This is getting rather silly, and while I do appreciate the comedy of it, it’s wasting everyone’s time now so enough is enough. Thanks to everyone who actually used this opportunity to attempt to have a serious discussion.
All Good Things
Sushi GoKart
July 4, 2012 at 10:53 pmHey Enzo! I'm glad you made it as far as you did and I really wish you made it to the finals. I don't think there is anything wrong with criticizing episodic blogs but I feel that Dark Sage did not do it in a tactful or tasteful manner. I feel that blogs are always looking for something that sets them apart and for Whiners.Pro being anti-establishment was probably their way of doing so. I think its childish but hey to each his own. Hopefully next time you do better! Thanks for all the support btw! 😀
xRichard
July 4, 2012 at 10:54 pmWhat are you thanking us for? You are the guy doing the hard work here.
Keep it up.
Murkel
July 4, 2012 at 10:58 pmFirst of all, congratulations on making it this far.
I agree on your opinion about Whiners.pro. To be honest, I think it's a useful site and have visited it often to decide which subs to use, but I haven't voted it even once in the tournament for obvious reasons. I don't want to imagine the amount of votes it could have gotten had his posts been written with a civilized and respectful attitude.
I can't say I visit Metanorn often so I probably won't vote in the finals.
Sushi GoKart
July 4, 2012 at 11:01 pmBut use this as a chance to give it a look! 😀 It's actually a very well made site and a lot of the staff is very helpful and informative!
admin
July 4, 2012 at 11:04 pmTBH, I haven't been a big Metanorn watcher because, TBH, I don't have that much time to browse sites I don't write for! But I have started to check them out more because of the tourney, and I think the have a lot to offer.
marinasauce
July 4, 2012 at 11:03 pmI was so happy to see you do this well in the tournament, and your opinions are always invaluable, whether or not I agree with them. While I love your blog, I do appreciate Whiners solely for their fansub reviews, as long as they stick to analyzing the subs and not the kind people who voluntarily provide them.
Anonymous
July 4, 2012 at 11:14 pmI had never visited Whiners until yesterday and I came away steaming and insulted. Now I'm mystified how such a nasty bunch could have won against LiA. These guys will never get my vote or my attention, and a vote for Metanorn is a vote against these hooligans.
Anonymous
July 4, 2012 at 11:16 pmWell said
Dark_Sage
July 4, 2012 at 11:19 pmReally? You're gonna take the butthurt route and whine about how mean I am and that's why you lost? My blog stands on its own and it does something you'd never dream of in a million years — being original. Name me any fansub review blog you saw before mine. Any.
I didn't need to call you out on your bad writing or how episodic blogs poison the internet well with generic, useless content, but I did because it's true and I'm anything if not honest.
But you can keep believing that the only reason you lost is because mean old Dark_Sage caused a witch hunt. Surely the reason isn't that you're one of many interchangeable, voiceless episodic drones, right? Cuz I mean, then you might have to look inward instead of blaming me.
In closing,
http://i.imgur.com/fOQwM.jpg
marthaurion
July 4, 2012 at 11:27 pmI'd like to point out that Whiners picked my opponent over me in the blog reviews for both of the first rounds and I still managed to win those. Witch hunt or not, it's not set in stone.
admin
July 4, 2012 at 11:28 pmSeriously – with all the disgusting and preposterous shit you say about people, you're going to play the righteously indignant? ROFL! You've got balls, I'll give you that.
If I wanted to play this game, I'd have said something while the game was still on. Now that I'm not involved, I can say what I want. It's about integrity, plain and simple. You won fair and square – by using methods I consider pathetic. Enjoy being mulched in the finals by someone who isn't a douchebag.
Dark_Sage
July 4, 2012 at 11:31 pmhttp://i.imgur.com/hG2hW.jpg
jebnemo
July 4, 2012 at 11:49 pmDark Sage is a good example of why they shouldn't let 12-year-olds on the internet.
Kim
July 5, 2012 at 12:59 am"you're one of many interchangeable, voiceless episodic drones, right?"
You know there is something called a "sore winner".
What is the difference whether someone writes their opinions about episodes, fan subs, series as a whole, the anime industry, etc.
I am not a big fan of some episodic blogs but I can tell from all of Enzo's post that he is passionate about what he writes about. That is certainly more important to me than "what type of blog it is".
More than one person can write about the same thing but ultimately everyone has their own voice.
doodle god
July 5, 2012 at 2:46 amOuch, look at away children~~~~~!!! Blogger fight!! It gets quite nasty and personal, eh??
