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(If you want to friend me, go ahead. I accept all friend requests unless you give me a reason not to. But I will not join your clubs or interact socially for the most part. Sorry. Also, I'd forgotten how annoying these kinds of forums can be, so I've turned off most notifications. I'll get to it when I get to it, if at all.)

NUMBER OF "CONFUSING" EMOJIS ON MY REVIEWS AS OF JULY 30, 2024: 17. Can we make it 20??? Seriously, they're not confusing. You just didn't like them.

20 CONFUSING AS OF 9/28!! We did it! Can we do 30 now? Come on, a guy needs a goal!

(seriously, I think confusing emojis are a sign I'm doing something right, so have at it.)

I'm a nearing 50yo male computer engineer who has piano, composition, electronics, and annoying people as my hobbies... I have a few more things going on too but those are the biggies. Oh, and watching anime too. I can speak N5 level Japanese and am continuing to study. I still need subs but not for basic interactions, and it's amazing how many times they screw up the translations. (and in case you're wondering, I'm firmly on the "sub" side in the "sub vs. dub" argument, but I won't put my reasons here).

FYI, "itadakimasu" doesn't mean "time to dig in". Sigh. It's an expression of gratefulness to their idea of God, and maybe to the person who actually made and/or provided the food.. It actually is probably better translated as "I receive this food gratefully", but for some reason, no one ever uses words like that. I wonder why. This is why I have a hard time trusting translators, often what comes on the screen isn't what comes out of their "mouths". (don't get me wrong. I appreciate translators. But I'd rather not have to rely on them.)

You can basically think of me as a middle-aged male (and commensurately less cute) slightly less successful version of Reina Kousaka from Sound! Euphonium, mixed with some Hananoi and a bit of Hachiman, and you'll be pretty close to who I am.

My favorite types of anime are the ones that make me think and/or make me feel. I can say honestly that there are some anime that have changed my life for the better. Sangatsu no Lion, Oregairu, Sound! Euphonium... some of the best works of art I've seen. In any medium.

But not all anime are like that. Some just feel like someone decided to make an anime and out came an anime, with no thought put into it at all except "this should make us some money". I can do without those.

That's why you'll find my rankings often go against the crowd. What I like, often people don't, and vice versa. Not always the case, but a lot of the time. I've seen a few quite highly ranked anime that I just wonder what everyone's smoking. And there are some really highly ranked ones I'll even just plain refuse to watch. Especially the ones that are just about floppy girl-bits and underwear. Eww.

Another thing I love about anime (some anime, anyway) is that it gives you an insight into the Japanese culture that's difficult to find in other ways. I've learned a lot, good and bad. I'm also studying the language, and it *can* be helpful for that, but not always.

But the one thing I'm not and will never claim to be, is an otaku or weeb. I think that taking anime for what it is and not trying to overlay western sensibilities on it is far more respectful to the culture than, well... what a lot of people do. I love Japan for what it is, warts and all - and there are indeed a few warts. I particularly like it when anime tackles those warts head on and tries to come to terms with them. That's really amazing to see. ("Shachiku-san and the little baby ghost" comes to mind.) I'm just a anime fan and a (mostly) fan of Japanese culture. The *real* culture, not the kawaii culture most people seem to think is Japanese culture.

Anyway, I guess that's all. If you like whatever reviews I decide to post, well, yay. If you want to interact with me, well, good luck, I guess. I'm not too interested in that, but, if you want to anyway, give it a try. I'm here because I like anime, not because I want to argue about stuff. Yes, I've posted a few things in the forums. It was a mistake. It won't happen again.

(In case you're wondering, "Clannad" is on hold not because I don't like it, but because it's too good. I need time to process what I've already watched before I start assaulting my emotions more.)