Possibly the most pathetic sort of blog post is the one that promises future blog posts, without actually containing any substance in itself.

The whole Kyonko thing is, incredibly, still going on. Perhaps not as feverishly as before, but various new fanmade material are being put out in various languages, although primarily Japanese and English. In that time, I've heard all sorts of criticisms about this phenomenon. The most common appear to be the usual screed against fanfiction, fanworks, and fan interpretations in general, claiming that by altering the canon, we are somehow blaspheming against the creator's vision. It's the sort of thing that I can't really counter: I don't agree with that viewpoint, but I can't come up with any sort of reason apart from "just because I disagree". If I tried to pass that off as a valid excuse to change other people's minds, I'd get rightly reamed in debate.

Other arguments against The Genderbending of Haruhi Suzumiya include a more specific distaste for altering the characters' genders, both in the physical and sociological sense. And then there are the simultaneous complaints that we are altering the canon too much, and not altering it enough.

The AnimeSuki thread about the phenomenon is still in existence, although the focus has shifted thanks to the project leaders losing interest in a straight novel conversion. My careful withdrawal from what they are doing right now is something that will have to wait for another post, since I'd rather not end up having to retract what I say in favour of something only marginally more accurate to my meaning.

Which isn't to say that I'm completely out of it, of course. I'm just not working on the Current Hot Project; small little fanfictional efforts are still within the realm of possibility. This is, unfortunately, not going very well, mainly because I appear to have lost the ability to characterize.

To be honest, most of my previous efforts were based on my usual shorthand-simplification method of writing fanfiction: reduce the character to their bold strokes outline, assign them an easily-remembered voice and tone, and things generally work out from there. By this system, Kyonko is the world as written by a tsundere, trying to be cool and aloof like the typical teenager, but protesting against Haruki's antics a little too much. Haruki Suzumiya, for his part, always shouts! Using exclamation marks! He's very excitable! And impatient! He also complains about the shortcomings of others! Repeatedly!

For Mitsuuru Asahina, I took the much-maligned personality of the Generic Spineless Non-Perverted Harem Comedy Male Lead, and gave it to him more or less unchanged, since it seemed appropriate. Itsuko Koizumi gets to copy-and-paste from Wikipedia. Yuuki Nagato is fairly easy to write: any time he has dialogue, I strip it out. Yuuki communicates by staring: "yes" becomes a stare, "no" becomes a stare, "pass the salt" becomes a stare… somehow Kyonko always knows what it means. (Cf Discworld's Librarian, ie "ook".)

I may be exaggerating for effect, but likely far less than you might think. I've been told that I characterize well, which always makes me feel guilty, but I suspect that coming up with subtly-nuanced and complex characters is mostly for the author's benefit, since readers will only remember the vague generalities anyway. (I'm not saying that it's not necessary to come up with complex characters, but that's another blog post in itself.)

The current problem I'm facing (apart from having little motivation to work on the actual novel rewrites, thus keeping myself to fanfiction) is that I kind of need to explain some mind-numbingly complicated theory, which allows me both Itsuko and Yuuki as mouthpieces, but it is highly improbable that Kyonko will let them infodump without snarky commentary. The theory (about multiverses, largely obtained from several science fiction books of varying hardness) is difficult enough to understand without the reader getting distracted by pained attempts at humour. And yet walls of text are also unwelcome, leaving me with the version of writers' block whereby I know what I want to write, but I don't know how to write it.

I have newfound respect for Tanigawa Nagaru for being able to explain stuff like Euler's planar graph formula in a coherent and entertaining manner, even through a layer (or two) of translation.

No doubt the title will lead to more Google searches about student council improvements in general, rather than the anime.

I admit that the only reason I even know about this show, apart from seeing it pass uncommented and unmentioned in the torrential rivers of information that proceed daily through my consciousness, is due to the vocal presence of Yukari Tamura. I should mention that I am not a true fan of voice actors and actresses, in that I base my observations on nothing more than whether I like how they sound. I know nothing about their daily lives, their personalities (real or manufactured), their interests and hobbies… actually, if it comes down to it, I don't want to know. I've had the nasty experience of having a work (a webcomic, if you were wondering) "tainted" by knowledge of the elitist and cavalier attitude of its creator. It's a weird mental block on my part, but it does mean that I'd rather not know about all the inevitable celebrity scandals and such accompanying the VAs I recognize and love listening to.

Having Chiwa Saitou on the cast list is a nice bonus, of course.

Best Student Council (or its Japanese name, Gokujou Seitokai) is the sort of show one should not look at too closely. Rino's handpuppetry of Pucchan is mildly creepy, hinting as it does of some sort of unsound mental state. As the show progresses, this turns into something supernatural, which is probably worse.

And yet, if you just watch it for the comedy and the gags and the funny facial expressions, it's not a bad show. Not thoroughly outstanding, but not bad. Certainly enjoyable enough, if only for the first watch-through.

I've noticed that this sort of denial of the more uncomfortable aspects and implications in my entertainment, via the careful compartmentalization of higher mental functions, leads to less aggravation and burn-out overall. So it goes.

