HardDoor@15

Fifteen years.

It is hard to believe anything Internet-related to be fifteen years-old. AOL discs and Infoseek still feel like just a few months ago! So it feels equally-unbelievable that it has been 15 years to the day that I decided to start this blog centered around anime, boxing, and a little bit of randomness. And here we are, 466 posts of anime and boxing previews, reviews, features, guides, and more later.

Unfortunately, I haven't been anywhere close to as active as I would've liked to have been in the last five years, and I truly thought, this time, I was back on-track a year ago, but life matters, other matters, and time flying by said otherwise (one of those matters being the existential dread of having to talk about an anime I really did not want to relive again, which I'll attempt to discuss in the future. "Attempt…").

I've been keeping tabs on HardDoor: Screenshot Haven (tumblr) and trying to get back into Twitter (HardDoor~Live, still something of a tentative title…Facebook's HardDoor+ even moreso…), but I yearn to accomplish more than what I've done. I am unsure of what I exactly want to do, but will hopefully have a better idea in the future…

Happy 15th Anniversary, HardDoor!!

(Man, that really does sound weird to say…)

--HD

HardDoor--The Fourteenth Anniversary: Ani-Journal Edition!!

I would add a screenshot from the actual movie of A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi), but Netflix, like the Blu-ray Disc Association, hates that sort of thing. So we'll just settle for this one from the ED MV special from…elsewhere…

It's the fourteenth anniversary of HD, so I thought, why not switch things up a bit and do a return of Ani-Journal in commemoration, instead!! Being that it's been six years since the last one, and the first substantive post in four, this'll likely be the first installment of a few. So, without further(more) waste, let's go!!

—While I have yet to see your name. (Kimi no Na wa.), it was not very hard to see why In This Corner of the World (Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni) won as many accolades as it did, eventually usurping the megahit in award season (not that coming out later and being a folksy movie didn't hurt…). It did a great job conveying the everyday life of rural Japan and the concerning undercurrents around WWII, and the inevitable perils that came. It did this by focusing almost solely on Japanese life, and not revisionism or nationalism (perhaps one latter scene has a whiff, but it is understandable in context). It also (thankfully) did not fall into the trap of emotional manipulation, even though it would be quite easy to with the material (though some may disagree, which is understandable). The style and mastery of the storytelling meant events felt more natural, making them feel more effectual in the end. Common, everyday life in wartime isn't usually covered in films, unfortunately, but ITCotW really did it and its story justice.

HardDoor--The Thirteenth Anniversary

While the main blog side of HardDoor hasn't seen much action in something-something years, Screenshot Haven and ~Live have, and I did not want to go any longer without formally wishing HD a happy anniversary—its thirteenth!!! So: Happy Anniversary, HardDoor!!

But, "~Live"? And "HardDoor+"? That's another discussion for another day, among a number of other things…

…I hope…

…Stay tuned… 🤞

But, let us just enjoy the good of today… 😊

'Til next time…

—HD

Wishes for the New Year…

My New Year Wishes…

—To have the time to be able to regularly post here again…

—To able to watch less politics and more anime. *shakes fist at ever-breaking news*

—To finish that Anime Pick special…

—To keep abreast better (better abreast?) on when boxing is on (which is seemingly everywhere now…so much for a "dead sport"…).

—That x fighter or anime better be worthwhile for everything everybody says about them/it…

—To able to always watch as much of HBO Boxing in High Definition and with SAP on.

—For more la la larks…

—To get more into manga. (# Read & Finished This Year: 1 (scum's wish; which was quite good…))

—To not fall asleep on supposedly "exciting" bouts…

—To get…through…at least…an 1/8…of that streaming anime backlog…



To a hopefully more active 2018…


—HD

HardDoor--The **Tenth** Anniversary!!

