I wouldn’t call myself a Harry Potter fan, but I do enjoy the movies and have great respect for the books and overall series. With the release of the final movie, which I saw this past weekend in IMAX 3D, it seems like the franchise has now officially come to an end. With that, I feel like a bit of reflecting is in order, as well as wondering if a HP anime is ever possible…

Unlike most others, I didn’t get into Harry Potter through the books, but rather, the first movie. I saw it with a friend when it was released in theaters in 2001 and liked it very much. Since then, I’ve seen all eight of the movies in theaters at least once. I did start reading the books after I saw the second movie, but I didn’t have much motivation to continue after books 3 and 4. It’s not that I don’t like J.K. Rowling’s writing; it’s just that I feel that the nature of the Harry Potter universe, with all its magic and fantasy, is so visually stunning that it’s better conveyed through movie special effects, at least for me. Of course, the books provide a lot more detail and insight that the movies simply don’t have time for. But I personally enjoy experiencing it through visuals. I did cheat however and read book 7 after I saw the sixth movie just because I wanted to know how it ended =P

So now that the final movie has been released, is there any future for the franchise? The question of a Harry Potter anime has been around for years, but may be more significant now that there will no longer be movie releases. AnimeNation’s expert John has actually already tackled this question back in 2007 when the final HP book was released. And I have to say that his answer still holds true today, which is that the likelihood of a Harry Potter anime is extremely slim at best. He lists reasons for this, such as anime adaptations of foreign material, no matter how popular, being potentially risky because they may bring in more profit overseas rather than for Japanese producers, as well as the fact that the original owners (J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishing) would most likely rather invest in an American animated version since anime is still very niche in the international market.

I’m sure Koge-Donbo would be pleased with a Harry Potter anime

But do they even have any intention of retelling the Harry Potter story in animated form? It’s hard to say. John thinks not, stating in his post that the popularity of the series has been declining since the release of the last book and such a time wouldn’t be ideal for producing an animated series. Basically, if they were going to make one, they would have certainly done so by now. But on the flip side, now that both the books and movies are finished, it may be an ideal time to produce an animated series if they want to continue to milk the franchise one last time and revive people’s interest with a retelling. A Western animated series is more likely than a Japanese animated one, but who knows really.

Anyway, being only a casual fan, I don’t have any intention of writing a full-fledged Harry Potter review or anything. But although the series has never touched me the way many anime have, I’ve enjoyed it very much over the past decade. The enormous amount of detail that J.K. Rowling put into shaping the Harry Potter universe, storyline, and characters can rival any detailed anime setting I’ve seen. It’s also been great watching the child actors/tresses grow up over the course of the eight movies. It’s very bittersweet that I’ll no longer have a new HP movie to look forward to in the coming years. Harry Potter is truly a wonderful story with a lot of universal moral messages to give beyond all the fun magic and fantasy elements. So thank you J.K. Rowling for creating such a special series (her real “rags to riches” life is very interesting too). If Harry’s story is destined to be told again in animated form, that would be awesome. But if not, I’ll simply look forward to reliving it again whenever a Blu-ray box set of all eight movies is released ;)

This past Saturday I purchased my first Blu-ray player. I know Blu-ray has been around for a while now but I was a bit skeptical about getting into it. Firstly, I didn’t have enough money to even get my first HD TV until this past summer, but even then I suppose I was waiting for the price of Blu-rays to go down and for anime to start being released more steadily on BD here in the U.S. But now I feel the time is finally right for me to move up as far as my anime/movie viewing experience…

Besides seeing bits of movies on Blu-ray being played at electronic stores like Best Buy, I haven’t watched any full-length feature on BD before this past weekend. I know many people who don’t even have a Blu-ray player can watch anime BDs via torrents online. However, I’ve never been able to do that because my now 6-year old computer can’t handle such large media files. I was originally going to purchase a PS3 instead of a Blu-ray player (since it can play BDs too) but I decided against it. The reason being is that I didn’t want to spend that much, but mostly because having a PS3 will make me want to buy games for it and I really don’t want anything else eating up my extra time and money.

To get me started, I purchased two BDs along with my player. As some of you may know, I’m also a big fan of Disney/Pixar animated movies. Unfortunately most of my old favorites haven’t yet been released on BD. I actually haven’t even bought DVDs to replace all the old Disney movies I have on VHS – perhaps I knew even back then that I should just save my money for the eventual BDs XD But one of my old favorites, Beauty and the Beast, recently had a BD release so I picked up a copy. Thus, Beauty and the Beast became the first full-length feature I’ve watched on Blu-ray.

Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray

So how was my first BD experience? As expected, it looked stunning and was almost like seeing the movie for the first time. One thing I noticed in the Beauty and the Beast BD is that you can see the distinct outline of the characters against the background because the picture is so clear and pristine. I feel like I’m seeing the movie “raw” rather than “filtered,” if that makes any sense. I don’t know much about animation techniques but it could be because Beauty and the Beast is an older movie that still used cel animation in which cels of moving characters and objects are placed over the already painted backgrounds, which is why the BD quality makes it easier to see the distinction. I didn’t have a problem with it or anything, it just looks very unique.

The second BD I purchased was Funimation’s release of Evangelion 2.22, making it the first anime I’ve watched fully in Blu-ray. Once again, it looked gorgeous and incredibly realistic, especially in the scenes that would pan out and focus on the detailed settings. Of course, the Angel and Eva battles looked great as well. Unlike the Beauty and the Beast BD, the characters and backgrounds in Eva 2.22 looked more blended and “on the same plane,” which again I believe is because the latter is digitally animated while the former used cel animation.

Evangelion 2.22 on Blu-ray

So now, where will I go from here as far as BD purchases? Since it hasn’t even been a year since I got my HD TV, I’m still enjoying just watching even regular DVDs on a big HD screen. Since I’m still having fun with upscaled DVDs, I don’t need to buy a ton of BDs right away, nor can I afford to since I’m currently saving up for AX ’11 (and possibly a new computer). So I’ll have to build up my collection gradually. A few of my favorite Disney movies such as The Lion King and Aladdin will be having their BD releases this year so I’ll certainly be getting those. Disney has a bad habit of re-releasing their old movies in new sets and giving them fancy names like “diamond” or “platinum” edition and including all these extras that you don’t want (like a regular DVD of the movie in a BD set) so they can rack up the price and scare you that they’ll be putting the movie “back in the vault” after a certain amount of time so you’d better buy it now. They certainly know how to make people give them their money.

Anime-wise, currently there’s only a few U.S. anime BD releases I’m interested in buying sooner rather than later (Evangelion 1.11 and Summer Wars being two of them). The upcoming releases I’m looking forward to the most are of course Bandai’s BD of the Haruhi movie (which is supposed to be spring ’11 but spring’s almost over ~_^) and Sentai’s eventual BD set of Angel Beats!. LOL, their official synopsis of the series is kind of funny – the sarcastic tone is a bit annoying but tolerable, however they mention “high-caliber action” and “locked-and-loaded comedy” but fail to mention “heart-wrenching drama that only Visual Art’s/Key/Jun Maeda can deliver!” From the look of what anime is currently available, it looks like the U.S. anime BD market is still starting slow and hasn’t fully taken off, which is fine with me since I want to build my collection gradually anyway XD

I was there when DVDs were just coming out and everything would get dually released on VHS and DVD, then eventually just DVD, currently DVD and Blu-ray, and soon it will be just Blu-ray. But now I’m prepared for that time whenever it may come. What will be next? From what I’ve been seeing at Best Buy, apparently fully 3D movies are the next big thing. Personally I’d rather have clear and pristine than popping out…but who knows if I’ll feel the same way several years from now. Oh the wonders and frustrations of technology.

Another March 19th means another birthday for me. I turn 25 today, and even though my 24th year of life wasn’t as eventful as my 23rd, it was still quite memorable. The main reason for this is because it was the first year of my life where I was no longer a student (but I’m always learning and studying things on my own! XD) I still have the same part-time job I got in late 2009, and although it’s only the third job I’ve ever had, it’s the one I’ve been with the longest thus far. I only make enough to pay a few bills and buy myself anime stuff once in a while, but in these times I should be glad to have any job. Childcare is not for me though, so I plan to start looking for other work soon.

