Month: January 2021

Nerdz of the Decade: Whatz This All About?

Aside D&A Anime Blog Blog Updates, Filler Posts

So about several weeks ago we were wondering what new thing we should try to do to spice up the blog a bit. At the moment we’ve done a LOT of things from anime reviews to highlighting conventions, but there was one thing we’ve never tried yet; having our own podcast! Although we were fully aware that there were already tons of podcasts about nerdy stuff out there, we wanted ours to stand out from the rest just like the blog. During this time of immense brainstorming; we were not only able to create a name for the title of our podcast, but also what topics and news around the industry that we two nerds wanted to cover. Thus “Nerdz of the Decade” is a podcast about two ’90’s kids’ (hence the word ‘decade’) who talk about their favorite nerd interests from anime to classic video games. (Even Marvel and DC too!)

Having this podcast allows us to expand on topics and posts that we’ve done on the blog over the five years that we’ve been on the interweebz. Plus we wanna cover news regarding the industry, convention recaps, and what new shows are coming out (and even have VA’s call in and have short interviews with them). We wish we could run our podcast a lot sooner, but with D&A being self-financed for the moment it takes us a little longer to get things going. Despite that, we can’t thank our fans enough for all of the love and support that you’ve given (and continue to give) us through it all. We know lots of you guys miss conventions as much as we do, but just like you, we can’t wait to see each other once again!

That’s all we’ve got regarding what “Nerdz of the Decade” is about, and once we get the ball rollin’ on the podcast, we may even start something new where fans can submit topics they want us to cover in a future episode. We hope that you guys are continuing to stay safe as the country is getting vaccinated, and as always we’ve got more awesome content coming your way! 😉

A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis: American Influence in Anime!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, Filler Posts

It’s no secret that anime has become one of the most popular mediums in the world. From music to conventions and cosplay culture, anime has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals from all walks of life; and all nationalities regardless of their country. Everybody knows somebody who’s into anime, but how did something that was once laughed at by the adversaries of the people who embraced it, now a part of mainstream culture?

We dunno, but we’re sure you’re gonna tell us.

To figure this one out we’ll have to travel back 60 years into the past; when titles like Astro Boy and Speed Racer were one of the few titles to make their way into America. Back during this time those shows in particular gained popularity with American audiences; for many millennial anime fans (like myself), our parents may have been fans of those shows growing up. (Plus my mama loves Speed Racer!)

From the 1960’s to the 1980’s a lot of the anime titles that were imported from Japan ended up being heavily altered and localized (even to the point of changing the name of the titles themselves). So if you’re familiar with the show Robotech, it’s real name and title was actually Macross. We all know about Transformers and all of the series and spin-offs that came from its original, but the basis of the ‘Robots in Disguise’ came from two series called Diaclone and Microman. Here’s a lil’ fun fact; the first (and I mean FIRST) anime meetup group was called the Cartoon Fantasy Organization (C.F.O.) which was created in 1977 in Los Angeles, California. Yep, L.A. In fact the very first English-dubbed anime distribution company was Streamline Pictures; way before we had BangZoom, Viz Media, Aniplex, Funimation, and Sentai Filmworks.

Once the 90’s kicked in, the overall popularity of anime was at an all-time high. Being a 90’s kid myself you guys already know all of the heavy hitter titles; Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Inuyasha, Gundam Wing, Evangalion, and Cowboy Bebop! The level of popularity began to give birth to a subculture of people who identify themselves as “Anime Fans”, and is still growing to this very day. America’s influence on anime has even translated into more recent cartoon titles from Cartoon Network; like Steven Universe or The Amazing World of Gumball.

Right now it looks like due to anime’s overwhelming popularity throughout 60% of broadcast anime throughout the world, American animation companies are adjusting their productions and animations styles as a ‘reverse-influence’ competitive strategy. If you’ve seen shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Boondocks, and the 2003 Teen Titans, you’ll notice what I’m talking about right away!

