Blogspotlight: Dang-Tran Dynasty

Dang-Tran Dynasty shares his story in this Blogspotlight.

Question 1: Can you tell the readers a bit about your blog? What can we find on your blog?

“Dang-Tran Dynasty is primarily an anime blog but I occasionally write about video games I am making or playing. I write about whatever I feel like at the time relating to anime or video games. Some of my staples are musical Mondays, reviews, and reflection. Reflection is where I just take ideas from a show or franchise and rant about it for a little bit, sometimes tying in what I learned at school. ”

Question 2: What made you decide to start your own blog?

“When I tried to discuss and share my thoughts on anime with friends they always had little to say and it frustrated me. I wanted an outlet to talk about my interpretations of the shows I loved so much. I decided to make a blog after reading a blog on MyAnimeList by a user called Shocked (http://myanimelist.net/blog/Shocked). At the time I didn’t believe I could make enough content for a blog so I recruited a good friend of mine and decided to make a blog together with him. He ended up flaking out on me and I continued the blog by myself. ”

Question 3: How did you get in touch with anime and other Japanese media?

“Like many others of my generation, I came into contact with anime in the form of Pokemon before I even knew what anime was. Then came Dragonball and Yu-Gi-Oh, but even then I did not really identify it as anime. Then came a time desolate of anime until I grew older and could stay up a little later. I started watching Adult Swim with my elder brother which introduced me to more mature anime such as Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, and Ghost in the Shell. That was when I really fell in love with anime and continued to look for more to watch. ”

Question 4: What is the element that you like most in anime?

“My favorite aspect of anime is the wide variety of shows that allow anyone to find something they like. This is primarily caused by the fact that everything from the script to the animation is created from nothing but the imaginations of the creators. Cartoons also share this trait but for some historical reason in America they are only limited to kids shows and comedies, albeit some of them are quite good. Anime’s diversity is its best virtue, though that does bring some weird shows now and again. ”

Question 5: Do you have a specific genre you love to watch?

“I look for character development and a compelling narrative that teaches me something about myself or the world. These attributes can be found in any genre of anime so I tend to try everything from a season to find what intrigues me. Though if I had to choose a genre it would be Slice of Life. ”

Question 6: What is your favorite series? Can you tell us what made it so special?

“My favorite series is Evangelion. Evangelion has the most riveting characters out of any anime I have ever seen. There are so many different aspects to these characters to analyze that when contemplating them you get many different perspective. Through them we are able to gain insight in how humans approach the Hedgehogs Dilemma. A dilemma that I have problems with myself and watching these characters go through that in such an severe manner was enlightening. Before watching this show I gravitated toward solitude and suppressed myself in front of others. After watching I became more determined to interact with others and reach out to them. And that is only one of the ways Evangelion inspired me to change the way I think. I could talk about this show all day, but I’ll just end it with this. Evangelion is the one anime that has influenced my life the most and it will always have a special place in my heart that cannot be replaced. ”

Question 7: What do you dislike in anime?

“My least favorite part of anime is the reputation it holds in the United States. I am very proud of what I enjoy and whenever I speak with new friends about my hobby often times they jump to conclusions of juvenile cartoons and tentacle porn. Sometimes the same person jumps to both conclusions even though it would be a paradox. It irks me that anime is seen this way as it is so much more and many are comparable or even better in quality than Hollywood movies and television shows. ”

Question 8: You’ve been blogging since July 2013. How have you experienced the anime blogging community so far?

“The anime blogging community is great and really inspires me to write more. There are times that I just do not feel like writing and then I go into my wordpress reader and read great blog posts by you and other anime bloggers I follow and my motivation surges. As for interacting with the anime blogging community I try to make it a point to comment on every post that I enjoyed reading. In the future I hope to make more personal connection with other anime bloggers and perhaps start another one of those anime podcasts. ”

Question 9: Are there any sites or series that newcomers to the anime community should check out?

“For anime websites you should check out, if you do not have anything to keep track of anime you have watched I recommend MyAnimeList. MyAnimeList also does reviews, blogs, and has a fun forum. A movie I always recommend for anyone to watch is 5 Centimeters Per Second. Its a romance that depicts the story of two childhood friends who try to keep their love going as they are slowly separated through distance. Though the characters themselves do not leave an impression, the themes are beautifully incorporated. Learning to let go of a distant past to move forward and take control of their own life. ”

Question 10: Can you tell us a random fact about yourself to make the post a bit more personal?

“I am a real life tsundere, though not as extreme as the ones shown in anime. Let me tell you a story from high school. A new friend joined my little circle of close friends and commented on how nice I was. Everyone else in the group laughed and responded that I was callous and troublesome. I then realized that I savored teasing close friends and the more attached I got to people the meaner I was to them. Whenever I would meet people I gauged how much teasing they could take and adjusted accordingly after I got to know them well. So essentially I am kind of a prick.”

I want to thank Dang-Trang Dynasty for participating and be sure to check out his blog with all its diverse content!