Category Archives: manga

Kenshiro: He who is the most “Gar”

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The SaiGAR Tournament 2008 is starting up, and I’m here to argue the case of Kenshiro.

Kenshiro is the latest master of an 1800 year old martial art called “Hokuto Shinken,” or Divine Fist of the North Star. It is the most deadly and powerful martial art known to man, and it involves mastery of the body’s various pressure points to cause a variety of effects. It is a martial art so powerful that traditionally only one master is allowed at a time, while the other students are forbidden from ever using it again, either by choice or by force.

As for Hokuto Shinken itself, here are some of the things it can do.

-By hitting one set of pressure points, he can cause a person’s head to explode after the count of 3. During this time he tells his victim to think about all the terrible sins they have committed in their lives.
-He can make a person walk backwards forever.
-He can force you to point a gun at yourself.
-He can make your arm tell the truth.
-In fact he can make any part of your body explode.
-Part of Hokuto Shinken is learning from other martial arts, so if you’re a master as well, he’s probably going to pick something up from you and use it just as effectively
-He can cure blindness caused by psychological trauma

That last one isn’t very violent now is it? Ah, but that’s where the true character of Kenshiro lies.

He is the inheritor of an almost two-thousand year old assassin-based martial art, but it is not solely because of his capacity as an assassin that makes him deserving of the title of Hokuto Shinken Master, it is also because of his compassion.

Kenshiro lives in the era after 199X, a cataclysmic year where the world was destroyed by nuclear war. In the aftermath of this nuclear war, the planet has become a place where the strong oppress the weak, where violent gangs rape and pillage families and towns.

It is the end of the century.

And Kenshiro is its savior.

Kenshiro aids the downtrodden, gives hope to the innocent, and is able to sense the true intent of any individual. He is accompanied by two young children in his travels, children who represent the hope of the future. Even when faced by strong opponents, he can tell when they are truly evil and when they are simply misunderstood. Fighting a pair of twins, he is unable to continue fighting them as he can see the sadness within their faces. Indeed, these brothers fight against their will because a man has kidnapped their beloved younger brother. Kenshiro not only has ultimate strength, but ultimate empathy.

But if you are evil? If your intent truly is malicious?

Why, you’re already dead.

The Fujoshi Files

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I’ve decided to start creating entries detailing various fujoshi characters throughout anime and manga.  Each one will give some basic information on the character, as well as what is, in my opinion, their most fujoshi aspect or moment.

I bet you can’t figure out who’s going to be first.

Getting at the Origin of Manga vs American Comics

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I was having a conversation with OGT about what is it in the standard American comics-style that makes people either attracted to it or not.  We talked about how the characters in American comics tend to look much more posed, like a figure occupying space, while in manga, the characters are much more a part of the image.

I’m aware that there are plenty of exceptions on either side and many of them are outstanding such as Wil Eisner, Art Spiegelman, and Ryoichi Ikegami.  I’m also aware that manga derives its appearance from Tezuka who loved American cartoons and French films.  Still, I believe that these strong respective art histories play a significant role in just how these styles evolved.  While Wil Eisner commanded the flow of each page masterfully, he still placed great emphasis on how the figures occupied the space making sure to show exactly where each person is positioned.  Riyoko Ikeda, whose Rose of Versailles manga is itself set in France, shows the environment but focuses primarily on the emotions of each page.

That’s all well and good, but then I began to wonder about why this is the case, and I realized that the reason why these styles are so different is as simple as tracing the history of Eastern and Western Art.

I know that these days the barrier has lessened thanks to the internet and other forms of constant international communication, and I know that use of terms such as Eastern and Oriental may have an air of cultural bigotry, but let’s face it: Art between America and Japan have been interacting with each other heavily only for about the past 200 years or so, and of course comics even less than that, and for the longest time these two cultures WERE more or less independent of each other.   This is where the discussion stands.

Non-abstract human representation in the West derives its history from Ancient Greece and Rome, and the desire to portray the physical body perfectly, on to the Renaissance and beyond.  A careful study of anatomy, the invention of things such as the golden ratio, and the notion that empty space is a waste of space are all a part of the history of Western art.  The toned muscular bodies of super heroes can also be seen as the latest version of the pursuit of ideal physical beauty.  Meanwhile Eastern art, from China, Japan, and other locations, particularly that which represents the human figure, has never placed nearly as much emphasis on portraying the body realistically.  When Europe and Japan began interacting with each other on an artistic scale, one thing Europe took away from Japan was their strong use of negative space.  Not drawing, not painting in an area turned out to be able to have equal if not greater impact than what was the standard method of filling the canvas as much as possible.  Combine this with use of line widths to denote depth, as well as heavy use of flat colors, and I think it begins to become apparent just why and how these histories have influenced the art of comics in Japan and America.

Best anime characters of 2007

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I don’t really want to do other awards, so this is it.

Best Male Character

Simon (Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann)

In the fine tradition of Tetsurou from Galaxy Express 999, Simon begins his journey as a boy and ends it as a man, only much more literally than in the case of Tetsurou. Simon’s progress and change, as well as his ability to truly mature and consider the weight of his actions gives him the edge over even his mighty Aniki.

