POV: You’re walking into a convention center or hotel or chosen venue for a pop culture con you’ve been looking forward to the whole year. You’ve spent extra time on your makeup so that you can look as perfect as you imagine yourself to be. All of your supplies are in your bag. You’ve taken your medication and even your vitamins (good job, you say to yourself).
As you enter the exhibit hall, you start to feel an awful tightness in your chest. You’re out of breath, actually no, you’re hyperventilating at this point. The room is spinning, and you feel dizzy. The venue is too loud and crowded for you to bear. You try to ground yourself, but it’s futile. You don’t come back until after friends of yours find you. To them, you look spaced out and a bit tired. But on the inside, you’re screaming, and you feel like you’re drowning in your own skin.
This is what it’s like to have an anxiety attack at one of your favorite places to be.
I’ve been going to comic cons and anime cons for 15 years as of this October. At the tender age of 18, this girl from Brooklyn, NY, went to her first New York Comic Con in her first year of college. Comparing myself to back then to now is jarring. I was full of light and excitement whenever I entered Jacob K. Javits center years prior. So why do I feel sick to my stomach and queasy now?
I’ve noticed that over the past 3 or 4 years that I’ve been feeling uneasy when convention season starts. I started cosplaying back in 2012, where all I cared about was having fun, and if I do get lucky, I’ll have my picture taken by a few people. Now, I have to worry about numbers, creating content, and even one upping the last cosplay I did.
I even started to feel out of body experiences when I cosplay. I like to joke around and say that “I’m a chameleon” because I blend in so much and that I take different shapes when I cosplay as opposed to when I’m out of cosplay. It has gotten to the point where I hardly recognize myself when I do the most with my makeup.
My friends and even family who don’t know too much about cosplay ask me, “Who did your makeup?” Then I sheepishly reply to them,”I did.” Whenever I hear or see the phrase,”I don’t even recognize you, or “You look like such a different person,” it kind of makes my skin crawl. On the inside, I know it’s me. I’ve been me for quite a long time. But when I look in the mirror, the positive affirmations come out, but the negative thoughts do too.
Whenever I am in cosplay around my peers, I always get a “Wow, Elly, you look so different every time!” I don’t think it’s inherently bad that they say that, but it makes me feel bad. The self-doubt appears again. “Will they like me outside of cosplay?” “I always look different. Will they recognize me this time around?”
Let’s also not forget that I am a fiber artist, specifically crochet. The con crunch is so real when I have to finesse an outfit from balls and balls of yarn within a month or so.
Part of me wants to call it quits and retire from cosplaying altogether. But knowing me and how stubborn I am and how bored I get, I want to create more. I just feel like the inexplicable expectation to have an attention-grabbing post and performance anxiety makes me want to not create anything anymore.
I know I was put on this earth to create art. Whether it is through a hobby or a career. It’s hard to view whatever I create for cosplay as “content” for myself or to have some semblance of “influence” because I use this medium to express myself. I use cosplay as a means to not be myself for a weekend. But when the expectation is to post to prove that you were at an event (at least, this is how I perceive it), it ultimately feels wrong and out of place.
Don’t get me wrong, I still have fun anyway while attending these events. But the expectations plus the outside stimuli that are your peers in this art form are starting to feel a lot less fun and even authentic.
Let’s address the inauthenticity that I’ve been feeling another time. I think this is definitely a separate topic to delve into.
I am trying to figure out what to do next without feeling hopeless about having anxiety in my favorite place to be. Some of the tips I’ve worked on exploring were using the quiet area (if available), earplugs for overcrowded places, and even taking a break back in my hotel room or stepping outside.
If you have any tips or suggestions for navigating a con while anxious, please let me know.
I’ve been a fan of things related to witches since I was a kid. I grew up in the same era as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Ojamajo Doremi, Harry Potter, and even the animated series, W.I.T.C.H. (though they are not witches in the series, I swear I’m funny, I promise).
I’ve noticed that witch related series are coming back into media, specifically anime and manga. So here are some recommendations from me, your witch enthusiast.
Witch Hat Atelier
Witch Watch
Ichi the Witch
Witch Hat Atelier
I wrote about Witch Hat Atelier in my last March Manga Madness blog. However, there’s a small change this time around: Witch Hat Atelier currently has 13 volumes in circulation. It’s spin-off, Witch Hat Atelier: Kitchen has 5 volumes in circulation. The anime will be animated by Bug Films (animated Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead).
Below is the teaser for the anime.
As I’ve mentioned in my previous blog, I enjoy the whimsical aspects of this manga. I also enjoy the talk of duality of humanity as well as the tests that the protagonist, Coco, has to deal with. I look forward to learning more about what Coco has next in future volumes and the anime.
You can read Witch Hat Atelier digitally through the K Manga app by Kodansha, or you can visit your local bookstore that carries this series.
Witch Watch
Diving into the romantic comedy genre, we have Witch Watch. Witch Watch stars Morihito Otogi (aka “Moi”), who’s an ogre and his childhood friend, Nico Wakatsuki, a witch-in-training (heavy on the training part) are betrothed to each other. Additionally, Nico chooses Moi as a familiar in her witch training.
I’ve read a few chapters so far and I’m having a great time. There are so many laughable moments to the point where I’m tearing up. I don’t want to spoil too much of the series, so here’s the trailer of the anime below.
As of this blog, Witch Watch has 200 chapters and 13 volumes in the United States. In Japan, there are 20 volumes serialized. You can read the manga via the Shonen Jump app on your device of choice.
The anime will be airing on Netflix on April 6th, 2025. I’m excited to watch the series.
Ichi the Witch
Ichi the Witch is a manga I recently picked up about a month ago. Simply because of this lovely lady below.
That’s right, you read it correctly: “Everyone’s favorite uber talented badass, Desscaras.”
Desscaras is not the first Black character we’ve seen in media. There are many others of the like (not mentioning who the Black community claims as Black in this instance) that we’ve seen in recent times. However, this is the first time in quite a while that we have seen a Black character, yet alone a Black woman, be a main character in a series.
