Let's Share: Figure Photography

Let's Share is back again! I feel that among the long list of big names, smaller fans get lost in the shuffle. There's a lot of talent and skill out there, but goes unnoticed. So I want to promote these talented people in a way to help build awareness and unity among anime fans and otaku.

Somewhat related to My Figure Collection, I would like to take the time to pass the spotlight to a talented anime fan. She goes by the name of Tsubaki, and is very skilled at figure photography.

For the uninformed, figures usually involve small statue like replications of anime characters. They're known to be collected by fans and otaku. While it may not seem like it, collecting is a very interesting hobby, as not only do you get to see your collection of favorite characters grow, you meet a lot of exciting people along the way.

Please take a look at the pictures below, and please check out Tsubaki's profile to support her!

Tsubaki's Pictures

Profile

Flavors Page

Why I Don't Agree with Hayao Miyazaki's Opinion on the Anime Industry

Kiki's Delivery Service was a favorite of mine as a child.

I'm aware that I might get a lot of hate for this post, but oh well. Recently I read an article regarding Hayao Miyazaki's thoughts on the anime industry. Miyazaki states that the problem with the industry is that it's full of "otaku" who don't spend time watching "real people." He goes even further to state that anime is made by humans who can't stand to look at other humans.  I completely disagree with this statement.

First, for those who don't know him, let's take a look at Hayao Miyazaki. For a brief summary, "Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's greatest animation directors. The entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking animation in his films have earned him international renown from critics as well as public recognition within Japan." (Source IMDb) He is also known for Studio Ghibli, an animation company.

From the above paragraph you can see he is a very esteemed individual, and the average person has every right to take his words to heart over a simple writer. However, I believe everyone's opinion matters. So if you would please, hear me out.

It seems to me that people like to toss around the statement, "otaku are to blame." With a group so low on the social scale, it's easy to make them the scapegoat. Not only is this statement, in my opinion incorrect, it is also a hasty generalization. Miyazaki's statement is just placing the blame. By doing this we're not accomplishing anything, just finding a group to bully around. He's judging a group of people that he doesn't even know. I feel that if you really want to better younger generations doing this is an absolute no-no.

Something that people seem to forget is that anime is fiction. People watch for various reasons, to escape reality, for entertainment, for review, etc. So if we deal with reality on a daily basis and real people, why should we have to worry about whether our anime feels "real" or not?

Then again, maybe he is right. Maybe anime is produced by humans who can't stand looking at humans, but is this necessarily a bad thing? Who can judge someone when anime is essentially a work of art, a concrete representation of their outlook. The fact that we can't enjoy something as much because characters are less real, is ridiculous. Have people forgotten how to have fun?

What was more appalling than his comments were the responses of other anime fans. They continued to drone on about increasingly popular "moe anime." People complain that anime has become nothing but an outlet for fan service. They state characters are unrealistic and are two-dimensional, having little to no depth, and of course it goes back to otaku.

One comment was extremely disturbing, "Watching anime should be a hobby, not an all-encompassing lifestyle. Otaku not only sully the anime industry, but they perpetuate negative stereotypes about the Japanese."

So you're saying that people can't live as they want to now? What!?

I would spend long amounts of time going into my thoughts of otaku, and why being one is not necessarily a negative, no matter what part of the world you're in. However, I've stated it numerous times before. If interested please read this post.

From what it looks like to me, people are stuck in the past with old-fashioned views. We're in 2014 now. This isn't the 90s. While the anime industry isn't perfect, there is no reason to right it off due to the appearance of cutesy characters. Anime doesn't need to be dark and realistically drawn to have a good message. I believe that their are certain problems in the industry, such as lack of originality, but to say that moe is the cause is foolish.

Throughout my days I have been hit with the same criticism. People tend to write off what I say due to the characters I like. I've been judged and told that I have bad tastes. Statements get tossed around such as, "Of course you'd like that character/anime," in a way that could be related to a royal looking down on commoners. Not only is it hurtful, but it's discouraging when a community of people who share your hobbies, thinks of you in such a way.

I for one appreciate moe, but I also appreciate more in depth stories. I think the balance of both is something that makes well roundness.  I feel we don't have the right to judge others based on their likes and dislikes, or lifestyle. As long as they aren't causing pain or hurt to anyone else, what's the problem?

