The Otaku Exhibition

I started the Otaku Exhibition in October of 2020, after realizing that I wasn’t writing half as often as I should like, and already aware I had too much to say about the anime I was watching. I work a lot better on deadlines, so I told myself I’d write two essays or reviews a week, and I actually managed that for the first year before adjusting to one post per week following the first anniversary.

To start, I review anime every season. Starting in April of 2022, I will no longer be individually reviewing series, or reviewing sequels. Reviews will come in the form of the Seasonal Round-Up, where I’ll give my brief thoughts on five or so newly airing anime.

As for essays, I generally only write an essay when I think I can approach this anime from my own angle. I try to cover the broad strokes in my reviews to tell you if an anime is good or not, but an essay is where I want to talk about what an anime does uniquely.

I guess I should do a bit of a biography side. My name’s Jake, I’ve been writing for half of my life, and I’d like to think I’m pretty good at it by now. I wrote entertainment articles focusing on film, television, and video games for WhatCulture in 2017, and self-published my first novel, He Became a Dragon Himself, the following year. My second novel, The Hands of Time, was a semi-finalist in the Honeyfeed x MAL web novel competition.

If you’re a fan of my work, I accept requests for blog posts, and take commissions for all your writing needs. If you’d like to feature my work on your own website, need help drafting or brainstorming, or would just like a short story or fanfiction, feel free to reach out to me. More information is available below.

Requests, Inquiries, and Commissions

For all inquiries and related messages, I can be reached at otakuexhibition@gmail.com, or on Twitter @ExhibitionOtaku.

A request is exactly what it sounds like. If you think I should talk about a particular anime, you can comment on the blog, send an email, or a DM. There’s no guarantee that I’ll write it, but I’ll take a crack if there’s a good idea there.

Commissions are paid projects, and if you’d like to commission a piece from me, the best way to do it is by email. Even if you get ahold of me on Twitter, I’d still prefer if you sent the query in my official email format, just so we can keep things simple. I’ve included a sample email.

Subject Line: Guest Essay Commission Query

Prompt: Anime that draw on Japanese folklore

Minimum/maximum wordcount (if any): 1,000 – 2,000

Deadline (if any): October 18th, 20XX

Summary: Good afternoon. I am interested in commissioning an essay about anime that draw on Japanese folklore for my blog, the Weeb Gallery. If you’re interested, please send a quote and any relevant info to me on Twitter @GalleryWeeb. Have a nice day!

Generally, I will send back a quote based on the word count, the subject matter, the difficulty of writing the piece, and the amount of research that needs to be done. If we agree on the price, half of the commission will be paid upfront. I will complete an outline of the final piece, and the second half of the commission will be paid before I submit a final draft.

You will have the chance to give your feedback before I write the outline, after I write the outline, and after I submit the final draft. Please reserve your biggest changes for the first step, and only minor alterations after that. Don’t ask me to include Chinese or Korean folklore into the example essay after I’ve already written 1,900 words on Japanese folklore.

The good news is that you have complete control over the direction and viewpoint of your commission. If you want me to write something I don’t personally believe, or some blatant propaganda piece, then yeah, it’s your essay or short story. You bought it, you ought to have a say over what it contains.

If you want to purchase the publishing and intellectual property rights to the piece you commission, that will be factored into pricing. Buying the publishing rights allows you to post it freely on your website, while the intellectual property rights mean you can change the essay as you wish, even claim authorship. However, if possible, specify that you want a ghost writer ahead of time.

There is no bargaining, haggling, or discounts. I do not have a friends and family discount because my friends and family would pay me fairly for the work that I do. If you know someone who will do it cheaper, that’s fine, contact them instead. I am not willing to undersell my writing simply because it is your goldfish’s birthday.

The only time a refund will be given is if I cannot deliver a commission in the timeframe I agreed to. If you wish to cancel your commission, the down payment is nonrefundable. If you are not satisfied with the piece, it is nonrefundable. It’s a shame if you aren’t happy with what you paid for, but there’s a lot of people on the internet who will lie about their satisfaction just to save some money.

Commission Guidelines

Generally, I’m pretty open-minded, and I’ll write whatever you say. Mature ratings and such are perfectly fine, and I’m willing to work with you as long as we maintain an open line of communication.

And finally, there is content that I am simply unwilling to write about. Remember that I am not just making you a product, I am creating something that has to take up a significant amount of time in my headspace. If you want me to write about something that makes me uncomfortable, then your commission will be denied. This includes:

• Targeted violence or harassment against groups of people: Yes, BMW drivers suck, but I’m not going to write a story where you hunt them down for sport. I don’t condone violence, discrimination, or mob justice, so even if you’re targeting bad people, I will not write a fluff piece on why they deserve to be killed.
• Anything glorifying taboo topics such as bestiality, necrophilia, sexual violence, etc. I trust you to use your best judgement. I understand fiction can and should be used to address uncomfortable subjects, but there’s a clear line between depiction and approval.
• And literally anything that makes me uncomfortable. This is a blanket rule, as I’m sure there are things outside of what I’ve listed that are beyond the pale.

Simply follow the guidelines and be respectful, and we’ll have a great working relationship. I get along with people of all backgrounds, and if we can agree on everything listed above, this will be no exception. Failure to abide with the guidelines will result in a permanent blacklist from seeking further commissions. Until next time, thanks for reading.