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Hey, Answerman! - Get Off My Lawn


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DerekTheRed



Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 3544
Location: ::Points to hand::
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:21 pm Reply with quote
The Chrono Trigger music + the Lupin III theme music in the related videos section = Greatest. Flake. Ever!
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5821
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:28 pm Reply with quote
Melanchthon wrote:

On a more serious note, I personally prefer to buy my anime goods online, because then I don't have to deal with the embarrassment of having to look someone in the face when I purchase something like Sekirei with the words "Boobies for the win" boldly inscribed on the box. Besides, buying online is twice the fun -- Once when you make the purchase and again when it is delivered.


Really don't know why they do that. Really don't think crude language like that is really going to help sales. I thought about buying Sekirei, then I thought what my wife would think if she read that. All you have to do is see the art work on the cover and backing to tell whether the the title is ecchi or not. You don't need it plastered in black and white. It is just as bad as 'Plastic Little's jiggle counter, way back when.
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The King of Harts



Joined: 05 May 2009
Posts: 6712
Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:58 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Really don't know why they do that. Really don't think crude language like that is really going to help sales.

Well, it sold out of it's print run after just one week. I don't know if "Boobies for the Win!" helped, but it certainly didn't hurt.

I know it made me almost buy it, but I also love absurdly outrageous promotional campaigns; I do own Strike Witches mostly because of their war on pants.
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eely225



Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 96
Location: West Lafayette, IN
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:11 pm Reply with quote
Wait, Brian doesn't own a hat? Not a stocking cap or anything?

Impressive?
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Rednal



Joined: 07 Jul 2008
Posts: 132
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:52 pm Reply with quote
What a wonderful non-question that is! I'll just, uh, make up an answer that may or may not have any relation whatsoever to any edit to the column.

...

The most recent "older" anime I purchased is Excel Saga, since I found the complete set (slightly used) at a store nearby for a very good price. Though, to be honest, I'd probably have bought it at full price, and brand-new, if I'd seen it elsewhere. And I was very happy, because I'd seen a few episodes before, and this was a release that had a lot of features. The kind previous owner even left a bunch of the other goodies inside of it (postcards), which gives me hope for the fandom. For those who don't know, Excel Saga is what people talk about when they're talking about getting their fix of anime, because the show was made like it was on drugs. I don't mean in the philosophical way of something like Bakemonogatari, but that the show makes almost no sense whatsoever most of the time because of how ridiculously over-the-top it is. I might actually use the first episode to show to my friends and help them understand what anime is like, even. If my local Convention had an "Older Anime" room, I'd nominate it to be shown there, as well. It's just one of those shows that seems to have a fairly broad appeal for anime fans in general. Maybe because there isn't much like it, so nobody's bored of it... hmm.
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tuxedocat



Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 2183
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:04 pm Reply with quote
Last week's question hit a real still-tender spot with me, since two years ago, I lost about half of my collection to a fire that was carelessly started by a drugged out neighbor, which spread to my apartment.

Everything in the front of my apartment was melted. The back of the apartment got smoke damaged. It was a small miracle that I had been storing half of my collection in air-tight plastic bins in that section of the apartment. A lot of the stuff that was lost is irreplaceable or just too expensive now on the reseller market. I've already spent a ton of money replacing things (like clothes, electronics and furniture), so I have been replacing things since then as well as I can. I've been fairly successful.

However, I am kicking myself now for dawdling on one title: Master Keaton.

It is becoming harder to find lately and I can't seem to justify the price of some of the volumes. For some reason, it has now become the one lost title that I miss the most. I'm fairly sure that it will not be re-released, which gives me even more anxiety about finding all the volumes in decent condition.
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Youkai Warrior



Joined: 07 Aug 2008
Posts: 505
Location: Sarayashiki
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:16 pm Reply with quote
I hate to disagree with you Brian, but you would be surprised, movies and CDs are still selling. Maybe not by the legions, but they're selling well enough. My local FYE, Borders and Barnes and Noble are stocked with CDs that most people here have probably never even heard of. I've also run into too many people who love to watch movies and will buy them if they like them. Of course, these are people who don't spend oodles of time on Facebook and actually like to go out. But yes, media is selling well enough, and I don't expect everything to be downloaded directly to our computers by companies (or to our brains) anytime soon. I do however wish I could say the same for anime. At my local Borders and Barnes and Noble, their manga sections have shrunk, they no longer carry anime DVDs, but are filled to the brim with music CDs. My FYE on the other hand has an overabundance of anime. But most of them are used copies.

