the beautiful world

New home

2013-02-01T00:59:00.001+02:00

We've transfered at http://kitsunetoneko.wordpress.com/ Please visit us there and relocate your links, because we'll make this blog private within a week. Thank you very much *waves rail*

Happy 2013!

2013-01-01T00:00:00.000+02:00

Happy new year, minna-san!

This past year has been very special when we look back at our archives; and it's partially thanks to inspiration we got from fellow bloggers and the motivation ignited by our visitors and the Aniblog Tourney. So, thank you for your love and support!

On 31.1.2013 our blog and diaries will officially be 3 years old. In order to celebrate the fact, we've decided to move to Wordpress. Since moving there and getting everything ready till then will occupy quite some time, we'll take another short break from blogging. In the meantime, we'd like to know your honest opinion on our blog and make suggestions that would improve it. Don't be afraid to comment!

Yours faithfully,
Foxy Lady & Neko

A rose-colored life and thorns of youth: a Hyouka review

2012-12-30T15:13:00.000+02:00

Houtarou Oreki, a high school freshman who believed in conserving his energy, finds himself in the classic club, a club on the verge of dissolution. There he meets Eru Chitanda, a heroine with a hearty curiosity, and his old friends from middle school, Mayaka Ibara and Satoshi Fukube. Together at Kamiyama High School the four of them investigate various incidents in this youthful academy mystery. ~ from ANN

Hyouka is surely one of the most memorable series that came out this year. Many people with different tastes embraced it and I think this speaks for how good it was. One may claim that popularity doesn't equal quality, but here Kyoto Animation amazed us at many levels. I can't say it's a flawless series or that everyone will like it. Yet if get excited with mundane questions and 'mysteries' and if you've got a little bit of patience to see the characters develop slowly, then you'll cherish Hyouka for sure.

It isn't very easy for me to talk about a series which was heavily discussed and for which you can find a review almost in every other anime blog. Nevertheless, I hope my fondness of the series will make up for this fact, and in case you haven't watched the series, I wish my enthousiasm will convince you to try it.

At first, I was quite reserved, since the last 'moe' slice-of-life I watched was Ikoku Meiro no Croisee, and I wasn't exactly overjoyed at the depiction of the main female protagonist and her relationship with the male protagonist. It did have some good episodes, but as a whole it was a tad disappointing. Then, KyoAni is rumored to produce 'cute girls do cute things' series, which didn't help much. The description though, as well as the fact it was based on a novel, gave me the push to check it out.

The first two episodes weren't anything promicing. The protagonist was a bit different from what I usually encountered, but this wasn't a reason to stay with the series, since Houtarou is or better was a person with an expression screaming 'I'm bored'. Kimi to Boku had almost all its cast with such character design and I dropped the series after an episode or two. The yuri-ish ED that appeared in the second episode is another story. Yes, I had such a shallow reason to give it another chance. I love lingeries, I loved the delicateness of the animation, and decided to watch episode 3, too. And that's where things started getting interesting. By episode 4 I was sold and after episode 5 I wrote a post on Hyouka's first arc and history.

One of the things that really made the series unique is its possibilities. I wrote on historiography and so did Pontifus, who also got inspired to talk about the author's death; Vucub Caquix linked the series with his reading of a Harlan Ellison's sci-fi story, Snippet Tee focused on the 'mathematical'-visual aspect of the show, AJ the Fourth analysed the mystery tropes found in the characters, and Canne extracted life tips from the series.

Another reason Hyouka shone so brightly was how it talked about the bittersweetness of youth. Yasuhiro Takemoto, the director of the series, when interviewed, had this to say:

“Thorns of Youth”. This is what I wanted to depict. When we're in school, that special time in our lives, we experience many things. Fun things and interesting things, of course, but also events that prick at our hearts, and I believe that all of these become very bright, precious memories to us. I wanted to depict how such thorns leave their scabs, causing our hearts to grow stronger and mature.

The themes it touched were not just teenage romance and friendship -and even at these it did a job well-, what with the tender lines between these two, the fears, the doubts and the pain coming from them. It also discussed reaching out to your dreams and looking up to people but being limited by your abilities; struggling to find who you are and how to be happy with yourself; trying to find balances; overestimating yourself, doing foolish mistakes and feeling crushed and enraged afterwards; facing the cheap, poisonous comments of classmates; thinking of the future and being aware that your family has a big say in it... and of course, the joys and excitement of participating in school clubs.

And it's not just the topics it touches, but how it does so. The budding and akward feelings of Oreki towards Chitanda, for example, are portrayed with such care and realism, that I had hard time not squealing with delight. The blushes, the gestures, the gazes, the focus of the camera on certain parts of Chitanda's body without ever turning her into an object, were magnifiscent. Although I have a long way as an anime fan, I dare say that KyoAni gave us here the classiest fanservice in anime history ever. Despite the fact that there is a swimsuit episode, some cosplay photos, some kimono-with-bare-neck highlights and an onsen episode with female- and male-oriented fanservice, all of them are elegantly executed and are framed within the doki-dokis of the first romance. It's a teenage boy becoming all the more aware of the physical beauty of a teenage girl who has captivated his heart.

Everything speaks for how much attention to the details Hyouka was given. It's not just the variety in animation styles we get, especially in the data-analysing and problem-solving scenes. It's not only the luscious landscapes, the cozy and picturesque cafe, the luxurious library, the most lively and colorful school festival that anime have ever seen, and the elaborate depiction of a hina matsuri with people, either. It's the little things in the cinematography, like the use of lighting to divide space and denote emotional distance between characters (most seen with Houtarou x Satoshi, Houtarou x Irisu) or simply stress the notion of rose-colored school life and romance (see Houtarou x Chitanda), and the use of objects to underline given information or add characterization.

Let's take for example episode 3:

Pink carnations are said to have blossomed from Virgin Mary’s tears for her son, when he was carrying the cross. Thus they represent a mother’s/woman’s love and are linked to grief. We are shown that the table where Chitanda and Oreki sit and discuss has two pink carnations on it and the camera focuses on them when Chitanda says that her uncle has gone missing in India and they’ll do him a funeral soon. Chitanda loved her uncle and wants to mourn properly for him, thus the carnations.
The clock’s pendulum changes shape. A remarkable way to highlight the atmosphere and expectations of Oreki who thought that Chitanda was going to confess her feelings towards him. The fact that the clock bears pink shades in the start of the episode (which continues from the end of the previous one) isn’t coincidental. The pendulum changes back from heart-shape to the usual circle-shape after Chitanda explains what her ‘confession’ is. A request for Oreki to help her remember what her uncle told her that made her cry.
The last screenshot comes from Oreki’s room, while he’s reading the letter his sister sent him. His sister asks him what happened to him joining the Classics Club and when that line is read, Magritte’s painting ‘The Blank Check’ appears on screen. A very interesting choice. This surrealistic painting plays with perspectives and to what is visible and invisible. Isn’t this what Oreki does after joining the Club and started solving ‘mysteries’? And of course, the name of the painting plays a great role. A blank check is used metaphorically for an agreement made which is open-ended or vague and therefore is subject to abuse. Oreki agreed to his sister’s request to join the Club and Tomoe plays around with him, pushing him to be more active and experience more things.

The books we see Houtarou reads during the series as well as the fact he usually reads newspaper than watches TV (something we learned in episode 11.5) talk about him a lot. Though he protests he doesn't do things he doesn't need to and thus gives off a lazy vibe, he's far more than that. If he was your average bored boy, you'd expect him not being interested in reading, much more reading serious stuff. The first book is “Summer’s Nuisance” by Setsuko Shinoda, a female novelist. The second is “Night Flight” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The third and fourth ones are “Discourse of depravity” by Ango Sakaguchi, a male novelist.

In a similar manner we take a peek into the main characters' rooms. Oreki’s is minimalistic in gray and green tones with lots of books. Satoshi’s is simply fabulous with many things hung here and there, talking about his fashion sense and hobbies. Mayaka’s is the shoujo otaku’s room and Chitanda’s is a traditional japanese one with personal purple touches and cute cushions.

The openings, the endings and the background music are part of the series' flirt with detail. The endings are there more for the kawaii factor, but the openings have their lyrics refer to the series and there's a mixture of sorrow with carefreeness and playfulness. The background music features some classic pieces that give a fitting air to the series which revolves around a Classic Literature Club.

I could probably go on but there's no need to. You can already picture what a great and fun series Hyouka is to watch. Just give it a shot and let it enchant you with its little tricks.

Further readings:
Hyouka and Mystery by Eternal
12 days of Christmas:Searching for wonder amidst the everyday in Hyouka

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Notes:
1. Spoilers alert: The flaws of the series lied in certain coincidences and solutions of the mysteries, but for me it was harder not to get annoyed by Chitanda's moeness, and Satoshi's coupling with Mayaka disappointed me. Chitanda managed to get other sides to herself especially through the last episode of the festival arc and that of the series, but honestly she could have been handled more mature. As for Satoshi, I was expecting him to say to Houtarou that he isn't interested in girls... Satoshi is too queer to just end up with Mayaka no matter how much I like both of them. Plus coupling four friends per two is a bit too much.
2. Many thanks to Monsieur LaMoe for helping me with the japanese titles of the books Houtarou reads. He also noted that “Discourse of depravity” is a social commentary, denying the values upheld during WWII, affirming 'fall as low as it goes', became a huge hit in post-war Japan.

Left Unsaid: 2. Breeding Dehumanization

2012-12-12T22:10:00.000+02:00

Preface

Transgenders are the part of the LGBT community that has suffered the most. At least half of them have been kicked out of their homes, bullied in their schools, laughed at in hospitals and churches. People like Charlie Trueman and Tom Blake[1], characters from Tab Kimpton's great webcomic Khaos Komix, have to fight and safeguard their identity all the time, so that one day they will earn universal respect.

a. God hates you

In 20th century Greece homosexuals and transgenders were usually considered the same group. I recall that, when I was a teenager, members of my family told me that being gay meant that one wished to belong to the opposite gender. Mainstream media's depiction of homosexuals as sissies and dykes has had a great influence on strengthening such stereotypes. The same way that Tom's mom thought that Tom was a lesbian, most Greek mothers probably have the same thought when they find out about their child being trans. Lack of knowledge make people search for some explanation to end the confusion in their minds. In Greece, the institution that provides the answer as to what being trans means is religion.

The official religion of Greece has always been Orthodox Christianity. In contrast to the rest of the Western World, church and state were never truly separated. Thus, church's influence on people's culture has been extraodinary. Let me give you an example: in a recent conversation my grandmother told me that, in her younger days, every family had to baptize their children, otherwise they would not be allowed to attent a public school. And up to this day, there's morning prayer in the schoolyards before lessons start.

Orthodoxy's message to anyone who did not fit traditional gender roles was very simple: you should change, or you shall not exist, since you are an abomination, a sinner. That forced almost every image of homosexuality and transgenderism out of society's collective memory. If your body was female and you realized that your soul was that of a man's or the other way around, there were no images of someone like yourself to help you understand what you feel, if it is normal to feel this way, to whom you should talk to.

Imagine what would have happened to Tom, if he had to live in such a society. He would have probably been forced to keep on doing something he hated, living as a woman, denying constantly his true self, just to get pregnant one day and have a life of making himself and others feel miserable. Even if he had the guts to stand up for himself, it would have been impossible to find someone to love, the way he did with Alex. Imagine how Charlie would have lost her mind, because in such a place she would not have the chance to find others like her, so she would have never shared her story. As horrible as it sounds, that kind of loneliness is not the only threat transgenders have to face.

b. The fire and the dead end

Under the circumstances of 20th-century Greece transgenders could not organize themselves to demand equal treatment -survival was never to be taken for granted, so people had to fight even for their basic needs. Whatever progress has been made ever since is the accomplishment of individual efforts and the influence of western culture -the latter has made younger generations change their attitude towards such issues. But is the West such a better place for transgenders?

In Khaos, the protagonists live in the UK, a country known worldwide for its tolerance and diversity. That did not stop those who were intolerant of Tom and Charlie's identity from hurting them both. For Charlie especially it was extremely hard to face what happened to her. She preferred not to go after them, but rather to handle the situation by moving on and thinking of her life. Such silence is, in a way, like punishment for the innocent victim. Even though I am sure she did not wish for this, Charlie left her persecutors get away with their ill acts. But how could anyone really blame her? A recent case in Greece, troubles me.

A young transgender woman (who has not yet performed the surgery that will allow her to change her identity papers), wished to study in a night school but was threatened by the school principal that she would be denied that right, if she insisted on coming to class dressed as a woman. This way he humiliated her by forcing her to wear men's clothes. The principal's efforts against the student made most teachers too afraid to protect the girl and it encouraged most students to start bullying the girl to the point where they almost burned her alive. She was ready to kill herself to end her suffering, but somehow, someway, she managed to find the strength and demand justice.

Some of our friends told us that there are efforts to protect the principal, but besides some human rights organizations, almost no one has done anything to protect the girl. The fact that she was brave enough to actually come out and protest is admirable, for most victims are too afraid to do so. So, I have to ask again: how could one blame Charlie and most victims of bullying for not responding to violence, when even after a long struggle, there are little chances their efforts will succeed?

c. When one has no allies

Like I have already mentioned, in KhaosKomix Tom and Charlie come across a similar attack -one that thankfully ends with no dead victims. The two of them face this situation well, considering how harsh the attack was, but we should keep one thing in mind: they are very lucky to have found support in their families. They are also lucky that there are places where they can be themselves. A transgender college student is a rare occasion in Greece due to politics.

You see, in most universities students prefer to separate themselves into different political groups, based on what party or ideology each supports. What are their stance towards LGBTQ equality? The communists have shown their opposition many times -mostly because they consider homosexuality a part of capitalism's way to degrade the working class and create new consumer groups and needs. Conservatives and far right wingers are also against LGBTQ rights, mostly due to religious reasons. The only ones to raise their voice against homo- and transphobia are members of the centre, the radical left and the liberals. But, the radicals have many extremists among them that make them appear as if they were crazy and the liberals have little influence on how society thinks.

Epilogue

A transgender's life in Greece can truly be an adventure or, to put more accurately, a horror show. There are many obstacles to pass and little help to receive. You have to struggle to perceive yourself as you are and to make people understand your true nature. There is violence you may have to ignore, and many legs who will willingfully try to trickle you down, hoping that you will stand up on your own feet again.

Is it not then a miracle that the trans community has managed to survive? I think it is truly amazing that they keep on fighting and have started to defend themselves. That goes to show the rest of us that there are ways not to compromise, not to accept a place in life not chosen by yourself. As long as people keep on fighting, there will always be hope for a better tomorrow for any victim of discrimination.

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Notes:
1. Tom was born a woman but realized from an early age that he was male, thus he is a trans man. The complete opposite is the case for Charlie. I think you will understand better the references to the characters, if you read Khaos before trying this article.
2. All images used in this article are taken from KhaosKomix and designed by Tab Kimpton. The Beautiful World is a huge fan of this comic and highly suggests its readers to give it a good reading.
3. You can read more about the case of bullying mentioned in the article here.