Looking at the sadness and struggles in the world around me, I don’t feel any reason to complain about things in my life. I’ve been quite content this past year working at my part-time job and still having time and money to indulge in the anime-related activities I love. Unlike other parents, my mom still loves having her college graduate living with her, and she cooks delicious meals for us and helps me out with things whenever she can. I blog during the week, watch anime every night, and see friends on the weekends. I wish things could stay like this for many more birthdays to come, but I know eventually the status quo is going to change and I won’t have the time and luxury I have now (or will I?) But there’s no point in letting the uncertain future ruin the happiness of the present. I’ll savor every moment while it lasts.

As usual, I like going to amusement parks for my birthday so I decided to take a day off from work yesterday to go to Disneyland. It was magical, especially the nighttime show – and tonight I’m going out to dinner with friends at a fancy restaurant. Gotta live it up while I can~

I’ve never seen Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 but I know it’s appropriate right now

I rarely do news posts since I can’t get them out promptly and there are many others far more skilled at gathering up-to-date information and links than I am. But since the recent disaster in Japan hit so close to home (in my heart I mean), I just couldn’t ignore it…

As I’m sure you’re all aware of by now, on the afternoon of March 11th (JST), Japan was struck by the largest earthquake ever since records began 140 years ago. It was an 8.9, now the fifth largest earthquake in history, and it was followed swiftly by a devastating 10-meter tsunami along the northeastern coast that swept away everything in its path. Currently the death toll is expected to exceed 1,000 and who knows how many injured or missing.

This video gives a good idea of the extent of the devastation. You can also see a playlist of raw footage of the earthquake submitted by citizens on YouTube’s CitizenTube here. The anime side of things doesn’t seem to be affected too badly, with only some episode delays and event cancellations.

Like every other major disaster that happens in the world, this is absolutely horrible and saddening. After hearing about the terrible floods in Australia and overall catastrophic weather in the world right now, I can’t help but feel guilty that I’m sitting here in summer clothing in lovely southern California, with the sun out and a cool breeze blowing through my window carrying the scent of the orange blossoms that are blooming around my house.

Not that I can’t relate somewhat to natural disasters, though not even close to this extreme. Any mention of earthquakes makes me remember the 1994 Northridge earthquake that happened right here in LA county. I was 9 years old at the time and I remember cowering under my bed covers when the earthquake struck in the middle of the night. Thankfully our house didn’t receive much damage – just a few broken glass items, messed up shelves, cracks, and a dislodged cabinet. We were without electricity for a good amount of time but ours was the only house in the immediate area that had running water. Other buildings and roads in the neighborhood didn’t fare so well though.

The Northridge earthquake is really the only natural disaster I’ve been caught up in (thank goodness and knock on wood), and being a kid at the time, once the initial fear was over I was more fascinated by it than upset. Other than that, all we have to deal with in southern California is mildly bad wind or rain once in a while and merciless heat in the summertime. In the big scheme of things, nothing that bad (I’ve never even seen snow). Hearing news like this from other places makes me feel ashamed whenever I feel like complaining because the weather is a chilly 50 degrees F (which is SoCalifornians’ idea of cold) or if I have to get a little wet from the rain or have to scrape a bit of frost off my car windshield.

Anyway, I’m relieved to hear that 2DT and other people I know currently in Japan are okay. My sympathy goes out to everyone whose life has been damaged by the earthquake and/or tsunami. But I am glad that the technology nowadays makes it quick and easy for people around the world to know about and donate to disasters like this via Twitter, text messaging, and cable TV, whereas fifty years ago maybe a few people might hear news like this via one or two newspaper ads a day or so later. The fact that the death toll is relatively low, and many of Tokyo’s tall buildings were built in such a way that all they did was wobble rather collapse, shows that Japan was built well in preparation for such disasters. So “ganbatte” Japan! I believe in you~

Like with my past post about anime lateral thinking puzzles, I enjoy taking established games or activities and “anime-ifying” them. I remember we played anime Pictionary, Charades, and Jeopardy in my old anime club and it was lots of fun. Today I’ll be anime-ifying a lesser known game called Outburst…

Outburst is usually played in groups though it can also be played with as little as two people. One person (or group) picks a card that has two topics on it, one on either side. They pick the topic they want, then in under three minutes they have to shout out as many things as they can think of for that topic. For example, let’s say the topic is “Things in a Bakery.” The card will have ten things associated with that printed on it, for example, “bread,” “cakes,” “cookies,” etc,. If the person (or group) that picked the topic shouts out one of the ten things printed on the card, the other person (or group) will take note of it. When the three minutes are up, you get points based on how many of the ten you got.

The tricky part is that many of the topics have tons of possible answers, but you’ll only get points if you say one of the ten on the card. So for the “Bakery” example, even if you say something obviously correct like “flour,” if it’s not on the card you won’t get a point.

Here are ten Anime Outburst topics I’ve come up with. Time yourself for three minutes each and see how many points you can get! =D Once you hear the timer alarm go off, highlight the text below each topic name to see the ten answers.

Kinds of Anime Merchandise

1. figures
2. dakimakura (body pillows)
3. DVDs
4. shitajika (pencil boards)
5. posters
6. plush toys
7. business card holders
8. phone straps
9. stickers
10. T-shirts

Anime Characters with Blue Hair

1. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star)
2. Kaname Chidori (Full Metal Panic!)
3. Klan Klang (Macross Frontier)
4. Nagi (Kannagi)
5. Vivi (One Piece)
6. Sailor Mercury/Ami Mizuno (Sailor Moon)
7. Ryoko Asakura (Haruhi)
8. Hayate Ayasaki (Hayate no Gotoku)
9. Hinata (Angel Beats!)
10. Umi Ryuuzaki (Rayearth)

Anime TV series that Started Airing in 2008

1. Macross Frontier
2. True Tears
3. Code Geass R2
4. Slayers Revolution
5. Shikabane Hime
6. Toradora!
7. To Aru Majutsu no Index
8. Sekirei
9. Amatsuki
10. World Destruction

Things Found at an Anime Convention

1. concerts
2. video games
3. cosplayers
4. long lines
5. fans
6. seiyuu/voice actors
7. microphones
8. badges
9. fake weapons
10. artists

Anime Cats

1. Luna (Sailor Moon)
2. Aria-shachou (Aria)
3. Meowth/Nyasu (Pokemon)
4. Kami Neko (Azumanga Daioh)
5. Kuro Neko (Trigun)
6. Chi (Chi’s Sweet Home)
7. Shamisen (Haruhi)
8. Kyo (Fruits Basket)
9. Shampoo (Ranma 1/2)
10. Nyamsus (Nyan Koi!)

Anime by Madhouse Studios

1. Cardcaptor Sakura
2. Aoi Bungaku
3. Black Lagoon
4. Chi’s Sweet Home
5. Death Note
6. Monster
7. Nana
8. Summer Wars
9. Legend of the Galactic Heroes
10. Hajime no Ippo

Anime Characters voiced by Rie Kugimiya

1. Shana (Shakugan no Shana)
2. Nagi Sanzennin (Hayate no Gotoku)
3. Taiga Aisaka (Toradora!)
4. Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
5. Shannon (Umineko no Naku Koro ni)
6. Louise (Zero no Tsukaima)
7. Kagura (Gintama)
8. Hotaru Imai (Gakuen Alice)
9. Agnese Sanctis (Index II)
10. Nena Trinity (Gundam 00)

Evangelion

1. Rei Ayanami
2. Neo Tokyo-3
3. Evangelion Unit 01
4. Gendou Ikari
5. Second Impact
6. Plug suit
7. Hideaki Anno
8. Shinji Ikari
9. NERV
10. Angels

TV Anime with an Episode Count of 27-100

1. Fullmetal Alchemist
2. Eureka 7
3. Revolutionary Girl Utena
4. Cardcaptor Sakura
5. Blood+
6. Digimon Adventure
7. Death Note
8. Gundam Seed
9. Rurouni Kenshin
10. Nana

Studio Ghibli Films

1. My Neighbor Totoro
2. Spirited Away
3. Grave of the Fireflies
4. Kiki’s Delivery Service
5. Porco Rosso
6. Howl’s Moving Castle
7. Pom Poko
8. Princess Mononoke
9. Nausicaa
10. Castle in the Sky

———-

So that’s an example of Anime Outburst =) How many did you get out of 100?

