Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2007-05-11]
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Moros
Posts: 369 |
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XVII
Last edited by Moros on Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:49 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Ichigo77
 Posts: 389 Location: California |
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About half of the manga I have involves fanservice but I find it more funny then anything. In American shows when we get "our fanservice" so to say nothing really happens but in anime and manga it is funny how something always happens afterwards like the guy flying away from a punch or getting dirty thoughts in his head while the girl is right there. As for violence I don't really care since it usually fits in the story. Although if it is too extereme it is sometimes too hard to watch, like Afro Samurai went a little overboard with the blood which felt wierd. As for the nudity and violence thing violence is more excepted because it is not as bad as sex. I mean having good and evil characters fight each other isn't all that bad and doesn't affect children as much. As for nudity that can conflict with peoples morals and feel wierd at times. Also seeing sex can isn't the best for children. If they see violence it is something they could handle depending the type of violence such as good vs evil. With nudity it could make them want to see a real naked person and go on from there. Overall though people just look at sex worse then violence. It all goes back to that ninja episode of South Park. Nobody cared that Butters got a shuriken stuck in his eye but when Cartman walked across the stage nude everyone goes crazy.
For the Otaku I can relate a bit. I buy a lot of stuff but I don't do it in secret and I wear anime shirts almost everyday too lol. I know a lot of people think anime and manga is childish since they always think of Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh, and Dragon Ball Z so sometimes telling them your an otaku will make them think you are wierd, but you either explain it to them or go on. When he mentioned not sometimes be able to talk to other anime fans I have had that problem too sometimes. Many anime fans I see act a bit wierd and some what childish or too carefree. Anybody else notice this or am I just wierd? As for the rant it seemed too weird for me. Im just not into that stuff. I read the whole rant but I kept thinking of Mr 2 Bon Clay the whole time lol. |
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Ai no Kareshi
 Posts: 561 Location: South Africa |
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Sensible answers to interesting questions. I rather liked today's article.
About the rant... I'm not going to comment on the content, but the writing style was pretty good. There were, however, a few exhaustingly long sentences in there that could have been shortened or split in two, in my opinion. |
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ManOfRust
 Posts: 1935 Location: Seattle, WA |
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It's nice to see a well written rant that was an interesting read even to someone like me who has no particular opinion on the matter.
I'll take a stab at the cat girl thing, though. I think maybe the attraction is not so much physical but rather has to do with some of the personality traits of cats. As mentioned before, anime characters sometimes exhibit cat ears or a tail when they are acting mischievous but that's just one trait. Cats are independent, unpredictable, playful, a little selfish, confident, and when they are tired of messing with you will curl up next to you. Now, apply those traits to a cute girl and what boy wouldn't be interested? Or something like that. I don't know. I'm pulling this all out of nowhere but it's as good a theory as I have heard yet. Feel free to call b.s. on any or all of it. 
Last edited by ManOfRust on Fri May 11, 2007 3:35 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Moros
Posts: 369 |
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XVII
Last edited by Moros on Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:49 am; edited 1 time in total |
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konton
Posts: 34 |
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Great column as ever, very interesting.
