I haven’t watched an episode of Speed Racer for two weeks but I intend to pick it up again. Especially since I’m using it as an example of how Animation is popular culture for my Society and Culture assignment. Hey, if you have a better example that fulfills the curriculum criteria of a commercialised, easily accessible to mass audiences animation that isn’t The Simpsons (which every other student and their dog is using as their example) I’d like to hear it. And don’t say Lucky Star because that has jokes that aren’t as accessible to the average person in it, we’re talking MASS audiences.
I also watched the first two episodes of Genshiken. Man have I been missing out, I had no idea this great Anime show existed until I saw it referenced in an IGN.com article. Clearly I’ve been living under the Anime rock, because since then I’ve found major fanbase of this show online. I’ll definitely watch the whole thing if I get the chance, but I am quite busy at the moment.
Manga is a pet love of mine, because it is an artform that needs to be appreciated within a specific mindset. That mindset isn’t so much the “OMG Schoolgirls” mindset, but “Gee, the cinematic structure of the panels tell a story which is well illustrated in a school of art which can be as subversive as it can be derivative in some cases”. I like Manga a lot, because it gives me something I can enjoy in between studying and writing/drawing. The important difference between me and the average Manga artist fan is that the only time I draw in the Manga/Anime style is when I’m trying to comment in my work on the artform in a visual and merged textual form (the illustrated novel). As an illustrator the worlds I construct should have characters who look different from the Anime characters they identify with on screen, visually they shouldn’t be too much like the Anime characters. I’ve needed to keep this in mind for an illustrated book I’m writing about Australia and Japan’s relationship.
I’ll probably do a lot more Manga reviews here in future as I acquire more Manga to read, as well as reviews of the Manga I already have on my shelf. (I only bought Vol. 1-4 of Love Hina so I could learn to draw Anime girls, I swear! I usually buy the tasteful stuff, mmkay?)
Geek Philosophy, Nerd Profundities 