Category Archives: anime

Genshiken, Childhood Comics, and More: Kio Shimoku at Umeda Lateral Talk Notes

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Kio recently had a talk at Umeda Lateral, an Osaka-based live music house and talk venue, to celebrate the release of his new artbook. Below are my notes from watching it. 

(Unfortunately, the VOD is no longer available. Also, screenshots are not allowed.)

There are three people: the host, Kio, and his editorial manager Moteki.

For the event, Kio drew special signboards featuring the Genshiken characters, one per character: Ogiue, Madarame, Sue, Ohno, and Saki.

As previously known, Kio has a very deep voice. 

Apparently, it’s normal for the hosts and speaker to drink on stage at this venue. Kio’s first order was draft beer.

He has been to Osaka before, for work and for sightseeing. Was on the train for 9 hours to get there.

The artbook was not his idea. It was Moteki’s, who brought it up because it’s Kio’s 30th anniversary. Kodansha wouldn’t do it themselves? Moteki actually reached out to him through Pixiv.

Kio wanted to reply, and he got motivated to actually make the book happen.

There were cases where Kio was looking through his old work and thought, “Did I draw this?”

Starting doing digital after Genshiken, starting with Jigopuri. At the time, he still scanned in his pencils, though.

Works prior to that transition were newly scanned for the artbook. He had a bit of experience doing it for the Shinsouban (the special edition that has new covers and changes the nine volumes of the original into five).

Kio admitted that he doesn’t actually remember much of his works before Genshiken. Moteki jokingly expresses concern that this pre-Genshiken period was eight years.

Moteki: Ogiue is a character who really takes the story places, but is there anyone from before Genshiken like that?

Kio: Nope, I don’t think so.

Kio actually doesn’t think Ogiue is that much of a driving force. Madarame was originally planned to be there from the start in some form.

Kio showed early concept notes about Genshiken. At the time, it was still written in kanji.

The original 3 characters were early versions of what would become Saki, Kohsaka, Madarame.

Saki (or her prototype) was the original protagonist. Prototype Kohsaka’s gender hadn’t been determined yet—the character was labeled “Hero (Heroine?)” One note mentions that he maybe looks like Squall from Final Fantasy VIII. 

The school setting was based on Chuo University, just like in the actual Genshiken.

Kio wanted to make the series focused on character gags.

Prototype Madarame looked very different. Labeled as the “Rival.” Second-Year, otaku. 

All the characters are listed with a specialized otaku genre. Proto-Kohsaka and Proto-Mada are both labeled as being into “everything.”

All the characters are labeled as virgins.

Prototype Kugayama was labeled as being a third-year, having a good personality, and also being a lolicon. Otaku genre: anime.

Another character with glasses specialized in games, and another shorter character has manga.

One unused design was a girl who was a second-year. She was a little unattractive, but with big boobs. (This might be the prototype for Ohno, but they look quite different.)

Kio does not actually particularly like kujibiki lotteries. But it is funny that Kujibiki becomes a plot device in Nidaime when all the girls are drawing straws for the order in which each girl has their date with Madarame.

Kio ordered octopus karaage next.

The first gunpla he built was probably the Guncannon. He built it right before the Gundam boom, when he was in elementary school. He has an older brother who was buying gunpla before him. Actually, it might not have been the Guncannon. Kio mentioned not having a good memory.

Did Kio have an inscrutable senpai like the original club chairman? He had senpai, but he wasn’t sure if they were quite like that. But Tanaka was based on someone Kio knew—a person who loved plastic model kits. 

Kio used to build a lot of gunpla and kits, and broke them at the joints all the time. But with more recent models, he remarked that they really don’t break easily. He also compared the old days of gunplay that used polycaps to the improvements of modern kits.

For the scene in Genshiken with the gunpla, Kio tried to break the hip joint of a real model for reference, but it wouldn’t snap. But he wanted to do the scene, so he had to force a break.

He checked with Bandai if showing a busted gunpla would be okay, and they said as long as the break was shown to be by accident and not on purpose, it was okay.

Kujibiki Unbalance was made to be an original parody series because getting permissions for actual things was difficult.

Host mentions that he wasn’t a pure otaku, and it’s because of Genshiken’s numerous reference lines that he got to be one. Chapter titles are references, and Kio had to constantly rack his brain for them. Kio does not consider himself a high-information-retention otaku.

He had a desire to draw and write about the old-style 90s-era otaku of his own generation. 

When Kio got Genshiken serialized, it made him feel like a real pro. When it got an anime he was ecstatic. “It felt like I had won at life.”

Kio was worried that if he tried to make a manga about the newest things, it would quickly feel dated, so that’s why the otaku stuff was more 1990s.

In that time, video tapes were still the standard, and official recordings of the anime were still done on tapes. He was okay with the work, but saw the struggles of the anime’s production in the anime, accepting that those are kind of inevitable.

The host asked about the OVA, believing that Kio wrote it himself, but Kio himself didn’t remember if that’s the case. He did work closely with Genshiken 2, as well as the original Kujibiki Unbalance anime.

Kio mentioned being involved with a scene involving Tanaka and Ohno, and the host instantly guessed correctly that it’s the spicy scene of them getting together. In response, Kio asked, “Why did you know what I was talking about?” It was later that he realized the scenes he drew for the fictional eroge Ohno made Tanaka play were just used straight-up in the anime. 

Kio showed his actual old notebooks.

“It’s not your dark history.”

Kio: But it is.

Kio loved Famicom Detective Club, and made his own story based on Famicom Detective Club II.

He wanted to make a manga of Ghibli’s Laputa in middle school, so he drew one. Here, he showed it to the audience, page by page. He even did the title logo. However, as he turned each page, he would have his eyes closed because he didn’t want to look at them.

(It actually looks really well drawn for a middle schooler.)

Kio actually wanted to change the story partway through in a way that would make it more interesting, but he couldn’t quite decide on where to take things after they get to the fortress, so he stopped drawing it.

Another notebook is filled with his attempts to draw like Miyazaki, clearly copying famous Nausicaa images. He also feels embarrassed about these.

He also showed that he made lots of drawings of Elpe Ple from Gundam ZZ.

He didn’t watch Gundam as it aired, but he did keep up with Dunbine and L-Gaim in elementary school (4th grade, 6th grade, thereabouts).

Also showed a piece of fanart for Metal Armor Dragonar in there, along with a drawing of the Queen Mansa from Gundam ZZ.

Because Kio was clearly into fantasy-like settings as a kid, the host asks if he ever wanted to make manga along those lines. Kio says that he actually worked on a real manuscript from high school to college. “Any plans to announce it?” “None.”

After the break, Kio got a lemon sour. Host a highball. Moteki got another draft beer.

Host talked about how some people considered Nidaime to be like a fan sequel. After the first series ended, everyone tried to imagine what would come next.

Kio got back to drawing Genshiken after doing the art for a budget edition box set of the anime (the ones with the white cases), which led to the one-shot, and then he was asked by Kodansha if he could come back for a short run, like a single volume. (Nidaime ended up running for 11.)

Kio hadn’t planned to resolve Madarame and Saki. Couldn’t it have just ended at the school culture festival?

The second half of the talk was Kio answering questions they had received from fans.

Will Spotted Flower get an anime?

Kio: That’s not up to me.

There are also challenges to getting a story like that made into anime. If he had to say whether he’d want one or not, he’d say yes.

What was a gathering spot for otaku in your days?

Kio was only in a circle for half a year. But there had to have been a place where people gathered to draw.

Kio was in the art club in high school, but it didn’t have an otaku feel. Same for middle school. But the otaku in middle school did meet up after school.

Kio actually bought his own Neo-Geo machine! They reminisced about the massive cartridges.

What works are you into recently?

Manga: A current work in Harta magazine by the author of Hinamatsuri, Ohtake Masao, called J⇔M.

Doesn’t watch dramas. Closest is taiga historical dramas like Kimi Hikaru e.

Couldn’t decide for anime or movies (mainly watches anime movies).

If you drew Genshiken now, what would the characters be into?

VTubers, not that he knows much about them.

Moteki mentioned that Kio must have done research about fujoshi circles and slang for Nidaime, but Kio said he was doing it since the first series. He got some things wrong, though. In college, Kio was surprised to discover fan-derivative works and 18+ doujinshi in college (much like Sasahara).

How did you decide who Madarame would end up with?

Kio didn’t even know who it would be as he was drawing it. He was thinking of having it conclude with Madarame alone, but he actually said to himself, “Are you really going to end it this way?” Even he as the author couldn’t accept that.

Moteki: When it comes to The Fifth-Year and Genshiken with Ogiue, these characters realized about the kind of people they are, and it helped them decide on their feelings. But Madarame even to the very end did not have that self-awareness.


Also, lots of people thought it’d be Sasahara’s sister, because she’s so similar to Saki.

Kio: Yeah, even now. When you mention it, that pairing could’ve worked. But I wasn’t thinking about Saki (or Keiko’s similarities to Saki).

Kio-sensei switched to tablet in Nidaime. How was it?

Actually, Kio switched during Jigopuri. Back then, he still drew the manuscripts on paper and scanned them in before doing digital drawing over them. Eventually, he switched to all digital.

Is there something you feel about the Otaku of the 2010s and 2020s?

Based on what he sees with his daughter and her classmates, it’s almost like there’s not really a distinction between otaku and non-otaku. 

Host: Even gyaru are into Frieren.

Kio: Maybe there’s no need for a series like Genshiken anymore.

Kio wanted to do Nidaime as a series where there were more members of the club who were like Ogiue and Ohno along with one new male character. However, he actually thought up a version with a more typically masculine guy, but thought it felt a little too normal. 

Host: It’s like the barrier between otaku and non-otaku is gone.

What’s important to remember while making works?

Kio: I can’t really think of anything. Maybe, if you think of it too much like work, you’ll lose what makes it unique. Don’t try too hard to make a “manga-like manga.” Don’t focus on how things are supposed to go at the expense of making it interesting.

Genshiken wasn’t intended to capture the zeitgeist, but it ended up doing so.

Did you see the online reaction to Genshiken or the doujinshi during serialization?

Kio did not look at comments. The people at Kodansha looked at it though. 

Kio bought all the doujinshi of Genshiken he saw. Didn’t have any problems with any content, knowing that it’s up to the doujin creators. He might occasionally check out the website of one of the artists. 

He got some of them for the Genshiken 8.5 doujin project.

What was it like working for Afternoon?

Thought of Shounen Sunday first for Kodansha, but Kio remembers Parasyte being a big title. Minor no Pride, Major no something (a cooking manga).

In response to Ogiue is drawing for Afternoon in the manga: “It’s meta.”

What do you think of making H-manga?

Kio always wants to do it. He’s working on Part 2 of his doujinshi project, and the manuscript has gotten to 134 pages. 

Moteki: What was the reaction to you announcing an 18+ doujinshi? Was it like, “Here we go!!!”

Not a particularly strong response, but when Kio posted it on Fanza (an adult site), some people who were fans asked him if it’s okay to do this at his age (he’s 50).

Can you do a live drawing?

He was unsure of his live drawing ability. Before the talk, Kio ended up putting a lot of time into the five signboard drawings at the talk, as well as the 30 that were included in specific copies of the artbook.

Host and Moteki tried to convince him, but no go.

Will there be more Genshiken merch?

It’s not up to him.

A lot of questions about how Kio decided who Madarame would be with, actually.

Are there any characters who acted in ways you didn’t intend?

All of them.

During the nose hair chapter (with Saki and Madarame), Kio planned to have a story about that, but went at it by thinking “What would the characters do in this situation?”

Before a manuscript, he’ll draw freely. For Genshiken, it’s like the ideas would just readily come. When drawing the characters, he would think about how they would behave. He compares figuring character’s lines to taking a dust cloth and wringing it tightly until the exact words drip out. 