 

457 posts. 3 social networking pages. 1 screenshot haven. 1 free anime directory. Thousands of pageviews. A number of specials. 3.5 designs. 3 logos (or 4, if you count the title banner). And 10 years later…

Nine times have I come and commemorated this day, giving a little tidbit about the blog, maybe a state of affairs, and giving you, the reader, my genuine thanks. I have had many things to talk about, many anime to spotlight, many matches to analyze, and a slew of items to preview and review on two of my favorite interests, coupled here in what I have come to internally call "the chicken & waffle house of the internet". I've had more than a few pictures to share, fun nights live blogging, things that I've written that I've been happy about and others I've self-critiqued to no end (more than a few times, it was very same piece!). I've done things I never thought I'd do, like have a Twitter account or even a tumblr, even moonlight a time or two. I have wrestled about whether to write about this first or post "that other one" later; scrutinizing and proofreading a lengthy post or just a simple message multiple times over; have a free flow of thought one time and long, pondering sessions leading to just a few sentences others; and sometimes, maybe not a whole lot of time or resources to write and do what I've truly wanted to do or go with something.

HardDoor--The Ninth Anniversary

Here we are. At HardDoor's Ten…err, oops, I mean ninth anniversary!!! Given the last two months, I was a little nervous that I had not been able to do anything special to commemorate what I wasn't sure was the tenth anniversary or not. Thankfully, it wasn't, but still, I am very thankful to see HD reach its 9 years of age.

That almost doesn't sound right, but yes, it really is that old (not to make it sound like that, mind you…). Ironically, as HD approaches its tenth year of existence, it appears that a number of others have been celebrating their own milestones around this time as well, such as Gundam and noitaminA, which is commemorating its own tenth anniversary this year (and HD, as you may know, is currently in the midst of celebrating it, too). And another one celebrating its anniversary is HardDoor's very own Twitter page, which turned five a month ago today (again, really?!), as did "Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month" last October!! Celebrate good times, indeed! <:d br="">

As always, my great, hearty thank you to everyone who has read HardDoor and its various other sites across these nine years. I don't know what the proper way to start a milestone commemoration is (leading up to it or after it hits?) but that will be sorted out in the near future. But for now, let us just enjoy this ninth year (?!?!?!)…

Once more, thank you so much for reading!

…And now, on the road to the big 1-0!!!!!

—HD

*PNP* Your blog just got hacked by us thank you *PNP*

lols that what you get for rushing and leaving your backdoor open champ. couldnt est a stble linc so we hijacked yur account ot get sgnal b00$T an dish servus oust hur hur hur hur

pérola negra pirotas (blackpearl Pirates) bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

:boxing: Quick Picks, Road Editions (Hopkins-Kovalev, Pacquiao-Algieri)

With two big/notable fights having occurred this month, Hopkins-Kovalev and Pacquiao-Algieri, you may be wondering that HardDoor has been inconspicuously silent the whole time. In reality, if you have noticed on HD's social networking sites, Quick Picks have been "taken on the road" this month, with the former's QP being featured on HD's Facebook page (post-fight comments included) and the latter on HD's Google+ page! I have done something like this in the past, but not to this extent. Still, it was a nice change of pace and show of love to the auxillary sites of HD. If you haven't yet, you can check them out at the links above. Hope you will enjoy (post-Pacquiao-Algieri comments will come after I watch the replay [EDIT: Now available here!!])…

--HD

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month's Fifth Anniversary!!

HD's "Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month": Sinking its teeth into legally-free and -low-cost anime since 2009!

A little over five years to the day, "Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month" first began on October 28, 2009 with manglobe's dark comedy short, TRIP TREK. Since then, somewhere between 70 to 100+ titles have been spotlighted (depending on how you count the batch entries), with the most recent being this month's selections of PSYCHO-PASS 2 and Your lie in April (which is a really fine show, thus far), part of HardDoor's commemoration of noitaminA's 10th anniversary.

Since choosing a title like TRIP TREK, I normally like to pick a work that is befitting of the Halloween season for each anniversary. Since neither noitaminA series falls under that category, I would like to point you towards one that not only works quite well with the holiday, but also ties in to both noted anniversaries.

HardDoor--The Eighth Anniversary

Eight, eight, years ago today, a little unique blog about anime, boxing, and sometimes a drop of randomness, was started, and its name was "HardDoor"--for equally odd reasons. That was 2006, and in 2014, HardDoor itself is spread across social networks Twitter, Facebook, and more recently, Google+ (launched in March) and even through a sister site in HardDoor: Screenshot Haven, on tumblr (there is also the parody blog, Black Pearl Cove, but that has been on hiatus--before it has yet to even really start--with all of the delays and HD taking top priority).