There are lots more topics you can come up with by simply tweaking the above topics, for example, changing the 2008 one to a different year, the Rie Kugimiya one to another seiyuu, the Evangelion one to another anime franchise, and so on. Perhaps one day I’ll actually make cards out of these topics and play Anime Outburst with friends XD

After my previous post, which garnered a lot of discussion and more extensive comments than any post I’ve written in the past couple of years, I’m taking it easy today with something fun…

I’ve enjoyed lateral thinking puzzles for quite a few years, ever since I bought a book of them back in middle school. They’re basically riddles as short as one sentence or as long as a few paragraphs, that challenge you to use all your logical and imaginative powers to solve while putting all preconceptions aside. Some require math skills while some simply require you to pay close attention to every word of the puzzle and not make any assumptions.

Today I’ll be sharing some lateral thinking puzzles that I’ve reworded to include anime characters (’cause that just makes theme easier to relate to XD) For each one, the hints and the solution can be viewed by selecting the text that follows.

—–

There are four chocolate cornets in a box. Konata, Kagami, Miyuki, and Tsukasa decide to share the cornets between them. The four of them each take one. How can it be that one cornet is left in the box?

Hint: Like many puzzles, if you can’t get this one right away you’re probably making a false assumption without even knowing it. Imagine the scenario playing out in your head and that should help.
—–

Solution: The fourth to take a cornet (doesn’t matter who) took the box with the last cornet still inside.

—–

Kirino is organizing her otaku collection. There are three boxes in front of her. One is labeled “Anime DVDs,” another is labeled “Erogames.” The last one is labeled “Anime DVDs and Erogames.” Each one is labeled incorrectly. Knowing this, and if she only takes ONE item from ONE of the boxes, how can she then label them all correctly?

Hint: Drawing a diagram really helps with this one. If you do it right, you should be able to get it easily. Try to answer the question “Which box should she pick from in order to be able to correctly label each one?”
—–

Solution: She should pick from the box labeled “Anime DVDs and Erogames.” Since they’re all labeled incorrectly, this box must contain either only anime DVDs or only erogames. For example, if the item she picks is an erogame, label the box “Erogames.” It then follows that the only choice left for the box labeled “Anime DVDs” must be “Anime DVDs and Erogames” (it can’t be “Erogames” because we’ve already found that one). Then lastly, the box incorrectly labeled “Erogames” must be the “Anime DVDs” box.

—–

Chi and the Yamada family are going on vacation and are staying on the tenth floor of a 10-story hotel. Chi is staring through the open window of their room, when suddenly, she’s overcome by an impulse and leaps through it. It was a sheer drop outside the building to the ground. She didn’t land in water or any special soft surface, nor did anyone or anything catch her. Yet, she was completely unharmed when she landed. How could this be so?

Hint: There was no rope or anything tied around her and others could have done what she did. Although she did indeed jump through the window, she did not fall six floors and land on the ground outside the building.
—–

Solution: She started off on the ledge outside the window and leaped into the hotel room. Why was she outside? Chasing a flying insect or bird, or just being very curious. Take your pick.

Now their vacation is over and the Yamada family is getting ready to leave the hotel. Suddenly, Chi sees a butterfly outside and leaps through the open window. How did she survive jumping out the window of this 10-story hotel?

Hint: Unlike the previous puzzles, she actually did land on the ground outside the hotel. But it had nothing to do with luck and nothing touched her as she fell, nor did she land on anything special. Just remember, the Yamada family was getting ready to leave the hotel.
—–

Solution: She leaped out the window of the lobby on the ground floor, not the 10th floor. As the Yamadas were in the lobby checking out, she jumped out the window but only fell a few feet to the ground. They really need to keep a better eye on her!

—–

Ash and Gary had five Pokemon battles. Each won the same number of battles and lost the same number of battles. They were normal Pokemon battles and there were no draws or forfeits in any of the battles. How could this be so?

Hint: If you can’t get this one right off the bat, you’re making a false initial assumption.
—–

Solution: Who said they were battling each other? Perhaps they were in a tournament and would eventually go head to head, but not yet =P

—–

Acting on gathered clues and anonymous tips, Kujou and Victorique burst into the house of a suspected murderer. They don’t know what he looks like or anything else about him besides the fact that his name is George and that he is inside the house. Once inside the house they find a painter, a carpenter, and an accountant all playing poker. Without hesitation or communication of any kind, they immediately know that the carpenter is the murderer. They’re right, but how do they know they’ve got their man?

Hint: Another puzzle that relies on casting out false preconceptions in order to solve. The profession of each of the three was not immediately apparent, nor were they wearing name tags of any sort. It also would have been obvious to most people who the murderer was.
—–

Solution: The suspect’s name is George, and since the painter and accountant are women, the carpenter must be who they’re looking for!

—–

Yukari and Nyamo walked home after having been out drinking. They walked down the middle of a deserted road. There were no street lights to illuminate the road and there was no moonlight. They had been feeling somewhat melancholic and were dressed in dark colors. Suddenly a car that did not have its headlights on came racing down the road. At the last moment, the driver of the car saw them and swerved to avoid them. How had the driver managed to see them?

Hint: They were not carrying any source of illumination nor was there any starlight. Yet the driver of the car did indeed see them, and so could anyone else.
—–

Solution: It was broad daylight! But they went for another drink later that evening XD

—–

Kyon was pushing a car and stopped outside a hotel. As soon as he got there, he knew all his money was gone. Why?

Hint: He had to push the car yet it was a car that could never be driven. Also, the hotel was on a famous road. His loss of money had to do with the hotel, not Haruhi!
—–

Solution: He was playing Monopoly with Itsuki. They got tired of Othello.

—–

Well, hope you guys found these puzzles entertaining. Feel free to discuss them or ask for further hints in the comments, but please do not reveal the answers! If I find your comment too revealing, I may have to edit or delete it. Don’t spoil the fun for others XD If I see that people enjoyed them, maybe I’ll do more again sometime.

One web browser feature I’ve been using a lot for the past few years is tabs. However, much to my surprise, most of the people I’ve met don’t use them, at least not as much as I do…

I’ve become quite the excessive “tabber.” I have Firefox open all the time with at least five tabs – my e-mail, my blog dashboard, my blog’s homepage, MAL, and Tokyo Toshokan. These five have become my default sites that I always have open because they’re the ones I like to refresh constantly for anything new. I know a lot of people simply close all tabs, or even Firefox itself, when they’re done with it. But for me, why should I close these five tabs when I’m gonna want to refresh them many more times during the day?

My default tabs (my MAL profile currently the open page)

In addition to these five, I’ll usually have a few other tabs open too. For example, if I’m playing a new Pokemon game, I’ll have additional tabs for Serebii.net or Bulbapedia open. This way, they’ll always be quickly available since I know I’ll be using them a lot while I’m playing the game. And when I’m not playing, they can be there so I can study up on game mechanics and such when I feel like it ;) I’ll also do the same when I start following a forum thread. For example, when Saimoe came around this year, I kept a tab open with the AnimeSuki forum thread for it, and kept refreshing it constantly like my default sites.

Other tabs I may have open are links to pages that I want to look at but don’t have time for at the moment. For example, I get an interesting link via e-mail or Twitter but I don’t feel like reading through it right then and there. I’ll leave the tab with the page open so I won’t forget about it. I’ll also do this if I find an interesting anime blog post that I want to read later. I’ll usually close the tab once I’m done reading the page unless there’s something more I want to do with it, for example, I want to send it to a friend or refresh it later to see if the blogger replied to a comment I posted.

Incidentally, I do the same thing with my e-mail – I keep tabs of e-mails that I need to reply to or read later open so I don’t forget about them XD

Additionally, if I come across a site I get addicted to but can’t read through it all in one sitting, like Anime Tropes for example, I’ll leave the tab open so I won’t forget about it and can read through more of it whenever I have the time.

Basically, I keep tabs open for sites that I either want to constantly refresh, like my e-mail or a new forum post, or sites that I want to do something with later on and don’t want to forget about, i.e., read them later, send them to a friend later, etc,. As a matter of fact, I’ve come up with a very steady routine for my browser tabs. Every morning one of the first things I do is take my computer off standby mode and bring up Firefox with my tabs (which I leave minimized whenever I’m away). After refreshing my five default ones, I’ll open up a blank tab and use that to check through my bookmarked sites – check ANN for news, done with that, check AnimePaper for new scans, done with that, move on to AnimeNation’s blog, and so on. I always check Anime Nano last since it’s the most likely to contain an extensive page I’ll want to read later when I have more time (in which case, I’ll leave a tab open for it so I don’t forget about it).

