HELLO 2011
Watching Oofuri is turning me into a puddle of fangirl jelly without fail each episode. SO MUCH LOVE. The last episode I saw was the one where it's Mihashi's birthday and OMG. ALMOST DIED OF AN OVERDOSE OF ADORABLE. I've been watching it together with Tom, and even he admitted that it's cute (and his reactions from when we first started the series were also amusing and consisted largely of IS HE GOING TO CRY ALL THE TIME and WHY IS EVERYONE ALWAYS BLUSHING but I DON'T CARE and I adore the tears and all the bonding and the perma-blush that everyone seems to have and especially the WEIRD FACIAL EXPRESSIONS that Mihashi makes). I'm so glad I started this series, and I know I keep saying it but honestly, I'm shocked that I have spent so long in ignorance of how wonderful it is (and already I can tell that it's going to be a comfort food series that I am going to keep coming back to in times of need).
I guess this is my first post of 2011?
HAPPY NEW YEAR! HERE'S HOPING IT'S FULL OF SPARKLES FOR ALL OF US.
I didn't do much, really. I worked in the day, then came home and drank wine and watched anime (Mazinger Z and Gurren Lagann) and then at midnight went outside to look for fireworks (missed most of them). I was also displeased to find out that my laptop had celebrated the end of 2010 by getting a virus for the first time (gone now but what a pain). I hate resolutions because I never keep them but I always make them anyway, and this year they're the same as the year before in that I hope to be more productive with my writing and ACTUALLY FINISH SOMETHING and also exercise regularly (and the first one is the one I care about the most; I am disappointed that I didn't complete a single fic in 2010, although I do think that my participation in NaNo was a major accomplishment for me and one that I hadn't planned on doing at all).
2010 FANDOM MEME.
Your main fandom of the year? GIANT KILLING. SO MUCH LOVE.
Your favorite film watched this year? I am totally coming up blank on this one.
Your favorite book read this year? I'm tempted to say A Companion to Wolves, but I suspect that's because I speed-read it recently and it's still freshly imprinted on my memory. I also adored Perdido Street Station and had some emotional moments re-reading Yukikaze (which I have decided were earned by the writing rather than just a result of my own wonky emotions; perhaps I should post an excerpt?).
Your favorite album or song to listen to this year? Hm, album would have to be The Hazards of Love by the Decemberists (released in 2009 I know, but I listened to it obsessively this year and also saw them live). I don't know about songs. I tend to listen to albums more than individual songs. But probably something silly by the JAM Project (fond of playing GONG at a high volume when in need of enthusiasm, or perhaps JAM ga Mottetta! Sailor Fuku).
Your favourite TV show of the year? I don't watch TV. If I can choose an anime series (because they air on TV even if it's not in the UK) then GIANT KILLING (and the runner up would be Shiki).
Your favourite game of the year? The only game I played was Robot Unicorn Attack. I AM ASHAMED (especially because I own the new Basara game and haven't played it at all).
Your best new fandom discovery of the year? GIANT KILLING, HOW COULD I SAY ANYTHING ELSE? I have such a huge and all-encompassing love for this series, I only wish that more of the manga were scanlated so I could read further. It was not only instant love for me but also a total susprise because I don't even like football - it introduced me to sports manga/anime, which is proving to be a genre that consistently appeals to me (and without it, I would never have checked out my other great love of 2010, 15: Meisetsu and would probably not have picked up Oofuri, either). I feel like I'll never stop loving Giant Killing. I just want to cling to it forever. I love everything about it, and I have so many ships for it I doubt I'll ever get bored.
Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year? SECOND SEASON OF BASARA, for several reasons. I don't even think I have the enthusiasm to list them here. (I could also mention Gundam 00, but that probably wouldn't be fair because I haven't even bothered to watch the film yet - reading the spoilers was enough, and anyway, I haven't felt much in the way of fannish love for the series since S1). I also had a book-related disappointment in the form of Above the Snowline (the Castle Series prequel) which, although it wasn't bad, was nowhere near as awesome as the others in the series and was the first to feel as though stuff had been retroactively added to the canon instead of meshing with existing canon/referencing events already existing in the timeline.
Your (mostly) fictional crushes/waifus/husbandos of the year? ALL OF MY CRUSHES ARE FICTIONAL LMFAO. Um, how about ALMOST THE ENTIRE CAST OF GIANT KILLING AND ESPECIALLY GINO. Oh, and my major Shiki crushes are Toshio and Natsuno. I also love a lot of the characters in 15: Meisetsu (Yui and Akira AND MY BELOVED MAO). And although I haven't finished Oofuri yet I AM ALREADY IN LOVE WITH MIHASHI.
The most missed of your old fandoms? I don't know, I'm quite loyal to fandoms I have previously loved so I don't really "miss" anything (although I do definitely miss Giant Killing airing every week and it would make my YEAR for a second season to happen or for the manga to be licensed/scanlated in full).
Fandom/Series That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Hm, none that I can think of.
The fandom/series you haven't tried yet, but want to? OOFURI. I am actually watching it now (and as soon as I've completed the anime, I'll read the manga) but I haven't yet set foot in the fandom. I don't want to join comms/look for art/fic yet because I am wary of spoilers, but I am looking forward to getting caught up and then seeing what's out there (so expect me to be asking for recs for fic as soon as I'm finished!). I also have a lot of series on my to-watch list (including but not limited to Initial D, Kemono no Souja Erin, Kuragehime, Kaiba and FINALLY FINISHING STAR DRIVER). I also need to start reading the House of Five Leaves manga, because I got the first volume as a present.
Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year? SENGOKU BASARA FILM (...I listed the second series as a disappointment but that doesn't stop me from feeling excited about the film because I AM AN OPTIMIST). GOOD LUCK, YUKIKAZE. THE GIANT KILLING SECOND SEASON THAT SIMPLY HAS TO HAPPEN EVEN IF IT HASN'T BEEN ANNOUNCED YET. MORE 15: MEISETSU IF IT GETS SCANLATED (AND RAWS IF IT DOESN'T).
I guess this is my first post of 2011?
HAPPY NEW YEAR! HERE'S HOPING IT'S FULL OF SPARKLES FOR ALL OF US.
I didn't do much, really. I worked in the day, then came home and drank wine and watched anime (Mazinger Z and Gurren Lagann) and then at midnight went outside to look for fireworks (missed most of them). I was also displeased to find out that my laptop had celebrated the end of 2010 by getting a virus for the first time (gone now but what a pain). I hate resolutions because I never keep them but I always make them anyway, and this year they're the same as the year before in that I hope to be more productive with my writing and ACTUALLY FINISH SOMETHING and also exercise regularly (and the first one is the one I care about the most; I am disappointed that I didn't complete a single fic in 2010, although I do think that my participation in NaNo was a major accomplishment for me and one that I hadn't planned on doing at all).
2010 FANDOM MEME.
Your main fandom of the year? GIANT KILLING. SO MUCH LOVE.
Your favorite film watched this year? I am totally coming up blank on this one.
Your favorite book read this year? I'm tempted to say A Companion to Wolves, but I suspect that's because I speed-read it recently and it's still freshly imprinted on my memory. I also adored Perdido Street Station and had some emotional moments re-reading Yukikaze (which I have decided were earned by the writing rather than just a result of my own wonky emotions; perhaps I should post an excerpt?).
Your favorite album or song to listen to this year? Hm, album would have to be The Hazards of Love by the Decemberists (released in 2009 I know, but I listened to it obsessively this year and also saw them live). I don't know about songs. I tend to listen to albums more than individual songs. But probably something silly by the JAM Project (fond of playing GONG at a high volume when in need of enthusiasm, or perhaps JAM ga Mottetta! Sailor Fuku).
Your favourite TV show of the year? I don't watch TV. If I can choose an anime series (because they air on TV even if it's not in the UK) then GIANT KILLING (and the runner up would be Shiki).
Your favourite game of the year? The only game I played was Robot Unicorn Attack. I AM ASHAMED (especially because I own the new Basara game and haven't played it at all).
Your best new fandom discovery of the year? GIANT KILLING, HOW COULD I SAY ANYTHING ELSE? I have such a huge and all-encompassing love for this series, I only wish that more of the manga were scanlated so I could read further. It was not only instant love for me but also a total susprise because I don't even like football - it introduced me to sports manga/anime, which is proving to be a genre that consistently appeals to me (and without it, I would never have checked out my other great love of 2010, 15: Meisetsu and would probably not have picked up Oofuri, either). I feel like I'll never stop loving Giant Killing. I just want to cling to it forever. I love everything about it, and I have so many ships for it I doubt I'll ever get bored.
Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year? SECOND SEASON OF BASARA, for several reasons. I don't even think I have the enthusiasm to list them here. (I could also mention Gundam 00, but that probably wouldn't be fair because I haven't even bothered to watch the film yet - reading the spoilers was enough, and anyway, I haven't felt much in the way of fannish love for the series since S1). I also had a book-related disappointment in the form of Above the Snowline (the Castle Series prequel) which, although it wasn't bad, was nowhere near as awesome as the others in the series and was the first to feel as though stuff had been retroactively added to the canon instead of meshing with existing canon/referencing events already existing in the timeline.
Your (mostly) fictional crushes/waifus/husbandos of the year? ALL OF MY CRUSHES ARE FICTIONAL LMFAO. Um, how about ALMOST THE ENTIRE CAST OF GIANT KILLING AND ESPECIALLY GINO. Oh, and my major Shiki crushes are Toshio and Natsuno. I also love a lot of the characters in 15: Meisetsu (Yui and Akira AND MY BELOVED MAO). And although I haven't finished Oofuri yet I AM ALREADY IN LOVE WITH MIHASHI.
The most missed of your old fandoms? I don't know, I'm quite loyal to fandoms I have previously loved so I don't really "miss" anything (although I do definitely miss Giant Killing airing every week and it would make my YEAR for a second season to happen or for the manga to be licensed/scanlated in full).
Fandom/Series That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Hm, none that I can think of.
The fandom/series you haven't tried yet, but want to? OOFURI. I am actually watching it now (and as soon as I've completed the anime, I'll read the manga) but I haven't yet set foot in the fandom. I don't want to join comms/look for art/fic yet because I am wary of spoilers, but I am looking forward to getting caught up and then seeing what's out there (so expect me to be asking for recs for fic as soon as I'm finished!). I also have a lot of series on my to-watch list (including but not limited to Initial D, Kemono no Souja Erin, Kuragehime, Kaiba and FINALLY FINISHING STAR DRIVER). I also need to start reading the House of Five Leaves manga, because I got the first volume as a present.
Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year? SENGOKU BASARA FILM (...I listed the second series as a disappointment but that doesn't stop me from feeling excited about the film because I AM AN OPTIMIST). GOOD LUCK, YUKIKAZE. THE GIANT KILLING SECOND SEASON THAT SIMPLY HAS TO HAPPEN EVEN IF IT HASN'T BEEN ANNOUNCED YET. MORE 15: MEISETSU IF IT GETS SCANLATED (AND RAWS IF IT DOESN'T).