Category Archives: manga

If Kirihito met Johan

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I read Ode to Kirihito today. As I do not own the copy, I’m going to refrain from properly reviewing it at this point, so as to avoid any glaring errors.

Kirihito is the tale of a brilliant doctor who is shafted by his own hospital, which takes him on a difficult and painful journey. While a good person at heart, unlike our favorite Monster-chasing Japanese rogue doctor, Kirihito doesn’t have much issue with taking revenge upon those that have wronged him.

So I think it’d be great fun if Johan were introduced into the story. Just let him run around doing his thing, though he’d probably only end up accelerating what already happens.

And of course, given the context of the “monmow” disease in Ode to Kirihito, an illness which causes the patient’s bones and muscles to atrophy and change their appearance into that of a beast, Johan’s chilling message about how the Monster is inside of him would seem all the more appropriate.

Yes, why I did just in fact propose a crossover fanfic.

Understanding the “Emotionless” Anime Girl

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I’ve heard it all before, about how otaku like the quiet, blue-haired anime girls because they’re empty dolls onto which fans can imprint any sort of fantasy on them. It’s supposed to be a selfish fantasy that speaks nothing of REAL women.

And this is wrong.

The first step to understanding the “emotionless” anime girl is to realize that they’re not emotionless at all. More important than the quiet distance that they usually provide is the evidence of emotion that appears. Because they are so quiet all the time, any actions they take are that much more significant. They may even say that they’re unable to feel anything, but when evidence proves otherwise, it fascinates the viewer, who gets a brief glimpse at what the character may really be all about.

Ayanami Rei’s stern reaction to Shinji holding that pair of broken glasses.

Eureka’s simple comment that Renton is “interesting.”

Nagato Yuki contributing to the defeat of the Computer Club.

Vanilla H’s anything and everything.

And of course, Hoshino Ruri discovering her childhood.

If someone wants a blank slate to fantasize over, the truth is that any character will do. But fans who love the “emotionless” type do not do it out of some desire for an everywoman, they do it out of the desire to see what this specific girl is all about. More important than imprinting an image onto the character is striving to find out what the character is all about.

PS: As I’ve said in a previous post, I don’t count Kawazoe Tamaki in this category. She’s just a quiet girl who wears her heart on her sleeve.

Sexy Voice and Robo

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Ah, Kuroda Iou’s Sexy Voice and Robo. I must say, I love this manga. Not because of the characters, though they’re all really engaging and interesting to watch, and not because of the story, though it is very entertaining and its premise is unique. No, I love Sexy Voice and Robo because of the art.

It is so damn good that it makes me cry.

Before I get into all that, at least a basic introduction is in order. Sexy Voice and Robo is the tale of two unlikely partners. Hayashi Nico, codename: Sexy Voice, is a quick-witted junior high girl who makes money on the side as a telephone dating girl. Men call her up to talk to her about anything and everything, and she charges them for it. Nico has an uncanny talent with voices. Not only can she manipulate her own voice to sound like myriad individuals so as to fool her clients, but she can also figure out what a person looks like just by hearing them talk. She aspires to be either a detective or a fortuneteller, but she’s not really sure.

The other member of this duo is Sudo Iichiro, a hopeless loser of a man who is actually one of Nico’s most frequent unwitting clients. Often times, when he thinks he’s talking to a busty 20-something (he’s quite a breast man), it’s actually just Nico in disguise. Iichiro earns his nickname of Robo from his large toy collection featuring some of the most beloved non-copyright-infringing giant robots Japanese youth has ever known. He basically provides the muscle, though he doesn’t have all that much muscle to speak of.

Together, Sexy Voice and Robo solve crimes and mysteries, though neither is particularly altruistic. Nico is in it for the thrill, and Iichiro often has no idea what’s going on even at the very end.

Now then. The art.

Based on the image I posted above, I think you can tell that this is quite different from a lot of manga around. There’s a complete lack of screen tones. The brush strokes do not try to conform to some standard of organization. There is considerable skill behind the brush, but more importantly there is considerable freedom in it as well. It knows the rules but chooses not to follow them, and the result is one of the most visually engaging comics I have ever seen. Things that seem like mistakes and may very well count as mistakes don’t feel that way on the page.

Due to this heavy brush style, the characters and backgrounds blend together while remaining distinct. They are not actors on a stage. They are not figures in a story. They are a part of the comic.

Truth be told, one of the big reasons why I like this so much is that it resembles my own drawing style but much much better. Just looking at the pages inspires me to be something more than I already am, as daunting a task as that may be.

Sexy Voice and Robo. Not only is the work beautiful from an aesthetic standpoint, but every page makes me feel the flow of energy and creativity from person to paper. I can’t recommend this enough, if only for the eye candy, though eye candy may not be the right word for it.

How about this:

Sexy Voice and Robo: Eye Full Course Meal with Balanced Nutrition and Tons of Exquisite Flavor.

My dream restaurant?

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She also likes takoyaki you know

An anime-themed restaurant of course.

But I don’t mean just people cosplaying or there being posters on the wall and anime music playing. Hell, I don’t need any of that.

What I mean by an anime-themed restaurant is that the food is anime-themed. And by anime-themed, I mean the food is taken straight from anime.

Hagu’s pumpkin mint ice cream. Usagi’s curry-that-doesn’t-look-like-curry is okay too. Fresh taiyaki served in a winged backpack.

If you have a large family, get one of the large meals. Choices are Luffy, Lina and Gourry, and Saiyajin.

Oh, and you can Kuga Natsuki any food for free (mayonnaise).

If only I had the money, I would totally do this.

Oh, and of course you can order the Ogiue special: Average-tasting food with some ikura sushi on the side.

Where are all the fat chicks?

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In the works of anime and manga, that is.

Note: This isn’t a feminist or anti-feminist post or anything like that, so don’t expect a deep philosophical argument about the injustices of a male society/the overpowering feminazis.

I understand that society, be it Japanese, American, or otherwise, tend to have standards on beauty, and that there are even wildly differing opinions within each society, but I was reminded today by a figure drawing and anatomy book that there’s a strong emphasis on slender beauty. Not overly slender to the point of health problems as is is the case with supermodels, but an emphasis on remaining trim. I also understand that it’s an anatomy and figure drawing guide and probably wants to emphasize the musculature of characters as a guide to the reader, but my issue isn’t with how to draw books.

As much as I am fond of the anime ladies, I do not think that the styles associated with it are so static and impossible to adjust that overweight women cannot be portrayed as beautiful, which I think is clear is a common motivating factor for the appearance of female characters in any sort of entertainment. Perhaps my fondness for Ogiue, a thin female character, does not make it obvious, but everyday I see plenty of very attractive women with meat on their bones but don’t necessarily have the voluptuous hourglass figures of Ikkitousen or Witchblade, which some people will claim as being “close enough.” I also understand that overweight women, while present in Japan, are not as common as elsewhere, and that even the standards for being considered overweight can change drastically from culture to culture. My mother once told me that when she was young, she didn’t know people could ever become heavier than about 140 lbs.

I also cannot believe that all Japanese men prefer the thin woman to the thick one. I have no numbers to throw around, but probability (and the release of certain adult titles) suggest that there is a fanbase out there. More importantly though, even if there isn’t much of a contingent for this body type, anime and fanart in their ability to idealize the feminine form most certainly are able to make a larger woman attractive to otaku.

And I refuse to believe that the idealization involves simply making them thinner.

N-No Money…?

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There’s some blame placed on anime fans for driving the industry down with our bittorrent and illegal downloads and scanlations and all that.

There’s one thing I think that is being ignored, and that is that some of the people, including myself, may want to buy certain series, but we simply do not have the financial means to do so immediately after a new book or DVD comes out.

