Some of you may have noticed a minor change on Realm of Darkness over the past few days and you were not mistaken. As part of the blog's 3 million visit milestone, which was reached back in June, I commissioned a new illustration to further elevate this 16-year-old blog. Since the main banner was already redesigned for the 2 million milestone, I decided it was time to give the side banner the same treatment, starting with Sakura Taisen series.
The commission process took somewhat longer than I had originally expected due to a few minor delays on the illustrator's side, but I am still very satisfied with the final result. Among all the Sakura Taisen mecha designs, I chose Ichiro Ogami's Koubu F3 from Sakura Taisen 3. To me, it represents the perfect balance between functionality and aesthetics, while Sakura Taisen 3 itself remains my personal favorite entry in the series.
Spending USD 35 on an illustration that will end up compressed into relatively small pixel dimensions may seem excessive for an obscure blog maintained by someone living in Southeast Asia, but I still consider it money well spent. It is one of the few tangible ways I can express my continued commitment to a blog that I have maintained for more than 16 years. More importantly, it reflects my ongoing effort to strengthen the blog's identity and preserve its individuality, with the hope that it will eventually become a monolith that could withstand the test of time.
Reaching the 3 million visit milestone is also quite meaningful occasion itself. It took only four months to gain this latest milestone, compared to roughly 18 months for the previous million and around 13 years to reach the very first million. Seeing the blog's growth accelerate after so many years is both surprising and deeply rewarding.
Choosing Sakura Taisen as the first series to receive a redesigned side banner also symbolizes my renewed commitment to revisiting the franchise. After I complete my current journey with Ys series, I hope to finally return to Sakura Taisen and give it the attention it has long deserved.
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