Now, is this worth it?

I seek to constantly improve myself. My mantra in life is that I should go to be every night being a better person than I was when I woke up. This mantra of self-improvement has impacted almost every aspect of my life— even my otaku life.

Closely associated with the idea of status is the idea of use. In today’s “utilitarian” society, those who are useful are esteemed. In an anime context, the “useful” members of fandom are the ones who produce. Some bloggers, for example, often feel as if they are superior to people who languish all day watching Naruto or One Piece. Why? Because we (well, most of us, at least) are constantly thinking about the things that we watch. This somehow makes us better than those who aren’t thinking about what we watch. (Thus goes the argument against “moefags”— that they are somehow lesser because they enjoy watching mindless, exploitative trash.)

The ultimate providers of the English-speaking fandom are, of course, the translators and fansubbers. While it is undeniable that editors, typesetters and encoders are all integral parts of the fansubbing process, the translator occupies a central position in this process. Rarely do we see a fansub and criticize its typesetting— for the most part, we pick and choose our fansubs based on how good we think the translation is. In this way, the fansub translator holds a fairly enormous amount of power over the fandom.

I’ve known many people who started fansubbing in order to satisfy their own sense of superiority over other fans. It’s a power trip. Dare I say that during the year or so I fansubbed, I quite enjoyed being able to tell people, “I translated X?” Definitely a good feeling, having people marvel at the things that you’ve done. At some point, people tend to grow out of this stage and either stop fansubbing (finding the e-peen enlargement aspect of the job unfulfilling and childish) or continue fansubbing for a different reason (genuine pleasure, intellectual enhancement, social interaction, et cetera.)

The ultimate producers are the creators of anime themselves. Artists, writers, animators, directors, voice actors and actresses. I’ve aspired to be an artist time and time again in my life, to little avail. Life always seems to get in the way, and I suppose I don’t want to be any of those things enough to drop whatever it is I’m doing now to pursue those interests. Being in a doujin circle always appealed to me; one could be loved and recognized while doing something that one loved. It’s a perfect combination.

Thus, use is the way we “differentiate” ourselves in the anime world. Perceived hierarchies (none of which I personally subscribe to— I only have friends and not-friends within the blogosphere; there’s no need to think about any further kind of classification) are built around the quantity and the quality of the work produced by fans. People who don’t produce anything and simply consume are at the bottom of the ladder; those who offer great insight, facilitate further consumption or create are at the top.

This is why most of us write, yes? Because we have interesting things to say? Because we would like to share our thoughts to the world?

It’s nice that we all have such altruistic motives, but what really keeps us from stopping is the fame. The attention. That drive to colonize a little tiny corner of the Internet— our own form of immortality.

Do you feel useful? Tell me about it @Akirascuro on Twitter.

Addendum: The cult of the translator is an interesting one. The translator is the bridge between two different worlds, yet his job is to remain invisible. If a translation is good, one praises the author’s work. Only when the translation is bad do we criticize the translator. It’s only in recent years that translators have stopped putting their names on OP credits, thus completely rendering them invisible. I’m not sure when this change occurred (I would like to say mid-2008 to 2009, but I’m no expert) but it shows the fandom’s increasing annoyance with intrusive TL notes and needless credits.

You know who's an elitist? This bitch.

Thank you all for your interesting and insightful responses (except for you, Scamp.) It’s fascinating the huge range of responses I’ve received, from sympathy to mockery to pity. One of my very insightful commenters brought up the issue of condescension when talking about anime, and that’s where I would like to go next.

Unfortunately for me, I operate in social spaces where the maintenance of one’s image is absolutely crucial. I was raised with a keen awareness of how I come across to other people, which is why I’m very conscious about how I present myself and how I package myself together in professional situations. Naturally, these fronts that we all put up are completely deconstructed when I’m with my closest friends. There seems to have been a bit of confusion in my last post. I’m totally fine with talking about anime and anime-related things with my friends, provided that they bring it up first. If they don’t, I won’t talk about it. This has more to do with the fact that I would rather talk about things which are of mutual interest more than my desire to maintain any kind of facade. I don’t like it when people talk at me about things I’m not particularly interested in, and I think it’s only courteous that I don’t bore others with topics that they don’t care about.

What makes me “ashamed”, to use the term I used in my last post (though now, I see that perhaps “shame” is too strong a word), is the actions of some otaku I see when I go to conventions or when I interact with other otaku on the Internet. It’s frustrating that if I identify myself with “otaku”, I will automatically be associated with those kinds of people. I remember distinctly once when I was in Japan, I let it slip that I was very much into anime and manga, and my friends told me that that’s “scary” because they associate otaku with rapists and axe murderers. Obviously, this isn’t true in the United States. The worst that could happen is that I would be associated with awkward nerds and mouth-breathers. Obviously, if one actually gets to know me, they’ll quickly see that I’m unlike your stereotypical otaku.

