I see that an online anime blog award contest has been organised, and a ton of bloggers have registered for participation.
Before I begin, I would like to thank those who have kindly nominated for me for the Rookie blog section. I really appreciate the thought and that you guys are reading what my rather defective brain churns out, and have held me with such regard. I am thankful, I really am.
I have taken a look through many of the other rookie blogs out there, and I can safely say that they produce much more popular content and get many more hits that this blog ever does.
Personally, I don’t really think that I’m doing much of a great job blogging about anime. Maybe a decent job in the blogging part, but not so much in the anime part. Now, I’m not trying to be humble or anything. If you noticed, most of my posts are either about me fanboying over Evangelion and Rei, or about my real life mixed with some chunks of anime. I haven’t done any decent pure anime posts in a while.
However, despite the nominations, I am rather reluctant to join in the Anime Blog Awards for now. There are several reasons why.
A while back, I wrote this post on SaiGar and stated some personal opinions on it. Till now, I stand by what I said. If you watched Honey and Clover, you would recall Yamada Ayumi saying something along the lines of “I don’t want to give up loving Mayama, because if I did, it would mean that what I have always believed in is a lie”. You can call me obstinate because I totally agree with what Ayumi said.
I’m not trying to be arrogant or cocky here, but I find nominating in the Anime Blog Awards to be going against what I said back then. That would make me a totally hypocrite, and I have mentioned how much I dislike hypocrisy. I understand that in the real world, it is impossible to not be a hypocrite at all. However, when there are paths where you can choose whether or not to be a hypocrite, and in those cases, I often choose not to.
I am not trying to stir up anything here, and I’m not trying to be an anti-social ass. However, to me, it just feels like the Anime Blog Awards is somewhat like a mix between SaiGar and the Seiyuu Awards, if you get what I mean.
Hence, the purpose of this post. I wouldn’t even think about writing this post if I wasn’t nominated, but since I was, I have decided to be slightly responsible by wanting to clarify that I’m not some cocky ingrate. Instead, I would like your kind understanding that I’m just trying to stand by what I believe.
Here’s a Chiaki and her Kuma-chan for anyone whom I might have offended
There are a lot of anime blogs out in the blogosphere that I have great respect for, but I shall not list any names this time. If I really decide not to sign up for the Anime Blog Awards, it does not mean that I have zero respects for any other fellow bloggers. Sometimes, respect doesn’t need to be put in words or through such an event. There are other ways.
Even for a certain anime blogger who says that I probably think that porn has a great storyline, I have immense respect for him.
Anyway, I wish all the nominated blogs good luck, and hopefully positive stuff will spawn out of this online event. There’s still some time till the nominations close, so I might just play a part if my thinking ever changes.
If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t nominate you XD
The Anime Blog Awards helps with the promotion of lesser-known blogs, either through the links of blogging voters OR the actual nominations themselves. It’s also to congratulate the winners of doing a good job (in whatever way) with their blog. I don’t see the ABA as a popularity contest, although it may seem like it at first.
Unlike SaiGar and Saimoe, I don’t think bloggers really want to push another person’s blog for the purposes of e-fapping. And unlike the Seiyuu Awards which were complete bull IMO, the ABA offers both the blogger’s choice award and the reader’s choice award for each category.
So if you do get an ABA, will you turn up to the awards ceremony?
Well I wanted to nominate you for the Cutest Anime Blogger but this category didn’t exist.
Hey Kaori the lolita thinks you’re cute too.
I agree with Icystorm here. It’s not like blogs are like “OMG VOTE FOR ME!” Bloggers vote for what they know like everyone else. If it turns out that some blogs get a lot more nominations than others, those just happen to be the ones that more people know for better or for worse. And I also wouldn’t think that the people who nominated the blogs would also be self-preening if their candidate won. It’s supposed to be a fun exercise and full of integrity, but only if people let it be that way, and I hope that people do.
It’s cool if you decide not to vote, but it’s good to give ourselves a pat on the back every once in a while, and this seems to a way to do it that is more out there than most.
Most awards nowadays like these are made of popularity contests and nothing else. Firm decision you made, one I commend.
Well, panther, it depends. There’s always an element of popularity in everyone, but We try my best in this event to include the element to promote new blogs as well. Quite a few functions on the site facilitate new blogs, and we are intending to create a “Sundance” version (for less popular blogs) to celebrate the blogs that deserve more attention.
Hence, I believe that your view might be flawed if you assume everything is about popularity without making a critical look at the attempt by the organizers to make this less of a popularity contest and having a different facet compared to other awards.
Cheers!
i was going to enter the anime blog awards but it feels to soon for me since i just started
Icystorm > I feel much better ^^
IKnight > I haven’t thought about anything so far.
One > I’m not cute >_>
TheBigN > Let’s hope nothing screwed up happens.
Panther > I wouldn’t really say most. Probably some.
Impz > Cheers!
Otaku dan > It’s all up to your personal choice if you want to enter, really.
How can I get information for next year’s anime blog awards? Being in the US, I am somewhat out of the loop. Can anyone help? If so, please post a comment on my blog. http://theanimeresource.blogspot.com
I haven’t really cared about the anime blogging ’scene’ for almost a year so this thing doesn’t quite interest me like it may have back then. But seriously, when I read “it gets people talking” three times during a simple description of good drama, well.. it puts me off anyway. If I remember to, I’ll likely give you the vote.
Random sidenote: when the hell did DarkMirage start getting 100 comments for a simple Gundam post? I haven’t checked that blog in some time. I guess it must be the new interface design.
Other sidenote: wait, you watch/ed Minami-ke but not Clannad? I can’t think of any logical reason why anyone who likes one could dislike the other.
Mark > Thanks =) But I don’t really care if I win or not. Winning’s probably just another bonus.
Darkmirage’s brand is already exteremly well-established, so 100 comments for a simple Gundam post is nothing surprising. His popularity is like the Singapore version of DannyChoo.
I’m not into Key, hence the reason why I don’t like Clannad. I don’t really dislike, I just don’t watch it.
Impz: The few that do their best to be fair and impartial as compared to the masses that know little or nothing about fairness and impartiality? I would seriously love to hold a good view, but I do look at the ratio of the former to the latter. Not that I would not agree with you of course, but so far, the latter has always outnumbered the former. I rest my case though, no point arguing about such things, especially since Double has said he will not join. Cheers.