They are wrong.

It’s “aimai san senchi.” (Around 3 cm.)

So let’s talk about Lucky Star.

I’ve seen good series before, but not this good. This is up there with Azumanga on the hilarity scale, and it’s only episode three. Purists would say that it’s a rip-off of Azu. I’d have to disagree on that one; it’s a completely unique series.

People say, “Oh, it’s about high school girls and their daily lives.” Well no shit, almost every anime out there is. Maybe they’re all cheap Azu ripoffs.

FUCKING NO.

I think Lucky Star is one of the best series that have come out so far. Each character has his/her own special quirks, and they’re beginning to flesh out nicely. Instead of the usual slacker guy, I think Kona is one of the most interesting characters in the show. Certainly, there’s a very specific demographic for this show: Non-western viewers  Japanese.

Westerners just won’t understand some of the jokes they make. Kinda like Azumanga. Which is why this show has limited appeal; if you don’t understand what the hell’s going on, you won’t think it’s interesting.

Then there’s Lucky Channel. I fail to understand why it’s so funny to everyone. It’s hackneyed, pointless and utterly boring. It’s a cheap attempt to target even more pedophiles and to introduce a male character. Really, it isn’t that funny.

So anyway, that’s my thoughts on Lucky Star. Definitely one of the freshest series of this year. I love it, I love it, I love it.

~Akira

PS: Excuse me for the looooooong hiatus. There were some personal issues that prevented me from posting or doing any reviews or ANYTHING of that kind. >_>;;; Good God, I’m back!!!!!

So first of all, it’s been spring break, I’ve been bored, and I finished Bokura ga Ita. Extremely disgruntled and disenfranchised by the ending of volume 8 of the manga, I went out and read nine and ten almost immediately. However, this was still not enough for me.

So today, with the express purpose of buying Volume 11 of Bokura ga Ita, I went out to Kinokuniya. (There’s actually another reason; I’ll get to that later.)

Now, mind you, this isn’t your walk down the street type of excursion. For those of you who don’t
know, Kinokuniya lies in the heart of LA. This means I have to brave the public transportation system, hobos and druggies to get there.

…Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that dangerous. But anything that costs me 2.50 just to get to is fairly significant. So I went, in hopes of finding out the fate of my beloved Nana-chan.

So I get there, and holy shit. There’s a huge blockade right on the other side of the street. …and I look closer.

OMG RUN WEABOOS.

I dashed into Kinokuniya as fast as I could. Once there, I set to work finding the two books that I wanted.

“Wait, didn’t you just say…?”

Yes, but here’s the thing. There was another book I wanted. That was, of course, ARIA volume 10. I didn’t expect it to be there, because it technically comes out tomorrow.

So I went in, grabbed Bokura ga Ita 11 and threw in Haruhi 1 as a consolation prize (I didn’t see ARIA 10), and went to the cash register.

Something caught my attention. I look. HOLY CRAP! ARIA 10!!!! I grabbed it as fast as I could, paid for all three books, and started reading while on the train ride back.

So pretty much:

- Alicia has a birthday.
- Athena does some cosplay.
- Akari makes new friends.
- Akatsuki gets his fortune told.
- Aika is conspicuously missing.
- We find out Grandma’s real name.

>_>;;; I love ARIA. I love how… there’s no plot. XD

Now for Bokura ga Ita…

It seems volume 11 has not answered any of my questions. I guess I’ll wait for volume 12.

A word on the Haruhi manga: It’s good. :3

Nagato Yuki has never been so hot. >_>;;

And that’s it!

Have a good day.

