In this installment of the interview series, we ventured across the Atlantic ocean to chat with Paul of Bateszi Anime Blog. It turned out great, and I really found myself nodding along with many of Paul’s thoughts on blogging. Those of you who’ve been to Bateszi know that Paul has some truly excellent essays about oft-overlooked aspects of anime. In addition, he’s built up a very active forum, on which he is working on getting his post count over 9,000. Anyway, Paul provided us with a ton of great material, so hopefully you all enjoy reading this interview as much as I enjoyed putting it together (especially the photochops). As always, visit Paul’s site and also let us know what you thought of the interview!
Deep Thought Questions
You mention that your first anime blog, Shonen Carousel, burned you out in only a few months. What would you say you did differently the second time around, with Bateszi Anime Blog?
With Bateszi Anime Blog, I’m prepared to labour in obscurity, where as in the past, it was all or nothing. Don’t get me wrong, it still feels like a real punch to the gut if I write something that’s greeted with little more than tumbleweed, it’s just that now, I’m able to accept it with a little more grace!
As crazy as this may sound, after I quit Shonen Carousel, I quickly started posting Mushishi reviews on “bateszi”, but for two months, I didn’t link or tell one soul about it. The truth is that I needed to prove to myself that I could blog without attention. I needed to see if I could have fun without feeling all that competitive bullshit.
How do you see the aniblogsphere evolving and adapting in the future, given the ever-increasing number of new bloggers? Do you think some sort of niche equilibrium will settle in, or will people be constantly scrambling to stand out and entertain in new and innovative ways? How do you see yourself fitting into this picture?
I’ve noticed that recently the “aniblogsphere” seems tighter, or at least, more than just a collection of vaguely related journals. More now than ever, ani-writers are referencing each other; continuing and developing discussions between their respective blogs. Basically, it’s starting to feel like a real community capable of progressive debate. There will always be episodic anime blogs, but as long as aggregators like Anime Nano exist and we’re able to track back between each other, my guess is that we’ll see the community continue to tighten. I like it that way.
For my part, I’m trying to move away from episodic reviews. If all I’m doing is simply typing up some generic episode summaries and providing a few superficial thoughts, then what’s the point? I hardly read episodic blogs anymore, so I certainly won’t write one either. I much prefer emotional and opinionated articles, where you can almost literally feel the beating heart of the author.
Moving on to your other site, Anime UK News, can you tell us a little bit about the growing UK Anime community? What do you think goes into building a successful and active community, as you have done with your news site and forums?
Well, a popular community is often built around a compelling concept. I suppose Anime UK News is successful because it offers UK-based fans a chance to interact with their peers. Generally, people are attracted to and feel safe around what seems familiar. Just to confirm this theory; we’ve seen a few (romantic) relationships form through the site too, which makes me wonder, in a Kira-like way, how our lives are so profoundly effected by something that is to others, just a hobby.
As for the UK anime community itself, it’s fairly small compared with the US or the rest of Europe, but it’s improving all the time; we don’t get as many DVD releases over here and there isn’t as much anime on TV. That said, here’s an interesting little story – a few months ago, I was riding on a bus and the girl sitting in front of me whipped out her laptop and started watching a fansubbed episode of Naruto Shippuuden. She’s now my wife… Only joking, but considering the vast majority of people over here still confuse “anime” with “manga”, and often define both as p0rn, that little chink of light made me wonder whether or not there’s hope for us yet.
I notice you make an effort to respond to commenters, and often start up a running dialogue. Share some thoughts on your relationship with your readers. Do you think your site will still be as personalized once it becomes mega-famous and hordes of people leave comments?
I care about people reading what I write and I want to know what they are thinking when reading it; if they enjoyed it or if they think I’m a massive idiot. When someone takes the time out to write a decent comment on (or rather, a reply to) one of my posts, it’s only fair that I read and react to what they have to say too.
From that, I suppose you can infer that if my blog ever does achieve some semblance of proper popularity, I’m not the kind of person to sit back and gaze selfishly at the number of comments, ‘ya know what I mean? I’ll be in the trenches, as always.
Quick Shots
You mention you like a lot of Shounen Jump series, and so you must be very familiar with fillers. What series would you say has the best fillers?
The fillers in Dragonball Z are priceless, if just for that one episode where Goku and Picollo, despite being able to fly, try to learn to drive and take their drivers tests. The best fillers are just so absurd on every level.
You seem to have a penchant to watching obscure anime shows. What are your top 3 favorites of this kind?
Kemonozume (TV series), Digimon Adventure (Movie 1, only 20 minutes) and Magnetic Rose (short OVA). All three have stylish animation and off-beat narratives. I know it seems stupid to claim that a Digimon movie is a masterpiece, but honestly, it’s great fun, and ten times more fulfilling than 2hrs worth of mediocre TV anime.
Which anime series do you think had the most untapped potential?
Rurouni Kenshin died with a whimper, having succumbed to terminal filler disease. At its best, that series (and especially the prequel OVAs) was brilliant. In more recent times, I’m disappointed with Gonzo’s relatively toothless adaptation of Bokurano; the manga is phenomenal.
If you were tasked with creating a new Devil Fruit, what would it look like, and what power would it give?
Ahh… My Devil’s Fruit would be “Omni Omni no Mi”. At his highest level, the user shall be capable of understanding “raw” foreign media, reporting timely summaries and providing unlimited evidence in the form of graphical screen captures. The fruit will look like Tripeman from Riuva!