I know constantly having Firefox open with many tabs puts a strain on my computer. But for someone like me who’s on the Internet all the time and has many sites that I want to continually check up on, it’s more convenient to have them right there all the time and all I have to do is hit the refresh button, rather than having to constantly open and close the different sites. Also, without tabs, I would have no way of remembering all the web pages I want to read, send, or refresh at a later time. I’m glad that Firefox gives you the option of saving all your tabs if you need to close your browser (though it’s also very annoying when my computer, or Firefox, crashes and I lose all my tabs XP)

Yes please!

So…is it common to be an excessive “tabber,” or is there an easier way of doing what I discussed here without tabs?

Back in 2009, Reverse Thieves launched a project called The Otaku Diaries in which they interviewed a number of anime fans about their personal lives and relationship to anime. I would have liked to participate in the project, but I didn’t find out about it until after it was over. After reading all the questions that were asked via digitalboy posting his answers to the interview, I’ve been wanting to give it a try…

Below are all the questions asked on the interview along with my responses to each. This post is more of a self-reflection exercise for me rather than something people would want to read, so I apologize if you find all these random facts and in-depth details about my life incredibly long and boring =P If you find it tl;dr, please do skip to just the questions you find interesting.

———-
SELF DESCRIPTION

Age: 24 (I’ll be 25 this coming March)

Gender: Female

Location: Granada Hills, CA (in the San Fernando Valley of Southern Cali, about 20 minutes from LA)

Hometown/Where you grew up: I’ve lived in the same house in Granada Hills for about twenty years now. Before moving there, I lived in an apartment in Van Nuys (also in the SF Valley) for the first five years of my life.

Parents/Guardians: Mom. My parents divorced when I was four, not because they hated each other or anything, but because my dad was Korean and they had a lot of culture-clashing issues. I’ve been living with only my mom since the divorce. I saw my dad a little bit when I was in elementary school and he diligently paid child support up until I became an adult. But for the most part, he’s not a part of my life.

Number of siblings: None. Technically I have step-siblings somewhere since my dad remarried, but since I’ve had no contact with him, I don’t count them.

Sexual orientation: Straight

Nationality/Race: Half white American and half Korean, though at heart I’m way more Japanese than Korean XD

Religion: Non-religious. I wouldn’t say atheist…transcendental maybe? Like politics, religion is one of life’s big matters that most people care greatly about and I don’t. Actually, the closest thing I’ve come across to describing my rather pessimistic religious views would be Mark Twain’s view of it.

Martial status: Single

Number of children: None, and I never ever want any for reasons that would take way too much space on this post to list.

Highest amount of education received/currently enrolled in: I received my B.A. in East Asian Languages & Literature (country of emphasis being Japan) in 2009. Even with my nearly full scholarship, the relatively small student loan I had to take out for college has been nipping at my heels, so going further into debt with my education is out of the question at this time.

Profession: Since I’m still a recent college graduate, I haven’t settled into a profession yet. I don’t really care what it turns out to be as long as it’s something I like. For about a year now I’ve been working as a childcare aid for the local YMCA. But general education, at least in the crappy LA public school system, is not the profession I want.

Hobbies (not including anime): Japanese culture and language, animation in general (especially movies), animals and animal welfare, video games (though I don’t play very many), literature and poetry from various early 20th century and older authors, music (besides anisongs, Disney, oldies, musicals)

How many years have you been an anime fan?: Approximately 10-11

IN-DEPTH

Relationships

1. What was/is your family situation growing up? Now?
Since I was in kindergarten, it’s always been just me and my mom (and at least four cats). As I explained in the answer above, my parents divorced when I was little and my dad hasn’t been a part of my life. So his side of the family is out of the picture, and the few members on my mom’s side live in other parts of the country. When I was growing up, my mom had to do everything for me (as well as work at her stressful job, take care of the house, etc) with little help from anyone else. She literally did the work of two parents (maybe more), and thankfully now that she’s retired and I’m an adult, things have gotten easier for her. Until I’m financially sound enough to be on my own, we’ve been living together kind of like an old married couple (she does house chores and I work =P)

2. How would you describe your relationship with your parents/guardians?
My mom and I have always gotten along well and are probably more open with each than we are with anyone else. I think she did spoil me a little when I was a kid because she felt bad that I didn’t have a dad. She’s always encouraged me, even for having unusual hobbies like anime. She never tells me what to do and would always rather shoulder burdens herself than inconvenience me. Heh, when I was a kid I didn’t even know what it meant to be “grounded” because my mom never punished me. When I asked her why, she said it’s because I never gave her a reason to ~_^

3. How would you describe your relationship with your siblings if you have any?
N/A

4. Do/did your parents/guardians watch anime? Do/did they know what it is? Do/did they approve of your hobbies? How have their views changed over time?
My mom’s always approved of my anime hobby and she’s watched a few titles with me. She’s not into it or anything but she respects it and likes sharing it with me from time to time. If you want more details, I wrote a post about this here.

5. Do you have any family members you would describe as sexist? Racist?
My mom isn’t, and besides her I only have like, three other family members that we keep in regular contact with. I don’t know them well enough to say for sure, but I don’t think so.

6. Do you/did you live with parents after finishing your schooling?
The only time I haven’t lived with my mom is when I went away to college for two years and lived in student housing. I went home many times on weekends and holidays though. I moved back in with my mom after I graduated and will stay here until I can afford to live comfortably on my own (unlike other parents of college graduates, she loves having me live with her :3)

7. Have you ever canceled social plans to watch anime? If you did were there any major repercussions?
Most of the social plans I ever make revolve around friends who like anime. Other than that, I mostly get together with friends one at a time, and I don’t recall canceling plans with any of them for anime. Coworkers and such have invited me to join them for social occasions, but I refuse not because I have anime plans (though I do sometimes), but because they’re usually something I don’t like (like going to clubs, sporting events, etc).

8. Have you ever canceled anime plans to do something related to another hobby?
I don’t think so.

9. Have you ever tried to get your significant other/children/parents/siblings into anime? In what ways? Did it work?
Just my mom, which I explained above in question #4.

10. How often do you watch anime with others vs. how much you watch on your own.
I watch anime on my own way more – I watch at least an hour of anime every night, whereas I’ll watch with friends maybe a few times a month. The main reason isn’t that I don’t like watching with friends, it’s just that we’re all so busy and barely find time to get together, and when we do we’d rather do other anime-related things.

11. How many close friends do you have?
I have many friends, but I would only count about six of them as close friends.

12. How have you met most of your friends?
I’ve met most of my friends through high school and college, and a handful online via my blog in recent years. All of the friends I’ve made in the past ten years, even if they didn’t last, have had some connection to anime =)

13. How big is your social network?
Not very big at all. People who know me from my blog and web site mostly. I used to have my college anime club, but there’s different people now and I haven’t gone since graduation, so I wouldn’t really count it.

14. How many friends have you lost over the years?
Many (but Facebook has helped me find that at least a few of them still exist XD) All of them weren’t because we had a fight, we just grew apart or our interests weren’t compatible anymore.

15. How many nights a week do you go out/hang out with others?
I’m not a night person and I don’t like to stay up past midnight. For roughly the past three years I go out one night a week for anime club from around 6-10:30pm.

16. Do you talk to a lot of people online? How close are your relationships vs. your in person ones.
It’s only been about a year that I’ve been talking to people online quite a lot. Most of them are just casual acquaintances that I meet through other blogs and comments or on forums and such. There are only a few that I would consider close, either because I met them in real life first or we talk regularly via e-mail or Instant Messaging. I would say that meeting in person helps me feel closer to someone, but I have online friends who are just as important to me as those I’ve met in person.

17. Have you ever met a friend online and then in person? Did you stay friends? Did it change the relationship?
Yes, I’ve met a handful of fellow anime fans online first and then in person. A couple have become good friends while the others were bloggers I got together with during big group gatherings. I would say meeting in person helped our relationships in all the cases.

18. When you have personal problems who do you turn to?
My mom and a few of my good friends. I’ve been fortunate enough not to have any major personal problems in my life so far (knock on wood). But I also keep a lot of my deeper feelings bottled up…I really shouldn’t do that.