~Akira

This post will be of a slightly more personal nature than most. This post is not objective; there’s already an excellent review by Sorrow at NHRV. It’s going to be my personal feelings. Therefore, refrain from laughing or … um… flaming. Although this one’s going to be pretty flame-worthy. >.>; WARNING: Minor spoilers / implied major spoilers may follow. I don’t state anything blatantly though.
First of all, I’d like to say that I would love to kidnap Nana’s seiyuu. I want to kidnap her, steal her voice and give any woman I want her voice. It’s perfect. It’s extremely soothing, and not only that, but it’s extremely brittle, as if I could snap it with my fingers. It’s delicate. Not overly cute like most seiyuu, or deep, like some. Delicate and soothing. I’m going to have dreams about this voice of hers.

Then comes Takahashi Nanami herself. Like most people within the anime described her, she’s plain. But I love her personality! It’s frustrating at times, but extremely realistic. She represents, to me, what every teenager in love experiences: frustration, anxiety, fright, and of course, happiness. Sometimes, during the series, when I see her crying in sadness, I really do want to go and give her a hug. Or, when she’s laughing, I feel like I want to share that laughter with her. It’s probably one of the only series good enough to make me feel sympathy for the characters.

Then there’s the story. It’s realistic. To the point of painfulness. If there was ever a “gut-wrenching drama”, it’d be this one. There’s nothing fantastical about any of this series. Which is why it hits even harder. That’s my short critique on the series itself.

Here’s the part where it gets personal. Because of its excellence, this series has impacted me in a way few other series have. After watching it, I just didn’t feel like doing anything anymore. I still feel sick right now, 4 hours later. I don’t know why this is. I’m not sad; I’m not happy either. Rather, I feel this burst of feeling coming forth. Mixed emotions of sadness, happiness, anger and a bit of depression. I loved the script, the story, the characters, all of it. The ending left me with a bad aftertaste in my mouth. I really didn’t know what to think about it.

As I watched the series, I admired the simplicity of it all. I’m thinking to myself the whole time, “…why can’t my life be like that?” Unlike most anime, I think the lifestyle that the characters of BGI have are quite similar to that of our own. Which just makes me want to have a life like that even more.

To quote Mizu-chin, “Being single is lonely.” And that’s exactly how I feel after watching this series. I think, overall, it makes me feel as if I’m wasting my life right now. It just makes me feel sad. The way the series ended is a bit of deja vu for me; I’ve had similar circumstances happen to myself.

And speaking of Mizu-chin, I loved her presence in the series! I thought she and the entire supporting cast were great in highlighting the uniqueness of the four main characters. They weren’t in the way, they weren’t ever stealing time from the main characters, and they served as excellent and realistic friends.

But back to the main rant in question, sometimes I just wish my life could be as simple as that. Everything comes natural for me, and the only problem I’d have is dealing with my girlfriend correctly. If only life were that easy… or even if I would have a girlfriend in the first place. T_T. Life is not fair.
I think there are three quotes from the series that I really liked, and I’ll probably remember for a long time:

“Love is about the timing, and only about the timing.”

“We really were there.”

And the last one, this one just made me lose it. (don’t read it if you don’t want an implied spoiler.)
“I’d forgive her for everything. Because… how could I hate the woman that I loved so much?”

I just cried and cried and cried after I heard that one. I realize I might sound like a crybaby, but eh.

On the flip side! We’re taking up the job of scanlating the manga. Please, support us! The manga isn’t finished yet…

This kinda makes me wonder how the manga will end. Since the title is in past tense, “Bokura ga ITA”, not “Bokura ga IRU”, …does this imply that the manga won’t end happily? …oh God, please no. T_T I can’t take this much longer.

But really. I recommend this to EVERYONE who even has a passing interest in anime. Fucking 11/10.

~Akira

It’s just unfair.

I know I’m being a hypocrite, since I’ve stated time and time again about how I hate finding deep meaning in anime, but being a policy debater who runs Kritikal positions takes a toll on you. Plus, I love philosophy. So, therefore, I’m going to make a giant leap forward and attempt to write a small treatise on what I believe the series represents.

Ever since I’ve seen the series, I’ve never thought the idea of Haruhi as “God” made any sense whatsoever. No, I’ve always seen her as a representation of Kyon’s unconscious. Call me Freudian, but that’s what I believe. I realize I’m in the extreme minority here, but I think I can back this up with some evidence.

