OFF BLXXK's goal is to create a welcoming environment for us all to be seen in the interests that we’ve carried in our hearts for years. The idea for this magazine first arose when we looked around and saw that, although many of the sources we used for ongoing anime/manga news are well made and accurate, there weren’t many people behind the articles, social media pages, and videos that looked like us. As the world has grown, these niche interests no longer became niche, but it felt like our opinions were still not being considered. With this in mind, the next thought was “How do we bridge the gap?”. How do we find a way to make our voices not only heard but recognized and respected? The “BLXXK” in our name comes from our affiliate podcast “Blxxk Anime” where the goal is to create a community in which we can have fun, discuss everything anime/manga, and exemplify the creatives in our community. The podcast has been running for three years strong and is indicative of the community we wish to create with OFF BLXXK. Through the three years we’ve been running the podcast we’ve interviewed voice actors, writers, producers, social media managers, content creators, and more. These connections have allowed us to see that we deserve a voice in the conversations surrounding the anime community. Throughout all our conversations on the podcast we recognized a feeling that seemed to be shared amongst our guests and co-hosts. When talking about their journeys as fans each at different times of their lives has said they felt “at odds” for having these interests in one way or another. A disconnect between their close friends, family members not understanding the appeal, or peers looking down on them for liking something “different” the story can be told multiple different ways but always ends the same. The feeling of being “OFF”. That feeling is something we all share at OFF BLXXK and is precisely how the name came to be. It took time, effort, and sometimes venturing out of your comfort zone to find the community that you now feel found in. This community of “OFF” people that feel perfectly balanced when put together. The found community of OFF BLXXK uses their unique perspectives to create engaging and interesting articles that touch every fandom. Our focus is set on anime/manga, but we do not allow that to limit us. Articles will span from stories on CoryxKenshin to discussions on which anime season is king. The limit for what we want to write about doesn’t exist so why should we create one? The feeling that brought us all together hasn’t dissipated but grown stronger. The world has shown that it is accepting and in turn we’ve decided to give it every piece of our passion. The doors are always open for newcomers, and we welcome a challenge. We thank you for choosing to give OFF BLXXK a chance and hopefully you can also be a member of this found community.