Over the past month, anime has slipped quite a bit on my priority list. Work’s been hectic and I find that I don’t get home until seven or eight in the evening on some days, leaving very little time to watch anime let alone blog about it. Then there are other real-life priorities with family, a social life, and moments where I want to laze away and relax (maybe even play a game) — all of which have really taken precedence over the site as of late. I’ve managed to make do by squeezing as many waking hours out of a day as I can, hence why you see posts published in the early hours of the morning (i.e. 2-5 AM), but it’s become painfully obvious that I can’t — and shouldn’t — maintain such a grueling schedule for any prolonged period of time.
I don’t like having to push out a post three or four days later, even though I know most readers are pretty understanding when I have to. It’s against my style and the standards that people have come to expect from RandomC. As far as I’m concerned, if I don’t have time to cover an episode when I should, I shouldn’t be covering that many shows at once. Thursdays and Fridays have been particularly bad ever since I decided to pick up IDOLM@STER, Mayo Chiki, Ro-Kyu-Bu, and the Ouran High School Host Club drama. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to blog six shows in two days — more than a lot of writers on both RandomC and other blogs generally cover in a week — hence the recent poll to help decide on what shows to drop. A series’ popularity is never the deciding factor on what I cover, but it does make sense to take it into account when I’m pressed for time. I’m completely happy covering all the shows that I am now and fully intend to continue watching them, so it comes down to a matter of how to best spend my time. I also want readers to feel like they have some input on the content that comes out of the site, since you’ll ultimately be the ones reading it.
So with that in mind, I want to formally let everyone know what the plan is going forward.
I have no intention whatsoever of dropping Mawaru Penguindrum. I’m fully committed to Ikuhara Kunihiko’s original series for the full two cours since it’s one of the most refreshing series to roll around in the past while.
Takaii has kindly offered to continue covering Mayo Chiki on my behalf. He should be fine since he usually has to push out coverage of Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni until the weekend due to a lack of subs.
After covering five much-to-be-desired episodes of BLOOD-C and seeing that the story’s finally taken a significant turn in the sixth one that Prooof helped with, I’m going to continue covering it for at least another week. I may hand it off to Prooof or Enzo after that, depending on whether they’re interested enough.
I really want to continue covering IDOLM@STER given how it’s a slice-of-life series that actually features character development and how A-1 Pictures is doing wonderful things on the production side, but I know I’m just asking for trouble if I commit to two Thursday shows that will be carrying over to the fall season. I’m fully intent on covering the new noitaminA series Guilty Crown in October (which was the site’s banner until just recently), plus there will undoubtedly be other new shows I want to cover airing on Thursdays as well. I’ve had the full line-up of shows in a Fall 2011 Preview draft since July, so I already know IM@S will have some pretty stiff competition blogging-wise. It didn’t fair too well in the poll either, even though it seems I’ve sparked some new interest. For the time being, I’ll look at it on week-to-week basis and see how it goes.
Ro-Kyu-Bu’s coverage is officially dropped. I still intend to watch the series until the very end, but there’s been very little I care to talk about on a weekly basis. The series had a very strong start, featuring drama elements that I would’ve never anticipated from its premise. Since the completion of the first arc, it’s become fairly generic so I don’t have any problems dropping it.
The Ouran High School Host Club drama is something I really want to cover to completion since it would be my first live-action drama on the site. I’m well aware the interest is low, since not many anime fans cross the border to the 3D realm, but feel that it’s a good adaptation as far as Japanese dramas go and deserves some attention. I’m behind an episode at the moment, but I intend to catch up.
I still plan to blog the final movie in the Break Blade series. I’ve already re-watched the movie to take screen captures and get a quick reminder of what I saw nearly three months ago when Bandai Channel streamed it. I simply haven’t had a chance to write up a proper reflection and final impression of it. I’m tentatively aiming for this weekend.
Last but definitely not least, we won’t be posting monthly Retrospective Looks anymore. I didn’t want to get rid of them since I really like how they provide contrasting impressions from the writers on all the shows being covered, plus all the shows we’re watching that aren’t, but it’s an absolutely daunting task to go through if anyone watches over fifteen shows a season. (Thirty is even crazier.) The original idea was that they would only take five minutes or so per entry, but the reality is that a lot of thought goes into saying something meaningful in the limited amount of space and it generally takes me a day and a half to complete my part of an RL post. It doesn’t help that there really isn’t time to work on it amidst all the shows being covered and that it requires a coordinated effort to make sure everyone gets their part done on time. The timing is also really bad, especially at the end of every quarter when I’m scrambling to finish the season preview and will be swamped by Series Introduction posts on new shows. I’ve spoken to the other writers and none of us have particularly enjoyed writing an RL post past the first and second ones. They’re a lot of work (which I’d like to believe shows in the end result) and it would be a huge burden off our backs to simply get rid of them. There’s a chance they may be brought them back in some reduced form, possibly only for shows that aren’t being covered regularly, but I’m going to enjoy not having to write a substantial post every month that takes away time I could be using to get the season preview out earlier.
So there you have it. I hate having to drop a series partway through — something that I’ve never done before — but if the option is to either dial back or retire from blogging altogether, I’d like to try and make things work with the former before having to consider the latter. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions (short of getting more writers), you know what to do. I’m even willing to listen to complaints within reason.
Addendum: Thanks for the vote of confidence everyone, but please don’t read too much into the post title. I simply used it to go with the image and the quotation marks around “survival” are intended to be sarcastic. This post is merely a formal way of letting everyone what’s going on and why certain shows and the RL post are being dropped. I can still manage a show a day so it’s not like the site’s in a dire state or anything.
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Thank you. I appreciate the work you’ve all put into this website so far, so these kinds of things are perfectly understandable. 🙂
It’s sad to see the RL go as it was a nice update on all the series I was not following just to see if anything interesting popped up but if it can’t be helped its for the best. Enjoy more time to yourself, I’ve always thought you guys were a bit crazy for doing so much posts especially through an economic recession/recovery period so have some RnR.
Totally understandable. We’re with you guys all the way 🙂
It’s amazing how this site still stays on top of everything, and does so in the best way possible. Keep up the good work!
By the way, LOVE the new banner. Guilty Crown was good too. I will absolutely miss RL 🙁
It’s about time wee see this post.
