I admit that I'm a sucker for sappy, sentimental movies, so Shinkai's "5 centimeters per second" go me hook, line, and sinker. This work showcased even more sophisticated animation and visuals than his previous work "Place Promised in Our Early Days". However, "5 cm" shed the storyline and plot that weighed down Shinkai's poetic bent in "Place Promised".
Practically every scene looks beautiful and amazing. The character designs are simple, but effective against the soulful backgrounds and incredible landscapes. There is none of the foil-shine from early CG fractals; these are digitized oil colors. He managed to capture the smear of dusk clouds, the blaze of the sunlight, the glare of the train lights, and even the subtle motion of falling snow.
My personal siren Hillary Haag played the lead female role Akari and completely pulled me into the sweetness of the first story and led me to the kill by the end of the third, short vignette. I knew what was going to happen when the trains passed by each other in the last scene, and I had to ask "carve my heart out with a spoon, why don't you?" And so they did. Sappy stuff gets me everytime.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
One Shtik to Rule the All
The first time that I heard the title "My Heavenly Hockey Club" [1], I automatically put it on my auto-pass list until I heard the author's name: Ai Morinaga. The mangaka behind "Your and My Secret" [2] and "Yamada Taro no Monotogari" [3] has been called appalling, and I have to agree, though she is also appallingly funny.
In each of her works, there is one bizarre conceit that is presented and then explored, extrapolated, and exploits the situation until it becomes a self-contained microcosm of madness that becomes everyday. In "Your and My Secret", the main characters are a girly-man and a barbaric girl who switch bodies and find out that they are more compatible with their new gender roles.
"Yamada Taro" follows a dirt poor youth who seems princely and rich. Morinaga manages to squeeze humor out of a normally serious situation by stretching it to its absurd limits and mixing in some innocent and not-so innocent bystanders for the reader to laugh at. The prime victim is Ikegami who falls for Yamada, since he's a prince and then realizes he's poor, but stays stuck on him.
"My Heavenly Hockey Club" is no less subtle. It is a blatant parody of "Ouran Host Club" and even has its own man-'ho host chapter in volume 3. For those who haven't been exposed to the other Haruhi, the heroine in "Ouran" damages a rare vase at her prestigious high school and is roped into joining the host club as a cross-dressing hostess. "Hockey Club" similarly begins with the plebian Hana, who is borderline narcoleptic, sleepwalking to school. She is hit by a rich boy's car. Since his field hockey club is short a member, he uses the car's damage to blackmail her into joining the all-boy's hockey club. Like "Ouran", much is made of the patrician and plebian divide.
Ouran Host Club [4]
Not Ouran
And that exhausts my limited knowledge of "Ouran". To continue with "Hockey Club", the newly established field hockey team attempts to play a match. Since there are no other teams nearby, they use the club's considerable resources to get into stupid situations. Hana is tempted along, because she is a slave to the basic pleasures in life: sleeping, eating, and bathing (really, soaking). The rich boy Izumi initially treats Hana as his personal toy, not in an ecchi way, but as an object for his own amusement.
As the club stumbles from disaster to disaster (meeting a bear, eating magic mushrooms, getting lost in a jungle), Izumi develops an attachment to Hana. The lack of physical attraction on Izumi's part, his fear of ghosts, and his general ambivalence toward girls adds up to a kid-like feeling to this budding romance. As Izumi bumbles from one chapter to another, he seems like a grown up child, simultaneously shielded by his wealth and landing into mayhem because of it. If he sounds like an annoying person, you would be correct.
But you must remember, when reading Ai Morinaga, you aren't laughing WITH the cast, you're laughing AT them. [5]
= = =
[1] Originally licensed by ADV, this is now licensed by Tokyopop. [6]
[2] Currently fan scanlated by the NCIS group.
[3] Licensed by Del Rey.
[4] Combine the kid and the tall blond and, voila, you've got the girly guy in the middle of the "Hockey Club" shot.
[5] The dividing line between a tragedy and a comedy is that, in a tragedy, misfortune befalls someone you respect. I've forgotten the source for this.
[6] With new, unimproved, and unnavigable site!
In each of her works, there is one bizarre conceit that is presented and then explored, extrapolated, and exploits the situation until it becomes a self-contained microcosm of madness that becomes everyday. In "Your and My Secret", the main characters are a girly-man and a barbaric girl who switch bodies and find out that they are more compatible with their new gender roles.
"Yamada Taro" follows a dirt poor youth who seems princely and rich. Morinaga manages to squeeze humor out of a normally serious situation by stretching it to its absurd limits and mixing in some innocent and not-so innocent bystanders for the reader to laugh at. The prime victim is Ikegami who falls for Yamada, since he's a prince and then realizes he's poor, but stays stuck on him.
"My Heavenly Hockey Club" is no less subtle. It is a blatant parody of "Ouran Host Club" and even has its own man-'ho host chapter in volume 3. For those who haven't been exposed to the other Haruhi, the heroine in "Ouran" damages a rare vase at her prestigious high school and is roped into joining the host club as a cross-dressing hostess. "Hockey Club" similarly begins with the plebian Hana, who is borderline narcoleptic, sleepwalking to school. She is hit by a rich boy's car. Since his field hockey club is short a member, he uses the car's damage to blackmail her into joining the all-boy's hockey club. Like "Ouran", much is made of the patrician and plebian divide.
Ouran Host Club [4]
Not OuranAnd that exhausts my limited knowledge of "Ouran". To continue with "Hockey Club", the newly established field hockey team attempts to play a match. Since there are no other teams nearby, they use the club's considerable resources to get into stupid situations. Hana is tempted along, because she is a slave to the basic pleasures in life: sleeping, eating, and bathing (really, soaking). The rich boy Izumi initially treats Hana as his personal toy, not in an ecchi way, but as an object for his own amusement.
