2020 is almost over. Most, if not every single one of us, is thanking God (or equivalent) for the end of this weird and chaotic year and wishing next year proves to be better in all departments.
Most people take the end of the year to do a balance of what happened and everything that was learned.
Here at The Hand That Feeds HQ, that sort of thing happens but I don’t usually post a massive article like this about it.
Given how this year was a year of change and improvements for The Hand That Feeds HQ, I want to let you know what is going on and what you can expect as soon as 2021 kicks off.
First of all, The Hand That Feeds HQ is on Patreon, crowdfunding platform where I share behind the scenes information on what is going on at The Hand That Feeds HQ and its podcast SEIYUU LOUNGE (making of, music production, video production and other interesting bits of information), and you are an active part in making this website grow!
There are 6 subscription rankings – depending on how financially able you are to give a hand to this project – and each comes with its cool bonuses.
I invite you to check The Hand That Feeds HQ’s Patreon page and consider joining in.
The F rank subscription rank is the price of a cup of coffee per month, quite the bargain and, at the same time, you are lending a hand to me so that I can have more and better curated content available to you on this website, the SEIYUU LOUNGE podcast and the YouTube channel.
Perhaps the new things or improvements on the website in 2021 will pique your interest in being our Patron, so let’s kick this off.
Table of contents below is provided because this is a massive article, really, set some time aside to read it if you want to know what is going to change.
Table of contents
In case you’re wondering, this article takes around 15 – 20 minutes to read.
What’s new on The Hand That Feeds HQ?
Although not much will change about the website – only improvements on its speed and organization -, and corners such as Seiyuu Digest, OUT THIS WEEK and the weekly and monthly Oricon Charts analysis make their return, there are new things to add.
But first, let’s go over what won’t change (much):
Website
The Website has gone through some changes and with a backlog of 7800+ articles, you must have come across some that have broken images, haven’t you?
That was due to the migration the website went through in May 2020.
I have been recovering images for most reviews and digests but older articles (before 2016) won’t be recovered and quite possibly, some will be deleted because those are now irrelevant (the news articles from before 2016 at least will go).
News and reviews
News and reviews are still a thing, even if reviews have been toned down since January 2020 due to the revamp that The Hand That Feeds HQ went through to adapt to the now, solo mode in which I am handling everything – website, podcast, social media and YouTube.
It was not easy but it seems that I have been finding my groove lately and a lot of content is being created and I have been working on reviewing the massive backlog of releases I have.
So, don’t worry, reviews are still a thing and I intend to do those timelier however, have in mind that this is not my full-time job therefore, there will be times in which things will be reviewed much later than I intend to.
Nevertheless, to those that actually read the reviews, not only the headlines, thank you for patiently waiting every month to read me geeking about music composition and male seiyuu’s voices!
Reviews
Due to the website’s migration this past Spring, pretty much all visual content on the website is broken – aside from everything posted since the migration (July 2020 -).
Reviews have suffered quite a bit because of this change, with those stars rankings going down the drain and most reviews, especially those that only feature 1 track, not having a ranking at all at the moment.
I have around 60 reviews that were corrected but I need to go to that backlog of over 180 reviews I have made (alongside some made by my former team members) and adapt those to the website’s new rating format (still stars but now I don’t have to do the balance, the system counts and does it for me so the rankings are more analytical than ever).
Covers and the sort will be updated as well so please be patient.
Seiyuu Digests
In case you haven’t noticed, all Seiyuu Digests now have their white on black cover instead of that… thing, I created on photoshop back in 2014.
Yes, this cover format isn’t new, I have been doing it since Yuki Kaji’s digest. But the older ones still had those awful covers. So, that is scraped and the new look is here for every digest.
Looks wise, the covers look slick in this format and I won’t change them anytime soon.
Now, where things will change is on the content.
As you may know – in case you don’t, this is new information for you – every 2 years, there is a Seiyuu Digest that takes the months of December and January (released in December), with the Seiyuu Digest corner then returning in February.
This year we have exactly that – Tetsuya Kakihara’s Seiyuu Digest – and I will be taking some time off to regroup and rethink some things.
I do this break because, every 2 years, I go over what to do, what to improve and what to scrap or change on the website.
1 month of pause between digests gives me enough time to create content and, at the same time, rest a bit.
Aside from the covers, I will be updating most Seiyuu Digests in January 2021 with a focus on those from 2014 to 2016 <- when Seiyuu Digest was, actually, a digest not the massive articles that I now write.
Those articles are in dire need of a revamp and will get a lot of content during that month. I will let you know when those digests are updated so that, if you want to, you can check out what are the news on their side.
What will change?
These are the exciting news I bring you and, hopefully, you will enjoy those as much as myself. I have gone over what type of content you’d love to find on your social media.
I know you guys love your memes and mood boards but I am not on par with the trends on both so I wanted to do something I have control over and knowledge about.
I came up with some ideas and I will be implementing these effective starting January 1, 2021.
Seiyuu Music Mondays
Starting January 2021, THTFHQ will be sharing seiyuu music on their social media accounts.
By sharing music, I mean, hitting the share button on Spotify and welcome you to listen to the music I will be sharing.
This is a weekly feature that will put the spotlight on male seiyuu solo artists, bands, seiyuu units, 2D units and idols, rap crews and more.
This feature is limited to the seiyuu music that is available on Spotify.
Hope you find some cool music – that, right now you aren’t aware it exists – and awesome gems of songs that have been “forgotten”.
THTFHQ is all about seiyuu music so I am pretty excited to start sharing music with you! And get to know your favorite songs at the same time.
Make sure to follow the hashtag #THTFHQMusicMonday to never miss an update.