Yet people don't seem to feel this way, and thus the true problem with the anime industry is born.

I believe as fans we are divided, and by being divided we are causing the fall to the industry ourselves. By thinking the same way as Miyazaki, we are discouraging future generations.


Again, I'm not necessarily saying that everything is all perfect and dandy. I'm just saying that it's not as bad as it's made out to be.  I'm enjoying the Winter 2014 season of anime and I like how things are being done, but at the end of the day, don't we all watch because we enjoy anime? If cute moe characters and shallow stories stop you from doing that...ask yourself: why do you even watch? Have you forgotten how to follow your heart and have a good time?

I urge you to take this post as you want; you may see it as the ranting of an otaku, or the humble opinion of a writer who loves Japanese culture.

My apologies if this was a long, but thank you for sticking with me this far!

A BlazBlue Birthday: Jin Kisaragi

February birthdays are very popular for my favorite anime/video game characters. While everyone is caught up in the Valentine's Day festivities, let's not forget Jin Kisaragi's birthday. Happy Birthday Jin!

Anime Fans and Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. (and already here for some of you.) However, there's somewhat of a negative image that seems to revolve around the day, and I feel that's a bad thing. It could be due to media, experiences, or other reasons, but I feel like the holiday has lost it's true meaning.

I'd rather not go back into history and bore you with a long story. So let's just say that it seems like people tend to automatically feel sad around the holiday. People are depressed because they have to spend this lovey-dovey day without a partner. Others are mad with the fact that their current partner seems to not give a hoot about the holiday, or that they haven't given them the gift they wanted. A few have absolute hatred for the day and everything to do with it. What gives?

While this post is technically named "Anime Fans and Valentine's Day" I feel this is something that everyone needs to read. Why dislike a day because of what the world has created it to be? By holding those negative feelings in your heart, you're not only preventing yourself from finding a partner by shutting out love, you're weighing yourself down. If we've learned anything from anime it's that love is a powerful emotion. Yes, this may sound very cheesy and may be overused, but that doesn't mean it's not true. While hatred, darkness, and other negative things have the power to change people, love does as well. Usually for the better. 

"What good is love if you're single" you say? "No one loves me?" If you continue to think this way you'll continue to be stuck in this trap. Let's call this the negative thinking trap...which is something I learned from checking out this article. 

Somewhere along the time I entered high school, I was done with Valentine's Day. I didn't care for any of it, and highly disliked the commercialization behind it. I thought it was a big waste of money to give money and objects to people as an attempt to win affection. It angered me as I watched others receive gifts and saw more receive absolutely nothing. Carrying this hatred in my heart for a simple holiday only proved to be hurtful to me. However, later I discovered that much like Christmas, gift giving and one's current relationship status have nothing to do with this holiday. Somewhere along the line, the meaning of love has been warped. In my opinion, Valentine's Day is a day for spreading love, not a day to show your love.

At first this statement may seem pretty redundant, but just hear me out. The two differ slightly; one can show their love, but not spread it. However, if one decides to spread their love there will be no need to show it. 

In lame man's terms, this basically means that it's a day to share your love for everything. People, hobbies, and most importantly yourself. Who cares if you aren't in a relationship? Share love with your friends or random people even! Don't spend your time on others only. Take care, love, and accept yourself for who you are! Spend time doing things you love, whether it be anime, gaming, or manga. Get others interested in what you love! By keeping a positive attitude and spreading love, you'll attract even more of the same. Don't spend Valentine's Day being bitter or angry, be happy! Love the world, love yourself, love each other unconditionally.

Peace and love to all of my readers!

Happy Birthday Miriel!

Happy Birthday to my Fire Emblem: Awakening wife, Miriel!

I plan on reviewing Fire Emblem: Awakening after my wonderful experience with the game so please stay tuned!

For more info on her: 

Miriel (ミリエル Mirieru, Myriel in the Japanese version) is a playable character from Fire Emblem: Awakening.

A grandiloquent but fastidious Shepherd who waxes wroth if so much as a single arrow sits askew in its quiver. She adore research and obsesses over her object of study. The most superfluous packer. Born on February 12th.