Ichi the Witch takes place in a society where only women and girls practice magic. Men do not have magical capabilities, thus having a matriarchal society. In order to harness magic, full-fledged witches are to acquire beings known as Majiks. Majiks can appear to be in any form and any alignment. In order to practice magic, one must obtain Majiks. The more obtained, the stronger the witch.
However, there is a prophecy where there will be a young man who will eventually fulfill a prophecy where he is able to practice magic and obtain Majiks. The titular character, Ichi, is a teen who lives in the mountains and has been for as long as he can remember. Once Ichi obtained one of the strongest Majiks to ever exist, his adventure begins.
Ichi being under Desscaras’ tutelage results in near peril activities and a growing understanding and even respect of each other – or at least somewhat.
As of this blog, Ichi the Witch is available on the Shonen Jump app. There are 32 chapters available to read.
I always suspected that I had ADHD since I was younger. It wasn’t until after DreamCon 2023 that I decided to get myself checked out.
Prior to having the right medication, the diagnosis, and countless techniques that I continue to break and try again, it felt like there was static in my head constantly. I couldn’t hear anything anyone had to say until I had to ask them three or four times. It was hard to pay attention as well.
When I tell people I have ADHD, they automatically assume I’m the kind of person to bounce off the walls and very hyperactive. I hate to break it to everyone, but mine is different. The type I have is the inattentive type. Every time I would have a conversation with someone, I would zone out. It wasn’t on purpose either. Even going to do a simple task, I would catch myself zoning in and out and trying to break free, but resistance is futile.
Even worse part: my work ended up being affected. I’d show up to work late because I would zone out for an hour, even with me waking up early and getting myself ready for work. I have and continue to have no sense of time at all. Tasks were and still are difficult to event execute, especially the ones that were the most minute. It’s truly exhausting, and I really don’t wish this on my enemies one bit.
But now, after nearly two years and several different medicine combinations, I would say that I’m pretty stable(ish). The problem that I’m facing now is the guilt from not being productive. Sure, I face this a lot at work, but it’s especially prevalent in my own personal projects. I would start something, go and get ready to post, get demotivated, then go on a depression streak. Rinse and repeat.
I was even beginning to feel awful because I was not productive and even started to loathe the word “consistent” (I still do, by the way). I work a lot on spur of the moment waves depending on my energy level of the day.
A lot of the time, I was up for making something, and I don’t even want to edit it because I don’t have the energy or motivation to do anything. Because of this, I started to compare myself to other creators. I ended up drowning in my lack of productivity and anxiety to post.
The question for right now is: “Now that I’m climbing to the surface again, what’s next?”
The answer: I don’t know.
Who knows if I fall into the deep end because I have such an inconsistent mood and productivity cycle? Who knows if I thrive despite my shortcomings?
The most important part of it all is to leave yourself room to grieve and feel out your feelings. It’s okay to be sad and frustrated over what things could be. Even if things go wrong and you have to start over and over and over again, always make the time to grieve to make the right path to move forward for you.
Now in 2025, I will make the space for me to grieve when I need to and also make the space to create for myself. With all the algorithmic issues and the potential mass exodus from TikTok on January 19th for the US, I think it’s very important for creators such as myself to process and come back when we are ready.
On Sunday, July 2, 2023, my best friend put me on to Lil Uzi Vert’s new album, Pink Tape. I’m not an avid listener of their music, but I do appreciate how they love to delve into different genres, but it still is something that is by Uzi. There were a few songs that I really liked such as “CS” (a cover of Chop Suey by System of a Down), “Nakamura” (a revamp of wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura’s theme song), “Just Wanna Rock” (a current Jersey mix staple), and “Werewolf.” However, there was one track that stood out to me as we were doing Sunday cleaning.
The track “The End” has a BABYMETAL feature. Yes, you heread that correctly. BABYMETAL. I’m not an avid listener of BABYMETAL either, but for those who are not familiar, the song “Gimme Chocolate!!” should ring a bell. Upon listening to the song the first time around, I had to do a double take. Because had I not known better, I would have mistaken this for either Babybeard or the drummer from MAXIMUM THE HORMONE. Both groups are something to listen to: Babybeard led by Ladybeard, an Australian stunt person and wrestler with his growls in their songs. MAXIMUM THE HORMONE charm is having either a cute aspect in their songs sung by their drummer, then elements of punk and nu-metal (ex. In the songs “Yoshu Fukushu” 「予襲復讐」, Chu Chu Lovely) or the complete opposite (ex. In the songs “A-L-I-E-N,” Zetsubō Billy”「絶望Billy」).
I also would have easily mistaken this for a song that came from the anime Aggretsuko since the protagonist, Retsuko, a red panda from the Sanrio Collection, who does karaoke to metal songs and even sings her own songs to relieve stress that she experiences from her salary man job. She was even in an idol group at one point (see season 3 of Aggretsuko), where she went from their accountant to a featured singer.
Uzi’s continuous shift and experiments in different genres have proven to be successful. Public opinion does beg to differ from what I’ve seen on social media platforms such as TikTok under “The End’s” sound.
There are many artists who have done so in the past. Artists that I can currently think of who are doing the rebranding or experimenting are Doja Cat, who went from a soft sound in her raps to memes in her song “Moo!”, to running TikTok with trending sounds such as “Say So,” “Streets,” “Kiss Me More,” “Woman,” “Need to Know,” and more on the albums Planet Her, and Hot Pink.
Doja Cat in her “Kiss Me More”
Lil Nas X topping the Billboard charts for 19 weeks in a row for “Old Town Road” for a country song that gave him a break through into the industry (one hit wonder who?). He was heavily criticized and even faced racist remarks for being a Black person in country music (quick history lesson, country, and many other genres were pioneered by Black people). Nas X was also criticized for his self-titled album and song “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” due to the sacrilege imagery depicted.
