manga: Genshiken Vol 1

Kanji Sasaharu is a nervous first year student who has always dreamed of joining an otaku club, and finds "The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture," or "Genshiken," a club devoted to breaking down the barriers between manga, anime, and video game otaku.  Makoto Kosaka is a handsome, agreeable young man who also joins the club.  Saki Kasukabe is Makoto's girlfriend, who thinks all the club members are freaks and wants him to be a normal guy.

In all honesty, I'm not really sure what I think of it.  Kanji and most of the club members, at least in this volume, are pretty much porn obsessed stereotypes.  Makoto is so passive and agreeable that I swear he'd let you use him as a pinata if you asked.  You may not even have to ask nicely.  The only one I can honestly say I like is Saki, and I think a lot of that is because she hits and yells at people.  I admit, though, that I did go in expecting something a little different.  From the reviews I've read and a few recommendations, I had expected the book to focus on Saki being a "normal" girl dealing with an otaku boyfriend and trying to drag him into normal boyfriend/girlfriend stuff, or on that vs Sanji trying to keep him in the club.  Instead, at least with this volume, it seems to be more about how being an otaku is a meaningful experience and anime/manga/games are rich and diverse (I won't argue with anything so far) and how much they love porn, and how wonderful it is that Sanji has people now  share his love for porn with, and oh, by the way, the cute one has a girlfriend who thinks they're all nuts.  (In case you can't tell, I probably would have liked it more if it didn't seem to all boil down to porn for them.)

I do, though, like the Saki angle, so I'll give it another volume or two to see which way it goes, and I probably would have liked it more if I hadn't gone in expecting something else.  (Though currently, I'm thinking she should just find a guy who actually, you know, notices her.)

manga: Genshiken Vol 1

Kanji Sasaharu is a nervous first year student who has always dreamed of joining an otaku club, and finds "The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture," or "Genshiken," a club devoted to breaking down the barriers between manga, anime, and video game otaku.  Makoto Kosaka is a handsome, agreeable young man who also joins the club.  Saki Kasukabe is Makoto's girlfriend, who thinks all the club members are freaks and wants him to be a normal guy.

In all honesty, I'm not really sure what I think of it.  Kanji and most of the club members, at least in this volume, are pretty much porn obsessed stereotypes.  Makoto is so passive and agreeable that I swear he'd let you use him as a pinata if you asked.  You may not even have to ask nicely.  The only one I can honestly say I like is Saki, and I think a lot of that is because she hits and yells at people.  I admit, though, that I did go in expecting something a little different.  From the reviews I've read and a few recommendations, I had expected the book to focus on Saki being a "normal" girl dealing with an otaku boyfriend and trying to drag him into normal boyfriend/girlfriend stuff, or on that vs Sanji trying to keep him in the club.  Instead, at least with this volume, it seems to be more about how being an otaku is a meaningful experience and anime/manga/games are rich and diverse (I won't argue with anything so far) and how much they love porn, and how wonderful it is that Sanji has people now  share his love for porn with, and oh, by the way, the cute one has a girlfriend who thinks they're all nuts.  (In case you can't tell, I probably would have liked it more if it didn't seem to all boil down to porn for them.)

I do, though, like the Saki angle, so I'll give it another volume or two to see which way it goes, and I probably would have liked it more if I hadn't gone in expecting something else.  (Though currently, I'm thinking she should just find a guy who actually, you know, notices her.)

FANDOM! KERFLUFFLE! WANK! BOREDOM!

So, there is apparently a new kerfluffle in the Harry Potter fandom. I think there's a new one every week. I'm not linking because, seriously, I've seen it I think 5 times already. It's all anyone was talking about while I was pushing my nephew's stroller through the crowded mall. I think I had more fun.

If you ignore them and do not play their RPG or give them attention by pointing out the insensitivity, they will decide no one cares and that it was a bad idea and go away.

However. I AM BORED.

