Come see Heroine Problem at Sakura Con!

On By CaitlinIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Sorry about that radio silence, everyone! As promised, I’ve been super busy preparing for Sakura Con, which is coming up in just two days! This weekend, I’ll have not one, not two, but three panels, all about women in anime. They are:

More than Strong Female Characters: Women-Driven Anime will be the first up on Friday at 2:00. Join me and Jared, editor of Heroine Problem, as we discuss what goes into making a great woman-driven show.

If you’re curious about some real-life women behind some excellent (and some terrible) shows, come see my panel about Female Anime Directors on Friday at 9:00 pm. I will be joined by my friend Michelle, who knows way more than I do!

Finally, I will be flying solo on Saturday at 2:15 as I discuss abusive relationships at You Only Hurt the One You Love: Mechanics of Abuse in Shoujo Manga. This was probably the hardest one to put together and definitely the most important of the group.

Come if you can, and make sure you come say hello while you’re at it. If you can’t, I’ll have audio/transcripts posted in not too long.

Semi-hiatus Announcement

On By CaitlinIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary (no seriously, that is his full title) has declared winter to be over, and I am simultaneously thrilled, skeptical, and trying desperately not to think about the terrifying changes in our global climate.

I love spring. Spring brings t-shirts and eventually tank tops, trips out to Seattle’s beautiful parks, and the start of convention season. Convention season brings cosplay, (hopefully) press passes, and (again, hopefully) panels! And all of those mean prep work. Lots and lots of prep work. I’ve submitted three panels for Sakura Con – one about abuse in shoujo manga, one about female directors, and one about strong vs. complex female characters – and each one requires a metric fuckton of research. I won’t know for another couple weeks if they’ve actually been accepted, but I figure at least I have a decent shot of getting at least one or two of them in and I won’t get done in time if I wait to hear back before I start work.

So what does this mean? You may have noticed the title of this post: semi-hiatus. That means I’m not going to be keeping up with the twice-weekly update schedule while I work on these because I’m a pretty slow writer and trying to do con prep and write a few thousand words per week is too much for me. I’ll still update when something piques my interest – I have a post about Read or Die in the pipeline – but maybe more like one every two weeks.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see some of you at Sakura Con!

Please Tell Me! Galko-chan: The Grossest Educational Anime You’ll Ever Watch

On By CaitlinIn Analysis, Anime, Simulwatch10 Comments

More often than not, the new anime season has a surprise. It could be a highly anticipated show that ends up dropping the ball in unexpected ways; it could also be a show no one was paying much attention to that ended up being unexpectedly funny, thoughtful, or otherwise high quality. Last year had a number of the latter sort, such as Osomatsu-san and Maria the Virgin Witch. Winter 2016 has been going pretty much as expected – the shows everyone expected to be good are good, and the ones generally expected to be crap are. This season’s biggest surprise is Please Tell Me! Galko-chan, a short series made up of seven-minute episodes. Based on the promotional art – specifically, the main character’s enormous breasts vacuum-packed into her cardigan – it looked to be an unremarkable fan service show. However, the positive word of mouth it was getting after the first episode intrigued me, and I decided to check it out despite my better judgment. I’m glad I did, because rather than perverse, male-oriented comedy, I got a charming series about three teenage girls frankly discussing their bodies without shying away from the grosser parts of the human experience.

Continue reading “Please Tell Me! Galko-chan: The Grossest Educational Anime You’ll Ever Watch” →

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju 1-2: It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World

On By CaitlinIn Analysis, Anime, Simulwatch4 Comments

Note: As always, this analysis assumes the reader has seen the episodes being discussed.t224

Rakugo is a traditional form of Japanese theater in which a lone performer, aka the rakugoka, sits alone on a stage with only a small cloth and fan for props. They tell a story, usually comedic, involving multiple people, distinguishing the characters using only their voice and mannerisms. Rather than making up their material, rakugoka have an established body of material to work with but are expected to put their own spin on the story. These days, it’s considered the domain of fussy old people, but it was once populist entertainment.

Like most traditional performance arts, rakugo is completely male-dominated. Once it was the sole domain of men, since most of the characters in the stories were male and it would have been odd to hear women using masculine speech patterns. Nowadays the field has opened somewhat, with women and foreigners (and occasionally both!) among top performers. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu takes place before that shift, however, and the gender dynamic inherent in such an unequal system informs much of the show.

Continue reading “Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju 1-2: It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” →

Winter 2016 First Look: Part 2

On By CaitlinIn Anime, SimulwatchLeave a comment

Sekko Boys

Miki Ishimoto hated art school. She hated sketching geometric shapes and sculptures and she hated her teachers for criticizing her for deviating from the models. She’s excited to leave that whole world behind when she gets a job managing the hot new idol group, Sekko Boys. Much to her dismay, she discovers the members of Sekko Boys – St. George, Mars, Hermes, and Medici – are all marble busts. Available streaming on Crunchyroll.

Well, that was silly! The premise of Sekko Boys is utterly surreal, and well-aware of it. The episode opens with the boys performing to a stadium full of glowstick-wielding screaming fangirls. They shout their catchphrases, setting up their personalities: Mars is a warrior but also a passionate lover, Hermes is beautiful and multitalented, St. George is a protector of the weak, and Medici is charming and innocent. Yes, this is a world where marble busts are alive sentient, retain the personalities of the the ones they represent, but also are still heavy statues that must be carried and carted from place to place, injuring their handlers’ backs in the process. Working in a profession where back pain and other stress injuries are a major occupational hazard, I felt for Yanagisawa, their chief manager.

Artists, on the other hand, will doubtless feel for Miki’s backstory. Her frustration at endlessly copying the masters in the name of developing fundamentals, without her teachers ever allowing her to put her spin on things, is a common complaint, as is her resulting burnout. Much of the episode’s humor, other than the sheer absurdity of the premise, stems from her shock and horror at being confronted with the exact subject of her anger at a completely separate job.

The verdict: Sekko Boys’ premise is unlike any other, to be sure. I look forward to seeing how the silliness develops.

Likelihood of weekly coverage: Low. It’s too light to really warrant any heavy discussion.

Continue reading “Winter 2016 First Look: Part 2” →

Winter 2016 Anime Roundup: Part 1

On By CaitlinIn Anime, Simulwatch4 Comments

A popular thing to do among anibloggers is to watch the first episode of every new show each season. Me, I don’t roll that way. I simply don’t have the time or energy to watch four or five new episodes of anime each night – I tried it once and I didn’t even enjoy the ones I felt like I should have, because I burned out so fast. I prefer to watch whatever catches my eye and/or is getting good word of mouth. Sometimes they’re everything I was hoping for, but just as often, they’re duds… but at least I didn’t waste my time watching shows I knew I wouldn’t enjoy. This season, I’m also on the lookout for shows that would be worth giving weekly coverage from the point of view of the blog.

Without further ado, let’s look at the shows!

Continue reading “Winter 2016 Anime Roundup: Part 1” →

Snow White with the Kind of Boring Anime Series

On By CaitlinIn Anime5 Comments

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I love fantasy shoujo. I love romances where the two people treat each other kindly. I love smart, capable heroines. I love Studio Bones’ expressive character animation and stunning background art.

So why, oh why, didn’t I love Snow White with the Red Hair?

All was well for the first three episodes or so. Shirayuki showed the spirit I so adore in my heroines when she cut off her red hair and left it for Prince Raj as a special little “fuck you.” Her adventurousness and excitement as she anticipated exploring her new home in Clarines spoke to me, as I suffer from my own case of wanderlust. Her expertise in herbalism gave her opportunities and the ability to stand on her own two feet.

With each passing week, however, I became less and less eager to watch the new episode. Something about the show just wasn’t grabbing me. I didn’t understand – this show had everything I could possibly want! I should be shivering in anticipation of each installment. As the show marched stolidly on toward its season closing, I had to admit it: it was dull. Boring. A slog. How could a show, with so many winning ingredients, made by one of the most consistently excellent studios, fail so hard?