As the club stumbles from disaster to disaster (meeting a bear, eating magic mushrooms, getting lost in a jungle), Izumi develops an attachment to Hana. The lack of physical attraction on Izumi's part, his fear of ghosts, and his general ambivalence toward girls adds up to a kid-like feeling to this budding romance. As Izumi bumbles from one chapter to another, he seems like a grown up child, simultaneously shielded by his wealth and landing into mayhem because of it. If he sounds like an annoying person, you would be correct.
But you must remember, when reading Ai Morinaga, you aren't laughing WITH the cast, you're laughing AT them. [5]
= = =
[1] Originally licensed by ADV, this is now licensed by Tokyopop. [6]
[2] Currently fan scanlated by the NCIS group.
[3] Licensed by Del Rey.
[4] Combine the kid and the tall blond and, voila, you've got the girly guy in the middle of the "Hockey Club" shot.
[5] The dividing line between a tragedy and a comedy is that, in a tragedy, misfortune befalls someone you respect. I've forgotten the source for this.
[6] With new, unimproved, and unnavigable site!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Te of the Fujoshi [1]
[rough draft]
"I like my shota sweet and hardcore, like I like my yaoi."
- CLAMPisbest 07-15-2006, 08:02 PM on Tokyopop Message Board
I've been reading the hilariously angry writing of the Ex-fansubber. Her sentiment a survey of anti-yaoi fangirl articles that was taken by Renegade Anime Blog back in 2006. This includes the landmark rant at Tainted Blogs by Ashley, which summed up the complaints about yaoi fangirls
The purpose of this rumination is to explore the basis of the heated reactions at work. Toward the end of an earlier post, I touched on creation versus consumption as way to deepen my appreciation of the hobby. The alternate probably would have been lessening the amount of time and interest, getting out of the hobby.
I think that all fans reach this point. After the initial surge of interest, the question becomes "what's next?" And the answers are to deepen the interest or pull back. As an example, Ex-Fansubber creates doujinshi, attends cons (at least for now), and maintains a formidable blog; this is one fan who entrenched in the hobby. This process of deepening interest plateaus, because there are limits to time and energy. However, over a period of time, people generally will stop watching, become casual viewers, or become devoted fans . [2]
In this process of becoming a hard-core fan, the hobbyist 1) develops a stronger sense of discernment or taste and 2) crosses a line into ownership or identity.
Let's trace the development of a hypothetical fan to illustrate these ideas. Otaku A gets hooked from Escaflowne [3] and enjoys shounen romances and a smattering of shojo. He watches a load of other mecha shows and swords and sorcery. He builds a collection. As Otaku A's experience grows, a baseline of expectation is established.
A show just about robots isn't going to excite him, unless it's well done or does something new. He develops definite categories of quality: unwatchable, mediocre (I've seen this before), good, etc. He can identify the tropes (high school transfer student, childhood friend, mega-sweat drop). In a way, Otaku A has become a bit jaded. On the other hand, his interest has led him to dig through the available information and read up on the nitty-gritty production details (directors, animators, seiyuu) and seek out like minded people who he likes to talk shop with.
As Otaku A invests more time and energy into anime, his opinions are going to be more important to him. This doesn't mean that he's going to start flame wars, but by refining his sense of "good", what is not good becomes "bad". Ex-fansubber and Renegade obviously judge much or most or, perhaps, all of yaoi in the "not good"category. The second part of my description, delves into why the reactions are so heated.
Language is revealing in hobbies. Observe a sports fan. He'll talk about who "we acquired", that "we couldn't stop their passing game", or "we suck." This is an obvious change from "I am a person who watches the BoSox" to "we hate the Evil Empire". [4] The anime hobbyist goes from watching something on the screen to identifying as a fan or an otaku. This invokes the root of fanatic back into the term fan. In other words, the fan participation has crossed from isolated acts into regular behavior.
These language tags go beyond semantics, because they are signs of ownership. The thought collection on a forum, the physical space at a convention, and the social construct of a fandom become precious to Otaku A and potentially for all the fans out there. Even if Otaku A could brush off loudness as a casual rudeness, he may still take umbrage at the fan girls who run around as described in the above posts. [5] The behavior that he finds detracting also detracts from a part of his own identity.
Whether the heat is legitimate or not, is a question for another post. And it's not one that I'm going to tackle at the moment.
= = =
[1] The title is thanks to my older brother, who reminded me of the other half of the Tao of Pooh.
[2] This may be a big assumption on my part, but my experience has borne this out. Free time is scarce for most people, and they are actively searching for enjoyment and entertainment. Note the verbs, this is a dynamic process.
The opposite of dynamic is static or stagnation, which itself is not a state of equilibrium, but of a spiral downward. This intuitively makes sense when you think of someone sitting or standing still, while time moves inexorably forward.
[3] OK, I admit that it's kind of old school, but it's what I know.
[4] Though in actuality, you Bostonians ARE an Evil Empire now.
[5] And if he'd wanted to get spanked, he would have gotten hazed by Sigma-Upsilon-Kappa back in college.
"I like my shota sweet and hardcore, like I like my yaoi."
- CLAMPisbest 07-15-2006, 08:02 PM on Tokyopop Message Board
I've been reading the hilariously angry writing of the Ex-fansubber. Her sentiment a survey of anti-yaoi fangirl articles that was taken by Renegade Anime Blog back in 2006. This includes the landmark rant at Tainted Blogs by Ashley, which summed up the complaints about yaoi fangirls
- They take their yaoi too seriously for the non-yaoi fans to relate to.
- They are authoritative in their ignorance.
- Some of them are too loud and disruptive on forum and at Cons, therefore hard to ignore.