All-in-all; America’s influence on anime has opened the minds and the imaginations of the individuals who invest in the medium. It’s given us anime conventions, cosplay culture, anime hip-hop and nerdcore, and new ways to tell stories. Thanks to America’s influence anime has also become more diverse in its story telling; with some anime titles being produced, directed, and even dubbed by people of color. (D’ART Shtajio comes to mind.) The influence of anime can be seen in many other countries such as Brazil and The UK, so American anime fans are not the only ones connected to the medium.

For me personally; I think this is awesome! Having something that you can connect with as you go through life can really boost your overall morale and quality of life. Toonami’s done that with so many people, and there have been stories where anime has saved the lives of the ones who watched it. Although we’re not sure what the future will hold for this once-niche medium (that still is in some parts of the world), we already know that as long as there are anime fans and the demand is high, there will always be anime! 🙂

 

D&A Anime Blog: Avidd Music Fridays is Coming Next Month!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Blog Music, Blog Updates, Filler Posts

Attention independent musical artists, DJs and producers! We at D&A Anime Blog will be bringing a brand new special series of weekly posts that will allow you to promote yourselves as well as highlight your upcoming albums, EPs, singles, and mixtapes! This is a special cross-promotional thing (presented by Avidd Minddset) that we’ll be trying out in the month of February, so if you’re an artist, DJ or producer that wants us to shine the spotlight on your musical talents and brand, let us know through our Contact Us page!

Anime Error 404: What’s Happening Next Week

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, Blog Updates, Filler Posts

Guys, writer’s block is REAL! If you’re a blogger, then we’re pretty sure that you’ve come up against this lil’ demon from time to time. So now that it has chosen us as its target for this week, we’ll be rolling over or posts and content for next week. Here’s what’s on the books for the blog next week:

“Got you!!”

D&A’s Top 5 Anime Villains of 2020

Many of us never want to see or hear the word “2020” again; but in spite of it being one of the craziest years humanity has ever faced, it still brought us some arguably good anime titles to watch. Not only that; it also gave us some anime villains who are now newly favored by fans, while many still rave about their cult classics as well. Next week we’ll be counting down our Top 5 favorite anime villains of 2020!

A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis

A Founder’s Thought’s with D.J. Lewis: America’s Influence on Anime

We got another “A Founder’s Thought’s” post on America’s Influence on Anime. D&A’s D.J. Lewis talks about America’s influence on many titles to come out of Japan. From Baccano to Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, many titles have drawn their inspiration from America in some form or fashion, but how much of America’s influence is in the anime titles that we watch? D.J. Lewis digs deep to find out!

D&A’s Official Upcoming Podcast

Nerdz of the Decade Podcast Update!

After selecting our name for our official podcast, we’ll be filling you guys in on what we plan to do next regarding when we’ll launch our first episode and so on. We know you’ve been waiting quite a while, but the wait is almost over!

See you guys next week for some awesome new posts and content! 🙂

A Founder’s Thought’s with D.J. Lewis! (01/19/21)

Aside D&A Anime Blog Blogging, Filler Posts

Hey guys! Where in the world do I even begin on this post? The last couple of weeks have been (for lack of a better word) crazy to say the least. I’m not the type of person to get political often, but a huge part of me is glad that we’re about to have a new administration (full of ADULTS) on the White House. We got a lot of work to do in these United States of America, and it starts with healing – a whole LOT of healing! Honestly I haven’t really been in the mood to do a lot of posts in the past week other than the anniversary post, but with our new podcast equipment on the way we’ll be having some fresh new content to talk about!

It’s hard to believe that I’ve written over 700 posts in the span of five years. Some of my favorites have been the breakdowns between “Geek” and “Nerd”, as well as my prospective on the “Sub vs. Dub” debate. I call it a debate as opposed to war because the ‘war-factor’ of that debate is happening on any Reddit page or anime chat room you can find. (And there’s a lot of those already!) Even though many of us in the anime community have a difference in opinion; whether you like subs, dubs, or both, we all love and respect one another – at least most (if not 80%) of us do.

