Editorials

Little Busters and JC Staff: The Changes of Time

April 11, 2012 by Chikorita157 17 Comments

Just recently, Key announced that JC Staff would produce the Little Busters anime. Unfortunately, this was not well received by the fans. It stirred a lot of harsh criticism since they expect Kyoto Animation to make it. From what I have seen, this makes me wonder if the rage is justifiable or the fans are too entitled?

In the past two days, I read three opinion pieces regarding the whole matter. Therefore, I felt the need to share my own thoughts on why their decision isn’t as bad or rather, marks a transition to the New Key. (Image Source)
…

Category: EditorialsTag: controversy, fandom, JC Staff, key, opinion

What Makes a “Good” Anime?

April 9, 2012 by Chikorita157 9 Comments

In a perfect world, most fans would enjoy all the anime that gets produced. Sadly, this isn’t the case since we do not know what the show will give us until we watch it. This leaves us with the usual remark, “It gets better, I swear” which is frequently used as a defense. I’m a firm believer of that because any show can have a potential of becoming good. This leaves us with the question, what exactly makes a good anime? I will explain just that along with my experiences.
…

Category: EditorialsTag: essay, fandom, opinion, personal experiences

Anime Blogging and Longevity – The Challenges Ahead

April 3, 2012 by Chikorita157 11 Comments

I want share some thoughts about Anime Blogosphere’s longevity since this post sparked my interest. Ever since the first Aniblog Tourney finished in 2010, good amount of blogs have died at the 1 to 2-year mark while new ones pop up. Only a handful ever passed the three years and beyond mark. There are many factors I have explained such as time management issues. However, there are other aspects that I haven’t covered, which I like to share. (Image Source)
…

Category: EditorialsTag: AniBlogosphere, essay, fandom

Monthly Anime Music Ramblings – April 2012 – The iDOLM@STER

March 28, 2012 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

It has been a while since I wrote guest reviews of related singles and soundtracks relating to Anime. Since I want to come up with another single review within a few months, I suppose I should share my thoughts on some good music I heard from the shows I watched. With that, I come up with the “Monthly Anime Music Ramblings,” an idea I had in my mind two nights ago.

In this feature, I will pick one to three track(s) from a particular series or artist. Then, I will explain what I like about the song along with other aspects like instrumentals and singer’s performance. This will replace the yearly list of favorite artists along with the best songs from a particular season.

In this inaugural post, I will talk about three tracks from The Idolmaster that really impressed me. (Image Source)
…

Category: Editorials, The iDOLM@STERTag: analysis, anime music, Asakura Azumi, Hara Yumi, Imai Asami, music, Takahashi Chiaki

Getting into the Producers Chair – Experiences of Producing for 765 Production

March 21, 2012 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

Before I begin posting my Let’s Play, I have always wanted to write more about my experiences in general about The iDOLM@STER in regards to the Anime and the Games. As you know, the anime like the game has important life lessons such as interacting with others, solving problems and teamwork that gives us the fabulous dancing and singing. (Image Source)
…

Category: Editorials, Project iM@S, The iDOLM@STERTag: experiences, opinion, Video Games

Myself Jumping on the “50 Questions” Bandwagon

March 15, 2012 by Chikorita157 7 Comments

It seems that many anime bloggers have jumped on the “50 Questions” bandwagon, which got started by a fellow Anime Blogger AceRailgun. Since I don’t want to keep blogging about Papa Kiki, I may as well do it. (Image Source)
…

Category: EditorialsTag: fandom, jumping on the bandwagon, meta

Anime and the Perception in the West

February 28, 2012 by Chikorita157 8 Comments

While I was lurking around the Internet, a particular post at the Project iM@S forums has caught my attention since it has a close relation to the Anime Fandom besides just Japanese games.
…

Category: EditorialsTag: commentary, fandom, opinion

Anime, Blogging and Life – Enjoying and Managing Time

February 21, 2012 by Chikorita157 12 Comments

In this week’s editorial, I decided to take up a topic in the blogosphere that is relatively important with any Anime fan: “How does one fits time to watch shows while juggling with college or work?” Given that I have managed to survive three years and made over 830 posts about Anime, you wonder how the hell I manage that when college gives you a lot of work to do. I’ll share my experiences on how I find free time to watch shows and blog while doing well in college. (Image Source)
…

Category: EditorialsTag: fandom, opinion, personal experiences

Chikorita157’s Anime Blog 3rd Year Anniversary – Still Alive and Kicking…

February 17, 2012 by Chikorita157 18 Comments

It feels like yesterday since I started blogging back in 2009 during my freshman year of college. Since then, the overall anime blogosphere landscape changed a lot since then. I saw some bloggers quitting/going on an endless hiatus along with others starting new blogs replacing the dead ones. Also during these years, I got to know a good number of bloggers in the blogosphere and fans. For that, I feel that this is a good time to look back and comment on it. (Image Source)
…

