Starting on October 1st, 2017, individual and community blogging projects will be archived here instead of under the “Cafe Talk” tab. They might focus more on analysis instead of review, or perhaps something more fun to spice things up. On a few occasions, I’ve even had the chance to team up with other bloggers in the community. From newest to oldest, here are some of the projects I’ve been a part of!
EVERYDAY EVA
Start Date: 3/1/22 End Date: 3/31/22
From March 1 to March 31 (2022), Takuto’s Anime Cafe partook in the annual Mecha March aniblogger festivities. This year, I decided to write a post every single day dedicated to my favorite anime of all time, Evangelion. This project, “EVERYDAY EVA,” began as a daily reflection over the classic TV series, and it was eventually expanded to include the films of the franchise for the final week. This way, I covered the immense animated history of Evangelion in its totality.
By the last day, the collective word count reached well over 18k words (including this post), making this the longest project over a single franchise that I have ever done! It’s fascinating how I continue to learn new tidbits and gain heightened insight about the world, story, themes, and characters even after having see this series many, many times. I poured my heart and soul into each of these little reflections. While they aren’t always cohesive or even coherent, they are mine, and that’s something I can be proud of. (I do recommend reading them side-by-side with your own watch of the series as a kind of companion piece, though!)
Below is a link to the summary which contains individual links for every single post for EVERYDAY EVA. Be sure to read each one if you haven’t yet!
EVERYDAY EVA: Comprehensive Project Summary
The Toaru Project
Start Date: 7/5/20 End Date: 7/22/20
For the OWLS blog tour’s seventh monthly topic of 2020, I decided to take it upon myself the grand task of reading and rewatching all of Kazuma Kamachi’s famous Toaru franchise—and then tell you how to get started yourself! The end product was a bit different from the normal OWLS write-up, however, as instead of a blog, it’s a vlog—a video! I spent the whole past MONTH reading and rewatching the entire franchise in preparation for this video project, along with doing side research through Wikipedia, MyAnimeList, and the Toaru Wikia. From research to editing, I put a lot of work into this one.
I’ve been a huge “RailDex” fan ever since I first started watching anime and, almost a decade later, I’m happy to be able to repay my love with this video that will hopefully help others enjoy this beloved franchise, too! Below is a link to the OWLS post and the video:
Starting Index/Railgun in 2020: A Toaru Guide
Pride Month 2020 Celebration
Start Date: 6/2/20 End Date: 6/30/20
In honor and celebration of gay pride and equality, I’d decided to dedicate the entire month of June to posts about BL manga and anime! I wanted to highlight some of the prominent works being discussed, not only because I have a lot of BL manga sitting on my shelf just waiting to be talked about, but also because I love and support this community and what it stands for 100%.
What started off as a small feat of tackling my shelves, however, ended up becoming a journey of self-searching and enlightenment. June 2020 brought with it lots to read, of course, but also lots to learn. These characters and mangaka come from all different walks of life, and as such tackle LGBTQ themes in slightly different lights. No two stories were the same; similarly, I found that all of these reads were worth having on your shelf. Truly, I had an amazing time! Below are links to all of the posts I wrote throughout the month:
Pride Month 2020 Celebration Announcement: Anime & Manga Edition!
Ten Count: My First Yaoi Manga Series || Review
Seven Days: Will You Still Love Me When Monday Comes? || Review
Candy Color Paradox: Sweet Yet Sour || First Impressions
Claudine: Sexuality, Tragedy, & Growing Up Transgender || Review
Melting Lover: The Shadowy Side of Affection || Review
That Blue Sky Feeling: Preciously Queer & Wholeheartedly Delightful || Review
Love Stage!! – A Coming-Out Worth Celebrating || Review
Escape Journey: Chasing After Love in a Heteronormative World || Review
I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up: Gentle Romance & Silly Humor || Review
Hitorijime My Hero: Unrequited Feelings & Forbidden Love || Review
Goodbye, My Rose Garden – A Poignant Victorian Romance Between Women || First Impressions
Our Dining Table: Growing Closer One Meal at a Time || Review
Our Dreams at Dusk: Ending Pride Month on a High Note || First Impressions
Pride Month 2020 Recap + Aftermath (WE DID IT!)