Kyon has had a lifetime of delusion. The first few lines in the novel and the anime state quite simply, “I used to believe in espers, time travelers, and aliens…”

Now, according to the school of thought that I believe in, the subconscious is never destroyed; it stays hidden, hence the name “subconscious.” While Kyon doesn’t believe in aliens and espers anymore, his subconscious still exists. Sixteen years of belief doesn’t vanish in a second. Therefore, we can first assume and establish the fact that Kyon has a subconscious, and that his subconscious still believes in these things he is currently suppressing.

And next, we come to the problem of Haruhi. Does she exist? The answer is, of course, yes. The person Suzumiya Haruhi exists in meatspace, although what Kyon sees and hears of her may be different from what everyone else experiences. This may very well be the reason why Kyon is able to interact with her even though others are not.

There are clues given throughout the entire series by Haruhi herself that she is just a normal human being. Assuming that Nagato, Asahina and Koizumi are all unreliable narrators, or simply manifestations created by Kyon’s subconscious, the only words we have to evaluate are Suzumiya herself’s. She states that she feels insignificant after going to a baseball game, and strives to become noticeable and unique. In this way, Haruhi may be considered a “hysteric”, outlined by the French psychoanalyst and thinker Jacques Lacan.

This conflicts with the dominating theory within fandom; which sees her as a “master.” The majority believes that because she is God, she is the Master. She strives to dominate, consciously or subconsciously, everything around her, because of her unique nature as a deity.

I don’t see this viewpoint, however. I believe that Haruhi is a hysteric, alienated by the system. To retaliate, she rebels against the system. This is the Suzumiya Haruhi that exists in the real world; the meatspace.

Yet, however, this is where things get a bit strange. We can say that the Haruhi that Kyon sees is a manifestation of his own subconscious. In this way, he is under the sway of an extremely powerful placebo, warping his own reality. His subconscious possesses the unattainable “objet petit a”, the object of desire. However, he can never capture this object. To quote, this creates a “nothing-space” he is moving into; a dialectic. Through the juxtaposition of reality and the objet petit a, his imaginary world is enhanced, giving depth and dimension. This is justified through his extreme bland meatspace existence; the only possibility of these seemingly impossible manifestations is the existence of his desire.

To go on, we will note that all events revolve around Kyon, and not Haruhi. While it seems at first that Haruhi is the one orchestrating events that occur within the series, we can also argue that Kyon is the one behind it all. The SOS-Dan was created per his suggestion, he designs the web site, which leads to the events highlighted in episode 7, etc. Although he seems to begrudgingly accept Haruhi’s schemes, in the end, he always serves as a catalyst for resolution, thus suggesting the fact that everything may have been planned out in his head already. In this theoretical framework, Kyon becomes the Master and Haruhi is the Hysteric. This can also explain the eccentric and honestly unrealistic character of the three supporting characters: they are all manifestations of Kyon’s wandering through the self-created space consisting of reality and the objet petit a. By wandering through this dialectic, Kyon manifests his own world, as stated above.

Therefore, we can see that another viewpoint on the plot and characters of this anime is that they are all imagined by Kyon, as a manifestation of his subconscious and his desire.

Oh Lord, did I just write that? Note to self: Crack on Monday nights is never good for the brain. >_>;;;

This was a personal exercise; I wanted to see how well I could incorporate foreign concept and make it clear for the masses, without going back through revision. Now that I look back upon it, I failed. T_T

But that’s okay. Thoughts on my theory?

~Akira

No. Not really.

Today’s “scathing rant” topic: the decline of the Anime industry. Because, if you haven’t noticed, Anime’s been getting progressively worse as the years go on. But in recent years, there’s been a sharp, sharp decline in the quality of anime.

And why is this?

