I had to finish One Hundred Years of Solitude, and yes, I know I should have had written this post sooner, but with regard to the Anime Blog Awards it is still technically May 15th (CST is GMT - 13). Since this is the final post in my Lunar New Year series, I decided to make this post as one of gratitude. I am totally grateful to those who have voted me in the category that I qualified as a finalist in, which is the Most Thought-Provoking Blog Category. Some perhaps voted me from my archives; some voted me because of my Lunar New Year posts (or gimmickry); and some perhaps voted me from my grassroots campaign towards other fellow anime bloggers (to make myself more visible in the blog-sphere as well as to posit my blog as a contender). No matter what the reasons may have been, I truly appreciate the amount of support I have received from this kind community.

Because of this, I thank you. I don’t really have to lengthen this post, but I am truly appreciative of what you’ve done for me. I have not won: the results will be revealed on June 1. I do think I have a big chance, however, with the help of these bloggers and friends who have voted for me. Thank you for recognizing even just the fact that I’ve made a mark in the anime community - it makes me immensely happy.

From mellow_bunny to oOga - thank you, thank you very much. (And no, these people are not special, but mellow was the very first person who pledged his vote for me, and oOga the last that I know of. )

P.S. I don’t think any pictures would be apt for this post. Besides, it’s a really short one, so read the entirety of it!

First and foremost, I appreciate everyone who has nominated me as Most Thought-Provoking Blog in the Anime Blog Awards. I truly appreciate the support, and I am truly grateful. I wouldn’t have been here without your support. This is certainly one of the pinnacles in my career as an anime blogger.

But it hopefully doesn’t stop there. I would like your vote. However, I don’t have the loudness, the controversy, the establishment, or the degree that my competitors have. (In truth, I don’t have much to go for me.) However, I can say that I have written regarding anime (dating from my very first blog) for more than two years already, and I have tried my best to write posts in such a way as to foment discussion and critical thinking. While I have been successful for the most part (at least, that’s what most of my comments and commentators say), I have also had fiascos occur at times. I try to be very honest as a writer, and sometimes the emotions do get in the way, but I have tried to be consistent as a writer that provokes thought (even before the awards were started).

What do I have for me?

1. I have tried to create a niche within the anime niche by the juxtaposition of anime with different media: most of the time, however, the medium of comparison I have used is literature or cinema;
2. I believe I have been open with regard to my life in general, and as even just as a blogger I’m very proud of that;
3. I believe I am the only Filipino blogger who has qualified for voting among all the categories (so vote for me, kababayan!);
4. I attempt to deliver a message as concisely as possible (but I fail at times);
5. I have never deleted any post detrimental to me, any critical comment, or anything negative that has been posted; I have been very open to opinions and change them when I become convinced that to change is better; I have tried to be nice whenever I reply to my commentators (although I don’t think I can be as nice as Jeff); finally, I have no gimmickry with regard to my writing (except for this one, and for my link posting on IRC): I have rarely written articles that were made simply to incite and created no unnecessary drama.

I think those mean something.

If you’re still unconvinced, however, I will write fifteen posts in the span of fifteen days which hopefully will convince you. While they will discuss and traverse different territories of anime and manga, I hope that at the very least one of them will convince the blogger/reader reading this to vote for me.

Cheers.