OtakuAThon Announcement (+ My TBR)

This really cute Sailor Moon background was purchased from BeatPaperDesigns, who has a lovely Etsy shop!

The time has finally come, friends, to announce a fun collaboration that Kristin & I have had in the works for some time now! We're pleased and excited to present OtakuAThon, a four day-event (at least, this initial run is four days) that we're hosting from March 1-4, 2019. Our intention was to carve out dedicated time in order to indulge in our deep love of manga and anime, and to celebrate with fellow manga and anime fans, so we definitely hope you'll be joining in. (You can use the hashtag #OtakuAThon to chat about the event, ask questions, give recommendations or talk about other things. There's also going to be an Instagram challenge coming around the week of the event!)

We came up with a couple of challenges, and you can feel free to either read manga or watch anime to complete them (and you can double up on challenges with one manga volume or anime series). This is a low-pressure event, so definitely read or watch however much you can! I'm going to mention my TBR picks below too, to give you a couple of ideas.

1. Most recently acquired

I'll be reading Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 16 (as well as the rest of the series) as of right now, unless I happen to acquire a different manga before the actual event. In case you didn't already know, I am obsessed with this story (because I binged the anime and I'm still mad about only getting one season) about a princess who loses her father and her kingdom all in one night, and the only way for her to recover the latter is to find the four legendary dragons. It is so. damn. wonderful.

2. Catch up on a series you're behind on

Yona of the Dawn could also have been a pick for this category, but I wanted to mention Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, just in case I had the chance to get to the next two volumes. Again, this is another situation where I watched the anime before ever picking up the manga - but it hasn't deterred my enjoyment at all. It's essentially about four coworkers in a corporate setting, who you eventually find out are all otaku and it is delightful!

3. Adaptation of a manga/anime you loved

I could also have used either one of the above titles here, but I actually picked an anime for this: Orange. I fell head over heels in love with this manga (it was a Kristin recommendation!), which is the story of a group of friends who get letters from their future selves that instruct them to do all they can to prevent their classmate and friend from committing suicide. It was so moving, and I loved the group of friends a lot, and I can't wait to see it animated.

4. Revisit an old favorite

I knew without a doubt that I was going to pick Fruits Basket for my manga reread. Honestly, I didn't expect to fall in love with this series as much as I did when I binge read... but we're here now, and I can't even be mad about it. The entire premise of this series is that there is this girl living on a tent on the land of a well-known clan, and she crosses paths with some of the clan's members and is invited to live with them. She ends up discovering their family secret: when hugged by a member of the opposite gender, they turn into animals of the Chinese Zodiac. And the story goes on from that ridiculous premise and is incredible. (If I end up picking an anime, however, I will probably watch Ouran High School Host Club, which is a delightful reverse harem anime where a girl must work off a debt by becoming part of a host club!)

5. Start a new series

I had a few options for this category, but I decided to go with The Demon Prince of Momochi House. I honestly only know the barest of details: there's a girl that inherits an inn that straddles the line between the real world and the spirit world. I'm assuming she'll encounter a demon prince at some point, and the story will escalate from there.

6. Recommended to you

Most of my manga and anime recommendations come from Macky and Kristin, and this particular one comes from the latter. I actually read the first volume of this series already, but will reread it and then read the next two to complete the series... and it's Paradise Kiss. It's about a girl who isn't sure what she wants to do in the future, but finds herself roped into being a part of a fashion show for a set of fashion students with their own atelier. I'm really excited to find out where the story goes!

7. Read another series by an author you've read before

Macky is the one who convinced me to choose Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden for this category, because he read and enjoyed it last month. In case you're new to me talking about anime, I love Fushigi Yugi. It's one of the very first animes I ever watched and fell deeply in love with, and it's really held up for me every time I watch it again. I'm excited to dive into another part of the history of this world with new characters, and after Macky mentioned there are so many aspects that he thinks I'll love, my expectations are high.

8. Genre of choice

I do indulge in shōnen every so often (and I love a few!), but I will definitely pick shōjo for this time around just because it's generally my preference. Nearly everything I mentioned here is actually perfect to fulfill this category, but just in case I have more time on my hands, I picked Hana-Kimi out to read. I've actually seen a Korean drama adaptation of this tale before, but just in case you didn't know what it was about... a girl follows her sports star crush to a school... that turns out to be all male, so she has to pretend to be a male. It obviously means that hilarity and hijinks are going to ensue, and I cannot wait to experience it in manga form!

Phew, we made it to the end of my very ambitious list! In all seriousness, I'm really excited to be able to deep dive and indulge in my love for manga and anime for these four days and to be doing that together with one of my best friends. I really hope you'll be joining in on our event (and if you'd like recommendations, I am more than happy to give them, as is Kristin)!

For easy reference, all challenges are listed below: