Category Archives: manga

A Never-Ending Journey

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Headfuns

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Playing Yu-Gi-Oh the Manga Way

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There’s Yu-Gi-Oh the manga, which begat Yu-Gi-Oh the trading card game. Yu-Gi-Oh as a TCG has a ton of rules and cards, and the game is enjoyed by many, but you always get that impression that what’s happening in the real life TCG isn’t quite lining up with what’s happening in the original comic or its anime adaptations. The disparity comes from two points. 1) In the original stories, the cool strategies are always played at vital moments to add tension and 2) the cards in the actual TCG are based upon cards whose powers were simply made up by the author without concern for balance or those silly things that a game needs to actually be competitive. The solution then is to make a system to play Yu-Gi-Oh the Manga Way. Best part is, you don’t even need Yu-Gi-Oh cards.

Two players have their imaginary decks with the minimum amount of cards necessary a draw the right number of cards. Use whatever rules you want, but they have to be established ones, like Battle City or Duelist Kingdom for example. When they play a card face up, they declare it to be whatever they want. If they play a card face down, the card in play is not actually determined until it’s flipped up. This means it can essentially be anything before it’s revealed. The same goes for the cards in your hand. They can be anything until the cards are actually shown. Of course this means if there’s any cards if one player has that forces the other to show their cards, then the identity of those cards becomes locked in place.

Still, with the ability to make cards whatever you want, the game could quickly become unplayable. The key then is that every time you do something drastic, it takes away from the amount of “miracles” you have. A miracle is basically believing in the Heart of the Cards, or in the will to victory, or using the power of Plot Devices. It’s the meter you have for pulling off the most ridiculous moves possible and turning the whole match around, or even just coming back a little from a disadvantageous position. The more powerful the turnaround, the more quickly your miracles deplete. If you’re out of miracle power, then you’re victim to your opponent’s. Playing longer, more complex miracles that use multiple cards will not cost as much as playing single game-changing cards though. And there’d be a way to build up meter as well, possibly by taking hits and allowing yourself into a disadvantageous position, or to simply let things happen as they should.

Manga-style Yu-Gi-Oh becomes a game of rationing your “luck” while being faithful to the canon you’ve established for each individual game. Do you press your luck early on? Do you wait until you’re low on life for a big comeback? Do you perform small miracles consistently in order to keep in an advantageous position? Do you trick your opponent into using their miracles at the wrong time?

I’m sure this game isn’t actually balanced but I can pretend it is.

Giving Shounen Jump Fans the Bird

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Weekly Shounen Jump is celebrating its unbelievable 40th anniversary, and as part of the festivities Shounen Jump has all-new episodes of three of its series. By downloading their own proprietary media player, you can actually watch these episodes subtitled for free until January 2009. One of the titles is One Piece, another is Letter Bee (which I know nothing about). I’ll get to One Piece and Letter Bee’s exclusive episodes another time; this is all about perennial favorite Dragon Ball.

Akira Toriyama’s most famous work is by far the most popular Shounen Jump properties of all time, its worldwide success is rivaled by few other. This is made all the more impressive by the fact that there hasn’t been any new Dragon Ball anime for a long, long time. Even in America the final episodes of GT aired years ago. But some would argue that at some point the Dragon Ball series took a bit of a detour and lost some of its original spirit. Among these critics might be Toriyama himself as this new Dragon Ball anime special feels very much like a return to form, and it’s written by Toriyama too. “Yo! The Return of Son-Goku and Friends!!!” is like a combination of everything that made Dragon Ball popular throughout its incarnations rolled into one.

The story is about Mr. Satan opening up a new hotel to celebrate his victory over Majin Boo and inviting Goku and Friends over for a sumptuous banquet. Some new characters show up, stuff blows up and things get eaten. Really, the story is just a flimsy excuse to get everyone together and for chaos to happen, and it’s the type of chaos which combines the fighting of Z with the humor of the original. Kamesennin is back to wearing his old turtle shell and making lewd comments towards Chi-chi, Goku powers up to Super Saiyan just because, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance but not really. It’s just a single-episode adventure dedicated to the fans and it really shows.

The most notable addition is the introduction of Vegeta’s little brother, Tarble. I’ll let the pun sink in for a second before I move on.

