Monthly Archives: October 2009

Stupid Emperor Baseball Girls

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I’ve been reading up a little about Japanese history as of late, and one interesting bit is that the Taisho Emperor was reported as something of a numb-skull. Described as “aloof” and “feeble-minded,” the most famous story is the time he rolled up a document in order to peer through it like a telescope in front of his ministers and officials. He was never allowed in public again. In light of the recent display of 1920s Japanese girls engaging in America’s Favorite Pastime in the form of Taisho Yakyuu Musume, my first reaction was wondering how the existence of a less-than-good Emperor might cast a dubious shadow on the show and its setting.

My second reaction however, was the realization that no moment in history is truly idyllic, even if it might be a lot harder to write about the happy times fighting in the trenches of World War I than it is to portray 1950s America as an A-OK happy fun time (as TV shows from that era often did). If I started looking at TYM from that perspective, I’d probably have to do with every period piece of fiction ever, and that’s not a road I’m willing to travel down.

There might have been some riots during the time Koume and Akiko were learning how to throw a ball, but forcibly attaching the politics of the era to what is supposed to be a harmless show about girls learning about self-improvement (with some yuri humor on the side) would be a definite problem that likely would be purely for my own smug satisfaction, which is the last thing I’d want.

Pronouncin’ Them Anime Words

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For a long time, I was bothered by really inaccurate pronunciations of anime words. I can tell you of the time I was in the comic store and heard a guy remarking that there was a ton of “magna.” I’m sure you’ve seen the people talking about how Sa-soo-ke is their favorite Naruto character. Then something changed.

I’m not sure if it was the realization that as much as I’ve studied Japanese, my own language skills aren’t perfect, but at some point I realized that there’s a good deal of futility in trying to change the way people pronounce Japanese words, particularly anime ones. Even the word “anime” itself falls under this scrutiny. Some people say “annimay” because it’s closer to the word animation, others try to go full on with the Japanese pronunciation with “ah-nee-meh,” and you’ll hear variations every which way. Who’s right? Is there any need to have a right or a wrong pronunciation, as long as we understand one another? Should we be criticizing people who pronounce “karaoke” the non-Japanese way? What if you say it the Japanese way and people have no idea what you’re saying? Should we be criticizing people who pronounce any foreign word outside of the pronunciation in its original language?

English has tons of variations even within the United States, let alone the rest of the world, and while those variations aren’t as drastic as, say, the dialects in China, the result is that you get a whole slew of differing pronunciations for the same word. And then you want to throw Japanese words on top of that?

It’s crazy I tell you.

THAT FAT GUY IS AMURO RAY

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When I first went to see Paprika in theaters, one thing that caught my attention was the voices. At first, I could not pinpoint them. Who is the main character? I know I’ve heard her voice before… And then it hit me: Hayashibara Megumi, that most prolific of 90s voice actors (who’s still doing work today and has recently written her own book), was the voice behind Paprika. Then another voice struck me. THAT FAT GUY IS AMURO RAY! I felt the desire to jump out of my seat and shout, “AHA!” but decided against it. Unfortunately for me though, I was not accompanied to the theater by any friends who were particularly into anime, so I could not share my discoveries at the time.

There are anime fans who have watched just as much if not more than I have, who are unable to pick up on a character being voiced by an actor from their favorite series, but there are also anime fans who have watched far less than me who are able to pick up on the subtle nuances of a voice and determine, despite any sort of wild differences in the voices used for the two characters, that the same actor plays these roles. And they’re not even always seiyuu otaku!

What is it that makes some people more able to recognize voice actors than others? I’m not applying this solely to Japanese seiyuu, but rather voice actors in general from Frank Welker to Kamiya Akira. I don’t consider myself to have a keen sense of hearing, so I can’t say I’m particularly tuned to any difficult-to-perceive aspects of voices, but when I do notice a recognizable voice, it generally has to do with something that one role has in common with another, even if those roles vary wildly. Of course, I don’t always get it right, and there are times when a voice hits me but I just cannot pinpoint it. I don’t know, I unfortunately do not have the proper vocabulary to explain it.

Perhaps someone with greater knowledge of voices and audio could explain better.

Trapeze is Not an Anime for Anime Fans

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A number of people have criticized the current Fall season of anime for having too many cliched shows, too many moe shows, and most important of all, for having no giant robot shows at all. “Where are the good anime that’s meant for us?” they might lament. Well, Trapeze is here to tell you that it’s different from the rest, but to some it might be a little too different.