The purpose of this rumination is to explore the basis of the heated reactions at work. Toward the end of an earlier post, I touched on creation versus consumption as way to deepen my appreciation of the hobby. The alternate probably would have been lessening the amount of time and interest, getting out of the hobby.
I think that all fans reach this point. After the initial surge of interest, the question becomes "what's next?" And the answers are to deepen the interest or pull back. As an example, Ex-Fansubber creates doujinshi, attends cons (at least for now), and maintains a formidable blog; this is one fan who entrenched in the hobby. This process of deepening interest plateaus, because there are limits to time and energy. However, over a period of time, people generally will stop watching, become casual viewers, or become devoted fans . [2]
In this process of becoming a hard-core fan, the hobbyist 1) develops a stronger sense of discernment or taste and 2) crosses a line into ownership or identity.
Let's trace the development of a hypothetical fan to illustrate these ideas. Otaku A gets hooked from Escaflowne [3] and enjoys shounen romances and a smattering of shojo. He watches a load of other mecha shows and swords and sorcery. He builds a collection. As Otaku A's experience grows, a baseline of expectation is established.
A show just about robots isn't going to excite him, unless it's well done or does something new. He develops definite categories of quality: unwatchable, mediocre (I've seen this before), good, etc. He can identify the tropes (high school transfer student, childhood friend, mega-sweat drop). In a way, Otaku A has become a bit jaded. On the other hand, his interest has led him to dig through the available information and read up on the nitty-gritty production details (directors, animators, seiyuu) and seek out like minded people who he likes to talk shop with.
As Otaku A invests more time and energy into anime, his opinions are going to be more important to him. This doesn't mean that he's going to start flame wars, but by refining his sense of "good", what is not good becomes "bad". Ex-fansubber and Renegade obviously judge much or most or, perhaps, all of yaoi in the "not good"category. The second part of my description, delves into why the reactions are so heated.
Language is revealing in hobbies. Observe a sports fan. He'll talk about who "we acquired", that "we couldn't stop their passing game", or "we suck." This is an obvious change from "I am a person who watches the BoSox" to "we hate the Evil Empire". [4] The anime hobbyist goes from watching something on the screen to identifying as a fan or an otaku. This invokes the root of fanatic back into the term fan. In other words, the fan participation has crossed from isolated acts into regular behavior.
These language tags go beyond semantics, because they are signs of ownership. The thought collection on a forum, the physical space at a convention, and the social construct of a fandom become precious to Otaku A and potentially for all the fans out there. Even if Otaku A could brush off loudness as a casual rudeness, he may still take umbrage at the fan girls who run around as described in the above posts. [5] The behavior that he finds detracting also detracts from a part of his own identity.
Whether the heat is legitimate or not, is a question for another post. And it's not one that I'm going to tackle at the moment.
= = =
[1] The title is thanks to my older brother, who reminded me of the other half of the Tao of Pooh.
[2] This may be a big assumption on my part, but my experience has borne this out. Free time is scarce for most people, and they are actively searching for enjoyment and entertainment. Note the verbs, this is a dynamic process.
The opposite of dynamic is static or stagnation, which itself is not a state of equilibrium, but of a spiral downward. This intuitively makes sense when you think of someone sitting or standing still, while time moves inexorably forward.
[3] OK, I admit that it's kind of old school, but it's what I know.
[4] Though in actuality, you Bostonians ARE an Evil Empire now.
[5] And if he'd wanted to get spanked, he would have gotten hazed by Sigma-Upsilon-Kappa back in college.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Business End of Fandom
I felt a certain resignation about the trouble at ADV and relief at their recovery. Their dubious Anime Network, ailing manga line, and trickle of new titles were harbingers to trouble. The releases of UFO Maiden Valkyrie was a come-down from Rahxephon, Kino's Journey, Kaleido Star, etc. I'm glad that ADV is getting back on its feet and I ordered Kanon 2 & NHK 1; 5 CM per second will be next.
One of my concerns is that the English voice versions will permanently suffer from this down turn. they've found and cultivated real gems in Lucy Christian, Chris Patten, and Hillary Haag. I've bought some anime just to hear Hillary Haag in them. The funny thing is that I bought "Princess Nine" to listen to Nagasawa Miki (Ibuki Maya in "Evangelion) as Hayakawa Ryo. I ended up listening to the English version and have listened for Hillary Haag ever since.
Fortunately they're back. Bandai has announced that they are reviewing their pricing scheme. While they're at it, they can meditate about the failure of the original "Gundam" (not Wing) to ignite America. Maybe the Gilligan style steering wheel in the Musai cruisers and the White Base might tip them off. Maybe, because "Macross" and "Robotech" also explored the themes of war, civilians at war, and idea of a ship as a home, but with considerable more polish.
Also, Right Stuf & Corneranime Store continue to contribute through Nozomi Entertainment with the slated release of "Maria-sama ga Miteru". Unfortunately, Geneon couldn't get it done, though Maria-sama was produced by the main branch of Geneon. It's been a rocky couple of months for anime, but it continues to go strong. Even if it doesn't, I'll still be here, and I'm pretty sure that other old skool fans will be, too.
One of my concerns is that the English voice versions will permanently suffer from this down turn. they've found and cultivated real gems in Lucy Christian, Chris Patten, and Hillary Haag. I've bought some anime just to hear Hillary Haag in them. The funny thing is that I bought "Princess Nine" to listen to Nagasawa Miki (Ibuki Maya in "Evangelion) as Hayakawa Ryo. I ended up listening to the English version and have listened for Hillary Haag ever since.
Fortunately they're back. Bandai has announced that they are reviewing their pricing scheme. While they're at it, they can meditate about the failure of the original "Gundam" (not Wing) to ignite America. Maybe the Gilligan style steering wheel in the Musai cruisers and the White Base might tip them off. Maybe, because "Macross" and "Robotech" also explored the themes of war, civilians at war, and idea of a ship as a home, but with considerable more polish.
