2024

The V-Day Sci-Fi Special Returns for 2024!

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Happy Valentine’s Day~!

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!

Love and peace~!

– Takuto

Letting Readers Decide the 2024 V-Day Special!

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Hi there!

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.

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.

That’s all for now! Happy voting!

– Takuto