Con Report: AnimeNEXT 2008 – Sunday

Alas, we spent only two hours or so at the con on Sunday. My friend from New York was visiting, and she didn’t have a day pass, so we snuck her into the con briefly with my other friend’s pass so she could buy some presents for her little cousin. Otherwise, we couldn’t spend much time in the con itself. We ate at Nikko Sushi again, and then saw her off at the bus stop, because the bus’s at the con center run right to Port Authority in NYC. Then it started raining, then pouring, to the point that as we sprinting up the con center steps, I could see a thick layer of water streaming over everything. My shoes and socks were soaked.

We spent our last minute’s of the con in the dealer’s room, looking for last-minute deals. I’ve always been told that at the end of a con, the dealer’s start having sales, just so they don’t have to cart all the merchandise back home. Is this true? Because I’ve never seen it. In the last ten minutes before the dealer’s room closed, though, I bought Neji, a comic by Kaori Yuki that I’ve been casually looking for during the last…oh…five years? It’s never been translated into English but I don’t mind. I was just obsessed with reading it for so long and now I can practice my Japanese some more.

Last, I went down to the Art Show to pick up my artwork and found that 2 of my 3 pieces had sold! Hooray! Until I remembered that there was a $10 fee to actually have my work IN the show…so I only made $15…which will go toward paying expenses…….. But before I get too down, I’m just gonna remind myself that, after all, this is all part of the experience, and if I work really hard, maybe I can have my own booth in the future!! I hope…

So farewell to AnimeNEXT. I won’t be going to any cons for the next two years because I can already see that my schoolwork is going to interfere, but maybe between now and the next time I can work hard on this little business plan I have in my head…

If you have con stories, feel free to write! I’m interested in what I missed >.<

 

Con Report: AnimeNEXT 2008 – Saturday

Well, it took me a while to get to writing this one! I’ve been busy with other writing projects, so alas, the blog got kicked aside. Now watch as I attempt to piece these events together…

Saturday was my friend’s birthday, and we had a surprise party planned for her that night, so we didn’t stay for the dance at the con. The whole day I was thinking really hard what I should buy for her, but this year, I really had nothing I could think of giving her. I guess I was kinda burned-out from other projects I’d done in the past, and from working so hard on art for the past month.

And by art I mean the three pieces I entered in the Art Show! I was both excited and disappointed that the Artist Alley and Art Show were located in the basement of the con center (in actuality, there was a parking lot down there, and they just put a black rug over the concrete). I wonder if the location drew less people down there. On Friday, I had basically just checked out the market and seen the price range in the art show. I was shocked that some people were selling pieces with a minimum bid of $6 but then charging $65 for a quickbid. Now I regret not bidding on those $6 pieces… Also, maybe I have no right to give this opinion, but it seems to me that despite their artistic skill – their Photoshop experience, or their understanding of anatomy, or their grasp of color – artists in the Artist Alley have a hard time understanding composition. Hardly ever have I seen a character in an interesting pose, or a drawing that was composed in an interesting way. Granted, because this is fan art, the artists probably don’t feel like spending too much time on it, but I wanted to see more effort in the art. Otherwise, for someone like me who can already draw, there isn’t much that interests me in the artist alley, although this year some booths had some crazy and great ideas, like decals and cute little food-themed items that reminded me of ShanaLogic. At Anime Boston this year, one booth sold team T-shirts for Organization XIII, and they did look like little league jerseys in a way. I wish I’d bought one >.<

We spent some time in the manga library this year, and I’m hooked on Banana Fish. I read Vol. 1 last year and Vols. 2 and 3 this year and I’m looking forward to reading the rest. The manga follows Ash Lynx, a young gang leader in New York City, whose brother fell victim during Vietnam to a dangerous hallucinogenic drug called Banana Fish. I THINK the manga is shounen-ai or yaoi – after all, Ash was a toy for a major crime boss and something is brewing between him and a young Japanese guy that comes to report on gangs in New York – but the manga focuses much more on the way each character is trying to each his ends, whether through subtle manipulation or outright killing.

This year on the way back from lunch, I finally saw that Kakashi gf/bf duo in person! I think this is them. What a great idea: Kinko’s Copy Ninjas!

Now I will fast-forward to the masquerade because my memory fails me in regards to what we did for dinner and so on…

The Masquerade! The BEST masquerade I have ever seen at AnimeNEXT. I shall explain through compare/contrast. You see, at Anime Boston 2008, which is supposed to be a super ultra awesome convention, the masquerade was terrible – unfunny with way too many dance numbers that didn’t add up to anything. The only worthwhile skit was the last one, an exhibition one, which you can watch here:

Furthermore, last year, AnimeNEXT had some knock-out skits, but some flops, too (like the endless Hare Hare Yukai dances). This year, there was only one Hare Hare Yukai dance, and it was abbreviated, and I think I remember there only being two really dull skits… So, in the interest of sharing, here is a sampling of some of the skits. I recommend going on YouTube to check out more.

