Category: Editorials

January’s Final Denouement: The secrets of incest and childhood friends.

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My first Final Denouement comes from two commonly used tropes that seem to perplex people to no end. What is the dual appeal and popularity of childhood friends and incestuous siblings to Japan? I propose that while these are hardly the same fetish they both tap into a very similar cultural desire. This makes them oh-so-popular with the Japanese but very odd to the Western audiences.

Japanese society promotes a very formal culture. There can be countless barriers between casually meeting people let alone dating. How many times in anime and manga have you seen people be reluctant to use someone else’s first name despite having know them for the longest time? A recent Anime 3000 podcast makes it clear that while they are opportunities and venues to get to know people better in Japan, overall the Japanese tend to value and protect their privacy from strangers. These barriers are not strictly Japanese, it is just that they can be stronger and more culturally enforced in Japan.

Opportunities to circumvent these barriers are especially appealing to the socially awkward. A way to instantly have a connection to someone without having to go through the complicated social dance could be extremely appealing to someone who has two left feet with such matters. It would be an ideal dream to know someone that would let you bypass these social barriers. To be instantly on an informal level with someone that would easily promote a more intimate relationship is the magical appeal of the childhood friend or the sibling.

The childhood friend is a person you have know all your life therefore you can instantly talk to them as an equal. The childhood friend is known before the tricky politics of gender relationships have formed in your head. Before the wall that separates men and women has become concrete. So when both friends awaken to sexuality there is this open bond that formed naturally without any of the messy complications of adult relationships. The sibling exists in an even more familiar and barrier free existence. Incest also has the added taboo factor which might turn away some but actually attract others.

These two factors then become understandably attractive. The socially inept do not have to change who they are or attack a seemingly unbeatable foe. They just have to be themselves and can still connect with someone romantically. This is not totally running into a realm of fantasy but it is a wish for a simple answer to a more complex problem. I would equate it with wishing to win the lottery. Fun to think about but horrible to put any amount of concrete hope into.

New Year’s Resolution Match Game

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A. B. C.

D. E.  F.

G. H. I.

J.  K. L.

1) “I won’t tell you what my resolution is! I know you are all plotting against me!”
2) “My doujinshi will sell 3,000 copies at Comiket then get picked up by Weekly Shonen Sunday!”
3) “I will stop consuming people’s souls to fill the ever growing hollow feeling that I am not worthy of life. Also learn to cook western food better for sempai!”
4) “I could be nicer to those bandits.”
5) “This year I will try to let the love of my life get almost-raped less.”
6) “I will befriend everyone in the class and we will live together in harmony by taking out any punk that gets in my way using my newly improved supernatural abilities.”
7) None. He has no regrets that need resolutions to fix.
8) “I will set aside time from Mahjong each day to pursue my true passion: Needlework.”
9) “I’m going to win a fight all on my own this year. Seriously. For real this time.”
10) “I won’t buy the Fate/Extra Saber figure. I won’t, I won’t!”
11) “There will be more mecha anime this year even if I have to make it myself!”
12) “I will raise an ancient city with the power of my rock n’ roll this year. Oh, wait…”

Narutaki & Hisui VS. 2009

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Narutaki & Hisui VS. 2009 is in part an award show, in part an exercise in humor and snark, in part a challenge, and in part a love letter to everything great this year. We picked several categories and each of us picked titles, characters, and people who we felt best summed up our feelings on the year. Take a peek into what we thought on the anime and manga of 2009 and the people who bring it to us. Feel free to suggest new categories and challenge our picks.

Would also love to hear other people’s picks for some of these categories as well! By the way, some of this stuff happens to have come out in years gone by but we first watched/read/whatnot this year so that’s why they’re here, I’ll hear no guff about it! I really enjoy this part of the year, all the posts seem to be more fun and this one is no exception.

Best Anime of 2009 or Show that Infuriates You to No End When Someone on MAL says “If you like this show you will love Dance in the Vampire Bund.”

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
The noitaminA is your go to animation slot when you are looking for something that is simultaneously different, mature, well produced, and smart. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is no exception to this rule. An exceptional look at ordinary people involved in an extraordinary but still extremely feasible situation. It is a superb mixture of intense character study and survival drama. I know some people feel the end is weak but I thought it did well in capping off this  powerful and thought provoking show.

Eden of the East
It is a little bit mystery, a little bit drama, and a little bit suspense wrapped around an intriguing concept. It’s a wonderful series to watch unfold and since Takizawa doesn’t remember what has happened there is a wonderful element of discovery that comes. Takizawa himself is a refreshing and mysterious guy but you always get the feeling, or I did, that he was a good guy even when things looked dubious. Also he loved dogs, can’t be bad. The game was able to engross and impress me from episode one and continued to do so throughout its broadcast.

Anime Man of the Year or You Must be Swift
as a Coursing River

Battler Ushiromiya
Have you ever wished Phoenix Wright could be the star of his own supernatural murder mystery anime? Well if so then someone heard your prayers. In Umineko no Naku Koro ni we have Battler Ushiromiya who is a clear homage to Phoenix Wright with dramatic finger pointing, manly crying, and split between having to do detective work and acting like a lawyer. He may have his flaws but no matter what he keeps marching forward despite numerous set backs and tragedies. Plus he is just plain cool whenever he is on the counterattack. His casual charm and iron clad will set the tone for the anime as much as they do the games it was based on.

Guin
After thinking this over way too much, I finally decided on Guin for a few reasons. First being that after more than 100 books about his quest on the bestseller list, Guin finally got an anime. Adding to that is that Guin may arguably be the most manly character animated in 2009. If you watch just the first episode, this will become obvious. I also read about Guin in novel formthe first time this year myself. And finally, and sadly, Guin’s creator Kaoru Kurimoto passed away in 2009, a woman who was still writing about her most popular creation.

Anime Woman of the Year or I am Woman Hear Me Roar

Canaan
Canaan is a competent kick arse girl with a gun. That is usually all that you need to sell me on a character. The fact that Canaan has her rather slick synesthesia ability which I thought was a very original superpower. She has a stoic and cool feel to her but it she still cares for the people she wishes to protect and gives her all to do so. I also think that her competence on the battlefield but her awkwardness in personal relationships gives her a good mixture of strength and weakness that make her a serious version of Sousuke Sagara. I also think makes her an interesting character to me.

Sawako
Picking a woman of the year became a lot easier the more I watched Kimi ni Todoke. Sawako has a special strength of character that uplifts you, just as she does to the many characters around her. She is humorous and endearing and you never doubt that she will succeed and grow in each new scenario she encounters. Sawako’s positive attitude, even after endearing so much isolation is a true testament to the human spirit and the ability to change.

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