Whereas Kaiba was the kind of highly artistic anime which could still attract viewers with a strong plot, relatable and interesting characters, and a visual style which, while unusual, is still clean and pleasing to the eye overall, Trapeze (or “Kuuchuu Buranko”) has none of those “concessions,” and just straight up presents itself as a bit of a nonsense show, even if it actually isn’t. Don’t be fooled by that cute blond in all the promotional images, this is not a show about a kid who loves to dress silly.

You might ask, “Why would anyone watch it, if it’s got not much of a plot, no good characters, and is ugly?” Well, that’s the reason Trapeze might not be for you the anime fan, whether you’re the type of fan who is looking for sweeping narrative and grandiose storytelling, or you’re the type of fan who mainly cares about the characters themselves. In fact, it’s kind of hard to actually call it an “anime” at all. Now, you can be an anime fan and still like Trapeze and quite a bit, but you’ll have to be aware of the likely possibility that you’re not gonna like it as you would most shows.

The way I would describe Trapeze would be 1/3 Shinbo Akiyuki (director of Zetsubou Sensei and Hidamari Sketch), 1/3 Yuasa Masaaki (director of Kaiba and Kemonozume), and 1/3 Tom Snyder (creator of Home Movies and Dr. Katz). Does that make it a good show? Honestly, my opinion is still up in the air after only one episode. What I will say though is that while I enjoyed the first episode, it’s the kind of show that probably wouldn’t be good to marathon. It’s kind of an intentionally abrasive show, and I don’t know how many people could handle that. It’s like eating corned beef hash; tastes great, but eat a little too much a little too often and you suddenly start to get sick of it.

Non-Psychic Psychic Sword vs Hindu Magic Lasers

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A few months back I was fortunate enough, blessed, I might say, to have the opportunity watch two incredible animated classics: Psychic Wars and Crystal Triangle.

Seeing those two OVAs on the same day made me aware of just how similar these two fine works are. Both concern heroes in noble professions who must confront an ancient inhuman race of evil beings who wish to once again replace humans as the dominant species of the planet using the most nonsense logic and power set possible. I know that describes a lot of bad 80s OVAs but these two in particular are so alike that if the world were a little different, I think that we’d be seeing not a crossover between all of the Pretty Cure girls or Naruto, Luffy, and Goku, but one between Psychic War’s Retsu Ukyou and Crystal Triangle’s Kamishiro Kouichirou. Or at the very least arguing about who would win in a fight.

Actually, we could do that right now. Let’s compare our two heroes.

Retsu Ukyou: Surgeon, visited by ancient spirits who give him “Psychic Powers,” which apparently means being able to summon swords and spears out of thin air. Shirt has a tendency to rip open to reveal his mighty pecs. Travels back in time to fight evil beasts whose goal is to travel into the future so that they can wipe out humanity. Does the nasty with a girl who turns out to be their last surviving member.

Kamishiro Kouichirou: World-famous archaeologist, gained his “Upanishad” powers and his ability to read “Jindai Moji” by studying with monks. Upanishad in this case manifests itself as the ability to shoot lasers out of magical batons. Shirt also has a tendency to burst open to further emphasize masculinity. Fights an evil over ten million years old that consists of alien buddhist monk dinosaurs who have been waiting for an evil star to empower them so that they can take over the world once more. Does not do the nasty with the girl who is the catalyst for the evil monsters’ return, but would have.

You’d think Kamishiro would definitely have the advantage with his Upanishad giving him a range advantage, but I’m pretty sure Retsu would be able to think of a way to get in close, where his superior close combat weapons would give him the edge. Ultimately though, the fight would come down to a matter of wits and cunning, as both men are incredibly resourceful and would be trying out-think the other. Is Retsu standing near any crates of dynamite, for instance? Well maybe he is, but it’s actually a trap to lure Kamishiro to attack, during which Retsu would use his knowledge of human anatomy to deliver a knock-out spear. But of course Kamishiro is too smart for that.

It’s a complex scenario which far transcends any intellectual battles by Lelouch and Schneizel, Kira and L, and Encyclopedia Brown and Wilford Wiggins.

Now, if the two of them could team up to fight the Most Dangerous Soldier known as Geist, then we’d have a real Japanimation on our hands.

