As part of the ritual of watching new shows at the start of a season, I decided to check out the show Kampfer. Immediately upon watching it, I got this strong feeling that I knew exactly the kind of show it was going to be (and I was right). Sure, the character designs are what you expect out of this sort of otaku-targeting fanservice show, but it was something much more fundamental than that. Then it hit me: It was the color scheme.
Lots of anime throughout the years have had bright or cheerful color schemes, but there’s something very distinct about the kinds of shows that are made in order to get otaku in a tizzy. When it comes to art, color and color theory were never my strong suit, so I cannot speak with any real authority or learned foundation, but there is a certain optimistic quality to the colors used in Kampfer and shows like Kampfer. Even if terrible things happen to the characters, it comes across as a fantasy that wants the viewer to become engrossed in, but at the same time makes it easy to remove oneself from that fantasy if one desires to do so.
kkitousen is affected by this to a lesser extent, due to the fact that it uses colors with greater saturation and contrast, but it still shares a similar fondness for bright colors combined in specific ways. These shows appear to be aiming for an ideal, trying to tap into a core color scheme that is attractive to otaku on some deeper level.
The reason, I suspect, is that they are getting very close to the colors commonly used in erotic PC games.
Here we have Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien aka Rumbling Hearts. The soft gradients seen here which are common to erogames are also pretty much impossible for any anime to achieve on a consistent basis. It looks as if the staff working on these “erogame color” shows try to achieve the same effect by choosing bright colors with a little less contrast than normal.
I also suspect that this color scheme also exudes a very negative connotation among people who dislike these sorts of shows inherently. It’s probably something which jumps out at them subconsciously and tells them that they may be in for a rough ride should they continue to watch.
Color is such a huge topic that obviously I can’t cover it all in one post. For that reason don’t be surprised if I return to the topic again at some point in the future.
Street Fighter II is by far one of the most influential video games in history, and all but singlehandedly launched an entire genre into the forefront of the general gamer consciousness. With SFII there came a new term, “fighting game,” and with it a whole host of companies eager to jump onto the bandwagon.
Among those games is a 1991/1992 (depending on where you live) Sega Genesis game called “Fighting Masters.” Now I had Fighting Masters as a kid, and I loved the hell out of the game, but even then I knew it wasn’t up to the level of Street Fighter II. Still, as I look back on it, I maintain fond memories of the whole thing.
These days, when we see a second-rate fighting game hit the market, be it professionally or as some sort of doujin soft, we can tell that the game makers understand the basic grammar of a fighting game. Or at least, they understand the grammar of the fighting game they’re trying to imitate. Doujin fighters all want to be Melty Blood or Guilty Gear, so they have super crazy air combos and fairly simplified button layouts. Games that want to be 3-D fighters follow suit with either Tekken or Soul Calibur. However, back in the early 90s, when Street Fighter II was just knocking players’ socks off in best 2-out-of-3 matches, companies clearly were unsure of just what a fighting game was supposed to be. This is how we got Fighting Masters.
Fighting Masters features 12 galactic warriors each representing their species in a furious tournament. Their goal? Well actually, that depends on the version of Fighting Masters you have. If it was the 1991 Japan release, it was a tournament to get the chance to defeat the dreaded demon alien Valgasu. If it was the 1992 US release, it was a tournament set up by some elders to save one species from being wiped out by a supernova (while the other 11 are out of luck). Keep in mind that you still end up fighting Valgasu anyway.
Another difference is that most of the characters had their names changed between versions. The humanoid grappler Larry became Dirk, the cyclops boxer Eyesight became Uppercut, and so on, in an effort to both un-Engrishize the text and provide names that kids in early 90s America would deem “totally radical.” The best one is arguably the horse man Equus, who was once known as Flamer, featured in the previous screenshot.
The gameplay itself is quite unique as far as fighting games go. It wasn’t trying to be a closed-off beat-em-up like, say, “Street Smart,” and its engine seems closer to that of a wrestling game. Every character has two different types of moves, striking and grappling, and your goal is to use your striking moves to stun the opponent long enough to walk up to him and perform a badass piledriver or overhead throw. In all but one case, when a character is knocked against the floor or the walls, they take additional damage. There is no blocking involved, and the game doesn’t even use one of the buttons on the 3-button Genesis controller. In the end, it makes the game awkward, and slower characters have a distinct disadvantage in that opponents can break out of stun much more easily before the slow character can reach them, but it’s still a unique system.
