Posted by 
Topic: Kiiragi’s Writing
Target: People who actually read Kiiragi’s posts (Past or Present)
Work: One Piece, One Piece Manga, High School of the Dead, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Kuragehime, Yumekui Merry, GOSICK, Ep 1-3 of Hourou Musuko, Random first episode posts from Winter Season ’10, Break Blade 2, and Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu
Details: To be simple, what do you like and what don’t you like? And in a more general sense, what do you expect in a typical post? Let me know. I’ve had more ups and downs in terms of QUALITY writing than a bipolar tsundere, often due to writing experimentation, but I never get much of an idea what the typical reader thinks. Curiosity got the better of me, so after a year of blogging, I’m looking for some feedback after receiving little to none in typical posts. I do ask that you try to be specific and constructive, so that I might actually be able to use it for improvement. Referencing posts or examples would also be helpful. Thanks for your time.
Edit: Just to note, negative feedback is slightly more helpful than positive, as I wrote this because I felt like I was missing something.
Edit2: I’ve really appreciated the responses so far, and am grateful to those that spent the time to write one. That said, please don’t spike up drama because you think the writers are getting “hurt.” We are grown ass men, and I think we can handle a little criticism (which as of yet, isn’t even nearly as harsh as I wanted). So stop caring about “feelings” and just say what needs to be said, that’s what I want. It’s the internet, I’m not going to kill you. This is not to say you should say whatever you want without reason. You should know the fine line. I will gather a conclusion later today and post up the criteria I think I will focus on. Never mind 😛
I’ve always enjoyed your writing. Reading your posts on RC made me start following the One Piece manga. I like your sense of humor and how you sprinkle in random references that make me chuckle, ex. Old Spice. 🙂
Thanks for YOUR time. 😀
Um.. to be specific, I like reading your posts for Kimi ni Todoke 2nd because they give a fun, honest impression of the episode. Honestly, sometimes when I learn that an episode or chapter came out, I come here to RC to read your post first. I like how you analyze the overall picture and the characters in ways I haven’t considered. If I didn’t watch the episode/read the chapter beforehand, reading your impressions make me want to watch/read it. :Db
To Kiiragi and RC Bloggers, thank you for your hard work!<3
I love your writing in the GOSICK and Yumekui Merry entries! =)
Or to be more specific, your entries don’t need any improvement, that is if you ask me 🙂
lmfao, can you guys be specific the first time?
I like your posts and your style Kiiragi, it’s much more editorial and personal review than say Divine’s posts which are more like episode synopsis and outline.
I’m particularly fond of your use of “broness” in your Kimi ni Todoke posts.
Seconded. The bro code helped make the series slightly less enraging.
My bad for bringing up plot to make a point. 😛
I can’t see how I summarize though, unless you consider highlighting some occurrences (often out of order) a summary.
I prefer the term “descriptive impressions”.
lol It’s kinda hard for me to describe how you write other than what you said. All’s I know is that I feel pretty good after reading your posts. Like I’m watching a good show even if it’s actually not that great.
Divine, your posts include much more “Kousuke got slapped by Kirino, who then cut her throat open in a fit of rage (I was secretly hoping for that to happen)”, whereas Kiiragi doesn’t so much explains what happens but just writes his thoughts on the matter.
Thats why I assumed your posts were always a bit longer than Kiiragi’s, you got into the details of what actually happened on screen (linking in the screenshots are fantastic btw).
I liked both of your posts either way :).
That sounds a little too dumbed down, and makes it seem like the entire post is like that just because I might use a sentence pattern like that as a lead in to a train of thought. Part of the reason why I do so is to give some indication that I actually watched the episode and knew what the hell was going on, especially if my posts are published before any subs.
If people prefer only impressions that assume the reader knows exactly what’s going on every episode, switching to a 250 word, 5-6 sentence type of post like Omni used to do would be a lot easier for not only me, but all the writers. It would probably make sense to scale back the screen captures to 6-9 images or so to match the briefness in impressions though.
It would be the intermediary between what we’re doing now and switching to just tweeting impressions. I’m not against this since it makes my job incredibly easier. I’m still not going back to dedicated summaries after writing those for a good six months. People can read Wikipedia if they really didn’t understand what they watched.
I apologize if it sounded insulting, my only point was that you make more detailed episode summaries than Kiiragi does. You both write about your impressions and the extra text in your posts can be attributed to the extra details you put in about the what happened in the episode.
Like I said previously, I greatly enjoy both your and Kiiragi’s writings.
Not insulting really, but if people feel there’s little value in going that extra extent — to the point that it’s actually seen as detrimental to the flow of impressions — then I consider this something worth addressing.
Ever since I stopped writing monotonous dedicated summaries, I’ve always wondered if I could get away with pure impressions and talking about stuff that I feel people should’ve picked up on (even if they may not have), so perhaps every post should be treated like surface-type impressions where writers don’t get into the details.
I will say that I tend to find such posts pretty unsubstantial in that it doesn’t give a sense that the writer’s truly picking up on all the subtle developments and “enjoying” the series. I personally wouldn’t care to read those almost “superficial” type of impressions that don’t seem to tie into the episode at hand (i.e. like a formal review), especially not on a weekly basis, but I’m not the one reading so I could be mistaken.
I have made it a point of telling all the writers to avoid “reaction-type” impressions though, such as “I was surprised…”, “I didn’t expect…”, “It was funny when…”, and try to provide some insight as an anime fan that may make readers perceive a show in a way they never considered.
Divine doesn’t summarize. That’s kind of the main reason I like his posts. He does, of course, bring up relevant components of the story to substantiate his claims and beliefs, but that’s just being a good writer. No one would be able to follow his thought processes otherwise.
who is this Kiiragi person? I never read his writing
I always enjoy reading episode review with personal thoughts like yours.
I also like how you’re quite forgiving on some shows like Merry. Which, compare to manga counterpart, is quite below my expectations to it. (it’s still an enjoyable show though, I just wish it’s better)
Just one thing, your last Gosick entry was quite late. Maybe it’s because different tv station airs it at different time? I remember some aired Gosick ep.10 2 weeks ago while some just did last week.
I was studying for finals because I’m a procrastinating failure. So, yes, I suppose it is my fault for not getting my personal issues straight, leading to lateness on RC. Will try to change that, or I probably won’t get my degree 😛
hmmm… I like all the PSG posts as well as KnT posts the most as they are really entertaining to read. really enjoying your letter approach for that one post in KnT (don’t remember which episode it was for though)… Gosick and Marry posts, on the other hand, are a bit less fun. I think the main problem lies in the fact that there lacks humor or something to stimulate my interest in commenting… though don’t blame yourself entirely as these shows are also not as dramatic as the former two.
experimental approach is all good since it gives your writing rather a refreshing taste 🙂
ps. should I add a reply and be more specific? :3My frank opinion:
Perhaps you should be specific on the topics you’re talking about and emphasize on it. Your article is enjoyable to read if one follows tightly into the episode (as the topic goes from one to another swiftly). But the reverse in my opinion, is true.
