Given recent news in the world, I’m reminded of the biggest geek fallacy of all: The belief that just because you’re good and knowledgeable about one intellectual area means you are or will inevitably be an expert at another. I think this assumption is often a kind of insufferable macho chauvinism that replaces muscles with brains. Failure to accept with humility that one cannot know it all or be accepted into every area—sometimes because one lacks the necessary culture or context—leads to some of the worst of what we see.
So please understand that it’s okay to be bad at something and that you might not ever be “good” at it. I know it can sting, but it’s also freeing in a way.
Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. In other news, it took basically 10+ years for me to realize I’ve been doing something wrong on the platform the entire time. Never too late to learn!!!
In response to a fan hoping that Kio will release his 18+ doujinshi in print format, the man says he’s considering it because of all the credit card payment issues as of late.
Zenbu Sensei no Sei. 2, Part 1 has sold over 5,000 digital copies on FAFSA and over 2,000 on DLSite. Good numbers, but Kio can’t help but be impressed by the really big sellers.
Kio had a slight headache, but it got better after reading Shibata Yokusaru’s manga Toma Tonzaburo Wants to Become a Masked Rider. (Shibata is the author of Air Master and one of my favorite manga, 81 Diver).
He recalls a similar thing happening back in college, and he even got a CT scan that turned up nothing. But what fixed his headache then was the manga Shakariki! by Soda Masahito (author of Change!!, Firefighter Daigo, Capeta). Apparently, there’s nothing quite like a devastating loss by a main character to let out some of brain fluid, whether it’s in Shakariki (a bicycle manga) or Air Master (a fighting manga).
Kio recalls Shirow Masamune (author of Ghost in the Shell) once saying, “Amphibious assault ships sure are nice.” When shown the Albion, a real-life example from seven years ago that was near Summer Comiket, Kio responds that he thought it looked like a wooden horse. This is a reference to Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, which features a Federation ship called the Albion.
I feel of two ways about still using Twitter in any capacity. Its owner is a Nazi and a piece of shit, and I hate the way he ruined it, even if it already wasn’t in the best shape). I’ve already switched over the majority of my social media usage to Bluesky. Yet, I have to contend with the fact that that many artists, anime and manga creators, VTubers, and other related accounts have still not made the switch over. As an anime blogger who does things like keep a record of Kio Shimoku’s tweets, a part of me feels that abandoning it entirely is also abandoning the ability to accrue and archive information that might be lost otherwise. Kio himself has also mentioned that he’s hesitant to start another social media account.
Similarly, I wonder if I should even post links to my blog posts on places like Twitter and Facebook, because Twitter throttles links to keep them from getting traction, and Facebook is increasingly taking a disgusting turn. But I also know there are people who are only able to follow me through those platforms.
Whatever the case, I find it funny that there’s now a move encouraging people to make their own websites again, instead of relying on social media. It’s almost like the real Web 3.0 (and not the NFT bullshit) is a return to something closer to the internet of my youth.
Thank you to everyone on my Patreon, and extra special thanks to those below. Happy Lunar New Year to all.
Kio read Volume 10 of Koukaku no Sukima (Scheme in the Crimson Shell), a series about the world of Pandora in the Crimson Shell by the original author, Koshi Rikudo (of Excel Saga fame). Kio likes the “Shiromasa World” (which I assume has to do with Shirow Masamune?), and the fact that one particular story gets a continuation.
Kio is overjoyed that he could relate to the main character of From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated!, an anime adaptation of a manga about a 52-year-old salaryman who is reincarnated as a villainess.
An online preview is available for the sequel to Kio’s 18+ doujinshi, Zenbu, Sensei no Sei. (It’s All Your Fault, Sensei.) on the adult site FANZA. Note that the site is region-locked. The full 82-page version is out now.
Otani Ikue (voice of Pikachu) was trending on Twitter. Kio jokingly claims that she’s known primarily for her role as Kamishakujii Renge in Kujibiki Unbalance.
A fan mentions being surprised when Kujibiki Unbalance became its own standalone title. Kio concurs, though mentions that all the voice actors had to change from the OVAs that were packaged with the first Genshiken anime.
Kio also watched the movie Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. He enjoyed the portrayal of the people living in Kowloon Walled City and the free-flowing action.