I understand that some people will use any excuse not to pay for their anime, but what I’m talking about is people such as myself who are willing to buy a series, but because they tend to be a rather hefty financial hit, we have to make sure that everything is okay. This is what I use fansubs for, to gauge if a series is worth buying, and though I may not have the money to pay for it immediately, I keep it in the back of my mind that yes, this is worthwhile and if everything aligns correctly I will be willing to buy it.

I just bought Sexy Voice and Robo, which arrived today. I’d been planning on getting it for about two years now, and it’s not like I didn’t want it, but the circumstances happened to be just right for me to purchase it now. In the case of the Zeta Gundam DVD Box, the lack of the proper openings and ending was a huge hit for me, because I love those themes. I did not go out of my way to find an excuse not to buy it. Rather, I did not want to shell out the $200 on a substantially less than perfect release. Further than that, I did not want to spend $200 on a flawed DVD set in order to maybe hope that they’ll some day release it with the proper openings. I really can’t afford to buy the same series multiple times, and I can’t help it.

We as fans are not bottomless money pits. Not all of us anyway.

(And yes, the title is an Ogiue reference).

The Fujoshi Files 4: Haruno Sakura

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Name: Haruno, Sakura (春野サクラ)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Naruto

Information:
As a young girl growing up in the ninja village of Konoha, Sakura was a very intelligent student with a keen understanding of the basics of being a ninja. Chance would have her put on the same team as the love of her life, Uchiha Sasuke, and the infamous prankster and all around clown Uzumaki Naruto, led by the skilled, if eccentric, Hatake Kakashi. While there were tensions at first, the team developed a deep bond, which was severed when Sasuke betrayed them and left to join one of their worst enemies.

Sakura is the sole pupil of Tsunade, one of the most powerful ninjas in the world, and from her has learned how to both channel immense strength and utilize life-saving medical techniques. Teamed with an older Naruto and an unintentionally foul-mouthed artist-ninja named Sai, the team pursues Sasuke to return him home to Konoha.

Fujoshi Level:
It may catch some people by surprise that Sakura even has an entry in the Fujoshi Files. It is true that her fujoshi level is not very high at all. However, she certainly is one, though even Sakura herself has only barely realized it, as her extremely “positive” reaction to an illusion of Sasuke and Sai embracing each other passionately catches even Sakura off guard.

Because he asked so nicely: Help a guy fulfill his anime-themed Master’s Thesis

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In my previous post, I got a comment from a guy named Dirk, who said,

“Hi, my name is Dirk, I live in Brussels, Europe, and I am doing a research to get my degree in psychological studies. I am in my last year at the “Université Libre de Bruxelles” ( U.L.B.). My research is about the look we people bring upon Japanese animation, depending on the culture we live in.

To be able to do this study, I will need the help of people and anime sites out of Europe, so I can compare these populations. I am asking you here if it would be possible for me to add a link on your site, where people will be linked to a site (in English) were they will see an extract of a Japanese animation, and then they will be asked to respond to a questionnaire. Do you think this could be possible? If “yes”, how should this link look like (for instance, what size should it have?)

I already got like 140 European responses, but only like 8 Asian ones, which is close, but not quiet enough for a research…;o) I hope you can help me to improve this :o)

If you want to have a look at the website, the address is : http://www.toba.lu/memoire”

So here it is. I’m all for people researching anime and trying to find out real information about it, and this post is to give it a little more visibility.

Go, take the poll. Let us find out more about the anime fandom.

The dance of moe

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I believe that the appeal of moe is derived from the viewer and not the product. The basis of moe is in a person’s own feelings of doubt, insecurity, and empathy. Not necessarily that they are full of doubt and insecurity, but rather that they are very aware of its power.

Moe does not always address these feelings head on, but it frequently refers to them in its characters. Even the strongest characters are somehow weak, and weakness is okay for not only the characters, but also the viewers, is the message I believe moe gives.

I don’t think moe is the complete removal of reality and the real world because even the most simplistic of moe addresses the inner feelings of people, and emotions are a world that to any person are more real than the world surrounding them.

Then we have no choice but to create it!

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15 minutes in Maya.