Category Archives: anime

Otakon and the Social Con

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ogiue Fails to Make Anime Saimoe 2008

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Sadly, our great goddess who blesses us with an imagination most vivid is unable to enter the main tournament of Saimoe 2008. She fell on August 1st, though not without a fight, achieving 11th place for the day, 2 spots short of the crucial 9th place slot that would have gotten her in. With no new Genshiken anime on the horizon, it looks like Ogiue’s path to being called the Moest has been halted.

Oddly enough, while she has not performed well in any Anime Saimoe so far, she did remarkably well in a Manga Saimoe years ago, reaching as far as quarter-finals before falling to Kawazoe Tamaki of Bamboo Blade.

It’s possibly that while many people find Ogiue to be a good character, they do not find her to be moe.

That is, of course, their loss.

Voting has begun

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Midnight (in Japan). The hour is upon us.

http://changi.2ch.net/vote/

JLPTToo Much?

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The Japanese Language Proficiency Test, or JLPT, or 「日本語能力試験」 (I’m writing this down so I finally remember what the damn test is called in Japanese), is a test given once a year so that those who study Japanese may get proper certification to show that, yes, they know *this* much Japanese. 4 is the easiest, requiring only basic Japanese education, while level 1 is super crazy difficult and you really shouldn’t try it.

I have been aiming for the JLPT2, which is the “business” level, and described on the official site as…
Level 2: The examinee has mastered grammar to a relatively high level, knows around 1,000 kanji and 6,000 words, and has the ability to converse, read, and write about matters of a general nature. This level is normally reached after studying Japanese for around 600 hours, which is equivalent to completing an intermediate course.

Passing Score: 240/400
Writing-vocabulary: 35 min
Listening: 40min
Reading-grammar: 70min
Total: 145min

And looking at the material required, I can’t tell if I’m in over my head or not. I’m pretty confident I could pass the level 3 without too much trouble, but I might be in a situation where the level 3 is too simple and the level 2 is too difficult. Also, because I haven’t been regularly exposed to normal Japanese since leaving Japan three years ago, I fear my listening skills have deteriorated significantly.

That said, the weirdest thing is that upon checking out some sample tests, I found the reading comprehension to be easier than the isolated vocabulary section. This goes against everything I’ve ever experienced with foreign language exams.

In the meantime, I’ve been trying to master all ~1000 kanji required for the test, and the result is I’ve been making weirder and weirder tricks for remembering certain words.

極, or pole, I remember because it sort of looks like Souther, the Pole Star.

憎, or hatred, I remember because the right side looks kind of like Optimus Prime, and the left side looks sort of like a cannon (yes, I know it’s a version of the heart radical), so “Megatron hates Optimus Prime.”

Every time I do something like this, a baby probably dies.

Ogiue’s Saimoe 2008 Second Preliminaries: August 1st

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Ogiue is among the many characters in the first round of second preliminaries for Anime Saimoe 2008. She has some stiff competition ahead of her, so if you truly believe Ogiue to be the Moest then you should take some time out of your day to vote for her on AUGUST 1st, 2008 which to many of you will be JULY 31st, 2008 because Japan is in its own timezone.

The official voting area is located on 2channel on its Voting Board, usually labeled something like アニメ最萌トーナメント2008 投票スレRound＃＃.

The threads close automatically at 1000 posts or if they exceeed I believe 512kb so watch out.

To learn how to participate, please consult this earlier post detailing the steps needed in order to cast your vote in Saimoe.

Oh, and for those of you who are waiting for the main tournament, all I will say is that if you do not vote for Ogiue here, then she will have no chance of getting into the main tournament.

Oh, and Hyuuga Hinata’s up too, though shounen jump characters never really stand a chance, which is a shame.

Filler is Not the Iru: Shugo Chara Thoughts, Yet Again

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It’s recently come to my attention that a lot of the viewers of the Shugo Chara anime are disappointed at the amount of “filler” in it, especially when compared to the manga. I do not see what the fuss is all about.