WIth the doujinshi out on FANZA, Kio talks abouts how he originally intended it to be a single 134-page work, but found that doing so meant cutting out too much of what he wanted. Now, it’s been split into two roughly 80-page parts.
I’ve been looking at the Kakumei Shinka Mazinger line from Soul of Chogokin, and the first thing that stood out to me was the legs. They’re slimmer than what immediately comes to mind when I think of Mazinger, and so I decided to just look at other images: anime screenshots, manga images, other toys, etc.
There are two things I’ve noticed. First, the Kakumei Shinka line more closely follows the original manga designs in terms of silhouette. Second, the lower halves of Mazinger’s limbs really run the gamut, from relatively svelte to Popeye-esque.
I don’t know why exactly this variation occurs, but I’d hazard that it’s about the constant push and pull between adhering to the original, appealing to nostalgia, and attempting modernization. The first Soul of Chogokin was the realization of a concept: high-end toys for the child fan who has grown up. It reflects a goal of looking more mature. The GX-07 is based on the Mazinger Z from the 90s Mazinkaiser OVAs, where it has some 90s flourishes but isn’t supposed to be the absolute unit that Mazinkaiser is. Other versions, like those based on Shin Mazinger and Mazinger Z: Infinity take their own angles as well.
I think I prefer the ones with a bit more heft, but I definitely find a certain charm in the manga/70s anime look. It gives Mazinger Z (and Great Mazinger) a more human feel that’s more superhero than weapon.
So, to any readers, I have to ask: What are your favorite Mazinger legs?
It’s customary to see the New Year as a fresh start, and an opportunity to say farewell to the previous year. I don’t expect 2025 to be an especially fantastic year, but I do know we have a lot of anime to look forward to. Witch Hat Atelier! Wandance! And more! At the very least, I hope that we can find comfort in art created by artists.
Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. I appreciate that you’ve stuck with me, and hope you’ll be safe in 2025 and on. And remember: Don’t subscribe on iOS if you can help it!
I don’t exactly have any big plans for Ogiue Maniax in 2025, but perhaps if I write about my lack of ideas, something fun will manifest. I really should get back around to doing a Gattai Girls series…
For a color illustration with a lot of skin tones, Kio tried a high-contrast style with lots of layers and some airbrushed red. He thinks he could figure out how to replicate what he did, but is holding off on that for now.
Kio was interviewed by Yomiuri Shinbun a little while back along with fellow manga artists Toyoda Minoru and Shito Reisa. (Unfortunately, I can’t seem to access the site.)
Kio is shocked to discover that yuzu pepper sauce has no black pepper in it. Apparently, in Kyushu, they call chili peppers (karashi) “black pepper” (koshou). It might have something to do with English.
Kio never made an account on mixi (an older Japanese social networking site), so while he might be an old man himself, he can’t jump in on discussions related to it.
In the new year, Kio plans to release part of It’s All Your Fault, Sensei2, the sequel to his 18+ doujinshi. In the meantime, the first book is on sale at various sites.
Video essayist F.D Signifier has made various videos about what he calls edgelord movies—media featuring cool lone-wolf heroes—and the way they interact with the portion of their fanbase that consist of a male, mostly white viewers drawn to their depiction of masculinity. Fight Club, The Matrix, Joker, and even something like Attack on Titan all count towards this. They’re fascinating watches, and well worth checking out.
At the end of his most recent video (see above), he comes to a striking conclusion: Attempts to address edgelords through edgelord media are probably in vain because there will always be a part of that audience who will just remember the badass stuff and ignore (or not even notice) the criticism. To make an edgelord movie, you need edgelord moments, and that is what a particular type will gravitate towards. If you make violence look cool, that’s what some people will remember above all else.
I can definitely see where F.D Signifier is coming from. But despite my sense that he might very well be right, I’m going to toss in my suggestion for an edgelord title that I think is the most likely to reach that audience and drive its criticisms home: Chainsaw Man.
Fujimoto Tatsuki’s manga Chainsaw Man centers around Denji, a destitute boy who does menial tasks for gangsters and dreams of 1) losing his virginity 2) eating bread with jam. Through an odd confluence of events, he gains the power of the Chainsaw Devil and becomes Chainsaw Man, with a chainsaw for a head and chainsaws on his arms…and also he can just make chainsaws come out of his body. The series is crass and ultra violent, and Denji acts as this powerful hero who breaks all the rules.