Through no real deliberate intent on my part, I seem to have drifted away from what I suppose could be broadly called "the anime blogging community". I suppose I'm technically still a part of this "community", in that I am blogging anime, and thus I can be considered to be part of the anime blogging community by default. And yet, I don't actually participate in any of the activities that would make me a Part Of The Community beyond that which is conferred merely by existing.

I suspect that a part of it is due to Real Life. The pace has either stepped up, or my brain has stepped down; both possibilities are equally plausible and disturbing. Apart from the obvious side effect of leaving me with less time to enjoy my hobbies, anime watching and blogging being among them, it does mean that I cannot quite eke out the mental fortitude to engage in the spirited volleys that passes for conversation among fandom.

Very few blogs, this one included sometimes, actually want to engage in discussion. Most of the time, it's just a venue to air our viewpoints, however we see fit to do so. In many occasions I've tried to be patient and rational in a debate with someone who is clearly not interested in dialogue, a fact which is borne out when the other party says in effect "actually I don't care what you or anyone else says, I'm just venting". I have no inherent objections against venting if it is made clear that the rant is not a topic to be discussed in depth. Otherwise, the failure in communication just wastes time.

This gets even worse when it comes to the statement of opinions. One thing I learned to do is to make sure that when it comes to touchy topics, it is abundantly clear which parts of what I am saying is fact, and which parts are opinion. The rule of thumb is that if it's not firm enough to be printed as a reputable source (ie "go to press"), then it's opinion. It's a little like that quote about journalists calling murderers "the alleged murderer" and the King of England "the alleged King of England" to avoid defamation suits.

What it all boils down to is that I have the option of Participating In The Anime Blogging Community by sparring with the people involved, or staying out of it all and spending my time watching anime instead. I simply do not have the Copious Free Time or emotional willpower to engage in both activities at once on a regular basis. It's difficult enough to come to terms with my own unpopular opinions, such as with the run of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya's "Endless Eight" (summary: I really liked it), but when I see another post bashing it (fine) with incorrect language (not fine), I have to hold my figurative tongue rather than get into an argument I know I cannot finish.

So it goes.

For some reason, I find the GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class ending theme "Colouring Palettes" kind of catchy. Specifically, the Tomokane version has some cool guitar riffs, despite my not actually liking Tomokane (as a character) that much, at least compared to Kisaragi or Namiko (or possibly Miyabi). The song doesn't quite hit the "good gods this is AWESOME" area, but it's enjoyable to listen to, and that's probably all that really matters.

It does keep my mind off the spectacle of Baby Noda humping the teddy bear.

Sometimes I get reminded once again that my tastes in general hew quite closely to the norm, despite what the immense amount of flames and insults I have received regarding said tastes might suggest. To be more precise, my tastes are close to what anime production companies believe to be, if not the norm, then at least in the vicinity of the norm, able to recoup its expenses in making an anime from the manga thereof.

Or something.

Omamori Himari is getting animated, and will be airing sometime in 2010, which I know is Old News, or possibly Old Olds. I've only really noticed these happenings because I went on a re-reading binge recently: for the most part, I don't particularly follow news of upcoming anime, unless they are of things I am currently obsessed with. Omamori Himari, sad to say, is not one of them, but I do like it for the comedy, so this piece of information is not unwelcome.

There's not much to say apart from that. Himari will be voiced by Ami Koshimizu, to the probable interest of a friend of mine. The art style looks a little different, but it's a bishoujo harem comedy anime with action elements; I can tolerate quite a lot. Good or bad, the anime will not somehow magically invalidate the existence of the manga, so I see it as a bonus more than anything.

All this mild interest could be because the primary reason I like the manga in the first place are the Wacky Comedy Hijinks, some of which are probably too risque to broadcast. And in the true tradition of my odd mental patterns, I've latched onto yet another minor side character as my Favourite: Lizlet L. Chelsie, the British teacup in maid form.

After Hayate the Combat Butler, I may have to clarify what I've come to realize is an assumption about me: I don't actually have very much interest in the maid uniform thing. I mean, I don't dislike it actively, but to me, it's only an outfit that happens to have frills, which I do find interesting. However, since lots of magical girl outfits in general have frills, it's not like the maid uniform has a monopoly on this.

So the reason I like Lizlet is not because she wears a maid outfit. (Besides, she does state that she's not actually a maid, but merely a waitress in a maid cafe.) Unfortunately, I don't know why I like Lizlet, other than a faint desire to see her in casual clothes for some reason or other. Possibly this is because casual clothes means that she's not on duty, which implies some sort of special occasion, such as a date, which in turn promises a given amount of romantic development.