Moteki: In terms of characters moving on their own, Ogiue is a well-known example, right?

Kio had considered sticking her with Kuchiki as a kind of “mutually cringe couple.”

Kio is unsure of what he needs to do in serializations. With one-shots, in contrast, it’s harder to play around. He’s still not sure what to do.

At first, Kio didn’t use any assistants. But that’s when he was young. Now he’s 50 and he can’t do the same anymore.

Weekly serialization is the “territory of monsters.” Knowing what weeklies are like, he understands the need for assistants there. But if someone came to him asking if he could do one, he’d consider it and try to figure out a way it could work.

Kio worked as Takano Fumiko-sensei’s assistant, but for only one day.

What otaku works or genres have you been into recently?

He watched some of Usada Pekora playing Elden Ring. He’d have her on as background noise while working on manga.

He also listens to music while thinking up ideas and working on manga. When he’s doing tasks with not a lot of information, he uses ambient noise. When doing the initial drawings, he listens to stuff like J-Pop. After that, more editorial/critical Youtube channels. 

What have you enjoyed recently?

Kio has a hard time thinking of anything, but he did travel to Gunma recently. He went to Ninja Gakkai, a ninja education camp.

Among your works, are there any scenes that stick out most in your memory?

The first thing that came to mind is the nose hair story, particularly when Madarame leaves the clubroom and is looking back at it from the outside across the courtyard, and you can see the light in the clubroom still on.

Moteki: Which character is your type?

Ohno, in terms of sexiness. The scene when she first appears in a mask is an example of her heroine appeal. Though Kio’s been told that the shifting heroine focus for Genshiken is unusual: from Saki to Ohno to Ogiue.

“How did you think of a plot like that?” 

“I didn’t.”

Moteki likes Saki best. So does the host.

The signboards got raffled off at the end!

Bringing It Home—Gundam Reconguista in G Part V: Crossing the Line Between Life and Death

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Ever since the original Mobile Suit Gundam, works in the Gundam franchise have tended to end in space. Whether it’s a sequel or an alternate universe, they typically leave the confines of Earth for a big battle among the stars. But Gundam: Reconguista in G is different: It starts on Earth, has its characters venture into space, and then returns home for the final battle. This is where we find the characters in the fifth and final movie, Crossing the Line Between Life and Death, and I think the decision to conclude the series there ends up emphasizing all the messages laid through G-Reco from the beginning. Whether those messages are clearly conveyed is another matter.

Bellri Zenam and the rest of the main cast have been to the far-off Venus Globe, the collection of space colonies near Venus. They saw a society far removed from the ravages of Earth, where people are taught that war is barbaric, but who sometimes fail to see the latent barbarism in themselves. Having gone back through Towasanga on the far side of the moon, they now are in Earth’s orbit where, once again, the different terrestrial supernations are all vying for control of resources. At this point, characters and groups have switched sides so many times that it can be difficult to keep track of who’s fighting for what, but that’s less important than the simple reality that factionalism still persists. Bellri, Aida, and the others aim to head their own direction and fight their own way, neither entirely separate nor fully entrenched in any one side.

There’s one scene in particular that I think encapsulates the final film and the series as a whole: As the various forces battle in Earth’s orbit, they’re forced to undergo atmospheric entry. It’s a return to one of the more iconic scenes from the original Gundam, where rival character Char Aznable has to give the unfortunate news to one of his troops that the poor guy and his ill-equipped mecha have gotten too close to the planet and their death is inevitable. We see history repeat itself as various characters have to decide what to prioritize (attempting a safe landing, trying to get an upper hand in battle, retreating, etc.), and it feels like the folly and hope of humanity both never die.

Speaking of death, there is no shortage of lives lost. Some are more fascinating to me, like a certain character who might have actually been a Newtype. The important thing is that this person is also a dumbass, as if to say that we shouldn’t worship Newtypes or anyone who’s supposedly the next evolution of humanity and its savior. The biggest death is also so unceremonious and kind of random that it feels very fitting—a warmonger hoisted by his own petard.

One major change from the TV series is the actual epilogue, which has been expanded greatly. The new scenes emphasize the fact that changes come only in bits and pieces. Human beings, whether born on Earth or in space, seem to adapt to their circumstances, and beliefs don’t just change overnight. On top of that, many of the characters are young, so while they may have fought in many life-or-death battles, that doesn’t have to fully define who they are or will be. The ultimate message might be that people, but especially those still possessing youth, can break through all the entrenched barriers that previous generations have erected.

In looking at the Gundam: Reconguista in G movies in total, it’s safe to say that they should be the definitive way to experience the series. It clarifies and expands on the TV anime, is better paced, and just conveys more of the world and its complexities. G-Reco is able to show itself in the best light, and for those who dismissed it the first time, I think this is a great opportunity to experience one of the most unique entries in Gundam.

(Happy 10th anniversary, G-Reco.)

Where’d the Time Go?: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for October 2024

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Actually kind of cold weather—can you believe it?

This past month was a real rollercoaster, not least of which was due to hololive talent Amelia Watson announcing that she will be stepping back from actively being a part of the company, and then following that with a marathon of streams. The 4th anniversary of Myth and the 3D debut of ReGLOSS were eventful enough, and now we had this. I even drew on my tablet for the first time in years. If I thought my brain was pretty filled with VTubers last month…

Amid my turbulent emotions, a new anime season is here! The amount of interesting-looking shows is actually overwhelming: Mecha-Ude, Trillion Game, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School!, Thunderbolt Fantasy Season 4, Love Live! Superstar!! Season 3, etc. On and on and on. I’m worried I won’t have time for it all.

And I’m still trying to watch through some old anime, like Blue Comet SPT Layzner.

I hope my supporters on Patreon are okay with how I’m doing. Thank you as always.

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog highlights from September

The Sequel Was Better: hololive EN Breaking Dimensions

My very long review of the 2nd English hololive concert.

Love Live’s Minami Kotori: Uchida Aya Otakon 2024 Interview

I got to talk to the woman fans call Ucchi.

