With April right around the corner, TRazor and TWWK of Beneath the Tangles decided to get together to make a series of posts discussing the Aniblog Tourney. In today's post, we go over last year's quarterfinalists, where they stand now and what their chances are of making it into the top 8 again.
Notes:
So, here we are, participating in a tournament to see who's the best at writing about Japanese cartoons. And damn, does it feel good! Nothing like competition to spice things up...I'd just like to say that this post series, like the Tourney itself, is for fun and I sincerely hope that none of the bloggers take things too personally. We're all here to have a good time, right ;) ?
Adding to what TRazor writes, I want to say that I appreciate the work
that all you writers do. The anime blogosphere is packed to the rim
with engaging writers; it's a testament to your passion and talent that I
can follow around 400 anime blogs and still tell apart the writing
styles of so many bloggers. And for the eight we'll discuss below, it
goes without saying that your blogs help pave the way for the rest of
us, in terms both of popularity and content.
Calling the reigning champion, psgels, a workhorse is the
understatement of the decade. The guy publishes 60+ posts a month, covering over
ten anime, while also squeezing in the monthly rankings. It’s still amazes me
how he manages to be so consistent with each season, without slacking off in
the quality department. Each post is simple, clear cut and to the point. It’s
no wonder that he won last year, because his style of reviewing is very
accessible and charming. Of course, it’s hard to find an anime that’s rated
below 70/100, but it doesn’t matter, because each review still tells you what
you need to know. I love that he doesn’t imagedump on each episodic…God, I hate
picspams. Star Crossed Anime Blog has been in business for over six years now,
which makes it one of the oldest aniblogs out there, and most definitely one of
the best.
Two years ago, I wasn’t even here. So, when I found out that SeaSlugs was a semi-finalist of the Tourney, I was rather surprised. Why? Because the place is pretty much a ghost town right now. And from my newcomer perspective, the first thing I noticed was the blatant lack of personality. Apart from a couple of authors, the posts seem bland and follow a very rigid format of “What happened (60%) – What I thought of it (20%) – What might happen next (20%)”. The earlier blogs excelled in the area that SeaSlugs seem to pay less attention to. It’s rather telling that their screencap captions are the most interesting part of each post…and they aren’t even very funny. There aren’t any non-episodic posts either. Each post registers only a handful of comments these days, so I doubt SeaSlugs will make it into the quarters.
Notes:
Adding to what TRazor writes, I want to say that I appreciate the work
that all you writers do. The anime blogosphere is packed to the rim
with engaging writers; it's a testament to your passion and talent that I
can follow around 400 anime blogs and still tell apart the writing
styles of so many bloggers. And for the eight we'll discuss below, it
goes without saying that your blogs help pave the way for the rest of
us, in terms both of popularity and content.
Quarter finalists: Then and Now
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 100%
Why did Star Crossed Anime Blog win the tournament last time
around? I’m really not sure what the
answer is to that question – I joined the aniblogging community a few months
after the final round. But I do know
this – right from the beginning, I found myself frequently visiting this blog
without knowing that it had won the tourney.
Today, it’s still one of the few episodic blogs I frequent. So, why do I visit Star Crossed Anime Blog and not
others? That’s a question I can answer. The writers have mastered the simple – give
the readers a summary and commentary with brevity, but still write in a manner
that interests the audience. Add to that
a simple scoring system and image arrangement, and you have a blog whose
precise structure is perfect for what it does.
Apparently, this system rang true with voters in 2010 and I assume the
readers haven’t changed that much. The
only reason for me to not give the champ a better chance of returning is an
increased field where the biggest of the big team blogs have the best chances
of winning, whether or not they’re the best.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 50%
If I had to pinpoint why this blog came runner-up last year,
the answer would be pretty simple: Kurogane’s Anime Blog is raw opinion. Sure,
the gazillion images in each post get (much more than) a few hits, but the
reason why I think people love this blog is because of Kurogane’s in-your-face
style of writing. No superfluous language or elaborate summaries. Each post
feels like the quick notes a reviewer jots down while watching a movie. There’s
nothing wrong with that, because instead of summaries, he plasters screencaps
to provide commentary to each moment, so that the readers know whether their
favorite author liked their favorite scene. Heh, that’s good fanservice right
there. The blog’s still abuzz with activity, so you can pretty much book a
berth for Kurogane’s in this year’s quarterfinals.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 80%
Kurogane does a lot of
work. He puts out a lot of posts
with a whole lot of pictures. He also
seems to know exactly what the voters are looking for, since he was the
runner-up in 2010. Judging by his site, this
is what appeals to the voters: Lots of episodics, lots of pictures in those posts and humor. Because voters may only briefly look at sites while
determining which buttons to push, Kurogane may have a strong advantage over so
many others, because the three points I mentioned are easily and quickly seen
in surface scans. Additionally, his
writing style is a less wordy and more Tumblr/forum-like, which may appeal to
voters. That said, I think the level of competition this year is so stiff that I'd be surprised if Kurogane enjoyed the same amount of success he did in 2010.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 20%
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 40%
Sea Slugs! has all the potential to win this
tournament. Though far from the largest
team blog, it’s still a very popular one with lots of subscribers and it did
obviously did well in the last tournament, making it all the way to the
quarterfinals. Personally, I’ve always
enjoyed the site’s attractive layout, too, which will no doubt garner the blog
a number of votes.