Also, Right Stuf & Corneranime Store continue to contribute through Nozomi Entertainment with the slated release of "Maria-sama ga Miteru". Unfortunately, Geneon couldn't get it done, though Maria-sama was produced by the main branch of Geneon. It's been a rocky couple of months for anime, but it continues to go strong. Even if it doesn't, I'll still be here, and I'm pretty sure that other old skool fans will be, too.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Lovely Complex Episode 6
Synopsis:
The previous episode ended during the sports festival. Koizumi admitted her feelings for Otani to herself, while dragging him to the drag-filled gym.
Koizumi-Otani a match made in... strike that
Episode 6, “A Maiden's Determination! Love-Love Confession Plan!!”[1], jumps to summer vacation. The Lovely Com crew visits the beach for a day of fun and games. Risa is also there for an Umibozu concert. Nobu admonishes her to keep her eye on the birdie, which is Otani. At this point, Risa hasn't told Nobu that she likes Otani yet. Nobu forces her to come clean, and Risa admits it.
Nobu confronts Risa
The crew minus Otani gathers at a blanket. Nobu asks them to give Risa time alone together with Otani. They readily agree. Risa freaks. Encouragement comes from all around for our tall heroine. Risa is embarrassed and tries to stop them. Otani's appearance puts a stop to the fuss. His zebra striped trunks and tied hair, makes one think that Seiko-chan (AKA the Trap) may not have been a bad match.
Risa and Otani to play in the ocean while the peanut gallery stares, chants Cthulu-style, and generally makes Risa self-conscious. This awkwardness builds, until she snaps at Otani who is oblivious as always. His horseplay and laughing face win out and she joins in a wave fight. Misfortune strikes when she steps on a shard of glass.
More encouragement from the peanut gallery
Chiharu gives Risa first aid back on land. Risa doesn’t want to hold them back from having fun, while she sits out. Nobu entreats Otani to keep her company. Nakao assists on the serendipity play over Risa's protests. Otani agrees. He wants to get a tan, which dovetails with Risa’s immobility.
Risa tells Otani that she'll be fine alone and that his scrawny body wouldn't improve with a tan anyway. The comment hits a nerve. He drags Nakao and Suzuki, away from their women, to the sea after threatening Risa with a lawsuit. Nobu scolds Risa for blowing the perfect setup.
A little later, Risa sits on a blanket, shrouded from the sun. Otani approaches from her blind side and pretends to hit on her. He bears drinks, though he teases her before giving her a can. He claims that he’s just messing with her in retaliation for the tanning barb. He even puts on her Deep One face.
Old Ones in Osaka
Risa stops the exchange and simply thanks him for the drink. Otani asks if she's just being quiet or if it's the wound. After she chooses choice B, Otani offers to go for some medicine. The offer is refused out of awkwardness. He takes her refusal in stride, while the rest of the crew watches the non-action in anticipation.
Risa tries to break the impasse by telling Otani that he's a good guy, then offers a hypothetical situation where she likes him. He's breaks into nervous laughter, which she joins. Otani flatly orders her not to gross him out. She's shocked.
Risa reacts to rejection.
Otani brusquely attempts to change the subject. Risa calls him a midget. Her casual insult rebounds with twice the force: "Don't get your hopes up about ever finding a boyfriend, Amazon." The harsh words reduce Risa to tears.
Nobu & Co. to the rescue
To him, this is a schoolyard trash talking match. To her, it's the cruelest rejection. Nobu leads the cavalry to the rescue. Otani doesn't understand why Risa is crying. Nobu yells that Risa is emotional, because she's in love. The cat is unintentionally out of the bag or so they think.
Otani immediately asks who the lucky guy is. They are shocked and awed by his density. Risa gets their sympathy, while Otani feels left out. Remember, everyone knew that Risa liked Otani for a while now, except for our hero with a Gundanium skull.
Words fail them.
Day gives way to dusk and the Umibozu concert. Otani asks about Risa about her foot. After hearing that it's OK, he turns the subject to her love life. She refuses to tell him who it is. He then concludes that she fell for a shorter man, which was why his Amazon insult hit home. Otani then surprises Risa by encouraging her to ignore the height difference and steam ahead.
However, he finishes his heart-felt talk by bugging her again for the name of who she likes. He doesn't like being left out of the loop. Risa replies "you'll know soon enough." She stops him in his tracks with a smile, then takes their picture with the camera that she brought for the concert. Risa masks the picture’s intent as a punishment for making her cry.
Risa takes his words to heart and resolves to steam ahead in romance.
Otani begins to get scared
It’s another day. Otani and Nakao play a basketball game in the gym, while Risa chats with Nobu on the sidelines. Otani has been bugging Nobu for the identity of Risa’s love. Nobu scolds Risa that she should make her move during the summer break, before any love rivals appear. Risa freaks, again. She’s told that she must be direct and tell him directly. Symbolically, Otani tosses in a clean shot.
After the games, Nobu continues pressing the direct strategy onto a doubtful Risa. Nobu even pulls out the shojo flower power in demonstration. Risa is extremely nervous even by the idea of getting him alone. Nobu’s coaching is a combination of instruction, bad cop, and fire breathing. Risa relents and begins to record Nobu’s recommended confession. However, Otani and Nakao show up at that moment.
Risa screams in surprise. Otani is annoyed, because Risa is being secretive again. Nobu tries to get her to confess. She draws away Nakao, leaving All Hashin-Kyojin alone. The stage is set. Despite her stage fright, Risa bravely follows Nobu’s game plan and begins her confession.
Rafflesia arnoldii AKA corpse flowers
Otani is nearly moved to bowel movements by her grotesque performance. Risa goes into offensive mode. Nobu stops her with a flying knee to the right kidney.
