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March 2024

Self Control

In Love Live, there are a lot of different groups, and one of the interesting things is that each one has their own character to their lyrics and songs.  The three main groups – mu’s, Aquors, and Liella, tend to write happy, cheerful songs that are supposed to be like, well, pop songs I guess.  but they’re not the only group, and the groups like Arise and Saint Snow have different lyrics, and they tend to be far more success and goal oriented. “Self Control”, for example. One lyric that got… Read More »Self Control

Why Anime Hurts

I’ve watched a lot of anime lately. Now, let’s be clear about one thing:  I’m pretty picky about the anime I watched.  Some anime that is very popular I dropped after as little as one episode.  “The Quitessential Quintuplets”, for example.  Maybe I’ll pick that up at some point, but I doubt it.  It has no real redeeming quality, and is just cringe to me.  Others I watched through and somewhat regretted it.  “My Dress-Up Darling” was in that category.  It was brainless and the main character seemed to be… Read More »Why Anime Hurts

Hibike! Euphonium: My regrets

This usually surprises people to find this out about me, but I went to college as a piano performance major.  I didn’t complete college for health reasons, but that was my major.  I attended a medium sized college in Northwest Ohio (you have maybe three to choose from, and I’m very close to telling you which one after all).  And I rank choosing to become a piano performance major to be one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life, and there is very little positive that I’ve… Read More »Hibike! Euphonium: My regrets

Eripyo and Maina

Last night I finished watching “If my favorite pop idol made it to the Budokan, I would die”. It wasn’t a great anime.  I didn’t feel like I didn’t want to leave the world it created, like I did with some anime.  It was actually just fair to middling, I even rated it 6 on MyAnimeList. But I didn’t regret watching it, because it’s one of those anime that made me think. Parasocial idol relationships are something that’s interesting to me.  Creepy, yes, but interesting as well.  There’s a lot of… Read More »Eripyo and Maina

Anime, Otaku, and Lost Childhood

I didn’t get a childhood. I’m not really exaggerating in that statement, though as with every statement like that, there are nuances.  It’s generally correct. I did not get a childhood.  Every opportunity I had for “normal” development was stunted – either inadvertently or deliberately.  The end result is the same.  I didn’t get a childhood. The thing about our society is that (and this is understandable) you only really get one chance at a childhood.  I mean, after all, you’re a child, and then you’re not, right?  If you… Read More »Anime, Otaku, and Lost Childhood

I’m a Failure

I always fail. If there’s one thing that is consistent in my life and has been ever since I was a child, this would be it.  I’m a failure.  Everything I have tried to do in my life has, in one way or other, ended in failure.  Even the most successful things I’ve done are, in a very real way, a failure. I’ve been spending the past three years working on a serial fiction story, and even now it gets maybe two viewers a day, if I’m lucky – and… Read More »I’m a Failure

The Customer is Always Right

“The Customer is Always Right” is one of the most misunderstood adages, mostly because people forget or are conveniently unaware of the second half:  “When it comes to matters of taste”. Practically, what this means, or what it’s supposed to mean, is that if there is a widget that is shiny, chrome with black highlights, and is beautiful and refined, and I want it neon orange with purple polka-dots, your job is not to criticize me for my choices.  Your job (assuming you offer customizations, of course) is to say… Read More »The Customer is Always Right

I am an Artist

All my life, I have never really understood myself. I mean, of course, I’m me.  I know what is inside my head in a way no one else does – not even me, sometimes.  I have a very complex inner world, and it’s so real and vibrant inside of me that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to get what is inside my head out for other people to see. But, I’ve come to realize, that’s pretty much what an artist is. The thing that has lead to a great deal… Read More »I am an Artist

Why I Hate Anime Dubs

I hate anime dubs.  I mean I really can’t stand them.  I’ve tried to watch one or two, and I always end up dropping it after a few episodes.  Subtitles are far better in my opinion. Is this because I’m an elitist who thinks that the anime is only good in its native language? Well… that’s true, but that’s not why I hate anime dubs.  It’s close, but not really. Is it because I’m upset at the localizers for fucking up the dubs? Well, I am, but that’s not why… Read More »Why I Hate Anime Dubs

Should I Continue Watching Anime?

There’s a “rule” that whenever you see a question in a headline, the answer is “no”.  It’s not quite so simple in this case. The question maybe should be posited a little broader:  Should I continue studying anything about Japan, including Japanese? I’ve asked this before, but the reasons for my question are different now. My recent foray into the world of “Love Live”, and my subsequent flaming withdrawal from said world, made me think.  Oh yes, you might say, that never happens, Gaijin!  You never think about anything! Sarcastic… Read More »Should I Continue Watching Anime?