Which brings me now to the issue of status. I think about status a lot, not in the context of anime, but society in general. It’s especially interesting for me because we live in an age in which class and status are not rigidly defined. Thus, your status within your social circles is ill-defined. Gone is the age in which we pay deference to people simply because they have a title and a fief.

Thus, communities have come up with their own ways of thinking about status. I remember there was a time when I would look down upon otaku who didn’t speak Japanese. I’d also condescend to weaboos or people who exclusively watched Naruto. Thankfully, I’m way past that obnoxious stage in my life, but I still think that there’s some kind of perceived hierarchy in the anime fandom. Thinking about where you are in this hierarchy is an utter waste of time, and it’s really unfortunate that status is even an issue in fandom. We’re all here because we like the same thing, so why all the hate? Spread the love.

I have zero problems with people who like terrible shows. I myself enjoy many terrible shows. I do, however, dislike people who judge others and think themselves superior simply because they enjoy shows which are somehow “more prestigious.” (Think: Naruto vs. Mawaru Penguindrum) The Academy for Animated Arts and Sciences, if you would. I used to have that kind of a mentality as well, but I’ve found it utterly useless for me.

I watch what I enjoy, and I can’t change that. I love discussing anime with people who do so, and I unapologetically defend the shows that I like. However, I do not believe that holding these strong convictions requires me to push my hobbies upon other people. It maybe true that I consider anime the most awesome thing ever (and frankly, a lot of the time, I truly believe this. I’ve had many happy memories watching anime.) That doesn’t mean that I should try to spread the awesomeness to other people against their will. If someone approached me and asked me for a recommendation, I’d gladly give one. (In fact, one of my best friends’ first anime series was Mawaru Penguindrum!) However, I think it’s equally important to listen to other people and understand what they’re about. I quite enjoy listening to other people. You always learn something new and insightful.

Thus, I hide my power level, but not to the point of militancy. It is true that I put away my huge, 7-foot School Days tapestry when my friends come visit, but I also display all of my doujinshi on my shelf. I don’t have a problem with that. I can explain all of my doujinshi, but I can’t explain a 7-foot Setsuna tapestry. And that is awkward.

Talk to me about your dakimakura @Akirascuro on Twitter.

THIS. This is what I picture myself to look like when I'm watching anime.

 My 12 Years of Anime series seemed to go over pretty well with readers, and since this season’s been a bit slow for me, I’m going to write this second set of personal essays about life as an Otaku. I’m naming it the Emotions Cycle, and it’s an exploration into how I feel about being an anime fan. The first thing I’m going to talk about is shame.

If you ask me how I feel about being an otaku, the emotion that comes to mind first is shame. I have never been proud of my status as an otaku. I view it as a vice, a guilty pleasure that I indulge in when no one else is around. An otaku is an abnormality. One can’t be “otaku” and “normal” at the same time. Being an otaku is the exact opposite of being normal.

Thus, I’ve divorced my real life from my “otaku” life. Otakudom is my alternative to life. My image of an “otaku”, articulated many times now, is that of a lonely masturbator gargoyled over his computer. I am ashamed to be that person some of the time. I do not want my friends to know that I am this person, and I certainly would hate for them to catch me watching any kind of anime.

Thus, in my normal association with people, I never mention anime. Most of my friends are not even aware that I am interested in anime, much less that I run a blog about anime. I am completely okay with this. One of my followers on Twitter told me that I should not be friends with people who would make fun of me for watching anime. It’s not that simple. It’s rather that I personally feel ashamed to admit that I watch anime. I don’t want them to know— not that they would do anything if they did. I know they wouldn’t. If I were an avid reader of lolicon manga, that might be a different story, but my tastes are vanilla enough to be somewhat appropriate by society’s standards.

So why the shame? Because I  despise awkwardness, above almost everything else. I do not enjoy being in awkward situations, and awkward people frustrate, nay, infuriate me. I constantly play my own conversations back in my head, identifying all of the awkward spots, trying my best to get rid of them. I constantly ask myself, “How could I have done that better? How could I have made that conversation go more smoothly?”