Turns out Divine is human after all xD
For a moment I thought this would be Divine’s version of the All Good Things…by OMNI. RC is here to stay yahoo!
It might be headed that way if someone steps up and shows interest in being a successor. 🙂
Noooo! D:
I hope if that time comes, their would be a worthy successor already…
I don’t know any other blogging sites with a setup similar to RC with this so many active readers and commenters.
This Post. Was _the_ most disheartening thing I’ve read in a long time. In a good way.
In a good way…?
Even if you are looking for a successor, RC still needs your presence at the moment. When Omni left, everyone was.. OMG! no more RC! And that kind of left a wound.
Even if you could only blog one show at a time, please stay of as long as you can. 🙂
For the moment, you leaving feels like pulling off the band-aid on that still healing wound.
Don’t talk that way, baka!
Okay, no one as in NO one steps up. Divine ftw
@Divine
It just goes to show how much I (and probably some others.. maybe) less-than-3 You.
If you do need to step back divine, I think the site will continue to do fine. You’ve shown excellent judgement in managing this site, and I’m sure you’ll do a fine job in finding and/or grooming another appropriate and skilled manager.
Even though change is difficult sometimes, I have confidence (and hope) that RC will continue to thrive if (or when) you find a successor.
Put a bounty on any potential candidates. We want him dead or alive, but preferably alive.
Haha, just several weeks ago I feel this sort of feeling. I must say I kinda hope you will stay on. Or at least remain a part time blogger and let someone else takeover the whole site. Will be missing you if you’re gone, never heard from Omni again.
P.S. Hmm, since I had this feeling several weeks ago, could it be I time leap back to that time? :p
I hate to see RL go… but I guess I see what you mean. Hope this doesn’t mean you’re close to quitting.
This site is slowly but surely slipping away. I guess all good things must come to an end.
What are you even trying to say?
So basically, all the hard work that everyone else is putting in doesn’t matter?
I’m not sure slipping away is the right word. It’s more like overwhelmed by the sheer number of series to cover and less time than ever to blog about them.
I can sorta agree in part. It’s not that what RC is now isn’t good, it’s just different. I’ve been frequenting this site everyday for years and the feel has kinda changed. It’s still a top quality blog but whereas Omni’s picks were hit after hit, now the blog is much more diverse. Rather than use RC to find recommendations for new shows, I find myself looking up shows I heard about elsewhere on RC now. It’s not a bad thing but I guess it does *feel* like RC is moving away from its niche (of covering shows that are top quality for its genre). Maybe my tastes are just too similar to Omni’s :/.
Relax, Takaii…
disgradius> yeah… if covering a large number of shows means making blogging a chore, then it’s hardly a point to do so…
Divine <3
Please blog naruto soon!
Guardian Enzo!!! He like blogs almost every anime this season (omni?) Can lean on him for help. BTW nice header, its also my PC wallpaper.
2nd. Beside with or without RC, He already blog plenty of anime in his website. Just copy and paste, he got your entire series covered.
Steel, I’m pretty maxed out myself with work, 5 series here and all the ones I do at LiA. I love blogging at RC and I’m going to help in whatever way I can, but adding more series right now is not realistically one of those ways. An example – I’ve come to absolutely love Nekogami Yaoyorazu, but there’s just seemingly no way I can blog it at either site. Too much work!
I meant more of helping out with animes you had already blogged on your blog, not add new ones to your workload. Might be better to be very meticulous in picking only certain animes to blog eg. Steins;Gate to reduce workload.
too bad retrospective look is going away, it was another unique aspect of randomc. but I understand.
on the other hand, you didnt specify if yuruyuri is gonna be continued or dropped. I hope its continued…
Anything that wasn’t mentioned remains the way it is.
maybe divine can turn the retrospective look from a monthly thing into something that is done after the first 3-4 weeks of a season to attempt to get people to check out series they might have overlooked?
The Retrospecive looks I see are highly formatted and require a lot of time to work on. One mistake could cost time and trying to rush it can cause more problems, even if its already got a template made and it just has to be copied and pasted. Gathering up everyone’s short thoughts on the series is a daunting task and takes time to put together, not to mention adding personal entries. Thats why, maybe doing it only once per season in an attempt to give a look at what has happened in shows some people may not have watched yet while not putting too much of a burden on creating the RL, since there will also be plenty of time to gather entries and it wont need to be done immediately at the beginning of a month.
OFF: An S;G header! Nice. *thumbsup*
Concerning Restrospective Looks, maybe you could just show us how went your interest with last month’s episodes ?
Something like :
++ : interest upped a lot
+ : interest went up
= : no change
– : interest down
— : not interested anymore
That would be easy, but I don’t know if that type of input would have any weight behind it.
You can try!!, Some people like me like to comment on anything on a given chance. Give one short version of RL and see how it go. No harm in trying, it not like we stop paying you or something. You should do things you like instead of trying to be too professional and become to rigid.
I actually think this is a pretty nice idea, if fleshed out a little more in the way of why your interest went up or dropped, e.g. art, cast or plot. I would say two to five sentences would be enough.
On a more general note I for one would not mind if you or any of the other writers decide to delay coverage because of work and publish more episodes at once when you have the time to. I started following this blog back when FSN was airing and while i really appreciate early posts, I’d rather have posts later on than no posts at all (Not to mention I don’t have to resist from looking at them thus spoilering myself^^).
But in the end it’s up to you – do what you feel would be the best option, i highly doubt anyone would not understand and be able to cope with your decision.
And with this I shall go back to lurking once more. :]
Real Life should always come first Divine, i’m sure there’ll be a time in your future where you’ll have more free time. Atleast you’re not stopping altogether.
o and…
SEIZON SENRYAKU!!!!!!!
sigh.. I love the RL too. It gives me a good idea of what I want to watch. But I do feel that doing it monthly is a tiresome job. If you ever feel like doing it again, I would suggest doing it only every anime season.
btw.. I get a little scared when I see irregular posts like this. Feels like someone’s leaving again.. 🙁
Quality over quantity – I’ll take that every time.
You provide a very high quality to RC. I guessing
a 22 minute show really takes about 2+ish hours with
watching, screen shots, editing, etc. And I see
you read the comments, too.
