Extent of Fandom

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I’ve recently been watching the new season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as I also watch the on-going The Idolm@ster anime, and it has me thinking about the upper limits of my own fandom and what effect that might have on how I identify as a fan.

I think My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is quite a good show. It’s funny and charming and it has remarkably good characters. Whenever I see people praising the show or expressing their love for it and its ponies, I know where they’re coming from. I’ve seen it, and I think it’s worthy of praise. I even have a favorite character, Twilight Sparkle. The Idolm@ster I was less immediately fond of, and kept watching primarily to understand this franchise which I had heard about for so long but never knew anything about. In time, I grew to like the show well enough, and like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I gained a favorite character within the show. In this case, it’s Akizuki Ritsuko.

However, I’m not sure how much I can call myself a fan of the show. I like it to be sure, and I think it’s excellent, but something about it keeps me from identifying as an MLP fan, and it’s not because the “bronies” are so outspoken. That’s not a problem at all. If there is something “amiss,” it might be that I have experienced greater passion for other shows, and so by comparison, as highly as I think of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I know my capacity to love a cartoon can be much greater.

This makes me wonder, if I hadn’t come to MLP: FiM or The Idolm@ster as the person I am now, Ogiue Maniax blogger and academic of dorkish things with plenty of experience in geekdom and a propensity for expressing in writing that which I cherish, would I have more readily considered myself a fan of that series and devoted more of my time and energy to it?

Return of Comipo

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The Fujoshi Files 32: Karisawa Erika

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Name: Karisawa, Erika (狩沢絵理華)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: N/A
Origin: Durarara!!

Information:
A member of the mysterious online gang “Dollars” and a former member of the “Blue Squares”, Erika has had a hand (albeit a small one) in many of the strange events that have occurred in Ikebukuro since the arrival of the mysterious Headless Rider. She is often seen in the company of a few other Dollars members, the stoic Kadota Kyouhei, driver Togusa Saburou, and fellow otaku Yumasaki Walker, with whom she is closest.

Together, Erika and Walker make endless anime and manga references, though Erika naturally tends more towards BL. Her taste in anime, manga, and light novels is wide and varied, with a particular fondness for ASCII Media Works products. However, her favorite pairing is not from any manga she reads, but the combination of mortal enemies Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya.

Fujoshi Level:
Like most fujoshi, Karisawa Erika is capable of pairing many different guys. Unlike many though, she has the gall to do it right in front of their faces using them as the ingredients.

Thick with Cyberpunk: Real Drive

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I’m here today to review the show Real Drive, also known as RD Sennou Chousatshitsu. While I started on the show years ago, early on in the life of this blog, I never got around to finishing it until recently. Even now that I have, I’m not entirely sure what to make of it (other than that I think it’s a good show overall), but I still want to draw attention to it because it is quite an unusual work, and I think it’s worth a look, if only for that.

Probably the most peculiar thing about Real Drive is that it’s an eclectic mix of elements that you normally wouldn’t associate together. While you might find other anime which are designed to appeal to as wide a number of fanbases as possible, the focuses here are so specific that their combined coverage only makes things more confusing. I’m going to group these elements into five basic categories.

Cyberpunk

The centerpiece of Real Drive is an advanced form of internet-like shared space called “The Metal,” portrayed as a kind of “ocean” into which characters must “dive.” Most of the characters in the story have replaced their organic brains with cybernetic ones which allow easier access to The Metal, while some have prosthetic bodies to slow aging, and others have androids to help out with a variety of tasks. As might be expected, the system isn’t perfect, and all of the stories involve The Metal in one way or another, and by extension things like human perception in a possibly post-human world.

Chubby Girls

Quite different from just about most visual entertainment out there (let alone anime and manga), the female characters in Real Drive, particularly the ones seen most frequently, range from athletic to voluptuous to legitimately overweight. Definitely meant to be cute, sexy, or both depending on the character, the presence of such portrayals of the female body is a constant in this show. Perceptions of sexual attraction plays a role in the story as well, but there is also a kind of slice-of-life feel, particularly with the high school girls in the cast but also even with the male characters.

Environmentalism

The ocean-like design of The Metal ties into the actual oceans, and the cyberpunk world of Real Drive is in part due to an environmental disaster which occurred many years prior to the main story. The sunny skies and constant presence of water make for a far cry from the Blade Runner visuals which people associate with terms like “cyberpunk” and “post-apocalypse.” The politics between technology and environment also come into play.

A Geriatric Protagonist

Real Drive is one of the few anime where you will find an octogenarian main character, and his age does play a role in the show and the overall story. A man who loved to dive (in the real ocean), only to have an accident and wake up about 50 years later, the unusual world of real drive is experienced largely through the eyes Haru Masamichi.

Episodic Format

While the show has some on-going plot lines, most of the show involves incidents that resolve after one or two episodes. These can range from people losing their consciousness in The Metal to the dreams of a musician to a lost dog, but even the “everyday comedy” stories will involve some aspect of the science fictional world in which Real Drive takes place. Overall, the approach enriches the scenario portrayed by the show, making it possibly better than a more focused on-going narrative.

Once I develop my thoughts on the themes, messages, and ideas presented by Real Drive I might write something more substantial, but for now I just want to think about its potential as a “gateway” anime, not so much for anime in general but for the various genres/aspects that are in this show. Could someone who comes to this show for the science fiction start to understand the appeal of girls talking over lunch? Could the converse also happen? I’m not entirely sure myself, and I think the combination has just as much potential to drive people away as it does to draw them in, but that is precisely why I think Real Drive is worth a look.

Playstation Edible

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Late November-Early December is the fun time for kids in the Netherlands, as that is when Sinterklaas, Santa Claus’s badass Dutch counterpart comes riding into the country from his home in the North Pole Spain, first by steam ship, then by white horse. Part of the festivities involve giving children chocolate, notably in the form of alphabet letters, but what this also means is that once Sinterklaas Day passes (December 5th), there is a sudden discount on chocolate all over the country in a fashion similar to the day-after-Valentine’s.

And so, I found this rare item (at 50% off!):

I must say, your PSP might play the latest games and possibly have connectivity with your PS3 through some kind of cloud storage system. It might entertain you on a bus or train ride for hours on end. But, is your screen made of white chocolate?

I didn’t think so.

My Favorite Thing About The World God Only Knows

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With the premise of a dating sim-addicted nerd tasked to woo real women in order to exorcise loose demon souls from them by using his wealth of game-derived “knowledge,”  The World God Only Knows is the kind of anime that can very easily go wrong. Initially, I approached the series with some wariness, but after having finished the first season I found myself immediately eagerly continuing with the second one. Overall, I ended up being reasonably impressed by The World God Only Knows and it hinges on one reason in particular.

Given the concept of the series, it inevitably leads to a good number of female characters being introduced in order for the hero Keima to work his moves. In the case of The World God Only Knows, it also results in each girl having a particular problem that must be resolved in order Keima to win their heart, and the danger I felt was that it could potentially lead to the kind of series where a girl appears, Keima romances her and breaks the curse, and then her story is simply done, as if this romancing is the most important period of her life. Thankfully however, The World God Only Knows avoids that pitfall with grace and dignity.

Certainly Keima does make the girls fall for him, but rather than end up feeling like a girl’s story is reaching its conclusion, it’s more like their story is only just beginning. Keima acts as a turning point in their lives, where they resolve some long-standing (or perhaps recent) issue and come out the better for it, their mental and emotional states refreshed. The entire world is open to them. Also, they forget about falling in love with Keima so he doesn’t end up having half a dozen girls chasing him at all times.

Though perhaps The World God Only Knows could be called a visual novel-themed anime, it ends up behaving more like a healing anime. Showing the opportunities that can be available with some renewed perspective on life and the willingness to confront inner demons (no pun intended), The World God Only Knows maybe therapeutic to not only its cast of characters but perhaps to the viewers as well.

If you want to try it out, the entire thing is on Crunchyroll, and if you want more, keep in mind that it’s based on a manga.

The Barrier to Mahjong is the Self

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I haven’t been playing as much mahjong lately, due to a combination of lack of time and a desire to distance myself from it for a little bit, but every so often I decide to sit down for a couple games. When I do, I inevitably get clobbered, unable to handle the assault of my fellow tile slingers. To some extent, I know that this is due to rust on my already meager skills, but I think that there is another factor involved. When I stop playing mahjong for a while, my mind becomes unaccustomed to some of the psychological rigors of the game, and it takes a while to adjust back to normal. In this period, I’m especially vulnerable, so if I just come back to the game every few weeks I end up never quite leaving that mindset.

“So why not just keep playing until you get back to where you were?” you might be asking. I ask myself this too. The “problem” however, is that mahjong can be an incredibly nerve-wracking game in a way that few others are. The combination of luck and skill, where everyone is planning something and you can’t quite tell where luck ends and decisions begin, and the fact that the difference between winning and losing can come down to one unfortunate dealing of a tile, makes for an intense and mentally exhausting game, especially when you’re playing on the competitive Tenhou ladder and people mean serious business.

