Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2006-10-20]
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Wolverine Princess
 Posts: 1100 |
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Sacred Hearts Academy. I have a friend who goes there, the uniforms are so cute! |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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Ah, the good old column is back to bring you some answers to some of the stupidest questions that may be posted out there. Really, ANN is NOT a club. What was this person thinking? Oh, and I'm glad they're not airing new OP episodes.
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Vikio
 Posts: 60 Location: tropical volcano |
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Wow,  I thought that was kinda self-evident. Anime-fans who write and draw their own stories are fans of Anime. Which is Japanese, which makes Japan the mecca of awesomeness, which means all stories have to be based there, and the more random Japanese words and customs you can throw in there the better! It's DEFINITELY not because they don't like their aunt's name, or think sailor school uniforms are cuter than cheerleader uniforms, or whatever. It's because most people mimic what they love, what they were inspired by, and anime-fans just take it religiously serious.
And I think it's okay. People should do what makes them happy. Meanwhile, even if one person is truly inspired to write something original, epic, fantasic, mysterious, magical, romantic, whatever... Well, that will make ME happy when I buy it and read it whenever it may be written/drawn/animated. Edit: Checked out that website. I wish I had gone to school in Hawaii! 
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Ceru
Posts: 44 |
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Ohhhh lord do I hate it when people randomly insert Japanese words into their fics or whatever. "they're such bakas" is not the right way to say things. Either write a story in japanese or write a story in english, but for pete's sake don't combine them. And if you absolutely feel it's necessary for whatever reason, prove it by writing the word in its proper kana or kanji.
P.S. I must say that I'm guilty of having a character named Hana, but I wasn't aware it meant flower until after I'd named her. But god, if I see another character named "Yuki" I'm going to throw up. |
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Samurai-with-glasses
 Posts: 628 |
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"But, BUT, Sasuke is soooo Kawaii ^____^!!!!! You people are so baka desu yo!"
How do you call the reverse of Engrish, by the way? I'm not "in" around the webcomics scene, and the very few I've read (not anime-based anyway) are quite awesome. I can deduct from this rant an impression of genericness in the community, though. Not sure how true that is; but, considering how other art forms always have a few originators and a lot more copycats, I wouldn't be surprised. The rant does seem to be much better than the usual quality. Not the least because it actually talks about something interesting. Mind you, that Flake is, like, classic. |
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Kilgamayan
 Posts: 275 Location: Location, Location. |
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This popped up in /a/ today, and it's probably an accurate explanation of why people randomly throw romanized Japanese words into their speech or stories.
As for the internet thing, Penny Arcade summarized it best with their "anonymity + audience = fuckwad" comic a few years back. People act like hateful jerks on the internet because they can and because it draws a reaction. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6900 Location: Kazune City |
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 For that reason, I don't really count knowing those words as "knowing a foreign language." There are some newage fangirl types at the local club that use these kinds of words in conversation, but they actually do know some real Japanese, so I'll let them off the hook.
Honestly, I haven't even DLed any of the new Negima!?, because from what I've heard, it's like another Paniponi Dash! that happens to feature the Negima characters, and isn't necessarily any more faithful to the original manga than Xebec's Negima! was. Plus, the different network and timeslot means a reduction in fanservice (always key in any Akamatsu work), and I want to see the lovely Ayaka in all her glory. Ah, the psychology of the Internets...I didn't really use the Internet at all until about 1999, and when I did, I tried to keep things semi-grounded in reality, in terms of content and grammar/spelling; ANN's rule never bothered me, because I type like this on any forum I post on. Even so, I've been guilty of going negative and taking advantage of anonymity. In terms of online anime discussion, I try not to say things that I wouldn't say to fellow fans or industry players (writers/directors/artists/VAs) at a convention. It doesn't always work that way, but such is life. |
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Joe Mello
 Posts: 2309 Location: Online Terminal |
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The Internet is a great way to be evil without getting caught. What you define as "evil" is your terms.
