I invited a bunch of work folks over to watch some anime. I sent out a mass email invitation complete with offers of deluxe home-made ramen, their choice of mochi ice cream flavor, and about a dozen synopses of some movies and TV series the anime first-timers might enjoy.
I got one response. Thank god it was yes. I’m a little sad.
why is it wrapped up? wtf?!
I understand why people are hesitant to watch anime. I get it. Really. They picture the giant eyes, and the impossible hair, the enormous swords, the subtitles (how dare they make us read for entertainment!). As an avid anime fan, I’ll be the first to say it: anime can be weird and off-putting, just like any other genre.
But it also allows us to think outside the box like no other medium. It’s a cartoon! Anything can happen! Who wouldn’t love that? The cost of an anime movie is a lot cheaper than a live-action movie, so technically we’re getting more fantastic stories that look amazing from anime per dollar. That’s five amazing animes for the price of one live-action film! I’m totally making these number up, btw. I’ll have to do some research.
totally, completely accurate
RESEARCH COMPLETE
Ok, so it looks like the budget for Spirited Away was ¥1.9 billion, which converts to roughly $23 million. Scratch together two times that amount, and you could almost afford to hire Eddie Murphy to ruin your film (and that doesn’t even cover the cost of a fat suit). Inception had a budget of $200 million. Paprika, an anime movie on the same topic (dream-based science fiction-action-thriller-mystery!) was supposedly made for around $3 million. And Paprika was part of the inspiration behind Inception!
In case you’re still not convinced that anime is worth your while, AMERICA, here’s a screenshot I took of how Naruto hoped he would look once he was transformed into a cat:
initiate heart melting
P.S. Like how I blamed my coworkers’ lack of interest in anime night at my place entirely on anime? I’m sorry, my friend, but it’s you or me! lol
Yesterday was the most productive day off I’ve had in a while. In addition to going to the Japan benefit at Meltdown, I cleared out my closet (that thing is fucking cavernous!), and poked through some drawers to look for Sister’s old car keys, among other things (which, I just discovered, after stressing about losing them and other keys for the past month, have been in my purse the whole time).
i wonder if they've been washed away...
During my search, I found a bunch of Borders gift cards. Borders has declared bankruptcy or some such, and they’re going down. I went online to see what the cards were worth: $135! Whaaaaaat?! Time to wipe out half of my amazon.com wish list:
FLCL (fooly cooly)- I know nothing about this anime, only that the animation looks super cool.
Drainspotting– Book on Japanese manhole covers. Intriguing, and with the recent tsunami, topical.
Summer Wars– I saw a trailer for this and was totally hooked. Can’t wait to see it.
la la la la la
Daria (complete series)- I cannot believe I’m finally going to own this. I was in 7th grade when this show started, and graduated from high school the year it ended. It has its hooks in me. Watching this show made me feel cool. Like a cool, cool teenager. The kind that leaned against walls and grinned at passing, scowling mothers dragging their gawking, awestruck offspring after them.
SUPER cool.
All that cost me about $12. I’m pretty excited to get this stuff. Plus I have to watch through the anime I won at Meltdown! So much awesome, so little time!
Last night I went to Meltdown Comics for an anime-themed benefit event for Japan. I couldn’t believe how many otaku showed up. So cool!!!
There was art on silent auction in the back room (I bid $50 for a Fullmetal Alchemist cover signed by the entire English dubbing cast, no word yet on who won it), and a bunch of voice actors in the front sitting to sign whatever the fans brought. There was a tip jar at the beginning of the line with more than a few $20 bills in it. Wow. I love the anime crowd. They have so much love in their hearts.
All proceeds went toward rebuilding Japan, so everyone was very generous. I chased down the lady selling raffle tickets just before they stopped selling them, and bought $20 worth. I won a “small prize,” which turned out to be a bag of anime dvds! Awesome!
badass
Ergo Proxy (complete series)- This has been on my amazon.com wish list for… I’m gonna say a year. So the fact that I got to donate to Japan and got this in return is pretty much the definition of serendipitous. Win!
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Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens (complete series)- This looks kind of adorable. Looking forward to watching. And I always like owning the complete series of anything.
we're 12 years old! hooray! lol
yikes
Gurren Lagann (season three)- This looks like complete trash, first of all. Maybe the synopsis is just awful. Second, season three? What am I supposed to do with this, LOL! I said, “Why would they give away season three of anything? Why would they do that?” Boyfriend: “Because it’s free.” Oh. Right.
The Story of Saiunkoku (season one)- This is going to be what fills my Fruits Basket void. Something completely silly and so thoroughly anime, it’ll make make my eyes bleed. Can’t wait.
Afterward, Boyfriend and I got ramen downtown at Daikokuya. Delicious. They had a box on a chair near the door for donations for rebuilding Japan. My heart is breaking for the people over there. The last death toll I read about a few days ago said 3,500. This morning’s toll: 7,000, with 10,000 still missing. I wish I could fix it.
I’m watching some Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Still not sure how different it is from the original series, although it looks like Ed does some growing up, so maybe it turns out like Naruto Shippuden?
Anyway, in it, Winry wears a bunch of earrings, and a couple ear cuffs. They just look awesome, so it’s got me thinking of getting some more ear decoration myself. I’ve always thought about getting more than one earring, but the extra holes never really go away visually. Then I found this website!
purty
Cool, right? Apparently the lady who makes this stuff ships all over the world, but is based in Estonia. Wait… shit, where is that? First guess, eastern Europe. Now let’s have a look… WIN! Winwinwin! It’s just west of Russia, and north of Latvia, Lithuania, and Belarus, which I would also have had a shameful amount of trouble locating on a map. Unless they host an Olympics or a war, Americans will not be informed of (or care about) their existence. Sorry, other 60% of the world!
A 8.9 earthquake is really, really huge. The scale America uses is scary because the intensity of a quake is measured with exponential values. Meaning a 4.0 quake isn’t twice as intense as a 2.0 quake, it’s eight times more intense. Now look at the number again: 8.9. On a scale of 0-10. Scary. Plus, you’re a coastal country, so the tsunami that inevitably follows a quake of this magnitude only exacerbates the problem.
Japan is going to make it through this because the world needs their economy to get back on their feet, but also because the Japanese are an amazing group of people. Period. Who blogs about the amazing ideas Russia comes out with on a daily basis? No one, because Russia sucks. The Japanese have a repressed culture that somehow allows its people to think outside the box in ways the rest of the world marvels at. And for that, we love them.
In honor of how awesome Japan is, here’s a list of ten reasons why I love Japan, in the order they occurred to me:
1. Anime
Paprika made my brain melt
Who the fuck would think that there could be billions of tiny, diverse ghosties floating around that effect us (Mushi-Shi), or that dreams could be your next form of therapy (Paprika), or that a young girl could work in a bath house run for (and by) spirits (Spirited Away)? And who else would write a fully-realized, philosophically-driven, action packed science fiction series on the future of human-cyborg robotics (Ghost in the Shell) that actually makes sense? The Japanese direct my imagination in directions I would otherwise never explore. Thank you.
delicious
2. Sushi
I realize that raw fish has been a celebrated dish for (tens of?) thousands of years, but it was the Japanese who spread it across the globe for my pretentious Los Angeles palate to enjoy. It’s a simple pleasure that always makes me think, “Wow, the Japanese are geniuses. And bears. Bears who eat salmon all day and sleep all winter. Fucking genius.”
