otaku cook up

Initially, I was going to post a recipe for gyudon that I found online. Then it occurred to me that instead of posting something that anyone could already find why not make it my own? The other version tastes fine but in the face of this it is rather boring. The additions I’ve made aren’t all that significant but are enough to change the flavor substantially.

First things first: Cook up some rice. Enough for 1 or 2 servings. You don’t want to wait until after the rest is made.

Gyudon:

3/4 pound beef*

6 green onions

1/3 cup sliced shitake mushrooms

Sauce:

3/4 cup water

5 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sake**

2 tbsp mirin†

1 tbsp sugar‡

1/2 tbsp fresh, grated ginger

1/2 tsp dashi

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized pan over low heat. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the mix. Then cut the onions into 1/2″ pieces and add. Finally, grate the ginger and add it.

While the sauce is simmering together thinly slice the beef. I shoot for 1/16″-1/8″ slices. Anything over that and it takes a bit too long to cook and ends up somewhat chewy. Turn the heat up on the sauce just enough to get it to a low boil and add the sliced meat to the pan. Stir frequently so that the beef stays wet…erm…think of that what you wish. If you sliced the beef thin enough it shouldn’t take more than about 5 minutes or so to cook sufficiently.

Once the meat is cooked scoop yourself a bowl of rice, stack some beef all up on that bitch and tuck in.

* I prefer sirloin fillet as it offers a tender, flavorful cut at a reasonable price.

** You can use cooking sake but trust me, it tastes better with even the lowest quality drinking sake.

† If you don’t have an Asian market around many grocery stores carry what is called “aji mirin” which is essentially artificially flavored mirin. However, if you can get your hands on real mirin I recommend it. Aji mirin is a bit sweeter than the real stuff.

‡ For the most part I’ve stopped using white sugar for anything. I mostly use turbinado (Sugar In The Raw) which has a mellower sweetness. Demarara is also good.

rolling on some cheap-ass dubs

Sometime in the past week I had decided I was going to let my opinion on dubs v. subs be known. I kinda slacked off. Then I saw that 21stCenturyDigitalBoy (aka 2009DigitalBoy) had made a post of his own on his Fuzakenna!!! blog. This spurred me into action. I must let the world know how I feel about this topic even though my opinion wasn’t requested!

Initially I wanted to make my case against dubs as a form of rebuttal to an individual who did a video review of Genshiken 2 on YouTube. That review no longer contains the comments made but in essence, despite my attempt at being pragmatic and objective he told me I’m a weeaboo. [For the uninitiated, weeaboo is a generally derogatory term used to describe non-Japanese people who, for some reason or another, act as if they are Japanese.] Weeboos are typically viewed the same as wiggers. That is to say, negatively. In essence, it is still a rebuttal to that but I’m not writing this in order to go to him and say “Oh yeah! Well look at this!” If he finds it, hooray. If not, hooray.

So…dubs versus subs. What do I think about the issue?

Voice Acting is two words: Voice and Acting. Taking on the perceived sound of a character is only half of the job. Acting out the character’s personality is what is often missing. In general terms, as 21stCenturyDigitalBoy stated, American (English) voice actors simply can’t act. Rather, they assume a voice which is a generalization of how a character’s personality sounds. A method many school kids will use when making fun of their playground rivals.

He goes on to say that American VAs rarely try to make a character their own. He uses the example of Samuel L. Jackson portraying Jules in Pulp Fiction and how we likely couldn’t imagine anyone else in that role. Samuel L. Jackson owns that role. Anyone else would be sub-par. He does mention VAs who are good at what they do. Vic Mignogna, who portrays Edward Elrich in Full Metal Alchemist, for example. As far as the English dub goes, I don’t think I could picture Edward Elrich sounding any different or being expressed by anyone else. To drive that home, I’ve been watching the subbed Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood on the FUNimation video site. To me, I’m hearing Vic Magnogna speak Japanese because he did such a great job of nailing down how Edward should sound and emote in the dub.

So yes, there are good American VAs who can genuinely act. However, among people who are strictly VAs, they are few.

Additionally, in America (and likely in other Western nations), the well-known, commercially mainstream animated features get the top-notch VA casts. The studios behind them can support the fees demanded by talent. More often than not the VAs are actually real actors who are adept at transferring the scripted character into something we can see, hear and ultimately relate to. Unfortunately, smaller anime licensees don’t (typically) have those kinds of budgets. As a result, they end up with people who probably get most of their work trying out for commercials; aspiring actors who just don’t have the skills to make it big. As a result, they take on VA roles for what the license holder can afford (and let’s face it, outside of Japan anime isn’t normally a burgeoning industry rife with funds).

Another aspect to consider is that certain languages lend themselves to voice acting rather well. American English isn’t one of them. It is crude and consists significantly of bastardized words from other languages. It breaks its own rules and has no inherent rhythm. Common British English, in general terms is the same but, when we think of British English we think of The Queen’s English (or received pronunciation). This vocal style at least has a poetic nature and elegance which might be why it is the stereotyped British accent. This perception might be changing though, now that the GEICO Gecko is speaking with a more common accent (the original VA used a more stereotypical accent).

I feel that Japanese is one of those languages. It isn’t just a matter of Japanese being poetic (to my ear) or having a rhythm that lends itself to voice acting. While that is true, it is also only part of it. Japanese is a language like few others. English has little in the way of a built-in concept of gender whereas the Romantic languages of Europe utilize feminine and masculine nouns. Japanese however, takes this one further and, depending on whether the speaker is male or female, has different words to express certain things. The differences are intangible but, noticeable. Those of us who don’t speak Japanese wouldn’t know the difference between “boku-wa (ぼくは)” and “atashi-wa (あたしは)” but their subtle differences can be heard. Such sublety becomes more evident when a tomboyish character uses the more brusque language that would normally be used by an actual male character and vice versa.

That leads to another point regarding language: translation. English doesn’t have the inherent difference based on the gender of the speaker and sometimes there are cultural concepts which don’t have analogues in other countries or cultures. This can cause translations to often come across as flat and lifeless. Instead of being able to simply convert a concept, emotion or personality as expressed in Japanese to its foreign-language counterpart, liberties often have to be taken to find a close approximation that the locals can relate to. Sometimes, this can sap the energy or emotion from a show. It really becomes evident when that failure is at a significant moment.

By now it should be evident that I prefer watching anime with its original Japanese dub. I tolerate not seeing every second of animation because I’m busy reading subtitles. I accept the trade-off because while I don’t see everything, the emotion and personality behind the voice does well in filling in the gaps. I don’t need to see everything to know what is going on or how it is playing out. With most of the English dubs that I’ve seen, even though I’ve been able to focus purely on the action on the screen, I’ve been bored and fequently annoyed by the show because of lackluster voice acting. There have been moments of hope but, those are few and far between. And frankly, I’d rather not suffer through inumerable poorly voiced dubs in hopes of finding one or two that are actually good. It just isn’t worth it.

Update: There is one show I actually can’t imagine watching in Japanese; the humor would likely be lost in the subtitle translation: Crayon Shin-Chan. The voice cast and script writers have done a wonderful and downright hilarious job of making it just as good as I’m sure the original is. If I recall correctly it is rife with pop culture references which simply would be lost on all of us. As a result, a complete reworking had to be done. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the same in every country that airs it.

am i otaku

When I started this blog I had planned to write an entry about whether or not I’m otaku. Now I see that Ogiue Maniax has beaten me to my post in response to the Reverse Thieves’ second Otaku Diaries post. I’m still going to write mine but I guess I’ll have to approach it differently.

Hisu and Narutaki over at Reverse Thieves have undertaken a sort of experiment. They had surveyed people who consider themselves fans of anime and manga in order to get a general representation of who makes up the fanbase. Unfortunately they only have 40 respondents making the results far less than accurate. That led them to the second portion due to the responses they received to the word “otaku”. Some view the word as carrying negative connotations. Some view it as positive. Some see it as simply a descriptor that doesn’t really indicate much of anything.

I see a few aspects that need to be explored and both Ogiue Maniax and Reverse Thieves dig into them. My concern though, is that for the most part “otaku” is only referenced in relation to anime and manga. From what I understand, in Japan, it isn’t limited to strictly those interests. There are train otaku, decrepit building otaku, automotive otaku. While otaku are generally regarded with negativity in Japan, does that only apply to fans of anime and manga? Are train otaku seen the same way?

In order to really determine if I am otaku I suppose the question to ask is “what makes a person otaku?” Generally speaking otaku means “hardcore fandom” or geekiness. In the West it is typically attributed to people with hobbies and interests that fall within a subsection of Japanese culture: anime, manga, video games, etc. Therein lies part of the problem. In the West “otaku” is a loanword and is only used as it applied to those pursuits whereas my own interests are broader.

When I was 10 I moved to Okinawa with my dad, sister and evil-stepmother. I was too young and already too cynical and angry to appreciate it at the time. For years this has bothered me. I’ve felt guilty over not taking a more active and exploratory interest in my surroundings. Sure, I found things I liked and enjoyed various other aspects but I was too frustrated to allow myself to become fully engrossed. As a result I’ve found myself trying to make up for those years. Partly out of actual interest and partly out of some misplaced desire to make it up to Japan for being so selfish.