She’s Not Just a Detective, She’s a Legend: Thank You, Amelia Watson

A long overdue piece about one of my favorite VTubers.

Kio Shimoku

Kio tweets about a lot of events related to his artbook.

This also includes a talk he had in Osaka. The VOD is no longer available, but I plan to post notes about it this month.

Closing

You really gotta check out Myth’s “The Show Goes On” (their best group song ever), and Hajime from ReGLOSS bust a move.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights September 2024

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This month featured a special live talk with Kio-sensei himself, as well as reactions to his artbook!

Kio enjoyed a panpanya interview in Rakuen.

Having seen the anime movie The Colors Within, Kio points out how the images look euphoric and characteristic of director Yamada Naoko. There are also very few long shots, making the movie feel very personal and character-focused.

Kio describes being happy to discover that manga artist Nakano Deichi is able to make a work like h na h to A-ko no Noroi, which has a different feel from his previous works. 

Fantasista mascot Sis-tan really likes Hashikko Ensemble, and she tells Kio why she likes the character Hachida Shinji so much (she also likes Orihara). Essentially, Hachida can’t seem to leave others alone, like when they’re going through hard times (e.g. Orihara, Masshy).

Kio replies that he pictures Hachida having an older sister who’s actually a yankii, and that he actually has a lot of experience with tough guys. Also, Masshy has light footwork, and knows how to interact with those who take singing very seriously.

30 people got special copies of Kio’s artbook with an exclusive autograph and sketch, and they’ve been sharing them with Kio on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1833194639052181753

Kio loves the Turn A Gundam novels so much, he’s read them countless times. He was originally shocked at where Tomino concluded the anime, so he was glad the novels show what happened after that. The fact that the series is all about the consequences of the foolishness of humanity is very “Tomino.” He has felt that this is the kind of thing he could not pull off as a manga artist. He also praises Turn A mecha designer (and legend) Syd Mead.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1834159050067673116

Thumbnail sketches for possible artbook cover illustrations.

Kio did not tweet his own reaction to the death of voice actor Shinohara EMi, but he did retweet these drawings from Togashi Yoshihiro, author of Hunter x Hunter and husband of Sailor Moon creator Takeuchi Naoko.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1834960912773722494


He took a day trip to Gunma (but not Karuizawa).

Kio got a haircut for his talk at Umeda Lateral.

He also had to gather a lot of old material for the talk, including work he finds embarrassing. He wonders if this is going to turn into a cringe session for him.

“Well then, see you tomorrow in the clubroom.”

Kio questioning the right kanji. Replies mention confusion between 補足 (supplement, complement) and 捕足 (catch, comprehend).

With summer ending and some work concluded, Kio is feeling that he should start something new. In the meantime, he declares that he will finish his doujinshi.

Someone asks if Kio will make another LINE sticker set. Kio replies that he’s thinking more about creative work.

Kio laughs at a joke from someone saying that “Nose hair” could be an indirect way of saying “I love you,” similar to “The moon is beautiful.”

Kio read Volume 2 of The Kinks, a manga by Enomoto Shunji. While reading the serialized version Kio, always finds himself going “Well, that’s a first!”

He also saw the Overlord movie.

And the movie Samurai Time Slipper.

Kio purchased the L-Gaim blu-ray set that comes with the official artbook.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1839937375998489028

Kio showing a case full of his drawing tools from when he still worked analog. He’s having trouble remembering how to use them.

The talk at Umeda Lateral also had a raffle for special signboards with art by Kio. The person who won Saki’s also happens to be an artist. Here’s Kio thanking him for some Saki fanart.

The Will and Aspirations of Cannon Fodder: Go! Go! Loser Ranger

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Creating a story with a good antihero lead can be a challenge. It’s all too easy to end up with a character who’s more of a shallow reactionary and whose only redeeming value is that they do bad stuff to worse people. Other times, they come across as a simple conduit for revenge fantasies against grievances. But Go! Go! Loser Ranger succeeds by establishing its antihero firmly and then having him discover a personal sense of conviction that even he isn’t fully aware of.

The backstory of Go! Go! Loser Ranger starts off like a typical sentai series: Years ago, a group of heroes called the Dragon Keepers defeated an evil organization that tried to conquer the surface world. The only remnants were the basic goons that typically attack the heroes in large numbers and get their asses handed to them before the real villains show up. Now, they’re forced into a pro wrestling–esque kayfabe where they pretend to fight every week in front of a stadium audience, not unlike the shows that take place on mall rooftops in Japan. But one mook, Fighter D, refuses to let his monster pride fade away. Despite the odds, he wants to fight back for real against the Dragon Keepers, and maybe even get revenge for all the humiliation they’ve inflicted.

In Power Rangers terms, this is basically “What if a Putty was the protagonist? And it ends up working really well, not only because it’s an interesting premise but because it’s not content to just flip the roles and leave it at “bad is good and good is bad.” Sure, the Dragon Keepers feel like they’d fit in with the highly dubious capes of Alan Moore’s Watchmen, and the generic Fighters are portrayed with lots of personality. There are a lot of gray characters in this series, and not in a boring or predictable way.

What I think holds it all together is that Fighter D is a perpetual underdog whose only skills are that he’s hard to kill and he can engage in a degree of subterfuge by changing shape. He’s not the ultra-powerful badass but someone who has to win through wits and creativity. He has to use his head, and this thoughtfulness (albeit colored by the huge chip on his shoulder) is one of the key factors for what makes Fighter D a compelling protagonist.

One key aspect of Fighter D is that his core beliefs aren’t quite what he thinks they are. He assumes that his sense of worth comes from being a loyal foot soldier who carries on the legacy of his evil masters. But as the events of the series unfold, it becomes clear that what drives Fighter D is a desire for him and his fellow goons to be treated with respect and value. He simply conflated one with the other, and this confusion leads to some great developments.

Go! Go! Loser Ranger ends up being a series that defies expectations, and it all centers around a weakling challenging the strong, albeit for less than noble causes. But while Fighter D is not a paragon of virtue, he is at least a sentient being looking to carve his place in the world. I’m curious to see what heights (and depths) he reaches next.