The Many Faces of the Bionic Commando

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Bionic Commando, originally an arcade game from 1987, found its way onto the Famicom/NES, where a new plot involving Nazis Badds and an improvement on gameplay features made it a hit, particularly in the United States. Since then, while not a super popular franchise, Bionic Commando has gotten a number of remakes, most notably the HD 3-D retooling of the original game, Bionic Commando: Rearmed and the 2009 Bionic Commando sequel.

In each game, you control a man with a gun and a bionic arm, whose goal it is to climb and swing through levels while eliminating enemy soldiers and reach the end of the level. While the gist of gameplay has remained fairly consistent, the art direction has not, resulting in a very different face for our cyborg hero over the years.

Our hero from left to right: Bionic Commando (Arcade, 1987), Bionic Commando (NES, 1988), Bionic Commando (Game Boy, 1992), Bionic Commando: Elite Forces (Game Boy Color, 1999), Bionic Commando: Rearmed (PS3 and 360, 2008), Bionic Commando (PS3 and 360, 2009)

Here you can see the Bionic Commando go from a simple blue-haired arcade hero to different degrees of fantastic and realistic, producing about as wide a range of portraits as a franchise can get. Note that portraits two, five, and six are all supposed to be the same character, i.e. Radd Spencer, bane of mustached fascists. What is immediately evident is that the NES Bionic Commando was originally made for a Japanese audience with his vaguely manga-style 80’s looks, while the newest Bionic Commandos are both conscious of the fact that the NES version built a sizable American audience, and are attempting to appeal to a childhood image of the NES game being a fairly gritty and serious affair. Square jaws are the name of the game here.

Now, compare the Game Boy version to the Game Boy Color version. Can you guess which was done by a Japanese development team and which was done by an American one? Yeah, pretty hard I know.

What I find so interesting about the GB and GBC incarnations of Bionic Commando relative to each other is that they are both trying to achieve the same aesthetic goal: a far-flung whiz-bang high-tech laser future setting for the game that appeals to the audiences in their native countries. The GB Bionic Commando is a full-on early 90s anime bishounen hero with big eyes, small mouth, and hair reminiscent of Cyborg 009 or Soldier Blue from Towards the Terra. The GBC Bionic Commando meanwhile is a rough and gruff 90s X-Treme superhero akin to Marvel’s Cable or DC’s Lobo. “Yes! This is exactly what kids want!” both development teams must have thought as they approved the designs.

If Bionic Commando gets remade again in a few years, I look forward to how the cultural fashions of the time influence our hero yet again. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be some kind of strange amalgam of realistic muscley dude, superhero, and anime protagonist.

Vocabulary Power Up with Otaku Mind

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If you’ve been paying attention to my Twitter, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been doing some vocabulary study over the past few days, and that I have been distinctly anime and geek-themed in constructing my example sentences. For example, yesterday I wrote that Jagi fomented Shin’s decision to take Yuria from Kenshiro.

Good laughs for all, this anime vocabulary buildup, except I am conscious of the fact that it is actually helping me to study. I think that says more about my mind and my anime obsession than anything else, and I worry a little about my future sanity.

I’ve used a similar method for memorizing other things, including rules of Japanese grammar as well as vocabulary, but when I try to explain these mnemonic devices and such to other people they just look at me blankly. “That doesn’t help!” they might say. In short, I’ve created a study system that works only for me because I’m a huge anime nerd.

You might be asking, “Why are you sending these sentences to Twitter?” And to that I say, I’m not entirely sure. It’s definitely not because I want it to be noticed however. I think I just concentrate and remember better when I feel like my example sentences have some kind of target or purpose, and sending them online into the great Twittering Beyond kind of accomplishes that.

Momoiro Kakarichou and the Anime-niacs

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I recently have had the fortune of watching Animaniacs dubbed into Japanese. It was a fun experience to say the least, seeing Yakko, Wakko, Dot go about their antics in another language entirely, but one part of Animaniacs stood out to me in Japanese: Pinky and the Brain.

Upon initially watching Pinky and the Brain in Japanese, nothing seems amiss. That is, until you notice an odd aspect of Pinky’s speech: his tendency to put the non-word “Naafu” into his sentences. In English, this is obviously Pinky’s famous catch phrase “Narf,” but in Japanese it ends up being more akin to Ayu’s “Uguu” or Stealth Momo’s “~ssu.”

