Epic History of Bokutachi no Blog

Settle down folks, settle down. I am here today to tell you a most wondrous tale. A tale of the greatest website known to man. I am here to impart to you the Epic History of Bokutachi no Blog.

Once upon a time there was a man. Not just any man, oh god no. He was a Malaysian by the name of Brian. Now you see, Brian had a vision. He dreamed that one day he would create one website that the entire world could visit and be left in awe by the quality of writing and the extent of it’s vocabulary. He wanted to create a blog that would become a genre in itself. However then he realised that WordPress was more user friendly and had some lovely layoutshe could use so he migrated to that very website. There, he continued his dream to create the ultimate website. But soon he became disillusioned with the content on the blog. BrianAndrew, as it was called back in the olden days while it was being carved onto stone slabs, was not attracting the level of worshippers that he believed his wonderful website deserved so he chose to focus his attention on one subject: Anime. Historians consider this to be the defining moment in the history of Brian’s blog. At that time, not only was the name changed to Bokutachi no Blog, but that decision shaped the direction the blog took to this very day. So Brian continued his pilgrimage to create this master-site by following many of the greatest anime series known to man, such as Darker than Black and Death Note (and some less-than-great series like Dragonaut). It was at this time that Brian felt the need to expand his blog but the workload was becoming too great for one man. No matter how strong a man Brian was, he could not shoulder the weight of Bokutachi no Blog by himself. So he took his loyal disciple, Loba and entrusted him with a most magnificent task. Loba ascended from being nothing more than a devout commenter to ascending into the region of creator of content for Bokutachi no Blog. Many other names joined the blog around this time too. Some saw the light, only to shy away and become nothing more than ninja bloggers. However there was one man who saw the light and embraced it…but more about him later.

Many historians consider this period to be the first golden era in Bokutachi no Blog’s history. Believers flocked to the blog to worship and be enlightened. Even today people still read the question of Lelouch’s mortality post and comment (no seriously, about one a week shows up to say ‘but what about the cart driver!’) and the hitcounter soared into the lofty realms of 4000 hits per day. Yet this period was not to last forever. Cracks were starting to form in this once thriving website. Internet connections started to fail. Events in real life started to effect upon the regularity of the posting. Brian and Loba started to all but disappear from the blogging scene and it looked like the site was about to fade away. All that was left was one of those young men who had joined back in the Golden Era. The man who was inexperienced in the harsh, unforgiving world of anime blogging. The man who had sat in the background, dutifully blogging Natsume Yuujinchou despite the fact that it got absolutely no bloody hits or comments whatsoever. The man who, in the future, would lead Bokutachi no Blog to victory once again. This man’s name was Scamp.

Nobody really knows where Scamp came from. Some claim he was a messenger sent by the gods when they knew a great blog was going to be in dire straights. Others claim that he was found in the red-light district in Amsterdam soon after the Berlin Wall collapsed. Some even claim that he’s no more than an Irish guy who had too much time on his hands because all it ever does it rain in Ireland. All we know is that he has a strange love for wacky comedy and used the word ‘probably’ far too much in his writing. This man was left alone on the website, trying to conjure up some of the magic his predecessors created but lacked the experience to do so. Those were trying times for Bokutachi no Blog. The blog barely managed single post a week and Scamp was unable to summon the enthusiasm for the thoroughly disappointing Michiko to Hatchin. It looked as though Bokutachi no Blog was coming to an end. But no, the gods would not allow something like that. It was all to change very soon…

It began with the simple choice to blog an unusual and highly controversial series known to the world as Hetalia Axis Powers. Claimed by many to be a time capsule left by the Nazi’s to confuse people into believing that the Second World War had been entirely the fault of the Italians, Scamp made it his duty to be the torch bearer of the truth. He fought his way through many opponents, including berserker fangirls, self-righteous Koreans and the occasional guy who could just not take a joke. Amazingly, he succeeded. Without warning, a cult had arisen to the truth. Bokutachi no Blog had become the leader of the free world, where people actually understood the historical references in their anime and one could go through life, safe in the knowledge that the next generation would not be ignorant of the past and would learn from the mistakes. Is it an overstatement to claim that Bokutachi no Blog had a small hand in eventual unifying of the internet in peace? Many historians think otherwise.

Bokutachi no Blog was now going through a rebirth. As the hitcounter rose, so did the number of writers in this holiest of anime blogs. The first female writer, Blindability, joined in the name of all things cute with her spectacular beginning with K-ON. Then came Kaza, who many liken to Scamp when he first began blogging. The hitcounter continued to rise. The comments really started to flood in. Bokutachi no Blog was on Animenano and Animeblips. Why, there wasn’t a person is the world who did not know of this most glorious website. But the true sign that Bokutachi no Blog had gone further than it had ever managed before was when their most holiest of leaders returned. Yes, in the Autumn of 2009, spurned on by the release of the new season of Darker than Black, Brian returned to his website to continue where he had left off. The site had evolved since he had last been on but his return returned order, clipped the edges of this beast and we were left with a most fabulous of anime blogs ever to grace the earth. The winter 2010 anime season preview became a symbol of the glories this website had achieved and could achieve. This was no golden era. This was the diamond era of Bokutachi no Blog!