And that’s really the best thing about Fighting Masters. Much like how early manga was by necessity a test bed for all sorts of crazy and wild ideas, Fighting Masters tried to be a fighting game in its own unique way. In fact, I think that the engine itself has plenty of potential, and if only it was a little deeper and provided more options for the players and the characters, it could have its own cult following.
Anyway, enjoy the final boss of Fighting Masters as well as its ending. Valgasu is a very, very frustrating boss, and even though I beat him, you can tell that he can quickly turn the tables. Evident here is Valgasu’s dream of conquering the galaxy with his Mad Skillz on the court, worthy of Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, or the All-Star Monstars. Also of note is the text scroll upon Valgasu’s defeat, which provides some of that good old nostalgic video game Engrish that has sadly diminished ever since Japanese and American pop culture have begun to cross over.
Information: Kinon Bachika is the third-eldest sibling of the Bachika family. She, along with her brother Kittan and her sisters Kiyoh and Kiyal, attend the highly unusual Daigurren Academy. As the assistant to the head of the School Disciplinary Committee Rossiu Adai, Kinon can frequently be seen at his side helping him to administer the rules properly, a necessary task given the high number of delinquents at Daigurren Academy, though the unique rules of the school mean that fighting is not only allowed but encouraged.
In her free time, Kinon finds the opportunity to draw racy images of her male classmates and teachers in romantic congress with one another. These include well-known figures such as Kamina and her own brother Kittan, but also her boss Rossiu, for whom she has feelings.
Fujoshi Level:
Kinon Bachika can be seen carrying around her sketchbook constantly, always eager to think up new pairings to whet her fujoshi appetite. However, Kinon is also somewhat embarrassed by her obsession, and tends to keep her sketchbook close by.
Many times you’ll see people, including myself, pointing out that in order to properly judge a work, be it anime, manga, or something totally unrelated to that world, you should also understand the context in which it was made. This could be a historical context, like knowing how Evangelion changed anime. It could be a situational context, such as being aware of the limitations in animation in the 60s and 70s and understanding the realities of low budgets that resulted in the limited animation style used in anime today. And though we talk about it more frequently in regards to the past, who’s to say we can’t apply it to current anime as well?
Due to a number of problems in both the global and Japanese economy, there is not as much money and talent in anime as there used to be. In many instances, studios have to either fall back on something reliable that they know will sell well, or their ambition has to come at a literal price, with production values perhaps not being up to the level of the shows around them. If we understand this reality, why can’t we apply the same awareness of context that we do to older works? We know that not everything can be an artistic, creative, or technical masterpiece (and rarely is that the case in the first place), but we should be able to appreciate what anime continues to do with the resources they have. Yes, it might be disappointing that there are aspects of anime we will likely not see again in the near future as a result of all this, but that’s the case with anime over the years budget or no.
Now I’m not saying that all shows should be absolved of responsibility, and that quality itself should be a non-factor. This is not an excuse for anime to be terrible because we should be that forgiving of their situation. I think there is definitely a line to be crossed and to be toed, and that we should look at each anime we come across in context to understand whether or not a show is bad because of mistakes or because of unfortunate circumstances beyond their control. However, if we can at least try to understand, then I think it will broaden our views as anime fans who can see beyond accepting only the “best.”
I’ve spoken about my fondness for the Japan-based curry chain Go Go Curry in the past on a number of occasions, commenting on how it’s one of my favorite places to eat ever and that I’m a frequent visitor to the 38th and 8th location in Manhattan. For those of you who live in Singapore and have been eager to try this food which I so highly praise, your opportunity arrives on October 15 16.
Yes, Go Go Curry is opening up a Singapore locaton. I’m not sure where exactly in Singapore it’s going to be, but still it’s an opportunity for many people to try it out.
Now, I know you Singaporeans know a thing or two about curry, so I want to explain that Japanese-style curry is not quite the same beast as the kind you’re more familiar with. There is no coconut used, for example, and it tends to not be as spicy (though some places in Japan will intentionally make extra spicy curry). The sauce also tends to be more thick, acting more like a nice gravy. Go Go Curry meanwhile has a bolder flavor than most Japanese curries, so it’s also not exactly the indicator of the average of Japanese curry. But that’s also what makes it so good, and judging from the franchise’s success, a lot of people agree with me.
Incidentally, Go Go Curry is also currently holding an Akiba Cosplay Photo Contest. While I’m pretty sure you don’t actually get to go to Akihabara (that would be very expensive!), if you love cosplay AND you love curry, you have no reason not to participate. I’m still a little regretful I never participated in the eating competition myself.
