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Smashing Manga Records, Tentacle Satire, Emotional Games, and More - Fun Link Round-Up
I think the “person” behind you wants to be your friend, so go talk to him/her/it. Here’s some links to read for the weekend.
The Boundaries of Humor: An Interview With John Cadice, Creator of Tentacle Bento - I’m sure most you have heard about this card game that recently got their funding shut down by Kickstarter. Now, this interview is pretty bias as the interviewer, Brandon Sheffield, wanted to say “HA! I WIN BECAUSE I HAZ MAINSTREAM INTERNETZ POINTS”. It just felt like a huge flame war done in a professional manner. Though I have to say, Sheffield got Cadice good with that video demo of two people playing the game in action. The lesson of this story: the Internet is truly a frightening beast for EVERYONE involved.
Social Manga Project Aims For Guinness Record - Three of the most epic mangaka, Hirohiko Araki, Takehiko Inoue, and Hiroshi Motoyoma, team up to smash a Guinness World Record? Consider me sold. I love how all types of artists are invited to join them. This is what gets people more interested in the world of manga.
The Influence of Genes on Psychological Well-Being - Reading this makes me think about Naruto and his parents. Naruto and his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, definitely share some similar traits.
How Can Otaku Stay Enthused About Anime? - You know, I do wonder why I still watch anime despite the quality of series decreasing ever-so-slightly. Though as John says, shows like Oreimo and Puella Magi Madoka Magica definitely keep people’s spirits alive.
Why I Stopped My JManga Subscription - I have not subscribed to JManga at all. There’s nothing I really want to read there honestly. Om brings out an interesting point about its PC-viewing preference being a flaw. I still believe JManga will evolve into something greater.
A Personal Journey: Jenova Chen’s Goals for Games - Just like how some folks want emotional substance in anime and manga, some folks want to feel inspired through video games.
Finally, anyone who talks like the third guy in the video below deserves to get chainsawed.
Have a wacky weekend, everyone!
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Idols, Hostesses, Animal Manga, And More - Fun Links To Read
And we’re back with another variety of articles to read!
Japan Times does not like the front-page attention that AKB48 is getting - Good grief, how much attention is AKB48 really getting? Weren’t those candy-sharing commercials and an upcoming Wii game featuring the girls enough? Then again, idols are very important in Japan and it’s pretty unfortunate that they are forced to uphold a “clean” image to maintain that importance, don’t you think?.
Look, a hostess video game for kids is on the Nintendo 3DS! - Level-5, makers of Professor Layton and White Knight Chronicles, released a new portable game called Girls’ RPG: Cinderrelife where you play as girls trying to be hostesses. What would be hilarious and sad is if all the young girls start having this fantasy of being hostesses from this game. However, low sales seem to indicate that this will not happen. Only in Japan, folks.
Manga Xanadu celebrates Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month - Lori Henderson spotlights a few manga titles that focus on animal cruelty. As Lori says, pets deserve the same love and respect from their owners and people.
Japan’s population hits biggest drop since 1950 - I think most of us knew this was going to happen, given the state Japan’s in these days. Many things in Japan (like manga sales) are going down. How can we encourage Japan to REALLY step up for the people?
New Ways To Happiness With Strengths - Because I want each and every one of you to find ways to be happy in life.
Finally, now that Bakuman’s over, what do you think the next title from Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata will be about?
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Exploring Manga, Vocaloid is ALIVE!, Happy Tearjerkers, And More - Fun Links To Read
Here are some fun links to read for the weekend.
“What’s up with manga? A comics fan’s deep dive” - As someone who grew up reading American comics first, I found this article to be enlightening. Much like Christian, I learned a lot about what makes Japanese manga more unique than comics in the West. There is also a good point brought up about how manga remains popular in a society that’s very strict. The end question in the article is extremely important. Certain manga titles may not always appeal to someone who reads comics.
Is Hatsune Miku more ‘authentic’ than Lana Del Ray? - Umm, yeah. She is. I don’t know too much about Lana Del Ray, but I heard she was considered to be one of the worst musical guests to perform on Saturday Night Live. The lesson is that if you really want to be successful, you have to create an emotional bond with your audience members.
How Tearjerkers Make People Happier - While the article talks about tragedy movies, I think the same can be applied for anime and manga as well. There were many flashback scenes for certain characters that have moved me. Any tragic moments in manga that may have moved you positively?
Whose Digital Manga is it Anyway? Publishers vs. Scanlations - And the battle goes on and on…Is it really scanlators’ fault that the digital publishing push was delayed until now? I hate to say this, but piracy isn’t ever going to fully go away. The least people can do is limit it to a huge degree. Also, what about series that may never get licensed, but are scanlated? As another writer indicates, some scanlations happen when a manga series is not licensed in a certain country and/or if a manga series ends its run prematurely (i.e. VIZ Media ending Gintama). Things look to be really tense going forward for the manga industry….
