Retrospective 2021

[CountVonNumenor]

We are already two months into this New Year, and it is finally time to release a thread I wanted to start at least a couple weeks ago. It only started as a response to this video from MegaPig9001, and so I wanted to know what your opinions on the topic are: 

 

Apparently, 2021 has been considered a good year for the Touhou fandom, especially the Western community. Just to put together some of the factors often mentioned:

 

Games

·       we have had two game releases (Touhou 18 and full release of Touhou 17.5)

·       multiple Game Jams took place, which enriched the community with fan games

·       Touhou Lost Word got its global release

 

Music

·       many of the Japanese music groups have become much more accessible to the Western fans through adding their music on things like BOOTH and Spotify

·       Western musicians like RichaadEB continued making covers for Touhou songs, and he even got multiple collabs for LostWord

·       we have a new CD from ZUN, which even if has just 3 songs, it is always welcome

·       (on more of a personal opinion) Akatsuki Records released quite a lot of very good music PVs last year, which came together with some just as good CDs

 

Animations

 

·       the Western scene also got the EoSD in a nutshell animation from Sr Pelo (as well as the cameo + skit from 2021's Spooky Month), which for some served as an entry point into the series

·       more new animators like MTB have started to become popular on YouTube, which could perhaps be a start for a more developed MMD animation community of the West

 

However, there seems to have also been a bit of negativity too. At least from what I have witnessed:

 

 

Community

· the moving of Fumo sales to AmiAmi has not been too well received, given that the most recent two sales ended up with the stocks exhausting in less than 5 minutes, which has left many people unsatisfied

· in response to the AmiAmi problem, as well as the presentation of the Become Fumo server to the masses, some responded through promoting gatekeeping, which is not a good thing if you want the community to survive there's always need for new people to join and experience

 

(Take this par as you wish) Animations

·       Memories of Phantasm has been put to a halt following Episode 17

 

Besides those two/three negatives, I think 2021 has been quite good year. Due to the fact I have been around in this community only since November 2020, I do not how good has it been compared to other years, especially with the glory days of 2009-2011.

Now, my question for you is: how do you see the year 2021 for the Touhou community? What do you think has gone well, what went wrong, and how can we make things better this year?

[CountVonNumenor]

Alright, @Tenkko sorry for the tagging in this thread, but I think this might also be useful for the greater image you have been writing about earlier today. It is interesting how 2021 is regarded as one of, if not the best year for the Western fandom, and then you have the contrast with the first trimester of 2022 to come into a bit of a stark contrast in terms of like...everything. 

[SasaMisa]

I'll bite then, CVN, seeing as no-one else is, although my experience is kind of unique from everyone else's since I don't limited myself to Western fandom alone, like the guy in that video seems to do. For sure, as I said in the chat, I think this year is shaping up to be far better for me personally than last year:-

1. More than 300,000 yen spent on merchandise so far of all varieties (4th box to be sent out tomorrow), rounding out at no less than 250 items. This is the most I've ever splurged out on Touhou Project since I first got into it back in 2013. (*_*)

2. Actually getting to talk to the creator of Youmu & Dungeon of Lewd Creatures was a really big deal for me because it is one of my favourite fangames, and not necessarily for the H either as I happen to like the mechanics too. Heh, now if only I could contact Nijiiro Hitsuji and inform him just how much I love Touhou Hack and Slash & Touhou Explorer. (^_^)

3. Coming back to Gensokyo Treasure Hunting and finally thinking about doing a playthrough of it. I know I'm not the only person looking forward to this, judging by the comments on my old playthrough of Touhou Diablo. (^_~)

These are the main ones anyway, and we're only 6 months into the year. Who knows what will happen between now and Christmas. You never know, I may even end up playing Lost Word (the cute character designs certainly appeal to me at any rate).

Edited June 12, 2022 by SasaMisa
Word substitution.