19. Do you consider yourself a leader in your group of friends?
I don’t really have a group of friends – most of my meetings with friends are on an individual basis. But the few times I did have groups of friends back in high school and anime clubs and such, I definitely wasn’t the leader XD I’m way too shy for that role.

20. Have you ever set up your friends? Has anyone ever tried to set you up with a friend?
Nope.

21. Has anyone close to you ever passed away?
Not yet, though I dread the day when it comes. Over the years I’ve lost a few cats that have been dear to me if that counts.

22. What do you look for in a person when considering dating? Does whether or not they like anime factor in?
And now here’s the point where I admit that I’ve never been on a date (go head, call me abnormal). I did have a few crushes in high school, but nothing went beyond that. But I would look for someone who’s kind, open-minded, and caring. Since I love animals almost as much as anime, the person’s kindness and care would have to go beyond humans too. It would be nice if we shared at least one major interest, though it doesn’t have to be anime. But I wouldn’t want them to dislike anime either.

23. Describe your ideal mate.
Same as the above answer. Also, trustworthy, responsible, thoughtful, polite…I could go on with the adjectives but I’ll stop here. Someone who’s a good person in my eyes and who I enjoy being with.

24. How many serious relationships have you been in? How long was the longest?
What was the best situation?
None so far.

25. Have you ever been rejected? Have you ever rejected anyone? Did anime play into any of these scenarios?
N/A

26. Have you ever been dumped? Have you ever dumped anyone? Did anime play into any of these scenarios?
N/A

27. What is your Internet use daily? How often do you use it to converse? How often do you use it to converse with other anime fans?
I use the Internet all the time. I only have it at home, so when I’m not out all day or busy with other things, I’m checking my e-mail and other sites hourly at least. It’s also my primary means of talking to my friends, since I’m not a big fan of talking on the phone and I don’t have texting on my cell. I mostly converse with people through e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter. I only use Instant Messaging to talk to a few of my friends.

28. Have you ever used an online dating service? Did you list anime in your profile?
No. But if I did, I would definitely make it clear that I love anime XD

29. Have you ever dated someone you met online? How did you meet them online?
Again, never been on a date.

30. Have you ever been attracted to someone outside of your race?
For the few guys I have been attracted to, I think they were all outside my race. Race isn’t something I care about when it comes to liking someone.

31. Have you ever dated outside of your race? Was there any negative reaction from your family/friends?
Once again, never dated.

32. Have you ever hit on anyone at an anime con?
Uh, no XD

33. Have you ever dated someone you met at an anime con?
LOL, never dated, how many times do I have to say it? XD

34. Have you ever had a con-quest? (Also known as a hook-up at a convention.)
Nope.

35. How much sexual experience have you had?
None…yet…

36. Are you sexual attracted to anime characters? What fetishes do you subscribe to?
Not sexually attracted, but I have had a few anime crushes in the past (not so much anymore). I mostly have a thing for kind, gentle, caring anime guys, the kinds I’d like to meet in real life. I have a wealth of non-sexual love for certain characters. Some of my fetishes are cute/cool animals or fantasy creatures, tsunderes if done right, and a few other choice characters for reasons I can’t really explain.

37. Do you have any fetishes you wouldn’t casually tell someone?
I wouldn’t tell average people exactly how much I love anime, let alone fetishes. I would only tell my fetishes to a fellow fan I feel comfortable with, or a non-fan who I really, REALLY feel comfortable with XD

38. Has your sexual orientation changed since you started watching anime? Are the two related?
No…wow, these questions are personal =P

39. Have you ever been attracted to a character that was outside your norm? (i.e. you are a gay man but were attracted to female character.)
LOL, nope, can’t recall any.

40. Have you ever watched anime while performing a sexual act?
Holy cow, no XD But I know there are those who do.

41. Do you watch pornography? How much, if any, is anime?
No…hentai and excessive fan service are genres I stay away from.

42. Have you ever watched porn/hentai in a group? With your significant other?
No, obviously.

43. Have you ever role-played/cos-played during sex?
Once again, no.

Self image

1. Have you ever identified yourself as an otaku online? To your friends? To your family? To your coworkers? Why or why not?
I’ve identified myself as an otaku to fellow fans because I feel it’s true and they won’t deride me for it (I hope). My family and non-anime friends don’t know the term, so I just say I’m an anime fan. For people I know who are ignorant about anime, I try not to bring up the topic.

2. Have you ever been disgusted or ashamed of yourself as a fan? Of your fellow fans?
There have been a few instances where I’ve been ashamed of myself for spending money on certain anime products or putting off other things so I could indulge in anime-related activities (like blogging instead of helping my mom with something XP) But as a whole, I’ve never been ashamed or disgusted with my hobby and consider it better than a lot of others.

I’ve been disgusted with fellow fans plenty of times. Mostly elitists and excessively critical, obnoxious, opinionated fans. But like other things, I judge people by how they are as “people” and not as anime fans. So usually what turns me off is their personality, ideals, etc., which I can see through their anime fandom, and not necessarily what they think of anime.

3. How much do you watch anime to escape reality?
Anime has the added bonus of helping me escape reality for a while, but it’s not my main reason for watching it.

4. How have you changed as a fan since you have started watching anime?
Definitely, I even wrote a post about it. Basically I started out with Pokemon and other kiddy anime dubbed on local channels, then moved onto late 90s/early 2000s anime and Toonami/Adult Swim shows, and finally I branched out into niche stuff like slice-of-life and moe among other things, and have been keeping up with all the latest shows.

5. Were/are you part of any clubs/sports?
I never liked sports and never joined any sports-related teams or clubs. I was in an anime club in high school and an anime and anti-animal cruelty club in college.

6. What type of student were/are you?
Not to brag or anything, but I’ve always been a good student. From kindergarten to college I’ve never ditched class, never gone to class late, and always did my homework on time unless something important prevented me. I’ve gotten all As and Bs in my entire schooling career, except for like, one C because the teacher was terrible XP

7. Did/do you enjoy going to school?
For the most part yes, because I love learning and seeing friends there. In elementary school I sometimes hated it and sometimes loved it, middle school I didn’t like it because all my classmates were snobs, and high school through college I liked it because that’s when I had the most friends, best teachers, and interesting classes to take.

8. Do you consider yourself smarter than the average person?
In some things yes, in others no =P

9. Do you consider yourself more personable than the average person?
I think so. I don’t think I’ve ever said anything condescending to anyone even jokingly, I don’t play tricks on people even for fun, I’m always honest in my words and actions, and I’m a better listener than talker (which I know some people like). If someone doesn’t mind my soft-spoken-ness and is willing to make the effort to get to know me, I would say I’m pretty personable.

10. Do you think you have any skills or talents that set you apart from others?
I’d like to think I’m a good writer, good at English spelling/grammar, and can type about 50wpm. I have above average knowledge of anime obviously, as well as Japanese/Japan, computers, certain video games and certain pieces of literature. I’m extremely organized, good at budgeting my time, and making schedules for myself on a daily basis.

11. Were/are picked on in school? Did/do you ever bully anyone?
Only in middle school. I was teased for liking Pokemon, though most of it wasn’t really directly bullying me, but rather, my classmates would make fun of Pokemon all the time while I was present and it didn’t make me feel good ~_~

12. Describe your ideal job.
Either teaching/tutoring English to ESL students (Japanese students preferred) or teaching beginning Japanese to English-speakers. I also wouldn’t mind teaching basic computer knowledge to anyone who needs it (like senior citizens).

13. Do you enjoy your job?
My current job as a childcare aid for the YMCA is okay. Not great but not terrible. I’m not very good at it but I manage.

14. Is your current job what you went to school for? If you are still in school, what do you think your chances are you will get a job related to what you went to school for?
I definitely didn’t go to school for my current job. My chances of getting a job related to my B.A., or one of my ideal jobs from question #12, is pretty slim but not impossible. But I’d be happy having any job that pays decently and that I don’t dislike.

15. Do you consider yourself good at your job? Better than your co-workers?
Like I said, I’m not good at it. I’ve had no prior experience with kids, even younger siblings/cousins, and being the shy, gentle person that I am, my ability to discipline unruly kids is pretty poor. My co-workers are very good at the job thankfully, so I rely on them quite a bit.

