Category Archives: Simoun

October 2, 2006

Trying to Get Simoun Out of My System, Attempt #2

By omo

With the shows I’ve been following coming to an end, a quick review is in order. Maybe it’ll remind me that there’s more to life than the girls onboard Arctus Prima.

If you didn't get it, it has to do with Otome

Simoun vs. Ouran High Host Club

It’s not that I am not afraid of comparing apples with oranges, but it struck me that what is missing in Ouran Host Club is exactly what makes Simoun so good.

I like to criticize Suzumiya Haruhi no Uuutsu on the basis that Kyoani, outside of maybe Air, has generally gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to adding that “feel” to a show. I have a hard time putting it to words, but it can be said that the same effect can be replicated when you cook chicken breasts the wrong way, that they come out tasting like soft chalk. Granted, the effect is nowhere nearly as bad. FMP: TSR was as bad as it gets, and it isn’t that bad at all. Maybe it’s the consistency? Does it lack “soul”?

But I feel that is exactly what makes Ouran Host Club remind me of Suzumiya Haruhi no Uuutsu. Ouran, as visually impressive as it is, fails to reach that visceral-ness Suzumiya Haruhi did. But like Suzumiya Haruhi, Ouran is a very cerebral experience, it is very smart. The characters are both flat and round in order for the gags, both visual and mental, to work, and I think the show did a decent job of that. That’s not to mention my favorite part of the show–the direction. It’s sharp and clever. Even in its weaker moments it doesn’t fail to impress. In some ways it surpasses most anime that I can remember on the technicals, even if it couldn’t hit those “we pour love and money into this episode!” peaks that shorter, TV anime this past year did.

I can foresee that in the near future I’ll come around to enjoy Haruhi again. But for now, this show is the diametric opposite to Simoun: it’s clean, it doesn’t leave you attached, it impresses visually and mentally, but leaving you a little longing inside.

Tsuyokiss vs. Simoun

In some ways Tsuyokiss only reached the first step of what Simoun did, but since it gambled all 13 episodes on that one thing, it came out pretty well when we look at Tsuyokiss on that one thing, and only that one thing. That one thing, well, it is probably best described as a dialogue the anime production people have with the audience. It tries to tease you, it tries to please you. It knows what it has to work with is crap and it doesn’t care even if it is the worse case of original-adaptation-cide ever. It is unapologetic about it, but in a way it expects you to know that much. In the end it delivers on a platter of something that is like a B- high school group project, but since you were a part of the group, you get sentimental over it.

Simoun, on the other hand, has gotten that bit over with when Mamiina broke out with fists and claws. Since it is twice longer than 13 episodes, it can’t afford to do the same either. Their first tour with Wauf was all about it.

Simoun vs. Blood+

Blood+ is a very clean show. The production value shines through. It is intelligent yet it has the pacing of a typical 90s anime that aims to dramatize. The story, in retrospect, is a powerful one. However, most of the power was robbed by its mechanical, one-fight-per-episode formula that is as mediocre as it gets. There is some sense of overall planning and vision, but on the ground it doesn’t please or tease or amuse anyone. It tries too hard being cool the whole way, when it could have gotten a lot farther by shedding the drama and just get things done, and offer up some twists.

On the other hand you can look at it as a sign of respect. Blood+ knows we know what it has up its sleeves, and it’s just a matter of waiting it out. However it feels like all this formalistic pretense just gets in the way of me trying to enjoy Saya’s plea.

Simoun vs. Honey & Clover 2

I hope Mamiina didn’t mistake rats with hamsters.

The concluding 12 episodes of Honey & Clover was rather good, I thought. But the break between episodes 26 and the recapping episode 27 really spoiled things. As here we were, all ready to accept things as it was with how the first 26 episodes ended (and it was a decent way to end something that “doesn’t end” I thought). Yet now there’s real closure.

Of course, by episode 26 you get a good idea how Takemoto is going to take things, and what happens between Rika, Mayama; Yamada, Nomiya; and obviously Hagu… Can’t say I am NOT surprised but somehow how it ended felt right; things ended as it should (save for the little oddness with Hanamoto-sensei that will boggle and mislead a bunch of fools).

But was it all just ending for having an ending’s sake? Is it really just a long-ass ending thing? It would certainly make Honey & Clover one hella unique anime. Not only as a romantic comedy it was rather unconventional, it has the longest ending sequence ever.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni vs. Simoun

Satoshi visits the Spring, only to realize boycotts and local conspiracies murdered Onashia and her relatives over dam construction at the ruins. Add drugs, dogfighting, gruesome torture, and identity crisis. Tempus Spatium makes a guest appearance in the form of Mion’s tatoo.

Higurashi was great up to episode 5. From then on it tries to explain and continue to add more to the wholesome mix of loli horror, but it never quite reaches the same peak. A mostly linear downhill ride, I’d say. Admittedly this genre is fairly NOT my bag of tea but I enjoyed what little there was to enjoy about this show. The OP itself was awesome for setting the mood and all.

Bokura ga Ita vs. Simoun

One makes me feel gay, the other doesn’t? And while I think I would be pretty comfortable watching Bokura ga Ita with other, non-anime people, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with myself watching Bokura ga Ita even if I was by myself. Those times I wish I was watching Ouran High instead. Less yucky, more pretty.

But nonetheless it’s a nice, alternative take to the same genre. I’m just not sure if I can take it…period. It drives me insane.

And let’s not forget. I’d rather have other people walk in on me watching Neviril kissing some other equally “moe-looking” chick than stick-figure Yano and Bokura ga Ita’s simple visuals. It’s that bad. Or it’s that good? I suppose that’s shoujo anime in its bare form.

Simoun vs. Coyote Ragtime Show

I’d be pretty happy if Angelica hooks up with Amuria or Onashia or something. She is a pretty, enlightened, old fashion gal and I think without her the Coyote Ragtime show would be only a shadow of its current self. I enjoyed the show, that said, because it has this die hard feel to it. Too bad objectively the show kind of tanked in some major aspects. I blame it squarely on Katana, Bishop, and Mister themselves. Being such important aspects to the show they are really pretty … lame. Swamp, being the token black guy, at least did his job well enough. Considering we have three (to 4 to 5 if the Coyotes break up) narrative perspectives, at least 2 out of 3 involves something less lame, like the 12 Sisters or Chelsea and Angelica, the show wasn’t too terrible to watch. But as a proof of concept I think it fails terribly. Maybe it would have been better if Bishop and Katana had more going on rather than being sidekicks.

Simoun vs. Aria the Natural

An episode of Aria is like an episode of Simoun once you remove any trace of conflict. The girls do not kiss each other, but they might as well. I think what really makes Aria works is the SD. I hated Aria-prez when Aria first got animated a while back, and now that’s all but a remote memory–it shows just how powerful your brain is in ignoring or filtering out stuff that it really doesn’t like. And that can include those girl-on-girl kisses. It would be just as an irritant as Aria-prez’s incessant whining.

And some might even like that!

7 comments | posted in Aria, Bokura ga Ita, Coyote Ragtime Show, Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, Honey And Clover, Modern Visual Culture, Ouran High Host Club, Simoun, Suzumiya Haruhi no Uuutsu, Tsuyokiss

September 27, 2006

Trying to Get Simoun Out of My System, Attempt #1

By omo

It’s over, it’s all subbed. But am I ready to move on?

PIKACHUUUU

There are so many things to say about Simoun, and I’m going to try get get to all the key things, lest I ceased to be motivated.

But let’s start with the very first, basic thing: spoilers. Simoun is a show that will not be worth your while if you saw it while spoiled. Try to steer yourself clear of that if you plan to enjoy this show at some point in the future.

That said, it’s hard to talk about Simoun without spoiling, so that’s probably going to happen if you continue reading :)

Another thing that’s easily addressed is the music. Ok, so we know Toshihiko Sahashi is the composer, and he’s famous for, say, grand stuff like Gunslinger Girl and Rayearth OAV; or the more staple stuff like Full Metal Panic and Gundam Seed. I don’t really think he’s superlative in his works in Simoun, but he really nailed it as far as the style of music that goes with this stuff–waltz, classical-appealing orchestrations, of things romantic. There’s the right degree of pompousness, and it characterizes the Sybillas well, as elite, and often rich, well-to-do daughters of other elite, rich people. And enough weird stuff for those more uptempo, mysterious scenes, too. Doubly sweet are those “image” songs, such as the music box song, the one waltz they keep dancing to, and Dominura’s surprising performance.

