I can’t believe I’m out of ideas.

I thought I had a good schtick going, what with January being where I complain about how much last decade sucked monkey balls and whatnot (Protip: I am totally yanking on your chain) and then, just when I get fired up, I run out of ideas and events that were significant to the last decade.

I’m totally serious here. Aside from blogging trends (and that in itself is a boiling cauldron waiting to EXPLODE), I’m left with either topics that I don’t have a good grasp on (THE INDUSTRY, for starters), or things I probably don’t know about.

So yeah, I’m asking about the hot events of the last decade. I’m SHOCKED at not knowing what to write too :V

Find your Inner Fire [AdviceDog] Prevent Burnout

Yeah, apologies for using a 4chan meme, but it’s so painfully appropriate here.

And yes, SPIRIT OF THE DECADE will resume later at an Internet near you.

Now then, with all this talk about burnout, jaded fans being massive douches (if they’re a douche to begin with, they will be douches justifying thier need to be all douchey) and people claiming either the moral or experiential high ground to heap scorn on people, I think it’s time we stopped trying to give “tips” on how to prevent or solve burnout and look at the root cause of it.

If there’s one thing I have discovered in over 3 years of animéblogfagging, it’s this. Finding what drives you to write about cartoons for manchildren is central to why you enjoy said cartoons. Or pen and paper RPGs. Or History. Or getting to know other people. Or just about anything you can think of.

This drive, more commonly known as a motivation, or in this case, the inner fire, is a rather tricky thing. For most people, it’s not easily discovered save for a divine revelation or long hours of painful, agonizing search and reflection. For some people, they ride on a crest of emotion which never fades. For others, the emotions are gone and all that’s left is a barren wasteland.

For those of you who are still reading and are in that barren wasteland where nothing seems to begood and wonderful, well, fear not. There’s hope yet for you. See, this is where you’ll be finding out why do you do that thing you do. Heck, for those of you riding that giant wave of emotion, well, it’s useful too.

The first question you gotta ask yourself is Why did you watch animé in the first place? Is it a cherished memory from your childhood (like mine and a few others)? Because it was a hip, cool thing to do? Influenced by other passionate bloggers to watch your first show? Friends? A sense of intellectual superiority over all that you’ve watched up until now? Knowing why you stepped into this “subculture”  is a very good stepping stone to discovering your motivation.

Second question. Why then did you blog about animé. The need to tell people how cool this new animated thing from Japan is? Ego-complex? How much it changed your life? Academia? Peer pressure? Finding out why you blog is very, very related to the first question, and would probably lay the foundation for the hard soul-searching that is to come.

The third question is more for the jaded, cynical of us. Why are you feeling so jaded, so disappointed, so cynical? Seen too much and need a break? Animé in general not living up to your expectations? Too much moé in your diet? It becoming an obssession and not a hobby? Too many retarded fans and not enough “voices of reason”? This question here is to help you find out the root cause of your frustrations and/or jadedness. And by then, you’d probably have found out why and might want to take steps to alleviate it.

And the fourth question. In spite of all this, are you still interested in the “subculture” to jump back in and why? This is related to the first question, and your answer to the first question and the fourth should be the same. Congratulations, you’re beginning to finnd that inner fire that’ll make your blood run so hot even the combined efforts of JAM PROJECT, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Tomozaku Seki and Go Nagai together could possibly not do it enough JUSTICE.

Though I must warn you. Realizing your inner fire isn’t for everyone. For some of us, it’s more or less a religious experience. Well, it’s for me in any case. Some of us have motivations that run counter to what is good (letting people know how cool cartoons for manchildren are is probably the closest thing to “good” I’ll consider) and I’ve seen that in quite a few people. And many of us will probably never find it.

Still, it’s a good diagnostic tool for when you crash and burn. I hope it’s been helpful.

And for those of you who actually care: Don’t worry for me. I’m focusing on the Source of my Inner Fire, and not the fire itself. Now that’s something completely different and would probably turn the entire post religious. Not that I mind, though, but it’s for the benefit of others that I try to keep it as religion-free as humanly possible.

SPIRIT OF THE DECADE: I’m so fuckin’ jaded I can make a ROYAL WARSTRIDER OUT OF MYSELF

Bit of explanation about the title: White Wolf’s Exalted (Yes, a fantasy pen and paper RPG that’s not D&D) has this material called jade. Like it’s real Earth counterpart, it’s a precious stone that can be used to make jewelry and has been used as money. However, in White Wolf’s Exalted, jade is also something to make magical swords and magical giant robots out of. Basically, I’m saying I’m a giant hunk of magical stone, enough to make GAOGAIGAR. Fuck yes I just ruined the joke. And yes, this is what I do when I’m not being an animé geek or BEING HYPERRELIGIOUS (No Rights Reserved).

No thanks to omo and wah for pointing it out.

If omo and wah are to be believed, the decade marks a significant number of writers who are, to put it bluntly, sick and tired of animé, and seriously want everyone to stop watching it and do something else. Of course, this is just me bullshitting on something no one gives stats about, but let’s just assume omo and wah are right about this trend.

There’s a slew of cynical, sarcastic reviews about Code Geass and Gundam 00, most of them written by “respectable” members of the community, stating in a cynical, sarcastic, bitter and dick manner why these shows suck. (Of course, when you break them down to funny 4koma, memes and porn, suddenly, the suck disappears, but I’m weird like that) There’s also what wah calls “often uninformed and cynical viewpoints” that these people tend to rattle off. And of course, there’s everyone’s favorite punching bags, the (two) douches who run Anime News Network.

Though I’d like to redefine the meaning of jaded.

From dictionary.com:

1. dulled or satiated by overindulgence.
2. worn out or wearied, as by overwork or overuse.

From the above definition, a jaded fan is just someone who may have seen it all, and not much would impress him or her. The jaded fan may or may not try to dissuade people from the hobby, and in most cases, they usually don’t.

HOWEVER. You don’t have to be jaded to be a terrible person. Being burnt out does NOT give one the moral high ground or the so-called “experience” to give an informed opinion (then again, who can you trust?).

You don’t even have to be jaded to either sound like an annoying prick, overbearing, or a straight-up jerk who thinks everyone is either WOMEN AND CHILDREN (Yes, I think Gil did say that.) or retards for not following your line of thought.

And one more salvo before I sound off.

While this in itself is enough for one more post, I just gotta ask anyone who is reading this. If there are any even reading this.

What fuels your desire, your need to blog, the purpose of even watching these shows for manchildren? Is it a desire to know more about it’s country of origin, to see traces of the Big Guy up there, or is it something a lot more sinister or mundane? Before you even start to burn out, think deep and hard (hurr hurr hurr) about why do you blog about cartoons for manchildren.

SPIRIT OF THE DECADE: The real problem with moe

The problem with moe isn’t really the fact that it’s “degrading” Japanese animation. If you want that I’ll talk on length about Aki Sora, now THAT’S DEGRADING. Japanese animation has always catered to the tastes of the “ignored” minority and not to global audiences.

The real problem is that there’s too much of it on the market. Yes, even if we factor in the fact that Japanese animation has always catered to the tastes of the “ignored” minority in Japan and not to global audiences, there’s still way too much of it. Too much for even me, and I don’t exactly have high standards.

And as I’ve recently relearnt, too much of a good thing is bad for you.

Well, I can name at least 3 moe shows that jive with me, 2 that I’m still considering, and one show that I’ll say is the culmination of what happened after Haruhi showed the world that moe makes money. Said 3 shows being ARIA (YES, AKARI IS MOE, SHUT UP), Hidamari Sketch and Bamboo Blade. (Also Strike Witches hurrhurrhurr)

And no matter how many people think anime is supposed to be “deep” and “thought-provoking”, well… … …

In Japan, Eva was all about TEH REI, TEH ASUKA and the gorram Evas. In America, Eva is considered to be “deep” and “meaningful”.

There’s also the fact that very few shows can actually provoke soul-searching. No matter how much I keep saying planetarian changed my life, the fact remains that it’s still a “game” that panders to otaku and how much they want to cry. That, and the only reason why it could change my life is because (brace for it) it’s probably my destiny (to put it in a way that pleases people) to be moved by the game in that manner.

But I’m going way off topic.  Here’s the problem.

If I see way too many freaking Walkmans on the market, I’ll probably be sick of Walkmans and Walkman-related products, advertising, and so on, and may start to develop a hatred of Walkmans as a result of it being too popular. And me being sick of Walkmans.

It’s the same thing about moe. Even though some people are thinking it’s ruining anime. Those people are missing the point.

WHY AM I SO TROLL

You know what.

I’m sick of being called a troll, or no one taking me seriously.

Oh, sure, it’s probably because I asked for it, but when the whole place is filled with jerks with spiked metal poles wrapped with barbed wire up their asses who get more respect that a troll, it’s rather sickening, especially since most of them don’t even deserve it.

There’s more to this than meets the eye, but I’m kinda sick of being treated like an idiot and a 4channer. Even if I was one in the past.

