This upcoming summer is my first summer break working an adult job . . . and I chose teaching, which means I have the next couple months off. Sooo, I think I want to try regular blogging again throughout the summer . . .
!!!!!
I’m still deciding what kind of content it’ll be. I’ll probably steer clear of “regular anime reviews,” which is too bad for most because it’s the blog’s raison d’etre that I seem to have abandoned a couple years back (RIP). Instead, I might dabble with anime-related topics floating around my life, subjects like tackling the backlog, collecting habits, art books, etc. Of course, if I end up truly going rogue, you might stumble across ramble/rant posts, manga/reading updates, and general lifestyle posts.
My goal with writing more throughout the summer isn’t necessarily to “revive” the blog. Sometime between my transition from undergrad to graduate school, I’d reached a state of contentment with my lackadasical writing habits and infrequent pop-ins (if that wasn’t already obvious). I guess I find myself with a bit more time these days, and I remembered blogging being a more productive way to exert this extra creativity than simply lounging around, especially against the summer heat.
I’ve also found myself more drawn to travel videos these days. Lots of Japan and Korea, but even some South American and European vlogs have made their way onto my YouTube recommendations. These videos have made me needlessly restless. Yet, I’ve also been inspired by their informal, almost spontaneous communication style. (Years ago, blogs used to be THE places for this kind of thing!)
Last summer, I studied abroad as the capstone of my graduate career. I’m normally SUCH a homebody, so it’s frustrating that I feel so much urgency to GET OUT AND EXPLORE ;_; And traveling is expensive, too! ACK. Despite efforts to resist, the travel bug still lingers from those sunny days, so I’ve made sure to pack my summer schedule this year with plenty of city trips and country drives. I hope this energy will transfer to a momentum to write as well.
So, as the spring breeze rolls into a summer storm, that’s where I’m at with my upcoming seasonal “plans.” You might’ve noticed that I used a Violet Evergarden visual for this post’s header image. Although I never formally reviewed the series or its films, I’d like to try and sit down to compose some thoughts over it now that I’ve rewatched it all. (It’s got loads of travel in it, so a reflection about soul-searching or finding a place to belong might be the direction I take with it, maybe . . . Hey, if it ends up being the subject of the next post, then I’ll have actually stuck to a blogging commitment for once!)
IF all of this ends up flopping, well, I hope it would’ve been for good reasons. I just want to have fun with writing this summer, and I’d like as many of you to be a part of the experience with me 🙂 ‘Til next time, be it tomorrow, the day after, or the days after that~!
But now, I’ll have read the novels . . . and had some time to think.
In 2018, I embarked on a light comparative study over all of the works of Makoto Shinkai completed at the time. It’s a rough-around-the-edges, informal glance at his major and short films through the lenses of love, loneliness, and distance. I would take the time to edit and revise it, but part of me enjoys having a time capsule of my thoughts from back then. I could go in and update the image files and broken links, perhaps. Though, why tamper with old writing when I could revisit Shinkai’s art through a fresh, new adult perspective—one that has since then personally experienced greater joys, denser sorrows, and heavier heartbreaks?
It won’t necessarily be easy, but with Weathering With You rapidly approaching its 5th anniversary and Suzume having surpassed its 1st anniversary last fall (and international release date just this past April) I am more than due for comprehensive rewatch, fresh emotional scars or not.
The skies these days are growing more blue and more thunderous. So this year, this spring 2024, I want to catch Shinkai at the twilight of the season where I find his style resonates with me most. It’s a period as fleeting as the yozakura itself, yet I want to take on this challenge of revisiting his entire filmography before the night ends—and the rainy season begins.
Not only that, but I’ve managed to prepare by reading Makoto Shinkai’s original novelizations of various titles that are available in the States courtesy of Yen Press. Ok technically, once I’ve swept through the rest of The Garden of Words, THEN will I have completed this preliminary step. Still, I think this added insight will alter the way I experience the movies and do so in a mostly positive way. I already know of several animated scenes and characters that, to me, benefit from Shinkai’s novel counterparts. It will be exciting to decide how I might want to incorporate these literary perspectives.
“We might meet again, then. Just maybe. If it rains.”
– Yukino (The Garden of Words)
As I’m typing this closing paragraph, the rain is already tapping on my window, urging me to start this project before it stops. As with anything I do for the blog, expect me to be liberal with the time frame. I’m anticipating this will be a breezier post than the last one, nothing too crazy. Though again, I’d like to release these thoughts before we’re all choked by the summer heat. I hope I’ll be able to deliver on that! Until then, stay cool!