Memory and Oblivion in Sora no Woto

2012-11-29T11:01:00.000+02:00

The price of a memory, is the memory of the sorrow it brings.
― Pittacus Lore, I Am Number Four

We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.
— Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933)

Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.
― Marcel Proust

The scars that are left in a person’s soul after surviving a war, the ways a society tries to console and redeem itself, how the historical truth gets twisted, suited and tailored to different people’s needs: these are topics that Sora no Woto, beyond its flaws, managed to sing about elegantly. The sound of the sky carried and awakened memories…

Animediet was kind enough to host me once more. Check the rest of my post there.

Okama, gay boys, blue boys, anime 'boys': transgenderism and homosexuality in Japan

2012-11-25T21:35:00.000+02:00

Fire Emblem/ Nathan Seymour in his Hero suit

The past week (12-19 November) was Transgender Awareness Week, so I thought of bringing up some thoughts I had concerning how gender dysphoria and transgenderism seem to be often confused with homosexuality in Japan, especially in the media. Also, digging up internetic files can shed light to the aforementioned phenomenon, and I'm here to share the information with you.

Since Tiger & Bunny is a fresh 'hit' and its audience wasn't primarily children, Fire Emblem can be used as a good example of what I'm going to make a point of.
During the run of the series, there were scenes where Fire Emblem or Nathan Seymour was obvious that saw zir person as a woman. When sent on a mission with Dragon Kid and Blue Rose, Fire Emblem definitely saw zirself as part of the girls' group and nagged at the insensitive comment Blue Rose made.

Episode 13:
Fire Emblem: Let's show them some girl power!
Blue Rose: Girl? One of us doesn't quite fit that description.
Fire Emblem: What? You're saying I'm not one of the girls?

In his everyday life, Nathan is totally 'fabulous', dressed in pink from top to bottop: hair, lips, nails, the jacket's sleeves, the feathery scarf and the boots. Nathan also moves in a pretty feminine way and most of the time ze uses a thin voice. We could easily assume Nathan is a transgender.

And yet his hero suite emphasizes zir maleness. It's not just how tight it is and how the body curves and lines are all well-described. It's also the fact that the crotch area is differently colored. This contradicts zir words; why would a person identifying as female would want to underline the bulk between zir thighs?

Some might remember the discussions about Batman & Robin's 1997 film where the male superheroes wore similar 'provocative' attires and how the rubber nipples and the crotch enhancer were interpreted as catering to a gay audience. And that isn't a baseless hypothesis, if we take into account that there are people in the gay community that obsess over toned bodies and this is reflected in many gay porn out there as well.

What is my point? The creators mingle traits of a transgender person with traits of a gay person in Fire Emblem's persona. They don't realize this and in order to cover their sloppy work on this character they state in interviews that Nathan thinks of himself as gender-free.

I think they were trying to get across how he's actually quite smart and possesses the most emotional intelligence of the team, but they still keep going back to stereotypes such as the whole okama, even playful sexual harassment stuff. - @tsuntsun

Although the word 'okama' isn't mentioned as far as I remember -please correct me, if it does- this is certainly the word that describes zir and zir situation.

"Okama" (or "o-kama") is Japanese slang for "gay man", particularly in reference to very effeminate gays. The word can also mean "drag queen." It comes from the Edo-period slang for "anus" (using the word "kettle" for the butt seems to be an idea borrowed from the Portuguese.) It is not always considered insulting, and drag performers will sometimes even use it in reference to themselves. - from urban dictionary

The fact that this term has such double meaning and is still used widely by the masses or in mainstream lines and by non-lgbtq people, while other more 'clear' words exist (like gai and newhalf), shows that Japanese even to this day confuse sexual orientation with gender identity. The fact that someone is attracted sexually towards a person of the same gender/sex and the fact that someone sees him/herself as the opposite gender are two seperate things that don't need to exist in the same person and in no case is the one the cause for the other.

A gay bar from Shinya Shokudo (a j-drama) run by Kosuzu, who wears ladies' earrings and acts quite effeminately.

What is intriguing though, is that this confusion isn't solely based on ignorance. There is some history behind this and western audiences ignore it. While researching for this post, I came to know that after 1960's two types of gay bars became distinctively obvious:

originally the patrons who loved gay bars were male. There are two types of gay bars; they are divided into bars where patrons with a taste for homosexuality come to find a partner for the night and bars where patrons gather to drink in a different atmosphere. The gay boys in bars where homosexual patrons come do not wear heavy make-up and leave the bars to go and stay in a hotel even during opening hours, whereas the boys in most other gay bars aim only to amuse the patrons by wearing make up and behaving in a feminine manner.

In the same decade, sex change started becoming more well-known, attracted public curiosity and cross-dressers, called 'blue boys' gained popularity. "However, in magazine articles of the 1960s, only gay boys with very feminine features appeared. As a result of this representation penetrating society, gay boys and blue boys came to be understood primarily as feminised men." A misrepresentation which had its roots back in the first 'hentai' magazines about deviant sexualities, where dichotomies reigned and fetishes got mixed with sexualities and certain traits.

During the 1970's the first Barazoku magazines appeared and those featured much more masculine gay men. Discussions and interviews with transgender people showed also that FtM individuals though baffled themselves about their sexuality and gender identity, at the beginning of 1980's started perceiving themselves clearer and talked about contrast in 'bodily sex' and 'sex of the heart'. In the early 1990's in the context of human rights' campaigns and activism Japanese adopted the english terminology of lgbtq matters and queer studies, and therefore one could say that things and notions progressed.

Yet, if this was the whole story, the question arises: why do we still encounter such entangled misrepresentations of gay and transgender people? My humble guess is that
a) the clashing discources of Japanese transgender and gay individuals alongside with
b) the selected focus of the media and
c) the probable alienation of the public from the sexual minority terms caused by their academization
contributed to the problem at hand.

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Notes:

The information about the history of lgbtq community in Japan are taken from the paper The Process of Divergence between 'Men who Love Men' and 'Feminised Men' in Postwar Japanese Media by Ishida Hitoshi and Murakami Takanori
My thanks to @riajuunibyou who inspired me to write this post through a twitter discussion.

A small comment on Ojii-san no Lamp

2012-11-12T13:03:00.001+02:00

Ojii-san no Lamp is a 23 minute long short film that was produced in 2010 for the Young Animator Training Project, an effort for revitalizing the anime industry. Out of the four short films that were produced that year, this one was unanimously the best. Not only did it amaze with its graphics, but also with its plot and storytelling.

A boy finds a strange object while playing hide-and-seek. His grandfather tells him the story of his own youth, and the important role the old lamp played. This story is about the modernization of Japan and the changes that came with it. ~ My Anime List

If you haven't watched it, just go already. The summary should be intriguing enough. If it hasn't convinced you, you can check other reviews and analysis. I'm here to contribute something else, even if it's just a small comment, that hasn't been mentioned up till now: the probable reference and meaning of the opening scene.

So, the question I'm asking and want to elaborate on is why did it have to be a hide-and-seek game that leads to the discovery of the old lamp. Couldn't any other storytelling technique be implored to start the story? A possible alternative scenario would be that the grandfather wanted to find something else or asked help from his grandchild to clean the storeroom.

My best guess is that the person behind the script was a Kurosawa fan and watched even his last film that wasn't very famous, Madadayo (1993).

Kurosawa's film is about a German professor the years after WWII, his poverished life, the mutual respect and love between him and his students, and his quirks and worldview. The film's title pops up during the film in the festivities that his students arrange for his birthday and every time they ask him, if he's ready (to let go of this world), to which he answer 'madadayo', hence not yet. This mini-dialogue is the one used when children play hide-and-seek in Japan, and in the final moments of the film, where the professor dies in his sleep peacefully, we see this game literally on screen.

I believe that Ojii-san no Lamp intended to pay a homage to Madadayo and at the same time forshadow the initial unwillingness of the merchant of moving on and away from the old technology he used in trade. The spread of electricity meant his job's death and for awhile he tried to impede it, only to come in terms with it in the end, like the German professor did.

Asian Artists: lines & dots

2012-11-10T02:03:00.000+02:00

clockwise: Kunie Kunibara, Minoru, pai, Naoki Yamamoto

Here I am again! I'm sharing with you colorful happiness on paper~ Lots of pretty, long hair with dozes of elegance and craziness after the cut!

Instruction: Click on the image to be directed to a tumblr photoset and click on the caption to access the artist's page.

Kunie Kanbara

Kunie Kanbara, a Kyoto based illustrator, draws colorful and peaceful piece of works with female subjects. Circles and flowers are very prominent in her art, which has a pop feeling. She prefers to express herself with minimalism most of the time, thus there are no busy backgrounds- just black and white or a single pastel color. Kanbara's girls are very expressive either through their flowing highlighted hair or through their body position, with a special attention to the neck. Looking at her work one can feel happy and revitalized. You really get the urge to sing or whistle a tune. They reflect with honesty their creator's carefreeness and love for the present.

She has worked on many CD covers especially for orange pekoe. Kanbara has designed a personal newspaper over at her site, but unfortunately it's only in Japanese up till now. In an interview she said she intents to make illustrations based on these episodes of her life. Her latest works include some maiko/geisha girls.

Naoki Yamamoto

Naoki Yamamoto's works look a lot like Kanbara's but they are much more filled with details and use a variety of colors, pastels, vibrant and muted ones all in the same piece. His themes vary and his fashion sense includes both traditional japanese and modern western clothes as well as lingerie. He has experimented on series like tarot cards. Art nouveau has certainly influenced him. The women he draws are edgier than Kanbara's and aren't afraid to show off some skin, so procede with caution when you view his portfolio. He himself claims that his female subjects are ideal women, whom a man wants and a woman admires. Occasionally a few men may appear in his illustratons.

Yamamoto is a very prolific illustrator who has participated in many exhibitions and has won awards. His illustrations may adorn CD covers, leaflets and websites while they are used in advertisements. He can also accept commissions for wedding invitations and videos.

minoru

Minoru's artworks are a fancy quilt: stripes and dots, flowers shaped from 'lace' and fish scales, leaves, petals and wings, typography, animals and girls, all patchworked together. If Kanbara's pieces make you sing, Minoru's make you wanna dance. They are looney in an elegant way, a surreal trip to Wonderland. They burst with color and life. I discover something new every time I look at them. It's really hard to take your eyes off of them. I dare say Minoru is a modern and whimsical japanese Klimt.

She has taken part in a few competitions and won prizes. She has her own online shop, where you can buy pouches, mug cups, pensil cases and post cards featuring her designs. Other products like watches and calendars also have had her work. Illustrations of hers have been hosted in the front cover of literary magazines, educational booklets and CDs.

pai

Pai (real name: Odaka Kozue) is the naughtiest and moe-est illustrator out of these four. She appears to have an infatuation for long, flowing hair, delicate hands and feet. Pai also seems to love fashion and 'dresses' her girls in different clothes, and usually that means school uniforms and lingerie. Each piece of hers looks like a photoshoot with a lot of girls in different poses flooding the page. Another quirk of hers is putting the name/theme of her work on it. Her illustrations bear a freshness and distinct playfulness which make them very attractive.

Pai is the newbie of the bunch. She has only 2 exhibitions in her CV that took place just this year. She knows how to deal with animation, too, as her graduation thesis proves. She has created illustrations as headers for a website and works hard towards her recognition as the above effort for a STARBUCKS advertisement shows. She managed to be featured in a japanese magazine on new illustrators.

The nature of love in Yuri and BL

2012-11-04T12:05:00.000+02:00

Almost a year ago, 2DT, whom we all know and love, wrote a thought-provoking post over at Yi's Listless Ink, titled Learning the Art of Love: Yuri versus BL. I gave my two cents in the comment section and got the thumps up. And since it's not often you get credit from the most-respected figure in the anisphere, I think I should treasure these ideas here in our diaries, while I revisit them, elaborate on and add to the discussion.
2DT made the following point back then:

It helps to think of BL and yuri are two sides of a coin, not merely in a physiological sense but romantically as well. In fact, as someone who’s read their fair share of both, I believe that BL stories at the core tend to be about infatuation, mystery and power, while yuri is more often about vulnerability.

He got motivated to write on the topic after coming across @Aquagaze's tweet:

Remarkable how in a lot of yuri doujins the hookup isn't the climax and goal of the story, but revealing the relationship to the public.

We know that when someone writes a story, (s)he uses bases his/her work on his/her experiences, be it from real life or from other fictional texts. The author usually writes having in mind a specific audience that (s)he has to please. It is also true that the audience of this story has his/her own experiences and wishes, and during the act of reading and comprehending the story these experiences and wishes contribute to the formation of an interpretation, which is unique to each of the readers. Thus, I want to approach the nature of love in Yuri and Boy's Love from two different points of view, the society's POV and the reader's POV.

Society's POV

Cigarette in the mouth sideways, provocative gaze, possessive embrace and naked bodies- the world of yaoi is glaringly sexual and has an aura of defiance.

Society establishes certain stereotypes for each gender while at the same time sets specific expectations. Women and girls are expected to be docile, meek, show tenderness and express a wide range of emotions. They are also thought to mature faster than boys and take on progressively more responsibilities, because their biology supposedely dictates their future as mothers. On the other hand, men and boys are supposed to be aggressive and build relationships through acts rather than words. They are allowed a great deal of things and among these is a life free of obligations. They can remain single their whole life and even in societies like the japanese where family is a central value, adultery gives an escape route and isn't very much frowned upon, if it's kept secret and doesn't lead to divorce.

Since yuri is love between girls, it seems logical to see the vulnerability and feminity and passivity that a slowly developing love story hides. Coming out in yuri has to do both with the need of women to be able to express their love and be honest with themselves. It also has to do with the role they play in reproduction; they need to make clear they won't follow the role they were assigned. Respectively, yaoi is love between men who are 'hunters' and fearless at that, too. As a result, coming out for yaoi isn’t important: they are men, they need sex, they get it and that’s where it ends. They don’t need to come out. Society has taught them to chase what they want, obtain it but also hide it, if exposure isn’t necessary.

And I think a very tiny part of reality is also reflected in yaoi and yuri: from a discussion I had with a gay friend I understood that in the LGBT scene gay men are in general more interested in affairs rather than in long term relationships like lesbians.

Reader's POV

Flowing hair, gentle caresses, hesitant lips and soft gazes- the world of yuri is one of tenderness and delicateness with a tinge of ethereality.

More often than not the reason someone reads a story coincides with the reason the author writes the story and its characters the way (s)he does. So, why do people read yaoi and yuri? This question will help us understand the nature of the relationships in these categories of anime/manga.

Let's begin with yaoi. Its readership in its majority is women and very few gay men. This has its roots in the apolitical aspect of the romance, namely the fictional men there rarely identify as gay; it's just two men who happen to fall for each other. Besides, it's related to the idealized romantic world where everything takes place in yaoi.

