when i call myself "anime-aligned" as a writer, what i mean is that i consider myself as a creative person to be adjacent to or existing within the subculture of anime (which, to me, also includes things like manga, vns, jrpgs, and so on).
i've chosen this term because it avoids certain words that i dislike. a common one is "weeb," which aside from its derogatory connotations, also, to me, implies a certain totality of identification. i'm not a weeb writer, any more than i'd consider myself to be a "mangaka" were i drawing manga-styled comics. but at the same time, the work i produce is not only material that i consider to exist at least in relation to anime but is also unmistakably and irrevocably influenced by my time in the anime subculture.
in some sense, perhaps this is all just marketing/internet self-branding nonsense. i suppose others might see it that way. but to me, "anime-aligned" as a descriptor communicates that i'm a writer who owes something, perhaps a great deal even, to my experiences within this specific subculture, without being totally consumed by it. i don't mean to make this sound as if i consider myself above or separate from the fandom, but i do want people to know that when they come to my work they aren't going to just get a simple apeing of a particular nebulous style. as with any artist, my work reinterprets my influences through my own unique lens. but perhaps because what "anime" means (aesthetically, creatively, in terms of content, and so on) to the world is always changing, signaling alignment rather than wholesale embrace makes me feel as if i can be honest without succumbing entirely to the definitions of others.
for the record, none of this is intended as criticism towards others who may use different terms to describe themselves; it's merely a a discussion of what works for me.
simply put, i’m an ai anti. i don’t like it, i don’t use it, and i discourage others from using it. all my work, down to the code of this website, is made by me, a human being.
here's a simplified explanation of my reasons for this position:
in short, my opinion is that use of generative ai is unethical and immoral. i don’t believe that the ends justify the means as a principle, and, in the case of ai, the ends are so worthless anyways that the consequences should be even more intolerable to us all.