16. Do you see yourself in this same job 5 years from now?
I do not.

17. If someone were to describe you in one word what would it be?
It’s hard to say since I’m not someone else =P Most people who don’t know me very well would probably say “quiet” or “shy.” I’ve been called “sweet” and “nice” too. My friends and people who really know me would probably just say “anime” XD

18. Would you describe yourself as attractive?
Umm, I’m okay-looking I guess (unless you don’t like glasses and/or short hair). I’m not fat but I could definitely stand to lose a few pounds.

19. What is your general state of health?
Besides being slightly overweight and prone to nasal allergies, I’ve always been healthy. For most of my life, I only got sick enough to take off from school or work like, a couple times a year. It’s been increasing this past year though (blame it on working with kids!)

20. Do you have any outstanding medical conditions? Do you take a prescription for anything
Nope, just seasonal nasal allergies now and then.

21. Do you exercise on a regular basis?
I’ve only started exercising in the past few years. It fluctuates between taking walks around the neighborhood, using my Wii (I know, that shouldn’t count XD) or using my elliptical. I try to exercise every evening for at least 25-30 minutes, though lately I’ve gotten lazy about it because I’ve been working a lot. Unfortunately my elliptical just broke and I need to get a new exercising machine.

22. Do you watch what you eat?
Kind of. I’m very strict about eating only during my three meals a day, and avoid snacking between meals unless I’m starving and can’t wait until the next meal. Although I like the taste of most junk food, I try to avoid it as much as I can (sometimes I can’t resist). My mom likes cooking home-made food with good ingredients for both breakfast and dinner, so I’m very fortunate when it comes to eating properly =)

23. Do you take vitamins?
No.

24. Have you ever been to a psychiatrist/psychologist?
No, but I’m curious how it would go if I did.

25. Would you say you have a temper?
Definitely not. I’m very level-headed, at least with most things.

26. Do you get embroiled in drama frequently? Do you get pulled into other people’s drama?
I’ve never really had any of my own notable drama besides a few isolated incidents at home. My good friends have never had much drama that I got into, and I’ve never had groups of peers that I was involved with enough to get into their drama either.

27. How often do you find yourself being a mediator between people?
Never have.

28. Would you say you procrastinate often?
Procrastinating is one thing I don’t do. As I said in some of the above answers, I’m very organized and can’t function unless I plan exactly what I’m gonna do each day/week. I prioritize some things before others, but I get everything done when it needs to be.

29. How much do you consider yourself a forgiving person?
I would say I am, mostly because I don’t like being hated. Unless someone does or believes something I find too immoral or against my own ideals and values, I try to be friendly with people as best as I can. I think that everyone has some good and bad in them, and as long as the good outweighs the bad, and the bad isn’t too bad in my eyes, I can forgive.

30. Do you tackle your problems head on?
I guess so…it depends.

31. Have you done any body alternations related to anime (ex: dye hair, tattoo, etc.)?
No. I can’t stand tattoos and piercings anywhere but the ears. I don’t like doing anything unnatural to my body (I won’t pierce anything, paint my nails, or even dye my hair!)

32. Have you ever taken up something (ex: martial arts) because of anime?
My love for anime led to me seriously studying the Japanese language and majoring in Japan studies in college =)

33. Have you tried to learn Japanese?
Obviously ;) I’ve taken beginning to advanced Japanese over the course of four years at two colleges. Since graduation I’ve been doing self-study.

34. Has anime ever helped you?
Anime helps me all the time. Not so much for learning new things, but for at least retaining what I’ve learned.

35. Name an anime character that is most like yourself.
Oh man, that’s tough. There’s no one like me really, in anime or real life =P I’m open to suggestions if anyone has one.

36. What is the anime character you admire the most? Why?
There are many, but I’ll pick my oldest one, Vash from Trigun. He encompasses many traits that are important to me; gentle, kind, selfless, compassionate, funny but also deep and philosophical, strong but not arrogant – I love everything about him, particularly his unfaltering respect for life.

37. Has your anime fandom ever been an obstacle in your life?
Since anime shows/movies/music are mostly all I follow, it’s been an obstacle when it comes to conversing with people who mostly follow American pop culture, something that I don’t follow at all.

Otakudom

1. What was the first anime you saw? Did you know it was anime at the time? Would you still watch that anime today?
Sailor Moon. I didn’t know what anime was at the time. I would definitely like to watch all of Sailor Moon in order one day =)

2. Do you pay attention to anime directors and who directs what you watch? Who is your favorite anime director?
I don’t actually.

3. Do you consider being called an otaku a badge of honor or an insult?
Neither really, just the truth =P

4. Would you be more or less inclined to be friends with someone who called themselves an otaku? Would you be more or less inclined to date someone who called themselves an otaku?
Not really, since I’m guilty of the same status. Again, I’ll judge the person by who they really are, not a vague term.

5. Have you ever gotten into an argument over the use of the word otaku?
In my mind, but never actually wrote it out…yet.

6. What is your opinion on lolita? shouta? yaoi? yuri? hentai?
I’m not interested in them, especially hentai. But if that’s what some fans love, whateves. I have my own anime fetishes so I shouldn’t make fun of someone else’s.

7. How much anime do you own?
For official DVDs, I would say about 10-15 complete sets. For other merchandise, too many to name. I mostly collect character goods (figures, artbooks, posters, pencil boards, etc).

8. Do you purchase anime without knowing more than what’s on the box?
No, I’ll only purchase titles that I’ve seen before and really liked.

9. Do you watch more anime than any other type of entertainment?
Anime makes up 90% of the shows and movies I watch.

10. Do you watch raws?
Even though my Japanese skills are good enough to understand most of the simple slice-of-life shows, I’ll always watch subs because I don’t want to miss out on a single line of dialogue. The only show I’ve been watching raw for a while is Pokemon (I can understand most of it and the episodes are fairly dispensable anyway).

11. Do you watch fan-subs?
Yes.

12. Do you watch streaming anime?
Only if it’s not available by other means. I mostly watch torrents.

13. How likely are you to buy a show you’ve already watched?
It depends on how much I liked it and how financially sound I am.

14. Have you ever downloaded to own (ex: iTunes, Funimation) anime?
No, at least not yet.

15. Ever downloaded anything you were too embarrassed to buy?
No XD

16. Have you been to a con? How many? How often?
I’ve been to seven cons as of today. For the past few years, Anime Expo has been the only one I’m interested in going to.

17. What is your opinion of cos-play? Have you cos-played? Ever been hit on while cos-playing? Ever cos-played outside a con?
I’ve never cosplayed though I enjoy seeing it very much and taking pictures of good ones. I wouldn’t mind trying it someday.

18. Have you ever done an absurd amount of research on someone from the industry? Tried to find them?
No, I’ve only done absurd amount of research on particular anime series (Pokemon, Haruhi, and Inuyasha so far).

19. Ever participated in 4chan? Helped in online activity of the Anonymous? In real life?
Never been on 4chan and only on 2chan a tiny bit for Saimoe. Don’t really care to get into either.

20. Do you leave the house with something anime related on your person (ex: cell phone strap/background, button, etc.)
Cell phone straps and occasionally a T-shirt. It mostly depends where I’m going. If I’m going to an anime-related event, I’ll have more anime stuff on my person.

21. Do you own anime related clothing?
About 6-8 anime shirts and a Pokemon jacket.

22. Do you have something anime related at your office/workplace/locker?
I don’t have a locker anymore and I don’t have an office at work. But if I did, I might have a few things out depending on who’ll see it =P

23. Does your religion effect your anime watching?
Anime is practically my religion XD

24. How much time do you spend at work doing something anime related?
I actually used to teach a class about kids anime for the YMCA for about nine months before I did childcare work there. But since then, nothing.

25. Ever tried to get a job in the anime industry?
I’ve sent out a few inquiring e-mails a couple of years ago but nothing beyond that.

26. Have you ever gotten into an argument about anime? In real life? Did it get physical?
A couple of mild cases online, but nothing major.

27. What is your opinion of modern anime fandom?
It’s obviously different because of technological advances, mostly the Internet. With that, fans expectations have changed and anime genres have as well. This question kinda warrants a post of its own in my opinion =P

28. How has fandom changed since you started watching anime?
Like the previous question, more anime being produced and easier access to it. Everyone can now watch the latest shows airing in Japan, or any anime they want for that matter, while that wasn’t the case a decade ago.

29. What do you think is the future of anime fandom?
I honestly don’t know how much more it can advance from here on. All I can see is more anime on blu-ray and less moe/harem pandering shows each season.

30. Do you think it is a fan’s duty to support the industry?
Yes, as much as they can and especially if it’s a title you love!

