Tag Archives: ogiue chika

New York Comic Con: An Incomplete Con Report Because I Will Probably Forget Most Things

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I went to my first New York Comic Con this past weekend. I normally prefer less city and commute-based conventions, but it was still a pleasant experience over all.

I’ll avoid the hanging out with friends talk, but I’ll just say I hung out with various friends and it was good times for all.

I saw the Lucky Star dub. Some voices were weaker than others, and Wendy Lee still sounds like Wendy Lee, but they tried very hard with this dub. I think the dialogue sounded a lot more natural than I was expecting, which was a big plus. Kogami Akira felt pretty spot on, Shiraishi Minoru not so much, and the pronunciation of Shiraishi was a little painful. Overall though, not a bad dub at all.

I got to meet the fine folks over at Ninja Consultant Podcast and got to be interviewed, which was a great experience. We talked about various topics, including but not limited to Ogiue. Keep up with their podcast, and you might just get to hear how incomprehensible I am when I speak. By the way, I’m a 35 year old balding man and my name is Gerald Rathkolb.

I saw Freedom. In unrelated news, I sure do want some Nissin Cup Noodles. I also attended Grant Morrison panels, and though I’m not really a huge fan of his work (just because I don’t read much of his work), his scottish talkings about made both panels very entertaining. Oh yeah, Seven Soldiers was awesome so I guess I am a Grant Morrison fan after all. I also attended a Tokyopop panel, and there as I watched the slides come on screen, I realized just how much Tokyopop gears towards shoujo and bl now. I feel like it snuck up on me without me realizing it, and now it’s too late.

I attended the Giant Robot Rumble panel, where I got to explain what an Absolute Terror Field actually is, as well as correcting the people who thought one robot was Aphrodai A when it was actually Dianan X. Thanks to this, I was considered a nerd even among nerds. Yes, I am that pathetic. PS Steve Yun please make me a judge next time. Sadly I had to leave early, so if someone can tell me who won, that’d be great.

By the way, Optimus Prime does not lose to Roy Focker/Fokker, at least not for the reasons given. Saying that Roy’s in a plane and Optimus’s mobility is limited is not an argument when Optimus REGULARLY FIGHTS ROBOTS WHO TRANSFORM INTO FIGHTER JETS.

I actually did not buy all that much, which is okay by me. I bought an autographed copy of David Lloyd (artist of V for Vendetta)’s new book, Kickback. The artwork is really up my alley. I took one look at it, and I was sold. The other thing I bought was a 20 minute backrub. It was actually worth it because it helped me take on the 90 minute TM Revolution concert.

And oh boy what a concert it was. TM Revolution has incredible stage presence, and his singing is solid. The most prominent feature of that concert though was the screaming. The loud, fangirl (and boy) screaming, which I partook in on a number of occasions. He covered all of the SEED songs and Heart of Sword, and a few others. By the way, my ears are still feeling the effects of that concert.

I was sitting behind TM Revolution’s Japanese fan club. Before the concert started, and as fans waved signs and hooped and hollered and asked TMR to marry them, I asked the Japanese fan club girls what they thought of America.

Needless to say, they were impressed.

Genshiken Karaoke in Akihabara

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Or should I say, “Genchoken.”

To celebrate the Genchoken CD release (Genchoken being the bi-weekly radio show which accompanied the broadcast of Genshiken 2), otaku will be able to briefly live, Genshiken style, at Karaoke Pasela in Akihabara.

There, customers will have access to a karaoke room with a Genshiken-themed decor and sing to their hearts’ content. And to make it as authentic as possible, the only songs allowed will be from things that exist in Genshiken, e.g. Kujibiki Unbalance and Ramen Angel Pretty Menma. They will also be playing the actual Genchoken CD as well.

To top it all off, if you’ve bought the Genchoken CD and you sing Kujian/Menma songs in the Genshiken room, then you can enter a drawing to win some autographed swag from the cast of Genshiken.

Existence of specific Ogiue-themed merchandise unknown at this time.

The True Appeal of Izumi Konata

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Konata is a surprisingly good character. There’s something very endearing about her and for a long time (since I finished watching Lucky Star), I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but now I know.

I’ve heard from numerous people that they think Konata’s popularity is because she has the same tastes as and acts like a male otaku. That’s not necessarily off the mark, but it’s a little too simplistic. The actual appeal of Konata is not simply that she’s an otaku, but that she’s an otaku who’s not afraid to show that side of herself in public.

I think there’s a fear within everyone (but particularly relevant to dorks) that if they reveal too much of themselves that people will think less of them. They will either believe they cannot make any friends, or that their friends will stop being so friendly. Konata stands in the face of all that. Where most of dvd-and-figure-buying comrades falter, Konata is able to confidently declare to her “commoner” friends that yes, she loves Haruhi, yes, she goes to Comic Market, and yes, she is indeed an otaku.

