Category Archives: manga

The Fujoshi Files 5: Ohno Kanako

Posted on by

Ohno Kanako

Name: Ohno, Kanako (大野加奈子)
Alias: Kannazuki Yohko (神無月曜湖)
Relationship Status: Dating
Origin: Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture

Information:
Ohno Kanako is a member of the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture aka Genshiken at the prestigious Shiiou University, and is quite possibly the first willing female member to join the club since its inception. Ohno spent much of her childhood living in America and thus has a firm grasp of the English language, something shared by fellow female member Kasukabe Saki. While Ohno had previously visited both the Anime Society and the Manga Society at Shiiou University, she ultimately decides to stay with Genshiken due to their understanding nature. Although very nervous at first, Ohno slowly gains confidence in herself, eventually becoming a surrogate fujoshi older sister of sorts to Ogiue Chika and ultimately becoming the fourth Chairman of Genshiken after Sasahara Kanji steps down.

Ohno has very unique taste among fujoshi, one that resulted in her being ridiculed by many friends: A passion for middle-aged and retirement-age men  that is matched only by Ohno’s love for cosplay. Ohno participates in cosplay events so often that she has to maintain a schedule. Her cosplay is so successful that she has become the main attraction of Genshiken’s booth at school festival. It is for these reasons that Ohno forms a friendship with Genshiken member Tanaka Souichirou, an avid costume designer, but it is their care and understanding for each that leads them to start dating.

Fujoshi Level:
Ohno is mainly known for her love of older men and her cosplay. However, all of that pales in comparison to the fact that Ohno will actively attempt to transform her friends into fujoshi and reinforce ones who already have taken the step. Though only implied, it is clear that Ohno introduced yaoi to her young friend Susanna Hopkins at a rather early age, creating a dangerously powerful female otaku in the process. It is this active corruption of the youth of America that earns Ohno Kanako a remarkable place among fujoshi.

The first step is sometimes the hardest: Starting a new series

Posted on by

It’s happened to me quite a few times, and I’m sure that it’s happened to a lot of people too.

Why is it that sometimes starting a new show can be so difficult? There’s nothing holding it back, there are no prejudices against it, many times I have the show in my possession specifically so I can watch them. And yet, I will start episode 1, then pause it a few minutes in, then walk away or ignore it, and then close it and say “I’ll save it for later.”

It happened with Yamato (which I’m still not finished with) and most recently it happened with Round Vernian Vifam. After much struggle, I finally got through the first episode of Vifam, and am poised to keep watching, but it’s amazing how resistant I can be to new things even when I want new things.

By the way, expect some Vifam reviews in the future.

Part of the Culture: Identifying Oneself Relative to an Industry

Posted on by

There is a way to play multiple games on a Nintendo DS on just a single card. Many people have utilized such a device, and I hold no ill will towards them for doing so. None at all. However, when asked why I don’t use one, my immediate response is that “it hurts the industry.” Now, if you were to pressed me for more details, my response would be that I am afraid that if I have this magical multi-game device that it will remove from me my will to actually buy the games. After all, the complete game is right there readily available for me. I’m afraid that even good games will end up not being bought. Of course, I had to relate this to my status as an anime fan, and the fact that there ARE some shows I liked which I haven’t bought (though I intend to at some point).

The important question here, though, isn’t about whether or not I or anyone should be buying games individually. The question I want to ask instead is, at what point did I place myself in the position that I am relative to the anime and gaming fandoms? At what point did I stop becoming simply a consumer (or not) who looked out mainly for myself, and screw the companies if they can’t stop me from getting what I want for free?

Perhaps the answer to this lies in another, older question: What makes someone a fan? I’ve criticized anime fans in the past for lacking a desire to pursue anime’s history. My stance has always been that it doesn’t matter how much anime you’ve watched or are capable of watching as long as you have the desire to pursue it. If you watched a show and you like it, try to find the shows that inspired the staff. Or if you read a manga and like it, try to read other manga by the same author. That sort of thing. Looking at my words, I realize that this is simply desire for more people to be fans of anime history and not just anime. So I’ll try to find a new answer.

What makes someone a fan?

If a person is emotionally invested in something, then they are a fan. It’s an answer that is perhaps too simplistic, but I think it’s a good starting point. Going back to myself as an example, I think it’s because I’m a fan that I feel concerned for these industries. If the US anime industry were to collapse tomorrow, I have little doubt that I would still be able to find what I need, but that isn’t the point. Wanting to see anime and manga succeed and continue to succeed, be it in America or Japan, I feel strangely connected to the industry.