Coach Nobu’s flying knee
Otani recovers from her frightening performance and tells her that he has something to say. They head to their usual hang-out at the Ikebe diner. He repeats his question: who does she like? Considering that he just countered her confession, she has some justification to be upset. He complains that he’s only one left out the secret. In her mind, she slams down her palm before boldly declaring that Otani is the one. In reality, she grabs her head in frustration, while Otani tries to get her attention.
Risa hits her limit break and gets ready to declare it. Otani, who’s been calling her for a while, jumps up to demand the name. Spooked by his demeanor, she falls back on Nobu’s game plan, which turns into poorly muttered mumble-jumble.
Love confession round 2: No hits below the belt, keep it clean.
Risa’s self-consciousness gets the best of her again. She fails. Otani tells her that he’s honestly concerned and wants to help her. As proof of their closeness, he reminds her that they are All Hanshin-Kyojin, which was the extact wrong thing to remind her of. As she’s clutching her head in despair, he asks her if she likes him that much. She answers yes. His questions continue. She confesses that he’s an idiot, but a good guy. He’s shorter than her, but sweet.
Otani realizes that she might be coming to basketball practice to see him. Risa thinks that Otani has finally realized that he’s the one. Mr. Gundanium does not disappoint, well, he doesn’t disappoint us viewers. He guesses that Risa’s sweet a freshman and feels quite proud of his powers of deduction. Risa takes another critical hit. She tells Otani to drop it, and that she’s on the verge of tears. Otani backs off.
The setting skips to Risa’s room, where the three girls are having a low key celebration of Risa’s birthday. Chiharu cheers up Risa by giving her a pink bunny faucet for her bath. Otani calls her up; he learned about Risa’s b-day through Nobu. Otani asks if she’s free. The girls tell her to go. He invites her to the top of a building and asks her to wear the same kimono from the summer festival (see Episode 2).
A dolled-up Risa comes to the windy rooftop. Otani gives her an autographed Umibozu CD along with the collector’s badge, but his main gift is watching the fireworks show together.
Romantic fireworks display.
He wants to cheer her up with the invite, since she’s been so touchy lately. Moved by his concern, she confesses her feelings to him. Otani doesn’t show any reaction. Risa is left waiting for an answer as the episodes ends.
The gauntlet is thrown.
Commentary:
At this point, the series enters into the classical shojo mode, where the the heroine overcomes her fear of rejection. Confession leaves nothing to doubt, it leaves the confessor vulnerable. This also begins Risa's laborious struggle for Otani's attention.
I'll keep the commentary light for this episode and have a sum up at the end of the arc.
[1] Fansubbed by Kiss Sub.
The previous episode ended during the sports festival. Koizumi admitted her feelings for Otani to herself, while dragging him to the drag-filled gym.
Koizumi-Otani a match made in... strike thatEpisode 6, “A Maiden's Determination! Love-Love Confession Plan!!”[1], jumps to summer vacation. The Lovely Com crew visits the beach for a day of fun and games. Risa is also there for an Umibozu concert. Nobu admonishes her to keep her eye on the birdie, which is Otani. At this point, Risa hasn't told Nobu that she likes Otani yet. Nobu forces her to come clean, and Risa admits it.
Nobu confronts RisaThe crew minus Otani gathers at a blanket. Nobu asks them to give Risa time alone together with Otani. They readily agree. Risa freaks. Encouragement comes from all around for our tall heroine. Risa is embarrassed and tries to stop them. Otani's appearance puts a stop to the fuss. His zebra striped trunks and tied hair, makes one think that Seiko-chan (AKA the Trap) may not have been a bad match.
Encouragement from a Love-com Love-in
Risa and Otani to play in the ocean while the peanut gallery stares, chants Cthulu-style, and generally makes Risa self-conscious. This awkwardness builds, until she snaps at Otani who is oblivious as always. His horseplay and laughing face win out and she joins in a wave fight. Misfortune strikes when she steps on a shard of glass.
More encouragement from the peanut galleryChiharu gives Risa first aid back on land. Risa doesn’t want to hold them back from having fun, while she sits out. Nobu entreats Otani to keep her company. Nakao assists on the serendipity play over Risa's protests. Otani agrees. He wants to get a tan, which dovetails with Risa’s immobility.
Risa tells Otani that she'll be fine alone and that his scrawny body wouldn't improve with a tan anyway. The comment hits a nerve. He drags Nakao and Suzuki, away from their women, to the sea after threatening Risa with a lawsuit. Nobu scolds Risa for blowing the perfect setup.
A little later, Risa sits on a blanket, shrouded from the sun. Otani approaches from her blind side and pretends to hit on her. He bears drinks, though he teases her before giving her a can. He claims that he’s just messing with her in retaliation for the tanning barb. He even puts on her Deep One face.
Old Ones in OsakaRisa stops the exchange and simply thanks him for the drink. Otani asks if she's just being quiet or if it's the wound. After she chooses choice B, Otani offers to go for some medicine. The offer is refused out of awkwardness. He takes her refusal in stride, while the rest of the crew watches the non-action in anticipation.
Risa tries to break the impasse by telling Otani that he's a good guy, then offers a hypothetical situation where she likes him. He's breaks into nervous laughter, which she joins. Otani flatly orders her not to gross him out. She's shocked.
Risa reacts to rejection.Otani brusquely attempts to change the subject. Risa calls him a midget. Her casual insult rebounds with twice the force: "Don't get your hopes up about ever finding a boyfriend, Amazon." The harsh words reduce Risa to tears.
Nobu & Co. to the rescueTo him, this is a schoolyard trash talking match. To her, it's the cruelest rejection. Nobu leads the cavalry to the rescue. Otani doesn't understand why Risa is crying. Nobu yells that Risa is emotional, because she's in love. The cat is unintentionally out of the bag or so they think.