Well, if you think about it, I believe that at this point, anime serves one extremely simple purpose: to make money and entertain. The “entertain” part isn’t hard; this is the Japanese we’re talking about. There’s something for anyone over there; and that isn’t a problem. Therefore, the only real problem is making money.

And really, the public hates innovation. As much as people praise and extol the praises of Naruto and One Piece (see weaboo post below), it’s evident that the majority of the public loves the same tried-and-true formula over and over. This is why animes such as Naruto and One Piece, which don’t stand as pieces of art, flourish more than the more obscure yet more artistic animes.

Now, is this a real problem? No, not really. I believe people, instead of complaining and whining about what crap they have, should just enjoy what they have. Which is why I have an analytical attitude towards this problem; I don’t bitch and moan about how crappy One Piece is. It could be much worse.

The fact of the matter is: No one really CARES about artistic quality or how well written a story is. It doesn’t really matter how “good” an anime is; all that really matters is the ratings and how much merchandise money they can make.

This links back to my other point: People need to stop spouting philosophical bullshit about anime. It’s simply not true. They’re made to make money, not to entertain your subconscious.

And you know? At this point, all an anime needs is a good, good formula. That’s all it needs for success. Therefore, using the Hegel dialectic, I’ll derive the formula for the most popular animes today. With this, you could even make your own “award-winning”, multi-billion dollar franchise!

THE AVERAGE SHOUNEN ANIME

Protagonist with weird ability/really fucked-up backstory. (ie: Luffy’s arms, Naruto’s past, Hikaru’s Go board.)

-ADD-

MENTOR FIGURE (Shanks, Kakashi, Sai.)

-ADD-

POTENTIAL LOVE INTEREST THAT PROTAGONIST NEVER COURTS (Nami, Sakura, Akari)

EQUALS

Sound story for the first 20 episodes.

Huh. So you see the basic premise. It seems everything, from Naruto to Yakitate!! Japan, follows this formula. Then comes the hard part. What do you do after the first 20 episodes? Easy.

Bad Guy + Protagonist => BATTLE!

Protagonist wins.

Protagonist grows.

Protagonist goes on to fight more battles in the same way. Except in slow motion, which takes anywhere from two to six weeks.

Okay. There you have it!  It’s just simple as that.

I’m not implying people are stupid. I’m sure anyone who’s watched any shounen has realized this far before I have. It’s just that it draws the masses like shit draws flies.

It seems Shoujo anime have their own formula.

Cute protagonist we all love (Tohru, Haruhi (Ouran), Mitsuki.) with a weird quirk. (lives in a tent, is actually a woman, has throat cancer.)

-PLUS-

Lifelong dream. (optional, but creates sympathy)

-PLUS-

Hot guys. (The Sohma house, Ouran High School Host Club, Wakaouji and Takuto.)

-PLUS-

OMFG PLOT TWIST WHAT THE FUCK

EQUALS

Frustrated fanboys.

Tried and true, I tell you. It always works.

So here’s the major question. When will the anime industry be on a rebound?

That’s an easy question to answer. Since Shounen Jump is THE trendsetter in the anime world, once most of these long-running shounens finish their run, the anime industry will advance inevitably. It happened last time long-running shounens ended. (Remember Pokemon? Remember DBZ?) The industry surged, anime quality went up. It happens all the time. It’s gonna happen again. The big two are One Piece and Naruto. And Bleach, perhaps. Once those three end (which I predict will happen around the same time), the industry will be on a huge rebound.

But as of now, we’re stuck with the same crap. But that’s fine with me, you could be watching Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora. >_>;

And then finally, there’s the ghost that’ll never leave. I think it’s pure brilliance that this series continued for so long; I commend it. It brings balance to the equation. Other series come and go. This one stays, like a well-weathered rock after facing numerous storms and gales. What is it, you ask?

