Patreon Timed-Exclusive Series: Forward to the Past

Image credit: Akira Toriyama artwork for Chrono Trigger (SNES), copyright Square Enix, 1995 - Present.

Hi everyone! 

If you’ve followed me on Twitter, you know that I’ve been musing - well, talking pretty loudly - about talking more about the “old days” of anime fandom. I’ve been in this subculture since 1992, and I have countless stories to tell, from days in a tiny anime club to the early months of the tape trades, to the Bubble years, and so on.

And, well, I’d like to start talking about these things. So, starting today, I’ll be launching a new article series, which I’m dubbing “Forward to the Past.” These will be a combination of personal anecdotes, stories, and in-depth articles, which will discuss those early days in anime fandom.

To be honest, this has been something that’s been on my mind since I took part in Lauren Orsini’s Anime Origin Stories project in 2017. The thing is, much of our history, both as a subculture and a fanbase, is an oral one. We share stories, and we tell our tales, so that future generations can hear about things like the Dub/Sub debate, or those days when people went to Suncoast to get their anime fix.

However, a lot of it is just that, an oral history. These stories are ephemeral, and tend to fade with age, as more and more of us either exit the fandom or succumb to the ravages of time. We have a grand, rich history, and it’s something that we really should be celebrating instead of burying.

Image Credits: Otaku Unite! Documentary 

With Forward to the Past, I hope to bring some of these tales to light. I want to start telling the stories of our contemporaries, or those who came before us. And, really, I hope that you join us on this journey.

That said, I need to note a couple of things:

• These will not be regular, scheduled articles - they’ll come out when they’re ready, as they’re not time-sensitive, and I’m placing more priority on getting things right, than getting them out fast.
• Furthermore, Forward to the Past will be a timed exclusive to you, our lovely Patrons. 

You read that right, patrons! Every Forward to the Past article will be exclusive to all of you folks for two months. After this, they will hit Anime Herald proper. You are all super-awesome people, who are helping us deliver some of our very best work. Without you, we wouldn't have had two people at Anime Expo, and we certainly wouldn't be taking the plunge with an experimental Travelogue series for the event.

The timed exclusive is part of our effort to make your monthly contribution that much more valuable. To every one of you, I don't say this enough, but thank you so much. You gave us our freedom as an outlet. And for that, I'll always be thankful.

-Samantha