This might as well be recognized as some spiritual observation day on this blog, because longtime readers and friends may recognize that tend to go against the flow in favor of harvesting my own nostalgia. (Many bloggers participate in “Mecha March,” which in my mind was completely coined by the incredible Scott of Mechanical Anime Reviews. For me, however, sci-fi has always held a January-February pulse.) Anyhow, we’re back at it again this year, and we’re daring to take on another highly treasured anime property.
BUT, before I make the announcement, let’s look back on the history of this homegrown tradition. Here’s a refresher for those in need!
2013 ~ Steins;Gate
2014 ~ Kokoro Connect (I think . . . )
2015 ~ Neon Genesis Evangelion
2016 ~ The Rose of Versailles (It’s not always a sci-fi watch, I know!)
2017 ~ Ghost in the Shell
2018 ~ Haikyuu!! (Again, not sci-fi!)
2019 ~ RahXephon
2020 ~ Gunbuster (PANDEMIC)
2021 ~ Gunbuster
2022 ~ *SKIPPED* (I did watch Heroic Age, though.)
2023 ~ Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo (REWATCH)
This year, I reached out to Twitter/X and asked YOU to vote for the 2024 V-Day Special. The poll received over 20 votes and multiple comments. AND NOW, after a few years of fighting schedule complications, I’m happy to announce that this year’s V-Day Special will be . . .
2024 ~ Trigun
Not only did Trigun win the majority vote—I sent out a second poll asking what language to watch the series in, and the English dub won out. So, dubbed Trigun it is! Given that this is somewhat of a revival year for this festivity of mine, I even put a little more effort into designing the watch order “roadmap.” Hope y’all like it!
Trigun has been one of those titles lingering in my physical collection amassing a thick layer of dust on its case. After years of neglecting Funimation’s Anime Classics DVD set and the film’s BD on my shelves, it’s time to crack open the cases and give ’em the love they deserve.
Over the next few days, I’ll be hibernating before the TV and munching on the sweet treats in my Sakuraco Box. As I spend this time recollecting myself and appreciating all the things I’ve accomplished within the past few weeks, I hope you, too, will be spending this season of love doing that which makes you happy. Whether that means enjoying time with family, friends, or a loved one, what matters most is that you find and embrace that warm, tingly feeling that makes our hearts flutter. Of course, eating something sweet is a must as well!
When next we meet, I hope I’ll be able to muster the energy to organize my thoughts on the Trigun franchise, be it in the form of a review or a more casual reflection post. Look forward to it with passion!
I realize I said that I’d be coming back and then disappeared for two weeks. (Is it just me or does time fly exceptionally faster for bloggers than any other content creators?) We rang in the new year, then BOOM, it’s already February—
Which means Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.
If you’re new to my blog, let me explain why this is such a spectacular holiday for me. While everyone else in the aniblogger community celebrates “Mecha March” (cause it’s a perfectly catchy name, who wouldn’t is the better question), I have taken the preceding lovely month all to myself to delight in those same mecha and sci-fi titles. It all started when I watched Evangelion for the first time in 2015, during which I blocked out an entire weekend to marathon the entire franchise (all but the final two Rebuild films which had not yet been released on Blu-ray). I have a post floating around here somewhere that breaks down all the titles I’ve watched. Historically, it’s been sci-fi, but I’ve dipped into sports and drama as well. At this point, anything is fair game so long as it’s an “older” title.
Since I’m also in the process of going through seasonal catch-up (see my last post) and working through the physical to-be-watched stack, I figured I’d let my readers decide what I watch this year! I’ve boiled it down to three options:
The Big O (complete series)
Trigun (+ film and remake series)
Patlabor (all of it; TV series, OVA series, 3 films)
You can vote for your top choice through this Twitter/X poll over the next three days. Alternatively, you can leave a comment on this blog with your choice. I’ll tally up the votes and announce the results in an official post sometime after the voting period.
Need to cull the to-be-watched pile. Which throwback anime should I watch this February? You decide!
While the marathon might not occur exactly on Valentine’s Day this year, it’ll still be held within the month of February. I’ll work out a schedule once the voting is done.
There’s a lot I want to say to you, so I’ll start where I always once used to in my reviews: some background context.
I’ve been time traveling.
!!
