RETROBLOGGAN: Iriya No Sora, UFO No Natsu 6

With the little issue of AFA over and done with, I present to you… … …

IRIYA NO SORA 6.

Awww, that’s so sweet, Iriya wants to die only for him ;-;

I TOTALLY REGRET SAYING THIS WAS DEPRESSING. IT IS NOT ;-;

It’s heartwarming and a little tearjerky ;-;

This is how Key should have done ALL THEIR WORKS, EVER. T_T

And now… … …

I still feel a little cheated at the ending. That’s not an ending at all

An AFA special: Offline Danny Choo Twittering

I totally should have done it. But there was no free wireless. SO HERE IT IS.

On the first day of AFA.

1534: Danno Choo Dance Video. Silly bugger says he’s in Thailand, but I’ve seen his meatshieldy ass.
1535: HE’S AT ION ORCHARD. NO WAIT HE’S HERE
1535: HE’S DANCING, SOMEONE GET DARTH VADER, OR LUKE SKYWALKER
1536: SONOFABITCH HE’S ON STAGE
1536: HE’S STILL DANCING. HE’S NOT READY FOR LOVE
1537: Wireless is not up. Can’t Twitter.
1538: HE TOOK OFF HIS FUCKING HELMET. WHERE IS THAT JEDI. WHERE IS LUKE, ANAKIN, EVEN DEAD BEN KENOBI.
1538: oOgA was not lying. Danny Choo did go there.
1538: Still no wireless. No Jedi, either.
1539: HE IS ABOUT TO SPEAK. NO JEDIS. OH LAWKS HE IS GOING TO BORE US.
1540: HE IS GOING TO SPEAK D:
1540: OH NOES A SCREAMING FANGIRL
1540: HE’S A BRIT. A FUCKING BRIT.
1541: DANNYCHOO.COM IS A FRONT FOR SELLING SERVICES. THOSE SILLY BUGGERS AT OEG WERE RIGHT.
1542: LIES ALTER IS MUCH BETER
1542: DANNYCHOO.COM IS NOT A BLOG. IT’S A SOCIAL WEBSITE PRETENDING TO BE A BLOG.
1543: Patrick Macias writes about otaku subculture to :<
1544: …DANNY IS OBSSESSED. HE NEEDS HELP. .50CAL HELP. WHERE ARE THOSE JEDI.
1545: Exceptions justify the norm. EXECPTIONS JUSTIFY THE FUCKING NORM.
1545: NOT IN SINGAPORE, DANNY, NOT IN SINGAPORE.
1546: We’re staring at his personal playground?
1547: SEO TECHNOLOGY. SILLY BUGGER.
1548: FACEBOOK AND TWITTER CAME FIRST, FUCK YOU
1548: OMG NSFW PIC OMG DAKI OMG OPPAI MAUSPADS
1549: …He’s very well-connected
1553: Stats Stats Stats LOL
1553: Those people need HELP. .50Cal HELP.
1554: “By wrecking the anime blogging community, you DO get connected. Very well.”
1555: WHERE ARE THE NSFW WORKS.
1555: “I am my own bawss LOL”
1556: He’s talking about his Meatshield status. DANNY CHOO EMBRACED HIS INNER MEATSHIELDNESS.
1557: HE’S WALKING AROUND TOKYO TRYING TO BE KILLED BY IMAGINARY JEDI.
1558: GEORGE LUCAS DIDN’T FUCKING SUE HIM. HE IS NOW PART OF STAR WARS CANON.
1559: WATCH OUT TOKYO STORMIE GEETAR PERFORMANCE.
1559: WELL, IT’S ALL BLACK.
1600: TALK END.

What is truly otaku?

Introduction

So everyone and their mother has heard about the Otaku Elimination Game and what they do (or claim to, anyway). And everyone probably knows what they claim to defend. Or at least, their definition of what they claim to defend.

Which got me thinking. What then, defines an otaku?

If it’s not about posting tons of pics about figures, scenery porn, cats, food, and starting your own business trying to sell a social network platform 1, then what is an otaku?

I don’t know all that much, but I think I can narrow it down to two things: obssession, and Japanese supremacy. I’ll get to those in a few minutes.

So what defines an otaku?

If not posting pictures of your swag and writing inane things about your life isn’t “otaku” 2, then what in the world defines an otaku? The answer, I believe, lies in two things: Obssession and Japanese supremacy.

Obssession

One of the two things that would separate an otaku from the masses is his obssession over a certain subject or hobby. In our case, it’s about anime and manga.

Being an anime/manga otaku usually means you’re obssessed with anime/manga and everything related to it, like eroge and figures. And that you probably know enough to be considered an “expert” in this field 3. And maybe you really like all them moe shows that are being made every season. And maybe you’d want to either score or do dirty things to the 2D girls shown. Hey, I don’t know. But I do know that obssession is one of them. It’s, um, not about screaming “MOE!” in the streets. Or singing MANLY PASSIONATE songs in public (okay, maybe that, but it’s only restricted in scope).

For example: The reason why I chose to sing the medley of Fire Bomber songs at AFA was because I really, really love the songs. It’s passion thing, but it can get into an obssession if I’m not careful. 4

Japanese Supremacy

The other thing that defines an otaku is that s/he thinks that Japan is superior, etc.

…Yeah, you’d have to actually believe that Japan is the best country ever.

If Patrick “Patty Mac” Macias 5 is to be believed, and 2ch to be used as concrete evidence, then unfortunately, you’d actually have to think and believe that Japan is the best country in the world. No kidding.

Most otaku are self-absorbed, xenophobic and ignorant nationalists who think Japan is the best country ever due to the advent of anime and manga and erotic stuff they are free to consume and all. And some of them can go so far as to be decidedly normal. You wouldn’t know that they are otaku until you actually get to know them. 6

“Normalcy” notwithstading, due to the fact that Akihabara (that geek paradise) was created by Japanese geeks, for Japanese geeks, by Japanese geeks, and without any form of foreign intervention, one could say that being otaku could actually construe as being patriotic. More patriotic than your average Japanese, even.

Conclusion

If one wants to claim to be truly otaku, are you obssessed enough with the medium to cross the first line: obssession? And once you’re past that (which would define you as a “geek”, not “otaku”), are you willing to admit that Japan is superior to any other culture, even in the face of overwhelming historical and current evidence?

If you cross both lines, then congratulations, you’re otaku. Japan hates you.

Bibliography

1 Yes, Danny Choo is trying to sell us something, and yes, it’s his Facebook-like social networking platform. He said it himself. At AFA. After his silly Storm Trooper Dance. I really should put my offline twitter up.

2 Yes, Danny Choo and a bunch of Japanese do this all the time. In fact, all people who own blogs do this at one point in theirblogging careers/time/experience.

3 This is recommended reading.

4 I totally did. It was the second best thing to happen to me at AFA.

5 Yes, wah totally said otaku are normal people.

6 WHY HAVE YOU NOT LISTENED TO PATTY MAC?

THE FUKUYAMA YOSHIKI HOTBLOOD HOUR: AFA Day 2 Aftermath

We interrupt your weekly scheduled Iriya No Sora epiblog post (not like anyone was reading it, anyways) to bring you… … … …

THE AFA DAY 2 REPORT.

Which pretty much means I’ll be going nuts over Fukuyama Yoshiki. In words. After I lost it at the concert.

Oh fuck yes JAM PROJECT is the best group EVER.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANYWAYS, back to AFA.

Highlights:

• More on the Anisong karaoke booth. Did a medley of Macross 7 songs. Shit was epic. I think I made people shit bricks. EPIC BRICKS. I think I may be on Yootoob.
• Oh yeah, forgot to mention about the card game that was at AFA. WEIB SCHWARZ. That was interesting. Better than Danny Choo, anyhoo.
• [IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE CONCERT HIGHLIGHT, IT IS NOT HERE. LOOK ELSEWHERE. LIKE BELOW]

And obviously, the concert was great. DUH. Fukuyama Yoshiki is the best act in I Love Anisong. No joke. I don’t think I’m joking about this.

Sadly, I was never at the inaugural AFA concert. But seeing Fukuyama Yoshiki was totally worth it. Seeing him and May’n perform Dynamite EXPLOSION together, SHIT WAS EPIC.

