So, you’d think it couldn’t hurt to get to know the people behind the free internet goodness, right?

Our first guest is the yeasty Bread-sama!

(masa) I was thinking about doing a little interview feature for the Gotwoot website. Just like five minutes or so.

(Bread-sama) Hm, k. Are you from gotwoot staff?

(masa) Yeh, i’m the mod everyone hates =p

(Bread-sama) lol. Well, what kind of interview? I’m free.

(masa) Just a couple basic questions about you, what you do. It’s just for mindless fun. Like, for starters, where did the name Bread-sama come from?

(Bread-sama) Well… i was hooked into yakitate japan and started using irc, and i had no idea what nick to use… so i just typed something with bread and it came out.

(masa) fair nuff. That’s the weird cooking show, right? Well, about how long have you been in fansubbing, and in AonE in particular?

(Bread-sama) Yes, it’s the cooking show… I started fansubbing in 2003/2004, with a couple of friends we created a Brazilian group and started to fansub… Back in April 2005 I applied in AonE, and on July I joined as a full member, and here i am.

(masa) Brazil? I’m a big Blanka fan, other than that, no clue what really goes down down there.

(Bread-sama) hehe, it’s fun, not that bad at all

(masa) So what’s your official position? And what does that entail? And, ya know, if you could put it in terms so idiots like me who know jack about fansubbing, that’d be extra cool

(Bread-sama) I’m a typesetter… I’m the one who does that on/off stuff (the changing colors when people appear on screen or are talking off of it), and the one who puts the signs on its exact place, no matter if they are moving (>_>) or still

(masa) What’s the hardest part of that? Like, maybe an example of a frame or episode that gave ya trouble…

(Bread-sama) Hardest part is when the show is boring, and it has a lot of signs, like my test had, AMG S1 ep 10

(masa) Not a big AMG fan?

(Bread-sama) No, i hate that show.

(masa) Alright, (i don’t care for it either…) is that the show you worked on that you hated the most?

(Bread-sama) No. The show I hate with all my soul is DDD (Daa! Daa! Daa!), and I work on it because I want it to be finished fast.

(masa) Hahaha… OK, OK, moving on to happier hunting grounds, what got you into anime in the first place?

(Bread-sama) I really don’t remember… I watched Dragonball Z on cartoon like everyone, but I guess it was when I started using internet and a friend of mine kept telling me about animes… So I started my adventure with X (tv) and Naruto.

(masa) Wow, that’s weird. X was like the second subbed anime I ever saw (Kenshin being first)… didn’t the er, gay factor turn you off from it at all?

(Bread-sama) I watched only up to ep 10, then I stopped… I rarely finish watching an anime

(masa) Yeah, then you definitely missed the much implied man-loving…

(Bread-sama) Thank god

(masa) Hey, it floats some people’s (mostly girls’) boats… But, anyway, what’s your favorite anime then?

(Bread-sama) Definitely Monster, One Piece and DBZ

(masa) Is Johan not the most badass villain ever? And, before you answer, remember that there’s only one answer to this question.

(Bread-sama) I hated Johan the whole show, his face is scary.

(masa) Favorite villain then?

(Bread-sama) Hmm… I guess it’s… Majin Boo, the fat one.

(masa) Wow, so a big DBZ fan then… Didn’t you get tired of the long powerups and infinite peanut gallery commentary?

(Bread-sama) Yes, but in the end it was always a good ep.

(masa) Hey, if big fat ones are what float yours… Anyhow, hottest anime babe ever, in your humble opinion?

(Bread-sama) I really don’t know… nothing comes up in my mind lol.

(masa) Aw, come on! You don’t have a single one?
… Well, I suppose that’s okay… …then… hottest anime dude?

(Bread-sama) I guess it’s Luffy, his voice is funny and he is retarded.

(masa) Alrighty then. Sure you don’t want to just throw a random anime girl out there, for the record?

(Bread-sama) Tsukino, from Yakitate.

(masa) Alright. Then, aside from anime, any hobbies or interests that you do to fill your free time?

(Bread-sama) Sure, I watch movies and read books, and I have university to suck me the entire week.

(masa) Word, you’ve got that Saw signature, so I’m guessing you’re a big horror fan?

(Bread-sama) Yes, i am

(masa) Dude, why? Aren’t they like all the same?