Thus, I dislike interacting with otaku when there’s any risk of detection. I do not talk about anime with friends unless we are alone, and I do not speak about anime to my friends who aren’t into it. I keep all of my goods in my house, and I generally put them away before my friends come over. Perhaps it’s not worth it, living a double life, but I certainly think it is. I can be an awkward otaku all I want with other fellow otaku (who, remember, by my definition, are inherently awkward because of our hobby) and be a real person when talking to real people. This arrangement suits me fine.

I am very uncomfortable with the vast majority of otakudom. I do not like interacting with them. As someone who’s sold merchandise at booths for many years now (think yaoi paddles), I have seen some truly outrageous behavior at cons. I have often said this, but being an otaku at a con does not give one free license to stop observing basic standards of social decency. It is never acceptable to randomly hug strangers, nor is it acceptable to scream out loud when you see some doujinshi that you want. You’re buying pornography, for God’s sake— have some tact.

I don’t interact with new people at cons. I generally dislike everyone that I meet. There are great people, yes, and those are the ones I ultimately talk to, but I can’t deal with people who use conventions and other anime-related events to  abandon their sense of propriety. I understand that, perhaps, these social spaces are a “safe haven”, but I must say that I am disappointed with the state of otakudom in general.

A final point. A couple days ago, a controversy broke out on Twitter among the members of my anime friend group. The origin of the argument was that one of us had taken personal offense at someone attacking his anime avatar. I did not originally want to get involved with this, but not because I didn’t care.

It was because I believed, fundamentally, that his attacker had been right.

That it’s not really okay to put a cartoon character up as your avatar. While I won’t judge anyone for doing it, I would never do that myself, unless I’m only interacting with people that I had originally met on the Internet. My shame is so strong that I block my real life friends from my own Twitter. (After all, they have Facebook if they need to find me.) My own girlfriend only learned about my anime habits after dating me for half a year. Needless to say, I separate my life very carefully.

So, despite all my shame, why do I continue watching anime? I’ll talk about that next time.

But I am an otaku, and I am ashamed.

Let me know how you feel about this. @Akirascuro on Twitter.

I mean, REALLY now, tell me that's not a dakimakura cover.

Nisemonogatari is quite the spectacular failure, in my book. It panders excessively to fans of its predecessor while maintaining little of its wit. Fundamentally, the most compelling aspect of Bakemonogatari is missing from Nisemonogatari. I’m speaking, of course, about Araragi’s romantic relationship with Senjogahara.

I’ve always maintained that Bakemonogatari was a love story. A brilliantly-executed love story, because unlike most love stories within the anime medium, it actually focused on the relationship post-confession. By episode 4, it’s already established that Senjogahara and Araragi are dating. The rest of the series is spent exploring the various trials and tribulations that they face as a couple. It’s great.

Nisemonogatari is about none of that. Actually, I’m not quite sure what Nisemonogatari is supposed to be about. The first couple of episodes were loosely organized and uninspiring. Araragi saunter through his (post-modern) hometown in a Ulysses-like trek, passing by all of his friends and love interests. Frankly, I found this quite boring. Did Shinbo feel like we needed to be re-acquainted with the characters? Were these little vignettes created just to sell us service shots? I’ll never know.

And speaking of service shots, the amount of pandering in Nisemonogatari is, frankly, offensive. I have to admit, I’m at a bit of a loss about why I feel so strongly about service in Nisemonogatari. After all, I’m the guy who watched all of Strike Witches in six hours. Perhaps it’s because I “expected better” from the creators of Bakemonogatari, one of my all-time favorites. But then again, this is Shinbo we’re talking about. He’s the guy who said that an anime “isn’t good unless it sells.”

In either case, I do not think that Nisemonogatari does itself any favors by relying excessively on service shots. Compound that with Shaft’s legendarily terrible animation skills and we’re left with largely still frames of girls lying in suggestive positions. I dare say that more than half of Nisemonogatari comprises of shots of girls in compromising poses.  Watching Nisemonogatari feels very similar to playing a visual novel with a crapload of CGs. Quite a waste of the medium.

The humor, too, seems to be more forced. The conversations in Nisemonogatari are nowhere near as engaging. Perhaps Nishio Ishin is running out of tricks? It certainly seems that way— many conversations are rehashed, or are variations on a theme. The characters are much flatter than they were in the first season— each character has become essentialized. Senjogahara’s sadistic nature has been taken to its logical conclusion, and the result is a broken caricature of a character. The same is true for every other character. They’ve lost their depth, and now exists almost solely as objects for the viewer’s amusement.

