I started this blog exactly ten years ago on August 8, 2015, and my first scanlation release was later that same day. Today I’m announcing a soft retirement from Turn A Gundam content. This doesn’t mean that I’m permanently stepping away, but researching the show and providing consistent content won’t be a focus for me anymore.

I first watched Turn A Gundam in 2008, soon after the first season of Gundam 00 had finished airing, and it quickly became my favorite anime. My attachment grew over the years, and eventually I wanted to learn more about the show and the people involved in its creation. It quickly dawned on me that, despite Gundam being one of the world’s most successful media franchises, there was very little information available in English. I also learned that, like many media franchises, misinformation spreads like wildfire in the Gundam fandom, and this continues to be a problem today. I wanted to learn more about my favorite anime, but I didn’t really know how to! My Japanese wasn’t very good and I didn’t exactly have contacts and resources. But every endeavor starts small, so I decided to slowly take things into my own hands. Fast forward several years, and I’ve been involved in scanlation projects, translating interviews, forming acquaintances with staff members & getting inside details, and doing my best to promote Turn A Gundam content as a whole.

So why am I taking a step back? Well, it would be remiss not to admit that, frankly, my personal interest in Gundam has waned in the past year. I’ve been actively involved in this fandom for over 20 years. And you know what? 20 years is a long time. I’ve enjoyed most of what the franchise has to offer, but I miss the days when I was excited for every new series. While I’ve enjoyed shows like Witch From Mercury or GQuuuuuuX, I envy newer fans who get pumped beyond words for each new episode. I’ll always love Gundam and Director Tomino’s works, but I think it’s time to admit that I don’t have the same fervor that I once did. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Secondly—and perhaps more importantly—my personal life has gotten quite busy over the past few years. I’m good at managing my time, but there’s only so much I can offer as my life goals and personal responsibilities change. At the end of the day, I don’t owe anyone anything, and I think that’s an important perspective for me to have.

My goal with this blog has always been to provide an accessible source of context and knowledge for reference purposes, and to improve fandom discourse. I feel like I’ve achieved that goal, and this blog will stand as a testament to that. That is my hope. I’ve done everything out of pure love for the show and a desire to share that love with the greater community. I’ve never asked for money nor compromised my beliefs in order to pursue this hobby & passion, and that leaves me satisfied as I take a step back. What I’m most proud of are my production history articles, my interview translations, and my various analyses of topics such as the Turn A Gundam sequels, the Dark History, Princess Kaguya, and Torikaebaya Monogatari.

There are still interviews, manga, and novels to translate. Many of these were on my backlog, but unfortunately I won’t be able to get around to them. Other creators in the community have my blessing to tackle these projects, and I’m always happy to try to be available for proofreading and/or consultation. I have elected not to continue with WordPress’s premium plan for this site, and that might cause some images & videos to disappear. However, I have elected to keep the domain active, at least for now. In case I shadowdrop the domain, please be aware that turnafeezy.wordpress.com also redirects to this blog.

There are far too many people to thank individually who have made this ten year endeavor possible, but you know who you are. And I want to thank everyone who has interacted with me, asked me questions, showed interest in Turn A Gundam, and provided heartful messages and encouragement over the years. Thank you for all of your support!