Man, Toriyama.

Tarble would be a spoiler except he’s right there on the front page and in the character descriptions, so he’s fair game. Tarble was sent away long ago by King Vegeta because Tarble lacked any sort of fighting prowess. Having avoided much of the events of Dragon Ball, Tarble even still has his tail. With the existence of Tarble now revealed, it just makes me think that every time Vegeta said something like “WE ARE THE LAST SAIYANS IN THE UNIVERSE KAKARROT!” he was murmuring under his breath, “exceptforthatotheronehrmrmrmr.”  Well Dragon Ball was never super big on maintaining canon anyway so it’s no big deal. It’s just another way of humanizing Vegeta just a little because you’d have expected him to fly over to Tarble at some point and punch him in the face for being so weak. Then again, Vegeta might respect the fact that Tarble tries to fight even when he sucks at it. I’m thinking too much about this, but how could I not when I now know that Vegeta is also Reinhard Von Lohengramm?

If you’re a Dragon Ball fan, I really don’t have to tell you to go watch this, but go watch this. If you’re not a fan of Dragon Ball, or you’re the kind who complains about powering up taking too long, keep in mind that this is just one 20-something minute episode and there’s no time to waste on powering up excessively and standing around. There isn’t even an deserted area in the middle of nowhere to fight and blow things up in! There’s only Mr. Satan’s hotel.

Poor, poor Mr. Satan.

The Final Week Before Destruction

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Language Destruction that is.

As a reminder once again, December 7th is the day of the JLPT for everyone around the world for all levels. This is also the final year that the JLPT will have only 4 levels. Much like how I went to the final Comic Revolution, I find myself inadvertently a part of history: Japanese-related dork history.

I feel much more confident about my kanji than ever. Studying piece by piece every day, even small 20-minute run-throughs on the train and then refreshing my memory over the past two or three weeks seems to have helped a lot. Improving my kanji has also of course improved my reading comprehenshion, and that’s the section that worries me the most for the JLPT2 because it’s simply worth the most points. You can live or die by the reading comprehension. Still not completely confident in it yet, but I didn’t expect to be. I’m getting more out of those wine explanations in between chapters of La Sommelière though.

Listening can still be tricky just because the listening section intentionally tries to deceive you. Listening to anime? Insufficient. Listening to Japanese news programs? Too difficult. Listening to radio shows by voice actors talking about stuff? A compromise of sorts.

Grammar is better, still not great. Finally have a good handle on Wa and Ga particles.

Here we go. One week left for just one chance.

Teaching Japanese People French Profanities: La Sommelière Volume 2

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You know a woman is passionate when she eats dirt for fun.

With her soil-sampling quirks and love for wine La Sommelière Itsuki Cana continues to adjust to life in Tokyo. Last volume found our intrepid wine-serving heroine working at L’espoir, which is a French restaurant and certainly not some kind of creepy boat. Naturally, Cana is still helping others work through their respective problems by conveying messages via wine where words simply fail.

I should point out two mistakes I made in the previous review, and you just saw one of them. I had previously spelled her name as “Itsuki Kana” thinking that “Kana” written in katakana was just them being cute. But no, Ms. Itsuki actually has a foreign name, and it’s a reference to the place where Jesus turned water into wine. The next mistake is that I didn’t say where she was from, and the answer is France. Cana is Half-French, Half-Japanese with a biblical name.

Volume 2 of La Sommelière expands greatly upon the supporting characters, comprised primarily of Cana’s fellow staff members at L’espoir. In one chapter, Cana finds herself acting as a mediator between the restaurant’s chef and her estranged mother. In another chapter, an innocent lie forces the waitress Minami into assuming the role of Sommelière, with Cana there for backup. New characters are also introduced, namely THE MOST RENOWNED WINE TASTER IN JAPAN MINOSHIMA RYOUICHI. Not only is he THE MOST RENOWNED WINE TASTER IN JAPAN but there’s some antagonism between him and L’espoir’s supervisor, and on top of that Minoshima has a connection to Cana’s past.

Volume 2 also begins the trend of having special bonus chapters in each volume showing what Cana’s life was like in France.

