How do you participate in fandom?

Whew, long time, no post.

Otakon 2015 is right around the corner.  Which makes me curious about something – conventions are one way of participating in a fandom or fandoms.  Cosplay is another.  So how do you “participate” in your fandom?  Do you consider yourself a non-participant or passive participant in that you just enjoy the show/game/book on its own? Or perhaps you see that as active participation?  Do you cosplay or draw fanart or write fanfiction or attend comventions?  I’m not making this a poll, instead hoping people will share their thoughts in the comments.  

If you’re attending Otakon or any convention this summer, have a great time!

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E3 Aftermath

Post-E3 Blues!

Especially since I feel like this year’s E3 was pretty good!  The live conferences make it all the more exciting!   Two Square Enix games you thought were dead – LIVE!  Wii Fit Trainer vs Mega Man in Smash Brothers!  Assasin’s Creed IV!  JUST DANCE AAAAAAAHH (but no Beyond Good and Evil 2 -_-)

And now…we have to wait for the details to trickle out.  When’s PAX again?!

 

 

 

Flowers of Evil: A Weekly Exercise in Morbid Curiosity

There’s been a lot of buzz about Flowers of Evil this season, so I decided to give it a watch.  Then I watched another episode.  Then came back the following week.  Every week, I expect to see the episode that will turn me off to this series once and for all.  It has yet to happen.

Let’s get the formalities out of the way. Flowers of Evil is the story of quiet middle-schooler Kasuga, a boy who loves reading and particularly relates to the poems in Charles Bauledaire’s book Flowers of Evil. His friends heckle him for his crush on popular girl Nanako Saeki. But when Kasuga gets caught with Saeki’s gym clothes by surly classmate Nakamura, he is blackmailed into a contract with her. This by the way, is a pretty shoddy contract, as it apparently just means she gets to boss him around however she pleases. But such is the way blackmail works.

If you’ve heard anything about this series, it’s probably been about the rotoscoped animation. If this series continues down the path it seems to be on, I think the rotoscoping is more than appropriate – it adds to the tension and the feeling of dank hopelessness that Kasuga probably feels. I have only seen a few images from the manga, but I think the chunky, more realistic proportions and the movement style that comes from rotoscoping is entirely appropriate here. There are quite a few times when faces lose some or all of their detail and I can see how that can be jarring, but the most important moments are given the utmost attention. Setting these characters against a dreary background and the minimal but foreboding score only adds to the tension.

And tension is what’s left of this series when you move past the rotoscoping issue. The tension itself is a matter of being inside Kasuga’s head – an excruciating experience.  Being inside his head allows us to see how he perceives both the world outside and his own place in it.  I think it’s a realistic portrayal of a high school boy who believes himself elevated above his peers, even if watching Kasuga and the events he becomes involved in can be frustrating in a medium that is used to some sort of catharsis.  The pacing in this show will be too slow for some folks, particularly those who like action-heavy or plot-heavy series.  Perhaps even saying this show is character-driven is unfair, because the series is in no hurry to unravel some major truth about its leads.  There are truths exposed here and there – flaws, ways of thinking, perhaps a piece of history that illuminates a personality – but Flowers of Evil is more than content to allow a particular scene, mood, or character’s mistake stew.  For minutes, scenes, or whole episodes.  There is no rush to have a character show growth or learn a lesson – in fact, the series may be on the opposite path – allowing two characters to proceed in a mutual decline.

Ultimately, if you enjoy getting inside a character’s mind, you will probably enjoy Flowers of Evil.  Even if only for a few episodes, this series is worth a shot.  You may need to sprinkle in some Attack on Titan between viewings to get your heart back up to a normal pace.

HEADS UP: Gaijinworks Taking One More Shot With Class Of Heroes II!

Last year, Monkey Paw (responsible for many of the PSOne Imports on the PSN) and Gaijinworks (a publisher founded by former Working Designs head Vic Ireland) tried to run a Kickstarter campaign to bring over Class of Heroes II.  The original Class of Heroes was released by Atlus in 2009, but didn’t exactly make waves with gamers or critics.

Copyright 2009 Acquire Corp., 2012-2013 MonkeyPaw/Gaijinworks

The Kickstarter wanted $500k to produce a deluxe edition of the game – something Working Designs had done in its past incarnation (sans the Kickstarter part!)  It was an interesting experiment – for a genres quickly receding into obscurity such as Japanese RPGs, could Kickstarter be a viable but low-risk venue for still bringing fans what they want by having them prove their desire with their wallets?  The Kickstarter notoriously fell through, but the companies still said they would proceed with a translation and a digital release.  Now that Class of Heroes II’s release is close at hand, Gaijinworks is giving fans one more shot to voice their interest in a simple physical release.  If you’re interested, head over to Gaijinworks and scroll down to the form for the physical release.  You don’t have to put any money down, but you do have to give them your email (and verify it for “special offers”) so that may be a turn off for some folks.

