The Nutbladder Ranking: 2010-01
I always wanted to do some kind of ranking thing, because it’s fun to express what you feel about the stuff you like (ie., anime) in new ways, and ranking provides an overt framework to express yourself. It’s like a game where you roleplay some nutty critic. Unfortunately I also despise the trapping that any ranking system comes with. I always thought to myself (usually after feeling the want-of-rank) that I could just personify the anime or whatever in Pani Poni Dash (or for the newfags among us, Bakatest) with a short list of arbitrary stats. Kanokon could be something like “Breasts: 4, Trope subversion: 3, Licensed dub possibility: 2″ or something. For another example, Tsukihime anime could be “Existence: 0, Faithfulness to source: 2, Moon Princess: 4.”
Isn’t this fun? (Possibly NSFW pic after the jump.)
The Retailer Focus, BD and New Media
While my heart goes out to the panning of the rant of a retailer, speaking as a buying customer (though I never shopped at RACS) I have to say there is a very agreeable point to what Robert (Bob?) is saying.
Let me see if I can pin it in fewer words and less “quit ruining my business!” bias:
- DVD sales declined partly due to Blu-Ray Disc adaptation, across the whole industry (let alone Japan, who is really taking the lead in anime BD sales).
- BD sales is the next cycle in the home video industry, or at least a part of it. So without BD uptake, the home video sales will suffer.
- BD uptake in anime licensing in America is currently throttled by licensing trepidation, lack of a better word, from Japan. Reverse importation may be the primary source of fear but who really knows? There is no data to support it, one way or the other.
- R1 companies should focus their efforts and resources in securing BD licenses and produce better products, because that’s where the money is in the near future. (I’d also add on my own that before BD prices drop across the board, now is the time to cash in on high margin SKUs.)
Also just for footnote, remember that the US anime industry (if one could be said that there is one, as commonly known) has its roots in the home video business. Pretty much everybody’s core business model is to sell actual, physical products (with one notable exception). It just happens what they sold had to be licensed from Japan. This business came from a tradition of pushing hardware, not software. So things like home video sales trend is key to their survival, including their downstream affiliates.
A proper rebuttal of Rob’s fears (perhaps better put as soothing and reassuring his worries, for the less confrontational) goes like this. In short:
- We don’t know for sure how the BD market is going to turn out in this space. Yet.
- Blu-Ray Disc market has yet to stabilize especially in America, considering the nature of the format still waffles between budding home-theater owners, trend-conscious consumers, and hardcore collectors.
- We don’t know how BD-buying anime fans fit between those categories.
- And there are a lot of other things that we don’t know (most importantly: pricing trends in specifics).
- And once we do know for sure, Japan will much more likely cooperate.
- (Old argument:) The internet piracy market doesn’t overlap with the BD-buying market anyways! All that online stuff is to add revenue stream through the people who won’t buy the physical media in the first place, and the data is good on cannibalization (as in, not enough to worry about).
- Most hardcore collectors either don’t give a flying damn about Funimation’s crap BDs, or lament about it (By the way, this is hawt.). [By the way #2, we also don’t care about some torrent of some 720p material upscaled (by manufacturer) to 1080 then downscaled (by encoder) to 720. WTH guys.]
The way I see it, when Viz, Funimation and others branch into online media stuff, they’re trying to secure as many revenue streams as their budget can allow. I mean, that’s what every media licensing company in America (and elsewhere!) is doing. Even if they don’t make money through it, it’s a great way to advertise. Take Viz for example, I think they suck when it comes to the internet in general, even compared to Funimation (maybe that is because they are now a Japanese company and invariably that sort of lack-of-business-savvy comes like a D&D racial penalty), but even then, they know they have to go there because the is money there, because the next generation of buyers are there. You have to be visible in that space.