Of course, your opinion comes after. I always enjoy reading the writer’s opinion on a certain part of the episodes and such, and a big praise to your way of writing.
To summarise, your way of writing for opinion are good, keep it up. The writing on episode however, could be improved by arranging and emphasizing on the part of episodes you’re talking about. That will definitely improve at least, my reading experience on your article.
Lastly, a big thank to you for your writing for those ongoing animes, my appreciation goes to GOSICK and Yumekui Merry 🙂
Easy to follow, and humorous. ;D
Always a yes.
Pleasing you feels like an achievement for some reason..
I think it’s because you were there when I first started lol.
Haha maybe it’s my picture? Though I don’t always comment, I do read ‘most’ of what you write. xD; Fun read.
When I look at reviews, what I personally like are a differentiation between a plot/episode summary and the reviewer’s opinion. The summary for the most part should be chronological. The opinion piece could be in any order or random stream of consciousness. Your reviews lack a summary. Your opinions are good, well articulated and insightful. However, because you lack a summary, the structure is harder to follow. You tend to jump around the episode and I don’t always follow your logic. I enjoyed your PSG reviews. They were humorous and your enthusiasm showed through. That’s entertaining. I haven’t followed Yumekui Merry so I can’t say much about your reviews of that show. I do follow GOSICK and read your reviews. I can’t put my finger on it but it’s not as fun as the PSG reviews. Sorry I couldn’t be more analytical. Keep up the good work, keep writing, and most importantly, keep editing.
I think it’s because GOSICK’s material is harder to work with in terms of humor, whereas PSG was actually a comedic show (and I could make jokes without getting complaints that I wasn’t being serious enough). I’ll make note about the summary, though. Great feedback :]
Well, not sure about what you feel lacking. When people read blogs, they are prepared to read someone’s opinions, so I don’t think you have to be more objective. Your writing is intense enough when it needs to be; maybe analyze things a bit more, your First Impressions are really “first impressions”, ie.: when someone watches a movie and sits down and writes his hyped opinion down before letting the experience settle (but that just might be your style, and there is nothing wrong with that).
I think… if you’d initially plan to write longer posts (maybe twice as long ones), then induring the post writing you’d collect your thoughts better, and even if you’d delete half of it before posting it and it’d be the same short lenghts afterwards, it’d still be a more collected post, because you spent more time thinking on what you write, than on writing what you think.
You see.
Then again, this is just my biassed opinion on the subject.
I hope you could absorb something from it that’ll help you improve in your own eyes (that’s the most important thing).
I’ve been rather analytical on most of my posts, such as the entirety of Kuragehime, and random episodes that strike a discussion nerve here and there (Yumekui ep 9), so I’m not really on the same page with you in terms of “writing what I think.”
Those kinds of posts actually don’t get much responses more often than not, so I’ve been switching over to the “feeling” posts, and suddenly people can really relate.
That said, I personally enjoy both types of posts, but I’m more happy when readers seem to be happy. (that was sappy)
I particularly like your manga posts (mainly what I read), I always check your post after I read the chapter and see whether I missed anything and what your thoughts are.
I like your writing for its own personal flair, but there isn’t any consistancy so I often scroll up to see who had written it. I’d like a little bit more analysing or whatever like Divine does but otherwise it’s fine. (e.g., broness in Kimi ni Todoke.)
Just refer to the plot when you write your thoughts a little bit more, and it’ll be easier to follow! 🙂 Otherwise it might just become a stream of thoughts (like bertman said, and what my teacher says to me a lot…)
Well, there is not much that really needs to be changed. Poor feedback means 1 of 2 things, either there’s nothing to complain about or people are ignoring the posts. Based on the views that the posts generate, I would have to say there’s nothing to really complain about. Besides, if everyone that blogged on RC had the same writing style 100% of the time it would get kind of dull and boring… and there would be no funny ‘haha’ moments at a mistake. Also, I kind of like it when a writer is concerned on whether people like how they are doing things or not, it means they want to improve. And not just fail over and over like other writers on different blogs do.
If I had to give a suggestion, it would be to find something that sparks comment discussion in every post. I know a lot of people, me included, just kind of pop in, skim read everything, and then move on to other things. I am not sure why other people don’t comment, but I have never really gotten into the WordPress-style of discussion. It is a great blogging tool, don’t get me wrong, but it seems to lack the edge that pushes great discussion. *votes to impliment mind reader into WP so that it auto comments people’s thoughts so that we don’t have to do the tedious work of typing!*
On an unrelated topic, it seems Japan is getting retarded some more. Shogakukan is trying to ban any fan art, images of their works, images from anime/manga, summaries, doujinshis, and anything else that revolves around their work. Not that it really means anything because I doubt they have the guts to try anything. *watches things unfold from a distance*
I like rambling on and on and on! my comment is bigger than the post! yay!
… :3
Personally, I enjoy your posts a lot Kiiragi and I’ve always loved the differing styles of posts at RC its what got me interested in the site in the first place. You tend to write in different structures from time to time, which people seem to enjoy at least from the comments I would see on those particular posts. Seems to me most readers like the change up. Cant really say with any confidence that your doing anything wrong since its my belief that you cant really be wrong about a something you blogged since it’s just YOUR opinion.
Lol how ever unhelpfully vague that is :P.
As long as you get your feelings about the episode across it dosnt really matter how you do it really. Proven, quite artfully, by your experiments in writing styles.
If I was going to give any constructive feedback/bitch about anything (which was the point of this anyway) I would say keep doing what your doing and challenge yourself from time to time, when your schedule allows. Try and encourage discussion amongst your readers. Almost like a “What do you think?” section and add either bullet points stating the most debatable aspects of the episode or even any questions you yourself might be pondering at the end of the show.
“Did they really just kill her off?” “Wasn’t that scene just awfully cheesy?” “really, could Oda be any more awsome?”
lol that last one should be a signature for every OP post.
So in short, keep it casual, keep it fun. Your stream of conciseness posts couldnt compliment Divine’s analytical posts any better than they already do :P.
A more creative style of writing is fun to read and I don’t feel there’s a problem with your writing (grinning when reading a post is usually a good thing). On the other hand my writing can get pretty analytical, perhaps overly so sometimes.
I have no qualms with your writing good sir!
I personally have nothing bad to say about your writing. Even though your style is different from Divine’s I like both yours and Divine’s posts a lot.
Usually, from a post I’d expect maybe a little summary about the episode and then your impressions, what you liked/disliked etc about it. The fact that most of your posts make me chuckle a little is never a bad thing either.
Personally, something that I’ve been missing in all of the reviews since Omni, is a short recap of the plot before the actual review.
