MC Anime

Manga's Portrayal of Sexual Identity

Manga has caught countless audiences with many stories and continues to diversity as we speak. One way that manga has captured fans is through making stories in which it challenges the status quo viewed by society. Society wants to determine what is right but are they really right? Manga has brought up a controversial topic concerning someone's love interests in homosexuality and other related topics. I think that where the genres in manga and anime that concern this area is important because Japan is known for trying new things and continues to create fresh and intriguing plots. Sexual identity is explored through genres like yuri, yaoi, shoujo-ai, and shounen-ai. Yuri explores the relationships between females and means girls love when translated. In Japan, yuri refers to any female relationship whether it is emotional or physical attraction. The genre has moments where content could be targeted to mature audiences in portrayals of love. Yaoi, the opposite of yuri, is where male relationships that focuses on boys love. A common characteristic of yaoi is the pairing of male characters through seme (the active pursuer) and uke (the passive pursuer) in the male-x-male relationship. Boys love is often abbreviated as BL and might be more popular than yuri according to some hardcore fans. Shoujo Ai is less focused on extreme relations but rather on the emotional side of the relationship. Shounen Ai is like new shoujo in which is made by women for women. These two genres are lesser versions of yaoi and yuri where plots differ between more imitate and platonic versions of one another. I hope this gives insight into how humans form love and possible love interests of the same gender. Remember, heterosexuality is not the norm anymore with love becoming more personal and is transforming into new horizons.

http://wis.pr/whisper/051753487bfbb43626128f206e42dc134936cb/Gay-and-Love-Anime-What-can-I-say-Its-just-my-way

Summer Depicted In Anime

Summer is a time where the heat can seem to continue without an end. There are other times where it provides a good time for friends through the beach and other activities. Mostly, summer is known for the time for schools to be temporarily out of secession to only go back at the end of it. Here are moments in anime where summer is depicted and continues to the storyline in some way or another. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has a unique twist on summer through the Endless Eight arc in season 2. Endless Eight occurs in a time loop where déjà vu is constant as Haruhi tries to live out the last day in August over and over again. It takes Kyon in the eighth episode to convince Haruhi that she is finally satisfied with summer for September 1st to happen after 15,532 variations of the same day. Summer Wars might have summer its name but also it is a movie that takes into the genius mind of Kenji Koiso. He spends some of his summers with Natsuki whose family hired Kenji as a fake fiance for their daughter. All in the fake fiance situation, Kenji tries a solve mathematical equation that has dimensional shattering results in the movie. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day has six childhood friends who grown apart and now are somehow reunited through the series by a mysterious phenomenon. These friends are taken back to the last summer they spent with one another all because of Menma's presence. This is just not a journey of fulfilling Menma's wish but the friends she left behind are trying to find peace in themselves as well. Waiting in the Summer has Kaito Kirishima, who is an avid videographer in his first year as a freshman, that takes his 8mm camera everywhere with him. A transfer student sets the stage for Kaito to create a movie concerning Ichika Takatsuki indirectly. The movie is subjected to irony because Ichika is the literal embodiment of what the movie is all about. Summer gets a lot of hype for people taking vacations and trips establishing exciting memories. In the summertime, people are more willing to try new things and have fun with either family or friends. This season you are supposed to enjoy yourself but be safe with what you might do concerning travel and other activities.

https://pics.onsizzle.com/how-would-you-spend-your-summer-vacationi-beach-party-anime-manga-24788981.png

Popular Manga Genres Defined

Action Genre “Plays out mainly through a clash of physical forces. Frequently these stories have fast cuts, tough characters making quick decisions and usually a beautiful girl nearby. Anything quick and most likely a thin storyline.” i.e. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Ajin, and etc. (Kissanime, the Russian Server)

Fantasy Genre “Anime that are set in a mythical world quite different from modern-day Earth. Frequently this world has magic and/or mythical creatures such as dragons and unicorns. These stories are sometimes based on real-world legends and myths. Frequently fantasies describe tales featuring magic, brave knights, damsels in distress, and/or quests.” i.e. Sword Art Online, Claymore, and etc. (Kissanime, the Russian Server)

Martial Arts Genre “Anime whose central theme revolves around martial arts. This includes all hand-to-hand fighting styles, including Karate, Tae-Kwon-Do and even Boxing. Weapons use, like Nunchaku and Shuriken are also indications of this genre. This is a sub-genre of action.” i.e. Dragon Ball Franchise, Fist of the North Star, and etc. (Kissanime, the Russian Server)

Parody Genre “Anime that imitate other stories (can be from TV, film, books, historical events, ...) for comic effect by exaggerating the style and changing the content of the original. Also known as spoofs. This is a sub-genre of comedy.” i.e. Gintama, Hetalia Axis Powers, and etc. (Kissanime, the Russian Server)