I think there’s less to be said of the OP/ED themes. They work as OP/ED themes, but standing alone they’re both not really strong. Of course now both pieces are completely covered with the sentiments from watching this show, and the words to “Utsukushi Kereba Sore de Ii” hammers the key points home.

And it really is about these salient points, or as I tend to call them as themes. And there are several prominent ones. The coming-of-age story, the find-one-self story, and the idealist/realist conflict. The confusing conclusion to the show all makes sense once you start to think along the themes, at least so I think.

The ending itself is a little loose, sad, and moody piece generally. It doesn’t tie up any of the loose ends plot-wise but the last two episodes give us the details of their lives after they had to make the choice. I think if you’ve seen it, some of the choices these girls end up with are self-evident (Lodore, Para). Some are fun (Floe, Morinas), others are a little ordinary (Alti, Kaimu). Anubituf and Grageif ended up fairly amusing. Will Vyuraf end up like them? One can only hope so.

But when it comes to Limone and Dominura; Yun; and of course Neviril and Aeru, it’s harder. If you recall Utena the Movie, we can write off Neviril and Aeru in that sense–the duo pursuit something more in abandon of what society has thrust upon them. The differences, mainly, is in the context. Utena was fable-ish within a backdrop of everyday society; where as Simoun had a specific context instilled within its elaborate universe. As a result the act of rebellion and the lesbian conquest had a very different meaning behind it.

Harder still is trying to fit Yun in all of this. She really is a victim of setting–we understand why she did it, but the how really bothers me. Perhaps it’s exactly in this way Simoun fails me as an end.

The same question of how stumbles me when I think about Limone and Dominura. We understand how and why of Limone and Dominura’s context in their travels (one of the several points in Simoun which a spinoff seems appropriate). But WTH? STD (Space-time Transmitted Disease)? I suppose Simoun has given us enough hints to piece together the framework, and I may just too dense to figure out as to why she’s flaking. She has Limone, after all?

The question of how is probably the greatest stumbling block to Simoun. Its unexpected road from climax to end is by no means the problem. Not having things explained, in itself, isn’t a problem either. The issue arises from its elaborate story and context and setting. It’s too good to be cast aside just because explaining it all will unravel this mighty-beauty suspension bridge of belief. Nonetheless, a few more road signs will go a long way.

But the setting, my, the setting. It is probably my favorite aspect of the show and it will stick with me for a long while. Gender bending, the tech, the faux steam-less-steampunk. The foreign languages. The Ri Maajons. The class system. Tempus Spatium. So remarkable. So wonderful twists. And all an integral part of this romance. It’s not just a gimmick.

Romance, I think, is the word I would use to describe the feel of the show. Some would describe it as WWII era drama pieces where a lot of the mood comes during scenes when the cast stare longingly down the runway and into the sky, pining at pilots at war. The similarity are there, and these kinds of elements, more than the interpersonal romance, played a bigger part in painting the show with the right texture, that gives traction to the rest of the drama.

I wouldn’t say the watch was easy, but it has a distinct taste and texture–creative and unique. For a jaded anime faux-intellectual like me, that’s just irresistable. Once you couple that with the roller coaster drama in the middle of the series, it was just too delightful. How the two big dramatic events mid-series affect the story is also pretty interesting, too, and rather unusual.

I won’t deny it, either, when you look back at the show and still only see a bunch of cute girls flying jet planes and blowing things up, while kissing each other…that is probably enjoyable too. But for those of us who would rather take it seriously, there’s a lot to take seriously of!

But when Dominura and Limone took their quantum leap, it was awe inspiring. Both in the acting and in the way they constructed the tension and released it. Now that I’ve had a lot of space and things to put in between now and then, it almost seem irrational and odd for Dominura to do what she did. Or rather, by finding the one (and possibly only) meaning behind her action can we sift through the real significance to it.