(Kidding ~~)
But I dusted off the keyboard and propped open the cafe’s awnings—only to realize that my last post was almost a year ago?? Yeah, it sure does feel like time travel. And as the case is with most travelers, I’ve been irresponsible with time.
Anyway, hello from the future!
My life is very different now, you know?
At some point, I apparently came in and edited my blog’s sidebar bio so that it no longer read that I was a “teenager.” Although, when I think about it, I wasn’t a teenager when I last talked to you on here, either. Regardless, since 2021, I’ve not only completed my undergraduate degree but also a 2-year master’s program AND started my first “adult job” this past fall.
I’ve grown up ahead of the blog, I guess.
With every new year that rolls in (By the way, I hope yours has been kind so far.) I think about this place. Really, I do. This online safe space where I used to greet readers and see them out each hour of the day. It truly is our corner of the internet.
We sure were busy back then, weren’t we? Hah!
All this talk about growing up brings me to what I really wanted to ask you.
//
Am I still . . . weathering with you?
//
Yesterday, I finished reading YenPress’s release of Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering With You novel. It’s a fantastic little book (and it’s actually little, only 180 pages). As I slipped the dust jacket back around the green hardback and archived it on my shelves, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I love Shinkai’s work. Especially Weathering With You.
Last spring, I was lucky enough that my hometown theater had showings for Suzume, and that encounter, too, had me tumbling down memory lane. Discussions over many of Shinkai’s works have been “served up” here at the cafe over the years. Why I didn’t write about Suzume DESPITE it being my new favorite of his? . . . I had a lot on my mind at the time.
Butback to Weathering With You, ah, my heart! It’s hard to believe that the film (and the book) willbe celebrating 5 years this summer. As I’m revisiting it here, I’m going to spoil the end of the story, so go watch/read it if you haven’t!
Reading the novelization, I couldn’t help but re-realize how rough young people have it these days.
!!!
Seriously! If you make it to the end and can only despise Hodaka for effectively drowningTokyo for love, then you’ve missed the entire point of the story.
How did Hodaka, a child, end up so desperate and starved for connection in the first place?Who put him in a position where all he felt he could do was run further and further away from the responsibility that comes with growing up?
We did. The adults in his life did. And we continue to fail adolescents just like him when we pressure them LIKE ADULTS and then treat their feelings as if they were TODDLERS throwing just another tantrum.
This seems unrelated, but in my recent rewatch of Fire Force (still a banger btw), Captain Obi proudly says that being a grown-up means “caring more broadly and deeply.” From our first meeting with Hodaka, we are already dealing with someone who feels tried and exiled from his hometown. Island life is suffocating, yet at the same time, he is neglected by those few with any real stock in him. With ambition, he leaves. And when he finds the adults in Tokyo just as unwilling, neglecting, and even downright unkind, he’s willing to abandon that world, too.
Caring more broadly and deeply. Ah. Perhaps we wouldn’t have found Hodaka’s entire world cradled in the care of Hina’s tiny, tired hands if the adults back home cared for him an ounce more than they had. He’s genuinely a good kid, too! Traumatized and hungry, all Hodaka wants is a job that can sustain him a little longer while he sorts life out. Thinking about it, it’s sad how it all went down. Thankfully, in the novel, one of Hodaka’s Tokyo “caretakers” and friends is able to learn about the hope that can come with adulthood before some of the others do:
Kid, I’m gonna grow up just a little earlier than you. I’ll become a role model to you and Hina whether you want it or not. I’ll be the kind of adult who makes you want to grow up faster so you can be the same. I’ll be nothing like Kei—I’ll be a fantastic, amazing, super adult like no one’s ever seen.
Natsumi Suga
Tokyo remains plunged underwater in the epilogue, and as gut-punching as the advent is, I closed the book satisfied that Hodaka—that Shinkai—was able to wake [the viewing/reading] society up to the suffering of its young. The endless rain is not only a karmic effect of neglecting an ages old superstition but also a reflection of the way we’ve continuously sacrificed the innocent and the good for our own benefit. Maybe the storms currently ravaging our world are starting to spark the same eye-opening effect that Hodaka and Hina’s rain has on theirs.
I didn’t intend on writing a current issues post, so let me circle back. Tenki no Ko, the Japanese title, translates more accurately as “Child of Weather” in English. Its localized title, however, is also lovely. “Weathering” sounds as if Hodaka and Hina are simply going around making the weather change, which is exactly what they do.
