Category Archives: anime

The Rational Male Companion

Posted on by

Few characters can impress me as much as the Rational Male Companion. These are the characters who are frequently well-acquainted with headstrong women, and though they may not have the guts or the power to rescue damsels in distress, they seek to provide understanding and kindness for the women they hold dear.

When Yoko finds herself stranded in the land of the Twelve Kingdoms, betrayed by everyone she ever trusted, It is the half-man/half-rat/non-ninja Rakushun who proves to her through his gentle and inquisitive nature that there are still good people in the world. Linn Jinto is not the brightest or the strongest man in the Abh empire, but his close friendship with Lafiel exhibits his sincerity and empathy, as well as his subdued sense of humor. Dominic Soleil does not even have the benefit of an entirely sane love interest, but his persistence and use of his own personal strengths (intelligence-gathering as opposed to Giant Robot Fighting) are indicative of his complete devotion to Anemone.

It really doesn’t have to do with the Rational Male as much as it has to do with the fact that he is someone’s Companion. They forge deep bonds with their friends and lovers, a bond tempered by the kind of self-confidence one can only find by being comfortable with oneself, accepting one’s own strengths and weaknesses.

Why I Like Ogiue, Part 4, or Being a Man who is a Fan of Ogiue

Posted on by

As I stated in my previous post, I spoke to the Ninja Consultants at New York Comic Con, and among the topics we discussed were of course Genshiken and Ogiue. Erin pointed out to me that, as far as she knows, the majority of Ogiue fans in the US (or at least in the New York area) are female, and being a male Ogiue fan is kind of an exception.

Ogiue being more popular among girls than guys makes perfect sense, actually. Female anime fans would of course relate to the fujoshi that is Ogiue. It’s all obvious, with hindsight.

And yet, this fact didn’t really hit me just how rare a breed I am until Erin mentioned it. And I know that there are other guys out there who like Ogiue, just not as much as me, which I’m sure is a huge shock. The real point though is that it seems like not many of them are big, big fans of Ogiue, at least not compared to the number of girls who are.

What makes Ogiue stand out to me so far above other characters is the fact that I’ve been very fond of her every step of the way. From her brash, one-armed introduction to the club, to the revelation of her psuedo-real-life fantasies and denial of such, to her gradual softening and then hardening, to her acceptance of herself and her relationship with Sasahara, I was pretty much a fan from day one as anyone who’s read this blog will know.

And all along, I’ve been evaluating Ogiue from the perspective of a male otaku, not that I can evaluate from any other. And of course, I’ve also been doing this with every character I see. I don’t plan on talking extensively on gender roles in anime any time soon, but it just leaves me thinking about my position among anime fans at large, half of whom are female.

New York Comic Con: An Incomplete Con Report Because I Will Probably Forget Most Things

Posted on by

I went to my first New York Comic Con this past weekend. I normally prefer less city and commute-based conventions, but it was still a pleasant experience over all.

I’ll avoid the hanging out with friends talk, but I’ll just say I hung out with various friends and it was good times for all.

I saw the Lucky Star dub. Some voices were weaker than others, and Wendy Lee still sounds like Wendy Lee, but they tried very hard with this dub. I think the dialogue sounded a lot more natural than I was expecting, which was a big plus. Kogami Akira felt pretty spot on, Shiraishi Minoru not so much, and the pronunciation of Shiraishi was a little painful. Overall though, not a bad dub at all.

I got to meet the fine folks over at Ninja Consultant Podcast and got to be interviewed, which was a great experience. We talked about various topics, including but not limited to Ogiue. Keep up with their podcast, and you might just get to hear how incomprehensible I am when I speak. By the way, I’m a 35 year old balding man and my name is Gerald Rathkolb.

I saw Freedom. In unrelated news, I sure do want some Nissin Cup Noodles. I also attended Grant Morrison panels, and though I’m not really a huge fan of his work (just because I don’t read much of his work), his scottish talkings about made both panels very entertaining. Oh yeah, Seven Soldiers was awesome so I guess I am a Grant Morrison fan after all. I also attended a Tokyopop panel, and there as I watched the slides come on screen, I realized just how much Tokyopop gears towards shoujo and bl now. I feel like it snuck up on me without me realizing it, and now it’s too late.

I attended the Giant Robot Rumble panel, where I got to explain what an Absolute Terror Field actually is, as well as correcting the people who thought one robot was Aphrodai A when it was actually Dianan X. Thanks to this, I was considered a nerd even among nerds. Yes, I am that pathetic. PS Steve Yun please make me a judge next time. Sadly I had to leave early, so if someone can tell me who won, that’d be great.

By the way, Optimus Prime does not lose to Roy Focker/Fokker, at least not for the reasons given. Saying that Roy’s in a plane and Optimus’s mobility is limited is not an argument when Optimus REGULARLY FIGHTS ROBOTS WHO TRANSFORM INTO FIGHTER JETS.

I actually did not buy all that much, which is okay by me. I bought an autographed copy of David Lloyd (artist of V for Vendetta)’s new book, Kickback. The artwork is really up my alley. I took one look at it, and I was sold. The other thing I bought was a 20 minute backrub. It was actually worth it because it helped me take on the 90 minute TM Revolution concert.

And oh boy what a concert it was. TM Revolution has incredible stage presence, and his singing is solid. The most prominent feature of that concert though was the screaming. The loud, fangirl (and boy) screaming, which I partook in on a number of occasions. He covered all of the SEED songs and Heart of Sword, and a few others. By the way, my ears are still feeling the effects of that concert.

I was sitting behind TM Revolution’s Japanese fan club. Before the concert started, and as fans waved signs and hooped and hollered and asked TMR to marry them, I asked the Japanese fan club girls what they thought of America.

Needless to say, they were impressed.

Holy Crap: Super Robot Wars Z

Posted on by

The series being included!

New series in italics, awesometacular joygasms in bold.

Overman King Gainer
The Big O
The Big O Second Season
Zambot 3
Daitarn 3
Xabungle
Z Gundam
Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
Gundam X
Turn A Gundam
Gundam SEED Destiny
Mazinger Z
Great Mazinger
Getter Robo G
Grendizer
God Sigma
Aquarion
Eureka Seven
Orguss
Gravion
Gravion Zwei
Baldios

Seriously this is like…holy crap. Words can’t describe it.

Ninja Consultants, TM Revolution

Posted on by

Whooooooo.

Inazuma Initial Impressions, Spring 2008

Posted on by

Soul Eater:

Seems decent enough. I like the art style though some of the continuity between scenes seems a little off. The thing that stands out most to me is that the main heroine’s voice actor is very inexperienced, and according to Anime News Network she has no other roles. If I do continue to watch, it might just be to see how she progresses as a voice actor throughout the series.

Macross Frontier:

Looks like they’re trying to make this anniversary count. It’s said that every Macross show is purposely designed with a different theme and feel in mind, and though the first episodes draw some parallels to earlier Macross anime, it’ll be interesting to see what happens.

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki:

Brash, arrogant loli catgirl for a primary heroine. Yeah… I’m not sure if I’ll be sticking with this one.

Genshiken Karaoke in Akihabara

Posted on by

Or should I say, “Genchoken.”

To celebrate the Genchoken CD release (Genchoken being the bi-weekly radio show which accompanied the broadcast of Genshiken 2), otaku will be able to briefly live, Genshiken style, at Karaoke Pasela in Akihabara.

There, customers will have access to a karaoke room with a Genshiken-themed decor and sing to their hearts’ content. And to make it as authentic as possible, the only songs allowed will be from things that exist in Genshiken, e.g. Kujibiki Unbalance and Ramen Angel Pretty Menma. They will also be playing the actual Genchoken CD as well.

To top it all off, if you’ve bought the Genchoken CD and you sing Kujian/Menma songs in the Genshiken room, then you can enter a drawing to win some autographed swag from the cast of Genshiken.

Existence of specific Ogiue-themed merchandise unknown at this time.

The True Appeal of Izumi Konata

Posted on by

Konata is a surprisingly good character. There’s something very endearing about her and for a long time (since I finished watching Lucky Star), I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but now I know.

I’ve heard from numerous people that they think Konata’s popularity is because she has the same tastes as and acts like a male otaku. That’s not necessarily off the mark, but it’s a little too simplistic. The actual appeal of Konata is not simply that she’s an otaku, but that she’s an otaku who’s not afraid to show that side of herself in public.

I think there’s a fear within everyone (but particularly relevant to dorks) that if they reveal too much of themselves that people will think less of them. They will either believe they cannot make any friends, or that their friends will stop being so friendly. Konata stands in the face of all that. Where most of dvd-and-figure-buying comrades falter, Konata is able to confidently declare to her “commoner” friends that yes, she loves Haruhi, yes, she goes to Comic Market, and yes, she is indeed an otaku.

Combined with some of Konata’s more poignant scenes, such as the Hirano Aya concert or some of her conversations with her dad, Konata shows that she’s not just an impossible ideal for otaku, but that it’s possible to both feel weak and strong at the same time.

Konata, one might say, is the opposite of Ogiue. However, unlike, say, Kohsaka from Genshiken, Konata doesn’t appear to be too perfect. Sure, she’s athletic, sure she’s friendly and outspoken, but in the end she is still genuine to her own interests, still has her own doubts and insecurities, and really isn’t that much different from the otaku from which she is derived.

Oh boy. You have sold me now.

Posted on by

The last Godannar DVD arrived today, completing my collection, and by last I mean the first volume with box as I purchased volumes 2-7 earlier in a nice deal.

Inside the box was an ad for Gravion Zwei, which is a few years old by now, but it certainly caught my eye. Below is the ad’s text, reproduced for your enjoyment.

————————————————————-

EFFEMINATE HEROES! GIANT FIGHTING ROBOTS! GRAVITY-DEFYING BREASTS!

Hold on to your feather duster! With a legion of perky maids and more FAN SERVICE than you can shake a stick* at, Gravion Zwei has all the action, comedy and MADCAP ADVENTURE you’ve been looking for!

*No, not that stick!

————————————————————-

…

…Really? I mean, really?

I’m no opponent of fanservice (I bought all of Godannar after all), but damn ADV, are you trying to make people too embarrassed to show your DVDs in their homes? I mean, unless it’s full-on pornographic anime you could at least use some restraint, some clever lines which sum up the show in a reasonably tasteful manner.

The Immortal Who Watches Animation

Posted on by

I am troubled when people deride an animation for being too “old” without considering its other merits, and I think it’s a matter of broader perspective.

While we can look at older animation from our perspective today and see how far we’ve come be it 2d or 3d, don’t forget that today will become yesterday and years down the line the industry will have progressed even further technically and technologically, as well as in the realm of ideas (I hope). It feels kind of odd to think that all this fancy stuff going on today may even become laughable in the future, but as I think about it more I begin to wonder if the technical stops becoming a factor as more and more time passes. That is to say, if I were immortal and could watch hundreds of years of animation go by, I think after a while I would stop caring about realism or the pursuit of realism. Realism is just an example and it could be anything.

That all said, I personally also tend to put great emphasis on watching an animation with knowledge of the context in which it was produced and shown, because many achievements made by animations have to be viewed through the lens of society or history. It’s the other side of the coin perhaps, that while I can argue against people not watching an anime because it’s old, I can’t argue against people watching it for that very same reason.