Hey there, party people! 

If you’ve been keeping up with the MediaOCD Blog, you’ve probably seen the occasional essay from the great Jonathan Clements or some yahoo whose name rhymes with bloop. Well, my friends, that was only a sneak peek at what is to about hit the blog… Starting today! 

Before I get into all the juicy details, it might not be a bad idea to introduce myself. I’m that aforementioned yahoo, Coop Bicknell. If you’ve got a stack of recent Discotek or AnimEigo releases sitting under your TV, there’s a good chance I wrote what’s on the back of that box. Berserk, Bubblegum Crisis, and Hajime no Ippo are just a few of those titles. However, I’ve also written my fair share of articles for sites such as Anime News Network, where I explore the nuts and bolts of my favorite titles—be it Urusei Yatsura, Macross, or even Slam Dunk. Thanks to those experiences, I’m writing to you today as the MediaOCD Blog’s Features Editor! 

But that’s enough about me, let’s talk about all the good stuff we’ve been cooking up for you.

In addition to the occasional bit of store news or product update from Justin and Steven, we’ll be posting a brand-spanking-new column every Tuesday! This initial duo of columns are penned by anime historian Jonathan Clements and myself. Here’s the lowdown on what to expect with each column. 

BEHIND THE SCREENS – Looking for the inside scoop on that movie or show you saw a few weeks back? Well, you’re in luck! Jonathan Clements has the behind-the-scenes stories behind the very best Asian Cinema has to offer—from bombastic live-action efforts to animation that shattered the small screen!

BESIDE MYSHELF – As much as they hate to admit it, Coop Bicknell’s media shelves are on the verge of bursting at the seams! It’s just too much anime to handle! But instead of doing the smart thing and buying another shelf, they’re digging back into their old favorites, some new-to-them classics, and a bit of history behind it all. 

On the topic of that last one, the first ALL-NEW BESIDE MYSHELF, featuring Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, is live right now! But that’s not all! The latest edition of BEHIND THE SCREENS, diving into the world of Keita Amemiya’s Zeiram, is waiting for you to discover as well. 

We’re also developing a column with our good friend Mike Toole (of the Mike Toole Show fame), tentatively titled TOOLE’S GOLD. Keep an eye out for more information about it in the near future.

Whenever the three of us aren’t writing away, we’ll be posting all sorts of extra goodies too! These could be interviews, write-ups from the larger MediaOCD team, and features focused on our upcoming releases. We might even invite a few of our friends to get in on the fun while we’re at it. Needless to say, you’ll want to bookmark this blog to see what we’re dropping each Tuesday.

We’re very much in the blog’s early days, but I’m incredibly excited to be working alongside Justin, Jonathan, Mike, and the rest of the MediaOCD crew as we slowly but surely build this together. I, for one, can’t wait to share what we’ve got in store for you all—be it one of our new columns or something a little different. 

-Coop