I can’t believe I haven’t already written this post. Maybe I have and I just forgot but I couldn’t find it in my archives.
Blogging can be a bit of a challenge at times, so it’s nice to remind ourselves, what some of the best parts of it are. Obviously, this list is going to be entirely based on personal experience and preferences. I’m sure if you have a blog, your list is probably completely different.
So here are the 5 things I like most about having an anime blog.
5. Sens of accomplishment (not always earned)
Sometimes, I go through my blog and all those posts I managed to publish and I feel like I accomplished something. Proud may be too strong of a word but there’s a legacy there. It’s not like my other hobbies that are just in the moment and then disappear. I have something to show what I did with my time.
Now don’t get me wrong, blogging isn’t always easy. And there are a lot of bloggers that put in way more effort than I do. But in the grand scheme of things, it seems a lot easier than creating YouTube shows that have to be scripted, acted and edited. Streaming might be a bit easier, especially if you’re let’s play streaming and don’t need to script that much. But if you’re not naturally entertaining, it’s probably not going to be that interesting for viewers.
All creative forms of non-professional content creation such as fan art or fanfiction, require at least a little bit of talent. And a lot of effort.
In comparison, writing a post a day about anime I like seems like a breeze. So as far as creating something that will stick around and sharing it with others goes, I think blogging is one of the easiest ways to go. Maybe podcasting if you have the equipment.
What I’m saying is, it’s nice to have something like a blog that you can show to people and it looks like it took a whole lot of effort but it’s really not that bad!
4. Keeping up with the community/news/trends
I have mentioned a few times that I’m pretty isolated in my otakuness. I mean I know a few people that like anime but not that much. And I also don’t make a huge effort to be an active part of any fandom. By huge, I mean any. I’m not part of any fandom…
Before the blog, even though I really liked anime and watched a lot of it, I really had no clue what was going on. I wouldn’t know what new shows were going to air or even what was available. I had no clue what the memes meant or why people were all upset about something. In retrospect, it did have some upsides…
Still, my anime hobby felt very random and I just hoped I would discover shows I like through sheer luck. Now it may seem that not much has changed since I watch pretty much everything and disregard genre or even synopsis so often. But in fact, I have a much better idea of what I like, what’s out there and what’s coming up. I know what people are excited to see and occasionally why. I can make way more informed decisions now.
I just choose to randomly watch whatever has even mildly interesting key visuals and hope for the best. I do that on purpose now!
3. Opening my mind
Having a blog has introduced me to a lot of new ideas and ways of thinking. Either through the comments or through other people’s posts, I have gotten excited to watch shows I would not have given a second thought to before. I have come to appreciate certain tropes and admire aspects of narrative structures that I never even noticed before.
You don’t need a blog to do that. I could have sought out other anime fans and discussed it with them without a blog. I could also have read other people’s posts and comments. But it’s just a little easier for me when it’s all centralized around my blog.
Not to mention that when there is a particular topic that’s on my mind, I can write a post about it and with some luck get a bit of feedback from readers. That way I can explore subjects I find interesting with a lot more ease than if I’m waiting for someone else to write about it.
And honestly, I have learned a lot without even noticing.
2. Extending the pleasure
When I watch a show, I really like, there’s always that little bittersweet moment when it ends. Sometimes there’s closure so perfect that I wouldn’t even want it to go on. It’s perfect as t is. Other times, I’m left waiting and praying for another season, keeping every single finger I have crossed. But when I sit down to review these shows, I can recapture the magic and wonder I felt when watching them. I pour over screencaps and get nostalgic over the visuals. I sit down and really think about what made me enjoy the series so much and that often gives me even more appreciation for it. It makes the pleasure last just a little bit longer.
And then, I reread my posts months later when they finally get published and get yet another wave. Once in a while, I might reread a post I wrote years ago for a third wave and so on.
Writing about anime, whether it’s reviews or essays, allows me to capture little pieces of the experience and keep them with me. It might not seem like much but when you strip everything else away, it’s a feeling that has kept me blogging for a long time. Even if I’m writing about a show no one will care about, if I liked it, I get enjoyment just reliving it for the post.
Ironically, with a few exceptions, I think that the posts I write on shows I really care about a lot are the worst. I get a bit overwhelmed and intimidated and they never come out how I want them to. But that’s another story!
1. Meeting anime fans
Anime fans occasionally get a bad rep. And for some, it’s earned. I mean we’re just people and people are sometimes jerks. I have also heard all the horror stories about specific fandoms. I have no experience but I believe you.
However, the grand majority of people I have interacted with thanks to this blog, have been wonderful. I have made friends and whatever the word is for people who you don’t really know but like. There are people who I genuinely look forward to sharing a few words with here and there in the comments section in the same way I look forward to going to have dinner with friends from college.
Like any community, you tend to get out of it what you put into it. I do have to make a little bit of effort to keep in touch and to keep posting but for the most part, the anime blogging community doesn’t ask for much at all and is always willing to give back. For me, that’s always going to be a great thing about having an anime blog
There you have it, the best parts about running a blog according to my personal experience. I do hope some of you have also had these pleasant experiences. I also hope you have other great things about having a blog. Maybe you like practicing your writing or being able to have an online presence with minimal backlash? What are some of your favourite things about having a blog if you have one? If you don’t, I’m sure not having to spend an hour or two a day writing posts and updating the blog has some upsides as well!