As far as interests go, I enjoy watching anime and reading manga for reasons stated previously. But, I also enjoy other aspect of Japanese culture: architecture, history, food, and of course the cute Japanese women. Misplaced desires to rectify past selfishness has led me to want to learn the language and eventually visit Japan again so that I can enjoy my interests first hand. I want to be able to speak to the locals and let them see an American who isn’t there purely for an anime otaku fetishistic vacation. I want to prove to no one in particular (OK, to myself) that I can appreciate Japan for all it has to offer and that I’m more mature than I was before.

That seems to get away from the core of the issue, though.

I don’t simply watch anime; I take the time to view old anime that are seminal to the medium. I read blogs that talk about the figures, video games, other otaku and of course, anime. I read manga. If I could afford it I’d likely have a vast collection from various aspects of Japanese culture. However, if I had the means, I’d also have a room dedicated to the otaku (in the Western sense) pursuits of anime, figures/models, manga, etc. Is that all that separates me from otakuism? An income that can support obsession? Or did I become otaku as soon as I took up an interest in Japanese culture? Am I considered otaku or just another Japanophile?

I’ve heard that one doesn’t actually set out to become otaku. That one day a person wakes up and discovers his life has become an obsession with his pursuits. But, in the manga Genshiken, Kanji Sasahara joins the club in order to become a more complete otaku. He knew who he was and pursued the interests that fulfilled him. I suppose even I’m consciously pursuing my interests. I do so within my ability but, I see how I can easily get out of hand with it.

Another issue that should be addressed is the degree to which this one interest consumes my life. After all, Japanese culture isn’t the only thing I’m interested in. But even that question can be broken down. Is otakuism achieved only through obsessiveness or is someone otaku regardless of the level of interest? Is it possible for someone to be otaku about more than one thing?

If I could I’d open a car museum. I’d travel the world. I’d take classes to learn to cook. These are all interests I have but they are all out of reach. That doesn’t make me any less interested, though. If money weren’t an issue I’d pursue all of my interests with equal fervor. Would I be otaku in all regards or would my divided attention preclude that?

I’ve asked a lot of questions that I have few answers for. I suppose being otaku depends on the definition you use and the criteria you set for achievment. I thought I knew how I define it but ultimately I guess I don’t. I suppose I still have a ways to go before I’m considered otaku in most peoples’ eyes but, I don’t know if I’ll ever get there anyway.

i like anime. wanna fight about it?

I originally posted this in my other blog. I figured I’d copy it over here since it is also relevant to what I want to do with this one.

So yeah, I like anime. Many people who know me know I like cartoons in general. More often than not, I’d rather watch a cartoon than any live action show on TV. In the past few years, though, my interests have shifted from what you’d find on Cartoon Network to mostly anime. This has as much to do with quality as evolution of interest.

It isn’t always easy being an anime fan, though. As a 30-something I’ve found it awkward telling people that I do like it. It has to do with the popular, skewed view of what anime is. Thanks to a few shows which are either popular now or have been popular in the past there is a view of what anime is which isn’t entirely accurate. Yes, there are series which star pointy-haired, super freaks out to save the world from grotesquely strong aliens. And we can’t talk about anime without talking about giant robots piloted by emo teens (hell, anime practically invented emo). Finally, yes, there are innumerable series which portray tentacled creatures having their ways with women. Once one gets past these generalizations it isn’t hard to see that anime is much like any other form of entertainment: there are genres, sub-genres, cross-genres, sub-cross-genres and so on ad nauseum. Unfortunately, these get swept aside by the public-at-large because all they see are the shows that have become annoyingly popular or stereotyped. I will be fair though, much like any other genre, it is easy to find rehashed ideas. This seems to have become a bigger problem in the past decade due to what some are calling an “anime bubble“.

Another issue I think the non-anime watching public can’t get past is that “cartoons are for kids“. This is a cultural issue which has become the case more in the past 20 years since the Children’s Television Act was signed into law. I don’t know about you but as someone who watched cartoons in the decade-plus prior to and well after it’s enactment I saw a significant change in the quality of animated entertainment. The notion that “cartoons are for kids” became more and more a reality. Granted, there are cartoons which harken back to a day before the drivel but unfortunately, they are few.