31. Have you ever bought or read doujinshi?
No and I don’t really have much interest to since I tend not to like non-canon yaoi/yuri.

32. Have you ever written or read fanfiction?
I’ve written a total of four fans fics almost eight years ago, and I used to read a little back then too. But I got fed up with people’s poor writing and OOC plots so I lost interest pretty quickly.

33. Have you ever been a shipper?
Yes, my first one was Rocketshipping :3 After that I was really into Inyasha+Kagome (Inuyasha) and Shinji+Asuka (Evangelion). Nowadays I’m leaning towards Kyon+Haruhi.

34. Have you ever watched an AMV? Made one?
For the past five or so years I’ve been really into AMVs and love watching the best ones over and over. I’ve never made one and doubt I’d ever have the dedication and skills to make a good one.

35. Have you ever written for an fanzine, magazine, or blog?
A blog obviously, but never a magazine.

36. Have you ever been part of an anime club? An officer?
Like I said in previous questions, I was in my high school and college anime clubs, as well as an anime club at a local college currently, but I was never an officer. I probably would have become president in my high school club if I didn’t graduate that year.

37. Have ever participated in any other type of fan made activity?
Besides clubs? I’ve recently been planning get-togethers with bloggers and other fellow fans in the LA area.

38. What do you think that fan made works contribute to the hobby as a whole?
Fan works are an indispensable part of the anime world and are what make it so unique. No other fandom has it like anime does. The love that these fan works convey can’t be described in words.

39. Have you ever experienced anime burn out?
Never.

40. Do you quote anime? Have you ever quoted it to people who don’t watch anime?
Nah XD Mostly because I can never think of stuff like that on the spot.

41. What is a deal breaker for a show? (i.e. I can’t watch a show, no matter what, if it has A)
The only thing that turns me off from an anime is excessive fan service/ecchi/hentai. Other than that, I’m open to all kinds of anime.

42. Is there any type of show you will always watch/give a chance?
Everything unless it’s hentai or has ecchi written all over it.

43. Are there any genres you won’t watch?
Again, hentai and fan service. I also tend to stay away from series with “odd” animation styles that don’t appeal to me.

44. Do you still see yourself watching anime 10 years from now?
I see myself watching anime forever!

45. Why do you watch anime?
I feel like I was born with an infatuation with animation, and anime is simply the zenith of all that I love about animation. But if you want more concrete reasons, here.

———

Once again, sorry if you found this post incredibly long and boring and filled with “too much information.” Like I said, it was something that I wanted to do more for myself than the sake of the blog. Regular posts will resume next time =)

In total, I got 244 responses to the survey since I first posted it. You can see the results for each of the 22 questions below, with the highest percentage for each being in bold. I also commented on some of the results, especially if they differed much from the last survey I did in 2008.

———-
In ’08, YouTube-like sites got slightly more votes than torrents. But now it looks like torrents are making a comeback.

Question:	1. What’s the main way you watch anime?
Download via torrents	42.6%
Streaming on official sites	4.1%
Streaming on unofficial sites	12.8%
Streaming on both official and unofficial sites	22.7%
DVDs	10.7%
I read manga more than watch anime	7%

———-
Not too surprising here (Sailor Moon was mine).

Question:	2. What was the first anime you ever watched? (if none of these are your very first one, pick one that’s among your firsts)
Sailor Moon	19.7%
Pokemon	24.6%
One of the Dragon Ball series	9.8%
Robotech	2.9%
Voltron	6.1%
One of the Macross series	1.2%
Cowboy Bebop	1.6%
Inuyasha	2%
Tenchi Muyo!	1.2%
One of the Gundam series	0.8%
A Studio Ghibli movie	4.5%
Naruto	0.8%
Bleach	0.4%
Evangelion	0.8%
Digimon	2.9%
Ranma 1/2	0.8%
Yu-Gi-Oh!	3.7%
Cardcaptor Sakura	4.1%
Fullmetal Alchemist	0.4%
Rurouni Kenshin	2.5%
None of these were among my firsts	9%

———-
Nice to see that most people are not totally anti-dub.

Question:	3. Do you like to watch anime dubbed or subbed?
Either way, I don’t really care	11.9%
Definitely subs (I hate dubs!)	29.6%
I prefer subs but I have nothing against good dubs	50.2%
I prefer dubs unless the dubs are bad	3.7%
Definitely dubs (I don’t like reading subtitles!)	2.9%
Neither, I watch anime in raw Japanese	1.6%

———-
My answer got the most responses, though I’m kind of surprised at how many people rarely or never buy DVDs.

Question:	4. How often do you buy official DVDs of anime you’ve watched via streaming or fansubs?
Just about all the time	2.9%
As often as I can	9.5%
Only if its an anime I really like	38.7%
Rarely	19.8%
Never	29.2%

Question:	5. How do you feel about manga?
I like manga just as much as I like anime	39.8%
I like manga more than anime	12.3%
I only read manga from a few series	13.5%
I like reading manga sometimes but I prefer watching anime	24.2%
I rarely or never read manga	10.2%

———-
Guess I’m one of the few who watches between 15 and 20 series at a time.

Question:	6. On average, how many anime series do you watch at one time? (meaning you watch at least one episode of the series every week)
Less than 5	49.4%
Between 5 and 10	39.8%
Between 10 and 15	6.2%
Between 15 and 20	3.3%
Between 20 and 25	0.4%
Between 25 and 30	0%
More than 30	0.8%

———-
This year FMA got almost as many votes as Naruto, Bleach, and Death Note did combined in ’08. Obviously Brotherhood has a lot to do with its popularity this year.

Question:	7. Which of the following shonen series do you like the best?
Bleach	3.4%
Naruto	7.2%
Dragon Ball	4.6%
One Piece	8%
Inuyasha	4.2%
Yu-Gi-Oh!	0.8%
Rurouni Kenshin	3.8%
Yu Yu Hakusho	3%
Hikaru no Go	1.3%
D-Gray Man	1.3%
Konjiki no Gash Bell!!	0.4%
Fullmetal Alchemist	32.5%
Death Note	11%
Soul Eater	6.3%
Claymore	4.6%
Shaman King	0%
Detective Conan	1.7%
Gintama	3%
Tsubasa Chronicle	2.5%
Fairy Tail	0.4%

———-
Not too different from ’08. Ouran scores high once again. And nice to see that Sakura still has fans :3

Question:	8. Which of the following shojo series do you like the best? (a few josei and mahou shojo included)
Fruits Basket	8%
Sailor Moon	7.1%
Cardcaptor Sakura	16.4%
Fushigi Yuugi	2.1%
Kimi ni Todoke	6.7%
Lovely Complex	3.4%
Itazurana Kiss	0.4%
Nana	2.9%
Ouran High School Host Club	17.2%
Paradise Kiss	0.8%
Gakuen Alice	0.4%
Nodame Cantabile	8%
Vampire Knight	4.6%
Full Moon wo Sagashite	1.3%
Shugo Chara!	3.8%
Revolutionary Girl Utena	8%
Pretty Cure	2.1%
Magic Knight Rayearth	0.8%
Kare Kano	5.9%

———-
Code Geass love is still going strong.

Question:	9. Which of the following mecha series do you like the best?
Evangelion	20.5%
RahXephon	4.4%
Gundam Wing	3.9%
Gundam Seed	4.8%
Eureka 7	8.7%
Code Geass	27.1%
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann	13.1%
Full Metal Panic!	11.4%
Macross	6.1%

———-
AzuDai and Lucky Star love still going strong, too.

