Expect Good News This Year – God

And all of the glory goes to the Almighty God above the beautiful heavens. Thank You, my Holy Father, for bringing this beautiful passion of mine back to life. What you just read isn’t merely an anniversary reflection—it’s a living testimony from me. This wasn’t just some random story that happened. It was a beautiful promise given to me by my Almighty God, foretelling good news that would come into my life, and in the end, it did happen—exactly as He said it would. Every single paragraph, every action, every turning point, every moment of heartbreak and rebirth… all credit, all praise, and all glory belong to Him alone—the Almighty God of Glory! Amen! – Kurai

On December 20, 2015, in the 87th minute of a Serie A match between Inter Milan and Lazio at the San Siro, Felipe Melo conceded a penalty with a reckless challenge on a cold late-autumn afternoon. Antonio Candreva stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick, restoring Lazio’s lead. In the end, Lazio claimed the three points they desperately needed, leaving the San Siro stunned.Among those stunned was me—a passionate, 18-year-old Inter supporter watching from across the Atlantic in the Sunshine State. It was a typical gray, cold, cloudy day in the suburbs of Orlando. In a surge of rage, disappointment, and sheer exhaustion from years of constant Nerazzurri heartbreak, I hurled my slipper to the ground.

That moment crystallized something for me: the Nerazzurri were going to disappoint their faithful once again. After years of mediocrity—and with more to come—Inter had a well-earned reputation for spectacular collapses after crucial defeats like this one. Sure enough, the team imploded. They fell from 1st place to 4th by January, were out of the title race by March, and had dropped out of the Champions League qualification spots by May. It was a collapse so predictable it almost felt scripted.After that Lazio loss, I finally realized: enough is enough. I was tired of getting so worked up and heartbroken over something that, deep down, wasn’t even a true passion of mine anymore. I was tired of the stress, the anger, and the emotional rollercoaster over something that ultimately had very little real significance in my life. Most of all, I was tired of wasting time on a hobby that no longer brought me joy—time I could be spending on something I truly loved and wanted to build a future around.When those feelings finally surfaced, only one thing came to mind: anime, manga, and the otaku life I had once embraced so fully.After years of drought, with that passion lying dormant, something awakened inside me. I told myself: Kurai, it’s time to change course. Enough is enough. Stop wasting your energy on a team of billionaires living their dreams on the pitch, and start chasing your own. A few days later, on December 25, 2015, I began watching Attack on Titan. I finished the season on December 30.That week marked the moment I finally turned the page.

The question you’re probably asking is: what the heck does this have to do with anime, manga, and my otaku life? Well, please sit back, buckle up, and get ready—because this is the story of one of the most important turning points in my life. It’s exactly how my passion for anime and manga came roaring back.I first became an otaku in 2011, but between 2012 and 2015, I went through a long, slow drought. My enthusiasm faded, and I found myself feeling more miserable, depressed, and completely unable to take my otaku passion to new heights—the way you see me doing today, and the way I did for years after my revival began in 2016.In this piece, I’m going to tell you the full tale of how it all happened: how one small, unexpected moment brought me, as an otaku, back to life and led me to where I am today.