I keep hearing from people that they literally had no idea that Japanator has community blogs. Like, I hear that a lot. So, I figured I'd go ahead and set the record straight nearly two months after they've launched. Ahem.

Japanator has community blogs.

So, if you have any desire to talk about anime, manga, Japanese culture and current events, or just about anything else, come on over. We'll keep the light on.

Spring Equinox, bitches!

Because, why the hell not?

10. I started running Japanator by accident. Niero wanted to do an anime site, and so I started talking about it. He realized that I had a fairly deep knowledge of anime and manga, and tossed the reigns to me. And thus, history was made.

9. I am a giant history nerd. Not just the stuff you'd expect, like Korea, Japan, and China, but medieval Europe and 19th century America are subjects that I just devour. Not only do I love reading about history, I also love talking about it. St. Bernard of Clairvaux ftw, by the way.

8. I am an Eagle Scout. And fucking proud of it. It's one of the biggest accomplishments of my life, and going through Boy Scouts, I've made friends that are still with me and I treasure like brothers. It's a wonderful experience for your kids -- just make sure the Scoutmaster isn't a dick. Our troop was easygoing, and as such we had a lot of fun -- but there were still parents that kept us in line and made sure we didn't fuck up in life, and I'm grateful for that.

7. Timeliness is a big thing for me. I just hate being late for anything. I've made a commitment to be somewhere at a certain time, and I do my utmost to honor that. And I expect you to do the same. If I've committed to meet with you or something, then that means I'm not involving myself with anything else just for you. I'd hope you'd respect that.

6. I will punch Necros for you. All you have to do is ask me to on GTalk.

5. I was born in Santa Barbara, California. I spent the first half of my life growing up in Santa Ynez (the setting for Sideways), and I have to admit, it was kinda boring. I mean, it was a nice, safe place to grow up in and play outside, but Jesus, everyone lived in a bubble there. I'm so glad I moved to Jersey. Best things of my life happened there.

4. I always bring a book with me. I guess going along with #7 and the idea of wasted time, I always carry a book with me to kill some downtime. Today it's Runaways Vol. 1.

3. The only time I've injured myself is when I cracked my chin open. I was balancing up on the granite counters back in Santa Ynez, waiting for my toast to finish, and my hands slipped out from under me. It actually didn't hurt that much. But I did bleed all over the place. What did hurt, though, and what made me cry, was the needle for the anesthetic before they went and put stitches in. That made me bawl like a baby.

2. I am not a weeaboo. Seriously. I do listen to J-Music, but the majority of my collection falls under 70's and 80s rock, along with ska and the like. I don't care about ethnicity when it comes to dating -- I've found Japanese chicks to be disproportionately annoying or unforthright with their feelings, and it annoys the hell out of me. Just give me a good ol' girl from the heartland, and I'll be happy.

1. I am actually a nice person. Ignore the part about punching Necros -- he definitely deserves it. But when I'm interacting with others, I always try to be cheery and polite, and none of this tentacle rape and bukkake stuff comes out. I'm fiercely loyal to my friends, and will do just about anything for them, without a word of complaint.

...and now I'm a weeaboo.

Everyone's favorite site about tentacles, anime, and all things Japanese is looking to bring on a few more writers. If you've got a hankering to talk about any or all of these, then that's the energy we're looking for.

If you're going to take the plunge, send an email to brad[at]japanator[dot]com, with a little info about yourself, why you want to write for Japanator, and either links to works that you've already done or whip up a few articles and attach them to the email.

I look forward to hearing from y'all!

How true.

Also, sh*tty games.

As you all know, I play plenty of shitty games (final two previews just went up), and I do get the chance to play good games once in a while (MGS4, Soul Nomad, etc.). The thing that I seem to hate more than anything is when I've wanted to play a game, and finally pick it up, only to discover it's a lot more disappointing than what I was hoping for.

I popped in The Simpsons game after fully enjoying the demo. What I find is that the game is extremely linear to the point that it leads you by the nose, and doesn't really present a challenge. The only time I came close to dying was when I left the game unpaused to go help my mom with something.

While I wasn't expecting this game to be something magical, I at least expected to have a decent amount of fun with it. But no, the game quickly felt like a chore, and all the cool Simpsons references weren't even enough to stave off the boredom I have playing through the game. And I'm only 15% through. This, for me, is torture. Not Escape from Bug Island; not Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2. When you take a game that I actually garner an interest in and turn it into something less than desirable, then you've made a truly bad game.