3. Cars
I’ve had two Pontiacs, and I’ve had trouble with them both. My roommate has had her Honda for over a decade, and she bought it used, and it’s still running just fine. Am I buying American again? No way. The Japanese know how to make a damn car.
adorable
4. Maru
The cutest, and most famous cat in the world lives in Japan. He has his own website, loads of YouTube videos, and millions of fans. His owner keeps us up to speed on his newest toys, favorite napping spots, and intense fear of crows. He’s the only life form (other than his owner) who I feel like I’ve kinda gotten to know over the past year, so his well-being was one of the first things that occurred to me when I heard about the earthquake and tsunami (sorry humans!). Turns out he’s safe, yay!
epic
5. Samurai, Ninjas, Martial Arts
Where do I begin? The samurai bushido “way of the warrior” will never be replicated en masse the way it was in feudal Japan. The intense philosophy that ran throughout every aspect of the samurai’s life from the way they fought to the way they ate and slept is just incredible.
Raise your hand if you never wanted to be a ninja. You, you, and you; you’re all liars. EVERYONE wants to be a ninja at some point. I just learned recently that ninjutsu is not a martial art, but an art of war. Yikes. Awesome.
I’ve been practicing martial arts since I was 14. I earned two black belts, and now I work at a dojo where I get to teach kids how to be polite, work hard, and beat the shit out of their siblings who are too stupid or unlucky enough not to be included in class. With all my experience, I can safely say that everyone on the planet would benefit from learning a martial art (especially a soft style like hapkido or aikido).
6. Nintendo
It’s not just some 8-pixel side-scroller. It’s a virtual world. My generation grew up with the gray-box Nintento, and Mario was as real a character as any idiot on reality TV today. Nintendo set the bar for video gaming. It started an entire sub-culture. With a video game. Cultural references to the original Mario Bros. will never end. There will always be a “Sorry, Princess is in another castle” joke for unforeseen failure. Coins will always be shiny, floaty thing we all yearn for. Stars will always look like a chance at temporary invincibility.
ruuuunnnn!!
7. Godzilla
Haha, oh my god. I can’t believe Godzilla is #7. Where was my brain. The Japanese took fear of giant monsters to the ultimate extreme. So classic. I still haven’t seen this movie, btw. Must remedy soon!
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woah
8. Noh
If you don’t know anything about the theater of Edo era Japan, wake the fuck up. The makeup, the masks, the nuances, the costumes, the stories… amazing. Google it. It’s the oldest form of theater (even older than the famous Greek tragedies). Kabuki centered around drama, love and all that mushy crap. Kyogen was mostly comedies. The actors were huge celebrities. Some even had trading cards. It’s true! And one of my favorite comics is based on the masks worn during these iconic plays.
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i will never understand it
9. Sumo
I wonder if this should go under martial arts… haha just kidding! Can you picture one of these guys rounding a corner in full battle gear? Hilarious! But seriously, there’s a ton of ceremony that goes into every match, which are fun to watch. Giant dudes pushing brutishly each other out of a small ring? While the referee holds a fan and wears traditional robes? And the attendees get crushed whenever one of the sumo guys tumbles off the platform? What a sport!
10. Takeshi’s Castle
This is a little-known series that aired in 1989 that started the wave of shows that put normal people through ridiculous obstacle courses for the world to laugh at. America has a show called Wipeout that does the same thing. Genius.
I want to write more about each of these but I’m at work, and no one wants to read that much about this stuff (including me). Suffice to say, the Japanese people have my adoration and respect. Now if they could just give a serious apology about invading Korea, and the whole “comfort women” thing, that’d be great.
UPDATE: March 15, 5:32pm
Wait! I thought of another reason to love Japan: the Polysics!
I mean people do fun, silly stuff people do in music videos. The Japanese are clearly no exception, and for that, I love them.
Turns out I’ve already posted the other blogs I wrote for the comics website on this, my very own blog as well. All but this one about manga, which is hilarious and was totally topical in May of 2010 when I first wrote it.
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If you don’t read manga, I don’t blame you. But here’s one reason why you might want to check it out (or do any other number of crazy things): a pretty lady.