Janelle Monae with their albums Dirty Computer (2018) and Age of Pleasure (2023) with the former being social commentary towards how Black femmes are treated from being policed about their tone and expression (songs “Crazy Classic Life,” “Django Jane,” “Americans” to sexual liberation of Black queer folk where they expressed years ago that they were pansexual (songs “Take a Byte,” “Screwed,” “Pynk,” “Make Me Feel”) and fear of being judged or even succumbing to the discrimination that marginalized communities face (“Don’t Judge Me,” “So Afraid,” and “Americans.”)
The latter, Age of Pleasure, expounds on sexual liberation (ex. “Lipstick Lover,” “Water Slide,” “Paid in Pleasure,” “Only Have Eyes 42,” “A Dry Red”), and self-acceptance (ex “Float,” “Champagne Shit,” “Phenomenal,” “Haute,” ). There are many critics out there who have said that Monae has been too “sexual.” If there are avid listeners of them, to quote their song “Q.U.E.E.N.” (2013, The Electric Lady) post-chorus “Even if it makes others uncomfortable, I will love who I am.“
Janelle Monáe’s “Q.U.E.E.N.” (2013) where they discuss in their lyrics about being other educational due to the multitude of identities they hold.
I think that it’s important that artists experiment with other genres to show their evolution throughout the years as well as to provide appreciation to other artists that sound similar and to provide recommendations. As long as the line of appropriation is not crossed, discord does not occur, and credit to original sounds is given, we can work towards evolution and creativity. Additionally, a newer sound can show a new era of enlightenment for an artist and lead in a path towards self-acceptance. Music is an art form at the end of the day.
I have created a playlist of the songs listed in this blog so that you can give it a listen. I hope that you all enjoyed this blog/video. Tell me what you think about it in the comments below.
Not even go to lie to anyone reading this: I’m exhausted. Social media has been exhausting. Work has been exhausting. Aside from the things I’ve been showing you and the copious amount of tweets that I either produce or retweet daily, it’s been extremely difficult to produce any kind of content. Especially with the niche that I love the most: anime. I don’t think that enough content creators talk about this so I think it’s time that I express how I feel about the thing I dread the most about being creative: burnout.
It’s been quite difficult to make a “breakthrough” of some sort because nowadays the niches that I’m interested in: anime, cosplay, etc. is flooded with content. I started to go down the rabbit hole of “what’s the point of posting something on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube when no one is going to see it?” As a smaller creator, I think that even though I’ve tried my best to be consistent, it’s still feels pointless in my opinion most of the time to post something.
I also think that it’s difficult to produce anything when you’re a kind of person who doesn’t have energy most of the time due to health (mental and physical). I don’t want to strain myself more than I already am due to life dealing me physical and psychic damage every chance it can get. This is the major reason why I haven’t posted consistently. Yes, the algorithm plays a role, because I’m always thinking about farming for views have been zapping out the little energy that I have left. Instead, I just don’t post until I’m ready to do so.
Additionally, I think it’s also not having the “persona” or pizzazz developed to be a creator. What you see online in tweets, IG stories, and TikTok videos is who I am in real life-often times even more anxious than what I appear to be. I’m also the type of person who likes to show rather than to speak. With that method in place content wise, I think that I haven’t found a sparkly way to express myself in a way to stand out among others.
There were also thoughts in my head to make this year the last year that I delve into cosplay, anime, etc. because of the infinite loop of burnout I am still experiencing. The thought of not catching a trend quick enough burned me out. Being told to be consistent and have a schedule burned me out. Seeing that others already discussed the topic at hand and saying anything additional more than often times feels meaningless. As someone who always wanted to do creative outlets throughout their whole life, it feels less fun now more than ever.
Now don’t take this blog as a way for me to get attention for people to view my work. It’s not the type of post. The purpose of this blog is to vent out feelings that I’m sure others have felt. I just hope that with me venting a little bit, that I can jump over the burnout mental block.
I don’t have advice at this moment because everyone’s process is different. But what I’ve been doing to heal from burnout is not consume the media that I know that is causing the burnout. I’ve been watching J-Dramas and even watching video game content for games I’m getting back into. I even started to watch anime that has been on my watchlist for a long time. I’m working on feeling that watching anime is fun rather than it being a number game.
What do you do to overcome burnout? Leave comments at the bottom of this blog and let me know what you think.
I’m looking to not giving up on creating despite the weight I’m holding. Thank you for reading.
It’s March! I recently found out that this is Manga Madness, where people discuss the manga series they enjoy or recommend. Since my last video on YouTube about my manga collection, my little “library” has grown. I’m not sure how much I own right now, but within the next three to five years, I plan on growing it more, space permitting.
Without further ado, here are the series that I recommend from my collection.
Spy x Family
The Way of the House Husband
Mashle: Magic and Muscles
Boys Run the Riot
Kaiju No. 8
Witch Hat Atelier
Spy x Family
Spy x Family, the most recent winner of the 2023 Crunchyroll Awards for “Best Comedy,” “Best New Anime Series,” and “Best Anime Ending Sequence,” highlights the perspectives of our beloved protagonists: Loid Forger (codename “Twilight”), a Westalis spy, Yor Forger (neé Yor Briar) an assassin (codename “Thorn Princess”), and Anya Forger, an esper. All three of them make up a hodgepodge of a family on order to cover up their identities. As of this post, Spy x Family has nine volumes in English printed from Viz Media. There are seventy-five chapters out currently to read digitally on the Viz Media/Shonen Jump app and it up dates every two weeks to a month. Spy x Family has also been confirmed for both a movie and a second season. I look forward to watching both when they come out.
The Way of the House Husband
The Way of the House Husband follows ex-Yakuza member, “Immortal Tatsu” through his current status as a house husband. This series shows that the more things change, the more they stay the same. There are many instances of Tatsu doing daily things such as shopping for groceries or biking down the block and he still clocked for being a Yakuza member. From his ragtag of former underlings and boss, to the police officers and neighborhood association that he treasures, he is loved by them all despite his demeanor. But the attention that he fights to win the most is from his wife, Miku.
