Category Archives: manga

“Bubble Economy”

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Driver Alien

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AnimeNEXT 2009 Tomorrow!

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This is the last reminder to everyone that I and the entire staff of Ogiue Maniax (i.e. just me) will be at AnimeNEXT in New Jersey from June 12-14. It’ll be my first time at this convention, but I’m sure I’ll find ways to have lots of fun.

I will be on two panels at AnimeNEXT:

“I Can’t Believe You Haven’t Seen This!” with the Reverse Thieves on Saturday 9am-10am in Panel Room 2. This panel is all about shows we think more people should see as it’ll really broaden your horizons when it comes to this thing we call Japanese Animation.

“Anime Blogging Basics” with a gang of others on Sunday 2pm-3pm in Panel Room 1. See what various bloggers have to say about what makes blogging so great and just why the hell we do this in the first place.

The following are panels I will probably attend but this list is subject to be incorrect with the slightest breeze or whenever I feel really hungry.

Friday
-Anime Through the Generations, 5pm, Workshop 1

Saturday
-Vertical Books: Industry Panel, 1pm, Panel 2
-Power Hour with Michele Knots (Ogiue’s dub voice actor) & Bill Rogers! 2pm, Panel 2
-Restricted Rock, Paper, Scissors, 6pm, Panel 2

Sunday
-Otaku Perceptions & Misconceptions, 12pm, Panel 3

Catch Me Talking About Giant Robots on the Anime 3000 Podcast

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I was a guest on the Anime 3000 podcast on a topic very near and dear to my heart: giant, monster-punching, war-fighting robots.

I was on there along with Gerald from Anime World Order, John-Paul from Fight Bait, and Mike Dent from R5 Central.

Sadly, due to personal obligations I was not around for the whole podcast, and came in starting at the section about Nagai and Ishikawa. If you want to hear me talk you can skip to that part of the podcast, but I highly recommend that you DO NOT, as the discussions concerning Imagawa and Tomino are also important.

Looking back at my picks for recommend giant robot anime for beginners, I realize my list has many flaws, such as Shows that are Too Long, Old-Looking Animation, and No Super Robots. I’m not sure how I would solve any of these though, so you’re stuck with what I gave you.

Download is available here.

The Joys of Afternoon and Kuroda Iou

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Recently I found out that Kuroda Iou, creator of Sexy Voice and Robo as well as one of my favorite manga artists, has a new series entitled Atarashii Asa (New Morning) in one of my favorite magazines, Monthly Afternoon. Afternoon was home to Genshiken, and is where Kio Shimoku’s current series about a teenage mom Jigopuri, as well as Mysterious Girlfriend X, are running. Suffice it to say, at this point I am almost, almost tempted to consistently buy Monthly Afternoon even though I understand how much the costs tend to add up after a while.

This got me thinking about why I like Kuroda’s artwork, as it’s a wild style unlike most other artists in the anime and manga industries. If you look at my previous Sexy Voice and Robo review, you can get a good idea of what his drawings entail. He’s detailed but not meticulously so, and his brush usage leans away from the “cleaner” style that is so popular with so many people. Often times his drawings and panels aren’t completely coherent, but I feel like these “mistakes” are part of what make his style so unique. I call them mistakes only in the sense that in the end he did not decide to redraw something so that the thickness of the lines made a little more sense or the proportions of a character’s fingers were more realistic, but ultimately it was a decision, and it’s these decisions of which I am fond.

I’ve mentioned before that his style is pretty much what I wish I had, and it really has to do with conveying a sense of energy that goes beyond “accuracy.” Accuracy has its place in that world, but it is not at the forefront, much to the dismay of people who scrutinize single frames from Naruto episodes. While I don’t think my own style will ever be JUST LIKE his, it’s good to know that he’s still in Japan producing works that hopefully will get brought over to America at some point.

Oh and I found out Jigopuri’s first volume should be out, but that’s it’s not listed on Kinokuniya’s website. Maybe it takes a while for new series to get over there.

The Silent Ogiue

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Every so often I have to check that my fondness for Ogiue has not simply become a formality, that she is my obsession just because I say she is. It’s also the case where without new material, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain such a fandom unless one goes deep into, say, writing fanfiction, which I have no intentions of doing in regards to Ogiue.

And so I thought of the many reasons why I’m so into Ogiue, and I realized that there are a few things I’ve never talked about despite the fact that, well, I’ve talked so much about her. One in particular stood out, quite appropriately I might add, and that is the strength of Ogiue’s silence.

