Wednesday Notes.... Here They Come....
Bah, I keep on forgetting things I wanted to write :P
If there are any anime bloggers, old or new, that I haven't linked to over there on the side please send me an e-mail, okay? The more in the anime blogosphere, the merrier :) And if there's anybody out there thinking of starting an anime blog go for it! You'd probably do a better job than me ;)
Stats since August 5th
I started this thing on a whim a little less than a year ago and now look what's happened, lol. Anyways, it is amazing how much this blog and the English-speaking anime blogosphere as a whole has grown over the past year. I hope all the blogging that I and the other bloggers have done has helped to raise the level of discussion about anime (well, for the shows that deserve it, lol) and maybe even helped some of you out there to find a new show that you like, or maybe you've watched a show you never thought you'd watch after reading something (something like Popotan for me). For shows that have been blogged while running in Japan, then eventually released on DVD over here, hopefully it's helped you make a better decision on what to purchase/not purchase/just rent. I have a feeling I've helped ADV, Geneon, etc., etc., sell more than a few DVDs of some series that they wouldn't have gotten otherwise :)
Anyways, I'll step off my soapbox now. Yeesh, I'm talkative tonight.
Oh, btw, if any of the regulars out there have any suggestions on how I could better blog these new shows please leave them in the comments. Should I change the format, screencap less/more, summarize less/more, include more analysis or more of my own reactions, keep it short like Jeff or Momotato does, post right after I watch or think about it more then post, use/don't use the extended entry, so on, so forth :) I'm not just doing this for myself, it's for everybody out there reading to (hopefully) enjoy, so I'll do whatever I can to make it happen. The kind words I've gotten from all of you and all the interesting people I've met through blogging really help me to keep on going with this crazy idea ;)
Well, the Orange Bowl sure didn't live up to its billing, did it? I stopped paying attention at halftime. Anyways, things'll be getting busy around here as we've got a few new shows to start in the next few days that you see listed there on the side. For all the new visitors that might come, welcome, I hope you find what you're looking for here, and hopefully what I write is at least a bit interesting. And since there might be some new readers out there in the next few days, let me state this once again: I will be watching EVERYTHING I can get raw, raw. Subtitled versions might take a while to be done so please be patient and don't ask me where to get subs before they are released. Thank you :) And also, legal mumbo-jumbo here...
Matthew's Anime Blog Constitution and Bylaws, "Posting Guidelines", Section 2c, "Posts Concerning Anime Watched Raw Or With Non-English Subtitles Disclaimer":
Disclaimer: Some posts by Matthew ("the blogger") on Matthew's Anime Blog ("the blog") concern anime episodes watched raw (Raw: "a video without subtitles") or with subtitles in languages other than English by the blogger. The blogger has sufficient command of the Japanese language to understand most of what's going on in any given anime, but might run into difficulty at times if vocabulary is unfamiliar. The blogger makes no guarantee or claim of full accuracy in these posts on the blog, so read at your own discretion. If a mistake is found, the blogger will make corrections as soon as possible. In case a visitor notices mistakes in the blogger's post, please post a comment on the offending entry notifying the blogger of the mistake and the blogger will correct it.
My Japanese skills (especially vocabulary) have gotten better since I last posted that in October so hopefully those issues won't creep up. And if I do absolutely screw up something or commit a sin of omission, please, please, post a correction in the comments of the offending post so I can fix things. Thank you again. That's all for now :)
Look on the bright side, you've got a better track record than Newtype USA. ^_^
Seriously enough I find your blog a lot more informative and useful in deciding what to watch. I personally don't mind spoilers (I'm very much a big fan of it's not the destination it's the journey theory of story telling) so I can read your full entries and see if the show's something I find intriguing. Of the 9-10 shows I'm currently watching I first found out about 2 of them from Newtype (Rozen Maiden, Kurau Phantom Memory) and all the rest here.
I like how you've been posting, although I agree the big red comments were a lot of fun! :) One thing I really love is your funny alt text for the screenshots. Not sure if you knew that anyone bothered to read those or not, but they're generally the first thing I read. ^_^
Thanks :) I'm of the same mind (not the destination...), but I still try to avoid posting spoilers out front. Could change that and just stop using the extended entry to hide them.
I liked doing the big red comments, too, had a lot of fun with it (idea stolen from http://d.hatena.ne.jp/nanamibeya/). And writing キタ━━━━(゜∀゜)━━━━ッ!! is fun, lol.
Yeah, I figure people read those so I try to make them at least a bit interesting most of the time :)
I've been following your blog for a couple months now, and it's been extremely helpful. I seem to like a lot of the same anime you do, so now I've got plenty to watch (and catch up, in some cases).
I'm working on starting a blog..I've got a domain and host..just waiting for my Internet hookup to complete after the move.. btw, can I steal your disclaimer? I'm not fluent in Japanese (more like semi-conversant..ish.), but am looking forward to watching some of the new anime raw.
Let's see..blog format - I think you're doing a great job. Don't mind the odd spoiler here and there..
From my point of view (someone who watches the anime alongside the reviews) I wouldn't think you'd need so detailed summaries, but then again, for those who haven't seen the show, or are thinking of watching one, it does help. In the end, I think you've got a pretty good balance.
Maestro pointed out the alt (title) text for the screencaps..I'd forgotten about that and was about to suggest captions for them.. ^_^ Yeah, just call me 'baka'.
The red comments are fun(ny), but I wouldn't suggest overusing them. 7 or 8 in one episode is just a little too much :)
Side note: one of my friends just went to Kamakura on a trip that you noted here (Uta~Kata's setting) (http://mwhead2.kumoko.net/anime/archives/000836.html)
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He said he was going to see the big Buddha statue (and did: http://www.cas.mcmaster.ca/~wongcj/Photo/01-Jap-Place/JP-PLACE-107.JPG) but I one-upped him there :) Now he has to watch Uta~Kata.
You actually have me spoiled on the alt tags, I get dissapointed when other blogs don't have them. ^_^
I have thought about doing a blog too, but I think I'd rather go the route of getting hosting too. I like your blog and it's layout, I haven't seen one of the free blogging places that I like the layout very well, at least from a creation standpoint. Is Movable Type pretty easy to use?
You know, I'm starting to really wish I'd gone to Kamakura and seen the Buddha statue while I was in Japan now. ^_^;;; For a consolation prize I got to see the Rainbow Bridge, it's most famously in the OP for Marmalade Boy. I did notice that it's the bridge seen through the train windows in the 1st Angelic Layer ED. Great photo of the Buddha statue Satoshi! :)
Hey, can you put my anime blog on my list. The link is http://www.angelfire.com/gundam/animeblog2/blog. It's relatively new(began in August 2004) By the way, I really like your blog and the way it's done. The new blue color scheme is also quite pretty. Without reading your reviews, I probably wouldn't have considered watching Rozen Maiden, a really great anime. Also, your raw blogging is fine, definately better then mine. Though I prefer subs due to my rather limited Japanese, I watch some series raw and constantly have to go back and change character name spellings and certain events which I screwed up on.
Hey Matthew, are you going to put up a new poll soon?