Then you start to think. Pinky’s primary traits are being dumb, naive, and prone to clumsiness, but his secondary traits are being honest, kind, and strangely wise in a roundabout sort of way. You see Pinky, for all of his goodness and his desire to support the Brain in world-conquering endeavors, essentially to stick together forever, and you realize: in a different setting, with his distinctive catchphrases and wide-eyed innocence, that Pinky could have been a moe character.

I’ll let it sink in for a moment, and also remind you that Laura Winslow is a tsundere.

The Different Perceptions of “Realism” in Anime Among Fans

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What does it mean for an anime to be “realistic?”

It’s a question which seems simple, until you realize that different people interpret and prioritize different aspects of an anime as “realism” based on their own personalities and beliefs.

Take the Gundam franchise for instance. Depending on who you ask, you will get different answers for what is the “most realistic” Gundam series. Let’s look at just Universal Century.

Some will say First Gundam, because of the complex morals the characters possess.

Some will say Zeta Gundam, because it shows how easily government corrupts.

Some will say Gundam 0083, because of the grittiness and detail of the technology and battles.

Some will say 0080 War in the Pocket because of its depiction of what impact war has on the innocent.

Some will say 08th MS Team because of the way it follows the down-to-Earth “common soldier.”

And so on.

In every case, the supporters are correct, but only when they define “realism” by their own standards. Just as easily, I can accuse First Gundam of being unrealistic for having characters realize things a little too quickly, or Zeta for its over-the-top characterizations. I can accuse 0083 of being unrealistic for a lack of depth in its characters, and 0080 for being too preachy in its anti-war message. I can even accuse 08th MS Team of not being about the REALLY common soldiers, i.e. the ones NOT riding in Mobile Suits, or simply say that Gundam as a whole is nowhere close to “realistic” because the concept itself is preposterous.

The idea of “realistic romance” also has the same issue. Is a show realistic because the characters talk like real people? Is a show realistic because it conveys emotions in a way that is easily relatable? Is a show realistic because nobody falls in love (provided you believe true love isn’t realistic)?

You can already see some of the different ways to define “realism” in regards to fiction. There’s an external realism, where everything looks and acts as it does in the real world. There’s an emotional realism, where the characters’ feelings appear to be so genuine that they mirror your own. There’s a conceptual realism, where complex ideas and ideologies show a world of shades of gray. But in these cases and beyond, how we define realism is of course based on our experiences in life.

It’s just up to us whether or not we want to understand everyone else’s “reality.”

Chase the Lightning

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As open as I try to be with anime fans, I occasionally still have bad reactions upon seeing my fellow otaku. In some cases it’s because I don’t want to see them making fools of themselves,  or more specifically, making fools of themselves in a way that can obstruct or harm others, as is the case with some of my previous comments on the Anime Convention Scene. I’ve come to realize recently though that what bothers me possibly the most is seeing anime fans purposely constrict their exposure to anime.

Whether it’s the Naruto fan who cannot see beyond ninjas and jutsu, or the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex fan who deems any show not similarly themed and animated to be inferior, I feel that people such as these would be served well by expanding their horizons and looking for anime that is beyond their current myopic scope. I’m not asking anyone to really go out on a limb, or to watch absolutely everything that’s out there or even 50% of what’s out there, but what I am suggesting is that those who call themselves anime fans (and I consider the above Naruto and SAC fans “anime fans”) to try out other anime, to get a real sense of what the medium has to offer. You don’t have to go from Violence Action Fest Razor-kun to Fruity Mangirl Vampire, but even a small step is okay. Does your anime have to be mind-blowing? Does your anime have to be an action-adventure? Does it have to feature cute girls or cute guys? Give more shows a chance (provided you have a feasible way of obtaining them of course).

The real problem though is that to expect one show to be like another show is unfair. Both Naruto and SAC are big hits, but you cannot expect lightning to hit twice. If you really want to be electrocuted that second time, you should be chasing the lightning, not the other way around.

I also understand that as an anime blog, my content and scope may seem limited to those who ask, “Why don’t you just blog about comics and animation as a whole?” And to that I say, because I’ve only got so much time, and anime alone is a deep enough well to drink from, and I already do occasionally talk about other animation and such, but always in regards to how it relates to anime.