The 2019 Animanga Festival
Start Date: 10/1/19 End Date: 10/31/19
Auri and Nairne of Manga Toritsukareru Koto hosted this wonderful event to commemorate their blog’s second anniversary, and when Auri reached out to me personally with an invite to celebrate with her, I couldn’t say no. Here’s a message from the two:
“As our community grows larger, we find ourselves losing many near and dear companions along the way. This event was created to celebrate us animanga bloggers, vloggers, and reviewers in an effort to remember our amazing friends and our own work for years to come. As an added bonus, it also gives us a great chance to interact among ourselves and discover new friends.”
Throughout all of October, various bloggers and vloggers posted responses to fun writing prompts, intriguing competitions, wacky activities, and shared what they love most about anime. Below are links to each of the days I participated in:
10/1 ~ Introduction & Announcement
10/2 ~ Anime/Manga You’d Introduce to a First-Timer
10/5 ~ Trip Itinerary to Places You’d Like to Visit in Anime/Manga
10/10 ~ A Collection of Your Best Works
10/19 ~ A Crossover You’d Love to See
10/24 ~ A Blogger Who Motivated You to be Great (& Round-Up)
Free! Collab w/LitaKino
Start Date: 8/26/19 End Date: 8/31/19
Lita (LitaKino Anime Corner) approached me with a collab proposition several months back, of course I couldn’t refuse this dear friend of mine! In fact, it had me thinking that except for being members of OWLS, Lita and I had never actually done a collaboration effort of any kind together. Kinda crazy, I know, and I’m thankful that she reached out to me.
It’s no surprise that Lita and I both love “Free!”, for some reasons similar, others vastly different. Challenged with inquiring one another about anything we’d like about the franchise, I sent Lita seven questions, and she sent seven my way. Should you, too, be a fellow fan of “Free!”, or would perhaps like to know more about Lita and I as people, provided below are links to each of our posts:
Ending Summer With a Splash! || “Free!” Collab w/LitaKino
Summer And Boys Collab At A Cafe
The Kazetsuyo Series
Start Date: 4/9/19 End Date: 4/30/19
An unintentionally written set of three back-to-back posts on the 2018 anime “Run with the Wind,” or “Kazetsuyo,” this unofficial mini series delves into my passion for this incredible sports anime. Between the colorful collection of personalities living at Aotake and the challenges they must overcome both individually and as a team, these posts sing my praises for Kazetsuyo anime, specifically the Kansei Track Team and its subsequent members.
Another interesting coincidence, each of the three posts utilize a different writing format: the first is a review where all of the elements of the anime, from story and themes to animation and music, are critically examined; the second is an OWLS post which focuses solely on one of the series’ leads; and the third is an open-discussion cafe talk about the characters.
From start to finish, “Run with the Wind” took me on one of the most heartwarming and satisfying rides I’d ever been on, and for this reason alone I make sure to highlight the positives and the emotional impacts that the series delivers. Should you, too, be a fan of the series, I’d be delighted if you checked them out. Below are links to each of the three posts:
Run with the Wind: Wholesome, Heartfelt, & Inspiring Every Step of the Race | Review
Chasing You, Chasing Me: The Heart of Run with the Wind | OWLS “Masculinity”
These Silly Guys: What Makes Kazetsuyo A Very Special Anime | Cafe Talk
Comparative Study of The Works of Makoto Shinkai
Start Date: 1/5/18 End Date: 2/15/18
A comparative study and light analysis of Makoto Shinkai’s films, this post celebrates the season of love (Valentine’s Day) by exploring love’s various struggles and realities. For each title, I delve into the big issues that separate the lead couple, factoring in whether the story’s realism and emotions which the endings provoke somehow determine the possibilities for happiness and sadness alike. As such, SPOILERS for nearly all of his films ARE PRESENT. Also, these will NOT be individual reviews for each title. For those prepared to relive all of these amazing films, enjoy! Here is the thesis:
In the iconic, beautifully cruel style which solidified his films as masterworks of modern animation, Makoto Shinkai appeals to humanity’s most innate fears of rejection and loss by directing his characters through the timeless themes of love, loneliness, and the growing distance which separates people as time goes on. These lessons teach us that though life has its fair share of heartbreak, each relationship we stumble into and every opportunity we miss out on still carries the potential to live out a better tomorrow—you just have to look beyond the distance.
