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Hey, Answerman! [2007-02-16]


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Cain Highwind



Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 313
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 2:20 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
As to your question, yes, there are people in my real life who do know about my belief, however, it rarely comes up in conversation. I do not go around randomly telling new friends and prospective employers about my beliefs, that would be rude, and anyway, its none of their buisness.

However, if someone asks me about my personal beliefs, I won't lie (and this has happened. When it comes up, I tend to say I believe in 'transimensional reincarnation' and leave it at that, but if the person in question probes further, I'll tell them as much as they want to know.


Ah okay. It's interesting you say "transdimensional reincarnation" because I guess you could say I believe in a "transdimensional afterlife".

Switching gears a bit, I believe Zac brought up a point about "it's just a phase with some people" and I agree speaking from experience. In late Middle School, Early High School (about 10 years ago). I was in a pretty dark, depressive time in my life. Somehow I started imagining that voices of certain characters (Achika Masaki from Tenchi Muyo in Love and Aeris) were in my head as a faint echo. Giving me advice on things, telling me to hang in there. It was like having a personified conscience.

I didn't find out until years later that there were internet cliques who did the same thing and called it "soulbonding". The people who I found, calling themselves soulbonders were a lot more hardcore, they were like these otakukin in that it's very real to them and instead of being reincarnated they truely feel as if they're "possessed" by certain characters (sometimes original). They had "soulscapes", places in their mind where their soulbonds abide in.

I didn't find them crazy at all, in fact I kind of envied them for having such a passionate belief that felt so real to them. Hell, I'm a bit envious of Mordox here for the same reason. But by the time I got out of highschool and up to now, I guess I've gained a lot of self confidence, and have a generally more upbeat view on life. And I feel like I soulbond a lot less since then and I prefer to look at myself as just having a "personified conscience"

I still believe in a lot of the dimensional aspects of reality though. I know this'll sound familiar but bear with me. I actually had a dream about a year ago where I was on board with the Straw Hats from One Piece. Playing games, hanging out, one of those REAL dreams you actually remember so clearly after waking up. Now, I suppose an Otakukin would go "Hey I MUST'VE been a Straw Hat Pirate that Oda never/hasn't yet wrote about!" I did feel extremely joyous and happy that day though almost like everything made sense. The thought *I* got however was "This is where I'll be someday". Hence my belief of a transdimensional afterlife. And considering the morals OP shows, I like to add "Live your life to the fullest, don't end it abruptly"
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MorwenLaicoriel



Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 1617
Location: Colorado
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 2:24 pm Reply with quote
Overlord, here's one question that just popped into my head...

Since you believe you were Japanese in your past life...can you understand Japanese? Or is that something you've "lost"?
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overlord_mordax



Joined: 16 Feb 2007
Posts: 36
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 2:30 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Since you believe you were Japanese in your past life...can you understand Japanese? Or is that something you've "lost"?


Mostly, yes, I have "lost" my command of japanese. I can understand a little bit of spoken japanese, however, its certainly not enough to get by on, an probably no more than someone who watches a lot of subtitled anime.
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mistress_reebi



Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 735
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 3:22 pm Reply with quote
tempest wrote:


Most established religions are based on the words & writings of a limited number of people who claim to have had first hand experience with supernatural beings in this existence....


Also, in each religion there is some proof so people know some random person didn't make it up. People don't have to believe in any religions, or can choose whichever they want, but most religions have been around for thousands of years. They have found a box where they buried Jesus' half brother James. Mecca is an ancient city. Otakukin, on the otherhand, is more of a philosophy because it doesn't have evidence supporting their beliefs.
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overlord_mordax



Joined: 16 Feb 2007
Posts: 36
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:04 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
What if the reason it differs is because they aren't your memories, but an elaborate fantasy you have convinced yourself is real? You are probably (definitely) not the only person to have had an anime dream. When did you decide that these were more than just dreams? How did it go from, "Well that was a weird dream..." to "Oh my gosh! I must be this character!" Also, I'm interested to know if you decided you were this character before you knew of the Otakukin, or if you only decided you were afterwards?

Was/is your favorite character from Digimon this character? If so, couldn’t it be possible that since you liked him, you began to identify strongly with him, and, over time, developed these beliefs?


If all I had to go on was dreams, I might certainly say that it was just 'weird', but it goes beyond that. I also have memories during the day sometimes, like "oh, this reminds me of the time that...." etcetera, except instead of incidents from my childhood, I come up with incidents from my past life. The first couple of times this happened were a bit disconcerting. Granted, this dosn't happen a lot, but it has happened. *shrug* Still, you can of course pass it off as a construct of my mind.