That tense do-or-die feeling is also why mahjong is fun in the first place, so the dilemma at hand is simply this: do I devote that amount of energy to playing it, knowing that while it’s a great way to really challenge myself and test my ability to handle luck and the machinations of others, it can also be a very powerful source of frustration?

The Fujoshi Files 31: Patty Crew

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Name: Crew, Patty (パティ・クルー)
Alias: N/A
Relationship Status: Single
Origin: Zettai Karen Children

Information:
Patty Crew is a powerful esper capable of synthesizing a variety of psychic abilities to transform her body into a form of mist. Originally a mindless puppet controlled by the mysterious “Black Phantom” to act as an assassin, she was freed from her hypnotism through the efforts of the psychokinetic Akashi Kaoru and the members of the militant pro-esper organization known as P.A.N.D.RA. Since then, Patty has worked as a member of P.A.N.D.R.A., fighting against both Black Phantom and Kaoru’s own government esper organization, B.A.B.E.L. Patty has a particularly strong rivalry with Kaoru’s close friend and teammate, Sannomiya Shiho, though they manage to get along while attending the same middle school class at Shogakukan 6th Private Academy.

Patty’s fujoshi mindset takes a number of forms, including constant pairings of her male teammates (and their adversaries), bento lunches made to resemble attractive men, drawing, costume design, and an affinity for Akihabara and Ikebukuro. No records exist of Patty’s past prior to her possession by Black Phantom, so there is no evidence of her being a fujoshi prior to her joining P.A.N.D.RA. Given that all previous members of Black Phantom freed from hypnosis have turned out to be otaku in one way or another, the fact that Patty is a fujoshi may be a side effect of removing her brainwashing.

Fujoshi Level:
Patty is able to apply her fujoshi skills to a variety of tasks, being adept at the creative arts. In particular, she was able to create a full script for a school play through the use of her fujoshi imagination. On top of that, she once she used her psychic ability to spy on the boys in the hopes that something “interesting” might happen.

One Piece: Genshiken II, Chapter 70

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Contrary to my expectations, Chapter 70 is not a School Festival Chapter, but rather the setup to one. As such, it’s more of a calm before the storm, but one where you can tell the waves are thrashing below the surface of the ocean.

In addition to the cosplay studio Genshiken has been putting out every year since Ohno joined, glorious leader Ogiue Chika has decided that the club will sell a special edition of their club magazine Mebaetame for the festivities. Gearing it towards story-based works, Ogiue intends to draw a manga while Yoshitake and Yajima decide to team up to create an illustrated story. Yoshitake’s idea is “Sengoku School Festival” or something along those lines, and nothing is holding them back aside from the fact that Yajima is not entirely confident in her own drawing skills and that Yoshitake has never written a story before.

Hato meanwhile is asked to draw something as well, Ogiue recognizing Hato’s vast potential as an artist, a level of ability that she believes might even surpass her own. However, what Ogiue does not know is that Hato has some very unusual limitations when it comes to art. When dressed as a woman, Hato is only capable of producing beautifully rendered BL. When dressed as a man, his style becomes much more… interesting.

Given that this edition of Mebaetame is meant to be sold to normal folks, having to avoid anything hardcore acts as a huge roadblock for Hato. He’s not alone though, as Ogiue herself appears to be having issues with her own work. The chapter actually begins in the middle of a conversation between Ogiue and Sasahara, who are discussing that classic art debate, creating for oneself vs. creating for an audience, as well as how one should take criticism. As Ogiue was the one who called Sasahara over to discuss it, it is clearly a conversation she was looking to have, but it is also obviously not easy for her.

There are difficulties outside of Genshiken as well, as it turns out Yabusaki and Asada have been kicked out of the Manga Society (Manken) for aiding the enemy, i.e. helping Ogiue sell her doujinshi at the last ComiFest. The ever-mysterious Katou (the one with the bangs obscuring her eyes) does not seem to be affected by this punishment, but is so busy trying to find a job as she nears graduation that she has simply not shown up. Both Yabusaki and Asada try to convince each other to join Genshiken, but it seems to not be so simple.

I find that this chapter has me anticipating the next one quite a bit. It doesn’t have quite the oomph of the previous Risa chapters, but I can feel it building up to the school festival. It’s like watching all of these various puzzle pieces start to slide into place, except you have no idea if you have all of the pieces or if they even all come from the same set. It’s exciting.

I think that the reveal with Yabusaki and Asada is a significant one that quite possibly says a lot. Why would Yabusaki and Asada be so unceremoniously dumped from the club that they’ve been a part of for so long just because they helped Ogiue out one time? The only way I can make any sense of it is that despite Yabusaki was able to foster a friendship with Ogiue, there must still be some bad blood between Ogiue and the remaining members of Manken. Most likely, they still have never forgotten the harsh and demeaning words Ogiue had for them in her less enlightened days.