Oh, and BTW, here are the songs he sang:

KING GAINER OVER (Overman King Gainer) FUCK YES BEST OPENING ACT EVER. IN THE HISTORY OF EVER.

Work Guy!!! (Kamen no Maid Guy) HE SANG THIS WAT

Remember 16 (Macross 7)

Totsugeki LOVE HEART (Macross 7) I TOTALLY CALLED IT. OUT LOUD, EVEN.

Makka Na Chikai (Busou Renkin) MAKKA NA CHIKAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Angel Voice (Macross 7) HOW COULD I FORGET ANGEL VOICE. Also, did this come before TRY AGAIN or after Makka na Chikai?

With May’n:

Diamond Crevasse (Macross FRONTIER) Fukuyama is the King of Macross songs. Kawamori be darned. THE FUCKING KING. Maasaki Endoh is the new king of MANLY PASSIONATE SINGING. Aniki is Forever, though.

TRY AGAIN (Macross 7) Oh crap. Was this sung with May’n or not?

POWER TO THE DREAM Dynamite EXPLOSION (Macross 7) EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. SO. FUCKING. EPIC.

May’n sang her new songs. It was hard to get into. And then she started with the Macross FRONTIER songs. Don’t Be Late and LION and one more. I was rocking out so hard I forgot the songs sung in the concert. Most of the people seem to have came for the Macross FRONTIER. I came for Fukuyama Yoshiki. (Yes, you can take that in a totally inappropriate manner.)

Oh man, I haven’t enjoyed myself this much ever since I finished Macross 7 and almost finished GaoGaiGar. I think I just caused my vocal chords to undergo nuclear meltdown and I’m kinda tired and sore all over, but FUCK YES, IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT. Totally.

Man, I can’t believe I’m looking forward to AFA 2010. They might actually bring in Maasaki Endoh and JAM PROJECT. I think we can kiss May’n goodbye for 2010. JAM PROJECT can easily perform for 2 nights, what with the amount of songs they might sing (GONG, Yuusha Tanjou, ALL DEM ROZEN MAIDEN SONGS, ALL DEM SRW SONGS AS WELL).

…I think I might need extensive surgery after this. Or maybe not.

This was the best 200 bucks spent, EVER. No joke.

The Sore Feet Report: AFA Day 1

HOLY SMOKES IT’S ONLY DAY 1. AND THERE WAS SO MUCH COOL STUFF HAPPENING.

And I thought AFA 08 was very good already.

SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE SPACE AND SLEEP TO DO SO.

Massive highlights of my day:

• Cospa has opened a South East Asian branch of it’s clothing brand. And they still them at mildly prohibitive prices. Also they don’t have any GaoGaiGar T-shirts. What is it with Cospa and not having a stock of GGG tees.
• ANISONG KARAOKE MACHINE. That thing is pure joy in a compact package. Killed my throat TWICE due to massive anisong overload (and me screaming instead of singing). Also, I totally did not screw up Do You Remember Love. Sure hope they don’t change the song list tomorrow. If I see King Gainer Over and Yuusha-Oh Tanjou there, I WILL HAVE NO VOICE FOR FUKUYAMA YOSHIKI.
• THE CONCERT ROCKED MY SOCKS OFF. Even Shoko-tan starting with that accursed Eva OP didn’t dampen things. FUCK IT, CRUEL ANGEL’S THESIS WILL SOUND HOTBLOODED. Miku was a little bit meh, but ANIKI and Shoko-tan were totally worth the money. Especially when they did the most epic encore duet ever. I think I might have enjoyed Aniki more if I had watched all them old shows, but he’s pretty much the epitome of MANLY PASSION. Without him, there’d be no Gundam or FIRE BOMBER.

Sadly, Odex still exists and refuses to put their names down as a sponsor. SADLY.

NEXT UP: OH FUCK IT’S FUKUYAMA YOSHIKI. OW MY TRACHEA. Also AFA Day 2.

YOU GET TO BURNING: THE GREAT CHRISTMAS ANIME DRIVE

TO THE SUEZ CANAL EL ALAMEIN EGYPT TOBRUK SPAAAAAAACE.

…Of course, unless you’ve been living under a rock all these years, you’d probably know what insane show I am about to watch (No, I already watched Macross 7, ALL OF IT).