See Kio Shimoku Talk About His Career!

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To celebrate the release of his new artbook, Mata Ashita, Bushitsu de (See You Tomorrow in the Clubroom), Genshiken author Kio Shimoku had a special 2+ hour talk session on September 16, 2024. The venue was Umeda Lateral, a talk and live music club in Osaka, and was title “Gendai Shikaku Bunka Kenkyuukai Umeda Bunshitsu, or “The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture Umeda Annex.” 

Fortunately, the entire event was streamed live, and there’s an archived video available on their official site for a limited time! A streaming ticket costs 2,800 yen and lasts until September 30 JST.

While I plan to write about the talk (and the artbook) in more detail, I have not had the chance to watch it in full yet. I did take a brief look, though, and Kio actually appears in person. This is probably going to be the first time many people get to see him. Also, he showed early concept notes about Genshiken!

Sharing screenshots is not allowed, so unfortunately I can’t post his mug or those cool sketches.

I’m happy to see us go from having the man be a complete mystery, to doing an interview with VTuber Luis Cammy, to having him start a Twitter, and now this. 

I Want a Jet Alone Isekai

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I’ve come to realize that I like isekai spin-offs that are about giving lesser characters another chance. After all, they’ve got the skills, and are often just overshadowed by the heroes. It’s why the Fist of the North Star Amiba spin-off is so enjoyable—it takes a relatively minor and seemingly irredeemable villain and gives them a new world that they can help, but can also handle their shit.

That’s why, if ever they made an Evangelion isekai, I would want to see one made about Jet Alone.

Technically, Jet Alone isn’t even a character. It’s a radio-controlled, nuclear-powered giant robot that is meant to supplant the Evangelions before it goes haywire and has to be stopped. Ultimately, this turns out to be a scheme by the EVAs’ own organization, NERV, to remove competition. 

Jet Alone could’ve been helpful in protecting the planet, but just never got the chance. But what if the robot were transported to another world and got to be its defender? You could even have someone controlling it remotely like Shoutarou in Tetsujin 28, fighting giant monsters or solving crimes or whatever. 

Any number of settings could work: a magical world that contrasts with the technological Jet Alone, an alien invasion of a different kind, maybe even some mega-sized martial arts tournament. 

In another time, I might have been more compelled to turn this into a fanfic. Never say never, I guess.

PS: I happened to find this animation by KGBlagden featuring Jet Alone to the tune of Jet Jaguar’s theme in Godzilla. In a smilar vein, it gives some props to a mecha so unceremoniously squashed.

Busy as a Bee-Beaver Mutant Hybrid: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for September 2024

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The fall weather is slowly coming in, and I’m hoping that we get away from the record-breaking summer heat for at least a little while.

Last month was a busy time for me. I barely managed to get my Otakon general report in last week, and I still have a few interviews to transcribe. On top of that, Anime NYC this year moved from November to the tail end of August. I also made the (willfull and correct) mistake of attending all the VTuber concerts that weekend: hololive World Tour, hololive Breaking Dimensions on both days, and Phase Connect 1st NYC Live. Breaking Dimensions was frustratingly amazing—amazing because it was one of the best events I’ve ever been to, and frustrating because now I want to write so much more about it that it’s eating into my other free time.

Thank you to my supporters on Patreon!

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog highlights from August

The Amiba Isekai Has a More Balanced Roster than the Original Fist of the North Star

The best isekai manga has more merits than just gags.

Deku and a Culture in Conflict: The End of My Hero Academia

Shounen Jump‘s mega-hit superhero manga comes to a close.

Respect for 30 Years: Otakon 2024

Another year, another Otakon!

Kio Shimoku

This month’s Kio tweets, a lot of which are about his artbook.

Speaking of which, I received my copy It’s gorgeous. I don’t know when I’ll review it, but I do want to at least summarize the interview in the back.

Closing

Shout-outs to Minato Aqua, the recently graduated legendary gamer maid of hololive. Her final stream broke the records for most concurrent viewers and most superchat donations among VTubers.

I’ll always remember you and your instant curry commercial.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights August 2024

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The latest side chapter of Spotted Flower! Available for free only for a limited time.

The site for Kio’s artbook is showing off updated samples.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1819260009764868503

Kio visiting his section of the Rakuen: Le Paradis gallery in Shinjuku. He also bought all the postcards and pins.

He also informs a person replying that all the images are not actually analog, but merely recreations made to look as such. Kio currently works digitally.

Kio and a few other Rakuen artists had a talk show at Comitia 149 on 8/18.

After many days, Kio finally beat the final boss of the Elden Ring DLC. He had to consult online videos, and there’s still some stuff in the game he can’t seem to access.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1822990543208813044

Kio showing off his drawings of packed bookshelves. Left is Spotted Flower v7, right is the artbook.

More images from the artbook! The book is going to be 160 pages.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1823565710255382836

The actual cover!

Kio is impressed by someone’s Genshiken shrine.

Kio is going to have a talk event to celebrate the release of his new artbook on 9/16! What’s better, there’s actually going to be a live stream! 

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1824094746610147411

Kio finished reading the manga Ijin Gahou Mitsumine Tooru, calling it a must-read in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.

Kio was apparently at a fun drinking gathering with the manga artists Ichihara Hikari Z.

Heeding a reply reminding Kio about Mizuki Shigeru’s words regarding the importance of a full night’s rest, Kio actually goes to bed.

Reacting to the death of voice actor Tanaka Atsuko (Motoko in Ghost in the Shell, Bayonetta), Kio says it came way too soon and gives his prayers.

Kio is thrilled to see a new special edition of the manga Mujina by Aihara Kouji.

Kio reacting in grateful shock to a fan who bought multiple copies of his artbook to try to win Kio’s autograph.

As of August 25, only half of the 30 autographed copies of Kio’s artbooks remained.

One lucky fan got the autograph and was surprised to find out that it also came with an illustration! Kio apparently drew a wide range of characters for them.

