Category Archives: blogging

Emotion, Intelligence, and the Comics Ambassador

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In writing my two responses to the Christopher Handley case, I worked very much from my own feelings and thoughts on the whole situation. However, when I read Newsarama writer Jeff Trexler’s blog entries about the Handley case, particularly his post titled Handley, Comics and Obscenity, I began to think about my approach to talking and writing about censorship and obscenity in regards to comics.

While I do put emotion into my writings, particularly the two Handley posts, I know that I come across as emphasizing the logical and the intellectual, trying to use my own knowledge in conjunction with my desire to increase my understanding of the situation. However, as Trexler puts it, this can be considered a case where I am seen as a “liberal outsider” who is simply not understanding the fundamental truths as perceived by, say, an Iowa jury. I want to be able to convince not just the people who think in the same fashion as me, but also those whose value systems and deeply rooted beliefs stand much further away. I want to be able to change my writing style accordingly, but I don’t think it’d be a surprise to anyone literate in any language in the history of man to say that changing one’s writing style as well as one’s mode of thinking can be extremely difficult. The way this post is going so far should tell you that already: I’m trying to reason out how to write in a way which appeals to the heart rather than the head; irony in itself.

I’ve mentioned what I’m about to say when I previously talked about the Geek Logical Fallacy, but we as people often run into situations where the values we subscribe to in trying to make sense of the world or convince others of an important truth that are seemingly irreconcilable. No more does this arise than with the topic of religion, especially on the internet. A believer and a non-believer enter into an argument about the existence of a higher power, and both can be dense in their own ways. The believer will quote his religious text, which he deems as the source of Truth with a capital T, and that clearly everything comes from this Truth. However, to the non-believer these are all irrational beliefs full of contradictions and appeals to emotion. The non-believer meanwhile will start trying to use his self-proclaimed intellectual and logical superiority to lord it over the believer and show through this “logical” progression that everything the believer believes is false and wrong. Of course, the believer will take this as a direct attack and will stand his ground. The non-believer is trying to convince the believer using intelligence, while the believer is trying to convince the non-believer using logic, and both parties regard the others’ core value as being less important than the one they themselves emphasize.

This is part of the reason why so-called “Intelligent Design” has been able to make in-roads at all into harming the teaching of Science in public schools. The people in charge of the movement know their target group, and they are able to prey on their fears and prejudices. When Scientists representing Science come in and go, “Well that’s not how Science works you see, I have these facts to support my claim,” it can all come across as white noise, it’s not hitting the people where it matters because Science thinks it can logic its way to victory.

And that may be the situation manga and comics as a whole may find themselves in. Sure, comics are not exactly science, and there is a very emotional aspect of them, but in any future cases similar to Handley’s that may pop up, we may end up in situations where the people we’re trying to convince cannot be convinced in the way that we normally would convince our peers. A scientist can convince another scientist using science, but it takes something more to branch out to the rest of the world.

What we basically need are Ambassador of Comics, Comics versions of Carl Sagan, if you will. Though I would not even begin to presume I can fill this role, I write now to try and see if I can’t help just a little bit.

The False Positive Pitfall in Discussion of Anime and Manga

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“Intertextuality” is the idea that there is a conceptual space where ideas brought forth by books, movies, texts, etc. interact with each other. One way to think about it is the old addage that the “truth lies somewhere in between.” This is the space where differing (or similar!) opinions confront each other. Don’t think about it too literally, but with the internet available, it’s become a lot easier to have this sort of thing happen beyond the scholarly journals and academic settings where this sort of thing usually occurs.

As anyone who has read Ogiue Maniax probably knows, I quite enjoy finding and seeing any connections which may connect one aspect of anime to another, be it from show to show, or from staff to real world events or whatever, and it’s something that’s consumed my time and the direction in which my hobby has gone. I think I’m pretty good at it, and apparently others do too.

However, there’s a drawback to having an open mind which actively seeks out connections among the material you’ve ingested mentally. Sometimes what happens is you see connections that do not exist, but because of the success you or others have had in taking this approach to a topic, it becomes difficult to break free of this trap. In other words, sometimes we tend to overthink things. This is what I call the “False Positive Pitfall,” and it’s something I feel anyone academically-minded towards anime and manga (or any other topic for that matter) has to watch out for. Failure to acknowledge this effect can result in a number of problems, from undermining your writing to being seen as unnecessarily elitist to simply leading you down the wrong path until all you see is false positives and you become a case where you’re an anime reviewer everyone makes fun of because you have no idea what the hell you’re talking about anymore.

Now, I’m not immune to this at all, and there’s multiple instances of statements made out of false positives that are on this blog. But people aren’t perfect, and even if you’re constantly on the lookout for them, some are bound to slip through, especially as your knowledge of anime and manga expands. Again, it’s more that I want people to be wary of the False Positive so that we can foster better discussion that is both relevant and respectful to the topics we engage.