Now for my two cents: About the supposed boob-blitz in Basilisk and such: I know (after watching the first volume and reading Theron's excellent reviews) that the studio tried to tone down the nudity as much as possible in the anime. I haven't read the manga though. But for me, seeing a naked body is far less disgusting than some of the freek-show ninja that were depicted (especially the one with no limbs...way too grotesque for my taste). But there are plenty of good manga out there which contain less exposed flesh. The confused otaku: don't evet be embarrassed of who you are and of what you like! Catgirls: again, not my cup of tea but I fully understand that a lot of fans find them cute. The Rant: very well-written and I think it was quite original as well. I think that one of the main attractions of anime/manga is that they explore versatility of human society and thus shed light on every aspect of it. Many people don't have direct interactions with the transgender community or even the gay or lesbian communities. But through anime it is possible to show these communities (and if the characters are well-constructed) they can even educate people about them and maybe make them more tolerant towards them. (Or maybe I'm just taking it a step too far.) What's especially interesting for me is that anient society was much more patient and tolerated much more than our modern society. (Homosexuality is just one example: it was quite common in both ancient Greece and Japan. It was modern society that made it a "sin".) |
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Moros
Posts: 369 |
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XVII
Last edited by Moros on Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:49 am; edited 1 time in total |
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teh*darkness
 Posts: 901 |
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No, it's not just you. I have this problem too. Most of the people I know only read/watch the most popular series, and don't pay attention to authors, directors, character designers, original story authors, figures and other merchandise, series themes & artists, current news/licenses, etc. Anime and manga, and to a somewhat lesser extent, japanese culture, is becoming a very big hobby of mine. I buy, collect, hoard, display, protect, encase, wear, hang, watch and read whatever I can. I try to have intelligent debates with people on japanese related topics. I simply find that too often, most of the anime fans in america are "US otakus", i.e., glomping, cosplaying, fan-girlish or -boyish 'tweens to teens" who watch and/or read manga and anime simply because it's popular. I consider myself more of a "japanese otaku", which I openly admit I'm not very proud of. I know I am overly obsessed with all of these things, but I really don't care to change. And due to this, I don't have very many RL relationships outside of work and family, because most people don't "get" it, and even fans are completely confused once I really get going, so I just don't bother anymore. Which would also explain why I'm still single at 23 years old... 
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astroasis
 Posts: 19 Location: Chicago |
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I didn't like the rant. I guess I'm in the minority, but I found it repetetive, dull and mis-informed. Oh, yeah... and guilty of using unnecessarily long sentences in an attempt at being "academic" or whatever that means.
Saying "Princess Princess" has anything to do with transgender issues is a sure sign you either know nothing about "Princess Princess" or you know nothing about transgendered people. I'll give the ranter the benefit of the doubt and assume he knows nothing about the show, because I'm nice like that. There's only one transgendered character in the entire series - and that character is a side character and you'd only know she's transgendered if you'd read another of the author's series. Even calling those boys transvestites is a bit off-key. They don't wear women's clothes for pleasure or any personal reason. They wear women's clothes in exchange for money and school perks. Really, this is like calling someone a "furry" just because they work as a mascot at the local theme park. Furthermore, there's a scene right in the manga where the characters discuss WHY the boys at the school go crazy about them. No, scratch that. There's *several* scenes where it comes up. The common consensus? It's all *fantasy* to lighten their days, since there's not a single REAL girl on the campus. And one character put it best when he said that naturally their classmates want real girls... but when those real girls shoot them down and/or reject them, they feel better being able to tell themselves they still have the "Princesses" to come back to. It's not horribly unlike any other hobby a boy might use to fall back on: "I don't need girls, I've got a Playstation." Again, I'll give Ms. Dora the benefit of the doubt and assume that was in Volume 2. Like I said, I'm nice like that. Oh, and one last point. Momiji? What? Momiji would have more in common with the "Peter Pan Syndrome" than transgendered issues. He behaved like a young child and just wanted to be cute. In fact, he even said he only wore the girls' school uniform because it was cuter than the boys' uniform, not because he's a closet transvestite or something. The poor kid's probably too innocent to even know what "transvestite" means. Furthermore, given all the gay/transvestite/transgendered characters in anime... Who the heck picks HIM as an example? Give me a break. Oh, and to the person who said Mikito's "straight as could be" because he has a girlfriend... His girlfriend is actually a hermaphrodite. Go read Day of Revolution. Now THERE'S a manga with a transgender character. 
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imrhien
 Posts: 16 |
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The rant: interesting topic, I always found the profusion of gay/bi/cross-dressing characters in anime kind of interesting. However, I don't think it's really surprising that most of the cross-dressing characters aren't very realistic - they're usually there either (a) for comic relief or (b) for what I guess you could call 'fanservice'. Isabella (from ParaKiss) is a really good example though, she's very understated and certainly not 'flamboyant' like a lot of other cross-dressing characters. The story of how she became who she was, and of George's acceptance of her, was really very touching.