The Way of the House Husband currently has nine volumes available in English, two seasons of anime on Netflix, a live action drama, and a live action behind the genius of the series curated by the voice actor and live action actor Kenjiro Tsuda.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles
The title of this series is exactly how the plot goes: Mashle’s world thrives around magic. People’s level of magic determines their place in society. It is simply unheard of for someone to be a non-magic user. Anyone of this existence would be persecuted by death. Here enters Mash Burndead, a markless young man adopted by an edlerly man who is pretty weak himself. But then one day, Mash’s obsession with cream puffs got him in trouble to the point where he and his adoptive father almost died. In order to have his adoptive father live peacefully and keep his own existence, Mash enrolls in Easton Academy, where he will muscle his way to becoming a Divine Visionary.
The plot of this feels like One Punch Man, Black Clover, and Harry Potter were spliced from each of their series and woven together to make this hilarious and meme worthy coming of age story. The anime is set to air this Spring and is my highly anticipated favorite of the season. Mashle has eleven volumes available English, 148 chapters available on the Viz Media/Shonen Jump app updated weekly.
Boys Run the Riot
Ryo Watari, a trans boy in high school struggles in school because his school does not accept him as the gender he wants to be addressed as. Because of this, he is ostracized, leading him to befriend Jin Sato, an upperclassman that was held back a year. Both are interested in streetwear – Ryo feels the most comfortable in them because they align with both his gender identity and expression for him. Jin is interested because it is a means to express himself through fashion. They both create the brand “Boys Run the Riot” together.
Boys Run the Riot is an excellent narrative for trans youth and even adults. It brings things into perspective and provides affirmation and solidarity. The series is complete and has four volumes. The author is also trans so there is more incentive to read since there is adequate representation. Trans Day of Visibility is March 31 and if you would like to read something that brings awareness, this series is perfect.
Kaiju No. 8
Even though the demographic is shonen, Kaiju No 8 is the first shonen series that I’ve read that stars a 30+ year old. Kafka Hibino, age 32, dreams of fighting kaiju alongside his childhood friend. Instead, he is stuck as clean-up crew when the kaiju are defeated. Because of his constant failure of the Defense Force exams, he continues to clean. He suddenly becomes the thing he wants to fight: a kaiju, after a freak accident during clean up.
Kafka shows that no matter what age, how many attempts and shots in the dark you make, you keep moving towards your vision. As of this post, Kaiju No. 8 has five volumes in English, 82 chapters that update every two weeks on the Viz Media/Shonen Jump app, and an anime coming out in 2024 produced by Production I.G. (Haikyu!, Great Pretender, Psycho Pass, Prince of Tennis). I’m hoping that the anime is adapting the manga appropriately but also excited that it’s coming.
Witch Hat Atelier
Lastly, I have a recent pickup. I’ve been eyeing this series for the past couple of months. I finally picked up Witch Hat Atelier at my local Barnes and Noble and Kinokuniya and started reading. To have something whimsical and intricate written and drawn in this day and age is amazing. Yet alone by an award winning artist, Kamome Shirahama. She is a recipient of an Eisner award (2020) for her contribution to comics as a cover artist. She has done various cover art for both DC and Marvel. We can tell that her work is gorgeous, and her attention to detail is definitely portrayed in Witch Hat Atelier.
Coco, a daughter of an artisan, dreams of becoming a witch. Little to her knowledge, in order to become a witch, it isn’t as whimsical as she thinks it is. Here enters Qifrey, a notable witch himself who needed cloth. Nearby, there were Noble witches whose flying carriage needed to be repaired, and Qifrey tasks Coco to be his lookout at her house as he does the spell because magic is sacred and if put into the wrong hands, catastrophe will run amuck.
Though Coco does do the task, a piece of cloth flies into her window, causing her to climb and witness Qifrey performing the ritual. She finds out that magic is inscripted as opposed to cast. Once Qifrey leaves, Coco opens a book with a pen and paper that is given to her by a strange witch donning a brimmed hat. She attempts to copy the signs that Qifrey made, which in turn causes a disaster to happen: her mother and home are frozen in stone.
Coco is now under the tutelage of Qifrey alongside three other girls her age where their goals are to become full-fledged witches. Coco has to play catch up because she hasn’t received formal training in inscription yet. Her goal now is to save her mother and to uncover who the strange brimmed hat person is since it is forbidden to give magic tools to just anyone.
With the synopsis of the series, it reminds me of Full Metal Alchemist/Brotherhood, Card Captor Sakura, and Ojamajo Doremi (Magical Doremi) in both the whimsical aspects and crossing forbidden lines. This manga is something I look forward to picking up all the time. I really hope that fans of the series I’ve listed will also enjoy Witch Hat Atelier.
Witch Hat Atelier has 11 volumes, 67 chapters, an anime confirmed for production, and three volumes of their spin-off called “Witch Hat Kitchen.
What manga have you been reading? Let me know in the comments. I look forward to reading your recommendations.
Before delving into this controversial topic, people need to understand that individuals have their preferences. Whether you like watching your anime subbed or dubbed, you are still consuming the same media, just translated and adapted differently for the respective languages. I would like to warn people that this blog is written to give a different perspective about consuming anime in English dub.
Now that we have an idea about the purpose of this blog, let’s get to unpacking and unlearning the dislike and disdain of English dub. As this is your first and last warning, if you are a sub watcher and you prefer subs, that’s perfectly fine! What you’re not going to do in my comments and replies on my social media, is talk about how dub is whack. We aren’t here to shame either means of consumption. We are here to learn; we are here to elevate and celebrate the work that dub voice actors put into anime. We are here to gain understanding.
This blog is based on my observations of the anime community. I am not qualified to speak on industry stuff, but I do know someone who discusses the English dub of anime a bit more in depth than I would. Please check out The Cartoon Cipher and their archive of dubbed anime that they’ve analyzed. Also, check out actual dubbed actors, ADR people, and many many more staff behind dubbing an anime. They are the most reliable source to understand the dubbing industry.
1. The Availability of Anime to the Western Audience (US Market)
How many of you grew up watching anime in the 90’s and early 2000’s? For those who raised their hands or said “I did,” how many of you consumed anime from one of the following channels?