What I'd like to know is that why a blogger "Dark Sage" is on GE's personal website and fighting? Hmmm? Hmmm? And another blogger named "marthaurion" seems to be on GE's website as well (though he's not picking up the fight). Does GE also goes to Dark Sage's personal website and fight there, too? (Somehow I doubt that you do that, GE.) As a blogger, trashing someone else on his/her own website is one thing, but trashing someone else on that someone's website is a dedication/obsession, LOL!!
Well… GE, at least, look at the bright side, my pal. Your blog is so good that even other bloggers are taking their time coming over to comment, naughty or goody!
Anonymous
July 5, 2012 at 3:14 amAs if you invented talking about fansubs. You didn't do anything someone hadn't done before you. Also just looks like you are putting down the competition like you did in this contest. Makes you feel real good about yourself doesn't it Dark Sage. Maybe if you talk badly about enough people, your work will look better.
Luxorcism
July 5, 2012 at 8:14 amDamn hipsters.
webkid94
July 4, 2012 at 11:24 pmI'm not a fan of either finalist: Whiners is good mainly because he does almost what Enzo does: hard analysis, only Dark Sage reviews fansubs and not the actual series and I want to hear what Dark_Sage says about Hadena, which is usually hilarious and worth my time. But I'm not liking his charge that all episode blogs suck but I do appreciate someone that tries to do things differently and reading his thoughts on the Aniblog and seeing the responses from the people he criticized, I just feel that D_S isn't as bad as people make him (?) out to be. Its the way he presents himself and his blog that really angers people.
Metanorn…they're okay but WAY too cluttered. Like seriously, my eyes were screaming (if they could) at me to close the tab. Their problem is that they do way too much and their posts are mostly screenshots and not enough text, which is something LiA balances well and I'd support LiA if it was against Metanorn easily. I'm sure they're nice people, but I'd much prefer more simpler designs like Star Crossed and LiA. So, I'm voting for Whiners.
So glad I couldn't take part, I don't have a thick skin 🙂
Anonymous
July 5, 2012 at 12:09 amAs far as I'm concerned, the aniblog tournament is stupid to begin with because the polling is a popularity contest. It's not an opinion poll about which blog is "better." This is especially true since most voters probably don't read a diverse selection of blogs closely. That said, calm down. The results of this tournament don't mean a damn thing.
Regarding Dark_Sage, I think it's cool that he reviews fansubs instead of the actual show. It's different and can be seen as more valuable than reading an anonymous person's review of an episode. Bringing his criticism Random Curiosity into this tournament may not be appropriate. However, after reading an article of his view of RandomC, I'm going to have to say that he has a point. It doesn't make sense for the most beloved anime blog on the internet to have episode reviews that are cluttered with far too many pictures and are devoid of original thought. None of these criticisms were directed at your articles, Enzo. Keep that in mind. Furthermore, how sure are we that Whiners is only winning because of his anti-episodic blog warfare?
Anonymous
July 5, 2012 at 1:11 pmWell, apparently, according to the people who set up this year's aniblog tournament, their main purpose of the whole tournament was to help "advertise" other non-famous blogs.
Beckett
July 5, 2012 at 12:27 amTo be honest I voted for Whiners in all rounds up to but not including this one, because his point about episodic blogs is mostly fair. A lot of writers of that style of blogs just write episode summaries, take some screenshots, and call it a day, which is lazy, useless, and worst of all, not interesting to read. Hint to bloggers who write like that: I already watched the episode, I don't need you to remind me what happened. But lumping you in with them was doing you a serious disservice because that's not how you write. You actually provide analysis of the episodes you review rather than a summary. For that reason I voted for you in this round and I'm sad to see that you lost by such a narrow margin. If there is another tournament like this down the road, and I sincerely hope that there won't be, then better luck to you then!
Nayrael
July 5, 2012 at 12:40 amIndeed, I read reviews for opinions, not for summaries with just two lines of personal opinion. Hell, when few years ago I blogged for a site, they actually told me to focus only on summaries (well, at least I made the summaries comedic). Thats why I like LiA and Star-Crossed: they focus on opinions instead of summaries.
However, I don't think that apologizes Sage's behavior.
Aria
July 5, 2012 at 12:43 amWhiners acts like he is original, but since when is complaining about things original. I could google places complaining about fansubs. Does that make them original too? He complains about the writing of episodic blogs while he is making up his own words and cursing every other word. That isn't good writing either. Also he says they are interchangeable and so are most of his complaints. He spends his time putting down other fansubs to make his look better and now he is doing the same for blogs. I have no respect for him and I have no idea why he made it this far. I guess he must be edgy or something.