I think that, in general, your posts tend to be a little too short. Other than that I like your writing, even the occasional experimental post that is not likely to become a standard (like the KnT post written as letters to the characters)
Honestly, I still feel like Omni had the best and easiest to follow posting pattern. Since I’m already getting the episode summary when I watch the episode, I’d much rather have a section for just impressions, instead of searching through a post to find specific lines that deal with impressions of the episode. Then again, Omni is Omni and the other writers are other writers with their own unique styles so i guess it’s just a personal quarrel I’m having. Like the rest of the commenters have been saying, humor is always a powerful tool to have while writing.
You’re implying I have summary in my posts, while a lot of others say I have no summary at all. In reality, I do have summary at times, but it’s fairly small and rare. Most of us (writers) believe our entire posts are pure impressions though, so I think they’d have a bone to pick with you. 😛
That’s how i roll as well. I read the intro and the impressions at the end. I often don’t read the events. I’m mostly interested in the afterthoughts.
I quite like your entries. P&S ones were my highlight, but that’s probably due to how awesome the episodes were.
Keep on doing your theories on gosick, I love it when you get it wrong. Haha 😛
wooooooow :/
Theres always a need for something to laugh about or it gets boring to read 😛 (No need to feel hurt Kiiragi when someone laughs, they are laughing with you not at you)
You keep it real. <~ Long story short
Pretty much everything you say is sensible, and you don’t dodge acknowledging what you feel is flawed in most shows. Also your posts are easy to follow, logical, and your opinion or individual biases don’t keep you from talking about glaring plot holes or ridiculous waves in quality. I also think that you’re by far the funniest writer on the staff and that while you sometimes can get a bit snarky or even cynical, you have a sense of humor about it.
Hahahahaha! I thought you were going to shoot yourself Mr. Flying puppy, my dog.
I wonder if it was because of “that issue”… oh, sticking my nose where it does not belong…
I enjoy that you put some light-hearted humour in your entries.
You never knew about it but thanks to your entries I gave a chance to Kuragehime (“Ah! a trap anime! bleh~” I thought at first) and liked it!
Being late for me is not really an issue. I myself am being drowned by work right now (I am right now working/studying! back to hell after this!)
I don’t believe that a large post = quality. In fact, I like when you get to the point.
Still, sometimes there are issues I’d like to discuss. In One Piece there are parts that aren’t mentioned in the review/summary/post and I try to bring em`up, but people tend to reply at the most irrelevant parts of my posts (my uber-duplex-witty comments). Not that I mind but, seriously?
Happens to me all the time, don’t worry about it.
I have to say that I beat my head into the desk when you wouldn’t simply enjoy HOTD, but you’ve made up for it with KnT. There is something about your writing style that is personal. Sometimes you take the negatives a bit far, making me feel like I’m enjoying these shows for the wrong reasons, but then I remember it’s Kiiragi we’re talking about and I go chase butterflies again.
Boo negativity. Yay butterflies.
I’ve followed your posts for Panty & Stocking and the first few episodes of Kuragehime (before I decided to drop it) last season. They were quite fun to read because each post packed quite a bit of knowledge and humor.
With this season, I’ve followed your posts for Merry and Gosick. They felt lackluster because for one, Merry is downright boring; secondly, Gosick is a mystery base and Victorique is cute (that’s all there is to the anime). I think the reason why they are not as fun as the last season is because the anime you choose aren’t exciting as Madoka nor fun as Zombie. I’ve thought you would at least blog one of those, but for now I’m following Takai the most because of those shows. (I do love your monthly impressions of Madoka and Zombie thou)
Fight for the top shows next season. 😉
You’ve definitely got a point there…
It’s almost as if I’m a lackey or something :p
Judging from comments like these, it sounds like I can take the next season off after all. Kiiragi can blog 7-9 shows in my place. I’m sure he’d be absolutely “thrilled” about that idea. Right Kiiragi?
I know I’d be all for it.
But you have to come back and be prepared to blog Shinryaku Ika Musume season 2!!! Who else would? D:
If Kiiragi doesn’t do it, I’m sure Takaii would be all over Ika Musume. He did fill in for an episode for me after all.
Umm if I may say something about this all, I rather feel like you’re taking these comments a bit heavier than what they’re trying to say, Divine. You know just as much as I do these are all feedbacks (mainly for Kiiragi), and I cannot help but think you may be overreacting a little.
My main points stand because of some replies you made in this very page. For example, Kyuusei compared Kiiragi’s short and direct impressions with yours, which, according to him (and I agree), are longer due to the fact that you include concrete events too. He never stated he disliked these kind of impressions, yet you replied with, dare I say, some false accusations.
You talked about how easy it would be then to go back and write “monotonous dedicated summaries” or simply “a 250 word, 5-6 sentence type of post like Omni used to do”. I understand you were simply trying to make your point and support your “descriptive impressions”, which are totally fine btw, yet your way of speech seemed a little too harsh on Kyuusei, who never adressed you in particular for starters.
Another post of yours that I think meets these same drawbacks is the following:
“Judging from comments like these, it sounds like I can take the next season off after all. Kiiragi can blog 7-9 shows in my place. I’m sure he’d be absolutely “thrilled” about that idea. Right Kiiragi?
I know I’d be all for it.”
I’m not sure how to tackle this subject, but I repeat by saying you may be overreacting by these comments if you end up writing, sarcastic as they may be, things like that. People are expressing their likes and dislikes for the benefit of you, the writers, to know better the opinions and interests of your audience. Replies of yours like the ones I just talked about thus result quite negative, for it almost feels like you are profoundly criticizing our (well, I better not include myself since I’m just butting in :P) opinions.
I understand if some comments may result a bit harsh to you, who surely dedicates a lot of time to this community (and I’m grateful for that); just let me highlight the fact that we are speaking with good-hearted intentions. Please consider our opinions too, Divine! 🙂
PS: Kiiragi, just let me say I support all the way your writing style, and like Skylaris said, it would be nice for you to fight for one or two shows that are more in the spotlight next season! I haven’t read much of you to be honest, but I really liked your comments on P&S…I even did a big-ass comment on the final episode expressing my love for the series, because you really made me want to comment. I respect and consider it a very smart move for you to ask your audience for feedback like this. Keep it up, and I hope you find what you were looking for among these comments!
There is another Justin in this site; guess I’ll have to change my nickname to keep it clear who’s who. :/
I realize it may have come off as being “defensive”, but there was a bit of an inside joke to Kiiragi and the other writers in that one comment.
However, I am quite serious about cutting back on descriptive posts because Kyuusei is not the first person to bring it up, and I’m partly responsible for guiding the other writers towards touching upon specific events in an episode to get their points across. I’ve been criticized about this repeatedly in the past and have made changes so that talking about plot isn’t mistaken as summarizing, but evidently 1.) not much progress has been made or 2.) people haven’t been reading to even notice.
In a somewhat recent talk with all the writers, I’ve asked them to completely forgo this approach and just take a train of thought and run with it, while keeping their post structured around key points and a lot shorter overall. (This marked the start of smaller walls of text.)
Part of that inside joke is that I was concerned some people would be unhappy with the site’s content if I took a season off, but now that we know Kiiragi’s so well-received, I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t. The only problem is he’s only planning to pick up one new show from the 43 listed, hence my remark about him covering 7-9 (which he won’t do).