Quote:
But I too am ashamed of what other people do. I mean, we're all soulmates, right?


I get ashamed of what these other fans do too, and trust me, even though teenagers have a tendency to act stupid, I've seen the worst behavior from those loudmouthed anime fans. Rolling Eyes And really, can anyone blame us for being annoyed with them? I know I wasn't that crazy when I was 15 and into anime. We're supposed to be soulmates, but that is no longer the case as of 5 years ago I'm afraid.

Quote:
I do prefer to buy online mainly for two reasons. One is choice, which I don't really have to explain that, and second is cost. Now if the B&M stores could price wise more competitive with online stores on a regular basis then I would be more likely to balance my purchases between both online and B&M.


I do like to go out, but I don't mind buying anime online, namely because all of my anime DVD purchases are from the Right Stuf. I trust the Right Stuf, they have good service and their prices are better than other anime online stores. Because of the Right Stuf, I too prefer to buy online, especially because of prices. The last time I was at FYE, some of the anime DVDs were too expensive, whereas the Right Stuf was selling them at bargain prices. Just to be specific, I don't mind Brick and Mortar stores, but with anime DVDs my trust lies with the Right Stuf. I've bought from them for years, and haven't had a problem.
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theinertbiscuit



Joined: 01 Oct 2010
Posts: 5
Location: Midwest
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:52 pm Reply with quote
Ronin Warriors has not been purged from my memory. It was my gateway drug into anime fandom, and I like to remember my roots. That figure is gorgeous, and I would do immoral things to get that nonexistent Suiko on Shin myself.

Quote:
Rekka no Ryo, the solitary sentai senshi, sits solemnly on my desk with only his armor, mullets, and extra decapitated screaming battle face to keep him company.

Ahhh, the mullets. I remember those glorious mullets. And your alliteration. This sentence made me smile.

Very Happy
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Graddick



Joined: 13 Mar 2010
Posts: 46
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 11:04 pm Reply with quote
I can't disagree enough with your response to the third question.

I feel the exact same way as that writer. I would be mortified if any of my friends were to find out that I enjoy anime. I believe that this is a perfectly reasonable position.
As much as people like to delude themselves, anime is still a very rare commodity among people who are no longer teenagers. It is very very very far from what could possibly be considered "normal." Its association with children's entertainment means that you cannot play the "worldy and open-minded" card when trying to explain your tastes. Trying to change anime's reputation among the post-teenage crowd would be an unending life of awkward conversations full of pained looks.
You can say that it's bad that people judge one another on anything, but the fact of the matter is that they do. We all judge one another on how we speak, what we wear and how we spend our free time. I know that teacher told you that everyone is special and we should all accept everything about everyone. But anyone who has spent time in the real world knows that this is nonsense. Why would anyone want to show a part of themselves that would give others a bad impression? That makes no sense.

Simply put, conformity gets a bad rap.

If keeping my interest in anime a secret allows my friends, family and coworkers to maintain a better impression of me, then so be it. I do plenty of stuff that has no business being spoken of in public and I simply add anime to that category.

I would tell that writer that this is the state of anime fandom in this day and age and that hiding his interests would be in his best interests.

As much as I dislike the Japanophilia that infects this fandom, I can't help but recite the old Japanese proverb: The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.
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Saturn



Joined: 08 Aug 2002
Posts: 513
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 11:44 pm Reply with quote
Melanchthon wrote:

On a more serious note, I personally prefer to buy my anime goods online, because then I don't have to deal with the embarrassment of having to look someone in the face when I purchase something like Sekirei with the words "Boobies for the win" boldly inscribed on the box. Besides, buying online is twice the fun -- Once when you make the purchase and again when it is delivered.


amen to that. I mean, not the "boobies for the win" part, though I guess they ARE for the win. But anyway, I'll take my BL manga with the unnecessarily scandalous covers in private, thank you very much >_> And without anyone looking at me like I'm either too old or too young to be buying it, but they just can't decide which.

