Replay: Top Ten Posts of 2014

Halfway through 2013, I committed to blogging at least once a week. So far, I've (barely) managed to keep that commitment... although I had to push the designated blogging day from Thursday to "sort

Three of this year's most popular posts are
also, at the time of this writing, the most
popular this week. It doesn't always happen
that way.

of Friday night, depending on where you live." Thus, 2014 represents my first full year of weekly blogging. In the past year, some new readers have popped up and said hello in comments. I want to thank all of you, no matter how long you've known about my little blogspot, for the time you've given to read my thoughts. It means a lot.

Anyway, here are 2014's ten most popular posts.

1. Sports Anime: The Favorites, the Blahs, and What Defines Them (May 21, 2014)

If you've stuck around my blog for very long, you know that I'm a sports anime fan. This post gives my (now outdated) ranking of sports anime, complete with explanations. I also included a list of qualities I look for in a good sports anime. Since I posted this, my rankings have changed a little. For example, I've re-watched Cross Game and Big Windup!, so I now remember how great those are. 

This post jumped in popularity thanks to Lauren at Otaku Journalist. She puts together weekly lists of geeky links. One week, she was searching for a sports anime-related link to include. She announced this on Twitter, I gave her a link to this post... and ta-da! Instant popularity. I knew Lauren's blog was popular, but the number of people who checked out this post gives me a better idea of just how popular she is. I'm thankful she decided to include my post among her links!

2. Rewind: Clannad (January 4, 2014) 

When I write Rewind posts, I often just reference my memories, old posts, or any recommendations I might have written on Anime-Planet. This time, I decided to change things up: I embedded my Tweets about Clannad into my post. People seemed to really like the result. My Tweets show my evolution from a skeptic to a fan. I wrote my post about Clannad After Story the same way, but it didn't gain the same kind of popularity.

3. Gon's Dark Version of Redemption (May 28, 2014)

Four of my post popular posts this year were about Hunter x Hunter. I guess that shouldn't be surprising. It's a great anime, and it just finished this past year. Plus, these were some of my deeper posts this year. "Gon's Dark Version of Redemption" has spoilers for episode 131. 

4. Divine(ish) Characters Clash in Hunter x Hunter (May 13, 2014)

5. Anime-Planet Just Got Even Better (February 28, 2014)

Anime-Planet teamed up with Crunchyroll, Hulu, and others, so we could watch anime without leaving A-P. I was pretty excited about the idea of my favorite anime websites teaming up. I haven't actually used the video streaming feature on Anime-Planet that much, but I liked the idea. And when my post was shared on the Anime-Planet Facebook page, I got a few more views than usual.

6. Hunter x Hunter and Moral Sides (May 7, 2014)

I'm no longer happy with this title, but it's too late to change it now, so oh well.

7. So Swamped, I Forgot to Post (April 19, 2014)

I'm reluctant to include this link. I watched incredulously as this post gained views. It's just a filler Swamped post. Doesn't even have a picture to search for in Google. Really, guys? Did you really want to read this? 

This is a screenshot of Killua, Gon, and Pitou during one of the most
memorable scenes of Hunter x Hunter. I won't explain, for fear of spoilers,
but this scene impressed me. (ep 116)

8. Despite Suspense Abuse, Hunter x Hunter Develops Well (February 26, 2014)

There was a point, at the very beginning of 2014, where I got annoyed with Hunter x Hunter's pacing. I felt that suspense was overused. Around episode 116, the anime seemed ready to pick up again, and I wrote this post.

9. An Introvert's Guide to Boundaries and Friendship Behavior (July 2, 2014)

The title of this post plays on an anime title, The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior. I'm glad this post was popular enough to land on this list. It was used as a talking point on Beneath the Tangles' second podcast. I had fun discussing both anime and introversion with Japesland and Kaze.

10. Rewind: Brother's Conflict (February 7, 2014)

Before you bother watching Brother's Conflict, read my post. Or read another review. Or at least consider these few sentences to be your warning.

---
And that's it! I had honorable mentions, but I decided to leave them out. If you're interested in last year's top ten posts, click here.

Happy New Year, everyone!