Monthly Archives: December 2012

December 10, 2012

Straightening Out Katyusha

By omo

So I read this, and I’m like, OK that’s pretty good.

But here is the thing:

The Crunchyroll stream of Girls und Panzer spans not just the US, but also Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and South Africa. So it’s not a simple (or more likely, technically risky, logistically complex, and expensive) thing to do. Second, Sentai is really the party with the North American license here. Why look to CR to do anything? (Don’t answer, I know.)

I actually contacted CR customer service and they said basically they knew this was going to the case, they asked, and the licensor decided to just not do it. Lvlln’s wax poetry about copyright does not point out the not-as-obvious thing that DiGi Kerot points out–the song is not in the credits for the CR version. That kind of make it obvious that this is a Japan decision, to edit the credit scroll like that.

Now, is Katyusha in public domain in Japan? I actually have no idea. You would think if Japan’s copyright law respects WIPO then it would be life + 50, and given how the creators of Katyusha did not pass away until 1973 and 1990, the song would still be in copyright in Japan. There was probably some complex wrinkle in that so it would be prudent to err on the safe side, but given the production committee nature any Japanese copyright would’ve been easily cleared by the publisher.

At least no aniblogger is trying to claim Apple’s patent is provisionally invalidated. That sort of reporting is just outright public disservice. You’re better off watching a TEDx talk about chanting mantra for Gaia. Again, the “refrain” goes: copyright is too complicated, don’t even try to decipher it, not even your average lawyer can hack it well enough–expert only please.

Leave a comment | posted in English Language Modern Visual Fandom, Girls und Panzer, Modern Visual Culture, Popular Culture

December 8, 2012

Music Games that Make Sense

By omo

While I was plugging away at iM@S Shiny Festa, I realized two things. First, some of the songs have arrangements that are on beat with calls and certain wota moves, and the button presses corresponds to that. I guess as someone who never really got very far in Ouendan, this is a revelation. I mean, this game can teach potential wotas not only the basics about rhythm and how each songs go, but also on which beat things ought to happen, should one chooses to cheer in that manner.

The other thing I realized, perhaps more important to media consumption, is that games like Shiny Festa actually goes with the franchise. It’s not only just another addition or a spoinoff, but it makes sense. Hanagumi Taisen Columns? Not so much. In Shiny Festa’s case , there’s all this “plot” material which may or may not simply add to the canon of the IP or makes these sort-of virtual, 2D idols more like idols and less like characters from some game or anime. But that’s kind of besides the point. I wonder if this is also the case for Project DIVA?

Then invariably I think about the K-ON PSP game. And how that is really, in a way, another way games can make sense in the big picture–it’s the game that makes the thing they tease you about come true. In that game you get to play and watch the band play their songs–the same songs you hear from their CDs and from the anime–except they’re actually playing it like real musicians. It’s all in-game graphics, not pre-rendered stuff, so you can even create your own set given the components provided you within the game. It doesn’t quite complement K-ON fandom in that way, rather, it’s like the fantasy that comes true.

Now, for iM@S, “fantasy that comes true” would partly be the various concerts and live performances, I think. In my case, it was more a gateway rather than a fulfillment, but nonetheless I probably ought to make time and watch more. Like that 7th Anniversary concert that came out last week.

6 comments | posted in Bishoujo Gaming, Idolmaster, K-ON, Sakura Taisen

December 6, 2012

Why Is Girls Und Panzer Brilliant?

By omo

If there are any shortcomings to Girls und Panzer, it would be the following:

  • You got the races wrong. Seriously, these people are just Japanese people painted with the respective nationality’s “skin” on it. It’s super inauthentic.
  • You got the wrong main characters. Pick a different set of 5.
  • The budget and resources were insufficient to achieve the director and creators’ vision.

But don’t get me wrong. None of those things, as per the usual late night anime situation, stop it from being brilliant and entertaining. It’s like giving Uesuka Sumire a role as a Russian girl and have her bust out that русский язык. That is one way to phrase it. The other is that simply, those things are not excuses. They’re not valid ones in my book at any rate.

As to the main question at hand about Girls und Panzer’s greatness, I think it simply channels something simpler. It’s almost like the otherworldly nature of karuta in Chihayafuru, where there’s this otaku-centric vertical about military gear and tanks, along side of that para-militaristic cultural tidbits (as far as Japan goes, which somehow has this sub-sub genre regarding WWII), which may be just downright pandering but the imaginative “tankery” barrier gives it enough separation. That’s all on top of the juxtaposition of these stereotypically anime-style high school girls being the subject matter of the story.

To make a parallel with Strike Witches, tankery is basically the lack of pants, not the magic or the striker units–those are like the actual tanks themselves. And I think just about everyone prefers that over the lack of pants. It’s not to say the lack of pants is not a creative idea, it is just, well, problematic and lacks that depth, which now in Girls und Panzer, is deep two ways.

To sum it up, it’s about maneuvering a plot idea in a way where the distance in the perception comes in at the right angle. What is being told by Girls und Panzer is not some totally genius new idea (eg., varsity sports), but we are now approaching this tried-and-true concept from an unusual angle. (And I’m just thankful it’s not the upskirt one.)

PS. This may be relevant.

PPS. The Crunchyroll stream does not feature the “highlight” of episode 8. I’m miffed but it didn’t occur to me until much later on that this was entirely excised. They did a really clean job of it.

9 comments | posted in Girls und Panzer, Modern Visual Culture

December 2, 2012

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo 7: The Narrative of What We Despise

By omo

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, Sakurasou) had a gap episode between last week and this week, in the form of episode 7. I just want to say that I thought that episode, tonally and in terms of the type of content, fits well within my expectation of Sakurasou. However it doesn’t seem to be that way among not only many anime bloggers (I guess I should link to some) but also just casual viewers. Well, here’s what I found off Animenano:

Well, I guess it wasn’t so negative. That says 50-50, depending on how you interpret Kurogane’s reaction. I omitted one entry because it seemed too neutral to be categorized. Hypothesis: some people really go sour on a show if it has that little sister cliche/plot hook/joke. I guess this is not really new? What’s probably more amusing is how some then go on and try to justify their outlook. I guess I love vanilla ice cream because chemically they are less complicated than most alternatives. Yea, that’s it. This blog post and observation is brought to you by the opinion that I think Sakurasou has consistently remained more or less the same across every episode. If you think episode 7 is somehow way worse than 1-6 (or way better, for that matter), maybe you are hiding something. Dig deeper and search your feelings. You know it to be true.

7 comments | posted in Modern Visual Culture, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo