Hi everyone!
If you’ve followed me on Twitter, you know that I’ve been musing – well, talking pretty loudly – about talking more about the “old days” of anime fandom. I’ve been in this subculture since 1992 and I have countless stories to tell, from days in a tiny anime club to experiences as part of the tape trades, to the Bubble years, and so on.
And, well, I’d like to start talking about these things. So, starting today, I’ll be launching a new article series, which I’m dubbing “Forward to the Past.” These will be a combination of personal anecdotes, stories, and in-depth articles, which will discuss those early days in anime fandom.
To be honest, this has been something that’s been on my mind since I took part in Lauren Orsini’s Anime Origin Stories project in 2017. The thing is, much of our history, both as a subculture and a fanbase, is an oral one. We share stories, and we tell our tales, so that future generations can hear about things like the Dub/Sub debate, or those days when people went to Suncoast to get their anime fix.
Still, a lot of it is exactly that, an oral history. These stories are ephemeral, and tend to fade with age, as more and more of us either exit the fandom or succumb to the ravages of time. We have a grand, surprisingly rich tale to tell, and it’s something that we really should be celebrating instead of burying.
With Forward to the Past, I hope to bring some of these tales to light. I want to start telling the stories of our contemporaries, or those who came before us. And, really, I hope that you join us on this journey.
That said, I need to note a couple of things:
These will not be regular, scheduled articles – they’ll come out when they’re ready, as they’re not time-sensitive, and I’m placing more priority on getting things right, than getting them out fast.
Furthermore, Forward to the Past will be a timed exclusive to our patrons on Patreon. Every Forward to the Past article will be exclusive to Patreon backers for two months. After this, they will hit Anime Herald proper. Our patrons are super-awesome folks, who are helping us bring some of our very best work to you folks. The timed exclusive is part of our effort to make that $1 a month more worthwhile for them.
The first installment is went live today. The project will be available on the Herald on September 17, but it’s live for our patrons right now. So, as always, if you like what we do, and want to see more of this content early, consider pitching us a buck a month! Every bit helps, and ensures that we’ll be able to keep building an amazing, entertaining experience for you.
