We Remember Love Says Goodbye, and Thank You For All The Memories

This was easier than I thought.

I fought the idea hard, but acknowledged the following things:

1. I have, one way or another, made blog posts about every animated work of the Macross franchise (those with available subtitled editions in English).
2. After four years to this day October 13, 2012; I have said everything that I feel personally important as a fan of anime and manga.
3. While I have become a lot more concise and efficient in the craft of blog post writing, particularly in 2012; in conjunction with the above I feel that my best days of making blog posts about anime are behind me.
4. Blogging anime was an incredible opportunity for me to become productive and good at something during a difficult time in my life and career (particularly the years 2009 to about a few months ago). I am in a different place in my life right now where I derive less utility from hobbies compared to the crafts I am compensated for (business development, human resources, operations management, and entrepreneurship in general); and compared to playing with my 2-year old daughter and raising my lovely wife.

I don’t mean to be glib about this at all. The rest of my post is dedicated to the blog I started with Mechafetish; nurtured by so many friends and contributors I met online through this hobby; and invigorated by so much discussion from fans of anime and manga that I feel so lucky to engage through this space.

First, a few apologies.

I mentioned that I was working on a more detailed post for Mobile Suit Gundam AGE as a whole; and I did have a post in mind that would say what I feel were important things about the anime I love beyond Gundam, I chose to not do it anymore. I no longer had the energy – and perhaps the chops to pull it off. I felt it took a lot of skill and effort to re-state things I said in other posts in a powerful and entertaining way. I just have to consider this as one of the many failures of the We Remember Love project.

I intended to see Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn through, matching each episode with a flurry of blog posts. I will no longer do so.

Lastly, this is for those who shared with me shows, manga, music they liked or loved – for failing to take up their invitations to watch, read, and listen to these pieces. For these people, who thought my experience would be enriched by these titles, my apologies; especially if you hoped that I would make blog posts about them.

No excuses, only my apologies.

Secondly, a few thanks.

There ought to be many thanks – I know this to be true and I do remember all of you whom I owe. I will only mention a few directly. I will thank these not for friendship, and camaraderie – if I followed that road there will be way too many people to mention here. I acknowledge these for their contribution to my craft of anime blog post making.

First of all, Mechafetish – from whom I found vigor and renewed voraciousness for all things anime from around 2006; and particularly for introducing me to Gunbuster, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and perhaps most importantly my initially reluctant and belligerent but now retardedly awesome love for everything Gundam. From our many conversations about anime, he came up with the best name for an anime blog: “We Remember Love” (right up there with “The Mistakes of Youth”).

Secondly, The Animanachronism. He is my first blogging idol. From him I valued substantive content.

Thirdly, otou-san; while I knew I could write with verve and dramatic flourish, from him I valued dry humor without cheap snark (not that I totally abstained from indulging in such every now and then) and possibilities in content development and presentation. From the slide shows to the panels of talking heads – all these I did based on his stuff.

Fourthly, Digibro; from whom I learned the value of working fast and intensely on incredibly big blog posts.

Finally, LBrevis for telling me to “write the damn blog post myself” when I asked her to write something about Cowboy Bebop on October 13, 2008. I did, and “Hard Luck Woman” became the first blog post on WRL.

Now, some milestones over these four years.

I won’t get into specifics, but I wrote over 700 blog posts in WRL and other places. WRL itself has over 700 posts from many different contributors but most notably JoeAnimated who truly came into his own as a blogger of WRL. This place is his house too, and I speak for him here when I say he’s very thankful for all you readers and commenters who joined him in Mysterious Girl X, and Eureka SeveN Astral Ocean. ; which in no fault of his, will no longer feature in WRL. You can follow his blog posts at Anime Audiolog.

With his content, as well as a few dozen collaborators and contributors over the years, WRL’s pages were viewed well over 2,000,000 times, with over 1,000 subscribers via RSS, WordPress, and email. There are over 25,000 comments; half of which are responses by WRL authors (mostly me) and backlinks to previous posts. Still, that’s a lot of discussion, especially considering the number of words per comment is something I haven’t taken into account.

While I don’t think of these as internet-shattering achievements, I am not one to take them for granted as well. I put in a great amount of effort for WRL and I love it that I and perhaps the other contributors feel even a fraction of the gratification I felt over the years, and most especially now.

Then, I want to bring your attention to posts and/or post series that I particularly favor. Why? Partly because I’m proud of them, partly because I find them trivially interesting, and partly because they accomplish something I may or may not set out to do so. I will organize them chronologically as best I could.