Maybe it's because compared to the other girls in Yuuto's harem, Lizlet's approaches, despite being as direct as the others, is relatively tame. Yes, she does want to do the dirty with Yuuto, but it's presented as more of a Young Lady In Love kind of thing, ratcheted slightly towards the ecchi side. (Again, compare this to every other girl in the harem, all of whom want to do the dirty right now.) Lizlet does exhibit signs of distress when she's left out of the harem hijinks, but mostly because she's been left out of the fun; jealousy does not appear to be a factor. Lizlet appears perfectly happy to share, which is probably not a happy thought for Yuuto.

Maybe it's Lizlet's non-combat status. Yes, she does her her own special moves ("Black Tea Drop!"), and she has the advantage of being invincible as long as her "real body", the teacup, is undamaged. But she's a shoujo protagonist in the midst of this shounen action manga, and she knows that the best place to be when the fighting starts is somewhere else.

Or maybe it's because her teacup is implied to be an erogenous zone. To speak of unusual euphemisms.

Occasionally there are things anime, or at least related to anime by various degrees, that I feel are interesting and worthy of being liked, as opposed to the more generic indifference that I greet many random series with.

Which makes it a pity that I'm not actually allowed to talk about them without thoroughly incriminating myself. That, or the discussion will quickly devolve into a great deal of winking, nudging, and sniggering.

I understand that it's a little difficult to believe all-round, but my peculiar mental and emotional disposition does mean that I can appreciate the admittedly relatively flimsy premise on its own terms, and only long after it has been pointed out to me do I realize that this is not the sort of reaction I am technically supposed to have.

It is said that the surest sign of a dead online endeavour is an excuse about how things are so busy in Real Life and I'll promise to update it as soon as I can, really, no problems about that, just need to find the time… so on and so forth. In many cases when that happens it's time to break out the coffins and dolorous choirs and solemn faces and diamonds worth 5,000 gold pieces.

In any case, I think I'm just about ready to declare that Hidamari Sketch is indeed one of a kind. It's not that GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class is a bad show by any means: indeed, it's one of the more enjoyable ones this season. But I just can't bring myself to appreciate the music as much as I did for HidaSketch. Again, it's not so much that GA is Bad, but more that HidaSketch is Better. (To be precise, Better for me, since I'm basing this all on subjective taste.)

The background music of a show is probably an odd thing to focus on, especially since I don't have any sort of background in music (pun considered and let go). I couldn't tell you why I prefer the music of HidaSketch better, but I just do. This, despite the effective usage of themes in GA, such as during Tomokane's Tangerine Speedo Dream sequence. It's fitting, but I don't find myself humming along after the episode is done.

I should note that with only two episodes (yes, I'm following the subs for this one, since I suck at jargon), GA has a good chance of… well, not really catching up per se. This isn't a competition between HidaSketch and GA, since I find such things difficult to judge fairly anyway. Mostly, I just want to know why I like Hidamari Sketch so much, or if I just like Bright Happy Shows About Girls Doing Art.

Reading other reactions to the show have reinforced my belief that any direct comparisons are misguided. GA is not trying to be HidaSketch, or vice versa, since I'm not sure which came first (or if it even matters). GA does seem to be quite informative, presenting terms used in the visual arts in an easily-digested manner. I suppose one could say that Hidamari Sketch is Art about art, while GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class is art about Art.

I do find myself strangely interested in completely inconsequential random characters, though. What are they really talking about? Why is the girl fiddling with her hair? Why is the guy acting particularly flippant? Are they siblings? Good friends? Childhood friends? Is there a side romance to be told, full of heart-pounding experiences that only youth can bring?

It's a bad habit of mine.

Read the rest of this entry »

I admit that this is a little late for my usual two-posts-per-week. Let us just leave it at "Real Life" and move on.

Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen translates roughly to "Absolute/Ultimate Peace Plan", which happens to be the primary premise of the manga: two countries were at war, but peace was quickly declared when it was discovered that the prince of one country and the princess of another were deeply in love with each other. Prince Johanne is a proud warrior, and Princess Euda is a gentle healer, as keeping with traditional gender roles or some such. However, the truth of the matter is that the True Love is not exactly True, and indeed only an act to stop the senseless violence from continuing. And so now Johanne and Euda have to learn how to live with each other, while pretending to be lovey-dovey in public.

This, incidentally, is not a spoiler, since the manga takes immense pains to mention all of this at the beginning of every chapter. It's as tedious as it sounds.

Even so, I find myself fascinated by this manga, despite it being very, well, shoujo. For everyone who criticizes moe anime for being repetitive and unimaginative, please take note of the incessant refrains of "I love him! Wait, no I don't! Wait, yes I do!" that make up the majority of the inner monologues. And Johanne, in true shoujo love interest style, is pretty much a jerk, albeit with the requisite Heart Of Gold. Most of the manga is told from Euda's point of view, which does mean that she gets the vast majority of screentime.

And that, perhaps, is why I'm still reading this: apart from the amusing situations Euda gets herself into in trying to make herself love Johanne (except not really, except yes, except no, except yes), she's fairly short, and has pretty much one dress style. Comedy is thus obtained in inverse proportion to Euda's height.

(Also, Euda reminds me so much of Kyonko that I'm starting to associate the two together now. This is a little odd.)