So, it is that time when most bloggers like to wrap up their year with a thoughtful post or summarize how their year went. I thought I would take a different approach. Instead of reflecting on how my year went, I want to talk about the things I am looking forward to. I have actually sat down and thought, “How can I get more readers on my blog? How can I get more activity and participation with my readers?” I will admit, it is HARD attracting people to your hobbies sometimes. I came up with a few ideas that I wanted to spend this post talking about.
The Anime Challenge
If you follow @CoreReviewsBlog on Instagram, I posted in my story about a challenge that I was going to be initiating starting in the new year. This was actually an idea that I got from my sister. She gifted me this poster that is basically a giant scratch-off of the top 100 Anime that should be on your bucket list, so I thought, “Let’s do that!” If you would like one of your own, I included the link at the end of the post!
Now, if you noticed I’ve already scratched off some titles because these are shows I have already watched and while I will probably eventually post reviews on shows I’ve already watched in the past, I wanted this challenge to focus on me watching shows I’ve never seen or haven’t finished. After getting rid of shows I’ve seen, I had about 70 left. Basically, my challenge is going to be completing this list by the end of 2022. I will watch each show and give a review and regardless of what I have heard or my preconceived thoughts on it, I WILL watch it fully. My tiny goal is to go in unbiased, so washing away all the comments I’ve read about different shows and how trash they are, I am going into them like a real noob.
Giveaways
I thought of another way to increase activity would be to do giveaways, I mean who doesn’t like free stuff, amIrite? I know anime merchandise can be costly, trust me I know, my bank account hates me. Just to increase the morale, I’d like to start having some giveaways every now and then. I don’t want to bribe people to read my reviews or subscribe but, I would like to show my appreciation for the ones who do!
Merchandise
I’ve had this vision of one day owning some merchandise dedicated to Core Reviews and I want to make that a reality in 2022. I have a few ideas but I will start small and progress depending on the response. I have no set date of when it will be out but that is one of the big ideas I had planned for the year.
2021 Year in Review
I lied. I said I wouldn’t do this but I figured why not. Even though CR started a little late, I still have some memorable moments of the year that I wanted to share as well favorites in anime, manga, and games.
Favorite anime of 2021
2021 was an amazing year in anime and got me into a lot of great new shows so picking just one show that stood out to me the most is incredibly difficult. I would have to say by far the one anime that really had a hold on me this year was To Your Eternity. By far it was the most emotional show I watched and left the biggest impact on me. The first episode alone was amazing and gripping. I am completely in love with Fushi and want nothing but the best for him. I did want to include a top 10 for the year so below is a list of my top 10 shows of 2021. *They are in no order*
- To Your Eternity
- 86
- Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan
- Fruits Basket: The Final
- Dr. Stone: Stone Wars
- World Trigger
- SK8 the Infinity
- Re-Main
- Blue Period
- Ranking of Kings
Favorite Manga of 2021
Again, another tough decision, especially since this was the year that I really started reading a lot of manga. Though a lot of these may not have been released this year, these are the ones that I enjoyed reading. I’d say the one that really stuck to me would be Spy x Family. It was just a refreshing concept amid all of the isekai that were being released. Narrowing down a top 10 was difficult but here is my list:
- Spy x Family
- Mashle: Magic and Muscles
- Mission: Yozakura Family
- Chainsaw Man
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Tokyo Revengers
- A Sign of Affection
- Choujin X
- PPPPPP
- Blue Box
Favorite Games of 2021
I actually did not play as many games as I had set out to this year but hopefully, I’ll change that next year! I mainly played Otome games, nothing too difficult or lengthy. My weapon of choice was mainly my PC but I also used my Nintendo Switch Lite! I will say for the first half of 2021, I was obsessed with one game and managed to play it all of the time, so I will actually only do a top 5 for this one! Overall, the number one game I loved playing was Our Life: Beginnings and Endings. It is STILL THE top visual novel game of the year for me and nothing has beat it. It gave me everything I’ve wanted in a game; great story, remarkable characters, ability to personalize the MC, I was so immersed in this game!
- Our Life: Beginnings and Always
- Nightshade
- Bustafellows
- Limbo
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
I don’t really have any goals for Core Reviews. I just want to continue posting the content I want and having discussions! I would love to get a larger following but whatever happens, happens. Regardless, I’ll still be posting my opinions on our favorite shows, books, and games. So with that being said, I sincerely thank everyone for reading and joining the Core Reviews team in 2021. Be safe, have fun, and see you next year!
