Forum - View topicANNCast - The Long Con
|
Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
poonk
 Posts: 1490 Location: In the Library with Philip |
|
|||||
|
Upon further listening, another comment:
To the person ("Ataritambo"?) who asked how to get one's anime friends into live action titles: You'd think there'd be a larger crossover between fandoms, right? I mean, a lot of anime fans say they're interested in Japanese pop culture and not just anime subculture, so mainstream live action TV shows don't seem like a huge stretch. My boring advice is the same that's given to people who want to know how to get their Western-property-loving friends to try anime, i.e. find a title that has a similar theme to the anime your friend likes. Granted, if your friend likes the faceplant-into-boobs/1-pantyshot-per-minute and/or moeblob titles then your probably outta luck* but other than that there should be something to recommend. (If you'd like help with recommendations feel free to PM me. I've seen quite a few J/K-dramas.) [/nerd brag] *As an aside, I've observed quite a few comments in drama fandom to the effect of, "I used to watch a lot of anime but then I found dramas." Most of them are adult women, and this has gradually happened to me too, so it seems there's some other dynamic at work here. It's like the anime industry has mostly given up on us as an audience (or maybe never cared to begin with) providing J-dramas, and especially the Hallyu Wave of K-dramas, the opportunity to step up to the plate with a great big, "Well HELLOOOOO ladies..." 
Last edited by poonk on Sat Jul 21, 2012 5:04 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||||
|
||||||
dandelion_rose
 Posts: 657 Location: Kuala Lumpur |
|
|||||
|
I haven't listened in on the podcast, but to follow up poonk's statement -- my interest in Japanese live action is kind of 'meh'. I've watched enough to know who Anna Tsuchiya and Ando Masonobu are, but it's not something I'm really into.
My 'follow up' interest in Japanese culture that came after my interest in anime and manga is Japanese contemporary literature and art. It just came naturally, I found a lot of my other interests were pointing the same direction (at one point I really idolized Richey Edwards, and he was seriously into Yukio Mishima). I'm not proficient in Japanese to access them much though. The good thing is that my leads into this 'scene' is a little better -- I know how to shop for books and art a bit better than anime. I just need to learn the language well enough. Anyway, that was kind of rambly. The point is that, no, it doesn't really follow that if you like one aspect of Japanese culture, you'd like another. And the 'follow up' patterns tend to differ for different people. I'd generally be suspicious of people who claim that they like all of it just because they have a love for anime or manga. |
||||||
|
||||||
Fencedude5609
 Posts: 5088 |
|
|||||
|
I, as a general rule, find Japanese live-action productions very hard to sit through.
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
poonk
Posts: 1490 Location: In the Library with Philip |
|
|||||
|
@dandelion_rose: Well I did say "pop" culture specifically, as opposed to Japanese culture in general. Of course it doesn't necessarily follow that fans of anime would similarly love dramas but as anime fans often seem to be into J-pop and the like I don't think mainstream TV is too radical a departure from that general area (or maybe it is? It seemed a totally natural progression to me). It's not that I expect everyone here to be equally interested in anime & dramas (after all it's ANN). I'm just surprised that I don't see more crossover in passing (as opposed to the handful of people, out of many, many regular ANN posters, whom I know as being into dramas too).
Or maybe we are special snowflakes, what the h*ll do I know... Last edited by poonk on Sat Jul 21, 2012 5:34 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||||
|
||||||
|
dandelion_rose
Posts: 657 Location: Kuala Lumpur |
|
|||||
|
I think there had slowly been a differentiation between general pop culture in Japan and otaku culture -- partly because otaku culture is so big, but as you've observed, quite excluding.
For example, around the early 2000s you could still say that anime or video game OPs were just 'J-pop' or 'J-rock'. But now it is a genre of its own - Anisong, with almost entire bands building their careers on Anisong. As opposed to let's say, L'arc en Ciel showcasing like one of their songs for Ruroken, and The Pillows providing the soundtrack for FLCL. Edit: For example, if you go look up stuff by Glay the people making comments on the YouTube videos are a different 'crowd' from the anime fandom...I dunno, it's just a vibe I get. And if you go to an anime event or convention, the fans will be familiar with different songs, idols and styles. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
poonk
Posts: 1490 Location: In the Library with Philip |
|
|||||
Edit @dandelion_rose's edit: Glay, who are they? (j/k, I have a couple of their CDs and my favorite song of theirs sounds like something one would hear at a J-rock squaredance ). I guess a lot of anime fans never look at J-rock/pop past the specific theme songs used in the shows they like. Booo.
