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Fine, so it’s over a month late. Here’s our review of our experience at Anime Boston 2011. We went to panels and did some too. Daryl overuses the phrase “wing it” in his recollections of events. Oh, and we talk about bara. However, we do NOT talk about whale rape. Well, not THAT much anyway.
Last month Daryl posted his take on the Anime Boston 2011 dealer’s room. Expect more such contributions as ideas are thought up…
I’ve listened to every episode of AWO more than once. Also, if you google “Whale Rape Anime” you get the ANN entry for a Miyazaki movie I’ve never heard of. That is all.
Does winning the internet mean I have to keep 4chan? If so, I decline.
I’m glad you guys didn’t just toss my e-mail. It can be hard to judge whether my bizarre sense of humor will alienate people.
For the record: I do not know “Surat,” I do like Gerald a lot, and whale rape was not my AWO gateway drug.
I am an bara fan and a bara artist…well an American version of one. If you are looking for some bara art work here is a list of places you can go. It does have adult content so be for warned…but it has no whale rape, that I know of. 🙂
Danshi.jp
– His art work is beautiful. He also has a dating sim game out called ‘hunks-workshop”.
Baraspot.org
-an image board for bara art work
Yaoi.y-gallery.net
-This is where people post their gay oriented art work. It has many styles, yaoi, bara and American comic book. Great place to share original art work.
rainbow-shoppers.com
English and Japanese site where you can buy actual bara manga from Japan. Shipping can get expensive. 🙁
I am sure there is many more sites but these are the only ones I can think of.
The hatsune miku concert sounded interesting but then colony drop made a tweet and reminded me that 1. It wasn’t going to be a Sharon Apple experience and 2. The official setlist doesn’t really do it for me most of the time. By the way try not to feel too bad about AX beating otacon to the punch on the vocaloid concert, AX is almost always struggling to maintain its west coast con supremacy which is constantly undermined by mismanagement and burned bridges.
Maybe the internet has just made me jaded and cynical, but I feel like asking the average American anime fan to name their favorite director is liking asking a Lady Gaga fan to name their favorite classical composer. It seems like a relevant question, but the fact is that most American anime fans have very little exposure to the “Japanese side” of anime, because they get it from the same places they get the rest of their entertainment. On the TV, from 4Chan and whatever Best Buy or Amazon happens to be selling. The Funimation page on FB gets at least one post a day asking them to “Make another season of what-have-you” which pretty much tells me two things: One, they don’t know what Funimation actually does as a company and two, they don’t know anime is made in Japan. To be fair, it’s not really their fault. A lot of it has to do with the localization process, but I feel a rant coming on so I’m just going to stop myself there.
Say Daryl, what are your opinions on Durarara? I wanted to know because I just heard that AdultSwim picked it up to start running it on Saturdays, and I hear it’s a good show.
By the way, I am dead certain that you’re going to be at Otakon 2011, because I saw “Anime’s Craziest Deaths” on the panel listing, and you’re the person who runs that panel. That, and the “Anime 101” panel listed there as well. Are you doing any other panels at that con, and is there going to be some incarnation of Anime Hell there as well?
Um, about what I just posted. My iPhone downloaded only about 3/4 of the podcast, so I missed the part where you said you’d be at Otakon. I posted my response before hearing you say that you would be, thereby making myself look like an idiot. Take that as you will.
Just a quick one from me.
Firstly I love your podcast.
Secondly, the reason I tend to listen to your podcast a couple of times as I work nights in a boring job and have lots of time to listern.
I also go back every now and then I download a random episode and listen to it too.
Getting videos in Powerpoint isn’t that difficult, even without a time limit. Powerpoint (at least 07 and up, don’t remember how to in prior editions) allows you to embed videos (or “Movies”) in the Insert section. Just two tips to keep in mind:
1) Keep the video in the same folder as the Powerpoint presentation.
2) Make sure the “Play Full Screen” setting is checked in the movie’s options. Powerpoint doesn’t like to play video within the actual presentation window, unless it’s either a .wmv or .flv file (forget which), but playing in full screen pops it out and plays normally as long as you have the codecs.
Coincidentally enough, I do this with my own tokusatsu panel that I’ve done for three years at my local con MTAC (which, even more coincidentally, was on the same weekend at Anime Boston). I can email you the Powerpoint resentation if you like.
Am I the only one that actually enjoyed Macross II (even if admittedly, the plot was just a redo of DYRL and made without Kawamori)?
I wonder if some fans not knowing the names of anime creators doesn’t come from the same philosophy as the common practice of fansubbers not translating the original staff names in the credits (a rarely remarked-upon difference between licensed and fansub releases).