In short, the word of Nisemonogatari seems flatter. The art, the characters, the humor— everything is just a little less dynamic and vibrant than before. If I were a true Shinbo apologist, I’d make an argument about how the “flat” nature of Nisemonogatari is a deliberately construction on Shinbo’s part in order to accentuate the “falsehood” of reality. Adolescence is, after all, a fight to become real, right? Shinbo has that kind of artistic foresight, right? (Formal choices are political choices, right?)

Alas, I am not a Shinbo apologist. I can only say that I’m thoroughly disappointed in the way Nisemonogatari has chosen to construct its world.

Disagree? Let me know. @Akirascuro on Twitter.

You see, Ichika, you've opened the floodgates. Now your relationship with Kaito will never be the same.

Ano Natsu de Matteru (aka Natsumachi) is slowly getting better. After three uninspired episodes, Episode 4 finally gets the ball rolling. Watching the episode got me to thinking about the phenomenon of confession and how a confession works in the real world.

Have you ever confessed to a girl (or a guy) that you liked? It’s a harrowing experience, especially if you’re at the age where confession is the socially acceptable form of professing romantic interest.

The Worst Case Scenario

Do you remember your sleepover parties? One where you gossipped about who liked whom in your friend circles? Ever had a conversation like this one with a girl who was your friend (that you secretly had a crush on):

Love Interest: “Hey, who do you like?”

Self (thinking that she likes you, of course): “I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

Love Interest: “I asked you first!”

Self: “Well… okay. I like… you.”

Love Interest: “…oh…”

And there goes your friendship.

Which is why people generally don’t confess in real life. People can’t un-know things. A bad confession, a botched confession, could mean a permanent break in a blossoming friendship. Look at Kaito’s awkward confession. His friendship with Ichika could have been over. Forever. (Naturally, since this is an anime, that won’t happen. Ichika will realize that she likes him, and they’re eventually going to be together, if only for a little while. It’ll be bittersweet. Trust me.)

In the world of anime, confession has a special power. When the main heroine confesses to the protagonist, it’s almost certain that they’ll go out. When the protagonist confesses to the heroine, it’s a promise that she’ll eventually fall for him. When I was younger, I used to think that confession had this special power. That it was, in essence, a form of inception. That I could somehow make girls that were only friends with me somehow in love with me, simply by telling them that I loved them. Obviously, I was naive. Obviously, no girl ever fell in love with me because I told her I was in love with her.

That Awkward Moment (Those Awkward Months)

The difference is that confession in anime is often a rubber stamp. It simply tells everyone what they already knew. It’s a formality, but an important one. It’s like becoming “facebook official”, in the lingo of today’s youth. Before the confession, there’s always a period of ambiguity where you aren’t quite sure what exactly is going on. I think NatsuMachi is doing a fairly good job of describing Ichika and Kaito’s relationship, which is clearly in this ambiguous, awkward phase right now. She and he are always a little out of sync with each other, getting closer but never touching. It’s quite lovely to watch.

Of course, in real life, that period of ambiguity could mean many different things. It could passing each other by with a playful smile, the occasional hug (you’ll never see this in anime), perhaps even casual sex (ironically, more prevalent than hugs in anime.) Whatever it is, it’s not destined to last for long. At some point, the tension becomes too much and someone has to bring up the inevitable question:

“What are we?”

Of course, whatever the answer is to that question, one thing’s for sure— your relationship will never be the same again. It might be better, it might be worse— but it won’t be the same.

Happily Ever After?

Of course, the other thing that anime doesn’t generally like to talk about is when confessions fail. Sometimes, this happens, but it’s more than not a plot device to show the heroine’s internal development. There are very few cases that I’ve seen (with the notable exception of Suzuka, ironically) where a guy confesses to a girl, dates her for a while, they grow apart and never speak to each other again. We rarely see what failed romances look like.

In fact, we never really see what successful romances look like, either. Most shows end at the confession. We simply assume that everything’s happy. But, as anyone who’s been in a relationship will tell you, that’s not really true. Circumstances change, and when relationships can’t change with the circumstances, they fall apart. It’d be interesting to examine those “changing circumstances” in more detail, and it’s really quite a shame that shows don’t do it more often.

Thus, we have a billion shows out there about that ambiguous zone between platonic friendship and romantic partner. The key to success is getting the awkwardness of that situation down. Both parties, filled with fear and doubt, claw their way forward to something better, driven by a desire for something better, something happier. It’s not that people aren’t happy simply being with each other. It’s just that being able to put a name to a relationship feels infinitely better.

Awkward confession stories? @Akirascuro on Twitter.

Here's a graphic of animes by prefecture. You couldn't even tell, since they're all set in Generic Suburban City.

