2 screenshot limit

Got to watch a free screening of Darling wa Gaikokujin yesterday evening (courtesy of New York-Tokyo and ANA). I was genuinely excited to see this movie: I genuinely like INOUE Mao and the story sounded like a light & breezy flick, a perfect summer movie, as it were.

Darling wa Gaikokujin follows Saori, a young aspiring manga artist and Tony, her American boyfriend. The film shows them tackling issues that could be expected of any cross-cultural relationship; some of them easy, some harder. I like that the movie chose to hone in on a central issue, that is, Saori’s father disapproving of their relationship, as what they needed to overcome, and not the silly stuff like the language or other cliche cultural jokes. If you think about it, even in relationships where you and your partner have the same background or ethnicity, your family may still not approve. It becomes not about Japanese vs American, but about family and values.

As expected, Inoue was the best part of the movie. She’s charming and the camera loves her. Even when she’s sitting in silence, her face and her body are so expressive. As Saori, she obviously has to speak English at certain points in the movie, and while not perfect, she makes a good attempt to speak the language.

I wish that they had found another actor to play the role of Tony, though. I’m sure Jonathan Sherr is a capable actor, but I didn’t really feel the chemistry between him and Inoue. There were moments where he would look at her (or the camera) and his movements are so stilted. I know that the character is supposed to be a little bit weird (with his fascination with unusual Japanese expressions) but I wanted to believe that these two persons loved each other so much that they won’t let a silly little thing such as cultural expectations and differences break them apart.

Also — my feminist wiles were all up in a furor when (1) Tony left her to fend for herself in that party (2) she excuses Tony’s fumbling ways in the house because if she complains, then she might as well do the chores herself. First off — if you’re bringing a (girl)friend to a party where she doesn’t know anybody (much less speak the language of the majority of the group), you should at least stay with her for a few minutes and introduce her to your friends. Tony’s behavior made him appear like Mr. #1 Douche. And, boys do not have the “I’m a bachelor” excuse for not knowing how to do things around the house. Did he not do laundry or wash dishes when he was living by himself? Domestic duties are NOT the domain of women alone; this is 2010, man up.

Overall, this was an okay movie. I’m sad that I didn’t get a copy of the DMP manga when it was published, but I’m happy that the movie has generated interest for the Japanese publisher to release a book with their own English translations.

Disclaimer: I don’t get review copies, so this one was a super lucky find at my favorite bookstore.

Having seen the Library Wars anime a few months back, I’m glad that the first rendition of this series to arrive in the US is this shoujo manga. It focuses more on what I liked from the series — that is, the relationship between Iku and Dojo — and less on the information science/military complex conflict.

Library Wars follows Iku Kasahara, a teenage girl who’s training to join the Library Defense Force. Inspired by a mysterious LDF member who helped her when she was a younger girl, she’s made it her goal to protect books and to let anyone who wanted to access these books have it available to them. Her training, however, is made a bit trickier because of her antagonistic superior, Atsushi Dojo.

Kiiro Yumi’s art is really pretty, even though I pity her wrist for all the screen tone that she used throughout the first volume. If you’re familiar with the anime series, the main essence of the story is kept intact, but some of the characters (notably Shibasaki and Tezuka) have had minor changes in how they interact with Iku.

If the fact that it’s a shoujo series is scaring you off, it shouldn’t. The romance is controlled enough that you don’t get flowers and wings sprouting out of nowhere. But if there’s just enough sappy moments that made my fangirl heart go squee. It’s also easier when Iku seems to be more introspective and sensitive in this version than in the anime. She’s a fun character, and I genuinely look forward to reading the next volume to see where they’re going to go with this.

Shana-tan and I have a lot of reading to do today.

…And this is where I blaspheme your god.

Dear fellow otaku, I think you’re mostly great, but seriously, why all the fuss for this novel? I know I fussed about it myself in a previous post, but I got bored of reading and only REALLY finished the novel this weekend.

Mind you, I’m not critical of the translation (because really, having not read the original, who am I to criticize) or the kickass presentation by Yen Press (I have the paperback and I love the stylized cover design), but the story is so…un-fun.

Let’s recap for the two kids in the room who know nothing about Haruhi: for all intents and purposes, this high-school girl is god, and since she wants to create a fun atmosphere in her life, she creates a club with the purpose of looking for aliens, time travelers, and espers to cavort with. Little did she know that the random classmates that she recruited for the club are exactly that: aliens, time travelers, and espers.

And yeah, there’s Kyon.

If I had read the novel prior to watching the first season of the anime, I totally would not have bothered. If that seems to be my oblique way of saying that KyoAni did such a great job with the anime, then maybe that’s what it is. While it starts off interestingly enough, the rest of the novel lacks the magic and sense of “wow” and “LOLohnoshit” that I experienced when I watched the TV series.

And I know exactly what bothered me so much about the novel: the narrator, Kyon. I’m surprised myself since he was my fave character in the anime.