When you think about it, the practice really adds insult to injury–it’s saying: not only did we not ask you people if we could distribute the anime you made, we don’t even care who you people are (although we will make sure to advertise our own group’s name in the credits), and while we might take pride in translating every last cultural reference you wrote into your series, the names of the people who wrote them are unimportant.
I was the one at the Anime 101 panel who asked “Why do we have to learn all these terms and stuff, why can’t I just watch stuff” I just didn’t think I would hear the line “tone down the rhetoric” at an anime convention. I think that the panel should have done more to help people find anime that they want to watch instead, because you guys( and girl) frequently state that momentum and the next step on what to watch is key to someone being a long-term anime fan, and when I later got advice from Gerald at that director panel to look up who did ones favorite show, I thought that was a more important thing to learn in comparison to learning all the lingo. But still, it was a good panel nonetheless and if anyone SHOULD teach people the basics of anime, it is Daryl Surat, for he shall guide the sheep away from the Moe Devil.
“I think that the panel should have done more to help people find anime that they want to watch instead”
Hey now, I can only plug the URL to this website so many times! Answering that question is, after all, the reason why most people are listening.
But yeah, the trouble with putting series recommendations into a panel like that is that there is literally nothing I could name as a common denominator anime title that EVERY anime fan either has seen or must see as a “prerequisite.” The fandom is simply too divided, and that sort of focus is too open to bias on the part of the presenter; after all, were it up to me, every single anime fan would watch Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still. Long ago, I once thought that we could all have our likes and dislikes, but at the very least we could all agree to watch the films of Hayao Miyazaki / Studio Ghibli. Yet to this day, I have never succeeded in showing any group the complete set of his movies over an extended period of time. Ever. The majority of people who would attend an anime club just plain aren’t that interested in those types of movies. So I’ve abandoned that notion of “at least we’ll all have the fact that we saw [title] as a common shared experience” and set my sights to something a little bit more feasible: “at least we’ll all be talking about the same thing when we use the words ‘anime’ and ‘manga.’ At least we’ll be aware of the concept that Japanese animation did in fact exist before we were alive.” As I’ve noted, even those may not be attainable goals in the end.
I do put on “anime you should watch” panels in which I try and show a somewhat diverse selection of titles with the hope that those in attendance will at least find one or two things to watch from what is presented. Those panels are great to do, especially at the sci-fi/multimedia conventions where you’re more likely to find lapsed fans…but that a la carte approach is contrary to the notion of “this is what you should really have an understanding of at the bare minimum” that a panel title such as “Anime 101” should entail. The topic of “anime you should see” is vast enough to warrant a dedicated block to precisely that topic, and fortunately nearly every anime convention offers that in some form or fashion as it stands.
I think the Hatsune Miku concert is a cool idea. Vocaloids are such an impressive technology. I don’t know what the concert at AX will be like, but I read that at the original concert in japan, they projected the character’s image on stage in such a way as it looked like it was 3d. It may not be Sharon Apple, but it’s pretty dang sic-fi.
It sounds like what was going on in that Sealab 2021 episode and at the con is where one guy does the tech savvy part while the other guy gives it out in user-friendly/layman’s terms. Essentially one is complex while the other simplified.
Thanks for the feedback on the “Get Off My Lawn!” panel. Funny thing is, the three of us on the panel didn’t actually know each other outside of doing the panel together (and never met before the panel), so it was interesting that we came across as knowing each other from Arisia. I’ve never been to Arisia, myself. And yes indeed, I’m doing a spin-off panel at ConnectiCon, but with a decidedly different flavor and organizational structure (it’s called “Middle-aged Geeks Tell All!”). And well, older people this time. So your feedback on Jim’s AB panel is much appreciated, and I can feed it into my own planning.
As for naming anime directors . . . I wonder how many American movie directors your average American movie-goer could name, especially if you narrowed the sample size to the average age range for anime con attendees. (Not saying this is a good thing, mind you.) [American movie director names are prominently featured in advertising, especially for blockbusters. I would wager the average teenager could name a few, but since I don’t go anywhere that they would frequent, I’ve little way of verifying. –Daryl]
I think the point about average American film-goers is well taken, but there is this lingering idea (which obviously needs to be re-examined) that anime fans, being into a niche entertainment, are better informed about what they choose to watch than the passive mainstream audience that only goes to see what’s most advertised.
