First, I should clarify that I have nothing against Pete Zaitcev; I like him and the stuff he writes. I just can never resist the opportunity to heckle him about his backwater “no comments” policy, especially when his excuse for not allowing them seems to be “well it’s just too much work”.

Of course it’s just my personal preference and I can’t reasonably force that on him, but I find it incredibly frustrating when I can’t just leave a comment on someone’s post to provide feedback. It also eliminates the interesting group conversation that helps enrich a good post and fosters online community.

This issue has already been beat to death, and I very much doubt that Zaitcev will change his ways, so I suppose I’ll have to content myself instead with gnashing my teeth in frustration and hassling him at every opportunity.

OK, so about Google PageRank. In my previous post I mentioned that one reason I removed my normal blogroll was because it’s damaging to the site’s ranking.

Pete responded to my comment with the following:

“UPDATE: Blogrolls do not “damage” PageRank. For one thing it’s impossible to “hemorrage” to begin with. We know that Google applies certain modifiers to the calculated PageRank postfactum, and some of them discourage link farms. However, there are also ad-hoc modifiers for dealing with blogs.”

I don’t know on what basis he is so confident of this opinion that it is “impossible”. Google is naturally very secretive about how their algorithms for searching, sort, and ranking actually work, so of course we can’t know for certain the exact mechanisms that are work here.

There are a couple key things we know, however, that I believe support my conclusions about the PageRank system:

1. PageRank across the internet is a zero sum game at its core. For one site’s PageRank to rise, it necessarily comes at the expense of another.

2. Although no one knows for certain the inner workings of Google’s indexing and ranking algorithms, we do at least know for a fact that the system worked this way in the past. Obviously they have made significant changes over the years, but I don’t see how this could be fundamentally different given #1. They also have received several related patents that seem to indicate this is still a part of how the system works today.

The bottom line: is it harmful to your site to have a traditional blogroll? Truthfully, it’s probably not that big of a deal, especially given the small scale of the traffic on most anime blogs. This is especially the case if Pete’s claim that Google modifies its weighting specifically for blogs is true.

However, to say that it has no detrimental effect to your rank at all is, I believe, pretty obviously false. By the very zero sum nature of the system, outgoing links will always have the effect of giving away some of your “link juice”. It may be negligible, especially considering the way links are weighted based on the relevance of the site that’s being linked to, and the relative ranks between the sites.

But the fact remains that it always by nature has at least some minor negative effect. A few links here and there is nothing, but when you’ve got 50 or more outbound links on every single page of your entire website, the effect can add up. Even more so when many of the sites have a much lower rank than your own, or (if you’re lazy and don’t update your blogroll) are simply dead links.

There’s also evidence that if the majority of the links pointing to your site from others are “site-wide” links, as is the case with traditional blogrolls, it can actually be detrimental to your rank. This would seem to indicate that new bloggers who go around trying to get listed on the blogroll of every site they can find are actually hurting their own cause.

Again, there isn’t a way to prove all this Q.E.D., unless you happen to be in the personal confidence of Larry Page and Sergey Brin, but there’s a significant amount of evidence supporting these ideas. Honestly, I was a bit surprised at Pete’s reaction, since in my experience in the industry this understanding of PageRank and linking in SEO is very common.

If I’m completely misinformed, and this is “bogus” as Pete claims, I certainly welcome him or other informed readers to correct me. I don’t believe that to be the case, of course.

In any case, either way I’m much happier with my new blogroll, as I feel it better helps highlight my favorite related blogs while also giving readers more information about the sites I recommend.

None Found

I’m mildly surprised that CANAAN seems to have received a fairly mixed reception so far. It’s one of my favorite shows this season, not only for its gorgeous art and memorable characters, but also because of the strong emphasis on symbolism and metaphor used to portray the deeper elements of the story.

That said, CANAAN is not without its flaws, but I view as a similar kind of story to Darker than Black. It’s not necessarily about the world and the larger plot. It’s not about realism. It’s about creating an environment to develop interesting characters and to explore their personalities, motivations, and relationships.

I’ve often said that I hate being mollycoddled by a story. There are entirely too many writers that feel it necessary to beat you over the head with the script rather than allow you to engage with it at your own pace. I much prefer a story that leaves itself somewhat mysterious, that requires the viewer or reader to dig a little below the surface.

CANAAN certainly provides that in spades. While a lot of it may not have any particularly deep meaning, it’s pretty clear that the story is using several key metaphors to portray the relationships between the characters and to foreshadow elements of the overarching plot.

The name of show, as well its titular character, Canaan,  is of course the first and most obvious piece of symbolism woven into the fabric of the storyline. In the Bible, Canaan is referred to as the “promised land” that the chosen people were led to. In an interesting twist, however, the promised land was not something they were simply given. It was something they had to earn by conquering. Although it’s been hinted at somewhat, ultimately we’ll have to wait and see how the writers develop the theme of the promised land deeper into the story.

It’s also interesting to note that, although the etymology of the word “Canaan” is unclear, according to some scholars it was derived from an ancient word meaning “purple”. Although a bit obscure, it’s possible there’s some intentional symbolism there which might tie back into the synesthesia theme.

