October 14, 2025 Update: Baby Steps to Giant Strides
With about a week to go in the 2025 Pledge Drive, being just past one-third of the way to the goal is pretty daunting. But at the same time, LiA added 15 new one-time supporters of $25 or more and monthly subscriber/patrons since the last update. And that’s not nothing! I’m immensely grateful to everyone who signed up – your support means everything to me.
I knew this was going to be harder this year, and indeed it has been. If I’m honest things are still looking pretty rough in the big picture, but thanks to all of you who support the site I do feel a little more hopeful now than I did at the last update. We need a massive push this last week to get close to the goal – and we need to get close to the goal for LiA to keep making sense as it’s currently structured. As I said last time I’m not going to make any final decisions based on partial returns – let’s see how things look when the fundraising drive wraps up.
Whatever happens, a very sincere thanks to those of you who’ve joined or re-joined the LiA patron family or increased your support level – Alonom, Aisha, Daniel, Guy, Henk, Noni, Alan, Nick, Belle, Cat, Nora, Brett, SW, Guan, Darren, Chawisawa, and John. And to all of you who’ve supported me over the years and continue to do so. Whatever happens, I’m proud of the body of work LiA represents, and to have been able to provide a service to anime fans all over the world.
October 2, 2025 Update – I don’t see much point in sugarcoating – we’re off to a pretty disastrous start here.
At the five-day mark, we’ve only added three supporters (two one-time pledges and one subscriber). I’m running up against a harsh reality here, which is that every time I do this, it gets harder. Inevitably the most persuadable LiA readers are going to be the first to sign up – the low-hanging fruit, as it were. The ones who haven’t supported by now are tougher nuts to crack. The only other way to increase the supporter base is to increase viewership of the site, and believe me I’m doing everything within my power to do that. But I’m swimming against the current there, as similar anime websites decline and fall.
I’m not going to make any irreversible decisions now, when I set October 20 as the end date for the fundraising drive. But needless to say, if early returns are indicative of full results, some hard and unpleasant choices are going to be required. Whether that means going to a paywall system or something even more drastic, I don’t know for sure. But early indications are that I may have kicked that can down the road as far as it can go.
Whatever happens, a very sincere thanks to the three of you who’ve joined or re-joined the LiA patron family – Daniela, Stephen, and Steve. And to all of you who’ve supported me over the years and continue to do so. Whatever happens, I’m proud of the body of work LiA represents, and to have been able to provide a service to anime fans all over the world.
Let me set the record straight before I get started.
I don’t like doing these pledge drives. Nor do I like asking for financial support (How? Via Patreon, Ko-fi, PayPal, and Commissions mainly – see below). It would be great if I was independently wealthy and could do this for the sheer joy of it. But something I like even less is the idea of this site ceasing to exist, which is exactly what will happen if I don’t do at least one fundraising campaign per year (and if it’s not mostly successful). So I do them – not because I want to, but because the alternative is worse.
Some of the reasons why that harsh assessment is true are obvious. Hosting a website is expensive, and gets more so every year (my new hosting plan was almost double the cost of the old one). There are a lot of other financial costs involved in running the site, all of which I bear myself. If this was a part-time gig for me, a few hours a week, I could get to the point where at least LiA paid for itself and I might be able to justify continuing it.
But here’s the thing. I work full-time at a “real” job, and not a particularly well-compensated one. Inflation has finally come to Japan, and it’s struck with a vengeance. So the hours I put into the site come at considerable personal expense, in more ways than one. And I’ll say this – however much time you think I put into LiA, I can almost guarantee it’s less than the reality. Probably a lot less. Look around the anime commentary landscape – how many sources offer the content I do? I’ll wait – I don’t think it’ll take you too long.
If you’ll indulge me, I want to talk for just a bit about history (grand as that sounds). I keep hearing about how anime blogs are relics, their time is over. And as I look around, the landscape has certainly gotten a lot more barren. But that makes LiA’s role that much more important, doesn’t it? I think there’s still a place on the net for long-form anime criticism. For analysis that looks beyond the official synopsis and doesn’t go for clickbait “reaction”. Maybe I’m wrong, and the doomsayers are correct. I guess this pledge drive will answer that one way or the other, but I certainly hope it proves me right.
There are no ads here. No paywalls. No content that only premium members get to see. I’ve resisted all those things, and seriously debated whether I would want to continue the site if I no longer could. Nope, it’s only you – the small percentage of you that choose to support the site financially. The debt of gratitude I owe all of you is immense, and humbling. Maybe it would be fairer if I did install gates, and make content available only to those of you that step up and support LiA financially. It’s something that’s always on my mind, and as the financial situation gets more dire every year, my consideration gets ever more serious.
For now, though, I’m going to do what I do every year – ask for your help. I’m setting the same goal I did last year – 50 new subscribers or $25 or higher one-time contributors. We didn’t quite hit it last summer – maybe in this day and age, it’s not realistic. But I have to hope it is, because if not things are going to get pretty dodgy for LiA. And in the big picture, that’s a pretty tiny percentage of the people who visit the site regularly. It’s an arbitrary number in some ways, but based on the realistic needs of the site. And it reflects that over the course of a year’s cycle, a certain number of patrons are going to drop away. It happens every time, and there’s nothing to be done about it.
