Category Archives: blogging

Every Day Young Life: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for June 2017

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This month is AnimeNext! I missed last year’s move to Atlantic City, but I’ll be attending this time around. I have at least one panel I’ll be on at the con, but the schedule’s not up yet so I can’t say when. I’ll be making a post to Ogiue Maniax once the schedule is out.

As for my Patreon sponsors for June 2017…

General:

Johnny Trovato

Ko Ransom

Alex

Diogo Prado

Viga

Yoshitake Rika fans:

Elliot Page

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

One of the personal running jokes of this blog for me is the lack of a new entry for Gattai Girls. I have no real excuses, except that it’s been slow going watching the series I plan on writing about next. I really hope I can get it done in the next month, and might even devote most of my free time to it.

Speaking of shows about female robot pilots, I was recently reminded of Stellvia of the Universe after finding out that opening singer angela is going to be at Anime Expo. Most likely, that’ll be the next next entry whenever I get around to it.

Here are the monthly blog highlights:

Tonight was the Night: The End of VGCW, Video Game Championship Wrestling
Last month, I said farewell to a companion that saw me through some rough times: fake real video game wrestling. While not a wholly original idea, VGCW ended up being something special.

Kiryuin Satsuki and the Curse of Power Girl
Power Girl is forever fated to be a cheesecake heroine but Satsuki from Kill la Kill was able to overcome it. Why?

The Revival (?) of Studio Gonzo
A journey through the (in)famous studio’s ups and downs.

Patreon-Sponsored

Aikatsu Stars Season 2 and Notions of Perfection
Aikatsu Stars! makes a big deal out of Perfect Elza. What could this mean for the series?

Return to Genshiken

Volume 3 – Stimulation Simulation
It’s the true beginning of Saki x Mada. ‘Nuff said?

I might sound like a broken record player, but I can’t believe the next anime season is creeping ever closer. It feels like only yesterday when I was watching out for the spring season.

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[APT507] Stepping Out of the Shadow: Reasons Why You Should Watch Boruto

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I was a Naruto fan who stopped paying attention and then really enjoyed the Boruto movie. Now the new  Boruto TV series is out, and I’m actually fairly impressed. Check out my review over at Apartment 507.

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[APT507] The Canon of Kanan: Love Live! Sunshine!! Character Controversy

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I wrote a followup to my previous Apartment 507 post on Love Live! Sunshine!! character Matsuura Kanan. It goes into the character’s differences across various formats, and my own disconnect from other aspects of Love Live! fandom.

Overhead Kiss: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for May 2017

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May’s always been my favorite Guilty Gear character. 6p is Life.

While they might not be able to shoot people out of cannons, my Patreon supporters are just as powerful. Thanks to the following!

General:

Johnny Trovato

Ko Ransom

Alex

Diogo Prado

Viga

Yoshitake Rika fans:

Elliot Page

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

I found April to be a fine time for Ogiue Maniax just because there were so many fine shows coming to an end. Personally, I’ve also been reading a lot of manga I had neglected for a while, and I’m hoping to write my thoughts on them either here or on Apartment 507. Do you have a favorite show thus far? I’d be interested to know.

Starting this month, I’ve decided to change up how I do these posts. Instead of listing almost every post I’ve written over the past month, I’m going to give my three favorites plus any sponsored posts from patrons.

Top 3 Posts

You’ve Finished Kemono Friends! What Next?
This for all you Friends out there who want a little more. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

Fight for Survival, Dream for the Future – Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
I’m a long-time fan of Gundam, but I felt especially impressed by this latest TV series.

Bodies Apart, Souls Together: Your Name
See my take on what might be Shinkai Makoto’s most “complete” movie ever!

Patreon-Sponsored

Yamato vs. 999 and the Makeup of a Journey
This time, I was requested to write about “anime that take you on a journey.” I used that opportunity to analyze what it means for a series to portray a “journey” in the first place.

As always, if you want to not only request a topic for Ogiue Maniax but make me write it as well, you can check out the highest tier on my Patreon.

The month of May will feature the next entry in my Genshiken re-read series, so look out for that! Also, watch out for giant whales.

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[APT507] How Love Live! Sunshine!!’s Least Popular Character Rocketed to #1

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I wrote a bit about the change in fan opinion over Love Live! Sunshine!! character Matsuura Kanan over at Apartment 507. I know she became one of my favorite characters by the time I finished the anime, but did you find your impressions changing as well?

A New Release: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for April 2017

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Did you know that Kinomoto Sakura’s birthday is April 1st?
Upon learning this, I realized that major spoilers for Watanuki in XXXHolic were staring me right in the face all along (his name means “April 1st”).

Do any of my Patreon supporters have an April birthday? Whether they do or not, I’m still just as grateful for their support:

General:

Johnny Trovato

Ko Ransom

Alex

Diogo Prado

Viga

Yoshitake Rika fans:

Elliot Page

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Here are the post highlights for this month:

Part 2 of my Genshiken re-read is up, and it’s amazing to see how many characters come and go in the second volume.

March also saw the end of the New York International Children’s Film Festival. Here are all the Ogiue Maniax reviews from the event:

My Life as a Zucchini

Window Horses

Rudolf the Black Cat

Ancien and the Magic Tablet/Napping Princess

The runaway hit of the last season was definitely Kemono Friends. It was such a big deal I had to write about it twice… sort of.

