"Otaku Couples: Threat or Menace?" The Otaku Diaries and Relationships

In Part 7 of the Otaku Diaries, the Reverse Thieves tackle dating and relationships, topics that are stereotypically divorced from anime fandom and geekdom in general.

One of the questions asked of its participants was how necessary it was for the people they date to like anime, and the majority said that they would at least see it as a plus, while no one said it would detract from the dating experience. I’ve seen anime fans online talk about how they would never date another anime fan, that stance is usually born out of the idea that being an anime fan entails being host to a variety of negative traits that don’t necessarily have to do with anime. They’ve just created an image in their heads that otaku are physically unappealing, loud, obnoxious, and simply unattractive. However, rarely does it have to do with the actual love of anime. In the end, who wouldn’t a companion with whom you could comfortably share your hobbies and passions if even a little? Japanese has a term for an otaku relationship: “otaple,” or “otaku couple.”

One thing that I want to take into consideration is the history of anime fandom in the west, particularly the fact that in the earlier days of anime fandom in the US, anime was primarily a men’s club, and the idea of girls being into anime and manga in large enough amounts that guys could find a girl to share in their love of anime was a far-off dream. This is a typical scenario for pretty much any sort of geekish hobby. And then people discovered that girls were capable of enjoying comics, and we got to see the reaction that happens any time a new group enters an existing fandom, whether it’s girls coming into anime, new people on an internet forum, or those rascally Star Wars fans entering the established world of science fiction: “They’re liking my hobby, but not the way I expected/wanted them to!” It’s possible at that point to wake up from the dream disgusted, but it’s also possible to see opportunity. Of course we are about a decade removed from that initial occurrence, but it still happens time after time, when the image we’ve built up in our heads does not match the reality.

In the eyes of anime fans the otaple status can be considered a Holy Grail or a Pandora’s Box, and from what I’ve seen it largely has to do with how they view the concept of the otaku relationship. Getting together with someone just because you share a hobby makes for a weak and flimsy foundation for a relationship. This is the source of the more negative view of otaku relationships, the idea that you ignore the flaws of the other just because they “like anime,” even when you are not actually happy about it. But when mutual love of anime is a vehicle for connecting on a deeper level, when it is used to support the foundation without being the foundation, that is when the otaple succeeds.

[Via http://ogiuemaniax.wordpress.com]

Detroit Metal City... Thank you

Well, a little while ago I wrote a post asking people to help me get back into anime.  I mean, I used to love the stuff, I still talk about it a lot, and I missed it.  However, I just could not watch a complete episode of ANYTHING.   So, three very helpful people replied and suggested Detroit Metal City.  Therefore I simply have to thank my good friends Jeff aka Glo , the Dinosaur , and zzeroparticle (first time hes ever commented on my blog). Anyways…. You all suggest DMC… and thank you very much, because that show is AWESOME…. to say the least.

Thirteen episodes, short episodes, and pure awesomeness. I mean, the ONLY show that might be funnier would be Beating Angel Dokoru-Chan. THIS SHOW WAS SO NASTY. Not only was it hilarious, but badass. Krauser is easily one of the most badass characters in anime…. The ONLY… i repeat ONLY reason I would put him less than number one is because of his alter ego… but can you even count that? no not really (and if your wondering It would be Maid Guy if anyone being more badass).

I think the best part of this show has to be DMC’s fans. They are HILARIOUS. They worship (to say the least) Krauser, and EVERYTHING he does they go nuts over haha.

Anyways, I won’t do a full review of this show because I will get really reptatative about how funny and badass it is… sooooooooooo if you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for? I have and I’ve been out of the game for a few.

And I suppose if you have anything else to suggest go ahead, although I’ll prolly just do my own thing.

Until Next Time, OBALLER.

[Via http://oballer.wordpress.com]

Elfen Lied

I just finished watching the DVD for Elfen Lied. This was soon after seeing the two endings for Fate:Stay Night (3 different endings)

Hollywood has sappy happy endings. Japanese artistic work normally has tragedy and stuff where good people suffer and bad people are left alive. Actually, you got that in Hollywood stuff too, but you usually have a Deus Ex Machina moment where the heroes use some super speed or power to save the day. In the real world, that’s not the case, and the Japanese aren’t afraid to show it the way it is.