The following is purely the product of a bored brain stuck in the empty half of a large building on a pleasant Texas Saturday. You have warned.

Therefore, I shall attempt to address the wank of two fandoms I hang out on the edges of.

First of all, there's Supernatural and Jo. I have not yet seen s3, so I got nothin' on Bela and Ruby. HOWEVER! I have come up with a solution to the objections to Jo's...well, existing in the first place.

Jo is John's daughter.

Indeed. Now, imagine right after Mama Winchester died, John met Ellen and Papa Harvelle. John's in a bad place, what with the whole "a demon killed the love of my life and wants my infant son" thing, Ellen has a husband always off hunting demons. It writes itself. AMIRITE? I am, aren't I. This, of course, is the reason Ellen REALLY objected to Jo being off with the boys.

Sure, all the Dean/Jo and Sam/Jo shippers will kinda be screwed, but Jo would no longer be a threat or potential love interest and the fans would no longer have an objection. Plus, most of the fandom is into Wincest already. If you still want to ship, it would just be a new kind.

Then there's Avatar. Now, Avatar has its massive Katara/Aang faction and its massive Katara/Zuko faction. Never the twain shall meet. Somewhere in there, there's the Mai/Zuko shippers also poking their heads out. And I'm sure there's also this poor little Zuko/Aang faction too scared to stick its head out. But basically, the Zuko/Katara/Aang thing rules the fandom.

But I have had a revelation. Katara is not Aang's love interest. Mai is not Zuko's love interest. The truth is that Aang and Zuko are merely red herrings. In the end, it shall be revealed that the true OTP of the show is Katara/Mai.

Zuko and Aang will last be seen with their mouths hanging open. The internet will explode. That, or the fans' heads will explode when it happens. The Zuko/Aang shippers will finally be brave enough to stick their heads out. The Katara/Zuko, Katara/Aang and Mai/Zuko fans will never recover. Did I mention it will overload the entire internet?

Uhm. yes.

And now that I have entertained myself for 20 minutes, I will shut up and go away.

I did warn you that I was bored...

FANDOM! KERFLUFFLE! WANK! BOREDOM!

So, there is apparently a new kerfluffle in the Harry Potter fandom. I think there's a new one every week. I'm not linking because, seriously, I've seen it I think 5 times already. It's all anyone was talking about while I was pushing my nephew's stroller through the crowded mall. I think I had more fun.

If you ignore them and do not play their RPG or give them attention by pointing out the insensitivity, they will decide no one cares and that it was a bad idea and go away.

However. I AM BORED.

The following is purely the product of a bored brain stuck in the empty half of a large building on a pleasant Texas Saturday. You have warned.

Therefore, I shall attempt to address the wank of two fandoms I hang out on the edges of.

First of all, there's Supernatural and Jo. I have not yet seen s3, so I got nothin' on Bela and Ruby. HOWEVER! I have come up with a solution to the objections to Jo's...well, existing in the first place.

Jo is John's daughter.

Indeed. Now, imagine right after Mama Winchester died, John met Ellen and Papa Harvelle. John's in a bad place, what with the whole "a demon killed the love of my life and wants my infant son" thing, Ellen has a husband always off hunting demons. It writes itself. AMIRITE? I am, aren't I. This, of course, is the reason Ellen REALLY objected to Jo being off with the boys.

Sure, all the Dean/Jo and Sam/Jo shippers will kinda be screwed, but Jo would no longer be a threat or potential love interest and the fans would no longer have an objection. Plus, most of the fandom is into Wincest already. If you still want to ship, it would just be a new kind.

Then there's Avatar. Now, Avatar has its massive Katara/Aang faction and its massive Katara/Zuko faction. Never the twain shall meet. Somewhere in there, there's the Mai/Zuko shippers also poking their heads out. And I'm sure there's also this poor little Zuko/Aang faction too scared to stick its head out. But basically, the Zuko/Katara/Aang thing rules the fandom.