Daryl noted recently how mainstream Hollywood films these days are marketed sometimes a year or more in advance, with an endless stream of articles, interviews, and updates about the production, cast, and staff. It hits me that the ironic consequence of all this is that the casual American movie-goer might end up better informed on the people behind their “mainstream” films than the hardcore American fan is on the people behind their anime. Think of how often the special extras on U.S. DVD releases consist of the translated promo material that was done for the anime. That was all designed to be seen *before* you bought it, not after.
I always get so envious when you talk about the panels you see/present. Australian cons generally aren’t very panel-driven and the few panels we do see are fairly superficial “how to draw anime” type things.
Ever thought about recording and mirroring your panels/presentations online? I know I’d watch them. [The practice of recording one’s own panels and posting the videos online tends to be terrible at best, blackmail material at worst. Besides, I don’t have the equipment for it! –Daryl]
Yeah, the last industry guy I remember at AB was Imagawa at my first one, which was like 2006 or 2007.
Best part was during his Q&A: After asking a question, a guy dressed as Stalker proceeded to throw off his coat and eye patch, then yelled, “GUNDAM FIGHT, READY GO!!!”
Imagawa responded with a resounding “READY GO!!!” himself while wearing a giant smile on his face.
I missed most of the Macek panel because this year’s AnimeBoston was my first and I should have pre-registered instead of spending an hour and a half in line and stressing because I missed a lot of the good parts of that panel. But I did get to talk to you after that, and I also went to the Directors panel and the Sane Mecha fan panel.
I do think it is sad when most anime fans aren’t able to name Tomino or Oshii or even Hideki Anno. I did like that I was able to guess that you were going to play a clip from Harmagedon as the Rintaro example(I guess people would think the movie of X was directed by Clamp?).
And yes, Gerald, those guys yelling “Sieg Zeon” proved your point even better than you would have hoped for. If nothing else, they lose the internets and they make themselves look worse than anything I could have said about them. And since I now have Macross Plus in my collection, at least you guys have helped me chose one more thing that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
I still stand by my request for a review of Suzumiya Haruhi No Shoushitsu (The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya). I am interested to see if you think it’s one of the best anime movies of the last few years(although I’d say Summer Wars probably has that title and I got both my mother and my sister to watch Summer Wars).
Finally, a few observations. 1. I agree with you that AB needs to step up and curb this Marco Polo nonsense. And take away those damn boomboxes too. 2. I was quite surprised that the Japanese Folktale panel filled up. I barely got in and I waited in line for fifteen minutes before it started. Granted it was one of those small rooms. 3. The Funimation panel had a really amusing moment after the Q&A where this 10 year old girl dressed as one of the Sailor Senshi was chewing out both the Funimation people and Toei itself(who had no one there obviously) for not doing a re-release of Sailor Moon. The moment was so full of TRUTH that I am thankful that I did not miss it.
I feel silly asking this, but where do you guys post your pictures? I assumed that it’d be on your Facebook page, but apparently not.
On the mystery that is people digging thru your past eps, coming up to date and giving them multiple listens.
Been there done that, will do it again and hope it continues.
Get over it- You all score on so many levels(intelligence, humor, scholarship, history, analysis, diversity, even camaraderie, some WTF and more- often in generous helpings). It’s the stuff of replay value.
I’m saddened to hear that people baulk at you for merely attempting to define “anime” and “manga.”
I’ve experienced a lot of discontent and complaints when I put forward a definition of “moe,” even a fairly-broad one that might encompass a lot of what people seem to be talking about when they use that term. I expect people to complain about that specific, fairly hard to pin down idea, but not the real basics like “anime” and “manga.” But I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked by anything these days.
I linked Gerald’s History of Hentai panel to a forum where a number of us watched it until the stream gave out. We all seemed to agree that it was fairly interesting and informative! If only it were possible to stream more panels, but I understand the reasons why it’s not such an easy thing to do.
One way to approach the definition of “anime” and “manga” is to compare it to the term “Japanese film,” which is usually understood to refer to live-action films made in Japan primarily for a Japanese audience.
If an American (or any other other non-Japanese) made a live-action movie in their own country that was inspired by a Japanese film, most people would have no trouble seeing that didn’t make it a Japanese film–and that you’d look a little silly if you nevertheless went around insisting to everyone that a film you shot in Brentwood with American actors (or Barcelona with Catalan actors) was a Japanese film. The same reasoning applies to “anime” and “manga,” which are “Japanese animation” and “Japanese comics” in the same sense that “Japanese film” is.