When fujoshi are asked about their preferences, the reasons vary, but they are all very intriguing. One of the easiest to comprehend reasons is voyerism: two men are better than one. There's also no female competition. It's almost the same reason why many men love lesbian porn. Then, there is the claim that love between men is superior from that between a man and a woman, probably because it's taboo and it doesn't involve mating. Another explanation of the yaoi phenomenon is that women project their experiences of abuse onto the characters (see the rape=love trope) and even some edgy answers have been reported that go along the lines of taking pleasure in seeing men suffer [1]. But what's really interesting is that "the yaoi territory of the dojinshi subculture provides a site where females are free to experiment with the possibilities and the prospects for their own identities, to construct new notions of gender for themselves, and to rehearse potential romantic and sexual relationships."[2]

So, it's no wonder the seme/uke dichotomy is so prominent. This display of power, mixed with strong emotions, is what the female readership desires, and yaoi are their wish-fulfilling realm. The lust or gender identity they suppress in real life, finds a way into an open space just for them.

What about yuri? Oh wait, what works are considered yuri? Is the vulnerability displayed in yuri the wish of a male readership? Does this wish have queer undertones like yaoi? Are things even simple like this?

Variety and evolution of Girls' Love and Boys' Love

from left to right: Maria-sama ga Miteru, Kannazuki no Miko, Indigo Blue, No.6, Ai no Kusabi, The Man of Tango

That's what Erica Friedman says about yuri:

Yuri is drawn by and for men and women. If I ask you to name your top three Yuri artists, you're just as likely to come up with male or female names.
But this isn't the end of this story, it's really just the beginning. Shoujo, Shounen, Josei and Seinen each have specific tropes associated with them. And, as Yuri moved into each of these demographic/genres, it took on some of those tropes. The boyish hottie from Shoujo, the sexy femme fatale from Shounen, the young professional woman from Josei, the badass from Seinen and the hyper cute girl from all of them...Yuri now includes all these things side by side.

People write and read yuri for multiple reasons and thus it's very hard to pinpoint what's the quintessential 'yuriness'. Yuri can be tender and very slow-progressing, letting on just hints, like Maria-sama ga Miteru, or it can be more violent and gratuitious in the sexual department, like Kannazuki no Miko. It can be fluff, sex and/or psychological support like any other piece of literature, since lesbian mangaka are out there as well.

The same can be said for yaoi nowadays even though to a lesser degree. Yaoi are still written mainly by and for heterosexual women, and men's love for gays is called bara and has its own tropes. Yet with artists like est em and the surge of reversible couples, the audience has expanded to both genders and without the seme/uke contrast, the readers surely don't seek (only) power relations to enjoy. Then, we shouldn't forget shounen-ai where everything is and more or less remains platonic, and has existed for a long time.

Oh, reality is complex and really delicious. What kinds of romances do you read/watch? And why?

---------------------------------
Notes:
[1] Information from Matt Thorn's paper "Girls and Women Getting Out of Hand: The Pleasure and Politics of Japan's Amateur Comics Community"
[2] Taken from Brent Wilson's and Masami Toku's paper "Boys' Love, Yaoi, and Art Education: Issues of Power and Pedagogy"

I'll kiss you and you'll fall in love with me- Ramblings on Shoujo

2012-10-27T23:09:00.001+03:00

starsamaria: Over at tokyojupiter Anna T. wrote a very nice post about the current running shoujo series. It’s interesting that all 3, Kamisama Hajimemashita, Sukitte Ii Na Yo, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun feature a kiss in the first episode – I’m used to shoujo series taking a bit more time to get that far!
I’m not criticizing any of these three series because it’s something that literally every shoujo series does: but it’s somewhat bothersome that the average shoujo female protagonist a) has never been kissed before and b) her first kiss is usually stolen. At first glance it seems like an innocent cliche, but when you think about it, both reinforce the female’s virginity and ‘innocence’ when it comes to sexual matters, as well as the idea that the male should be the partner to initiate (and control) a romantic relationship. Very rarely is it the male’s first kiss as well, since he’s usually shown to be popular with girls, which further asserts the importance of female purity.

Foxy Lady: Great remark! The whole thing is more disappointing when you think that these manga are written from women and it makes me wonder, if this obsession with virginity on their part reflect their own personal affairs or if it’s the editor’s suggestion and thus what the industry demands, since it appears to be profitable. One could say that shoujo are written for girls that just enter the puberty and are going to start dating now. But alas, even shoujo with older girls and women continue this trend.

starsamaria: I know every person forms his or her own opinions, but even so culture still influences how you think the world should work. Since Japan still upholds traditional gender roles in many ways, I guess it makes sense even for female manga authors to reflect them in their stories.

Foxy Lady: I want to talk a bit more about Sukinayo. In the first episode where Mei is stalked and Yamato arrives to help, I was really expecting him to say something like “I’m her brother, is there any problem?” instead on forcing a kiss on Mei. Wouldn’t it be a more intimidating solution and less of a rush not to mention less abrupt and not spoiling the chances of a slowly developing friendship? Shoujo really lacks males as friends among other things.

Starsmaria: You’re right that shojo series rarely have co-ed friendships – even the friendships that do exist usually involve a one-sided romance, or eventually evolve into romance. The most common ‘male-female’ friendship that seems to exist in shojo manga and anime is the female being friends with her boyfriend’s male friends.

Foxy Lady: Now, in episode 2 of Sukinayo, I was half ready to laugh, half doki doki. I liked that the different meanings behind kisses were brought up, yet I can't take it 100% when it appears to me that Yamato is simply insensitive and fooling around... after all a kiss on the mouth is generally considered a romantic/erotic one in most cultures.

SPOILER ALERT: the male protagonist is rumored to have kissed every girl in his school except one with whom he's said to like a long time. When asked by Mei about it, he says that that's exaggeration, but doesn't deny giving a kiss on another girl and goes as far as to say that "a kiss is just a kiss". At the end of episode, Mei, who has started to develop a crush on Yamato despite knowing that the kiss in episode1 was taken without her consent, follows him to the karaoke club where he had invited her, yet she didn't go at first. There she complains to him about how he treats girls and he forces other kisses on her, each time giving a different interpretation eg. a greeting kiss, a kiss for being cute, a kiss for her and asks her to understand the difference.

At this point is also worth mentioning how in shoujo kisses act as enchanters and enslavers -if i may use these terms; they are like the magic recipe to quickly make someone fall in love with you and/or become your slave. The blushing and the petrification are standard reactions while in reality the boy would get slapped or the girl would cry, like in Sakamichi no Apollon (though the latter is categorized as josei rather than shoujo).

Starsmaria: I haven't actually been watching Sukitte Ii Na Yo (since I usually don't watch currently running anime), but what you said about 'fooling around' reminds me of the first kiss in episode 7 of Itazura na Kiss. The guy knew the girl liked him and he always ignored or teased her, but as soon as she said she planned on getting over him he forces a kiss on her then sticks out his tongue and tells her 'take that.' Again, there's a level of control and possessiveness there, and even though it's shown to be cruel the audience is supposed to read it as at least somewhat romantic. And I was thinking - it's funny how the kiss in Kamisama Kiss simultaneously breaks and upholds the stereotype. Nanami is the one to kiss Tomoe (which breaks the stereotype) - but it's for non romantic reasons (since she has no romantic intentions towards him), which upholds her 'purity.' Also, even though she kisses him so she can be his master, this also means he is now her protector, which further enforces traditional gender roles.

I think the interpretation of kisses thing sounds interesting – it reminds me of Dark in D.N.Angel using a kiss as his greeting, and it's depicted that Dark is 'suave' with women rather than being creepy. In regards to your comments about kisses acting as enchanters and enslavers, I've been thinking about the fact that in series where the girl gets kissed by a guy, she is almost always unaware that he has feelings for her until the kiss (the kiss is his way of telling the girl he loves her, even though in real life this would be unromantic). Sand Chronicles, Marmalade Boy, Kodocha, Maid-sama...it's hard to think of a series that doesn't do this. Thus, it's interesting because it upholds the stereotype that men 'take action' (i.e, kissing a girl to show that he loves her) rather than conveying his emotions verbally by actually telling the girl that he loves her. And though the female may be mad at him, she begins to think of the guy in a romantic way because of the kiss. Thus, she becomes 'enchanted' by him, as you so eloquently put it.

Foxy Lady: So, it also or rather mainly plays an awakening role in a Sleeping Beauty fashion... well, there are cases in more 'pure' and fluffy series like in Kimi ni Todoke, where the confession comes first, but you know the world of shoujo anime and manga way better than me, so I'll take your word and consider them rare exceptions.

Starsmaria: Yeah, series like Kimi ni Todoke are few and far between.

Foxy Lady: Thank you for the interesting discussion.

Starsmaria: I'm glad we chatted :)

---------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
1.This was a conversation that started in the comment section of tokyojupiter's post and was continued in emails. We thought it'd be a shame not to have it saved in a place easier retrieved. I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as we did :) Starsamaria is the great blogger behind Shojo Corner- a true shoujo fan!
2. Further reading: Shoujo Seminar- Lessons on how to get a man by Moe Sucks

Reflections on Animanga Blogs- The Roundup

2012-10-15T00:49:00.002+03:00

Blog carnival round up from Iris Alepoudeli

Some updates and a request

2012-09-09T02:39:00.001+03:00

Foxy Lady: Hello, there! We are still hanging on; we are just busy. I haven't forgotten the Blog Carnival roundup, but right now the task of reading through all the 26 entries and selecting the most representative remarks and ideas is strenuous. I start working in a cram school for foreign languages this Monday, for several hours every day, unlike the previous school year when I had 4h the whole week...

What I look like these days- stress and laziness interchanged.

So these past few days I'm studying and making lesson plans and produce material... I also have promised to help some friends with a paper they must write to pass the exams and I doubt I'll make it in time. My main issue appears to be concentration, of course. I was used to a very slow pace and now I must put my head down and try my best. Since it appears that things in my country aren't decided by meritocracy, and thus I didn't get any scholarship, I have to be thankful for the chance of working properly, gathering experience and sparing some money to be able to visit Neko during holidays.

I'm quite nervous for the first impressions the students will have of me. I have to deal with kids from a village, where people gossip a lot and that adds to the stress of performing well, not making mistakes, dealing with questions especially in my German classes where the students are in their early teens... I am told to be constantly with a smile on my face, hence to be generally pleasant, but I shouldn't lose control over the class. I wish I was like Kaho-sensei who charmed everyone with her mysterious, gentle aura. People usually perceive me as shy and that isn't very good in my profession, now is it?

Besides, there are some delicate teaching devices in every classroom that shouldn't get even a bump or I'll have to pay for any damage. And the school is build on a small road, some drive like crazy, so I should be extra careful. It's not one or two students either. Last year I tutored on an almost one on one basis. This will be something totally new. I hope it goes well~

~.~.~

Neko: Hi from me, too. It has been some time since my last article, so I felt like I had to explain myself a bit.
The last month of summer was quite ambiguous, since there were some negative developments (what Foxy Lady mentioned about her scholarship and my job remains part time) but at least we are still here, still alive and will do our best to improve things. So, what I have been doing and what I will be doing for the coming nine months:

Illustrations with dark tones, schedules for projects, plans for the future...

1. I managed to get a second part time job. It is not as good as my original work, but I need the extra money and the experience I will get. I hope that this way there will be opportunities to meet more people and prove myself worthy under difficult circumstances. There are things I dislike about this work, like the fact that I won't be working under a stable schedule. But it is a new chance and I wish to take it. Me and Foxy Lady have promised each other to save some money so that next year, finally, we can be together.

2. I am also trying to find ways to improve my portfolio. The past two months I have been making illustrations for "Illustration Friday," a weekly contest for illustrators of all kinds around the globe. You can find some of my pieces here, along with other works on my portfolio. I hope that thanks to such work I will eventually manage to get a job of the kind I dream of -as an illustrator or comic artist. Besides, I have decided to make some cover designs for manga, in order to send my versions to publishers in the UK and the U.S.A., to see if there may be some interest. I would be so glad to read any suggestions as to what series I should pick.

3. Recently I have taken a great liking for the stories of classic mangaka, Go Nagai. I already knew and adored Devilman, Devilman Lady (my favorite) and Cutie Honey, but now I have discovered the classic versions of these manga, along with other works of his like Mazinger Z, Kotetsu Jeeg and Violence Jack. I love this man's ideas and there will surely be a project, a series of articles in our blog dedicated to Go Nagai and his world.

4. Among other things, this year I will be writing a series of articles about graphic design in the Greek website called "Almyro Fystiki" (Salted Nut). I will be writing two articles every month and they will be published every two Fridays. This is not the first time I am writing for this site, but since last year I dedicated myself on LGBT issues, it will be something new.

5. I am always dedicating time to anime and videogames, but I also try to read, learn and stay informed on what is going on every day. The economic and political situation in Greece is sicking my heart, as we see people getting poorer from day to day, while the neoNazis and other extremists beat and kill people. This situation has forced my attention over the Atlantic and the American elections, where I truly support Barack Obama and the Democrats. A Romney-Republican victory would be a disaster not only for the U.S.A. but for everyone in the Western world.

~.~.~

Foxy Lady & Neko: We'll be taking a break for this month and we'll be back around October or November.

Expect soon a new template and while waiting, we'd like to have your honest opinion on our blog. What would you like to read (more) from us -as long as our abilities allow it and our interests coincide? What do you think needs improvement? After the end of 2012, we'll move to Wordpress, thus feedback is more than welcome.

Also, we shall let you know that after the transfer over to WP this site will shut down. Old posts will be transferred, but those that we deem that weren't very good will be left out (the Conversations, too- I'm sorry John Sato-kun). Some will be edited in the future and others with no original content (e.g. illustrations, TED Talks) will be reposted on tumblr. As Balloon Thief said the beautiful world will be "50% nerdier now". We aim for more otaku oriented content without this excluding themes like sexuality, and topics based on books or movies we love. Foxy Lady wants to start a short novel translation project, for example. Let's see how things go :D

GLorious Love- Part 3 (special edition)

2012-09-03T23:34:00.005+03:00

"The love that cannot speak its name" has long come out in streets in many countries around the world and talks in loud and prideful voice for itself. But queers aren't only the L and the G or even the B in LGBT. What about the T? Or the I that is still missing in many occasions or gets represented by the Q. This post suggests manga that are about transgenderism and intersexuality. We shouldn't forget these friends of us who go outside of binaries.

This post is dedicated to @PodaDixa and @anya_fennec.

The latter accepted my invitation and offers kindly her opinion on the featured manga as well as some tips to the young members of the transgender family. Anya is the blogger over at Forty-Four Fennecs, a MtF herself, and is currently writing a novel, Sweets and Steel, which deals with sexuality and transgendered issues. Feel free to contact her, if you need to ask anything!

What gender are the people on the cover? - Double House cover

Mangaka: Nanae Haruno
Volume: 1
Hotness: 0
Summary:

What does gender matter? And why do we accept the social frames that are forced upon us? These questions are taken up when Maho, a male-to-female transsexual, saves Fujiko, a girl from a rich family who's left home and is living on her own, one night, and the two become fast friends.