Finally, check out Google Maps 8-Bit. So worth it!
Have a fun weekend!
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Mental Health Month: An Important Lesson from the Jinchu Arc (Rurouni Kenshin)
May is currently Mental Health Month in the world of psychology. This month is used to spread awareness of mental issues, how they can impact one’s life, and how people need to take those issues seriously. With that in mind, I wanted to take a closer look at the final storyline of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s Rurouni Kenshin, the Jinchu Arc (Volumes 18-28 of the manga, also known as the “Revenge Arc” to some fans). This arc highlighed two characters, Himura Kenshin & Enishi Yukishiro, that went through severe states of depression. One managed to overcome it to continue living, while the other became mentally deranged.
POSSIBLE HUGE SPOILERS after the jump for those who haven’t read the manga.
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Should Anime Have A Message? →
(Kyubey says: “Hehehe, silly girls don’t know how to read!”)
(This link is NSFW thanks to the craziness that is Sankaku Complex.)
I was reading this article just now and so many otaku seem to be divided on whether to take anime very seriously. There are academics out there (Brian Ruh & Alex Leavitt are two very notable researchers) that actually do and/or have done research on anime. This issue also plagues manga as well.
One response that caught my eye was: “Lately there are anime which deliberately quash their message element, like (Code) Geass – it seems interest in them wanes a bit faster that way.”
Do you believe that most anime these days only care about fanservice, slapstick comedy, and an oversimplified plot?
Anime is created as form of entertainment. However, it is also a form of art. I do believe that anime has messages in all forms (even implied messages). You either just look at it carefully or or you don’t. Most people find anime fascinating because it covers a wide range of subjects that an overwhelming majority of American cartoons never touch. Anime is very mature and thought-provoking. Even some directors make anime to visually educate their audiences about certain things.
This debate looks to be continuing for quite some time….Won’t ALL otaku be able to get along someday?
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Neurowear Creates “Necomimi” Ears That Pick Up Brainwaves.
Source: Wired.co.uk
This product makes me wonder why some anime/manga fans are fascinated by cat ears. The series that comes to my mind regarding cat ears is Yun Koga’s Loveless.
Cat ears are truly amazing, as they are able to show a cat’s state of mind. They are a significant indicator of how cats react towards certain stimuli. I do believe the appeal of cats to many people is that they tend to be somewhat unsociable creatures and prefer to be alone most of the time.
Do you think this product will sell well and be beneficial as a medical tool?
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The Eternal Rival, Ryoga Hibiki (Ranma 1/2)
“I got here without getting lost. My directional sense has never led me right. But now I came straight where I want to be! It’s the power of love, Akane!”
Love really does wonders, doesn’t it? Though it didn’t work out in the end, now did it?
This week’s entry is focused on Ryoga Hibiki, one of the more interesting characters in Rumiko Takahashi’s hit martial arts/romantic comedy anime/manga series, Ranma 1/2. This entry was made in support of this month’s Manga Movable Feast (hosted by Rob of Panel Patter) and also suggested from a commenter on the blog (Thank you, Kelly!)
Ryoga is characterized as someone who seems to be always lost. His sense of direction is absolutely terrible, but he is a reflection of people in this world who are “lost” in many ways and are trying hard to fight for direction in life.
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The Future of Online Manga Publishing In Japan
Due to the earthquake that has caused so much destruction in Japan, Shueisha posted the March 14th issue of Weekly Shonen JUMP online for free to those who weren’t able to purchase a physical copy due to the many delays caused by the disaster. Kodansha has also announced that they would have issues from 6 of their manga magazines online. With many publishers delaying releases of manga (& also anime) because of the tragic events in Japan, will we see them fully realize the potential of paid subscriptions to online manga/issues of manga magazines as a source of revenue?
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“White-Washed” Akira
(Coming Soon To A Theatre Near You: AKIRA With Blonde Hair, An Italian Accent, & Possibly A Sparkly Vampire)
Just recently, the live-action U.S. remake of Katsuhiro Otomo’s popular anime/manga hit, AKIRA, made headlines with regards to the ctors being considered to portray the lead roles of the main characters, Kaneda Shotaro and Tetsuo Shima. A list of potential actors for AKIRA is listed at Deadline. As you can see, the actors are all Caucasian and will be playing characters with JAPANESE NAMES in Neo-Manhattan (a totally different setting than in the original story, which was Neo-Tokyo). Fans have already protested the actors being considered. This has the potential of being another live-action anime remake bust in the making. So, why haven’t Hollywood studios learned their lesson?