I’ve been working hard, trying to write better, trying to catch up with a massive backlog, being a generally responsible member of the community and all, but apparently, it’s probably not worth it. I’ll still be treated like a silly troll, and those who apparently hate the community will get more and more popular simply because of their reputation and not personality.

It’s a sad, sad world we live in, and I’m kinda sick of it all.

SPIRIT OF THE DECADE: 7 Shows no one will watch

Yeah, it’s that time again. Gems from the decade that no one will watch due to lack of hype or even people noticing it enough to hype it. Unlike MUDAZUMO NAKI KAIKAKU: THE LEGEND OF KOIZUMI. Which will be watched by almost everyone.

In no particular order…

7. Overman King Gainer

WTF?: It’s about how mankind living in sheltered cities due to natural disasters (read: GLOBAL WARMING OR SOME SHIT) and WAR. And how a bunch of them want out. Enter the nerd who’s about to help them do it: a video gamer who has been accosted by a “terrorist” who’s helping them. And his hilariously-designed giant robot. Thing.

Why?: It’s too silly. Too silly, even for a robot show. Even if it had the best OP ever sung by Fukuyama Yoshiki. Even the OP is silly.

6. Mushi-Uta

WTF?: Mushi-uta’s story takes place in the near future. Ten years before the story’s opening, strange insect-like creatures known as “Mushi” began appearing. The Mushi are able to consume peoples’ dreams and thoughts in return for supernatural powers. At the end of episode one, protagonist Daisuke “Kakkou” Kusuriya encounters a young girl named Shiika Anmoto. The two, in time, become quite close. However, unbeknownst to Kakkou, Shiika is an escapee from a secret prison known as GARDEN where those posessed by the Mushi, known as the Mushitsuki are held. GARDEN’s military force, the Special Environmental Conservation Executive Office, dispatches its finest killer to track down Shiika. However, they are faced with resistance from the Mushibane resistance organisation, led by the secretive “Ladybird”. (Plot Summary taken from ANN, I have some emotional attachment to this show)

Why?: Went completely unnoticed when it aired. I’m totally serious about this.

5. Astro Fighter Sunred

WTF?: Tokusatsu Slice-of-Life Parody. No seriously.

Why?: Not enough hype. And when the few people promoting it are a troll (read: ME) and an asshole, you know what happens.

4. Strange Dawn

WTF?: Two high-school kids are transported to a world where it’s inhabitants are no taller than their ANKLE. And these teent people live in a fantasy world. No kidding.

Why?: I remember watching this show when I was young. Bloody hell, it was fun to watch, even if I didn’t get it. It’s too strange, even though I wanna watch it again.

3. F-ZERO: The Story of CAPTAIN FALCON

WTF?: Futuristic Space Races and the totally rocking story of CAPTAIN FALCON. Complete with MANLY ENDING.

Why?: Went completely unnoticed when it aired. I’m totally serious about this.

2. Monoke

WTF?: What Is This I don’t Ev- I mean, A medicine seller fights spirits.

Why?: Too Arthouse.

1. Kaiba

WTF?: One day a man, Kaiba, wakes up in a broken room. He has no memories, only a pendant with a picture of an unknown woman. Outside of the room are grotesque floating electrical clouds of disjointed memories. Kaiba is suddenly assaulted, and escapes into space. He travels to various planets, encountering various people and retrieving his memories. Memories of an inconsistent and decaying world, of his own agony and of Niero, the woman in the picture. (Plot Summary taken from ANN)

Why?: Too Arthouse.

I think I might to watch them. Sunred and Overman King Gainer excepting, of course.

SPIRIT OF THE DECADE: The Overhype of Suzumiya Haruhi

If one is going to define the last decade, it won’t be the following things.

• The Eva remake
• Macross Frontier (Yes, I know it’s been 10-odd years since Kawamori even bothered with Macross)
• Gurren Lagann (Though it should be)
• All the great shows in the last 2 or so years, showing what the Japanese really can do if they tried hard enough and have good material to work with
• Ken Akamatsu and Negima, which should have been the biggest thing since Eva. No seriously.

Ironically, none of these will be remembered by many in the years to come, simply because there was a much bigger thing on the horizon.

It just had to be Haruhi. Yes, that’s the thing that makes this decade of Japanese animation stand out. I’m not too sure why, either, but I have a few hunches.

1. Overhype

Like Eva before it, Haruhi has a massive fanbase that’s international. People marvel at the technical perfection of animation, the oh-so-witty references (some you need a list to actually notice, even if you are an expert in the reference’s chosen field!) to all things science, science-fiction, animation, among other things. People praise it for deconstructing animé tropes while parodying them. Everyone says Haruhi’s the best character since Asuka or something.

