I’ve Been Nominated for the Liebster Award

Many thanks to Lethargic Rambles for nominating me for the Liebster Award, something I’ve seen floating around… barely out of my grasp… This is actually the third time Mr. Rambles has nominated me for an award of this kind, which I assume means I have at least one dedicated fan (or he enjoys PESTERING ME). I kid, but I appreciate the continued support, truly.

Ze Rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you and answer the 11 questions they’ve written for you.
• Nominate 11 people and give them 11 different questions to answer.

That’s a lot of questions/recommendations. I’m gonna go ahead and keep both of those to a minimum. Maybe five each. I’ll decide by the end of this post.

#1: What kind of music do you listen to? What are some of your favourite albums?

I see someone has been inspired by their ventures onto rateyourmusic.com! Don’t think I don’t read your tweets, sir.

I’m not someone so dedicated to the medium of music to consider having favorite albums, so I can’t really answer that part of the questions. My experience with music is more like fishing, in which I, the consumer, cast my net out onto the water and reel in whatever gets hooked, then do with it as I please. I may research the fish and its reputation among other fishermen, but I don’t take the time to detail the fish’s home lake/pond/ocean/whatever other body of water. That would take a near infinite amount of time, especially since new music is created everyday.

I’m primarily a Rock kind of guy, with my niche being within ’90s Grunge/Alternative specifically. Part of this is due to nostalgia as a kid growing up in the ’90s, and another being the more experimental vibe of music in that decade, which always felt more meaningful to me as someone who finds interest in self-introspection. Bands such as the Foo Fighters (probably my favorite band), Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, Collective Soul, Everclear, R.E.M., and others within that field are the type of thing I most enjoy listening to.

And Queen. I fucking love Queen.

#2: What’s your all-time favourite food?

Pizza. Easy choice.

#3: Do you prefer cats or dogs? Why?

Cats. Another easy choice. Grew up with cats, have had cats as pets all my life. I’m simply not active enough to handle a dog, though I’d love to try and test that for myself whenever I finally build up enough income to escape my parent’s home. Plus, cats are more likely to be tsundere. Dogs are too straightforward. I value complexity.

#4: How does your current Top 5 Anime compare to your Top 5 from 5 years ago? Have there been any significant changes?

Uhhhhh… What was my Top 5 five years ago?

I remember I put Baka-Test up there when I was creating my MAL account back in the day. Oh! And Gosick, too. That title was up there for a while. Now I hate both of them. (Kidding.)

If I’m remembering correctly, my initial Top 5 when I created my MAL account went as followed:

1. Toradora!
2. Spice & Wolf
3. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
4. Baka-Test
5. Gosick

And currently:

1. Toradora!
2. Katanagatari
3. Spice & Wolf
4. Dennou Coil
5. Shinsekai yori

The only two constants were Toradora! and Spice & Wolf, but Katanagatari’s been up there since December-ish of 2012, so I guess one could say it’s stayed there for the last five years, too. I guess I could say I acquired taste? But it’s more like I’ve found the reason as to why I enjoy various stories as much as I do, and what I value in those stories. Toradora!’s reign will never die, either. It means too much to be to have me admit it shouldn’t be my #1. Oops.

#5: Assuming you play video games, what’s your favourite video game?

This is hard, as my favorite would consist of something I feel would handle the test of time and continue to keep my interest every time I play it. Many games don’t do that for me.

My safe answer is Metroid Prime, as that’s the first constructive “Favorite” I’ve ever had for myself, and one that most closely fits the bill explained above. Yet I also feel a favorite should be confidently displayed, like a badge of honor on a chief deputy of police. I don’t really feel that way with Metroid Prime, mostly because of the absence of great games (or games I perceive to be great due to fan hype) that I have yet to play. But also because, well, I never feel like playing it more than once a year or two.

A wildcard answer would be Katawa Shoujo, but I don’t even really acknowledge that as a fully-enjoyable game, either: just one with phenomenal arcs. Still, I get a tingly feeling of happiness whenever I think of it, more so than with Metroid Prime.

So… I don’t know. Too many choices.

#6: What’s your favourite non-animated TV series’?

This is also hard because I almost never watch TV. I can name some sitcoms and such I enjoyed in my younger days, but nothing is concrete seeing as I watch TV for football and little else since, like, 2015.

If I had to pick an answer, the American version of The Office.

#7: Warm desserts or cold desserts?

Cold. Ice cream. Easy choice. Don’t like most pastries, either.

#8: Sweet or spicy?

Really don’t care for spicy things and I’m fat. Another easy choice!

#9: What’s your favourite Manga that hasn’t been adapted into an Anime? (If any)

Komi-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

Though a more serious answer would be Natsu no Zenjitsu.

#10: How many hours do you sleep on average per day?

I’m a good boy who gets eight hours of sleep most of the time. I’m a very time-oriented person who can abide by a minute-to-minute schedule if I really pushed myself. Probably my most robotic feature.

#11: What’s your favourite post of your own that you’ve written?

Saving the hardest question for last, huh?

This may be a bit of a buzzkill answer, but I really, really think I hit the ball out of the park with my latest post. I felt like a god damn anime connoisseur writing about what I felt most truthful of the medium in my own vision, perhaps the most strongly a position on visual media in general as I’ve had in all my adult life. I was in a great zone writing that piece, and I think if anyone really wanted to know what to expect of future criticism from my part, then they read that post. One always peers into how I am as a person, too, which I think is a great empathetic tool to show I’m not just a cynical zombie who trashes hyped anime for fun (fun as that is).

This one also gets a special mention.

Recommendations and Questions:

Yeah, five for each sounds good.

I’ll nominate:

• The Jester Monocle
• Psychime
• Humble Ace
• Seasonal Prattle (He’s still alive, right?)
• Kindle-kun

And now, my questions:

1. What anime, if any, do you consider to be of poor quality but would recommend regardless?
2. Is Ridley too big for Super Smash Bros.?
3. What is one thing that will immediately turn you off from watching/reading an anime/manga?
4. If humanity were invaded by aliens and posed a threat to our survival, do you think humanity would put aside their differences and come together?
5. Best film you saw in 2017?

Thanks for reading!