I also got back on track on my chapter reviews of Kimi xxxru Koto Nakare. The series looks like it got delayed for a little while, but I hope it’s coming back. I really do think it’s an excellent series.

Lastly, it was a close call, but I wrote my thoughts on March Comes in like a Lion. I knew I’d like the show, but I’m even more impressed with how well the show makes its protagonist Rei relatable.

April means the end of the winter anime season and the start of some new shows. That means you’re likely going to see a bunch more reviews for anime that concluded this past season. Early on, I saw quite a few people online expressing their opinions that the winter was something of a disappointment. While this has turned around somewhat, thanks to the rising popularity of shows such as Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and Kemono Friends, I feel like that idea still persists.

As for new shows, I’m looking forward to Love Rice a show about rice-themed idols. It’s as if Hanayo was allowed to make her own anime.

 

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10 Robots that Deserve to Be Soul of Chogokin Figures (Part 2)

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Here’s Part 2 of my list of cool super robots that I think should get that Chogokin Damashii treatment. Check it out, tell me which robos you’d love to see!

By the way, here’s Part 1.

Making an Ass Out of Me and Me: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for March 2017

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mahogirls-sleepingbags

Perhaps I should do a review of March Comes in Like a Lion this month. It’d be the kind of super dumb joke I adore?

You know what else I adore? The support of my Patreon users!

General:

Johnny Trovato

Ko Ransom

Alex

Diogo Prado

Viga

Yoshitake Rika fans:

Elliot Page

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

As I think about all I’ve written on the blog, a thought occurs to me: I might subconsciously assume more knowledge in my readers than I should. This is not an assertion that people who read the blog don’t know enough, but rather that I’ve written about so much over the years that it colors how I write on Ogiue Maniax. Because I avoid trying to repeat myself too much, I feel that I leave too many things unspoken, things that are worth explaining or elaborating upon for readers who are learning of certain elements of anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture for the first time. For this reason, I plan to be more conscious of newer audiences as I write. I’m aware that anime fans nowadays prefer to get their info from YouTube, but I should still make a greater effort to account for people who haven’t been reading my blog for 5+ years, i.e. most people.

Moving on, here are this past month’s blog highlights:

Two series I enjoy concluded recently: Maho Girls Precure and 3D Kanojo. The latter I’m especially fond of, and it’s one of my favorite shoujo manga in recent memory.

I also wrote about the incredible voice acting by Ishida Akira in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, as well as the ambiguous morality of Saga of Tanya the Evil.

And i you want to learn about one of the stranger Japanese manga one-shots out there, look no further than Chiyo’s Lips, a title about a relationship based on popping pimples (you might not want to read this over lunch).

March is shaping up to be quite a month, as it’s time for the New York International Children’s Film Festival. I’ll be seeing a whole bunch of movies in the next few weeks, so expect some reviews! I’ll also be writing up my re-read review of Genshiken volume 2.

See you on the lamb side!

 

 

 

The Shonen Jump Meat Grinder: Why So Many Manga Die Young

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With a bunch of new Shounen Jump titles debuting as of late, I’ve written a new post over at Apartment 507 about the high turnover rate of Jump manga. Check it out!

I Have a Choco: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for February 2017

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February might be Valentine’s Day Month, but how much I’ll actually discuss romance on the blog remains a mystery even to me!

Whatever the situation, I know that if I were in Japan, I’d be giving giri choco to my Patreon sponsors.

General:

Johnny Trovato

Ko Ransom

Alex

Diogo Prado

Viga

Yoshitake Rika fans:

Elliot Page

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Given that this will be the tenth year of Ogiue Maniax, I decided last November to do a Genshiken series 1 re-read. I’ve started with Volume 1, and you should expect to see them come out every other month. (I would have said bi-monthly but that phrase can also mean “twice a month,” so…) I’ve already felt like I’m stepping back into a different world, so I’m looking forward to the next article too.

Speaking of Genshiken, I also wrote a little post comparing Kasukabe Saki to Love Live‘s Nishikino Maki. The latter’s cooldere attitude reminded me of Madarame’s fantasy version of the former.

Perhaps the most important post I’ve written this month is on the subject of butts in anime. In it, I detail increasing presence of large rears in Japanese animation, and put forth my own hypothesis on why this has occurred. The seeds of this post have been germinating in my head for a very long time, even before Ogiue Maniax ever began. If you want to see more content like this, let me know. I just hope it doesn’t take me another 10 years to write one!\

I was also sad to see the end of Soredemo Machi ga Mawatteiru aka And Yet the Town Moves. It’s a very unique series in a lot of ways, and I look forward to seeing what the artist does next.

On the video game side, I’ve written a couple of posts thinking about what how players view competitive games, and what they can potentially do to both bring in a bigger audience and keep them from running away in fear.

As for this month’s Patreon-sponsored post, I looked at the subject of babies in anime and manga. My rating of babies is based on how much they make their parents suffer, I guess. If you have a subject you really, really want me to write about, it’s just a one-time $30 pledge.

If you’re wondering why I have it at that price, it’s just because I don’t necessarily want the blog to consist primarily of requests as opposed to my own ideas. That being said, I am considering maybe offering a poll with three or four topics that can be voted on with Patreon pledges. Is this an idea readers would be on board for?

Overall, I think this was a pretty solid month. I don’t have a wholly solid idea of what’s going to come next, but it might be a bit less review-heavy compared to this one.