On the rare occasion that someone says they enjoy my blog, I’m
sure that they mean they like only my posts and not me. But when it comes to
Listless Ink, it’s hard to differentiate the blog and the author. Everyone
loves Yi! She has been a beloved part of the ‘sphere for nearly five years now,
amassing a huge following. I love how she writes rather than what she writes,
because much like 2DT, she has a way with words. She can make boob sizes sound
like the classiest thing in the world. But that also leads me right to where Yi
might not be as successful this year – the blog’s become erotica supreme, with
the last 3 months’ of posts revolving around BDSM, sexhair and other outlandish
topics. Most of them were guest posts too, because Yi is a lot busier and has a
lot more IRL commitments to keep. Still,
it wouldn’t surprise me if she made it through.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 50%
Steelbound’s Null Set reached the four year mark this year,
but it doesn’t seem to be as popular as it was two years ago. He’s got a nice
simplistic writing style, with some clever post ideas, I’ll give him that. But
there’s almost no posting schedule and posts come and go at random. There’s a
poll that’s been up on the sidebar for nearly two months now and it’s got a
total of only 53 votes as of now. I think that’s a strong indication of the
blog’s readership taking a plunge as well. It’s going to take a miracle for
this blog to qualify. But for now, I just don’t see that happening, sorry.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 10%
First, I just gotta ask: Does this guy take a screenshot of
every single frame? Each post has about 88 screecaps! Using that as a double
for a summary, Aroduc goes straight for the “impressions” part. And damn, does
he deliver! He’s got a good sense of humor and he’s one of those writers who
are far more entertaining when they’re criticizing (Hey Scamp, how ya doing?)
because rage = passion = fun post. But each post contains only about two
paragraphs of text, which while entertaining, is a bit limited. It’s hard to
say how much of a regular readership he has because I’m pretty sure most of his
visitors come from Google Images (thanks to the aforementioned 88 screencaps
per post). So, I’m just going to call it down the middle.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 50%
Oh god, the name of this blog holds as much puntential as
Another, but I’ll steer clear. The blog name’s full form is the aniblog
equivalent of the expansion of the SOS!Brigade: over-the-top and bizarre. But
apart from that (no puns, I promised!) I love THAT. Each blogger has their own
unique style, the number of screencaps per post is perfect, the layout is nice
and clean, there are non-episodic posts, the authors are fun people, the
content is interesting…THAT’re just a really good team blog. They seem to have
a regular readership too, with some good interaction in the comments section. I’m
confident we’ll see THAT again in the quarterfinals this year.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 80%
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 80%
Aaand that about does it for the first post in this series. Which of last year's quarter finalists do you think will qualify this year? Sound off in the comments section below. Oh and all blog headers belong to their respective owners.
However, the lack of “community” may work against the blog;
besides Cholisose’s posts, many of the episodic pieces on the blog lack more
than a handful of comments. Although I
respect the writers for Sea Slugs, it seems that several have difficulty
engaging readers. A number of the posts
lean very heavily on summary and only lightly on commentary; this is fine for
traffic, but I think the style is going to hurt Sea Slugs when it comes to
voters looking for something to set this team blog apart from the rest.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 40%Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 50%
Listless Ink is the case for showing the world that a small
time blog, managed by an amazing individual, can take down Goliath. While Yi’s name is ubiquitous among
anibloggers, judging from the community based on her blog, she’s well-known
among the broader community of anime fans as well. And why not?