But I have had a revelation. Katara is not Aang's love interest. Mai is not Zuko's love interest. The truth is that Aang and Zuko are merely red herrings. In the end, it shall be revealed that the true OTP of the show is Katara/Mai.

Zuko and Aang will last be seen with their mouths hanging open. The internet will explode. That, or the fans' heads will explode when it happens. The Zuko/Aang shippers will finally be brave enough to stick their heads out. The Katara/Zuko, Katara/Aang and Mai/Zuko fans will never recover. Did I mention it will overload the entire internet?

Uhm. yes.

And now that I have entertained myself for 20 minutes, I will shut up and go away.

I did warn you that I was bored...

gender based judgements

Fandom side of things: avianthropy posted on something I've tried to say a few times-judging female characters on gender, not on value as characters in general-but probably said it better.  Go read.  I...ah...may or may not be spamming the comments.

I hate how female characters, regardless of whether they are viewed positively or negatively, are nearly always viewed through some sort of "female character lens." Their personalities, motivations, and actions are reflections on their worth as not just a character, a person, but a FEMALE CHARACTER and how much they fit or defy FEMALE stereotypes and roles. I'm not even excusing myself and saying you're all horrible people for doing it that way and I'm better than you because I don't. I DO IT TOO. As I showed in the CFO poll. And that's the way it is because society, male privilege etc., even if we want to believe we don't think this way to any extent, being male is viewed as the "norm" and therefore males are viewed as just characters and people without the same degree of importance on the MALE! part. I understand why the "female character lens" exists, I just. Hate that it does, and the lack of awareness of it.

RL side of things:  And just to whine a bit: While I was pushing Jackson's stroller around at lunch, I swear, every eye that went "oh, cute little boy" immediately went to my left hand looking for a ring.  STOP THAT!  I mean, is it not possible for me to go somewhere with my nephew without everyone judging me to be a single mother because I'm out with a kid and don't have a wedding ring.  And, seriously, the kid was obviously happy, well fed, clean, and wearing good, clean clothes.  What does it matter beyond that, as you don't know us?  (Plus, I have seen you people when my brother is walking around with him without Jen in tow.  The guys don't bother looking, and the women aren't looking at his hand!) *kicks something*

(Flipside:  we passed I think 4 snack places and kiosks and got offered free samples at every single one.)

gender based judgements

Fandom side of things: avianthropy posted on something I've tried to say a few times-judging female characters on gender, not on value as characters in general-but probably said it better.  Go read.  I...ah...may or may not be spamming the comments.

I hate how female characters, regardless of whether they are viewed positively or negatively, are nearly always viewed through some sort of "female character lens." Their personalities, motivations, and actions are reflections on their worth as not just a character, a person, but a FEMALE CHARACTER and how much they fit or defy FEMALE stereotypes and roles. I'm not even excusing myself and saying you're all horrible people for doing it that way and I'm better than you because I don't. I DO IT TOO. As I showed in the CFO poll. And that's the way it is because society, male privilege etc., even if we want to believe we don't think this way to any extent, being male is viewed as the "norm" and therefore males are viewed as just characters and people without the same degree of importance on the MALE! part. I understand why the "female character lens" exists, I just. Hate that it does, and the lack of awareness of it.

RL side of things:  And just to whine a bit: While I was pushing Jackson's stroller around at lunch, I swear, every eye that went "oh, cute little boy" immediately went to my left hand looking for a ring.  STOP THAT!  I mean, is it not possible for me to go somewhere with my nephew without everyone judging me to be a single mother because I'm out with a kid and don't have a wedding ring.  And, seriously, the kid was obviously happy, well fed, clean, and wearing good, clean clothes.  What does it matter beyond that, as you don't know us?  (Plus, I have seen you people when my brother is walking around with him without Jen in tow.  The guys don't bother looking, and the women aren't looking at his hand!) *kicks something*

(Flipside:  we passed I think 4 snack places and kiosks and got offered free samples at every single one.)