Chasing Moonrunes
Pretend-ignorance can be bliss too.
Why do I follow Mako’s silly excuse of a blog? Because she posts pics like these.
It’s not exactly a secret, but I can’t read Japanese. So why do I subscribe to Japanese blogs? I’m subscribed to Makkun’s blog, out of some misguided sense of duty–the same reason why I buy almost every solo CD she puts out I guess. I hardly read even half of her non PR posts. I also follow ItoShiz’s blog, but because she usually posts some interesting pictures and she doesn’t post much anyways, so it isn’t as if it makes a difference.
I follow a few other Japanese blogs for non-informational purposes, but they usually have some actual utility even if I can’t read it.
Is this the same reason why I listen to Japanese music when I don’t understand it in the first person? Or play Love Plus (well anyone can say “pon” or whatever)? And by that I mean I don’t understand it until I look it up on Google or something. [Speaking of which.]
On a similar note, these blogging voice actors and anime personalities post things that they are commercially tied to. It makes logical sense–you’re blogging as a part of your professional persona as an entertainer, so what can you talk about besides what you did at work and other work-related things? To some extent that’s basically what makes following seiyuu blogs interesting. Someone like Mako gets into costumes (and her true idol roots show there) and do promotion events, so that’s always pretty neat to see. But the less-photogenic also have something else interesting to say to even the most-illiterate. Even if it’s just what they had when they went out to eat that night.
I guess pictures of chocolates incoming 3…2…1…
you may not read Japanese but everyone reads the language of music and pictures!
Don’t know about you, but I do all that because I’m a weeaboo, though I’d think you wouldn’t want to be lumped in the same category ( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ｱﾊﾊ八八ﾉヽﾉヽﾉヽﾉ ＼ / ＼/ ＼
Plenty of Japanese people follow these blogs for the exact same reasons. so…
Evirus is right. Kana Ueda always wins. :P
I follow other seiyuu’s blogs like Ami Koshimizu’s, blogs of musicians like coba, Ayako Ikeda, or Kalafina, or blogs of artists like ABe. As with any blogging though, it’s always a mixed bag. And while I can’t really read Japanese either, it doesn’t stop me from trying somehow when I have the time. :P
Kalafina blog is interesting for the few weeks’ stretch that I read it. I guess I should also mention HIMEKA’s blog (no feed?) and Utada’s (50% English nowadays).
Interesting, and a good question. I follow a few Japanese anime bloggers (who mostly do episodic posts and only a couple paragraphs which are usually not difficult reading), but the notion of following seiyuu blogs makes more sense, really.
Unless it’s something like a newspaper or MUJI lab’s recent post on emptiness (massive 5-pager), the language portion doesn’t matter that much; blogger posts seem short enough to translate by hand if you want/have to (Google is scary translator of Japanese D:).
Also follow some illustrator blogs, but those speak for themselves I think.
:)
Himeka’s blog can make for painful reading when she goes on those random Britney-styled breakdowns…
Anyways it seems I subcribe to 103 seiyuu blog feeds 0_o Generally I only religiously read about a dozen or so of them & mostly for people I really like (KitaEri, Marina, Tomacchan). Otherwise there’s only so many pictures of nail-art, food and cats that I can take.
103 is a lot :3 But yeah, they’re all just nail, food, and animals.
Ryan: yeah. I mean I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek there. A lot of these blogs are text noise picture noise. It’s about appreciating the branding.
I have never followed a seiyuu blog, but your post pique my interest. Btw, do you listen to seiyuu radios?
i occasionally listen to things people link to. the only show I’ve followed to any extent/dedication is KOTOKO NO KOTO. Problem I have with seiyuu radio is that I have to listen to it…which is the same reason why I avoid podcasts and videocasts when I could, regardless of the language.
This reminds me that I should read Yukarin’s blog now since I DO know Japanese. Thanks for reminding me omo.