2008

Post/Series Title(s)	Number	Publication Date(s)	Remarks
Hard Luck Woman	1	October 13, 2008	This is the first post ever, and for me it set the tone for the essays I would write thereafter. It contains my nihilist thesis for the whole of Cowboy Bebop itself.
Finding Your Gateway Gundam	1	December 13, 2008	I think this is Mechafetish’s definitive contribution to the Gundam fandom. Outdated by now, it was useful for anyone who just wanted to know what the fuss was about the largest mecha franchise in anime.
The Choices of Commander Rossiu	1	December 16, 2008	This is the prototype for the role-playing style of commentary that I eventually used wholesale in blogging long series such as Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. This originally appeared in Oi! Hayaku

2009

Post/Series Title(s)	Number	Publication Date(s)	Remarks
The Battle of Narita: Great Battles of Anime History	2	March 14, 2009	The second, and regrettably the last of the Great Battles specials, this is Mechafetish’s ultimate effort. This post has ridiculous detail and amount of content. It is consistent with our style of expressing fandom using the original material.
Honeymoon in Neo-Venezia	1	March 25, 2009	A rather cheesy post, but I love it. How many fools do you know who can say they blogged anime with his flesh-and-blood wife?
An Overarching Methodology Behind Anime Appreciation: A Reflection	1	June 30, 2009	I think this is one of my most representative editorials, given how it encompasses the hobby as a whole.
The World Should Just Break: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 02	2	July 18, 2009	One of my earliest attempts at episode blogging. I really enjoyed this show, and how well the early episodes lent themselves to analysis. Mirai, the lead character, was really something.
How to Date an Idol: Macross Frontier 05	5	August 28, 2009	I took up episode blogging to retroactively blog Macross Frontier. The approach I wanted to do is not to limit myself to straight analysis, but also to make feature articles that showcase elements of the show/franchise/WRL. Here I use Powerpoint slideshows to educate readers and remember love for Sheryl and Minmay.
Authenticity, How Beautiful You Are and Moments of 2009: One Summer Night Araragi Gives the Night Away  (Bakemonogatari)	12	September 30, 2009 and December 22, 2009	Two posts documenting the same moment of a show that truly exceeded my expectations in terms of characterization. I really was taken by the simple love story made complex by the clever dialogue and strong characters, and I hope my efforts matched my feelings.
Anime is Serious Business Because Guilt is Serious Business	2	October 29, 2009	Another representative editorial of mine, as it explains my point of view towards the silly concept (as it is commonly used) of the “guilty pleasure.”

2010

Post/Series Title(s)	Number	Publication Date(s)	Remarks
Happy Birthday Ghostlightning!	2	January 19, 2010	It’s on this list because I’m a grateful guy. I never imagine I would ever get this kind of regard from everywhere on the planet, based almost entirely from my being an anime fanboy. Nuts.
Lies, Murderous Intent, Remembering Love Gone Wrong, WHOSE RESPONSIBLE THIS Black Rose Society Arc of Revolutionary Girl Utena	3	January 22, 2010	I fiercely love ALL my Utena posts, but this one for me is the pinnacle of my discovery of how incredible this show is, and how intense I’m willing to go to explore it. To me the Black Rose arc is the most thematically perfect of all in execution.
10 Reasons Why ZZ Gundam is Awesome.	1	February 27, 2010	I don’t often do snark, but when I do, it’s almost always about Gundam. Why? Because FUCK ZZ GUNDAM!
Hiding (Your Power Levels) in Plain Sight: Alternatives in Expressing Love For Your Hobby	1	May 10, 2010	I don’t use my real name on my avatar/byline (my name is Michael Chan Rubio, Filipino, 35, married with 1 daughter), but I don’t hide either. I think I really put myself out there, and not in this in-your-face defiant nerdraeg/geekpried way either. I have fun with this shit, and I want all of you to have as much fun as I do.
Char, I am Disappoint: Revelations of a Third Viewing of Char’s Counterattack	1	June 15, 2010	Char Aznable to me, is the most awesome anime Character ever made: a not-tragic-enough icon of failure. Before I reduced him as a beloved punch line I put in the work in exploring the ends of his character.
The Comeuppance of a Coward: Ito Makoto and School Days and Is This Boat as Nice as I Imagine It? Reflections on School Days	1 & 2	September 9, 2010 and September 17, 2010	One night, 12 episodes, 1 bottle of Scotch Whiskey, 1 bottle of cranberry juice; a crowd of engaged anime fans on twitter. I wasn’t prepared for the amount of fun discussing anime online through this show. It’s a high point for my non-robot stuff, never to be surpassed in how intense it felt with a crowd of readers/participants. What a boat.
The Colnization of Space that Wasn’t: Gundam’s Universal Century as Editorialized by Mobile Suit Unicorn Episode 02	2	November 11, 2010	It was during writing this post that I became certain that I loved Gundam Unicorn, and instilled this awed reverence for the Possibility that is Gundam. I had loved it, for sure; but not this much, and in this way.
The Need for (Gundam) SEED: Masochisim & Sadism and To Make The Impossible Possible: Enjoying Gundam SEED Destiny	1 & 2	December 6, & 20, 2010	To finish ZZ, SEED, & GSD in the same year… oh holy fuck THAT’S A LOT OF SHIT ANIME. If I thought I really loved Gundam then, this proves HOW DEEP THE LOVE GOES. Goddamn that was amazingly bad. However they did give me great perspective, as well as PANEL DISCUSSIONS.