Let's Share: MyFigureCollection

Good evening! This is going to be a start of a new series called Let's Share! Every few days or so, I'm going to post something related to anime for others to learn about. It could be literally anything, artwork, music, websites, people, anything. My goal is to not push my opinion only on others, so I would love for readers to comment and give their insight on the current topic.

Off to see the....figures?

Up for today is a website by the name of My Figure Collection. It can be located at MyFigureCollection.net. I recently stumbled upon the website due to friends and I have been enjoying my time their thus far.

So for those who don't know much about it, but can't be bothered to read long descriptions here's a little sneak peek.

• MFC offers a place to show off and organize your collection of figures. However, it's not just figures; anything regarding anime or Japan can be added. The database is still growing, so a particular item you own may not be there.
• The website offers a pretty friendly community, I was instantly welcomed upon arriving and made friends in little time.
• There are many clubs for the different niches of the anime community. You can explore and find the group that's right for you!
• Pretty detailed profile customization is available, however the fact that some features require donating, is kind of a drag.
• Allows you to upload pictures of your figures, a nice feature if you want to practice photography.

That's all the general information that you should know about it. I think it' a nice little site for an avid collector wanting to share their collection with the wold. Check it out!

If you want to check out my profile, you can find me at this link.

Are there any other websites you'd recommend for figure collectors and anime fans?

A Few Recent Blog Tweaks

Hey everyone! I've decided to fix up (and hopefully improve) my blog. I'm just going to take the time to explain a few changes I've made.

First up, I added dividers between my header links. Hopefully that makes them easier to read as the words tended to run together. I've been considering adjusting my blog to make use of my Facebook Header...though I'm not sure if it will look well.

I adjusted the post background so transparency isn't a problem. I received a few complains about my posts being hard to read due to the transparency. I think white is a good color in contrast to the overall orange...but it seems a bit too plain. I might change it to a lighter orange/tannish color to help bring some life to my posts.

Lastly, when entering my blog you would notice a gear depending on how long it takes to load. Recently I found a way to change this and replaced it with a gif. However, I'm not sure if this will cause unnecessary loading or not. If you experience longer load times or lag, please let me know and I'll work on fixing it! Also, if these changes have made reading or navigating harder, don't hesitate to speak up!

That's all for now, see you later!

Don't Lose Your Way!

My apologies for the lack of posts, my laptop is currently down due to a broken power cord socket, and it's been interfering with my progress. However, that is no excuse. I've acquired a new laptop and I'm ready to start writing again!

I'd like to share the spotlight to another writer who inspired me to make this post. If you want to check out his blog and the post which inspired "Don't Lose Your Way!" please click here.

 

 

If you're a recent anime watcher, you've probably heard of Kill la Kill. (Kiru ra Kiru) Yeah, it's general idea may sound farfetched; I mean it's an anime about clothes...but when has anime ever been normal?

 

However the main focus of this post is not to discuss the anime. It's more about the messages that comes behind it and the saying it's known for. When Ryuko uses her sailor suit to transform we usually hear the one signature phrase. Yup, that's right. "Don't Lose Your Way."

 

If we listen to the rest of the lyrics of the song, they talk about the bond between Ryuko and Senketsu. (her sailor suit) Yet, this isn't the only thing we can learn from this line.

 

It's all about how fiction can be related to everyday life. I think that somewhere along the road of life we start losing our way. Some people lose it completely, others hang onto it inside. We're social beings, its only natural as we're human. As we live our lives we're surrounded by the ambitions, opinions, and judgments of others, as well as our own. The effects are up to the individual person.

Have you, readers, lost your way? Was there a dream or goal that you've always wanted to reach? Was there something about yourself that you changed because you wanted to fit in? Are you hiding your true feelings? Maybe you're pretending to be someone you're not. Who knows.

 

Whatever the reason is...if you're in the midst of losing your way, please listen to these words: Don't Lose Your Way! If you've lost your way, don't worry there's still time. It's never too late to learn, never too late to change. Regain your way! Take hold of your life and aim for what you believe in!

 

 Don’t lose your way in your mind
We have to be as one
Don’t be afraid my sweetheart
This is the way to be more strong