Dark_Sage
July 5, 2012 at 1:05 amSo mad. Come by my site or IRC channel and I'll address your complaints.
Kim
July 5, 2012 at 12:48 amI get the complaint about episodic blogs a lot of people don't have a lot to say on an episode by episode basis. But heck a lot of people don't have a lot to say on a non-episodic blog. But I definitely don't think you have that problem, in fact I am often amazed you can write so much of such a high quality on a daily basis. I think people saying things against episodic blogs are just being silly. A blog should be based on its content not the type of blog it is.
Anyways congrats on getting as far as you did. I personally won't be voting in the final round since I am not familiar with either of the 2 blogs that are left.
Ishruns
July 5, 2012 at 1:34 amI must avenge GE by voting for my first aniblog site. Done, Whiners Pro certainly live up to their name.
They won't stand a chance against Kyokai or ma man Foshizzel.
belatkuro
July 5, 2012 at 2:55 amDamn, what a close fight. Shame. I demand a recount lol.
Good job though Enzo for making it this far. Awesome stuff. You deserved it.
My vote for the finals is pretty obvious and I think I'll make it a habit to visit it now. I only visit RC, LiA and Seaslugs so yeah.
Nyangoro
July 5, 2012 at 2:56 amDon't worry too much about Dark_Sage. It's just kind of how he is.
Ultimately, he's just another guy who writes his blog because he gives a shit, as I imagine most of the people who write things do. Any venom in his words should be taken with a grain of salt, since that's how he portrays himself online (and maybe in real life too, I don't know).
If he gives good advice, listen to it. If he's just ranting, then whatever.
Justinnnnnn
July 5, 2012 at 5:20 amWhoa — it's an all-out curses fight Dark Sage is giving here. I must say though, reading his entries were amusing, even if foolish.
So yeah, too bad you lost Enzo. You rock. You were by far the most entertaining voice to hear in RC's retrospective podcast too y'know (just got to hear it today…still haven't finished it though, you guys make it oh so long @_@).
To be honest, I didn't know a thing about whiners.pro. I checked it out when I voted for you this round: I found it entertaining..for the first 10 minutes or so. Hearing someone complain that much only for the sake of it is really depressing. Like many have already said, he's just like a teenage kid raging. Already went through that (I hope); not interested now.
Keep up the awesome work Enzo! Your hard work for this community you've created amazes me. Thumbs up from me to you sir.
puddizzle
July 5, 2012 at 5:32 am>First of all, you should vote for whoever you want to vote for – your opinion is the only one that should decide your vote. But for me, it’s an easy decision. First of all, Metanorn is easily the better website of the two.
The faults in your logic never cease to amaze me, GE. You say that you people should vote for whichever blog they feel like deserves their vote, but then you try and sway their opinions by conforming your own and attempting to imprint them on your readers through listing them, under the veil of "personal opinions". In fact, you seek to reinforce your ideology that Metanorn is superior to Whiners.pro in every way, shape, and form throughout your post, frequently saying how Metanorn is inherently better, and Whiners inherently inferior.
The impression of "Vote for what I believe in" only gets stronger with lines such as "I’m supporting Metanorn, and I hope you do too.", "Yes, he’s totally wrong – but that’s almost beside the point.", and "Even if Metanorn weren’t clearly the better site (which they are)".
If you're just criticizing Whiners for making this into a "crusade against anime blogs", then ignoring the fact that it isn't holy, then you don't portray yourself any better as starting a "crusade against Whiners".
Da5id
July 5, 2012 at 7:21 amDo we really need to bring such pointless drama into what is supposed to be a fun and friendly competition? Shouldn't we be saving it for Saimoe when our favorite fictional anime girls aren't getting enough support?
I'm gonna go with the middle ground here and say I'm not really a big fan of either competitor.
As stated above, Metanorn (what is that even a reference to) is full of nice people, but is incredibly cluttered and the writing jumps up and down in terms of quality. Except for when it's just all pictures and captions and no actual opinions.
Whiners is more organized, but he's such a zealot for his own cause that it gets pretty alienating and uncomfortable to run into over and over again. I'm would certainly love to know what the long term repercussions of episodic blogging in an "industry" that is simply getting multiple impressions of Japanese TV shows.
As the tagline of the Alien Vs Predator states: "Whoever wins, we lose."
admin
July 5, 2012 at 7:53 amI get what you're saying, believe me. But my question for you, Da5id is, who started the fight? Has Metanorn (or LiA, or RC for that matter) ever even mentioned this other website?
I reserve the right to be blunt once in a while. I said some things I thought needed to be said, and I'm done. Moving on…
Da5id
July 5, 2012 at 8:33 amThat's true, you do. Your job is to give your opinion and that's what you did. And as I said, he sounds just as ludicrous as you make him out to be.
