Miscellaneous

A Whole Month of Evangelion! EVERYDAY EVA & Mecha March Announcement

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Hey guys!

I’m so excited to announce that I will be joining Scott (Mechanical Anime Reviews), Lita (LitaKino Anime Corner), and many other anibloggers in this year’s “Mecha March” festivities! Having been following this annual celebration since its conception several years back, I’ve been dying to participate myself as a blogger. In the past, I’d normally do my own personal mecha adventure in February (long story—it’s somewhere on the blog), but this year I decided not to marathon anything to focus on school instead.

Which is why this year I’d like to make amends for my lack of writing about anime by blogging every single day for an entire month. And the topic, of course, is the only thing I could possibly have the energy to talk senselessly yet passionately about for thirty days straight—Evangelion!

Starting tomorrow, March 1, I will be uploading daily posts covering every single episode of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion (and maybe the Rebuild, we’ll see). My reasons for writing are threefold. For one, it’s Mecha March, WOOT! Two, I’ll be watching Eva in high-def Blu-ray quality for the first time ever thanks to GKIDS’ ultra boujee Ultimate Edition set. And Third, I’ll be celebrating the FIRST ANNIVERSARY of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, which was released in Japanese theaters on March 8, 2021.

I’ll set the precedent here that my participation in this project is mostly to help get me back into the blogging spirit. So, while you shouldn’t expect super high quality analysis posts and thorough episode reviews, you CAN look forward to short reflection posts containing personal anecdotes, production notes, and other random thoughts I have for each episode. It should be mostly relaxing and fun for the both of us. 🙂

If you are looking forward to this month-long series of posts on Eva or are also writing for Mecha March, let me know in the comments! Again, I’m looking forward to getting back into the blogging groove while talking about why I love this notorious yet classic mecha anime!

– Takuto

HAPPY YAE MIKO DAY~! 🌸

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🌸 THE GUUJI YAE IS HERE 🌸

And along with her is the long-anticipated 2.5 update patch for Genshin Impact, “When the Sakura Bloom.” I’ve been sucked into the fantastical world of Genshin for about 7 or 8 months now, and it’s no surprise to a lot of people that the Inazuma story is my absolute favorite. So, when the much beloved fox deity 🌸~Yae Miko~🌸 finally graced us with her present as a playable character for 2.5, I had to spin for her. And on the SECOND 10-SPIN, I pulled her! 🥳

I know this isn’t anime, manga, or even K-pop related, but I love this game too much to not share this momentous occasion with y’all! With just four total 10-spins, I got Yae Miko, Sucrose, Xinyan, Diona, two of Thoma, and THREE Fischl. Aside from Fischl (who I don’t even touch, sorry Fischl stans), these were all new character pulls for me! I’ve been DYING to have my main maid/man Thoma, so I’m considering this a good hunt. Unfortunately, I’ll have to start saving up my Primogems again for when the Raiden Shogun descends once more in a few weeks. ⚡️😋⚡️

‘Til then, I’ll be spending lots of time with the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine. Happy Yae Miko Day~!! 🌸🌸🌸

– Takuto

I’m Back! (Kinda) + More Posts Incoming + Thanks for 7 Years!

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Hi all!

I realize it’s been well over a month since my last post. I’m terribly sorry about that. Looking at my social media presence in general, you can see exactly when I dropped off the face of the earth to start graduate school.

Speaking of, school is great! I love being able to finally focus all my energy on English classes after having graduated with my psychology B.S. already. Those four years sure went by fast, and I imagine these next two will breeze by all the same.

Between reading and researching for classes, my new job at our campus’ writing center (which I LOVE omg), recording and editing for YouTube, and keeping up with manga and anime progress on the socials, I’ve left very little time for blogging. Thankfully, the WP algorithm has still been working in my favor, for despite my inactivity, my blog’s overall views have eclipsed last year’s already. (Don’t get me wrong, that’s not much in itself, but I have to take the little victories when I can!)

On the subject of blogging itself, Takuto’s Anime Cafe officially turned 7 a couple weeks ago!! I wanted to push out a celebratory post, but it just didn’t feel right since I hadn’t done anything in a month. So, to right this wrongdoing, I want to thank you all again for continually supporting me. Whether it’s on the blog, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube, I cherish our interactions, and I hope I can be more present in the year to come. None of this would be here without you guys, so thank you!!

Going forward, I have a few projects planned. Immediately, I’ll publish a post over YenPress’ SAO audiobook—the first of its kind—which Yen was kind enough to send to me to review! Next, I plan to start releasing posts for all the videos that have yet to be shared on the blog. (I realize a lot of y’all don’t care about Kpop, but it helps sustain traffic and such.) Then, I want to resume writing short manga reflection posts to cover my reads. After that, well, we’ll see how far I get with just these goals.