On a side note, Akihabara was where I first fell in love with Go Go Curry, so that location holds good memories for me.
The Reverse Thieves’s Otaku Diaries continue on, and this time the theme is self-image. More specifically, it’s about how the otaku interviewed view themselves physically and mentally, and probably to no one’s surprise, the vast majority of anime nerds polled stated that while they believe themselves to be average in appearance at best, they also believe they’re smarter than the average person. It’s as if we’ve fully embraced the nerd moniker.
In some cases, the otaku are rather extreme with the degree to which they consider themselves more intelligent than the average, which begs the questions, just how is it that they determine the average, and why do those responses have either a strong or subtle hint of negativity to them?
The concept of intelligence is such an odd thing in that while we are sure that it exists, we are never really sure what entails someone to be “more” intelligent than someone else. We can give IQ tests, we can discuss politics and philosophy, we can converse about anime, but it is difficult to get a complete idea of a person’s intellectual capacity, especially if you see them only briefly. What is the average intelligence actually supposed to be like, and why are we on the winning side?
I ask this question to you, but then I remember I too answered that I was smarter than the average person, so I guess I should direct this at myself as well. So when I think about “average” intelligence, I do tend to think of someone who is perhaps not as perceptive as me in certain ways, but is able to do just fine in the world. They can think about complex ideas, and while they perhaps cannot work out a conclusion, will at least be able to conceive that a solution exists somewhere out there. I mean, average is average right? And environment can play a large role in just where a person directs or cultivates his brain matter.
But then I think about my friends, classmates, previous co-workers, family, just various people over the years, and I’m not sure how many people I know are average or below average in intelligence. Even the bullies who picked on me had to be smart in a certain sense, if they could bother me with just words. Even friends in the past where I’ve thought, “I’m probably smarter than him,” have surprised and humbled me. Maybe the “average” is higher than any of us expect.
An AMV of Queen’s Blade set to “Princes of the Universe” by Queen.
The stipulation is that you have to make the video look as serious as possible. As serious as those AMVs about two characters in serious love. You know the kind.
What you see here is a “San An Kou,” or “three concealed triples,” a fairly good hand in mahjong that scores some impressive points because it also happens to be a “Toi Toi Ho,” or “all triples.”
It might not seem like anything special, but it is for me, because this is the first time I’ve ever managed to pull it off, and it’s something I’ve been stubbornly wanting to achieve since I started playing (and actually knowing the rules). It’s not worth nearly as much as the Kokushi Musou I got a while back, but it’s a relief for me.
Kind of similar to the Kokushi Musou, the hand requires you to not steal any tiles from other players, and so relies pretty much entirely on luck, which I got plenty of from my starting hand. In certain ways, it’s almost harder to obtain because you have to fight the temptation to not call on any tiles.
Anyway, now that Saki is over (for the time being), I hope you guys don’t give up on playing mahjong. I’ll be right there sucking along with all of you.
Name: Hopkins, Susanna(スザンナ・ホプキンズ） Aliases: Susie （スジー）, Sue（スー） Relationship Status: Single Origin: Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture
Information: Susanna Hopkins, typically known as Sue, is an anime fan from Boston, Massachusetts who was influenced at a very young age by Japanese friend Ohno Kanako. Since then, she has become a consummate fangirl whose blunt personality and striking physical features, namely her long blond hair and piercing gaze, are capable of throwing off even the most hardcore of otaku. After her first visit to Japan along with her friend Angela Burton, Sue formed a close bond with Ohno’s fellow clubmate at the Society of Modern Visual Culture at Shiiou University, Ogiue Chika, though that relationship can occasionally be an antagonistic one.
Sue is well-versed in anime and manga both popular and obscure from nearly every decade, and her tendency to use anime phrases in everyday speech is backed by an incredible memory that facilitates her language-learning capabilities. Sue’s actual age is an enigma, but the fact that she eventually starts studying abroad at Shiiou University implies that she is either over 18 or a genius, with neither choice being out of the question.
Fujoshi Level:
Susanna Hopkins is not unlike many other female American anime fans, but Sue takes it to another level entirely, something that extends to her fujocity as well. Her knowledge of anime and manga is equivalent to that of an old-time otaku veteran, and her apparent lack of shame allows her to confront anyone and everyone while loudly expressing her interest in boy-on-boy action. Sue is a fujoshi dynamo, and woe to those who stand in her way.
OGIUE MANIAX 