I just hope this will all die down afterwards and we can all go back to watching and discussing our Japanese cartoons.
sushistushi
July 5, 2012 at 9:42 pmWhat fight are you talking about? D_S was only stating opinions. Since when is saying what you think considered as "starting a fight"? :/
kurini
July 6, 2012 at 1:40 amThe way he states what he thinks is really provocating, like searching for a fight. I would even say that he "attacks" people verbally.
Anonymous
July 5, 2012 at 9:15 amTo GE: *support sticker* 🙂
Anonymous
July 5, 2012 at 10:23 amGE is the Honda Goro of the blogging world! That is the best compliment I can give you haha!
Kyokai
July 5, 2012 at 2:44 pmThank you for your vote of confidence, GE. I still say, this tourney has been fun and even with the usual drama. You can't really satisfy everyone or make them like you. It's just not how things work. Best of luck with future blogging because none of your community members would leave any time soon.
To people who have commented on Metanorn, I won't say we have a perfect aniblog/site (is that term even applicable?), but we try to be better every day with our own energy and learning.
Seishun Otoko
July 5, 2012 at 3:51 pmAwwww… that's too bad and it was such a close call T___T
Anonymous
July 5, 2012 at 9:02 pmi have to admit, dark sage annoys the living hell out of me. jesus, what a immature prick. the kind of guy who needs to learn what "respect" means.
…how frustrating.
and it's sad to see both you and psgels drop out. well, metanorn is not too shabby. at least they're doing podcasts! not really great quality podcasts, but it's a start i suppose? more podcasts!
i've been waiting for a great anime podcast.
a good podcasts should be like a good conversation. filled with energy and life, but they always seem so tired when talking lol.
admin
July 5, 2012 at 10:08 pmJust OOC, did you hear the most recent RC podcast? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.
Anonymous
July 6, 2012 at 12:45 amNope, not yet. I was planning to listen to it this weekend or so.
Jrow
July 6, 2012 at 2:59 amThanks for listening to MetaVerse. To be perfectly honest, can't argue with the criticism. Sometimes I have to get up early to do it or stay up real late, deal with some bad connections. It's a bit of a struggle.
If I can recommend another one I do that's much more consistent and hopefully a bit more to your liking, check out the Anivision podcast at http://www.anivision.org/
Anonymous
July 6, 2012 at 6:38 amlistened into anivision for a bit. sounds good! thanks for the recommendation!
Anonymous
July 5, 2012 at 9:40 pmDark_Sage's site is actually entertaining though. I know that "fuck" is a bad word, but get over it. Checked a random post here, just a bunch of screenshots and some fluff. At least Dark_Sage uses his screenshots to explain something. This can be found anywhere else. And man, you are getting so pissed at him. If you don't like what he says, just ignore it. Instead, you're just making yourself look like a dick. D_S has clearly got your number. And no, I haven't seen fansub reviews anywhere before Whiners. He doesn't even give a fuck (oh sorry, I said it, I wish I could take it back) about this stupid tournament, and if he wins, he still won't give a fuck (there it is again!). Proudly voting for Whiners.
Smoe
July 5, 2012 at 11:25 pmIf he didn't care he wouldn't be in the tournament and would have withdrawn (I'm sure he doesn't want to be "associated" with episodic blogs anyways). If he didn't care he wouldn't be wasting his time trolling everyone else's blog and actually spend his time reviewing the fansubs he keeps apologizing for falling behind on. He certainly wouldn't be making posts on the tourney, keeping track of the tourney, and asking his readership to vote if he didn't care! Oh wait, he does do all that so I guess he DOES CARE!
His claim for "not caring" makes as much as sense as ppl who like to say "I'd say 'fuck you' if I had a fuck to give." By replying to that person, you've proven you give a fuck. Not giving a fuck = indifference. Indifference = having no opinion and therefore doing nothing/ignoring the subject/person in question.
His claim that these blogs are a "poison" to the internet are over dramatic and just an excuse to be a douche. "Oh no! This blog is SO boring, its therefore a POISON to the internet." For fuck's sake, you'd think he was talking about some sort of controversial legislation.
He claims that "almost" all these blogs suck, meaning that should they reach some sort of personal standard he's "ok" with it.
I believe most people (including myself) agree with some of his criticisms, just not the asshole of a way he delivers it. If he really wanted these blogs to get better he'd just give his opinions/criticisms respectfully. Would the bloggers in question listen to him? For sure they would! Who wouldn't when a person with a successful site gives you free pointers? Unless his strategy is "if I'm a big enough jerk to these 'shitty' bloggers, they will all quit in tears!", (which would be a ridiculous strategy)he's not being part of the solution.