Kids WB!/4Kids/Toonzai
Fox Kids
Toonami
Jetix
Anime Network on Demand
If you said yes to any of these, I thought so. If you said through imported VHS tapes, this still applies to you since you’re still a consumer of the medium. When we were growing up, the availability of anime existed, but took forever to come here unless you were a staple title such as Dragon Ball or Pokémon, just to name a few. Now in the age of technology with services such as Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, the new player in this game Disney+, and other streaming sites; we have many different ways to watch anime. Even YouTube depending on the studio or streaming service that has an account up on that platform may have all or part of the series up.
I’m also assuming that based on the prior question I asked, you watched anime in English, right? Because that’s what was available to us during that time, right? Again, I thought so. We cannot deny our roots as Western consumers.
Now that we have more movies coming to the states such as Belle, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Fruits Basket: Prelude, and even Kaguya-sama Love Is War: The First Kiss That Never Ends (where the first three aired last year and Kaguya-sama’s movie will air on February 14th and 15th, 2023 in select theaters), we have to thank the dub for this. Yes, we should also thank the Japanese market because theaters end up making box office records like Demon Slayer: Mugen Train did back in 2021. But you should also thank the hundreds of dub actors who present you with the gas known as your favorite series.
Revert Your Roots, a line by Ooetsu Nimaya from Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War. This graphic is from the 2022 Jump Festa preview of Bleach: TYBW.
Adaptations for all to enjoy are amazing, and I’m sure you were longing for someone to enjoy this medium with. Do me a favor, just like the Jump Festa 2022 that took place in December 2021 when Bleach’s return as the final arc, Thousand Year Blood War is being adapted: Revert Your Roots; it’s time to remember where you came from.
2. The Accessibility of Anime to the Western Audience
For those of you who do not know, in my muggle life, I am a program manager for day services for people with developmental disabilities. There are a large handful of my current and former clients that watch anime. There are even times where I bump into them at conventions, parties, or any other anime related event. I even taught a class about anime from watching random clips to discussing different studios, and even had them list their favorite series.
One thing I did notice one day when I presented a Soul Eater theme song, Paper Moon by tommyheavenly6, one of my clients sang along in English while I sang in Japanese. That was a jam session I never thought would ever happen.
But back to the point, Closed captions originally existed as an accessibility tool. Some people cannot process audio alone and need the visuals to help them understand what a show is saying. Dubs exist out there for people to process a story no matter how simple or difficult. People end up enjoying themselves and feel included.
We also need to remember: not everyone can process a different language easily or read and listen at the same time to a different language. If you’re reading what I’m saying about this and still feel whatever about it, there’s unchecked ableism that needs to be addressed.
Just because something exists and you find it pointless or should be nixed, does not mean that its purpose is not intentional at all.
In point #2, I mentioned that not everyone can process a different language so easily. What if you spoke one language and tried your hardest with watching anime or other media in another language?
A lot of the sub supremacists do not speak or are not learning Japanese, yet alone another language. I also know that the argument that will be held against me is “well, the emotions that they carry are better.” Here’s why that rebuttal needs to stop:
You’re discrediting the hard work English voice actors are putting into a series.
You’re putting Japanese voice actors on a pedestal when they are human beings like the rest of us.
For those who do not know Japanese that well, stop acting as if you know what is being said fully. Subtitles are translated and Japanese is a contextual language. Even if the translation is correct or near 100%, there are still nuances that are there can can only be fully understood if you know the language.
My best friend wants to get into more anime, however she would rather watch it dubbed because the story would be easier understood that way. With simulcasts and series that aired in the past five or so years, she and other watchers can enjoy the same story as sub watchers have.
At the end of the day, you are watching the same media no matter the language.
We are now in the year 2023. If I hear or see anything about how you don’t like dubs because they sound terrible back then, you sure as heck did not watch dubs within the past five or so years.
We are not in the 1990’s or early 2000’s anymore. There are newer talent that exist now that also grew up watching anime dubbed. Some were even trained by those same voice actors we grew up listening to. We also have more diverse cast members in dub acting. More Black and other POC are being hired and more LGBTQIA+ people are being hired. We get to hear even more range and variety of voice acting styles. Get it together people.
I also know that people will ask me how I watch anime. The answer may shock you…
It depends on the series. For the most part, I watch anime subbed because it is available first when anime air seasonally. I’m also more familiar with the Japanese voice acting scene and know more names and roles done as opposed to the English voice acting scene. Whenever I have the chance and time, I watch anime dubbed. I also watch dubbed anime when the series is bit too intensive for me to process auditorily. Vinland Saga is a perfect example of this. If the dub was available when it first aired in 2019, I would have been a bigger fan that I am now.
The debate between sub and dub shouldn’t matter, yet there are individuals who make it matter.
Conclusion
As stated at the beginning of this blog, you can have your preference. But don’t disrespect the work English VAs put into their craft. Also, curb your enthusiasm if you see someone watching dub. You may not know what they are going through, and you should really mind your business. At the end of the day, we are all watching the same thing. It just so happens that the language differs. If you have learned something from this blog, please consider following me on my socials. Thank you all for reading, and stay tuned for the video version of this blog.
Anime NYC, established in 2017, was created for the fans of anime who were craving a convention that was not New York Comic Con, a con that previously hosted both anime and comic fans. With local cons being Anime Next, the former Liberty City Anime Con, just to name a few, anime fans that were local have always sought a place where they can geek out about their favorite medium-thanks to Peter Tatara, the founder of Anime NYC and the vice president of anime at Left Field Media. Here is my review of Anime NYC’s 5th anniversary.
For those who do not know, I’m an NYC local and my local cons that are huge are New York Comic Con and Anime NYC. Prior to Anime NYC’s inception, I’ve been a frequenter of NYCC, searching for a home for myself, a home con if you will. But now I can finally say: welcome home. New York City is finally an anime city.