I think anyone can write a blog and express an opinion;
but you bring an intangible personal touch to the table
and I believe people connect with that – it’s your heart.
Divine, it’s like a harem – you love them all and want to be
with them all. But eventually you have to decide on just a
few “special” ones (girls) – has Anime taught us nothing!
It’s something understood and nobody wants to see you burn out.
I guess my idea of having more writers is shot.
Divine, thanks for all the great work you have put up with the blog, and I fully understand and support your decisions. Hope you can survive and do well in both real life and here. Looking forward to your penguindrum posts 🙂 Guilty Crown should be awesome too :3
I have no qualms regarding the shows getting dropped. You did mention it beforehand that something like this may occur. I just hope you’ll be less busy in this coming Fall. There’s so many good shows I want to see get blogged here by none other than you.
It was quite sad with the RL posts :/
To be honest, there are so many animes being blogged this season that at times, I couldn’t even keep up with the posts, so I think it’s great that you’re dialing back a bit ;D
Channeling Major from Kamisama no memo-chou: there is no glory in charging headlessly into enemy guns! the wise general will know when to fortify and take defesive stance 😛
Divine, have you considered having more bloggers help assist with management of RC?
What sort of management are you referring to may I ask?
probably referring to more bloggers as it usually means. “manage” the other anime he probably meant.
^ That. You could cover a larger range of shows to meet the interests of viewers. Its always nice to have an opinion on a series that we’re curious of and a discussion from the RC community. This may sound like a stretch, but its just and idea.
I’m fairly certain that there are more than a few people who frequent this site who would gladly help take up some of the load. Myself among them, actually- although I have never really blogged, I am rather confident in my capabilities as both a writer and as a man who both has an opinion but is willing to listen to those of others.
Really- my biggest hesitation would be my inability to take good screencaps to accompany posts (I’m not very internet savvy; finding raws would be troublesome- and my internet connection is slooooooow, downloading an episode in HD can easily take this old bastard about 10 minutes).
Finding people to blog – easy(i guess).
Finding trust worthy people who will not leave without a word, will not be late for posting, who are good in recommendations/reasoning, good grammar – hard.
And managing people is harder than said.
Well that is what I think.
It very very very very hard, especially if there is no money involved. This is all entirely voluntary work.
This suggestion has been in my head for months and no doubt people will disagree with it but I think it might be worth having a hidden blogger as sorts. I’m thinking nominate a random person or have people volunteer to blog an episode of a certain show that could be made up of different bloggers and offer some variety week by week in terms of views.
You mean like… ghostwriting? There’ll be a drop in quality unless Divine is willing to proofread and approve posts. Then comes the question of how much credit they deserve, how much Divine will edit, and how to find people who won’t flake. It could work… but it’d be more like a community blog.
Divine! FIGHTING! Don’t push yourself too hard. 🙂
doing a RL post on the shows that wasn’t blogged is a much better idea than what you guys have done in the months past (it’s repetitive on the blogged shows)
any chance of doing that next cour?
not really repetitive as some shows are watched by more than 1 writer. So it is nice to hear their views.
You don’t really have to commit yourself to publishing a blog within 24 hours of an episode’s airing if you have your hands full for any specific day of the week. Like Thursdays.
I understand iM@S is now ranked last in the poll and wouldn’t complain much if you do decide to drop it. It’s your blog after all.
For non plot-intensive slice of life shows like iM@S, it’s probably not that urgent for fans to want to discuss anything “plot related”, since no one expects much plot anyway due to its laid back nature, so perhaps you could consider a compromise of covering this on your more “free” days.
Another alternative is to cover episodes once per month and just make a quick summary (with minimal screencaps), much like your monthly Retrospective Look format but more focused on a single show that is considered “Mid priority” – defined as not important enough to be covered weekly, yet not too insignificant to be left totally unblogged.
Just my two cents.
I say, when Fall anime season starts, pick 2 or 3 series that you are willing to cover and than pick other series that you feel deserve a post but put them up in a small summaries.
Wew. Its been awhile for a post like this to appear. Anyway, I was really shock seeing this post appearing in the front page. I really thought “Is Divine retiring or something” but when I found out and read the post I was really relieved.
Like I always say “Don’t push yourself to hard Divine”.
Divine where did you get that picture?. I want to edit it for my personal use. By the way nice banner. I think the banner should say “Bloggers have hard decisions to make.” ( ‘ヮ’)
Or you can ask the blogger to think that they themselves is mad scientist…Problem solve.
He would certainly have enough time if he were a mad scientist.
I haven’t voted in the poll since I do not watch any of these shows (yet), and in consequence don’t think I have the right to vote as I don’t read all the posts either but I’m happy to see you’re putting some work off your back.
Like I always say don’t push yourself too too hard . (Because we know you’re pushing yourself too hard already).
Have you thought about the idea of “guest bloggers” to help with a show or two? You could have frequent RC readers or even well-established bloggers do a blog post for just one episode, and then someone else the next episode, and so on.
Great read, and I can really relate. I think you’ll be pleased at how much more fun blogging is when you cut back a little!
I like the idea of using RL just for the shows that aren’t being covered week to week already. When I read the RL normally I concentrate on those shows anyway and then come back to the ones already being covered.
Regarding shows to drop, I’m usually more interested in getting other opinions / things I might have overlooked on shows like Penguindrum and Blood-C where there’s a bit of mystery. I love IDOLM@STER and Mayo Chiki but there’s not exactly a complex plot involved in either show.
No pressure, dude. I’d rather a limited number of posts from RC bloggers as opposed to Kiiragi’s intense blogging phase and then subsequent flopping.
Thanks for the coverage of Ro-Kyu Bu so far.
It’s good to step back once in awhile and adjust your life priorities.
I wish I could do that.
Sounds good. Sad to see the RL posts go, but if you’re not enjoying it, what good is it? Sounds like you’re swamped.
Perhaps a retool for the RLs would be in order at some point, perhaps making it quartley (per cour) instead of per month, or maybe just providing it on series that have finished that cour (e.g. don’t do 24/26ers in the middle of their run). Maybe it could be as easy as a summarized, spoiler-free repost of the ‘series review’ part of the final episode review, with additional thoughts by the other writers. Maybe that’s too simple, I don’t know.
