Hey…so in the words of Cody Rhodes…

I know it’s WAY to late to say “Happy New Year”, as this is an OG Founder post the night before Valentine’s Day. By the way, for those who celebrate it and have someone special, be sure you love them and take care of them. If you’re single, eh, watch some High School DxD with a bottle of lotion and Kleenex and call it a night. (Most of ya’ll know where I’m comin’ from with that one.)

Now with the dry jokes out of the way, I feel the need to bring this lil’ thing to your attention. It’s 2026, and next month will mark 29 years of me being an anime fan. Yes, I’m ‘Unc’ and old as hell, but in the almost three decades of being a fan, I’ve seen the anime community grow and become what it is today. Now, you’d think that the show that got me into anime would be the usual suspects; Pokemon, DBZ, Digimon, and Yu-Gi-Oh. Of course you’d be right, but those are ‘childhood anime’. The show that really got me into anime, was Tenchi Universe.

This of course came up as part of the Toonami lineup, preferably the ‘Moltar Era’. Its been awhile since I’ve watched it so I might do a “One-2-One” character analysis on one, or more of the characters in a later post. Now back to the real reason behind this post; in the upcoming 29 years that I’ve been an anime fan, I’ve gone through many changes in terms of my opinions and perspectives, of where I stand in my relationship with anime in the modern era. Do I have biases towards certain shows? Yes, especially if they’re guilty pleasures. However with seasonal anime, I find myself experiencing a ‘Love-Hate’ relationship with the hype behind the quality of the shows, that have come out.

With every season; there are some outliers that deserve more attention than it receives, but with every outlier, there’s at least ten duds that are straight BOOTY! That’s another topic for another post. So, DJing and producing music…why do I like doing that, more than watching anime…?

It’s funny that I find myself saying that, because anime is the reason why I started producing music and being a DJ. Back in 2008 when Otakon was still in Baltimore, I went to the raves and stood where the DJ was. After hearing a techno remix of Daft Punk’s “Faster, Stronger!” (ya’ll know the words better than I do), I knew I wanted to be a DJ. At the time I had a passion for creating things, and that passion has led me to create D&A Anime Blog; as you guys see it today. It also led me to create my own DJ & Cosplay Party Promotion known as Club BASSMODE. You’ll hear the REAL reason why it was shut down in a future OG Founder post, and how I bounced back with NEW Thursday and Saturday Nite Events. 

I believe it stems from creative freedom and artistic integrity; where the music that I produce is only as good as I want it to be, and what I’m feeling at the time. Not having or being on a deadline or an anime simuldub schedule, allows my imagination and creativity to breathe, and not feel rushed. If you haven’t noticed by now from the words of this post, I’m a BIG advocate for creative freedom, and creative control. The creators of your favorite anime have the same passion about the characters and the worlds that they’ve built; from the stories they tell, to the character dynamics that we see.

In my 29 years of being an anime fan, I never thought I’d see Vegeta become who he is today, and Toriyama (rest his soul) wanted to ‘kill’ him off in the first arc. That took time to create, and the payoff was the development of a well-written character going through his redemption arc.

I don’t know, guys. I guess maybe the novelty may be wearing off (probably because I’m still icky about the recast and script for New Panty & Stocking), or maybe I’m nostalgic for titles and shows that take me back to a time when the world wasn’t so damn crazy! So to cope, I channel what I’m feeling through DJing and producing electronic music, and that’s the one thing I can control. Anime will always have a special place in my heart, so I don’t really see myself leaving it any time soon, but DJing and producing music does allow me to take a break; and be creative elsewhere.

So, what cha’ll got? Let me know what ya’ll like to do when you need a break from anime. Type in the comments down below.

OG Founder.

Out.