Monthly Archives: August 2008

The Otaku Exercise Regimen?

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I might not have any sort of specific numbers or charts or data, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be off when I say the vast majority of otaku are out-of-shape, yours truly included. Whether we’re malnourished and underweight or heavy eaters with huge guts, exercise is not exactly a part of the standard image of the otaku, or the geek, or anything of that sort.

What if there was an exercise regimen geared towards otaku? Maybe something one can do while watching anime, finding healthy foods to eat based on anime dishes, back-strengthening exercises to prevent the pull of heavy bookbags, that sort of thing. I know it sounds like a complete gimmick, and that it might as well be one because in the end exercise boils down to hard work and diligence, something that shounen manga is eager to teach us again and again.

If I had to guess as to why so many otaku are sacks of flab, it’s because we grow up with this mentality of brains vs brawn, that the two have difficulty existing with one another, that one is the opposite of the other. If we can first shed this misconceived notion, I think we’d be on our way.

Like I said earlier though, I’m hardly a prime physical speciment, but there is one piece of advice I can give that I know is 100% guaranteed to help otaku.

Stop drinking so much goddamn soda.

Oh, and watch out for my Otakon 2008 report tomorrow.

The Sexiness is Galaxy

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Macross Frontier seems to have a certain portion of the Macross fandom in a dangerous state of conflict, as they see both good and evil in this 25th Anniversary celebration of Studio Nue’s most famous work. Fanservice, of the T&A variety, fanservice, designed to get men (and possibly women) in a tizzy, it’s the subject of much discussion on forums and chatrooms. Some people feel it would be a better show without things like Sheryl’s exposed bosom or Klan’s alternating forms.

I think it’s a mistake to though say that the fanservice in Macross Frontier necessarily detracts from the show, as much of the fanservice is done with a sense of style and taste, and it’s not easy to mix with taste with tastelessness. I think the absolute best example so far, in so much that it got me particularly hot under the collar, is the hospital scene with Ranka and Sheryl competing with each other by singing to Alto. No actual T or A was present, but just the implied message of the two pop idols vying with each other for the affections of one man makes that scene perhaps the most sexually charged scene to date. Now that’s what I call fanservice.

And then there are all the people who wish they would get away from relationship drama and go back to more fighting. Don’t listen to them.

Drawing in the meanwhile

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JAM Project JAM Project

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JAM Project Jam Project JAM Project.

JAM Project? JAM Project JAM Project JAM Project.

JAM Project JAM Project! JAM Project, JAM Project JAM Project JAM Project JAM Project…Jam Project?

JAM Project! (JAM Project)

Priorities for Otakon

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-JAM Project concert, that Katsura comedian guy.

-Finding something for JAM Project to sign, preferrably a cool, relevant poster or a DVD box set. Something like Scrapped Princess for example, or Gravion.

-Ogiue merchandise. I will not be denied again, unless it’s of course by virtue of there not being anything.

-Meeting with cool people.

-Avoiding the Yamaguchi Kappei line, as much as I’d like to meet the man who voiced Sai Saici. He plays L (from Death Note) and Inuyasha (from Pokemon). The fangirl barrier will be impenetrable.

-I may or may not want to watch a few episodes of the classic Casshern anime.

-Kick, Attack, Lightspeed Punch

I can’t promise anything~

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In anticipation for a certain get-together at Otakon karaoke, I’ve taken it upon myself to memorize one or two anime songs. I don’t do this normally, and when I do it’s usually for some easy-to-sing Super Robot openings, so actually sitting down and practicing and looking at lyrics has been quite an experience in learning about myself.

1) I can’t sing. This is compounded by the fact that one of the songs I picked turns out to be quite difficult.

2) I think it might actually be easier to memorize the lyrics when reading the original Japanese and not the romaji. When written in romaji, the pronunciation is there, but the meaning of the lyrics is gone and makes it more difficult to keep in memory. At least that’s how I feel.

So I’m looking forward to it. As for what songs I’ve chosen, well I’ll leave that a secret for now. Except for Yuushaou Tanjou! because I have to do that every time.

The Shoopon

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shoopon

I have no idea what a Shoopon is.

In Defense of Naruto

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Naruto is a shounen manga like so many others, yet it still holds a special place in my spiritual pantheon of anime that I’ve watched heart, and out of the more modern fare it still remains my overall favorite shounen manga. It can be very easy to dismiss the entirety of Naruto on some lackluster parts, but the other day I was reminded about why I liked Naruto in the first place.