It is disappointing that things turned out the way they did with this Kickstarter – Japanese companies can get very squeamish about uncertainties like this and as the linked Kotaku article above mentions, it may be awhile before they let a company try this again.   (Though maybe Production I.G.’s success with Kick-Heart will change that!) Different game choice, smaller starting funds, and more preparation may have helped this Kickstarter succeed, but at least Gaijinworks isn’t giving up.  In the coming months, I’ll be spotlighting some Kickstarter campaigns and also releasing a series about JRPGs in the West.  If you have any Kickstarter campaigns you’d like to recommend, feel free to post them in the comments!

Dive Inside the TV With Persona 4 The Animation: Collection 1

Last summer I discussed the issue of reverse importation, focussing specifically on the case of Persona 4.  When situations like that happen, they can often redirect focus from the content itself.  So let’s talk about the Sentai Filmworks release of the first volume of the Persona 4 anime and whether or not it’s worth your time – and your money.

Copyright Atlus/Index, Aniplex, and Sentai Filmworks.

The plot of Persona 4 follows close to its video game source material – transfer student Yu Narukami finds his new life in rural Inaba is far from boring when he and his classmates gain the ability to travel to an alternate universe inside the TV.  There, with the help of a strange creature named Teddie, they must use manifestations of their deepest selves known as Persona to fight Shadows and solve a serial murder case sweeping the once quiet town.

For those who haven’t played the game and feel a little lost, don’t worry – the series does an adequate job explaining the new world and its mechanics.  At points, it even makes light of the mechanics or the very fact that it’s based on a game (evident in the series’ commercial eyecatch, which displays the protagonist’s ever-increasing personality statistics).  For fans of the game, this will likely be an amusing bonus, but its effect on newcomers may be hit or miss.

The story itself moves at a brisk pace, giving just enough time to the action scenes and the characters’ own struggles to overcome their personal demons.  The mystery at the center of the story is interesting enough, but the characters of Persona 4 are its strongest point.  The game Persona 3 had an arguably more intense plot than Persona 4, but Persona 4’s cast arguably blended better.  The anime does a good job adapting what made this cast particularly charming.  The most interesting change is one that probably couldn’t be helped – the silent, nameable protagonist from the game is now Yu Narukami and has been given a moderate, yet  distinct personality.

The dub is fairly well-done, reuniting many voice actors from the original game.  The returning voice cast is given a chance to expand their characterizations this time around.  Johnny Yong Bosch does especially well as Yu Narukami, who didn’t have much in the way of voice work in the game, but is presented as a cool-headed, quietly sarcastic teenage boy in the anime.  For veterans of the game, the replaced voice actors may take a little getting used to.  Erin Fitzgerald quickly settles in and gives a bit of attitude and edge to the character of Chie.  Sam Riegel as Teddie may take some getting used to, but it isn’t for lack of trying and he too settles in to the new role by the end of the set (with a particularly amusing performance in episode 11!)

While absent from the Blu-Ray, the Japanese voice track still appears on the DVD sets.  This Japanese dub is fairly typical but solid, with big name seiyuu like Daisuke Namikawa, Yui Horie, Kappei Yamaguchi, Rie Kugimiya, and Romi Paku among the main cast.  The biggest problem with the Japanese dub may simply be the fact that many Western fans who played the English game first may not be used to the Japanese voices, but it’s a concern easily overcome.  The DVD sets also contain Japanese episode commentary.

So is the first set of the Persona 4 anime worth buying?  If so, should you go with DVD or Blu-Ray?  If you’re a fan of the game, the series is absolutely a must-buy!  While the Blu-Rays look nice, fans will have to decide on their own whether they value the dual languages or the nicer viewing experience more.  For me, the DVDs (which run a little more expensive, ostensibly due to the added dub) were worth it.

For newcomers, Persona 4 provides a solid viewing experience.  While the action may play out a little “monster-of-the-week” in this first set, it’s played out with interesting characters who continue to grow as the series progresses.  Newcomers won’t feel lost amongst a sea of terminology or story points left out from the transition.  I highly recommend this series, but if you’re on the fence, check out an episode or two on Hulu (or grab one off of iTunes if you prefer an English dub) and see for yourself.

Persona 4: The Animation Collection 1 is available now.  You can also find episodes on iTunes dubbed.