What’s wrong with being descriptive? Whenever you write anything that could be taken as “summarizing,” it’s always to help clarify why you’re thinking something or how you were led there. It’s not like you recapitulate the entire episode…
I suppose, though, if taking out all pertinent plot-points and leaving only impressions would make writing posts significantly easier, then by all means, go ahead. But even if certain individuals perceive citing a specific scene as summarizing, what’s the harm in that? I realize that you’re not summarizing episodes, but even if there were summaries encapsulated in impressions, what would the problem be?
Huh. Well, thank you for the reply Divine, it truly gave me an insight on the work you and the other writers have, I enjoyed a lot reading it!! 🙂 .
Now, I’ll adress the points you mentioned and give you my opinion, since…this page is kinda about that, ha ha…About the descriptive or direct and short impressions issue, I partly agree that it is a problem. Let me say I do not read your comments on series like Start Driver or Fractale (but I always keep an eye for those posts because I am waiting for your final impressions so as to watch them or not…I probably will either way). Because of this, my opinion may not be entirely accurate, but let me add that I do read every one of your Naruto manga posts.
Judging from that only, I draw the following conclusion. I deeply enjoy your posts (Naruto ones at least), and love it when you end up writing more than the previous post. After all, you’re just talking about a manga chapter, so the content to blog about is short –hence my delight to read such a lengthy review about the manga.
However, the reason why I read them is, of course, to read your opinion, because (like many others must do surely) I do enjoy your train of thoughts regarding the series. This is why it pains me to have to read through some sentences that explain the chapter, because I obviously come read your impressions once I read it myself.
Still, I do not think this is a bad move. In your last Naruto post (Chapter 532-Honorable Death) I re-read it just now and found almost nothing to criticize. Sure, you talk about Show Spoiler ▼
…but these are all extremely short mentions so as to, obviously…talk about that. There’s no other way. Of course one would get lost if I write my thoughts just like that without any structure whatsoever.
In other words, I see you describe events before commenting them (you’re not the only writer that does that too, of course), which I think is totally fine, since it’s not a summary but a well-viewed review. I agree with your view on this matter.
There is one suggestion I would like to give, though! So your posts are basically short description + impressions, right? Well, what I would personally like even more would be for you to include even more impressions. Sure, it may sound selfish, since I’m not the one spending time to write the post about the latest episode/chaper of x series, but then again, I’m only saying what I would like more. I’ll take a Honorable Death for example:
Show Spoiler ▼
As you may see, my feedback adresses minor details, because, as I mentioned, I enjoy your posts as they are now. Still, I’d love to see more of your thoughts; speculations? Concerns? Art? Just guess what will happen next; it’d leave your readers (at least me) eager to know if your hypothesis were correct or not. Depending on it, people would laugh with you at the wrong ones or hate you and your clever mind for guessing right future events. Put in your wildest thoughts and speculations, I would personally love to see your point of view of how things might turn out!
Anyway, that’s just me. Hopefully you’ll tell me what you think about this all! Have a good day Divine.
PS: My new name is Justinnnn….I guess that’s better than having two Justins?
PSS: What do I put between brackets so as to write in italics ha ha…S and K do not work for me…
Wow, I feel like maybe I’m going against some sort of trend, but I agree with Bossun. I really love description in a review, and while I never saw the reason to dedicate an entire passage to pure summary as Omni did, I feel like there has to be context when anybody writes. Sometimes, I want to read the post before I watch the episode, and being given some idea of the plot is very helpful. But even when I’ve seen an episode, I like knowing what part of the plot the writer is responding to. It’s just plain confusing to jump right into someone else’s train of thought about the show in general, philosophical ramblings, or predictions for the future when I still haven’t properly understood what they thought about the crazy ______ that happened that episode.
A perfect post (for me) starts with a basic walkthrough of the episode with frequent interjections and impressions by the writer. Following that is the more overall impressions and anything else they feel they should share (philosophical ramblings, etc.). And that’s very similar to what Divine does currently, so perhaps I’m in the minority here if he’s getting that many complaints.
You know, that would be a REALLY great poll. Summary vs. No Summary.
Summary would win, Innerchihiro, I assure you of that >:3 !
I’d rather not have that poll because I get the feeling that “dedicated summaries” would win.
@Justinnnn: I usually don’t like to speculate unless I have good reason to see do so, otherwise it’s just shooting in the dark and setting myself up to be proven wrong. I’m usually quite careful with my choice of words and even more so with my speculation.
I do throw out ideas with Naruto from time to time, but I can’t imagine anyone feeling compelled to try predicting something every single chapter. Sometimes things just happen and it’s better to focus on the current developments instead of constantly guessing who was in that last coffin (for example).
@innerchihiro: That’s where I’m coming from. When I read something opinionated, I like to get the feeling that the person knows what they’re talking about first. In the case of blogging anime, it’s some indication that they actually watched the episode, understood what was going on, and have a good understanding by being able to touch upon both key and subtle developments. Simply bringing up something that happens also allows the reader to relate (“Ah yes, that scene…”) and provides some weight to the subsequent impressions.
This may not be the best way of going about it, but when I write a post I approach it with the thought, “Is this something I would personally want to read?”, hence why I choose to write the way I do. I don’t consider myself an English scholar (my field is engineering), but I am someone who doesn’t care to read Internet meme-filled ramblings that looks like it was written by an undereducated teenager. I don’t care what someone who conveys their thoughts in such a manner thinks about an anime series or anything for that matter.
I may be in the minority as well, as I like some level of intellectual discussion with occasional jokes thrown in. Otherwise, I tend to perceive it as someone talking “out their ass” with little substance.
e.g. “Who are you? Why would I care what you think about STAR DRIVER? Go to some anime forum and see if those people will hear you out.”
:p Is it too bad for me to want to write more so as for you to spill more details of your personal life/studies or works with the other writers? I guess it is. Oh well, now I know you’ll be an engineer someday!
I completely agree with what you just said Divine, there’s not much else to say for me. Enjoyed the discussion; now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go read your newly posted Naruto 533 Post (weak chapter :/, everyone just telling the same things to Chouji till they got through their skull)…Have a nice day.
well Kiiragi sometimes when im reading your posts i have to scroll up to the top of the page to see if maybe its Divines instead XD
the anime u’ve choosen this season were all very lack luster for me. most of the ones u chose to blog about were all so freaking cutesey that i stopped reading most of them all together. They arent exicting more visually stuning. its in that aspect that i wouldnt waste my time trying to get to know them i can only hope u diversity ur anime more so in the next few seasons.
your posts are alright imo. blogs are meant to express how the writer feels and thinks about a certain series. as long as you dont bash a show without a good reason and have fair judgement, im perfectly fine with your writing style.
well I also like how you can be a bit biased about a show. adding your personality and feelings in it is good and can be entertaining to read.
though I have only seen your yumekui merry posts so I dont have much experience in your style.
