Jeronger Z

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I was thinking about how great it would be to have Jero, the first black Enka singer, perform an anime theme for a future show. He’s already got a video game theme under his belt, so I’d like to see him bring his considerable talent to a weekly tv series as well. I can’t really think of any anime these days that uses Enka for its theme songs, so his voice could invigorate anime openings the way it’s invigorated Enka itself. If they do another Hokuto no Ken TV series after Ten no Haoh, I could easily see Jero performing an ending theme.

Besides, if Kobayashi Sachiko can perform theme songs for Pokemon, then I think Jero could throw down some soulful ballads in the same field.

All Mannequin All the Time

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Well maybe not that much, but I’ve really been enjoying the increased presence of the best female character in Gundam 00. A capable captain without any sort of unusual personality flaws or traumatic past (as far as I know), it’s like a hot drink on a cold day.

I don’t know why she’s become a more important to Gundam 00, but it’s really great seeing a character I like go from being a fairly minor character to being one that’s prominently featured in practically every episode. Maybe there were some polls and Sunrise found out that Kati Mannequin has an awesome fanbase. Or maybe they wanted to feature her voice actor more. Whatever the reason, I am reaping the benefits.

Also, that A-Laws uniform with hairbun does terrible things to me.

Dramatic Opening

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Recently I’d been on a search for “good opening from recent non-anime cartoons,” recent being the operative word here, so no Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors or Batman: The Animated Series. As I asked friends and looked around myself, nothing really came to mind, and I had to wonder why that was the case. Eventually, I realized that what I was looking for wasn’t necessarily a “good” opening, but rather a “dramatic” one. At that point, it was obvious why I was having so much trouble: dramatic cartoons just aren’t really part of the current landscape. Then I remembered Oban Star Racers, the French-Japanese collaborative animation, and it led me down a more interesting path.

Of all the countries that aired Oban, America was the only one to have a completely different song used in its opening. Every other country which aired Oban, be it France, Japan, Germany, or whatever got essentially the same song, localized and translated to their respective languages. They all share the same animation. So I felt, why not compare them?

American

Japanese (keep in mind that the French version for example has the same tune)

And a Youtube Doubler link for good measure.

I think what bothers me about the American opening is that it doesn’t bother to capture the feel of the show. It’s as if the song was trying to trick the viewer into thinking Oban was something completely different, though not quite in a Nelvana Cardcaptors kind of way.

I honestly don’t know where I’m going with all this, and I don’t have a super-important point to make. Consider this post the first step to something. What that is, I have no idea.

The Japanese Language..and beyond?

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I’ve sometimes thought about becoming a true polyglot, speaking languages the world over. But then I think about what is probably my main barrier in gaining the ability to be multilingual, which is opportunities to use the language, and the problem with opportunity lies with my personality.

In Japan I could have used Japanese a lot more, but I didn’t go out with friends often. When I think about my friends who socialized with their classmates a lot more, I wonder how much better my Japanese could have improved. Even now, with a lack of practice partners, I find my speaking skills rusting, and if I really had the drive I would be going out of my way to find native speakers. I learned Spanish in junior high and high school but that’s withered away to just rolling my r’s whenever I feel like it.

Once the JLPT 2 is over though, I’ll probably try to reinforce the Cantonese that’s supposed to be my second language. After that, who knows.

And yes, I know that I already technically qualify as a polyglot, but it doesn’t seem appropriate when I only have true command of one language.

If Only We Could Become Fans of Moderation

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Dave Merrill recently posted a survey and history of the seedy, unwashed, giant underbelly of anime fandom in the US. In it, he gives examples, taken from various anonymous contributers, of the people who are often referred to as “that person.” Each anecdote leads me to be grateful that I did not turn out to be the one to take others down through ill personality or whatever, but at the same time I find myself reflecting upon each description. I can see a bit of myself in pretty much every person described, but I also realize that it’s because of the fact that I can only see “a bit” of myself in them that makes all of the difference.