Thus these sad ends are like the Fall of Saigon. Good people end up being executed after watching their families killed. Bad people end up in power, with riches, and even with moral superiority, like Edward Kennedy. They die natural deaths and live out their lifespans, while the dead have nothing but unmarked graves to attend them. That’s pretty sad. It’s not tragedy, for it was always the hero’s arrogance and flaws that did them in for Greek tragedies. Here, there is no flaw in the heroes, except a simple lack of power. A simple power disparity is what leads to the triumph of evil over good.

I can name 5 original works in Japan that have such endings. Chrno Crusade, Heart of the Shinobi, Air, one story arc from Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Fate:Stay Night Ending 1, and now Elfen Lied. The Japanese, for various cultural, historical, and religious reasons, are able to portray what is called the Beautiful Death. If the Klingons had gotten a better socio-political-historical background, you would have seen something connected to it with their ‘it is a good day to die’. But you didn’t, so that’s that.

The ending hits the heart hard like a hammer. And the repeated blows are a result of another emotion: love of the characters. They are noble characters: good people. Their suffering is not a tragedy but a crime against humanity. But their death comes with grace and dignity, because of who they are.

People who have seen too much of this stuff tend to believe in things like peace through superior firepower. There’s an intellectual explanation, of course, but there’s also an emotional drive. Maybe the emotions hit first and the intellect only figured out a way to resolve the conflict later on as an application of rationality.

Power is pointless if you cannot use it to save those you care about. See enough suffering, and care enough about the good things in humanity, and inevitably you’ll come to a choice. Which path you choose determines whether you side with good or whether you side with evil.

[Via http://ymarsakar.wordpress.com]

Urusai! Rie Kugimya's Defense

           Seiyuu Rie Kugimiya has always been under attack for one very stupid misconception: she can only voice tsundere Lolita characters. This is not true. Rie has been some tsundere lolis, and she got the nickname (that I think is a compliment) “Queen of Tsundere” (or “TsundeRie”). Those roles include Nagi from Hayate No Gotoku, Shana from Shakugan No Shana, and Louise from Zero No Tsukaima. They are all annoying (except for Shana-tan) tsunderes.

           However, this is not her fault. Producers stick her with these parts because they’re what she’s famous for. She is capable of many other voices. Ever heard Alphonse Elric from that crappy show Full Metal Alchemist (Yes, I hate FMA)? Rie also voices Yuuhi from Akane-iro Ni Somaru Saka and the amazingly moé Mizore Shirayuki from Rosario+Vampire. Another (bad) new anime phenomenon Nabari No Ou starts Rie-sensei as the main character, Miharu. People like to judge her for being the voice of some unlikable characters. (All you dub watchers don’t even know what I’m talking about because you have no culture.)

           Even if you say “Well, I hate her voice.” That’s ok. You can hate voices. I have Japanese seiyuu I hate too. But you don’t. People attack her for being a tsundere loli. Last I checked, people don’t have the personality of people they play (unless it’s a dub, then neither character nor actor has personality). Just say you don’t like Rie’s voice (which you should) or, better yet, say you hate Nagi/Shana/Louise. Not hard people. So…LEAVE RIE ALONE!!!

Flame on! (See, I can reference American comics too)

[Via http://zettaimoe.wordpress.com]

What We're Watching - Jan 1 2010

Happy New Year, Happy Same Old Anime! Well maybe – Koizumi was new and amusing.

• Usaru-san 2
• Astro Fighter Sunred 35
  Now an over the hill fat salaryman, the third member of Sunred’s team, Weather Yellow… hashin!
• Reform Without Wasted Draws – The Legend of Koizumi 1
  Best thing all night.   Mix up Kaiji, Saki, and Hetalia and you get  Ex-Prime Ministers Junichro Kozumi and Tarou Aso (think Bill Clinton and Bush 41) are hard-bitten Mahjong players fighting a desperate game vs Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-Sung of North Korea. Dubya also makes an appearance. Japan gets nuked. Well maybe. Given how spineless the Japanese are – Hetalia got pulled off the air for very low-key references to Korea (especially compared to how it treated Italy) – there’s no chance in hell of this ever airing in Japan. It’s direct to DVD with two webcast previews.
• Nyan Koi 12
  A happily meaningless final episode. It’s sad, but I now prefer empty fluff compared to fluff that tries to introduce inappropriate angst and fails horribly.
• Cheburashka Arere 9
• Trapeze 2
  This was also a high point. I was expecting the trapeze artist from Ep 1 to reappear (given the name of the show), but the recurring character is actually the psychologist. So it’s a mental trapeze. The theme appears to be psychological disorder of the week, and this time it’s psychological priapism.
• Ladies versus Butlers! 1
  Wowwwww, this is horrible. You can tell it’s by the Kanokon people – the occasional bit of humor but mostly just fanservice and molestation.
• Getter Robo 1
  Another classic old show. If you’ve ever wondered where all those hoary old cliches they make fun of in shows like Gekkiganger Three and Godannar come from, this is it. It utilizes almost every single one without irony. This is too painful to watch now except as a curiousity – think He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
• Higepiyo 29
• Zenryoku Usagi 27
• Kinnikuman 5