We say “Japanese film” (and “anime” and “manga”) not because the words have some mystic exclusionary identity foreigners could never understand, but because there is a useful, real-world distinction to be made between, say, Japanese films vs. Hollywood films (or vs. French films, Thai films, etc.). Each of these are made in a different country for a different audience by a different set of professionals with a different set of traditions and under different economic conditions. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy them all and be influenced and inspired by them, but if we don’t acknowledge each filmmaking industry is coming from a different place and thus turns out differently–just as manga are not the same as manga-inspired foreign comics, and anime are not the same as anime-inspired foreign animation–we’re not only denying the facts, we’re denying what made these films, anime, and manga interesting to us in the first place–they gave us something different.
I am a 40 year old female that loves anime. I was wondering what anime you guys have watched and which ones are your favorites? [Although I cannot provide a list of every anime title I have seen, the Review Index link at the top of the page contains a list of every title we have reviewed on this podcast. Many of them are titles which you have seen, if you’re curious to know what we thought about them. –Daryl] I am a big anime fan. Did you know that DisneyXD has Naruto Shippuden, Chrono Crusade and Monster?
Here is a list of anime I have seen:
Inu Yasha/Inu Yasha The Final Act, Gundam Wing, RahXephon, Pretear, Fullmetal Alchemist, S-cry-ed, Bleach, Chrono Crusade, Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X, Naruto/Naruto Shippuden, Monster, Trigun, Vampire Knights, Trinity Blood, Blood/Blood+,Witch Hunter Robin, Wolf’s Rain, Vision of Escaflowne, Requiem from the Darkness, Saiyuki, Earth Girl Arjuna, Yu Yu Hakusho, Gravitation, Blue Seed, Yu Yu Hakusho, Kiba, Buso Renkin, Devil May Cry, Serial Experiments Lain, Ghost in the Shell. Kekkaishi and Loveless.
I don’t know if you know about these anime Sites:
http://www.absoluteanime.com – information
http://www.crystalacids.com/database – is a database of voice actors for all different anime.
[Many of those titles you listed are titles which we reviewed either on this podcast or for Otaku USA Magazine. Note that their website is currently being relocated. The two sites you’ve cited are generally considered less useful than simply checking the ANN Encyclopedia; in fact, much of their information is derived from there in the first place. –Daryl]
To John and Daryl. I bitched about the clarification of the terms because names and terms to me are worthless, you may look no farther to the flame wars of defining “Moe” and “Death Metal, Hair Metal” and Wii U and PS Vita to find out that these things are stupid, if it were not for the fact that we can’t remember things without lumping them into a word or a sentence, I would call for an end to this madness and just say what one is talking about. I do feel like i am making a big deal out of the terms though, I just thought I provide some feedback, I just thought that “The sun is going to burn out in 5 Billion years, and no one will know about this stuff by then, so I feel we should focus on having fun instead.” Stupid me.
[The manner by which people “just say what one is talking about” is precisely by way of the application of those names and terms you consider so meaningless. You may not like names such as PS Vita but knowing them is, in the end, more valuable than simply referring to all videogame systems as “Nintendo,” as many people my parents’ age tend to do. The position you’re holding is analogous to that. –Daryl]
My point is that it is better to describe something like the PSVita etc. by using definitions. Instead of saying Wii U, a more descriptive way would be “Nintendo’s newest console” or “the sequel console to the Wii”. While using definitions can be redundant, it helps people who are not familiar with the matter and makes it more accessible to the public. I do realize that this is impossible however, because people just NEED to save that extra 2 seconds of time so that they can, I don’t know, scratch their head or something. it is also impossible to describe something by using definitions because doing so would terms and words that have meaning and descriptions to them, creating a logical paradox, and making me go around in circles contradicting myself. My bitching about this stuff probably comes from my PTSD from the flame wars about the Wii’s name. I still wake up, EVERY NIGHT, SCREAMING! Screaming about all the forums I’ve locked, all the fights that torn apart friendships I’ve witnessed, all the shitty Penis jokes, all came up on me during that Anime 101 panel and sent me STRAIGHT into a night terror. The horror……the horror.
Big bara fan and long time listener here! I will now post my photoshop effort because I think it turned out extremely nice. enjoy.
http://i.imgur.com/wJS29.png
Haha that’s awesome. You should make a version where his face is black and white so that it fits in better with the rest of the image.
Could you add Gabe Newell to that as well?
That girlie person running the modeling panel is Sophia Thomas aka Loran Basara Evin. She doesn’t like being called a trap and will bitch about it on facebook.
I thought this would be relevant. There’s going to be a Tagame anime made soon. [NUH UH also that dude is totally J. Jonah Jameson -Daryl]