Alphard’s name, on the other hand, is much easier to understand. From the corresponding Wikipedia article:

“Alphard is the brightest star in the constellation Hydra, marking the heart of the snake.

Alphard is an orange giant star. The name Alphard is from the Arabic الفرد (al-fard), ‘the solitary one’, there being no other bright stars near it.”

Having thrown away her previous name, she’s taken on a new moniker representative of her role – “the heart of the snake”. It’s also interesting that the name of the star comes from Arabic and is a “solitary” star, both of which are fitting to her background. Again, the symbolism might not have any deep significance in the story, but it is fun to note these connections.

The conversation between Maria and Mino on the airplane is what really sets the stage for a lot of the more significant philosophical ideas that come up throughout the series. Maria describes her passion for photography by saying:

“I believe that there are many things in this world that no one has seen yet.

“Actually, if you truly want to see something, really there isn’t anything you can’t see. We’re simply closing our eyes on purpose. If we really opened our eyes and looked, it would be too painful, to sorrowful. That’s why we keep our eyes closed.

“I believe photography is like borrowing someone else’s eyes. Even if your own eyes are closed, you can still borrow another’s.”

This concept of choosing to either see the ugly truth for what it is, or to pretend it isn’t there is a persistent theme throughout Canaan.

Beyond that, however, it’s a significant issue in many Eastern cultures as well, and one that probably resonates much more powerfully with a Japanese audience than a Western one. 2DT points out that, while the plot and setting of the show aim to have a strong international feel, they are still strongly rooted in Japanese culture and history.

In many Asian countries, and in Japan in particular, the concept of a shame based culture combines with a strong desire for outward harmony. This conditions people to overlook things that may be unpleasant, or to outwardly ignore them in order to preserve harmony and prevent shame. Those familiar with Japanese culture may be familiar with this through the dual concepts of honne and tatemae, or inner feelings vs. the outward “face”.

Many times in Japan I’ve seen someone trip and fall, and everyone around them doesn’t so much as glance their way. If you attempt to help them or ask if they are ok, in fact, they are likely to become even more embarrassed and might even refuse to acknowledge your help.

The reason is because by refusing to acknowledge what happened, they can avoid the shame and loss of face that accompanies a negative event. If no one acknowledges it, then it never happened, and thus there is no need to feel ashamed.

This kind of cultural concept, sometimes referred to as “nakatta koto ni suru” or “making it as though it never was”, is often seen even on very large scales, such as in the Japanese business world where it helps to preserve harmony between different groups or organizations when mistakes are made or conflicts arise.

That said, although these concepts are largely considered positive and necessary, it is recognized that they present certain other societal problems. The story of CANAAN, in many ways, is a story about that dichotomy of whether it is better to look at the truth and acknowledge it for what it is, or to pretend it doesn’t exist because recognizing its existence is too painful.

As Mino watches the gun battle in the first episode and the reaction of the crowd as he asks:

“Do they think that it’s part of the festival? No… the truth is placed right before their eyes, but they purposefully choose to ignore it.”

The camera then pans down to focus on Mino’s camera. He lifts the camera, his third eye, to see and capture the truth. He refuses to turn away or to hide from reality.

The idea of the camera as a sort of “third eye” that allows you to see a different perspective is a great analogy because it really is true. As an avid photographer myself, I’ve often thought of the camera in exactly this manner.

In the direct sense, a camera lens and sensor (or film) functions quite differently than the human eye. A camera literally can capture a view of reality that is impossible for the human eye to see. With careful thought as to lens, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, framing of the shot, color, light, subject, and a host of other variables – the camera has myriad ways to capture in time a unique moment and perspective on the world. In the indirect sense, through mass reproduction the view seen by the camera can be transmitted around the globe and can confront people across the world with images of a reality they may not want to see.

Maria’s passion for photography is really the same as the passion all artists share. It’s the desire to capture a unique perspective of the world we live in, and to tell a story or present an idea through that medium.

OK, camera geek rant over.

In any case, it’s pretty clear that Maria has some kind of hidden past that ties into all of the larger plot. The fact that Alphard knows her and calls her a “deceiver” makes that apparent, as does the imagery from episode 2 depicting her “getting freaky with a huge snake”, as Kabitzin so delicately put it.

Whether her almost child-like naïveté is a result of the memory loss she appears to be suffering from, or whether she is willfully hiding from the truth of her past remains to be seen.

The other significant allegories that the series presents are the cat’s cradle string, or shiritori, and the stuffed cat given to Maria by Canaan. The cat’s cradle represents their relationship in the past, a pure, carefree friendship as “normal girls”. The white stuffed cat I believe represents their current relationship, and all of the complications it endures. Both symbols are used liberally throughout the progression of the story to help clarify the relationship between the two.

We first see the white cat during the opening scenes of the first episode, when Yun Yun pulls it out only to discover that it has what looks like a bullet hole in it. Presumably it was shot through by Canaan, since she comes by later and claims that she “won” it.

Although damaged, the white cat has a certain purity, as it is without color to both Canaan and Maria. Maria is able to use the cat’s cradle string to mend the hole in the heart of the white cat, a hint that it was probably her relationship with Canaan that helped to serve as a healing influence to mend the wounds of the past, and to prevent the both from succumbing to hatred or fear.

