Let the Hunger Games Begin

Well it’s that time again when anime blogs are pitted against each other to vie for the title of Victor in the Aniblog Tourney. Voting has already begun and by the end of the day, we will have four losers – the next day, four more.

Perhaps it’s better to lose as winning brings its own anxieties: Did you just beat out the blog of a friend? Can you really relax when your next opponent is so strong? Will the Gamemakers throw out a cruel twist? And just how many clever tricks can you put into play to keep going until the very end.

I’m just kidding, of course. The Aniblog Tourney is nothing like the Hunger Games of Suzanne Collins’ creation, but having just finished the trilogy, I couldn’t help but liken the two tournaments. I don’t remember how it was last time around, but this time all the participating blogs have been put into colour categories – or Districts as I like to think of them. Bokutachi no BLOG is in the Red District. Each District then battles it out amongst themselves, producing their ultimate Tribute to be presented in the final match. For the first two rounds, it’s one-on-one style, but come the third, the numbers rise to four – four blogs competing against each other, with as many as three having fought their way up from the beginning; the fourth entering only at that point, having been granted a pass to this point due to their standing from the previous tournament. These four giants per District are like Careers: they’re experienced, they’re well-known, and they’ve got a good chance of winning. Leg four is back to one-on-one and it remains this way until the very end, until a Victor from each District has been decided; then each Victor representing their District fights. The lots have been pre-cast and it’s Red District Tribute versus Green District Tribute; Blue District versus Yellow District.

On April 19, Bokutachi no BLOG goes up against The G-Empire. I hope my team forgives me, but have no expectations of winning against the Overlord. But my spirits are not dampened by meeting him – and facing defeat – in the first round. In fact, I’ve decided that I don’t care who wins the tournament – as long as they’re from my District. And Red District’s got some very promising players.

If you’ve visited the Aniblog Tourney site, or were around for the last Games, you’ll know that the whole point is to find new blogs and acquaint yourself with new writers – some who aren’t new at all. It’s a chance to broaden your horizons in this niche blogsphere and support your fellows with a shared interest, love, secret obsession, and/or passion for anime. And who knows: it might even spark the creation of new aniblogs, adding to the number of contestants in future tourneys.

But for now, those in the Games of 2012 have only themselves to depend on – be it a single author holding down their own fort, or a team struggling to work harmoniously – to please the audience and win their votes; to stay in the Games, and keep going.

 

“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!”

 

(If you have no idea what the Hunger Games are, click here.)