A Newcomer to Anime Instrumentality

Name: John Kim

E-mail: supuhaznpbrein@gmail.com

AIM: seraphjei

Website: sunggyu.wordpress.com…

Favorite Anime: Clannad ~AS~, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Toradora!, Kanon, Aria the Origination

Favorite Manga: Yotsuba, Aria, Welcome to the NHK, Monster, Unbalance x Unbalance

Favorite Literature: Jude the Obscure, Crime and Punishment, The Stranger, The Merchant of Venice, Death of a Salesman

Favorite Musicians: Tommy Emmanuel, Kotaro Oshio, Depapepe, CYNE, Damien Rice

Hobbies: Playing guitar, visual novels, rhythm games, writing short stories, and of course watching anime and everything associated with it.

General Information: It was just a few months ago when I approached zzeroparticle and asked him for a position on his writing staff for his Anime Instrumentality blog. After a long hiatus I’ve finally started to contribute to the site, so it seems that it is a good time to introduce myself, and give the readers of Anime Instrumentality a little bit of background info.

My name is John Kim, otherwise known as sung gyu on the site, and I have been a dedicated fan of all things anime related for five years. I’ve been managing my own blog Hara Hetta for a little less than 6 months, and have been reviewing music and anime for about a year. Currently, I am enrolled as a freshman at my university, and plan to major in English. I have been working as a musician on the side, playing acoustic guitar at local cafes, and producing hip hop instrumentals in my free time. My music experience includes playing piano for 10 years and guitar for 8 years. Much of my music specialization is in classical guitar infused with new-age techniques.

As for anime, I have been deeply involved in anime culture for many years and have become quite obsessed with the anime industry as a whole (perhaps as a deterrent to my own health and well being.). I enjoy watching all kinds of anime, and have only one golden rule when it comes to anime: “A good anime will allow the audience to reflect upon their own lives, and leave a profound impact on the watcher for years to come.” I am very lenient, and always tend to give shows the benefit of the doubt, but the same can’t be said when it comes to music though. As for genres, I am a huge fan of slice-of-life and magical realism, but also tend to like philosophical and psychological anime as well and I rank Clannad ~After Story~, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Toradora!, Kanon, and Aria the Origination among my favorites.

It’s a pleasure to meet you all, and I’m looking forward to the comments and feedback. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to e-mail me or IM on AIM.