Otani immediately asks who the lucky guy is. They are shocked and awed by his density. Risa gets their sympathy, while Otani feels left out. Remember, everyone knew that Risa liked Otani for a while now, except for our hero with a Gundanium skull.
Words fail them.Day gives way to dusk and the Umibozu concert. Otani asks about Risa about her foot. After hearing that it's OK, he turns the subject to her love life. She refuses to tell him who it is. He then concludes that she fell for a shorter man, which was why his Amazon insult hit home. Otani then surprises Risa by encouraging her to ignore the height difference and steam ahead.
However, he finishes his heart-felt talk by bugging her again for the name of who she likes. He doesn't like being left out of the loop. Risa replies "you'll know soon enough." She stops him in his tracks with a smile, then takes their picture with the camera that she brought for the concert. Risa masks the picture’s intent as a punishment for making her cry.
Risa takes his words to heart and resolves to steam ahead in romance.
Otani begins to get scaredIt’s another day. Otani and Nakao play a basketball game in the gym, while Risa chats with Nobu on the sidelines. Otani has been bugging Nobu for the identity of Risa’s love. Nobu scolds Risa that she should make her move during the summer break, before any love rivals appear. Risa freaks, again. She’s told that she must be direct and tell him directly. Symbolically, Otani tosses in a clean shot.
After the games, Nobu continues pressing the direct strategy onto a doubtful Risa. Nobu even pulls out the shojo flower power in demonstration. Risa is extremely nervous even by the idea of getting him alone. Nobu’s coaching is a combination of instruction, bad cop, and fire breathing. Risa relents and begins to record Nobu’s recommended confession. However, Otani and Nakao show up at that moment.
Risa screams in surprise. Otani is annoyed, because Risa is being secretive again. Nobu tries to get her to confess. She draws away Nakao, leaving All Hashin-Kyojin alone. The stage is set. Despite her stage fright, Risa bravely follows Nobu’s game plan and begins her confession.
Rafflesia arnoldii AKA corpse flowersOtani is nearly moved to bowel movements by her grotesque performance. Risa goes into offensive mode. Nobu stops her with a flying knee to the right kidney.
Coach Nobu’s flying kneeOtani recovers from her frightening performance and tells her that he has something to say. They head to their usual hang-out at the Ikebe diner. He repeats his question: who does she like? Considering that he just countered her confession, she has some justification to be upset. He complains that he’s only one left out the secret. In her mind, she slams down her palm before boldly declaring that Otani is the one. In reality, she grabs her head in frustration, while Otani tries to get her attention.
Risa hits her limit break and gets ready to declare it. Otani, who’s been calling her for a while, jumps up to demand the name. Spooked by his demeanor, she falls back on Nobu’s game plan, which turns into poorly muttered mumble-jumble.
Love confession round 2: No hits below the belt, keep it clean.Risa’s self-consciousness gets the best of her again. She fails. Otani tells her that he’s honestly concerned and wants to help her. As proof of their closeness, he reminds her that they are All Hanshin-Kyojin, which was the extact wrong thing to remind her of. As she’s clutching her head in despair, he asks her if she likes him that much. She answers yes. His questions continue. She confesses that he’s an idiot, but a good guy. He’s shorter than her, but sweet.
Otani realizes that she might be coming to basketball practice to see him. Risa thinks that Otani has finally realized that he’s the one. Mr. Gundanium does not disappoint, well, he doesn’t disappoint us viewers. He guesses that Risa’s sweet a freshman and feels quite proud of his powers of deduction. Risa takes another critical hit. She tells Otani to drop it, and that she’s on the verge of tears. Otani backs off.
The setting skips to Risa’s room, where the three girls are having a low key celebration of Risa’s birthday. Chiharu cheers up Risa by giving her a pink bunny faucet for her bath. Otani calls her up; he learned about Risa’s b-day through Nobu. Otani asks if she’s free. The girls tell her to go. He invites her to the top of a building and asks her to wear the same kimono from the summer festival (see Episode 2).
A dolled-up Risa comes to the windy rooftop. Otani gives her an autographed Umibozu CD along with the collector’s badge, but his main gift is watching the fireworks show together.
Romantic fireworks display.He wants to cheer her up with the invite, since she’s been so touchy lately. Moved by his concern, she confesses her feelings to him. Otani doesn’t show any reaction. Risa is left waiting for an answer as the episodes ends.
The gauntlet is thrown.Commentary:
At this point, the series enters into the classical shojo mode, where the the heroine overcomes her fear of rejection. Confession leaves nothing to doubt, it leaves the confessor vulnerable. This also begins Risa's laborious struggle for Otani's attention.
I'll keep the commentary light for this episode and have a sum up at the end of the arc.
[1] Fansubbed by Kiss Sub.
Hip-Hop Irony
On an earlier post, I commented that women enjoying yaoi is like suburban white youths rolling down the street blasting hard core hip-hop out of their stereos. After reading Thomas Sowell's "Black Rednecks & White Liberals", there is a richer irony in that perception. According to Sowell's research, there could be nothing more white than the mentality espoused by the worst of gangster rap. The glorification of touchy honor and ready violence, coupled with the apathy to education and work, traces its roots to the boonies of Britain and was transmitted to black Americans during their enslavement.
Sowell writes about difficult subjects without the difficult language. I highly recommend his book; there's plenty to learn regardless of the side of the aisle that you sit on.