Indeed, if she knew what the Emerald Rimaajon did, why did she do it at that point? Are we merely fooled by Amuria’s destructive attempt? Is it unintended irony that Neviril’s moment of mercy caused a massacre? A rewatch (as I had several times since months ago) did show that the emerald Rimaajon is a peaceful transcendence, then and even again at episode 26. Was Dominura meaning to abandon? Probably not. Was Limone looking forward to the magical cure as a way out of their predicament? Maybe. It was what they meant to do as girls, as people living wholly for themselves. But it has other meanings too–Schrödinger’s CatAmuria, for example. (By the way, there is little doubt that she is dead, even if they left some space for the contrary).

On the other hand, it’s no coincidence that we were flashed back to Neviril’s performance in front of the inquisition regarding the Arctus Prima explosion several times during the show. While I personally would inject a particular perspective (like related to this), it’s probably safe to say that is a defining point in her path to what she turned out to be at the end of the series. Amuria is similar to Aeru in a lot of ways, sure, and Neviril loved both of them. The difference between the two relationships, logically, is where we can see how Neviril has grown and how she learned to come to terms with what she defines herself with. She made important realizations–about Tempus Spatium, about their organized beliefs, and about what a Sybilla is. It’s partly why she could anchor Chor Tempest in the later episodes of doubt and despair.

In fact, there’s a positively lovely domino effect where one girl helps another to pull through this trying time. Without Lodoremon, we won’t have the reformed Mamiina. Without Limone, Dominura would not have made the “right” decision later on. Without Paraietta, Kaimu and Alti would not have reconciled. Without many of theses we wouldn’t have a Neviril that we see at the end of the series. Of course, without Aeru and Neviril Paraietta would not have reformed and become the integral leader for the Chor Tempest girls. Even Aeru learned a few important things from Floe! Even the Plumbum priestesses had a couple big roles.

I think this is where Simoun remarkably differ from Utena or even Evangelion in dealing with these kind of themes. Utena’s characters were, as the show suggests explicitly, puppets pushing and pulling our protagonists along. The movie version does the best job, IMO, in showing that Anthy was the one true heroine at the end, and Utena is just her trusty partner during her trials in some ways. Evangelion, OTOH, dealt with the similar themes in a similar way, but there wasn’t real understanding between the characters, compared to Simoun.

This spiraling train wreck of a post will have to end here. Theories and conspiracies are great for this show because it beckons, yet I think it would still be imprudent to dive into it full force without reason as a safety rope. Meanwhile, enjoy some eyecatches. Simoun’s eyecatches are as amusing as eyecatches can get, and they do a good job highlighting each episode. A short stroll down Neg’s blog is in order here. When it comes to eyecatches I like it when they make the additional effort to make it a part of the entire experience, and they’ve done a great job. It’s like the first thing you see when people post it on 2ch, and it spreads like wildfire with raws and subs trailing behind. Plus, they’re just gorgeous usually.

Until next time.

17 comments | posted in Modern Visual Culture, Simoun

September 25, 2006

A Musical: A Tribute to Floe

By omo

[Light spoilers up to episode 25, maybe 26. Below is written in a play script form.]

A Stage Production...

[Setting: The deck of Arcus Prima, under the canopy. The flying fortress lies in disrepair, abandoned.]

[The view changes to the aging music machine, winding down and playing a melody]

[Back on deck, Limone and Lodoremon sit side by side, on a park bench. Quietly the two survey what little natural beauty entangled with the signs of nature claiming the temple garden as her own.]

Limone: So is this it?

Lodoremon: It seems that is it! How is life with Dominura?

Limone: Oh, it’s… interesting. But enough about me! How are you?

Lodoremon: Oh, haha, you know how it is. I barely get by these days. So swamped with work, especially given what’s going on with Argetum and Plumbum. It’s rather nice, a change of pace, to sit here and chat and watch them go at it.

Limone: I think it’s embarrassing.

Floe [off the screen]: No it’s not!

[The view suddenly cuts to Paraietta, on a stage, spotlight and curtain and all. Paraietta struck a pose and sings:]

Paraietta: You are everything that is bright and clean / The antonym of me / You are divinity.

[Cut to flashback of prayer to the Plumbum priestesses; the rape; then the prayer scene between Paraietta and Neviril]

[Cut suddenly back to the same stage, spotlight on Lodoremon, likewise, singing]

Lodoremon: But a certain sign of grace is this / From the broken earth flowers come up / Pushing through the dirt!

