Friday, May 25, 2012

Project Updates

Just a quick update to let everyone know what I'm planning on working on.

I don't have a lot of time to write during the summer (as I'm busy working), but I'm planning on doing a few things when I have time.

Right now, the biggest priority is Operation Stirling, which I can't unveil much about until it's over.  Apart from that, I'm probably going to just focus on casual blogging for the most part.

Don't Shoot The Messenger has ended, and I'm working on a commentary for it (attached to this blogger account).  I've got several reflections and first impressions of series lined up (I'll be changing my post on B Gata H Kei to a "reflection" instead of a first impression), including Madoka Magica, Uttope!!, Mysterious Girlfriend X, The World Ends With You, and a few more.  Finally, I'm also going to try working on an in-depth academic look at The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.  I've gotten enough arguments with Zelda fans about how much better it is than Ocarina of Time, saying that I could write a dissertation on Majora's Mask, and figured that I may as well actually back up those claims.

Finally, I'll be doing some occasional writing for my other projects, so expect to hear more about those when the time comes.

The Five Worst Fandoms

I'll be curt: I hate fandoms.

Now, I don't hate fans, or even fanboys/girls.  Just fandoms.  And not all fandoms.  Some fandoms are actually pretty cool, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a part of one or two.  But let's be honest: fandoms can be scary, especially when they're trying to cram themselves down your throat.  And so, I've cooked up a list of the five scariest, most militant fandoms that I've encountered.

Honorable Mention 1: Any popular and/or long-running franchise

Doctor Who.  Pokemon.  Harry Potter.  These are cash cows that probably span multiple media, and while the fandoms themselves usually aren't terribly bad, the fact that you'll probably encounter them is.  You'll know fanboys or fangirls personally, and they will talk about the work they so love, and you will want them to just shut up about it.  Again, the fandoms themselves are usually fairly self-contained and are often very good as fandoms go.  They're just very prevalent and there is no escaping them, and a non-fan can easily find zirself on the outs.

Honorable Mention 2:  Any fandom that focuses largely on shipping

Sometimes you just want to talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender without having someone ask you whether you favor Kataang or Zutara.  And sometimes, you want to be able to mention a romantic relationship without being told that you are wrong for pairing one fictional character with another.  The fandom becomes about the shipping, not about the work, and it tends to get annoying to people who are just looking for normal discussion.

5: Star Wars

Star Wars is a juggernaut of a franchise, spanning movies, action figures, books, animated series, video games, a Lego line, video games (yes, more than one) based on the Lego line, TV specials based on the video games based on the Lego line, and countless more media.  Chances are, even if you're one of the zero people in the world who haven't seen Star Wars, you're at least familiar with it.  As a result, people are going to talk about it.  However, most fans of Star Wars are just casual fans.  When you run into a hardcore fan, you will know, because they will have a vast amount of knowledge about the Extended Universe that they will be more than willing to share with you any time you're wrong (i.e., not as well-informed) in as smug a manner as possible.  Yes, they will tell you you're wrong about a franchise that has more retcons and continuity errors than the Marvel and D.C. universes combined.  And again, because Star Wars is something that everyone knows about and any geek will talk about, these people are impossible to avoid.

4: Touhou Project

Touhou Project, or Touhou, is a series of games made almost entirely by one guy (known as ZUN, I believe).  They're part of the "bullet hell" genre, which is pretty much entirely about spamming attacks while dodging the attacks your enemy is spamming.  And apparently, around 80% or more of the information about the games is based in fandom.  That's right.  80%.  It's very possible to know more about the Touhou fandom than the Touhou games.  There are endless remixes and fanvids and whatnot.  Now, while I'm sure that the games are decent, it seems that the fandom is its own separate entity.  The fandom isn't about the games anymore, it's about the fandom.  In fact, this would probably be higher on the list if it weren't for the fact that I really don't know all that much about Touhou or its fandom.

3. Twilight

Ah, yes.  The only fandom that I know of where people have been attacked for not liking the books.  The Twilight fandom (consisting entirely of fangirls) are people who will defend their series to their dying breath and you are wrong for having an opinion that doesn't match theirs.  The shipping wars have actually managed to go mainstream with the "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" merchandise.  It's a ravenous fandom consisting predominantly of mindless preteen girls.  Thankfully, due to the cash cow being down to its final drops of milk and the equally ravenous hatedom (who are probably even worse than the fandom), the Twilight obsession finally seems to be waning.

2. Homestuck

Homestuck's fandom is so fervent about the love for the story that one of their memes is "let me tell you about Homestuck."  Let me repeat that: one of their inside jokes is about how they're aggressive jackasses about Homestuck to non-fans.  Any fan of Homestuck will inevitably think that it is the Best Thing Ever of All Time (TM) and will instantly gush all over Tumblr or wherever about the latest update.  It's one of the more prolific fandoms (especially in terms of memes), and while it's probably not as prolific as Touhou or the number one spot on this list, the sheer militant intensity of the fandom's love for Homestuck and the fact that it's the one I personally hear the most about earns it the number two spot.

1. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Okay, let's be honest.  Who didn't see this one coming?  There's no way I'd be able to make a list of aggressive fandoms without mentioning bronies?  This is by far the most prolific fandom I've ever encountered.  And the thing is, I don't get it.  Yes, the show is entertaining.  By standards of kids' shows and merchandise-driven shows, it's very good.  In fact, I'd say that it's at least "good" by the standards of shows in general.  But when you really look at it, that's all it is.  It's a show aimed at children, so it's going to be simplistic.  The plots, the themes, and the humor are all very base (so as not to fly over the children's heads), but the fandom treats it like no greater show could possibly exist.  Again, it is a decent show, but there are so many fanvids, so many macros, so many remixes...and the fandom is fervent enough to go mainstream, all for a very simple and base show.  I just don't get it.