Sowell writes about difficult subjects without the difficult language. I highly recommend his book; there's plenty to learn regardless of the side of the aisle that you sit on.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Kappa Ball - Eva Link
Momoe from Oofuri Anime Eps. 6As a follow up to the Kappa Balls post. The coach Momoe looks to be casted from the same mold as Misato-san.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Oofuri anime & Shion no Ou - impressions
The Oofuri anime [1] is close to the manga, but is nicely
paced and the animation is well done. There are bits
'n pieces that are nice additions like the Mihoshi
Academy boys paying homage to the Nishiura younger
manager. It does well in retaining the alternatingly
goofy and dramatic scenes of the manga. Like when Abe
went looking for Mihashi right before the practice
game, there was just enough super-deformed and tension
breaking lines to make that scene work.
The Shion manga [2] was well drawn and I liked the overall
feel. The anime [3] kept close to the original, but I felt like the
director sleep walked through the adaptation except
when he transformed Shion into a lollicon. The
manga had a clean presentation that was lost in the
animation, especially when it came to the color
palette. Shion herself was made more scruffy with her
hair and her unbuttoned navel button. Where the manga
had a more cool and eerie air to her character design,
these subtleties were entirely lost on the animator
who gave her reddish, doughy cheeks a la Kamichu. Ugh.
Shion manga, I give a read rating. To the Shion anime,
I would say skip except when bored.
[1] fansubbed by Entropy & Saizen (watched up to eps 4)
[2] "Shion no Ou" scanlated by Hanashi (Vol 1 & Vol 2 ch 7-9) and Xiphias (Vol 2 ch 10-11).
[3] "Shion no Ou" anime episode 1 fansubbed by Live Evil, who did a good job, but I just didn't like the source material.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Recommended Scanlations: Kappa Ball & an Inverted Aunt
Today, I have two recommendations from manga scanlations. The first is Higuchi Asa's "Ookiku Furikibatte" [1] or Oofuri. It's been made into an anime series already. The quickest description would be: what if Ikari Shinji played baseball? The main character's actual name is Mihashi Ren.
Ren loves baseball. He is caught looking in on the baseball team during practice and is dragged into the team meeting by the manager Momoe. Once Momoe learned that he was a pitcher in Jr. High, she tries to make him the ace. Strangely enough, he refuses. Ren confesses that his teammates hated him in middle school, because he was put into the position by his grandfather who owns Mihoshi Academy. They also lost every game with him at the helm.
The catcher tests Ren and finds out that he lacks power, but has incredible accuracy. The first roadblock to Koshien is Ren's insecurity stemming from his previous team's ostracizing him.
Ren (bottom) in action confronting his old junior high team.
Hisaguchi is effectively at creating and growing her characters, which takes Oofuri beyond just-another-baseball-manga. It's a human journey with lots of weird and quirky travelers. The artwork is effective, the action is well paced, and the writing is skillful, making Oofuri a standout work.
Ren in Kappa-deformed mode
[1] Volume 1, most of 2, and parts of 3 scanlated by Entropy. The end of Vol 2 to 6 scanlated by Raep Time as of this entry.
[2] "Baby and Me" features a boy that takes care of his little brother in the absence of a mother. Featured in Shoujo Beat by Viz.
[3] "Aishiteruze Baby" has idiot, bishounen Kippei become a surrogate parent for his adorable cousin Yuzuyu. This one has a lot of heart. The anime is more focused than the manga. I count the lead female's unusual voice acting as a plus. The manga is available in the US an a takubon under the Shoujo Beat imprint.
[4] "Asatte no Houkou" starts with a man taking care of a young relation Karada. Karada makes a wish with her guardian's ex-lover and manages to switch ages with her. Things become awkward in a hurry.
Ren loves baseball. He is caught looking in on the baseball team during practice and is dragged into the team meeting by the manager Momoe. Once Momoe learned that he was a pitcher in Jr. High, she tries to make him the ace. Strangely enough, he refuses. Ren confesses that his teammates hated him in middle school, because he was put into the position by his grandfather who owns Mihoshi Academy. They also lost every game with him at the helm.
The catcher tests Ren and finds out that he lacks power, but has incredible accuracy. The first roadblock to Koshien is Ren's insecurity stemming from his previous team's ostracizing him.
Ren (bottom) in action confronting his old junior high team.Hisaguchi is effectively at creating and growing her characters, which takes Oofuri beyond just-another-baseball-manga. It's a human journey with lots of weird and quirky travelers. The artwork is effective, the action is well paced, and the writing is skillful, making Oofuri a standout work.
Ren in Kappa-deformed modeThe second recommendation is Unita Yumi's "Usagi Drop", which was scanlated by the relatively new group J-sis. J-sis, Josei Shoujo Independent Scans, specializes in older shoujo and josei, which is a welcome change of pace from the dominance of shoujo and shounen.
The story starts with 30 year old Daikichi who is attending his grandfather's funeral service. At the memorial, he runs into a quiet girl named Rin. He is shocked to find out that Rin is his grandpa's illegitimate and unwelcome daughter. Little Rin is actually his aunt.
After the memorial, all of his relatives want to pass off Rin and even talk sending her to government services. At that point, Daikichi becomes disgusted and rashly offers to take her in.
On the surface, "Usagi Drop" is reminiscent of "Baby and Me" [2], "Aishiteruze Baby" [3], or obliquely of "Asatte no Houkou" [4]. However, the snarky Daikichi and silent Rin gives it a very different atmosphere from these other works. Unita manages to connect the characters through the deceased grandfather with feeling, without resorting to sentimentality. The quiet main characters are also well served by Unita's clean dark lines.
Daikichi & Rin share a quiet moment.
The story starts with 30 year old Daikichi who is attending his grandfather's funeral service. At the memorial, he runs into a quiet girl named Rin. He is shocked to find out that Rin is his grandpa's illegitimate and unwelcome daughter. Little Rin is actually his aunt.
After the memorial, all of his relatives want to pass off Rin and even talk sending her to government services. At that point, Daikichi becomes disgusted and rashly offers to take her in.
