When I first started paying attention to anime as an adult, there were a number of things about the medium that appealed to me: the quality of the animation (I have always liked animated films, no matter their origin), the prevalence of science-fiction themes, and the fact that anime uses inner monologue (a narrative tool I have always liked) much more than Western films and shows. However, probably the biggest item of appeal for me was the music. For reasons I still don't completely understand, anime shows almost always have good, and often times great, soundtracks. I am a fairly musical person, with a long history of singing and playing instruments, so this aspect of anime was one I find very attractive.

Soon after my first significant experiences with anime, I found a store where I lived that sold soundtrack CDs for anime and video games. I couldn't afford much of it at the time, but this put me on a search to find reviews or guides to soundtracks, in order to identify soundtracks that would appeal to me. At the time I played a lot of computer and video game RPGs, and that led me to discover the RPGfan website. They had a direct link on their page to Anime Dream, and Anime Dream reviewed soundtracks! So, I started reading it regularly, probably around early 2002. In my searches, I never did find many other sites that reviewed soundtracks. EX.org did, but they are long gone. Yushiro's reviews at Anime Dream were always quite in-depth, and they really helped me figure out if I would like an album or not.

In late 2003, Yushiro stepped down as the soundtrack reviews editor for the site, and a notice was put up that Anime Dream was looking for a new soundtrack editor. I had submitted a couple fan reviews by that point, so I threw my hat in the ring. The rest, as the saying goes, is history, and I became the soundtrack editor in early 2004.

After being associated with the site for six years, what does Anime Dream mean to me? Well, it is a place where anime is discussed without bias. Nobody owns the site but us (well, really just Matt!), and we are not beholden to anybody but our consciences and our readers. We even buy the majority of what we review ourselves, so if a show stinks we usually feel the same pain that our readers feel. The fact that Anime Dream also covers the music of anime is also important to me (obviously, as that is the job I took), and I feel that this aspect of the site gives Anime Dream a unique angle in covering anime and its attendant culture.

What does the future hold for Anime Dream? I have no idea what will happen in a macro sense, but we will continue to do our best to provide in-depth opinions, news, and reviews to anime fans everywhere.