Slice of Life “Anime with no clear central plot. This type of anime tends to be naturalistic and mainly focuses on the main characters and their everyday lives. Often there will be some philosophical perspectives regarding love, relationships, life, etc. tied into the anime. The overall typical moods for this type of anime are cheery and carefree, in other words, it is your 'feel-good' kind of anime. Some anime that are under the slice of life genre are: Ichigo Mashimaro, Fruits Basket, Aria the Natural, Honey and Clover, and Piano.” (Kissanime, the Russian Server)

https://kissanime.ru/AnimeList

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zChklW9iC2E/maxresdefault.jpg

The Main Manga Markets

Manga has many styles and genres for different markets. The market can be defined as a particular audience, a group of people, or a location to target. Main manga demographics are shounen, shoujo, josei, seinen, and kodomo. These genres target specific markets in people by their age, gender, and other factors. Shounen is one of the main demographics that people think of when anime or manga is mentioned. There is a reason why so many shows brand themselves into this genre because the appeal of friendship and bonds resonates with many people. Literally, the audience that shounen tries to capture is boys through the age of 10 to 18 as the main source for people viewing. Unlike shounen where it has constant combat scenes, shoujo shows more romantic moments of love as the main aspect. The meaning of shoujo means young woman and that is mainly where the genre portals to. In the Japanese meaning of the genre, shoujo refers to any woman under 20 and is used for any aspect in lifelike shoujo hobbies or shoujo culture. Josei is very versatile in taking influences from other manga and transforming it into a unique story element. Typically, josei is targeted at older women and contains realistic approaches to love through mature topics. Do not confuse josei with shoujo for shoujo has the younger woman appeal and moments that could be unlikely to happen in life concerning love. Just as the confusion over shoujo and josei, there is confusion over shounen and seinen demographics. Seinen has an older male audience in which focuses on character development and stronger plots. Examples of seinen manga are ones like Berserker, Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, and Toyko Ghoul where the setting creates suspense and themes that the target demographic can relate to. Kodomo refers to child manga and has elements that strengthen a child's growth through storytelling. Child manga contains moralistic stories that educates children and teaches them to stay on the right path in life. These stories are usually are self-contained in the chapters and classic examples of them are Pokemon and Doraemon. Manga plays a role in various genres and stories where the entertainment is exciting throughout the anime community.

https://aquabluesweater.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/anime-studio-–%C2%A0genre-demographics/

My Superstar Anime Experience

Superstar Anime was the first convention at Virginia Beach Convention Center and overall had impactful moments at least for me. This is where I put more attention on voice acting and how it translates into actual reality. Voice acting might not be the easiest career, but as an acting career is difficult to make a name well known. Anyway, Virginia Beach did deliver on valuable voice actors like Linda Ballantyne, Janet Varney, Linda Young, and John Burgmeier. I got to witness the Sailor Moon and Korra Q&A panels where the light of voice acting came to me. Janet Varney was able to tell Legend of Korra fans very insightful answers to their questions and brief statements on favorite moments. She did voice-overs for other projects but being able to do one for Nickelodeon's attempt at an Avatar sequel was the icing on the cake for Varney. As Korra, she feels that she is part of something greater through Korra's post-traumatic stress in the show. The “D” in PTSD is left out because it is not a disorder for it is only reoccurring stress. Linda Ballantyne's huge success with Sailor Moon was highlighted in the panel but Cyberchase was an honorable mention for the villain Wicked. A dream came true in Linda meeting Wicked's love interest, Hacker, who is voiced by Christopher Lloyd, at a comic convention. Since Toronto came upon victory recently, Linda could relate to an athlete's response in him saying “Did I think could win, No I knew I could win.” This is similar to her voice acting career in which she knows for 100 percent that she has what it takes to be a voice actor no matter the circumstances. John Burgmeier is known for some appearances in Dragon Ball and other appearances in anime. Just as John appears in anime, he also writes certain portions of the dialogue scripts for Dragon Ball and of my favorites Fruits Backet. He signed a picture of the Fruits Basket cast with the message “To MC Anime, 'Maison,' I'm the writer,” followed by his autograph underneath it. Probably, the best moment with John was him telling where Dragon Ball's storyline got better. I ended the conservation with my punchline from Top Anime Jokes of “What do Saiyans wear to the beach -Trunks” in which it was previously mentioned before. Just as I had fun, I also felt accomplished with advertising Reynocon, Getouei Con, and MC Anime blogging page all as a vendor.

