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Interview: Akiyuki Simbo


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masat01



Joined: 05 Apr 2011
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:12 pm Reply with quote
Isn't this the interview they held a contest for on the site?

Edit: it says it right in the first paragraph. My bad.
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minakichan





PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:17 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
The very first idea that I want to share is, "Who cares if you are a hikikomori?" If I didn't have this job I, too, may have become a NEET. I thought that it would be nice if people, including myself, could step out and do something...but at the same time, who cares if you can't take that very first step yet? What's wrong with not taking it?


At the risk of sounding like I'm enabling harmful behaviors...

Best. Director. Ever.
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Animerican14



Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 963
Location: Saint Louis, MO
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:17 pm Reply with quote
Man, that took a while! Very Happy Was wondering when I'd see the question that won my copy. (It was the one that asked about his approach to tackling light novel adaptations as opposed to tackling manga, FYI.)

Afraid I don't have time to make further comments on what he actually said, but I do have to openly wonder.... what the heck is up with the varying romanization of the director's name? It seems that the most commonly used one is also the more correct one, "Akiyuki Shinbo", but with Madoka Magica, Aniplex has been using "Akiyuki Shimbo" and now NISA is using "Akiyuki Simbo." It kind of hilarious looking at this romanization, as it instantly calls to mind the name "Simba," but still... why all these variances?


Last edited by Animerican14 on Thu Feb 07, 2013 4:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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halochief_90



Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 466
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:36 pm Reply with quote
To me, these NEET or hikikomori shows seem like the same kind of power fantasy that male harem-shows are. Only in this case, the NEET shows aren't exactly a giving off a positive message. In Heaven's Memo Pad it shows that NEETs can be all be part of cool club! Or there are cute-girl hikikomori's too (Sasami-san@Ganbaranai)! There's nothing wrong with being a unemployed or whatever, but these shows seem to either try and encourage it or just create the illusion that this lifestyle is somehow cool.
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Kikaioh



Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 1205
Location: Antarctica
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:39 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
The very first idea that I want to share is, "Who cares if you are a hikikomori?" If I didn't have this job I, too, may have become a NEET. I thought that it would be nice if people, including myself, could step out and do something...but at the same time, who cares if you can't take that very first step yet? What's wrong with not taking it?


I strongly disagree with this point of view. The world has its risks and pitfalls, but you'll never experience the great joys of it either if you lock yourself away at home out of comfort and safety. There are lots of reasons to avoid the sort of inaction that comes from being a NEET or a hikikomori, and it's disheartening that this excessively escapist culture is being embraced by individuals in the anime industry. I've the feeling that many of the people who adopt this lifestyle will rudely awaken to their middle-aged selves, wondering why they spent so much time fantasizing about the lives of imaginary characters, and so little time doing something with their own.
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Chagen46



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 4377
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:43 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Afraid I don't have time to make further comments on what he actually said, but I do have to openly wonder.... what the heck is up with the varying romanization of the director's name? It seems that the most commonly used one is also the more correct one, "Akiyuki Shinbo", but with Madoka Magica, Aniplex has been using "Akiyuki Shimo" and now NISA is using "Akiyuki Simo." It kind of hilarious looking at this romanization, as it instantly calls to mind the name "Simba," but still... why all these variances?


It's how Japanese phonology works.

His name is, strictly, "Sinbo". However, due to allophonic rules in Japanese, it's pronounced "Shimbo". All the romanizations are somewhere in between these two.

"Simo" is just plain wrong, though.
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Hypeathon



Joined: 12 Aug 2010
Posts: 1176
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:44 pm Reply with quote
@ halochief_90:

I think the key term you're looking for is "escapist", which is probably what would best describe the idea of hikikomori being seen in a positive light.
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:46 pm Reply with quote
Animerican14 wrote:
what the heck is up with the varying romanization of the director's name?

In the west, 99% of people use Hepburn romanization because it's the closest equivalent to the roman letters that are used. Whereas in Japan, in addition to Hepburn they also somtimes use Nihon-shiki romanization. The differences between these two romanizations (as well as the senpai/sempai choice of whether to translate the text (which would be senpai) or how it is pronounced (which would be sempai) leads to various kinds of romanization that are pretty much all correct.
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tuxedocat



Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 2183
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:46 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
The very first idea that I want to share is, "Who cares if you are a hikikomori?" If I didn't have this job I, too, may have become a NEET. I thought that it would be nice if people, including myself, could step out and do something...but at the same time, who cares if you can't take that very first step yet? What's wrong with not taking it?


I just wish he didn't sound so much like a drug dealer. This is major league enabling in order to keep paying customers. Sad
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ElectricDork



Joined: 08 Apr 2010
Posts: 73
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:52 pm Reply with quote
halochief_90 wrote:
There's nothing wrong with being a unemployed or whatever, but these shows seem to either try and encourage it or just create the illusion that this lifestyle is somehow cool.

That's not the case with this show (Psychoelectric Girl). The lead character is positively irritated by the girl's reasoning for shutting herself away, and goes about shattering her illusions and helping her take the first steps towards re-integrating into society. By the fourth or fifth episode, spoiler[she has a job.]
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johnndergrosse



Joined: 05 Jan 2011
Posts: 37
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:01 pm Reply with quote
When the hell did we start calling it Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl? Why aren't we calling it Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko or Electromagnetic Wave Woman and Adolescent Man?
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getchman
Space Cowboy



Joined: 07 Apr 2012
Posts: 9117
Location: Bedford, NH
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:09 pm Reply with quote
johnndergrosse wrote:
When the hell did we start calling it Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl? Why aren't we calling it Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko or Electromagnetic Wave Woman and Adolescent Man?


Since NISA decided that is what they would market it as
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:11 pm Reply with quote
johnndergrosse wrote:
When the hell did we start calling it Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl? Why aren't we calling it Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko or Electromagnetic Wave Woman and Adolescent Man?


So they could make a sweet Bowie reference. Why else?
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Chagen46



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 4377
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:32 pm Reply with quote
johnndergrosse wrote:
When the hell did we start calling it Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl? Why aren't we calling it Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko or Electromagnetic Wave Woman and Adolescent Man?


Because that's what NISA is calling it. Ergo, ANN calls it that.
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Sam Murai



Joined: 01 Dec 2006
Posts: 1051
PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:47 pm Reply with quote
Great interview and questions submitted. It is nice to see Shinbo's brain get picked a little and get a glimpse at his work philosophy. He's more technical and thoughtful than his eccentricities might suggest. It's not hard to see why he is one of the top directors today.
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