SoraX5 Dances to Dirty Pop.

CPR in Kingdom Hearts II.

Don’t ask me why Kairi has to teach it.

The Birds and the Bees. The craziest sex talk I’ve ever heard. (“Today is a good day to die!”)

Because I’m totally drooling over Avatar and can’t wait for the finale.

It wasn’t THAT funny…except for “Fire Nation!”…”Fire Nation!”…”Fire Nation!”

And last but not least – for it was possibly the best – the exhibition skit. The guy sang LIVE and had charisma and charm oozing out of him, perfect for Tamaki:

In closing, I’d like like to point out that whereas the big thing at Anime Boston was…click this to find out… the big thing that I heard on everyone’s lips at AnimeNEXT was…”Buttscratcher!” I don’t know how it started, I just heard it in the street and spent the rest of the day exchanging “Buttscratcher!” with my friend.

Whew, so overall, a laid-back con…I’ll get to Sunday in a moment…

 

Naruto Vol. 21

Okay, so Viz did its awesome 3-volumes-a-month thing again (hurrah!), so I just finished Vol. 21 of Naruto. I’m so tempted to just go online and read what happens to Choji (if you spoil it, I’ll roundhouse kick you through your computer screen), even though I’m pretty sure he survives (as I saw a picture of someone who looked like him in Naruto Shippuuden). His fight with that massive guy was so awesome, even though it reminded me of DBZ, especially the way he blocks the guys fist and then hurts him with a simple elbow strike. Suddenly, I thought of Majin Buu…

I also adore Shikamaru!! I love how simple his character design is, and his eyes. They’re so…just right. Perfectly drawn. I get the impression that my favorite Naruto designs are the simplest ones. Like Kakashi’s – he’s not particularly complicated, is he? Come on, I bet if you’d only seen him once, you could draw his face. (But what’s under the mask?? I actually like not knowing though…just dreaming…) Anyway, Shikamaru is so smart! Hooray! I like that brains and clever thinking are so well dealt with in Naruto. Even though some things are pretty outrageous, I like that a lot of fights are cleverly done – like when Shikamaru used the shadow in a hole to grab his opponent. I also like that even though this comic is called Naruto, Naruto isn’t always the strongest one, and there’s always other hopefuls out there. But he will be Hokage, won’t he?

I also just re-read the scene where Sasuke and Sakura part. I definitely understand how Sakura feels, especially when she says somethink like, I love you so much I can’t stand it. I think it’s weird to see someone so young saying that, though…maybe the creator should have made these kids a little older… But Sasuke is such a bastard, I just wanna kick him in the balls sometimes.

I saw a bunch of fanart for Sasuke and Sakura, but it just makes me sad. As of now, I just don’t see it happening; it seems like a tragic affair. Sasuke is too messed up and cold, and I think all Sakura might ever get from him is that “Thank you.” I imagine in the future there might be some reconciliation, but I don’t know… I really wish we could see more of Sakura; Kishimoto really seems to ditch her much of the time to focus on the guys. Which is fine since I love the guys, but maybe if Kishimoto put as much work into the girls, I’d love them just as much, too.

But anyway, before any SasukexSakura fans get mad, I’m not bashing the relationship. I just don’t see it as happening, but keep hoping! I’d like a happy ending, too. And please, no spoilers… By December, I’ll be caught up…to the beginning of Shippuuden.

This is what I get for not watching the anime. And not reading the manga all online like I should.

TT_TT

But I love them so much…

The man of the hour (next to Choji)…

 

Zero, Kiss Her Already!!

I couldn’t take it anymore! I got the new issue of Shojo Beat and just couldn’t stand seeing Yuki and Zero stumbling around with their feelings.

It’s clear that Zero loves Yuki, but it also seems that Yuki loves Kaname, and Kaname loves Yuki. Because Yuki saved Zero, and Kaname saved Yuki, and it seems that emotionally, Yuki is saving Kaname. But I want some more romance…arghh!!

Like I said in my last post about Vampire Knight (and various other shoujo manga), it’s cool that the the characters aren’t always ruminating on romance (but you can tell who they like by their blushing and body language, though Yuki blushes with Zero and Kaname both), but VK doesn’t have the kind of plot that draws me in. So I read it for the romance (and because if I didn’t, I’d be losing money on my SB subscription). So anyway, I couldn’t wait anymore, and I read ahead, using One Manga.