www.superstaranime.com/

Anime Voiceacting In General

Voice acting is a job that all depends on being in the right place at the right time. While observing two panels at Superstar Anime, I learned to realize that these people are always giving it you all and having strong confidence to do it. What stood out the most for me is the constant waiting and waiting for those voice actors to endure for a possible role? A constant worry for voice actors is the thought that they are not good enough for the role or that they are replaceable. Most of the time, there could weeks without an answer and then sometimes there is no answer at all. Companies hiring behind the scenes talent are only required those who impressed them the most among the acting pool of candidates. Literally, a person not knowing whether they are going to be screened in the part is probably one of the biggest concerns that an individual could have in acting in general. Let's say a company hired someone in the industry and the role gets accepted then what happens? The person graciously says yes and is now expected to fulfill the conditions of the job to the end. This person now needs to do really well for the voicing of the character especially for the pilot and captures a full character only through a voice. Getting behind a character is what sells them to appear to have more humanity and character development. Sometimes, a voice actor gets so famous for a character or characters that they create a portfolio of their work and success in speaking roles. Portfolios appear usually on a white paper with supporting images of the best known or their favorite characters. In conclusion, voice acting as a whole is something that demands serious attention and like any job practice makes perfect.

http://img.memecdn.com/anime-voice-actors_o_2649761.jpg

Top Anime Jokes

Jokes provide enjoyment to anyone willing to listen and have various forms depending on the punchline being said. Humor lightens the mood of stressful situations and can make it better for everyone or groups on their morale. Toda,y August 16th, 2019, is National Tell A Joke Day and here are some jokes from anime where it provides some good laughs. “If you mix a melon and a collie, what do you get?” Well, this answer is part of a series' title known as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya “Meloncollie” definitely delivers on funny moments and crazy situations in the anime like a camera being used an in blackmail attempt. Titans in Attack on Titan come in many sizes and have various diet options like Rawmen as their favorite menu items. All of this is good, but “what do you call a titan that can't swim?” The obvious answer is the Titanic which could mean that titans could have a lot to catch up on about sinking. Dragonball is notorious for jokes about the characters in the show especially Vegeta's death. How about when Saiyans go to the beach; what do they wear? Duh, they wear Trunks, the hybrid son of Bulma and Vegeta and the older brother of Bulla. Here is a hypothetical situation of Saitama getting hired as a train conductor to only get fired. Everything in “the job was going good until he had to punch a ticket” causing a lot more trouble than he wants to cause. Saitama is the main character of One Punch Man, and as the title suggests, his punch is beyond a lethal weapon; it is a disaster waiting to happen. Sometimes, anime has puns already present in the storyline and one example of this is Yuru Yuri. Yuru Yuri is a “moe-splice-of-life” comedy anime where three girls take over a club room and use it as their own. An example of a Yuru Yuri's pun is “You can tune a piano but you can't tuna fish!” Full Metal Alchemist is very enticing in its story about the Elrick brothers trying to find a mystical stone and standing up for justice. The joke goes as, “How much does a Full Metal Alchemist boxset cost?” It costs an arm and a leg due to the law of equivalent exchange in the FMA universe. Jokes are supposed to be funny and provide a good time for the audience.

https://a.wattpad.com/cover/29938813-352-k533872.jpg

Asian Comics and Their Demographics

Comics provide insightful plots to characters, and the content they have for readers. These illustrations on paper have dominated in various countries with different names of location. In the Japanese market, their comics are called manga and are the most popular Asian comics. Manga refers to both comics and cartooning throughout Japan. If there is manga outside of Japan, then the term slightly changes to the meaning of comics that were originally published in Japan as “manga.” Manga might be one of the most popular mediums for the Asian comic community but there are others worthy of discussion. Korea has a term for comics and print cartoons (which also includes animated cartoons)which are Manhwa. Manhwa is synonymous with comics and is often known from the outside of Korea as South Korean Comics with North Korea following along behind them. Korea and Japan differ in their comics by Manhwa being more conservative and more realistic than manga. Webtoons originated from South Korea, which made digital Manhwa a huge success on the web, making Korea more known throughout the comic community. Chinese comics are known as Manhua and includes the publishing based in China and the greater Sino sphere (The East Asia cultural sphere). Manhua refers to “impromptu sketches” which came from Chinese literati (ink wash) painting in the 18th century and which influenced the manga community in Japan. Literati painting uses black ink and would transform how comics are made using the traditional style of black ink. Usually the country produces the comic of their culture, but however, doujinshi comics are one of the exceptions to this. Doujinshi are self-published and are usually done by amateurs or some professionals outside of the normal industry. Creators in these doujins or circles produce original works in small amounts to avoid litigation or legal actions. I hope this helps for more information about Asian comics and how they came to fruition in modern times.

http://jto.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/p22-mallon-comic-a-20150208.jpg

