Gephyrophillia #222

Originally Posted on 03/29/2010 by Jeff Harris

I've gotten to the point of thinking about this site's mortality. I've actually been doing that since 2008, right about the moment after the Revolution 11 campaign failed to gain steam (seriously, I was ready to fight hard, but people were like don't bother) and before the deaths of my uncle and grandfather. I didn't feel the site like I used to.

I've tried to figure out where this site fits into the modern internet dichotomy. It's not a fansite because I try to post articles that don't slurp up to something they love (and even when I was in fanboy mode, I've been more critical about what I loved, always hoping for it to improve). Plus, how can this be a fansite for something that no longer exists and will likely never return? Yeah, I'm still doing The Legacy Project in late April, but the thing about that is that it's a minor, minor part of what The X Bridge is about. When Toonami ended, I was no longer obligated to be a Toonami site. Unfortunately, even when the site ends (and it will end, whether it be four months or four years down the line), people will still say The X Bridge is a Toonami site. It's not.

That belief is the reason I shut down the forums, because even if I did rebrand it, people will still see it as a Toonami Forum. That was also one of the factors I've been contemplating the site's mortality. Nobody really cares about it except for me, and even I have my doubts about whether it's good or not.

It's not a blog. It's a site hosted by a site that houses sites dedicated to studios, shows, and networks.

The site is a misfit.

It's not an anime site. I'm still trying to figure out how The X Bridge is considered an anime site. It's not. I keep getting e-mails from one guy - ONE GUY - asking me to write articles about every nuance about anime. It's because of him that I'm actually tired of anime. Didn't used to be that way, but for every e-mail and Formspring he sent me about every little trademark/copyright application, every little acquisition, every little rumor that he hopes will make the anime industry "come back," I become just a little jaded about the industry. I'm tired of being jaded.

This site isn't a news site. At least not in the traditional sense. It used to be a news and rumor site back in the day when I actually had time, but nowadays, The X Bridge is an opinion site. It's a one-sided opinion, yes, but it's a fairly educated one at that. I talk a lot, try to get a lot out, and hopefully, educate a few people in the end.

Unfortunately, people don't read.

Which is quite the dilemma for somebody who writes on something many people consider an antiquated medium. You have to be visual. You have to dazzle people with videos and pretty pictures just to get attention. If you're actually reading this, I thank you for proving me wrong about people not giving a damn about what I write. Just wish I got more feedback besides that one anime-obsessed guy who constantly wants me to write about anime's salvation, whatever that means.

I'm getting older. I know one day, I'm going to have to put away childish things. While The X Bridge isn't a childish thing per se (I've been running the site since I was 20), I know that it will end. Again, don't know when. It could be later. It could be sooner. But the site does have an expiration date. Its lifespan is finite. I just want to have fun with it while I still can.

*end transmission*

Jeff Harris,
Creator/Webmaster, The X Bridge.