And so we find ourselves nearing the end of another year – celebrating its impending conclusion with some Christmas cheer. However you choose to celebrate Christmas and the New Year period, I hope yours is full of happiness, laughter and goodwill. Perhaps more importantly, I hope it provides some much needed respite as you dive into the final days of the year, hopefully leading to a better 2023.
It has been another complicated year to navigate through. It started off with a big COVID-19 lockdown here in Queensland which saw schools and workplaces shut down, and from there, there was juggling of increased work requirements/demands, health problems, and unfortunately more than a few deaths of family and friends. But at the same time, the year was rich with opportunities, and I must thank everyone I have collaborated and worked with this year for making them possible.
I hope that 2023 provides you with many new opportunities and personal successes – from that promotion you have been searching for – to something as simple as getting a little more time to sit down and play a video game you have been waiting to play for the longest time. However you choose to spend the upcoming 365 days, I hope they are good ones.
As a special treat, as you can see from the header image of this post, we also have brand new Christmas artwork! This comes from the incredibly talented Japanese artist Mutou Mato (武藤まと), who I collaborated with on this site’s 15th Anniversary artwork. Isn’t she adorable in the reindeer outfit?!? Her work experience with Santa is certainly paying off in the cuteness department =^,^=. I am planning a Q&A session with the artist in the coming days, so please look forward to it.
Thank you to everyone who has joined me on The Otaku’s Study this year. More plans are already in the works for 2023, and I look forward to continuing to explore this labyrinth of fandom with you.
To you and everyone you love, have a very Merry Christmas!
Sam