[Cut to flashback of Mamiina, then cutting her hair, then lying in the flowery field]

[Cut to Yun on stage, spotlight, alone, doing the same]

Yun: You are everything that is bright and clean / And You’re covering me with Your majesty

[Cut to flashback of Onashia, then Yun making a nest, then Yun hugging Onashia]

[Cut to Morinas, on stage, spotlight, the same]

Morinas: And the truest sign of grace was this / From wounded hands redemption fell down / Liberating man!

[Cut to flashback; Waporif waving; Morinas’s boob moment in ep15; Wapourif’s final scene in ep26]

[Cut to stage; spotlights on Alti and Kaimu, hand in hand, singing]

Alti & Kaimu: But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel / The depth of our fall and the weight of it all

[Cut to flashback: rape; shower; A&K’s childhood scene]

[Cut to stage; spotlight on Neviril, singing]

Neviril: And so this might could be the most impossible thing / Your grandness in me making me clean!

[Cut to flashback: The exploded cockpit; the scene where Neviril consoles Aeru in ep21; the jail scene with Neviril]

[Cut to stage; hands joined, left to right, Paraietta, Kaimu, Alti, Morinas, Lodoremon, Yun, and Neviril. In chorus:]

Group: Glory, hallelujah / Glory, glory, hallelujah

[Suddenly, loud cracks breaks through the ceiling. The view pans up and revealing a mostly naked Aeru suspended on wire-fu string-works, descending onto the stage. She sings while floating down:]

Aeru: So here I am, all of me / Finally everything / I am wholly yours.

Continue reading

4 comments | posted in Modern Visual Culture, Simoun

September 23, 2006

Saiunkoku Monogatari Is Not an Epic Venezian Conspiracy

By omo

The World Needs More Neviril

I think my Aria the NATURAL backlog is now fully attributed to the fact that Saiunkoku Monogatari has taken over its role as an inoffensive no-brainer. I watch it to appreciate the reverse-harem almost, but more because Shuurei is just so cute and I WUB KUWASHIMA HOUKO…?

Nonetheless I think this show is getting the right amount of attention. I really don’t think it’s so good that you should drop a show just so you can watch it, but unlike Aria, stuff happens. It keeps my wandering mind focused when I put an episode in the media player once a week, on a tiring weeknight, for the fear that if I was watching Aria instead, I’ll fall asleep.

But I went into SaiMono thinking it’ll actually have an interesting setting and story, which so far neither has been the case. We see Shuurei, the only child of the court librarian (Chief IT officer?) learning her ropes as a girl who grew up during hard times, “taming” the delinquent King. Then she goes on this women’s suffrage bit, which is empowering and interesting but kind of, well, boring. Thankfully they’ve layered up enough mystery behind every single thing in the show that nothing is what it seems and there’s probably enough unexplained back story to make an entire anime series on its own. To be fair, yes, most of the potentially “interesting” stuff has not been explained.

Now, I’ve only seen about 12 episodes, but at this point they’re just doing the usual parade of tropes–the court queer, the double agent, the double-double agent, the secret successor, various lineage tricks, the “I understand you but I must fight you” crap, gender bending, typical puppetry and manipulation in politics, etc.

Does it matter? Not anymore. It feels almost slice-of-life, yet stuff goes on! I guess the production value is overshadowing the flaws of the adaptation at this point. A good thing, probably, because out of its planned 39 episodes, it will have a lot of room to hit some climaxes. I’m just wishing those would come soon, if not already! I gave Simoun at least 14 episodes, and 16 was sweet enough to sell me out to it. I hope that is the case with SaiMono.

5 comments | posted in Aria, Modern Visual Culture, Saiunkoku Monogatari, Simoun

August 30, 2006

The Role of Fansubs in Today’s World: Food & Fuel for Fans

By omo

Canned Peaches

Aside from fansubbing for freedom, just why do people fansub? Who would commit copyright infringement of derivative work in producing a translated version of their favorite show, and do it again when they reproduce and distribute them?