If anything, Crunchyroll has shown Japan that there is money in the cloud. It’s a separate question as to if CR can stay afloat, but that’s a different inquiry. Ultimately there’s very little people like Robert can do, so his frustration with the whole shebang of ills throughout the system/process is sympathetic, if a tad misdirected.
I also have one more note from the blog comments–
Who has a BD strategy? I know Funimation does, as their 5-man dedicated in-house mastering folks…exist. They also have dedicated marketing folks that post blog posts and screw around on Twitter. I already mentioned before that these sorts of people are almost luxuries–how many anime licensing companies in the US can afford that? Viz comes to mind, and Crunchyroll? It isn’t like BD mastering is a simple and inexpensive process either. And even today, the only good anime on BD, in the US, come from Honneamise and Sony. That’s it folks! In reality Bandai Visual and Funimation are obviously two players with a BD strategy; one just gets hated on for no good reason (BDs being too expensive is no reason to hate IMO) and jumped ship, the other is in the process of making less-crappy BD releases and wrangling over licensing problems.
In short, BD is still too expensive for small fries, too corporate-paranoid for the big guys (except Bandai), and behind the curve for everyone else (see Funi’s backlog).
Personally, I would love to be able to buy BD of all the anime I want to buy. But a honest look at the landscape of the market would tell me that even if I have a lot of spending money and live in Japan, not all the title I want is even available in BD. Where is my Simoun? Where’s my Futakoi Alternative? Where’s my Kara no Kyoukai? If anything that is the “moral” of the True Tears box story. So, I think it is a little unreasonable to ask a foreign licensee that sort of thing, at this junction.
One thing I do agree with him: Funimation should quit pussy-footing around and make a strong statement in their BD releases; even if it is at the expense of spending more money there and spending less money elsewhere, BD ought to be/will be a core business product. Being the default anime industry leader in the US, they need to be able to put out a quality BD product. Absolutely have to. Why? If anything, so it quells my fear that they can’t even if they wanted to. As I see it, they’re really just trying to scrape by as cheaply as they can, and that just makes the HD-whore in me sad. Worse, it gives me an incentive to wait for something better, like a Japanese release.
And lastly, two more notes:
Japan is paranoid about reverse importation of BDs and they make people jump hoops about their Region A releases. Still, I think there is good sense to change your release methods to avoid making the “ultimate” SKU that will end up siphoning all the richest/most desperate buyers. It is the opposite approach of the Honneamise/BV strategy. For example, we have Disney’s Ponyo, which is tailored to the American audience for their US release, and tailored to the Asian audience in their Japanese release. I think it’s quite clever that the Japanese release carries just a 2.0 English track where as the US release carries a 5.1 Japanese (but lower bitrate than the Japanese one) track. I think that’s really tailoring it to the right audience. Of course, this strategy doesn’t apply so well on titles where volume of sales that don’t tier, or are just really low. And yeah, it rubs those perfectionist collectors the wrong way, but they could always just buy both copies :3
(Oh wait, that makes THREE studios with concerted BD strategy. Let’s remember the margin Disney makes on these babies in their Japanese release. Ahem.)
The other note being–do people care? I mean it sort of goes under my bullet up there about “overlapping.” Poor suckers like me probably would double- and triple-dip on BD/DVD/VHS/LD or whatever as long as you give us a compelling reason we will buy SKU from our favorite shows. I think that’s the basic operational mentality from the consumer side of things in the anime industry. In that sense, when Funimation releases Samurai Champloo BD, I bought it, mainly because it would be my only archival copy–that is the same as buying the DVDs of the thing, since the quality is about on par (if not worse). Still, I bought the damned thing. I can see why people might not buy it as an upgrade to their library, but it’s one example where the BD SKU can fit a role that a budget re-release DVD does for a title that already has a first or second pressing. I think Funimation understands this and knows that’s possibly where the money is!