Kio talked a lot for his artbook interview. He says people might learn a lot about him.

Respect for 30 Years: Otakon 2024

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Otakon celebrated its 30th anniversary this year in Washington DC from August 2 through 4. Somehow, despite growing from a humble event to one over 70 times bigger, Otakon still manages to keep a lot of its inner fandom heart intact.

Otakon Matsuri

2024 saw the return of the Otakon Matsuri, a free outdoor event the Thursday before the convention proper. The last time it was held, Otakon was still in Baltimore in 2016. 

The small venue (right across the street from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center) had a stage that featured performances like a sumo demonstration and wotagei dance/call lessons, as well as food samples and food trucks for anyone curious and hungry. The food served wasn’t necessarily Japanese or even Asian-themed, but the variety was welcome. I did not stand in line to get some Fogo de Chao (Brazilian) but I did eat some hearty Indonesian food from the Saté food truck.

The Otakon Matsuri being an outdoor event meant it had to deal with the weekend being especially hot and humid even by already sweltering DC standards. Just standing could be an unpleasant experience, but thankfully, by the time the event started winding down to its main event—the Korean YouTube anime singer aLF—the temperature had become a bit more bearable. 

I had been passingly familiar with aLF, but it was a treat to hear her sing live, the only hiccup being some issues with the speakers. Her setlist included songs like “Brave Heart” from Digimon Adventure, “Chala Head Chala” from Dragon Ball Z, and “Men of Destiny” from Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. aLF’s solid, yet ever-so-slightly raspy vocals worked especially well with “Men of Destiny” (even if it’s very different from the original singer). She also sang an original number in Korean: the opening for the Korean dub of a Kindaichi Case Files anime (aka Kim Jeon-il). While I generally prefer the original Japanese openings to shows, I like hearing localized intros if they’ve had a lot of care put into them.

General Health

The sky-high temperatures were an issue across the weekend, though I understand that it was well outside of Otakon’s control. But one thing I do want to bring up that they can address is the lack of a real masking policy. The convention encourages masks and respirators as a way to mitigate the spread of disease, but there has not been a mandate in place for a few years now. It’s easy to forget that COVID-19 still exists (and continuously mutates), that long COVID is still an ongoing issue, and there are both new and old forms of con crud hitting attendees. I know the US has pretty much abandoned any attempt to mitigate contagions through masks at this point, but I think high-density events like Otakon would benefit immensely from this. So once again, I’m hammering the point.

The (Former) Bottleneck

If there was one noticeable issue with Otakon in 2023, it was the hall leading to the Artist Alley and Dealer’s Room. The way the con is set up, the lowest floor space is dedicated to these two spaces, and they see a lot of traffic. Last year, Otakon had a point where attendees were supposed to start walking by staying to the right and then switch to staying to the left. If this sounds confusing, that’s because it is. Having to criss-cross with people walking in the opposite direction led to inevitable problems, and it made that corridor more of a chore.

This year, one big change appeared to have solved this issue. Before, the Dealer’s Room and Artist Alley were blocked off from each other, but now the space between them was opened up. The result is that, rather than making attendees go up an escalator and back through the hall to go down a different escalator, it was as simple as walking from one to the other. The result was a near-total lack of bottlenecks, and the complete elimination of the criss-cross.

Another side effect of this was that it made getting to the Autographs area easier. That section is right between the Dealer’s Room and Artist Alley, and this setup allowed those who were looking to get stuff signed to take the Artist Alley escalator instead of being forced to use the Dealer’s Room’s entrance. It was actually an unintentional bonus—Otakon staff mentioned that they did not have that in mind. Because I was looking to get some autographs myself, this was a major boon for me. As for the Autograph Area itself, well, things were more complicated.

Autographs

I know some folks who dedicate the majority of their time to autographs at conventions. My approach varies tremendously depending on the guest list, but this year there were a few guests I was hoping to see. The problem with any signings at a convention, though, is that there’s no perfect system to deal with the fact that you’ll sometimes have many more people vying for those autographs than there is available time. 

For the domestic guests, they’re usually around for long periods, and people generally have to pay for autographs. The foreign (i.e. Japan and Korea–based) guests typically operate by different rules: They’re present for one or two one-hour sessions across the weekend, but charge nothing. As I focus more on the latter type of guest, I got to experience Otakon’s approach quite a bit.

This is not my first Otakon by any means, and this spot by the Dealer’s Room has been the Autograph Area for many years now while always running into similar issues about how to manage the space. This year, the rule was that attendees were only allowed to line up 30 minutes before the start of a signing, but they were also not allowed to loiter in the area until then, lest they incur the very vocal wrath of the staff in charge. It’s an understandable policy meant to prevent fire hazards resulting from huge amounts of people stuffed into that area, but the result is this bizarre meta where the hopeful have to test the limits of what is okay, see how well they can judge the rush that occurs right as the minute hits, and also accept random luck.

For example, I initially failed to get an autograph for Uchida Aya (Kotori from Love Live!) because I got blocked out by a closely packed group of cosplayers. The second time, I managed to get through because I ended up very close, but also because a person a little in front of me had a panic attack from getting tightly packed in between a bunch of bodies—and it would have been worse because I could feel the crowd behind me pushing up against me. I can’t help but feel that the Autograph Area in Baltimore (away from the Dealer’s Room) was a better space, though the Japanese signings were split up from the domestic signings back then. 

I also encountered the scourge of signings in modern times: the Funkopops. From what I understand, people looking to sell famous autographs and make a profit often use Funkopops as their item of choice due to their relatively low cost and popularity. The problem is that these profit-focused outsiders can end up crowding out actual fans, so Otakon (and other cons) implement varying degrees of anti-Funkopop policies, with some coming from the guests’ teams  themselves. In the case of one guest, it was announced at the last second that they would not sign any figures (not just Funkopops). I couldn’t help but feel sorry for those who meant well and brought their favorite figure merch, not realizing that others had ruined it for them. 

