Let's Introduce Ourselves!

[Michael TheZorch Haney]

Hi, I was really starting to wonder if this group might have died like so many other groups. I've seen so many good clubs fall to the wayside. Some of the old guard are still around like SAS (Sasami Appreciation Society) which has seen its ups and downs over the years but its still around. Hopefully the format change of AnimeFansWorldwide will breath new life into this group and attract new members. My own fan fiction centric group has seen a lack of activity recently.

Well, I thought I'd be the first to start a forum post. We should introduce ourselves and get to know one another.

My name is Michael "TheZorch" Haney, I'm 39, divorced, a big fan of anime and a writer of fan fiction (check out my website for links to my FanFiction.net page). Originally I was into the IT industry back where I used to live around Detroit, MI. The economy started to go bad right after 9/11, so I moved our here to Maryland about a year ago. I'm joining the DC Anime Club, they do a lot of special events in cooperation with the Japanese Embassy all year round. My favorite anime series of all time has been "Ranma 1/2" followed by "Tenchi Muyo" which were the two series that got me into writing fan fiction. So, that's enough about me. Lets here from the other members.

[selece_wingard]

Hi! I'm Clarissa. I'm 15 years old. I'm currently an incoming 4th year high school student. blueanime27 and I are classmates and she's also one of my best friends. I've started loving anime in my first year of high school when I met my bff. She was the one who 'enlightened' me about how wonderful the world of anime is. ^_^ My parents tolerate my addiction as long as I don't take lightly my studies. I also like Japanese and Korean drama. Oh, and also Hana Kimi Taiwan. I really like it! I also love reading manga. I love Shinjo Mayu's and Watase Yuu's works. Well, that's about everything I can tell about myself. I really hope, too, that this group wouldn't die. I hope other members would also contribute to this discussion! Ja!

[blueanime27]

HI I'm joby... 14 years old and as ate rissa (clarissa, i call her that way hehe..) said at her post she's my classmate and one of my best friends but of course let's not forget miakimiharu she's my bestfriend too and another one who i've just invited here (hi mhela! you'll read this too someday!)... hehe.. obviously everybody in here loves anime :D yay!... my fave one is chobits as written in my profile at my page hehe.. it's quite shallow of why i really like chobits.. hehe just ask me why and tell you you'll be really surprised at how my answer is... haha! I really like anime because of AXN,ANIMAX and HERO they're the channels where i first watch anime... hehe right now you could just buy DVD :P yey! haha...
As also mentioned in my profile i also like j-pop thanks to music station..weee!!!
i also like j-drama and k-drama...weee.. just finished watching lovers weee... yay!
reading manga is also a hobby and i really thank ate rissa for recommending good titles,,, yay!

so that's it.. eilo everyone!!

[Michael TheZorch Haney]

Nice to see some people here. The old group was pretty dead. No activity for a long time. Its getting harder and harder to find forums and/or mailing list groups that are still active. A few still are. I was a member of AnimeOnline for while but their rules and posting guidelines are so excessively strict to the point of being ridiculous and even abusive that I could no long tolerate being a member. You cannot have a free exchange of information, opinions and discussions with a gun pointed at your head which goes off if you make even slightest rule infraction or say something that a moderator doesn't like. I have an RSS feed for AnimeOnline on one of my iGoogle page tabs. I've noticed that it hasn't updated in a while, which means its either not working anymore or activity on the site has slowed down considerably. If my impression of the place is still accurate then I'm not surprised that their users appear to be going elsewhere. In the online world if you burn the visitors to your site they'll never return, no matter how hard you try. Its the #1 Gold Rule you MUST obey on the Internet, it has caused a lot of online businesses to shutdown. Ok, that's my rant for the day.

[ehMCee]

HI! Mhela here.. I'm 15 years old.. BFF of Joby, Kim, and te Risa (ayeah!)...I'm kinda the novice one here..Even so, i can't deny the fact that anime really interests me.. Maybe because of the combined efforts of my BFFs (actually,they go on talking about anime that I actually felt left out,hahaha!) that I was "lured" in pursuing this.. they actually lend me some vcds and stuffs and "required" me to read this, watch that and i dont blame them for they really make sure it's a good one..In fact i enjoy it..i watched some animes (courtesy of te risa and joby) like ai yori aoshi, parakiss, karekano, full metal panic and i read a series of DN angel fanfics..And i found them great.. My particular fave is Parakiss, it even made me cry at the ending..

One factor maybe, of not cultivating my interest in anime is having limited sources (though my BFFs didn't miss out providing me some, thank you guys) but fortunately, i now have "unlimited resources" (ayeah!) and maybe we could make time for that.. Well, 'til here.. I will enjoy being a member here..

[Michael TheZorch Haney]

There is very little activity here, but its good some see someone new. A lot of groups have died out and become absorbed into others. The Fan Fiction Forum is still very much alive, a lot of people have moved to places like Anime Online and forums run by the distributors. Regular groups like this one, independent groups, are becoming a rarity. I remember there being hundreds of such groups all over the web, nowadays they're all silent, or full of spam.

Its not that Anime is in trouble, by no means is it in any trouble, but its changing and transitioning. ADV and Geneon had been in a little war with one another to outdo one another, and it resulted in both of them spending way too much money and stretching their resources to thin. Geneon, under the strain, got out of the anime business and ADV has been forced to restructure and trim the fat. Smaller companies which didn't get plowed under by ADV and Geneon's power struggle are reaping the rewards caused by the power vacuum Geneon's departure caused. FUNimation for instance scored big time grabbing up a lot of Geneon licenses. ADV has a few of Geneon's old titles too, and with the loss of such a big player the chances of a really successful anime coming to the US being grabbed up too quickly before the smaller guys have a chance to nab it is gone. Chances are, if things hadn't changed either Geneon or ADV would have had "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" instead of Bandai. So, fret not, Anime is alive and well in America and remain so as long as there are fans here.

[Hinatafan18]

hi! im new here so i need friends. i feel left out.

[Hinatafan18]

hi! im tiffany. im 14 and live in new mexico. i love naruto and sailormoon . i grew up on anime and other animated shows. i never went to any anime conventoin ever. irealy wish icould.i mean WOW! they look so much fun. if i went iwould be hinata. she is my favorit charicter ever. she reminds me of me. im shy like her.

[LhOriz ViLLanUeVa]

hello...I'm new here!!!.....I'm 15 years old and I'm still studying!!!! *sighs*
:)) Hope I can have more friends :D

[miakimiharu]

I'm very sorry I will post my reply only now.

Hi, I'm Kim. I am best friends with selece_wingard, blueanime27 and eMCee. I'm sixteen. I love anything related to Japanese culture...and Korean culture also. :D

If I were to list the animes and mangas I like it would be long (but surely not as long as Rissa's) but I want to shout out to the world that CLAYMORE is one of the best animes I've ever watched and mangas I've ever read! It's just too bad that they didn't make it any longer.

:D