I think they call it Wapanese these days. I just call it irritating. I should save that picture. There are so many forces at work that I am in agreement with. Anyway, people write about Japan because Japan is "in", just like Lost clones are "in". I know when I write, I typically try to restrict the setting to places I know, but I don't restrict myself in concepts or characters. After all, if I'm in a really good groove, I can be able to show a nice juxtaposition between Japan and the US, be it serious or absurd. |
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musashi1600
 Posts: 198 Location: Hawaii |
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I always thought it was St. Andrew's Priory or La Pietra that had the sailor uniforms . . . 
*has seen said uniforms before* |
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MorwenLaicoriel
 Posts: 1617 Location: Colorado |
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I just thought of the term "Otakunese". It tickles my funny bone...(although I am guilty of throwing random Japanese into conversations with certain people--I do it to try to practice my Japanese, though, since I'm learning it in college and...I'm horrible with homework.) As for the rant...I agree that too many people take too much *generic* inspiration from anime. It'd be much better if they did their own thing. I *do* have some Japanese characters in my own stories--they're almost always Japanese-American, though. I feel like I don't know quite enough about the culture to accurately show someone who lives in Japan well. (Particularly since one of my characters is a real loud mouth, rebelious, sarcastic--he sort of goes against the grain of what's considered acceptable for Japanese culture, so the only way to really explain it is he's become more acclimated to American culture than Japanese culture.) Come to think of it, most of the characters in a story me and my friend are writing are of german, russian, or british decent. 
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Richard J.
 Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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This does it, I'm now 100% converted on the issue of school uniforms. I used to think it was a huge infringement on the students' right to express themselves, but considering how interesting (in this case cute!) uniforms can be and the fact that the "pants falling down to the knees" look never went away like I thought it would, uniforms seem an attractive choice. Maybe a little reinforcement of the idea that students are all part of the school together will diminish the violence in schools here.
I'm sticking with the manga for now, but from what I've seen of it, Xebec's rendition of Negima! had some glaring flaws. They really diminished the impact of a number of scenes, like spoiler[Negi's whole "courage is true magic" speech and later when Asuna sees Takahata with Shizuna.] Switching the focus from Negi to Asuna does not strike me as a wise move.
Zac, I don't know how you can even remain calm enough to paste e-mails like this Flake's into your column. I'd be too busy laughing to type! |
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genman
Posts: 40 |
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The rant is directed at these people's hobby, which is writing stories for themselves and friends. It sort of comes off like somebody complaining about stamp collectors or live action roleplayers or people who rice out their cars, or people posting on the Internet. So, does the author suggest these people change their hobby for her peace of mind?
Admittedly, it would be nice if the writers wrote about something they knew about, and more importantly had something interesting to say, but I don't see anything "wrong" with it. I'm sure there's plenty of others who'd like to see anime and manga go away as well. Oh, here's a page: http://www.animesucks.com/ |
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LilacShadow
 Posts: 165 Location: Kentucky |
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Hmm, I usually don't read the rants, but I read this one because I was bored. I normally don't like rants. I often get at least a bit offended by them. Anyway, I wrote a short crappy story last year. I barely ever write stories, but I guess I was bored. For a while I wanted to make it longer, but I've still not gotten around to it. I probably never will.