Why, Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikoen-Mae Hashutsujo (こちら葛飾区亀有公園前派出所）, otherwise known as “Kochikame”, of course! It’s been running for 30 years straight, with more than 150 volumes published. The art has changed seldom from chapter 1, and there’s no reoccurring plot. I’ll explore the wonders of this series in a later post, but I believe its role is crucial. Its enduring popularity proves one fact: The Japanese love nostalgia. And in the end, it wins out to anything new anyone can put out.

So why don’t we go for the nostalgia factor? It’s clearly a bad move. Why? While it is published in the infamous Jump, Kochikame is definitely not a series for kids. Not that it has sex or violence, it’s just a series that adults would enjoy more. It’s more deep, the humor more complex and there’s artifacts from the 70s. Kids wouldn’t understand.

And that’s what it takes for the anime industry to improve. That is, to stop aiming anime at kids. The sooner they realize that adults are the true market, the more money they’ll make. They’ll abandon the formula for the artistic and creative genius that defines the better series in the anime world. This way, they’ll make money and produce high quality. Once this wave of shounen is over, there will be a new hunger for new ideas, new series. And that’s when this will happen.

And if it doesn’t? Then I guess we’re in for another plunge.

~Akira

]]> http://akira.nihonreview.com/?feed=rss2&p=14 http://akira.nihonreview.com/?p=13 http://akira.nihonreview.com/?p=13#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2007 05:10:19 +0000 akira Music http://akira.nihonreview.com/?p=13 _>;;) Impressions: Well, I do like the album. It’s very elegant, kinda like the CD itself. The new songs were a suprise! I especially like “Nichiyou no Asa.” While others can [...]]]> Two things.

1. Kotatsu GETTO!

2. ULTRA BLUE GETTO!

Couldn’t be happier. This means I now hold all five of Utada Hikaru’s albums (because Single Collection No. 1 doesn’t count >_>;;)

Impressions:

Well, I do like the album. It’s very elegant, kinda like the CD itself. The new songs were a suprise!
I especially like “Nichiyou no Asa.” While others can debate over whether “This is Love” is better than “Keep Tryin’” is better than “Passion”, I’d have to say my favorite song on this album is COLORS. I don’t know why, but I just like it a lot.

And what better time to introduce you to this god of a singer?

Utada Hikaru is probably one of J-pop’s most reconizable singers. She’s a global superstar; she’s sung all over the world.
Born in New York in 1983 to a music-making family, she’s been around music most her life. At 15, she shocked the world
with “Automatic/time will tell”, her first single. Her debut album, First Love, is the highest-selling single in Japanese history. You can read my run-down on this legendary album here.

But, you know, she’s not all about singing. While her voice is easily recognizable and memorable, she’s known for much more than that. Fluent in English and Japanese, she’s also known for her accurate, non-accented English and her passion: Tetris.

While this seems to be a strange passion for a singer, she does it with a professional attitude. Not only is she Japan’s best singer, she’s also Japan’s number one Tetris player. This was determined during a Nintendo event held last August, in which she faced 30 of the country’s best, and her record: 26:4. This makes sense; she stays away from the tabloids by staying at home and playing Tetris all day. Smart girl, she is. (She also went to Columbia University, but dropped out due to professional pressures. The fact that she even got ACCEPTED is pretty amazing. @_@)

She’s also hilarious. The stuff she says on TV, her actions, her blog, they all point to a kid stuck in a grown-up’s body. In one particularly memorable post, she admitted that she loved her pillow, and had a pillow addiction. She hugs her pillow all day and does nothing sometimes. She’s even started a “Pillow Addicts Anonymous” for people like her. >_>;;
At the end of the day, with all her quirks and funny personality, Utada Hikaru is one of J-pop’s most personable stars. She’s also one of the most talented; her music shows it.

And now, for your personal enjoyment (please delete after 24 hours): Two of her songs.