I’m not sure how many people watch mainland Chinese-produced TV shows, but being able to watch some of the CCTV’s programming at my grandmother’s place via satellite, my impression was that they’re actually passibly ok. Granted sometimes it’s so obvious which segment is produced “with an agenda” and a lot of the TV stations there struggle to put content on the table, it’s not to say there are no interesting shows to watch.

But a Chinese fansub of Lost? Yeah, nothing like that. Definitely butchered Desperate Housewives just won’t fly with Chinese people in its purported ported form.

In retrospect this was almost like the case how anime took off in the US. We’ve had some anime on TV already for the longest time. Granted I wouldn’t call anime then really anything special, and anime as a form and as an industry has evolved in Japan over these decades, yet we had them in their rare dosage. Fast-forward to 2006; you can get relatively fresh anime on satellite/cable or even off the air with some regularity. Top hits like Cowboy Bebop and Naruto? Even family shows like Shin-chan? Crazy and unimaginable 10 years ago. HD anime? ZOMG.

But has anime as I know it landed on Plymouth Rock? In a lot of ways it has. Like Avatar? OEL manga? Otakon and AX? Manga sales in big-box bookstores? It has exploded, in some sense, in the mainstream of US. It’s even more pronounced in some other countries like France, where manga folds into the large print industry there like an adopted child from Asia.

Yet, in some ways it has not landed; in other words, how anime is in Japan (and indirectly so, the frame of mind behind the production thereof) has remained mostly a Japan-only situation. Partly, that’s what drives me to the internet in the first place–you could talk Pokemon and Digimon with people in real life, but not Magic Knight Rayearth. Some people knew about Evangelion, but most people didn’t really want to talk about it for the most part (lol). Best Buy may carry some of my favorite titles locally, but no one ever ask me to talk about them save once, when I worked there.

I suppose all I am doing is to suggest a new framework to examine the purpose of fansubbing. As an anime fan for a while and blogger for a short while, it struck me that while my preference is in the meta, anime fans still cannot exist without anime. That’s half of the reason why this blog exists. As such, fansubs are the fuel for fandom.

Fansub is food for thought; the carbohydrate culture where you cultivate fanboy germs.

It’s extraordinarily clear when it comes to Simoun. It’s just a huge pain in the ass to try to talk about this show: 1) It’s full of spoilers, so I can only really talk about it with people who has kept up as I did. 2) It needs subs, as the show itself is full of expository material, and hard to understand for me, and many others. 3) It needs a lot of subs, as the first bunch of episodes doesn’t really get into the show much, but rather more like an extended, no-apology extended introduction. Besides, all the juicy stuff happens later on.

Another example is FLAG. It’s a shorter series unlike Simoun, and it is very visual and visceral. However even if I can follow it raw, people just don’t pay attention to it out of lack of subs being available. At any rate, there’s a gap, imaginary or otherwise, between untranslated works and translated work. I think it’s fair to say, right now, FLAG is a show that has fallen through the fan network crack out of its poor fansub availability.

The idea that fansubs fuel fandom is predicated on a very obvious idea, I hope. If no one talks about the show, there cannot be any hype. The fan community thrives on words of mouths. People want to “take part” in the bandwagoning; the adoring and talking-it-up of a certain franchise. It’s half the reason why people hear about Fate Stay Night and Tsukihime, or even like it for some. We know hype, well, sells. But more importantly hype generates MORE hype, in the case of something genuinely interesting (and I mean that both in good and bad ways). It’s what drives fans, both people who flock to that and people who gets pissed off from hype. It’s why people bother talking about that stupid Bandai PR thing regarding Solid State Society.

But I did say Fate Stay Night, so I’ll be clear about it: yes, hype can exist in a vacuum without fansubs and anything like that. That is exactly why hype generates more hype–Fate is hyped already, and other fans feeds on top of it. Nonetheless you need something to start it off, and fansubs are one of those things. Again, look at Suzumiya Haruhi. (Inversely, hype also drives fansubbing.) And of course, the major argument today about needlessness of fansubs resides that the marketing machine is already in full swing as far as penetrating the fanbase online and the massive crowd of normal fan through more traditional outlets (TV, magazines, cons, store displays, websites that gives you the first ep for free, etc). Still, fansubs are a fairly unique way to market in which the substitutes just don’t go nearly as far. I think even today it is an important method to generate hype, if not the primary method to generate hype for titles that I am interested in.

