So, you wanna learn a little more about how we became the anime blog known as D&A? Well then, we’re more than happy to tell you…

Donte’ J. Lewis (D.J. Lewis) and Aaron M. Goldman (A. Goldman) are two dudes who love anime and manga. They’ve gone to various fun and exciting anime conventions, and have taken many anime cosplay pictures in the past 10+ years they’ve known each other. However there was just one problem; they didn’t have a digital medium where cosplayers are able to see their pictures online. That was the day that changed everything…

In December of 2015, Lewis and Goldman came up with a fun and exciting way where cosplayers can see their online pictures. After a tedious google search of the perfect blog name, these two awesome dudes came up with the name that would change the way you would see an anime blog.

D&A (which is DNA; where the letter N is replaced with an ampersand) was formed and created as the answer to Lewis and Goldman’s digital medium woes; with D.J. Lewis and A. Goldman being the blog’s founders. On January 11, 2016 D&A Anime Blog was debuted and published onto the internet during the first ever AniMore 2016 anime convention, held at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore, MD.

Just eight months after its inception back in January, it has grown into more than just an ordinary anime blog that you would find online. We have reviews on anime and manga, locations where you can find new and exciting anime cons, fanfiction, anime podcasts, convention coverage, and so much more!

After receiving its official trademark copyright in Mid-August of 2016, D&A has gotten a lot of great connections with many well-known North American anime distributors; such as FUNimation, Viz Media, Aniplex, Sentai Filmworks, and Crunchyroll! Our mission as D&A Anime Blog is to promote education of Japanese culture; from The Arts, Music, Media (Anime & Live-Action Movies), Food, Tourist Destinations and Entertainment, as well as assist in the promotion of Anime and Manga from North American anime distributors, and publishing companies.

We also want to help contribute to the anime community any way we can; even as far as helping up-and-coming anime conventions book special guests to come out to them. Our ultimate goal is to one day run our own anime convention entitled Anime Escape, where fans can enjoy a tropical-themed hotel-based anime convention, with an old-school mid-90’s con vibe. To us anime is more than just a Japanese cartoon or even Japanimation, it is an art form that tells a story through vivid colors, complex plot lines, and an ever expanding imagination.

Anime has helped many of its fans see the world differently; through stories about friendship, family, hope, laughter, life, marriage, and being positive even in the darkest of times. To us it is what makes up our DNA, and that is something that is a part of you!

D&A Studios: D&A Anime Blog’s Media Division

During the second quarter of 2021, both Donte’ J. Lewis and Aaron M. Goldman re-branded their YouTube channel as D&A Studios. D&A Studios is D&A Anime Blog’s media division where fans of the blog can now check out various original media content. Under D&A Studios; you’ll find press coverage and highlight reels of various anime conventions, D&A Anime Blog’s official podcast called Nerdz of the Decade, as well as an anime figure review segment simply titled D&A Studios Product Reviews. A new addition to D&A Studios coming in 2022 is a limited podcast series called “Anime Slam’d Poetry“; based on the upcoming limited series of blog posts called “Poetic Rants from Comedic Circumstance“, that pokes fun at the annoying troupes, character personalities, and subpar plots of Ecchi, Harem, and Isekai anime titles through poetry.

D&A Anime Blog’s Reddit Page: Otaku Outlook

Otaku Outlook is the name of our official reddit page for the blog! It will feature content from D&A Studios (Nerdz of the Decade and upcoming Anime Slam’d Poetry episodes) as well as the blog itself. During the days and times when we’re not posting on the blog, fans can jump on our reddit page to see recaps from previous content. Otaku Outlook is just an extension of D&A Anime Blog (via reddit), and will not be viewed as an alternative replacement of the blog.