I’ve previously talked about how Ogiue’s words are always weighted with all of her inner conflict and that it came through very strongly especially when she tries to be succinct. This is taken to its logical extreme when Ogiue says nothing; she really, really exhibits her tension whenever she leaves her mouth closed. This effect is mostly achieved by her facial expressions, including the one we see so frequently coming from her, this kind of surly restraint.

It’s effective because you know she wants to say something, but is actively avoiding it. And even as she gets more comfortable with Genshiken and Sasahara, this never goes away completely.

The Deception of Hirasawa Ui

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This is Hirasawa Ui. She is the younger sister of the Light Music Club’s lead guitarist Hirasawa Yui. She is also a TRICK designed to pull in otaku and leave them with more than they anticipated!

Yes Ui is a little sister, and in that sense many fans may be drawn in by her “little sister” appeal. However, that imouto moe is only on the surface, and what lies underneath is a beast from yesteryear, ready to reclaim the throne of fandom, away from the tsundere, away from the “Onii-chan!” spouting imouto, away from the maids, away from the tsundere imouto maids.

Hirasawa Ui is actually a 1980s Childhood Friend Shounen Heroine in the guise of a little sister. She bears few similarites to Kyon’s sister from Haruhi or Cardcaptor Sakura, while her personality is closer to that of Yuria from Hokuto no Ken or Minami from Touch! Closer to her is Mikan from ToLoveRu but Mikan still leans closer to the imouto moe side. Capable, smart, responsible, and always in a position to help those close to her, Ui is the start of a secret plan to bring back the 80s Shounen Heroine, or at the very least the To Heart’s Akari-style childhood friend (as opposed to the To Heart 2 Konomi-style childhood friend).

“Oh!” you might say, “But she’s not the most popular character!” But that’s where they get you. Because she’s not in the main cast, because she’s not at the forefront of her show, she can slowly build up momentum. She is the first of many. She is avantgarde.

Now that you know the truth, you have two choices: embrace it or fight it. Just know that Hirasawa Ui will be there to serve you tea and make sure you’re comfortable.

Correction to AnimeNEXT 2009 Panel Information

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It turns out that due to a mistake on the side of AnimeNEXT that my panel proposal was never submitted and so my panel did not go through and my previous information is somewhat incorrect. The anime blogging panel you will see was the one proposed by Omo. The good news is that I will be taking part in this panel along side Omo, Super Rats, and Moy in what is sure to be a fun and informative panel.

Again, that’s Sunday June 14th at AnimeNEXT from 2-3pm.

And I will still be doing the “I Can’t Believe You Haven’t Seen This!” panel alongside the Reverse Thieves on Saturday June 13th from 9am-10am. I highly recommend you wake up for this one, especially if you’re itching for titles to expand your interests.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.omonomono.com%2F&ei=kJAmSsuEJpXFtgex5YzbBg&usg=AFQjCNEo2LqA0pF_iKQ7sq2Qa165MbXe4g&sig2=yZwFb9QgV106sbeCowMNBw

Another Vertical Vednesday Descending From the Heavens

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Once again, Ed Chavez, owner of the MangaCast and new marketing director of Vertical Press wants to discuss manga with YOU, yes YOU tomorrow, June 3rd from 6:30pm to 8pm at Kinokuniya on 6th ave and 41st Street in Manhattan.

For this Vertical Vednesday, Ed will be discussing Shoujo’s often-overlooked cousin, Josei. For those of you who don’t know, Josei is manga targeted at OLDER women instead of young girls. There may also be some discussion of the Guin Saga series of books. If you’ve never heard Ed Chavez talk about manga, I highly recommend that you go because you will inevitably learn something from him.

Saki’s Comment and Ogiue’s Transformed Wardrobe

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At the beginning of Volume 5 of Genshiken, Saki comments on Ogiue’s clothing, telling her that if she wore clothing that fit better Ogiue would look much cuter. While we know that at the end of the chapter Ogiue made one failed attempt to revise her wardrobe, what we can see in later chapters is that Ogiue did indeed take Saki’s advice to heart. It’s something not immediately noticeable, but her clothes do start to fit better and become a little more feminine (though still boyish most of the time), especially after she starts to date Sasahara. This ultimately culminates into the outfit that Ogiue wears to Sasahara’s graduation, one of the few times we ever see her in a skirt (the first time is at dinner celebrating with everyone on a doujinshi well-sold).

Some visuals: