Blogspotlight: Anime Vios

Blogspotlight is back with Miharusshi from Anime Vios.
Question 1: Could you tell the readers a bit about your blog? What can we find on your blog?
“My about page gives more details about how I started my blog, Anime Vios. But for convenience’s sake, I’ll simply say it’s my “Japanese media diary”, with a bit of emphasis on personal lessons and insights derived from consuming these oriental goods—mostly anime, manga, and Japanese music.

I’ve just been converted into Yuri-ism (if there’s such a word, but the point is there), but somehow my blog’s getting a lot more traffic through my yuri posts than all the other stuff I wrote on. Now I’m not sure if I should be flattered about that.”

Question 2: What made you decide to start your own blog?
“Most anime bloggers I know started their blogs because of fellow anime bloggers. But, unlike them, I was inspired to start my own blog by my college friend and confidante. She blogged about the random happenings in life—absolutely nothing was about anime. When I found out about it—right when we were just starting to know each other—the desire to rekindle my passion to write was awakened. It took my three years to finally start writing posts, though. (chuckle) ”

Question 3: How did you get in touch with anime and other Japanese media?
“When I was little I was unknowingly already exposed to anime dubbed in Tagalog. I remember drawing Pikachu, Ash, Son Goku, and the like. These anime characters were my most memorable drawing subjects—thanks to them, I kind of knew that I can draw.

It wasn’t until around the end of my second year in high school when I got reintroduced to the medium through my friends. That was also when I got acquainted with manga, both licensed and scanlated ones. This is making me nostalgic; OneManga used to be the best thing! ”

Question 4: What is the element that you like most in anime?
“This is actually a difficult question. On one hand, I’d like to mention animation, now that I’m more informed about the anime production process (even before Shirobako aired) and the appreciation of impressive animated cuts, or sakuga. On the other hand, anime is undoubtedly my best medium of choice when it comes to discovering many sorts of sounds—breathtaking seiyuu performances, cute and catchy opening songs, mellow and melancholy ending songs, and a wide variety of soundtracks from talented composers.

But what glue them together and make all these even more worthwhile are the stories that come with them—as complex as FMA Brotherhood or as simple as Fumiko’s Confession. Even the “boring” tales have something in them that keep some people from ultimately dropping them. ”

Question 5: Do you have a specific genre you love to watch?
“I tend to love slice of life dramas, the ones which have may or may not have so much angst as long as they make me care about and cry for the characters, their repeating dilemmas, their fragile relationships, their impossible dreams, and their bitter selves. Even if I end up feeling too much for these precious babies, as if my world shatters along with theirs. Of course, good human dramas provide their viewers with the right reasons to stick through until the end. Or maybe I simply don’t mind hurting myself. ”

Question 6: What is your favorite series? Can you tell us what made it so special?
“Take a look at my MAL profile to see an almost-comprehensive list of my all-time favorite anime. For this question, I’ll mention Silver Spoon not only to avoid the usual fan-favorite suspects. It just hit home when I watched the first season. It did all the more when the sequel came. I saw and still see myself in Hachiken–from his limbo state on future life plans to how he’s dealing with people’s expectations from him. It’s not like he always had a choice, nor he knew what a perfect choice would look like. Hachiken chose to live in the moment and learn from his own and others’ experiences. And that’s what I’m doing at the moment. It isn’t all too bad. ”

Question 7: What do you dislike in anime?
“Genre, plot twist, fandom? There’s absolutely nothing I dislike about anime (that I can think of), even if I do find many anime/aspects of the fan community cringe-worthy or which do rub me the wrong way. Anime may not be a perfect medium, but it works perfectly for me! The fan community may be annoying at times, but being a part of it can be worthwhile! Just find the right circle(s) to join (like my anitwitter circle) and the people to engage with in banal or profound discussions. ”

Question 8: You’ve passed your one year of blogging milestone a few months ago. How have you experienced blogging and are there any extraordinary things you’ve encountered so far?
“In my first anniversary post, I tried to highlight some of the extraordinary things that had happened. If it weren’t for the anime blogging/twitter community I currently interact with, I probably wouldn’t be able to know and learn about many things. I probably wouldn’t strive to learn more. I probably would simply burn out and fade away. I got to meet many awesome people and read their well-informed thoughts and opinions, further fueling my desire to know more about this world, about people, and about ourselves despite the impossibility of complete understanding. But I like learning through engaging with these sorts of people because, on the contrary, it makes me feel the limitless possibilities. I hope this made sense? ”

Question 9: What does the future for hold for your blog?
“Nothing is for certain. I may stop blogging in less than five years from now, or I may continue writing until I grow old. Who knows? But I am open about the possibility that I will eventually stop blogging, as I also hinted in my first anniversary post.
If we’re talking about the immediate future, however, I do have some plans–regarding new projects I’d been thinking of doing–which I’ll announce as soon as this goes online! ”

Question 10: To make this post a little more personal. Can you give us a random fact about yourself?
“I have been calling myself a cis-female bisexual, but these days I’m not too sure about the cis-female part. This is something I haven’t told anyone or written anywhere before. For now I’ll explore some more and find out where this uncertainty comes from. Wish me luck! ”

I want to thank Miharusshi from Anime Vios for participating. Be sure to check out the blog!