First Love

COLORS

One’s from the her early period, one’s fairly recent. Notice the evolution. They’re both really good songs, and like I said, COLORS is my favorite song from ULTRA BLUE.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

あきらの音楽ファンタイム！ (Akira’s Music FUNTIME)
Okay, stupid title, I know, I tried to make it as Japanese as possible. Basically, this section gives you a random song that I like every time I post about music. This is also for your enjoyment, and make sure to remember to follow laws. *nudge*

This time’s song:

サクラ色 (Sakurairo) - Angela Aki

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And thus ends today’s fanboy rant. Cya next time!

~Akira

But! I’m back onboard.

Now, something everyone who knows even a little bit about me knows is that I love to rant. So today, I’m going to rant. What about?

There’s a type of person I absolutely despise. I’m sure we’ve all seen them, especially in our line of work:

The weaboo.

You might not understand what this term means. Let me tell you.

Weaboo (n.) [wiɑbu]
1. A white person that wishes to be Japanese fanatically.
See: faggot

I have no respect for these people at all. We’ve all see then. You might have seen them at conventions, lurking around, telling the whole world how much of an “otaku” they are, or perhaps shouting that their life goal is to go to “TU.”

I’ve seen them. In Akihabara, those two or three white guys that don’t just look and marvel at the place, but the ones that actually piss themselves. Now those are the real weaboos.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling for all-

out genocide >_>;; but really, there’s a point where you need to stop.

Those guys that just see me walking on the street in Tokyo,
they walk up to me and they attempt to speak Japanese.

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but really. At least make an effort.

“OMG I KNOW KATAKANA I’M GOING TO JAPAN.”

It’s not like that. Really, it’s not. And most of all though, is there’s just something WRONG with weaboos. They have their own race, their own culture, their own traditions they can be proud of. You can be a fan, that’s true, but as Immortal Technique once said,

“You will never be them.
No matter how much you wanna dye your hair blonde,
or follow an anorexic standard of beauty,
or get fake eyes in,
they’ll never see you as anything more than a little monkey.”

And it’s true! Why would you ever want to be Asian when you’re perfectly fine being white? It just doesn’t make sense, and it frustrates me.And since we’re on this topic, I’ll talk to you guys about something else.

There’s something else I hate. It also has to do with weaboos. I’ve noticed that there’s people who try and put deep, philosophical meaning on just about everything in anime. One of the prime examples, in my opinion, is Neon Genesis Evangelion. People discuss it way too often. “Oh, what do you think Anno meant here when he put the moon on the top-right corner instead of the top-left?”

LOOK. IT DOESN’T MATTER.

We need to realize that perhaps, there is no deep meaning behind every single small detail. People need to understand that anime is a form of entertainment, and therefore, not always deep and meaningful. Like my good comrade Kuma said, Naruto is for KIDS.There’s no way you can justify it’s for adults, ever.

And you know. We need to reject this sort of mindframe; I believe with the elimination of the weaboo anime can spread faster. Why? These weaboos are the ones that give anime a bad name. Since the regular anime fan doesn’t go around yelling out how much he loves Rei or how much he wants to bone Asuka,
the average person sees the weaboo as the anime fan. And it looks bad for the rest of us.

By eliminating the weaboo, we can allow anime to spread across the Western World even faster.

And that’s my rant.

Cheers,
Akira

PS: And oh. I’m going to start scanlating Doraemon soon. If anyone wants to view these, they should be up within the month on this website. =]

It may not be interesting, but hey.

Now here’s the story all about how my life got flip-turned upside down… XD;;

Actually, I wanted to tell you how I got into J-pop. This is a weird story.

I was raised on Classical Music. So, of course, I grew up listening to Classical, John Denver and Godfather soundtracks. Then, when I was in fifth grade, I went to Asia for two years of schooling. There, I got into the rap scene. (Ironic, no?) Used to listen to ‘Pac and Dre everyday. Good times.

In 8th grade, I joined a small forum my friends started. I dunno how that conversation started, but in the end,
I inquired her about what she listened to, and she sent me three songs as samplers (All by Morning Musume):
“Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari”, “Roman ~My Dear Boy~” and “Shabondama.”