By the same mangaka that brought us Pieta, Double House shares the chatty style with its successor (Pieta is published one year after) but not the romantic atmosphere. It's slice-of-life with an honest depiction of the worries, feelings and difficulties that come along with not fitting within pre-constructed frames. Transgender people are, as the etymology of the word suggests, crossing through and over genders. What is remarkable is how Maho after succeeding her transition and finding a workplace with people like her, she feels 'queer' within her own community that tries to adhere to stereotypes. This isn't something we see discussed often, much more in manga where lgbt individuals are written for laughs or as fetish.

There are two main complaints about the manga: that the shoujo-ai tag is misleading and that it's really good yet ends too abruptly with the last story casting its protagonists as side characters. Yes, it's labeled shoujo-ai only due to Fujiko's confession towards Maho but their platonic interactions could hint at something more. We mainly observe a respectful friendship that is rooted in common values, yet Fujiko's feelings are there throughout the three chapters. It's only small gestures, white lies and brief changes of expression, but romantc feelings, even just one-sided, are there. Fujiko may pale a little bit in front of the magnifiscent person Maho is, both in appearance and in personality, but she is unique and charming in her own way, and isn't there only to facilitate discussion about transgenderism.

As for the second complaint, I find it baseless, if the manga is read from another perspective. Haruno Nanae is a brilliant author and I wish we had more of her works translated and licensed. Take a look at the titles of each chapter: 1. Where Daffodils Abide, 2. A Violet in My Lapel and 3. Inside the Window Where the Wild Roses Bloom. Then combine the language of the flowers mentioned and the content of each chapter. The 'story' progresses from a meeting of two similar people that show respect to one another, to the honesty a gentleman and generally a well-raised person should have in love, to the devotion people that may need to hide can show and share. Isn't this a complete discussion of the nature, romantic feelings and possible fulfillment of transgender individuals?

Double House is unconventional with a dash of humor coming from the chemistry between the protagonists; it's sensitive and strong like flowers blooming in the winter. It definitely worths your time.

~.~.~.~.~

Mermaid Line cover features the lesbian girl from the first story.

Mangaka: Kindaichi Renjuurou

Volumes: 1

Hotness: 1

Summary:

Mermaid Line is a collection of stories that ran in Yuri Hime magazine. They are collected together as short mini-series, done in an episodic, almost soap-opera-y way.
In "Megumi and Aoi " Megumi confesses to her friend Aoi that, despite her ungainly swimming, she feels as if she is a mermaid. Aoi finds herself fantasizing about being the prince to Megumi's mermaid, but Megumi runs to the arms of a boy, trying to put a beard on her feelings.
Ayumi, in "Ayumi and Aika," wants to get married to her boyfriend so naturally, she's shocked when he tells her that he wants to become a woman.
"Yukari and Mayuko" are both OLs. Mayuko's between boyfriends and bored, so she asks Yukari to pretend to be her girlfriend. It works out well, until Yukari realizes that her feelings for Mayuko are more than just pretend.
And finally, in "Miura-san and Me" Okabe loves Miura's beautiful hair. When Miura-san cuts it all off, Okabe learns to love her for herself.

All the yuri couple stories in this anthology are well-made (apart from the last one that is totally dull) and leave a soft bitterness with their open ends which focus on unrequited love. But this post is dedicated to transgender characters and thus I'll talk only about Ayumi and Aika, whose story is interestingly the exception from the overall theme and ends on a happy note.

It's really rare as it is to find a manga which doesn't go overboard with silly depictions of crossdressers, transvestites and transsexuals, let alone one that centers on them being in a satisfactory relationship. Refreshing, tender, cute, serious, the story of Ayumi & Aika goes through the distinction between gender identity and sexual attraction, the fear of rejection that comes up very easily, the uneasiness of personal life stumbling on your working life, the braveness of coming out to yourself and to your most important people as well as its consequences, the perplexed issue of marriage and creating a family.

It's two chapters long, so why not try it? It won't take much of your time and it'll leave you with a sweet smile on your face!

~.~.~.~.~

IS stands for Intersexuality.

Mangaka: Rokuhana Chiyo
Volumes: 17 ( 13 scanlated)
Hotness: 1
Summary:

IS (Pronounced Aiesu in Japanese) is not your everyday manga. This manga strictly deals with cases of intersexuality. IS stands for Inter Sexuality.
This manga deals with very serious issues concerning intersexual people. The pain they go through, the troubles they confront, and ultimately their inability to reproduce and even find a partner who will accept them as they are - It's all there in a form of manga.
The series is consisted of cases, each dealing with different people - although some cases are much longer and more dramatic than others.

This society -for its convenience- works based on binaries. But the world isn't a computer that works with 0s and 1s. There are people born in this world who don't belong to neither gender and have mixed organs. It might sound like something out of a hentai scenario or out of mythology for those who know a bit of it (see Hermaphrodite) but it is very real and perhaps more of a horror/angst story to the person experiencing it. Our bodies are equally important to our souls; if the body has issues, the psychological development will be impeded. Just think about it: unless you can label yourself as male or female and belong to a group of people, unless you embrace this body that offers you pain as well as pleasure, unless there is a single thing sure about you, how can you go into love relationships, choose to go against stereotypes, make dreams and take decisions for the future? You might stay numb for a long time, because at an early age being 'normal' is very crucial for your socialization and construct of self.

I.S. means that every time you go to the bath or toilet you see contradicting features on your body. When you are in school, you don't know to which toilet to go. You aren't mentioned even as a possibility at biology class and you don't know other kids like you as IS are born 1:2000. You are most probably unaware you were born with both sexes and that the doctors and/or your parents decided to modify your body, so you think that something is wrong with you when you don't get your period even after middle school. You might think that you'll grow out a penis, because you know inside you are a boy- but that doesn't happen. If you get to know you are an IS at some point for your health's sake, you'll have to support your organism with either male or female hormones. And doctors and nurses just like parents aren't always understanding and might see you with disgusted or curious eyes. Or even worse abuse you. These are just some of the tough topics that this manga deals with.

There are 3 cases of intersex people that IS: Otoko demo onna demo nai sei (IS: Not a Man, Not a Woman) examines, Hiromi, Ryoma and Haru, the two of which are examined in the first volume and the third occupies the rest 17 vols. In Haru's case we see him growing up from when he was a just a baby to him becoming an adult. As Brain VS Books claims, after volume 13 things go wrong and the end is unsatisfactory. Yet all the volumes before are worth it and intersexuals aren't mentioned in any other manga, or at least approached in a realistic, informative and touching way such as in Aiesu. We get to know how parents confront the news about their intersexed baby, their guilt, sadness, frustration, joy and what actions do they take. We witness these individuals learning to accept, defend and ultimately be proud of their bodies, finding support from friends (and family), facing their prejudiced parents and the society, seeking help in their online and real life community, and trying their best to realize their happiness.

~.~.~.~.~

Anya's time!

Hi~! Anya here, and many thanks to Ayame for writing a post on this topic (and even dedicating it to me, oh my ^///^).

These are all interesting manga, and it's reassuring to have a reminder that there are more people with similar issues out there. Having said that, from an entertainment point of view the first two are way too short, while in my opinion the third one gets too caught up in drama. They're still definitely worth reading, and each of them touches on important issues that transgendered people must face.

Here's some advice from me for some of the transgendered people out there who are still figuring themselves out and feeling unsure.

In Double House, Maho feels alienated by her coworkers that feel the need to adhere to certain stereotypes on what it means to be transgendered. This is not a universal aspect of trans communities, but it does happen in some places. Ironically and hypocritically, there will be people who reject society's "rules" and "norms" only to put their own in place. You don't have to listen to them. Figure out for yourself what kind of person you want to be, even if it includes stereotypes of your biological sex. There's nothing wrong with that. You're already breaking a bunch of societal expectations, break a few more and build a kick-ass Gundam!

Ayumi was shocked to find out that her boyfriend wanted to be a girl, but it turns out that Aika still loves her and they continue their relationship with one another. A question I was often asked in my early days was "If you like girls, then why don't you just stay as a guy? It'll be a lot easier that way!". Yeah, like lesbians don't exist. Your gender doesn't dictate who to date and fall in love with. Many transgendered people remain attracted to the gender that they become. Love whomever you want! I like girls. But I mainly focus on personality, so if he's nice, I can fall in love with a guy, too. That's also a good way to view the world, way more 'fish in the sea' ;).

Although I.S. deals with intersexed people, the issues are pretty similar to ones that we face. If I ever marry a man, I won't be able to bear a child. There are many limits to our current medical technology, and even technologies and procedures that do exist, can be expensive. That is a reality you have to accept, and figure out how far you want to go for what you're happy with. Also, like the above two issues, you don't have to turn your body a certain way. It's okay to be a girl with a penis. Punch anyone who says otherwise. You can keep your old body and still be a different gender. I myself used to be disgusted by my body, when I first accepted that I was transgendered, but over time I became more comfortable with it. And let's face it, the ability to pee standing is very convenient, especially when you're at a dirty gas station toilet.

I hope you become more comfortable with yourself, and remember, go beyond the impossible and kick reason -I mean societal expectations- to the curb!

--------------

Reminding the scale of hotness- it ranges from 0 to 3 and describes both how graphic the sex scenes are and how much emotional influence the story might have on the reader.

3 has depictions of sexual organs and is totally 'hot',

2 includes sex scenes but doesn't show much, and you feel very warm inside,

1 is about just cute kisses, holding hands or embraces,

and 0 denotes a quite matter-of-fact narration with almost no emotional excitement as there's not much romantic/sexual contact.

GLorious Love - Part 2

2012-08-22T00:26:00.001+03:00

This month the Pride Festivals around the world come to an end for this year. Before that, though, let's see some GL manga that take their protagonists' sexuality seriously.

Burges -Applause is the title of the manga where the oneshot comes from.- On the right is Megumu.

Mangaka: Ariyoshi Kyouko

Volumes: oneshot

Hotness: 1

Summary:

A woman goes to visit an old friend who's an out lesbian living in San Francisco.

Written in 1981, A San Fransisco Story, bears the ethereal semi-realistic art of the era (just look at the magnificent eyes above!). Yuuko, a journalist, is on a business trip to San Fransisco and stays at Megumu's place. Megumu is an old friend from their all-girls school, and at the moment worries for her partner, Chelle, who is hospitalized for stomach cancer. Tracy, a friend of Megumu, who is also lesbian, passes by to check how things go, and ends up providing a mini guide-tour to the queerness of the San Fransisco Pride Parade for Yuuko. She also stays with her for the night since Megumu returns to the hospital. Revelations and realizations dominate the latter half of the manga that lead to a charming open end.

Although some parts of the story are a bit cliche, the setting is quite innovative and in the few pages it spans, the significance of the Parade, the nature of homosexuality, the queer fashion choices, gender roles and identities are discussed honestly. As for the characters' feelings, they are conveyed effectively through the appropriate panel layout, the close-ups, the multiple facial expressions and the body language. It might not be something that stirrs strong emotions, but A San Fransisco Story definitely has its own merits!

~.~.~.~.~

The two main heroines on the covers- wonderful expressions, ne? And full lips on adolescent girls!

Mangaka: Haruno Nanae

Volumes: 2

Hotness: 1

Summary:

A story about two classmates, Sahoko and Rio. Rio is depressed and self-abusive due to lack of loving relationships with her "family" -- which consists of her negligent father, overbearing, selfish stepmother and stepbrother; and Sahoko soon becomes her only comfort in life. Sahoko on her part has a frigid relationship with her overprotective parents, and lives with her aunt by consequence.

Pieta never mentions the word lesbianism and yet I couldn't leave this title out of this list. It simply rejects labels with sincerity; they are too constrictive- especially for Sahoko and Rio and their story. Rio has been given too many wounds in her soul from a very young age and thus has adopted a 'je m'en fous' facade and appears cold-hearted while the truth is that she has difficulties sympathizing with others. And then comes Sahoko who has troubles being herself and not just impersonations of roles. The unloved child finds the young lady who has received lots of love and the two of them fit each other perfectly. While Rio's previous date had sexual undertones, her relationship with Sahoko is full of tenderness whose nature is hard to pin down with only one word. Both she and Sahoko found a person to open up to.

It is a little dramatic with themes like attempted suicide, parental abandonment and the evil stepmother stereotype, so whoever is sensitive, take out some handkerchiefs. It gladly doesn't descend to mellow thanks to the wonderful side-characters Rio's doctors are. The man is more of a romantic and his wife is the rational 'pure' scientist, but both help to retain an air of realism to the work with all the medical and psychological terms they use without overdoing it. Doctor Shoumitsu's theory that the two girls with high levels of sensitivity are a step forward on the evolutionary ladder and they need each other to survive along with his comment on how Rio and Sahoko stand out like unicorns (an lgbt symbol) gives a sweet twist on the notion of lesbianism- and I like it. It's a nice contrast to doctor Kyoko's first doubts, and keeps the right balance.

Pieta has a really unique atmosphere; at the end of the story you feel like a fluffy warm blanket is wrapped around you and a soft breeze grazes your face.

~.~.~.~.~

Indigo is interestingly a color associated with lesbianism. It also stands for intution, integrity, solitude and inner communication. Indigo blue in Japanese is ai, that sounds the same as the word for love...

Mangaka: Yamaji Ebine
Volumes: 1
Hotness: 2
Summary:

Rutsu is content with her life. She has a budding career as a novelist and a functional relationship with her boyfriend/editor, Ryuuji. However, when she meets Tamaki, a lesbian fan of her work who sees homoerotic subtext in her writing, Rutsu is forced to reconsider her sexuality and what she wants from life.

Love triangles are usually used in manga to create drama and stregthen the main couple. It might be played for the laughs or as an excuse for more titilating sex scenes. Indigo Blue doesn't follow any of these roads. Indigo Blue is about the complexity of sexual attraction, romantic feelings and the compatibility with your partner, about cheating, guiltiness, bitterness, jealousness and break-ups, about people struggling to find what they want in life. If we use modern labels, Rutsu is a bisexual woman that is aromantic in her heterosexual relationships. But Yamaji Ebine talks to us with simple words that convey the protagonist's confusion or clarity of mind. She uses minimalistic art and takes advantage of negative space to highlight the inner conflicts of the characters, the sadness, the lust, the happiness. And everything comes off so natural.

Indigo Blue is considered the best manga by Yamaji Ebine and there's a reason for it. All characters, Rutsu, Tamaki, Ryuuji and Den-san with his daughter (who act as the supporting characters), are likeable, everyone can find a situation they can relate to, and the storytelling is straightforward and classy. It's a little masterpiece, which no matter how many words I might try spending on it, I'm afraid I can't do it justice enough. Just go and read it!

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Reminding the scale of hotness- it ranges from 0 to 3 and describes both how graphic the sex scenes are and how much emotional influence the story might have on the reader.

3 has depictions of sexual organs and is totally 'hot',

2 includes sex scenes but doesn't show much, and you feel very warm inside,

1 is about just cute kisses, holding hands or embraces,

and 0 denotes a quite matter-of-fact narration with almost no emotional excitement as there's not much romantic/sexual contact.

