Writing long, well-written posts is something that I never really excelled at, but seeing that this might be the last chance I’ll get, I suppose I will just write down whatever that comes to mind with no regard to quality.
I am sure this goes for basically every member here, but Key and their work has always had a very special place in my heart ever since I was first introduced to Kanon and Air around 2007 or so. For a very long time, there basically wasn’t really anywhere that Key fans could have meaningful conversations or, really, embrace their mutual enthusiasm for Key’s works. Sure, there was IRC, but back then I always had the impession that Key was somewhat shunned by much of the anime community. Later on, the fandom started to grow with the Clannad and Angel Beats! anime, and Key began to be more accepted all around (that’s the way I saw it, at the very least), but there still wasn’t really much of a place that Key fans could really call home.
Some may remember that back in 2009 or so, most of the Japanese VN industry was very much against the idea of having their works seen outside Japan (thanks to a certain eroge). This unfortunately also included Visual Arts and Key, and I just couldn’t fathom why, given Little Busters! was just released in Japan and I thought it was fantastic despite my limited Japanese reading ability back then (at least relative to now). Hoping to somehow change this view and to let Key know that there is a global audience all around the world that appreicates their stories, I tried to put together two very short-lived fan letter projects, Key10th and Key15th (the latter with fellow Key VN fan translation groups), that simply didn’t pan out for various reasons. It was during the planning phase for this second project that I first met Aspirety online through his Kinniku Project, and even though Key15th didn’t fulfill its intended mission, it is because of this that I discovered Kazamatsuri later on, when Aspirety achieved what I was hoping Key15th would become.
Even though I very rarely posted on the forum (preferring to keep to Discord most of the time), Kazamatsuri is really the first community where I thought I belonged to a community of likeminded people who are passionate about Key. While I haven’t met most of Kazamatsuri’s members in person, I do think I am among friends every time I talk about Key games and animes (and other random topics) with everyone on Discord and when we all participate in the many events over the years.
Many major Key events have happened since the community started. New Key works like AB! 1st Beat, Charlotte, and Summer Pockets were released over the years; a good amount of Key games are now officially available in English (and I’ve had the privilege to work on a lot of them in various capacities); and Key and Visual Arts now recognizes that there is an active fanbase outside Japan. I think most of this couldn’t have been achieved without a community like Kazamatsuri around.
Even though I don’t really post much and the Discord server will still be around, this still feels like I am losing a place where I hang out and am among friends. This is a place that I will truly miss, but I look forward to seeing you guys around. All of us will, of course, still be a part of the larger Key community, and I look forward to seeing you guys enjoy Summer Pockets and hearing what you guys think about it!
Shoutout to all the Kaza peeps who have been a pleasure to hang out with both here and on Discord: @Aspirety, @Pepe, @cjlim2007, @grooven, @Kanon, @HeliosAlpha, @Hardscope, and everyone else!