Last year, I produced a fundraising video for the first time – with free (public domain) kittens! I wanted to talk in more detail – and in a more personal way – about why this site means so much to me, and hopefully to some of you as well. It’s a reflection of how swamped I am that I couldn’t produce a new one this time, but all the things it says are still valid (and the kittens are still cute).
And since these goals need a target date, let’s set one – three-plus weeks from now, October 20. I’ll post progress reports periodically.
Part of the goal here, again, is to avoid paywalls and tiered content. I do however offer some incentives for those who help out. I’m continuing to offer to the following supporters:
- Existing monthly patrons
- New monthly supporters (Patreon, Ko-fi, PayPal) who sign up in the next 21 days<
- Supporters who give a one-time pledge of $25 or more who sign up in the next 23 days
The following benefits:
- The right to vote for one series for me to pick up for the Fall (and future) seasons – the “Patron Pick”. This can be anything from the schedule that I don’t decide to cover on my own – whatever wins your vote.
- Recognition at the end of future YouTube videos (and possibly posts too).
- The right to vote for one manga yearly (give or take) to cover on the My Taste is Better Than Yours podcast.
I’m always very interested in new ways to reward supporters, so if you have suggestions by all means please share them in the comments. One possibility I’m strongly considering is adding a LiA Discord server exclusively for supporters. As such I would love your feedback on that idea. Would it make you more likely to support the site, and is it something you would find useful?
How can you support LiA? As always, the links are in the sidebar. The most obvious methods are as follows:
- Patreon – Monthly Patron support (you set an amount per post, with whatever monthly cap you like).
- Ko-fi – Monthly subscription support at a level of your choosing. Ko-fi also offers the option of one-time pledges of support.
- PayPal – Monthly subscriptions or one-time pledges at a level of your choosing.
- Commissions – The LiA Bespoke program allows you to commission works ranging from haiku or top 5 lists to larger “best of” projects, editorials, and anime/manga reviews. General price levels are here, but you can reach out to me directly for case-by-case discussions.
I would also add that subscribing to the LiA YouTube channel, as well as liking and commenting on videos, is very helpful towards the long-term goal of making the channel a means of additional financial support for LiA (and is of course free).
As always, I’m very grateful to everyone who reads, watches, listens and comments – and most of all, to those of you who support LiA financially. Here’s hoping we can keep making history together.
Kurik
September 26, 2025 at 11:53 pmHard but neccessary. Happy to keep supporting you Enzo. I haven’t had much anime to like and checkin with you guys lately (i used to check daily, now its like every other week) but you guys are still doing good work and its appreciated! Here is to another year of LiA!!
Guardian Enzo
September 27, 2025 at 12:07 amThank you most sincerely! I should note, “you guys” is me, ROFL. When it comes to content, I’m it where LiA is concerned.
catterbu
September 27, 2025 at 3:11 amHopefully we can exceed last year’s target this year! Definitely would love the LiA Discord. One question: what are the parameters around a custom commission top 10 list? E.g. could it be top 10 anime of all time? top 10 anime before 1990? Or maybe top 10 manga like XXX?
Also, for the manga review, I see that “See above for series I have not read.” I do not know to what “above” is being referred. I mention because I have been thinking about which manga I am reading several manga that might be interesting for series review:
1. Golden Kamuy: of course I have your thoughts on the anime, but maybe a piece on the manga compared to the anime once the latter is completed?
2. Dorohedoro: I just went back and read your thoughts on the anime. As I am now in the middle of it, I would definitely be curious about your thoughts. It feels like a kind of slice of life in its very weird, macabre world for a little while as the plot threads slowly draw together. Then…a lot happens. A series that just sort of slides into and out of major status quo changes.
3. Houseki no Kuni: A bit outside of what I would think of an “Enzo” series, and reading your thoughts on the anime confirmed this, but Ichikawa Haruko rivals Mizukami Satoshi in terms of just how much plot and character can change in ~100 chapters. Having nearly completed the manga, I definitely think the parts that would really capture you come in its second half. Though I do think it is still good early on, it was really later on that the Mizukami comparison became clear. Obviously they each write different kinds of manga, but Ichikawa has a lot on their mind in a way similar to Mizukami.
4. Kowloon Generic Romance: Maybe better to wait until the manga is completed, but I think we aligned on our opinion of the anime (good for its episode count, but you could tell it needed at least two cours to tell its story well). I think the manga is better in how it takes more time with its character journeys and seeding things with the mysteries. Reading now, I think it would be an interesting opportunity to discuss the nature of adaptation.
5. Yofukashi no Uta: we disagree on this season of the anime (I actually think Kabura and Anko have more complexity than most of what we get fromm Kou, so I really enjoyed seeing the tragic lesbians get the spotlight). While I do not think that your opinion would flip remarkably, I do think it makes a difference when those arcs make up the majority of the anime season, which comes 3 years after the first, and with no follow up immediately forthcoming. Compare that with just reading through the manga without such artificial separations. I would be curious to get your overall thoughts in light of that.
Also, wondering if there is something in between whole manga and chapter reviews? Dogsred (Noda’s hockey manga) is still only 55 chapters and far from over, but it could be interesting to read your thoughts on it up through when the current match is completed. Sorry for all of the thoughts, but I knew a pledge drive would come, so I have had a lot of thoughts percolating…
Guardian Enzo
September 27, 2025 at 9:14 amAs to a custom top 10, it could be just about anything you want. Some of them would be a little harder than others but in that format I’m game to try anything.
Manga series reviews is a more complicated proposition, because if I haven’t read a series that a lot to catch up on. I’d be willing to do it, though, we’d just have to break down which ones make sense and which don’t. Reach out to me directly and we can hash it out!
Yes, a “tweener” manga post is definitely doable. We could do a “story so far” post, maybe 8-1200 words or so. Dogsred is a good option, open to other suggestions. Again, let’s talk directly and figure it out. And thanks for all your tremendous support!
Nadavu
October 2, 2025 at 7:51 pmHonest question, what’s wrong with a paywall?
Guardian Enzo
October 2, 2025 at 7:57 pmIn addition to being a lot of work, I just reflexively dislike them and they put a damper on overall traffic. But we’re probably looking at a situation where it’s that or else, sadly.
Guy Thompson
October 2, 2025 at 8:51 pmFirstly, I really hope that despite a slow start the drive will succeed!
Secondly, being pretty honest I enjoy reading LIA the most when the articles overlap with whatever series I find interesting, thank you for providing sincere opinions and fresh perspectives! Good examples would be BokuYaba, Makeine, Shoushimin, Dandadan, Takopi.
I don’t really use extra benefits, just reading quality content is plenty enough.
As an example, Patrons pick rarely works that well for me personally as I don’t think there was something of major interest for me to enthusiastically vote for more than once in a while.
One thing (just hypothetically!) I think may be great is a shorter version of ‘Patrons pick’ in terms of the output – e.g. 1 series-review post instead of 12 per-episodes posts but also with popular titles slightly outside of usual scope, such as some Slice of Life not present in Season’s preview. To name a few recent ones that widely received positive critical reviews but missed entirely from LIA: ‘Gimai Seikatsu’ and ‘See you tomorrow at the foodcourt’.
I totally understand that this may not be possible as it’s a matter of personal interest to write about any series and still a time commitment for watching even with shorter write-up, but just wanted to mention this as a hypothetical idea.
L0ken
October 2, 2025 at 9:43 pmHmm, just curious – have any companies ever reached out to you with sponsorships or offering you to promote their products? Unfortunately, covering the anime/manga medium alone is tough under the LiA model in the current economic situation, especially since you have your own particular taste and only cover a fraction of what comes out. Of course, that’s also a sign of authenticity — you write about what genuinely interests you, freely dropping both popular and niche series if you don’t vibe with them, which is admirable. But without a very broad taste and the ability to enjoy and value more series than you normally do, the appeal of your coverage might stay limited or even shrink over time. On top of that, even the write-ups for series you do cover might not always get enough attention — or people might just not find your opinion compelling enough, or disagree with your takes and stop caring. Basically, even having a enough subjects to cover doesn’t guarantee engagement.
As LiA your personal space+podcast with Samu it’s not multiple people format like randomc (which you contribute a lot to but with time RC feels less active outside seasonal preview and year summary) and it’s obviously not some ANN business. Meaning maybe some tiered and paywalled content at the end is necessary before you figure out the way to make LiA more sustainable. Wishing for the best anyway!
Guardian Enzo
October 2, 2025 at 9:54 pmI have had some offers (nothing huge), but once you decide to become a shill that fundamentally changes the relationship with the audience. Some basic advertising I would consider, but that doesn’t generate much income.
nickk
October 6, 2025 at 4:51 amI hope that the fund raising will be a success! I don’t really take full advantage of all the benefits of being a supporter (e.g. I often don’t reply to the Patrons’ Pick vote oops), but I still appreciate having that option.
I liked the newsletter on anime news that you did previously (iirc it was regarding HxH being reserialised), but totally understand if that is something infrequent. Maybe something like that will generate more engagement? I feel that you enjoy reading and responding to comments and probably that is what makes LiA a community.
That said, I can’t imagine the huge amount of work you put into the site, and I hope that it continues to go on as long as you enjoy doing what you are doing!
Guardian Enzo
October 6, 2025 at 6:37 amThank you! The newsletter… It was a nice thing but a fair bit of work, and since I never got any feedback on it I assumed people didn’t care that much TBH. Anyone who feels differently is welcome to let me know.
Tien Nguyen
October 9, 2025 at 4:32 amI set to have my PayPal monthly for a while now. You have not been receiving it?
Guardian Enzo
October 9, 2025 at 7:23 amIndeed I have, Tien, and thank you! If I missed you on the Patron Pick emails, my apologies.
Tien Nguyen
October 12, 2025 at 6:07 amThank you for letting me know. My heart skipped a beat back then.