Category Archives: anime

Not Plagiarism: Robot Taekwon V

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“Robot Taekwon V” is a cartoon that captivated children’s imaginations in the 1970s, and had numerous sequels and remakes through the years. Recently, it was remastered for its 30th anniversary thanks to a lucky discovery of an undamaged print. If you’ve never heard of the Japanese anime Taekwon V, don’t be alarmed.

Because it’s Korean.

Looking at Taekwon V itself, “Mazinger Z” is probably the first thing that pops into your head. The resemblance is unmistakable, and it could easily fit into Nagai Go’s Giant Robot Pantheon. I’ve seen people online, mostly aggressive Japanese posters, decrying Taekwon V as a rip-off, a sign of plagiarism and uncreativity. The director Kim Cheong-gi has gone on the record stating the obvious influence that Mazinger Z had on his design. At the time, Mazinger Z was very popular in Korea and Kim wanted to created a Korean Super Robot so that kids would appreciate Korean culture. The likely scenario is that at the time he thought Mazinger Z was what all super robots should look like, so it’s no wonder that they look similar. That isn’t the reason why I say it’s not plagiarism though.

Taekwon V fights using its namesake, Taekwondo, and its animation reflects this fact. Mazinger Z and in fact every other super robot has never used Taekwondo. While Taekwon V resembles Mazinger Z heavily, its poses, mannerisms, and actions set it apart. Taekwon V is able to follow the movements of its pilot, a Taekwondo champion himself, two years before Daimos. It even has unique attacks, most notably its Rocket Chop (I don’t know the actual name for this), where Taekwon V makes a horizontal, back-handed chopping motion while simultaneously launching its hand to give it some added destructive momentum.

If it looks like a duck, but doesn’t walk like a duck, and it quacks in Korean, then it is Taekwon V.

By the way, this reasoning does not necessarily apply to other Korean Giant Robot shows. I’m looking at you, Space Gundam V.

Fan-generated Fiction as some call it

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I recently listened to the Ninja Consultant podcast concerning the sexualization that occurs among fangirls, and the fact that this has become more prominent in recent times, with not only yaoi becoming a common sight at conventions but also modern works such as Dr. Who and Avatar: The Last Airbender being consciously aware of this fanbase. The topic of fanfiction comes up in the discussion, which is to be expected given that fanfiction and fangirls practically go hand in hand, but it reminded me of the fact that at the beginning of my own internet-based fandom I too was into fanfiction.

When I first began using the internet, my first fandom was a NiGHTS into dreams fanfiction site. I loved the Sega Saturn game to death (and still do), and I sought out other fans of NiGHTS. It was there that I found a site called “Nightopia on the Net” which would later change its name a few more times. It was here that I not only discovered other people with a passion for NiGHTS, but also stories that expanded upon the few plot details we were given as players of the game into a rich and vibrant (at least in my young eyes) universe. I’ve never read the Star Wars Extended Universe books, but I suspect the feeling was similar to anyone who is a fan of those, a feeling that the world given to us in these initial stories is so vast and unexplored that one can’t help but wonder what else is out there.

At some point, a few years down the line, I read fanfiction less and less. By this point I had been checking out fanfiction from various sources based on all sorts of series and would even actively seek out more unusual titles and concepts. Something in me began to sour, and I could no longer take fanfiction until I almost stopped reading it entirely. Back then, my reasoning was that I disliked the stories being produced for my fandoms, feeling that more than any sort of technical errors the problem was that the writers did not understand the characters. The characters’ actual personalities as displayed in their respective shows were nothing like the personalities displayed in fanfiction, and I asked (no one), “What’s the point of using these characters if you’re not going to actually use them?”

As mentioned in the Ninja Consultant discussion, it seems as if some works these days are simply there as fan fodder. Characters are given basic traits which appeal to the “shipping” side of fandom, and fans are free to ignore or cultivate any “evidence” as to whether or not their “One True Pair” could thrive. Setting aside any original creators’ desires to actively engage this line of thought, by all rights these are the people who are responsible for me leaving fanfiction in the first place.

But really was I, and am I, all that different?

Why do people enjoy pairing unreasonable characters together? To put it simply, it’s because they find the pairing to be hot. No big mysteries there. It’s what makes the Zutara pairing in Avatar so popular: a conflict of emotions, the fire/water dynamic, the idea that “if only they would get together, they would be great.” Of course, the conflict comes from actually getting them together.