So the takeaway: Watch The Legend of Koizumi and Trapeze – don’t watch Ladies and Butlers.

[Via http://oldtaku.wordpress.com]

Mirai Nikki

Sinopse :

Amano Yukiteru  é um menino que tem problemas para fazer amigos.Ele pensa em si mesmo como um espectador e sempre anota tudo o que ele vê em um diário de telefone celular.

Atormentado pela solidão, Yukiteru começou a imaginar coisas como um amigo chamado Deus Ex Machina, que aparentemente é o Senhor do tempo e espaço. Vendo a tristeza de Yukiteru, Deus lhe dá uma nova habilidade. Seu diário vai registrar eventos que irão acontecer no futuro próximo. Yukiteru é então forçado a participar de um jogo que o vencedor será o sucessor de Deus. Resenha:
Um dos mais interessantes e melhor sobrenatural mangas ao redor agora eu tenho a dizer. Ela começa com o que parece ser uma manga do ensino médio com o que parece ser elementos psicológicos, mas logo se transforma em uma sobrevivência sobrenatural onde qualquer um poderia ser um possível enermy e confiança se torna um obstáculo.

O enredo é ótimo ea arte é boa, mas o que realmente você é sugado os personagens dos detentores de 12 diário, incluindo os dois principais personagens e as cenas de batalha entre os titulares diário. Embora estes não são típicas cenas de batalha de espadas e como você costuma ver, sim estas são batalhas de inteligência e stratergy com seus diários futuro como armas e “seguidores”, como seus soldados. Além disso, obtém-se uma sensação de que os personagens principais não são em todos os invencíveis e têm apenas uma chance, tanto quanto ser morto como os seus adversários, apesar de Yuno, stalker de Yuki eo titular diário 2 é um monstro, mesmo entre os assassinos sadisctic que são os outros 10 titulares diário.

Os personagens do mangá variar, da covardia e auto Yuki aversão à manipulação e complexo 4 diário titular Keigo Kurusu. Parece que cada titular diário teve problemas da vida tornando-a maneira como eles são, embora alguns não são revelados e cada um tem um motivo para matar os outros e tornar-se Deus, e muitos parecem quase psicótico.Yuno a 2, é um desses que está obcecado e dedicou-se a proteger e salvar Yuki. Ela não está em todas as efectuadas por matar outras pessoas, exceto ele e tem capacidades de batalha incrível. Yuki No entanto, o personagem principal é completamente o oposto.Muito medo de lutar dosn’t, tem muita habilidade ou força e confia muito em outras pessoas. Seus diários futuro de uma forma reflectir-los como diário Yuno consiste apenas dos eventos futuros que cercam Yuki, Yuki e consiste de muitas informações sobre o futuro, mas nenhum sobre si mesmo.

Eu dou uma nota 10  simplesmente porque eu acho que é um dos melhores mangas sobrenatural  com personagens complexos e enredos, ele deixa os genéricos e insípidos  mangas Shonen na poeira.

[Via http://ananimes.wordpress.com]

Sanji 1/8 PVC Figure

Click here to see all pictures.

I hope Marzouq likes this. I got my hands today on Sanji from One Piece, 8 inch PVC. Here are some snapshots, and like Marzouq told me, I uploaded the pictures on Flickr for anyone who wants to check them out.

The cigerrete is just priceless. The black of the shoe is glossy too which makes it look so real. Later on I’ll write and post pictures about many other figures I got lately. For now I’ll leave you smoking outside the resturaunt with Sanji. I hope you like the pictures Marzouq.

[Via http://themcode.wordpress.com]