Category Archives: anime

Enjoying shows for children as an adult

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There has always been talk about how anime/cartoons are for kids, and the argument against that has usually been “no it’s not, look at all these mature shows out there.”

Regardless of your definition of mature, this is not about those shows. This is about kids’ shows for kids, and watching them as an adult.

It is incorrect to think that just because a show is for kids, that it must be inferior writing-wise to shows meant for a mature audience. It may be the case that certain themes must remain simplified for children, but honest, good writing will always prevail no matter the audience.

You can appreciate shows from the distance of adulthood, or perhaps enjoy a kids’ show as is, as a fan, but either way is valid.

Summer Days with Raoh

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I saw Summer Days with Coo today at the NYIFF. Review pending.

The important thing is that prior to the movie starting, I said that at the end, Coo would declare that he “has no regrets in his life.” It was a good fun joke.

Then I got to the end of the movie, and lo and behold, Coo declares that he has no regrets.

Perhaps he’s not just skilled in Sumo, but also finding the opponents vital pressure points.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Brothers to Smash. Much like Kenshiro.

Edward Elric and Edward Murrow

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Seeing this speech from the movie Good Night, and Good Luck, based upon a real speech by the great reporter and man Edward R. Murrow, immediately I thought about how this applies to anime.

The easy answer is that anime is all entertainment, and that all this “moe crap” or whatever is insulating people from the world, that it is providing them comfort.

But then I think about the fact that I have been inspired and informed by anime, on multiple occasions, not the least of which is Genshiken (remember, I watched the first season in anime form before getting to the manga). So many shows, while they have been a comfort, have caused me to set out and try new things, think new ideas, expand my horizons mentally, emotionally, and sometimes even physically.

So this post isn’t condemning or praising anime for being an agent of insulation or information. I look at even the simple shows, the simple ideas, one might even call some of them shallow, but then I know that for every person that is perhaps kept complacent by a show, there is another who may take the next step towards greatness.

The Fujoshi Files 4: Haruno Sakura

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Name: Haruno, Sakura (春野サクラ)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Naruto

Information:
As a young girl growing up in the ninja village of Konoha, Sakura was a very intelligent student with a keen understanding of the basics of being a ninja. Chance would have her put on the same team as the love of her life, Uchiha Sasuke, and the infamous prankster and all around clown Uzumaki Naruto, led by the skilled, if eccentric, Hatake Kakashi. While there were tensions at first, the team developed a deep bond, which was severed when Sasuke betrayed them and left to join one of their worst enemies.

Sakura is the sole pupil of Tsunade, one of the most powerful ninjas in the world, and from her has learned how to both channel immense strength and utilize life-saving medical techniques. Teamed with an older Naruto and an unintentionally foul-mouthed artist-ninja named Sai, the team pursues Sasuke to return him home to Konoha.

Fujoshi Level:
It may catch some people by surprise that Sakura even has an entry in the Fujoshi Files. It is true that her fujoshi level is not very high at all. However, she certainly is one, though even Sakura herself has only barely realized it, as her extremely “positive” reaction to an illusion of Sasuke and Sai embracing each other passionately catches even Sakura off guard.

Genchoken CD on sale

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A compilation of the Genchoken radio show is now on sale, for anyone who understands Japanese and sadly missed this wonderful radio show starring Mizuhashi Kaori (Ogiue), and Hiyama Nobuyuki (Madarame).

For those who aren’t familiar with Genchoken, it was a bi-weekly radio show starring the aforementioned two voice actors, as they tackled various topics regarding otaku. Guests included fellow voice actors from Genshiken, some of the original voices upon which the Vocaloid characters are based on, and a BL manga author. Genchoken stands for Gendai Chokaku Bunka Kenkyuukai, in other words, “The Society for the Study of Modern Aural Culture”

It’s also where I got to hear, “Yoiko no minna san…Ogiue Chika-sensei desu.”

Ogiue Chika-sensei.

Attention spans and anime

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We’ve all heard it before, I think: Anime fans and people in general have smaller attention spans nowadays. In American movies, individual scenes are significantly shorter than what they were 20-30 years ago.

I have to wonder, how much of an impact has this had on anime? Aside from the aged look of the artwork, is this a possible reason why older shows tend to be neglected? I haven’t bothered with a stopwatch, but just how long or short are individual scenes in theatrical anime films, anyway?

Please tell me, oh anime fans, what do you think of your own attention span, and how it may or may not affect the anime you choose to watch or keep watching.

The Ogiues who never were

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Mizuhashi Kaori landed the role of Ogiue and for that we are all grateful.

Landing the role, however, means that she had to have beaten out other voice actors.

So I have to wonder, who else tried out for the part of Ogiue? Who could have been the voice of Fujoshi Omega?

Sadly this mystery will probably never be solved.

Pain of the heart: 5cm per second

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I went to see 5cm per Second at the New York International Children’s Film Festival.

There will be spoilers, but I don’t want to explain the plot too much because I’m not sure if I can do it justice, and a part of me just doesn’t want to because the movie is painful.

Yes, painful.

The genuine feelings of yesterday betrayed by distance and time, it’s somewhat difficult to reflect upon. The scene that hit me hardest was part 3, when you first find out that Akari is married, and then in what is essentially a music montage you see as she slowly separates from Takaki, with the final blow being her as an adult walking closely to the man we assume she is going to marry.  It’s like I could feel Takaki’s pain but so much more because he never saw that directly.

And then I realized, that it’s already too late for me to have experienced these feelings in my school days. I am pained because I have never had the opportunity to feel this pain.

It makes me want to re-evaluate my life.

Because he asked so nicely: Help a guy fulfill his anime-themed Master’s Thesis

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In my previous post, I got a comment from a guy named Dirk, who said,

“Hi, my name is Dirk, I live in Brussels, Europe, and I am doing a research to get my degree in psychological studies. I am in my last year at the “Université Libre de Bruxelles” ( U.L.B.). My research is about the look we people bring upon Japanese animation, depending on the culture we live in.

To be able to do this study, I will need the help of people and anime sites out of Europe, so I can compare these populations. I am asking you here if it would be possible for me to add a link on your site, where people will be linked to a site (in English) were they will see an extract of a Japanese animation, and then they will be asked to respond to a questionnaire. Do you think this could be possible? If “yes”, how should this link look like (for instance, what size should it have?)

I already got like 140 European responses, but only like 8 Asian ones, which is close, but not quiet enough for a research…;o) I hope you can help me to improve this :o)

If you want to have a look at the website, the address is : http://www.toba.lu/memoire”

So here it is. I’m all for people researching anime and trying to find out real information about it, and this post is to give it a little more visibility.

Go, take the poll. Let us find out more about the anime fandom.

The dance of moe

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I believe that the appeal of moe is derived from the viewer and not the product. The basis of moe is in a person’s own feelings of doubt, insecurity, and empathy. Not necessarily that they are full of doubt and insecurity, but rather that they are very aware of its power.

Moe does not always address these feelings head on, but it frequently refers to them in its characters. Even the strongest characters are somehow weak, and weakness is okay for not only the characters, but also the viewers, is the message I believe moe gives.

I don’t think moe is the complete removal of reality and the real world because even the most simplistic of moe addresses the inner feelings of people, and emotions are a world that to any person are more real than the world surrounding them.