Later, as Maria gets more and more caught up in Canaan’s world and the dangers it entails, her hotel room is attacked as a warning and the cat becomes covered in red, as though bloodstained.

In episode 3 this foreshadowing is realized when Maria is held hostage by the Borner. When Canaan shoots him right before her eyes, she is forced to face the reality of who Canaan is, as well as who she is. Previously Maria had tried to close her eyes to that truth, but ultimately the reality placed before her was so obvious that she could no longer hide from it.

Although she struggles with it, in the end she is able to see and accept reality for what it is, and at the end of episode 5 we see her holding the red cat in her arms as she falls asleep with a smile on her face.

Another interesting bit of symbolism is the difference between the shiritori Maria uses and the one we see Canaan use in episode 3. Maria’s cat’s cradle is yarn, gentle but easily broken. To even maintain its shape requires someone to hold it up, to constantly support its form. As soon as it is let go, it returns to being merely a string.

Canaan’s, on the other hand, is made of metal. It is much stronger, a tower capable of standing on it own – but not without leaving some scars in the process.

It also shows up that Canaan is freaking badass. And that she will probably need a good dentist down the road, assuming she lives long enough.

Also, although I don’t know that there’s necessarily any great symbolism related to Yun Yun and her hairstyle, I should note that they do look like they’d make for great handlebars.

Synesthesia itself is a pretty fascinating topic, and as a sort of superpower it becomes even more interesting. As a mild synesthete myself, not only does it give me hopes for latent supernatural skills, it also makes me want to post about it. I didn’t really cover synesthesia at all in this article primarily for that reason. I’m hoping to do a separate post in the near future exploring some of those concepts more in depth.

Sorry, I know this is a pretty long and rambling post. I wish I could consolidate my thoughts on this series better, but when the show itself is still all over the place it’s hard to really draw all the different threads together. Hopefully it will at least serve as some good food for thought, and give a better appreciation for some of the more subtle aspects of CANAAN.

None Found

(Click for larger version)

This post is in response to usagijen’s article / mini-rant about Tokyo Tower and aesthetics in general, which was itself inspired by a comment on ghostlightning’s latest Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 post where someone referred to Tokyo Tower as “overrrated”.

Both are highly recommended reading, by the way, whether you’ve been watching Tokyo Magnitude or not. Her post really helped remind me just what a significant place Tokyo Tower holds in Japanese history, as both a visual landmark and a symbolic one.

From her article:

“As for Tokyo Tower, well let’s just say I gained much more appreciation for it after watching the AWSUM movie ALWAYS ~Sunset on Third Street~, as I witnessed how this landmark became the pillar of hope back in the 1950s where people are starting out a new life after the war. It was a sign of a new era in Japan — an era of hopes and dreams, an era of a bright future (a bright ‘mirai’).

They built Tokyo Tower with the ambition of making it the TALLEST tower in the world, and other towers might have ‘outgrown’ it now, but you can’t take away the fact that it was successful back in its time. Having known its significance made me all the more realize that TOKYO TOWER IS BEAUTIFUL.”

While Tokyo Tower is a bit dated by today’s standards, and while it’s kind of a rip-off of the Eiffel Tower, you certainly can’t deny its major cultural significance. Even from just a purely visual, aesthetic standpoint, I still find it quite beautiful. In typical Japanese fashion, they even modify the lighting to different colors seasonally or during certain events to help give the skyline a different look.

Speaking of giving Tokyo a different look, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 has been a really interesting show for me;  I hope to write more in depth about it soon. The really interesting thing, though, has been seeing the kinds of reactions it produces in others. It seems like the series really tries very intentionally to tell its story in a way that provokes a reaction from the viewer, whether toward the circumstances or toward the characters, and I think that’s what you can attribute much of its success to.

Oh, one thing that did always bother me when looking at Tokyo Tower, by the way, was the fact that even from as far away as the Mori Tower in Roppongi, which is where the above picture was taken from, I could still see the incessant flashes from the Tokyo Tower observation deck of tourists snapping photographs. I mean, seriously? Were you expecting to light up all of freaking Tokyo with your little point and shoot digicam? I know some of these new Japanese models are pretty powerful, but come on now folks.

If anything, it’s just going to produce a lot of unnecessary glare and serve to ruin the exposures of other nearby photographers. I guess I’m just jaded because I see so many people now with digital cameras who don’t know the first thing about how to operate their camera or how to take a decent photograph. Without so much as a thought about lighting, composition, or shutter speeds, they just run around blithely snapping away, stunning their photographic subjects into submission with the blinding power of their xenon flashbulbs.

OK, OK, I’m done ranting. Hope you guys liked the photo. If anyone is interested, I could probably made a desktop wallpaper version, too.

None Found

Sheesh, I leave for a couple months and all the anime bloggers start dying off faster than the cast of a Key game. Or perhaps Higurashi would be a more appropriate metaphor, since true bloggers never really die, they just go nuts every once in a while and then eventually everything resets.

Speaking of which, I think we’re about ready to open up shop again here at Epic Win. It’s been a long and busy year, but fortunately things are starting to settle down finally. Having just finished the JLPT level 2 (bleh), along with a couple big deadlines at work, I’ve switched to consumption mode and am busy working through my to-watch backlog. Oh, and if anybody has any recommendations for stuff from this year you think I should be checking out, feel free to let me know. 