2D rock franchise guides
This feature comes from a listener suggestion on a SEIYUU LOUNGE episode dating back to September 2020.
The 2D music industry is saturated with pop music.
This is a fact.
Most of you may love the music genre but those like myself – metalheads or rockers at heart – seldom find good rock music projects and, for those stepping their feet for the 1st time in 2D music and seiyuu, and are looking for rock music, won’t find much or don’t know where to look.
I am focused on filling that void, creating content for those of you that are rockers at heart and don’t know where to look for the fast-paced, aggressive and intense drums, shredding guitar riffs and poised vocals we find in rock music.
With that in mind, starting May 2021, there will be monthly features on 2D rock music projects.
It will include information on the project, the bands, lineup and releases to date (with links to reviews, in case I’ve reviewed music from those projects).
This is not a project to replace fan wikis but a simplified version that explains the basics of the band and project with a massive focus on the music side of those projects.
I hope these guides open the doors for you to new – or even old – 2D rock music projects that you must give a try.
Depending on the success of this monthly feature, in 2022 THTFHQ may kick off a version compiling pop, EDM, Jazz and hip-hop 2D music projects.
List features
I am now entering my 11th year covering male seiyuu news and music. Throughout the years, I have reviewed over 250 music releases (albums, singles, digital releases, best ofs and mini-albums).
Some I loved, some I disliked. There was no shortage of music that took me to different worlds, unique soundscapes and dreamy places.
As a music geek I am always listening to music, searching for the next song that will give me chills, that will make my jaw drop, that will steal my words.
And I’ve made quite a lot of playlists on my iTunes featuring those songs for different moods, with different genres, best ofs for some artists and more. Then, I took those to Spotify, platform that I only use to check releases I haven’t purchased physically or digitally.
I’ve already shared 3 lists with you this month, 12 Heartwarming Christmas songs by male seiyuu, 10 Christmas songs by male seiyuu as suggested by our readers and 15 Songs by Male Seiyuu to enjoy on New Years’ eve.
The first list was a shot in the dark as I was not aware whether or not you would like list features to be a thing on this website.
I was overwhelmed by how excited you were, pitching in your suggestions, talking about favorites, checking new music you weren’t familiar with.
Thus…
List features will be a thing from now on at The Hand That Feeds HQ.
These won’t follow a specific release schedule but you can expect the classics: Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s, Summer, New Year’s and more to hit your timelines.
I’ve got plenty of ideas so I hope you take some time to check those list features, follow the playlists and discover new music in the process.
Final considerations
2020 ends in a couple of days and this year couldn’t have been the worse for many of us.
But it was, at the same time, the “pause” in my life that I needed to rethink The Hand That Feeds HQ as a project and if I wanted or not to keep going with this, as work has shifted to remote and many jobs are no longer the same with uncertainty looming in the air since March 2020.
Of course, I want to keep doing this, I have a blast writing about seiyuu and honestly, if I wasn’t doing this, I wouldn’t know what half of my favorite seiyuu would be doing because… I seldom watch anime and don’t keep track with their dealings like most fans do LOL
And because I like the work I do in here, I set out to challenge myself in 2020.
SEIYUU LOUNGE is a prime example of that.
https://anchor.fm/s/1f067b00/podcast/rssI never imagined myself editing video – something I was seriously bad at (and I am still growing and improving as you read this), much less becoming a podcast host.
I also never imagined that some of you would actually want to tag along and get to know a bit more about what I think about some seiyuu or some things in the seiyuu industry (and that’s because I have always wanted the focus to be on the website, not me <- still stand by this).
So, a big thank you.
In one way or another, wanting to provide you something meaningful and helping you out during quarantine led me to bet it all and start hosting a weekly podcast for you.
Receiving your messages saying that the content on this website was helping you coping with isolation or other, unfortunate, circumstances you’ve found yourself in, really made my work at The Hand That Feeds HQ have a whole new meaning.
If the podcast and the content I have created this year on this website as well as the YouTube channel, in some way, has helped you out, I feel like I have half my mission accomplished.
Now, I know I presented a lot of new things and updates that will follow in the next year.
For that I ask for your patience and support, as I am doing all of this on my own and during my time off of my daytime work.
Yes, I may miss the timing of some news.
Yes, some reviews might run late.
There may be typos at times (it happens when you’re the writer and the proofreader at the same time).
I may sacrifice some content in order for essential features to be up and running.
But things will slowly settle down and the stream of original content will be back to normal – I am talking about the reviews, of course.
The Hand That Feeds HQ is growing and I am, more than ever, focusing on making all content all the more relevant to those of you that care about male seiyuu and their music projects.
As always, I’d like to thank all of you for your support.
Thank you for being part of the awesome community around this project.
Thanks for letting me know when there are typos or information that is missing or wrong.
Thanks to everyone that went that extra mile and is a Patron for this project.
Thanks to those that sponsor their CDs for me to review.
Thanks to those that hit “share” and “like” on THTFHQ’s content on social media.
Thanks for tagging along in this trip.
Thanks for caring.
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Here’s my wishes of an awesome year to you.
Take a break, relax, watch anime, pay attention to your mental health, listen to music, talk to your family, friends and/or significant others, start a hobby, learn something new. Revisit long-time passions.
Don’t stop and don’t let “what others think” affect you. You matter. Your choices matter.
2021 is your year. 2021 is our year!
Here’s to a fantastic 2021!
Vanessa Silva
The Hand That Feeds HQ founder / Content Creator
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Happy 2021!! 😀
I’ll support you always. Love your blog <3
Thank you so much, Mari! Glad to have your support
Here’s my wishes of a happy 2021 to you! Have fun and stay safe!