I have not read much of the manga, so I do not have that basis for comparison, but I find the show at its current pacing to be very satisfying. Some episodes advance the overall plot, while others are fairly episodic and resolve themselves quickly. Either way, I get a delightful 20+ minutes of Cool & Spicy, and really, as I’ve said before, I wouldn’t mind at all if the entire show was episodic.

Are people upset about diverging from the manga too much? The Cardcaptor Sakura anime took a lot of liberties with the source material. If you compare the Clow Decks of the manga and anime, the anime’s Clow Deck is practically triple the size of its manga counterpart. That is a lot of added material! The character of Li Meiling didn’t even exist in the original manga.

People are even complaining about Shugo Chara getting a second season, for fear of even more filler. Worrying when a good show gets more episodes is ridiculous. This is par for the course for magical girl shows. Considering recent examples of other magical girl shows which got extended, I see no harm. Pretty Cure only got better when it became Pretty Cure Max Heart (I know there are other Precure series, but they use completely different characters), and Fushigiboshi no Futagohime Gyu! is just as good as the first Futagohime series.

I see no reason to despair. More Shugo Chara is good. Shugo Chara at its current pace is good.

Once Again, Ranka Lee Proves to Be a Formidable Opponent

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Angelic Marathon

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As anime conventions consider what to put in their video rooms, I think one good idea would be to come up with a specific theme for a room which can cover a wide range of anime from every decade. This will provide a firm foundation for anyone who watches, and I am faithful that the show lists generated will be nothing but the cream of the crop.

For example, why not a video room devoted to Angel anime? And by that, I mean anime with the word “Angel” in their titles.

A sample list would look something like this.

-Angel Sanctuary
-Angel Cop
-Galaxy Angel
-Burst Angel
-Angel’s Egg
-Angelic Layer
-A Cheeky Angel
-Steel Angel Kurumi
-D.N.Angel
-Angel Blade

As you can see, the possibilities are limitless.

Remembering Japanese Particles, the Anime Way

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I’ve realized recently that whether consciously or unconsciously I will think back to anime and manga titles to discern whether or not I’m using a specific particle correctly in Japanese. It’s a semi-handy reference that can put into context just how these mysterious 1-2 syllable creatures affect the meaning of a sentence, as well as a reminder that English and Japanese don’tquite match up.

As for some examples…

トップをねらえ！！
Top o Nerae!!
Aim for the Top!!
Initial instinct might be to go for “ni” but here’s something to make sure you don’t do that.

マリア様が見てる
Maria-sama ga Miteru
Maria Watches Over Us
The ever-tricky “ga” particle, this at the very least tells you that when the sentence is this short, ga is correct over wa (は）.

魔法使いに大切なこと
Mahoutsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto
Things That Are Precious to a Mage
Two particles in this one. Ni meaning  “to” doesn’t just apply to going places as you probably learned in beginner’s Japanese, but has a similar effect overall. Here is also a demonstration of how to use a “na” adjective such as Taisetsu, and the reason it’s called a “na” adjective by some teachers in the first place.

So there it is. Keep in mind that I’m advocating this method 100% or calling it truly useful for learning from scratch. However, I assume a lot of people reading this are already anime fans, and it can be useful to have that context without being corrupted by just hearing the stereotypical anime words like “baka” and “sugoi.”

Also keep in mind that English translations of titles often have to sound good as well, so they won’t be super exact.

It’s Like a One-Show Crossover

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Ultraviolet Code 044 is the new anime by acclaimed anime team Director Dezaki Osamu and Character Designer Sugino Akio. It is based on Ultraviolet. Yes, THAT Ultraviolet.

It also has some of the most wildly varied character designers ever, as if they do not belong in the same show.


This is the heroine. She looks modern, in a sort of Ghost in the Shell: SAC kind of way.


This is her scientist friend. Well, he looks considerably different but still fairly moder-


…


Uh…


I don’t even know anymore.