I can relate to the guy who carries his video game consoles with him to every meeting. I can see a person bringing his precious consoles along constantly, hoping for someone to say, “Wow, is that a Neo-Geo?” And then the person would gladly pull it out and a good time would be had by all, and they’d think that console-carrying guy is pretty swell. But then if console carrier never has the initiative to simply propose that they play some of his games, then he’ll still be waiting passively. When presented with someone like this, we’d probably say something like, “Get some confidence, chum.” Lack of confidence and drive is a hallmark of dorks everywhere, after all. It’s dangerous advice, however, when you consider the example of the guy who gives out his own Inspector Gadget porn to everyone.

Inspector Gadget Porn Distributor is what can happen when you tell someone with deep shame that it’s okay to be shameless, that it’s okay to be confident in what they do. The problem isn’t that he draws the images, it’s that it becomes the singular focus of his interaction with fellow anime fans. I believe that not only fans but people in general should not be defined by a singular purpose, as no person is that devoid of depth. And yet, are fans not defined by their obsessions, their ability to take things further than others? How far is too far? It’s a strange dilemma in that we have to learn to constantly set and then break our own limits.

I know that it sounds weird for the person who writes Ogiue Maniax, a blog with obsession in its very title, to be talking about things like tact and reservation, but I think it’s the combination of obsession/devotion and desire for variety in me that has brought me to this place. And while I don’t have the confidence to say that I have the patience or ability to help those fans who are truly in need of an awakening, what I can say is that I hope we can all help to moderate each other.

One Year Later, A Genshiken Review

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It might seem a bit too dramatic for me to say that Genshiken changed my life, but as I look at the influence that Genshiken has had upon me, including but not limited to the very existence of this blog, I have to say it isn’t an exaggeration. To celebrate the one year anniversary of Ogiue Maniax, I have decided to review Genshiken, by Kio Shimoku.

Before we begin, I will warn that this is in no way an objective review. Rather, it may be the most biased thing you will ever read.

Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture centers around a student club at the fictional Shiiou University (located in Tokyo) . This club, the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture (or Gendai Shikaku Kenkyuukai) is a gathering of nerds dedicated to the unification of gaming, anime, and manga clubs. At least, that was the original intent.

Along the way ambition was replaced by laziness and Genshiken has simply become a place for its members to hang out. As new members join and older members graduate and leave, so with them go old and new ideas as to what the club should be, leaving behind small legacies and transforming Genshiken’s very identity.

The main character of Genshiken is Sasahara Kanji, a young Japanese student who at the beginning has just started his life as a freshman at Shiiou University. Sasahara is what can be described as an unrealized otaku, someone who fits the category but doesn’t seem to be aware of that fact. It is through Sasahara’s eyes, inexperienced in the ways of fandom, that the story unfolds. Looking for a club to participate in, Sasahara tentatively decides to check out Genshiken. Though he is originally put off a little by its members and their rampant geekery, Sasahara eventually becomes more comfortable with himself and the other club members.

The most prominent member of Genshiken is a lanky, bespectacled upperclassman named Madarame Harunobu. The spitting image of otaku,  Madarame’s spending habits follow the philosophy of “don’t look at the price tags,” a philosophy which increasingly digs into his food budget. He even at one point gives an impassioned speech about how being attracted to drawings is only natural for human beings and that those who deny that are only fooling themselves. Taking over as chairman of Genshiken part-way into the story, it is Madarame who nurtures Sasahara’s realization into a true otaku more than anyone else. Madarame is still a dork with all the awkwardness one would expect though. For all of his posturing, Madarame is still an introvert by nature and vulnerable to little things like public displays of affection.

While Madarame is one main driving force in Genshiken, the other is a girl named Kasukabe Saki. A freshman like Sasahara, Saki is a fashionable sort, very keen on maintaining her own looks. Intelligent, confident, beautiful, Saki is many things, but otaku isn’t one of them. Eager to break up Genshiken, Saki only hangs around with the club due to her boyfriend, Kousaka Makoto, whose good looks and strong fashion sense belie the fact that he is an otaku on par with Madarame. Kousaka is not afraid to simply have (anime) porn lying around his apartment when Saki visits.