There’s just so much praise that even valid criticism is drowned out by the sheer tidal wave of praise.

It’s Eva for the 21st century. And to be honest, I thought Nadesico did the  whole thing a lot better. But then again, not many remember Nadesico, or have even watched it.

2. KyoAni

Kyoto Animation, unfortunately, has fallen out of favor with the fans for making Endless Eight (If you believe the “outrage” of course. They’re still watching and paying for the DVDs.). However, until Haruhi, KyoAni was just another animation studio, most fondly remembered for making Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid and Fumoffu!. But when Haruhi came around, KyoAni suddenly became the rock star of the animation world. Now, when anyone talks about KyoAni, they talk about Haruhi. Not about the Kanon remake, AIR or Clannad, or even K-ON or Lucky Star or even their work on the Full Metal Panic series. It’ll forever be Haruhi, Haruhi, Haruhi.

3. Everyone talks about it.

This is related to the Overhype issue.  Since it’s fans love it so much, it’s bound to get people talking. Positively or negatively, people are going to have an opinion about it. It’s almost as if we’ve returned to the Eva days.

4. Vim and vigour

No matter how you look at the show, you cannot deny that it has a certain exuberance. It’s energetic, rather dynamic, and for some people who have seen it, it’s almost akin to a religious experience. Even I have to admit there’s a certain magical quality to the show that can turn even grizzled, jaded viewers into squealing little kids again. Though if you ask me, the new Mazinger Z remake does just that for me. As is religion.

5. THAT DANCE

Yeah, that dance. It’s an international icon now, even if it’s not being done. People actually recognize it.

6.  The introduction of moé as a business model

The Japanese are really quick to notice what makes money. Those of you who bought stuff with either Haruhi’s, Mikuru’s, or Yuki’s face on it, you know what I’m getting at.

It ushered the way into using moé as a business model.

Sadly, it’s also led to the hyper-production of moé shows that have little to no substance to them. K-ON being the prime example. (No, even having good music won’t save a show from having no story.)

However, if you’re bored with long-winded explanations, here’s the short version: Haruhi is this century’s Eva. Yeah, that’s about right.

SPIRIT OF THE DECADE: 10 milestone animated works

Everyone loves to mention their favorite shows of the decade.

Me? I notice the milestones. Tainted as my view may be.

10. Overman King Gainer

Why: Made mecha fun again. Even though it probably was 7 years too late.

9. Gundam SEED

Why: After the incredibly successful experiment by Sunrise and Bandai to rake in more money, aka Gundam Wing, Bandai applied the same formula for SEED. And included hot women and the Gundam brand to ensure the masses would buy it even though it was clearly a really long advert to sell plamo kits. The followups, Gundam SEED DESTINY and  Gundam 00, continued this trend.

8. Azumanga Daioh

Why: The popular 4-koma animated series introduced slice of life in it’s purest form, a feat not to be topped until ARIA rolled along. It’s bloody good stuff.

7. Burst Angel

Why: Burst Angel was the first GONZO show I actually stopped caring about. Up until then, every GONZO show I watched was, at the very least, pretty decent.Even Sunabozu, but I’m crazy like that. Who knew that after Burst Angel, they would actually either screw up good source material or did horrible things to animation?

6. Strike Witches

Why: LOOK AT DEM WITCHES. NO PANTS. NO PANTS. Sardonically, I’d say it was because of this show that brought about Queen’s Blade being aired, but then again, I could mention the crapload of H-anime being released. This is also the last good show GONZO made. Well, okay, that and Saki, but who cares? DEM WITCHES WEAR NO PANTS.

5. Tengan Toppan Gurren Lagann

Why: It’s probably the last good super robot show being made for a while (No, Shin Mazinger Z is a remake of a much older and beloved series). Also marks the beginning of the end for mecha in general.

4. The Melanchony of Suzumiya Haruhi

Why: It’s simply the biggest thing in Japanese animation since, well, ever. The posterchild of “Japanese soft power”, the rock star of Japanese animation, it did what Eva did over a decade ago: win over new fans and wowed older ones. It’s also interesting to note that this was when moé finally took off like a badly-made North Korean rocket.

3. K-ON!

Why: It’s moé, in a nutshell. Azumanga Daioh had humor and good characters, ARIA was simply amazing, and Hidamari Sketch was probably too cute for mortal eyes. But K-ON, unfortunately, had none of those. In my opinion. Oh, some good music, but seriously, all bad shows have good music. So there.