Still, that would be a lot of work, and having to it right after the season preview (which will be when the cour ends) would likely be ugly time wise.
I think the most important thing for all of the RC writers (and especially Divine): Don’t overburden yourself. Even if it’s a reduced form, last thing I’d want to see is a spectacular crash due to burnout.
Thanks for the coverage thus far! I really really enjoyed reading RL and I am sad to see it go. But if it really took that much out of ya, DROP IT! Without Hestiation ;D
Gambate!
I think you should still blog; when you have the time mind you, just don’t overburden yourself because that will definitely lead to a burn out.
Really, really sad to see the Retrospective Looks gone. I have been reading the site for 3 years now and the introduction of the RL posts have been the best idea to happen on Random Curiosity in my humble opinion.
At the end of the day, the main reasons why I read an anime blogs are: 1) see what’s interesting out there 2) decide which series I should check out (including ones I don’t pick up at the beginning of the season). The RL posts were excellent for both 1) and 2).
I would rather you guys cover half the series you are doing now than dropping the RL posts. Please reconsider!
I’ll miss your full-length shot for Ro-Kyu-Bu. And nooooo, don’t drop Idolmaster! =/
Anyway, thanks for all your hard work. I hope once things get better, you’ll have more time to do more shows again. I really like your blogging style. 🙂
I missed my weekly loli 5 too, and I too wished for Idolmaster to stay.
Just do what you can, Divine. 🙂
Sad to see the Retrospective Looks go. Maybe you guys should’ve limited those summaries to 3-5 sentences or something. Regardless, it was nice to have them.
As for the shows you’re covering, I’d rather have you blog about shows that have substance and material that you can actually talk about rather than a mundane or repetitive slice of life or comedy anime. (That’s not directed to any specific anime, just generally speaking.)
Instead of full RL posts, you guys could really just drop in on each other’s posts and share your perspective whenever you find it and appropriate point in a series. Like plot twists, climaxes, finales, whatever floats your boat.
Sad that all the ones you’re considering dropping are the ones I actually watch. I really don’t want you to drop IDOLM@STER and considering that none of the other writers seem to be watching it, it’d be a sad loss.
I am telling you guys simply needs more writers…
The problem is that you are riding the bull by the horns (Not a good idea!). By that I mean, you are trying to do everything yourself. Even with a limited number of 4 writers, it should have proven to be more than you can handle. The mere facts that you don’t have time for RC anymore and have to drop out shows mean you are at your limits. In fact, you may have been at your limits a while ago. You just had to stretch it out more painfully than it has to be until you finally realize it now.
Everybody have lives of their own outside of RC. They want to visit RC for the posts as well as the comments. The problem with RC is that I think at first it was just a hobby for you, but now it has become as burden. What once was fun is now demanding and tedious.
I am not judging you nor do I like to criticize you, but I DO LIKE RC and I would like it to succeed. Sometime it take a man to admit that he is beaten, but it takes a real man to ask for help when he knows he needed it the most. So as an advice from a follow lover of RC, get more writers and take RC to the next level…
Divine Decision:
1)Mayo chiki stay —Yay
2)RKB dropped–They went down even without a fight or a poll, 🙁 No other place to filled my heart with loli. Could you at least do a final impression on it.(when the season end)
3)Idolm@ster on probation– This is without a doubt a good anime of Idolm@ster, none come so close. In fact it also deliver a lot of songs, some of them with dance. Real cool.
4)RL is dropped– I used to think since everyone chipping in, it should be a walk in the park. But reading how you need to make them all coordinated to be at the same time.Now it seem to be a real hassle. Maybe you could make RL to be something that occur mid season, to make people interested in anime they first thought to be boring. To me if it wasn’t for Takaii, I would have missed Blood-C (hey,it is nice). and if wasn’t for Chaos, I would have missed Stein Gate(I cannot imagine myself not watching it anymore)
5)Banner changed– Tutturu 🙂 …..so when are you going to put something for the background too. Why is it white in the first place? What happen to Menma or Ichika
I am completely okay with the dropping of Ro-Kyu-Bu and with the removal of Restropective Looks. Frankly, I didn’t think that the limited space allowed writers to fully express themselves, especially considering that they have to discuss four episodes at once.
As for Ro-Kyu-Bu, well…I agree with Divine that it started out entertaining but that it has sadly devolved into a generic (which isn’t always bad) and lame (which is always bad) show.
To be completely honest, I’m not usually a fan of handing over a series to a different writer since I generally already know how a particular writer will approach the show. I suppose that it is completely my selfish bias towards a show that determines if I care whether the writer has a favorable opinion of it. As for IM@S, I feel that if someone else besides Divine were to blog the show, it wouldn’t be the same. Divine brings a unique perspective to his posts that the other writers cannot emulate.
So glad you’re enjoying PenguinDrum! It’s one of my favorites of the past season, and I really like your coverage.
A little bummed that you’re dropping the retrospective look posts, but all of the changes you’re making are very understandable. Hope they make this blog a little less taxing for you and let you enjoy your life offline. Thanks for all your hard work!
To Everyone Who Keeps Saying Divine Should Get More Writers:
Episodic blogging isn’t that easy. Coupled with the fact that there are 30+ caps to take and edit each episode, blogging an episode can easily take a few hours. Can you imagine how much that adds up to when you have more than one show to cover on a single day?
I’m not trying to scare off anyone who might have the potential to write on RandomC, but the thing is, unless you really enjoy what you’re doing, there’s not a lot to keep pushing you forward.
That said, seeing how Divine isn’t looking for any writers, I’m pretty sure no amount of comments about getting new ones will change Divine’s mind. So instead of asking him to bring on more writers, you should try to keep encouraging him to push on with blogging :p
The only bit of advice I can give you to you is if you wanted to try becoming a writer, try out episodic blogging and see if it’s something you could stomach doing over long periods of time.
-Walks off to work, thinking about all the fancy Mayo Chiki screens to cap tonight-
How would one become a blogger on RC anyways?
Must one have had their own blog beforehand to be considered?
Not necessarily. I didn’t :/
That is EXACTLY why I told Divine to get more writers…
You said it best. Posting one show only is hard work. That is why you spread out the work so that one person doesn’t have to do it all and get overwhelmed. If Divine can’t cover 10 shows per week, wouldn’t it make more sense to get 10 writers for each show? That way you can pretty much cover all new series and have time to add more stuff and enhance the existing RC.
