In the age of streaming, anime shows are growing around the world in popularity. If you're familiar with the online journaling community, you may have noticed the influence of anime and manga in some creators' work.

One creator who incorporates such elements into her work is Viv, a creator who posts under the username @bujowmee on Instagram. 

We wanted to learn about the influence of anime on Viv's journal, so we interviewed her to discuss all things anime journaling, and of course, her favorite anime show!  

Here's our discussion:

Can you share how you became interested in journaling?

I always used to watch bullet journaling videos on YouTube for the longest time and those inspired me to have my journal. Despite saying that, I did not have my journal till 2021!

Before starting my journal, I made four journals, all handmade and set up for the coming year in 2020. I was able to sell all of them in the same year, and that’s when I decided to start my journal! I started posting my spreads on Instagram on January 7, 2021, intending to keep up with it since I thought it’d help me with my assignments and courses in university!

Once I started posting on Instagram, I met some amazing artists who continue to inspire me to this day! Somewhere along the line, also I started following people who posted anime spreads. They inspired me to create my anime journal and I’m currently on the third journal!

What kind of journal do you use, and are there any other tools or stationery items that you consider essential to your journaling routine?

Currently, I use the Tsuki ‘Four Seasons: Winter Edition’ Bullet Journal from Notebook Therapy, which they created in collaboration with @milkkoyo! It’s the original sized journal which is a little smaller in size and has 128 pages dotted pages which is perfect for me!

As for my journaling routine, I always need some washi tapes and some stickers of concentric shapes for decorating my spreads. I changed my style in journaling quite a lot of times and I’ve gone through different types of weeklies to figure out what style fits me best!

To be honest, I haven’t been able to find the best type of spread for me to use, but it’s always interesting to try out different types of spreads. Another essential to my journaling routine is lighting up a candle! It is a form of self-care that I enjoy and is also relaxing after a long day!

You’re a big fan of anime, which is so cool! How did you discover your passion for anime, and what inspired you to combine it with your love for journaling? 

I first watched anime when I was in 8th grade. I enjoyed watching it but stopped in the middle since I was focusing on my studies. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I got back into watching anime, and since I’ve enjoyed watching anime!

My desire to journal about anime started in May 2021, after I came across a bunch of accounts that shared their spreads on Instagram. I started my anime journal on a whim but I loved creating spreads and in a way, it was a way for me to talk about my views on an anime and its characters! I was also able to meet some amazing artists through journaling and continue to meet more every day! 

Generally speaking, how do you create your anime spreads? Do you derive inspiration from your favorite characters or scenes, for example?

Many artists in the community have inspired my journaling style for all my anime spreads! I still do not have a fixed journaling style for my anime journal, but for my current style, I usually end up layering with some vintage papers and some concentric stickers to decorate the spread accordingly.

Most of my spreads are usually inspired by the anime I’m currently watching, or are spreads I’ve created for the character’s birthdays. Some spreads are created solely because I enjoyed watching the character in the anime, while some are made as a part of a collab.

At times, I do create a spread based on a particular episode because of the impact it leaves on me, while I create some for a pair of characters in an anime! 

How do you include anime elements in the structure of your spreads? (For example, do you print them out, look for stickers, make your own drawings, etc?)

For my spreads, I print out manga panels and icons I find throughout the volumes! I try to use official art as much as I can! I do use stickers made by artists in some spreads, but that’s used rarely since most of my spreads are black and white and only have a pop of color through the stickers.

I like to do this because it somehow looks better and minimalistic to my eye when I see it, though almost all my spreads are more on the maximalist side!

What is the impact that your journal has had on you, personally? Do you find that it has had a positive impact on your creativity, or mental health, for example? Or is it mainly a fun way to express yourself?

My journal is like an outlet for everything I’m feeling at the moment! It helps me vent out and also stay on top of all my assignments.

As for my creativity, I feel like it grows every day, looking at different artists on Instagram create amazing masterpieces. It makes me go out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to my limits, something I enjoy doing! :))

Finally, what is your favourite anime show? 

My favorite anime show of all time is “Haikyuu!!” It’s a rather popular series about a high school volleyball team who try their best to reach the national tournament! It continues in the manga and is amazing to watch as well! The story is so well written and each character’s growth is perfectly depicted. it’s gripping right from the start and definitely, a must-watch if you feel like watching anime!

Thank you to Viv for answering our questions. Be sure to follow her on Instagram.