BLazed Passion - Part 2

2012-08-12T22:45:00.001+03:00

Two dads can be equally awesome as other families - but doubly sexy ;) Yaoi sure understand that women have a thing for caring men and took advantage of the fact. And like always, there are very few of the bunch that stand out and show plausible situations and relationships. Let's take a look at the delicious titles I've gathered here.

No, the blond with the flowery top isn't the one identifying as gay. No, the gay isn't the sex animal here. And yes, the child missing from the poster does say something about the series.

Mangaka: Sakuragi Yaya
Volumes: 2+ (ongoing/ only 1st scanlated)
Hotness: 3
Summary:

The candy shop owner Tanihara goes for health advice to a stern, scary looking pediatrician. Though the doctor has one majime looking face but deep within he's a gentle soul. Not to mention he isn't afraid of showing his love or the fact that he's gay. The game of “trick-or-love” between the happy-go-lucky father and the scary but popular pediatrician! Normally the paths of a shrewd man and a stoic man would never cross…

This happens most of the times: the child is there just to be the comical relief that catches the two men on the act and/or as a plot device, a means to bring the two men closer. In Himegoto Asobi this seems to be the case, because the little girl is rarely in the 6 chapters published. No problems arise from the existence of the child as it's conveniently moved away from the scene and stays by its mother. Not to mention that we aren't given a specific reason of the child's custody by the -lazy and shrewd- father. So one might ask why do I even review this manga? The summary sounds too stereotypical, too.

Well, the manga is still ongoing and we don't have the whole picture... Who am I kidding, right? The chances of improvement on this department are slim. And why am I reviewing something still on progress? First of all, we have a man who identifies as gay. Secondly, from the scans above you can see that the men have interesting personalities and a lot of chemistry. Plus it's no romanticized and illogical presentation of same-sex partners. It's being realistic without being boring or off-putting, and retains a great balance between the funny and the serious parts. Thirdly, the sexual experimentation is played straight and the rapport between Tanihira and Saji is healthy and very natural. There's some really hot dirty talk during sex and frottage! Do you see frottage often???

The art might not be the best with the huge yaoi hands, and the child's role might be limited, but where else do we get smooth steamy interactions and a promiscuous alpha-male throwing the line "I was the bottom, so?" in a buddy conversation totally casually- like a boss?

~.~.~.~.~

Hohoemi no Nichijou and Yume ni Tobu Tori- the anthologies including the oneshots, Hinata and Mayonaka Taiyuu

Mangaka: Naono Bohra
Volumes: 2 oneshots
Hotness: 3
Summary:

Hinata- A boy who's been scarred from abuse from his parents finds safety and love in the peaceful life of a retired photographer and his newborn. //Mayonaka Taiyuu- The unexpected visit of Shouichi's dead wife's sister convinces Kakeru that he's only a bother to the Konomi household. Will Shouichi (and Ruri) allow him to simply leave their family?

Naono Bohra is infamous for her males with the toned bodies, her sweet spot for supernatural elements, her sensitivities for people with disabilities, the variety of sex positions, and her shouta tendencies. Yet, at the core her stories remain awfully cliche and almost always reproduce the rape=love meme. Hinata and its sequel, Mayokana Taiyuu, are the exceptions to the majority of her work, and that's why it stands here among the other manga recommendations.

The two oneshots touch even for a little while the tender subject of domestic violence. Kakeru has scars and burns all over his body and his hearing from his one ear is impaired after the violence inflicted on him. Shouichi and his baby, Ruri, are where he finds shelter and starts healing his emotional wounds. Ruri has been used perhaps as the excuse of him staying with Shouichi, yet we witness his behavior changing because of her. Shouichi on the other hand, helps him in multiple ways, and his non parental feelings for Kakeru don't hinder his judgement; Shouichi wouldn't stop Kakeru from leaving, if that's what he really needed and wanted.

If you don't mind shouta (because Kakeru is around 17 and Shouich must be over 30), this is a tender story with some unique traits, worth checking out.

~.~.~.~.~

Sorenari ni Shinken Nandesu

Mangaka: Asou Kai
Volumes: 2
Hotness: 2-3
Summary:

Oosawa had known Yoshioka for a long time... As his customer, Yoshioka came in and out of the shop with different boyfriends all the time. He thought he knew fully well what kind of man Yoshioka was. But when tragedy hit Chizu, his one and only daughter... and his capability as a single father was questioned... Yoshioka came out of nowhere and offered help. Slowly but surely, Oosawa learned that the man he despised was very different than what he appeared to be!

Sorenari Ni Shinken Nandesu or I'm Serious On My Own Way is one of the very rare yaoi gems that don't rush themselves and involve or rather revolve around the notion of family. From the start we see father and daughter facing the sour comments of the neighbors for the status of parenting. Towards the end of the manga issues concerning the child custody and the difficulties of patchwork families arise.

The relationship between the three depends largely on the child and Oosawa starts seeing Yoshioka in a whole other light after realizing how well Yoshioka handles Chizu and how Chizu, who is usually shy, becomes very fond of Yoshioka to the point of calling Yoshioka "Yosshi" and mimicking his 'roger answers'. In contrast to other 'family' yaoi, the protagonists are quite careful for the child not to witness anything inappropriate, and the reader can really feel how much they nurture eah other. Tenderness and understanding are overflowing from Sorenari Ni Shinken Nandesu's pages. Caressing and hugging is a reoccuring motif.

As for the gay couple, Oosawa takes his time and Yoshioka isn't pushy and rather cherishes and respects the object of his affections. Until the last chapters and omake of the manga one could think this is a shounen-ai. But when the time comes, it definitely delivers. The sex isn't anticipated without fear from the non-experienced partner and the other party accepts it as normal therefore is very tentative to the needs of the former. There is practically no 'tachi' or 'neko', terms mentioned by an ex-lover of Yoshioka; yes, equality is very sexy for me. Readers who expect seme-uke dynamics will probably get disappointed.

This title is full of fluff that warms the heart- and it isn't from the sappy kind. A must read.

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Reminding the scale of hotness- it ranges from 0 to 3 and describes both how graphic the sex scenes are and how much emotional influence the story might have on the reader.

3 has depictions of sexual organs and is totally 'hot',

2 includes sex scenes but doesn't show much, and you feel very warm inside,

1 is about just cute kisses, holding hands or embraces,

and 0 denotes a quite matter-of-fact narration with almost no emotional excitement as there's not much romantic/sexual contact.

When I wish upon a star

2012-08-07T23:30:00.000+03:00

Ok, I know Tanabata was a month ago, but since I mixed things up, I can't do much. You'll just pretend the wishing paper was hung on the tree the proper day.

Foxy Lady: If I had to wish for a single thing, that would be of course for any obstacles between me and my sweet partner having an every day life near each other to be erased or overcome as soon as possible.

But although my relationship is very important to me and will be, I think, for the years to come, I still have wishes independent of my relationship and one such is finding a job and settling down with what I want to do in my life professionally, as I'm not sure I'll be able to handle the task of managing children full of energy that in general have attention issues and haven't learnt to be responsible at all... I'd like to be given the chance to try modelling, graphic design, translating, tasting wine and perhaps a secretary position.

Taking this chance though, I want to hang all the colorful papers I can on the bamboo tree and set both short- and longterm goals. These things need to be written down somewhere to remind me what I want to do and later to help me reflect on my life. Here we go- I want to...

... continue reading manga, watching anime and blogging till my old age.
... explore different kinds of music, listen more to it, since I've kinda abandoned it these past few years. Going to a choir and to lessons to improve my voice is important as well, because singing along with dancing is a very raw way of expressing my feelings. Plus I was really good at both when I was a kid and my parents were the main reason I got estranged from them.
... try tango, waltz, flamenco, modern dance and generally whatever sets my body in motion and my heart aflame. I used to dance ballet when I was around 5-7. I have the rhythm it takes; I just need to discipline and let go according to what dance I perform. It'll be a great exercise, too, since I'm not too athletic.
... act. Ok, I'm a little bit vain. I like the idea of interpreting an idea before an audience. The stage, the lights, the costumes, the lives you get to 'live' through different roles, I find them all so fascinating. But perhaps most of all I want to be part of a team with a common goal, where everyone contributes to the final outcome. I need to live that bonding that passed me by in my school/university years.
... learn sewing and cosplay. Horo will have priority, but I also love Oruha (Clover) , Ashura (TRC) , Yuuko (xxxholic), Princess of Crystal (Mawaru Penguindrum), Karen (X) and many others; they'd make for great costumes and personalities.
... get to create things with my own two hands, especially ceramics and jewelery. I believe that especially ceramics might help me relax and find beauty in minimalism. Such activities can also prove quite profitable. I'd be great, if I could make money by things I enjoy a lot.
... watch a looooot of movies. I'm totally illiteral on this field. Yeah, don't scream, but I haven't watched Matrix or Inception or Godfather or even Lord of the Rings. Shame on me; I have to do something to fix that thing.
... study feminism properly and lgbtq history, and of course do something about the problems women and lgbtq people face. Perhaps join an organization and contribute in people opening up, learning and finding a shelter.
... learn japanese and read japanese literature. The language is like a must for anime/manga fans (I can't wait the scanlations every time...) and it'd be more than nice, if I could work as a manga translator.

The list gets long, so I'll be more laconic: I also want to try creating a comic and animation, to organize an anime party, travel to Japan, Ireland, Spain and perhaps Persia, and at some point I want to have my own house with garden, a big library and an "otaku" room.

The bottom line is that I desire to be independent and creative, and be with the person I hold most dear. I need to feel alive and make new friends, hang out with them and have fun!

Neko: If I should express one wish only, for Foxy Lady's health, well being and happiness and for our relationship to last long, very long and to be as we want it to be -with the two of us living together, sleeping together, working and having fun and joy and sharing sorrow. I wish for two good jobs for us. By good I mean well payed and creative occupation. I know it makes me happy to go to work but I would still want more money from it. I know Foxy Lady badly wants to be independent, but she also wishes to make a contribution to other people's well being. I love her for that and I cannot wait to see her eyes full of fulfillment.

I also wish that this blog becomes more and more successful. By that word I do not mean more popular, but a vision its writers share, to see it full of high quality, interesting and as unique as it goes articles. We have so many ideas and so many things we wish to share with one another and with our friends and readers, I wish we get to have the time to write them all down.

I wish for my friends a trillion wishes that, for technical reasons, I will narrow into one: I wish, with all my heart, for the very best of each and everyone of you.

As for more greedy wishes, I wish for someone to give me enough money to buy many of the things I'd like to read, listen, watch and study. And for good enough cash to be able to survive, take care and leave a heritage to those I care for.

To put it in a few words: a happy present and future for my and my love. For us to be together. For our friends to stay together and achieve what they wish for. For this blog to kick ass. And for the world to improve its state and keep straight ahead for a brighter future. Those wishes will do it for now.

Left Unsaid: 1. Voluntary Death

2012-08-06T16:27:00.001+03:00

Preface

This is the first post of a series of articles called Left Unsaid. The project will be dedicated on analyzing various social and personal aspects of life, usually subjects of ambiguous debate. We wish to use this series as a tool to go deeper into our own experiences and to help other people through mutually beneficial discussions. We believe that the world is beautiful and we wish to make it even better. This is one of our contributions to this effort.

Introduction

As a teenager I remember a word very intriguing to me: death. When I truly started to think and analyze the world around me, the majesty and absolute power of death seemed overwhelming to the eyes of this young boy. Like many other kids my age, I felt like it was something I desired to experience. On this article, I am using volume one of Confidential Confessions (CC) and the story of its heroines, Manatsu and Asparagus, to talk about my own experiences and explain how manga art treats one's wish to voluntary abandon life.

a. How it begins

Both in real life and in the world of CC, family ties matter a lot to a teenager. If they are strong and based on willing participation, they can empower a young man. If they are weak or non-existant, they can hurt a person for the rest of his/her life. I can understand that very well, for there were times I felt my family breaking down and I could do nothing to help it -or so I thought. Not being able to count on your parents in days of crisis means that you cannot do the things you need in order to improve as a person; to share thoughts, ask for advice and learn from the experience of others. You cannot confess the things truly important to you in such a situation.

When there is no way to release the negative feelings, they grow roots deep inside one's soul. It will turn into self destuctive energy in no time, as mighty and hard as an olive tree. That is I believe where the wish to kill yourself begins to sprout in a person's heart and mind. For an adult it may be easier to use past experiences as a defensive mechanism, but it is not the same for a teenager. When you have never chopped down a tree, it is very difficult to find out the proper way to do this without getting hurt.

b. The state of a suicidal life

What sort of things may one wish to share? For Manatsu, that was her loneliness and lack of self esteem, her worries . For her friend Asparagus, it was bullying and her need to be accepted as a person. For me, it was the indecisiveness of sexual orientation. For every teenager who fantasizes death, there is a different wish, sometimes bizarre, sometimes commonly understood as extremely serious. One of the adults' grave mistakes is that they always underestimate the needs of these young girls and boys. Like Manatsu's mother told her "what makes you think you can commit suicide?" Little do people understand that the urge to prove that you can do it and hurt them is only growing this way.

Suicidal teenagers see the world in very simplistic terms. Such is their ignorance, that they think they know everything. That sort of arrogance can easily make you believe in a doctrine as absolute as "suicide is not the end, it is the beginning!" Just ask Manatsu. But for people who think themselves as holders of the meaning of life, suicidal teens have many questions unanswered:

Would my parents hurt?

Would my friends care?

What if no one noticed?

Would I be missing this life?

Could it be that the future of the world would change without me?

What if my death would be for everyone's good?

The natural tedency of a young life to question every rule of this world can lead to disasters. Some of these disasters can, unfortunately, include self destruction. The more life experience one gains, the more one eludes such a danger.

c. Deeper in the wounds

The toughest thing about being suicidal is addiction. Worshiping death can be a dear habit after you have repeated it long enough. It can become the very first and last thought of the day. Intellectually, being near death can be hurtful but, for many people, it also becomes something familiar. If your problems grow and you are as emotionally fragile as CC's girls or myself, you become so desperate for that dark shelter that it becomes as much of a need as food. To feed that hunger most suicidal teens are eager to do almost anything. I was willing to try drink my father's medicine, to stop caring about cleaning and taking care of my body. Asparagus used cutting as a potion. The girls had no hesitation to even sell their urine to an old man. The list could be endless.

It is important to note though that it is not, for example, the repeated hearing of death metal or Marilyn Manson that makes one wishing to die. It is how you use these "tools" that helps you reach to that state of mind. Once upon a time, I used biblical teaching and religion as a tool to justify and increase my paranoia and tedency to harm myself. That does not make necessarily religion a hurtful tool -even though my opinion on that institution remains negative ever since I stopped being a believer.

Not all people put themselves in danger on their own will. In cases like Asparagus' bullying, it is even harder to change one's path because that person has to deal with his/her weaknesses and the cruelty of others. In a way it is like trying to stop your murder.

d. A Therapy for Pain

When I was as young as 15, I really wanted to ask questions of the kind that you read above. I think most suicidal teens have the same inclinations. But there are many ways to express such concerns and not all of them are negative. I found more and more inspiration for my art from that dark wish of mine. Manatsu preferred to collect pieces of her dead skin and keep them in a diary. Every mind needs to express its needs and very often that is a way to survive. Art had given me the will to live many times, whether through creativity -painting and sketching- or joy -music, films and anime. If one tries to cut that expression he/she actually hurt the person in need. That is what Manatsu's mother did and led her daughter to cut her veins in front of her.