These last two to three years have been quite busy ones with work and other personal matters, so I have had less time (and energy at the end of the day) to work on HardDoor. Lately, there have been many major changes going on in my life--but good ones. Even so, I hope to be able to contribute more to HD going forward.

Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics Blog - Days 2-7 (Or Days 2-7)

I can't think of better way to commemorate the 400th post of HardDoor than with a post that has absolutely nothing to do with either anime or boxing!! (Remember, this blog does have a little bit of randomness, or at, it is supposed to…)

To get serious for a moment, I cannot say I have been impressed by NBC's level of coverage for the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics. When I heard that they were going to be offering an "unprecedented" 52 hours, I balked at that and originally started about that and the lack of respect for the Paralympians in the previous entry. But, then I saw when the events were being broadcast and decided to relent before I watched how they were being offered. Six days in, and unfortunately, my biggest concerns still came true.

HardDoor--The Seventh Anniversary

Well, it's that time of the year again, where I like to take some time out and commemorate the anniversary of this little blog, HardDoor, which has gone on seven (really?!) years! As you, the reader, could probably tell from the last few months and much of last year, I have been kind of busy with work. However, that doesn't mean I have been bereft of items or things I'd like to write about. Currently, there are about 4-5 new post series I have in the pipeline (two of them pretty "major"…), and there are those outstanding episode reviews that I'd like to polish off, too, among other things. There is also certain *something* I've been updating and the boxing side of the blog could sure use more lovin', too. Of course, it all boils down to time, but I am also sure that everything will work out in the end…

Even so, there were some good nuggets to be had this last year. The most notable was the start of HD's own tumblr site, HardDoor: Screenshot Haven, which has gone better than expected (check out the nice screenie commemorating today's anniversary!). There, I post various screenshots (primarily from--but not totally limited to--anime) and the occasional illustration or work of art that I have come across on the web. I've also started to post personal rankings of simulcasted shows that I've watched on HD's Facebook Page, as well as photos of new/interesting anime disc releases I've purchased, chronicled in "Nice Box…". I've also made "Ani-Journal" a full new feature (though it practically was one from the start…), and we also saw the return of "Boxing Bits" and "Anime Kibble 'n' Bits".

I am very hopeful that there will be plenty more to come in HardDoor's 8th year. Thank you so much to the readers who have visited the blog and its other branch sites over these years, even in its more "quiet" period (ironically, some of the highest-ever views have been these times! ^^;; ). Thank you for your patience as everything comes together and thanks once again for visiting HardDoor!! :)

Goin' on eight & upwards…

--HD

HardDoor--now tumblr-ized!

If you couldn't tell by now, I like posting pictures here at HardDoor whenever I can. I have literally thousands of pictures, and there are a number of things I'd like to do picture-wise on HD, but alas, the Blogger-connected Picasa only gives you so much room, and I'd rather save that space for future anime reviews and previews. Additionally, I don't think some of what I had in mind would necessarily fit into the style and format of the blog.

So I got to thinking: since HardDoor isn't really confined to just Blogger anymore--Twitter (personal thoughts, live blogging, biggest source of random content) and Facebook (exclusive pictures, rankings, the occasional quick prediction) have their own functions by extension--why not just expand the blog through another venue? It crossed my mind beforehand, but I had decided to start something at tumblr!

HardDoor: Screenshot Haven has actually been open since Dec. 13, but it is dedicated primarily to screenshots that I have taken over time, as well as other nice, pretty pictures. The screenies range from the cool-looking and elegant, to the weird and embarrassingly-drawn, plus I'll post the occasional edited screenshot and a few shots from HardDoor, itself. These are predominately ones that I have taken and/or edited myself, though pictures beyond that will have likely have come from elsewhere. I'll also be "reblogging" interesting pictures from other tumblr users, as well, and while the majority of what's posted will be anime-related, there is no real set type of content that'll be shown. If it's neat, I'll post it.