(Bread-sama) No! They are unique, but of course some are just bullshit.

(masa) What do you think it takes to make a good one then? Because Hollywood is clearly starving for ideas.

(Bread-sama) They need good actors and an end like Saw 1 had… and of course, good scripts and writers

(masa) M. Night Shanaylan ‘twists’ and good acting? (script is a given)

(Bread-sama) Yeah.

(masa) What are your feelings on all the re-makes? Like, Freddy vs. Jason on Mars? Or the Rob Zombie Halloween remake?

(Bread-sama) Some of them are good, because the original is so old… I’m waiting for the Halloween remake, but Freddy vs Jason is just crap.

(masa) Haha, well, Nightmare on Elm Street made me sleep with the lights on for months when I was young, so I’m a little biased against the genre…
Anything you’d like to say to the AonE watchers or anyone who might read the interview?
“Stay in School Kids” or maybe, “No Hope in Dope” ?

(Bread-sama) Sure… You are what you cook!

(masa) And what do you cook?

(Bread-sama) Noodle.

(masa) You’re a noodle?

(Bread-sama) You can say that (!)

(masa) gross… … awesome…

(masa) Anything else?

(Bread-sama) Yes, I’m a huge fan of E.R. and The Corrs

(masa) For your sake, I might just leave those two out…

(Bread-sama) no~>_>

(masa) nah, kidding. Clooney fan?

(Bread-sama) Nope. Alex Kingston.

(masa) What about Scrubs and Grey’s Anatomy?

(Bread-sama) I like Grey’s

(masa) What animes would you tell people to watch? Particularly anything airing now.

(Bread-sama) Darker Than Black and Paranoia Agent

(masa) You’re aware that some people claim that Grey’s is for women?

(Bread-sama) I didn’t know that… Haha, lol. But I just watch what entertains me

(masa) Hey man, fair enough. Alright, then I think that’s a wrap. Thanks a lot for your time

(Bread-sama) You’re welcome.

The GW forums is an interesting place. It’s the second forum I’ve become an active member in, first being the Counter-Strike forums (lol). In fact, right now, I’m not registered anywhere else as a forum member besides two other places, but I don’t usually post on one of them and don’t post at all on the other. So what is keeping me here? Honestly, I don’t have a clue. Maybe it’s because GW’s forum community is special to me. Perhaps much like an old group of friends, I don’t think I can let it vanish from my life. But like with any group of friends, we went through some drama. It’s kind of like a love and hate relationship. I just can’t seemed to give it up…

Before you read on, let me warn you that this is an article written by a long-time forum member whose hopes and dreams for this forum have been slipping away for quite some time now. Let’s begin.

So here’s a short summary of the current status of GW forums: Its user activity is gradually dwindling, the contents (level of interesting, informative, or funny material – known as my IIF [just made that up]) of the posts aren’t improving, and nothing is being done to fix and improve the situation. No one is stepping up.

Is this appealing? So appealing that it makes you want to stop reading this article and register as a member to post on the forums immediately? Probably not, but I can think of some other things that this might make you want to do. The forums on this website seem to serve only one purpose: it’s a place where many of us can waste our precious time. But I used to have fun doing it. Unless you’re an old-timer like I am, this place has little or no significance or purpose other than a place to see whether or not the raw for the newest Naruto chapter is out. Oh wait, we have MangaHelpers or NarutoFan for that. Dammit, so what is this place really worth?

Honestly, it’s worth nothing. At least, not anymore. As said above, interesting, informative, or funny (IIF) posts are almost completely absent nowadays. The good ‘ol times have rolled by and now are the days of degeneration. There is less activity now too. This forum community I really adored being part of has declined in usefulness as well as the degree of enjoyment. My near-undying hope and faith of reviving the forums (ongoing devotion since roughly two years ago) has been fading, and it’s making me sad. My hope for the GW forums was that it could be a forum where content-filled IIF posts would dominate over the lesser, no-content posts. The IIF posts wouldn’t even need to be so well-thoughtout, lengthy, or brilliant. They would just need to be written with effort. Take a look at a post I made regarding The Worst Posters. The list isn’t important, but the criteria are. My standard of what a good post vastly differs from most, and I think this is where a lot of the confusion occurs.

