Wow. 2017 is going by faster than anyone ever expected. It seemed just like yesterday we were waiting for the ball to drop on December 31, 2016, and now here we are less than 60 days before its time to watch the ball to drop on December 31, 2017! So here I am writing this filler post to let you guys know, that in less than four hours from now it’ll be my 28th birthday. One cool thing about turning another year older is that my age hasn’t quite caught up with my face just yet, and that’s a blessing.

Although I’m excited that my birthday’s right around the corner, I’m also a tad said because my 20’s is almost at its end. Next year will be A. Goldman’s last year to be in his twenties, which means that both of us are dreading our thirties – just a little bit. In spite of that I’m single (not that I’m complaining), I don’t have any kids (so no baggage there), I still want to run and represent 1/2 of D&A (you guys are the best), and I want to build a career around my artistic talents; music production, audio engineering, and video editing.

Speaking of music I find myself listening to some 8-bit soundtracks from classic video games like Pac-Man, SMB (Super Mario Bros.), Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, and more. I say all this to say that I have found my niche in terms of the kind of music that I want to produce. I love listening to EDM and some Hip-Hop/Trap beats, but now I want to infuse and incorporate the 8-bit classic Chiptune sounds that 80’s and 90’s kids used to love (and still do), into my original creations; hopefully taking Chiptune to a whole new level. I love instrumental music because you’re able to tell your story through the very sounds, melodies, and beats, that you construct in whatever DAW (Digital Audio workstation) you’re familiar with. Mine being MAGIX.

2017 has been a year of ups and downs for me, but it’s nice to know that my journey in life is not even close to being over yet! I’m on the road to pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in Audio Engineering, as well as doing everything I can to save money so that I can move out of my parent’s house. (I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.) Anyway here’s to turning another year older, and another year of being an Otaku!

“Live long, and prosper!”  — The Late, Great Leonard “Spock” Nimoy (Star Trek)

In many of our past filler posts we’ve talked about (and broken down) various topics that were ‘seemingly’ hard to dissect, but this one however is a bit of a history lesson, without the boring lecture. If you’re a big fan of Shimoneta, then this post is for you!

You thought the FCC was bad? (They’re not as hard-assed as they used to be like they were back in the day) Then sit on down and check this out! If you’re a little bit familiar with the Japanese Constitution, then you’d know that Article 21 guarantees Freedom of Expression and prohibits formal censorship. Kinda like our 1st Amendment rights here in America, but that’s about as political as we’re gonna get on our side. To realize how far Japan has come in terms of this topic, you’d have to go back a little bit.

This brings us to the Edo Period of Japan, where the Tokugawa Shogunate started turning towards censorship of ideas and talks that included Christianity, bad-mouthing the shogunate, and a few other things. Because publishing became pretty popular during that time, if there was anything published that threaten the traditional way of life (or the way that you look at the shogunate as a government), it was seized on contact! Which would make a Present Day hentai lover nervous if he/she lived during this period.

Fast-forward to 1868 during the Meiji Period, where censorship was really heavy – especially on western ideas and pornography. (No booty magazines here, unless you wanna get yours hung or shot!) 60 years later the Death Penalty was added among a list of punishments for crimes that were committed during this period – violation of censorship being one of those crimes. In 1940 The Information Bureau took full control over all news, advertising and public events. To top it off the revision of the National Mobilization Law kicked in, thus eliminating freedom of the press – until 5 years later when restrictions on censorship were abolished.

Although the strict laws that held censorship in place are a little more lenient than in days of old, explicit images (such as pornography) must still be partially censored to this day. The reason for that is because of one trial that took place in January of 2004, when Suwa Yuuji was convicted for his hentai manga, Misshitsu. The outcome of the trial dealt a nasty blow to the adults-only section in all of the Japanese bookstores, preferably the manga section, as they were forced to completely remove the section from their stores.

Now that you know the history of censorship in Japan as told by the guys of D&A, you’ll have a better understanding of the plot from Shimoneta…hopefully.

You’ve heard the name and know what it means in Japan; an individual who is obsessed with a certain topic yet has vast knowledge of it, but lives with their parents well into their 40’s, eats nothing but junk food, and watches anime (and reads manga or comic books) all day. Basically a shut-in NEET. Even though this is considered a negative stereotype in Japanese culture, us westerners have redefined the term into something endearing. The word ‘Otaku’ over here in North America means that you have a vast knowledge of anime, manga, or anything nerdy and fun, and still be a functioning member of society. (No matter how ass-backwards it can be in this day and age.)

Being an Otaku in America is not all bad, in fact there are a few benefits behind it that can make your life worth while. So to shed some light on this stereotypical term for being an overly obsessed anime/manga fan (or something of the like), we bring to you five different benefits to dating an Otaku!

Number 5 – Tech Support? No Problem!

If you’re having any computer related problems that are beyond your power, having an Otaku around is the best solution! You won’t have to worry about your computer misbehaving or can’t get the screen to stop glitching as long as you’ve got a girlfriend or boyfriend who’s good with computers.

Number 4 – They Excel in the Romance Department!

People don’t give Otaku’s enough credit when it comes to love! They’re the kind of guys/girls who will shower you with love and treat you with respect in ways that other guys/girls wish they could. That ‘Honeymoon’ feeling that you get after you get married lasts a lot longer with an Otaku, than just getting flowers and candy on Valentine’s Day.