On the surface, "Usagi Drop" is reminiscent of "Baby and Me" [2], "Aishiteruze Baby" [3], or obliquely of "Asatte no Houkou" [4]. However, the snarky Daikichi and silent Rin gives it a very different atmosphere from these other works. Unita manages to connect the characters through the deceased grandfather with feeling, without resorting to sentimentality. The quiet main characters are also well served by Unita's clean dark lines.
Daikichi & Rin share a quiet moment.Another well placed element is Reina. The other adults favor her energy. She also repeats and reflects the opinions of the adults, which are conventional and spiteful. Both of these aspects annoy Daikichi.
Daikichi spending a less quiet time with his niece Reina.
So far Daikichi comes across as a stand-up guy, who isn't popular because of his honesty. He is a sympathetic and realistic. "Usagi Drop" has a lot of potential, much of which depends on what Daikichi decides to do next.
The character designs are also fresh and well drawn. We can hope that more character driven works like Oofuri and "Usagi Drop" get brought over in the near future.
Daikichi spending a less quiet time with his niece Reina.So far Daikichi comes across as a stand-up guy, who isn't popular because of his honesty. He is a sympathetic and realistic. "Usagi Drop" has a lot of potential, much of which depends on what Daikichi decides to do next.
The character designs are also fresh and well drawn. We can hope that more character driven works like Oofuri and "Usagi Drop" get brought over in the near future.
[2] "Baby and Me" features a boy that takes care of his little brother in the absence of a mother. Featured in Shoujo Beat by Viz.
[3] "Aishiteruze Baby" has idiot, bishounen Kippei become a surrogate parent for his adorable cousin Yuzuyu. This one has a lot of heart. The anime is more focused than the manga. I count the lead female's unusual voice acting as a plus. The manga is available in the US an a takubon under the Shoujo Beat imprint.
[4] "Asatte no Houkou" starts with a man taking care of a young relation Karada. Karada makes a wish with her guardian's ex-lover and manages to switch ages with her. Things become awkward in a hurry.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
English Adaptation/Proofing
I just finished proofreading my 2nd assignment for Ivy Scans. From what I've seen, scanlations are usually broken up into 4 roles: scan, translate, edit/typeset & proof/QC. Scanning is the transfer from paper to digital copy.
Translation is usually from Japanese or Chinese to English. The first one that I worked on Desert Storm Story 3 passed from Japanese to Chinese to English. The second "Hana Saita" is directly from Japanese to English.
Editing seems to focus on visually cleaning up the scan. I've seen the raw scans and realize how much work goes into a cleaned up version that you see on their website. Typesetting transfers the translation onto the digital image. In a one-otaku show like Janimes, one font fits all. The Ivy Scan team has its own standards, I was impressed when I first saw it. They're more organized than my workplace when it comes to presentation.
What is called proofreading by scanlators is known as English adaptation to professional translators. In theory, the translator should be able to skip this step. In reality, there are precipitous gaps between languages and a wide gulf between readable English and enjoyable English. An example of a gap between East Asian languages and English is the "identifier". I'm not a linguist, so my explanation may be off, but in Japanese and Chinese there are words that specify a round object or a machine or tool.
For example, we say "three sheets of paper". Sheets identifies the paper as a flat, thin object. The difference is that objects take on identifiers the majority of the time, also there are a bunch of identifiers. We don't say "six machines cars" or "three round-objects balls". A common Chinese joke is the kid that mixes up the identifier and object. Now imagine trying to translate that. In construction, we often say "it is what it is" when it comes to prices. The same tautology gives a reality check in languages.
As for the gulf between muddling through a story and liking it, I will paraphrase a business writing teacher and say "we work hard so the reader doesn't have to".
Quality control is the final check of the cleaned up and text set scan, ready for public consumption.
Anyway, I've always thought that Ivy Scans produced high quality scanlations, so I'm happy to be contributing and hope that I can keep up.
03/22/08 Addendum: Innocent Dragon Chapter 1a is out, it's the first work that I contributed to. I was excited.
Translation is usually from Japanese or Chinese to English. The first one that I worked on Desert Storm Story 3 passed from Japanese to Chinese to English. The second "Hana Saita" is directly from Japanese to English.
Editing seems to focus on visually cleaning up the scan. I've seen the raw scans and realize how much work goes into a cleaned up version that you see on their website. Typesetting transfers the translation onto the digital image. In a one-otaku show like Janimes, one font fits all. The Ivy Scan team has its own standards, I was impressed when I first saw it. They're more organized than my workplace when it comes to presentation.
What is called proofreading by scanlators is known as English adaptation to professional translators. In theory, the translator should be able to skip this step. In reality, there are precipitous gaps between languages and a wide gulf between readable English and enjoyable English. An example of a gap between East Asian languages and English is the "identifier". I'm not a linguist, so my explanation may be off, but in Japanese and Chinese there are words that specify a round object or a machine or tool.
For example, we say "three sheets of paper". Sheets identifies the paper as a flat, thin object. The difference is that objects take on identifiers the majority of the time, also there are a bunch of identifiers. We don't say "six machines cars" or "three round-objects balls". A common Chinese joke is the kid that mixes up the identifier and object. Now imagine trying to translate that. In construction, we often say "it is what it is" when it comes to prices. The same tautology gives a reality check in languages.
As for the gulf between muddling through a story and liking it, I will paraphrase a business writing teacher and say "we work hard so the reader doesn't have to".
Quality control is the final check of the cleaned up and text set scan, ready for public consumption.
Anyway, I've always thought that Ivy Scans produced high quality scanlations, so I'm happy to be contributing and hope that I can keep up.
03/22/08 Addendum: Innocent Dragon Chapter 1a is out, it's the first work that I contributed to. I was excited.
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