Yi is a warm, intelligent, and witty writer whose posts move easily from
her main point of interest to more general ones. And just as importantly, she is a creative
force whose posts are never dull. And
luckily, she’s returned to regular posting from a semi-hiatus. While Listless Ink has a strong following for a non-team
blog, she’ll still have to battle those behemoths in the tournament. Unfortunately, I don’ t think there’s room
for more than a couple of strong, solo-effort blogs in the quarterfinals. While Yi’s case is as strong as any, there
are several others that represent strong competition for her in the tournament,
which will hurt her chances at making another wonderful run like she did in
2010.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 35%
Now known as My Sword is Unbelievably Dull. Digibro missed
out on a semi-final spot by a mere 24 votes in the last Tourney. I doubt it’s
going to come that close this year though, because he’s currently on an
indefinite hiatus, with his penultimate post going on about how he liked My
Little Pony more than any anime. I love Digibro for his…”energetic” blogging
style, which is like a mishmash of Ghostlightning and Glothelegend, but the
zeal in his posts started to crumble slowly starting January. I respect the
hell out of him for all of his posts and his brilliant Diary of an Anime Lived
project, but I doubt I will be voting for him.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 30%
If we’re asking whether or not Fuzakenna will make it back
to the quarterfinals, this is the easiest prediction of all: 0%. That site, in its original format, no longer
exists (at least not in English). However, its successor, My Sword is Unbelievably Dull,
stands a much better chance. Digiboy’s
newer site is an interesting case.
There’s no doubt that despite the blog title, Digiboy’s entries are anything but dull. He is the voice of unabashed, excited, anime
fanboyism in the blogosphere. Or, he was...and
that’s the problem. Digiboy is losing
interest in anime in general and his blogging has, understandably, suffered
because of that. It’s a shame, because I
think his blog would stand a very strong shot at making a good run if his heart
was more in it at this time. Even
without, recent posts may give him some chance at making the quarterfinals.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 15%Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 10%
The Null Set is a really interesting blog to study. Why did this blog advance to the
quarterfinals when there are so many similar ones that didn’t? I don’t mean to take away from the author. On the contrary, I often visit and sometimes
link to The Null Set. But in terms of
structure and content, it matches a whole lot of other non-episodic blogs
(sometimes they are called “editorial,” but I’m not sure that’s the best
descriptor for them). Then again, maybe this blog isn’t cookie cutter at all. The author does a wonderful job of writing
posts that hook readers, featuring interesting headlines, announcements, lists,
and other posts that almost read like a “what to do” to grab readers’ attention. For voters who move beyond the headlines,
they’ll find a warm voice within the blog’s excellent posts. Again, though, the proliferation of like blogs in the
blogosphere will work against The Null Set, as might inconsistent posting since
the new year started.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 20%Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 50%
This blog is possibly the very opposite of Sea Slugs – all
content and no flash. Focusing on
anime, pure and simple, there’s maybe nothing to distract from the topic at
hand on the site: no search capacity, no title on the banner, no “about the
authors” – in fact, except for one name I know of, I don’t even know who the
authors are! But you know what?
All that doesn’t matter, because the other way in which the blog is the
opposite of Sea Slugs, which it lost to in 2010, is in the structure of the posts. The writers are quick-witted, funny, and
spend almost their entirety of their posts on impressions instead of
summary. Their enjoyment of anime comes
through and because of that, a loyal community has developed, which will help
in voting during close rounds. And maybe
more importantly is this wildcard – they do as many thumbnails as any aniblog
I’ve seen.
Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 40%Chances of returning to the quarterfinals: 80%
Favorite? Oh yes. THAT Anime Blog is, well, THAT blog – the one which rules
them all, at least in terms of subscribers.
But, as shown through the last tournament, numbers aren’t all that
matter. While an impressive staff of
writers populates the blog, not all
the writers are excellent. There’s also
the risk that the blog may suffer in comparison to a site with a very unique
and interesting voice; I wouldn’t be surprised to see an upset involving THAT
at any time in the tournament. That said, there’s a reason why THAT has such a
following. The roll call of writers on
the staff is as impressive as any.
Though I don’t know the names of many team blog writers, I knew Hana and
Executive Otaku long before I ever interacted with them. In addition, THAT does co-posts like no other
in the blogosphere, adding a creative element to the episodic scene. Oh, and did I mention they have roughly a bazillion
subscribers? There’s no lock in this tournament, but THAT is as close as
any.
Aaand that about does it for the first post in this series. Which of last year's quarter finalists do you think will qualify this year? Sound off in the comments section below. Oh and all blog headers belong to their respective owners.