So far you have been doing a bang up job as a writer here. I especially enjoy your joking style. Keep up the good work.
You’ve always done good work (fun to read usually). My only real complaint is that your posts always feel 100 words too short, though this could just be a result of the material you review.
Was sorta hoping you’d continue with Dragon Crisis, since I found the first impressions post rather amusing.
well then call me a “casual reader” because I’ve never noticed these “variations” in your writing. to me, you seem to more or less summarize the ep while interjecting your opinions and thoughts while doing so….in other words. ITS ALL GOOD..don’t be so overly critical dude, its an anime blog
Kiiragi, I enjoy your style of blogging just keep experimenting and I’m sure you’ll start to naturalise to one style. Just to name a post that you made which really stood out for me, it would have to be “Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season – 03”. I loved it because it was completely out of the blue and was simply hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing at your “letter” to Kent. I can see you adapting a style not dissimilar to that of Jaalin’s, who’s wit I greatly enjoyed. That’s not to say you’re Jaalin v2… You just tend to write with humour as the backbone like him. Personally, I’ve never really bothered with the summaries like some other readers so that’s not on my agenda. Just keep doing what you’re doing…
P.S. Speaking of Jaalin… He hasn’t been blogging lately… Do you know where he is? Has he also quit?
He’s most certainly quit, and even if he were to come back, Divine said he wouldn’t let him back on because he keeps leaving (lol). He is still alive, most likely focusing on his studies (or work), and has moved on.
Just for the record, I never said I wouldn’t let jaalin back. In fact, I was the one who setup the filmstrip style post for the two FreezeFrames he wrote when he did come back briefly. He still has access to the site; he just doesn’t feel compelled to blog.
well jaalin has been an entertainment easter-egg for me. i don’t mind him coming and going as he like.. he’s the “Prev-guy” on RC and I do find his post totally random and funny. just don’t make him blog something serial, or he’ll leave it off hanging again. ^^
Aww, man. I miss all his perverted posts.
I second that mate, perhaps Divine and the gang should find someone new capable of doing so. 😀
You should come on IRC some-time there is allot of fun and pleasure talk about porn and other things :).
I’ve followed your posts for Kuragehime and really enjoyed reading them. I also like your humourous writing about GOSICK, although you sometimes lack the understanding of a girl’s mind (like the time when Victorique was so mad about the forehead-flick). I’ve also read your early posts on Yumekui Merry until I dropped it and basically they were the only enjoyable thing about the whole series for me… I find myself looking forward to your reviews every week.
Suggestion: Can you bold your important keywords(text) in each of your entries (especially of long entries)?
For example (from this entry) : “I do ask that you try to be specific and constructive,”
Bold your keywords: specific, constructive 🙂
Why? Because then you don’t have to read the whole post?
Every writer on randomc has a unique way of writing, and that’s what makes this blogging site special and amazing :).
Agree. Sure enjoy Divine’s posts for his informative way of writing and Kiiragi for his sense of humor.
D’awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww~<3
Is this possibly the result of my "trolling"??
I feel all fuzzy and warm inside~
Silliness aside, I really appreciate you actually being a man and making a post like this and trying to get better at what you do. 😛 Pat yourself on the back for me. (and try not to vomit while youre at it. XD Lol.)
While I do actually have a few stuff I'd like to criticize about your writing, Im saddly too busy these days to write anything longer then these few paragraphs. (Which is why I haven't commented back in the "trolling" post way back when~) TTwTT
Oh! And also because Divine banned me like a corrupt politician once again~
Too bad for him such premitive ways can't really keep me away.
Funnily it also pretty much proved my point about how he is corrupted and will delete and ban any member that'll hurt the image of the site~
I see he also wants to leave for the entire season… And here I was sure he couldn't possibly fall more then he has already had… Humans truly can bend the limits to impossible levels I guess.-
wut?
My thoughts exactly.
On a previous Kiiragi post – his last post about the one piece manga (Kiiragi’s only post I happebed to read in the last 2 months) CK wrote a comment in which he slightly insulted Kiiragi and claimed that Divine erased a previous comment of his and banned him.
Now he returned and claimed the same thing again. He also asks here if the “your thoughts on a random writer” post is because of his previous comment.
judging by the number of comments that came after your post, I guess no one took you seriously this time, CK.
Maybe they would have listened if you used this opprotunity to say anything except for “Divine is a corrupt politician”.
Were you really banned or are you just trolling us?
As for you Kiiragi, I think you’re the best out of the “new” writers on this site. I haven’t read any of your posts lately but I really enjoyed the ones you wrote on Kuragehime.
and as you said “negative feedback is slightly more helpful than positive”. a little more crticism on a show’s shortcomings would be good
These false claims are something else. I’m not the only one that can delete trollish comments. Each writer is free to do so at their own discretion.
I think his complaint here is about him being banned, not about his post being deleted.
Though he did complain about both in a previous comment, if he really is that CK.
Your downside is that your posts lack objectivity…..
But that’s what makes reading your blog fun :).
No one’s blog posts here are objective; the point of a blog is not to be objective. it’s to post your personal feelings on a subject…
I think you do put heart in your blogging, Kiiragi. It’s simple enough to read and the humor makes it even more fun. I don’t really mind you experiencing on your writing. It feels less nonchalent. Then again, you’re a RC writer. Divine chose you and you are still at it. It does mean something.
I don’t know what kind of negative feedback you’re expecting, Kiiragi, but I don’t have any for you. Everyone has their own individual writing style, and that’s how it should be. You post your thoughts and cite specific plot-elements when necessary. What else do you need to need from a blog?
I always enjoy your posts, especially for Kimi ni Todoke. The Haruhi movie was a definite highlight for me, and you covered that event with aplomb, especially considering the rage felt after Season 2. I love the humor you use (the broness for KnT is particularly funny), and your thoughts and conclusions on each episode are really fair. In short, keep up the good work!
Im a fellow reader of this blog and almost 5-6 years (I forgot T_T) I was just reading it and enjoy it… letting on random people will just ruin this blog because of some biased opinions or whatsoever but I believe is: “kono mama wa iiyo, kekko waruiko nai… gomakai na hito de makaseru to nanka fuan”
I like your post because you read some readers comments.(DX like the time you corrected me XD). Though i have no regrets reading your post, i still feel that you need to improve on something.lol even though im not a good writer, grammar and all, i still feel something is missing.
Lately, your post became more humorous, and you also attract people with like the KnT s2 03 post.
Also you did a good job on the Haruhi movie review. it made me watch it more because you mention somethings that i haven’t thought of.
A couple thoughts:
1) My general impression is that you tend to write short posts. This is not a problem by any means, however this tends to lead to a) fewer points (whether emotional or analytical) and b) less “filler” (for lack of a better word) to buffer your points. Again, neither of these are inherently a problem, but if I disagree with or don’t feel the impact of the points you’re expressing it’s that much easier to dismiss your entire post. Sorter posts are generally a good thing, but at the risk of being completely ignored.