Akihabara is an integral part of Steins;Gate. That show couldn’t have been set anywhere else— it’s married to the ethos of Akihabara. Maid cafes, moe, the frequent use of memes, 2ch and cellphones all play a central role in the story. It’s too bad, then, that so few shows even attempt to channel the spirit of its setting.

Most shows are set in Generic Suburban City, Japan. They often feature a shopping mall attached to a central train station, a school, a few parks and mile after mile of residential sprawl. If we’re lucky, Generic Suburban City will also feature a riverbank (grass and bridge come included) and perhaps even a hill. Generic Suburban City features cherry blossoms in the spring, cicadas in the summer, red leaves in the fall and dead trees and gray skies in the winter. Does this sound like the setting of almost every show you’ve watched in the past year?

I think that it’s even more criminal when “Generic Suburban City” happens to be a real place. Take Kannagi, for example. It’s set in Sendai, but there’s really nothing about it that stands out at all. Sendai, a place with its own history and culture, becomes “Generic Suburban City” in Kannagi‘s world.

If you notice, anime seems reluctant to identify the city in which it’s set. People only figured out Kannagi was set in Sendai after people from Sendai were able to properly identify the landmarks in the show. I’ve wondered why creators are less inclined to tell us, outright, where their shows are set. Perhaps it’s because they believe that the setting of the show doesn’t really matter. That’s why most shows are set in Generic Suburban City.

Naturally, not every show has to be about its setting. There are certain shows where the setting doesn’t quite matter. In some cases, it’s all about the characters. Put these characters anywhere, and they’ll still act in the same, believable way. There’s a certain universality to certain storylines (unrequited teenage love) that don’t require unique settings.

Even so, I’d argue that setting should still play an important part in shows. A well-used setting brings flavor to the interaction between characters. Sure, Steins;Gate didn’t need to happen in Akihabara, but it would have been a completely different story otherwise. Daru, Okarin and the gang are all products of Akiba culture. We simultaneously love and loathe Daru precisely because we see him in ourselves— and without Akihabara, Daru would not make sense as a character.

Why the need for Generic Suburban City, then? I’m sure the “universality” of storylines has something to do with it. Cities which are generic could be anywhere, including your own town. The creator is telling the viewer, “This story could happen to you.”

And indeed, series with the most well-defined settings generally have the most fantastical plots. ARIA is set in a 23rd-century re-interpretation of Venice. Railgun is set in Academy City. Chaos;Head is distinctly Shibuya. Setting is essential in the construction of these fantastical worlds, and so creators are forced to think very carefully about setting. In stories that happen in modern-day Japan, there’s almost no need to think about setting. Any old city will do. The story is about the characters, and not the place.

I think this is a shame. While I’m all for stories about great characters, I also think that we’re missing something here. Why not let setting add extra texture to characters? Take Hanasaku Iroha for example. While the story is clearly about Ohana and her path to adulthood, Yunosagi, the village in which Hanasaku Iroha is set, plays a major defining role in Ohana’s life. The Bonbori Festival, the local culture of hot springs, the unique challenges that comes to living in a resort down (on season/off season, for example) are all tied in wonderfully with Ohana’s story. The result is a more robust, more unique story about a girl growing up. Certainly couldn’t happened in Generic Suburban City.

The other (far more disturbing) possibility surrounding the Generic Suburban City is that cities in Japan are simply that bland. Apart from Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, every city in Japan seems destined for generic-hood. Did anyone know that Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko was set in Nagoya? Could anyone even tell? Probably not— and perhaps Nagoya is simply that boring, which I think is a very disturbing possibility indeed.

Ultimately, I consider the Generic Suburban City a problem. It robs us of a certain dimension of storytelling in favor of allowing audiences to identify with on-screen characters. Truly good shows don’t need to use generic settings to elicit empathy, and in a world where plots tend to be more formulaic than not, I’m all for as much variation and differentiation as possible.

I’m back to blogging again. I feel a little rusty, but I’ll get it back in time. Meanwhile, spread the news and follow me @Akirascuro on Twitter.

Legendary anime blog 2D Teleidoscope closes doors after 2.5 years

Readers of 2D Teleidoscope are greeted by images of Amano Ai, the main love interest of Video Girl Ai, a series from the late 80s. Ironic, then, that the blog itself was so young. But then again, 2DT, the master of 2D Teleidoscope, was always a man who carefully cultivated his image.

He was a romantic, a psychiatrist and a wordsmith. Nothing fascinated him more than the mind of the lonely masturbator, gargoyled over his computer, wiping his sweaty palms on old Kleenexes. His world was always a little different from our own— a world where ink on a page became passionate lovers, where love transcended not only time and space, but dimension. Through his mastery of the human psyche, he made us understood the passions and fears of imaginary characters. To him, what we saw as representation of reality was reality itself.

