Greetings everyone, and Happy New Year. 2023 was kind of a fucked up year. Between multiple depressing world conflicts, growing political tensions heading into an election year, and big changes in my personal life that have me constantly anxious, I sometimes don't even know how I managed to make it through without collapsing. But among a lot of changing feelings and struggles, one thing that persists is my love for great stories and emotionally resonant art. Having something like this to drive me is too invaluable to put to words. But this is a blog, and I'm a self-proclaimed writer, so what the hell else am I supposed to do but put it into words as best I can? I love great stories and feel driven to share what makes them special with others, so if you share in that passion then I'd love if you see the words for that which I can't put into words. Last year was a transition point in my relationship to media, where I branched out from being purely an anime junkie into a