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Intro
Normally I'm not an extrovert person but I was lying in bed last night after reading one of Nani's disheartened tweets and I thought I ought to say thank you to someone who has been an inspiration to me while I still can. The first draft I did for this I had initially written quite a lot but I have decided to condense it to what I think has been most important about Naniwa's career to me thus far.
The first time I watched live competitive starcraft 2 was the TSL (3?) with the finals being Thorzain vs Naniwa, at the time I was having no luck vs T and seeing someone do incredible things I'd never even thought possible blew my mind. Even though Naniwa lost that final you could feel him caring through the game, of course seen through the infamous "chill - out" moment. Ever since then I've followed competitive starcraft but particularly every competitive match of Naniwa's I could find time for.
Following The Story
Since TSL what has been the most impressive thing about Naniwa is his consistency to perform at the highest level, from winning MLG to making serious runs in GSL then on to some of the most heart racing moments at Dreamhack I've ever had the pleasure to witness. The effort put into each game was tangible even to low level players like myself, each game strategically thought-out in advance, he showed he cared so much more than anyone else when he played and that's what makes a starcraft player truly exciting. This can be seen no instance better than if he loses. To draw comparison to another player one can look at Liquid'HerO physically shaking after each loss, similarly Naniwa after losing a (close) final at Dreamhack, was crushed. He made me care and rather than dismiss it as "a good run for a foreigner" it made me even more excited to watch the next tournament he would compete in because he had a legitimate chance to take it and you knew he cared.
Perhaps the most perfect thing about supporting/cheering Naniwa is, in fact, his imperfections. Watching him fight against his nature to speak his mind makes him even more amazing to follow as you can witness a person not only improving in the thing he loves, but improving himself. This makes him a polarising player with two sides, one loving him, one ..not so much. Regardless of which side you happen to fall on one can't argue that he is an important person for game
What I Wanted to Say
So Finally I've gotten to what I wanted to say, simply I just wanted to say thank you to someone who has provided me with so much entertainment and devoting so much to starcraft 2. While I know demuslim and Naniwa don't see eye-to-eye I thought it was admirable and sound advice from demuslim to suggest taking a break for a while and I sincerely hope that is decision Naniwa comes to (or at worst comes back when LOTV comes out). Whatever the decision he makes, if I were to put my selfish wishes aside, I want Naniwa to pursue something that he enjoys because, after putting in so much effort, he deserves it.
To end on a quote from Liquid'HerO's twitter (not the most profound source but I think very apt): "just enjoy"
Thank you Naniwa 
Maybe other people have players that they follow and have really been moved by them so let them know while you can.
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I couldn't agree more with the idea of this. Give the players more credit for beeing awsome personalities.
I am a great fanboy of the 2 kings of the north and the TSL3 Final game between Thorzain and Nani is one of my best memories of Starcraft!
GOGO NANI
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I agree. I get heartbroken every time I watch that video when NaNiwa loses at Dreamhack and walks away on his own, with noone cheering him up or anything. I hope people are there to support him in dark times like these. I sincerely hope he finds his motivation again, perhaps by the 10'000 screaming people in the audience of IEM.
Thank you NaNiwa for all the entertainment you've given us. I hope it isn't over yet!
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I remember the first time I saw him playing at a big tournament. He did well back then, and stayed on a high level ever since.
And after some time I came to the conclusion that we need more controversial people like Naniwa in the (mostly) boring esport scene. People like him make it fun to watch for people who want to learn from watching those games aswell as people who just watch for fun.
Gl in what comes next Naniwa.
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Isn't this what fan clubs are for?
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I have to agree with everytihing here. I've been so impressed with Naniwa over the years. The way he have planned out all of his games and beat so many koreans. His dedication have always been unquestionable. Thank you for all you've done Nani!
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TLADT24920 Posts
When I first read the title, I thought Naniwa was thanking the fan and I thought that was sweet lol. I was disappointed to see that it wasn't the case XD
On March 15 2014 00:33 sitromit wrote:
Isn't this what fan clubs are for?
pretty much this or blogs, not that there's anything with thanking a player.
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Naniwa basically saying "I don't even want to try" to everyone's face in IEM right now.
Not what I call sportmanship...
lol@Nerchio up my post
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This feels bloggish. Strike that, this is bloggish.
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On March 15 2014 00:58 Nerchio wrote:
Thank you naniwa hehehe
I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not, but I sincerely hope its not.
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On March 15 2014 01:05 docvoc wrote:I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not, but I sincerely hope its not.
It's Nerchio, what do you think it is?
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Apocalyptic end to a great career...Best of luck
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I was more a fan of the way the Polish crowd thanked him. 
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You don't boo a player off stage, no matter what. Not nice, Polish fans.
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On March 15 2014 01:05 docvoc wrote:I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not, but I sincerely hope its not.
I think the "hehehe" kinda tells... I don't think our community's thank is needed, he played for himself and had a lot of success, he never considered the fans and acted passive aggressive on many occasions like today.
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On March 15 2014 01:11 sd_andeh wrote:
You don't boo a player off stage, no matter what. Not nice, Polish fans.
Honestly, I've never seen booing more fitting than here.
He pissed off the fans.
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On March 15 2014 01:11 sd_andeh wrote:
You don't boo a player off stage, no matter what. Not nice, Polish fans.
That wasn't enough imo
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Oh god that was shameful. He could've at least played the games instead of blaming some made-up issues. Not the way of a champion.
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On March 15 2014 01:11 sd_andeh wrote:
You don't boo a player off stage, no matter what. Not nice, Polish fans.
Naniwa is the one at fault here, He just exploited his invitation for a free hotel. If he had any manners he would've conceded his invitation.
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EPT