I was taking the bus home, and I began to think back to when I was more of a Naruto fan, when I kept up with it fairly religiously, when I looked at the forums to see what people thought of the latest chapter/episode. Naturally, there are scenes in Naruto which stuck out in my mind, and chief among them was the battle between Naruto and Gaara during the invasion of Konoha. And as I thought about it, I felt myself almost moved to tears by the themes of that encounter, by the sheer emotion of it all built upon the past histories of their two characters.

During the fight, Naruto looks into Gaara’s eyes, but where all others see only murder and insanity, Naruto sees past the surface and comes to the realization that Gaara’s eyes are those of crippling loneliness. More importantly, those eyes were an all too familiar sight to Naruto, who saw them in the mirror every day while growing up. In this one moment, Naruto displays an incredible sense of empathy, and his mission, his purpose changes, from simply defeating Gaara to save the village, to defeating him in order to prove that a solitary life ridden by overwhelming loneliness can only get you so far. Gaara was no longer simply an enemy, but rather the person who understood Naruto the most.

Naruto is an easy character to criticize with all of his hollering and frequent displays of incompetence. I can find myelf doing it sometimes too, but then I think back to the core of his character, that of the boy shunned by everyone around him for reasons out of his control, who desired above all else to be noticed and to be respected. While things have come a long way and Naruto has become a valued member of his own village, it’s still easy to see how this struggle still informs his character.

Lena Sayers, Lena Sayers, Lena Sayers: My-Otome 0 ~S.ifr~ OVA 2

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Sifr Fran, future mother of Nina Wáng, is still kidnapped. Lena, future mother of Arika Yumemiya, is iinjured in the last battle with Miyu-9, has been picked up by an unassuming researcher named Shirou. Her Otome gem has been shattered leaving her powerless, and much of the episode focuses on Lena and Shirou getting to know each other, though it all starts off with exactly the kind of misunderstanding one would expect out of the Otome series. Meanwhile, we’re treated to the appearance of a young Maria Graceburt, and the original Miyu who apparently has been around for a very long time.

Oh yeah, and Shirou is totally Not Arika’s Future Dad. You know, despite looking like her, having similar overall personalities, and becoming enamored with Lena very shortly after meeting her.

Totally.

Hot women, fun characters, good fight scenes, implied lesbianism, the second OVA prequel of My-Otome has pretty much everything the Otome series is known for, only because it focuses on Otome character designer Hisayuki Hirokazu’s beloved mascot Lena Sayers, the entire production just screams effort.

Because we know Lena’s inevitable fate, S.ifr really isn’t about watching what happens. It’s about being in the moment, and that moment consists of enjoying and savoring every moment Lena Sayers is on-screen. I won’t deny that much of the appeal of this OVA is Lena Sayers, and not in completely noble ways. She is hot, downright hot, hot in that she’s a mix of caring woman, powerful fighter, confident yet kind (see also: Vega from Dendoh), and hot because Hisayuki has put so much love and attention into the character that this could have only been the possible end result.

Otakon and the Social Con

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As we approach Otakon 2008, which promises to be full of auditory burning passion the likes of which will scar the very cement and bedrock on which the Baltimore Convention lies, albeit without Matsumoto Rica (which looks to be some kind of last-minute decision).

Aside from JAM Project and this awesome guy though, I’m not really beholden to the events schedule. However, after the previous two years, I’m still not sure what is the ideal ratio of attending panels, hanging out with friends, shopping in the dealer’s room, etc. is for me. I’ve somehow ended up as a part of many groups over the years, and while I would want to hang out with most, if not all of them, preferrably over lunch or dinner, there’s only so many lunches and dinners in a day unless you’re a hobbit (note to self: chop off shins). Whereas once I could just go with the flow, it becomes increasingly difficult to do everything I want and still remain relaxed.

I’m sure I’ll be on some degree of autopilot anyway during Otakon, but the question for me becomes, WHY do I go to Otakon?

For JAM Project, of course, but other than that, why?

Otakon is designed for as many people (who like Japanese culture) to enjoy themselves in the way they want. That’s why there’s a gaming room. That’s why there are cosplay and AMV contests. That’s why there’s anime at all. And of course with a con I get to meet people I don’t see normally, and there’s even the off chance I’ll get to know people I’ve never met before, online or off.

I think my worry is that the pressure of a schedule is the last thing I want from Otakon. That said, I’m sure it won’t happen when the time comes.

See you guys there. I’ll be mostly indistinguishable from the rest of the nerds, but you might be able to find me as I scour the dealer’s room for Ogiue merchandise.

…And I also might be wearing an Ogiue badge. Maybe.