Is there something wrong with this? Wanting to dive deeper into a world, to prove through fanfiction that there is so much more to a story, one can say that trying to find deeper subtext in the relationships presented is its own form of exploration. Hell, I can somewhat relate to making unreasonable pairings. I have a rather straight-laced friend who I would like to see date girls that would be all over him 24/7. Why? Because it would entertain me to no end.

Perhaps there is a threshold, and it is crossed when fans begin to believe that their opinions constitute the truth about a work, or even what should be true. This isn’t about creator’s vision vs spectator’s vision or anything of that sort, but rather to what extent people and groups begin to believe their own hype. Other than that, I think people are free to believe in whatever they want.

Even then, such a statement borders on the idea that there’s such a thing as a “right” fan and a “wrong” fan, and really, even if I find certain fans or their reasoning distasteful, I am just one person and I am not a judge of fanfiction. More importantly, I am not a judge of the heart.

After all, as Sasahara once said to Ogiue, no one can stop you from liking something.

Your Doujin Work Sucks

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Hiroyuki, author and creator of Doujin Work, is not exactly a common name among anime fans. In some cases, I’d suspect that mentioning it would get more people thinking about To Heart than anything else. No, Hiryoyuki is probably better known around the internet for his comic involving a bespectacled teenager with a troubled past trying to get it on with a feline familiar. In other words, “A Cat is Fine Too.”

So here we have a man firmly rooted in the doujinshi “industry” making a comic about creating doujinshi. The story centers around a girl named Osana Najimi and her quest to create doujinshi. However, unlike Kazuki of Comic Party, who draws because he finds it incredibly fun, or Ogiue of Genshiken, who draws because she can’t help it, Najimi dives into the world of doujinshi for one reason and one reason only: profit. Her friends Justice and Tsuyuri are able to sell well at doujinshi events, so with a little practice the money-loving Najimi feels that she too can rake it in.

The only problem is that she sucks at drawing. Najimi has no natural talent, and effort does not seem to reward her much either. The work she creates sells mainly for the so-bad-it’s-good factor.

Hiroyuki’s style, born out of drawing doujinshi, makes much sense for a comic revolving around doujinshi. Overall, the manga (which is presented in 4-panel-style) is well-drawn and entertaining. The same cannot be said of the anime.

The anime adaptation of Doujin Work suffers from poor animation, though much of it is forgiven when taking into account the (presumably) low budget and fairly simple designs of the characters. There were also rumors floating around 2ch and the internet in general that working on the animation with Hiroyuki was a bit of a nightmare, and not in the good way. Even if this is just a rumor, the result is still a show that could have looked better and been better.

But that’s what makes it so interesting.

Here you have someone drawing a comic about a person who tries to get into the world of doujinshi with lackluster results. This comic is then adapted into an anime…with lackluster results. In a sense, the mediocre showing of the Doujin Work anime adaptation is the best possible outcome for it.

“Oh, but that wasn’t intended by the creator!” you might be saying. Well, not everything intended by the creator defines a work. Kind of like when an anime becomes a cult classic in spite of its quality and not because of it.

PS: I know the anime adaptation has a section which shows the voice actors of the anime trying to make and sell doujinshi, but for some reason no one ever bothered to include those parts in the available episodes. A sad loss.

Anime as context for learning Japanese

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I’ve previously discussed using anime to support one’s Japanese studies, where I pointed out that it is very possible to do so.

Recently, this topic of discussion came up with a friend who also studies Japanese, and we determined that context can be very useful for learning any language, and in the case of Japanese that context may very well be the anime you watch. Just remembering a scene where a word is used can be enough to recall the meaning of something.

It might be looked down upon, but hey, whatever works, right?

Actually, more than anime and remembering vocabulary, I feel that making mental connections can be very useful in learning kanji. As an example, while studying with the help of flash cards I came across the word 油断 or “to be off-guard” and I immediately recognized it for one reason and one reason only.

Yuuda S(hi)ta!

Of course, don’t rely totally on anime, and don’t let it be the sole focus of your studies.

Shut Up! I Know What I’m Doing!

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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.

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.