How I came back from Anime burnout...

I was sitting here the other day thinking about where my renewed love for Anime/Manga came from, and how I got through my burnout phase.


When I think back to my beginings in the early 90's I can't help but feel like a bit of a pioneer, at the time there was very little commercially available over here. Sure you had the staples of Robotech and Akira, but other than that it was slim pickings, Animego was just getting started as was US Manga Corps, ADV was barely a blip on the radar and Viz was still concerned mostly with over priced Manga translations separated into monthly comics. There wasn't much there...

I was a member of a local Anime club at the time, watching 3rd generation tapes sent over from Japan and then fansubbed using an Amiga computer. We would get together for 7 hours once a month and pour through the latest stuff. It was a good time to be alive, I ran a small fanzine at the time and had a lot of fun perusing BBS's for all things Anime related...Then something happened...

We started to see more commercial releases, not just regular Anime, but Hentai as well, there seemed to be a real march towards legitimacy, much of it was dubbed, and horribly at that, but the inroads were there. The problems for me began when it became more and more commercial and there seemed to be a movement to market towards the teenagers. Our monthly club meetings began to feel more like the local highschool social, and it wasn't in a good way, the kids were rude, disrespectful and all the wanted was the "new dubbed stuff" our older membership waned, I stayed for awhile and then went my own way. By this time I had been to Japan a number of times and started collecting, working on my own more anyways.

Then like all young people I ended up going to college and tried to help the Anime club there, but I found more of the same, and even worse as they would ban all sorts of stuff because people didn't like the content. Some I agreed with, but others I didn't. It was hard, I couldn't really afford to collect what I wanted as VHS tapes were costing a fortune, and what was being released was skewing more to the "Big breasted girls and giant robots" than anything with much substance. I saw Princess Mononoke in theaters and loved every moment, but still I felt that the industry had passed me by.

So I walked away...

My ex wife was into some of it, but not the way I once was, I would catch bits and pieces here and there collecting the odd bits, but the passion was gone. I spent the next few years lightly tracking the industry but for the most part not caring. I did start watching a few more series again Please! Teacher and Vampire Princess Miyu: The TV Series but I still felt more on the outside looking in. Then I started reading Megatokyo and found myself wanting to draw again, of course in an Anime style, which led me back online to see what I could find. I started purusing the stores again and found how much had changes and for the better at that, it was exciting again. Not only on the Anime front, but the ability to buy Manga the way it was intended and at a reasonable price was very cool as well.

What got me through the burnout was realizing that what I enjoyed was still there, and with the advent of DVD I could still enjoy it as it was meant in the original Japanese, but still have the ability to throw the dubs on for people that preferred it that way. There was so much new to be explored and amazing people to do it with, and it seemed that age didn't really matter, which is nice since I turned 30 this year, people don't really care, if anything they enjoy having someone around who has seen more of the hobby than they have.

Its good to be back!

Some new series...

Ok, so I am getting back into the fansubbing side of things, I have a pair of shows downloaded right now to go through Mamotte Shugogetten [of which you saw a Manga review as an early post] and He is my Master! which seems to be a light hearted cosplay comedy.

Currently neither of these shows has been picked up for commercial release in the USA so I am comfortable downloading them, if that changes however I will remove them, as I feel it best to support the domestic publishers as much as possible.

To tide you over, here is an image from the He is my Master! Manga [which I will be reviewing shortly as well]

UPDATES - 06/16/08

Ok, the "Term of the week" is now updated, first time I have gotten that done in the last couple of weeks, sorry about that.

Working on a Manga review for tommorow, after that I am not sure for the week, but I am going to do what I can before I leave for an extended camping trip.

Later!

UPDATES - 06/13/08

Ok, this is going to be quick, haven't forgotten this place, I have been super busy with work, looks like everything is getting pushed back to the first part of next week.

Sorry folks, I hope to be back in order by then with expected content etc.

Take care!

Back in Utah...

Ok, so I am back from my interview in Pittsburgh, no news yet, but we will see what happens, should know more in the next day or so hopefully.

I haven't gotten any new updates ready to roll yet this week, I am going to get the term of the week changed here this morning and will see about getting a DVD review ready for later in the week.

The site should be back to normal starting next week, so bear with me, still recovering from the trip plus getting back into the swing of things at work.

MANGA REVIEW: Chrono Crusade V1

Initial Impressions - 9/10

I was first exposed to Chrono Crusade back in the winter of 2004, I was working in California at the time and read a review on the now defunct Animefringe website of the Anime, and was very intruiged. However as often happens in life, I got busy and did't find the show again until the end of my true dark period in 2005. But this time what I found was the Manga and grabbed the first volume on site.

The cover is beautiful was a full portrait of Rosette and Chrono, there is no synopsis on the back which is a bit of shame for first time lookers, but on the other hand its presented as it would have originally been published in Japan.

Story - 8/10

For some reason it seems that the Catholic church is always a point of interest for the Japanese when they do religously based occult stories. Chrono Crusade takes place in the "Roaring Twenties" right before the stock market crash, its a time of induglance and deccadence, people are wanting new highs, even if those highs involve the loss of their immortal souls. Brought into this tumultuous time is the duo of Chrono and Rosette, members of the Magdelanian order of demon hunting nuns/priests.

There is just one catch...Chrono is a demon, soul bound to Rosette by a contract, linked to a ornate watch worn around her neck, the more he uses his powers the quicker her life is drained, he cannot survive without her, she cannot survive without him. It makes for an beautiful dynamic, two people bound to each other for life, how little of it they may have left.