Though he opened our eyes to a completely different world, he was always careful to make his brilliantly concise analyses relevant. We were charmed by his neat prose and insightful analysis, but we stayed because we felt his human touch. He was always careful to not let his thoughts  become too rarefied, too academic, too masturbatory. His first and foremost concern was always with being accessible.

Towards the tail end of his blog’s life, 2DT was even more keen to explore the human connections that defined the world of anime. His lovingly-crafted podcasts explored the world of otaku. His interviewees spoke frankly about their fantasies and their vices. Through them, he was able to construct a picture of otakudom and its remarkable ability to bind people together.

For him, the anime world was always about connections. He believed in the power of collaboration. His experimental writings exhibited a distinctively community-driven touch. He playfully paired together the girls from The iDOLM@STER with his friends and colleagues. How fitting it is, then, that his final post was one authored by other people. In the end, 2D Teleidoscope was interested not in his own words, but the words of his peers. He enabled, facilitated and inspired— and when his work was done, he faded into the distance, content to let his friends and successors continue the conversation.

I will be going on hiatus until the 1st of February. I am currently applying to management consulting jobs and I believe that familiarizing myself and fully understanding the case interview process should absolutely take priority over rambling about THE iDOLM@STER (and Kill Me Baby, which is clearly the best show this season.)

In the meantime, please continue to enjoy anime to its fullest. Whether you like to philosophize about Mawaru-Penguindrum, or joff to Niku from Haganai, just enjoy yourself when doing it. See and appreciate the relevance of anime in your real life.

With any luck, I’ll be back with a job. Until then, you stay classy, Internet.

With that hairstyle, Senjogahara, you better be back on the track team.

Good morning, everyone, and Happy New Year. The end of 2011 also heralds the end of the fall season. Let’s take a look at Winter 2012— and attempt to pick some winners. It looks pretty dire, though.

The Full List

Natsume Yuujinchou IV

I haven’t watched the first three seasons yet, but I’ve heard that this is an excellent series and I would definitely like to watch it from the beginning in the future, but I don’t think that now would be the right time to play catch-up. Skip.

New Prince of Tennis

lolz. Skip.

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes 2

I’ve heard from some friends that this is demented fun, but I would need to see the first season first. Skip.

Recorder and Ransel

It’s based off a comedy 4-koma about some ikemen guy who’s actually a 5th grader and his loli classmates. I would be surprised if this was good. Skip.

Kill Me Baby

Russian assassin loli and dumb Japanese girl fuck around. The trailer for this show was absolutely demented and absurd, but I found that attractive, somehow. I’ll give it a few episodes, but I don’t have high expectations. Watch.

Amagami SS+ plus

“SS+ plus?” You’ve got to come up with something better than that, AIC. Watched the first season and hated it. No indication that this season will be any different. Skip.

Highschool DxD

The website for this show is “haremking.tv.” Skip.

Senhime Zessho Synphogear

Is this a show about idols? About robots? Magical girls? Magical robots? Will it be more like Macross F, or Infinite Stratos, or something altogether different? I don’t know. High production values and sheer curiosity will win this show a few episodes’ worth of time. Watch.

Area no Kishi

Not my kind of show. Skip.

Zero no Tsukaima F

Nope. Skip.

Nisemonogatari

I have to say, those new character designs are terrible. There are some girls that can pull off the short hair, but Senjogahara Hitagi is not one of them. Nadeko and Suruga have also gotten less-than-optimal facelifts. Still, Bakemonogatari was too good. Here’s hoping SHAFT does it again, despite those hideous character designs. Watch.

Moretsu Pirates

So dubious. Skip.

BRAVE10

Feudal setting, pretty men— this is a BL show. Skip.

Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki

Comedy anime about  a cat and his owner. Not really my kind of thing, but if someone else tells me it’s hilarious, I’ll give it a try. Doubtful, though. Skip.

Rinne no Lagrange

A show with girls and robots. Those tend to have a mixed record. Xebec also tends to have a mixed record. Episode 1 was painfully generic, but at least the jokes were funny. I’ll give it at least two more episodes to prove to me that it isn’t shit. Watch.

Aquarion EVOL

Now’s as good of a time as any to finally get into this legendary franchise. I’ve heard that no previous experience necessary. Watch.