If I had to say why, it would be because the historic nature of development of the anime fan scene has evolved in a way that is dependent on fansubs. Think of it as bonsai. See the next section for an alternative take on the effects of fansubbing on anime fandom.

While it isn’t conclusive or a solid indicator, you can get a feel as to popularity of currently-ongoing shows by just how widely available as fansubs that they are. Take Aria the Natural for instance (one slacking in being subbed), and compare it with Zero no Tsukaima (one that is right on top).

From another perspective, this role fansubs take on is just an extension of what they originally were for: to promote awareness of something wholly unavailable in one isolated demographic. However, that fansubbing is still alive and well today goes to show that the mission is not complete from some perspectives. Anime has yet to fully land on Plymouth Rock. The commercial infrastructure may be available, but it just hasn’t happened yet. Alternatively, what are fans to do when faced with this artificial chasm between the Japan scene and their local scene? News travel just as fast as these copyrightable “food for fans” and not even taking money into account, a fan will do what a fan has to do.

As fuel, fansubs sustain the internet fan infrastructure, and fans wear this badge in honor of the internet’s nature as a massive, unstoppable copyright infringement machine.

In essence, this is a description of fansubbing’s role in the meta. Just like the natural ecosystem which arranges the organisms in a food chain, the entire enterprise of fansubbing–from raw hunting to production to distribution to consumption to even talking about fansubs–affects the way how some fans perceive anime. In fact, given how anime companies outside of Japan are often run by people who at one point are a fan of the works because of fansubs or what have you, fansubbing historically may have left some mark in the way people look at anime as a business.

The reality is, though, that fansubbing is hard work. People do it because they like the material, because they like the process, and/or because they like the result. The flow of content from providers to consumers generates an imbalance. There is little apperciation for the fans (as they bitch about fansubs and don’t buy the local release) and little accountability for fansubbers (as they do things fansubbers shouldn’t to do).

And that’s not all. The amount of time fans spent talking and arguing about fansubs as if it is important alone is shocking :-) The legally-grey nature of fansubs only makes it all that much more the fuel for the fire. Fans treasure what feeds them, after all, so we would feel defensive about it naturally. It’s a bit of a paradigm shift especially from a fan’s way of thinking, stepping in the shoes of the corporate?

The historical basis is undeniable. Just like how we have workshops on fansubbing at cons and the now-defunct elaborate fansub trading networks of the 80s and early 90s, it was what it meant to be a fan for many back then. It’s the actual stuff you do besides talking about it with your friends or on Usenet. That shaped how fansubbing has lodged itself squarely in the heart of fandom, even if fans and fansubbers today are a different breed than how they were 10 years ago.

More seriously, I suppose what I am trying to get at is that unless you subscribe to some hardcore variant of the free culture idea, fansubbing and English-language anime fandom relate mostly on a historic basis. It is not going to go away until the gap between domestic commerical services of anime catches up with Japan’s level of service to the extent that it becomes easier for people like me to rely on the domestic labor (and pay them appropriately) to feed the inner fanboy.

One caveat I should raise is that while my premises are based on a generality, in reality no one owns a license to distribute anime in the US or any other country. Rather, they have a bunch of licenses to distribute specific shows in very specific capacities. So while one person can fairly proclaim that fansubs are unneeded/needed today, it’s only true for titles on his radar. Odds are there are still shows out there that could use the magical powers fansubs have demonstrated to have in the earlier days of English-language anime fandom. That said, it’s a whole different question as if the magic still works for those titles off our radars.

On the same basis, one should realize that fansubbing is a divisive topic and even the different R1 distributors have different opinions on the matter if you dig deep enough. It’s ultimately a decision that individual copyright holders and licensees have to decide individually in order to pursuit whatever course of action they think is best. I’m not going to speculate what that may be, but please do realize that these courses of action can be different.

Lastly I thank DarkMirage‘s little blurp slamming people bitching about Bandai’s threatening PR; and doubly thanks for calagie for the NYT article link.

14 comments | posted in English Language Modern Visual Fandom, FLAG, Modern Visual Culture, Popular Culture, Simoun, Suzumiya Haruhi no Uuutsu