In the end, when faced directly with death, most people realize they do not really wish to die. They simply want their life to change towards a different direction and someone to show them how to overcome its obstacles. I remember that in every single attempt I tried, no matter the different ways, I wanted someone to step in, save me and hold me dearly, to tell me they wish for me to live.

There is always a reason to live. As Manatsu had to find out through a painful loss, suicide does not give you a solution to life's problems. It is similar to a rushed ending for a film that never got completed. Thankfully, neither I nor Manatsu ever got to write that ending ourselves, thus we can breathe freely, taking it one day at a time. It is my wish that people going through the same, or even worse, difficulties manage to do the same.

Reflections on Animanga Blogs

2012-08-03T17:49:00.002+03:00

Allow me to start first to give you an idea of what I have in mind for this massive taking-notes session. :D

What do you like to read and why? (reviews, commentaries, editorials)

I love editorials and commentaries; they are thought provoking, they might enlighten me on a subject I don 't know much about, and they provide different perspectives that are always needed to make your anime/manga experience more holistic. That doesn't mean I don't check out review blogs; it's just that usually checking 2-3 for a single episode or series is enough for me to get what I want, i.e. spoilers/ opinions/ an idea of what the anime is about and if I should watch it.

What do you do when you stumble across a new blog?

The first thing to check out would be to scroll down the first page and see, if I can find posts with anime/manga/ topics I'm interested in, and read some. If the first page results are full with anime/manga I don't know or don't follow or aren't of the genre I'm interested in, I'll go to Categories/ Menu to try digging up things I like. Then, perhaps I'll search for the first posts from the archive to see how long does a blogger blog, what was his first post about, and if he's improved a lot on his/her way (or is a natural talent). After all this search, I usually decide to go check the About page to learn more about the blogger him/herself. Granted I end up visiting the blog often, I get interested in the blogroll, too. I might excavate other good blogs, as well.

First page posts -> Categories/Menu -> Archive -> About page (-> Blogroll)

What must a good animanga blog have and do?

Animanga blogs are about visual culture, right? So I expect that a great animanga blog to have a template that involves colors and posts that inlude pictures. Yes, people do judge a book by its cover, the template is the first impression, it's the environment where you read the content and if your visitors find it unpleasant, dull or tiring, then it's simple: they won't stay to discover your content. If your posts are over 2 paragraphs long and you expose them in their full form on the first page, I feel like you force me to read and rub the content on my face- not very polite. Also, you write for an internet audience. If I wanted to read a book, I'd go pick up one, so walls of texts without images explaining or decorating your thoughts are totally the wrong way to go; I won't read you unless I know the content concerns me a lot.

While talking about text and content, it's important to ask the question of how long is too long, hence what is considered tl;dr. That's a bit subjective, but I'd say that over 1 page (around 3-4 medium paragraphs) in Microsoft Word in 11-12 points in the most oftenly used fonts starts getting long. But that doesn't make it automatically tl;dr. There are a few tricks to get around it. I already mentioned the insertion of pictures: every 3-4 paragraphs there should be a picture. Otherwise, even though I don't have problem reading extended texts, if you don't have enough 'breathers', I'll start asking how much do I have to finish reading the damn thing. Another trick is to have a medium instead of a small-sized column or smaller font (but be careful not to be too small). Oh and repetitions aren't needed. You give the impression you want to just fill space or that you think lowly of your readers. A good blog knows how to handle such issues.

What else? Functionality is key concept. The reader must be able to navigate through the content easily. Thus separate sections/tabs on the menu for categories/tags, archive, subscription options, contact options and of course info about the blogger(s) should exist and be visible.

What blogging behaviors annoy you?

Some bloggers really forget that they write for an audience or that an audience reads them. This is analyzed in three main complaints:
1. One or two comments may be left unaswered once in awhile, because perhaps you don't have something to add or you are very busy, but if you keep not answering my comments, don't expect me to comment again. You are giving me the message that my opinion doesn't matter at all; in which case just close your comment section or write for a newspaper or magazine.
2. Learning new vocabulary can be fascinating; but when the rate of new words to the size of the text goes up beyond a point where difficulties grasping the general idea of the text arise... there's a problem. Do you want people to understand you or are you showing off? Do you intend to make your readers feel incompetent and lead them to a love-hate relationship with you?
3. Don't assume that the readers know your nickname. State it clearly in the about section. Don't force them to go searching around comments to guess it.

Lastly, there's a tiny little thing that makes me feel akward when I encounter it, though it isn't really important: horizontal pictures on the side of texts. I can't explain it well, but in contrast to a vertical side picture, it corners the text and doesn't let it breathe.

Blog Carnival: Reflections on Animanga Blogs

2012-08-03T17:49:00.001+03:00

After the Aniblog Tourney was finished, I felt restless and really wanted to find a way to run a fairer, more data-based, blog contest, something like Pulitzer Awards. I mean, having blogs with very different contents compete against each other, with no criteria whatsoever, isn't exactly the idea of fair. The fact that in its core the AniTourney was a popularity contest defeated the point of the contest sorts of, since you don't really need a contest to see who's most popular; a list with each blog's views and comments would show that clearly. I also didn't like much the general spirit of 'cheating is ok' and the trashing that came along with it.

Now, don't get me wrong. I did get just a bit more traffic, I'm thankful for that and the general tough work that was undertaken by Scamp. This also doesn't have to do with any sorts of 'lower' feelings due to me losing against Inushinde. He is a great guy and a clever blogger. Yet, I don't believe I'm necessarily a less good of a blogger because I lost. He writes mainly reviews/episodics, I write mainly editorials- there was almost no common ground to be judged upon.

Wait, hang with me just a bit longer. I'm getting where I must. No, the Carnival I'm suggesting isn't about the Tourney. It isn't about any new contest either. I understood after discussing with a few other bloggers that not only it wouldn't be possible to organize such a contest on my own, but finding criteria with which all the bloggers would be judged is very very hard. Even if we came in a consensus, a contest of virtues would harm the pride of those not nominated an award/title. So that's what I came up with after long thoughts:

Let's get to know what we want. For us. A general friendly feedback.

Why not get to reflect on what we like to read and for what reasons? (reviews, commentaries, editorials)
What do we do when we stumble across a new blog?
What must a good animanga blog have and do?
What blogging behaviors annoy us (anonymously of course)?

A month would be too long and the input would go stale. A week is too short because it's summer, people go and have fun, are on vacations, perhaps have more work... So what about holding this carnival for 2 weeks? Readers that don't have blogs may comment on the section below. After the carnival ends, I'll try summing up our ideas into a single post that could as well be a guide for first time bloggers of the animangasphere.

Please, in order to collect all of your contributions here, do tweet me over Foxy Lady Ayame.

ATTENTION: Please, don't get out of topic while writing on this blog carnival. Also, I considered it a matter-of-fact that participants will behave in a civil manner without picking on other bloggers. Unless you have the consent of the other blogger, don't express opinions that might be offensive.

Archive/ Links
The Beautiful World
KANPAII
Anime B&B
The G-Empire
Moe Sucks
deluscar
Draggle's Anime Blog
The Kotatsu
aloe~ dream
Canne's anime review blog
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Grief and Loss in Anime: a case examination of Puella Madoka Magica Magi, Mawaru Penguindrum and X

2012-07-30T10:57:00.003+03:00

Either you are recently introduced to anime or you are a seasoned fan, it's highly unlikely you haven't watched or simply heard about the first two shows in the picture above, because twitter, forums and blogs were abuzz and overly hyped about them last year. Now, it's highly possible you don't even recognize the hunks in the bottom and the anime/manga they are from, unless you are an obsessed fan of CLAMP or a MADHOUSE admirer. All three of them have as central themes the loss and how people face them. The important issue here is how these series present the themes and how well they handle them...

Mawaru Penguindrum had a great director, great visuals, great music, quite a bit of philosophy and psychology... but an utterly disappointing ending among other things that annoyed me in hindsight. I was hooked for almost the whole journey, only to realize later that, if it weren't for the cliffhangers that left viewers want more, the storytelling wasn't structured very well, the characters were messed up in mind and I had difficulties relating to any of them - in contrast to Utena-, and above all normalized/glorified a completely unhealthy reaction to loss, and gratified an unrealistic wish through a questionable final action.

90% of the characters wanted to bring the past back or preserve the present eternally in their immaturity of being unable to cope with loss. The Takakura siblings wanted to prevent Himari's death and their made-up family from getting shattered, without really asking Himari herself, if she wanted to go on living, Natsume tried to keep her younger brother alive, Yuri and Tabuki desired to bring Momoka back, who was their only friend during childhood, and Ringo put literally crazy efforts to become her sister in order to reunite her family and feel some love.

I can aknowledge that all of them bore many wounds and at a very young age. I do understand that being left alone is the worst thing ever; I wouldn't accept easily either the death of the only person that gives me love and lets me be myself. I also remember that Yuri and Tabuki did get liberated from their revenge ideas or their illusions of bringing back Momoka and got their relatively normal happy ending. Oh, and Ringo managed miraculously to be deleted from the to-be-hospitalized-in-an-asylum list and make up with her father, though we never see her resolving her grand issues with her mother.

BUT I wouldn't become a creepy stalker, a possible raper, a member of a terroristic organization or sacrifice myself to call the dead back from Hades... The end of Mawaru Penguindrum dipped itself in a melodramatic sauce that promoted 'selfless suicide' and praised the insane attempts of undoing death by resurrecting Himari at least three times during the series.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica doesn't have, fortunately, a totally happy-fairy-tale-like end like Mawaru Penguindrum. The two main occasions we encounter loss is when a) Sayaka expected Kyosuke to return her feelings after he was healed as a price for her transformation into a mahou shoujo and instead her best friend is his love interest- plus becoming a mahou shoujo entails the loss of your humanity b) Homura doesn't accept Madoka's death and keeps leaping back in time until she changes Madoka's future. The Sayaka x Kyosuke storyline ends up with Sayaka turning into a witch and dying, while Madoka becomes a god, changes the nature of mahou shoujo and everyone -except Homura- forgets her.

Both deaths are definate and thus I'm much more pleased, yet the whole show depends on Homura's infatuation for Madoka and her denial of the latter's end. And no one ever comments on how unnatural or wrong this might be. I'd say it's presented under the light of strong friendship or yuriness and therefore somehow justified, if not admired.

So, here comes X...

For those of you, who need the general premise and more info on X, you can read more on the review I wrote this week.

X provides not only a larger field of study for the different types of losses, but also portrays the reactions to very central deaths either as medical cases or as natural stages of grief. The huge cast and the pre-apocalyptic setting do help but still the way CLAMP wrote and commented on the mourning of the characters is worth praising, since it doesn't glorify sacrifices and highlights that life is worthwhile. It also relates clearly the theme of wishing for death to actual deaths- and this is remarkable by itself as there is a big truth in this and fragments of reality.

Throughout the series we encounter Kotori's, Sorata's, Arashi's and Karen's loss of parents, Subaru's loss of his sister, Kakyou's and Hinoto's loss of senses and autonomy the first is comatose, the second deaf, blind, mute and paralytic), Yuzuriha's loss of her dog, Inuki, Kotori's, Seishirou's and Sorata's deaths that affect respectively Kamui, Subaru and Arashi and many others. For brevity's shake I'll focus mainly on the last three.

Generally, losses are part of life, they are universal and needed to help us grow up. In X of course where the end of the world might come soon and two sides fight each other, massacres and deaths are a rather frequent phenomenon with a very violent nature (it was even more violent in the manga with decapitation, dismemberment and inner organs gushing outside of bodies). When speaking of mourning, we can 't forget such factors that influence the time that is needed and the difficulty with which a death is processed and accepted. The way of death certainly is a major one - no wonder Kotori went crazy, especially, since she wasn't allowed to process her mother's death-; then the personality/sensitivity of the person grieving, the relationship shared, the existence or lack of family support, the age -too young or too old people don't overcome grief easily- and the case of multiple losses are some of crucial factors.

When we mourn, we feel pain that stems from not bearing our own weakness. This is exemplified by Kotori's death and Kamui's case. He was completely unable in the end to offer Kotori the protection that he would like against every danger, every pain, the lost time and death. Kamui has recently lost his mother in a suicide and was left alone wondering if he was at fault, why his mother didn't think of him feeling abandoned, and on top of it he has to witness the gruesome death of the girl he cherished and at the same time the loss of his best friend Fuuma, who changed personality completely. The shock is so big and his grief that deep that he falls into catatonia; he doesn't move, doesn't communicate with this world. He refuses to move on and dwells in the place of psychological suffering. For him the time has frozen and it's thanks to Subaru that he takes the decision to live and try his best to save what is left to him. Kamui doesn't want to regret anything else. Later, it's Sorata that helps him remember to keep going and convinces Kamui to eat- while mourning many people lose their appetite and as Arashi puts it, the will to eat is the will to live.

Subaru's story unfolds mainly back in Tokyo Babylon and ends here with him killing involuntary Seishirou, the person he fall in love and killed his sister. Subaru due to the painful events of the past, experienced both the loss of his beloved sister and the loss of his innocence. He pursues Sakurazukamori not to get revenge but to be aknowledged as his equal and fall by his hand. Their 'love' is twisted. His incapability to process the losses that happened made him sick and the whole affair is treated as sick. Subaru himself says to himself that he is love sick in all its sense.

Lastly, we see how Arashi reacts to Sorata's flirting and his death. At first, she tried to avoid the pain by not getting emotionally involved. The problem though is that what we can do in order not to suffer more, is not to love less, but to learn, when the time to say goodbye comes, not to stay attached to what is no more. Arashi also knows that Sorata will die protecting her, so the whole time she experiences the loss of a future she can't have. Yes, loss concerns not only facts, but illusions and dreams, too. In her state of denial, she rushes to the opponent's side, in an effort to prevent Sorata's death. Unfortunately, he dies and she weeps and weeps and she's filled with pain and sorrow. Yet, she doesn't act out; she manages to work through her loss and improve. Arashi follows Sorata's request to live. Because by living , he lives inside her. And that's how it should be. If the other lives in us, through the sweet memories, Death is a great liar.

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P.S. 1. A big part of the post is inpired by and based on Jorge Bucay's book "The Road of Tears".
2. A recent anime with great and realistic depiction of grief is Natsuyuki Rendesvous.You might see a post on it when the series ends airing.

For more of my CLAMP series reviews, visit the Down the Clamphole! post.
This post is also one of my entries for the Manga Moveable Feast which for this month centers around CLAMP.

Retrospect on CLAMP: In good and bad times...

2012-07-27T22:34:00.001+03:00

5 things I LOVE about CLAMP and 5 things I want to complain about...