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
dandelion_rose
Posts: 657 Location: Kuala Lumpur |
|
|||||
|
Anisong is basically theme songs from anime or related to anime, eg. games. Flow, Kalafina, Momoiro Clover Z and JAM Project are among bands / groups that produce songs entirely for the Anisong genre. From what I gather their tours correspond with anime roadshows.
Anisong is a huge sub-fandom within otaku culture. There are many people who are hugely into anisongs and will recognize a show for it, but are just kind of meh on the story. On that note, otaku culture is rather excluding but also a huge demographic...huge enough for celebrities to shape their entire image on them. I keep thinking about Shoko-tan, who annoys the heck out of me. |
||||||
|
||||||
darkchibi07
 Posts: 5466 |
|
|||||
Have you seen some of Akibaranger? Watching a live-action tokusatsu series that uses otaku tropes like that made things really uncanny! 
On that Neon Alley project, isn't Viz planning to use that to premiere never-before seen English dubs? So you can't really watch those in other venues like Hulu and such. Still the linear format is questionable. |
||||||
|
||||||
Surrender Artist
 Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
|
|||||
|
As I look over my running notes from listening to this episode, I must have been in a bad mood. If I might be suffered to complain, the opening fifteen minutes of complaining about ComiCon being a tedious bore, despite being evidently very true, didn't exactly make for a treat to listen to.
I'm far more on Zac's side about Humanity Has Declined, which I admit to being wholly sold on. I didn't read the series as being about complaining and preaching. The series feels subdued and wry to me; even though the events in the factory could be read as preaching, it almost felt to me like the presentation was too absurd for that while tone was resignation to being a bunch of human food dumpsters who know better, but don't care and eat that shit up anyway. I think part of why this works is that I like the slightly detached feel that the series provides by concentrating so much on Watashi's cynical inner monologue. There's something very particular, but hard to explain about the style and tone of the series that I really react well to. As for Sword Art Online... awwww, screw it. I must admit that I can't think of any revivals that I know that I'd want. Well, I still want a version of Birdy the Mighty that finishes the story, but that's a futile drum to beat. Truth be told, I worry a little that these revivals could be a different kind of creative dead-end for anime; it could end up like Hollywood's inane obsession with 'branding'. I think that it's a better dead end than some other possibilities, but still worrying. I really don't think that reviving Cowboy Bebop would be a good idea. I love the series dearly and while I feel like I'd want to see more, especially of Jet's past and maybe Faye finding her identity, deep down, I know that it would be almost impossible to capture that lightning in another jar. Well, maybe if Sayo Yamamoto were brought on to direct... (Okay, okay, I'll stop doing that... at least until I've seen Michiko e Hatchin) I have never designed to buy anime merchandise. The closest I came was wanting to own the Bentmaru from Bodacious Space Pirates, although that was easy to resist, especially because I really want the Odette II. I'm glad that I never got around to buying the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga before, because the boxed set that Viz plans to release sounds really sweet.
I am entirely onboard with Natsuyuki Rendezvous. There's something deeply appealing about its tone and style to me too and I'm pleasantly relieved that it's being direct rather than all awkward and tentative about the relationships. The characters are nicely adult and human. It mucked around with some stupid folk-wisdom nonsense by using Rokka catching the black death... I'm sorry, I mean, "a cold," from sleeping without a blanket, but it's hitting right notes otherwise.
Agreed; it sounds like some slow toddler's halting first attempts to show affection or something born out of a cloyingly sweet romance between two people who met at a speech therapy class.
I'm not really interested in Japanese live-action either. I think that this partly owes to my having been drawn to anime because of my fondness for animation and having never become very attached to the fact that it's Japanese animation. What Japanese live-action I've seen, I've been drawn to because of my occassional interest in film, such as Yasujirō Ozu's Tōkyō Story, but that comes from the same place as my having watched Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal did. I do have other interests in Japan, but they're extensions of my normal interests, viz. I am interested in Japanese linguistics and politics, those two subjects being two of my biggest interests in general. I spent a while last summer voraciously exploiting the fact that my university never disabled my network account and thus I can still access JSTOR through the library website to find as many articles on Japanese constitutional history as I could. Last edited by Surrender Artist on Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:14 am; edited 4 times in total |
||||||
|
||||||
Maidenoftheredhand
 Posts: 2633 |
|
|||||
|
The discussion about J-drama is interesting. I loved the Nodame Cantabile dorama but I haven't really had a chance to watch more. And even though there is a lot of Asian live action dramas on Crunchy Roll I decided to purchase the anime-only option. I kind of realize that anime keeps me busy enough that I don't think I have time for live action Asian dramas too.
But talking about cross appeal I do enjoy a lot of classic live action Japanese films (and in general I find films easier to get into than serials): Akira Kurosawa & Yasujiro Ozu are my favorites in that regard and for more modern directors I am in love with Hirokazu Koreeda. As for the new anime series I am enjoying the most this season they are Natsuyuki Rendezvous and Uta Koi and of course both happen to be Josei. EDIT
I somehow missed this when I was typing my post. I think we have similar taste in films because I also love Ingmar Bergman. And yes my love for Yasujiro Ozu might have more to do with my love for classic films than necessarily my love for Japan. Although I might be more interested specifically in the subset of Japanese classic films because of both my love for classic films and my love for anime. Last edited by Maidenoftheredhand on Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:55 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||||
|
||||||
|
wintersnowgust
Posts: 9 |
|
|||||
|
I wonder if I'll attend a convention one day...
I think Pittsburgh, my home, has some sort of anime convention at some point in the year maybe mid or early summer. I saw a bunch of people cosplayed as Naruto characters walk by on a hot day sometime last year... So, there was probably something going on. Last edited by wintersnowgust on Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:14 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||||
|
||||||
|
wintersnowgust
Posts: 9 |
|
|||||
|
I should make an avatar... I don't know though.
Should I choose a favorite anime character or something snow related. Because, I couldn't live in a place that didn't have snow every and all winter. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
dandelion_rose
Posts: 657 Location: Kuala Lumpur |
|
|||||
I had to laugh a bit when Bamboo was complaining about complaining, and the 'people listen to this...' response. I don't know why Humanity Has Declined didn't appeal to me. The art direction is great and I really like the character design. Maybe it's because my expectations when I hear 'quirky' and 'intelligent' becomes so high -- a lot of the things I really like are 'quirky', so I end up mentally challenging something I see and demanding it to prove itself. Panty and Stocking was one of those that didn't meet my expectations. I think it does try too hard, but not to be funny -- it just tried too hard to be edgy. I wonder if Sword Art Online has got a bit of that Prometheus thing going on -- at first, everyone is willing to overlook the plot contrivances to create the premise, and the general impression of the show is that it is good. Then one person points out a plothole, and then another person points out another, and then another, until it becomes the show everyone pokes fun at for its plotholes. As for remakes and reboots, I'd want a reboot of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. I think the anime adaptation was so bad the first time, I want a re-do that captures the mood of the manga more closely. (It is an adventure story, not this moody thing with really weird music and bleh animation.) |
||||||
|
||||||
danilo07
 Posts: 1580 |
|
|||||
|
I love live action Japanese films and I would suggest films by Akira Kurosawa (Ran and Ikiru are my favorites),Kenji Mizoguchi (Ugetsu and Sansho the Bailiff are amazing),Yasujiro Ozu(Tokyo Story),Hiroshi Teshigahara(The Face Of Another and Woman in Dunes,his work is pretty avant garde so if that is your thing...) and lets not forget Hirokazu Koreeda this guy is brilliant director I would check his wikipedia and see his every movie (especially Still Walking).
As for the South Korean cinema I am not very familiar with it but I would reccomend you to watch Oldboy by Park Chan-wook (it is one of the most disturbing,depressing and yet beautiful experiences I have ever felt)Memories of Murder,The Host and Madeo by Bong Joon-ho and The Chaser. I forgot Kwaidan(if you like Mushishi as much as I do you will mastrubate to this stuff)and samurai films such as Samurai Rebellion ,Harakiri,Seven Samurais,Yojimbo,Sword of Doom and Kill! |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Maidenoftheredhand
Posts: 2633 |
|
|||||
|
Wow glad to see so many people mentioning Ozu & Koreeda on here. That makes me super happy.
I also liked Mizoguchi, well not quite as much as Kurosawa and Ozu, but what I like about his films is he seems to write the best female characters. Anyways if people are interested in classic Japanese film besides buying them from Criterion or watching them on Hulu +, if you have Comcast Turner Classic Movies plays them uncut/with no commercials, every once in awhile. In fact on August 9th they are playing 24 hours of Toshiro Mifune films. Both some he made with Kurosawa and some he made with other directors. |
||||||
|
||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group