On the other hand, my 'regular' dreams, and passing daydreams, are usually much less organized, and fit together less well that my dreams and memories of my past life.

As for whether Ken was my favorite character in digimon, yes, adn no. I'll be honest, I didn't get around to watching all of Digimon 02 until late last year. Thats right.

When it came on fox, years ago, I saw the first few episodes, and as I've said elsewhere on the interent, had an instant feeling of 'recognition'. I watched a few episodes, but the whole thing gave me a really creepy feeling, and I had emotional reactiosn to the show way out of proportion to what I should have as a passive viewer. After the episode where the Kaizer was overthrown, I stopped watching altogether, because I'd started having nightmares.
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Tempest
I Run this place.
ANN Publisher


Joined: 29 Dec 2001
Posts: 10419
Location: Do not message me for support.
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:37 pm Reply with quote
mistress_reebi wrote:
Also, in each religion there is some proof so people know some random person didn't make it up. People don't have to believe in any religions, or can choose whichever they want, but most religions have been around for thousands of years. They have found a box where they buried Jesus' half brother James. Mecca is an ancient city. Otakukin, on the otherhand, is more of a philosophy because it doesn't have evidence supporting their beliefs.


That "proof" is really stretching it. As has been pointed out in this thread already, parts of the history are accurate. We know that Jesus lived and was crucified, we know that Mohammed lived, we know that the Jews were in Egypt, we know that SIddartha Buddha lived, etc...

We have no proof of any of the supernatural things these people, and other "prophets" claimed to be real. It's why religions are called faiths, because people have faith in something that can not be proven.

But as far as we know, Jesus may have made up everything he told the apostles, Moses may have made up everything he told the Jews, and so on....

Additionally, there are religions that lack written history, some are just too old, there is no historical fact that supports the origin of Judaism. For example there is no documented proof that the man known as Abram ever lived in Babylon. Similarly, other religions come from cultures with no written history.

The early state of those religions that do have documented history is actually quite similar with Otakukin. We know that the manga "Naruto" exists. What we don't know, is whether it is make-belief or if it is a transcription of events that actually occurred in another reality. Otakukin claim the latter, which can't be proven. It is their "faith."

At this level, they aren't much different from the state that established religions were in when those religions were new.

The differences are of course what they believe...

-t
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Sesshomaru1992



Joined: 18 Feb 2007
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:16 pm Reply with quote
[Removed till the poster can make it legible -t]
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Sesshomaru1992



Joined: 18 Feb 2007
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:29 pm Reply with quote
frentymon wrote:
Ms. Otakukin here is certainly very creative. I certainly couldn't have come up with such a complicated doctrine completely outlining the rationales of (a branch of) Otakukin. Take this as you will; I'm intending it as a compliment though. Wink

Assuming what you are claiming about alternate universes is true, could it be possible that all the alternate unvierses were manifestations of your own creations? That your ideas were the equivalent of what you say to be a manga author bringing forth an entire universe from his imagination, and the entire concept of the existence of alternate universes and authors bringing about new universes from their creations came about because you desired it to be such?

Ah, gotta love Haruhiism...



ahh.... crap this is just like Neon Genesis Evangelion so confusing yet a highly entertaining show from the eairly days of anime was it just me or did that shows ending (metaphorically speaking) make your brain hurt ..... at first anyway?
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cardcaptormanda



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 237
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:47 pm Reply with quote
Sesshomaru1992 wrote:
ahh.... crap this is just like Neon Genesis Evangelion so confusing yet a highly entertaining show from the eairly days of anime was it just me or did that shows ending (metaphorically speaking) make your brain hurt ..... at first anyway?


...1995 is the early days now? Did the decades of anime before that mean nothing? Confused
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MorwenLaicoriel



Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 1617
Location: Colorado
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:53 pm Reply with quote
cardcaptormanda wrote:
Sesshomaru1992 wrote:
ahh.... crap this is just like Neon Genesis Evangelion so confusing yet a highly entertaining show from the eairly days of anime was it just me or did that shows ending (metaphorically speaking) make your brain hurt ..... at first anyway?


...1995 is the early days now? Did the decades of anime before that mean nothing? Confused


Not to someone born in '95...^^;
*way too young to be feeling this old*
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SalarymanJoe



Joined: 03 Feb 2005
Posts: 468
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:54 pm Reply with quote
cardcaptormanda wrote:

...1995 is the early days now?


Wow ... I started watching anime before anime existed?!?!?

Drew "Suiko" Sutton
http://akibaren.blogspot.com
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MorwenLaicoriel



Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 1617
Location: Colorado
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:55 pm Reply with quote
SalarymanJoe wrote:
cardcaptormanda wrote:

...1995 is the early days now?


Wow ... I started watching anime before anime existed?!?!?

Drew "Suiko" Sutton
http://akibaren.blogspot.com


Maybe you were watching it in a previous life in another universe.

(...Sorry. Couldn't resist.)
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blueharlequin



Joined: 23 Apr 2005
Posts: 81
Location: Las Vegas, NV (No, we don't live in hotels here)
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 9:27 pm Reply with quote
WOW, just finished 28 pages . . .

Anyhoo, in reference to the Naruto fillers, hmm, how should I put it? I haven't watched a single episode of Naruto. I am always debating if I should start watching Naruto, which IMO is another monsterously long series (think One Piece). So every time a question comes up about the "dreaded fillers" I get turned off. Basically what I am trying to communicate is: Is it worth it for me to start watching Naruto?

Also does it seem like there is a big trend in outsourcing talent? Like voice work and 'tweens? It may just be me reading too much into "Bandai, Geneon and basically everyone else in the industry . . . "
As a side note to that Q/A, I don't think I have found a single anime yet that I like that was based on a game.

As to the person in the whatever definition of second-world country about the downloading anime and the legality of it . . . I don't think many people will care, but it IS still illegal. And as someone else said in this forum: Do It Quietly. I have lived in depressed countries, most of the time you do what you can to get what you want. I don't believe in entitlement and that just because people want it they should have it, but que cera cera. (BTW, my cousin has dial-up and DLs anime that way.)

tempest wrote:
My position: I respect the right of anyone to hold whatever belief they want. I respect the right of Otakukin to believe that they are the re-incarnations of fictional characters. But while I respect their right to believe, I don't respect their beliefs. Their beliefs are fantasy, they are no different from my nephew's belief in Santa Claus, and my Ex-Girlfriend's belief that I still love her, childish in some cases, delusional in others.

Go! Go! tempest! I agree 100%
"Ms. Starbright" had a very well written and polite letter up until the Nazi part . . .

However, I will say that is topic is more engaging (comedy-wise) than the lolicon arguement. And safer too, much less heated to justify uniqueness (if only self-imagined or not) than child porn. <-- Don't PM me with flames about this, they will only serve to warm my yaoi fan-girl footsies. *drips with the sarcasm*

I LOVE those cats. Would the owners be willing to give me one?

I am not touching the Rant, I barely have enough rational reasoning power after reading all the posts on this forum.
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pat_payne



Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 179
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:42 pm Reply with quote
Sesshomaru1992 wrote:

ahh.... crap this is just like Neon Genesis Evangelion so confusing yet a highly entertaining show from the eairly days of anime was it just me or did that shows ending (metaphorically speaking) make your brain hurt ..... at first anyway?


Ah, ya young whippersnaper, in my day, we watched Star Blazers and Robotech, and we were thankful to have it! We lived in shoebox in middle o't road, and our father would thrash us t' sleep each night before we got up, worked 26 hours at't mill AND paid't mill owner for the privilige...and that's how sauerkraut became "Liberty cabage." What was the question again? Where's my ointment? Laughing

Seriously, though, I gave up after the first few episodes of Evangelion. It was just TOO dense and overloaded in the "backstory" department to grab me.
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britannicamoore



Joined: 05 Dec 2005
Posts: 2618
Location: Out.
PostPosted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 11:11 pm Reply with quote
blueharlequin wrote:
WOW, just finished 28 pages . . .

Anyhoo, in reference to the Naruto fillers, hmm, how should I put it? I haven't watched a single episode of Naruto. I am always debating if I should start watching Naruto, which IMO is another monsterously long series (think One Piece). So every time a question comes up about the "dreaded fillers" I get turned off. Basically what I am trying to communicate is: Is it worth it for me to start watching Naruto?

.


I think you should start watching it. Personally there fillers weren't all bad- some of them were a little out there but its not as bad as people described. If you really like the show you shouldn't have a problem watching them.

besides all of that its got a good story. Check it out- you won't be disappointed.
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