Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2007-06-22]
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Thankyou. This is my point exactly. Its fiction. Nobody is suggesting that this is actually the way the church is. Its simply using references from christianity because it sounds cool in a fictional application. |
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mokitty
Posts: 106 |
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That flake positively reeked of fake!! I find it hard to believe that anyone could so expertly hit on every fansub tard cliche in sequence like that!
Aside from that, that essay linked on Geek Social Fallacies was VERY ENLIGHTENING -- summed up in eloquent form many of the things I have felt since I was about 15 and attended my first geek club-type event. |
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
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@ Rant:
How many people do you suspect in the United States (for instance) know much about Shintoism? Now Canada. The UK. I doubt it's a lot. Yeah, I thought so. Let the Japanese animators sprinkle their shows with Stars of David and have Protestants fight Catholics (lord knows, there have never been any bloody conflicts there, right?). Generally speaking, anime is for the Japanese. |
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teh*darkness
 Posts: 901 |
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I don't like how people seem to think you can use the terms "Catholicism" and "Christianity" interchangeably... Catholicism believes you have to 'confess' to a priest who is a go-between for man and God. Also, does the whole Hail Mary thing...
Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the only needed intermediary. Priests are unnecessary for salvation. Before complaining about religion in anime, get them straight... |
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Ichigo77
 Posts: 389 Location: California |
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I don't have a problem with Shonen at all and rather like how most of the titles are long and last many years. I can see why though people start to not like it or get mad once it gets popular though. Just like in August once the new One Piece dub airs a lot of people who went around saying One Piece sucks and never gave the japanese version a chance are going to talk about how cool it is. Another thing is I have always liked the black Spider-Man ever since I saw it in the cartoon but no one else really seemed to care about it or people would say its stupid, but as soon as Spider-Man 3 comes out the black Spider-Man is cool all of a sudden. Also I always hated how people would go see super hero movies just because they were movies but never read the comics or watched the cartoons.
As for the rant I see where the ranter is coming from but stuff like Trinity Blood doesn't really bother me since I know they are not actually making fun of religion but just trying to make the story more interesting. Plus I could always just turn it off if it sucks. I loved The 40 Year Old Virgin but that movie was insulting to people like me in every way possible except for the fact I was 17 when I was watching it and not 40, but other then that it pretty much was making fun of people like me. Regardless of that I was LMAO the whole time and the jokes didn't end there because friends and family all told me Andy reminded them of me lol. |
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ikillchicken
Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Perhaps Im majorly mistaken but Im fairly certain that that the term Catholicism" and "Christianity" can be used interchangably in this case. Christian refers to all the sects that believe in Christ. ie. both Prodestants and Catholics. You cant use the terms Prodestant and Catholic interchangably becuase of the reasons you described. However both Catholicism and Prodestantism are types of Christianity so you pretty much can use them interchangably here. Before complaining about people using terms wrong, get them straight... /= |
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Steroid
 Posts: 329 Location: At home, where all good hikikomori should be |
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I think a lot of hardcore fans have one or more popular anime that they like. I'm a Sailor Moon fan. A friend of mine loves Pokemon. I know rabid Bleach fans. But that doesn't make those anime good. Popular = less quality is still a good rule of thumb. However, the one thing popular anime have that niche anime do not is length. Popular shounen anime can extend well beyond the 13, 26, or 39 episode cap, or at least they get new series with different letters at the end. That length means that A) you don't have to be rigorous about watching every episode to understand the series, which is better for TV airing, and B) more long-term plot elements can be used.
As to anime fans who have "no social skills or who creep out the girls or smell bad," if they can't get accepted in anime clubs, then where can they go to be accepted? Where are the organizations that say, "as long as you have quality X, no matter what else you do, you are a member in good standing"? The flake: I am extremely skeptical of the notion that Answerman accepts bribes for support. But ADV will probably do a bad job with Air, by the standards of the Flake. And Answerman will probably prefer it anyway. One need never attribute to money under the table what can be explained by beliefs. Which is a good seque into. . . Religion. I've never quite gotten the, "you don't have to accept [religion], you just have to respect it." If you believe something, you shouldn't care what other people think of it. Conversely, bashing, lampooning, and misportraying another's religion for your own amusement is good fun for everyone. If we're going to respect something, respect that. But respect it universally. Christians, Muslims, Scientologists, let's poke fun at all of them. |
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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You really haven't the first idea about what Christianity is, do you?
Right back at you, kid. Get educated, it's a sure cure for ignorance. - abunai |
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elphin
Posts: 2 |
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How come the people who write rants can never spell properly?