The last ten months have really put us in a position where we’re either reinventing ourselves, or taking up a new passion or hobby. I’m pretty sure by now you guys are aware that other than doing posts on the blog, I produce my own music as well as DJ. Do I see that as something that may turn into a secondary source of income as well as a new passion? Of course! There are some many thoughts that go on through my mind on a daily basis; some of them are about what new anime to watch and talk about, while others have to do with where I see myself in the next five years or what new goals I want to accomplish. Who knows what the future will hold for us once we come out of this pandemic, but I can say that a new year comes a new step forward to a better and unified tomorrow! 😉

A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis: My Experience As An Anime Fan

Aside D&A Anime Blog Blogging, Filler Posts

From the time we’re kids to the time we become full-grown adults, we’ve all become fans of something in our lives. For many it could be professional sports or wrestling, but for a particular amount of people, it was anime. I’ve always had this saying when I was growing up; ‘Everybody, knows somebody who likes anime!’ It could be your sibling, your best friend, or second cousin twice removed, but it actuality it’s kinda true. What started as a niche medium back in the 80’s and 90’s has now grown into a culture that I’ve come to know and love. Everyone’s experience as an anime fan is different, so I’d thought I’d share my own…

Yours Truly at Thy Geekdom Con 2017 with a DRV3 cosplayer

Man, where do I begin? I’d say sometime in the Summer of 1997 (I was about 8 years old at the time) where school was out and I was in front of the TV watching many of my favorite cartoons. I was pretty much your average eight-year-old doing what kids my age at the time do, until I discovered something that would change the way I’d look at cartoons for the rest of my adolescence. Around this time I discovered a programming block called Toonami, and on it was one of the first anime titles I’ve ever watched; Tenchi Universe. Oh yeah, my first anime title was one of the OG Harem titles back in the day. At first I didn’t know what was going on, but as I continued to watch I became more enthroned.

It was something different compared to all of the other cartoons I watched (Scooby-Doo, Dexter, Etc.) because of the colorful scenes, the artstyle, and everything else. I had a feeling that this show wasn’t produced in America as it didn’t have that goofy Western style I’ve grown accustomed to. By the time I was in 7th grade everyone was talking about a new anime title that was picking up in popularity; Naruto. YouTube wasn’t even created around 2002, so the only way everyone in my school found out was from Cartoon Network promos. (Plus MySpace, cuz’ Twitter and Facebook didn’t come out until a couple years later.) Pretty soon Toonami picked it up and after my DBZ phase, I jumped into the world of Naruto – three seasons later! XP

As the years went by I consumed anime title after anime title, and even though I was now considered an anime fan, I never joined any of the clubs in middle or high school (although my high school only had one club). Ah, the irony…

Around May of 2008 (my senior year of high school) I found out about a place called an anime convention; which is a place where anime clubs from all over the state and region gather and have the time of their nerdy lives! I had a Summer job at the time, so I took the money from my paycheck and went downtown to Baltimore City, MD where I went to my first anime convention; Otakon. Let me tell ya; it felt like I died and went to Nerd Heaven! This utopia of nerds made me feel like I was home; home to other people who liked anime as much as I did. That feeling stayed with me that entire year, and was the reason I kept going back to that convention every year up until it’s grand finale in 2016; the year I started D&A Anime Blog with my friend A. Goldman!

My experience as an anime fan has been pretty cool. Yeah there were moments where it was hard to make friends while growing up because many of them didn’t know what anime was, or made fun of me for it. However since its rise into popularity, I’ve found myself having friends to go to cons with as well as an awesome blog where I get to talk about all of my favorite shows. I though being a geek was terrible; due to it being cast as the bottom of the barrel of social hierarchy in middle and high school. As I got older the level of acceptance for anime and manga grew to astronomical levels (and still is to this day).