Lastly, I just want to tag on that I’ve been in the works of trying to draft my first novel! It’s an exciting process, but a long and frustrating one, too. Not sure what will become of it or how far I’ll get, but it’s been a fun (and time-consuming) endeavor so far.

So, this is my “I’m back!” post, as well as an anniversary thank-you, and finally an announcement of things to come. I hope to see many familiar faces in the blogosphere again, especially after being gone so long, and I look forward to our little talks again! Until then, I hope you’re all staying safe, staying hydrated, and keeping up with the various Asian media we all love!

– Takuto

Studio Ponoc’s Cute Short “Tomorrow’s Leaves” Kicks Off the Tokyo 2020 Olympics!

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Hey guys!

It’s been quite some time since I last sat down to write a blog post that wasn’t just for one of my videos.

In a way, today’s post isn’t much different, though, as I’m mainly writing to let you all know that Studio Ponoc’s animated short, “Tomorrow’s Leaves,” is finally out!

I enjoy seeing artistic projects like this, especially when they commemorate a historical event or particular achievement. For Japan to still decide on hosting the Olympics (much to the controversy surrounding the whole event in this current climate), I’d certainly call this a celebration for both of these feats.

If you can spare 8 minutes, definitely check out “Tomorrow’s Leaves” on the official Olympics page!

Alternatively, I’ve left the video linked below!

The Olympics article describes the short’s important staffing as such:

Produced by Yoshiaki Nishimura, “Tomorrow’s Leaves” is directed by the equally renowned Yoshiyuki Momose, who played a central role in famed works such as “Grave of the Fireflies” and “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”.

The music was composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu, a prolific film and television score creator who crafts music and sound effects to tell the story of a film.

Again, even if the event is currently surrounded in controversies and mishaps, I do hope the Olympics are a success this year. I’m more of a Winter Olympics person myself, but any kind of event that attempts to bring the world together is welcome in my book!

So, enjoy Studio Ponoc’s cute little short film (the spirit mascots are ADORABLE), and Happy Olympics Day from me~!

– Takuto

ROOM TOUR 2021 || anime, manga, & kpop aesthetic ✨

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SUMMER ROOM TOUR IS HERE 🌟

Hey guys! Since I’m moving out of home and into an apartment, I figured this would be the best time to film a room tour before I leave! A lot of my manga and K-pop collection will come with me to my new place, but the anime shelves are mostly here to stay. If you’ve ever wondered what is in Takuto’s room, now’s your chance to find out! ✨

If you want to see more of the room or my various collections, drop a comment below! Don’t forget to like and sub for more content like this~! ☺️

Thanks for watching~!

– Takuto

Doing What Must Be Done

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If you couldn’t tell by the infrequent blogging, video content, and social media presence in general, I am currently in the midst of fighting one of my hardest battles yet: graduation, and all the struggles involved in preparing for life after.

But surprisingly, school isn’t what’s occupying most of my energy these days.

At the end of 2020, I took a risk and applied for a job as an assistant coach to my high school swim team. The winter semester was fine since I didn’t have college during my break. But the spring, oh man, it’s been tough coordinating all of this.

So, why am I writing this backstory? Tomorrow is our high school meet. We host twice a year, and for the first one, we were able to rely on people who had been running it for years to run it once again for us. This time, however, they won’t be present. With no one to run the meet software and timing system, I was forced to step up.

That’s right. Though running a swim meet computer system wasn’t in the job description, here we are. I’m simply doing what must be done.

But I didn’t realize how much the stress would wear and tear on me over the past couple weeks. There are A LOT of moving parts—physically, digitally, and interpersonally—to running a swim meet.

Even though I’ve spent my April learning about the equipment, fighting old software, fixing broken parts, fiddling with new computer programs, and trying not to buckle under the pressure, it’s definitely starting to get to me. I even got permission to hang around the computer table at two other meets and “shadow” how they do things. One lady called it “baptism by fire,” and she’s absolutely right.

I’ve lost sleep over this meet. Although people keep telling me that I’m not alone in this (and I know it’s true), it’s still going to be my responsibility to know how to run the computer correctly—and my job to know what to do when a problem inevitably comes up.

Had the first swim meet (where I mainly tried to observe and pick up tips) not already scarred me, I wouldn’t be so nervous. But my brain is one hardwired for these kinds of anxious thoughts, so now I’m just trying to stay afloat against the sea of worries in my mind.

Have you ever stepped up to the blocks for something you felt severely unqualified for, yet dove in headfirst anyway because someone had to?

I’m just waiting until tomorrow comes. I’ve spent hours each day preparing for this. And this, too, shall pass, right?

Until tomorrow comes. I’m simply doing what must be done.