This year, we had Hajime Isayama, creator of Attack on Titan, come to the United States to discuss the final season of the series. We’ve also had notable voice actors such as Johnny Yong Bosch, voice actor of Ichigo Kurosaki as well as Michelle Ruff (Rukia Kuchiki), and Derek Stephen Prince (Uryu Ishida). Games such as Genshin Impact and studios such as Studio Trigger (Kill La Kill, Little Witch Academia) and Wit Studio (Spy x Family) were also featured as exhibitors at the con. Though it would have been nice to cover all of these things, the thing I was the most focused on was the culture of this con.
It just really sucked that my homies I wanted to go to the con with (or at least bump into), were not there to admire the beauty and the culture. Hopefully next year, I get to see them at least once!
Tickets
Anime NYC started selling their tickets at the end of March 2022 with its steep prices of $65 per day and a three day pass being $95 for the entire weekend. That does not include tax, services fees, after parties or any special panels attendees needed to apply for. From what I’ve observed, Anime NYC’s competitors in the northeast are Otakon, Katsucon, Anime Next, and a few more.
Last year, Anime NYC was where the omicron variant of COVID-19 caused so much chaos to the point where this year, tickets were limited to about 50,000 attendees. With 2021 being the hamster project that it was for many conventions, the reduction was bound to happen. However, we had to jump through hoops and ladders just to get a ticket or two. Let’s not forget that for those who wanted to obtain a three day pass had one of the following options:
Being first in line and roll a natural 20 and get a three day on GrowTix
Buy single day tickets and pay a little over double of a three day ticket ($195 vs $95)
Utilize the Lyte app, where they were also charging double the ticket price. The prices kept sky rocketing as the con was approaching.
I ended up going all three days due to circumstances presented, but I know plenty of people who did not want to go for a single day, and would rather miss out on the con. I also tried many ways to see if I can get a pass for free by the following means: applying for press, panelist, or the new influencer pass.
Speaking of the influencer pass, Anime NYC coming up with influencer passes is cool and all, but it would have been great to see more of the following:
More local influencers. I probably saw 2 or 3 from NYC. I expect for a city like NYC to have some more influencers that exist here. NYC prides itself when it comes to locals that turn up to any event. We are the toughest crowd to please in any sports or entertainment event for a reason.
Have dedicated spots for people to create content. Jacob Javits Center stretches for four or five streets and across two avenues. That place is big enough to have certain areas be dedicated as such. I thought we used the entire Javits Center, but it did not feel that way. People really were creating content in the Crystal Palace as if people weren’t entering and exiting. Prime example of this was where cosplay meet ups were held. Loads of content were being created there, but it was blocking egress in the event of an emergency.
In addition to item number one: more POC, specifically Black content creators that are highlighted. There has been an influx of Black attendees every year since AnimeNYC has started. I would like to see more of us involved. Black people in the US consume the media heavily and are the influence for the pop culture in this area of pop culture. I would like to see the diversity in our audience and invite smaller creators that are Black into the scene where we can discuss the hot topics and do analytics of our favorite series and video games.
But enough ragging on about the pass and location situation, let’s talk about the cosplays I’ve done.
Cosplays and Social Events
Here’s my cosplan list for every day of AnimeNYC. Friday: Yor Forger, Saturday: Yumichika Ayasegawa, Sunday: Kento Nanami. Cosplans are always subject to change.
For those who are unfamiliar with the cosplay community, cosplay is a portmanteau of the words “costume play.” I have a brief history of my journey on YouTube. Much like cosplay being a portmanteau, cosplan is “cosplay plan.” I had three cosplans over that weekend and honestly, they were not to the standards I wanted. 2022 is my tenth anniversary of me cosplaying and I wanted things to go perfectly so that I could show off the glow up between myself at age 20 and now at age 30.
I was sick three weeks prior due to my allergies and didn’t recover until about a week before show time. And even then, I was still coughing from my lung irritation. So the cosplays I was supposed to show up with felt half assed to me. The only one that I felt was salvaged was my first one: Yor Forger from Spy x Family.
Yor Forger, Spy x Family
Cosplaying as Yor Forger at the Crunchyroll booth.
Yor was supposed to be my hard hitter. I was crocheting a sweater dress that I was almost done with. Even worked on it hours before I left for the con. Thankfully, I had a backup dress in case I couldn’t complete the task (thank you foresight me). But, a thing I was proud of this weekend was that I wore a lace front wig for the first time. It was also my first time wearing nail extensions. They were a bit longer than what I am comfortable with, but the nails were nailing. I had a work event the night before the con and I had to show up and show out for both events.
The positive side of the Yor cosplay was the amount of compliments I got in addition to how I felt about my makeup that day. It felt really great to hear that people liked my looks. Yor will make a reappearance real soon at the next con on my list: Katsucon. This time around, I will have the completed sweater dress I was crocheting.
Kento Nanami, Jujutsu Kaisen
Photo 1: @blackgirlsanime founder, Eunice and myself. Photo 2: cosplayer @coserkaze and myself Photo 3: cosplayers from Jujutsu Kaisen + Jujutsu Kaisen 0
On day two, I was supposed to be Yumichika Ayasegawa from Bleach, 11th Squad’s 5th seat in the Gotei 13. Due to the weather reaching sub freezing levels in the wind chill department, I switched to Kento Nanami from Jujutsu Kaisen. Now this isn’t my first time wearing my Nanami cosplay; I’ve done so for premier night for the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie as well as for NYCC. I love this cosplay so much because it’s very comfortable and easy to put on and take off. Nanami has now become a part of a series of cosplays I like to call “If you cant get a husband, you become one” series, with my first one being Diluc Ragnvindr from Genshin Impact.
The sad part is, like Nanami, I was working overtime, past my eight hour shift. I still had to attend a conference earlier that morning, which caused me to get to Javits at almost 3:45 p.m. The worst part about it? I didn’t have time to put on makeup. I only had time to throw on the clothes I put out even with the suspenders I forgot to place. Despite things not going my way, I was stopped left and right to take pictures. I even got a pic with one of my favorite cosplayers, Dime Hates You- she was cosplaying as Suguru Geto. I was glad to put the cosplay on that day, things were working out left and right even with my high expectations.