The artwork in Volume 2 is consistent with Volume 1, emphasizing the beauty of people and wine of all shapes and sizes. Minami the waitress is drawn particularly well here; with a drunken Minami looking incredibly cute. Cana meanwhile is as gorgeous as ever, with stylish new outfits in addition to her already snazzy Sommelière uniform. Panel flow puts great emphasis on the emotions and wine, and adds to the romanticism of the whole situation. There’s only one small nitpick with the art, and it has to do with one particular image where it looks like Cana’s head was cut out and the body drawn awkwardly around it. It’s only because the rest of the art is of such nice quality that this error stands out.

Volume 2 of La Sommelière is really more of the same as in Volume 1, but that’s exactly its selling point. It’s a romantic portrayal of a girl from two different cultures who brings love and understanding to those around her through the power and majesty of wine. Characters old and new bring with them ideas as to what it means to enjoy and recommend wine, and the volume even ends on an interesting note that leads directly into Volume 3.

Merde!

Thanks, Anime

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It’s an interesting time in anime, and there’s plenty of stuff to be grateful for.


Thanks, Anime, for providing affordable DVDS of series loved by all types of otaku, from Gurren-Lagann to Ouran High School Host Club to Aria and beyond.


Thanks, Anime, for making strides to becoming more accessible. Strike Witches isn’t what I’d call a show I’d recommend to others, but I commend GONZO for putting itself out there. And while some of you may have made a few missteps, like Sony with your super-expensive PS3 episodes of Xam’d, I’ll still be there to buy the DVDs.


Thanks, Anime, for having an incredible season this year with something for everyone, with fine work in practically every genre and sub-genre. With this, I have no regrets.


Thanks, Anime, for your plans to give us an Ultimate Crossover Pretty Cure Movie that we’ve been waiting for since Max Heart ended. I look forward to the 11-girl Ultimate Crossover Pretty Cure Finisher. It’s also thanks to this image that I realize that the more athletic Precure girls have tanner skin. You learn something everyday.


Thanks, Anime, for slating a Professor Layton Animated Movie scheduled for 2010. I’m not even kidding.


And finally, Thank You for an incredible year of Ogiue, JAM Project, good friends, good opportunities, and so much more.

If Only We Could Become Fans of Moderation

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Dave Merrill recently posted a survey and history of the seedy, unwashed, giant underbelly of anime fandom in the US. In it, he gives examples, taken from various anonymous contributers, of the people who are often referred to as “that person.” Each anecdote leads me to be grateful that I did not turn out to be the one to take others down through ill personality or whatever, but at the same time I find myself reflecting upon each description. I can see a bit of myself in pretty much every person described, but I also realize that it’s because of the fact that I can only see “a bit” of myself in them that makes all of the difference.

I can relate to the guy who carries his video game consoles with him to every meeting. I can see a person bringing his precious consoles along constantly, hoping for someone to say, “Wow, is that a Neo-Geo?” And then the person would gladly pull it out and a good time would be had by all, and they’d think that console-carrying guy is pretty swell. But then if console carrier never has the initiative to simply propose that they play some of his games, then he’ll still be waiting passively. When presented with someone like this, we’d probably say something like, “Get some confidence, chum.” Lack of confidence and drive is a hallmark of dorks everywhere, after all. It’s dangerous advice, however, when you consider the example of the guy who gives out his own Inspector Gadget porn to everyone.

Inspector Gadget Porn Distributor is what can happen when you tell someone with deep shame that it’s okay to be shameless, that it’s okay to be confident in what they do. The problem isn’t that he draws the images, it’s that it becomes the singular focus of his interaction with fellow anime fans. I believe that not only fans but people in general should not be defined by a singular purpose, as no person is that devoid of depth. And yet, are fans not defined by their obsessions, their ability to take things further than others? How far is too far? It’s a strange dilemma in that we have to learn to constantly set and then break our own limits.

I know that it sounds weird for the person who writes Ogiue Maniax, a blog with obsession in its very title, to be talking about things like tact and reservation, but I think it’s the combination of obsession/devotion and desire for variety in me that has brought me to this place. And while I don’t have the confidence to say that I have the patience or ability to help those fans who are truly in need of an awakening, what I can say is that I hope we can all help to moderate each other.