The other example I thought deserved a mention is Ouran High School Host Club. Apart from the fact that most of the characters cross-dress at one stage or another (granted mostly for comic effect) Haruhi's dad actually cross-dresses for a living - he works at an 'okama bar.' Haruhi also mentions quite a few times that her sense of gender is lower than other people's (partially because of her dad's upbringing). Granted, it's still not a very serious show, but it is generally pretty open about gender roles and sexuality. |
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astroasis
Posts: 19 Location: Chicago |
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I think what's important to remember, especially as an older anime fan (which I would consider you to be) - Age matters. On the internet and at conventions and things, age isn't something that is put right out there. People don't walk around with their age tattooed on their forehead and it's easy to forget just how young the majority of fans are. I see a lot of 20-something anime fans complaining about the immaturity of other anime fans... and they seem to have forgotten that, in your 20's, the vast majority of 'tweens and teens are going to seem immature to you, regardless of their interests. However, you can't judge anime fans by the maturity level of these younger fans. They're kids. They're going to be a bit annoying no matter what they're into, be it anime or sports or music or movies. I know that might sound a bit harsh... but it's a fact of life. Show me a 20-something who loves hanging out with 15-year-olds... and I'll show you someone who probably has more than a few issues. And being single at 23 isn't a big deal. There's lots of single 23-year-olds out there. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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This week in things everyone knew but you: Basilisk is really graphic.
I sometimes feel that a series is unnecisarily graphic, I sometimes enjoy this stuff. It varies. Regardless, It doesnt bother me if it is graphic. If it bothers you that much, go watch Naruto. The Flake: Normally, its funnier when its serious but this is the exception. I should send this guy my screenplay: Planet of the Otakus! Get your hands off of me you damn dirty Otaku! As for that second question: Wow, If I had Amnesia, Id think I wrote that myself. Well, a least the first half. Actually, not really. I more just agree with the general sentiment. It doesnt make much sense to sorta hide it but then dont like he's saying. Im basically that idea to the extreme. I pretty much keep it secret that I like Anime. I dont really see anything wrong with that. I mean I wouldnt actually not watch Anime just because of that. i think that would be taking it too far. But since its the kinda thing I can just do without people knowing then I dont see why I should make myself look like a loser and associate me with all those crazy fans out there when i dont have to. The Rant: zzzzzzzzzzzzz...zzzzzzz..zzz..z...yawn...huh...what...sorry, I drifted off for a minute there. Sorry, I mean i guess thats all though provoking and what not, but seeing as that barely even relates to Anime, for those of us that dont give a damn about that its just uninteresting. i hope this doesnt mean that the new definition of a good rant is: "write a well written and though provoking comment about some sort of issue and then draw a minor connection to Anime." next week: Heres my thoughts on the war in Iraq: yada yada yada, ps: there are wars in some Anime. (Obviously im exadgerating here, but still...) |
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wynden
 Posts: 2 |
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All I want to know is who is Daniel Thompson so I can add him to my list of people who give me reason to have faith in humanity.
That's almost the first time in my life I've ever felt completely satisfied by and had nothing to add to someone else's rant. (Caring for Your Introvert was the first; google it. ^_- ) - your resident tranny otaku |
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konton
Posts: 34 |
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I know I have already spent my two cents, but I just wanted to comment on something. I understand why the rant got mixed reactions and why some considered it boring. I actually re-read it in order to fully comprehend what Daniel was saying (although some parts remain a bit vogue... ). I think that when Zac chose this rant, he knew it won't set the forum on fire like the previous rant did (not to mention the otakukin and lolicon rants...) and I think it was his intention.(If I may be so bold as to speculate about his intentions). What I liked most about the rant is that you could feel that Daniel really cared about the subject and it was very important for him (her?) to express his thoughts on it. And that's what the rant section is all about in my opinion: people writing about issues imprtant to them and on things they have strong feelings about. The fact that some might find your rant boring shouldn't discourage you from writing, as long as you are truly committed to what you write. About Daniel's prose style: although I envy anyone who can write in an academic style, again, I understand some of the complaints. However, the style should be connected to the subject and as much as I enjoy sarcasm and humour, I don't think it would have worked well with this specific rant--but that's just the way I see it.
About the pic: so cute. May I request a baby horse for next week? I know they are not as cutsy as puppies, but they are cute nonetheless. |
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Moros
Posts: 369 |
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XVII
Last edited by Moros on Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:49 am; edited 1 time in total |
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