So far, from among the currently broadcasting series, I’ve gotten current with Soul Eater, Kannagi, ToraDora, Xamdou, and Index. I’m also working my way through other series from earlier in the year that I didn’t have time to follow. In addition, I rewatched a couple of my older favorites – Utawarerumono and Black Lagoon. Both are awesome series that I highly recommend, by the way.

This picture is supposed to represent myself and Guff, or something. You know, if we were cute Japanese highschool girls, that is… don’t try to think about that too hard.

You know, I find it interesting that the most common reason I see given by bloggers who are taking a break is, “Sorry, I’m out of ideas.”

While we haven’t posted as much recently, I have to say, one thing we’ve never been short on here is fun ideas for the blog. Our only difficulty has been just plain lack of time, both for watching and for writing. I’m confident that as long as we can make time for it, we’ll be here blogging at Epic Win for a long, long while to come. Of course, at the same time, it really pains me to look back through all those unfinished drafts here in Wordpress, and all the unfinished series in MAL I need to catch up on.

Anyway, as much as I usually abhor making posts about posting, I figured after a good four months of silence we owed our readers at least some measure of explanation. For my own part, it’s been the combination of my very time-consuming occupational pursuits, some prolonged illness, and more focused Japanese studies. And yes, as much as I hate to admit it, my push to get Gladiator for arena season 4 probably had something to do with it, too… *ahem*

If you have no idea what that means, don’t worry, you’re better off that way. =P

Because grape hippo is awesome.

As for Guff, true to his avatar, he seems to have been off gallivanting across the world pursuing the Ginko lifestyle… I’ll let him fill you in himself, though.

Well, after finishing my Japanese studies in Sapporo this summer, only one thought plagued me constantly – the thought of returning back to that little bakery in Matsumoto. However, during my travels I somehow made a gross miscalculation and ended up here at the University of Aberdeen instead, and as we all know Scotland is categorically not a Japanese bakery filled with delicious sweets.

Look I can explain… in the endeavor to achieve my dream of becoming like Ginko, traveling throughout the globe selling homemade apothecary remedies, smoking merrily, and offering sagacious wisdom to all, I somehow ended up arriving in Aberdeen: a cold city bereft of both curry rice and Pocari Sweat.

After stumbling about fruitlessly in search for some sign of civilization - a ramen shop, a Gamers, a Family Mart, even just a cigarette vending machine, it became painfully obvious that I had made a Ryoga caliber logistical error.

I’m the map, I’m the map, I’m the map.

So, while my attempt to be as fearlessly cool as Ginko has ended in colossal failure, I did at least manage to find a place that would entertain my fascination with “t3h animus” in a serious academic environment. Or they might simply be too kind to inform me that I’m not actually enrolled in the University and are just waiting for the day that security escorts me off the premises and revokes my library card.

I’ll say this, the fact that I can receive credit from a degree granting institution on a postgraduate level for writing about obscure artists, philosophy, and anime is quite WIN indeed. In other personal related news of the less disastrous variety, I’ve also submitted my application to the JET program in hopes, though the prospect of me attempting to educate impressionable young children is probably laughable to the people currently reviewing my application. We’ll see how it goes.

None Found

Meh is indeed my overwhelming reaction to the new season of Gunslinger Girl.

It’s not terrible, certainly, but I expected much better than mediocre from both Gunslinger Girl and from Artland. The art style is noticeably similar to Mushishi (which Artland also animated), particularly the shading style and the way they favor simple, clean lines for the characters. Now, that I don’t necessarily have a problem with, since the GSG manga also uses this style… but WTF happened to the budget for this project??

I know Artland is capable of much, much better, because the consistency and attention to detail in Mushishi was fantastic (episode 20 “Sea of Brushes”, for example). The animation in this first episode of Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- was just terrible, though. Where to start?

Here’s the old Henrietta and P90 combo…

And here’s the new one…aside from the gun looking meh, WTF happened to her face in this shot? And what’s with the misshapen hand?

The character models are inconsistent, the automobiles are just plain terribly drawn, lots of shakycam action is used to make the show look fluid while still only animating every third frame, and above all the firearms look terrible. The guns are one of the series’ selling points, or at least they should be. The series is known for its amazing attention to detail and realism in the firearms and the way they are handled.

Whoever drew those cars is so fired.

Generic SMG is generic looking.

Overall the tone of animation is much brighter and happier – a total night and day difference from Madhouse’s desaturated, high-contrast film noir style which helped give the series such a distinctive, gritty look. Admittedly, this is very similar to Yu Aida’s style in the manga, so you can’t blame them too much, but it’s really changed the whole vibe of the story.

The new Rico.

The old Rico. I know which one I prefer.

The music also seems a bit weak this time around. “Tatta Hitotsu no Omoi” is a poor replacement for the awesomeness of “The Light Before We Land”, for one thing. While I do like the new “battle theme” music, I also miss the wonderfully melancholy piano & strings pieces that accompanied the slower sections of the story last season.