Favorite anime blog besides your own?
Right now I have three clear favorites. Cruel Angel Theses for Owen’s thought provoking analysis, Hige Vs. Otaku for Hige’s eloquent reviews and finally, Hop Step Jump! because though I’m the “gar” to Jeff’s “moe”, I just love reading whatever he writes anyway.
Best part about blogging?
Honestly, I feel great when I read the 9 comments I’ve received on this one specific post: “One Piece – Winning without even throwing a punch“. I’ve been blogging regularly for over a year and technically, I’ve written better reviews, but the heart warming responses to that one entry have made it worthwhile.
Worst part about blogging?
Being ignored. If you write for hours and no one gives a shit, that’s demoralizing.
If Naruto, Luffy, and Ichigo were in a steel cage deathmatch, who would win?
That’s assuming they get into the steel cage. No doubt, stupid Ichigo would end up fighting his own reflection in the dressing room, before running off to save Rukia from whatever it is this week, while newly-wed Naruto would be AWOL bumming his wife, Sasuke. That leaves Luffy, who, despite sporting an invincible afro, would be literally too fat to enter the cage, having foolishly eaten all the popcorn and ice-cream he could find!
Related posts:
13 Comments
Wooo you feel bad for 0 comments
*supportage*
Indeed, it seems like getting a blog noticed is a hard task to do. I thought it would be easy but I was very wrong. Given the number of other blogs out there it seems like an impossible task to get recognized.
I can sympthasise, it’s a similar situation with getting artwork noticed. I wouldn’t say my artwork is as good as your blogging, but it’s a common problem none-the-less. It’s still good to see you’ve been recognised through this interview, and all the best for the future.
It’s hard to get anything noticed on the internet. People only do what they see others do. Even those with originality get ignored since space is taken up by the countless clones of an idea.
Def have to check out your blog having read this.
Sounds like you write with real passion.A trait no great writer should be without.
Oh and kemonozume RULES.
For sure comments are the lifeblood of blogging. I mean, loving what you write about is great, but it’s like the starter for the engine; the feedback and interaction are the fuel that keep the engine running. Ok, I don’t know very much about engines, so this analogy might be completely wrong, but hopefully it’s clear what I’m trying to say.
I think that feeling of “everyone else is already doing it” anxiety really holds back a lot of people who have interesting points to make. I remember feeling it most clearly while doing summaries for Mai Hime. It seemed like everyone and their entire family was doing episode summaries for the series, and I knew I couldn’t keep up with the speed, the blow-by-blow summarization, or the amount of screencappage of the other blogs covering Mai Hime.
But look back now at all the sites that covered Mai Hime. Some are gone now, while others have blossomed into very popular sites. There is always the chance that your style of covering anime will entice a new reader, and while you may be aware that 9,001 other blogs are covering a series, your readers may not know or care. And if you keep going with it, you will have created a single location for readers to go to hear your thoughts on many popular series, instead of having to search for individual sites. Also, not everyone reads about series as soon as they come out, so being first on a series isn’t as important in the long run (except for the instant gratification part).
XD Loved the quickshots, the one about the fillers and that last question were really funny. The greatest one was the Devil Fruit, understanding raw foreign media, you just saved my life!
That was a interesting read, quite a few insights into the serious world of blogging, also i concur with quite a few of the idea’s raised.
Not too mention the Deathmatch answer is just Win!
Awesome interview! That comment about the insane fillers in DBZ has pretty much convinced me to check that series out at last!
Great stuff there – some really good questions with equally interesting answers! I think it’s important on a personal level and for the community as a whole for a blogger to find their own niche that sets them apart from the others but the most rewarding way for that to happen is if it kinda happens on its own. Another really good thing that seems to have sprung up in the anime blogsphere in recent months is the way in which bloggers spread the word of what interests them and gives a real community feel – Bateszi deserves a mention like this for all his hard work (especially on his enthusiasm for replying to comments) but is also one of the bloggers who highlights other blogs – and anime – that somehow fall under the radar much of the time.
Keep up with the interview series Kabitzin – it’s generating some really healthy discussion that makes for some great reading!
I feel immensely humbled that Bateszi would deign to mention me. Good job at the interview and at shedding some light on what makes Bateszi and his blog tick, I think that summed him up as a blogger pretty well.
Great interview! I think there’s a lot of inspiring stuff for aspiring anime writers. Even though it might seem crowded and competitive, there is a growing sense of community between anime sites. The most important element to remember is: maintain your own unique voice!
Thanks again,
David
We all start out with 0 comments, I look back on my commentless Kamisama Kazoku posts and get all nostalgic. I typically don’t expect too many comments on my drama posts but I think it’s the best when yuo get a comment from someone going “I’m a long time visitor but this is my first time commenting” As long as people stop by and read, I’m happy, the comments are a bonus
2 Trackbacks
[...] this time, I decided to watch Naruto from the beginning (skipping the fillers, unless they’re surreally bad) and write about how Naruto and Harry Potter are basically the same thing. I’ve really just [...]
[...] From the size of the club’s mailing list, and the size of its venues, I’m guessing it’s relatively large (perhaps over forty people). This might be partly because my university in particular is not a university for mildly misanthropic middle class white boys (such as myself), so there’s more of an element of social interaction to it. I must pass the baton: Martin or Paul might know more about the shape of anime fandom in the UK. (It was actually the third question Paul replied to here.) [...]