Thanks for reading. ‘Til next time, wish me luck.

– Takuto

The V-Day Sci-Fi Special Returns for 2021!

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Happy Valentine’s Day~!

The annual time for me to lock myself in my room and binge anime has finally come again. I love Valentine’s Day, but not for the same reason most do. When I think of V-Day, I value it as a time to love myself, to spend time on me. Really, it can be a day for whatever you want, I just use it to celebrate self-love!

Normally, I like to pick popular sci-fi or sports anime franchises to tackle for the marathon (don’t ask why it’s just those two genres, as I have no explanation). Can’t remember what we’ve done in the past? Here’s a refresher for ya!

2013 ~ Steins;Gate

2014 ~ Kokoro Connect (I think . . . )

2015 ~ Neon Genesis Evangelion

2016 ~ The Rose of Versailles

2017 ~ Ghost in the Shell

2018 ~ Haikyuu!!

2019 ~ RahXephon

2020 ~ [SKIPPED DUE TO HIATUS]

And so, for this year 2021, I’d like to welcome 2020’s attempted title back to the stage for a second try—give it up for . . .

2020 ~ Gunbuster

I failed big time last year, and I wanted to make amends for that by trying Gunbuster one more time. To tell the truth, I didn’t even give the series a first try, as I was in a big anime and blogging slump during this time last year. It never got the chance it should have, which is why I’m excited to dive into this legendary title once again.

I even brought back the roadmap sheet I drafted last year!

This year’s V-Day special will actually take place during next weekend, February 19-21, as I was booked this past weekend by the Manga Love Readathon!

I’ve got all the DVDs and Blu-rays that I’ll need to make this marathon a hit already locked and loaded. Oh yeah, we’re ready for this one. 🔥🔥🔥

So until next weekend, spend these next couple of days with the ones you love most. And if you’re rockin’ it single like many of us are, TREAT YO SELF, and use this holiday for some self-care—you deserve it!

Much love and chocolates from me~!

– Takuto

Blog Goals & Resolutions for 2021!

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Happy New Year, my friends!!

We’ve made it through the fog of the terrible year that was 2020, during which I pretty much stopped blogging and even went unemployed for a bit. For many personal reasons, it wasn’t a great time.

BUT NO MORE will I let the shadows of 2020 overcast my ambitions and goals for the new year! Many things are changing for the blog in 2021. First, the monthly updates will make a comeback! Sticking to a quarterly basis (though helpful in times of low productivity) felt somewhat cold and distant. I want to remove that gap between us and go back to how I used to run this place. Second, I’m going to be synthesizing my blog and YouTube content much more than I did in 2020. This may help my content reach those that don’t operate much on YouTube. Third, I’ve got five new blog goals for 2021, which we should talk about next!

#1 – Write Five Posts Each Month

Unlike the unfulfilled promises of 2020, I plan to go seriously hard in 2021. And really, it’s not all that different from what I used to do three or four years ago. I want to write more posts, even if they’re not the full series reviews and informal analyses I’ve been known for. Maybe I’ll talk more about individual episodes or characters from a series. Or, perhaps, certain themes or musings I happen to grasp from these works. Whatever these posts end up being about, you can certainly expect more than what I wrote the past six months. And, when troubles do inevitably arise (what with college and all), I’ll simply adapt this slightly. 🙂

#2 – Review More Anime

When you watch more, you can review more. Naturally, these two ideas go hand in hand. Although I took a pretty big break from anime the past year, I want to get back on my anime game in 2021. Specifically, I want to go back to how things used to be. I spent so much time reflecting over whether I wanted to even do this, and my mind finally told me “Screw it: Go for broke and watch more stuff.” And so I will.

#3 – Continue Writing Manga Reflections

Writing over manga in general became the blog’s saving grace in 2020, and I want to keep that up. I especially made a lot of new friends in the mangatube community, and I don’t want to lose their company. More manga content to come!

#4 – Write Posts for Video Content

I started talking about this at the beginning of the post you’re reading right now. Basically, if I were to film four or five videos in a month (which is one of my channel goals), I want to write individual posts with respective links to each video. This will no doubt aid in keeping blog traffic up, but also allow for potentially greater outreach through my blog audience. So, with the five regular posts each month, hopefully you’ll be getting roughly two posts each week.

#5 – Achieve 750 Blog Followers

As you know, I’ve never paid much attention to blog stats, views, followers, likes, etc. Well, after seeing the success of my blogger and YouTube friends over the course of 2020, I want to try setting numerical goals like this for once. The numbers game was never one I played, but maybe I should. Anyway, 2021 will be the road to 750! Given we’re already at 685 followers, it’s a pretty achievable goal in my eyes. Now, let’s see if we can make it happen!