Photo with @dimehatesyou an excellent makeup and special effects artist.
Party Time
Later that night, I partied with LAN Party, a podcast that’s local to here that showcases a lot of things in media and host really fun parties. I’m not really a party person, but compared to last year, I had even more fun because my anxiety was not kicking my ass so hard. It was already enough that the weeks prior were stressful for me socially. Just letting you know, if you saw me that weekend and I looked like a deer in the headlights, it was due to anxiety.
Yumichika Ayasegawa, Bleach
On the final day of Anime NYC, I didn’t leave for the con until 2:00 p.m. I was way too tired from partying the night before and once again, I did not wear makeup. I really was not feeling it on Sunday. After so much socialization due to work and now a convention, burnout was setting in heavily.
Me posing with Bleach cosplayers after the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Screening
The highlight of the day was attending the Bleach panel, which was one of the many limited lottery panels that took place on the Main Stage. It was thanks to my friend @coserkaze I was able to go. In attendance were Michelle Ruff and Derek Stephen Prince. Johnny Yong Bosch was only in attendance on Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately, on Sunday, he had to leave early. I am assuming it was due to the passing of his colleague from his days in Power Rangers, Jason David Frank earlier that day. We could not record this panel at the request of the convention as well as by Viz Media. The panel itself consisted of different activities given to Michelle and 6 as spelling characters’ names, announcements of figures and DVDs, as well as adaptations of light novels.
There was also a premiere of Bleach Thousand Year Blood War dubbed. We watched episode three, where we learn more about the Quincies. I don’t want to spoil too much for people who are waiting for the entirety of the series to finish to watch. But what I do have to say is that watching the TYBW dub brought in a huge wave of nostalgia. I along with other Bleach fans have waited ten years since the end of the anime and six years since the end of the manga. Bleach is one of my favorite anime and to see if being aired on Hulu as well as attending the panel has rekindled my love for the series.
At the end of the con, in New York City fashion, the attendees yelled “yerrr” throughout the Jacob Javits Center. It is a tradition since its birth in 2017 and not wanting to partake or even calling it annoying is not only sacrilege, but also insulting to the sanctity that is NYC culture. You can’t just come to NYC and not partake in aspects of our culture that makes us who we are and call it annoying. Just don’t attend if you feel as though it’s not for you.
I left the con with a few people I met to head over to a ramen spot called Kame on 8th avenue near Fashion Institute of Technology. The ramen was good and so were the buns and drink that I ordered. I will definitely go there again on my own to fully enjoy the food.
Panels and Other Events
This year, I did not attend as many panels as I would have wanted to, but two of the three that I did go to were hosted by my friends. They were as follows:
Kinks & Coils: Ethnic Hair in the Cosplay Community
Creating Safe Spaces for Black/POC Women
City Popular: A Perspective of the Rise of City Pop
Kinks & Coils: Ethnic Hair in the Cosplay Community
Kinks & Coils was facilitated by cosplayers VantaCreates and ThouArtAnuli on Friday, November 18th, 2022. I attended with my best friends since high school. I wanted to show one of them that there is a space for Black femmes in the community. This time around, it is perfectly okay to be a Black femme and enjoy fandoms. If there is any kind of retaliation or backlash that one faces, there will be others that are there to defend with class. She thanked me for showing her that there is a space for us and will continue to open up to anime as a medium again.
When it comes to cosplaying, accuracy is always a factor when planning out the costume, makeup, and hair. But with accuracy comes unwanted critiques and extreme scrutiny. Black cosplayers have trouble within this niche community due to many factors that fall under one massive umbrella: racism.
We are told many things: “you’re the Black version of x character,” or “you shouldn’t cosplay x character because they aren’t Black,” and even get attacked by non-Black consumers and get critiqued heavier. To think that even in fandom spaces we have to work two to ten times harder just to get noticed and once you are, there are loads of negative connotations associated.
It is also already enough that Black people are criticized for having our hair in its natural state. Laws such as the Crown Act are being worked on to protect us from discrimination in the workplace and at school. But seeking ways to lay our hair to make it presentable and have our own flair by adding Black hair styles such as locs, afros, and braids of all kinds are all unheard of to non-Black people. Kinks & Curls challenges all traditions as well as provides a safe and brave space to learn techniques and exchange material and brand recommendations.
I’ve attended this panel since 2019, where this year was my third time. This time around, the focus was on Black mascs taking care of their hair and beards for their cosplays. People featured were AnimexSundays, Wendell Cosplays, and Hippy Potter.
Creating Safe Spaces for Black/POC Women was facilitated by my friend ChattyPatty and her podcast, The Black Ramen Podcast (which I was previously on to discuss what it was like being an anime fan and Haitian). I arrived there late. However, there was a chock full of questions people asked. The one that stuck out the most was from a non-Black person asking about how to better support Black and POC women in the anime community. Patty stated that she would want to have accomplices as opposed to allies.
A few takebacks were obtaining an excellent barber or hairstylist, using colored hair wax, various product recommendations for beard care, and even discussion about sizeism that may occur due to social media audiences expecting a cosplayer to look exactly like the anime, video game, or comic book character. AnimexSundays expressed during his time cosplaying as Escanor from Seven Deadly Sins and Asta from Black Clover that he was told that he was “too small” build wise to cosplay as any of these characters. This is a reminder to everyone, cosplayer or not. Anyone can cosplay no matter the size, shape, creed, race, gender, or sexuality. It is time to unlearn any and every previous notions about how accurate a person should look when in costume. With that being said, I hope to see more Black masc cosplayers be more free with their hair as well as their looks in years to come.
Creating Safe Spaces for Black/POC Women
White people as well as non-Black POC are known to participate in bystanderism whenever an injustice is done to Black and other POC. It is very prevalent in digital spaces as well and it does not help that we are discussing it in fandom spaces. We would like more active camaraderie as opposed to passive and performative. As we begin 2023 and onwards, I would like for solidarity to have purpose and not feel empty.