So let me get this straight. You are telling me instead of recommending more writers, I should tell Divine to enter the battlefield on his own knowing the fact that it is a suicide mission?! I should stand idle on the side and watch him crashed and burned. Is that what you are telling me, Takaii?!…
I know Divine is stubborn, but sometime if you deeply cared about something (aka RC), you have to do things you don’t necessarily liked. To be honest, unless RC get better writers and cover more shows, it will be only be a shadow of Omni and waste away til the end…
I don’t quite agree with the comparisons to Omni. I think some people have lost sight of the fact that Omni would typically cover 6 to 9 shows a season and he’d be the only one blogging for extended periods at a times. If anything, I’ve set expectations too high by blogging 10 or more shows a season. Coupled with all the writers (four in total, which is the most RC’s ever seen), we probably average 18 to 22 shows a season. This is already more than double what Omni did, yet people have gotten so used to it that they want even more shows covered.
I think you forget the fact that there are not a lot of people out there who are willing to sacrifice their time for the sake of blogging.
Divine is a hell of a person, and I respect him for who he is and everything he does. By encouragement, I’m talking about expressing the amount of gratitude you feel or the feelings you get when reading his writing.
Either way, I’m done. If you want to talk about this go on IRC or something.
Just a thought, couldn’t there be someone on the sidelines sort off who works in hand with the actual blogger when it comes to caps. Surely it would be slightly less worker for the blogger?
Certainly, that could alleviate some stress from each post, and leave everyone to specialize in one area–writing or capping. But with this many shows, the capper needs access to HD versions of every show, which isn’t always easy to get. There can be like… an assistant for every writer, who will do the caps for their respective shows.
Well, if the caps take so much time and labor, why not reduce the numbers of caps?
That way you can spend more time on the posts. I think the caps are nice, but I rarely look at them. Sure I briefly look at it, but scroll immediately down to the post and the comments. So it the caps is a problem, reduce it or eliminate it all together…
I honestly don’t think there is any need for more writers like Takaii and Divine have said numerous times. More writers just means more people to manage and more hassle if they suddenly MIA which is turn creates even more work.
There is plenty of people who can shoot their mouths off, but just try to take some time after each episode you watch yourself, write up some thoughts, do a little editing on them, take screen shots, edit them, format them, and then make a blog post out of it and edit and format that. Its a time consuming task, I have done it myself. Luckily, I laze around and do nothing for at least 5 hours a day (some days up to 16 hours when there is no school/work) so I guess if you had even less time it would be even harder to do. It seriously does take a few hours to write a post if you truly care about what your writing about. I wish I could have made it more than 6 episodes but, thanks to a death in the family, that was killed off. It is seriously a downer when something else takes priority to something you enjoy doing. Luckily for Divine, he has a few people he can rely on if things get bad.
Anyway, I hope work calms down soon for you divine and that you can get through this sort of slump just like you did when you took the season off from blogging. And as always, I am still lurking in the shadows if you ever need some help. p_p
~NS
I think it’s amazing how some people can blog episodically. It’s like writing for a newspaper, but for free (in RC’s case). Heck, even writing/typing down this comment requires a lot of thought for me (maybe about 15 mins) – how much more a whole post, and every week at that? And how many anime series?
Writing is not as spontaneous as some may think. Consistently good writing requires research and self-review skills, not just writing off the bat (though it may work in some cases).
So kudos to the RC Team and other anime bloggers! It’s great that you share such a talent to the world (and it’s also good practice for your skills).
Divine, I think you should start off with less animes in Fall 2011/next season. Instead of blogging so many animes on Thursday, why not spread them out throughout the week? You do not need to blog the animes on the day it comes out. I am sure we won’t mind if you do less or blog an anime a few days after the episode comes out.Since you have given Mayo Chiki to Takaii so you have one less anime to cover. For now, you should try to hand over some animes to other writers if they have time. Once Summer Animes 2011 has ended, you should only blog at most 1 anime per day in a week. Which means a maximum of 7 animes a week. I enjoy your work and I prefer quality over quantity. I like to read your blogs so I do not wish you to quit blogging. If you have to rush and try to fit in 3 animes in a day then it won’t be too good for your mind and body. You should enjoy blogging and not feel that it is a task. If you do enjoy blogging then it will be a little break from your work. This is your blog after all, you shouldn’t feel obligated to fulfill all of our requests.
I’m glad Penguin Drum is still blogged, that and N°6 are the shows I look forward the most on Thursdays. Idolmaster was a nice surprise for me, I was expecting mindless fanservice but it’s a pretty decent show (even when I don’t like neither the twins or Azusa). Mayo Chiki is nice too and surprinsily, I’m fine with the fanservice and Subaru is great.
I only watched the first episode of Blood-C so I can’t comment much but I think the problem with that series is the script, as the episode direction was pretty decent. It’s the total opposite of KamiMemo (also dropped at first episode). I already spoiled myself on what happened on episode 6 of Blood-C but I really don’t want to watch previous episodes if they were like the first one so I look forward to your review!
Finally, RL comes first so don’t feel guilty. All of you guys do a great job!
It’s sad that RL is gone, I found it very helpful, but I would be sadder if you said there won’t be any other post at all, or that you will quit, so I won’t complain. If you were to decide to blog only one series, I would still read it and be happy with the fact that you shared some of your thoughts and time with us.
I’m glad to see that you chose what to continue blogging according to yourself. Writing these posts should provide you some entertainment, not just an extra burden. You shouldn’t forget, that writing here is a secondary thing and we can wait till you live your real life.
I won’t say to get new writers since I’m not entirely sure about it being a good idea. I also won’t say anything about the other writers picking up more series since I don’t think that any of us commenters is in the position to tell you how to organize your schedule – and I also believe that they are already doing their best.
Whatever may come RC is in my daily routine and I am very thankful for your hard work.
I’m really glad that Penguin Drum and Idolm@ster are still being blogged. So far, Penguin Drum has been shaping out to be one of the best shows of the decade, and Idolm@ster is just great all-around. Hopefully, the continued blogging will bring a much larger RC audience to the show (although outside of RC, the show actually has drawn a pretty large crowd of dedicated fans), since it really deserves the attention.