Anyway, people might complain about having to pay for shipping, but you'd have to pay for gas to get to the brick-and-mortar store, plus they usually can't compete with online prices. As much as I miss the heydays when Suncoast was thriving, I can't argue with getting volumes of manga on Amazon for $6-7 each and boxed sets of dvds for in the $30 range, with free shipping.
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Otaku Teahouse



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 81
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 11:51 pm Reply with quote
My local Hastings keeps a very good supply of up to date anime, including new releases. They may not sell well, but there are a few devoted buyers in the area they cater to, myself included. The only times I don't buy from them is when I order cheaper online or preorder from rightstuf and get it a week or so early. But as for Hastings, if I'm patient, they sell the new stuff for great prices on the first week.
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Saturn



Joined: 08 Aug 2002
Posts: 513
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 11:54 pm Reply with quote
Graddick wrote:
I can't disagree enough with your response to the third question.

I feel the exact same way as that writer. I would be mortified if any of my friends were to find out that I enjoy anime. I believe that this is a perfectly reasonable position.
As much as people like to delude themselves, anime is still a very rare commodity among people who are no longer teenagers. It is very very very far from what could possibly be considered "normal." Its association with children's entertainment means that you cannot play the "worldy and open-minded" card when trying to explain your tastes. Trying to change anime's reputation among the post-teenage crowd would be an unending life of awkward conversations full of pained looks.
You can say that it's bad that people judge one another on anything, but the fact of the matter is that they do. We all judge one another on how we speak, what we wear and how we spend our free time. I know that teacher told you that everyone is special and we should all accept everything about everyone. But anyone who has spent time in the real world knows that this is nonsense. Why would anyone want to show a part of themselves that would give others a bad impression? That makes no sense.

Simply put, conformity gets a bad rap.

If keeping my interest in anime a secret allows my friends, family and coworkers to maintain a better impression of me, then so be it. I do plenty of stuff that has no business being spoken of in public and I simply add anime to that category.

I would tell that writer that this is the state of anime fandom in this day and age and that hiding his interests would be in his best interests.

As much as I dislike the Japanophilia that infects this fandom, I can't help but recite the old Japanese proverb: The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.


I don't know about you, but while I DO keep lots of stuff from my coworkers and some stuff from my family too, including my interest in anime (well, not from my immediate family, because I've been interested since I was a kid and never bothered to grow out of it), I certainly expect my friends to accept me regardless of whether I watch foreign cartoons ._.
After all, unlike your family and (for the most part) your coworkers, you actually get to *choose* your friends... why not choose people who accept your interests, or even share them?

But then I don't really care about their impression of me, either. I'm sort of a nerd even without my taste for anime. I spent a couple years trying to be cool before it occurred to me that it's a lot more fun to just be a nerd and to hell with everyone else.

Back to the original question, do people who know nothing about anime even really have a notion of what anime fans act like? If they work with teenagers, have anime-fan kids, or spend a lot of time at the local mall, maybe; but that over-excited hyperactive weeaboo thing? I doubt the average dude on the street would identify that as "anime fan" more than just "teenager at large". Teenagers are generally immature no matter what they like.
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doctordoom85



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 2091
PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:35 am Reply with quote
Ah, the elusive item? I've started getting semi-serious about figure-collecting in the last few years, and while I have obtained a few that I desperately wanted (Gin from Gintama, Luffy from One Piece, Rika from Higurashi, Kyou from Clannad, Mai from Kanon, etc.), there are still quite a few that I COULD get but would cost me a ton of money for just one as they are OOP (Kino from Kino's Journey, Lelouch from Code Geass, Kamina from Gurren Lagann, the original Rena figure from Higurashi, etc.), so I keep putting them off for now. Someday, maybe............. Anyway, I feel for you, Fred, about Nanoha. I'd love to have a Fate PVC (and Nanoha after that), but those prices, GEEZ.

