Category Archives: manga

Remembering Japanese Particles, the Anime Way

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I’ve realized recently that whether consciously or unconsciously I will think back to anime and manga titles to discern whether or not I’m using a specific particle correctly in Japanese. It’s a semi-handy reference that can put into context just how these mysterious 1-2 syllable creatures affect the meaning of a sentence, as well as a reminder that English and Japanese don’tquite match up.

As for some examples…

トップをねらえ！！
Top o Nerae!!
Aim for the Top!!
Initial instinct might be to go for “ni” but here’s something to make sure you don’t do that.

マリア様が見てる
Maria-sama ga Miteru
Maria Watches Over Us
The ever-tricky “ga” particle, this at the very least tells you that when the sentence is this short, ga is correct over wa (は）.

魔法使いに大切なこと
Mahoutsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto
Things That Are Precious to a Mage
Two particles in this one. Ni meaning  “to” doesn’t just apply to going places as you probably learned in beginner’s Japanese, but has a similar effect overall. Here is also a demonstration of how to use a “na” adjective such as Taisetsu, and the reason it’s called a “na” adjective by some teachers in the first place.

So there it is. Keep in mind that I’m advocating this method 100% or calling it truly useful for learning from scratch. However, I assume a lot of people reading this are already anime fans, and it can be useful to have that context without being corrupted by just hearing the stereotypical anime words like “baka” and “sugoi.”

Also keep in mind that English translations of titles often have to sound good as well, so they won’t be super exact.

If only there was a Kaiji-Baccano crossover

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I’d pay to see Ladd Russo curbstomping all of those yakuza who think they’re invincible.

From Internet to TV: Tonari no 801-chan Anime Announced

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Many doujin artists these days end up publishing professional manga, but what we don’t see often is a webcomic reaching that kind of notoriety. Tonari no 801-chan (The 801 by My Side) has managed to achieve such a position, starting off as a humble comic on an artist’s blog and turning into a variety of media, the most recent being an anime to debut in 2009.

Tonari no 801-chan, the tale of an adult fujoshi named, of all things, Yaoi in an otaple relationship whose boys-love-loving side manifests itself as a furry little creature called 801 (801 can be pronounced as “yaoi” hence the joke). I was referred to it by kransom in the past but never took a good look at it until recently.

The very first comic involves the very normal Yaoi transforming into 801 and citing almost word for word Ohno’s famous line from Volume 4 of Genshiken:”There’s no such thing as a girl who hates homos.”

I think I’ll be sticking with this one, and I’ll be looking forward to the anime next year.

The Fujoshi Files 6: Fujiyoshi Harumi

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Name: Fujiyoshi, Harumi (藤吉晴美)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Information:
Fujiyoshi Harumi is a second-year (11th grade) high school student and the only fujoshi in her class at a school whose company-sponsored name changes every week. Although she is comfortable enough with her fujocity that the other students are aware of her hobby, Fujiyoshi is still somewhat afraid of showing others her yaoi doujinshi manuscripts. Fujiyoshi is a talented artist and regular participant at Comic Market, and her doujinshi range from Gundam SEED to Pretty Cure.

Fujiyoshi often has problems distinguishing conventional thinking from her own personal opinions, even among fujoshi. Fujiyoshi will also often draw very unconventional pairings, though she is also a fan of more popular pairings and even a few male-female ones. Unlike many fujoshi, Fujiyoshi is surprisingly athletic.

Fujiyoshi’s name is a pun on the word “fujoshi” itself. Harumi is the name of a former location of Comic Market.

Fujoshi Level:
While Fujiyoshi’s talent at sports may seemingly contradict her status as a fujoshi, it is actually the best indication of that status. Fujiyoshi’s athleticism is the result of pushing herself past her own limits while enduring Comic Market and other doujin events for long hours. This makeshift exercise, powered by her desire for yaoi doujinshi, improves her physical stamina, strength, and speed, making her able to do even more at future events. Her devotion to doujinshi has resulted in Harumi being fujoshi in both mind and body.

Suddenly, Eureka

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Manly Slice of Life

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Why should slice of life be purely the realm of cute girls? Why can’t middle-aged men have pleasant day-to-day experiences?

Imagine, if you will, an automobile shop, run by a rough yet kind man and his friends. They’re all getting a bit old, but they would not trade their shop for anything in the world. Every day, between fixing engines and repairing brakes, they take the time to sit around at a small, rickety table discussing anything that comes to their mind. Though they may posture and ridicule each other, at the end of the day they know their friendship is stronger than anything.

It’s slow, it’s pleasant, and it’s manly.

You’ve got a lot to learn before you beat me. Try again, baka inu!

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YOU GET OGIUE

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

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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.

Skin-deep Personality: Thoughts on the Categorization of Anime Girls

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As anyone who reads this blog would know, I like girls in anime, and I like moe. However, there are times when even I question the kind of conversations that arise from talking about female characters and what effects they’re having on fans.

Growing up, I was taught various lessons on beauty, namely that inner beauty trumps simple appearance. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” “It’s the inside that counts.” Adages such as these shaped the idea that while physical beauty is more prominent in society, emotional beauty, personality, and character are considered to be deeper aspects to admire. While I do not discount physical beauty in people be they fictional or otherwise, this idea of personality trumping looks is something I still believe in. In anime, especially with the current prominence of moe, something which I think is much more personality-based, with moe visuals derived from personality, this seems to be the case.

However, with the increase and proliferation of moe terms, it can sometimes feel like character traits are no different from physical traits. Calling a character a tsundere becomes not much different from calling a character a busty redhead. Personality can become just as simplified as appearance and turns into something very immediate, very at-the-surface, and easy to fetishize. Liking a character for their personality becomes just as shallow as liking someone because they have nice legs.

Sexualization isn’t the thing that bothers me. Rather, it is that the type of sexualization that can occur as a result of this categorization of traits makes it difficult to see if someone actually genuinely likes a character or not. If I ask someone why they like a character, and they say, “Because she’s a shy twintail tomboy meganekko,” then I myself wonder, “Is that REALLY why you like them?” If an entire conversation is spent simply throwing out these categories as descriptions in lieu of actually talking about the characters, it can give the impression that these characters are undeveloped and shallow. Maybe they actually ARE that shallow sometimes and it’s all in good fun, but it still creates the feeling in me that personality becomes just another facet of a character to get gratification from, rather than something to cherish on a deeper level.

This is I assume a personal thing, and I don’t expect others to necessarily feel this way. I’m not faulting anyone for doing this, nor am I criticizing the existence of otaku vocabulary, as I do this myself pretty often. Still, there’s this gnawing bit of doubt that can occur when I see it when I think a real dialogue or discussion should be occurring.