Ultimately, I ended up with autographs from Uchida Aya and Kakazu Yumi (Renais from Gaogaigar FINAL and Shizuru from Godannar), plus Japan-based American talent Diana Garnet and manga artist Aiba Kyoko. I think I made out pretty okay.

Fan Panels

I’m a bit ashamed to say that I didn’t attend very many fan panels this year, so I didn’t really get the chance to see anyone with whom I was unfamiliar. Here are a couple of highlights, though.

Ani-Merry Christmas

I’ve attended a number of Viga’s panels over the years, and this one was all about Christmas in anime. It was a fun journey through its portrayal in the media of a that treats it less like a time for family and/or religious reflection and more like a “third Valentine’s Day,” as Viga put it. There were some titles I recognized and expected, but also a couple that I’d never heard of. It was one of the first panels Friday morning, and a nice way to kick off the con officially. 

Anime in Non-Anime

Gerald from Anime World Order ran this panel, and this was a new version of one I’d seen before a number of Otakons ago: Anime in Non-Anime. However, the central thrust of the presentation differed significantly, and that’s because anime has reached actual mainstream recognition in recent years. Thus, talking about all the ways anime pops up in funny ways on the news and such doesn’t quite have the same meaning. Instead, the panel was all about going back to the times when anime was niche and liking it might get you proverbially (or literally) shoved into a locker, and the joy one felt when any show had even the slightest nod to anime.

Fitness in Anime is WHACK and Here’s Why…

I’m not a very physically active person, but I was curious what this was about. The person running the panel mentioned being a track athlete in the past, and called a lot of things cringe. The general takeaways were that anime bodies aren’t realistic because training for different goals will produce different bodies, and the cut and chiseled figures you see are often a result of aesthetic bodybuilding. Also, the exercises that make you want to exercise more are better than great ones that you’ll never want to do.
Incidentally, it was one of two “fitness in anime” panels this weekend, and each was run by a different person. Quite the coincidence.

I feel I need to put a reminder on myself to make the effort to look at fan panels and not just get enticed away by the glamor of the industry stuff. With that said…

Industry

Final Fantasy

The biggest industry guests this year were probably the Final Fantasy VII Remake crew. Not only is VII just a major part of video game history, but the guests included Japanese and English voice actors, as well as staff that had worked on Final Fantasy games for decades. The producer of VII Remake, Kitase Yoshinori, was also the director on Chrono Trigger in the 1990s.

I have never truly played Final Fantasy VII in any form, and so my interest was limited, but I still went to their biggest panel just to see what might come up. Outside of a couple surprise video-only appearances (including Vincent dub actor and Critical Role DM Matt Mercer), it was mostly an audience Q&A. One thing that was interesting was the format they used to take questions: attendees could submit questions online, which would then be filtered by the Square-Enix staff. It was a decent middle ground between totally curated questions and an entirely open mic, allowing for some degree of spontaneity. There wasn’t a whole lot of interesting info, but I did learn that Cait Sith has a Kansai accent in Japanese, and that Kakazu Yumi has been voicing Yuffie all the way since the 1998 fighting game Ergheiz.

Aiba Kyoko

Manga artists are notoriously busy, so it was a pleasant surprise to see not just one, but two at Otakon. Neither are massive names in the business, but getting to hear any artists talk about their work and processes is valuable. 

Aiba Kyoko is mostly known for her BL work, and she ran a panel Friday morning focused on tips to help artists draw in a more “manga”-esque style compared to more typical American comics. She prefaced it by saying that neither approach is worse than the other, but for artists who are always wondering why their art might seem “off,” it might have to do with the stuff one absorbs by growing up in and being surrounded by a particular culture (or lack thereof). For example, the barrel-chested, inverted-triangle superhero anatomy often signals power in American comics. In Japanese media, popular strong characters are often not only thinner but also have a casual nonchalance to their posture that demonstrates a cool confidence. Aiba went with extreme examples to make a point, but I think it was illustrated well.

She took drawing requests from the audience, and we ended up with Michael Keaton Batman and Mordecai from Regular Show. She specifically mentioned how she still has some trouble drawing in that American style, and that she had to widen her Batman drawing to make it look right.

One of the coolest things Aiba showed was actually how she uses kinesio tape (or perhaps some offbrand equivalent?) on her hand. I’ve never used it so I may have this wrong, but I believe she said that the tape actually has to be wrapped in a way that it pulls in the opposite direction of the muscle to stabilize it.

Kino Hinoki

The other artist was Kino Hinoki, whose works include the manga adaptation of NO.6 and a series called Setsuna Graffiti, bout a fireworks maker. Her panel was on Sunday. Funnily enough, Aiba was also there helping the interpreter with obscure manga-specific terms and literally running around with the mic for Q&A.

Kino was very forthcoming with information and tips. Comparing her work on NO.6 to other manga, she mentioned needing to do a lot more plotting in advance (it being an adaptation and all). She gave a tip on using screentone on faces, which is to only use it on closeups. She also cautioned artists to be careful of making what people in the industry derogatorily refer to as “face manga,” i.e. are just close-up headshots with little variety. And when asked about her biggest inspirations, Kino answered 1)  Arakawa Hiromu (Fullmetal Alchemist) for the way she constructs and composes her stories, and 2) Tanemura Arina (Full Moon o Sagashite) for her illustrations.

I asked her if she had her own editor or if she worked with the ones at different publishers, and she said the latter (which is more common). Other fun trivia included the fact that she pole dances as a hobby, she’s left-handed (and thus has to deal with the fact that most devices for digital artists tend to favor righties), and her favorite FMA character is Edward (she likes good-looking short characters).

Animeigo + Discotek

Animeigo has been bringing anime to home video for English-speaking fans since the 1980s, and they’re still alive and kicking. But recently, there was a big change as the original president, Robert Woodhead, sold the company to MediaOCD’s Justin Sevakis, himself an industry veteran. At Otakon, the new Animeigo announced their plans to bring back their known titles in improved editions, such as Megazone 23 and Bubblegum Crash—but also to license rescue works from outside their catalog, like Full Moon o Sagashite. This will be the first time that Full Moon is fully available legally in the US, as the previous release many years ago stalled. This series was an internet darling in the 2000s, and I expect a lot of fans from that era to rise back up for it.

