Those Final Steps – 10 Years of Anime Blogging

Here I am, finally taking my final steps in the blogosphere on Anime Viking. And I have been okay with it for a long time, no longer trembling as I did when I first set out on my journey a decade ago.

10 years?

Yes, it’s been that long.

Unlike beginnings, I have a tendency to find it far easier to write about the endings. I can still feel incredibly tense when writing the very first words, whereas near the end I often know exactly what I want to write down. But enough of that! In case you didn’t catch on – and I don’t blame you, after all this blog has not been regularly active in a long time – I was mirroring my very first post just now. It’s hard to pass up the chance!

Umamusume: Pretty Derby is all the goofy, but intense, fun I ever wanted

Premiering earlier this spring season was Umamusume: Pretty Derby, an anime series featuring horse girls – “human” girls with horse characteristics such as tails and ears, not to mention speed – competing against each other in horse races to become the fastest runner in Japan.

Made in Abyss and the Importance of a Believable Setting

Made in Abyss. What a beautiful series unlike any other in recent memory and one of a kind I doubt we’ll see again in a very long time. For my lack of ability to convey how absolutely special it is, I’ll leave you with this simple description: it is one of those series where everyone involved in its creation – whether the original manga creator or the anime adaptation staff should be valued the most I don’t know, nor does it matter – just get “it”. This intangible “it” here represents what one could call a wondrous sense of adventure and discovery, loneliness and friendship, beauty and horror of the world. Together with its sublime soundtrack, one that might be one of my favorite in all of anime only rivaling my eternal favorite ARIA the Animation, it on a whole to me felt something much more than a short series. One month after having finished it, it still lingers fresh in my memories as if it has never left me. Truly, if time is scarce and you only have enough to watch one series in 2017, this would be my recommendation.

Yet, for all the praises I sing there was a time when I almost turned it off to never once more continue.

Four Years of Anime Blogging and at a Crossroads

It has been four years since Anime Viking was created. With each passing year it becomes harder and harder to believe that I was once eighteen years old, still in high school and wet behind my years when this blog came to life. Looking through my older texts I realize that I may in fact have actually grown as a person whether I want it or not – the I from today is not the same as I from the past. Change is in itself a frightening aspect of life, but something one must come to accept in order to move forward however difficult it may be at times. The last year in particular has been a turbulent one on a personal level, but I hope and wish to have come out as a stronger person thanks to it.

Similarly, it hasn’t been a kind year to the blog itself. In 2015 it has only been updated once and even before that it was sparsely updated. There is no doubt that Anime Viking can be seen as an inactive, or possibly dead, blog at this point. This is an aspect I have reflected upon a lot lately in regards as to what should become of it.

My Favorite Anime of 2014

It has been quite a while since a post appeared on the blog, hasn’t it? Hopefully there are still some readers out there eager for some more stuff! Feeling a bit stiff when it comes to writing, I figured the best way to get it all started is to revisit my favorite anime of 2014! After this, I hope to slowly return to form.

Truth is, I haven’t seen a lot of anime lately. We’re a few months into the new year and I have only seen two new series, which is a new record for me. Instead, the time has been spent watching older, completed, anime whenever the urge has kicked in. As a result, it has made me feel rather distant to the anime community.

When it comes to the year 2014 in anime, my stance is that it has been a fine year.

Three Years of Anime Blogging and Reflections

To think that three years have actually passed since I first started Anime Viking. It has been a long journey coupled with both joy and sadness, but ultimately every second has been worth it. Being able to create something and be recognized for it, while also connecting with readers genuinely caring about you as a person, is a feeling difficult to describe in words.

Pupa is the Worst Anime I Have Ever Seen

When I first heard of Pupa, it seemed rather interesting and worth looking forward to.

The Best Anime of 2013

2013 has been a strange year of anime for me. For starters, there are only ten anime series that I feel genuinely soft for and out of those four happen to be leftovers from the previous year.

In addition, almost all of the anime on this list has one thing in common: they are “light and fluffy”. They could be labelled as “slice of life” and are generally heartwarming. Relaxing, happy and fun.