Ano Natsu de Matteru

I can’t believe this show is done by J.C. Staff. It’s got A1 written all over it— which is a good thing. The subject matter (which I’m guessing is film making) is interesting, as well. Plus, I’m always in favor of anime originals. Watch.

Another

Oh man, PA Works does a gakuen horror mystery. This has “crash and burn” written all over it. PA Works‘ unreliability is legendary. If I were to watch this, it would have to be after this season, after I can get feedback from people who’ve seen the entire thing. Skip.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou

Hated, hated, hated the web episode. Skip.

Papa no Iu Koto wo Kikinasai!

Haruhi and a blonde twintail raise Hibiki Ganaha. No. Skip.

Thermae Romae

The original work won an award for best manga a few years ago, so I have high hopes for this. Besides, it’s 3 episodes— what’s to lose? Watch.

Inu x Boku SS

Loli security? BL? I have no idea what this show’s about, but it’s not looking good. I’ll need someone else’s recommendation. Skip.

Black Rock Shooter

I mean, why not. I’ll give it a shot. Watch. 

Picking Winners

As of right now, I’m planning to watch 8 shows next season, Kill Me Baby, Senhime Zessho Symphogear, Rinne no Lagrange, Aquarion EVOL, Nisemonogatari, Ano Natsu de Matteru, Thermae Romae and Black Rock Shooter.

We can be fairly sure that Kill Me Baby, Senhime Zessho Symphogear, Rinne no Lagrange and Black Rock Shooter all require a fair bit of work. They’re tentative watches for me and I will probably drop them after three episodes if they don’t really grab my attention. Three out of the four shows I just listed are sci-fi. I generally tend to have a mixed record with sci-fi— sometimes I love it, other times I hate it, so I’m giving these three the benefit of the doubt for now. Kill Me Baby will either be brilliant or absolute trash, but the trailer was too ridiculous for me to pass up.

Thus, this season’s watchlist will be heavily focused on Aquarion EVOL, Nisemonogatari, Ano Natsu de Matteru and Thermae Romae. Out of these four, I have the highest hopes for Aquarion EVOL. The original show was legendary, so here’s hoping that this new series will be a worthy addition to the franchise. Nisemonogatari will also most likely be solid. Ano Natsu de Matteru is a total wildcard. I don’t trust J. C. Staff anymore, but they may surprise me yet. Japanese audiences seemed to have loved Thermae Romae, so here’s hoping I will too.

Early pick for show of the season? Either Aquarion EVOL or Nisemonogatari. Let’s check back in a few months and see about that!

Your predictions? @Akirascuro on Twitter.

I remember when I thought this was going to be awesome.

There are way too many fucking posts about good shit. People are literally jizzing themselves dry about Madoka and Penguindrum, so I’m not going to talk about them here. Let’s talk about some of the smaller heroes of 2011. I’ve got a bunch of awards here, without agenda or purpose, arranged in no specific order. Here we are, in true hipster fashion: the oh-so-generically-named Akira’s End of the Year Awards. Warning! I take zero responsibility for any and all spoilers. All opinions are mine only and may not be rationally justifiable.

Daru is not just a pal. He's a pal's pal.

The “Friend A” Memorial Award for Best Supporting Character

Hashida Daru, Steins;Gate

Let’s be fucking honest. Everyone sees a little bit of Daru in themselves. How many times have we let memes slip out in our everyday speech? How many of us sound like some fat, 2D-girl loving loser? How many of us wish we could be related to someone as hot as Suzuha? At the same time, we’re all horrified by Daru— his morbid obesity, his painfully dweeby voice and his unabashed love for everything flat. While we cringe at his awkwardness, we also love him because he pulls through every single time. Hack into SERN? Done. Fix time machine? Done. Buy Okarin Dr. Pepper? Done.

What more could you want from a sidekick?

Shortlist:

Penguin #1, Mawaru-Penguindrum; Oshiroi Hana, Ben-to

This is also my award for "moment of the year."

The Team Rocket Memorial Award for Most Memorable Catchphrase

“SEIZON SENRYAKU!!” –The Hat, Mawaru-Penguindrum

Ah, seizon senryaku. So much more than a catchphrase. But let’s all recall the first time we heard those now-familiar words come out of Himari’s mouth— and saw the world explode into something fabulous. Fabulous Max, one might even say. Ikuhara always changed things up, too— no two utterances of “Seizon Senryaku!” were the same, and yet, they were all so, so iconic.

Shortlist:

“Bonbore!” –Matsumae Ohana, Hanasaku Iroha; “Boku to keiyaku shite mahou shoujo ni natte yo!” (Make a contract with me and become a magical girl!) –Kyubei, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

See, this was my favorite part of the show because it was the only time when I didn't have to hear her say "yes" or "desu."