TL;DR: It is a game of incentives. Funimation (and everyone) stands to gain from playing ball in the various markets, both because there is something to gain and because it is relatively cheap. Before we cry about bulking up core businesses we have to rationally examine the potential gain versus the cost, even if it contradicts with what I said up there…
Marble
No puns this time! (I think.)
I’ve grown to like Marble’s music, the pop duo Micco and Tatsuya Kikuchi that have re-launched their brand of music since 2007. To be more concise than Wikipedia, the two signed up with Lantis in 2007, and since then they’ve released a line of music that really gets to me.
Before then, the two also have worked for and with different artists, writing music, touring, and releasing stuff. Both can compose, play and write; and in stereotypical musical-duo-form, Kikuchi gets to do the bulk of programming and play. Some names they’ve written for include Nana Kitade, Mai Nakahara, and Ryoko Hirosue, among others. Recently, they’ve written one of the character songs (at least?) for Hatsukoi Limited and provided the OP song and the Christmas episode image song. Their first single from Lantis launched with Hidamari Sketch (2007), as the ED song, and you can hear their latest single in Hidasketch Hoshimitsu (X***?). More (outdated) info can be found at the marblepedia.
Actually, I want to talk about that ED. See here. With lyrics. It’s a bit of a divergence no? I thought the way they sounded since 2007 had a particular method to their madness. It is like dressing up street pop with a lot of glitz, but in a fluffy, diet-soda kind of way. Compared to the songs on their two re-release albums, which was a lot more mainline indie/folk/jazz influenced, the new stuff is just outrageous. And I don’t mean outrageous like Lady Gaga. It’s like Akiba/Dempa with a much smaller dose of the electricity.
Oh right, their new song, “Sakura Sakura Saku ~Ano Hi Kimi wo Matsu Sora to Onaji de~,” is a freaking mouthful. And catchy in that cheapass teenage powered rock music way. Sigh. Perhaps it’s a progression from Hatsukoi Limited? Wait, there is a PV to Hatsukoi Limited? LOL?
It’s like seeing Micco in that outfit for Kuusou Jet reminds me of Elizabeth from Persona 3. Farm their old blog for pics–the two of them post quite a bit, and you can follow their new posts on their ameblo.
In fact it’s probably more amusing than a blog post full of links you can google up in a few minutes. In a nutshell that’s partly how I feel about Marble–they are nothing really extraordinary, but somehow they’re just really enjoyable. It is as if they are in a niche that takes advantage of their competent if humble skill set. It’s like, moe?
It’s so much like moe, that all this poking and researching don’t add much to my appreciation of their works. So weird. I guess it beats writing a post about the lone nipple pointing at the moon…
How Has Anime Changed Over the Past 15 Years?
Ask John the same question, and you can read his answer.
It is a tough question to tackle, so I felt it was unfair to criticize him behind his back. Rather, I want to supplement his survey of the last 15 years of anime by pointing out some key changes that JP and I (mostly I) felt that was too important to be left out of John’s answer. There are also some erroneous bits, but I’m going to ignore them for now (ie., LOL moe and tsundere in anime predates 1995 kkthx).
Japan, now online: Between 1995 and 2010, cellular phone penetration has skyrocketed in Japan. If you recall Makoto Shinkai’s 5 cm/s, that was a key plot device in the first segment, especially coming into the film as a generation who find their cell phones second-nature. I presume this is how most modern Japanese teens and young adults feel about cell phones. Of course, Japan is this weird place where more people go online and do their internet stuff via cell phones than with their personal computers, so that also means places like 2ch is really a socially important thing today. Let’s not even go into how important 2ch is for anime fans of Japan. And 2ch didn’t officially exist until 1999.
The impact of 2ch on anime is hard to point and cite authoritatively, even if I’m sure we could cite to a bunch of stuff. It is, however, notable as a way for industry folks to gauge and interact with fans. Leaks to 2ch is almost like a marketing tool nowadays. (Kanatagatari’s leak is widely thought of as on purpose, for example.) We have anime and manga made about the Train Man story, which is essentially a national-cultural nod to 2ch. Obviously 2ch gets referenced in anime and manga, too. Still the real impact of 2ch has on anime is on the fans, on the fan industries (read: doujin market), and as a social hub that can make or break a work. Gurren Lagann episode 4 anyone?