Since I'm still reading CLAMP works and can ship couples and fangirl over characters, it means that beyond the flaws and weakness CLAMP have exhibited through the years, there are very important traits of theirs that are worth cherishing and that they've created some memorable works and subsequent anticipation for more. Thus, I'll begin this post with what are their strength.

The bright side of life

1. CLAMP have worked really hard over the course of the last 22+ years to make themselves known and in the process they have given up their personal life to pursue their dream and be fully dedicated to their career. Along the way, they've also put their health on the line, with many sleepless days in the row, very few breaks and the pressure to please the audience. Lately, it was announced that one of CLAMP members has problems with strained hands, thus their work will slow down. They are really admirable for their perseverance and productivity: they've published officially over 140 volumes of manga.

from CLAMP IN WONDERLAND 2

2. From drama and romance to mystery and adventure, CLAMP have explored almost every genre across every demographic group. They've written shoujo, shounen, seinen and josei, but perhaps most importantly they've managed to tear down their boundaries and as a result a very wide audience can read and enjoy their manga. Works like X and Magic Knight Rayearth have the ornamental art shoujo bear and shounen themes and action. There's a CLAMP work for everyone: the ecchi otaku and the philosopher geek, the drama-sucker and the hopelessly romantic and the list can go on.

Freyaamane's collection- picture from the web

3. I told you about the art, no? The art, oh yes... the art. Even if you don't like the story, you might want to stick around for the backgrounds and the character designs. CLAMP have mainly two art styles- the highly detailed by Mokona, one might even call it 'stuffed', and the pretty minimalistic one by Nekoi (Chobits, Tsubasa) and Igarashi (Legal Drug, Wish, Suki, xxxholic). Another artistic trait of theirs is the use of astonishing splash pages and diverse layouts, that really carry you away. And they aren't simply experimenting, but they are professionals who know when to use which art style to create the appropriate atmosphere.

above: RG Veda, below: Drug and Drop- notice the difference in shading and design

4. CLAMP's illustrations are not only decorative, but also there are cases that they tell a story in images and foreshadow plot twists. Let's take for example the illustrations below that are taken from X.

SPOILERS: The first one talks about Subaru becoming the next Sakurazukamori. CLAMP, instead of reusing the imagery of Subaru embracing the capsule that has Seishirou's eye and accepting to be its bearer, they decided to show his change of sides through a religious coronation amidst skulls during a night with new moon (which stands for new beginnings). Seishirou on the one hand wears white robes, a very unusual color for him, and my guess is that white denotes his death, since in Asia people usually wear white in funerals, while the red ribbon stands for blood and his murderous past. Subaru on the other hand is cladded in black and purple-black like Seishirou used to wear and purple to denote royalty-it's worth mentioning that he just filled the 'widowed' position in the Dragons of Earth team and he's uninterested in participating in the battle and in killing.

The second and third picture can be read as hints about the manga end of X. Kamui is compared to Ashura from RG Veda, the god of destruction, who when he was ready to kill Yasha whom he loved as a kid, he stopped himself and stabbed himself and caged his body. It's also interesting how Kamui bears angel wings instead of his usual demon ones, while in the third picture we see him tearing down his demon-winged self to let the angel-winged one emerge. This can be interpreted either that Kamui Shirou will change sides or that the 'other Kamui', Fuuma Monou, will revert to his initial personality.

5. Their stories are well-crafted; that is not to say that there isn't room for improvement, but generally they are touching and daring in that the ending is rarely a traditionally happy one. CLAMP makes sure among other things to include some twists and clues for future developments in their more serious works. Ohkawa is the mischievous mastermind behind it all who instructs the other three carefully without revealin them much while the story progresses. It's her scriptwriting that unfolds like a detective story, leaving traces to be found by the readers. Reading a dramatic CLAMP work is like unraveling a present.

taken from unknownusername's tumblr

The sour taste of things

1. Although CLAMP aren't exacly famous for happy endings as I said before, we do see some happy and healthy heterosexual and gay relationships, but how about lesbian ones? There isn't a single lesbian in CLAMP works that has her love returned or her life and her partner's life intact. Be it canon or a potential fanpair up till now CLAMP appear to reserve only unhappiness for lesbians. CLAMP, do you hate lesbians, unconsciously or otherwise?

SPOILERS: Kendappa x Souma from RG Veda? Both dead- and Kendappa suicided after killing Souma. Saya x Tohru from X? Both committed a ritualistic suicide for the shake of the Final Battle. Tomoyo x Sakura from CCS? Tomoyo is alone in her feelings. Sonomi x Nadesico, their mothers? The same, plus Nadesico died from an illness. Oruha x Suu from Clover? Oruha is dedicated to Kazuhiko plus she is mysteriously murdered. Oh and Suu dies at the will and from the fear of the Wizards. Hatoko x Misaki from Angelic Layer? Misaki is paired with a boy, freaks out to the idea of marrying a girl, while Hatoko has an unrequited love for her. Sai x Kaede, rivals and friends of the former? Kaede dies from illness in Chobits. Miyuki from Miyuki-chan in Wonderland? She keeps denying her lesbian fantasies and complains she'll be ruined for marriage.

You might ask why I placed Yukito x Toya among the other lesbian couples. I want to make a point about the way CLAMP seem to see homosexuality in general. Even tough Yukito x Toya are happy and live a rather normal and healthy relationship, we don't see how they got acquainted and how their feelings became more intimate. What we see is a Tooya that has lost his mother and got dumped by a woman. So their relationship and gayness can very well be interpreted as the result of lack of a stable and nurturing mother figure. The same goes for Kurogane x Fai from TRC, Subaru x Seishirou from Tokyo Babylon, and Kamui x Fuuma from X, though these three couples and especially the last two exhibit distorted perception of love. The other very famous yaoi pairing of theirs, Watanuki x Doumeki from xxxholic crumbles due to one-way feelings and Doumeki's mortality. These situations and underlying views on homosexuality upset me quite a bit. I always have high expectations of CLAMP, and this is a weakness that I can't easily overlook.

2. CLAMP ethics are ethics I usually I find myself agreeing with, yet there are some cases where I strongly disagree. The most important one: pedophilia. I can't understand what they were thinking when they were throwing in so many teacher-student relationships and especially the Terada x Rika one. Because for goodness shake, Rika is in primary school not in high school like the other similar relationships. Even Kaho x Eriol is somehow excused since Eriol is still a magician and I think he has played around with his appearances and age. I've read a few people trying to defend this couple by saying that everything is kept pure and that both are honestly happy. And I say, IT'S CREEPY. To offer an engagement ring means wedding plans, means adult situations, means Terada is blushing not only with innocent thoughts... I'm very angry that CLAMP even want to present it as normal to an under-aged audience. Incest between siblings and cousins around the same age are much more acceptable in my eyes under circumstances. Yet, we don't see any incest in the whole CLAMPverse. Oh and by the way, CLAMP are ok with pedo but not abortion (just read xxxholic's vol.18).

3. Ok, I know, CLAMP has written many strong female leads, but do they need to write, clumsy, naive girls, sometimes doormats or simply write females dreaming of becoming wives??? The following panels speak for themselves. To the dummy bunch add Kobato, Saya from Blood-C, Hina from Suki and Kotori from X. I'm not sure that Chikahito from Gate7 is redeeming them in a sense, since he's a boy. Sakura was a klutz at times but she was written so well as a character that her flaws weren't that annoying. We were shown that she was very clever when it came to battle tactics to seal the Clow Cards. And Chii spoke like a toddler but she was a robot that was learning.

Angelic Layer, Miyuki-chan in Wonderland, Man of Many Faces

4. CLAMP have explored very interesting themes through certain techniques in their works and they keep going. What's wrong with this? Well, after so many works, it can get too repetitive meaning too boring. CLAMP fans that have read all their works can feel tired from reading about the same old things just in a different setting. There are also times where a technique that was once very fun to encounter, like the crossovers, gets too streched. For example, it reaches ridiculous levels to transform Watanuki into a dog and make him appear in Blood-C to council Saya... The twists in TRC became so complicated that even the creators themselves had problems understanding what they've created. The book as a way to reach the protagonist and teach her about herself was great in Chobits, but felt redundant in Suki (but I'm biased here.)

5. With so many works and so many characters is inevitable that characters will start to look alike. It's not completely their fault, yet it's a bit weird to see a new character and feel you have a deja-vu without really one.

Lastly, they have bad luck with the magazines publishing their manga; Clover, Kobato, X, Legend of Chun Hyang all had either issues with their publication or the magazing hosting them closed down... That's not something CLAMP can do much about, therefore I don 't list it with the other rants about them.

Do you agree? Do you disagree? Anything to add?

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For more of my CLAMP series reviews, visit the Down the Clamphole! post.
This post is also one of my entries for the Manga Moveable Feast which for this month centers around CLAMP.

Their destiny was foreordained - an X/1999 review

2012-07-25T11:51:00.000+03:00

The seven angels and the seven seals.

At the millennial edge, the concluding battle for humanity's future is staged. Kamui Shirou's destiny has been decided as he returns to Tokyo to face his ultimate challenge. The Dragon of Heaven, defenders of the Earth, stand ready to protect the world from the Dragon of Earth, the seven angels of legend, who embrace the devastation of the planet to bring about its purification. Now Kamui must decide which side to fight for although he finds the idea utterly unappealing. It isn't until realizing that his two childhood friends, Fuma and Kotori Monou, are in grievous peril that Kamui decides to step into his fated position in the climactic struggle of the Year of Destiny: 1999.

Like Kakyo, the manga has been in a coma situation for the longest time.

X is one of the most beloved works of CLAMP that is usually discussed heatedly since its manga ending is highly anticipated and its fans can only feel sour towards the creators for putting it for almost a decade on a hiatus without visible signs of return. Many factors have lead to this result: taking in account the manga's apocalyptic frame with quite gory scenes and frequent earthquake depictions as well as CLAMP's denial to alter their story, when the Hanshin earthquake and the Sekihabara incident occurred, ethical and marketing issues emerged, which lead to the disappointing publishing halt of the story.

"For me, it's a series that's really been tossed around by the times. But I absolutely want to draw it to the very end, so I'd really like to restart the serialization - yesterday, if not sooner!" says Ohkawa, and makes me wonder why haven't they tried to publish it directly to tankoubon format. It's not like they don't know how the sales will go, because X has a very dedicated fanbase. And natural disasters happen all the time in Japan, considering the country's geographical position. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 was aired just a few years ago, but I haven't heard anyone complaining about it or not allowing it to air. Not to mention that no one is coerced in watching/reading specific content. Unfortunately, it appears that the manga publishing houses have complex relations with the creators which don't allow much freedom of choices.

Now, let's get to the point and present the series properly.

"The title reflects an unknown number, an unknown element. Also, the crosses that often show up in the series become the letter X when tilted. X has various other meanings as well." I'll add that the Major Arcana card, Wheel of Fortune, is the tenth card, which in Latin is depicted with the letter X...

The reason behind the passionate feelings and reactions about X are to be found in its epicness. From its philosophical inklings, the ecological sensibilities and the well-executed drama to the touching romance in the middle of chaos and the intense love for life, X delivers a magnificent feast for both the mind and the heart. With well-fleshed characters and good storytelling wrapped in probably the most gorgeous art you've seen in manga, X is utterly enjoyable.

The dilemmas presented, like Earth regeneration or humanity, or why is it bad to kill other human beings, engage the reader as (s)he isn't given neither a favored answer nor a lecture. The Dragons of Earth might be seem like villains, if we consider that they include an assassin, a misanthropist-computer nerd, an "emotionless" clone and a gigolo public servant, but even they have human moments, fall in love, chat casually while having tea and might have a normal working life; so their opinions and ideology aren't shown as malicious or inferior.

Princess Hinoto, the Dreamseer for the Dragons of Heaven, with her other self.

CLAMP is consistent with their neutral/sceptical approach throughout the manga. They want to highlight how complex our world is and especially human nature. The themes of wishes and happiness, and moreover the duality and mirroring (Subaru-Kamui--Fuuma-Seishirou) of characters underline that people aren't black and white but hide many things behind their appearances, even things they themselves might ignore. Even with the theme of fate being so prominent, the outcome of the final battle and the route of the characters' lives aren't completely set on stone, exactly because the layers and possibilities of each individual are multiple.

The story is influenced by Go Nagai's Devilman, so the fans of that manga can get an idea about how things unfold in X without me spoiling much. Kyokutei Bakin's Nansou Satomi Hakkenden is also an inspiration for the ensemble cast, namely the use of a large cast of characters who all without exception are explored in depth. These elements guarantee a standard of quality, though the pacing of the story was admittedly slow and there were repetitive scenes due to the monthly serialization of the manga.

What is really interesting and worthnoting is the structure of the work: there are no chapters. Each volume is a chapter or even an arc on its own that spans between 160-200 pages. There are 7 arcs up to vol.18 out of the 21 initially intended ( 21 are the Major Arcana cards and CLAMP designed a set with their characters on them in every volume), which are The Beginning (vol. 1,2), The Seven Stars (vol. 3-6), Holy Sword (vol. 7,8), Kamui (vol. 9), Dreamgazer (vol. 10), Kekkai (vol. 11-16) and The End (vol. 17, 18). In a similar fashion, the volumes of the English version of the manga carried a title related to musical terminology, eg. vol. 1 is named Prelude, vol. 2 is Overture and so on.

Dragons of Earth/ Seven Angels: Satsuki Yatouji, Fuuma Monou, Shougo Asagi (who replaces Kakyou Kuzuki in the movie), Yuuto Kigai, Nataku, Seishirou Sakurazukamori and Kusanagi Shiyuu. Dragons of Heaven/ Seven Seals: Karen Kasumi, Kamui Shirou, Yuzuriha Nekoi, Subaru Sumeragi, Sorata Arisugawa, Arashi Kishuu and Seiichirou Aoki.

The characters are almost all sympathetic. The Dragons of Heaven (DoH) are, as expected, very emotional invested to the people they care for and this helps the average reader to identify more with them. The fact they both exhibit strong feelings of love and happiness, and experience sadness and angst is another plus point that boosts the Seven Seals' appeal in contrast to the Seven Angels who in their majority are sociopaths and appear distant. It's hard not to like Sorata with his humorous and tentative moments, or Kamui who tries to put on a tough face only to break down emotionally later with all the things happening to him and the burden of choice he carries.

But the Dragons' of Earth (DoE) purpose of existence isn't to be cartoony villains towards whom the readers' hate will be directed. As I mentioned earlier, they have their own share of romance and personal issues, which along with the omake stories, redeem them just a little bit in the audience's eyes. Besides, they don't demonstrate traits of extremists that have a certain life goal they must achieve no matter what. Some of them are even wavering on which side of the battlefield should they be on. The Seven Angels are kinda laid-back and only Fuuma is definitely set on the destruction of humanity, and that's why he is the one usually ordering around. Fuuma though is a rather special case and is lead to act by his specific circumstances. He is a lot like Seishirou yet he isn't merciless.