2. Genshiken

Why: Not Densha Otoko? Because Genshiken humanized the otaku. And made them look like normal, if mildly idiosyncratic individuals. Train Man made the otaku look normal, to be honest, but Genshiken reinforced that notion by portraying them as people instead of caricatures.  Also made characters with geek hobbies a mainstay of character archetypes.

1. Kanon (2002)

Why: Okay, so eroge adaptations have been going on way before this happened, but Kanon was one of the biggest shows to be animated in that decade. But what about To Heart? Well, To Heart probably wasn’t made in the last decade.

SPIRIT OF THE DECADE: Mecha is well and truly dead.

Okay, I’m probably being a bit way too melodramatic about this, considering that the mecha-to-everything else ratio seems to be rather constant with the 1990′s, but…

When you consider that the only notable mecha shows in the past decade were either the Bandai cashcows (the various Gundams, Code GAY ASS), Overman King Gainer (Oh yes it was, shut up), Gurren Lagann, remakes of old super robot shows and Macross (Moe) Frontier…

Plus factoring in the almost criminal lack of mecha in the last 2 or so seasons (No, Asura Cryin’ S2 does not count as a separate series)…

I’m starting to wonder if mecha is starting to lose favor with the commercial realities.

In the cut-throat world of Japanese animation (which follows Japanese business practices, sadly), mecha is slowly losing it’s status as the moneymaker. IIRC, Full Metal Panic! sucked in a lot of money for KyoAni and they have yet to make it all back. And it was a rather good franchise to capitalize on, to be honest. (Who wants a Bonta-kun plushie? I know I’d want one.)

And then KyoAni made Haruhi, and KyoAni put hand to plow and never looked back.

Of course, we should have seen it coming, what with Eva introducing Rei and Asuka and Kanon geting animated in 2002, but…

If you noticed, the appearance of mecha shows in the past decade seems to be going DOWN. And until I get further information regarding trends in the animation industry, chances are, if you’re not Sunrise, Gundam, or Macross, you’re not going to see money flowing in anytime soon.

Part of the reason is that the people who saw Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Gundam and Macross are suddenly at least 30-odd years old and are not as idealistic or full of bloody hope as it is. The realities of life (and Japan’s sustained economic recessions) are starting to sink in, and no amount of courage-fuelled shouting is going to fix the economy. Suddenly, the mecha fans see themselves as alienated, lonely and to be honest, depressed. Misery seeks company, and well, there’s the Japanese solution to the problem: 2D girls. Zoom forward to 2006, and Haruhi’s popularity is now explained. Gone is the age of Kouji Kabuto fighting for justice in Mazinger Z, Nekki Basara singing to the space whales, Guy Shishioh defeating evil with PASSION and COURAGE. In comes the seductive curves of Haruhi and company.

Guess what happened? Instead of giant robots, they now put their hopes (and perversions) onto 2D females. It’s a match made in heaven. Otaku get their fantasy, and producers get their money. I’m not too sure if the females who do watch robot shows watch it for the robots or for the emo bishies piloting them.

It’s a very sad thing, really, but unless Gurren Lagann triggers a new era of super robot shows, we’re gonna have to stomach yet another Bandai plamo marketing blitz (since Kawamori is probably done fucking around with Macross for at least 10 years).

Here’s hoping 2010 proves me wrong. Very much wrong.

PS: Shit, another round of SD Gundam would probably be better than not seeing mecha for the next 5 seasons.

SPIRIT OF THE DECADE: A look into last decade’s animation and blogging trends!

I consider it the greatest irony to be writing about animé trends from 2000 onwards even though my exposure to it has been painfully limited. In fact, while trawling through the top (insert arbitary number here) lists, I’m actually learning new things.

Let’s just say I did not fully appreciate some of the stuff I was watching and am now scrambling to learn more. Also I didn’t know Kawamori was off being James Cameron when he’s not being James Cameron with TRANSFORMING ROBOTS POWERED BY POP MUSIC (also known as fucking around with the Macross franchise).

I’ll be liberally referring to MATT ALT’s timeline and related articles as I go along, peppered with what I can glean from THE PATRICK MACIAS LECTURES ABOUT OTAKU CULTURE. (The CAPS LOCK is totally required.)

However, let me just say something about the last decade.

How could people not watch shows like Busou Renkin and Overman King Gainer? I mean, If Fukuyama Yoshiki sang the OP (or ED) to a show, it’s probably a good bet the show IS good. Then again, people pay good money for troll attempts like Endless 8 and The OverHype Of Suzumiya Haruhi, so I can’t really say anything.

Also, when the most significant robot shows of the decade are remakes of already known classics and moépop Macross (and Gurren Lagann), there’s a big problem.

…Yeah. I need to read more.