And that’s just 2ch. Blogging; Mixi; online stream sites like Nico and Youtube, DTO sites, paid-streams, even the likes of Crunchyroll and foreign-operated licensees all play a notable role in the evolution of anime especially in the latter part of this decade. Pixiv and similar communities fostered growth of talents, even if only in part. It also presented a fan-facing revenue stream, complemented that whole “Comic Market” mentality that, well, we’ll get right to it.
The Stuff I Like, the Stuff You Like
There is this post on Jtor which basically copies from some other site (NSFW?) which copies from 2ch about that there are two types of anime otaku, and what they look for in an anime. And then there’s a response from a Japanese site which talks about the posts on Jtor and SC. It’s a weird circle of communication in which I’m hoping will make into a full circle yet again by having somebody (me?) posting on Jtor to discuss this.
But before I (or hopefully someone else) do that, maybe we can discover something more substantive about the nature of the Western anime fan-beast, in contrast with the Japanese variety. Let me reproduce the list of criteria here–
Type A
- A person who simply enjoys “anime.”
- Is proud of Japan’s anime.
- Evaluates anime based on direction, voice acting, art, etc.
- Hates shallow anime with no real content.
- [Plot] emphasis >>>>> Moe anime.
- A recent example would Higashi no Eden. Fans of anime who like Lain or Ghost in the Shell would probably be this kind.
Type B
- A person who simply enjoys “characters.”
- Will watch an anime if it includes cute or beautiful characters.
- Doesn’t care if story is awful, as long as the characters are of interest.
- Evaluates anime based on which seiyuu are in it and what the characters look like.
- Loves moe elements. Doesn’t like complex anime.
- The otaku the media picks up on are usually this kind.
- Doesn’t know that much about anime and so is often criticized by Type A otaku.
- However, they make much better customers than the more discerning Type A otaku.
- People who like K-ON!, Queen’s Blade, Strike Witches and so on would be in this class.
- Recently there has been a huge increase in anime targeted at Type B otaku.
Seems pretty simple, besides the one change I made. However the picture in the west is cloudy because anime fandom is significantly more insular and strongly branded than in Japan, I believe. During the blooming years, there were people who consumed anime just because it was anime. ADV’s now infamous slogan (”STRAIGHT FROM JAPAN!”) pretty much hits it on the spot. And after all there are no such things as a Japanese weeaboo.
But even if we discount the “Cool Japan” influence, I am sure there are still a lot of people who are interested in anime and manga, because they tell very different stories, targeted to teenagers and young adults, than what is available in the west (especially in American, I believe). The boom of manga in big box bookstores of America is evidence enough.
It’s much the same in Japan, I suppose, that there is a bundling of two philosophically different types of anime fans. In some ways the 2ch distinction is half-trolling, so we can’t take it too seriously; but all good trolls incorporate at least a modicum of truth in their statements, so let’s look at that. In interest of length let me just bullet them–I’m going to just basically combine what is said for type A and type B to draw some statements that are more universal.
- Persistent characterization is content that is often missing in western works for young adults and teens in the west, but it is a strong draw of manga and anime.
- Cuteness is not an aesthetic cherished by western culture, let alone popular media, past the pre-teen segment. In contrast, Japan is all about the cute (and later on expanded by moe and related stuff).
- Fans evaluate anime usually on bifurcated layers–conceptual and superficial. The best example of this is Ponyo, which is conceptually average but visually jaw-dropping awesome. For some, a strong plot is a must-have (why are battle manga and things going to Koushien becoming gag tropes?), others care more about theme, production value, aesthetics, and context.