Never knowing exactly how much that time is, it weighs on Rosette and her childish "Live for the day" attitude is both heart warming and sobering at the same time, she knows her fate, and is at peace with it. Chrono will do anything to protect Rosette and make sure that her life lasts as long as possible, but he too knows the fate to which they are both bound, the contrast between him bound with the watch and when he is unleashed is a sight, and further underscores his devotion, dare I say love, for Rosette.

The inital volume has two unconnected stories in it that set the scene for further installments, this is definately the prologue to the story, as other than the ongoing situation with Rosette and Chrono there is no overiding story arc. This could sadly have the effect of people not picking up the second volume, when really the entire series is worth a read.

Art - 8/10

Daisuke Moriyama's artwork is lovely to behond, while at times it seems slightly crude [things like closeups on characters etc.] the overall lasting effect is pleasing and enjoyable. His flair for design when it comes to the Catholic church costumes is also quite amusing.

Where his art trully shines is in the combat scenes and action, his sense of movement is excellent and unlike many Manga artists he doesn't forget his backgrouds either. Its refreshing to see someone who takes the whole scene into account not just the characters, its the mark of a good action artist to be sure.

Final Conclusions overall - 8/10

Its not often that a first volume of anything manages to pull you in effectively, so often series will take a couple to get going properly, Chrono Crusade manages to avoid this pitfall and pulls you in immeadiately. The story and art do a magnificent job of drawing you into the time period, and the volume leaves just enough questions to make you ache to pick up the second one.

A wonderful start to the series, a must read for any fans of the Anime, and Manga in general.

+ Well done story and setting

Excellent action art

Characters are well drawn

- Story is very isolated, no real overiding arc

Art can be a little crude at times.

Publisher: ADV

Cost USD: $9.99

Rating: 13+

RANT: Community doesn't mean support group!

WARNING INCOMING RANT!

Ok so I was perusing the forums over on Anime News Network and found the following post:

"I think there is a community with Anime, I have some problems and I don't fit in other groups, and people don't like me, but people here talk to me, it helps me feel better about myself, so there is a community"

Alright, first off, I totally can relate to not feeling accepted, I think that we all have been there to some extent at one time or another, and some of us more than others. I am glad that people have found a hobby that they love...

But...THAT DOESN'T MAKE US A SUPPORT GROUP!

Sorry, now I have that out let me explain, I was a member of a highschool Anime club, we met on weekends at a local rec center and kicked back and watched a lot of shows, had a great time [see my "Golden Age" article for more information] but as the years wore on I noticed a disturbing trend, more and more of the new members we were getting were people with some rather serious interpersonal issues. We would later find out that the local highschool counselors reccomended us as a place that kids could go to get support, from "People just like you"

What the heck? Ok here's the thing, while yes many of us had had outcast status pinned on our heads at some point we had never though of the club as a support group, it was just like any other group that met, people coming together who enjoyed the same things. Now all of a sudden were were being asked to make people feel welcome because they were told "They are just like you" not fair, not right to the members of the club.

As the years have passed and I have gotten older I have noticed this trend more and more, kids/adults that feel lost, seem to gravitate towards the Anime/Manga scene to try and fit in. The problem is that there are a lot of true hobbyists out there for whom this is more than a little annoying, they feel that this tarnishes what they love and lumps them into a more support grop role, one they don't always want let alone are qualified for.

I lurked a lot on the forum page for the Cherry Blossom Ball at Anime Boston last year [wonderous idea BTW, kudos to the event organizers] and watched as it slowly became a discussion of finding a date and being "unable to get a date is HS" or those still in HS trying to deal with the realities of teen life. I felt for the organizers because they tried and tried to keep the thread on topic, but it kept coming back to dates, and being outcasts. It was a shame, I get that people felt that they would be left out, even though the organizers kept stressing that dates weren't required, but honestly it started to make the thread hard to read as it became more and more about folks emotional states than about the actual ball itself.

Its a tough situation, people want to feel accepted and wanted, but at the same time, people want to feel what they are doing is a hobby and not as someone elses support group. I was recently yelled at in a comic store by a guy because I just wanted to check out and leave and he wanted to keep talking to me about how great Naruto is. I finally told him politely that I didn't want to argue, and he said "Well I have Apsbergers, so this is how it is for me" this was an employee that handled the Anime/Manga section...I didn't even know how to react, I want to be friendly but I am not about to be yelled at either.

I want people to feel welcome and free to share their opinions, but I also feel that we should be trying to enforce that we are a community [if one can call us that] of hobbyists and not a support group.

I have Tourettes, and serious depression, its something I will live with for the rest of my life, and I will defend ANYONE that gets slammed because of a disability, but I don't ask the members of my hobbies to be my support network, I have groups for that.

Anyways, thats about it, let me know what you think, what you think we have a responsibility to do, use the comments section on the blog I would really like to here the thoughts of anyone else on this subject.

Later!

UPDATES - 06/02/08

Hey all!

Ok, so it looks like I might have gotten lucky, I was able to push myself and get the better part of a weeks content done before I leave on my trip. There will be a "Rant" posted today, a Manga review posted tommorow, and hopefully a DVD review on thursday.

I leave town thursday morning and will be out of contact until sunday, so expect an update on monday as to whats happening next week.

Take care!