Combined with some of Konata’s more poignant scenes, such as the Hirano Aya concert or some of her conversations with her dad, Konata shows that she’s not just an impossible ideal for otaku, but that it’s possible to both feel weak and strong at the same time.

Konata, one might say, is the opposite of Ogiue. However, unlike, say, Kohsaka from Genshiken, Konata doesn’t appear to be too perfect. Sure, she’s athletic, sure she’s friendly and outspoken, but in the end she is still genuine to her own interests, still has her own doubts and insecurities, and really isn’t that much different from the otaku from which she is derived.

Back to the Basics

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I learned a little about myself recently: The title of this blog is very appropriate.

I haven’t really talked much about Genshiken in a while, and it’s expected. The second series is over, the manga is long over. I’ve talked about it numerous times in this blog.

But then recently one morning, I was suddenly struck by the lighting called Ogiue.

The sheer presence of her character moves me to evaluate myself and try to improve, in a number of ways. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but hey, this is fiction, and Ogiue, as realistic and complex she may be, is not real (as much as I might sometimes prefer otherwise). The events of her life are incorporated into the greater goal of a good story.

So Ogiue Maniax. I talk about Ogiue.

Because I CAN”T HELP IT.

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.

Genchoken CD on sale

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A compilation of the Genchoken radio show is now on sale, for anyone who understands Japanese and sadly missed this wonderful radio show starring Mizuhashi Kaori (Ogiue), and Hiyama Nobuyuki (Madarame).

For those who aren’t familiar with Genchoken, it was a bi-weekly radio show starring the aforementioned two voice actors, as they tackled various topics regarding otaku. Guests included fellow voice actors from Genshiken, some of the original voices upon which the Vocaloid characters are based on, and a BL manga author. Genchoken stands for Gendai Chokaku Bunka Kenkyuukai, in other words, “The Society for the Study of Modern Aural Culture”

It’s also where I got to hear, “Yoiko no minna san…Ogiue Chika-sensei desu.”

Ogiue Chika-sensei.

The Ogiues who never were

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Mizuhashi Kaori landed the role of Ogiue and for that we are all grateful.

Landing the role, however, means that she had to have beaten out other voice actors.

So I have to wonder, who else tried out for the part of Ogiue? Who could have been the voice of Fujoshi Omega?

Sadly this mystery will probably never be solved.

Then we have no choice but to create it!

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15 minutes in Maya.

Why I Like Ogiue, Part 3

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Otaku obsess over characters, and I am certainly no different. Hell, I named my blog after obsession #1. I’ve often been asked though, how is it I could maintain what is now an almost 3-year-long interest in the character of Ogiue, especially in this age of constant fansubs where the viewers are witness to new characters every season. I really don’t know if I have a complete answer to that, and this post is going to be about trying to find a reason.  Warning: meandering ahead.

First, I think Ogiue is totally deserving of it. I believe her to be one of the most unbelievably complete and well-rounded characters in anime and manga. Actually, this applies to pretty much every other Genshiken character as well. What puts her above the rest is that she’s attractive to me.

Aside from that, however, is the fact that I have a tendency to carry long-term obsessions with characters in general, and it just manifests itself most strongly with Ogiue. Maetel, Tomoyo, Eureka, Cagalli, Hinata, in many, many cases once a character manages to catch my eye, they never quite leave. Some have faded a bit over time (Filia from Slayers TRY for example), but for the most part the strong presences of my past are not overridden by the strong characters of the present.

The real question, then, is why exactly am I able to obsess over characters for significantly longer periods of time compared to some of my peers? One possibility is that I form what feels like an emotional bond with the characters such that even if the quality of the character is not as great as I imagine, even if they turn out to be fairly big cliches, my memories of fondness for the characters are much stronger than objective reasoning. If they are indeed strong characters with strong emotions, such as Eureka, then that connection becomes much stronger and much longer-lasting. That said, I don’t think I’m all that susceptible to pandering fanservice characters (no matter what type of fanservice it may be), but there are always a few. I don’t call them guilty pleasures because they never really are.

I don’t think all that many people actually just cast their preferred characters aside when a new season starts, and the primary difference between me and some friends becomes how we display our passion for anime and its characters. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve stuck with the Ogiue paraphernalia (avatars, name tags, this blog) for quite a while. It’s the public display that is more important. New, strong characters appear every season, but I stick with Ogiue.

Maybe it’s just how I want people to think of me, but I feel more like I’m compelled to do so, because she is that strong of a character.

Being unhealthy on Valentine’s Day

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It reminds me of Ogiue’s hangover in Volume 8.