I quickly fell in love with that type of music, and before I knew it, I’ve heard every single Morning Musume single A-side ever released.

Most Americans, the evolution goes:

American Music. -> Anime soundtracks. -> J-pop fandom.

Me, it was different. It was like:

Music -> J-pop what?

Dunno why. Never got into the whole soundtrack thing, haha.

So anyway, the first song that actually made an impression me was probably LOVE Machine. Which, to this day, I still love.

So there I go, into Morning Musume fanboydom. (Strangely, even to this day, I can’t name everyone.)

‘Round two years ago, a good friend of mine introduced me to Otsuka Ai. She told me,
“Dude, you have to sing this song kareoke.” She sent me Kingyo Hanabi. ‘Rest was history.

Well, not really. But it was kinda sudden. I just dropped all American music and listened to J-pop, everything J-pop. Hell, I ued to listen to Tf6/Th6 too.

But not anymore. *ducks.*

But really. By around ninth grade, I just stopped listening to American music altogether.

This must be what drug addiction’s like. Begging to keep your music. Wanting more, all the time. Yup.

Now I have posters of BoA all over my room. Just awesome.

And for the record:

I do listen to English music. If you ask me what my favorite bands are, here they are.

Pink Floyd
Queen
Aerosmith
Led Zeppelin
The Doors

Just for future reference.

So really; I urge you to release yourself. Try something new. You just might like it. Like me. =D

~Akira

PS: Det, if you read this, riddle me this: Why don’t you have AIM anymore? =(

While some people are extremely indecisive about this, I have a clear-cut winner in my mind. No series I’ve ever read can ever match the sheer elegance this series offers.

That’s right; I’m talking about ARIA.

“What? ARIA?! Are you gay?”
~One of my Japanese girl friends.

Like I said, this series can only be described as “elegant.” The premise is simple, like all other series of its ilk: In 2301, Mars is colonized as a planet of water, and renamed Aqua. The crown jewel of the planet is the city Neo-Venezia. The story follows three would-be Undine (female gondoliers) and their various adventures and misadventures.

Kozue Amano, the author of the series, certainly did his/her research before penning the series; the depictions of Venice’s most famous landmarks are extremely accurate. (As a side note, no one seems to know if Amano-sensei is a man or a woman. >_<)

There's continuity in these stories, which usually revolve around the main character, Akari Mizunashi. Akari is new to Aqua, and marvels at just about everything around her. The chapters are usually dedicated to new discoveries she makes, or new people she meets. Each chapter is told as if she's writing a letter to someone; they always start off with "Zenryaku: Genki desu ka?" ("Hey, how are you?") The identity of the reader of these mails is a close-guarded secret: no one seems to know.

The series is character-driven. We see the slow maturation of all of the characters during the series, subtle romances bloom from time to time, and most importantly, everything is kept in complete mystery. We have no clue as to what's going to happen later on; the things that happen in each chapter are completely unpredictable. The story moves slowly, from volume to volume, with each volume representing a time period of six months (an Aquan season.) As readers, it's our job to not question any of the plot decisions that Amano-sensei makes, but just enjoy the wonderful world she created.

And this is the series' strong point: the characters. Not only Akari, but her friends Aika and Alice, along with their superiors Alicia, Akira and Athena, are all extremely memorable and realistic people. None of them are one-sided or flat; each one of them has more than one side to their personality. The revelation of these different facets of each character's personality is also executed perfectly; we don't get the feeling of "LOL PLOT TWIST", but rather, we feel like we learn something about a friend of ours that we didn't know before, and thus, become excited somewhat.

...okay, maybe it's just me. >_>;; But really, I highly recommend this series to anyone who wants a light-hearted read, someone who wants some quality characters and art, or anyone who just wishes to read some good manga. It’s slow-paced, laid-back, and beautiful. Seriously, what could be better? Akari and her friends are some of the most memorable characters in manga that I’ve read; they’ll continue to be. This series gets an 11/10 from me. It’s just that good.