As the requisite ‘human’ in the club, Kyon is supposed to be a stand-in for us. After all, the situation where he finds himself is somewhat precarious. One day he’s just your normal boring teenage boy, and next, he’s gallivanting with god herself and her eccentric band of misfits, who are playing the part of his peers. Kyon’s narrative tone, instead of fully expressing incredulity and/or wonderment, focuses instead on being full-on blah. Instead of describing how unbelievable it was being in the closed space with Koizumi, he talks about dumb things like Mikuru’s rack of costumes. (Pun somewhat intended.) I realize that he is a teenage boy so the ennui and the fixation on girls is to be expected, but honestly, I feel so dissatisfied and cheated with how everything was described. Maybe that’s why I’m thinking that the anime was a better introduction to this universe — at least in the animation, I was able to see for myself all the bizarre things that Kyon himself experienced, and so his sarcastic commentary is not as top priority.

tl;dr: Crushed hard for this novel in the beginning, but interest fizzled out in the end

This is only part of my CMX book collection. I’m still in denial over the news that they’ll be closing their doors come July. I always figured that they would tough it out a little longer — after all, they survived their first year with all the Tenjho Tenge fan furor, surely they can get through worse times?

One of the reasons why I loved CMX and their manga titles is how they brought over so many titles that may be a bit older, but continue to be good & worthwhile series. One of my favorite titles of theirs, Cipher, is the best example. If I were to offer Cipher to a 17-year old right now, the most probable comment that I would get would be: “this looks old,” “the art is so 80s” “who are these musicians they’re talking about.” But you know what, it’s precisely those aspects of the series that make it so wonderful for me. It is a cultural document, a snapshot of a time — but at its very essence, in the beautiful story and complex characterizations, are still relevant today in 2010.

So, even though I’m sure I’ll have more to write about CMX and their awesome titles, I’d like to thank the editors, translators, and the rest of the staff at CMX manga for bringing us manga readers a taste of what manga could also be. CMX has always had a special place in my heart, and it means a lot to this individual manga fan that even in this difficult time, the staff continues to interact with the fans (on Twitter). Unlike other manga companies who just disappeared and dropped off, you guys are there, still ready to engage with us. Thanks. You guys are great.

Yesterday, I bought 18 volumes of manga. My boyfriend looked at me bemusedly… but did I care? Not a bit.

And that’s why I’m the prime reading audience for My Girlfriend’s a Geek (aka Fujoshi Kanojo), ’cause honestly, this manga’s about me and the rest of my fangirl sisters.

The story begins with Taiga just wanting to find a part-time job that’s not too taxing or difficult just to have more spending money. He sees the want-ad for such a part-time gig, and bonus, one of the girls working there is totally his type.

But well, as such things go, there’s more to her than meets the eye. She turns out to be a fujoshi — the breed of the hardcore fangirl.

This was this morning’s train reading and I practically missed my transfer stop because I was incredibly engrossed in this story. To be honest, if you’re an otaku yourself, the predicament is something that you’ve personally encountered or heard from your otaku friends. Where Yuiko is “one of us,” Taiga is a mere mundane. Sure, he reads manga (omg the series that they bond over is a sports manga! about sepak takraw! LOL) but he doesn’t see it the way that she does. She basically has to hold him by the hand and walk him down the sometimes scary path of fandom, explaining terms and concepts such as pairing shipping, moe, and BL.

What makes Taiga such a nice character (and boyfriend) is that he does accept and continue to love Yuiko despite her wacky and all-encompassing fujoshi passion. When she asks him to write a BL-romance novel featuring her two fave charcters, he doesn’t balk. It may not be his thing, but if he can do something to make her happy, why not give it a try.

This is such a fun and giggle-worthy series. It makes me happy that it doesn’t mock the otaku mentality, but rather, it presents us as people who just love our hobby that much.

It feels odd for me to be sharing so much of my non-anime fangirl interests in this blog, but hey, it’s probably the natural sequence of things: when I post more, I then talk about things that aren’t always 100% relevant to anime.

So, last week, I saw Weezer at a concert in New Jersey. Since then, I’ve been gorging myself on all of their videos, old and new. I’m sure I’ve seen this video before , but now, it was different having an anime or Japan fan mindset.

Dope Nose

OMG WTF cultural appropriation Weezer!… I really wouldn’t say that, because honestly, aren’t both cultures appropriating from each other? Cross-cultural cultural appropriation? The band is using the bōsōzoku to project an image of the tough-cool for their (mostly) Western audience, almost in the same way that the Japanese have picked up elements of American culture and fashion to project their own idea of what it means to be tough-cool in Japan.

I admit, it is cool to see the pimped up motorcycles of the bōsōzoku. This is a subculture that I think most anime/manga fans remember best from Great Teacher Onizuka (or Shonan Junai Gumi if you want to be picky). Maybe somebody who currently lives in Japan can confirm whether there are still packs of these motorcycle gangs riding around, but I have a feeling that this trend is dying out, if not already dead. This group has always felt to me somewhat of a more “romantic ideal” of the young deliquent — think the Jets and the Sharks from West Side Story — they project a tough image, but are actually not as gritty as they seem on the inside. As with most things in Japanese culture, the aesthetic matters more, if not defines, than the actual content.

This is my 3rd entry for Magical Girl Month.