The interactions and relationships within the two groups and their extended allies as well as between them is surely interesting as they are well-crafted and woven parallel to the story. There are many couples to ship with different traits (yes, and a May-December one) and some love triangles that are subtly executed, thus we don't get the cliche shoujo treatment. I guess, it's the very nature of X which crosses the boundaries of shoujo and shounen that gives us not only a variety of romances but also an emphasis on friendship and commeradie.

Within the DoH the sense of trust and solidarity are pretty solid and the adults - yes, you've read right, adults-, Karen and Seichiirou, look after the younger ones, try to advice them and support them the way they can, and are much like parent figures of the group. This isn't exactly the case for the DoE who act mostly alone and don't care as much for the loss of fellow Angels. They lack the sense of unity and tend to form relations of convenience with various degrees of sexual (under)tones.

Nekoi: "I've never had so much trouble using screen tone in my life *laugh*" // In the splash page: Tohru Magami, Kamui's mother

The characters aren't only given intriguing personalities but also lavishly drawn appearances: thick eyelashes, magnificent highly detailed and expressive eyes, full lips for some of the ladies, flowy hair and gorgeous hands. The art is honestly breath-taking; especially the splash pages which aren't sparse set the right dramatic atmosphere. The application of several screentone layers makes the characters look plastic and gives off an air of refinement.

CLAMP have put much effort in details with all the references to Christianity and Judaism, too. The words on the sword, the Kabbala's tree of life, the crosses, the wings of angels and demons combined with the names of the characters (see Kamui's double meaning, and Karen means fires of purgatory), insert the reader in an apocalyptic setting most successfully. Then, we often encounter feathers, pearls, circles/halos, the globe and bodies of water - imageries tied closely with foreseeing dreams and help in the construction of a parallel dimension that's fleeting and fragile and at the same time overwhelming.

The illustrations from the artbooks feature a lot of gears, clocks and ribbons -a steampunk taste, fitting for a dystopic point of view towards the end of the world. Another set of illustrations embed whole chunks of text taken from the book of John, the Revelation. A few others use the same surreal backgrounds we first see in RG Veda, wanting to draw connections between these two works and foreshadow big battles and perhaps the same fate of the protagonists. In any case, all of them are stunning and were planned to be read as complementary to the manga's story.

Anime series promotional art featuring Kotori and Kamui

And such a successful manga would of course get adapted. MADHOUSE offers a movie, a 24-episode anime series and 2 OVAs, X2 double X and X0: Omen, prequels to the movie and the series respectively, which are quite spoilerific and it wouldn't be a good idea to watch them before the main 'dish'.

X2 double X has a great battle choreography and it's really intense. I guess the movie must have followed artistically and I would have watched, if not for the sardine can I've read it ended up being and the un-CLAMP-ish end it had. It's natural that with a large cast of characters, many manga volumes of original material and barely 2 hours of film, the movie couldn't have not feel rushed.

Forever Love by X JAPAN on Grooveshark

ENDLESS RAIN by X on Grooveshark

It's a shame that the series doesn't include thrilling battles like the movie did. Still, the production values are high, the music is most suitable, every character has his spotlight time -enough to gain a separate and unique place in the cast and in the viewers' heart-, the story stays close to the manga and the end is believable, touching and doesn't feel akward.

eX dream (string quartet version) by Satou Naoki on Grooveshark

Sadame by X TV on Grooveshark

Sadame (Piano Version) by X TV on Grooveshark

Last Battle by Satou Naoki on Grooveshark

Generally, I enjoyed the series a lot, what with the additional details to some characters like Kotori's who in the manga is simply a beautiful, fragile, kind girl, but in the series she shares her dream of becoming an indigo dyer; or Satsuki's past is enriched with the appearance of her father. Unfortunately, the manga is incomparable as a whole. The gore scenes from the manga were cencored in the anime and thus some plot points and character developments lose impact greatly. Moreover, some meaningless scene changes were made like Nataku's end and where Tokiko meats Kamui and Sorata to inform them about Kamui's mother.

At the bottom line, the anime can't replace the manga but is highly recommended to get a conclusion on the story- it's a small solace for an unfinished masterpiece.

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Did you know...

... that most of the characters aren't new? Apart from Seishirou and Subaru from Tokyo Babylon and Akira, Nokoru and Suoh from Clamp School Detectives, who assist the Seven Seals, Yuuto come from some earlier works of CLAMP, Nataku was meant for this story since Ohkawa was in middle school, and Arashi was designed for a Romeo & Juliet story that was never published. Aoki Seiichirou was named after real life editor who was responsible for them and Kakyou got his name from CLAMP's cat. The newest character was Kamui.

... that Satsuki's breast size has increased a cup or two during the series? Fanservice for the male readers I guess.

Discussion corner

CLAMP were intending a totally different end from the movie and the anime series for the manga. This can mean either that both Fuuma and Kamui die or neither. Which of the two do you believe it could be? We know that Kamui's true wish remains unknown even to Kamui himself, that Fuuma's wish can only be realized by Kamui, Kamui hasn't created a kekkai yet and once he will Fuuma will gain a new power. My guess is that these two wishes may coincide and are related to the BL subtext of the series. It's also pretty clear that Fuuma's words "If nobody could ever hurt or kill anybody, then why would people become blinded to the most important things? [...] The more you care about someone, the more you lose sight of things! And maybe while you don't even notice it, you are hurting a person close to you".

Other questions left unaswered are why can only Fuuma kill Kakyou? Who is Kamui's father? Will he make any appearance, is he important to the plot or is he just another way to signify Kamui as a Messiah? Why Kanoe sided with the Dragons of Earth? How could that save her sister? I'm confused about this issue...

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For more of my CLAMP series reviews, visit the Down the Clamphole! post.
This post is also one of my entries for the Manga Moveable Feast which for this month centers around CLAMP.

Do you love Tokyo? - a Tokyo Babylon review

2012-07-24T12:18:00.001+03:00

From right to left: Subaru, Hokuto, Seishiro

The year is 1990. The city is Tokyo, a busy megalopolis where people are caught in dreams, anonymity, loneliness, sadness and crushed hopes underneath the fevered rush for success and wealth. Sometimes the high-pitched emotions and acute despair manifest themselves into ghosts and curses.
Enter Sumeragi Subaru, 13th head of the Sumeragi clan and a 16-year-old onmyouji. He uses his spiritual power and genuine compassion to help people, exorcise trapped spirits and undo maledictions. In this modern world, where nothing is truly black and white, this is hardly easy, especially because of Subaru's tendency to care too much for people. His twin sister Hokuto is there to help him, to cheer him up, and to make him wear eccentrically fashionable clothing. Sakurazuka Seishirou is a (male) 25-year-old gentle veterinarian friend of the twins, who professes to love Subaru.
Hokuto thinks that making them a couple would be a marvelous idea, even though - or maybe because - she believes that Seishirou is the mysterious Sakurazukamori, an assassin onmyouji said to protect Japan from the shadows.

“We were young, so I think we had a lot more complaints back then (laughs). We didn’t want to focus just on the occult, but rather give the series a grounding in reality”

Tokyo Babylon is called often Japanese mystery X-files. It’s a supernatural psychological story that comments on issues such as hostility towards ‘gaijins’ (=outsiders), behavior towards the elderly people, rising occult groups based on the inability of adolescents to cope with bullying and other problems, etc. The series mixes a mood of upbeat cheerfulness with dark social commentary and a deceptively naive tone. ‘No one knows what’s in the heart of people and no one can judge other’s pain and suffering’ is the key concept. What is remarkable is that CLAMP supports individuality against social values and control.

Their stories in Tokyo Babylon empower people and touch their hearts. Storytelling is really good. Except the first and last volume, where we have big chunks of story concerning the protagonists, the rest of the manga has an episodic nature. But both the episodes and the Sakurazukamori-Subaru-Hokuto arc are of top-notch quality. There are episodes better than others, but that’s taste and it doesn’t mean there’s a single bad story. My personal favorites are Dream, Smile, Crime, Save, Old and Rebirth. As for the art, it’s gorgeous, with extensive use of black to produce a dark atmosphere. The fashion sense is on the crazy side most of the times, though, to put it kindly. The era I guess?

Atop of the story, characters are well-written. Seishiro is chilling, a cold-blooded assassin, yet at the end of the day he was able to develop feelings of interest and possession for Subaru, and no matter how much he denies he is in ‘love’, his actions show otherwise. Hokuto is cunning and bubbly in a very enjoyable way. She is the comic relief in the series but not in a demeaning way and that’s rare. She’s also very caring; she loves her brother very much to the point of sacrificing herself. Thankfully, she isn’t motivated from a brother complex. She loves life and giving it up says a lot. Lastly, Subaru is very kind for his own good. In contrast to Kino from Kino no Tabi, he can’t stay just a spectator. He is a sensitive soul that turns into a masochist…

The interrelationships can be characterized as disturbing, but there’s a certain beauty and naturality in them. And that is said by me who at the start had freaked out and saw the twisted association between Eros and Thanatos as abnormality (actually, I still can’t call Sakurazuka’s and Subaru’s sadomasochistic relationship normal or healthy, but I have accepted it as it is). For those who reach the end of the manga and panic: cool off! Such a lovers’ story couldn’t end that easily. We get to see more of their personality and the changes it passed through the years in X/1999.

There’s a 2-part OVA that is focused on the creepiness and the supernatural rather than the social commentary and the execution is splendid. It’s not an adaption- the stories are not included in the manga, they are original and are placed somewhere between the beginning and the middle of the manga.

I recommend the manga and the OVA 100%. Slice-of-life fans will be more excited with the manga and ‘thriller’ fans will prefer the OVA.

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For more of my CLAMP series reviews, visit the Down the Clamphole! post.
This post is also one of my entries for the Manga Moveable Feast which for this month centers around CLAMP.

A mysterious very young thief- a Man of Many Faces review

2012-07-23T12:51:00.000+03:00

Akira, Utako and Akira's mothers

By day nine year old Akira Ijuyin is a normal student at Clamp School, but at night he becomes the mysterious thief 20 Masks. His thefts are usually subject to the whims of his two stepmothers, which Akira pulls off without any true objections or interactions. One night Akira ducks into the room of five year old Utako Ōkawa in an attempt to hide from the police.
Although the pair shares a four year age difference, they find themselves quickly falling for each other even as Akira finds himself being increasingly more involved with thefts, some of which include Utako's family. This as well as several other obstacles give the young couple's budding relationship a fair amount of difficulty.

Shigata, Akira's uncle, and Kobayashi

It’s cute and funny; the kawaii factor is brought up from the main couple and the comedic relief comes mainly from the interaction between Akira’s uncle and Kobayashi, who wants to catch the 9-year-old Tuxedo Kamen, who fights to … please his two mothers. Yes, two and identical. And although they are adults, they rarely behave like ones. It’s their whims that put Akira in difficult position and instead of taking care of their son, it’s their son who takes care of them. But they sure add a pleasant, crazy flavor in the series.

“They (hence the children) are not as young as we adults think. They think about complicated stuff, too.”

You must have understood till this point that the strong card of Man of Many Faces is the characters- the story isn’t anything extraordinary. And one more thing that kept me reading were the ‘love lectures’, which despite the fact that they appear too serious and mature to come out of a kid’s mouth and especially a kindergarten pupil, they sure stayed with me. In particular the ‘love doesn’t stay the same’ speech. It had surprised me how true that is and how romantic the next line was: ‘it will grow deeper’. I couldn’t stop smiling. It may seem utopic, yet it’s an admiring goal and there are couples that have achieved that goal.

What annoyed me was the marriage of Utako and Akira at the age of 22... Ok, at least they finished high school first. I am not sure if what freaks me out more is that they hadn’t had another relationship in their lives, they married their firsts after over 10 years of relationship that began in primary or Utako’s dream of becoming the perfect wife… I know that in Japan women still have that dream and manga are simply fantasy, but that doesn’t make me cringe less. What has female emancipation done for women in Japan??? Nothing has been learned? Western ideas haven’t changed the way people think?

The art is really a joy to see. Lustrous, highly detailed, and the colors pop pleasantly out of the picture.

The mystery: We never get any explanation on why their father left (but he gets one appearance and so we know he’s alive) or on the nature of their family, hence if Akira’s parents were married or simply lived together, or if between the ‘moms’ there are more things going on and Akira’s father was a donator.

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For more of my CLAMP series reviews, visit the Down the Clamphole! post.
This post is also one of my entries for the Manga Moveable Feast which for this month centers around CLAMP.

The Beautiful Sinners: Angel Sanctuary and Diversity

2012-07-21T10:30:00.000+03:00

To be called a sinner is one of the hardest accusations a person can face throughout his lifetime. Sinners, through all of mankind's history, have been punished repeatedly for their desires and actions. Yet, through my personal experience in this world, it often seems to me that sin is a blessing, the road to happiness. In this article I try to prove this point by using Angel Sanctuary, mangaka Kaori Yuki's testimony on the nature of sin, as reference material.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

Colossians 3:5-6

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The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

As the religious quotes above suggest, to sin is to listen to what you feel, be it lust, rage, greed and all other humane desires, then act according to it -pretty much what Setsuna Mudo did in all the adventures he got himself into. His desire to fight against everything standing between him and his younger sister Sarah, instead of being an instrument to God's love and will, is considered an act worthy of severe punishment in the eyes of the divine Father. Being a God-fearing worshiper, a loyal subject, means the exactly opposite thing. To be innocent and love the Lord. You are to receive your Father's blessing and be under His protection. For Heaven, everything outside the service of The One is defined as sin.

What I love about Angel Sanctuary is that it shows us how love and "sin" are connected way deeper than love and God's holiness. The reason for this is the diversity of sin's nature. Love in the way of the "damned" has so many forms that naming them all would be impossible. But one cannot forget Zaphikel's affection and tenderness towards Raziel. Or the greatness of Katan's dedication towards Rosiel. The protective feelings of Setsuna towards Sarah. How NidHegg's emotions were so strong that he managed to forgive Lailah for her cruel betrayal. There are so many cases I could refer to.

Also, the sinners very often seem as if they are truly innocent. "All we did was to love, to fall in love." Kurai speaks this truth many times during the story. It is true for her and almost every other character in Angel Sanctuary and for those of us who, reading of Setsuna's adventures, seem to find a fragment of ourselves in each character.

The most crucial part of judging which approach is better, is the comparison of results. No one can say that all sinners managed to meet salvation. Not all sins can have a good ending, not all actions can be positive at all times. But none of those who tried to follow authority in order to create a perfect, "pure white world" or receive the approval of God, had a decent end. Sevothtarte never found salvation and Rosiel lost his most important treasure. The holy road to salvation may, in the end, be only a path downwards the inferno of one's soul.

Love, innocence, friendship, dedication and loyalty, all can be wonderful in unnumbered ways. So let there be no one who tells you that there is only one path to pursue happiness, that if you run after a forbidden love you are cursed, that you are a demon if you do not limit yourselves as to whom you love, that you are ugly because you do not look and live according to the rules of an "enlightened" being. We have passions. As human beings and angels and demons we are made of such. In the same way that Setsuna and his friends never gave up going after what they needed, let us follow their example and be the beautiful sinners we deserve to be.