And ugh, this week's rant made me want to vomit. It's a foreign media, stop putting your Christian ethics into it. How many times do you think the subtle inclusion of Japanese culture have been butchered by your American companies? Or even going so far as to change any references to a series even being in Japan. I'm looking at you Card Captors. And what about the horrible butchering of Nausicaa, which cut out the whole significance of environmental problems? Surely that is a little more worrying than Japanese artists including some Western cultural ideas in their stories. At least they're trying to understand you. |
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NGE1113
 Posts: 1081 Location: Alexandria, VA. |
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The flake:
Not as funny as last week, but amusing in its own way. The rant: Yeah, I'll have to be the umpteenth person to say that no matter what one's perceptions on the whole religion-in-film issue, it's all fiction. I'm not exactly a practicing Catholic anymore, but I do remember the precepts and beliefs that I was raised on. Thus, whenever anything pops up in anime that goes contrary against what I was taught... Well, I take it as 1) Inclusion of some religious trapping just for the sake of looking cool, or 2) The creator(s) obviously took the meaning of creative liberty way too far. |
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Ryllharu
 Posts: 70 |
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I can definitely see where the shonen haters come from. It isn't so much that a lot of them hate the inundation of casual fans, it's what those fans are watching. A casual fan will watch whatever appears on Adult Swim, or even...4Kids TV saturday morning *shudder*. The hardcore fans have meanwhile been downloading fansubs of more obscure, critically acclaimed series or buying every dvd they can find. The more obscure titles tend to more critically acclaimed, have more mature character and story development, etc.
So when these hardcore fans who watched Code Geass, Bokura Ga Ita, Paradise Kiss, or Ghost in the Shell: SAC see more casual fans gushing about how Bleach and Naruto are the greatest series of all time, you can see how they'd become frustrated. In their minds, these casual fans are watching formulaic series that seem exactly the same to Dragonball or Yu Yu Hakusho with only the names, appearances, and settings changed around. It's anger that these casual fans are "missing out" on series full of depth and deep character development in addition to some pretty amazing action scenes or great drama. In reality, they're only being amazed by what little they see. But it goes both ways. There's some great character development in Bleach, especially earlier on, and the Naruto manga, which the anime is finally catching up on, has really matured over the years alongside of its characters and fans. If you take this casual fan and slowly move them towards the series that make the hardcore fans scream like fangirls, you've now created a hardcore fan. We all started as casual fans. You need to be patient enough with them. Suggest titles that might interest them, increasing the levels of depth in the series while still giving them enough action to keep them interested. Work in some older titles, telling them to forgive the dated animation for some really "kickass action." Then work into the deeper series with little-to-no action. Anime isn't different from most forms of media. Flashier, simple series will always be the ones to reel people in. Given enough time, they'll stay around for the really fantastic series and films that move more than just their mouths. |
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Calculusman
 Posts: 309 Location: Virginia |
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Hey, can I have some of your ADV Cash? lol.
I mean, really. Does the guy just assume fansubs have better translations or does he actually know Japanese and from that believes so. For some reason I'm betting the former, because if he knew Japanese, he could just turn the subs off and watch it raw. Of course, if he doesn't know Japanese, then how can he know or assume that fan sub translations are, in fact, better. In fact, I'd think one would have to assume the opposite. Translators who work for anime companies are professionals who get paid for their work - it's their job - and thus have an incentive to actually translate things correctly. Fan subbers, meanwhile, do it as a hobby, and while I'm sure they do the best job they can, they're not doing it to earn money nor are they generally professional, and they're usually either English speakers who learned Japanese or vice-versa, but aren't professionals. That actually reminds me of an ad I saw by one group looking for a translator, and their requirements were basically that you knew Japanese and had "decent knowledge" of English. Somehow I don't think that'd fly in the anime industry. Also, I know that whether one likes dubs or not is entirely up to each person. I generally find that I like 90% of dubs that I hear. I know there are others who may only like 10% of the dubs they hear. Personal preference. Ok, I'm done ranting. |
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elsie
Posts: 61 Location: Virginia |
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No, not quite. By using Catholic and Christian interchangeably, you're treating a member group as though it were identical with the whole group, as though other member groups do not exist, particularly when there are significant differences between the member groups. To be Catholic is to be Christian, but to be Christian is not necessarily to be Catholic, thus the terms cannot be used interchangeably. To non-Christians, the differences may appear to be insignificant, but to Christians the differences between Protestants and Catholics and Orthodox, between the many varieties of Protestantism, are based in some pretty fundamental differences of opinion such that a member of one group would be highly upset to be assumed to have the beliefs of another group. |
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Ryllharu
Posts: 70 |
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Some get hired as professionals because they are better. That's how Tokyopop found their Beck translator. It's dependent on preferences as well. Professional Translators in the past had an overwhelming tendency to localize the translations. There are a lot of phrases in Japanese that don't translate well, or have no english equivalent. So a lot was lost in translation, and some things are purposely omitted. It's not nearly as prevalent today, since fans displayed a preference for more literal subtitles. Fansubs are typically much more literal, with enough editing for them to make sense. I prefer the literal translations myself, since it seems to maintain the cultural feel better. But you're right, there is a professional standard that should , but isn't always, upheld that fansubbing doesn't have. |
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TestamentSaki
 Posts: 1012 |
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Boy, this is sure a major change in the column. So let's get to business.