The basic takeaway was that Animeigo and Sevakis came across as very dedicated to media preservation and giving it their all to make releases worth owning. It’s similar in a lot of ways to Discotek, the other current publisher really dedicated to retro anime—a company to which Sevakis also lends his and MediaOCD’s video restoration and authoring skills on a regular basis.

The Animeigo panel was followed by the Discotek panel in the same room. Like every year, it was chock full of announcements, so many that they couldn’t even fit them all in, showing them through an extra stream after the panel had ended. My personal highlights were a trio of mecha works: Space Musketeer Bismark (the original Japanese version of Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs), the HD blu-ray version of Giant Gorg, and the utterly unexpected Groizer X. 

Interviews

I conducted interviews with a few of the guests, namely Uchida Aya, Kakazu Yumi, and Ishikawa Hideo.

Music

Flow

I attended the Friday concert by FLOW, a band I’m quite familiar with—I even got their autograph many years ago at another convention. 

The group was here as part of a world tour that is specifically focused on their anime music. Before the concert began, voices from the titles they worked on gave words of encouragement: Team 7 from Naruto, Lelouch from Code Geass, and Eureka and Renton from Eureka Seven, among others. 

Their set list was as follows.

  • 01 BURN
  • 02 KAZE NO UTA
  • 03 LOVE AND JUSTICE
  • 04 Steppin’ out (Intro, Long version)
  • 05 CHA-LA-HEAD-CHA-LA
  • 06 HERO~Kibou no Uta~
  • 07 DAYS
  • 08 Brave Blue
  • 09 COLORS
  • 10 WORLD END
  • 11 United Sparrows
  • 12 Re:member
  • 13 Member Introduction: Tick Tack
  • 14 Sign ~ Intro Long Version
  • 15 GO !!!
  • 16 GOLD

One could tell how popular a particular show/song was based on the rumbling along the floor. A very new song like their Kinnikuman opening got some cheers. “DAYS” from Eureka Seven definitely caught people’s attention (It’s my favorite song of theirs). “COLORS” reflected that Code Geass was indeed a defining anime for a great many. But when “GO!!!” from Naruto hit, the floor literally felt like it was undulating from the stomps and excitement. I think it really says how essential and fundamental Naruto was to the fandom, and how much that fifth opening helped put FLOW on the map. It’s literally one of two openings people will generally point to as the series intro (the other being “Haruka Kanata”). Overall, it was an excellent time.

Retro AMVs

Otakon this year brought back old school Anime Music Videos, this time from its 1996 Otakon AMV contest. I’ve never been that big on AMVs in general, but there’s just something fun about it as a time capsule. As expected, the anime involved were the fan darlings of the era: Bubblegum Crisis, Armitage III, so much Tenchi Muyo!, and so on. I highly recommend checking this out at least once, not least of which is because of the level of technology the AMV makers had to work with at the time. I do wonder how attendees who weren’t around for this era of anime feel when watching these.

Miscellaneous

Skipped the Korean Content

I keep not attending the Korean stuff despite having every intention to check out at least a little. Maybe next time! 

30th Anniversary Exhibit

Near the front entrance was a special area showcasing memorabilia from every Otakon since the very beginning, including things like Otakon Vegas and 2020’s Otakon Online. It was fun reminiscing on all the past Otakons I had attended, and to see what came before I ever started going. 

The most astounding thing is realizing just how much it’s grown: 1994 had only 350 attendees, and now it’s over 50,000! At the Closing Ceremony, the staff revealed that the entirety of the first Otakon would have fit into the relatively modest 30th anniversary exhibition area.  

Otakon 2025 Hotel Reservation Fiasco

Although this has nothing to do with Otakon 2024, I do need to point out the numerous problems that occurred with reserving hotels for 2024. Otakon announced that the hotel blocks would open at 12PM EST on August 13. Many other conventions have similar queuing systems for everything from autographs to concerts, and usually the point of the queue is that the order is randomized to be more fair to people who couldn’t get there right on the dot.

However, this was not the case for Otakon, which ended up being a first come, first served system. That in itself was potentially not an issue, but Otakon did not communicate clearly that it was non-random, and the social media didn’t announce that they were actually starting at 11AM until the day before. On top of all that, they had apparently tried to test the system at around 1030AM, which opened the queue and allowed people who were waiting to get in before even the earlier start time.

I hope Otakon can fix this problem for next year, as it is one of their biggest missteps in years. 

Food

In addition to the above-mentioned Saté food truck at the Matsuri, I ate at a number of spots over the weekend. As always, the Caribbean food in the convention center is probably the best deal and consistently delicious (though be warned that it’s still convention prices). SUNdeVICH is another mainstay of the Otakon trip, and this year I got their bulgogi-based Seoul sandwich. The kimchi and slaw make it really work. Dolcezza’s gelato is as good as ever.

I also visited a small German restaurant called Prost DC, and got the sauerbraten (see above). It was surprisingly pleasant, and made me reevaluate my previously very neutral opinion on this national dish of Germany.

Cosplay

Closing Thoughts

At the Q&A session on the final day, there were a few people who expressed that they wished it felt more like a 30th anniversary celebration, but I think it feels very Otakon to just do a solid job of putting on a convention. Just about everything I enjoy about Otakon is still there, and I have faith that the hiccups and issues that are there will be at least partly improved by the next go around.

I want to end with a little story: At the Matsuri, I was sitting with some friends, one of whom was chatting with someone else sharing the table. This young individual was attending Otakon for the first time, and they had come to this event cosplaying as Inuyasha. I was a little surprised because the heyday of Inuyasha (and its ubiquitous cosplay at cons) had long passed, but I found out that Inuyasha was this person’s first anime ever. It really felt like time is on some mysterious cycle; perhaps all too appropriate for a 30th anniversary.