Author Archives: sdshamshel

Japan Day, or Drawing Ogiue on Pictochat

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I went to Japan Day with some friends, and I even met Erin and Noah, the Ninja Consultants and a bunch of other folks I had never met before, like James. Sadly, I got there a little late and missed many exciting activities, most notably the Free Food, though I noticed that the curry they were serving was not any curry but Go Go Curry, which is one of my favorite places to eat. Seriously if you haven’t been there you should really check out this robust and affordable Japanese curry. Unless you cannot eat milk or pork. Their menu does not deviate.

Anyway, I saw HALCALI with friends. The second song they performed was Tip Taps Tip. When HALCALI asked (in English) if the audience knew about the anime that Tip Taps Tip was an ending theme for, Eureka Seven, I let out a high-pitched “WHOO” with my arms outstretched.

Other than me, all I heard was silence.

Everyone in that audience: You suck.

All in all a good time, and I was able to have various groups of friends of mine meet each other. Between them I discussed fujoshi, learning Japanese, and of course anime, though not everyone participated in every conversation.

The most important thing though is that at one point during Japan Day I ended up Pictochatting with my friends…who were sitting right next to me.

Naturally I drew Ogiue.

But then I thought, maybe I should keep drawing Ogiue. Of course, I’d have to mix it up. I drew standard Ogiue, without the glimmer in her eyes, so what should I draw next?

Why, Ogiue in high school, of course. You can see her at the beginning of Volume 6 inside the TV behind the actual Ogiue.

Next I drew Ogiue in Junior High. My friend remarked to me, “I don’t like where this is going.”

Of course, we have no record of Ogiue prior to that, so I should have stopped. But wait! I had an idea.

So I drew a girl, her face obscured, holding a doujinshi, her first doujinshi, which she saw in 5th grade. Thus making it at least partially accurate.

Yes, I did just spend more time talking about a few minutes of drawing Ogiue on a Nintendo DS than the entire rest of the event.

Fireball: Disney did WHAT now?

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Fireball is a 3-D animation airing in Japan, produced in part by Disney.

Yes, that Disney.

Each episode is less than two minutes long, and it seems to be a concerted effort by Disney to make newer in-roads into Japan’s animation-watching audience. I say newer because Japan IS actually fond of Mickey Mouse and friends, not to mention the fact that Tezuka idolized Walt Disney.

The use of 3D Animation is interesting, as it’s something that Japanese animation hasn’t really been great at, so in a sense it’s using Disney’s power to its advantage, though I don’t actually know to what degree they actually help.

The main character, Drossel, appears to be at least partially designed to appeal to otaku, with her long twintails and slender robotic figure and large “eyes,” so I also get the feeling that they are trying to tap into this audience as well.

I suspect this has something to do with seeing the success of Powerpuff Girls Z in Japan.

Japan Day Tomorrow

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Tomorrow, June 1st, will be the day of the 2008 Japan Day celebration at Central Park.

I will be out and about, and I will definitely be attending the Halcali concert at 3:15pm.

There’s also a “how to cosplay” event as well.

If I find out anyone I know went to it, I will have to revoke your humanity license.

I Know the Secret of Ranka Lee

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The Tsun to Dere Ratio

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For better or worse, tsundere are an increasingly common character type in anime, and as stated by the illustrious Shiraishi Minoru, they generally come in two flavors: traditional tsundere who are tsun and slowly become dere, and modern tsundere who switch between tsun and dere frequently. As one might expect from referring to the latter as “modern,” that type of tsundere is more common these days.

This isn’t about discussing which one is better or worse though. What I wonder about is why there has been this shift in the first place. I don’t think it’s as simple as otaku wanting instant gratification or that their attention spans are getting smaller, though those things could actually be happening. Could it be in its own way a fight to make more female characters with an aggressive side to them, or an attempt to soften aggressive characters? Maybe the answer lies somewhere in the middle, as any fan of tsundere will tell you that the appeal comes from the combination of the two sides, though I think they will disagree on specifics.

In thinking about the appeal that the tsundere has for viewers of anime, the notion of risk/reward comes to mind. With a modern tsundere, it is very obvious when a character is acting “dere.” The first instance of the switch from tsun to dere happens very early to establish it as part of their character. For a more traditional tsundere, the switch happens much later. The traditional tsundere also tends to be less abusive towards their love interests than the modern variety. Do you get strong love after much effort, or do you get a strange, convoluted love regularly such that you’re not sure if the girl is interested at all?

In looking at traditional vs modern tsundere, their specific appeal is actually pretty different. A traditional tsundere can be won over by a guy through sheer effort. Even if she doesn’t like him at first, the guy tries so hard to be the man for her that she is moved by his genuine interest in her. It appeals to the nerd in the sense that what they lack in good looks or charisma they can make up for in passion. A modern tsundere however is more like a girl who is secretly shy, a girl who is afraid to admit that she like a guy. This is more for the guy who believes that maybe, just maybe there is a girl out there who likes him but neither side is brave enough to initiate conversation.

Effort vs Potential.

Time vs Space.

Genshiken Region 2 DVD Box Covers

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I ordered the one on the right, which is the OVA collection.

However, seeing as how the two sets match each other so well, I’m really tempted to buy season 1 even though I already have it in Region 1 Form.

