Hi there! Welcome to my little corner of the internet. My name is Erica, creator of TsundEri, which is a YouTube channel about anything and everything having to do with anime — but you can just call me Eri. I created TsundEri as a space to express myself and talk about one of my favorite things — anime! If you’ve been following the channel for a while and you’re curious about how this all came to be, here’s my story.
I’ve been watching anime since I was about 3 or 4 years old when I inherited my older sister’s Sailor Moon VHS tapes. My mother saw that I really enjoyed the series, so she eventually made it a habit to pick up whatever Sailor Moon tapes she found at Blockbuster on her way home (yes, I’m that old). My mom only saw Sailor Moon as a bright and colorful cartoon to keep her hyper toddler occupied and quiet, but it was actually the start of a lifelong addiction.
As a toddler, I didn’t know what anime was, but I knew I wanted to watch anything that looked like Sailor Moon. A few years later, Toonami became a thing and I eventually figured out shows like Sailor Moon, Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho, Zoids, and Zatch Bell were all called anime. Then one day I was finally old enough to be trusted with the family computer. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent scrolling through sketchy websites watching all kinds of anime — many of which probably weren’t appropriate for a 12-year-old.
My love for anime waned a bit once I entered college, and I got lost in a sea of endless essays, exams, tailgates, college radio, and Miami shenanigans. I was a broadcast journalism major, and my dream was to be the next Ida B. Wells, or Oprah, or the Black Anderson Cooper.
In 2017, I graduated and became a digital journalist who reported on everything from politics to film festivals — and puppy yoga.
I had some career highs and accomplished some amazing things, but I felt empty and burnt out. I was creating content for a TV station and their audience, which often meant creating content I wasn’t passionate about or didn’t resonate with.
On top of that, news is a ruthless industry where you’re only as good as your last story and you very rarely get time off — and the pay sucks. Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, broke, and in a creative funk — I needed an outlet.
Then the pandemic happened.
My hometown of Jacksonville, Florida (briefly) went into a lockdown (sort of), and I found myself working from home and with a lot more time on my hands — time I used to rediscover my love for anime. I started by bingeing some old favorites (Sailor Moon and Yu Yu Hakusho), then watching shows my friends recommended me (Yuri On Ice, My Hero Academia, and Food Wars), and finally diving into whatever peaked my interests (Somali and the Forest Spirit, Cells at Work, Carol & Tuesday, Given, and Erased).
I felt like a kid again, and not only did I rediscover my love for anime — I fell in love with storytelling again. I found myself surfing the internet and researching my favorite shows and trying to find new ones. I got into seasonal anime, I started following my favorite voice actors on social media — I was LIVING. Then I finally realized what I needed to do to get out of my creative funk — I’ll start a YouTube channel about anime! I’ll create whatever I want from deep dives to interviews to reviews and just whatever else comes to mind. Thus, TsundEri was born.
Fast forward to 2022 — I’ve long since left journalism, and I’m now a content writer full-time. My new flexible hours allow me to focus on my passions, including TsundEri. And I’ve never been happier.
So that long story is the origin of my channel, but what about the blog? Don’t worry, its story is much shorter. I just love to write — as you can see by this novel of an About page — and I wanted a place where I can write about anything I want. Here you’ll find my musings about anime, music, pop-culture, and more. I hope you enjoy this little window into my mind and that you decide to stay awhile.
And that’s really all there is to it! When I’m not watching anime or creating content, I can be found reading, collecting crystals, lounging at the beach, strolling through art museums, taking pole dance classes, or playing with my two adorable cats named Sushi and Wasabi.
Thanks for stopping by and follow me on:
TsundEri 