Cheers,
~Akira

Today, I’m not going to preach to you how great J-pop is, or how awesome Japan is, or anything like that.

Let’s sit down and talk about something that I love dearly, yet doesn’t exist in great amounts:

The non-plot manga.

There seems to be three kinds of mangas. One of them, of course, is your conventional story-telling. Charater, conflict, plot. Okay.

Second type, of course, is the short story. A story told in one or two chapters, with one-shot characters. The complete opposite of the first.

My favorite type is the one that blurs both of them. Non-plot, I like to call it.

Why do I like it? Well, the lack of a plot leads to better character development, really. A good non-plot manga features a colorful, robust cast, almost no minor characters, and usually revolve around a single person or a small group of people. The artwork also seems a lot better…

This installment of posts (not garenteed to be consecutive) will introduce you to what I believe are some of the greatest non-plot classics in Japanese history.

Let’s get started with Part One, then!

The first manga we’re going to talk about is what I believe to be one of the most influential, if not most influential, manga to be put out in Japan. Unfortunately for our English-speaking readers, no one has ever translated it into English, and it’s doubtful that anyone ever will. It created one of the longest running series of all time, more than 1,000 episodes of anime based off the stories printed, billions of dollars sold in merchandising. With the original manga collected in 45 volumes, it captures the childish four year old in all of us. No, I’m not talking about Pokemon. What I’m talking about, of course, is:

Doraemon.

Simply one of the best mangas ever to be put out by Japan. The premise is insanely simple, the stories fun to read, and the cast of characters colorful and lively.

The premise: Nobita Nobi is a failure at life. A fourth grader, he fails at just about everything he does, gets beaten up by his classmates, and gets yelled at by his mom and his teacher. At the beginning of the series, it’s New Year’s, and while he’s sitting in his room, lazing around as usual, a kid that looks exactly like him pops out of his drawer, and identifies himself as his grandson from the 22nd century. He says, “You know, my grandfather was bad at everything. Bad at athletics, bad at academics, he even never won a game of rock-paper-scissors in his life…” It turns out that his bumbling exploits in life put his decendants in considerable debt and set the Nobi family back centuries. Thus, a robototic cat, Doraemon, is sent to protect Nobita from wasting his life and help him make something out of his life.

Doraemon has the power to pull out all kinds of tools from a fourth-dimensional pocket. Among those things include a door to anywhere, flashlights to make people big or small, and all sorts of other gadgets. Most stories revolve around Nobita trying to use these gadgets to solve a problem he has, fails miserably, and eventually learns a lesson from the mistakes he’s made.

There is absolutely no continuity in these stories, and in fact, characters don’t seem to age. The time is never specified, and there’s nothing to suggest that any time has passed from
one story to the other. It doesn’t really matter; what Doraemon is is a collection of short-stories designed for small children.

Yet, somehow, it has universal appeal. We see the characters in Doraemon everyday in our own lives. Nobita, the bumbling, kind-hearted kid; Gian, the mean-spirited bully; Suneo, the community rich-kid, and Shizuka, the pretty and compassionate girl. Perhaps it’s because we see these people everyday that we connect to the characters so well.

Then there’s Doraemon. A blue cat-robot that’s afraid of mice, able to do just about anything. He’s no God, however, which might be the reason why he’s also popular. A coward, klutz, and glutton, Doraemon is no more intellegent or brilliant than any member of the cast. The tools he uses to help color the world he lives in, however, is a totally different story.

When I first read Doraemon at the age of 9, I thought to myself, “Wow, I wish I had one of those…” And it’s this notion that keeps bringing generations and generations of kids to keep on reading this manga. Adults love it too; it reminds them of a time when everything was good, there were no worries, and the frustrations of the world were completely oblivious to them.

And what time, you ask?

Childhood.

~Akira