The Suiseiseki Award for Most Annoying Catchphrase

“Yes Desu,” –Dalian, Dantalian no Shoka

“Desu” is bad enough. “Yes” -> “Iesu” -> Jesus. “Yes desu” is unacceptable. End of story.

Shortlist:

“Hobiron!” –Tsurugi Minko, Hanasaku Iroha; “Iyada wa. Hayaku suritsubusanai to.” (Gosh, I must crush them soon.) –Natsume Masako, Mawaru-Penguindrum

Take a guess--- who's the most annoying character out of the bunch?

The “Why Do You Exist?” Award for Most Annoying Character

Takayama Maria, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

Maria is, in her own words, a poop. She’s the worst. She’s shrill, loud, annoying and completely pointless. She adds absolutely nothing to Haganai and takes airtime away from everyone else. She even dares call Kodaka onii-chan. Step aside, bitch! That’s an-chan to you— and you can’t call him that, because you’re a poop.

Shortlist:

Tsurugi Minko, Hanasaku Iroha; Hagiwara Yukiho, THE iDOLM@STER

The haircut was gorgeous, too!

The “Forever Alone” Award for Least Appreciated “Heroine”

Tsurumi “Tsuruko” Chiriko, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

Nobody cared about Tsuruko. Except me. I loved Tsuruko. She was the only person in AnoHana who wasn’t incredibly annoying. She had her head screwed on (relatively) right. I loved that she kept her cards fairly close to her chest the entire show and didn’t burst into ungodly large amounts of tears. Ultimately, she existed almost outside of the story. She didn’t serve any kind of real purpose and never stood a chance next to Anaru. But still, she was my favorite, mostly because she was the least unreasonable character in AnoHana.

Shortlist:

Oshimizu Nako, Hanasaku Iroha; Yamada Aoi, Working!!

Ugh.

The “We Fucked Up” Award for Biggest Disappointment

Fractale

I’ll be honest— I was looking forward to Fractale. I remember when Yamakan made Kannagi. I loved that shit. I was a little more skeptical about Azuma providing the background setting for the work, but I could overlook that as well. The first few episodes were genuinely charming. Suddenly, everything went to shit. Fractale may have not been a stinking turd, and its worldview was genuinely interesting, but they really should have thought about it a little more. Too bad.

Shortlist:

Kami-Sama no Memocho, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

The “I Fucked Up” Award for Biggest Surprise

THE iDOLM@STER

Did I really expect anything out of an iDOLM@STER anime? No. Even when I heard it was going to be made by A1? Still, no. I thought it was going to be terrible. I thought that I’d get to catch glimpses of every idol’s personality in a “survey course” and learn absolutely nothing important about any of them or the industry at large. While this has been generally true, there are moments (especially towards the tail end of the show) in which the show really picks up the pace and addresses some very relevant issues. Not bad for what I expected to be pure moe fluff. Ultimately vapid and sugar-coated, iDOLM@STER was still well-worth the watch.

Shortlist:

Hanasaku Iroha, GOSICK

ITS SO GOOD

The “A for Effort” Award for Most Improved Series

GOSICK

GOSICK was a bit of a strange show. It started off episodically, but as the series went on, each mystery tied into events and conclusions reached in previous arcs. The characters slowly grew, and the focus shifted onto them, and not the mysteries themselves (which were, admittedly, quite weak.) By about Episode 18, GOSICK managed to turn itself around somewhat and provide a fairly compelling story along with characters that I cared about. Victorique and Kujo saved the show from mediocrity. Hooray for cleverly masking a romance for a detective story. It worked quite well.

Shortlist:

Hanasaku Iroha, THE iDOLM@STER

See? Not EVERY girl is into lesbian sex.

The Yamayurikai Memorial Award for Best Lesbian of the Year

Shiraume Ume, Ben-to

Not only is she a lesbian, she’s also a belligerent lesbian. That makes her the lesbian of the year. Duh?

Shortlist:

The entire cast of Yuru Yuri

Naturally.

Akira’s Waifu of the Year

Hoshii Miki, THE iDOLM@STER

I mean, really. Did this surprise anyone? There were some strong contenders though, honestly.

Shortlist:

Matsumae Ohana, Hanasaku Iroha; Tsurumi “Tsuruko” Chiriko, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

And that wraps up another year of anime viewing. A Happy New Year to all of you, and here’s hoping to no new light novels in 2012. (Yeah right.)

Tell me your New Year’s Resolutions @Akirascuro on Twitter.