Category: Editorials, Site UpdatesTag: blog milestone, meta, site news

Valentines Day Special – My Favorite Idols

February 14, 2012 by Chikorita157 5 Comments

For those who celebrate, I hope everyone a Happy Valentines Day/Singles Appreciation Day. To commemorate this faithful day, I want to focus this week’s opinion piece on my favorite idols from The Idolmaster. I know people will have different opinions since they are many to choose from and I will respect that. (Image Source)
…

Category: Editorials, Project iM@S, The iDOLM@STERTag: favorite aidoru, opinion

Anime and Video Gaming: How they changed everything…

February 7, 2012 by Chikorita157 8 Comments

Like Anime, video games had played a big role in my life after I was introduced to it during my childhood. After some thought, I felt the need to share my experiences with video games and how it influenced me to watch Anime since these two mediums are closely related to each other. Not surprisingly, most anime fans are probably gamers as well. (Image Source)
…

Category: EditorialsTag: fandom, opinion, personal experiences, Video Games

Brief Thoughts about the US Anime Industry and Anime Collection

January 24, 2012 by Chikorita157 11 Comments

By now, this topic got hammered to death in the blogosphere by now, but looking back at my DVD collection back in 2009, it has significantly grown into a sizable stack. Therefore, I feel the need to share my brief thoughts about the current situation with the anime industry in the United States and of course, taking a look at my collection after these years. (Image Source)
…

Category: About the Japanese Animation Industry, EditorialsTag: anime industry, collection, fandom, opinion

Improving Anime Blogs and Writing – 2012 Edition

January 17, 2012 by Chikorita157 14 Comments

Yep, it’s that time of year again with the wave of competitive e-drama from 2010 known as the Aniblogosphere Tourney. Since then, the blogosphere landscape has changed significantly with some blogs dying and new ones popping up while others improve. With 2012 being a big year for bloggers, I want to share how people can improve themselves, especially for the newcomers who have yet grasp the joys of blogging and writing good posts. (Image Source)
…

Category: EditorialsTag: blogging, fandom, opinion

2012 – New Beginnings and Anime Blogger Resolutions

January 1, 2012 by Chikorita157 8 Comments

As the New Year came upon us with the strike of midnight, it’s time to set some new goals for 2012.

From last year, I have only achieved about two of the five resolutions from last year. Since my blog turns three years old in February, perhaps I should become more ambitious and try to aim even higher this year. To do that I laid out a few goals I should achieve by the end of this year (Image Source).
…

Category: EditorialsTag: 2012, future, New Years Resolutions

2011 in Review – Top 10 Anime and Blogging

December 31, 2011 by Chikorita157 7 Comments

Before I go overboard with video games and completely forget about the year-end post, I may as well do it now so I can bring in the next year on a high note.

Although 2011 was a very eventual year with a big Earthquake in Japan that occurred in March of this year and some disasters that hit close to home like Hurricane Irene and the October Snow Storm, it was a very good year for Anime. While noitaminA had many disappointments, there have been some great shows, most notably Madoka Magica, which aired earlier this year. So for a further ado, I’ll share my thoughts about the year as a whole and some accomplishments. (Image Source)

…

Category: EditorialsTag: observation, opinion, personal experiences, year end

Twelve Days of Anime – Part II (Days 7-12)

December 24, 2011 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

アニメの１２日 – 二部

Today is the day before Christmas and to celebrate it, I’m looking back at the reminder of the moments in this year’s Anime that made it awesome. This includes Croisee, Ano Hana, Fate/zero, Idolmaster, Hourou Musuko and Madoka Magica.

If you don’t know what this project is all about, I highly suggest checking out the prelude (Image Source).
…

Category: 12 Days of Anime, Ano Hana, Fate/zero, Hourou Musuko, Ikoku Meiro no Croisèe, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, The iDOLM@STERTag: 12 days, opinion, reflection

Twelve Days of Anime – Part I (Days 1-6)

December 17, 2011 by Chikorita157 5 Comments

アニメの１２日 – 一部

Christmas is almost here and to celebrate it, I’m taking a look back at the first 6 notable events that grabbed my attention or surprised me. This includes Fractale, Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai, Hanasaku Iroha, Working Second Season, A Channel and Gosick.

If you don’t know what this project is all about, I highly suggest checking out the prelude. (Image Source)

…

Category: 12 Days of Anime, A Channel, Fractale, Gosick, Hanasaku Iroha, Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai, Working!!Tag: 12 days, opinion, reflection

Twelve Days of Anime – Prelude

December 14, 2011 by Chikorita157 1 Comment

メリークリスマス！ (Merry Christmas!)

It’s that time of year again and thus marks a starting of another Anime Blogger tradition, the 12 Days of Anime Project. In this group effort, Anime Bloggers like myself share twelve Anime related moments on our blogs. It’s an activity that got started by a former blogger named CCY (also known as Canon-chan) 4 years ago whose blog pretty went into a vegetative state recently. Of course, there are many who want to keep it alive. So, I feel that I should share some of the holiday cheer.