Other members include the big-busted cosplayer with a geriatric fetish Ohno, the stuttering heavy-set amateur artist Kugayama, the craft-loving Tanaka, and others. There are many characters in Genshiken and pretty much all of them are worth your time and admiration. Though I’ve given them rather brief descriptions, they are not the entirety of their characters. Almost none of the characters in Genshiken are flat, and the few who are still provide plenty of entertainment.

The first half of Genshiken concerns itself with the world of otaku through the eyes of otaku, and does so with a surprising amount of realism. When I first showed my friends in college Genshiken, they could not help but point out moments that mirrored their own lives. When I showed it to another friend, he had to stop reading because Tanaka scrutinizing over how to bend the joints of a model kit reminded him too much of himself. The club’s initiation ritual involves gauging a potential member’s fondness for erotic doujinshi (the greater the better). It’s a humble, self-deprecating, yet optimistic look at otaku.

If Genshiken stayed in this comfort zone, resigned to being about “those wacky otaku,” it would have still been very good. Genshiken goes further however by giving real, almost tangible development to its characters. Sasahara goes from being an amateur otaku to a cornerstone of the club, eventually becoming Genshiken’s chairman. He spearheads the initiative to create an actual Genshiken doujin circle. Ohno, once shy and hesitant to reveal her “preferences” to even fellow anime fans, slowly becomes a mother figure, confident and firm in her own otakuhood. Saki, initially antagonistic towards Genshiken, becomes a good friend and member of the club, gradually melting away the societal barriers that separate otaku and non-otaku. She still isn’t an otaku though.

More than a comedy, more than a story about otaku, Genshiken is about the individuals in the Modern Visual Culture Society and how they transform each other’s lives. This is no more evident than in the character of Ogiue Chika. Born in the Tohoku region of Japan, she is the catalyst which elevates the story of Genshiken from memorable to life-changing. I talked before about Genshiken’s first half. The introduction of Ogiue is the start of the second.

Ogiue is a quiet, yet abrasive girl who badmouths otaku at any given opportunity. Unable to co-exist with the female members of the Manga Society, Ogiue is moved into Genshiken with volatile results. Her unsociable personality however turns out to be a defense mechanism of the highest order, as Ogiue Chika is a fujoshi with crippling self-hatred. Sasahara may have simply been an unawakened otaku, but Ogiue is an otaku in denial. She draws doujinshi in her spare time, fantasizes about male Genshiken members giving each other some intensely x-rated favors, and attends events celebrating these acts with regularity, but is loathe to admit to these activities. One might ask, “If she hates being an otaku so much, why would she join clubs or do anything which would give her away?” and the answer is simply that Ogiue cannot help it. “How does one become an otaku” is a constant theme throughout Genshiken’s story, and the answer is that you don’t, you just realize it one day. Having discovered yaoi as early as 5th grade, Ogiue exists at the point of no return, and it is Ogiue’s rocky path to self-acceptance which leads Genshiken to its finale. Through Ogiue, what was once a story of people with unique hobbies enjoying each other’s company transforms into a very personal look at what it means to face reality without letting go of yourself.

The Genshiken manga and anime differ in a number of ways, but the stories are overall similar. The anime adds a few extra scenes, gets rid of some others, and rearranges elements of the story or puts them on drama cds. The anime adaptation’s voice cast is stellar. Kawasumi Ayako (Lafiel, Crest of the Stars) as Ohno, Seki Tomokazu (Chiaki, Nodame Cantabile) as Tanaka, Hiyama Nobuyuki (Guy, Gaogaigar) as Madarame, and Mizuhashi Kaori (Miyako, Hidamari Sketch) are among the many who put forth an incredible effort in Genshiken. A lot of them use voices very different from the ones they’re famous for, showing both their talent and their desire to make Genshiken enjoyable. Mizuhashi’s Ogiue has to be heard; her constant inner conflict comes through in every one of her lines. Of note is the fact that between Genshiken season 1, the Genshiken OVA, and Genshiken 2, the visual style changes drastically due to animation studios and even character designers switching.