Though a rather lengthy analysis, it’s one of my most ambitious projects, and I’m proud to finally have written it. Below is the link to the post:
On Love, Loneliness, & the Growing Distance Between Us | The Works of Makoto Shinkai
Blogmas 2017: The 12 Days of Anime
Start Date: 12/14/17 End Date: 1/1/18
To celebrate the holiday season and the start of winter break, I decided to join in with many other anime bloggers and vloggers alike to bring fans the “12 Days of Anime,” My version is a little different, though. Or rather, it had very few rules or restrictions (partially because I’m super lazy to impose order upon something that, if actually accomplished, is a feat in itself). Throughout the Christmas countdown, one could expect reading about my favorite anime moments in 2017, the best anime happenings that occurred during the year, full series reviews of shows that I completed in 2017, and even some fun, random stuff about me.
Listed here is each post of Blogmas 2017:
Takuto WILL Be Participating in The 12 Days of Anime! | Blogmas 2017 Introduction
Animepalooza’s 50 Otaku Facts Tag! | Blogmas 2017 Day 1
My Top 10 Long-Awaited U.S. Anime Releases from This Year| Blogmas 2017 Day 2
2017: The Year of the SEASON 3 Announcements! | Blogmas 2017 Day 3
Celebrating Yuri!!! On ICE’s First Anniversary! | Blogmas 2017 Day 4
The Year of Anime on the GO! | Blogmas 2017 Day 5
Double the Uniqueness! Keiko & Crimson’s Nominations | Blogmas 2017 Day 6
Completing My First “Tales” Game! | Blogmas 2017 Day 7
“DIVE!!” Flops as a Summer Sports Anime | Blogmas 2017 Day 8
The Ravishing, Elegant Imperfections of “Welcome to the Ballroom” | Blogmas 2017 Day 9
Anime at the Theaters: My “Your Name” Experience! | Blogmas 2017 Day 10
Expanding My Anime Film Collection in 2017! | Blogmas 2017 Day 11
Celebrating the New Year with a Reflection on my OWLS Experience! | Blogmas 2017 Day 12
The Legend of Zelda: A Blogger’s Journey
Start Date: 6/8/17 End Date: 10/1/17
This is just a fraction of the reviews and reminiscent posts covering the expansive “Legend of Zelda” franchise in a project titled “The Legend of Zelda: A Blogger’s Journey,” which covers the many adventures of Link, from its creation in 1986 to its arguable magnum opus in 2017. This massive undertaking was started by fellow blogger NekoJonez (NekoJonez’s Gaming Blog), and though we had some rough-footing (what with aligning individual schedules to a project on this scale), I’m proud to be a part of the brave thirteen bloggers who were captivated by this memorable franchise, and wish to tell their own tales about the games they love.
Here I have chronicled my experience playing “The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass” in Part 1 and “The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks” in Part 2.
The Great Sea: Phantom Hourglass | Zelda Project
The New World: Spirit Tracks | Zelda Project
TCTX Aniblogger Club
Start Date: 6/12/15 End Date: 7/13/15
-Currently inactive, but may strike again in the future!-
Trystan over at Let’s Talk Anime proposed this genius idea of starting an aniblogger club, and naturally I signed up and became one of three founding members. Together with Cassandra aka The Huge Anime Fan, we formed the TCTX Aniblogger Club, each letter standing for our initials and the X being . . . future members??? Please enjoy our content! (logo designed by me, do you like it?)
Takuto's Anime Cafe 