2) You do a sort of semi-outraged incredulity well (see: the letter post for KnT, last few lines of Merry 11). To the extent you can, I’d say use it; it’s entertaining. Other emotions don’t seem to come across as well (amusement would another exception). Maybe part of the problem is that for other emotional content you tend to just say “I felt x” without expressing it? I’m oversimplifying a bit, but take Merry 11 as an example: The last four lines of the first paragraph are good (as are the last few of paragraph two); I get a good sense of what you were feeling as you watched those parts and I can relate even though that wasn’t my my response while watching. Line three of the second paragraph is not as good. I didn’t feel any dread and that line doesn’t give me any sense that you felt dread so I’m inclined to dismiss it.
3) Not a critique, but experiment more. I thought the KnT letter was a huge success. More posts like that are worth a few failures. ^_^
I overall like your writing and enjoy the jokes you make and the light heartedness of many of your posts. If I were to criticize something, it would be that readers can tell when you’re really interested in something (a show, or an episode, or a character, etc.) and when you aren’t.
For example, your Suzumiya Haruhi post was brilliant. As you remember, I made a very long response to it 🙂 And with that, you could really, really tell how much you were interested in the topic, which shone through with the seriousness in which you tackled that subject.
However, with some of your other posts, such as Kimi ni Todoke, you often joke around and highlight your (and everyone’s) frustration with the continuing lack of progress with the main duo. That’s fine, I love good jokes in situations like that, (especially about Ryuu being a total bro) but sometimes I feel like the posts may lean too much in that direction and lose some of the objectivity that I’ve long associated with Random Curiosity. It also makes me wonder your personal interest in the show(s) when I compare to something like your Suzumiya Haruhi post.
Overall though, Kiiragi, I think you’ve done a bang up job and congratulations on an excellent year of writing! I hope my feedback is helpful and feel free to ask any questions.
I don’t see anything “missing” in your posts…I find them really enjoyable and humorous, and I like how your express your opinion on the episodes, and when you make speculations about the plot (like in Gosick’s case ^^). I also like to read your answers to the comments, even though I don’t comment myself (it’s actually my first time commenting on RC, even though I’ve been reading for years XD). As the others said, it would be nice to have a short summary of the plot at the beginning of the posts, though. And I always find your reviews a bit too short, but maybe it’s just because I like your writing.^^
I don’t read a lot of literature, but I have been reading RC posts since 3 years ago. When Omni quit and divine took over, I started noticing Omni’s mature style of writing compared to Divines’. While both people have very good literacy skills, I did prefer Omni’s writing style over Divines.
I don’t really read Kiragi’s posts that often, since he focuses on the shounen genre, but compared to Divine, his writing seems a notch less mature. I can notice a youthful spirit to your posts, but personally I prefer a more mature approach.
I can’t really say its a bad thing, but it’s simply what I prefer. I also have faint memories of Kiiragi mixing in his opinions too much, distorting the review to a too much of a biased view of the topic.
I don’t think I’m a good judge of a good writer, but if there were 2 posts on the same topic by Kiiragi and Divine, I’d read Divines.
And if Omni were here… 🙂 no offense to anyone though!
first of, if anything were to tell you an error with reader feedback, one would be the failure of the majority of the people who had posted on this so far in their misunderstanding of exactly what you wanted, negative feedback IS more important than positive. But more to the point, I have been following this blog since its creation long ago and I seriously suggest if you wish to enhance your new blog entries that you take into account that the blog was already wildly successful with its previous owner, and while whenever I did make contact with the original writer in the past he was extremely rude to me. I never the less cannot deny his success, people enjoy facts, perceptions, references, and most of all relation. Relate the information to the writer perhaps experiences that they may of had or you may of had or references from past anime. For example I enjoyed your reference used in FREEZING recently when the original Pandora was revealed back to another franchise you had read that I had not, that is a major plot device that you picked out and related. Also I’ve noticed a few entries here or there in several different entries for different anime where you said what you suspected with very little evidence your expectations of what was going to occur in the plot, some were long shots but regardless I enjoyed them, although it would be more successful with a broader range or perhaps a back story as to what makes you think that. Also who are you? If you tell us more about yourself in small bits through entries here or their, a spoonful a day per say the masses will grow to care about your opinion more and more as a person. Its a blog now, but it could be a family tomorrow.
Um, I think you might be getting writers mixed up. I cover Freezing and made that comparison, not Kiiragi.
😮
😮
:O
:0
ಠ_ಠ
O_O
I think its okay to change it up from time to time…. One Piece and HODT are 2 totally different shows so the content and style can be different…. I love hearing about the opinion of the writer… that’s why I read his thoughts on the eps more than skimming through the eps recap….
the animes u picked I don’t take a personal liking to but u did get me to watch:
High School of the Dead, the last episode of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt and read the future arc (only 5 chapters) of One Piece all thx to ur reviews.
Your reviews for Yumekui Merry slowly make me wanna watch it but screams NO!! DON’T DO IT!!! Unless you’re a patient viewer and Im kinda not.
I rarely hear your thoughts on the music portion such as OP/ED/Inserts in anime.
I always like it when posts have clickable links that open a large image as overlay. Your posts usually don’t have a lot, so maybe add a few more in the future 🙂
Action anime junkie here with a certain love for character designs as seen in Black Lagoon and what’s not. Just glad you guys cover the Gundam series, love reading the summaries and opinions of various shows here.
Will definitely check out Tegami Bachi one of these days as well. Love watching that little kid cry for some reason … in a good way 🙂
I like all of the writers and their style no matter what… unless it gets to a point where I can write better… which is as unlikely as a Soulja Boy anime being successful.
I guess I am the only one who is watching the pictures and then reading the whole stuff (ouch my eyes ><). Even so, this is a nice way of improving.
I do think that you should also read those blogs of your colleagues(if you weren't doing that). It will definitly give you an idea of what you can improve.
I will hope you will find your anwser soon 🙂
Well, I’ve been reading RC for about 3 almost 4 years now (I’m a passive reader, I don’t like posting comments…) and I don’t remember exactly when you started but I think I recall reading your Introduction post, I’m not sure. In a sense your posts are more like reviews of each episode were as Divine basically sums up the episode and cuts in every now and then to show what he felt about the particullar scene.
Back when you first started I remember seeing your One Piece posts and I could tell how very thought out they were but I like things very short and to the point (it’s just who I am). Your Yumekui Merry posts for example are around the size I like to read but thats to be expected because theres not much to write about Yumekui Merry… I guess generally what I’m saying is your posts are somewhat short but in a good way. I guess only thing I don’t like about your posts is you write a little too much on one particular scene and forget to talk about the episode as a whole.
personal feelings about the show >>> anime summary style(although this is biased, i understand japanese so no need for subs or a detailed explanation is needed, most people who go for raws or poor subs do need summaries)
aside from that, when i see posts about anime nowadays, i really think i dont wanna spend 20mins reading about a 20 minutes show =3
Your posts don’t seem deep enough. Like they all glance parts of the episode but you never really explain much more in detail. Even compared to the other writer’s your posts have a lot less than there’s. To this date of RC, I still prefer Omni’s style of writing where he gives a summary of the episode as well as minute interjections/opinions with a final summary of his own feelings at the end
Can you clarify on what exactly passes the threshold as “deep enough,” and what – as an example – post is explicitly lacking in such?