But also, “weathering” is the process that naturally wears down rocks and surfaces, leading to erosion. Finally, to “weather,” as a verb, means to come safely through something (like a storm). When Hodoka and Hina go weathering, I like to think that they are quite literally enduring life the way they’ve only recently discovered how:
By surviving the storm together.
When I asked towards the beginning of this post whether I was still weathering with you (cause that’s not confusing at all!), I was wondering if WE have been able to endure this long rainy season apart from one another—a blogger to his fellow blogger buddies and dearest readers—sincerely confused, anxious, and uncertain about whether we’ve weathered this distance ok.
Have we? Do you remember me?
Do you remember what we used to do here?
Because honestly, I couldn’t forget about you.
Thank you for having me back. For keeping the cafe warm.
If you’ve been following my blog for even a year, you’ll know that V-Day is something I take quite seriously. It has become tradition for me to book off an entire weekend to marathon anime (usually a classic, or something with several parts, such as films, OVAs, etc.) and enjoy quality time with myself.
Well, in lieu of binging an entire series as a challenge to myself (as I’m quite short on time due to my M.A. exam mid-March), I’ve decided to return to Evangelion.
And I’m sure this comes as literally zero surprise to anyone.
I’ve got tasty treats, a comfy couch, and my Funimation Blu-ray of Evangelion 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo.all lined up for me to enjoy this Tuesday evening! I always enjoy an Eva rewatch, but I’m especially partial to 3.33 during this season of love because it’s when I first watched it back in February 2016. Once more, time to relive the nostalgia and bittersweet promises that this title brings to me.
I hope you’re all spending V-Day doing something you love, whether that’s with someone or watching Eva for the hundredth time like me. I’ll be doing a TRUE marathon after my March exam, likely Trigun since it’s what people are talkin’ about these days (plus I’ve had the Anime Classics DVD for YEARS just gathering dust). Please look forward to it!
That’s all for now—stay sweet, and ‘til next time!
I know, it’s been over 3 months since my last visit. Terrible track record. But, I did promise that I’d be back to regular blogging once I graduated. Unfortunately, that won’t be for another 5 months, although I’m sure—like most semesters—it’ll fly by! 🙏
So until the spring, I’m merely stopping by to wish everyone a Happy New Year and a welcome to 2023! My resolutions? Graduate and get a job (adulting sucks 😭). I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. I logged in HOURS of board games and caught up on LOTS of shounen favorites that I’ve missed out on due to school. Here is what I watched over break in case you’re curious:
Belle (great, rated 8/10 for the lovely l CG work and meaningful message here, but need to rewatch already)
Chainsaw Man (GRUESOME GOODNESS, only watched first 4 episodes, will continue at some point)
My Hero Academia 6th Season Part 1 (significant step up from S5, rating 9/10 for the high stakes, can’t wait to see how the battle ends in P2)
Millionaire Detective – Balance: Unlimited (way more boring than I expected it to be, rated 7/10 for at least the pretty character designs, and FYI don’t watch the dub, sorry fam)
Jujutsu Kaisen (MY LOVES, this revived my passion for anime recently, honest!! Both series and 0 Movie are 9/10 for me, and I crave more)
Sword Art Online: Progressive – Aria of a Starless Night (surprisingly enjoyed a lot, rated 8/10 for Asuna continuing to be more interesting than Kirito, tempted to recommend this over S1 to newcomers)
Demon Slayer Season 2 (the main fight of the Entertainment District Arc dragged on a little long, but potentially more enjoyable than S1, rated 8/10 for that incredible Ufotable animation!)
Dr. Stone Season 1 (stopped after 11-ish episodes, it’s fine . . . when do we get to see Senku’s old friends again, I miss them)
Blood of Zeus (a fantastic recommendation if you’re chasing after that Castlevania high, rated 8/10 for Greek mythology continuing to serve)
Link Click (I knew I’d enjoy this one but WOW was I taken by these characters, rated 9/10 for the thrills and the whole aesthetic, but needing that sequel ASAP)
Odd Taxi (this one also wins for being a backlog serve, rated 8/10 for an actually engaging anthropomorphic title, and that ending, Y’ALL GOT ME GOOD)
NieR:Automata Ver1.1a (my recent obsession as a huge fan of the game, the only simulcast I’m following this season, and I’m still so shocked that A-1 is proceeding with this 2D/3D blend . . . staying hopeful it’ll be a masterpiece)
Of course, I also rewatched Ghibli favorites like Howl’s, Kiki’s, and Ponyothis winter break. Just trying to reignite the anime passion after feeling absent for a while now. 🔥
My primary goal with this post was to update you all with what I’ve been up to. Going forward, I’ll return to simul-uploading my YouTube videos on my channel and my blog. I apologize in advance if Kpop isn’t your thing, and I hope the manga/anime content is at least to your liking. >.<
The next time we “meet” will probably be for my annual V-Day special. (Hint hint, the show I’ll be watching currently has a remake airing!) That should be lots of fun, so look forward to it! 👍
Thank you as always for sticking with me throughout these content-less months. Once I’m done with uni, I’ll be able to officially brush off the cobwebs and start new projects. But for now, I wish you all a healthy start to the new year!
