Just finished tinkering with the various design options of wordpress, which are actually quite limited and disappointing. But maybe that has more to do with the fact that I’m not very computer savvy so things like web design and HTML coding intimidate the hell out of me. I was actually going to wait awhile before I posted my first entry because I haven’t figured out what my objectives for this blog are. But the blog felt depressingly empty, like a new house without any furnitures. So I went ahead and wrote up this non-entry to fill in the blankness and make this cyberspace a little bit more cozy.
One of the anime that I will definitely be blogging about is Kaiba (from Masaaki Yuasa, director of Kemonozume). I have been looking forward to this anime ever since I read Bateszi’s entry, written back in March and watched the 15 second teaser he kindly linked to.
My taste in anime have always tended towards the series that are marginalized from the limelight of mainstream anime due to their deviation from the criterion of fan service and consumer demands. I have a soft spot for series like Princess Tutu, Honey & Clover, and Welcome to the NHK! These underdogs are often overlooked and underhyped because of the unconventional subject matters that they deal with. Apparently fairy tale mythology, college life, and hikikomori aren’t hot topics that would attract a large audience. Understandable. Different folks, different strokes. Idealistically, I want to say that no anime series is better than another and that each has its own flaws and merits, but that’s a loaded statement that I can’t and wouldn’t want to stand by.
Besides Kaiba, I am also hoping to get into Dennou Coil, which I know is last season’s anime. I never got around to watching it while it was airing due to lack of time and will. I’ve heard so many good things about it, but I’m afraid that my friends might have overhyped it for me. I hope I won’t be disappointed. From all that I’ve heard and read, it seems like it would be worthwhile to delve into.
And… that will conclude my ramblings for this first post. Sorry for the lack of structure and coherency. Next post will be more focused. Thank you for reading and happy anime viewing.
Tags: the first
April 17, 2008 at 8:33 am
Good luck with the blog, I’m sure you’ll enjoy writing it!
Also, I’m excited about what you might have to say about anime like Kaiba and Dennou Coil. I guess we have quite similar tastes, since I’ve really enjoyed basically everything you mentioned in this post; in particular, Honey & Clover has to be one of my favourite series of all time. Anyway, catch you ’round.
April 17, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Welcome to the party! As a fellow html-phobe I feel your pain, but there’s a certain pleasure in having only a limited range of things to toy with: I get a real sense of achievement when I do something clever with a sidebar widget. Of course, someone who knows how could probably do the same thing in thirty seconds, but such is life. The best thing about WordPress over, say, Blogger is the almighty Pingback.
I’m anticipating Kaiba myself, although as you may know my personal tastes don’t run so much towards anime that’s underhyped as anime that’s just old. Well, anime that’s old and has robots, fighting.
April 20, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Aye, welcome to the ’sphere. We need more folks to talk about the kind of anime you’ve listed. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Also, I wouldn’t worry about HTML and the like. WordPress generally makes things easy, and this template is a beaut with even the slightest bit of editing. I love the art style of your banner - who’s the artist?
April 20, 2008 at 11:35 pm
@Hige: I got my banner from Tatsuyuki Tanaka’s art book, Cannabis Works. I stumbled across it while I was blog skimming. Amazing stuff. Are you by any chance a fan of Superflat [founded by Takashi Murakami]? If you’re interested, I can send you the zip file of the art book.
April 21, 2008 at 12:02 am
@itsubun: I do and that would be fantastic
My email is higevs{a]googlemail.com - thanks in advance!
April 27, 2008 at 1:42 am
Hello itsubun!
Judging from your first post it seems your command of English is admirable. I love concision. In addition to that, the fact that you’ve mentioned Honey and Clover, Kemonozume and Welcome to the NHK as your favorite series wins you a thousand internets (pardon the joke). I feel your pain as a someone mostly ignorant with the works of HTML (I haven’t changed my theme for almost two years), and I do hope that you will dissect series that you like in a new light.
May 2, 2008 at 5:41 am
Welcome again. :3
Dennou Coil is considered to be one of the better shows of 2007, and it’s a pretty good show. Though as you’ve said, it might be a bit too overhyped as being better then it is. Then again, you should try not to let what others say about it factor much into your watching of the show. Otherwise you might have too high expectations going in (if you have expectations here).