Ichi Niche Blog #1

Welcome to the Ichi Niche Blog!

I must say content creation is extremely difficult. Balancing my desire to create written content, record podcasts and stream with a full-time job, relationships, and responsibilities is tough. Tremendous respect goes out to all who push through and persevere in their busy and stressful lives to create, share, and support the hobbies and passion they love. That’s what I want my blog to represent, a journal of sorts that chronicles my opinions, experiences, and love for my niche hobby. It’s always been an interest of mine to review and write about various series, so to finally step up and do so is very exciting for me. I hope any who come across this blog enjoy what I’m producing!

Bittersweetly, my first post will start off with some somber news. Last year (August 2022), Crunchyroll purchased Right Stuf to expand its own eCommerce offering. Since then Right Stuf has still been operating with its original brand and business model, but as of October 10th, 2023 the brand has been absorbed under the Crunchyroll moniker. All products have been migrated to Crunchyroll’s store front with accounts supposedly to migrate over at some point in the future. There have been a lot of negative opinions and feelings about this merger, and I agree with many points that have been made about this situation. However, I’m (slightly) hopeful to give the new store the benefit of the doubt. Based off of evidence and requests for comments from their media team/customer support, their staff, warehouse, and operation will still be based in Iowa. But for us consumers, they’ve also promised to retain the same great packaging and pricing that Right Stuf has always been known for. To believe that changes to the business nor staff "restructuring" will not occur (or has not already) would be naive and short-sighted but it's still momentarily re-assuring to hear people kept their jobs. Being the central location that assisted with re-solidifying my love for anime and manga, I really do hate to see it go. Expect a more in-depth write up on Right Stuf from me in the future.

Speaking of love, I recently watched The World of Narue (Narue no Sekai), a 2003 romance anime that focuses on the relationship between students Narue Nanase and Iizuka Kazuto. The main gimmick of the series is that Narue is an alien, so I went into the series thinking it would be a romantic comedy utilizing a lot of other-worldy powers and tropes. However, the sci-fi elements are really subdued, and the show focuses on adolescent relationships with a heavy emphasis on learning to communicate with and understand/accept others for who they are. The show also explores adult themes and interactions, such as the effects of separation and divorce on children and how they navigate their new family. There’s also a storyline involving a romance between a man and a woman who is actually a intergalactic police ship. Yep. It’s a cute show and at 12 episodes is a comfy watch that doesn’t overstay is welcome. Central Park Media tried to charge $80 dollars for this back in the day, but you can pick it super cheap nowadays for $9-12.

Another show I’ve recently watched is Assemble Insert an obscure 1989 OVA based on the manga of the same name created by Masami Yuuki (Patlabor, Birdy the Mighty, ATOM: The Beginning). This is a fun one, and if you’re familiar with his style of humor in Patlabor you’ll be right at home here. The Demon Seed have been terrorizing a town and with no way for the local police to stop them, the Counter-Demon Seed Special Agency is formed to finally bring them to justice. That said, they’re also no match for the Demon Seed’s Patlabor esque mecha suits and so the chief enacts his final contingency plan…to find a Pop Idol strong enough to defeat the Demon Seed and with enough appeal to win the agency public support! It’s a hilarious OVA and chock full of fanservice and references for those familiar with Yuuki’s other works. He’s even self-inserted in the OVA, denoted as “The ‘Just Plain Weird’ One” of the four staffers (highlighted in the pamphlet included with the DVD release by Right Stuf). At only two episodes it’s a very short and light affair, but it’s a fun watch and an extremely affordable pick-up if interested.

Let's talk about some manga! I’ve started my dive into Pokémon Adventures Black & White for the first time and I’ve really been enjoying it. The Pokémon Adventures (or Pokémon Special) series holds a special place in my life as one of the first manga that I’ve ever collected and loved since I was a kid. I’m a byproduct of Pokémania and I remember when I first got my hands on The Best of Pokémon Adventures Red, a compilation/abridging of chapters from the Red, Green & Blue arc of the manga, and absolutely falling in love with the story and artwork. Afterwards, I would begin slowly buying the individual volumes/tankobans of the series from a local-ish Books-A-Millions up to the end of the Gold & Silver arc. Man, the wait between us potentially going on a trip and me having the opportunity to pick up a volume was agonizing. There was also the fact that the most recent volume may not have even been available, as I often would pick up the last copy of the most recent volume on our trips. This was for 14 volumes! Oof. I’m getting off track…although, I should probably explore this in its own post. B&W has been great so far and has served as a palette cleanse after I was left very underwhelmed and bored semi-recently reading the Diamond & Pearl arc for the first time. Like a Munna eating my thoughts and giving me a clear mind. That…uh…makes more sense if you’ve read the series. Which you should.

That’s all for this post. Again, I'm super excited to finally get started and curious to see how the blog looks years down the road. This blog won’t just be weekly/monthly updates on random series or news, but also full pieces on different talking points. Topics such as the tragic passing of mangaka Nami Sano and my own personal history with her work Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto or the addictive and captivating fun of sports anime/manga are just a preview of some of the content I’m currently working on. That said, I am hoping that I get a bit more free time soon haha... Maybe I’ll finally get to sink my teeth into the Baiten Kaitos collection. Then again with Super Mario Wonder and Sonic Superstars coming out soon maybe not…

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you at the next post!