Category Archives: Modern Visual Culture

March 11, 2014

It Doesn’t Pay to Save Anime

By omo

The title is a pun.

Miyu and Minami

Actually, I was thinking about how Yamakan’s WUG anime mixes idols and Tohoku saving. On paper, you are combining two things that are arguably opposite of each other. The filth of the entertainment industry that boils in the cauldron of Japan’s media center, and some Sendai guys trying to get in on that action? I don’t know. Of course, in the wake of the tragic quake and tsunami, lots of entertainers in Japan tried to ride it for charity or a buck. Which is why I have this DVD autographed by Sunao Katabuchi because he made a little music video trying to raise money for tsunami relief. I mention this only because it looks not like anything any otaku would buy; it’s purely a “cartoon” so to speak. Its motives are pure. I suppose that it aired on NHK means something.

Likewise, if anything, I think WUG’s treatment of the Tohoku disaster aspect is tasteful. The problem is that if I can still spin it in a negative light, so can anyone with an agenda otherwise. WUG is definitely late-night anime fodder. But what of its motives? This is where water and oil have a hard time mixing. In episode 9, here we have Kaya, the older and perhaps the one in the group who’ve gone through the most hardship, drops a little bomb on battle-hardened Mayu, who hopefully has gotten a little mug of perspective as a result. The way Kaya downplays how she overcomes her difficulties is almost borderline gap moe. And I’m half-serious. Or perhaps, there’s a double-gap moe here because it feels comical when Kaya’s troubles feels a magnitude larger than what Mayu suffered through, and at the same time Kaya’s motivation seems so insignificant compared to Mayu’s personal drive to achieve in the idol biz.

Still, here we have it, two very different people finding shared grounds as aspiring idols. They’re determined in equal parts. Perhaps that’s where both idol biz and Tohoku saving can meet, and shake hands. Yamakan surely will make enough to spot for the cost of the party. Akiba is prosperous enough that there’s nothing for it to lose and everything to gain.

It makes me think of The Wind Rises. It’s indulgent, but daring. WUG is, well, also indulgent and daring, except you have to take into the entire media mix doohicky. And to what ends? I think it’s always great when creators challenge the difficult or controversial in a meaningful way. Yamakan doesn’t quite go that far, but in essence he has combined two things people normally wouldn’t. If this really does mean benefiting the locals in Tohoku, this might be even better than that Angel Beats moment about organ donation.

PS. We can talk about something less 3/11 and more about late-night anime via WUG, actually. Maybe later. Today let’s take a moment to remember the tragedy and remind ourselves that recovery is still in progress! Thanks Yamakan!

Leave a comment | posted in Modern Visual Culture, Wake Up Girls!

March 7, 2014

Inadvertent Genderswap Regarding Witch Craft Works, Silver Spoon

By omo

[Note: This was written on Feb. 12, so uh, while I don’t think anything changed significantly but it’s worth noting.]

Some people told me that there’s a gender swap component with how Witch Craft Works is playing out. I don’t disagree, but at the same time it’s not clear cut. To me, it feels more like you got all these tropes or elements, that given a certain pattern, it would start to look like a gender swap. It may or may not be a mindful change, or it may only be superficial.

The problem I see with Witch Craft Work’s treatment from a gender role perspective is that there’s nothing special about whichever way things go. It depends on how you feel what aspect of the plot is validated thematically. For example, Honoka’s eager feelings to want to help Ayaka is always rewarded as he translate those feelings into actions and decisions. However his actions and decisions are not really rewarded? Much like how Ayaka’s calculating ways are often rewarded because she’s good at doing those things, but it always falls short in the grand scheme of things and Honoka makes up the difference.

In the very same breath, I can say that Honoka’s male-bravado-like behavior are appropriately punished because they are usually not thoughtout, precisely because these acts presupposes and ignores Ayaka’s feelings, how she sets things up the way they are, etc.

It’s a little worrysome in my opinion, because I think ultimately Witch Craft Works is a positive story in regards to Honoka and Ayaka. Honoka will grow and develop into respectability, and it’ll be couched in the typical anime-harem context regarding their mutual feelings. But you know, none of this really matters in the big picture. Something like RailDex is a much worse offender of these things. But let’s face it, neither stories are concerned about these gender issues, which is why they have them set up this way, which is why those are not the reasons why we are enjoying them.