Best Female Character

Take a guess.

Why I Like Ogiue, Part 2

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Last time I talked about the reasons that Ogiue’s overall character captivated me, but this time I’m going to discuss the path my obsession took, from beginning to end. This might just double as a Genshiken review without me realizing it.

I first discovered Genshiken due to a combination of the Jinmei Juushin scanlation of the first volume and the fansubs for the first series appearing online. Genshiken was great. I loved how it was a somewhat painful look at the fandom, that I enjoyed it and both lamented my own status as anime fan because of it. I particularly liked the Opening, which was so very appropriate for a series about otaku. I showed it to friends, they enjoyed it as well, and many good times were had.

Then I went to Japan to study, and it is there that I found Ogiue.

My first exposure to Ogiue was in the ending credits to the last episode of the first Genshiken anime, prior to my staying in Japan. I think this is probably where a lot of people first saw her. Seeing as she was facing away from the screen, my initial reaction was towards her hair. I worried that her unrealistic hair style meant that she was an unrealistic character, and that it would mark a downhill trend for Genshiken.

Ha.

Anyway, in the city where I lived in Japan, I found a Book Off, and there I found Genshiken Volume 5. I had read previously that the anime covered roughly volumes 1-4, so I figured I could start with 5 and not lose too much. So my initial exposure to Ogiue wasn’t “I’m Ogiue and I hate otaku,” but rather her hesitant reach towards the stack of yaoi doujinshi, Saki waving a hand through her fude, and the tears on her face during the troublesome times of creating their first doujinshi. Of course, above all that the first thing I noticed were her eyes, and as I’ve said in the previous post in this series, I have a, ah, shall we say, preference for those kinds of eyes.

So volume 5 came and went, and then I found out volume 6 was coming out soon. I bought the normal edition because at the time, I was a fan of Ogiue, but I wasn’t a major fan, and I figured, what was the big loss?

Of course, now I want to go back in time and force myself to cut class to obtain it.

While volume 5 had not made me into the Ogiue fan I am today, volume 6 was the catalyst, and it all began with her scene of walking in on Sasahara pulling on Madarame’s necktie. Ogiue’s rampant fantasizing was one of the most wonderful things I’d have ever seen, and still is today. Anyone who talked to me at that time knew how much amazing I thought that one scene was. This isn’t even mentioning how great the rest of volume 6 was, with the disguised Ogiue, the cosplay Ogiue, and of course the graduation of Madarame, Tanaka, and Kugayama. That last one isn’t Ogiue-related but still.

It was around this time that I finally accepted myself as an otaku. I had been walking to school, and the only thought I had was, “How would I make SRW animations for Zambot 3?” Then I stopped myself, realizing that if this was the highest priority in my mind, then what could I be other than an otaku? It’s not something I proudly declare or aspire to be, it’s something that I simply am. These feelings of discovery and change I believe coincided with my discovery of Ogiue such that her impact became that much more significant.

Volume 6 was done, and I began turning directly to the actual Monthly Afternoon serial magazines to get my fix. I think somewhere around this time, I was in Akihabara with Shingo from Heisei Democracy and Kransom from welcome datacomp, and I completed my back catalog, with volumes 1-4 and the official Genshiken guide book.

My memory is a little hazy, and I don’t remember if I bought Genshiken volume 7 while I was in Japan, or while I was back in America, but eventually I had to return home, and began simply importing issues of Monthly Afternoon. Volume 7 came out, and it was once again incredible, further cementing my love for Ogiue’s character.

Then, in the final chapter, seeing Ogiue so very happy, seeing all she had gone through, and most of all, seeing her as one extremely sexy Kaichou, it was about as satisfying a series ending as I could have hoped for.

Except it wasn’t over.

For those of you who’ve read Del Rey’s releases, the way I and anyone else who kept up with Monthly Afternoon was a little different from the way you did. After the contents of Volume 7, there was originally just enough content for one final volume, so we thought it would be an 8-volume series. Imagine our surprise, then, when we found out that Volume 8 would contain two, new, never-before-seen chapters, and that there would be a Volume 9! It was a good day for Genshiken fans. On top of that, they were releasing a Drama CD, with Ogiue! If Ogiue had a voice, surely that meant an anime would be on its way! And of course, I wanted nothing more than to see an animated Ogiue.

The new content of Volume 8 had me floored. I remember sitting in a Chipotle, eating a burrito with Genshiken volume 8 in hand, my jaw wide open as I read

“Our date’s not over yet.”

And then Volume 9 was practically all new content, and once more I read the ending.

Truly, it was a good time.

It needs to exist

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A Kenshiro dakimakura.

One side will have him getting ready to do Hyakuretsuken, and the other side will be TENHA NO KAMAE.

“You are already asleep.”

What did I do for Christmas?

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Well, some family stuff, but that’s not really a concern for this blog.

The important thing is I’ve been buying Ogiue-related imagery from dlsite.

Someone please stop me.

