of 55! And I explored joining AARP, but I was buried under paper spam!
Never again…
I like the perspective that age gives me. Sure, I still enjoy the ecchi themes in High School of the Dead, but I also thoroughly appreciate Zouroku’s perspective from Alice to Zouroku!
If you’re interested in guest writing, Irina over at I Drink and Watch Anime just announced (as part of her first blogiversary) that she’s open to guest writers. She’s got a great perspective and lively following. I think it’d be a good match!
I miss collaborative writing, too. I last had that experience with a community newspaper and college literary magazines, and I miss it terribly. But infinite time not being in my inventory, I have to make some hard choices…
Thanks for the background on Metanorn!
Yeah, I’m still “just” 47, but I agree it’s nice to have that kind of wider view, not just into characters, but also into the machinations of life. But I just love the shows from a younger perspective, about making mistakes, learning and growing. I always found it helped me when writing about shows with things like jobs and relationships, because so many of the people who watch anime and read aniblogs just haven’t really done much living. They might think they have, but college just doesn’t get it. 🙂
Oh, and for the record, my Charlotte reviews are here: http://metanorn.net/tag/charlotte
I really hope you’re reviewing somewhere else now. I enjoyed reading your Charlotte reviews, too!
Three years is amazing and there are some good posts. I hope you stick around for a few more years.
Thanks! Appreciate you saying so!