But here I am, writing a blog post. I thought the whole genderswap thing was notable in Witch Craft Works only when I also thought about Silver Spoon. In the very same way, Hachiken behaves very much unlike the more stereotypical/idealized farmer boy, which is why Hachiken and Mikage form a triangle with Komaba. I mean, I think Komaba is that quiet, hard-working farmer to a tee. Hachiken on the other hand exhibits a lot of stereotypically urban/feminine traits, like the cooking thing, or crying a easily/lot, or gets overly attached to cute animals. It also doesn’t help that he is bookish, a fuss to deal with, often uncertain and generally very emotional. But I wouldn’t say gender roles play a huge part to the story in this sense, similar to why I wouldn’t call Witch Craft Works a gender swap. It’s interesting to see Mikage being the more cool-headed one, the single child trying to shoulder a family business. It’s such a typical inaka plot thing that the fact Mikage is a girl is kind of not even worth mentioning.

I could also look at it from a power point of view. It’s hard to say because in typical anime/Eastern fashion of glorifying women, it’s still about gender roles. Women are the most powerful/best what is grooved into their roles, and likewise for men. A lot of recent (past 10 yrs) anime have already gave girls more aggressive and active positions in society and boys into more housewife-type situations. So I guess it just doesn’t seem like WCW is doing anything new, nor is it really particularly going anywhere with the gender reversal.

So does it just come down to the princess carry?

cute couple

Man, I could spend better time writing about ImoCho.

4 comments | posted in Gin no Saji, Modern Visual Culture, Witch Craft Works

March 5, 2014

IM@S at A&V

By omo

Kisaragi-san

I confess, I don’t read A&V; nothing personal, that blog just doesn’t talk in a way that I particularly find rewarding versus the time it takes to walk that talk down to its components. But occasionally the talk does match the walk in a way that surprises, such as today’s contribution from a favorite blogger of mine. I think the post does a good job unraveling the cunning calculus beneath a, by all means, mundane product tie-in/advertisement. It’s easy to write about smarts in a smarty-pants show, but I need that like another EN blog post on Utena or another article about chuunibyou. Well, I’m sure someone does.

One of the big takeaways I had from my recent Japan trip is precisely this–there is a reason why things like IM@S is as big as it is. Or I should say, there are many, many different reasons why, and one of them has to do with precisely the way certain things came together, how they’re planned originally, how these ideas were then turned into features and functional-to-dos. If you ever planned a startup, you might find the whole process eerily familiar, even the pivot that happened between the IM@S1 and IM@S2 line of products. The closer I got to this vertical, the more clear these details became, with less barriers in the way. There are things it did well, there are successes and failures, there are things the IP did, the management did, to steer through the good and bad times.

But as someone who hasn’t really been close with the IP during much of its life, I cannot speak with authority on the details. It’s just got that shape, that unique smell, if you will. Like the smell of countless flowers in the halls of SSA.

TL;DR: Anim@s is a surprisingly intelligent piece of planning and writing, and Otou-san only uncovered part of it. Or, version 2: A&V blogged about something I cared about for once. Or, even shorter: アイマス最高!

2 comments | posted in Idolmaster, Modern Visual Culture

March 1, 2014

The IM@S Bonfire

By omo

If I was a mild IM@S fan before going to Japan to watch the IM@S movie and their live show, I am no longer such a thing. Arguably I could not have been a mild IM@S fan given somewhere between 20-50% of my motivation of going to Japan this time was to see these two things, which can appear as an irrational behavior in most normal contexts. I say fan’s gonna fan, right?

Thing is, when I first watched the IM@S anime not-so-long ago, it didn’t appear to me as some top-tier anime made to advertise the franchise. I thought it was competent, featuring sparks of brilliance but overall typical A-1 Pictures late-night anime fare. Well, that actually says a lot, given this became one of the first anime that Studio Trigger that we now know worked on?

Discussing with some friends about Sakuracon tonight, I found that the Seattle-based con managed roped in two relevant animators as this year’s guests: the always amusing Koji Masunari, and sakkan and designer Toshifumi Akai, as a part of Magi’s promo at the con. Immediately my eyes honed into their contributions to Anim@s. It’s just that state of mind. And it’s not just that–I whipped out episode 23 from Crunchyroll right there and then and watched it. Despite the jetlag (or because?). Despite that not 5 minutes ago I was about to go to bed because I was tired, and it’s almost 1 AM.

The funny thing is, the entire episode kept my attention. Just a few minutes before putting my sleep schedule out of whack, I was watching an arguably inferior anime. I was close to zoning out while watching the show, so it was a good time to stop for the night I thought. But nope, that IM@S bonfire lit under my butt keeps me warm and going. What started as a freaking seed has blossomed into something more, perhaps something a little bit scary now. We’ll see where this takes me.