But what is so wrong with making characters names Japanese? I like Japanese names, and I don't see anything wrong with that. I gave most characters in my story with names that fit them and some tied into the story. The story wasn't set in any specific place, so I didn't see why I shouldn't give them Japanese names that I liked. I wasn't into anime as much as I am now, so I didn't realize that the names were common (Yuki, Sakura). Everything else in the story was not Japanese, and nothing else mentioned in the rant was in my story though. This probably shouldn't even bother me. And I probably shouldn't be defending my dumb story that I'll most likely never finish, but there has to be people out there that have written stories that include things mentioned in the rant but still have written decent stories. Btw, I hope this is readable. I'm kinda tired, so I might've not done a very good typing this. o_x I need to start posting in this forum in the day.. |
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Nermal
 Posts: 223 Location: I was made to hit in America |
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How fun. If only I had the chance to tell Melissa the truth... Anime News Network is the public face of the Brothers & Sisters of Alpha Nu Nu, a journalistic society dedicated to the reporting of industry news as well focusing on new ideas for the next Naruto. Our club officers ("editors") meet several times per week, but our general meetings are held on Fridays at 7pm in Room 304A at Anaheim City College. ANN provides its members with the opportunity to socialize with fellow anime enthusiasts in a safe, fun environment. It also forces these "otaku" to leave their rooms once in a while, which has been rumored to be good for the heart. Occasionally we give out free anime merchandise (dvds, posters, cat girls) to members who have displayed excellence in creative writing, graphic design, or general ninja skills. All members have access to our extensive database, which contains volumes on everything from the day Japan was invented to Kubo Tite's highly-publicized deal with Beelzebub. ANN encourages its members to share their knowledge, which sometimes leads to heated debates. Because of this, we discourage direct sunlight and toxic amounts of Pocky. Here are some interesting statistics relating to the anime industry, all verified by Google: 77% of anime fans wish they could live in Japan so they can hang out with Miyazaki, Kishimoto, and possibly Hayashibara Megumi. 85% of female anime fans have seen at least one episode of Gravitation. 92% of Bleach fans used to like Naruto at one point but now think it's lame due to entire seasons of filler episodes. 9 out of 10 mangaka take into consideration all of the suggestions they receive about what direction the plot should take/new characters/release dates/etc. Anime trade publications are usually limited to industry professionals, but some rebel retailers (like B*rder$ or B@rnes & N*ble) carry favorites such as Newtype, the peer-reviewed journal known as Japanese Unrelated Manga Periodical (also called Shonen Jump), and more recently, an indispensable reference on matters of the heart/circulatory system: Shojo Beat. Tradeshows in the anime world are becoming more and more popular, with some big-name conventions bringing in actual Japanese guests from the real Japan. Attending a "con" usually translates to a weekend of civilized interaction with fellow anime fans, thought-provoking lectures & panels, a quiet masquerade or cosplay event, and the occasional friendly glomp. Important anime decrees are usually announced at larger conventions. Regarding consulting assistance, anime industry heads generally recognize forum users with the highest amounts of posts made as the leading expert voices in the community. New legislation is thoroughly discussed and carefully decided upon by anime club officers on the local level; these views are brought to the attention of the House of Representatives, which decides what shows will be aired on Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, whether or not the dub should suck, and which manga to edit just to see if people were paying attention. When released, anime/manga fans have the duty of reviewing these shows/titles and providing commentary, which help to form the future of anime; it's a series of checks and balances. Lobbying is discouraged in the anime community and is seen as a nuisance, unless you are Annette Bening. Employment Bureaus are always looking for up-and-coming talent to fill the millions of positions in the anime industry. Requirements to work in the anime industry are as follows: 1) Must like anime a lot, to the point where you would call yourself an otaku 2) Must know the meaning of the following words: kitaaa, kawaiiiii, chibi, yaoi, baka, urusai, dattebayo, & shinigami. Bonus points for: hikikomori, guru guru curry, or xdcc list. 3) Must be able to write at the 7th grade level. Elementary school students need not apply. Good luck with that Small Business class, FotW, and remember to avoid first-person pronouns in your report. |
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mitora
 Posts: 162 |
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I usually don't take the time to comment on the Rants, but I enjoyed this one. It's my favorite thus far. I remember that I used to be one of those who used 'Kawaii' and 'Desu' every other word and tack 'chan' on the names of All my female friends (I at least knew to call the boys 'kun'
)...and it lasted for about a week before I realized how dumb I sounded. It's cute, sure, for a while...but it can also be very obnoxious at times, especially when you usually have to explain it every time you say it. That's just a waste of breath and time.
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