Unlike last year where I have stopped half way because I got overwhelmed with too much finals that it drained my motivation to complete the last six, I’m doing things differently this year. Instead of 12 individual posts, I will squeeze it down into two separate posts. Each post will spotlight 6 notable events either from Anime or the Aniblogosphere. Hopefully this time around, I will actually finish it this time! So, check it out this Saturday when I plan to come up and spotlight the first six.

(Image Source)

Category: 12 Days of Anime, Site UpdatesTag: AniBlogosphere, christmas, fandom, updates

SOPA, The Cancer that will kill the Aniblogosphere… in America.

November 17, 2011 by Chikorita157 14 Comments

In the past few years, there are notable and controversial legislations that deemed as the apocalypse of Anime Industry and its fandom. Just last year, I have shared my thoughts on Tokyo passing a very controversial ordinance called “Bill 156” also known as the Nonexistent Youth Bill, which aims to restrict sexual content. Up to this day, the industries’ impact of the bill is still questionable, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. (Image Source)

…

Category: EditorialsTag: censorship, controversy, fandom, politics, United States

Iyashikei, The Art of Friendship, Escapism and Healing

November 9, 2011 by Chikorita157 6 Comments

In recent years, shows involving schoolgirls doing cute things have become considerably popular, especially in the second half of the 2000s. Although some people argue that these works don’t have any substance, for others, it gives a feeling of happiness and refreshment. Shows like K-ON, Hidamari Sketch, Sketchbook, Tamayura, and A Channel along with the acclaimed Aria series and Ikoku Meiro no Croisèe, which don’t set at a school setting. So, what are in these shows that give this present feeling?

Iyashikei (癒(いゆ)し系(けい)), which means “healing series” in Japanese is what it says on the box. It’s a genre that focuses on the lighthearted aspects of life with little to no conflict. If you look further, there are several qualities in this genre, which contributes to feeling such as the emphasis on friendship, the setting and an easy-going feeling. (Image Source)
…

Category: EditorialsTag: analysis, essay, opinion

Nichijou and Kyoto Animation’s take on Creativity

September 20, 2011 by Chikorita157 11 Comments

In the past few years, the Slice of Life genre gained a lot of popularity. Many of these shows while similar have unique stories. As I explained in my editorial about the genre back in 2010, there is really no defined definition of what makes a show a Slice of Life.

In particular, Kyoto Animation has pushed few of the most popular shows of this genre. Lucky Star and K-On has a huge following for cute characters, but both of them have two different premises. The former focuses on the anime subculture and the latter, the true essence of friendship. On the other hand, Nichijou takes a spin of the genre with less emphasis on characters and more on ingenious comedy (Image Source).
…

Category: Editorials, NichijouTag: commentary, essay, kyoani, opinion, slice of life

Best of Spring 2011 Anime Music

August 12, 2011 by Chikorita157 12 Comments

During the Fall 2010 Anime Season, I have taken a brief look of some the opening and ending songs I heard from the shows I were watching. Since I only covered a few shows last winter like Madoka Magica, Hourou Musuko and Fractale (Gosick is left out since the ending theme single came out in the spring), I decided not to focus on it. However, I have published a full review on Madoka Magica’s opening song, “Connect” at Anime Instrumentality and you should check it out!

For the Spring 2011 Season, there was a good number of opening and ending songs I liked. Out of the songs that released and listened to during spring, I liked “secret base ~kimi ga kureta mono~” (Ai Kayano, Haruka Tomatsu, Saori Hayami), “Scarlet Knight” (Nana Mizuki), “Hazy” (sphere), “Scarlet Ballet” (May’n), and “Spread Wings” (Aki Misato). For each song, I will share my thoughts about them briefly. (Image Source)
…

Category: Ano Hana, Dog Days, Editorials, Hanasaku Iroha, Hidan no Aria, Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa NaiTag: Ai Kayano, Aki Misato, Haruka Tomatsu, impressions, May'n, music, Nana Mizuki, opinion, Saori Hayami, sphere

The Reason why I Anime Blogging and the Social Experiences

July 29, 2011 by Chikorita157 10 Comments

In the past few weeks, there has been some discussion on why fans decide to blog about Anime. It’s true that blogging takes time and dedication, but there are many reasons why people continue to do it.

For me, I have been blogging for nearly 2 years and a half now and I have my own reasons for blog. I decide to do it not for popularity, but to enhance my experience as a fan of Anime. (Image Source)
…

Category: EditorialsTag: anime blogging, essay, fandom, opinion, personal experiences

On Taste Testing and Dropping Anime: My Anime Viewing Experiences.

May 26, 2011 by Chikorita157 15 Comments

Just a few days ago, a blog post at the Behind the Nihon Review had myself thinking about the usefulness of the three-episode test I have been using for the past three seasons and questioning the rationale of dropping Anime. As we all know, fans have different tastes and expectations when it comes to the shows they watch. After I took a look of the three episode taste tests and the number of shows I dropped in the past two years, its quite obvious that dropping Anime is rather difficult for myself and I haven’t found a good reason to do so (Image Source).
…

Category: EditorialsTag: essay, fandom, opinion, personal experiences