I think he just means to write more stuff about what happened in the ep. like talk about most of what happened like the foreshadowing, problems, facts etc. or maybe he just wants you to be like Omni and write about what exactly happened in the show or at least mostly.
Bad Kiiragi, Bad boy! Putting a gunsight on Maru! No cookie!
well i am ok with the way things are with both ur writings so XD
I dont come here for reading I come for the pics
Oh by the way, no more high definition images starting next season. Only low-res watermarked ones.
Really? Why the change?
Wait, that was a joke? How am I supposed to get that…
I guess when I spend 1.5 to 2 hours writing each post and people say they only want pictures, it’s my way of telling them to **** off. 🙂
If they don’t understand much English like the site’s Japanese visitors, then I’d understand.
Okay, fair enough 🙂
Wait, this site has Japanese visitors?
Wow, I’m impressed
And for me, no pics at all.
Huh, I guess all RandomC writers are the type to take any sort of criticism personally, regardless as to the outcome of whatever argument arises. See: top right corner of the banner (appeared right after a flame war in the now-removed shoutbox). Likewise, the One Piece post.
Don’t worry too much about it, so long as you properly cover each episode (enough screencaps, plot commentary, etc), I’m totally cool if you do your own writing style. You’re not Divine, so why the hell do you have to become him?
Uh, correlation in this case does not equal causation, as I’ve really been wondering what the reader feedback for my writing has been since I started here. People telling me to “stop worrying” don’t really understand the point of this post, which is for improvement. I don’t think it’s as simple as it seems, “just writing what I think and everyone’s happy,” and even if it is, I want to strive to make it better. It’s just the way I do things.
Also, the corner of the banner wasn’t due to the shoutbox, it was actually just an idea Divine went with, even though I think it’s cheesy. Likewise, the shoutbox was removed due to the excessive amount of annoying people, such as asking “when the next preview” was coming and spoiling an episode not yet subbed. Other reasons are there as well, but none that you mentioned. You can’t make these assumptions as a reader, and I know that, but using it as fact should be avoided.
The main reason I removed the shoutbox was because people were using it to post spoilers about an episode that hadn’t been blogged yet. There was an announcement about it back in January.
The tagline is in reference to looking at each anime series beyond the obvious. e.g. Finding the good in a seemingly generic romantic comedy or a show that has a lot of fan-service.
I would just like to say that I love and respect EVERY blogger that has EVER been on this website (yes I respect even Jaalin) for the hard work and dedication they show on this blog. This is practically my sanctuary because I have so few friends (one…) who enjoy anime as much as I do. I get super excited every time I get on here so I can see it from someone else’s POV. As pathetic as that sounds it’s true….
The only thing that I could complain of is the lack of coverage of shows like kuroshitsuji, togainu no chi, uraboku, etc. So I’m kinda assuming that there are only male bloggers because of this. I have nothing against that I just wish the scope was widened just a bit, but I can understand why they would be put aside.
Seriously though, the work that these guys put into this blog would even make it ok if they were writing at a third grade level. Which they aren’t. So it kinda disappoints me that their styles are being nitpicked, compared, and scrutinized as much as they are. And frankly if I put in as much money and time I would be a bit annoyed too.
That aside I’m not trying to bash anyone from giving their honest opinions but I don’t blame any of the bloggers for becoming slightly defensive.
Kiiragi, while the majority of your posts are not as detailed (breaking some elements plot-wise and/or added info) and mainly a direct jump to your point, i notice you tend to change at Random times your style (are you experimenting?) which makes me go back to see if i’m reading yours :P; also, i personally find it interesting reading differently from the writers, since it makes it varied. Thou, i tend to, be badly glued to Divine (the kind of way that everything should be covered by him); it’s refreshing reading your posts as it’s summary+opinion in very short and sometimes concrete sense. And if i’m right, and some of your posts are experimented writing, i would like to see you on a Divine level, but of your own class :). It’s a writing adventure to discover more fun in words; have you tried rewriting/editing a post you’ve recently made over again after having it posted, just to see other ways it could have been made, more experimentation more exciting substance.
The reticle in the image reminded me of Reborn, so it translated in my head into: Divine=Reborn / Kiiragi=Tsuna oh boy, good luck with that.
PS. Divine, serious, i don’t care if you put tentacles and starts as a watermark for the images, but, somewhat understanding the reasons behind having lower resolution images, would be nice if they wore at least half of what they now are; neither high nor low
(~★~ in between ~★~). Just an occult ginga bee suggestion.
Divine was joking about the screenshots >_>
And I’m baffled how you knew what to respond, yet somehow missed the sentence that explained that I often experiment.
Regarding detail, I’m again baffled that you say the “majority” of my posts aren’t detailed. You’ll need to provide the “majority” of posts that you don’t think have the detail, so I can see where you’re coming from, because breaking down the plot is something I do pretty much by default.
You tend to go overboard in your Yumekui Merry posts but overall youre a very good writer. I specifically like your long and analytical posts in Kuragehime, they’re very insightful and knowledgeable. The random tidbits you put in the end of your posts, I learned a lot from them.
Can’t believe Divine got me T_T’ again!
I intended to be “majority” because some of the changes you made aren’t a whole (in other words, changes that are small or mixed with others and not entirely/fully apparent changes), so i thought about those posts you’ve made that’s been more altered than the usual. The detail and plot part, i don’t mean just what’s on the episode, but a deeper layer beyond the episode and plot itself; but then again, you have those post which you actually go to the next layer of examination, but don’t keep it up with the next posts even a bit (like, even if there’s no consistency, it tends to somewhat disappear and reappear) even if it’s sometimes not exactly needed, a bit of extra examination here and there helps. But, yes i intentionally missed the part where you often experiment because i didn’t want to go into it without giving detail, like “post” examples and so, as in not wasting your time in even more explanations without the use of direct references 🙂
Aside from that, i’ve started animes of which i had many second thoughts to, thanks to your posts and other writers here; since my “natural selection” likings can be beyond that of Keima with real girls :P.
(BOW)Sorry for not having it cleared up a bit in the first post. I will start reading every single of your posts again in order to clear my mind.(BOW)
PS. I love this that’s being done with this post and towards the “a” writer. I’m so glad so many readers have responded, expressing their own views. Reminds me of the constructive criticism circles in my creative writing class.
Opps, this should go as a reply to Kiiragi’s reply from my previous post. Sorry Nhelarios for posting bellow yours.
Ah, all right, I understand what you mean with inconsistency.
hahaha the comments here are funny.. i see the writers throwing some sarcastic jokes all around! :))
hmm.. let’s see… I usually read here after I watch an episode of some random anime. Just to see if I missed something or if I interpreted something different. So, I like certain details that would otherwise be overlooked by casual watchers.