ABORT ABORT ABORT
There’s been a small fuss raised over a mangaka (Japanese comic book artist) recently. Mostly because she’s cute. And because she’s a she (those of you calling “Screenshot or it didn’t happen!” can see evidence of said cuteness here). Which is a big deal because when people think of manga, they picture something like Wing Bird (see horrifying cover art at right). Then when you tell them it’s not all nudity and violence, they call you a liar and an otaku freak, and the horribly scarring pointing and laughing ensues.
Here’s an example of a conversation I’ve had with an average, non-manga reader (let’s just call him Some Jerk):
SJ– [nose crinkle] Man-guh? Me– Yeah, it’s like comics, but they’re little books, and they’re black and white. And they’re Japanese. SJ– Oh, Japanese? Like hentai? Eew, tentacle penis monster! Me– No no, that’s not what manga is! SJ– Yeah it is, I saw that one Parasyte once, gross. Me– Here, lemme show you something different… Um… here, Fruits Basket, that’s like the opposite of Parasyte. SJ– [pause] WTF is wrong with their eyes? Me– Nothing. What do you mean? SJ– They’re huge. And where are their mouths? Me– Um… I dunno, actually. SJ– [blank stare] Dude. Yikes.
i like how the lady watching this man's face come apart barely reacts
Not all manga is good, I’ll admit that, and it’s not for everyone. But if you read comics, your brain is already prepped for this stuff, and it’s unlike any American comic you’ve ever read. The characters are expressive and often hilarious. I’ve never been so shocked at what’s after the next page turn. Once, I got so scared at what was on the next page that I burst out laughing, shut the book, and had to go watch the Food Channel for a while.
So I challenge our readers to do something stupid in the name of a pretty girl who authors some manga of her own. Pick up a copy of Mail or The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. They’re some of the more popular manga out there right now, and as comic readers, you’re ready. It’s time to branch out, kids. Be brave. Be stupid. Do it for the girl.
Can I just say the ViZ Media logo makes me excited? It precedes every episode of Naruto, and it makes me smile.
spin spin spin!
I’m sick of the filler, but I can’t keep watching Buffy right now, it’s so damn depressing. I’ve been waiting for sixteen episodes to see who’s gonna die in the final confrontation. It’s all I can really think about, knowing it’s the last season, so I’m not really on board with the episodes leading up to the finale.
Death Predictions (with results):
Buffy (for sure) NOPE- how does that mortal wound not do it’s job?
Spike (either defending Buffy, or at the hands of Principal Wood) YEP- Aw, he was so happy, too. That’s nice.
Willow (she’ll happily join Terra and die casting some awesome and/or touching spell to protect her friends) NOPE- she goes all white witch and runs out of juice? What about turning into dark Willow and fucking shit up downstairs?
Xander (his last words will be to Anya: “I do.”) NOPE- I cannot believe Anya was the one to die. Super, super sad.
Principal Wood (defending Spike… maybe) NOPE- Again, with the mortal wound not being… mortal. Surprising.
Most of the Potentials (this is a no-brainer, right? Those girls are toast.) um… NOPE?- I can’t really tell if the majority of those girls died, but the one in The Guild survived, and I’m pretty pleased about that.
EDIT March 2, 8:52pm
O shit, Faith is back! I hope she dies. I mean, another slayer has to take over. I’m gonna call it: Faith dies before Buffy. Now back to your irregularly scheduled blog.
Hey, y’know what I just realized? Shikamaru is for Naruto what L is for Death Note. The brilliant statistician who sits in his trademark pose in order to increase his focus and come up with a plan! amirite? Yessssss 🙂
Here’s the problem with anime: filler. Filler episodes are what a good 80% of most anime TV series consist of. This is nowhere better demonstrated than in Dragonball Z, when whole episodes would be dedicated to someone try to fly to a location on the other side of a very small planet where a battle was going on. This “battle” consisted of only two people, who also spent a good two or three episodes “charging up,” or gathering energy for the (supposedly) ensuing battle.
The direct result of said filler episodes is that out of all the random Dragonball Z episodes I’ve managed to catch on Cartoon Network from my childhood up to now, I’ve never actually seen a battle. Such is the power of the filler.
Naruto Shippuden is also full of this crap. So when the last story arc ended, I was crushed. I would imagine I have some idea of what it must be like to watch my child excel in college, happily date, get straight A’s, and participate in multiple clubs and sports, only to return home after graduation, a single, ambitionless, unemployed, lumpy leftover person. That’s what I’m watching now. Leftovers of a superior series. Buh. Get it over with already. I wanna see Naruto and Hinata interact ONCE after everything went down (go Hinata! I QQd like a baby).
BUT NO, instead I’m stuck watching a talking ostrich reminisce to his kids about this one time Naruto was a jerk. No, wait, it’s not just any ostrich, that would be dumb. We’re dealing with a ninja ostrich. That’ll make it worth watching, right? [/scratches eyes out]
So… this is embarrassing to admit, but there have been several times when I have the feeling that if a cartoon character were to come to life, I would totally hit on him. I’m not talking about a common cartoon crush or whatever. I mean… crap, what do I mean…?
It must be the whole package I’m drawn to; the environment the character is in, the simplicity of the rules, and so on. No homeless people, no menstruating, no bad haircuts, none of that crap. This must be what it’s like to have a crush on a celebrity after watching a movie.
And so, without further ado, before I blush myself into oblivion, my list of cartoon dudes I would seduce the shit out of were I given two dimensions of a chance (and the show/movie they’re featured in):
Hatake Kakashi (Naruto)- I’ll never be cool enough for this guy. Boys and girls all over Japan agree: Kakashi is the coolest. Also, a pervert.
Vash the Stampede (Trigun)- Vash is so broken and innocent. I want to take care of him. Among other things.
Spike (Cowboy Beebop)- He’s the best at what he does. His intelligence and physical skill make him a highly desirable mate. What? I’m just saying…
Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke)- What can I say about this guy? He’s the outdoorsy type, the prince of his clan, he’s quick, courageous, animals trust him, and he’s voiced by Dr. Manhattan (that last part doesn’t actually do anything for me. Trivia!)
Needless to say all of these characters are a bit damaged, because who wants a man without a past? Not me, sister. They’re also drawn with special attention, none of that HUGE ANIME EYES baloney. Don’t get me wrong, their hair is all ridiculous, but that’s how anime distinguishes one character from another. I’m over it.
I was at a friend’s place last night while a couple people played the new Lara Croft co-op, when my friend mentioned Beastlies. I said something like, I’m so glad I showed them to you, how is Grant? To which she said something like, he’s great, I’ve ordered three more. I lol’d, but shouldn’t have been all that surprised. Those little guys were made for people like my friend. While she was showing me the adorable ones she had gotten, I decided to take another look at the website, and BAM! there was Avery, just waiting, begging me to adopt him. So I did. I think he’ll get along fine with Gildon and Lani. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, when I reach a point where I sit down at my computer, look down at my little menagerie and say, “Jesus, what a huge waste of time and money. And they’re not even that cute!” I wonder if that’ll ever happen. I’m guessing not.
I recently got ramen with my boyfriend at my favorite noodle restaurant, Chabuya. Afterwards, we got milk tea at a nearby boba place, and wandered around in a little Japanese shop with random erasers, bags, teacups, etc. (that routine has become kind of a tradition). They sell all kinds of toys and figurines too, and when I saw this little tachicoma, I couldn’t resist. If you haven’t watched the Ghost in the Shell series, stop reading right now, call up your otaku buddy with bad skin and no girlfriend who watches anime all the time, and ask him to loan it to you. It’s 26 episodes of futuristic supercop detective work with a strong side of action and some philosophical musings about whether a machine of adequate complexity can be considered human. It’s a beautifully animated, expertly voiced, fascinating series that wraps everything up in an explosive bow at the end.
Be Random, Be Clear 
