April 21st, 2019
10 years on MAL
Anime Relations: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
Plus two days. Time sure flew by. This post is just me rambling to myself as I look back at the past decade in my life. Don't waste your time reading it if you have anything better to do with your time.
I discovered anime on March 15, 2009. I watched The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya because I found some piano sheet music that I liked from it. That was right around the end of my senior year in high school. Life before then was dull and I had no motivation in life - anime changed everything for me. During that summer, I probably watched at least 3 whole series each week (maybe even much more) plus most of the airing anime; I was hooked. This was before Crunchyroll or any other major streaming services had all the airing titles each season, so watching airing anime meant waiting for fansub groups. I didn't like having to wait on other people, so I started learning Japanese on my own that summer by borrowing college textbooks from my local library. That was also when I found Vocaloids and that became my main source of music.
During my first year and a half of college, I didn't have a job so I had a ton of spare time (but no money). I watched between 10 to 16 airing anime each season. I was really active on MAL and met a lot of amazing people. I got involved in MAL clubs and picked up Photoshop to create graphics and club member cards. I also learned HTML and CSS to style my anime list. I also continued studying Japanese a lot - I had advanced to learning through practical use by playing the visual novel version of Amagami (months before the anime was announced) and looking up every single kanji and term I didn't know. I was a broke kid who couldn't buy anything, but this was still probably the best time of my life and I picked up a lot of skills that helped me a lot later on in life.
2 years in, I got a part-time job working 20 hours every week in the accounting department at my university. I needed to pay tuition and hated the idea of being in debt, so I never worked less than the full 20 hours each week for the rest of my time at college. I was also getting to the upper division courses, so there were a lot more projects. Unfortunately, this really cut into the large amounts of time I originally had allocated to anime-related things in my life. I cut a lot of my anime-watching and MAL time (mostly MAL time). I only watched 5 to 8 anime each season and sometimes took weeks to reply to comments. I still kept studying Japanese avidly though - by this time I could read and understand simple slice of life anime without subtitles.
I graduated in June 2013 and got a full-time job as a software developer in Santa Monica that started literally 2 days after my graduation ceremony. This also came with a daily 3 hour round-trip commute through the worst of Los Angeles rush hour traffic. I spent between 60 to 70 hours each week at work and commuting. I basically vanished from MAL and only watched a few anime each season. I don't remember much from this period other than it was a miracle I got through it.
I didn't slack off and drag myself through work each day though. I saw this as a chance to make something out of my life and finally be able to fund my hobbies. I worked hard and climbed up the ladder. Two years in, I became the development manager. Another year after that, I had saved up enough money to move to into my own place just half a mile away from my workplace and finally got out of the grueling commute. With an extra 15 hours each week back in my life and not feeling half-dead every weekend, I was finally able to start rebuilding my personal life.
Today, I am the technology director at a software company that is a 3 minute drive away from where I live. I can read manga, watch anime, and even play full visual novels all in Japanese without having to look up anything other than the odd term here and there. I own enough anime goods to fill up multiple booths at an anime convention. I am very lucky to be where I am in life today, and I know I definitely would not have been able to get here without discovering anime and finally finding motivation in life. 10 years ago, I thought it was impossible for me to ever get a job anywhere close to what I have now.
However, even with all the materialistic goods I have now, I feel like I still lost a lot. I've lost contact with all of my MAL friends except for one who also lives in California. Most of them have also moved on with their lives and haven't logged on to MAL in years. My body is a lot more frail now after the few years of work burnout (the constant stress from my current position doesn't help) and I can no longer marathon anime like during my early college days. I also still spend at least 45 hours at work each week, so there just isn't that much time. I am in no position to complain though - I am much better off than most people in the world. I guess this is just what it means to "grow up" and "be an adult". Adult life definitely isn't as great as I thought it would be 10 years ago.
To quote a male Vocaloid composer at a 10-year anniversary event for Hatsune Miku when asked "What do you think of the last 10 years?"
- みんなおっさんになっていますねｗ - We've all become middle-aged guys lol
I discovered anime on March 15, 2009. I watched The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya because I found some piano sheet music that I liked from it. That was right around the end of my senior year in high school. Life before then was dull and I had no motivation in life - anime changed everything for me. During that summer, I probably watched at least 3 whole series each week (maybe even much more) plus most of the airing anime; I was hooked. This was before Crunchyroll or any other major streaming services had all the airing titles each season, so watching airing anime meant waiting for fansub groups. I didn't like having to wait on other people, so I started learning Japanese on my own that summer by borrowing college textbooks from my local library. That was also when I found Vocaloids and that became my main source of music.
During my first year and a half of college, I didn't have a job so I had a ton of spare time (but no money). I watched between 10 to 16 airing anime each season. I was really active on MAL and met a lot of amazing people. I got involved in MAL clubs and picked up Photoshop to create graphics and club member cards. I also learned HTML and CSS to style my anime list. I also continued studying Japanese a lot - I had advanced to learning through practical use by playing the visual novel version of Amagami (months before the anime was announced) and looking up every single kanji and term I didn't know. I was a broke kid who couldn't buy anything, but this was still probably the best time of my life and I picked up a lot of skills that helped me a lot later on in life.