If Moe is to Survive, Compromises Must be Made

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Moe is associated with lolicon largely because Moe is about weakness, and little helpless girls are about the easiest way of conveying moe.  We’ve seen this trend before in American comics, only it was about gruff manliness and it was called 90s EXTREEEEEEME.  What better way to show that someone is a real man’s man than giving him 8 guns and arms the size of a buick with veins everywhere?  What better way to show a girl has her weak side than by making her weak physically AND emotionally?

When you take a girl and make her defining traits just her weak points, that becomes her whole character.  It is easy, yes, but I would dare call it lazy.  Why bother actually creating character flaws when you can just make someone pure and perfect and helpless?   As with 90s extreme, I feel moe, as it continues to exaggerate certain specific features, as more try to take advantage of it with half-hearted attempts, will receive a backlash.  Some might welcome the backlash, that’s okay.  But for those of you who do like moe, you’re going to have to accept that certain changes have to take place.   Rather than the moe character, we must have the character with moe traits.

We already have these characters among us.  They are the ones who we CAN see as competent, but as with all humans they are not perfect.  They have emotional problems, doubts, and fears.  I believe people like moe in the first place because it allows us to relate to a character on a very emotional level, that our feelings are understood by others, and manifested in characters.  I believe it is a common fear among otaku and dorks in general that those in normal society are “perfect” and never have to deal with the same issues that they themselves face constantly.  Moe characters if they are too extreme are too far-removed from reality, and thus lose their significant impact.  If instead a moe anime uses more “normal” characters, but show that they have the same issues that otaku face, then we have more than just a marketing tool, we have something that can motivate otaku to move forward, to come to a greater understanding of others.

On Relationships in Genshiken

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Genshiken walks a dangerous line by having almost all of its members end up in romantic relationships throughout the course of its run. I have seen the occasional criticism from both English-reading and Japanese-reading people that perhaps the tale of Ogiue is too idealistic, and that at that point Genshiken moved from being a realistic portrayal of otaku to being a sort of wish fulfillment for otaku. While I think that there is a good deal of optimism within Genshiken, I don’t think it’s unrealistic for these incredibly hardcore otaku who comprise Genshiken to have boyfriends and girlfriends, for one important reason: All of them put effort either before or during their relationships.

Saki and Kohsaka are the most normal couple by far, but Saki’s acceptance of otaku has largely to do with her interaction with Kohsaka. They got together fairly simply, and largely due to physical attraction, but the fact that they stayed together through 4 years and their interactions when on-panel show that a lot of progress is made that we are not immediately aware of as readers.

Tanaka and Ohno, even disregarding the anime’s interpretation of how they got together, have a relationship that was fostered through continuous friendship and time spent together. Tanaka not only has good qualities about him, but he has shown these good qualities to Ohno.

And finally Sasahara and Ogiue. While I understand very well the difficulty of a relationship with someone who is into primarily boys’ love, I also understand that Sasahara and Ogiue make a concerted effort to understand and support each other. The entire build up to Sasahara alone with Ogiue in her room was made up of sweat and tears and painful amounts of soul-bearing. And even after that, they know that a relationship isn’t that easy, but to them it’s well worth it.

Otaku being in relationships with attractive individuals isn’t unrealistic, but being in relationships without putting forth any effort IS unrealistic. I’m not saying that romantic relationships are a must for otaku, but then again I am. Otaku are people too, after all.

Why I Like Ogiue, Part 1

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I think perhaps it is time I talk more specifically about Ogiue. I mean, I’ve talked about Ogiue in the past before (in case you haven’t noticed), but now is the time to begin discussing the topic of WHY I like Ogiue. I’m referring to this as Part 1 because it’s inevitable that I’ll have more posts on this topic. For Part 1, I am going to focus on my emotional response to Ogiue’s character.

I have always described Ogiue to people as possessing True Moe. Now, I know moe is hard to define, as is truth, but Ogiue is a character I care for deeply because I feel a connection to her plight, her interests, and her progress from self-hating fujoshi to fujoshi girlfriend. She speaks to anyone who has ever been concerned that their otaku nature excludes them from any sort of conceivable romantic relationship, and that includes me. We all have doubts as human beings, but Ogiue’s doubts are very similar to my doubts and to see her overcome them eventually, it’s inspiring, it’s life-affirming, and really, if it were possible, I would give her a hug whenever she needed one. She is someone to whom I can relate, but she is someone else entirely. She’s also a fictional character, but even though she’s not real, her concerns are realistic, and they affect me in such a way that she’s always somewhere either in the front or the back of my mind.

Ogiue is in my opinion the most beautiful and attractive character ever, and the reason why her presence hits me so hard with respect to sex appeal is that, while a lot of her physical and personality traits are things I’ve always liked, such as tomboyishness and having the hottest eyes ever, Ogiue also possesses many traits which I never realized I liked until I read Genshiken. Her harshness, her softness, the way she wraps her doubt in a facade of hate, her problems taking criticism, her tendency to let her imagination run away with her her spurts of creative energy, and yes, even her body type all make her incredibly attractive, but it’s not because of those traits that Ogiue is beautiful.

No, those traits are beautiful because Ogiue possesses them.