Now, let me give a disclaimer – scanlations are probably not okay with the American publishers, but sometimes, when I’m sitting around waiting months to find out what every Japanese girl who wants to know already knows, they’re my last resort. But, I will of course maintain my SB subscription, hence I will be buying these manga in the future. I ask you to do the same and support mangaka, just as the disclaimers on One Manga ask you to. Also, you should not be paying money for a scanlation ever because, at least to my knowledge, that money will never go to the mangaka. Once again, please buy the manga once it comes out in the US. And anyway, chances are, if you’re reading the scanlation because you can’t wait, you’re gonna wanna buy it…aren’t you?

Did I mention I’m in love with Zero?

 

Viz has finally made a smart move…

Haha, okay, I’m acting as if Viz is stupid, when it is in fact far from it. After all, wasn’t acquiring the rights to distribute Naruto a smart move? I’d say it was a very smart move. Nevertheless, the fact that the anime outpaced the comic was not good. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had affected the manga sales, since many people (myself included) already have a good handle of what’s going to happen next in the English releases. Perhaps because of this, Viz decided to release 3 Naruto manga volumes a month until December. That’s right, THREE volumes! I’m so excited because I have made it a point to avoid the anime (can’t stand “Believe it!” and the slow pace of the action – it goes by faster if you just read it fast, lol), and now I can finally know the exact details leading up to the break between Naruto and Sasuke. Hurrah!

Then, apparently, Shounen Jump is going to pick up on the series after the three-year time lapse. Another hurrah!

So, I guess the point of this blog entry is to say, Thank you, Viz. For giving me a reason to spend $20 or so in one shot – for friggin’ manga. Hehehe.

 

Vagabond Vol. 25

Warning: Spoilers. Please do not read on unless you want to spoil this for yourself. And why would you want to do that?

The following is just my emotional gushing…

I just got Vagabond Vol. 25 from Amazon.com today. I was so excited!! And now I cannot wait for Vol. 26, of course…

But I am so sad TT_TT I know Denshichirou dies in the book, but did he have to die in the manga? At least Musashi didn’t kill a little kid like in the book; that was truly terrible. I really, really liked Denshichirou, though – not as much as Musashi, whom I LOVE, but I thought he was a great guy and very honest. Seijuro was cool too but come on – Denshichirou was sweet in the way he tried so hard to be great and never made it.

Also, I’m glad the author is pushing the relationship between Musashi and Otsu a little more, though it’s still not quite to my taste. At least Musashi isn’t completely ignoring her, which is what he basically did in the novel, until at last I believe he told her he’d marry her. So odd.

The best part of this volume, I believe, was the reunion between Musashi and Matahachi. And of course Matahachi has to get drunk and ruin it because deep down I think he loathes himself and wants to destroy everything great in his life, and of course he has to say something bad about Otsu, and of course Musashi has to clock him one. Nice….

And in Vol. 26? Musashi is going to take on the rest of the Yoshioka School – all 70 of them. I cannot wait… Isn’t this where he comes up with the two sword style? Oh please be so, oh please be so…

 

Water by Takehiko Inoue

I just bought Takehiko Inoue’s Water, a collection of Vagabond-related illustrations. I found it by chance at Forbidden Planet in NYC when I was desperately looking for something to spend my $20 gift certificate on. I found the art book, but was sad to see it cost $55.99. Ah, but with my gift card, it was $35.99, and I got an added 10% off for having my college ID, plus tax. All in all, a sweet, sweet deal for this collection of fantastic art.

Lately, I haven’t been quite into art books because so many crappy ones keep coming out. Naruto art book, say? Come on – you can find those pictures online – and it’s not even very artistic, it’s just…I don’t know. Anime? So I’ve enjoyed Yoshitoshi Abe’s Lain art book, though, as well as the fantastic first two volumes of Japanese Comickers. I would have bought Kaori Yuki’s Angel Sanctuary art book, but those pictures are all over the net. Though I have CLAMP’s North Side, despite the fact that I loathe their storylines.

In any case, turns out Water was well worth the cash. Inoue has an incredible, realistic style. As I mentioned in another post, each of his characters has distinctive features. Even eye shape varies, though I tend to find similarity among the mouths Inoue draws.