I remember that you said before how much work it was to keep up with everything Divine, and i must say that i am amazed every time you or one of the other writers manage to keep up with so much shows without having problems. You and your co-writers are probably one of the best in time-management since it takes a great amount of planning if my math is correct in the amount of hours to fulfill what you all did until now and still keep on doing.
It is sad to see RL go away, but it is for the sake of one of our beloved bloggers and his sanity so I gladly embrace the change 😉
Divine, I’m proud of you for these decisions, and as someone said above, quality is always better than quantity. And in my book, Random Curiosity is the very definition of quality in the world of anime blogging.
Thanks for your dedication and all the sacrifices you, writers, made. This post made me appreciate even more all the work behind a single post that you write…
I am with you there! I watch lots of anime and I find it hard sometimes to keep going with some shows, I am blogging Sacred Seven, Nichijou and Mayo Chiki! Sure its only three shows but sometimes I do get in the meh mood where I get lazy with them. I can only say cut back on shows but that can be hard if you really find enjoyment from them.
Good luck to you! Hope you can find some time to have fun and continue blogging, but of course we can’t do it all.
Thank you again for keeping us in the loop and for working so hard. We are forever truly grateful.
The retrospective looks will be missed, but I think I’d prefer not having them if it means faster blogging and less exhausted writers. I have a few suggestions which you could take or leave regarding them though:
-Maybe instead of writing for retrospective looks, each writer could simply give a rating for the series in question. Or maybe each writer could list three words to describe it. The purpose of the RLs were to give the users a quick way to find out how the authors felt about a series, but they always ended up being long to read and even longer to write. Maybe ratings would make it easier to keep it short and sweet.
-Maybe instead of RLs, the writers who watched a show and want to talk about it a bit could chime in on the last episode post.
-Maybe RLs could be reserved for just shows that are not covered (as Divine also wrote.)
-Or maybe some combination of these ideas and others that would dramatically reduce the size of RLs, giving more time for the writers to actually enjoy their lives.
These are just my ideas, but I hope you find them useful with regards to the RLs. If not, I think scrapping them is for the best.
As for the site as a whole and the status of the writers and their posts, I do have to join the throngs of commenters wondering why more writers aren’t sought out. I understand very well that it is difficult to maintain blogging on a weekly basis, and I understand that it’s not for everybody, but there is a sense that more bloggers ‘simply isn’t an option,’ which I find a little hard to believe as well.
Also, I’ve always felt that the situation with capping is a bit out of hand. I’ve capped shows before, and it takes HOURS, so I honestly can’t even tell you how much I shudder to think of doing that as often as the writers do. If it were me, I would limit the posts to 1-5 screen captures. That way the most important moments could take precedence, but I know a lot of people feel differently so that might be difficult to change.
This is just another thought that came to me when I was reading the comments. I kept seeing people talking about how the writers are doing this non-profit, but I don’t see why they should. If everybody on RC paid even one dollar a month to read the posts here, RC would be able to accomplish a lot more. I for one think that RC could pull that off. It’s just an idea to throw around, if people hate it, that’s fine, but a lot of anime/manga sites are moving that direction for a much higher price, and are very successful. Far from falling into disrepair, I think RC can rise to new heights.
Again, these are just my feelings and I hope nobody feels obligated to respond or agree with me. I really hope the writers don’t feel like I’m demanding anything of them, I’d just love to be able to help a blog that has become a regularly visited site for me.
Thanks again!
“Maybe instead of RLs, the writers who watched a show and want to talk about it a bit could chime in on the last episode post.
–> This sounds like a good idea. It would be interesting to at least read some final impressions from the other authors.
Anyways, keep up the good work, Divine. And if you decide to only blog one series, then that’s fine with me, as long as you continue being part of this great site.
btw is Omni still around posting about anime, be it here in the comments or in other forums?
Nah, Omni’s interest in anime has diminished almost entirely since he retired. He doesn’t really care to keep up with shows as they air and instead opts to watch only the really good ones after they’re done airing. Even then, it’s usually only a couple of shows he’ll check out. Blogging is what motivated him to stay on top of things.
@Divine
If OMNI can still do those stuff then I guess he still loves anime by heart, it just that it’s not a priority anymore, let’s just say he’s a more productive being now.
Thanks for the info about omni.
A bit sad that he lost interest, otoh good to hear that he still finds stuff worth checking out. Maybe you could try to convince him to write some kind of recommendation articles from time to time. j/k 😉
You just do it, how you want it.
Nobody wants a broken divine.
A live divine writes more then a dead one.
And a happy/energetic/fertile divine writes better than a stressed/tired/i just wanted to incorporate fertile divine.
I think you should Blog Kamen Rider instead.
What you are doing and what you have done are already amazing enough. You should take it easier on yourself and relax. Manage the manageable without forcing yourself to do the impossible. We appreciate your time you dedicated into this site.
Lol with a swarm of writers this site would turn into a cluster F*CK of madness the likes of which we’ve never seen. Imagine trying to coordinate that godd*mn mess of writers and opinions! You’d have to be a leader on par with ghenghis khan and Alexander the great combined. Who ever tried to structure THAT mess… Just the idea makes sick. Lol episodic blogging is a b*tch, and for some it ruins the experience. I blogged Ikoku, Kamisama dolls, and nichijou exclusively with an occasional heads up on blood-c. Towards the end when I started doing my own screen shots…. Holy god it was time consuming, like a 2-3 hour ordeal on top of school, football practice and life with friends and lady friends…. Oh man. I know what you guys are going through! Did a -complete review of perfect blue-… Six – seven hours to do THAT… I loved it! Hahaha! But it gets tiresome….. Just broke my hand, snapped a bone in half punching a wall. Now I got too much time but it was my right hand lol( all this time and can’t do a thing because I’m not ambidextrous ). If you need a break, break your hand 😉 then no one will know you took the cowards way out! Just make sure it’s the hand you use to write with, if ambidextrous punch a way!!!!!!
Anyway good site. I think everyone is talented, but if your not happy doing it, it is apparent in the quality. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. RC should provide best quality under best conditions, with what everyone is capable of. RC is the pinnacle of anime blogs. Albeit your only human. Do what can be done, but still enjoyed. Good job everybody on RC!