In addition to solidarity race and ethnicity wise, I would like for solidarity to occur when it comes to our neurodivergent siblings of life. There were a few people in the panel that disclosed that they have a disability of some sort and would like to have a space to vibe about their favorite series free of judgment. Having a seat at the table isn’t just about who can speak the loudest, it is about who is at the table and how they are being accommodated for.
City Popular: A Perspective of the Rise of City Pop
City Popular was facilitated by Mista-B of Love Talkin’ where we listened to city pop and future funk. The city pop panel was also great to attend because I got to listen to artists that I was familiar with and was introduced to new ones. Names such as Mariya Takeuchi, Tatsuro Yamashita, an Miki Matsubara were a few of the names I’m familiar with. If you’ve ever listened to Stay with Me (Mayonaka no Door). The song “Out of Time” by the Weeknd was sampled from “Midnight Pretenders” by Tomoko Aran.
I also discovered a new way to support artists and DJs by going to their Twitch, where they will livestream their content or going to various stores that provide vinyl records of the listed artists.
One last attraction I would like to discuss is when Anime Night Club, a pair of brothers who are DJs, hosted an impromptu party in the lobby next to the show floor. This reminded me of how much I love Black people, specifically Black people who love anime. We add a lot of je ne sais quoi. There’s so much flavor we add to the media we consume, and no other community can do it like us.
There were plenty of stories on Instagram and TikTok videos I saw, and I even recorded my own of people dancing and vibing out to the music. There were remixes of anime openings and original soundtracks from One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. There was even a Dora the Explorer remix. People were getting sturdy, and at one point, there was a multilayered swag surf that was made. I really hope that they will come next year so that I can grab more footage or even interview them.
Though there were many growing pains with the con this year, I enjoyed myself. I will make it my mission to attend AnimeNYC every year and document new things I’ve seen over the years. One of the things I definitely want to touch on next year is the rise in Black attendees and the impeccable fusion of anime and Black culture. I also want to know what draws people to certain series and why they cosplay a certain character.
Thank you all so much for reading through my thoughts about AnimeNYC in this blog post. Going to conventions is my passion, and I am stoked to share my experience with you all. I look forward to writing more throughout this year! You can find me on Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, and TikTok using LinkTree.
This post was edited on January 9, 2023 to correct the City Popular section. The organizer of the panel was Mista-B from Love Talkin’. Thank you for the correction.
After years and years of sitting on ideas, I have decided to give content creation a go again.
For those who have not been following me for quite sometime with my content creation journey, I used to be an animator on YouTube. Growing up, my dream was to become an animator and animate not only on TV shows, but also to animate my own shows and clips. Due to many circumstances, the dream died.
Part of it was self-doubt. Part of it was outside influences like parental units. Part of it was “will I make money in this economy?” Lastly, a good chunk of it was “will the industry take me?”
Since becoming a cosplayer in 2012, but taking things more seriously in 2019, I’ve always wanted to talk about the thing I love the most aside from my family and friends: anime.
Anime has been a part of my life since I was about 6 or 7 years old. I grew up around the time of Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, and many other 90s and early 2000s titles.
I’ve noticed a lot on YouTube that there are not so many content creators who discuss anime that are Black. When I mean discuss anime, I mean have in-depth analyses and observing series through a critical lens. If there are creators out there on YouTube, please send them over. I would love to watch their videos and support their work.
I want the Black anime community to relate to someone else out there aside from KingVader and RDCWorld. I would like to do interviews with different people in the anime community from a small, medium, and large platform so that they have their voices heard. Most importantly, I want Black femmes to be heard. As a Black femme myself, I often see or sometimes experience the gatekeeping being done by not only non-Black people, but also from Black men. I want to talk about the diverse pool of anime that I along with other Black femmes watch.
I also want to try my hand at conducting research. I haven’t done any qualitative or quantitative research since I was in grad school 4 years ago. For my YouTube channel as well as this blog, I want to talk about the studies I have done with people in the Black anime community in order to better understand why do they watch certain series and genres.
For the first time in a while, I am excited and passionate about a project. Even though I am anxious that I won’t finish up things, I want to continue to build motivation and the courage for myself to continue to create.
I hope that you all enjoy my content creation journey. Once my YouTube channel launches, I will update this blog and let you all know! Thank you to all that have supported my GoFundMe and other endeavors to help fund my project!
This is just to name a few roles. Some of my favorite roles by Mamo are Tamaki, Tokiya, Dazai, and Death the Kid.
I was first introduced to Mamo’s voice acting in Ouran High School. This was way before I delved into the voice acting fandom and was learning who was voicing who. Tamaki was always so cheery and comedic, which is one of my favorite things about Mamo: how funny he is. Some of his other roles like Dazai embody this. My first role that I actually delved into Mamo fully was when he was
Mamo has always been a person who was lively, animated, and joyful. It was shocking to hear the opposite in roles like Chrollo, Tokiya, and even Zero. I know that Mamo does sound the same in a lot of the roles that he plays, but there’s something that he has that keeps me hooked: his passion.
His passion goes even into his music. From his song Kimi e (君へ。。。) to Tada Soba ni Ite (ただそばにいて) you can hear how much of him he puts into his ballads. In his dance songs Shine, Egoistic, New Order, and Magic, you can hear and even see how much he puts into his moves. Everything about Mamo comes from the heart.
Here are some of his songs that appeared in anime:
Orpheus, Uta no Prince-sama
Canon, Uta no Prince-sama
Shine, Uta no Prince-sama
Tempest, Uta no Prince-sama
Last Dance, In/Spectre
Break It, Cardfight Vanguard!! G
Shout!, Cardfight Vanguard!! G
Hikari Sasu Hou E, Ahiru no Sora
How Close You Are, Ajin
One last thing that keeps me going back to Mamo is the visuals in his music video. Here are some of my favorite music videos:
Last Dance, 2020
Identity, 2013
Even his concerts have great visuals!
Break It, 2015
Magic, 2014
Shout!, 2015
Once again, happy birthday Mamo! I hope that you enjoyed the festivities at home!