I think this is the first time I’ve reviewed an OEL title on this blog. I’ve actually been reading a lot of them lately (Maximum Ride & Nightschool are must-reads!), so I don’t know what took me so long to write one up.

The concept of an American written and illustrated comic fitting into the mahou shoujo mold may be sacrilege to the purists out there, but believe me, Spy Goddess fits the concept of a magical girl to a T. From the costumes to the wacky reincarnations to the power of love and friendship, it’s all here in spades.

Short summary: Rachel Buchanan is a spoiled little rich girl who is trained as a spy. She works as part of a team of four and in this volume, they all get sent to Japan to stop the activities of their enemies, the Mithrians, led by her enemy Simon Blankenship.

Rachel, to be honest, isn’t a very likeable character in the comic. She’s shallow and kinda dumb, so I really question the judgment of whoever sent her to spy school. I guess it helps that she’s the reincarnation of the goddess Etherea (which is where the goddess part comes from). If that isn’t a typical mahou shoujo set-up, then I don’t know what is.

It’s a shame that the comic doesn’t get a chance to go into detail about Etherea and Mithras. We only know that the goddess banished him to the underworld, and now, he’s come back, all pissed and ready to kill her reincarnation — who just so happens to be Rachel. I actually would like to see more of the goddess, especially since she seems to have an amazing power: when Rachel was losing in her fight with Mithras, Etherea shows her power by flinging him right across the room.

Okay, so I admit the story’s weak. I have a feeling that in order to really appreciate the story plot, you have to be have at least read the first YA novel, if only to get a more in-depth characterization of Rachel and her friends. But for all of the story’s weaknesses, I think that the art does its darndest to make up for it. If I just saw the art for Spy Goddess, without knowing its creator or source, I would’ve thought that this was a manga serialized in Japan.

(If you’ve noticed, I really have taken pains not to call this a manga. My definition of manga means that it has to be a work of sequential art created by a Japanese, and preferably serialized or published in Japan. Flame me all you want, but you’re not going to change my mind on that, sorry.)

The characters are all nicely drawn, and the artist manages to keep the look consistent through the book. I’m also really happy that Yifan Ling (the real name of Rainbow Buddy) doesn’t resort to using chibi-forms of the characters for comedic effect. As other reviews of this book have said, it’s not bad for a first-timer. Her backgrounds and action scenes need some polishing but I’d be happy to pick up her next title only to check out her art.

So, if you know a tween or pre-teen who’s into the kickass girl type of series, this may be a good buy. I’d buy her the YA novel too and give it as a set, just so she gets the full story.

Congratulations, you made it to Friday. So, here, have some pictures of my cat enduring me posing my Nendoroid Zetsubou-sensei while he’s trying to sleep.

This wasn’t planned. The toy just toppled over, as Nendoroids are wont to do, so of course my cat starts sniffing it inquisitively. “Can I eat it?”

This is my 2nd entry for Magical Girl Month.

My post declaring my love and adoration for Nomiya will have to go on hold while I go on record to confessing my unabashed love and devotion to my favorite character from Sailor Moon, KINO Makoto, or the girl they call Sailor Jupiter.

Mako-chan was my favorite from the get-go. I remember her being introduced as the tough, somewhat scary, really tall girl. She towered over the rest of the scouts, and probably most of the boys, and she just gave off this air that you’ll regret the day that you messed with her.

But at the same time, Mako-chan could go from kicking your butt in a fight to baking you the best cake. Of the inner scouts, she was known as the best cook — which was helpful, since Usagi pretty much could stuff an entire cake by herself, no problem — and Wikipedia reminded me that her one of her dreams is to own a cake and flower shop.

Before Sailor Uranus came along to dazzle everyone with her overt androgyny, Jupiter was the epitome of the girl that I’d want to date. She’s sweet, genuinely concerned about her friends, generous with her offerings of treats (hehe) but she can also stand her ground and be as tough as any man. She was awesome in that she was confident in her physical strength and abilities, but also relished and reveled in her femininity. Even then, I found it attractive to see this character who embraced both aspects of her self fully.

Also, she’s hot.

Like really, check out those legs. They seriously go on for days. It may be a while till you finish, so I’ll be waiting here till you’re ready to continue.

Let’s also not forget that of the inner senshi, her attacks made the baddies shake in their well-shined boots. I mean, seriously, she wields lightning! Sorry Mercury-chan, but compared to Supreme Thunder, bubble blast just doesn’t cut it. It pretty much sealed the deal when I first saw Jupiter’s attack, accompanied by the lightning rod rising from her tiara.

And to spread the Sailor Jupiter love some more:

- This AMV pretty much says all what I said above in ~3 minutes. The song is perfectly apt.
- Disney Jupiter: I think the genius of Takeuchi’s work is how it can continually be re-interpreted and adapted by fans yet it still maintains the essence of the characters.
- Sailor Moon: 5 Warriors – a group picture, but it’s cute how Mako-chan’s the only one with a prop. Minako’s expression is pretty priceless too.
- Sailor Jupiter – as one of the commentors noted, it is awesome whenever Sailor Jupiter does this battle pose, and it resembles the astrological symbol for Jupiter. Again, those legs…