why mark oshiro is awesome

So listen: if you’re the sort of person who enjoys thoughtful, heartfelt, intelligent meta on various geeky things, you really need to check out @markdoesstuff and his excellent content over at Mark Reads and Mark Watches, where - as the name suggests - Mark reads, watches and responds to particular books, films and TV shows unspoiled, complete with ongoing written commentary.

I know a lot of us here on the internet regularly produce a fair bit of bloggery, meta and suchlike, but doing it to a consistently high standard, in depth, on a regular schedule, on commission, across multiple formats, without becoming repetitious, while remaining both entertaining and insightful? That is a next level skill, and one that frequently goes unrecognised as such precisely because of how effortless Mark makes it look. Believe me when I say that it is not easy, and that Mark is kind of insanely exceptional at what he does, and definitely worth your time.

Even if he’s covering a series you’re already familiar with - actually, scrap that: especially when he’s covering a series you’re already familiar with - watching him work his way through the story is always satisfying. It takes a monumental effort to remain unspoiled for so many awesome things while simultaneously being active online and within fandoms, but Mark somehow manages it, and that’s part of what makes his take on things so important: it’s honest, immediate and largely detached from the bullshit that tends to accrue in any fandom within 0.2 seconds of a new episode airing or a new book coming out. Plus he’s also, like, genuinely the nicest human ever? Actual cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure.

Just. Mark is amazing at what he does, and he doesn’t get nearly enough credit for it, and in case you didn’t already know that, I figured someone should tell you. And now I have! So there.