Dear Everyone,
Thank you. Thank you all so very much. There are not enough years in a lifetime to express my full gratitude. Nevertheless, I will try doing that in a simple post.
When I think of how to organize my thoughts, I am at a loss for words. That is interesting since I haven't been having issues with wordiness for a while. I don't suspect that is going to change. If anything, my reviews will only become longer. And, I hope, better.
Looking back at my first post, Seitokai Yakunidomo, it is a little embarrassing to think I once thought such a thing was acceptable. That review has an atrocious amount of incomplete thoughts. The details I gave are bare bone at best. And I spent way too much time introducing the series instead of actually discussing it. The entire review could fit into a single subsection of what I write today.
When I compare my first with my latest post, Durarara x2 Ketsu, the difference is shocking. Except, making reviews longer does not mean they have improved. I want to believe this site has only gotten stronger and closer to my original goal for it. If I thought otherwise, a huge chunk of my drive would no longer be with me.
I love anime. I love writing. I love writing about anime. That said, getting a review out every Monday and Friday has required me to develop some discipline. Especially if I plan to continue with these long posts.
I am not complaining. I consider this to be a cathartic form of stress. If that makes any sense. This "pressure" I have put upon myself has kept my mind focused. Not only that, I have formed a much more refined appreciation of what I enjoy.
Anime has its problems. Many of the stereotypes people associate with this medium are stereotypes for a reason. Over sexualization, bizarre logical jumps, strange and unusual circumstances that should make most people go "What?" I have seen all those things and more way too many times to deny their existence. That is why I harp on series that keep doing these kind tropes without putting much thought into them.
Yet, this is also the reason why I praise shows that know what anime is and demonstrate what it can be. 2017 did an amazing job with this. Over the past year, we got a handful of outstanding series. To list off a few in no order:
Due to this, I want to try something with 2018. Expect to see many more current shows popping up starting in April. As a marathon viewer, I wait until a series has ended before reviewing it. And the 2018 Winter season will begin wrapping up in March.
Don't misunderstand. I have no intention to stop reviewing older anime. There are still a ton of shows I want to get to. Gurren Lagann, Black Butler, Ghost in the Shell, and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, just to name a few. Given how many series I have seen, it might surprise you to learn which ones I haven't.
Not only did 2017 have many standout shows, the third year of LofZOdyssey Anime Reviews saw some changes too.
Although it was at the tail end of the second year, 2017 saw the start of my Anime Hajime Impressions review series. With a few entries now under that label, I am starting to get an understanding of what I want Impressions to be. This is where I want to talk about certain oddities within the medium. What that means is a lot of specific OVAs and other anime related or inspired projects.
Going off from that, there is another one of my review series I haven't done much with. I want the fourth year to change that. I operate in Japan; therefore, I have a unique opportunity to explore the country which has inspired so many great shows. I want 2018 to be a resurgence of Out and About. Unfortunately, I can't promise much of anything until later this Summer. Even then, it may prove difficult to find the time to explore.
But I don't want to accept that answer. Thus, I'm giving myself a goal. By December 31st, 2018 I will have released a minimum of three Out and About posts.
That number may seem low, that's because there is another thing I want to pursue. I want there to be more theme-based reviews in the future. In 2017, there were two theme months that were great successes.
The first was March's Pre-Blog Month. It was interesting to return to shows I watched before I ever started reviewing anime. This allowed me to reevaluate certain series with a more critical mindset.
That is why I'm happy to say, this March will be Pre-Blog Month 2. There are some shows coming then I cannot wait to rewatch. For better or worse.
The second themed month was December 2017's Fairy Tail Month. I want to do more reviews like this. They may not always be in December, even though that is the best candidate. But from now on, at least one month out of the year I will dedicate to a single series. There are a couple shows I may need to start watching now in order to meet a December deadline.
And if I decide to go through with what I am thinking, this is going to be one hell of a year. "Bring it on," I say.
But all these big plans mean nothing if I lose track of what I set out to do three years ago. This is not a site for me. It hasn't been that way for a while. LofZOdyssey Anime Reviews is for you. Let this place be your guide to finding the next show you want to watch. If I can do that for you, I see no reason to stop pushing forward.
Should this site continue to grow, that would be fantastic. If this is the biggest we are ever going to get, so be it. And if things start to go downhill, I won't lie, that will hurt. But that is not a deterrent.
And if you, dear reader, become the last person left, you are all the motivation I need.
So, as I said in the beginning, allow me to say it again. And again. And again. And again, and again, and again.
Thank you.
Here’s to you. Here’s to a fourth-year of anime reviews. Here’s to the future beyond that.
Sincerely,
LofZOdyssey
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