Category Archives: genshiken

Otakon and the Social Con

Posted on by

As we approach Otakon 2008, which promises to be full of auditory burning passion the likes of which will scar the very cement and bedrock on which the Baltimore Convention lies, albeit without Matsumoto Rica (which looks to be some kind of last-minute decision).

Aside from JAM Project and this awesome guy though, I’m not really beholden to the events schedule. However, after the previous two years, I’m still not sure what is the ideal ratio of attending panels, hanging out with friends, shopping in the dealer’s room, etc. is for me. I’ve somehow ended up as a part of many groups over the years, and while I would want to hang out with most, if not all of them, preferrably over lunch or dinner, there’s only so many lunches and dinners in a day unless you’re a hobbit (note to self: chop off shins). Whereas once I could just go with the flow, it becomes increasingly difficult to do everything I want and still remain relaxed.

I’m sure I’ll be on some degree of autopilot anyway during Otakon, but the question for me becomes, WHY do I go to Otakon?

For JAM Project, of course, but other than that, why?

Otakon is designed for as many people (who like Japanese culture) to enjoy themselves in the way they want. That’s why there’s a gaming room. That’s why there are cosplay and AMV contests. That’s why there’s anime at all. And of course with a con I get to meet people I don’t see normally, and there’s even the off chance I’ll get to know people I’ve never met before, online or off.

I think my worry is that the pressure of a schedule is the last thing I want from Otakon. That said, I’m sure it won’t happen when the time comes.

See you guys there. I’ll be mostly indistinguishable from the rest of the nerds, but you might be able to find me as I scour the dealer’s room for Ogiue merchandise.

…And I also might be wearing an Ogiue badge. Maybe.

Voting has begun

Posted on by

Midnight (in Japan). The hour is upon us.

http://changi.2ch.net/vote/

Ogiue’s Saimoe 2008 Second Preliminaries: August 1st

Posted on by

Ogiue is among the many characters in the first round of second preliminaries for Anime Saimoe 2008. She has some stiff competition ahead of her, so if you truly believe Ogiue to be the Moest then you should take some time out of your day to vote for her on AUGUST 1st, 2008 which to many of you will be JULY 31st, 2008 because Japan is in its own timezone.

The official voting area is located on 2channel on its Voting Board, usually labeled something like アニメ最萌トーナメント2008 投票スレRound＃＃.

The threads close automatically at 1000 posts or if they exceeed I believe 512kb so watch out.

To learn how to participate, please consult this earlier post detailing the steps needed in order to cast your vote in Saimoe.

Oh, and for those of you who are waiting for the main tournament, all I will say is that if you do not vote for Ogiue here, then she will have no chance of getting into the main tournament.

Oh, and Hyuuga Hinata’s up too, though shounen jump characters never really stand a chance, which is a shame.

Saimoe 2008: Ogiue fails to make it past First Preliminaries, moves on to Second Preliminaries

Posted on by

While Ogiue garnered a decent number of votes (212), she failed to make it into the top 9 for her preliminary day. Ogiue placed 12th overall for her initial group, which means she qualifies for the second preliminaries.

I was hoping Ogiue would get in on the first try, but I also have to keep in mind that 12th place is significantly better than her placing last year, which was 20th place.

Ogiue failed to make it to the main tournament last year, so I am hoping at the very least for her to get that far. From the looks of things she already stands a much better chance, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Vote for Ogiue in the Anime Saimoe 2008 Preliminaries

Posted on by

Here’s how it goes down.

First, the vote is over at the official Anime Saimoe 2008 website. Go get a voting code here. Voting ends at midnight the next day in Japan. You can keep track of the time in Japan using this site.

It takes some time to get the voting code so don’t get your code at the last minute. Once you do obtain it, the code will look something like this: [AS00-animemoe-XX]

When you get to the voting thread, make a new post with your code at the top of the post and the characters you want to vote for underneath. You must enter the characters the correct way. In the case of Ogiue it is <<荻上千佳＠げんしけん2>>

They’d also like you to include a reason for your voting. English is fine, as the whole point is to show your support your characters.

The final result will look something like this:

——

[AS00-animemoe-XX]

<<荻上千佳＠げんしけん2>>
I love Ogiue. Her character moved me in ways I thought not possible.

——

You’re allowed up to 5 characters but we all know that isn’t necessary right!

Here is the voting thread as of now (updated 7/22/08 12:30AM EST). This is subject to change at any moment as it is very possible for this thread to become locked and voting to be continued in a following thread in the voting board on 2ch.

Oh, and proxies aren’t allowed.

So let’s get Ogiue into this tournament proper. Together. For Modern Society and the study thereof.

YOU GET OGIUE

Posted on by

Anime Saimoe 2008: Preliminary Affection

Posted on by

Once again we in the anime fan community are faced with the ultimate contest of the gods, the Anime Saimoe Tournament. Run by a mighty engine that can be a god or a devil, Saimoe pits the anime girls against each other to see who the otaku of the internet deem to be the most moe character of that year.

In recent years, foreigners have been encouraged to vote, and as such an English translation of the rules have been posted, as well as a Chinese one. Just as a warning, the instructions are kind of cryptic (“Voting will occur in the voting location”) so it can be pretty confusing. 2channel uses a rather unusual thread system where posts are locked and archived after 1000 replies, so keep in mind that there is no SINGLE Saimoe thread.

It’s not really feasible for me to keep updating the voting threads constantly, so I’ll leave that to the popular anime forums, unless it really matters to me.

Currently, the tournament is undergoing preliminaries, where voters can choose who among the ENTIRE pool of female characters of 2008 are worthy enough to get into the tournament proper. The most important thing to keep in mind here is that Ogiue’s preliminary round is on July 22nd, 2008.

When it gets near Ogiue’s voting date(s) I’ll further clarify what needs to be done, but keep her in your mind and in your heart.

Don’t Think I Forgot About the 4th of July Either

Posted on by

You can help me celebrate the fact that THIS IS USA, as opposed to JAPAN.

Today, on this Independence Day, I order you to  act like an American Anime Character.

-Remember to replace simple Japanese pronouns and random words with AMERICAN ones.
-Blond hair isn’t necessary, but it can often help.
-If you have trouble gaining acceptance, claim that you are in fact Half-Japanese.
-TALK AS LOUDLY AS POSSIBLE.

If you’re still not up to the task, I instead ask that you observe Americans in the wild.

Genshiken DVDs, R2 Only

Posted on by

Also included is the Genchoken CD on the lower left. The OVA box also came with this delightful image.

I am pleased.

Though based on that post from a few days back I’m sure you knew that already.

Ogi Ogi Douga

Posted on by

While doing a search on Nico Nico Douga the other day, I noticed that my Ogiue and Tohoku-ben video had been uploaded to the site, albeit from an older version, titled as 【ニコニコ動画】荻上の東北弁

Good job, mysterious uploader, though I wish there was a way to give you the updated version.