Continue reading “Snow White with the Kind of Boring Anime Series” →

Fushigi Yugi: Going Home/Brief Parting

On By CaitlinIn Anime, Simulwatch1 Comment

Trigger Warnings this installment: Blood, Homo/Transphobia

Episode 7: Going Home

Last time on Fushigi Yugi: Three idiots almost bleed to death, Nuriko is the only smart one.

Taiitsukun, after trying to murder all three of them, appears! Miaka and Hotohori are both extremely rude to her and make fun of her for being a wrinkled old woman, instead of giving the literal goddess the goddamn respect she deserves. Even powerful women are worthless if they’re not young and cute!

Taiitsukun reveals that yes, she was the one who sent Mirror Miaka after them. She wanted to “test their willingness to help one another.” This really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. If it was just a test, why did she cackle and say they “wouldn’t reach Mt. Taikyoku in one piece?” That smacks of malice. And how was Shadow Miaka supposed to create a willingness to help each other? She mostly sowed the seeds of strife in the group by outing Nuriko and flirting with Hotohori instead of Tamahome. This isn’t Persona, where they have some means of battling the shadow as a symbol of emotional support. Sure, they realized she wasn’t the real thing, but that’s not helping, that’s just knowing each other. And Taiitsukun herself said she was shocked by Miaka attempting suicide to stop her. How else was Miaka supposed to break free? Was she only one whose willingness to help the others being tested?

Continue reading “Fushigi Yugi: Going Home/Brief Parting” →

Fushigi Yugi: Bewildered Heartbeat/If I Die…

On By CaitlinIn Anime, Simulwatch4 Comments

Trigger warnings this installment: Suicide, transphobia/misgendering

Episode Five: Bewildered Heartbeat

We’re back at the palace. Miaka is in bed, suddenly so weak she needs to have water dripped into her mouth instead of drinking it out of a glass. Hotohori somehow blames Tamahome for Miaka falling ill, and Tamahome somehow blames himself because he rejected her. I would say it’s more likely culture shock and the repeated sexual assault attempts against her than a boy saying he doesn’t like her. An adviser jumps in to say that she’s suffering from physical and mental exhaustion, and summoning Suzaku could kill her. She might recover physically, but mentally she’s going to continue marching straight toward a nervous breakdown which, considering all the anxiety dreams, she was probably heading toward from the beginning. Poor girl! I really do feel sorry for her at this point. She was already under a lot of stress before she got to the Universe of the Four Gods, and the pressure has only gotten worse. Miaka starts calling for her family in her sleep, and Hotohori, Tamahome, and Nuriko decide to take her to Mt. Taikyoku to see Taiitsukun, who created this world and gave the emperors their scrolls of The Universe of the Four Gods.

Continue reading “Fushigi Yugi: Bewildered Heartbeat/If I Die…” →

Maison Ikkoku: The Mourning After

On By CaitlinIn Anime, Manga1 Comment

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Summary: Yusaku Godai hates his life: he lives in a run-down boarding house, his neighbors are all weirdos and drunks who have no greater pleasure than tormenting him, and he’s struggling to pass the entrance examinations of even third-rate colleges. He’s just about ready to move out when a beautiful young woman walks in and introduces herself as Kyoko Otonashi, the new manager. It’s love at first sight for Godai, but the recently-widowed Kyoko is still in mourning for her deceased husband.

Anime/Manga

Potential Triggers: Nothing major – a lot of discussion of death

Grief is a funny thing. It’s hard for people who have never lost a loved one to understand the roller coaster of emotions. The way it quietly follows you for years only to emerge, full force, when you least expect it. People try to simplify it to make it easier to understand, such as with the “seven stages of grief.” These attempts fail to capture the messiness of such emotions, and how every individual experiences them differently. Rumiko Takahashi’s Maison Ikkoku, a love story about a grieving widow and a penniless student who falls in love with her before she’s ready to move on, portrays that messiness with an unusual degree of sensitivity. The story spans seven years, as Kyoko Otonashi and Yusaku Godai grow to the point where they’re in the right place emotionally for each other.

Continue reading “Maison Ikkoku: The Mourning After” →