In March of 2018 (almost seven years ago!), I decided to start learning Japanese. At the time, I was growing increasingly annoyed about the lack of availability of manga I wanted to read and the quality of translation when they did get picked up. So, spurred on by a friend who already knew the language, I found myself wanting to learn for what seemed like such a frivolous reason.
It’s the final reading log of the year! Honestly, I’m still not entirely sure where 2024 even went. It feels like it should be June or July, not New Year’s Eve. Recently, we wrote the Anime UK News yearly review, and I struggled to figure out what I cared about. I finished a number of series I valued, but some of the heavy hitters like Yozakura Family have stretched into next year while others (Smartphone) just stubbornly cling to life. My Hero Academia ending almost came as a relief, although looking back now I’ve become so much fonder of it. I did also finally find it within me to finish Unnamed Memory, which I loved and which I hope the sequel for gets licensed in 2025. Please, publishers.