But Ogiue has indeed changed, and we can see this throughout the manga. In addition to Yabusaki, just seeing how far the friendship between Ogiue and Sue has come is heartwarming. Sue is no longer the mysterious gaijin that must be handled with a hazmat suit but something of a genuine confidant. Ogiue’s brief recollection of Nakajima in this chapter shows that she still hasn’t forgotten those tougher days, but she’s a new person.

At this point I want to mention something that my very soul beckons me to say: I’ve missed Sasa x Ogi scenes. Even though this one is quite brief, it still showcases some of the powerful electricity that courses through their relationship. The tension between their status as a couple and their respective professions as editor and artist makes for what is evidently a tricky balancing act. Though it’s shown that this is not the easiest feat for them to accomplish, it is still amazing that they manage to do so in the first place, especially when other couples owe their success to never reading each others’ work ever.

Also, they’re cute. Super cute. Seeing them happy makes me happy too.

This chapter may have turned out to be more Ogiue-centric than I realized, but maybe I’m just a tad biased.

So, I think I I’ll end this one the only way that this chapter can approve of: Cosplay. This may be the best cosplay Kuchiki has ever done.

PS: Next chapter is going to feature color images, Genshiken on the front cover of Afternoon, and one of two Hato figures (the other one being packaged with a limited edition of Genshiken Volume 11.

The Potentially Positive Influence of Public Relationships in the Starcraft 2 Pro Scene

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The release of Starcraft 2 last year has caused something of a boom in competitive video gaming, referred to in the community as “ESPORTS.” More and more, professional gamers around the world are becoming stars, and along the way the fact (or impression) that they’re “nerds” is celebrated; to be a nerd is to be smart and talented and even handsome. Made prominent is the idea that nerds can be attractive to the opposite sex, that these (mostly male) keyboard athletes have an appeal attached to their passion and drive for victory.  This is not a new concept, as is evident in the gigantic Korean Brood War scene and the fact that based on the screams of the audience you might assume that it’s John Lennon playing from that soundproof booth. However, a major difference is that while Brood War shows its players as owners of large female fanbases, competitive Starcraft 2 is showcasing couples far more prominently, both inside and outside of Korea.

Whereas Brood War pros will avoid answering the question of significant others (or will mention girls they once dated), Starcraft 2 pros seem much more willing to admit that they are seeing someone. Moreover, Starcraft 2‘s has what can be described as “power couples,” well-publicized relationships where both individuals are a part of the scene. Evil Geniuses captain Geoff “iNcontroL” Robinson and Miss Oregon 2011 Anna Prosser, Startale captain Kim “RainBOw” Sung Je and his fellow teammate Kim “aphrodite” Ga Young, player/caster Trevor “TorcH” Housten and WCG Ultimate Gamer Rachel “SeltzerPlease” Quirico, Terran Emperor Lim “SlayerSBoxeR” Yo Hwan and actress Kim “Jessica” Ga Yeon, all are major examples of the public relationships that populate the Starcraft 2 community.

Part of this may simply have to do with the higher average age of Starcraft 2 pros vs. their Brood War counterparts. Where 20 might be considered an aged veteran in Brood War, some of the most talented and well-known Starcraft 2 players are approaching or even past their 30s, and with that comes possibly a sense of maturity and stability. It is also well-known that dating is frowned upon for Brood War pros for fear that it might distract them too much from the game, and no such taboo exists for Starcraft 2. While there are prominent married figures in Brood War such as Choi “iloveoov” Yun Sung, BoxeR’s former teammate and one of the most dominant players of all time, and Kim “January” Ga Eul, manager of the team Samsung KHAN, neither of them were active players when their significant others were made public. The “sex appeal” of the young Brood War player seems to be more along the lines of a K-Pop star whose relationship status is intentionally ambiguous to draw in more fans.

The reason that I am pointing all of this out is not to foster gossip about who’s dating who or to draw attention away from the games themselves, but to posit the idea that perhaps that seeing these relationships can potentially promote a different kind of lifestyle image for the nerds of the world. Rather than being a hit with the ladies, the professional nerd can be a hit with the woman of his life. You, yes you, can find a woman who will not only condone your geek lifestyle but will understand and actively support it. More than just an aspiration, the power couples of Starcraft 2 provide concrete examples that this is an attainable goal.  What is also clear, especially from the examples given above, is that these couples are not together solely because of an individual’s skill when it comes to their game of choice, but because of their character. In this way, progamers may act as role models in more ways than one.