And this is no surprise, as I’ve shown that I do have an emotional investment in anime. I mean, I have been writing this blog.

The Strength of Manga in Clearly Describing Deeper Concepts

Posted on by

Sometimes I’ll see people say that western comics beat out manga because when they actually are written to be sophisticated they do so in a much more mature and literary fashion. Granted, Miyazaki’s Nausicaa is richly dense in this respect but he’s the exception that sort of proves the rule as he’s greatly influenced by European comics.

However, I think that the greater strength of manga in general is that it manages to marry strong ideas and deeper philosophy with a very clear, conventional story-telling style often meant for young readers. While Naruto is indeed a children’s comic, no one should be ashamed of reading it while they’re above the age of 10 as it carries (and sometimes loses) interesting themes of redemption and friendship. You don’t have to dig deep to find out that Naruto is trying to fight 12 years of neglect and depression throughout his own series, or to know that Oscar from Rose of Versailles has to struggle with the conflict that arises from her trying to understand her own gender. This is not a bad thing.

I already have an exception, as I think this may be why Avatar: The Last Airbender is so appealing to its fans (which includes myself) as well. While it still feels very western, it is similar to manga in the sense that there are many themes running throughout the show but they are not obscured and require multiple viewings to get most of them.

Sure, they’re not Grant Morrison or Alan Moore, but they don’t need to be.

Hokuto Hyakuryuusei Ora Ora Ora Ora: Playing Jump Ultimate Stars

Posted on by

A friend of mine kindly obtained for me a copy of the game Jump Ultimate Stars. I imagine a lot of you already know what the game is and have probably played it far more than I have. For those of you who don’t, Jump Ultimate Stars is a Shounen Jump crossover fighting game for the Nintendo DS spanning Shounen Jump’s approximately 30-year history. Think of it as Smash Bros, but with Naruto, One Piece, Otokojuku, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Hokuto no Ken, Dragon Ball, and so on.

This review isn’t really a “game review” as I’m not planning on telling anyone to buy it or not. The controls are similar to Smash Bros in many ways, though it doesn’t feel quite as fluid and the lack of the “third jump” can be annoying at times. That’s just nitpicking though.

Jump uses the dual-screen in a rather unique way. On the upper screen is the action, while on the lower screen is what resembles a comic panel. You the player must construct your own “comic page” out of various characters’ famous panels, and these characters are the ones who will be available for you to use in battle. There are Battle Koma (usable characters), Support Koma (Marvel vs Capcom 2-style assists), and Help Koma (stat boosts).

I love seeing the many references, and while a bit tedious I like the logic in many of the unlocks. For example, at one point you get Kenshiro, and through points you can upgrade Kenshiro to more and more powerful versions. It’s only when you unlock the Yuria’s Help Koma that you can bring Kenshiro to full power, giving him access to Musou Tensei, the ultimate technique of Hokuto Shinken. Similarly, you need Yuria to fully power Raoh, but Raoh only has two battle koma types total: six and eight. Or, to put it more simply, strong and VERY strong. Very fitting for Raoh.

The only really sad thing is that while Jump Ultimate Star has some of my favorite Jump characters, such as Kuchiki Rukia (Bleach) and Kobayakawa Sena (Eyeshield 21), it doesn’t have my absolute favorites, particularly Hyuuga Hinata (Naruto) and Souther (Hokuto no Ken). Maybe next game.

PS: The Emperor has no need for PSPs.

PPS: Not really, as Super Robot Wars A Portable looks sweet.

What happens when a popular manga becomes a late night anime?

Posted on by

“If it’s late at night then it’s geared towards otaku” is an argument that gets tossed around fairly often, even by myself.

But then there are examples of anime adapted from popular manga that end up showing at midnight or later. Nana, the most popular shoujo manga around, had an anime adaptation with an 11:30pm time slot. Glass Mask, one of the most popular shoujo manga of all time, aired at 2:00am with its 2005 remake. In the case of Glass Mask, the fact that it is not hip and modern (though the manga is still running!) may have contributed to this late-night airing but I still do find it unusual.

Assuming that late-night really DOES equal otaku, is it possible for a manga with general popularity to be turned into an otaku-targeted anime?
However, if we were to assume that late-night DOES NOT necessarily mean the show is meant for otaku, just how difficult is it to get a decent time slot on the Japanese air waves?