It’s All in How You Look At It

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The 2000s have been an unusual time in anime fandom. It’s achieved greater popularity and notoriety than ever before, but it’s also been characterized by  claims that the people who create anime have lost their adventurous spirit, that shows are too dumb, creators are too cynical, and that what made anime great isn’t there or isn’t there in sufficient amounts.  I don’t believe this to be the case, but I occasionally have trouble convincing naysayers otherwise. How can you talk about the subtleties of experimentation within genres that people refuse to watch in the first place?

The other day I was reading the animation blog AniPages Daily when his post on what makes animation interesting caught my eye.

“Five or six years ago, I discovered something that kind of renewed the waning spark of my enthusiasm for anime: a set of Japanese animators creating flamboyantly stylish animation that was exciting like no animation I’d ever seen. It was the discovery of the existence within the anime industry of a coterie of animators with a deeply creative spark like Masaaki Yuasa, Shinya Ohira, Satoru Utsunomiya, Atsuko Fukushima, Yoshinori Kanada and Takeshi Koike – each working within the industry, yet managing to carve out a stylistic niche of the kind that elsewhere might only be attainable in the capacity of an independent animator – that renewed my faith in the power of animation, and showed me that some of the most exciting animation being made today was being made by these people in Japan. These animators heightened my awareness of the animated element in animation, and expanded my appreciation of the importance of movement in animation. But more than that, the sheer audacity and brashness of their individuality opened my eyes to a rich vein of creativity in the Japanese animation industry. There have been many great animators over the decades in Japan, and these animators continuing that tradition opened my eyes to a hidden narrative of anime history that broadened my appreciation of anime and renewed my faith in its potential.”

This post was written November 7, 2008.

Now, the man behind AniPages Daily is not your typical blogger. When I say it’s an animation blog, I mean it’s an animation blog. AniPages Daily is concerned with quality of animation above all else, and he’ll seemingly watch any show for it, from Naruto to Tiger Mask. He doesn’t talk about character designs, writing, story, giant robots, or fanservice, unless it concerns how a scene was animated. I really don’t watch animation like he does, and I’m not sure if I could completely agree with the idea of watching animation for the animation. However, I can appreciate his approach and the fact that it’s different from mine, and it left an impression on me that he could look at today’s anime, often criticized for lack of experimentation, and from his relatively unusual perspective see ideas and techniques being pushed towards greater heights.

It makes me wonder if it’s actually possible for anime to truly stagnate. Yes, there are disappointing shows, and ones that you could call better than others, but even in those shows which do not manage to succeed artistically or financially there are hands at work, and they may be achieving something special, just in an area that you or I don’t expect or pay any attention to. Maybe it’s in the soundtrack or even the use of the soundtrack relative to the animation. Maybe it’s daring risk-taking with forms of storytelling. Maybe it’s highly unorthodox mecha designs. And all of this is within the confines of an industry which is concerned with appealing to larger audiences.

Narrow Scope vs Limited Involvement

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The fact that I love looking at anime’s history should be no secret to anyone who’s kept up with this blog since its inception. I’ll watch shows new and old in a desire to understand better anime’s history. At some point I’ll spout facts about some show that aired 30 years ago and the effect it had on the industry and the fans, but then I’ll take a step back when I realize that as hard as I argue about the strength and influence of a show 30 years old, the fact that I was not alive 30 years ago means that my words lack personal involvement. I can watch Evangelion. I can read about how significant it is to Japan from the words of a Japanese person intimately familiar with it and its effects. And yet, I was not actually there.

“You had to be there” is a phrase which implies that the idea that hindsight or observation from the rails of history cannot accurately convey the totality of an experience. If someone posts a video of the Otakon 2008 JAM Project concert on Youtube, and doesn’t think much of it, I’d probably say the same thing. The problem here however is that when I’m deep inside the fandom, when I’m keeping up with shows as they come out and experiencing things firsthand, I feel it difficult to step back and simply observe. The classic example as it relates to me is that while I can talk about my experience living in Japan, I cannot talk about anything i did not do there. I can relate my personal feelings on a topic, having seen what I’ve seen first-hand, but the scope can seem narrow. Sure I can talk to friends and friends of friends and ask online about something going on right now, but it’s hard to get any indication of what’s actually going on.

And yet, when people talk about the anime of year’s past, the information seems most real when it is relied by the people who were knee-deep in it. Their words and stories are fueled by recollections of their own emotional involvement. At the same time, it’s difficult to actually get an accurate image. I guess it’s the task of those of us observing from afar to piece together various sources into something resembling a sensible answer. Still, I can’t help but feel that doing so detracts from the authenticity of my voice.

How does one argue about an anime from 30 years ago with a person who watched that show 30 years ago?

This is one of those posts About Me, so don’t read it

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In the “About” section of Ogiue Maniax, I state that I “want to have a strong sense of its lifespan, to appreciate its history both in the context of the work itself as well as its influence in society throughout the world.” I think this accurately portrays my stance towards anime and other topics which I choose not to discuss on this blog, but I often wonder what made me the anime fan I am today. While a lot of it has to do with the shows I’ve watched and the fellow fans that I’ve known, that’s more of a “how” and not a “why.”