2011

Post/Series Title(s)	Number	Publication Date(s)	Remarks
Gundam Unicorn 03 as a Eulogy For The Newtype	2	March 18, 2011	I have this theory that Banner of The Stars is the Newtype possibility fulfilled: a superior race of humanoids who have the ability to overcome internal conflicts to conquer the universe.
Why Gundam Fans Should Vote For The VF-1 Variable Fighter in Sai Mecha (and Other Voting Truths in the Sai Mecha Quarterfinals)	1	May 12, 2011	Sai Mecha 2011. Good times. Here I make the case not only for the vote, but rather how the Variable Fighter from Macross is the finest “Real Robot” ever designed in anime.
Cho Jikuu Yosai Macross 33-36: The End of The Triangle	9	July 11, 2011	It took me almost 3 years to actually blog SDF Macross, but when I finally did, I felt really good about it. I was rather surprised at how darker it seemed at the end, despite the franchise’s overall reputation for silliness.
What I Inevitably Think About When I Watch Moé Anime	2	July 11, 2011	Two favorite posts, published on the same day? This one was made as if it was yanked out of my guts. It presents a powerful truth that has never left me.
On The Interpretation of Anime (or How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bog)	1	August 12, 2011	Tokidoki Balloon (2007) became the dam that broke and unleashed the reservoir of philosophizing on both anime interpretation and content presentation. Good times.
Countdown to the End of The World/Galaxy: ghostlightning’s Favorite Anime of All Time: 30-21, 21-11, 10-1.	1-3	August 27, 29, 31, 2011	Besides being an effort to organize and clarify my aesthetics, I think this is my best work using anime characters speak for me about other anime.
The Fantasy World of Education: Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight	1	October 8, 2011	This is one side of the coin of my idea on what is commonly referred to as the “Slice of Life” anime subgenre. The other side is that this Fantasy world is how things are after the robot anime heroes save the world.
Sheryl Nome is The Most Awesome Woman in Anime – The Sixth of Six Posts on Macross Frontier: The Wings of Goodbye	6	November 5, 2011	It had to be said. This doesn’t make Sheryl my favorite character, but she is the most awesome.
Ranka Lee & Her Genealogy of Hate: Happy Merry Christmas Without You	1	December 25, 2011	So much hate, to the point that Rankafags sometimes behave as if since I’m not gushing with praise for her, or that I’m praising Sheryl, then I gotta be a hater. No way. My latest character in Mass Effect (all games) is a renegade named Ranka Shepard. So much fun to play her as the 29-y/o Ranka all butthurt losing out on the Alto sweepstakes.

2012

Post/Series Title(s)	Number	Publication Date(s)	Remarks
Robot Fighting, a Retrospective: From Brawling to Mass Destruction and Back	1	January 11, 2012	This is a post that let me feel I knew something about robot anime – that thing I’ve been a fan of for over 30 years.
The Complete & Ultimate Post on Aquarion EVOL Episode 1	1	January 13, 2012	Nobody knew how awesome this show would turn out, and it did turn out incredibly awesome. Thus, I’m very glad we did this post that matches the absurd joy the show eventually became.
Forever Young	1	January 19, 2012	This post is why I don’t really need to say much now. This is the beginning of goodbye.
How to Do Nostalgia in a Badass Way: Cowboy Bebop 19: Wild Horses	19	March 14, 2012	Blogging Cowboy Bebop felt very, very good – especially in the approach I took – my most earnest attempt to add value to the discussion about this show. I believe this particular post is the best example of my efforts.
There’s Nothing I Can Do For a Dead Woman, Cowboy Bebop 25-26 “The Real Folk Blues”	25-26	June 22, 2012	I’d like to think that by this time I knew how to close out blogging entire series. After three years of episodic blogging and retro-blogging, I felt sure-handed – which to me is a big deal, because this Cowboy Bebop project is the understated mandate of We Remember Love.
YACK DECULTURE! Lynn Minmay Did NOT Sing “Do You Remember Love?”	1	September 11, 2012	In the tradition of posting DYRL posts every 9/11, I end everything with a downer. Such is life.
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE Finale: The Worst Is Over	51	September 24, 2012	Speaking of downers… But all is well. I remember how much I love sad endings… how my last true work is this post and I want to believe I ended it well. WRL started out as a “pure” editorial type blog. It ended up being well beyond that.

So here we are at the end of things. I won’t shut down the blog, as I may find myself wanting to respond to comments as they sometimes come years after the publication of a certain post. But for all intents and purposes, We Remember Love ends its four-year run.

I need to make one thing clear. The only thing I am certain of is that this is a farewell to WRL. I am not going away, albeit I may participate far less, watch less shows, be less available over chat/twitter, etc. If ever I do make blog posts about anime again, it will not be on We Remember Love. This place, to me, rightly or wrongly, represents a kind of consistency and quality that I would like to remember as an achievement, and not piss away with the tentative steps of possible returns.

Thank you all to the contributors, comrades, collaborators; thank you to all the regular, sometimes, and passerby readers; and thank you to all who’ve left comments here on We Remember Love.

“Belonging is the very best thing there is.” – Faye Valentine