Finally, are there any examples of otaku-oriented manga becoming popular anime?

An anime by any other name…

Posted on by

Today I thought about what is one of my favorite instances of the Pokemon anime: the sequel to Mewtwo Strikes Back. I don’t mean the second movie, I mean the special released in America as “Mewtwo Returns.” However, when I talk about it, I usually refer to it by the English name given in its Japanese release, “Mewtwo Lives.” Further still, the actual Japanese title is “Mewtwo! Ware wa Koko ni Ari” or literally “Mewtwo! I Am Here.”

That’s three titles for the same work. This happens pretty often with Pokemon too, such as in the aforementioned second movie (Lugia Bakutan, Revelation-Lugia, and The Power of One) and in the case of To Terra/Toward the Terra/Terra E, though that’s a somewhat unusual case. Usually I follow a hierarchy of English Name Given By Japanese followed by Japanese Name and possibly the American-given name if it makes it easier to understand. In that respect, I still say “Erementar Gerade” instead of the more sensible “Elemental Gelade.”

It can get kind of confusing though, and I wonder at what points exactly should I conform to convention for the sake of others. Do I from now on refer to Mousou Shoujo Otakukei as “Fujoshi Rumi?” I know that when writing reviews or academic papers, the American release title takes priority over everything else, which makes perfect sense, though I find myself somewhat resistant to using it.

Though I am thinking of referring to “Muteki Choujin Zambot 3” as “The Invincible Zambot 3” rather than the literal translation of “Invincible Superman Zambot 3.” I know it’s based on the Italian title of “L’Invincible Zambot 3,” but I think it has a nice ring to it and isn’t as awkward as using “Superman” in the title. This also goes for “The Unchallengeable Daitarn 3.”

“The Invincible Zambot 3.”

We’ll see.

PS: Zambot 3 really isn’t invincible at all.

We Are Iron Men

Posted on by

Japanese and American comics have been cross-pollinating for a few years now, and it becomes easy to forget that once upon a time the two creative worlds lived in relative isolation. It’s all the more impressive, then, when common themes occur from stories which are decades old. One such example is the comparison between one Tony Stark and one Kaneda Shoutarou, two characters who are associated with the term “Iron Man.”

Tony Stark, hero of the Marvel Comic and recent film “Iron Man,” is a weapons manufacturer who dons a suit of armor to protect the world when he is made to realize that he can do far more good preventing war than being responsible for it. Kaneda Shoutarou, hero of Tetsujin 28 (Iron Man 28, aka Gigantor) is a boy who fights crime with the help of a remote-controlled metal giant, a remnant of Japan’s desire to defeat America in World War II created by his very own father prior to his death. Both characters are faced with artifacts of war, and both characters choose to re-invent their tools of destruction to try and achieve peace.

It’s not surprising that two stories which utilize an “Iron Man” would have such a similar theme of trying to learn from past mistakes, even when applied to different cultures. When speaking of periods of humanity, the Iron Age is always most closely associated with mankind. Golden, Silver, Bronze, and other such precious metals speak of easier, more innocent times, and neither Stark nor Kaneda have quite that amount of luxury. Iron, more than any other metal, is associated with forging and bending to human will, after all. That said, I should point out that their respective comics debuted in what amounts to the Silver and Golden Age of comics, respectively, in their native countries.

May 5th, 2008: Genshiken & Kujibiki Unbalance Doujin Event

Posted on by


Gen-An, the Genshiken/Kujibiki Doujin Event is set to go this Monday, May 5th, 2008. The event will take place from 11am – 5pm in Hanakawado in Taito City, Tokyo at the Taito City Meeting Hall.

Some big names are going to be there, not least of which is Kansai Orange. Not to mention some of the finest Ogiue-drawing artists I know of, such as CAB and Anri of Work Arts.

Sadly, I am not in Japan and I have some serious work to do, so I cannot attend. But if enough people can go, you can carry my spirit to Japan for me.

And I hope everyone who goes keeps a look-out for the kinds of things I’d be looking for.

As for what my preferences are, I’ll give you a hint: Ogiue.

Infinite Loop Feedback: Ogiue Maniax on Ninja Consultant

Posted on by

Ninja Consultant finally has my interview with them from New York Comic Con 2008.

I apologize for any moments where I am largely incomprehensible. I’m still kind of afraid to listen to it myself.

By the way, I normally don’t pronounce the word “maniac” that way. It’s only when referring to the name of this blog.