Secured my forever Azuki today.
Been eyeing on this one for almost a year after helping my wife find hers. The owner wasn't really looking to sell. Last week a matching beanz got listed. For some reason, that felt like a sign. Knew it was only a matter of time and today was the day.
Red on red. Red and green. Frogly grail 🐸⛩️
Azuki #584 - The one my wife instantly fell in love with on the day the collection was revealed, also her birthday no less. And of course, someone snagged it before we could even process how much money it cost at the time. She’s never been into NFTs, but this? This was the only NFT she’s ever truly wanted. And ever since, that JPEG has lived rent-free in my brain.
For me, Azuki has always been a love/hate relationship. I love it because it just feels dope. Anime and fashion have always been part of my life. Back in high school, I was buying Ambush pieces when Kanye and Cudi were rocking them. I discovered Satoshi through Ian and his Sicko collab and picked up some of those too. All of this happened before Azuki collab existed. So yeah, Azuki always felt meant to be. Like it was programmed into my DNA.
But part of me hated it too. At first, I had no idea what Azuki was about until reveal day. I was so caught up in Creepz at the time and didn’t sell when FP hit 10e. Watching Azuki rocket to 20e was brutal. If I’d known how insane the art would be, I’d have dumped everything and swept the floor.
Then there was the very 1st LA event. I borrowed a friend’s Azuki and brought my wife. We were there, front row for one of the coolest airdrops in NFT history, but didn’t really belong. That feeling stuck with me.
I feel bad saying this now, but when the FUD hit and Z got doxed, part of me felt… relieved. Otherwise, the FP would’ve gone even higher, and I’d have been priced out forever. Fast forward to Vegas 2023. I borrowed my friend’s Azuki and brought my wife together again. This time I felt ready. I minted 4 Elementals blind for 8e. You all know how that went.
I was furious. Seeing the Elementals felt like watching Jerry Lorenzo dilute Fear of God into Essentials. How could something so pure and aesthetic be followed by something that felt… cheap? Worse, the once legendary Azuki community started to fracture. Even as a non-holder, you could tell this was the strongest, most supportive community in NFTs. Watching it collapse gave the whole space an ick.
After that, I started betting on the “next anime PFP”. Surely another team would emerge with art that could surpass what Z and Steamboy created? I tried dozens of other anime projects, only ended with 10 Memeland Captains sitting in my wallet that may never get revealed. So It took roughly 3 years for me to admit: no art has touched what Azuki built: The traits, the elements, the animals, the gold and spirit, the sheer cool factor. It’s the golden standard for PFPs, and probably always will be. And once I made peace with that, my resentment faded.
Last week, my wife and I went to the Azuki AX event, this time with bought tickets, no borrowed Azuki🤣. For the first time, I experienced it with no bitterness, no FOMO, Just appreciation. Z was there, wearing Satoshi (of course). Seeing him chatting with holders reminded me that no one makes perfect decisions. Even great creators stumble. But what matters is what they do now.
Seeing the TCG display, the Beanz installation, the merch, the community art panel, the claw machine QR code linking to https://t.co/wiRU5vET0W. It all hit me: how far Azuki has come since that night my wife and I first saw #584. And that's when I told myself that I’m finally ready to step into the Garden, and even better, I wanted to join only because Azuki always felt like something that seems meant for me. The FP does not matter, the past does not matter. Heck, even the elemental humans start to look cooler.
And guess what? Right after that night, #584 got listed again. So yeah… it’s sitting in my wallet now. But I bought it for my wife. So technically, I still don’t own an Azuki, which means there can be a tiny possibility that i may feel left out and start to hate Azuki again. But what can i say
Happy wife, happy life⛩️ And always meant-to-be