Number 3 – They’re Low Maintenance When it comes to Food!

Can’t cook, or you’re cooking skills aren’t up to par? No problem! Otaku’s aren’t the kind of people who fancy lavish meals from five star restaurants, if you want to make your Otaku girlfriend or boyfriend happy, then Royal Farms or Pizza Hut is the way to go! Forget spending $150 on food dishes that you can’t even pronounce, just point us to the nearest taco place and we’ll chow down there!

Number 2 – They’ll Never Cheat on You!

It’s hard to trust people these days, especially within the realm of social media! If you have an Otaku girlfriend or boyfriend, their level of commitment is second to none! They will never cheat on you on matter what, and you won’t have to worry about them dancing with any of the hotties at the club, because you will be their only dance partner!

Number 1 – They Love You for You!

Sometimes when we look at magazines and movies we see how hot our favorite actors/models are and we second guess ourselves, stating that we’re not good enough. We don’t look athletic or sexy or anything that might attract us a hot guy or girl. For Otaku’s on the other hand they could care less! They don’t care if you’re a little on the thick side (some guys/girls like em’ curvy/fluffy), or don’t have long flowing hair, or even the fact that you sound like a bag of pork grinding when you snore. Otaku guys and girls love everything about you, and will except you for who you are!

Dating an Otaku or having them as your girlfriend or boyfriend is not all bad. In fact they might even be that soulmate that you’ve been searching your whole life for. Not all of them live at home with their mothers and stay in their room reading manga, watching anime, and playing video games. Some of them even own anime conventions or are entrepreneurs in their own right.

The days of being ousted by the cool kids are over! Otaku (in reality) were the cool kids all along and didn’t even know it! They’re smart, educated, have bachelor’s and master’s degrees, cultured, passionate about anime/manga, and are romantic. You won’t find them in places like nightclubs or local bars, but they can be found at anime conventions or nightclubs dedicated to all things otaku. (You’ll find some if you Google it.) On that note that’ll wrap up our benefits to dating an Otaku, now get out there and find your Asuna, Kirito! 😉

So here we are less than 10 weeks away from 2018, and let me tell you, this year has been a heck of a ride for many of us (including me). If I told you how many thoughts go in and out of my own head on a day-to-day basis, it would be too much for one person to handle. One thought in particular is that fact that people keep saying that ‘Chivalry is Dead’; that the fact that most men (especially young men) don’t appear to show or mimic the qualities that you would find in a sophisticated gentleman. You rarely hear answers like “yes, ma’am!” or “No ma’am!” from some of the teenage adolescents that are out here nowadays, however it’s not to say that there aren’t any chivalrous people out there in the world. In fact both A. Goldman and I fit that category in a sense because that’s how we both grew up, to respect our parents and elders and to be a gentlemen towards ladies.

‘Where did the love go?’ is the question that’s on my mind sometimes. This may sound a little cliche coming from me, but throughout middle and high school I was a fluffy Afro-American nerd who loved Samurai Jack, Teen Titans, Dragon Ball Z, and Toonami. You can imagine how hard it was to make friends during that time, as I didn’t have a lot of them. I was bullied by boys and teased by girls for various things from my weight to the things that gave me great joy. I’ve gone through two nervous breakdowns and developed a ‘Lone Wolf’ attitude with a malevolent spirit that could erupt at any moment. Needless to say, I never had a girlfriend throughout the whole four years of high school.

Now here I am almost 10 years later with an AA degree from a school that’s no longer valid or even accredited, wondering what the next phase in my life will be. Accomplishment-wise I’m one of the founding members of this awesome anime blog alongside my partner and friend of 15+ years, I’m back in the music producing (beat making) business again after a four year hiatus – with advanced production skills! Now I’m on the road to pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Production, so that I can stay current and relevant with what’s going on in the world of music. Chivalry can bring you a long way in life, but sometimes I wish the generation behind me knew that. (Yes, I know I sound old for saying that.)

While we’re on the subject of music production and beat making, the sounds that I like to produce involve elements of EDM and Chiptune music. I find myself creating instrumental tracks as opposed to ones with lyrics because I want people to listen, hear, and feel the groove of the sounds that come from my tracks like they’re reading chapters in a novel or a story. I want to take people on a journey with my music; whether I’m producing Dubstep, Trap, Moombahton, Progressive House, Hip-Hop, or any other genre that people can dance to. Do I see myself as becoming the next Dr. Dre or Skrillex? No. I just want to be myself. I just want to go my own way – the Technocolorz way!

There are some long-term goals that I have for my life. One, to continue with the blog and hopefully have our own anime convention in ten years, or sooner. Two, to eventually find love and move out of my mother’s house, hopefully I find a girl that loves music and anime as much as I do. Three, to make enough money to pay every single bill on time – even my student loans! Even if I did make $150,000+ a year, I will still go to anime conventions (and run the blog) as well as chat with you guys about anime related topics. I don’t really care about being rich and famous that much, because then I would become the one thing that I hate more than slugs, rapping out loud, and soy milk…being a snob!

I know this post may or may not have sounded a tiny bit rant-ish in some areas, but if it did, I want to thank you for taking the time to read it. Our fans are our friends, and we appreciate everything that you’ve done to make this blog the way it is today!

Thank you! 🙂