1-Well, fanarts, fanfiction... There's always been controversy around it. Some authors are okay with it, some of 'em hate it. I admit I'm one of those who likes to draw and write based on my fave series, but I'd never do it to make a profit. I'd rather do my OWN work... Even if it's just for me, and just for fun. The problem with people that actually THINK that drawing anime characters and winning some money for it is okay is just clear proof that they ignore the law (or at least never cared to check it). I'm not entirely sure how strict are copyright laws in Japan, or even the USA, but I'm pretty sure that if a manga author (Kishimoto Masashi, Takahashi Rumiko, Kubo Tite, Arakawa Hiromu [just to name a few]) decides to be aware of it and realizes someone is actually using their 'brainchildren' for personal benefit, it could be a pretty awful scandal. Now, some people actually do it for fun, and may also create characters out of thin air (or even draw the pople that ask them to do so). That instance is pretty much harmless, since drawing 'manga-style,' 'anime-style' or whatever style they wish is not prohibited by any law (we're aware of). hence it's tolerated in conventions, as Zac stated. Even here in my country (where there are no cons, except for the International Book Fair [and even so it's not an anime con]), you can see people in their stands, offering pictures and quick-made portraits. So it's tolerable to a certain extent. 2-As many people said, it's all a matter of taste. Some people like shounen series, some people don't; it's a free world. Personally, I'm more of a shounen fan myself, although there are some other series I actually like. The deal with seris like Dragon Ball, Naruto (or even Captain Tsubasa and Saint Seiya in Latin America) is that they're popular, but some people think that their popularity turns them into 'low-quality' series. Quality IS in the eye of the beholder, and I think that it actually depends not just on how 'popular' they are, but in the story, character design, etc. And of course, trying to give them a chance may help. However, I've noticed something somewhat hilarious: People who often say they hate X or Y series, were series of those fans before and are too ashamed to admit it. 3-It happens EVERYWHERE. You can even see a certain dub actor or actress doing more than 1 role in a series, be it major or minor. What comes to my mind: Luci Christian as Psiren and as Wrath in Fullmetal Alchemist. Sometimes it may be because of a budget (and I'm pretty sure it must be hard to do so), sometimes because some people don't have that much time to work on it. I think it'd be nice if someone who worked in the dub business could explain it. 4-No one can force you to be totally nice to someone you don't like. You can be respectful, but if you can't really tolerate that person, you're not entitled to be best friends with him/her. Even Zac said it, and I totally agree with his reply. 'Nuff said. 5-I'd normally dismiss it with a 'pathetic,' but this time, I just can't help but think that the one butchering, raping and 'slautering' something is the one who sent the flake... By slowly killing his/her language. Once again, I shout for proper grammar and spelling, in English, Spanish, Italian... Whichever language you choose. And of course, if the one that sent the flake ment what he/she said, heck, just don't buy it, but you don't have to make such a scandal. 6-Cute pic, Zac. Cuddly animals often ease my bad mood when I read the flakes n_n. Thumbs up to that  The Tsubasa Thumbs-Up GIF was made by me. If you like it, please PM me for permissions
7-Ignorance strikes again. While it may be somewhat true that the view on Christianity some Japanese people have could be improved, I sometimes wonder how THEY feel when some people portrait some things of their culture that actually are wrong. First thing that comes to mind: Memoirs of a Geisha. Besides, some authors actually portray their views of Western religions in what we usually call alternate universes. It's true you can't hide your ignorance behind the shield known as 'imagination,' but imagination can sometomes cover up the mistakes you make unconsciously. Lots of people (especially in countries where religion is quite dominant) often mistake the points of view, or blatantly ignore them, pointing at manga/anime series and calling them 'Satanic' series and considering manga/anime fans as 'devil-worshippers.' I'm a victim of that, so I know what I mean. They fail to recognize that Japan is NOT a Christian (Catholic, Evangelic, whatever) country, and their views on religion are different. But what really angers me this time is that SOME fanatical Christians actually TRY to brainwash others with (usually) wrong information just to make these series be hated by almost everyone. And I'm personally tired of having to explain every time that you can't believe those slanderous rumors... Because there isn't proof of it. It's just a matter of INVESTIGATING, LEARNING about new (and different) cultures and NOT BELIEVING the trash you hear. So I tell you, Ms. "Abigail," that while some things may be improved, you just can't expect them (or anyone for that matter) to be perfect. Think about it; even the ones that are Christians have mistaken beliefs at times. And I say this as someone who was raised as a Catholic but also likes to question if the beliefs she has are always right. Hence, I'm a non-practicing Catholic. And mind you, the Bible wasn't written by God himself; he may have inspired it, but still, it had human writers. And the closest thing to an 'Oh my God!' expression I know is 桑原桑原 (くわばらくわばら) Kuwabarakuwabara, which isn't very common for what I've seen. They just don't call upon a concept of a superior being when something happens. 8-I hope we get to see another nice new banner next time, Zac  .
That's all for today. TestamentSaki |
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