That said, I do think the voice acting is very solid this time around. With the exception of Henrietta, the girls all sound fairly similarly to how they did previously. Mizuno Risa in particular did a great job as Claes, which was a relief, as I was worried no one would be able to live up to Koshimizu Ami’s excellent voicing of Claes last season. Triela doesn’t sound quite as mature as she used to, but all in all I’m pretty satisfied with the way Enomoto Atsuko is handling the role so far.

Mizuno Risa’s voice for Claes is great.

Akutsu Kana as Henrietta, on the other hand…

As Kurogane pointed out, Henrietta sounds far too “chirpy” now, and is really missing the quiet, almost whisperlike shyness Nanri Yuuka lent her voice.

Didn’t get to hear Hanazawa Kana this episode, but perhaps her awesomeness will help salvage the series later on.

Another disappointment in this season is the amount of censorship present. Several times, bullet impacts take place off camera or the view is conveniently blocked, particularly for Triela’s shotgun kills. On the other hand, wow the blood is actually red! No more Nice Ink!

Also, to be fair, Rico’s action scene was pretty cool, too.

The old Giuse looked pretty GAR and had manly chest.

The new one looks like Howl, or some wimpy harem lead. Also note the difference in the head to body proportions.

Honestly, the highlight of the episode was Triela rocking that manhole cover. That’s pretty sad, really.

Ahh well, at the very least I’ll keep watching because I love the Pinocchio arc. I can only hope that the animation team remembers the Gunslinger Girl motto before it’s too late:

“If we can hold on, we can fix what is wrong.”

None Found

Dear Reader,

I am in the midst of a deep conundrum. I faithfully watched Clannad up until episode 9, the conclusion of Fuuko’s story arc. And I hated it.

I was too busy rolling my eyes to be able to shed any tears. Yet the rest of the blogosphere has been filled with nothing but “FU-CHAN BAAAAAAAAAAAW!!” and endless praise for the story. At first I passed it off as the Key fanboys doing their usual thing, but even Martin over at Concrete Badger, a true man’s man whose opinion I value, gave Clannad a favorable review.

Did I miss something? Am I doing it wrong? I feel like the characters in the story – as though I’m missing something important, but don’t know what it is. Quite honestly, I just don’t see what everyone else seems to be seeing.

To be fair, the whole memory thematic element is an excellent one, and that aspect of the story was very well executed. The fear of others forgetting us and of losing our own memories are both powerful thematic elements because they resonate with everybody. Everyone wants to be remembered, to feel that they contributed something positive to the world. Many are even content to face death when their time comes, content in the knowledge that they impacted the world, that their memory and work will live on after them. Likewise, losing your memory is a terrifying thing; essentially losing your mind, losing what makes you you. And that just makes me all the more frustrated that Clannad’s story was so badly mishandled.

Fuuko’s entire story just felt way too contrived. Perhaps I’m just jaded and cynical from seeing this same kind of story played out so many times before.

Below I’ve listed a few of the things that I felt detracted from the overall viewing experience and made the show unenjoyable for me:

1. Fuuko is a pretty boring 1-dimensional character. Yes, she wants her sister to be happy. That’s pretty much all we know about her, really. There’s nothing in her character that makes the viewer empathize with her. Or at least, if there is it passed me by.

2. The entire concept of inviting complete strangers to come to the wedding of someone they don’t know at all seemed pretty weird. If someone I didn’t know gave me a hand carved starfish and said, “Please come to my sister’s wedding,” my reaction would be “WTF?!” This was one of the first things that stretched my suspension of disbelief and pulled me away from immersion in the story.

3. The way everyone’s selective memory loss worked seemed really odd and illogical, as well. The typical dialogues of…

“Man I feel like I’m forgetting something!”

“Yes, you’re forgetting Fuuko! Come on, remember! See, she’s right there!”

“Fuuko…hmm, that sounds really familiar. Oh well, I give up!”

…just don’t make sense. It doesn’t feel real at all. If someone told you that you had forgotten about a person you know, a mutual friend, and you had this nagging feeling that they were right, wouldn’t you pursue the matter a lot more seriously? I would be questioning what was wrong with me that I had forgotten, or asking for more details from this person who seemed to remember everything.

On top of that, Fuuko, the person who is most directly impacted by the lost memories, doesn’t really say anything or react in a way that would build empathy or emotional impact. She pretty much just stands there, cute and mute, same as always. These are also examples of things that broke my suspension of disbelief and pulled me out of the story.

4. My biggest complaint is the way they essentially tried to make up for mediocre storytelling by forcefeeding the plot development to the viewer. In typical Key fashion, instead of progressing naturally, all the scenes seemed terribly contrived. I felt like the scriptwriters were beating me over the head with the script going, “See?! See?! Get it?! Get it? Look, everyone forgot about her! It’s sad! Really sad! Now cry!”

I just hate this kind of hand holding, as if the writers assume you won’t “see what they did there” unless they make it completely, painfully obvious. Of course, this is certainly nothing new for Key. It’s always been their style to manipulate the viewer through their contrived emotional rollercoaster. Perhaps it’s exactly because this story had a great deal of potential that I hated the way they handled it.

Now if you want a REAL story about the pain of lost memories and forgotten loved ones, go watch Mushishi episode 16 – the Dawn Snake. The episode accomplishes, in 20 minutes, the task of making me believe in the characters, empathize with their plight, and feel the pain of their loss, and does it far better than what Clannad tried to do over the course of 5+ episodes.

OK, but seriously folks. What am I missing here? For the record, I liked Kanon; I cried for Uguu~. But somehow Clannad just isn’t doing anything for me.

None Found

Amidst all the furor over Japan’s newly implemented policy of fingerprinting every foreigner entering or leaving the country, as I was reading through the various comments on different blogs and news sites there was one particular type of reaction that stood out to me.

Many people were making comments like “That’s too bad, I was thinking of taking a vacation to Japan, but now with all these things I’m hearing, maybe I should stay away.”

Now certainly, Japan is not the magical land of rainbows and ponies and gumdrop smiles that your average weeaboo imagines it to be. In fact, sometimes it looks pretty bad. But at the same time, it’s also not all doom and gloom, racism and xenophobia, which is the impression that many people seem to be getting from all of the recent negative press.

So let me just reiterate a very important point:

Japan is still a wonderful place to visit.

Japan is a beautiful country with a rich culture and heritage and some of the kindest, most hospitable people I have ever met. It has some of the most breathtaking sights, most delicious cuisine, and best entertainment anywhere. It is also arguably the safest countries in the world to travel in.

Matsumoto Castle

Yes, if you are not Japanese you will generally be treated differently. This doesn’t necessarily mean in a derogatory way, however. On the contrary, the Japanese generally go to extraordinary lengths to be accommodating to guests in their country.

In my own travels around Japan I have frequently had complete strangers go out of their way to help me, even when it wasn’t necessary. A few times I’ve even been shocked by people I just randomly struck up a conversation with buying me expensive gifts as a gesture of goodwill and welcome. These are not people in the service or tourist industries, but just regular folks. Honestly, I have never experienced the same level of hospitality anywhere else I have traveled, including my own country.

Sure, these new fingerprinting policies will mean more hassle for you in the airport, but as a temporary visitor you’ll probably never see any of the more unpleasant aspects of the gaijin experience. Even if you were to spend a year or two in Japan it’s unlikely that you’ll face much in the way of real serious racism during your time there. For the most part, only permanent resident foreigners ever really have to deal with the uglier aspects of Japan’s xenophobic policies.

There are plenty of people in Japan who are not racist.

Sure, you may experience cases of sabetsu (discrimination) from some people, and certainly from the government, but there are a great many Japanese who do not think that way. It’s deceptively easy to making sweeping generalizations about the Japanese because they have such a high degree of groupthink and cultural homogenization, so it’s important to remember that they are still individuals with their own beliefs and opinions.

I have met racist people and been discriminated against in Japan, but that was the exception, not the rule. While there are definitely xenophobic and nationalist attitudes in Japan that bother me, and while I won’t hesitate to stand up and denounce those attitudes when I see them, I don’t want you to be fooled into thinking that all of Japan is like that.

I’ve met many wonderful people and made some great friends in Japan.

So basically all of this to say, if you’re thinking of taking a trip to see Japan, or if you were considering working there for a year or two on a temporary visa – go for it! Japan is amazing. I would hate to see anyone turn away from the wonderful experiences and opportunities it affords just because of a few xenophobic policies.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m just as incensed about this whole fiasco as every other gaijin resident. Yes, I hate these new policies and the attitudes behind them. Yes, I hate cops who stop anyone foreign looking to question them. Yes, I hate landlords who outright refuse to rent to anyone who is not ethnic Japanese. More than all that, however, I still love Japan, and I hope you can learn to love it, too.

None Found

The same disclaimer applies here – all classifications and examples used in this article are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons or blogs is purely coincidental. Even if they have the same name and URL.

The Weeaboo

“ZOMG Japan is t3h CHOU SUGOI! I am more awesomer than u because I have been there and u have not!”

The Weeaboo blogger is a rabid fan of any and all things Japanese. He has usually visited Japan at least once and can speak some measure of Japanese. He declaims passionately about anything related to Japanese culture, and brooks no argument from those who he views as possessing inferior weeaboo qualifications (i.e. – have not personally visited Akihabara). He can frequently be seen employing phrases such as “Well my Japanese friend said that…” or “Actually in Japan it’s like this…”

Epic Win is a classic Weeaboo.

Note that upon reaching level 42, The Weeaboo may evolve into its third stage evolution:

The Weeaboo/Authority

“Listen well as I regale you with humorous tales from distant lands, and also about this really hot Mikuru figure I just bought.”

The Weeaboo/Authority is a dual-type blogger, possessing properties of The Weeaboo while also gaining the influence of The Authority. Having lived in Japan and attained some degree of Japanese fluency, they alternate between penning embittered diatribes about cultural inequality and gleefully showing off their latest haul from Akiba or Nakano Broadway. Lesser weeaboo flock to their banner and fap to their every word.

Danny Choo is a Weeaboo/Authority type.

The Turtle

“(could not be reached for comment)”

Those of you who have played real-time strategy games are all too familiar with this type. The Turtle is the sort who, as a child, played alone and kept all his toys at home in neatly organized stacks. He hides within the safety of his own site, rarely venturing out to interact with others.

Jason Miao is a Turtle.

The Phantom

“Hey guys, I’m still here. I haven’t forgotten about you. I’m just really busy, that’s all. I swear.”

The Phantom is theoretically dead, having long since ceased to make regular updates to his site. He continues to post half-heartedly, however, just frequently enough to tantalize readers into the hope that the former glory days will return.

Phantom bloggers generally pass on with time, but in some cases may require exorcism to be laid to rest. Known effective methods of exorcism include girlfriends, graduate school, and real social lives.

Phantom bloggers should be exorcised as soon as possible.

The Scientist

“If anime characters were elements, Haruhi would be a halogen, because she’s so reactive, and she draws others to her with her high electronegativity. Haha, get it?”

A deep thinker, The Scientist loves to scrutinize anime under the lens of scientific analysis. He may often employ abstruse analogies linking popular anime shows or characters to esoteric mathematical and chemistry-related concepts. The Scientist is also known to enjoy organizing things into detailed classifications, including but not limited to fellow bloggers.

tj_han is a consummate Scientist.

The Heavy

“You are great doctor!”

The backbone of any major offensive push, the Heavy wields a massive…oh wait, that’s Team Fortress 2, my bad.

The Sellout

“This show is amazing; you should go out and buy it immediately! I’m not even kidding! Also by strange coincidence I am filthy rich, haha!”

Having achieved some measure of popularity, Sellouts leverage their position for personal profit. In addition to receiving lots of free swag from vendors hopeful for positive press, they ruthlessly monetize their sites through text link advertisements, the massive profits from which enable them to retire in luxury.

Hung of BasuGasuBakuHatsu is one of those filthy sellouts*. I would worry that he’d be offended, but he’s probably too busy rolling in money to care.

The Female

“Hi, I’m a chick and I like, like anime, wow!”

A rare variety amongst anime bloggers, The Female immediately causes a stir, but is often short-lived, tending to mysteriously disappear without a trace. Male otaku are known to engage in intricate mating rituals, in which they can be seen flourishing their richly colored cosplay and fanart plumage in order to impress The Female.

These rituals continue in successively ridiculous displays as they attempt to outdo one another. Invariably, they all watch in dismay as the female instead pursues regular guys who have money and abs.

If you spot one, exercise extreme caution, and above all, do not attempt to handle it in any way; they can be deadly.

The Legend

Legends are well-known and well-liked bloggers who enjoy widespread fame and popularity. They update frequently with thoughtful, original, unbiased, and well-written articles, and are often a good source for wise personal and financial advice. They are also well-spoken, ruggedly handsome, and popular with women.

Although unconfirmed reports of the existence of such creatures continue to circulate, the scientific community has yet to discover a living specimen. As such, it has been dismissed it as a mere outdated myth, a superstition from ancient times, such as the 90’s.

* For the irony impaired, chill out. It’s a joke.

None Found

DarkMirage’s recent criticism of Nyoro~n’s Gundam 00 translations sparked a flurry of criticism, mostly petty ad hominems telling him to get out of his parent’s basement, but also a few reasonable arguments defending Nyoro~n. After checking out Nyoro~n’s releases myself, I feel compelled to offer some defense of my own, on DarkMirage’s side of things.

Although I don’t usually watch fansubbed versions, I decided to download a few of these Nyoro~n subs to check out whether this was for real. I almost couldn’t believe that these so-called “translations” could actually be that bad until I saw it for myself.

At first I thought maybe it was just an isolated incident, or perhaps due to the extensive technical jargon that Gundam 00 employs. To double check, I decided to take a look at Nyoro~n’s subs for Gurren Lagann, a show which is much easier to understand and translate.

To my dismay, however, it’s just as bad! I feel sorry for the people who watched this thinking they were getting the real Gurren Lagann!

Take a look at the following comparisons:

They’re between Black-Order subs (top) and Nyoro~n (bottom):

Not only does the Nyoro~n translator fail to realize that it’s all one sentence, he completely botches the second half of it. Now stop and think about that for just a second. It doesn’t even make any sense. Wouldn’t you start to wonder if maybe you had made a mistake?

Admittedly, it’s based on a fairly minor error in listening comprehension, but even assuming the Japanese text he shows is correct, it still doesn’t make any sense!

WTF?! Does he even stop to think whether this makes any sense?

Here even the Japanese is pretty nonsensical.

Once again, doesn’t make a single iota of sense. I have no clue how he even got that out of his interpretation of the Japanese lyrics.

And what the heck is “itertara”? Even a total beginner would know that that can’t be a real Japanese word.

LOL!

wagamama = selfishness or pride, not mother

But at least he’s man enough to admit when he’s not sure! And as ugly and clunky as the translation is, it’s still about 80% accurate, which is a lot better than certain other groups I’ve seen.

…

After seeing this travesty of translation that Nyoro~n is putting out, it seems pretty clear that there is legitimate reason for concern here.

Let me start by saying that, regardless of whether you agree with the way he stated his opinions or not, DarkMirage is providing a very valuable service. Without someone willing to provide independent, public analysis like he has done, most fans would have no way to gauge whether the subs they read are accurate. People deserve to know whether the translation they are watching is true to the story or not.

Now I don’t agree with the pointless juvenile bashing of fansubbers that often goes on; we already have way too many jerks who complain because there’s no karaoke, or the font is ugly, or for any number of other trivial reasons.

What is legitimately lacking, however, is honest, informed evaluation of a group’s translation. The translation is the heart of a fansub. Without it there is no fansub. Yet the vast majority of fans simply have no way of judging the quality of a translation. They’re relegated to blindly picking a group and hoping that it’s right.

In that respect, I think DarkMirage offers some much needed advice, pointing fans toward higher quality translations that will better represent the shows they love.

Now, you might say, “But why all the hating? Fansubbers do this in their own free time, providing a free service to those of us who otherwise would have no way to watch anime. Can’t you just leave them be?”

The problem with this kind of thinking is that what Nyoro~n and similar groups are doing is, in my opinion, worse than not subbing the show at all. It would be one thing if they did a partial translation and openly admitted when they were unsure; that I could respect. But to be so confidently, blatantly wrong about a translation, to the point that they’re essentially making things up and changing major plot points, is misleading and a disservice to both the fans and the show itself.

When you watch Nyoro~n’s translation of Gundam 00, you’re not really watching Gundam 00 as told by Sunrise & Co. You’re watching Gundam 00 as told by Nyoro~n, who just happens to be borrowing Sunrise’s pretty pictures and music.

Every week thousands of fans eagerly await the latest episode of their favorite show, and most of them quickly snatch it up from whatever group releases first, having no way of knowing that the story they are being told may be completely different from the real one. To release translations that are severely sub par is a huge disservice to the loyal fans who put their faith in someone to bring them the story.

Clunky dialogue and poor grammar is one thing; that I can live with. To simply be horribly, horribly wrong, though, is not acceptable. You can’t really call that translation at all.

DISCLAIMER:

While I don’t think people should download Nyoro~n’s subs and expect to get the real story, I also don’t condone treating them disrespectfully.

It seems that a number of people have gone on their site and made some very rude comments, which is a lot more harmful for the anime community than anything they might be doing wrong.

Not downloading Nyoro~n’s releases is fine. Calling them names and being a jerk to them is not.

None Found

Some of them, anyway.

After watching the recent OVA and reading through some of the manga, I have revised my opinion of Kojika somewhat.

I was wrong to call it a pedo anime. It’s not just non-stop fanservice; it has a legitimate and interesting plot. To borrow a phrase from a certain very wise man…it is also a pedo anime.

Temakizushi is serious business, as far as Rin’s concerned.

The characters are all very believable, and the dialogue and varied interactions amongst the cast also seems natural and unforced – to a point anyway. I feel like I have to qualify every statement I make about the show, because of this one glaring aspect that stands out like a sore thumb…

The loli fanservice. Most of the time it feels jarringly tacked on and gratuitous. It’s like they played up Rin’s and Kuro’s characters to the point of ridiculousness because they needed something to make the books/shows sell.

It’s kind of annoying when they do it in Hollywood films, throwing in gratuitous R-rated scenes that have little or no relation to the plot, but at least in those cases they’re all adults. Kojika tries to do the same thing but with grade schoolers, and it comes off as the worst kind of pandering.

That said, it’s my sincere hope that for the televised release they’ll be forced to tone down the questionable content considerably to meet broadcast standards. If they do, I can definitely see myself enjoying the show. The animation and character designs are great, and they seem to have lined up a top notch seiyuu cast for this production. Kuro-chan especially.

I had never heard of the girl who’s been cast for her voice, Shindou Kei, and it seems that she’s a relative newcomer to the industry, but her voice acting is superb. Great voice work, and very distinctive. Plus I’m a sucker for fang characters, as you know if you’re a regular reader.

They just would cast Sugita Tomokazu to play Reiji. Kind of funny, since he totally looks like an Itsuki clone.

The trio’s zany antics are entertaining, and the serious life issues the cast is forced to deal with as they grow up (really, the adults in the show need to grow up almost as much as the kids do) come off as very realistic and challenging in many ways.

As someone who taught in Japan for a little while, I can certainly resonate with the setting and the issues that come up. There are definitely those kids that make you feel like putting your head through a window, or who are too smart for their own damn good, but those same children are often the most rewarding to invest time in.

Even the issue of underage students hitting on their teachers is something I don’t necessarily have an inherent problem with. It is something that happens in real life (although hardly to the extreme that Kojika portrays), and there are many teachers who have funny anecdotes about some of the more shocking things they’ve had happen…Azrael of Outpost Nine fame being a prime example.

Really, what it boils down to is that Kodomo no Jikan seems like a brilliant and engaging story, but it’s buried underneath a veritable landslide of underage fanservice. And I’m willing to bet that a good 50% of the viewers/readers are only following it for the latter reason. Not that I should be surprised, of course. I mean, we are talking about the same country that invented the Shakugan no dakimakura.

Is dat sum pedobear in the OP?

Kojika is a diamond in the rough, all right…but to get to the diamond you have to sift through a pile of used heroin needles. Do not want enjoy your aids lol.

To reiterate, though, if they cut back on the stupid gratuitous stuff, I’d be more than happy to watch the show. Those of you who left me comments and messages were absolutely right; it does seem to have a strong core plot to it.

Now if only I can enjoy that plot without worrying that Chris Hansen is gonna come knocking…

/me facepalm

None Found