In a recent conversation with my mother, she told me that I was extremely inquisitive. I would always be asking, “Why?” Not to the extent that I’d be accompanied by a dog named Buttons perhaps, but she said that there were times when she would get fed up by my insistence on asking questions. A typical conversation would go something like:

Mom: Play with this toy. It’s fun.
Me: Why is it fun?

I remember a large amount of my childhood, but I don’t remember being so eager to learn why things are the way they are. I do remember that in high school, when a friend of mine would say he thought something sucked, I would get kind of agitated because he couldn’t back it up with why he thought it sucked. I thought this was something I developed around junior high, but apparently I was wrong.

So it might be the inevitable conclusion that I ended up interested in all those things “beyond” anime and manga: the history surrounding it all, the interaction of fans and creators, the way anime and manga differ from other forms of entertainment, not just on a qualitative level but emotional and societal levels as well.

I mean, this is probably why I devoted so many posts to discussing WHY I like Ogiue.

Ogiue Maniax Wins Bronze at the Anime Blog Awards

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Ogiue Maniax wins 3rd place for the Bloggers’ Choice Rookie of the Year at the Anime Blog Awards. Congratulations to Borderline Hikikomori and Animanachronism for winning Gold and Silver, as well as all the other winners.

I’d like to thank Shingo of Heisei Democracy and Shiro of Toward Our Memories for giving me the opportunity to make guests posts on their blogs many months prior to starting my own. I’d also like to thank One Great Turtle of Anime wa Bakuhatsu Da! for blogging alongside me the whole way.

I’d also like to thank everyone who nominated and voted for me, and in fact everyone who reads Ogiue Maniax. There’s plenty of new blogs out there and I’m honored that you consider me among the best.

And of course I’d like to thank this blog’s namesake for being Ogiue and for letting me be a Maniac for her.

I started Ogiue Maniax back in November and it’s really been fun. This blog has challenged me to think harder about the anime and manga I enjoy, the industry which runs it, and the community in which I participate, and I’m all too grateful for it. This blog has introduced me to new friends and created opportunities above and beyond what I have deserved.

I hope that along with everyone in the community and beyond that we can every day reach a greater understanding of anime and manga through not only intelligent discourse but simply passion for the things we love.

Which in my case is Ogiue.

O-G-I-U-E

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Since starting this blog, I have been linked to and referred to a number of times by people looking for things related to Ogiue. Maybe they want to talk about how great Ogiue is, or maybe they’re just mentioning Ogiue for the hell of it.

I have noticed a recurring problem in that people tend to misspell Ogiue’s name, most frequently as “Oguie.” It’s an easy mistake to make and no one should feel bad for not spelling her name correctly. Ogiue’s not an easy name, what with its triple vowel action, and the only reason I can do it without thinking is because I write the name constantly.

Ogiue Ogiue Ogiue Ogiue.

I want to come up with some convenient rhyme or mnemonic device to help people never forget, but that’s probably not happening. I before U except something something something.

Not happening.

Instead, maybe it’s better if I break it down this way.

Ogiue is written with two kanji, 荻上. 荻 is Ogi, 上　is Ue, so as long as you can think of it not as one jumble of vowels but as two separate words joined together, it should be fine, I think.

Ogi.

Ue.

Anime Blog Awards 2008, the Voting Truly Begins

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…well, more like it began, and this post is a few days late.

The Anime Blog Awards are asking the anime community for who they think the best blogs are. There are a variety of categories, and you don’t necessarily have to vote for all of them, so feel free to stick to your preferences in more ways than one.

There are two separate votes, one for anime bloggers only and one for the general public. Bloggers can vote in both.

The voting ends May 15th, so you have either plenty of time or very little depending on how you look at it.

The link to the ABA is in my blogroll, and may the best wordy nerds win. As long as no drama arises from this whole deal I’ll look forward to seeing it again in the future, too.

Anime Blog Awards

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I’ll let the people running it explain it in their own words.

“Given the exponential growth of the anime blogosphere, the number of quality blogs with insightful opinions and perspectives are ever increasing. Yet a majority of the blogs out there remain isolated, lacking a sense of community and meaningful interaction. The Anime Blog Awards was created in order to bridge that gap by recognising worthy bloggers and their achievements in various fields.”

It’s an interesting idea, and though I’m not sure if I will participate in it, do not by any means let that keep you from voting. This sort of audience participation is what I think this community thrives on, provided it doesn’t become too political.

So if you are a blogger who blogs about blogs anime, then let it be known which blogs you think represent us the best.

http://animeblogawards.com/

It starts April 1st, so get nominating.

Back to the Basics

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I learned a little about myself recently: The title of this blog is very appropriate.

I haven’t really talked much about Genshiken in a while, and it’s expected. The second series is over, the manga is long over. I’ve talked about it numerous times in this blog.

But then recently one morning, I was suddenly struck by the lighting called Ogiue.

The sheer presence of her character moves me to evaluate myself and try to improve, in a number of ways. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but hey, this is fiction, and Ogiue, as realistic and complex she may be, is not real (as much as I might sometimes prefer otherwise). The events of her life are incorporated into the greater goal of a good story.

So Ogiue Maniax. I talk about Ogiue.

Because I CAN”T HELP IT.