Some say it’s impossible to resolve the problems I’ve mentioned, but disagree. GW forums weren’t always lacking IFF posts, it’s just that the standards of the forums have been pushed down to almost an unbearable state. A state that simply does not attract new members nor encourage others to be better posters. The state GW forums are in, I wonder how long the daily activity will last. Some of you might ask why I don’t do something about it. Well, frankly, I’ve tried almost everything, but nothing has worked due to certain obstacles I’ve encountered, which I won’t bother mentioning. Additionally, no one has really taken the initiative for improvement. Maybe I’m asking too much out of people, especially since I’m asking over the internet. The forums are battered from the constant shitposting and barely on its last legs, but I keep coming back to it. Why do we do what we do?

So why is it that some people, me included, are closet anime fans? I’m sort of out I guess (I’ll explain in a bit), but I’ve never casually brought it up in a conversation with my friends or strangers unless I was specifically asked, or if they brought it up first. Even then, my apparent knowledge of anime is just what I know about the mainstream series and I brush it off. I guess you could say that I’m insecure with myself, or fear the rejection of not being “socially normal” or being too different, but can you really blame me? In this society, as a 22 year old nearing 23, I can’t be talking about why AonE stopped subbing Naruto, or if why everyone is learning bankai when it’s something rare and only developed after hundreds of years of training when I go to bars or clubs! It simply doesn’t work to get the girls’ attentions. If there are people who can prove me wrong, then please teach me your secrets. I’m more proud to have concealed my anime interest rather than to have expressed it openly.

But I am not a complete loser, as some of you may be judging by what you’ve read so far. I do have a significant other. And I do share my anime interest with her, but it took a while to come out with it. It took nearly eight months to build up the courage, comfort level and closeness to even let her know that before I met her, I used to spend a chunk of my free time reading manga about a guy who fights demons with a ridiculously large sword, and watching anime about high school teens who are involved in a secret international mech war. Exposing this side of me would totally derail things when we started the relationship, she had the impression that I was the atypical, opposite-of-the-stereotyped Asian American male. My room definitely has zero evidence of my liking of anime. I have no wall scrolls, figurines, DVDs, manga, or anything like that even hint the existence of it in my life. Before I told her about being an anime fan, I used to be the guy who quickly tries to exit out of the web browser because I would be browsing the GotWoot forums when my girlfriend would open the door to my room. Ugh, it was as if I was trying not to get caught masturbating by my parents. It’s embarrassing but funny at the same time.

So, I’ve come to the conclusion that interest in anime, at least in my environment and amongst the groups of people I know, isn’t very socially acceptable because it isn’t a norm. But I’ve been comfortable with hiding it, and my girlfriend accepts my interest in anime as just a part of who I am. There are a lot of things people hide and this is just one of mine. I think I subconsciously don’t share my interest a lot more now because I’ve lost the burning passion I once had for anime. I don’t spend hours dedicating myself to the newest Naruto release by DB (faggots), or checking for raws and spoiler pics for the latest chapter. Nowadays, I only browse the forums to post in non-anime related, off-topic forums, but I do catch up with anime occasionally and read some Shounen-Jump manga here and there. I don’t know if I will ever completely lose interest in anime and abandon it altogether, but I do know that if and when that day comes, my secrets will die with me…

I simply choose to not reveal myself as an anime geek. My social reputation is overwhelmingly more important than this. Is that so wrong?

Its been Almost 4 years in AnimeONE for me now i have been thru alot of happy times with the crew members come and gone.
Four years ago when i was accepted on trial as a member in AonE i was welcomed by Both old and New friends.
Working with them was a joy something i was happy about doing with my spare time.
4 years have gone many have left and joined and we have had our upps and downs and fair share of rollercoaster rides together.

I have accomplished what i wanted to accomplish but the job is still far from done.
I’m Pursuing the same goals in real life in a swedish youth organisation instead.
Working for people to see diffrent cultures and aspects of the world thru everything from Anime to tabletop games and Live Interactive Theater.

My sincere thanks to everyone in AnimeONE and the fans who came to see that Anime was something nice due to my efforts. I can guarante that AnimeONE will continue on their road towards giving you fans the best of their hard work.
I will continue supporting the group when i find time in my real life schedule.

David Stenström Signing out.

-Transmission ended-