I also have the last two DVDs of Genshiken 2 coming as well. I’m kind of sad though that the box covers for Genshiken 2 are significantly different from these aesthetically. Still, they fulfill the ever-important task of “having Ogiue on the cover.”

EDIT: For reference, here are my Genshiken 2 dvd boxes.

That damn Yoshida

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During the New Year months ago, Eureka Seven character designer Yoshida Kenichi posted an Eureka-themed New Year’s Card on his personal site.

I looked at it back in January, not thinking much of it, only noticing that Eureka looked kind of young in it.

Recently, I revisited the image and realized that I’ve seen this Eureka somewhere else…

The Eureka Seven Movie.

So it seems Yoshida dropped a hint on us months in advance and no one, myself included, realized it.

That bastard.

My Eyes, I Can’t See

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She can melt her own sword with her hotness

That is my reaction to catching up on over 100 chapters of Bleach.

You see, because when you get that much Bleach in your eyes it

Anyway, I actually started reading Bleach about 2 years ago and kept up with it pretty well, but the day my first external hard drive died was the same day I downloaded a ton of Bleach manga, and it left me with sort of a sour taste. I basically abandoned the series shortly after the Soul Society Arc.

So here I am, all caught up, and the series seems to be gearing up again after a fairly nice, if shaky conclusion. The only problem, I realize, is that much of the comic for the past 100 chapters or so has felt very meandering. When you read in big chunks, time passes pretty quickly, but then I realized just how long it would have been had I been doing this every week. It’s kind of daunting when you step back and think about it.

Maybe it’s the fact that the humor more recently hasn’t been as strong as some of the earlier chapters (BOHAHAHAHA), or that because Ichigo and Rukia weren’t together for most of it that I didn’t get to see the strong interplay between the two that attracted me to the series in the first place. Actually, those two are kind of related, aren’t they?

Speaking of Rukia, she’s one of those unusual characters who always looks hotter in official art than she does in any fanart be it Japanese or American (see above). I don’t know what it is, but a lot of people who draw her don’t seem to “get” what makes her attractive, though they will work fine with Orihime, Yoruichi, Rangiku, Nemu, and practically the entire cast, but not Rukia. Rukia’s appeal lies in her eccentricity combined with her knowledge and naivety. She’s aggressive, but not as if she’s trying to compensate for being small, and there’s always a sense that she follows her own unique internal logic. Not to mention the nice eyes, and you know I’m a fan of nice eyes (see primary character theme of this blog).

Will I keep up with Bleach now that I’m all caught up? I don’t know. It is kind of fun to just wait a bit.

The Fujoshi Files 5: Ohno Kanako

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Ohno Kanako

Name: Ohno, Kanako (大野加奈子)
Alias: Kannazuki Yohko (神無月曜湖)
Relationship Status: Dating
Origin: Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

Information:
Ohno Kanako is a member of the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture aka Genshiken at the prestigious Shiiou University, and is quite possibly the first willing female member to join the club since its inception. Ohno spent much of her childhood living in America and thus has a firm grasp of the English language, something shared by fellow female member Kasukabe Saki. While Ohno had previously visited both the Anime Society and the Manga Society at Shiiou University, she ultimately decides to stay with Genshiken due to their understanding nature. Although very nervous at first, Ohno slowly gains confidence in herself, eventually becoming a surrogate fujoshi older sister of sorts to Ogiue Chika and ultimately becoming the fourth Chairman of Genshiken after Sasahara Kanji steps down.

Ohno has very unique taste among fujoshi, one that resulted in her being ridiculed by many friends: A passion for middle-aged and retirement-age men  that is matched only by Ohno’s love for cosplay. Ohno participates in cosplay events so often that she has to maintain a schedule. Her cosplay is so successful that she has become the main attraction of Genshiken’s booth at school festival. It is for these reasons that Ohno forms a friendship with Genshiken member Tanaka Souichirou, an avid costume designer, but it is their care and understanding for each that leads them to start dating.

Fujoshi Level:
Ohno is mainly known for her love of older men and her cosplay. However, all of that pales in comparison to the fact that Ohno will actively attempt to transform her friends into fujoshi and reinforce ones who already have taken the step. Though only implied, it is clear that Ohno introduced yaoi to her young friend Susanna Hopkins at a rather early age, creating a dangerously powerful female otaku in the process. It is this active corruption of the youth of America that earns Ohno Kanako a remarkable place among fujoshi.

O-G-I-U-E

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Since starting this blog, I have been linked to and referred to a number of times by people looking for things related to Ogiue. Maybe they want to talk about how great Ogiue is, or maybe they’re just mentioning Ogiue for the hell of it.

I have noticed a recurring problem in that people tend to misspell Ogiue’s name, most frequently as “Oguie.” It’s an easy mistake to make and no one should feel bad for not spelling her name correctly. Ogiue’s not an easy name, what with its triple vowel action, and the only reason I can do it without thinking is because I write the name constantly.

Ogiue Ogiue Ogiue Ogiue.

I want to come up with some convenient rhyme or mnemonic device to help people never forget, but that’s probably not happening. I before U except something something something.

Not happening.

Instead, maybe it’s better if I break it down this way.

Ogiue is written with two kanji, 荻上. 荻 is Ogi, 上　is Ue, so as long as you can think of it not as one jumble of vowels but as two separate words joined together, it should be fine, I think.

Ogi.

Ue.