Category: Character Studies

Tiger & Bunny: Single Dad Saves Superheroes

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Superheroes have been in mainstream news a lot recently. Between Marvel’s new Ultimate Spider-Man, who debuted this month, and DC’s reboot of 52 comics including all of their most classic characters, which also started this month, everyone has been hearing hero talk lately. Both cases have brought up conversations about the dwindling readers of superhero comics and what can be done to interest new and fallen fans. Tiger and Bunny might have some suggestions.

Japan is not known for liking superhero comics. If Robert Downey Jr. is playing Iron Man on the big screen then, like most of the world, they will go see it in theaters. But they will not rush home to order some Iron Man comics. They all see these movies as American summer blockbusters but with no greater interest in the source material. Really the only people who read superhero comics in Japan as a small subsection of Otaku. Otaku are already a fringe group in Japan so superhero fans are a minority within a minority. Even attempts like the Marvel and Madhouse co-productions have done little to change this sentiment. Then along comes Tiger and Bunny.

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Shinobu Miyake: Otoko nan te!!!

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Carl at Ogiue Maniax is currently running a contest to win a copy of Galaxy Express 999 and Adieu Galaxy Express 999. I decided that I would make today’s post my entry into the contest. I sadly don’t talk about Rumiko Takahashi or Urusei Yatsura nearly as much as I should. Bu this contest gives me a chance to talk about one of my favorite anime characters. One that I normally don’t talk nearly enough about. I have loved Shinobu Miyake since my early in my fandom. She is fascinating character study and noteworthy in several respects outside of the scope of this post. But for now let me answer a question about growing up.

What is your favorite example in anime/manga of a character growing up, whether literally or figuratively, and why?

Rumiko Takahashi is rather infamous for creating great characters with huge personality quirks and then running them though hundreds of different scenarios as their signature shtick plays off of each new situation. For this to work the characters largely have to remain the same loveable jerks they are when they are introduced who never learn from their experiences. But I think there is one character who very clearly goes through a strong character arc over the course of Urusei Yatsura. That character is Shinobu Miyake.

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Nine Spiral: Gackt Played By Gackt

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I don’t make it a part of my typical routine to look at Sket Dance, but when I heard Gackt was going to grace the show’s 15th episode with his melodious voice, I made sure to check it out. When reading up on the role that Gackt was to play, I found out that the character is actually an homage to Gackt in his Malice Mizer days.

For those who don’t know Gackt’s history, Malice Mizer was a goth/visual-kei band during the 90s. The image currently associated with Gackt is somewhat far from that gothic period in his career. Although, he is still as eccentric as ever, which is why he was more than happy to voice a parody of himself.

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