The Lion King's, Controversy

“Now, for the summer of 1994, Disney animators will take you deep into the wilds of Africa for Disney's 32nd all-new full-length animated feature, The Lion King. It's an extraordinary original story about a heroic young cub named Simba, destined to become king of the jungle.” (Disney's trailer for The Lion King) The Lion King would remain the highest-grossing animated film of all time for over 15 years. This event takes a turn for the worse when newspapers slammed Disney for theft and then behold a controversy of great portions. Kimba, the White Lion is the story where allegations over theft where The Lion King was at question. Kimba can trace its origins to Japan's cartoonist, Isamu Tezuka, who started in the 1940s. Walt Disney influenced Tezuka so much that he took inspiration from Bambi and the Mickey Mouse newspaper strips to create iconic manga. Tezuka would be considered the Walt Disney of Japan and the anime pioneer due to creating Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) and Jungle Emperor Leo (Kimba, the White Lion). Astro Boy's success took the world by storm especially the US on NBC which sprouted the idea to air the White Lion in 1965. Tezuka got his dream to Disney iin Los Angles, California, US, and the two started to form a corrspondence with one another. Before the death of Tezuka in 1989, he was possibliy disccussing a remake of Kimba, the White Lion through Disney's studios making it. This is only speculative at best but holds significant backing due to all of The Lion King's similarities to Jungle Emperor Leo. Simba means lion and Kimba was Tezuka's attempt to differentate form the name. There are evil lions in both animations where each one has black mains and the names of Claw and Scar. Mufasa and Ceasar are both set in traps right before their deaths in their respected source materials. Claw and Scar haves statches on their left eyes from Ceasar and Mufasa through battles. Kimba and Simba go in exile while the villian lion takes on the mantle of the African plains and jungle kingdom. The similarities are striking but the controversy is with Disney denying any influence from Kimba, the White Lion. Disney promotes The Lion King as an original story with influences from Moses, who leaves and comes back to free his people, and Hamlet, the Prine seeking revenge against his uncle who ascended to the throne. My problem with Disney is all of the recanting stories in the press whether they knew of Kimba, the White Lion or not, Disney scuffing at Japan's animation from that era, and other sketchy responses to the press. Both and Kimba and Simba in their stories live to the motto stated by Kingdom of the Lion “The Lion, as king of the beasts, set up a kingdom where he proclaimed that all animals, friends, and enemies alike, should live together in perfect peace and Harmony.” Just as Bambi was the footnote for Tezuka's inspiration for anime, Disney made Kimba, the White Lion a footnote under The Lion King animated film.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X_oEp7iH6v4/maxresdefault.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI-LNKZy3tY

Attack on Titan's Irony

Attack on Titan has created a diverse following and is continuing to grow more. Well, the population is divided among three walls to prevent titan attacks since the Attack on Titan's name. These walls are Wall Maria (outer wall), Wall Rosa (middle wall), and Wall Sina (inner wall). Walls Maria and Rosa represent the lower and middle classes while Wall Sina is the rich, one percent in the anime. The irony starts with the option whether it is or is not safer to fight or stay in the walls. Confinement in the walls means 990,100 people living there after the beginning onslaught of 250,000 deaths by Titans in Wall Maria. Finding shelter is first priority and houses in AOT are similar to those in Nordlingen, Germany, a city in a circular meteor crater. On average, there are about 1,500 feet squared in these houses in Germany as a general comparison. A total of four people per home is a conservatively average and the minimal housing is at least 247,525 houses based on this estimate. In total, 371,287,500 feet squared is needed for houses. A rough figure for other land developments like businesses and roads we might make four times the current number of housing (1,485,150,00 feet squared or 34,000 acres for total occupy space). This is a tenth of the land occupied in the city of Los Angles, California, United States, at about 1,300 kilometers squared compared to 139.97 kilometers squared in Walls Rosa and Sina. For every squared mile, there are about two people living in the area. In addition to infrastructure, food security is a problem and the only menu we see is bread, a sliver of meat, bean soup, and steamed potato. According to the Food and Agriculture of the United Nations, food security for people “... is 0.5 of a hectare per person per year.” A hectare estimates close to 1.2 acres per person per year. The origins of AOT is rumored to either take place in the United States or Germany. Food shortages start to occur and the anime's reasoning for them are wastelands. U.S.A is about ten percent farmable and Germany is 34.1 percent farmable. In the worst-case scenario, people could survive on the ten percent estimates and we see a total of 339,000 kilometers squared of land available in this situation. Finally, if the population growth rate, then we could have 8 million-plus citizens expected in 170 or more years span of time. In conclusion, the total land in the anime for human needs is 34,039.97 kilometers squared for the current population. This leaves 304,960.03 kilometers squared left for future populations to grow in Attack on Titan anime. After all of these figures, is it safer to live in isolation from titans or live in desperation over titans? Characters in Attack On Titan could live safely in the city for many decades but the lurking danger of titans is heavier than the walls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ_VfizNaJQ