Reality Check

Blogging, simply put, is the defining tool of a new era of journalism, both inside of geekdom and outside it. It puts power in the hands of the underdogs: no matter who you are or what your education is, if you start a decent blog and pimp it hard enough, you’ll get your word out.

It also provides for discussions and social interactions unlike any other media form out there… and that’s why I started blogging. August 2007 was the month I began homeschooling, which did quite a number on my RL social life, obviously. I was determined to meet other people fascinated with Japanese animation and comics, just like me. Needless to say, that experiment worked pretty well: I now have some of the greatest friends in the whole world, and my baby is getting 25,000 pageviews a month with 250+ RSS feed subscribers.

But now I’m walking away. A third-degree existential crisis hit me yesterday, and though most of it was mainly about real life stuff, some of it was about my blogging. To sum it up, I’ve hit the point where blogging isn’t doing anything for me anymore, and it’s conflicting with my RL goals. I really hate to leave this behind, because I don’t want things to change; I don’t want to move on. But it’s happening, and this post goes a bit more into why. It’s a little tl;dr, but I’m explaining it all in hopes that maybe it’ll prove to be inspiring for someone else. I don’t want anyone else to quit aniblogging, obviously, but the emotions and logic in this post are fairly relevant to a lot of things besides blogging.

And in the words of my AP US History teacher, no, this ain’t gonna be a “sit around the campfire and sing kumbaya” post. (Of course, I guess that depends on your definition of one…)

Dance in the Vampire Bund 11 – Underworld

There was more talk and less action in this episode than I expected, but I found that to be alright, because the talk brought back that very important issue that had been ignored for the last many episodes: Akira’s continued amnesia. And it ties it together with Telomere; what Akira still doesn’t remember is what Telomere wants. And Telomere comes back in this episode to get it from him. With just 1 more episode left, all the loose story ends have come together, for one last Dance… in the Vampire Bund (sorry, hate me if you want to for that).

Durarara!! – Episode 12

Last week on Durarara!!, Mikado utilized the Dollars to back Namie into a corner.  At the same time, Celty went seemingly berserk and unveiled herself to the city.  This week concludes the night’s festivities, as well as the first arc of the series.  Will Mikado die?  Will Celty get her head back?  Will the Hatfields and McCoys end their feud?  Read on to find out!

Dude is a deer in the fricken headlights!

PAX East Day 2

Well, Penny Arcade kicked off their first PAX East here in Boston at the Hynes Convention Center, so I had to attend. I didn’t make it in time on Friday because I had to stay late for work, but today, Saturday, I spent the whole day there, from 10am to 10:30pm.

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu – Episode 12

Last week on Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu things finally became serious, relatively speaking.  Class F started their campaign with the goal of taking down Class A.  With all the other classes taken down, the latest episode focuses on an all-out war against the elites.  I wonder, who will prevail?

You're not really filling me with confidence, Yoshii.

Sounds of the Skies – Could Kanata Hear Rio?

People who know me know that I have an interest in physics.  A few weeks ago, I saw this post at Mazui fansubs that calculated the size of some fireworks fired in To Aru Kagaku no Railgun.  On a similar note, if you’ve watched Sora no Woto episode 12, you know that Kanata hears a signal from quite a long distance away.  Some people have expressed skepticism that she could have heard it at all.  Inspired by that post from Mazui, I decided to investigate the conditions myself.  I do not claim to be an expert in physics, but I’m going to give this my best shot with the information I have at hand.  I invite all corrections to the following.  Now, let’s get underway.

Now now, don't jump the gun.

Sora no Woto – Episode 12

Last week on Sora no Woto, we received an introduction to the Roman side through Aisha, a forward scout from the nation.  Hopkins dropped by on his way to war for the day, and Aisha stood in his men’s sights.  This week’s episode determines whether the girls can avert the bad ending.  Do they succeed?  Well, they’re the protagonists, what do you think?

Five girls against this? I'll put my money on the ladies.

[Manga Monday] Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Meakashi-hen

You’d think I’d get tired of Higurashi after a while… But somehow, the fresh twists on the series’ recurring premise keep me entertained time and time again. This time, Mion’s family history comes fully into play, with her twin Shion returning to town to mix things up. Plus Satoko’s older brother Satoshi is still around – because the arc actually begins a full year before the events of the other arcs. What does this mean for the murders that are destined to occur in Showa 58?

Well, it’s hard to say at this point, because the scanlation efforts of Meakashi-hen don’t seem to be complete yet. The seven currently-released chapters, though, are quite an interesting read. Yes, ‘interesting’ does include the usual gore and distorted expressions, but there’s also an element of honest humanity here that’s different from Higurashi‘s normal state. Even though it’s not as well-executed as some other arcs, Shion’s story is worth reading if you’re already a fan of the series – but it’ll be pretty darn confusing for newcomers to the franchise.

Dance in the Vampire Bund 10 – Walpurgis Night

After getting 3 consecutive action-heavy episodes, we get one that is slower paced and more subdued. We learn a bit more about Meiren’s past and the clans that make up the vampire world. The episode also brings to the forefront the impossibility of the relationship between Mina and Akira in this class-based world and clearly sets up the conflict that will be the focus of the last 2 episodes.

A Certain Icing on the Cake

I’ve often heard people describe series finales as the “icing on the cake”. Having just watched the final episode of To aru Kagaku no Railgun, I can’t help but wonder if the phrase applies to it as well. I believe that it does, but it does so in a slightly different way than what is typical.

Look, Kuroko! Rambling and cake metaphors!