One Year Later, A Genshiken Review

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It might seem a bit too dramatic for me to say that Genshiken changed my life, but as I look at the influence that Genshiken has had upon me, including but not limited to the very existence of this blog, I have to say it isn’t an exaggeration. To celebrate the one year anniversary of Ogiue Maniax, I have decided to review Genshiken, by Kio Shimoku.

Before we begin, I will warn that this is in no way an objective review. Rather, it may be the most biased thing you will ever read.

Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture centers around a student club at the fictional Shiiou University (located in Tokyo) . This club, the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture (or Gendai Shikaku Kenkyuukai) is a gathering of nerds dedicated to the unification of gaming, anime, and manga clubs. At least, that was the original intent.

Along the way ambition was replaced by laziness and Genshiken has simply become a place for its members to hang out. As new members join and older members graduate and leave, so with them go old and new ideas as to what the club should be, leaving behind small legacies and transforming Genshiken’s very identity.

The main character of Genshiken is Sasahara Kanji, a young Japanese student who at the beginning has just started his life as a freshman at Shiiou University. Sasahara is what can be described as an unrealized otaku, someone who fits the category but doesn’t seem to be aware of that fact. It is through Sasahara’s eyes, inexperienced in the ways of fandom, that the story unfolds. Looking for a club to participate in, Sasahara tentatively decides to check out Genshiken. Though he is originally put off a little by its members and their rampant geekery, Sasahara eventually becomes more comfortable with himself and the other club members.

The most prominent member of Genshiken is a lanky, bespectacled upperclassman named Madarame Harunobu. The spitting image of otaku,  Madarame’s spending habits follow the philosophy of “don’t look at the price tags,” a philosophy which increasingly digs into his food budget. He even at one point gives an impassioned speech about how being attracted to drawings is only natural for human beings and that those who deny that are only fooling themselves. Taking over as chairman of Genshiken part-way into the story, it is Madarame who nurtures Sasahara’s realization into a true otaku more than anyone else. Madarame is still a dork with all the awkwardness one would expect though. For all of his posturing, Madarame is still an introvert by nature and vulnerable to little things like public displays of affection.

While Madarame is one main driving force in Genshiken, the other is a girl named Kasukabe Saki. A freshman like Sasahara, Saki is a fashionable sort, very keen on maintaining her own looks. Intelligent, confident, beautiful, Saki is many things, but otaku isn’t one of them. Eager to break up Genshiken, Saki only hangs around with the club due to her boyfriend, Kousaka Makoto, whose good looks and strong fashion sense belie the fact that he is an otaku on par with Madarame. Kousaka is not afraid to simply have (anime) porn lying around his apartment when Saki visits.

Other members include the big-busted cosplayer with a geriatric fetish Ohno, the stuttering heavy-set amateur artist Kugayama, the craft-loving Tanaka, and others. There are many characters in Genshiken and pretty much all of them are worth your time and admiration. Though I’ve given them rather brief descriptions, they are not the entirety of their characters. Almost none of the characters in Genshiken are flat, and the few who are still provide plenty of entertainment.

The first half of Genshiken concerns itself with the world of otaku through the eyes of otaku, and does so with a surprising amount of realism. When I first showed my friends in college Genshiken, they could not help but point out moments that mirrored their own lives. When I showed it to another friend, he had to stop reading because Tanaka scrutinizing over how to bend the joints of a model kit reminded him too much of himself. The club’s initiation ritual involves gauging a potential member’s fondness for erotic doujinshi (the greater the better). It’s a humble, self-deprecating, yet optimistic look at otaku.

If Genshiken stayed in this comfort zone, resigned to being about “those wacky otaku,” it would have still been very good. Genshiken goes further however by giving real, almost tangible development to its characters. Sasahara goes from being an amateur otaku to a cornerstone of the club, eventually becoming Genshiken’s chairman. He spearheads the initiative to create an actual Genshiken doujin circle. Ohno, once shy and hesitant to reveal her “preferences” to even fellow anime fans, slowly becomes a mother figure, confident and firm in her own otakuhood. Saki, initially antagonistic towards Genshiken, becomes a good friend and member of the club, gradually melting away the societal barriers that separate otaku and non-otaku. She still isn’t an otaku though.