More or less, it's kind of like HD in picture form or some mini-version of it (it even has a slightly different logo!). I'll still post pictures here, mind you, but if you are in the mood for some more interesting screenshots or pictures, come and check out HardDoor: Screenshot Haven, too. Hope you all enjoy it!!

--HD

HardDoor--The Sixth Anniversary

It's been six years since HardDoor was first started--six already? In just a year since commemorating its fifth anniversary, the blog has hit a number of milestones, such as crossing the 20,000 pageview mark (…though that only counts for the last two years, when stats were first being kept), 100+ pageviews in a day (…ditto), and crossing 3,000 views (and nearing 4000) for one post (I won't doubt that one…kids must love their zombies and big boobs). Readership, as a whole, has more than doubled since this time last year, which is both remarkable and funny when you consider that it has been the least active year for HardDoor since it began in 2006!

Suffice to say, there is no dearth in hyperbole when I say that I have been very busy over the last year with work. My nights have often consisted with me falling asleep at my laptop try to type something up (and trying to type while 3/4 asleep is not fun), though without that work, I would not have had that laptop or the ability to post pictures of latest Madoka Magica box set's arrival. Still, especially lately and over the last month, I haven't had much awake time to watch much anime or boxing, so I have not been able to accomplish a lot of the big things I wanted to roll out for HD's 5th anniversary, but hopefully I can get all of that and my time situated for HD's 6th…

Thank you to all you readers who have propelled all those stats and for reading (and sticking around for) HardDoor. I really don't like delaying so many things, so here's to a more hefty and busy year for HD, too!

To six & s'more…


--HD

:random: And Now, For Something Totally Different…

Since its inception in 2006, I have been covering anime and boxing here at HardDoor. But, since 2009, I've been planning…something different. Aside from the previews, reviews, and analysis, I also like to do some free writing and off-kilter stuff, and I've been looking to do something experimental and out-of-the-ordinary: a little bit commentary, kind of like a blog, along the lines fiction--altogether, something meant to be a fun little diversion.

That's basically the gist behind the start of "Black Pearl Cove", the "official blog" of the Pérola Negra Pirotas (or "Black Pearl Pirates"--named after a song, not the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies). It chronicles the life and adventures of a group of space pirates flying under the "Space Communism Charter". Of course, this is all for craps-and-giggles and a quick read (and what better day to start it than on a day that can only be commemorated once every four years?), so for the most part, there won't be any in-depth articles or thoughts like here. I'll also somehow be shoehorning wrestling and political commentary (something I originally thought to do here) into it, but I'm largely taking a loose approach to everything (and the look is subject to change).

To current readers of HardDoor: don't worry, Black Pearl Cove is not a replacement of HD, certainly not the end, and nor will it be impeding on its "time share". HardDoor comes first and foremost--BPC's more of a side-project (and a breezy one at that). I won't be discussing anime or boxing there, but if you like light, comedic fiction revolving around (supposedly commie) space pirates, and (likely in-character) takes on wrestling and politics, Black Pearl Cove might be to your liking…

--HD/PNP

Journey to the (So-Called) End of the World: From 2011 to 2012…

(NOTE: This was originally done and aimed to be posted in January, but Nisemonogatari and other circumstances have led to it being posted now. However, this turned out to be a blessing-in-disguise given the upheaval in the R1 anime industry: Bandai Ent.'s downsizing, Media Blaster's own downsizing and subsequent production issues, the potential nuclear winter that could be wrought by FUNimation and (Neo)-ADV Films lawsuit battle, and the rise of NIS America and Discotek in the wake of BEI's quasi-demise. So parts of this post had to be edited and altered a bit, but I still retained the "new year outlook" format of it and the predictions already made, In particular to the anime predictions, though I added a few more titles since January that have yet to air, I did not add any titles that are airing right now that I didn't add before, nor did I change their prediction category (see "Moretsu Space Pirates"), which would've been pretty cheap of me. ^^;; )

Well, That Took Long Enough…

Pardon for the long time away, but I wasn't exactly anticipating the family computer going kaputz at the beginning of the month. I have no idea what could have caused it to go down, but whatever happened, it really did a number on it (though based on the error message and timing, I suspect an automatic Windows Update that didn't save its changes to some the system files too well). I'm moderately good with computers, but I never encountered something this serious, so finding information on it round-the-clock was both time-consuming and taxing.

Unfortunately, all roads led to having perform a Destructive Recovery on the computer, which was made more problematic since there was no device backing files up on it (and the non system-wiping option of a "Normal Recovery" failed to start up, either via partition or Recovery CD--which might have just kicked the operation to the partition). However, I came across information on Ubuntu Live CD, and (mega-)thanks to it, it was simple to dive into the computer and retrieve everyone's files with the external HDD I use to back-up my own personal computer (and thus, no $200-500+ service elsewhere, thank goodness).

Of course, all of this came at the expense of much of my free time, so I have not been able to really write much of anything here at HardDoor, or on Twitter or Facebook, either (though I tried to do a little bit of micro-blogging here-and-there when I could). Despite this, I still managed to spend some of my wind-down time keeping up with Fate/Zero and taking screenshots, as well as checking out few other shows, before falling asleep in my chair from exhaustion. Things are beginning to wind down as a whole as I am almost done with the tons of updates and reinstalling I had to do post-Recovery, so hopefully I can get back to speed on HD (and that something like this doesn't happen again -_- ).

Thanks for your patience,

--HD

HardDoor, Now Serving:: Open-Facebook Sandwiches!!

Should go well with Cream of Twitter… Mmm… ;)

It was one year ago yesterday that HardDoor unveiled its new, revamped layout. One of the biggest additions to it was the introduction of a widget that displayed the blog's Twitter there, which made its own debut a few months before as an early anniversary present to it. What I never mentioned at the time was that I also considered starting a Facebook page at the same time, too. What stopped me, though, was that I never really got the point of FB--even more so than my preconceived notions of Twitter, which I initially poked fun at for some of its banality, but also managed to see--and ultimately affirm--the usefulness in it. In FB, I kind of "got" it, but never really "got" it.

In spite of that, I have always kept the door open. And with many anime companies having FB pages that they links to on Twitter, I have got a little more accustomed to it. I've seen it implemented in different ways elsewhere, too (who hasn't at this point?), and since I still had a desire to start a page for HD, I figured what better day to start one than on October 4th, 2011?

Some may have already noticed the widgets on the side of the blog, which I place before even announcing the page here (thus spoiling the surprise). So far, I'm finding more use out of FB than I thought I would, though I don't plan on disclosing every little detail of my digital life (which they seemingly want you do). I do, though, plan on using it to post blog status updates and also as a "mini-diary" sort of thing…or something, since I'm still in the midst of figuring out what to really do with it. The URL is sort of temporary, since FB won't grant you a real one until the page gains 25 fans (*fingers crossed*), but for now, I hope you will enjoy it and watch me find meaning to its existence!

--HD

Facebook: HardDoor

HardDoor--The Fifth Anniversary!!

HardDoor's original look, prior to its Oct. 2010 revamp. Now here in spirit…

HardDoor...Not exactly the most common of blog names......


So what is "HardDoor" and why is this named so? Perhaps at a later date I'll explain the history of the name (if you really want to call it that), but for now, I'll say this much: this blog is pretty "random" when it comes to topics. Anime, Boxing, a little bit of politics, maybe (or not :D ).


Today is a pretty good day to start HardDoor (I mean, it's the 26th of June!). Soon, I'll be populating it with thoughts on the various said topics, all while figuring out the strange little trinkets laid out on this blogging station. So until then...toodles <>:O

Anniversary Month Comes to HardDoor!!

In just a scant few weeks (on June 26, to be exact), HardDoor will be celebrating its five year anniversary! Across this month and the others to come, I'll be doing a few retrospects, some anniversary-related special features, introduce a new segment, and maybe pull off a surprise or two. ;)

While work has kept me pretty busy from really carrying out the extent of what I had originally planned for June, I won't let it stop me from carrying out as much of it as possible. Of course, there are also other features to handle, too, such as "Decade's Best" and the continuation of reviews for a **certain** show (-_-) , so keep out for those, as well.

So, hopefully without delay, here's to some happy future reading!

--HD