“Well, what about The Simpson or Family Guy?” While I’m a fan of these shows The Simpsons hasn’t been very relevant for at least 10 years and Family Guy points to another problem I’ve developed with American animated entertainment; that of extremes. We either make cartoons for children or we make cartoons for adults (see Adult Swim‘s original shows. Although, to be fair, they show anime, too). There typically is no middle ground (save for at least the one example mentioned above). Anime series, on the other hand, often appeal to a range of age groups. That appeal probably has to do with one of the things I enjoy about anime. One can be watching a show which is emotionally involved only to have the tender moments broken up with subtle bouts of humor.

Once you get past the blobby eyes in so many of them it is easy to see that they often portray their stories in the same manner we as living beings face our lives. Understandably, we don’t deal with the often fantastical aspects of their stories but that’s contextually irrelevant. The fact of the matter is, we don’t manage our lives strictly using crude humor (or humor in general, for that matter) nor do we make everything fluffy and gloss over the difficult aspects in juvenile ways. We apply all of our emotions and cognitive reasoning in order to understand and deal with our situations. Most anime does the same. Even the popular shows about the pointy-haired super freaks.

That actually hits on a big reason for why I like anime so much. Even being animated they tell essentially the same stories that live-action shows often do. However, I prefer anime over said live-action shows because it’s not only easier to get past the hokiness of some of the narratives but they actually embrace it whereas live-action shows often do their best to portray fiction as possible reality. In other words anime doesn’t take itself too seriously.

So yeah, I like anime.

clannad/clannad ~after story~

This post may or may not contain spoilers. If you haven’t seen the series read at your own risk. While I take efforts to not include explicit information about events my description may expose things which could provide implicit details.

This image doesn’t to the art quality justice

I finished watching Clannad ~After Story~ a few days ago. In another post on another blog I cited the ability of the Japanese to weave intricate and meaningful tales within a medium which most Americans would associate with children and Saturday mornings. This series and its prequel series Clannad stand as prime examples of this and why normally, I’d rather watch anime than most programs found on American television.

Clannad begins with third-year high school student Tomoya Okazaki walking to class and speaking in soliloquy about the pointlessness of his life and how much he dislikes the city he lives in. On his way he encounters Nagisa Furukawa, a senior who is repeating her final year due to illness keeping  her from attending classes the previous year. Nagisa is psyching herself up in order to find the courage to go to school knowing that all of her friends had already graduated. As Tomoya approaches, Nagisa begins speaking to no one in particular about her feelings toward the school and life in general. Tomoya comments on this despite not being the target of Nagisa’s words: “Just find them. Just find new and happy things.” Seems simple and out of context here but those words set the path for the rest of the series.

After finishing ~After Story~ I went back to watch this first scene. Knowing the full scope of the story makes it even more meaningful and stirring. In fact, since I did know where both characters lives would lead I found myself getting slightly choked up on the second viewing when I hadn’t the first time around.

The first thing about this anime that stands out at me is the visuals. This isn’t a run of the mill series which places cute characters on top of featureless backdrops. The background is as much a part of the plot as the story itself. Creating an amazing tapestry, the streets and fields stretch out around the characters in a way that gives further depth to the narrative. It makes the city that Tomoya loathes so much seem far more expansive than the screen you’re watching it on.

It isn’t just the backgrounds, though. Various effects are used that further enhance the impact of the activity before you. Going back to the first scene described above, the transition from a dull, clouded vision described by Tomoya to stunningly bright colors with sweeping camera angles when Nagisa realizes he is standing next to her is indicative of the journey one is about to embark on. Eyes are being opened and worlds are being expanded in a way that hooks into your emotions.

Careful attention is also given to the tiniest of detail from the way light shines through trees to the movement of desks that are knocked against each other. Every aspect of this series has been hashed out in order to make us feel like we aren’t watching just another cartoon.

Doing this in a live-action show would likely come across as contrived and possibly pretentious like it’s taking itself too seriously. That isn’t the case with Clannad/Clannad ~After Story~. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because we know we’re watching an animated series where fantasy is the norm and limitations don’t exist. Maybe because it’s hard for animated characters to over-act (barring lousy American voice actors) and distract from the environment they reside in. It could even be the fact that there cartoonish aspects which are thrown in and act as comic relief to the mildly tense narrative. Whatever the reason, it works and works well.

The visuals really are that good

Another thing that stands out is the moé blob eyes. Every character with the exception of Tomoya’s dad and a handful of other secondary and minor characters have those big eyes that look like giant, sparkly marbles. Even so, Clannad doesn’t come across the same way other moé blobs like K-ON! do. The sole purpose of this anime doesn’t seem to be being cutesy and giving otaku something to fawn over while spending gobs of cash (which isn’t to say they haven’t fawned over it or spent gobs of cash on its merch). That said, Ushio is the epitome of cute, Fuko holds her own with the bubbles that appear whenever she’s having a moment and Nagisa has her own thing going on even though it’s clear she isn’t trying. She’s serendipitously moé.