Except, where other edgelord fiction might leave any revealing commentary about its protagonist to the end (Fight Club, Attack on Titan), or couch its transgressive politics in imagery and metaphor (The Matrix), Chainsaw Man constantly juxtaposes the “sigma male” qualities of Denji with his own pathetic nature. Rarely does a badass scene or arc take place that isn’t immediately cut at the knees while the series questions that badassery in the first place. While it’s still possible to ignore Denji’s sadder qualities, Chainsaw Man really throws it in the audience’s face over and over again. There are even times where Denji himself explicitly expresses frustration over how shallow he can be, and how he often wishes he wasn’t that way.
I don’t have any empirical evidence that Chainsaw Man has reached anyone in the manner I’ve described. In fact, I often see the opposite, as parts of the Chainsaw Man fandom concentrate on refracted pieces instead of the whole: the brutal violence, the character Makima’s domme aesthetic, general wackiness, etc. But while at least a chunk of that audience might never learn, the series itself continuously pulls apart its own power fantasy only to put it back together and then tear it up again in a continuous cycle. It never relents, and I think that persistence could pay off.
To say I’m disappointed in the direction the world is going is an understatement. But this is the position we find ourselves in, and I hope that we can fight for and support marginalized communities who risk having their human dignity (if not their lives) taken away. I vacillate between hope and despair, but I want to believe that I and others can both endure what’s to come and take action to make things better where we can.
I sometimes wonder if I should be more out front, if only to counter the caustic image of anime fans that has entrenched itself on social media. There are a lot of willfully ignorant people out there who want to present anime and manga (and by extension Japan) as this purely conservative (if not outright fascistic) wonderland, and I just hate the fact that “anime profile image” has become synonymous with “rank asshole.” Maybe it’s too little, too late, but still.
As a reminder, if you’re supporting me on Patreon, you’ll save by not subscribing on iOS. The fees are not small, and I hope you don’t get cheated out of your money.
The one-two lunch of Sakamata Chloe and Ceres Fauna leaving hololive brings a lot of thoughts to mind. I want to write about them both, but I’m not sure exactly what I want to say, or how to say it.
I want to preface this month’s Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights acknowledging the recent exodus of Twitter users. There’s always a chance that the site might go under, which would make a lot of these posts hard/impossible to read. While it would make sense to take screenshots, a lot of Japanese artists are not comfortable with that, so I’ve been using quotes all this time to avoid any potential issues (and also to save time).
My compromise has been that I try to make my tweet summaries useful to read even if the tweets themselves disappear. Hopefully it’s enough.
Kio really likes the new Ranma ½ anime. It’s not a total copy of the original manga, but it captures what makes the series interesting.
He recalls how Ranma came out after Takahashi Rumiko had achieved her “perfect form” from working on Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, and that Ranma was good from the start.
Kio decided to start re-reading the manga Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn because the series ended. He remarks that the satisfaction he gets from reading manga is amazing.
The author of Pandora in the Crimson Shell, Rikdo Koshi (of Excel Saga fame) thanks Kio, and talks about how he was inspired by the cosplay in Kio’s work. Kio says he’s the grateful one because he got to read Rikdo’s work.
Kio’s art is included in a illustration collection to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the manga magazine Rakuen: Le Paradis. It will be on sale at Comitia 150.
Kio went to VOTOMS Model Exhibition 2024. To him, nothing beats seeing this stuff in full three dimensions, and he particularly admired the work of modeler Aihara Yoshiyuki.
Kio had to do a factory reset on his PC last month, but when he tried to re-download his saved assets for Clip Studio Paint, it didn’t work for some reason.
For the Rakuen artbook, Kio went back to using analog tools after 17 years away from them. This is why he was looking for his old supplies back in September.
The Part 2 DVD for the Vietnam special of How Do You Like Wednesday? Kio did not originally watch this as it aired, but because this was seen as the final HDYLW special at the time, watching it now brought tears to his eyes.
When he was little, Kio used to draw overhead diagrams of his own model hobby shop that included all the Gunpla he wanted but couldn’t buy. He would then pretend that his Kinnikuman and kaiju erasers were customers for his shop.
Kio elaborates on his childhood dream of owning a model hobby shop in his art book interview. He then calls the tweet an advertisement that happened naturally.
OGIUE MANIAX 