Water mostly depicts illustrations/paintings of characters, with very little background/scenery, although there are some lovely landscapes interspersed. I’m not sure what medium Inoue uses – it seems like he does brushpainting/sumi-e and uses watercolor or inks. In any case, you’d be hard-pressed to find an illustration lacking in the appropriate energy necessary; his depictions of Musashi always impress me, particularly during a fight or merely when power is radiating from him. Kojirou is also big in Water, having several pages devoted to him toward the end. Other characters from the manga Vagabond appear occasionally.

Water also has some interesting choices; for example, a few pages have photographs of Inoue painting with water on paper (which, as I understand it from my brief time doing Chinese brushpainting, would be like a shadow drawing before he puts the ink down). There are also some funny/amazing drawings of the Vagabond characters as spunky Japanese teenagers, wearing modern clothes. The most startling, in fact, is a two-page spread of the adult Musashi. It seems like he’s wearing his dirty old kimono, but then you look at the second page, and instead of hakama, there’s a pair of jeans! Very…startling.

I truly wish Inoue would get more notice in the states; I can barely find Vagabond in any stores. At first, I thought this was because it contained graphic content, but I’ve seen comics like Banana Fish far more often than Vagabond. Someone on Facebook made the interesting comment that more people are into Naruto, when Vagabond is a far deeper read. Definitely agree with that statement. I love reading the Naruto comic (not watching the anime, believe it), but Vagabond is on another, grander level. It’s art meets manga and fine story-telling.

Uh…so my point? I hope you’ll check out Vagabond or just Inoue’s illustrations! He’s quite the artist =D

 

Vampire Knight in Shojo Beat

My new issue of Shojo Beat.

::sigh::

At last, things to look forward to!

I started subscribing to Shojo Beat with the first issue because, alas, Animerica and Animerica NEXT were either dead or dying at that time, can’t quite remember which. And Newtype? Come on – I don’t need to pay 8 bucks or whatever for a giant anime ad. (Also, if you can name one thing that Newtype has given a poor review, please let me know. And by “poor” I mean two stars or less.)

I fell in love with Mitsuba Takanashi’s Crimson Hero instantly – who doesn’t love Nobara’s tomboy-ish spunk and bravery, and Yushin’s determination? I’m a little down on that series right now, though, since the focus has moved to the sport, and I’m not crazy about volleyball. What happened to all the romantic shoujo drama?

I also adore Baby & Me by Marimo Ragawa, particularly because Minoru is so adorable. And I love Takuya’s dad – I would definitely want to marry someone like that someday =D Okay, I’m a dork…. I’m so sad, though, because it seems that SB isn’t going to be carrying Baby & Me anymore – at least not in the next issue. Here’s hoping they bring it back! (or I may just have to go read the manga volumes when they come out…although I’m too cheap to buy ‘em, lolz) At least they gave the manga a powerful send-off with the last two dramatic chapters.

Nana is great of course…but WTF, THEY AREN’T CARRYING IT ANYMORE!! I didn’t realize that…although there is a clear letter saying so in my last issue of SB… Now I have to wait until 2008…Whaaa TT_TT Hehe, but apparently it gets very spicy, since they have to shrinkwrap later volumes. Whoa.

SB’s had some bad ones, though. I hated some of the new manga they carried – especially Dream Shoppe. What was up with that? The drawings were crappy, in my humble opinion, and the little stories were quite lame. I guess they were for younger kids (12 or so? maybe 8? that was a seriously bad manga).

And Absolute Boyfriend… Er – anything by Yuu Watase I can do without. Riiko should just have sex with Night already! A story built on the question of whether or not they’ll have sex (not whether or not they love each other, because I think by now it’s obvious that they do) is ridiculous – as ridiculous as, say, CHOBITS. And Night saying “I’m your boyfriend” to Riiko oh-so-many times isn’t romantic; it’s corny and…just bad.

But the Sand Chronicles by Hinako Ashihara seems promising, and reminds me a tiny bit of Mars, especially the angst. Although by no means is it AS angsty as Mars.

And now to Matsuri Hino’s Vampire Knight! Okay, I’ll be honest, I don’t think this series is fantastic story-wise; half the time I don’t understand why certain things are happening. Okay, that’s not quite true because in its own way, it makes sense, but something about Zero and Yuki defending the school from the Night Class – especially when Yuki is an absolute weakling and has to get her butt saved all the time – doesn’t ring true. That isn’t to say that I don’t like Yuki; I do. She doesn’t mope and angst like some other shojo characters. We don’t find her wondering who she likes – Kaname or Zero? In fact, I’m not sure we get many romantic vibes from her at all. Of course, she likes Kaname, but it doesn’t seem to go much beyond admiration and gratefulness. And her relationship with Zero? Well, that’s another story… In this issue, Zero basically tells her that she’s the reason he’s alive, but the moment is distant, and Yuki doesn’t show much reaction. I certainly hope the author has a reason for doing this, because I would have been all over Zero…

Ah, yes, handsome Zero. But you know, in real life, any guy with hair falling over his eyes isn’t exactly attractive, at least in my opinion – unlike in manga, you CAN’T see his eyes, whereas manga allows you to see Zero’s lovely eyes. Also, I secretly think he should have blonde, not silver, hair.

