The Park

Ah. I found another k-drama enthusiast at work. Nice.

You just don’t know how much fun it is to discuss varying Asian series with other people. Most of the time, I am met with blank stares and questioning glances.

The following musing is a reaction to bateszi’s perceptive commentary on being an Anime fan. I started out to write a comment for the post and I ended up going into a different direction.

It is over. It is done. It is the end of ysp:duh!.

Is it truly over? Is this a mere phase? Is it simply a lapse of judgement? A case of insanity, perhaps? Or is it simply growing old?

Whatever the reason, it is as I said. I am done with my four-year-old anime blog.

The end of ysp:duh! does not equate to the demise of my anime affection. Anime is a constant presence in my short life. And I undoubtedly believe, it will always be. I was reared as a casual anime fan; I watched reruns of Voltes V, Daimos, and Astroboy when I barely reached the age of ten. Later on, I became aware of long-running series; I was engrossed with Ranma 1/2 and Dragon Ball. As a teen, I fell in-love with Usagi Tsukino and Yusuke Urameshi. In the early 2000s, I innocently began writing an anime blog, triggering a full blown obsession. I bulldozed my way through a number of series with exuberant purpose. I had a mission; I succeeded. However, that was a few years ago. Now, I find myself in a different chapter of my life; anime currently hovers in the background.

The fiery passion cools down. The honeymoon period is over. I realized that anime is simply, well, anime. It is inherently different from live action series; yet I find them so comparable. As I am particular with other TV shows, I also find myself more discriminating with my anime choices. Truth be told, only a handful of anime shows right now are worthy of full blown passion.

While I still have anime shows I enjoy, writing for an anime blog is another matter. Writing a blog takes time and precious energy. It takes time away from other interesting hobbies. I’d rather spend an hour devouring a novel or a manga: I’d rather watch episodes of Eureka, Heroes, or Battlestar Galactica; I’d rather drool over Anthony Bourdain and his strange travels; I’d rather marathon a set of anime episodes; I’d rather sing and record a track; I’d rather spend time chatting and texting friends; I’d rather be on a relaxing restaurant tasting various delicacies; Heck, I’d rather finish my crochet project than composing a not-so-adequately written anime review.

Even with the obvious indifference, I cannot blame the lack of passion for writing alone. I angst over random and weird things in this personal blog yet I am not disinterested in pouring out ridiculous posts. In fact, I am tickled. In some ways, I am tired of the anime blog community. For the most part, the fellow bloggers are pleasant folks. However, the community is also entangled with a unsavory few. I am told to ignore these distasteful miscreants but I cannot. The anime blog scene IS a community. I cannot ignore this fact. Bumping into these obnoxious folks with their offensive and disrespectful ways is inevitable. And I would rather stay away from negativity, thankyouverymuch.

The dissolution of ysp:duh! is caused by several of reasons. But mainly, evolving interests in subgenres, blogging disinterest, a disenchantment at the anime blog scene as a whole are the front runners. I debated whether to be as frank in my ysp farewell post, as I am in this blog. I answered, “No”. I try as I may, I cannot admit the cynical aspect of the third reason of my departure from the community. I dislike burning bridges. I hate leaving on a sour note. I wanted to leave the community with a happy face; for there are far more lovely folks than there are the detestable degenerates. (And please, wag silang — yung mga nakakaasar na nilalang — mag-comment sa last post ko, ‘noh!) In a few month, I might have a change of heart and have a mighty return. But for now, the decision stands.

So what’s next for Ten? Well, I have ideas. I miss writing insane and sometimes snarky posts. I miss episode reviews and/or recaps. However, I do not want to be bogged down by the limitation of one topic/genre alone. I want something where I can incorporate my various interests (i.e. anime, Asian dramas, manga, novels, Western TV). For now, I’ll wait for the itch to write.

The big break-up between Steve Jobs and NBC caused the latter to move in with Amazon. Thus, begins a budding romance.

I was rather perturbed when I heard the announcement stating the split of NBC and iTunes. I was ready to subscribe for the second season of Heroes. Alas, it is not to be. NBC decided to befriend Amazon and add their 07 fall shows to Amazon Unbox. Truth be told, I was bummed. Without realizing it, I was morphing into those crazy iTunes fanboys. I was ready to lambast the move. I was ready to protest. I was ready to label Unbox as an unfit medium.

Ah. But sanity came. Slowly.

Without further ado, I downloaded the first episode of Heroes S2. It was a test. And oh, boy. Meh, likey. The video quality is way much better than iTunes. I mean, waaaaay better. Almost DVD-like quality. As much as I love the convenience of iTunes, I am dissatisfied with its grainy images. But with Unbox offering a better video quality, I am considering moving to this service. Hm. However, it seems that I wouldn’t be able to watch the videos on my iPod. I am torn.

Pros. It easy to use. The video and sound quality are excellent. It has a fast download time.

Cons. Severe limitations to Mac/iPod users.

The verdict: I am opting a wait-and-see mode.

update: I think there are minor kinks in the app.

Congratulations to my longtime pal (wayback in HS), C. She brought a 8.6lbs baby into the world. And I am a proud “ninang” (godmother, to those non-Tagalog speakers).

CJ is my third inaanak.

…again.

See you later.

update: Angst-time is over. I am ready to play. Again.