Is it Manga if it has nothing to do with Japan?

After an ill-spent evening in the bookstore drooling my way through the manga section I had to pause and take a hard look at the Twilight graphic novel nestled amidst the other various T titles.

First of all, I want to make clear that while I love Twilight, I’m not one of those rabid fans who will get into long arguments screaming “Team Jacob” in the face of whatever “Team Edward” fanatic I can find (though I’ll admit to being a Jacob fan…) But I was interested to see how the book would adapt over to the visual printed media.

The artwork I like, and think that Young C. Kim did an excellent job. Bella isn’t quite what I expected but I like her anyway.

No, the question I’m posing is, does this book in fact belong on the manga shelf of Barnes and Noble, or does it truly belong solely in the world of Young Adult, or at worst alongside the graphic novels over in Science Fiction and Fantasy?

I suppose I’m a purist, and will freely acknowledge that indeed I will watch only subtitled anime, the only exception to the no dub rule being Gatekeepers 21 (don’t ask me why). But Twilight to me isn’t manga and even the insistance that it’s manhwa is a bit iffy in my mind.

Perhaps this is a question best answered by you. When you go to the manga section in the bookstore, just what are you looking for? Or would you indeed the world be a better and happier place if all graphic novels were nestled together, one big international family?

And do we even need to discuss Twilight as an anime?



(Though it's an excellent fan vid...)
What do YOU think?

10 Anime Inspired New Year's Resolutions

Ohayo!

This geek girl is looking at the new year in complete and total anticipation. I can’t wait to get started!

Er…I’m ahead of myself again. You’re probably wondering what in the world I’m up to. Simple! It’s goal-making. The number one favorite pastime of people entering into a brand new year.

This year I’m making some goals totally anime inspired. Why? Because it’s time to cave to the inner otaku. And besides, there are some totally cool things I’ve been wanting to do thanks to anime.

In no order whatsoever, so don’t even try to figure these out:

1. Dedicate time to my harp. By the end of this year I want to have at least four songs completely memorized. Watching Beck lately has made me want to really commit to my music and while harp playing isn’t the least thing like rock music…the ability to create something for others to enjoy certainly is something truly special.

2. Visit an anime convention. It’s been a few years but Comic Party just calls me to haunt artist’s alley and explore all there is to enjoy at a con. Who’s with me on this one?

3. Do housework with a smile and the realization that this is a way to express your love for those around you. Sappy, yeah, but Ai Yori Aoshi always hits me that way…

4. WRITE! Read or Die shows very clearly what happens to writers who spend years staring at the blank page and not moving forward. It’s certainly time to get back on the wagon. My specific goal here is to complete four novels by the end of the year. (When I grow up I want to be Nenene!)

5. Take charge of the masses. Honestly, my kids can rival the anarchy of Infinite Ryvius. And we all know what happens when you allow that much leniency!

6. Pay attention to those around me. Kanon taught me the joy of looking out for those around you, and doing what you can to make their way easier.

7. Improve my aim. I used to be a pretty decent archer once upon a time…and have enjoyed my occasional forays into the world of LARP both in sword and quarterstaff. Seriously, if you’re going to fight, fight well. Or not at all. Sailor Moon anyone?

8. Not be so negative. Ayane in Gatekeepers 21 almost destroyed the world thanks to her inner dialogue. This means being a whole lot more patient.

9. Remember that every story has two sides. Risky Safety taught me that one.

10. Lastly…connect with other fans, people who speak my language. After all, what does isolation breed but a bad version of Welcome to the NHK?

It’s going to be a great year. Gambatte everyone!

What has anime inspired you to do?

Even Geek Girls get the Blues

I’m struggling today with something that certainly isn’t new, but it’s persistent. No, we’re not talking a new programming language or attaining the next level in the latest MMORPG.

I’m talking about depression.

I wonder sometimes if maybe geeks might be prone to just a little higher probability of depression than the rest of the world. Here’s my thoughts, with minimal scientific data to back it up (sorry, too…meh…to do more than Google) :

1. Geeks tend towards the higher end of the IQ spectrum. In the article “Depression and Intelligence” at RecurrentDepression.com the author states: “In fact, a high IQ is a good predictor of depression. Why? Simply because those with higher intelligence are amazingly “creative” with their inner dialogues.”

2. The nature of the Geek life itself tends towards isolation. If you’ve ever seen “Welcome to the NHK,” an anime about the Hikikomiri life, you’ll see where hours of anime and gaming can lead to an actual documented illness as the individual pulls away from life in general.

3. Geeks…let’s face it…tend not to have the network of friends to support them when they start getting ‘down.’ If all your friends are online, who’s going to see past the IMed responses to see how you really are?

4. Geek activities tend to feed into the depression. While the non-geek population might think a night out clubbing or shopping is the cure to the blues, the Geek gravitates towards their favorite pastimes of computer games and all weekend anime marathons. While physical activity (so all that window shopping and dancing) will actually stimulate the release of endorphins to raise mood levels, there have been studies that show video gaming can lead to adrenalin rushes that will actually dump dopamine into your brain…much like crack will. The problem comes afterwards when the rush fades. In the wake of the rush, your body will crash, and hard. Your mood will in fact be worse than when you started.

5. Geeks are human. I hate to break this to you…but they are. And guess what? If depression affects as many as 19 million Americans every year, it just might well be your turn. After all, geeks have the same money/relationship/life stress the rest of the world does.

So what to do? If you suspect you have a severe problem with depression, please talk to someone. Anyone. I would suggest starting with your doctor.

And as for me? I’m going to get away from the computer a bit and get outside, maybe take a walk and scuff through the leaves with someone I love.

How do you beat the blues?

What Calls Your Name?

After a night spent watching endless episodes of Beck, I can't help but think about those guilty pleasures and just what precisely makes them so fun. While I'm not sure what portion of my soul badly sung English lyrics and a patchwork dog exactly feeds into, I do know a few things about obsession.

Take Shangri-la. A show I discovered over at Crunchyroll recently that required an entire afternoon to devour. While this one had me worried on the silly / inane factor with the crossdressing mentor and adorable little girl set out to take over the world, I discovered a depth and interest here that carried me from that first episode and on into the rest with barely a pause to refresh the Pocky supplies.

But where does obsession go wrong and we find ourselves skating into the world of the Japanese definition of otaku? Was it the two day spree of Eureka 7 - all 50 episodes? Or is it really not until things take a more sinister note and the surfing goes from Crunchyroll into the darker denizens of the hentai infested websites and obesessions that will curl up in your brain and make a nest there?

Maybe I'm coming off overly thoughtful tonight but it's been a difficult week in RL (or what we call Real Life). I've seen my 12 year old son in screaming hysteria when he was banned from a certain computer game due to some homework assignments that he missed rather than give up a moment of gaming.

Now I'm no stranger to gaming addiction. Three years ago I fell headfirst into a MMORPG and didn't come out until several months had passed and my friends were ready to stage a full blown intervention. It's a scary world in here, and one all to easy to get lost in. So comes the time to be the responsible parent and pull the plug.

Uh, yeah, you first mom.

So for the next week I'm imposing a few limits. Not just on the kids, but on myself. Because you know something...there's enough lousy things going on in the world right now, that I don't need to get lost in here too.

After all, all this stuff will be here when we get back.

I told you mine...what tempts you online?