It is probably fair to say that most Western fans operate within these spaces, at least in my own experience over the past decade or so. It’s a little more perplexing trying to apply these principles to explain the appeal to me of four shows this season. So lets.
Seikon no Qwaser - actually, this entire class of violent and pornographic anime, dating back from the 80s and onward, is something that made anime both world-famous yet hard to approach. It also slowed anime’s gain in mainstream from the get go, since “violence and porn” was what some early adapters of the west thought of Japanese animation well into the late 90s. It probably doesn’t fit with type A or type B fans per se, but it does for type C fans, who embraced anime because it was simply different, controversial, and clearly cartoons not for kids (C is for “Cool Japan” types). At the same time, these sorts of anime also embodies other characteristics found in less violent and sexualized works, such as distinct characterization of its leads, fantastic settings, or outright regurgitation of some western lore for superficial purposes. Vampire Hunter D comes to mind, yeah? As a character driven mystery with action and shocking scenes, colored by an European-inspire set of aesthetics, I think Qwaser fits the bill pretty well superficially. To that end, we can think about Queen’s Blade, D, Qwaser, and others like them as thin on plot (although at times thick on intrigue).
So Ra No Wo To - Sora no Oto is more a hybrid creation than what it lets on. This is a good beginning to explain its uniquely Japanese appeal. It is truly authentic “Japanese” if you will, rather than simply what is known as weird or edgy or exotic. On the other hand, the weird, edgy and exotic is attention-grabbing, and an anime about nothing much except its healing properties (albeit in a weird and exotic setting) is probably less so. Think to yourself: will a mainstream audience enjoy this show? They will probably be bored to death first. But just like Qwaser, Soranowoto also exhibits an overt attempt at characterization and a distinct visual appeal, like many other anime. To use a different example, 2ch’s type A otaku might have a less difficult time agreeing with type B otaku on Denno Coil’s appeal, except that type B people won’t find it visually absorbing or nitpick at the theme, and type A people will grumble about the plot, or stupid kids, or something along those lines. In other words, it has some objective merit on its own. Likewise, the setting and production value in Soranowoto are remarkable to say the least…and the jury is out for the rest of the show, as we are only 3 episodes in.
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu - As with a large number of manga/light novel turned anime in the past decade, there is a concerted effort from manga creators to appeal to a large number of readers. This is particularly true with works from competitively circulated serialized magazines, where success depends on amassing as many type A and type B fans. Due to the nature of Japanese TV anime, the end result tends to shift a tad more towards type B than type A, but we can see that concerted effort in Bakatest regardless. Take a tried-and-true formula of high school battle with virtual avatars, add in your tropes, mixed up with theatrics and comedy, and the end result is something different yet so familiar. The mix-a-trope description isn’t an entirely fair thing to call any anime (even if anime tends to be very trope-focused), but somewhere in that concoction is a very plot-driven narrative, and that’s what most type A fans crave.
Hanamaru Yochien - This is an anime made in the disguise of a for-the-family comedy. In reality it is laced with that controversial aspect–the eroticism of child-like characters. Of course, most of the time in any anime, the notion of that knowledge is just tongue-in-cheek. In Hanamaru’s case, it goes nowhere even that far; perhaps just a step beyond typical toilet humor. The appeal of Hanamaru, for the most part, is simple but strong characterization coupled with appropriate humor. Much like a similar and well-heralded comedy Azumanga Daioh, the “in the know” factor adds a humorous, albeit darker edge to the jokes. As one would expect, the rest of the show’s production and designs help to accentuates these elements in the story. Admittedly that alone may not be enough for most type A audience; at a glance it is an anime with childish humor. But for those who may enjoy either the aesthetics or the hidden edge to the jokes, there is something to be enjoyed. That said, I’m not sure that characteristic can be fairly associated with type A or type B otaku.
You get the idea. It’s like calling Psgels a type A and Kurogane a type B. But in reality they’re not that different.
