It’s always tough for me to figure out how to begin with this sort of feature. Giving details about a series and even providing a bit of opinion for a review is one thing, but sharing personal information in this sort of medium goes against my nature. The reason is not to be enigmatic, but rather because I do not believe there is anything all that interesting to tell. People, especially on the Internet, are largely subject to what we choose to make of them, so depending on if you agree with the assessments I make in my reviews, whether or not you like my writing style, and any number of intangible factors likely influence what, if anything, you think about me.

That being said, the staff has all been asked to contribute a little something for a feature to mark Anime Dream’s 10th anniversary. Being the newest to the group makes the task a little harder, because unlike some of the others, I have not been around all that long and do not know a lot about the anime industry. What I may lack in insider information and hours logged at the various conventions, I hope I make up for with the amount of anime I watch throughout the year.

It has been almost 15 years since I added anime viewing to my list of hobbies. Before college, I had heard of anime, but regarded it as just being Japanese cartoons and had never watched anything. My freshman roommate, along with a lot of free time, changed all of that though, getting me hooked on both anime and video games.

If you have read my profile, you know my anime viewing occurs almost exclusively while I put in my daily hours on a treadmill after work. For a few years, I hardly watched anything because my career kept me so busy. But at the end of 2008, I moved to someplace where running outside during the winter was not feasible, so I bought a treadmill and was inspired to combine two of the things I love to do to unwind from a long day.

Joining Anime Dream was a spontaneous choice after seeing an invitation to contribute on a message board. I was familiar with the website and decided it might be fun to be able to communicate some of my thoughts and potentially help others navigate buying choices in what can potentially be a very expensive hobby. A couple of months and a dozen reviews later, I was asked if I would like to join the staff and gladly accepted.

Much like my decision to start adding content, my selection of what to watch next is usually very haphazard, and thus I tend to contribute reviews for a wide variety of shows. And while my personal preferences may be a little out of synch with the rest of the staff, selling my opinion has never been my goal, and I think getting a different take on things keeps life interesting. My thoughts about I watch are purely my own, and it is my intention to make the reviews I write seem unpretentious and allow the reader to make their own judgment about a show. While I do share some of my opinion from time to time, I also know that a reader might very well despise something I enjoyed, or vice versa, so I try to keep things objective.

In any case, it is my hope that Anime Dream continues to grow and is around for another 10 years, and hopefully all of you feel the same. The website is made up of a staff of volunteers, so while the content may not be the most prolific, hopefully the passion and hard work of the people that keep it up and running (and that is not me), is appreciated. Also, if there is something you would like to see us try, join the forums and let us know. I cannot make any promises, but most of us do check there regularly and would love any feedback you might have.