Also, when the subs aren’t available yet, I like watching the early raws.. And sometimes there are Japanese words I don’t seem to understand, which makes me miss out on some sentences.. I come here to “fill the gap” on what was going on. So, small summaries are very welcome to me.
That’s one thing I do here as well. When I do not understand something that’s going on (Star Driver), this is the only place I can go to. Forums usually have to much negativity and the comments are untrustworthy. It’s not easy to find other writers as well-rounded as the ones we have here.
I, for one, liked how you writers sometimes troll each other’s posts, it just makes a much more livelier site.
…though writing just thought without ANY summaries (how ever they may be long or short) may just be too cruel for people who would look only into the summaries for their fix if they’re viewing from work or in class.
I have only read into 3 series that you blog on, Yumekui, GOSICK and Kimi ni Todoke, as far as details go the things I see in your post are some theoretical and somewhat analysis opinion, point to Yumekui 09 there were a lot of opinion structures, comical which readers may enjoy. As long as you don’t post Kirino style your ok!
As an avid one piece fan, I always read your one piece posts. However, I find your coverage on one piece to be somewhat lacking in depth and don’t really provide us with any insights worth pondering upon. Also Im not asking for a really long essay but a short summary followed more elaborate, personal view would be nice. I know manga coverage is different from anime coverage and normally it isnt as long but I do not feel much commitment on one piece as opposed to your other coverage whenever I read your one piece posts. I would like to suggest that we change writers or the coverage be dropped in order to maintain the consistency in quality (among others such as naruto, bleach..etc) in manga posts overall.
I like things the way they are honestly. I really enjoy the way shows are covered with descriptions being hyperlinked to pictures so that I can have a better clue as to what’s being referenced (and sometimes who a character is if I haven’t watched the show yet). This goes for all the writers, I like reading opinions, thoughts and analysis on some key points of the episode. I personally wouldn’t vote for a summary as I already have a good idea based on the writer’s post on whether I’ll find the show interesting or not, and if so I’ll watch myself to “join in on the fun”.
Of course I’ll still read writer posts for shows I do watch due to an interest on other’s opinions of what takes place during the episode, or if I’m really busy I’ll be able to get an idea of whether I can hold off on the show til it gets more interesting as I don’t have a lot of free time. Even now I’ve said too much and must get back to an assignment. :/
@Divine
I’m totally against you taking a season off completely since your writing style is my favorite by far. Not sure whats up with these down syndrome faggots criticising you for your detailed posts but if I want retard mode blogs I can do that myself. I’d rather read an in depth, thoughtful, and complete coverage rather than random opinions and attempts at humor. Not to say thats bad at all but for some anime with actual plot I’d rather get some good insight. Honestly with omni already gone and with you taking a break I would not really bother checking RC frequently. No offense to the new writers who all have unique styles and do a solid job but I still think you need to anchor them. I say cherry pick one or two shows to blog please :P. I do understand if you just really need to take a break though.
@Kiiragi
I dont really read many of your blogs since I just dont get around to watching the shows you blog but from what I’ve seen you do a good job and its refreshing at times. Keep up the good work. Pick better shows this coming season haha.
Thanks for the feedback. The thought had crossed my mind to cover a show or two, but I’ll have to see. I think I would’ve been more swayed to do so if there were more comments like yours, but most people seem okay with me taking the entire season off or aren’t concerned enough to speak out about it.
More than half of the shows that will be popular this season won’t be covered by RC, and there’s really nothing much to discuss when it comes to the shows that are being covered this season aside from Deadman Wonderland, or even to blog about to be honest. I don’t know what influenced this decision but I think someone needs to at least cover C and Steins;Gate.
I genuinely want you to take a break because you have done so much for this blog, but the truth is (as shown by the poll as well) a vast number of people will simply stop visiting this blog (or at least stop commenting) because of the lack of coverage of the most anticipated shows or shows worth discussing, myself included. Sure, we all know we’ll be watching Nichijou and we’ll enjoy it, but what will there be to talk about aside from “It was a funny episode”? I bet there will be more to talk about with C.
If none of the other bloggers want to take up these shows worthy of discussion, then I revoke my vote that you should take a break. Your break is completely deserved for what you’ve done for this blog, but seriously, the coverage is just looking too bleak for you to leave now. This blog will lose tons of traffic.
To quell your distress, you’re not the only one with these concerns. They will be put into consideration, and I’m quite sure at least one of those shows will be blogged.
I’ve been thinking about how best to provide some sort of decent feedback to you for a couple days now but the fact that there hasn’t been much I could come up with might say something in itself in regards to what I think of your style. Let me first start by saying that I’m very fond of your style and how diverse it is. I think a prime example of some of your best work is when you covered Kuragehime. It showcased a lot of what I like about you as a writer; there was a lot of insight and knowledge and it was your first couple of posts that convinced me the show was worth watching to begin with. To this day, I believe that to be the best coverage you’ve done so far and I would rather not say that your writing has taken a turn for the worse in comparison to it since it’s not simple to compare your ways of writing to the other series you’ve blogged. Kuragehime was Kuragehime and in ways, your writing has excelled in different ways depending on what you’ve covered.
I think it’s safer to attribute your style as something that adapts to the show you’re watching. Maybe you’ve noticed but it seems to me that you have a tendency to cover shows that aren’t the most popular amongst the readers here. They are diverse and often call for a fair bit of unique thought which you bring to Random Curiosity. If you do this purposely, then all the more respect to you because I think it gives you more experience. Maybe that plays a role in the way you write and the way people receive it. Just a thought and not a very good one at that but I do believe your choice of shows to blog is important.
Last thing I figured I’d point out are the jokes you’re known for. While I happen to love them more than find them misplaced at times, the fact of the matter is that they are one of those things that come off as a hit or miss and sometimes it’s appropriate (e.g. panty and stocking) and other times, it has seemed a bit out of place. It’s simply a matter of knowing when and when not and I don’t know whether or not you’re still experimenting as far as that part of your style goes.
Hopefully this proves useful rather than pure negative, unusable rambling.
Your first paragraph is spot on, and it seems you really put in the research to gather every series I’ve done. I didn’t actually pick those shows on purpose, and to tell you the truth, both Kuragehime and PSG were leftovers none of the other writers wanted to do. Figuring out what type of shows I’d be good at might be difficult, so that may take some time. I think it’s just as simple as to finding a show I actually enjoy.
Regarding the jokes, they’re usually thrown in without much thought, but I think I’m starting to get the idea when’s a good time to avoid them.
Your days of thought have provided me some great insight, huge thanks for that, and I actually thought most of your criticism was positive than negative. It’d be cool if there were other people that had the same train of thought and slowly trickle in. :]
Hi, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam feedback? If so how do you protect against it, any plugin or anything you can advise? I get so much lately it’s driving me mad so any assistance is very much appreciated.