This is going to be a tall order, I realize this. But, after deep meditation over what I wanted from the future of this blog, I decided on this return to form of sorts. I can’t give this up now—I’ve gone too far with this blog, and losing it would hurt me beyond words. More than anything, however, I just hope I can still count on you all, my friends, for your generous support that you’ve continued to give me for years. YOU are the reason I can do what I do now, and I never want to forget that for a second. It’s going to be a challenging year, absolutely. But, knowing that you’ll be there with me will make the fight all the more worthwhile. Blogging is something I still want to do, and I hope my posts are still ones you want to read!!

All this said, THANK YOU for an incredible 2020. Even during those rough patches when I was gone, you guys kept showing up to read my stuff, comment, and even share it, and for that I’m eternally grateful. I’ll admit I wasn’t the best blogger buddy in 2020, but I plan to change that going forward—this much, you can count on.

What is something you wish to improve on in 2021, either for your blog or your own personal life? Let’s talk resolutions down in the comments. I said the same thing here as I did last year, but I have even higher feelings about 2021! Thank you so much for reading, stay safe, and I wish you all a Happy New Year! ^ . ^

– Takuto

Memento Mori

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All good things really do come to an end, don’t they?

Well, in part, yes. But really, ALL things in general will have an ending, good or bad.

Thankfully, I can call the efforts of Mark (Markiplier) and Ethan (CrankGameplays) a good thing, as they’ve toiled away for the past 365 days to deliver nothing but wild, cynical humor and an endearing acceptance for “the end.” With their grade-A act as a duo and lovable, contrasting characters, my 2020 has been made a little easier to bear.

And to think that Unus Annus will end in less than 14 hours from the writing of this post. I’m not gonna lie—for as long as they’ve poked fun at and prepared us for the end, I’m not ready for the channel to go.

In case you didn’t know, Unus Annus is (was) a YouTube channel created by two gamers, Mark and Ethan, in which they upload(ed) one video each day somehow related to (or shoehorned to be so) the inevitability of death. Through their silly bits and skits, obscene dares and challenges, and downright weird and stupid dialogue, the two have amassed a *literal* cult following, of which I’m proud to be a part of.

It’s too late to watch all of 365 of their videos now. But, perhaps this is for the best, as I’m sure you’d only end up spiraling down into sadness upon realizing that these two heartwarming personalities will cease to exist together as we know them now in less than 24 hours.

So, I just wanted to leave behind my own love message for the channel. (Special thanks to Megan over at Nerd Rambles for inspiring me to write this through their own post!) I’ve shared many a laughs with my siblings watching Mark and Ethan do dumb shit every day this year, and my only regret (ironically, and cruelly so) is that it all had to end so soon.

Indeed, it is time to say goodbye.

If the channel has proven one thing to me, it’s that we really don’t have enough time to do everything we’ve ever wanted to do. BUT if we can start somewhere—and maybe take a friend with us for the ride—we can hopefully make the most out of the time we’ve got. Heck, having started a YouTube channel myself in 2020, I can only thank people like Mark and Ethan for pushing the boundaries of expectation and collaboration. You guys absolutely KILLED it!!

For all their celebration of death and the great beyond, no channel will ever be able to match the unique energy and sheer spirit of Unus Annus. I’ll miss these two so much.

So, my most sincere thanks to Mark, Ethan, and Amy for giving us a year of laughs, inspiration, and memories to last a lifetime. Every video was a delight, and I wish only the best for all the exciting projects next to come! Memento Mori!

FIVE Anime I Love Rewatching

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Hey guys!

It’s been too long! I ended up taking the rest of September off simply because of school and work. Also, I wanted to make sure my YT channel got a bit more off the ground while I had at least some time to film videos.

BUT it’s good to be back here at home, where all of you are!

Today I just wanted to share a little topic that’s been in the back of my mind: rewatching anime.

While in the midst of rewatching one of my favorite anime (that being Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood), I had this idea to share a few Blu-rays and DVDs from my collection that I love rewatching with you all. So, I quickly filmed a video, edited it a couple days later, and here it is now!

Let me know if you also have “that one” anime you love rewatching (probably more than you should 😉) down in the comments! I’ve got dozens more (trust me), but I think sharing 5 is a good start for now.

I’ll be back to regular blogging *hopefully* sooner rather than later. I’ve never taken two literature classes at once in college, and anymore, I’ve pretty much exhausted my reading and writing energy by mid-afternoon. I

’ll likely start small, maybe with a simulcast line up since FALL IS HERE I guess!?? Wow, where does the time go!

Anyway, thank you for all your support during my absence. I’ve got lots of kind comments to catch up on, so apologies in advance if I start digging up a conversation we had weeks ago! 😛

Hope your fall is going well! ‘Till next time!

– Takuto