Question:	10. Which of the following slice-of-life/comedy series do you like the best?
Azumanga Daioh	24.8%
Ichigo Mashimaro	2.7%
K-ON!	18.6%
Lucky Star	22.6%
Hayate no Gotoku!	7.5%
Hidamari Sketch	4%
Minami-ke	5.3%
School Rumble	14.6%

Question:	11. Which original anime motion picture do you like the best?
My Neighbor Totoro	5.6%
Princess Mononoke	10.4%
Akira	2.2%
5 Centimeters Per Second	10.8%
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time	17.7%
Spirited Away	16%
Nausicaa	3.9%
Summer Wars	5.6%
Blood: the Last Vampire	1.7%
Perfect Blue	1.7%
Tokyo Godfather	3.9%
Grave of the Fireflies	3%
The Sky Crawlers	0.4%
Steamboy	0.9%
The Place Promised in Our Early Days	1.3%
Howl’s Moving Castle	13.4%
Ponyo on the Cliff	1.3%

Question:	12. Besides watching anime or reading manga, what other aspects of the fandom do you take part in?
Working on an anime blog or web site	4.8%
Fan art	4.5%
Fan fiction	4.3%
Doujinshi	2.7%
Video games	8.8%
Trading cards	1.9%
Figures or other collectibles	5%
Cosplay	2.6%
Japanese language and culture	9.4%
Web comics	3%
Anime conventions	6.1%
AMVs	4.8%
Japanese music	13.1%
Japanse live-action TV shows or movies	4.9%
Fantasy books, TV shows, or movies	6.6%
Online gaming	4.1%
Online discussions (forums, IRC, podcasts)	8.3%
Other non-Japanese animation	5%

Question:	13. Which of the following Japanese video game series do you like the best?
Pokemon	22.8%
Final Fantasy	20.5%
Sonic the Hedgehog	2.2%
Mario	10.3%
Zelda	10.3%
Disgaea	4.9%
Kingdom Hearts	11.2%
Harvest Moon	4%
Games based on anime that I like	3.1%
Otaku games (dating sims, visual novels, gal games, etc)	10.7%

Question:	14. When you’re talking with people who don’t like or are ignorant about anime, how do you act?
Keep quiet so as not to make the fact that you like anime obvious	5.4%
If you’re asked, pretend you don’t like anime	2.5%
If you’re asked, say you like anime but don’t go into detail	40.1%
Passionately proclaim your interest in anime no matter what	12.8%
Try to avoid the topic, but if it comes up, you won’t lie about your interest and will just be honest	39.3%

———-
I’m one of the fewer fans who has a very consistent anime watching schedule.

Question:	15. On average, about how much time do you spend watching anime?
2 or more hours a day	18.9%
2 or more hours every few days	18.1%
2 or more hours every week	8.6%
An hour or less every day	11.9%
An hour or less every few days	5.8%
It varies all the time	36.6%

———-
Watching a variety of series is probably better than just the new stuff – I should try it someday.

Question:	16. The anime you’re currently watching is MOSTLY…
Seasonal shows, as they’re airing in Japan	38%
Recently aired shows that are available online	7.4%
Anime that’s recently available on official English streams or DVD	3.7%
Old series I’m trying to catch up on	6.6%
A mix of series from various time periods	44.2%

———-
Didn’t expect these results. Slice-of-life series have certainly gained popularity in the West over the years.

Question:	17. Out of the following, what would be your preferred genre of anime?
Shonen	11.9%
Shojo	8.5%
Mecha	3.8%
Drama/Romance	6.4%
Drama/Comedy	5.5%
Slice-of-Life/Comedy	24.6%
Sci-fi	10.6%
Fantasy	6.4%
Horror	3.4%
Action/Adventure	8.9%
Drama/Mystery	10.2%

———-
Aya and Jun tie for this one, though Aya won with 20% in ’08 (and sad to see lack of Hayashibara love). With the recent news about Aya, I wonder how her popularity will hold out.

Question:	18. Out of the following popular seiyuu, who is your favorite?
Megumi Hayashibara	7.4%
Maaya Sakamoto	8.3%
Aya Hirano	9.7%
Mamiko Noto	3.2%
Mamoru Miyano	4.6%
Kappei Yamaguchi	0.5%
Akira Ishida	1.4%
Takahiro Sakurai	1.8%
Jun Fukuyama	9.7%
Rie Kugimiya	6.5%
Nana Mizuki	7.8%
Tomokazu Sugita	2.8%
Yui Horie	4.1%
Romi Paku	6%
Tomokazu Seki	1.8%
Miyuki Sawashiro	3.7%
Kana Hanazawa	2.8%
Rie Tanaka	5.5%
Norio Wakamoto	6.9%
Daisuke Ono	3.7%
Shinichiro Miki	1.8%

———-
Didn’t know Asian Kung-Fu Generation was still popular (UVERworld won in ’08).

Question:	19. Out of the following Japanese singers/bands who have performed in anime, who do you like the best?
Megumi Hayashibara	2.3%
L’ Arc-en ‘Ciel	7.7%
FLOW	8.2%
Shoko Nakagawa	2.3%
Aya Hirano	9.5%
May’n	2.3%
Megumi Nakajima	0.5%
UVERworld	4.5%
Asian Kung-Fu Generation	10.5%
Nana Mizuki	6.4%
YUI	7.7%
Angela	1.8%
ALI Project	2.3%
Lia	5%
Mayaa Sakamoto	5.5%
abingdon boys school	5.9%
Hikaru Utada	7.7%
Do As Infinity	1.8%
Steropony	3.2%
KOTOKO	4.1%
MELL	0.9%

———-
Because manga is (relatively) cheap?

Question:	20. When it comes time to spend money on anime, what do you usually buy…
DVDs	16.1%
Figures	7.8%
Posters	7.3%
Manga	18.3%
Art or other anime books	8.3%
Pencil boards	0.9%
Cosplay and accessories	2.5%
Plushies	4.9%
T-shirts or other apparel	4.6%
Trading cards	1.3%
Video or computer games	7.2%
CDs	5.2%
Miscellaneous character goods (keychains, pins, pens, etc)	8.6%
I rarely or never buy anime products	7%

———-
Most people not having my level of obsession is probably a good thing.

Question:	21. How would you rate yourself as an anime fan?
Total anime fan; I eat, sleep, and breathe anime 24/7	14%
I’m a pretty big fan but not totally obssessed	56.4%
I like anime but it’s not my main interest	20.6%
Some anime is okay but I’m not a fan at all	0.4%
There’s only a few anime that I like	2.5%
I’m new to anime so I’m not sure yet	0.8%
I used to like anime more but my interest has been diminishing	5.3%

———-
Can’t believe Haruhi beat FMA this year, especially considering Brotherhood vs Endless Eight. Perhaps the Haruhi movie was enough to squeeze out the win.

Question:	22. And just for fun, out of the following popular series, which do you like the best?
Death Note	4.2%
Bleach	1.7%
Code Geass	7.1%
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya	13.3%
Naruto	5%
Bakemonogatari	4.2%
K-ON!	2.5%
One Piece	4.6%
Evangelion	2.9%
Fullmetal Alchemist	11.7%
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann	0.8%
Lucky Star	1.7%
Azumanga Daioh	1.7%
Toradora!	2.9%
Eden of the East	1.3%
Clannad	6.3%
Elfen Lied	1.3%
Ouran High School Host Club	7.9%
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni	4.2%
Inuyasha	1.3%
Cowboy Bebop	5%
Eureka 7	4.2%
Hetalia	2.1%
Monster	2.5%

———-
These results pleased me ^^

Question:	*BONUS* How often do you read Mainichi Anime Yume?
Whenever there’s a new post	33.3%
Only posts that interest me	24.8%
Once in a while	20.1%
Rarely	21.8%

———-

Once again, I want to thank everyone who participated~! Hope you’ll also take part in the next one…whenever that will be =P

“biribiri”

I came up with this idea a while back and have been wanting to try it out. It’s a pretty random project I know, but I thought it would be fun. Turns out, I had a blast making it, so I hope you’ll derive at least some amusement from it too…

Note: I based my choices on similarities between the characters and pokemon in terms of looks, attributes, personality, etc,.

<--------------->
*fiery wings

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->
*mysterious helmets

<--------------->
*red and slash-happy

<--------------->

<--------------->
*clean, blue dragons

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->
*wandering purifiers

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->
*Kabuto and Kabuto

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->
*happiness

<--------------->
*love

<--------------->

<--------------->
*nyan~!

<--------------->
*hamster!

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->
*Transform!

<--------------->
*Voltorb’s Japanese name is “Biridama”

<--------------->
*teleportation ftw!

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->
*Wonder Guard ftw!

<--------------->
*they can sense auras

<--------------->

<--------------->
*gotta take off their masks to see their true selves

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->

<--------------->
*aliens

<--------------->
*time travelers

<--------------->
*espers

<--------------->
*gods

Yeah, this was pretty silly, but I sure had fun with it – I actually laughed to myself while editing some of the pictures for this post XD I’ll probably think of more to add later on, but I’m gonna stop here.

Feel free to leave a comment to give me feedback or come up with some of your own.