Sure, we have our disagreements of who’s best girl, which anime is top tier, and if we prefer dubs over subs; but overall my experience with the anime community has been nothing short of awesome! Hopefully younger generations will get to experience the world of anime as I did – if that haven’t already! XP

D&A Anime Blog: Happy 5th Anniversary!!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Blog Updates, Filler Posts, Post Milestones

In December of 2015 two guys had an idea; what if we had a place where anime fans and cosplayers can see some of the awesome pictures that they’ve taken with us at the anime conventions that we’ve gone to? Well guys n’ gals, that idea those two guys had in 2015, has now become one the the most awesome websites for fans, cosplayers, and people of the anime industry! On January 11th, 2016 (on this day) A. Goldman and D.J. Lewis took their love for anime culture to the interweebz and created everything that you see here; a place where fans from all walks of life can talk about their favorite titles, characters, and moments. Five years ago we wanted to create an anime blog that had a different kind of vibe to it; not because it was something to do and that we were passionate about doing it (because we were), but we wanted to bring a different perspective on anime nerd culture through the eyes of a fan.

During the five years that we’ve been doing this we’ve written over 700 articles, posts, and breakdowns from every angle of the anime industry; from hilarious to controversial. We’ve also grown during our time with the blog as it has helped change our lives in ways that we never thought we’d be changed in. In fact the blog has helped us meet many of our favorite voice actors as well as a plethora of professional cosplayers. Being an anime fan means more to us than watching anime, it means sharing this passion with other fans as well as appreciating the art of voice acting, and the moving parts of the anime industry that brings us hundreds of titles to America every year. We’re more than grateful for all of the love and support that you’ve given us these last five years, and thanks to you, we now have a special podcast called Nerdz of the Decade to help mark this special milestone in our nerdy little lives.

Here’s to another five years of awesome posts, new anime reviews, and the chance to see our fans and our favorite voice actors at a convention – once it’s safe enough to go back!

HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY D&A!!!

 

Happy 5th Anniversary D&A!!!
Our OFFICIAL Nerdz of the Decade logo!!

Anime REvisited: Danmachi Season One Episode Nine Review!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime Reviews, Anime REvisited, Filler Posts

Happy New Year guys!! It is now officially 2021, and with a new year (hopefully) comes new goals and aspirations! As for us at D&A Anime Blog and D&A Studios, we’ve got some upcoming grand news too, but right now we’re going to wrap up the remaining episodes from our Anime REvisited pick; Danmachi season one. Episode nine begins now!

It’s official; Bell is now a Level 2 adventurer! With that comes a boost in his stats as well as a new skill called “Argonaut” which has a backstory about a boy who wanted to become an adventurer. It is also in this episode that we meet a new member of the Hestia familia known as Welf Crozo; whose family is famous for making magic swords but no longer does. Not a lot is told about how the Crozo name became tarnished and worthless, but an event happened (sometime off screen and before the start of the series) that caused Welf’s name to end up that way; worthless and tarnished.

In spite of Welf’s reputation Bell liked his work when it came to armor and gear, so in exchange for becoming a member of the Hestia familia, Welf used the Minotaur horn that Bell got from defeating the Minotaur in the previous episode to make him a new weapon.

So in a nutshell; this episode was pretty much an introduction to Welf Crozo. He did make a cameo appearance in the very first episode, but you really don’t hear much about him until episode nine. As a blacksmith Welf is skilled with a sword himself, as he journey’s with Bell and Lily to the thirteenth floor of the dungeon at the end of the episode. Although he may not look like it judging by his personality and Jiraiya-like mannerisms (minus the pervert-ness), Welf gets along well with Bell and Lily during combat; although it might take a little while for her to warm up to him. What’s next for Bell, Lily, and Welf? That’s on the next review! Until then, stay safe and stay nerdy my friends! 😉

D&A Anime Blog: Happy New Year!!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Blog Updates, Filler Posts

Wow…it’s hard to believe we survived the craziness that was 2020, but here we are! With a new year comes a fresh new start; and that new start begins with some new updates we’ve got coming up real soon. It’s hard to believe that in just a few days it will be our 5-year blog anniversary! We can’t thank you guys enough for all of the love and support that you’ve given us these past five years, and we hope to continue bringing you some of the best original content and anime reviews two anime-loving fans can bring! (For the next five years, of course!) Sorry this post is a little short, but there’s more content to come! Until then, Happy New Year and stay safe! 😉

See ya 2020! Hello 2021!!