It’s been 8 years since I first opened Takuto’s Anime Cafe!! 🥳 I’ve had all kinds of amazing opportunities throughout this time, including my latest ARC review for Bai Cha’s My Cat Hates Me that just went up. Never would I have guessed that I’d have more online friends than in-person ones, but it’s true—I am nothing without this community that has raised me and continued to teach me new things since I was a clueless sophomore in high school. Now I’m in my second and final year of grad school. I know, I can’t believe it either. Life comes at you fast, doesn’t it?
I owe you all so, so much more than this small pop-in, but I promise you that I’m still the same old Taku who’d rather catch up watching Call of the Night and Psycho Pass 3 instead of going out to the bars. (Yes, those are my latest watches. Both good ones, too!)
I hope you are all well, and I’ll try and make a big return to regular blogging once I finish school! In the meantime, it’ll be sporadic posts with the occasionally scheduled YouTube vid. We just hit 1k subs on the channel by the way!!! I was thinking of fun ways to celebrate—maybe a Q&A? We’re also getting super close to 800 cafe-goers. It’d be pretty cool to hit 800 during my 8th year, ya know?
Anyway, THANK YOU for all the support throughout the years, and special love to my WP aniblogger friends. 💙 I’ll try and stop in more often. ‘Til next time!
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!
“A tiger never returns to his prey he did not finish off.”
Chinese Proverb
As of the writing of this post, two New Year celebrations have eclipsed this blog—both the global New Year and the Lunar New Year, which just occurred yesterday. And, with every new year comes new starts.
Since writing my last post, I realized needed a few more months to decide what I wanted to do with the blog going forward. Grad school had been hammering away at me, but conditions have lightened since the start of a new semester. So I’m back this time, and hopefully I’ll be sticking around for a bit longer.
In the time I was absent, my blog reached a pivotal milestone: 100k all-time views. (THANK YOU!) Some bloggers hit this milestone in their first couple years. For me, it took over 7, but I suppose we run this race at our own pace, don’t we? That said, I’m incredibly grateful for the support and traction that the blog has been receiving in my absence. Whether I write or not, it would seem that hundreds of views roll in each week regardless. The internet works in mysterious ways, but I’m thankful for every single one of them.
This brings me to my next point: content. Last update, I said I would start releasing posts for all the videos that have yet to be shared on the blog. Yeah, that didn’t happen. I think I want to start clean and just share the videos I’ve uploaded in 2022 so far, but we’ll see what I end up doing. More anime content would come, if only for the fact that I haven’t watched much lately. Some rewatches here and there, but the only new title I’ve watched in the past month was Vivy—and that was a damn good show. Maybe I ought to review it, or perhaps revisit my favorites in new kinds of reflection posts. Much to think about.
As for the novel I was working on, that also took a halt—but in a good way I guess. I’ve been trying to read more these days, and I feel like I have a better grasp on what exactly I want to write from what I’ve read. I plan to restart my work on the novel in favor of taking a new perspective to it. Hopefully it’ll see the draft stage sooner rather than later.
One last thing (and probably my biggest reason for blogging again)—I just got a wireless keyboard for my iPad! My laptop has been decaying for some time, and while I meant to buy a new computer this past summer, I settled on a tablet instead for the sake of digital reading. BEST DECISION EVER. And now with my Bluetooth keyboard, writing has never felt easier. I actually want to write on it.
2022 is the year of the Tiger, which happens to also be my sign. Maybe that means I’ll have crazy luck or something—it sure would be nice! I hope you all have been doing well and staying safe. It snowed this morning, which means it’ll be annoyingly frigid where I’m at for at least a few weeks. When the spring day comes, I’ll be the first person you’ll hear it from—this much I promise you. Happy Lunar New Year to all my friends celebrating, thank you again for 100k, and stay warm!
Takuto's Anime Cafe 