I really should not have gone back and re-read this. Cause then I looked at the comments. And now I wanna start up again.

Ah, well. It’s something to put some serious thought into again. I’ve always had trouble sticking to one thing for a very long time, but…hm.

Like I said though, it’s something to think about. A lot.

You might, at least, be glad to hear that I’ve not slacked on my anime. I’ve watched near every series that you told me to–though it’s taken me longer than expected, and it’s slow going at the moment because of school–and even though I’m only keeping up with Ookami-san at the moment, I’m extremely religious about it.

Lastly, two things:

One, I would still be talking to you, but for some reason I /can not/ get my Messengers to work anymore. It’s really really annoying.

And two, just to make sure you realize, I /have/ been keeping up with what’s going on here at Fuzakenna.

Again, thanks for an excellent post. And it was really nice of DigitalBoy to post it on his blog. Looking forward to when you create your own blog =)

But yes! Hahah, I’m more than determined to stick with it. Just gotta figure out where to go from here, forward into the future.

And also, don’t worry too much about letting others down; I have a feeling that the person hardest to please will be yourself. The challenge is in keeping on anyway. :p Hang in there!

Thanks for the reminding me just how important it is to look for meaning in everything you do; I’ll be sure not to let you down.

And more than anything else, thank you for the final compliment about what the creators would think about my post. I’m truly honored that you think so, and I suppose it’s just one more funny coincidence that one of my biggest goals in life is to connect with an audience in that very same way.

Back when Toradora! ended, I posted a challenge on a certain well-known anime forum revolving around those fifty-six words that so perfectly sum up that show. But I have to say, I was rather disheartened by the response. Not only had most people not caught on to begin with (after the first two episodes) how important that little poem was, even when all was said and done most still didn’t seem to care at all about what it meant or how it applies to the show or to them. A few attempted a reply, but much of what I got was either overly-simple or flippant. But I was encouraged by your post here, even though it has nothing to do with that challenge from so long ago.

I guess the only other thing I want to say is this: although it’s often well-hidden, all stories have at their heart a similar gem of a message to discover — even, and especially, those shows that people often dismiss as overly-simple or flippant. But I guess those who look — those who deserve it the most — will definitely find it. So I encourage you to not buy into the lie that what you see is what you get and that’s all there is. Continue to search for meaning in everything and reflect on the way it applies to your life. Through that, you can gain a better appreciation of life itself, and I think that’s something always worth seeking.

Whether it’s pages of a book or moving images on a screen, to connect and resonate with audiences the world over is the dream of most authors and creators. And I think the authors and creators of Toradora! would be mighty humbled by — and grateful for — what you wrote here today.