Episode 23 of The Idolm@ster anime is probably the second most depressing episode, and it’s depressing in a “Lost in Translation” kind of way. It’s got the Masunari touch. The way the scenes show the upper body motion. The way Yukiho sits in the green room, meditating to the music. The way Haruka camps out in front of her computer in her room. I totally forgot Little Match Girl made its anime debut here, and it becomes juxtaposition and yet somewhat touching in a very different way to what was going on in Haruka’s mind. And this is because the Yukiho we all love to hate or hate to hate has come so far along.

Everything comes together in this nub of an episode where Haruka doesn’t fall to the ground. It’s both the cause and cure of insomnia.

PS. If I was more motivated I would’ve pulled out their individual pieces from the Backstage M@ster book and look at the paw prints Masunari put in there. Of course, what ended up happening was that I googled the book and it turned up a couple “unboxing” type videos where the youtuber just go through the book, and what I found was that there are now a print run of this book that doesn’t have the Ogi Star Memories add-on. And for fact-checking purposes I got my copy out of the shelf anyway. At any rate, beware. Don’t get that version, if you want to buy the most definitive print reference for Anim@s. Get the one that has the Ogi Star Memories (the obi will indicate so). I am pretty sure that particular doujinshi is still over $100 street price-wise. Maybe you can get it less if you shop around?

All the more amazing when I just found it lying on A-Button’s counter a week ago.

PPS. The full sheding from Yukari’s SSA show can be found here. He goes into way more details than I can remember, and I sat next to him for the 2/15 show anyway!

EDIT: See the comments, but also https://twitter.com/digikerot/status/440942124369190912 for the first and subsequent editions of the book.

4 comments | posted in Idolmaster, Modern Visual Culture, Seiyuu, Idol, Pop

February 26, 2014

Gundam Build Fighters: The Other Side of Shiny?

By omo

The thought came across first when the second ending visuals came on for the first time for Gundam Build Fighters. I was watching the show on my way to work as I typically do, on the train. The extra ~$30 I pay a month goes to exactly this–better-than-the-competitor’s LTE coverage down the Northeast Corridor, so I can watch anime on the go without having to set up some kind of auto-torrent-re-encode-plus-sync system, thanks to the magic of simulcast.

It’s the same idea behind why I liken the IDOLM@STER movie costumes as Gokuseifuku a la Kill La Kill. White background, single-colored stars. It glitters while I was thinking about the connection between these things. Well, maybe not so much thinking and noticing there’s some connection.

sample

It didn’t really click until I read the investor report from the Bandai Namco group for fiscal year 2013 where the spotlight on Bamco’s unique IP puts IM@S back to back with Kamen Rider and Gundam, as some of the biggest drivers within Bamco’s portfolio. It’s quite telling if you actually read what it says, like:

  • In Japan it’s about on par in terms of name recognition as Gundam
  • A focus to target anim@s Ps via social games

So, what about Gundam Build Fighters? I think it fits Bamco’s vision for the business to a tee. It bridges the kind of generational gap between kids and adults. One way it does that is by adding that video game element to the series in a very straight-up sort of way. This has two effects. One, you can have the tournament/arena setup that we see in the show, providing pretty satisfying battles (ones with clear losers) on a regular basis without killing all your cast in the process. Two, it gives the gunpla aspect new life by clearly painting a vision for the gunpla builder. In that sense, we’re now gamifying the gunpla aspect by giving it the ability for people to customize using official components (which is also a money driver kind of a thing).

Which is to say, if we were to describe the genre of game Gundam BF is trying to depict, it’s not really a fighting game (even if the gameplay turns out that way). It’s closer to a social-mobile game in which players spend all their time and effort building their gunpla, perhaps to just admire them (this is what Sei was doing until he met Reiji) or to relive them like “proper otaku” (this is what Ral-san was doing, as with the old fogies that Reiji schooled). Or in Gundam BF’s case, explode your master grade++ gunpla in moments of glory in battle. All these things exist only in some kind of weird context that you do with mobage as well.

All they’ve left out is the infinite money sink hole that is the kuji process.

I mean, it is not really that close to, say, Million Live, but the formula is there. You can’t customize your idols, and you can’t really build them up beyond what the game provides the framework for. For gunpla OTOH, masterful crafters can actually do something unique and special by adding their own touches. But in the digital version of such a game, you might as well be equally limited.

PS. I’ve returned. I have 3 posts queued up and to be written, on top of the backlog now haunts me and the posts to be written for other obligations. orz indeed.

PPS. I don’t know about you, but I think Wing Gundam is top idol.

PPPS. If it’s with you, Imber.

2 comments | posted in Gundam, Idolmaster, Modern Visual Culture