The anime is good, but in the end I prefer the manga and would recommend it over the anime if only for the fact that as of this post the anime has still not completed the full story of Genshiken. Also, the art is a joy to look at and the panels flow well into each other. The style evolves tremendously over the course of nine volumes, with 1 and 9 looking almost nothing alike. One stylistic element that remains intact through the manga are the detailed backgrounds, something the anime doesn’t do nearly as well with more and more CG shortcuts being taken with every sequel. Ogiue is also at her most striking and beautiful in the manga, with eyes that can render Ogiue Maniax bloggers powerless.

Genshiken is like a best friend. It knows me well and points out my flaws, flaws which I may at first deny. It gives me confidence and inspiration, and it has helped me learn a lot about who I am, what I stand for, and how I should approach life. And among the many characters in Genshiken who have taught me these lessons, Ogiue is the most important of all.

An anime industry in a terrible economy

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As disposable income decreases for anime fans across the country, it becomes increasingly tempting to resort to alternative, less legitimate methods of obtaining our fix. This hurts an industry which is trying its best to stay alive in an increasingly volatile environment, but ultimately a person with no money to spend on entertainment will choose free entertainment over no entertainment. It’s an absurd level of Catch-22, with both and neither side to blame.

Anime companies want to take as much of our money as possible, and it’s only fair that they do so. I may often say that “I want to support the shows that I like,” but I also know that in the end, no matter how friendly the higher-ups and the employees are, a business is a business. Anime companies want to maximize their profits, but we fans have limits on how much money we’re willing to spend, especially as of late. The issue then becomes finding an amount that’s agreeable to both sides.

I know this sounds incredibly obvious, but we’ve seen at least one company (Bandai Visual) eat dirt because it didn’t even consider compromise.

Let’s Up Our Japanese Reading Comprehension

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So with the JLPT getting too close for comfort, I realized that I need to get used to reading huge blocks of Japanese text quickly. It’s something I was fairly decent at before, but lack of practice has hurt me. At the same time, I want to learn more about anime and manga.

Solution: Reading Japanese wikipedia entries and Japanese online newspaper entries about anime!

Already I’ve learned that Sakigake!! Otokojuku actually goes from a gag manga to actually being serious with tournaments and what-not, and that its popularity increased upon becoming serious.

Here comes old-fashioned Japanese test. All tests are stupid!

So let’s take a script, and then build a table out of it

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Today I realized just how much bad writing can hurt an animation. When a script is late, or poor in quality, or both, as in the case of SEED Destiny, it seems to impact the entire production. There’s this disheartening feeling that no matter how much it’s worked on afterwards, no matter how much wax is applied, its fundamental flaws will still be there. And sure, greatness might be achievable, but to start off on the wrong foot like that just makes things all the more difficult.

I wouldn’t say that writing is more important than art in animation, but it’s a simple fact that it’s easier to animate based on a script than to write a script based on an animation.

Also keep in mind that when I say poor writing, I don’t mean using too many cliches or bad use of vocabulary, though those can hurt. The kind of poor writing I’m talking about is more along the lines of not understanding the very characters you’re writing. Again, like Seed DESTINY.

Took a Practice JLPT 2

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Even sitting by myself with no one around doing a practice version of the exam, the test is incredibly intense. I basically ran out of time and had to do a lot of things on the fly.

In the end I didn’t do very well, but what I learned is that I have to watch out for the reading comprehension sections because the bulk of the points are there. At the same time if I spend too much time on them I’ll lose points in the grammar section.

Is there a chance of me studying enough to pass when the test comes up in 3 weeks? Yes, but I have no idea what the percentage is.