I'll admit GE, he did successfully provoke you. I understand why you did it though. Its hard to do nothing when some dude out of nowhere spits on all the hard work and passion you and your fellow bloggers devote for free. Especially when its unprovoked and it doesn't even harm anyone!
Think of it this way GE, if he truly "doesn't give a fuck", you'll probably never see him again. Its not like he's that annoying co-worker or classmate you have to see day after day! There will always be the Sarah Palins and Rush Limbaughs of the world spewing shit from their mouths.
Are these ppl ridiculous? Yes
Are these ppl infuriating? Yes
Are they a scourge of society? Depends.
Its the necessary price we pay for our free speech ideals and democracy.
Anyways GE, walk away from this with your head held high. Your blog's readership has grown tremendously and no one can take that away from you.
Frankly, if you felt this way about D_S's shenanigans the entire time I'm surprised you held it in this long!
kurini
July 6, 2012 at 1:45 amI wish I could have thump up your post, Smoe.
sushistushi
July 5, 2012 at 9:46 pmI agree with everything you just said. Oh, and fuck. Sue me.
admin
July 5, 2012 at 10:09 pmThe marching orders have come through, I see. Good to know.
elianthos
July 5, 2012 at 10:57 pmWhat a bunch of sore winner's F-bombs carrying drones. Goodness gracious. But knowing the source I'm not surprised. Sometimes I forget that on the net being juvenile rude bots supposedly makes you this oh so cool and superior and original speshul snarkflake.
On to more important matters: Enzo, thank you for blogging so far, the way you know how. And for going past the yellow bracket, kanpai!
Name goes here
July 6, 2012 at 1:31 am>But there’s also the matter of Metanorn not staking its entire case on belittling the competition, and the rest of the blogging community.
This is what we call "tunnel vision". D_S has stated positive things about multiple blogs that participated in the aniblog tournament. Yet you're acting as if he talked shit about every anime-related blog in the universe and are using that to fuel your campaign against him. This makes you look like a sore loser, buddy.
>[…] if your whole reason for existence – never mind competing – is to talk shit about other people (and not just websites, but the people themselves), that’s a pretty sad reason to get out of bed in the morning. Yes, he’s totally wrong […]
Yes, D_S talks shit whenever people make mistakes (that's how you review something). He might be crass about it, but does that invalidate his reasoning? He's not writing reports as a professional writer and as such has freedom to write in whatever manner he pleases. Do you tell yourself that he gets out of bed just to review fansubs to lessen the effect of his oh-so-harsh words?
I've come to the conclusion that you're simply butthurt. Yes, D_S's "online persona" is a foul-mouthed jerk that does his best to hurt people's feelings (and only succeeds if his victims are clueless). But he's not wrong in any way and whatever arguments you've conjured up here are flawed. I'll happily change my opinion if you provide valid arguments against everything he has said, though. Good luck with that.
Anonymous
July 6, 2012 at 1:58 amI'd rather a blog I have an interest in reading actually win. Frankly, this is much better than the last blog tourney because finalists don't look like copy pastes of each others work on two different sites.
If anything D_S has made this interesting.
info600
July 6, 2012 at 8:11 am@ Enzo: maybe that rant can go up AFTER the tourney is over…(it's one heck of a firestorm brewed up here – and @ whiners.pro, nevermind the fanning from the readers' comments from that site…)
Still, I never expect your blog going as far as it has in the tourney. Congratulations is in order.
admin
July 6, 2012 at 8:20 amInfo, thanks – but it's a little late for that now isn't it? I mean – it's been posted for two days already.
Honestly, it doesn't really concern me what those commenters say. And it doesn't surprise me that they were sent to troll here – the man himself went into the RC IRC yesterday and tried to start a flame war there, and when everyone ignored him he sulked off and went to the Metanorn chat room and tried the same thing. Same results, except there he tried to buy ad space on Metanorn's site for an anti-Metanorn rant. I don't think they've stopped laughing yet.
In short – consider the source. I didn't write anything I wish I hadn't – under the circumstances, I think it was quite a moderate response. It's just that the truth hurts. I'm not responding to any of the trolls – if someone has something worth responding to, I'll respond to it.
Anonymous
July 6, 2012 at 8:16 amDon't let a guy on the internet make you feel like he has invalidated your self-worth.
admin
July 6, 2012 at 8:22 amIf that's directed at me, thank you – but don't worry about it, I don't ever consider certain persons' opinions worth a second thought.