But the task to create the ultimate blog was far from complete. Why yes, Brian had certainly taken his site quite some way to achieving enlightenment, but to progress further the website needed to change. To stay still, the site would eventually rot and die. To move forward, to change and to evolve. That is how you grow larger and greater in the harsh world of anime blogging. So Brian expanded the blog further, taking on new writers with Poro and Spiral. Joining together with Blindability and Kaza, these four apostles would be torchbearers for the new age. Loba, the symbol of the golden era, had been MIA for a long time, only showing up occasionally to lead the newer writers towards the great series. Scamp, the symbol of the diamond era, had shown his true colours to be that of betrayal solitude and left the website on Christmas Day 2009. This meant it was up to these new writers to lead Bokutachi no Blog through to the fabled ‘platinum era’. An era where Bokutachi no Blog would finally reach that fabled land of over 5000 hits in one day. That day when Bokutachi no Blog would finally have over 100 subscribers on Google Reader. That day would come!

Come it would (or so many hoped) but not before facing some trying moments. The team thinned again when Kaza made his exit; there was no knowing if he would ever write (or be seen) ever again. In the winter of 2010, Spiral moved on as well, following a different path – his own path – in the turbulent journey of loving anime. For reasons unknown, Brian and Loba had retreated to their isolation; Poro mimicked the actions of those who carried the torch throughout the years, making the odd reappearance to post something. And so it seemed, there was but one left.

Blindability, the sole female writer had been given full administrative authority by the Boss before his absence. Little did she know that she would necessarily utilize this power one day. With the entire blog on her shoulders as a burden to bear, the moment came where a choice lay before her: the choice between taking up the empty throne Brian had left behind, or disappearing from the pages of Bokutachi no BLOG as well…. Her response has been documented into history, her actions etched into the stone foundations of the aniblogsphere. Only time would tell of the consequences.

The first consequence was the awakening and return of Poro. With a bold declaration that he was still around, he put forth a renewed effort to support his Queen, but the wheels of recruitment had already been set in motion: there was no turning back. And from the mass of anime lovers, readers, and lurkers rose three courageous and valiant individuals willing to take up the call of Bokutachi’s Queen:

With the pen as their sword and paper as their shield (or maybe with their laptop and desktop computers as their semi-automatic, 9mm, Beretta 92), lygophile, jGLZa, and HavieruX, newly drafted onto Team Zero took on the Winter 2010 season with strength and vigour. The results were outstanding: four and a half active writers covering more than half a dozen shows, plus the odd editorial, manga, or random review post here and there. Bokutachi hadn’t seen days like this since before the Golden Age.

Bokutachi’s Spring 2011 Season Preview marked the unification of the new Team Zero, including a poetic nod to Spiral who cameo-ed as the guest commentator. Moving as a well-oiled, fully functioning unit, Team Zero marched forward together toward the fabled Platinum Era. But as Poro, lygophile, jGLZa, and HavieruX faced forward, Blindability glanced back… and so a thought came to her mind – nay a mere thought: a responsibility she had ignored for much too long. But with her brand new writers (and Poro) in mind, she found the courage to finally act – but she would act alone, fearing the potential fall out of the burden she now bore. With her head held high and the bright warmth of Bokutachi no BLOG’s future on her back, Blindability walked alone into the darkness.

Through thorned bushes, back alleys, and clearance aisles, Blindability walked down the beaten path until she reached her destination: the Legendary Lair of Loba. With her crown in her lap, she regaled the blogger of olden days with the feats of the new team of writers, and she asked him to dust off his ancient keyboard (even though Loba was never one to ignore new technology) and rise with them in glory – or forever remain behind in the shadows, never more than a relic of the past. With some thought, Loba agreed to walk alongside the new team, and putting on his non-academic writing cap, and wrote not one, not two, but three reviews. This encouraged the new writers greatly as many revered Loba as a writer of the First Golden Age.

But as quickly as the fire of Loba’s spirit had been rekindled, it was extinguished by one of the greatest counter forces anime blogging has ever known and faced: school. And so Blindability had no choice but to relinquish the fabled writer into a status of hiatus… (At least until he was finished with his academic career.)

With defeat weighing heavily on her shoulders, Blindability lost her way returning to her team, but after wandering the scenic coastlines of the Pacific Coast Highway for some time, return she did – only to find that HaveiruX had gone MIA – and he had taken Poro with him! But with a new season ahead of them, it was no time to sulk. Taking charge, jGLZa and lygophile led the way into Summer 2011, not only single (or double) handedly tackling the Season Preview, but picking up the slack left around the blog, and posting First Impression after First Impression of that season’s offering.

The Summer Season of 2011 brought more than just great shows to Team Zero, but also, a new writer. Leaping out from the crowd of commenters, Thaivu22 enlisted himself to fight write with Team Zero, and his timing couldn’t have been better.