Although I think Vampire Knight lacks some drama (the conflicts even tend to seem surreal, as they usually involve vague notions of what Yuki shouldn’t be doing with Zero…namely letting him suck her blood), it makes up for that somewhat with visual flair. Bishounen are all over the place in the form of smexy vampires, though I’m not too crazy about them. Still, I love the Night Class’s black and white uniforms; the line patterns remind me of Kingdom Hearts, for some reason.

Also, I think the author has a knack for capturing moments and knowing when NOT to include dialogue and how to use empty space. For example, in the September 2007 Shojo Beat issue, there is a scene where Zero clasps Yuki’s hands from behind; the scene stretches on in silence for two large panels (and a page flip) before Yuki says something, and even then, her words seem small in the empty space. I suppose it’s an old shojo manga trick, but the scene where Zero realizes that Maria Kurenai is watching him is great, as we see Zero turn to look while her hair floats in the foreground; the next page has no dialogue or sound effects and manages to convey that creepy moment in which Zero, perhaps, realizes who Maria really is. And let’s not forget the scene a few issues ago when Yuki first lets Zero suck her blood; the passion in that scene was great…but it was just blood-sucking, ahh… What I would give for Yuki to be more than just a puppet and be a little more like other shojo heroines – a little more concerned with her love life…

In short, although we’ve lost/are losing some great manga in SB this month, I think the magazine may keep going strong (although I haven’t yet read Honey and Clover or Fall in Love Like a Comic, which doesn’t look very good…but here’s hoping for the best!).

Update: I read Fall In Love Like a Comic. Pure crap, I’d say. The girl looks like she’s twelve, and the idea that a good-looking guy would go out with her after reading her shallow shoujo manga is beyond ridiculous. I almost wish this were like Wallflower, then it might turn out that he’s a crazy serial killer and this would be more fun to read. And what’s up with that thing in her hair? This reminds me of another recent SB comic that appeared in one issue, where the girl Eve’s only real problem was that she was super cute. What is going on???

Honey and Clover, on the other hand, I definitely enjoyed. It was weird and quirky and honest. I’m definitely looking forward to the next issue of SB.

Update: For more of my Vampire Knight opinions, check out my other post.

 

Blame! Yes, with an exclamation mark!

Blame!

Why is this manga so friggin’ awesome even though I never have any idea what is going on? And even though I always just skim the action? (I don’t even read Naruto for the action so much as the storyline and the ingenious explanations for moves…like the battle with that kid’s shadow…yeah, it would help if I remembered the characters’ names.) In any case, I think the answer to Blame!’s awesomeness must be…

Killy.

Killy is soooo cool I can’t even begin to describe it. Haha, yes I can.

1.) Killy is the dark and silent type but so far, at least, he is NOT the angsty type. As much as I love the silent, angsty, secretly suffering type (…Cloud Strife…yum!), this not angsty type is much better. That is, I like it when the author doesn’t seem to be asking me to feel bad or weep over the protagonist’s past. Sure, it might be compelling, but not being asked to feel sympathy makes Killy so much more likable.

2.) Killy gets hurt. A lot. He’s so badass that he has to have his butt saved in every volume (that may be an exaggeration, but you get the picture). It may be the sadist in me talking, but it is so cool to see a protagonist who is vulnerable, often to the extreme (doesn’t he lose an arm at one point?). The best part is he does pass out/bleed/break shit, but he doesn’t whine about it – nor does he treat it like it’s nothing. It seems so natural for him, like it’s not even a challenge to his manhood, or whatever you want to call it. Love that.

3.) Cibo. Killy gets his ass saved by Cibo quite a number of times. And Cibo is originally taller than him. Very cool. I am tempted to say Killy x Cibo, but the manga treats them so coolly that it’s not even an issue for them. But, still, I love having both Killy and Cibo there, ’cause Killy is the dark and silent one on some weird quest, and Cibo is there to explain the plot and be cool in general.

4.) Killy is not omniscient. Other characters have to warn him about things; he’s not on some mysterious quest that only he know all the details about (although, I admit, his journey is rather mysterious, but I often get the feeling that he’s almost as clueless as I am).

And that is why Killy is cool. And why I like this manga.