Clannad has plenty of tender moments which will have you rooting for the small fry to come out on top. While at the end you may be left wishing for a different outcome for at least one of the sub arcs you’ll be more than satisfied with the others. Clannad ~After Story~ is similar with the exception that you may actually find yourself asking if you can continue to watch. There is more than one moment during the second half which had me wondering why I bothered starting to watch it in the first place and how I could possibly torture myself with the tragedy which had been laid out before me.

But then, as a result of being traumatized by Old Yeller as a kid I tend to avoid shows such as this. If it weren’t for everything mentioned above and the way it all comes together I might have stopped. Fortunately, as I stated before, this isn’t your run of the mill anime. It is more a work of art so I accepted that I might not like the outcome and plowed on. I wasn’t disappointed.

Clannad and Clannad ~After Story~ together make up one of my all time favorite series. The artistry, writing and directing are sure to cement their positions as enduring classics.

Opening and Ending Themes

Clannad

OP: Megumeru ~cuckool mix 2007~ by eufonius
ED 1: Dango Daikazoku by Chata
ED 2: Ana by Lia (ep 24)

This is one of the few series I’ve seen so far of which I enjoy both the OP and ED enough to watch the credits during each episode. That is, with the exception of episode 24. Megumeru is fun and and this mix has a nice techno-ish pop to it. The opening sequence is as artistically done as the rest of the series and the OP fits in well with it. The thing I like about Dango Daikazoku is the fact that I could see myself singing my own kids to sleep with it even though I’m weak in my Japanese (and I have no kids). It’s cute, fun and intangibly lends itself well to the overall feel of the series.

While Ana may evoke the feeling they are going for in episode 24 the song itself is kinda crap. It’s a gospel-like track  and at times the lyrics kinda make sense but for the most part it is nothing more than Engrish. But then, I’m looking at it as a native English speaker. I imagine in Japan they aren’t as concerned about “the place is a lofty lord” as I am.

Clannad ~After Story~

OP: Toki wo Kizamu Uta by Lia
ED 1: TORCH by Lia
ED 2: Ana by Lia (ep 25)

It took me a few listens to get used to the OP and ED for ~After Story~. I think I was just so used to those of Clannad. Not to mention how fun Dango Daikazoku is to listen to while watching the bouncy dango. Eventually I got used to them and found them to be fitting end-pieces. Unfortunately, someone thought it would be a good idea to finish out ep 25 with Ana. But then, it was the Kyou arc extra on the DVD so it isn’t a big deal.

I found this trance remix someone made of Toki wo Kizamu Uta. A fitting choice seeing as trance tends to have lofty overlays which match well with the song.

off we go like a herd of turtles

I’ve never been particularly fond of writing. There are a few reasons I believe might be the cause. One, I’m inherently lazy. I’ve not been instilled with a sense of urgency or any significant motivation for much of anything. As result I tend to procrastinate. Generally speaking, in the past only when my ass was on the line did I find myself really working to get something done.

That procrastination lends itself to another contributing factor. When I was in school I’d always wait until the last possible moment to complete any type of report which needed to be done. This caused frustration and anxiety not to mention many late nights of attempting to coble together research. Considering it was before the days of the World Wide Web, you can understand how difficult a situation it was that I’d create for myself. I didn’t like those situations and, by extension, didn’t like the writing that often put me in them.

Things have kinda changed since then. I’ve learned to get things started early enough so that a little time here and there is sufficient to pull together a decent body of work. Add to that my need to proofread my own writing to the point of often over-analyzing it and I’m now able to overcome my distaste. For the most part, anyway. Hell, I’m writing this aren’t I?

But, that only solves part of the problem.

The largest problem I have now is that I have many, often disparate interests. Sadly, I also have ADD. As a result I find it hard to focus on any one thing long enough to maintain a blog with a consistent theme that many would find of any value. That doesn’t preclude me from trying, though.

I have an idea as to which direction I want to take this blog but I need to figure out how to organize my thoughts. One thing I’m certain about however, is that I want to keep my day -to-day life out of this. I’d like this to be a somewhat focused effort that doesn’t bore people with my daily events. I have another blog for that. I may be moving posts from there over here, though because they’re closer to the theme I wish to pursue here.

I suppose if anything, this an attempt to teach myself a thing or two. How to write better; how to focus more; perhaps find some motivation to get something done. My hope is that I’ll come away from this with more knowledge and experience in at least a couple of my interests. Ideally, I’d also like to come away with a better blog name and theme. We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully you’ll stick around for the ride.