Yes, I know, late to the party, etc, but does it really matter how late one watches a show?

ANYWAY.

ONWARDS, AFRIKAKORPS. TO TOBRUK.

This post has been brought to you by the Reverse Thieves Secret Santa Project, no, they didn’t kill Santa Claus.

Sunflowers.

O_O

Sharin No Kuni has been fully translated. IN ENGLISH.

IN ENGLISH.

THE WHOLE GAME.

IN ENGLISH.

Holy shit on a stick. MULTIPLE STICKS.

UNLIMITED SHIT ON A STICK WORKS EVEN.

Also noticed: ayyo. I thought he hated the Internet.

At this point, knowing what my top 5 should say about me is a massive no-brainer

If anyone actually has been following me from day 1, he or she would know that I like shows that not just takes itself seriously, but are also a lot of fun to watch (sometimes because of it, and sometimes in spite of it). Most shows are fun to watch, if not for the scenery porn, then for execution.

I ragequitted Chocotto Sister because the apparent imouto-pandering pissed me off to no end, and I had to drop Eva after going through half of it (in a sleep-deprived stupor) was simply because the show was painful to watch any further. Now, while I might just give the former the benefit of the doubt, I’m not going to give Eva that chance. Eva is probably the only show I can safely say is not just hard to watch, but also the worst experience I ever had. Dentists notwithstanding.

In fact, those two are the only shows I could actually say I dropped for real.

No surprises about my top 5 here. In no particular order:

1. Overman King Gainer
2. Macross 7
3. GaoGaiGar
4. Gurren Lagann
5. Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko

Okay, I admit, I don’t have a top 5. Number 5 was the only show that’s been burning hideously for a massive rewatch.

Moving on.

5 shows that are sweet and innocent:

1. Clannad (naturally includes After Story)
2. Iriya no Sora, UFO No Natsu
3. Kamichu! (OKAY I HAVE YET TO FINISH THIS)
4. Stellvia
5. REC (OKAY I HAVE YET TO FINISH THIS TOO)

5 shows that are totally hilariously trippin’ balls:

1. Eden’s Bowy
2. Inukami!
3. Astro Fighter Sunred
4. Adventures of Mini-Goddess
5. Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu!

5 extremely convoluted romances that can only be explained by Yuu Wataseium:

1. Fushigi Yuuhi
2. Ayashi No Ceres
3. Mushi-Uta
4. Macross Plus
5. [THIS SPACE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK]

5 shows I really should GET TO WATCHING:

1. Martian Successor Nadesico
2. BLASSREITER
3. MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR
4. True Tears
5. The Seventh Kara No Kyoukai Movie

5 types of Macrossbium:

1. Macross 7 Dynamite 7 OVA
2. Macross Plus
3. Macross 7: THE UNIVERSE IS CALLING ME
4. Macross 7
5. SDF Macross

I know I am biased. Hush.

Also Kampfer DOES NOT SUCK. Yet. WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Blame omo, Stripey and probably El Peto Zalinsky for this.

Retrobloggan: Iriya No Sora, UFO no Natsu 5

Wait a minute, Iriya’s living her life IN REVERSE? Seriously.

ENOMOTO STOP BEING JAWSOME. YOU ALREADY HAVE THAT JUST AS PLANNED LOOK. DON’T KILL NAOYUKI, YOU HEAR.

One more episode to the end. It’s a lot less depressing that I remembered. Even if Iriya was bieng all yandere.

And she still remembers Asaba, even if she’s living her life in reverse ;-;

Retrobloggan: Iriya No Sora UFO No Natsu 4

Did you know that IW hates PC gaming and that there’s at least one dude who claims to criticize the otakucube but may be in fact a thinly-veiled excuse to be a hater? No? Oh well. (Totally asking for it here )

Aw, that’s sweet, she steals his stuff because she likes him. No wait.

And in spite of being probably maltreated, undergoing accelerated celluar breakdown (of sorts), and seeing the guy she clearly has the hots for getting beat up for not knowing everything (and doing a lot of things right)…

It’s getting pretty depressing, man. Maybe that line really was meant to be her deepest desires.

No extras today.