So that's my list of the top five worst fandoms you could encounter.  Again, this is nothing against any of the fans, or even the fanboys/fangirls.  Finally, your experiences may vary, and if you have anything to say, leave a comment.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Anime Ramblings: B Gata H Kei: Yamada's First Time (reflections)

I just finished watching a 12-episode anime entitled "B Gata H Kei: Yamada's First Time."  The translation I watched was Funimation's sub on Hulu.

This post will contain spoilers.

The concept is basically that Yamada is a girl entering high school for the first time, and she decides that she wants to make 100 sex friends (pretty sure that "fuck buddies" is a better translation and that Funimation just tried toning the language down).  Fortunately for her, she's quite attractive and there are a number of guys who want to date her.  Unfortunately for her, she's still a virgin, and she's also incredibly self-conscious about it.  So she resolves that her first time will be with another virgin, and more specifically, one who won't intimidate her.  She settles on Takashi Kosuda who is, well...very plain.

In anime, this is about as close to "plain" as you can get.

From there, the story becomes your average "young people with crushes on each other try to express their feelings but keep fucking it up" story, with the gender of the protagonist (most stories like that star males), the upbeat and silly tone of the show, and the fact that the relationship focuses on sex, not love, setting it apart from the average.

Oh, and the show is very much ecchi, which means, for all you who aren't familiar with anime fanspeak, that while it's not outright porn, it does get fairly explicit at times, so the show is definitely NSFW.  In fact, the title basically translates to "B Cup H Style," with H being a euphemism for sex.  The entire show is packed with fanservice, and the innuendo in the OP alone is thick enough to walk on.  Seriously, watch it for yourself.


I love the opening, incidentally.  Catch song, entertaining visuals, clever innuendo (to explain the venus flytraps quickly--"venus flytrapping" is apparently a Japanese term for seduction that most western audiences wouldn't pick up on)...I wouldn't call it one of the best, but I do think it's good.

Anyway, the show is definitely entertaining.  It's awkward, funny, and sweet.  I really liked watching the relationship between Yamada and Kosuda, especially in the beginning.  Yamada  I've always been a sucker for cute, awkward romances (I"s is one of my favorite manga and that was pretty much the entire plot of it), and it definitely delivers that at first.  In addition, because the show doesn't take itself particularly seriously, all the setbacks are funny instead of depressing.  Yamada isn't just awkward around Kosuda; she appears to be completely socially inept in general.  The audience gets a good look at both Yamada's confusion over how to handle things and Kosuda's complete confusion at her mixed signals.  The problem isn't that Yamada's shy--it's often that she's the opposite.  She thoughtlessly says or does things that probably shouldn't be said, making her a wonderful example of an Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist.

The only problem is...things feel like they fall apart more later on in the series.  Probably about the same time that Kyouko, a rival for Yamada in terms of looks, is introduced.  This is the point where subplots and love triangles that don't go anywhere start popping up.  Kosuda's childhood friend, Mayu, has been in love with him for years, and is probably the better choice for him, but she's unable to act on her feelings and he's completely oblivious to them.  Kyouka intends to steak Kosuda from Yamada just to spite her in her quest to become "school queen."  Of course, Kyouka is in love with her own brother (Oh, Japan!), who is in love with Yamada.  None of these relationships go anywhere, and they're just sort of in the background.  In addition, Yamada...isn't exactly the most likeable person.  She's incredibly selfish (a recurring theme in the series even points this out) and only cares about sex, and Mayu would probably be a better match for Kosuda.  However, as the relationships between characters other than Yamada and Kosuda are shoved quietly into a corner, there's not enough incentive to care about anyone other than the protagonists.

And the ending was disappointing.  Kosuda's admitted his feelings to Yamada, but Yamada still hasn't admitted hers.  While their physical relationship has advanced, their emotional relationship is still heavily lacking, and it leaves a sort of bitter taste in my mouth.  Yamada never really moves past caring about sex when the entire point of the show seems to be about her developing a more mature perspective on relationships.  On top of that, by the end of the show, the two still haven't even had sex (they've come close a few times, but there have always been interruptions).  I'm hoping there's a second season that develops their relationship more, but as it is, the ending rings hollow.  Nothing's really changed between the two of them.

And finally, there's the censorship.  Oh holy Farore the censorship.  I'm regretting not watching the show uncensored.  See, in the televised broadcast (and pretty much everywhere that isn't the DVD release), offending material is covered up with boxes reading "Ogre Brand," which seems to be an in-universe brand for condoms, tissues, and other things throughout the series.  Unfortunately, the boxes are large, intrusive, and often unnecessary.  In later episodes where the censorship is needed most, the boxes show up more frequently, and by the end, I was sick of "Ogre Brand."  Now, I'm all for moderate censorship.  However, I also think that any censorship should be done tastefully.  The "Ogre Brand" boxes were funny at first, but by the end of the series, they're unwieldy, tacky, and obtrusive, and their humorous nature often destroys any mood that's been built up.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.  Would I recommend the show?  Well, as it is, probably no.  If there's a second season, I'll probably watch that and come to an ultimate decision then.  If you're going to watch it, though, track down the uncensored version.  I can't say how explicit it would be, as I haven't seen it, but I can say that it'd probably be aesthetically superior, as you won't have those clunky boxes covering half the screen.

-Andy