I believe there is a blogger site that tags what many individuals write about a certain anime, though I don’t remember the site. After years of being a site stalker I do feel a quality impression is much better than a quick summary. It sure was hard to hear about Retrospective Looks being dismissed, a treasure for each their own.
A suggestion. It still requires effort but lessens the impact
Make a form that has the format you want for a blog post. Eg if you normally have a summary, followed by thoughts then have those 2 fields along with episode number, series and the ID of the writer (or “Sage/Anon/etc” for those who do not wish for any sort of ID). Let anyone fill those in with a minimum number of words (to not waste time with stupidly short stuff) and a fixed time limit (maybe at most 1-2 days after an episode airs).
Look through the stuff that comes in when you’re free (in the can, in a taxi, very stuck in traffic, etc) then choose the ones you feel is good enough and post it. There is no need to do any editing or even spell correction (in fact its better to leave it as is, in case of butthurt) as long as there is some header that explains that this is not from a regular writer
This method has several pros and cons
Pros
i) You don’t need to write, only read and see if it meets standards
ii) It allows you to reject posts that may be harsh and vulgar (which some unmentioned sites use to generate attention but RC has avoided)
iii) It doesn’t matter if the writer drops out since its open
Cons
i) This method requires a large number of people or it will fail (which RC has)
ii) You have a problem if all you receive are terrible posts unless you leave that episode unblogged which creates a haphazard blog post flow
iii) Butthurt people who feel they are being unfairly discrimainated or the site practises favortism.
This does not mean the regular writers are sidelined. Each still handles their show (or alternatively may act as the judge for posts). This method merely expands the number of series covered.
There is the danger of course that there will be a flame war in the comments section when someone (invariably) feels the post sucks, which would draw the ire of whoever wrote the post.
Oh for the screen shots the most time effective way is to find or make a program that does automatic frame capture at peroidic intervals. The big problem with this is of course it ends up not showcasing the most memorable shots
Which in turn, would turn randomc into a robot without a heart.
I like things with hearts.
(/sarcasm)
Wait so Takaii doesn’t like things with hearts?
(/sarcasm)
The problem with a third party doing screen caps (be it separate person or software) is the issue of sync with what the writer tries to express: a problematic issue with shows that are more ‘artsy’ like Bakemonogatari or Zetsubou Sensei.
Well sometimes you have to balance getting posts out on time instead of days later with having heart
(/sarcasm)
As have been pointed out earlier, RC has lost some of its edge. The reason i’m sure is already known from what RC was known for previously compared to now
I really don’t think an automated script to take screencaps would work out well, for a multitude of reasons. Long conversations, high-paced action scenes, important images that only appear briefly — these come to mind off the top of my head.
DUDE!….dint we Discuss this Already? STOP talking about it AND TAKE YOUR DAMN VACATION ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 months 5, 6, DO IT!!!
everybody here understands. DO IT! DO IT!!!!!!!!!
BTW- I aint trying to sound all forceful with it, BUT you need to JUST “DO YOU” FO A WHILE, my nigga! ur obviously a NICE person to be so conflicted about it, BUT begone with yo raggedy ass, take that break! then come back and write a looooooong ass piece about ANIME BLOGGING WITHDRAWALS, about how you were shaking in a corner somewhere looking like chris rock in new jack city .clutching a shitty acer laptop that you jacked of some 11 y.o and your mumbling to yourself ” should i wr,wr,write a post!?!?! Sh ,sh shoooould I!!!!!!? HAHAHAHAHAHA!! take ur break homie! this other anime minions can surly hold it down. you shoulda did so earlier…now u’ll miss the fall. but goooo
As successor”s”, I think Takaii and Proof would be able to continue the legacy as a duo. Enzo, seems to be doing his thing with his own blog and writing for RC. (He really is a blog-monster. D: ) It’s not a nice thought, but I’m pretty sure you have a great team here already and an audience with good faith in them. :]
Aside from all that, it is a sad thing to see the loli go. Gonna miss all the signature full screens of Tomoka and the rest. ^^;
Dear Divine,
I’ve been an avid reader of this blog for about 5 years; since the early days back when Omni was the boss, and I must say that RC has never had a group of bloggers as dedicated and consistent as the current gang. What Omni created was great, but then you took up the reins and made the blog transcendent. You’ve done more than I could ever hope for; I am amazed at how far things have come since those days.
As a long-time fan of the blog, I really do care about it, but even more so I care about you, Divine, who made it what it is. I’ve seen firsthand over the years the amount of love, dedication and hard work that you’ve put into it, and I’m constantly amazed at how you’re able to balance your personal life with blogging (I can’t even get school and sleep straight!).
So perhaps it’s about time you stepped back a little bit from the fieldwork and took on a more administrative role while also training up the next generation of RC bloggers. I’m sure that there are many (potentially) dedicated bloggers out there who would be thrilled to write for the site. As the leader, perhaps you could sit back and direct things (Blogging one or two shows on the side if you feel like it) while leaving a lot of the actual groundwork to the more junior bloggers, and perhaps get Takaii, Proof and Enzo to get involved in the training of any of their “kouhai” you might decide to bring in, until a willing, and worthy successor shows up.
And as important as it is for the legacy of this wonderful site to continue, it isn’t more important that the happiness and health of its creator. If blogging is getting to be too much of a burden at this stage of your life, then perhaps it is time to slowly a transition out of it.
I conclude with a toast to the future of Random Curiosity, and to yours, Divine. May all your future endeavors be as much, nay more of a success as RC is!
Thanks for all these years of awesome,
Merci
Our animation tastes have been falling further and further away, and I find I no longer agree with most of the reviewers on this site. Sorry to hear you’re overworked Divine, but I probably won’t be reading too many more blogs here anyway. Your description of that steaming pile of penguin crap and using that terrible picture are probably convincing me to drop this site from my browsing. There’s little point anymore, when the reviewers do nothing but pimp overrated shit I hate (MPD) and ignore shows that’re far superior.
Those are some pretty big sweeping statements, seeing as I don’t bother checking out other sites and am simply share my impressions on shows that I’m personally interested in. Last time I checked, not many people were interested in Mawaru Penguindrum before it aired whereas I was looking forward to it because of the staff involved. If you’re in disagreement that’s fine, but I have no idea where this “pimp overrated shit” is coming from.
All too often people like to claim that I “ignore superior shows”, as if Omni would’ve watched let alone blogged some of the niche shows that I’ve already covered. I don’t really understand where these unfounded statements are coming from, nor do I really care to convince you otherwise, so if there’s nothing here for you then feel free never to come back. It’s just going to be one less person that I have to hear claim that the site’s gone “downhill” from various misconceptions. Ultimately, what it really comes down to is, “I don’t like you Divine and I want Omni back just because.”
Anyway, I thank you for reading whatever posts you may have in the past, and wish you the best in whatever anime community you choose to delve into next. I only write impressions for those who care to read them, so if you’re not one of those people, then by all means please do not visit the site anymore. I don’t see any reason why you should.
Don’t get sucked in by an “individual’s” attempt to push
your buttons; you have done nothing that needs a defence, IMHO.
This is why I love Divine man…
He cares enough about the site to give you a full explanation as to why responses like these are retarded.
“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” is pretty relevant to these situations.
*edit
Divine will only follow through with his dreaded back-hand.
What would you describe as shows that are “far superior”?
With MPD, having the director from Utena working on it is undoubtedly going to bring about a lot of excitement. It may not be the best show this season, but it’s also impossible to see what it’s building up to.
Divine has done an incredible job with the site. People are basically complaining because it’s not Omni, and that’s a time-old situation. There’s a great leader, and the successor has huge shoes to fill. But I personally think Divine is doing so much for the site and cares so much about it, he’s brought all new life to it. He works too hard trying to do everything.
Divine, please take a rest. Cover less shows next season so you can take care of yourself, yeah? You don’t have to get out shows exactly in the time-frame of when they air. Everyone really cares about you, so care about yourself too!
It’s hard to blog a show you hardly have any interest on. If anything, Divine always made it clear in the Season Previews what anime interest him and what anime he considers blogging or odds we will be blogging it. Of course, the more popular a show, the higher the odds it will be blog simply because “most likely” the bloggers are also interested in the show itself.
You know that ‘animation tastes’ are different from person to person and based heavily on personal preference, right? You made it sounds like if someone likes something that you don’t like, it’s the end of the world for you.
Also, They blog what they enjoy watching and they want to share those feelings to the readers. If you don’t like it, then don’t read it. (Like me, I don’t follow Mawaru at all since I don’t find it that much interesting. But I might do after it finishes airing like most the shows that I don’t follow but blogged by someone here.)
I have no problem with you being dismayed that Divine’s coverage is not in tune with your anime interest, we’re all entitled to our opinions.
But declaring shows as “pimp overrated shit” simply because YOU don’t like them is just way over the top.
We’re very much satisfied with the “shit” here Divine presents us, so if you wanna go somewhere else, be my bloody guest. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out as you discover other “shitless blogs”.
Overwork could result in you being ill which could lead to you not blogging at all. I say ” slow and steady wins the race”
If you don’t want to read what the writers are putting out, then don’t. No one’s forcing you. Critiquing others’ hard work and something you don’t have a clue over just irritates the hell out of people.
Guys, all Divine said is that he’s cutting a few shows – he’s not taking a vow of silence and moving into a monastery. He’ll be fine – he’s blogging too many shows now anyway, not that I’m one to talk. I think the outpouring of concern here is a credit to the readers, but it might just exceed the reality of the situation a bit.
RC isn’t going anywhere. Even if 4 writers were to blog a few shows each, you’d still have a very productive website. I trust Divine to do what’s right to keep the site thriving.
Well this whole blowing things out of proportion, just shows how much the commenters love both the site and Divine. It’s kinda sweet really, you could shed manly tears.
For a while I thought that Guardian guy above with all his “pimpless shit” ranting was you, and I was worried a bit that there might be some serious disagreement in the coverage contents between the RC writers.
Took me two seconds to realize that wasn’t you. lol
Lordy – I hope it didn’t take you too long to realize it!
Being someone who only reads other people’s blogs out of time constraints I can fully understand your reasons, Divine! I am most happy that you will further cover Blood-C, which I enjoyed so far and which isn’t covered by many other good blogs. The latter is also true for IDOLM@STER and Ro-Kyou-Bu – therefore I hope, IDOLM@STER’s coverage will be continued and feel sorry for Ro-Kyou-Bu. But then again, as far as I can tell Nekogami Yaoyorozu, which I really enjoy, isn’t covered by anyone, so maybe this is just the fate of “throwaway shows”.
My god what’s going on here?! Looks a bit chaotic.. Respect people, respect. The writers are doing this for free. Remember that! And stop comparing to Omni please.. people have different taste on what they watch, just be glad that RC is trying to blog as many shows as they can. Be at peace that Divine and not someone else took over when Omni stopped. How would you feel if Chuck Norris took over after Omni?! I’m quite sure that would feel weird.. >_>
I was afraid for a second that you would quit Divine, but thankfully you won’t. I have always been in awe that RandomC covers so many shows with only a few writers. You should never overdo it though. Or, you should find new writers!
This is completely understandable, Divine. You’re doing this for free because you like it and we really appreciate the effort you put into this =
I think it’s a good “Survival Strategy” and I’m so happy you’re not dropping Mawaru Penguindrum =3! xD
Thanks for the work you put in to the site. If I could make a suggestion, each blogger posts a LOT of images for each episode. Maybe the number of pics could be lowered, especially since you’re blogging over a dozen shows total.
While it might not be an easy task to do, the best solution would be to hire more reviewers. Does it take 6, 8 or even 10 reviewers to lighten the load ? I have no idea, but it sounds like it’s the only way you could keep on blogging and living at the same time.
I know, I know, it’s hard to come by reliable people these days… but if even 2 more reviewers get on the boat to review some of the shows for your guys, it’s still 2 more reviewers who can review some of the shows for you guys.
Like I said, I know that it’s hard getting good people, but once you do… you’re in for a treat.
I hope you can blog Ro-Kyu-Bu until the end.It is a good anime to me.
I really like to see your upcoming blogs. I just starting to follow your anime blogs, I’m a anime enthusiast and I really just starting to enjoy the hobby I have. Hope to see more blogs in the future.
When I open your own RSS feed this indicates to be a lot of strange figures, is the breakdown on my own readers?