ENTRY #2

As I mentioned before, I began this journey last April.

But the actual covers didn't start appearing until the first week of June--

At this point, sharp-eyed followers will likely say: 「ちょっと待って！」("Wait a minute!")

"According to the date on YouTube, your first cover was posted on October 7, 2022! How in the Wide Wide World of Sports can you say it was last June?!?"

Now gather 'round, Children. Uncle Abner's gonna tell y'all a story....

When I originally envisioned this Thing I'm doing, I had decided I'd use a stage name.

In tribute to the types of anime songs I'd planned to cover--older songs from the '80s and '90s--I went with the moniker "The Red Comet," an outright reference to Char Aznable from Mobile Suit Gundam and its sequels. 

Short of dressing up as Char in cosplay complete with iconic helmet and performing as such, I went with a subtler outfit: a red suit jacket. 

That, in turn, conjured up images of a lounge singer-type persona and I hit upon the character of Lorne from Angel and then Vic Fontaine from Deep Space Nine.

Lorne

Vic Fontaine

But then I occurred to me: why go with a fictional character as a model when I could style myself after the real folks.

Like John Barrowman.

Or better yet, since I was singing anime songs: Sasaki Isao.

Sasaki Isao. Who sang the classic theme song "Uchuu Senkan Yamato," among others.

And so when June rolled around and I posted my first cover, "Runner" from Macross, on YouTube, it was under the stage name "The Red Comet." 

Up went The Red Comet YouTube channel. 

Up when the Twitter account. 

I even started calling my followers "Cometeers."

I would post 10 cover songs over the span of five months as The Red Comet."

Then, at the end of September, I decided to drop the stage name. 

I decided I had to be me. Not "me playing as someone else."

Me.

Abner.

So over a busy weekend in early October, I redid my logos, recut the cover song videos with the new titles, took down the Red Comet channel and Twitter, and reuploaded all 10 songs to my own personal YouTube channel, alongside my anime livestream show, ANIME SHIYOU!!

By mid-October, we were back in business and dropping more cover songs.

Of course, I took a hit.

Up until the switchover, some of the covers were getting good play. My cover of "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" had, at that point, amassed more than 100 views.

Okay, probably small change compared to elsewhere in the YouTubes, but it was still 100+ views and I was rather proud of that.

With the switch, all the number vanished and I was back to 0. 

Nil.

Goose egg.

I was basically starting from scratch.

In hindsight, I should've started posting as me right off the bat. Created an anison cover singer channel and posted there instead of going with a stage name.

Oh well. 

You live and learn, as they say.