More than a comedy, more than a story about otaku, Genshiken is about the individuals in the Modern Visual Culture Society and how they transform each other’s lives. This is no more evident than in the character of Ogiue Chika. Born in the Tohoku region of Japan, she is the catalyst which elevates the story of Genshiken from memorable to life-changing. I talked before about Genshiken’s first half. The introduction of Ogiue is the start of the second.

Ogiue is a quiet, yet abrasive girl who badmouths otaku at any given opportunity. Unable to co-exist with the female members of the Manga Society, Ogiue is moved into Genshiken with volatile results. Her unsociable personality however turns out to be a defense mechanism of the highest order, as Ogiue Chika is a fujoshi with crippling self-hatred. Sasahara may have simply been an unawakened otaku, but Ogiue is an otaku in denial. She draws doujinshi in her spare time, fantasizes about male Genshiken members giving each other some intensely x-rated favors, and attends events celebrating these acts with regularity, but is loathe to admit to these activities. One might ask, “If she hates being an otaku so much, why would she join clubs or do anything which would give her away?” and the answer is simply that Ogiue cannot help it. “How does one become an otaku” is a constant theme throughout Genshiken’s story, and the answer is that you don’t, you just realize it one day. Having discovered yaoi as early as 5th grade, Ogiue exists at the point of no return, and it is Ogiue’s rocky path to self-acceptance which leads Genshiken to its finale. Through Ogiue, what was once a story of people with unique hobbies enjoying each other’s company transforms into a very personal look at what it means to face reality without letting go of yourself.

The Genshiken manga and anime differ in a number of ways, but the stories are overall similar. The anime adds a few extra scenes, gets rid of some others, and rearranges elements of the story or puts them on drama cds. The anime adaptation’s voice cast is stellar. Kawasumi Ayako (Lafiel, Crest of the Stars) as Ohno, Seki Tomokazu (Chiaki, Nodame Cantabile) as Tanaka, Hiyama Nobuyuki (Guy, Gaogaigar) as Madarame, and Mizuhashi Kaori (Miyako, Hidamari Sketch) are among the many who put forth an incredible effort in Genshiken. A lot of them use voices very different from the ones they’re famous for, showing both their talent and their desire to make Genshiken enjoyable. Mizuhashi’s Ogiue has to be heard; her constant inner conflict comes through in every one of her lines. Of note is the fact that between Genshiken season 1, the Genshiken OVA, and Genshiken 2, the visual style changes drastically due to animation studios and even character designers switching.

The anime is good, but in the end I prefer the manga and would recommend it over the anime if only for the fact that as of this post the anime has still not completed the full story of Genshiken. Also, the art is a joy to look at and the panels flow well into each other. The style evolves tremendously over the course of nine volumes, with 1 and 9 looking almost nothing alike. One stylistic element that remains intact through the manga are the detailed backgrounds, something the anime doesn’t do nearly as well with more and more CG shortcuts being taken with every sequel. Ogiue is also at her most striking and beautiful in the manga, with eyes that can render Ogiue Maniax bloggers powerless.

Genshiken is like a best friend. It knows me well and points out my flaws, flaws which I may at first deny. It gives me confidence and inspiration, and it has helped me learn a lot about who I am, what I stand for, and how I should approach life. And among the many characters in Genshiken who have taught me these lessons, Ogiue is the most important of all.

An anime industry in a terrible economy

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As disposable income decreases for anime fans across the country, it becomes increasingly tempting to resort to alternative, less legitimate methods of obtaining our fix. This hurts an industry which is trying its best to stay alive in an increasingly volatile environment, but ultimately a person with no money to spend on entertainment will choose free entertainment over no entertainment. It’s an absurd level of Catch-22, with both and neither side to blame.

Anime companies want to take as much of our money as possible, and it’s only fair that they do so. I may often say that “I want to support the shows that I like,” but I also know that in the end, no matter how friendly the higher-ups and the employees are, a business is a business. Anime companies want to maximize their profits, but we fans have limits on how much money we’re willing to spend, especially as of late. The issue then becomes finding an amount that’s agreeable to both sides.

I know this sounds incredibly obvious, but we’ve seen at least one company (Bandai Visual) eat dirt because it didn’t even consider compromise.