In terms of elusive DVDs/manga, Cardcaptor Sakura obviously for anime, and in terms of manga I just bought from Borders: Monster Vol. 1-2, 7, and 9-18, and now get to "enjoy" the hunt for Vol. 3-6 and 8. Wouldn't be an issue if Viz had released all the anime on DVD! Mad

I enjoyed looking at Best Buy shelves back in the day, but with newer items becoming less frequent, and their shelf space reduced (not at a ridiculous level, two shelves can hold a decent amount), RightStuf, Amazon, and other sites are pretty much what I stick to today and I get better prices on those websites anyway. Though mainly for anime, since manga is still good at Borders as they still have 5 huge shelves to hold a ton of variety and the coupons + Rewards Plus makes for good deals. But the only anime I've bought at Best Buy in 2010 was Full Metal Panic FUMOFFU, and that was due to the wrong price tag ($5) being on it, and the cashier was kind enough to honor it. Of course, it helped that I was polite, whereas a lot of customers see a price tag error and seem to immediately think, "okay, now to be a total jerk about this until they honor this, regardless of the fact that cashiers don't make the store policies!" Rolling Eyes

And yeah, over-hiding your anime fandom is just unnecessary. True friends wouldn't think less of you, any family member who has an issue with it probably had other issues with you already (come on, we all know the types), and I understand being more discreet with co-workers but if you've befriended them then it should be okay to share. Heck, a good portion of my co-workers are anime fans themselves (and we are all adults, no obnoxious teenagers here!).

And hey, acting like an obnoxious brat is actually DECENT behavior for that age group. Remember, we're talking about TEENAGERS here. They can do FAR worse.
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:01 am Reply with quote
Hahaha, we remember before anime are even in stores in the first place! Welcome to how it used to be. Laughing

At least now we have the interwebs. Imagine not knowing anywhere that may have it.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:01 am Reply with quote
Quote:
I guess like a lot of fans, I'm hoping that it will appear in a few more screens and become the bona-fide hit it deserves to be(I'm still praying that it gets the nomination for best animated feature at the Academy Awards, although it looks like Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon and Tangled will get the nods).


I liked SW, but it's not gonna be a hit here, even with the good will from Tokikake. Tron Legacy wasn't a hit, and it had a larger potential audience. Hell, Summer Wars wasn't even big by Japanese standards. Though it did manage to hold its ground with the big boys like Eva 2.0, which is impressive in its own right. Really, the main motivation to see Summer Wars in theaters is to promote anime to a wider audience in general, since it's more accessible than most anime. And that's fine with me. And while it would be nice if it got the nom[Plus an ego-boost for Hosoda after being booted from Howl.], especially for Madhouse-because they've been screwed out of that honor more than any other anime company-I don't think it'll be the end of the world if it doesn't make it, because it's not a make-or-break title for the genre.
. [Personally, though, I do feel Kadokawa and/or Bandai missed the boat on getting Tokikake in there.] Hell, I actually tweeted [url=http://twitter.com/hosodamamoruthe Oscar thing[/url], and he seemed more interested in the friggin' English trailer for it. (Not to mention posting pics of his puppy. Laughing )

Quote:
Whilst it got off to a good start in terms of screen ratios (Averaging about $7,000 per screen when it had only opened in 1 cinema), since it spread wider (and by wider, I mean to 11 screens), its per-screen average has reduced to about $700.


You're not being fair, though. It got released during the holiday season, where all the LA family movies dominate, and it's been sitting in January Hell, where even the Green Hornet is considered a disappoinment, in spite of its strong opening. Anyway, by anime in America standards, it's not doing especially horribly, considering Earthsea's take.

Quote:
With only three nominees, though, Summer Wars needed to really wow and impress the right people to even have a snowball's chance in Hell of edging out a movie like Tangled or How to Train Your Dragon, or even other smaller independent animated films, like The Illusionist or My Dog Tulip.


The Illusionist has decent WOM, but isn't doing exceptionally well, given that it's from the Triplets guy. Tangled

Quote:
Sad, but it's not like Summer Wars is the only really great animated feature to be overlooked by the Academy.
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