Probably the biggest concern regarding this is the stigma of cartoons still being “kids’ material” in the U.S. Not every adult watches cartoons. Most adults would rather watch a live-action movie/TV show with real people. It seems easier to relate to a character that’s actually real and physical. Also, movie-quality animation isn’t cheap and can be very time-consuming to produce.
Another concern is that Hollywood is running out of ideas, so why not take on foreign properties for their own use. Though other studios outside of America can be equally guilty of this as well. Re-boots are easier to do since you already have source material in the form of the original film/property. There seems to be no incentive in being creative these days.
A interesting interview with movie screenplay writer James Gunn (who is perhaps well-known for the Scooby-Doo live-action movies) about his career had an question about movie remakes. When asked about horror-movie remakes, this is what he answered:
“Do you think the reason for the remakes has more to do with not having enough new, good and/or original ideas?
Maybe a little bit. But I think it has a lot more to do with that’s what people are willing to go see. Like it or not, American audiences are more likely to go and see something they’re familiar with over something new in the marketplace. It’s really not fair to blame the studios for trying to make a buck – that’s what they’re there to do.”
With that said, do the Hughes brothers (directors for the live-action AKIRA) believe they understand what the American audience wants? Or is overzealous fandom polluting their minds? Sometimes, huge fanboys can cause a brand more harm than good. Being passionate about something is a great thing, but that passion can be taken advantage of very easily if you lack general awareness.
Also, people do want to see known talent, but you need some fresh faces to stand out from time-to-time. Finally, it literally makes no sense for a completely white person to have a full Japanese name and it’s very insulting as well. Guess this comes to show that racism will never fully go away, no matter how much people claim that they’re “culturally diverse” & “respective of other cultures”.
More importantly, the themes of AKIRA are extremely serious. Can they get the U.S. audience (since they’re not always the most patient of people) to pay enough attention to sit through the whole movie? Most movie-goers want to go to a movie to relax, not be bombarded with theories/explanations/etc. Are they thinking, “If Inception could do it, why can’t AKIRA?”
What do you guys think?
A petition by Racebending to stop the white-washing of Akira is also up, for folks who are interested in protesting.
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Anime For The Soul
Yesterday, well-known anime director Yutaka Yamamoto, also known as Yamakan to many anime fans, recently tweeted about anime cancellations because of the earthquake (particularly Puella Magi Madoka Magica) in Japan. Basically, he said (the original Japanese tweet can be read here):
“There’s no need for “self-restraint” with anime. There is no need to cancel Madoka. Now of all times, anime must keep crying out the truth of humanity.”
Yamakan has already received praise for criticizing Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara’s remarks on Japan deserving “divine punishment”.
People have praised Yamakan for saying that anime needs to be shown even during the worst times. Of course, this is very dependent on what types of anime should be shown. A few anime/manga series have already begun to alter any scenes involving disasters or not show them at all.
Nevertheless, anime should be shown amidst all the delays/cancellations (currently some series are still being shown). The public (especially Japanese children) needs something to escape the harsh reality of the situation. It’s terrible to see so much sadness in the eyes of many. Constant pessimism can lead to chronic depression & other mental disorders. Show some inspirational episodes of a series like One Piece and at least one person will have hope & strength to keep going forward. Though right now, almost any Shonen Jump series could work since “victory” (one of the 3 themes of Shonen Jump alongside “friendship” & “hard work”) is a key component and is something that people want to believe in.
One thing that intrigues my curiosity is what does Yamakan mean by the “truth of humanity”. Is he talking about proverbs? Anime can move people to make something of themselves. It is arguably one of the more visual forms of media that speak to people emotionally. Themes in anime tend to be sophisticated for the most part and that’s what gets people into it. Anime characters’ personalities tend to resemble normal people’s personalities as well & fans tend to find it easier to relate to them than other fictional characters. There are also a wide variety of great quotes & thoughts brought out by anime series as well.
Reading Yamakan’s tweet also got me thinking about a passage I read in Roland Kelts’ Japanamerica (page 175 in the book) regarding the driving forces behind creativity in anime & manga. Contemporary artist Takashi Murakami once said that the disruptions of World War II brought about great, creative, & successful anime and manga works and now that WWII is mostly forgotten along with the anime/manga/video game industries booming, things have gotten too commercialized & stagnant. Translator Matt Alt agreed to a certain extent and said that trauma creates art (though he did say that no one deserved being bombed).
With that said, will the effects of the earthquake/tsunami/radiation leaks be the start of a new artistic revolution in Japan? Even before the quake, the animation industry was already in deep trouble. Only time will tell, but right now, let’s bring some smiles to Japanese children with some Anpanman, Suite Precure, Danboru Senki & Inazuma Eleven and also Japanese adults with fun & inspirational mature anime series (especially timeless classic series).
What would you say would be a great anime series to watch right now for the Japanese public?
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