2 years in, I got a part-time job working 20 hours every week in the accounting department at my university. I needed to pay tuition and hated the idea of being in debt, so I never worked less than the full 20 hours each week for the rest of my time at college. I was also getting to the upper division courses, so there were a lot more projects. Unfortunately, this really cut into the large amounts of time I originally had allocated to anime-related things in my life. I cut a lot of my anime-watching and MAL time (mostly MAL time). I only watched 5 to 8 anime each season and sometimes took weeks to reply to comments. I still kept studying Japanese avidly though - by this time I could read and understand simple slice of life anime without subtitles.
I graduated in June 2013 and got a full-time job as a software developer in Santa Monica that started literally 2 days after my graduation ceremony. This also came with a daily 3 hour round-trip commute through the worst of Los Angeles rush hour traffic. I spent between 60 to 70 hours each week at work and commuting. I basically vanished from MAL and only watched a few anime each season. I don't remember much from this period other than it was a miracle I got through it.
I didn't slack off and drag myself through work each day though. I saw this as a chance to make something out of my life and finally be able to fund my hobbies. I worked hard and climbed up the ladder. Two years in, I became the development manager. Another year after that, I had saved up enough money to move to into my own place just half a mile away from my workplace and finally got out of the grueling commute. With an extra 15 hours each week back in my life and not feeling half-dead every weekend, I was finally able to start rebuilding my personal life.
Today, I am the technology director at a software company that is a 3 minute drive away from where I live. I can read manga, watch anime, and even play full visual novels all in Japanese without having to look up anything other than the odd term here and there. I own enough anime goods to fill up multiple booths at an anime convention. I am very lucky to be where I am in life today, and I know I definitely would not have been able to get here without discovering anime and finally finding motivation in life. 10 years ago, I thought it was impossible for me to ever get a job anywhere close to what I have now.
However, even with all the materialistic goods I have now, I feel like I still lost a lot. I've lost contact with all of my MAL friends except for one who also lives in California. Most of them have also moved on with their lives and haven't logged on to MAL in years. My body is a lot more frail now after the few years of work burnout (the constant stress from my current position doesn't help) and I can no longer marathon anime like during my early college days. I also still spend at least 45 hours at work each week, so there just isn't that much time. I am in no position to complain though - I am much better off than most people in the world. I guess this is just what it means to "grow up" and "be an adult". Adult life definitely isn't as great as I thought it would be 10 years ago.
To quote a male Vocaloid composer at a 10-year anniversary event for Hatsune Miku when asked "What do you think of the last 10 years?"
- みんなおっさんになっていますねｗ - We've all become middle-aged guys lol
Posted by FaithoftheFallen | Apr 21, 2019 1:18 AM | 1 comments
October 23rd, 2016
500 Completed
Anime Relations: Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei Herz! Specials
This time it's loli specials. A perfect continuation from my 400th completed series >:D
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31056/Fate_kaleid_liner_Prisma%E2%98%86Illya_2wei_Herz_Specials
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31056/Fate_kaleid_liner_Prisma%E2%98%86Illya_2wei_Herz_Specials
Posted by FaithoftheFallen | Oct 23, 2016 6:39 PM | 0 comments
July 28th, 2014
400 completed
Anime Relations: Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya: Undoukai de Dance!
2014/07/22, entry #400: loli ova
http://myanimelist.net/anime/18851/Fate/kaleid_liner_Prisma%E2%98%86Illya:_Undoukai_de_Dance!
http://myanimelist.net/anime/18851/Fate/kaleid_liner_Prisma%E2%98%86Illya:_Undoukai_de_Dance!
Posted by FaithoftheFallen | Jul 28, 2014 4:32 PM | 1 comments
September 22nd, 2012
300 anime entries completed
Anime Relations: Accel World, Accel World EX
A lot of them are 1-2 episode hentais though XD
Kuroyukihime was an excellent 300th entry ^__^
She is so lovely <3
Warning: very mild spoiler pix below
Kuroyukihime was an excellent 300th entry ^__^
She is so lovely <3
Warning: very mild spoiler pix below
Posted by FaithoftheFallen | Sep 22, 2012 9:51 PM | 1 comments
July 2nd, 2012
Anim Expo 2012
Anime Relations: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, Ookami to Koushinryou, Rosario to Vampire, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Accel World
The Los Angeles Convention Center is literally less than 15 miles from my house :)
Funimation had some nice Panty and Stocking pole dancing! :D
Hmm... I just sorta got caught up in the moment and bought it... but would it really be a good idea to hang it up in my room for my parents to see? =__=
This should make a certain Capu jelly ;)
My waifu#1
The covers just brainwashed me into buying them =__=
Nyantype even came with a nice bonus ^__^
My waifu#2
It's a bit hot now that it's summer, so I think I'll help her cool off...
My waifu#3
...why were there no Momo stuff!? (屮ﾟДﾟ)屮
Posted by FaithoftheFallen | Jul 2, 2012 7:49 PM | 4 comments
May 27th, 2011
My paycheck came! First thing to do is...
Anime Relations: Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai, Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai Specials
xD
Posted by FaithoftheFallen | May 27, 2011 6:43 PM | 1 comments