Other than that one piece, I’ve been doing technical support behind the scenes. I’m hoping to expand my web development clientele, so it’s good practice. Speaking of behind the scenes, Amelia wrote 5 Things I Learned by Starting a Feminist Anime Website for The Mary Sue about what the process has been like for her.
(Also, if you’re new to Otaku Journalist, you might want to check out my Ladybeard interview.)
Otaku Journalist reader (and Japanator writer) Soul Tsukino has just published his novel, Cityscape Tokyo. Sounds like a story that will definitely appeal to anime fans.
I love Geek Girl Con and hope I have a chance to visit again, but until that day comes I’ll settle with Lisa Granshaw’s excellent interview with its founder, Jennifer K. Stuller. The two talk about the origins of the con and how it carves out a space for geek women and girls without being exclusive.
Miles at Crunchyroll just released this telling graph of favorite fall anime by state. I live right between Keijo!!!!!!!! and Haikyuu!! territory; there are exclamation points everywhere.
This Answerman column is purportedly about why Japan’s population is declining, but does a great job explaining how overseas audiences are beginning to influence anime projects.
Forbes reporter Ollie Barder lives in Tokyo and manages to snag some seriously fascinating interviews. His latest is a chat with former Shounen Jump editor Kazuhiko Torishima on what it was like to oversee Dragon Ball and help create Dragon Quest.
By the way, I’ve been updating Gunpla 101 for a change. My painting tutorial is massive, took me two weeks, and includes about 20 photos of me working on every step of the process.
My friend Amelia just launched her site, Anime Feminist! I’ve been quietly rooting for it behind the scenes—I was even the first Patreon backer, and I’m overly proud of that. One of my favorite parts of the anime community is that we all come to it with different perspectives, and I’m hoping to see a lot of them there. Stay tuned for an essay from me, eventually.
Just how realistic is NEW GAME!? Reporter Callum May interviewed a video game developer in Japan about his experiences, and whether they mirror Aoba’s hectic work schedule.
Geek franchise writers are beginning to recognize women of color in their work, but the backlash is immense. I suggest that comics fans look to the anime community, where we’ve been emphasizing with Japanese characters who don’t look like us perfectly well for decades.
Remember Playing Grounded, the anime-inspired puzzle company? After a couple false starts they’re launching again, and I can’t wait to get my Goldfish puzzle design.
Speaking of promising Kickstarters, have you heard of Mecha-Ude? It’s the first original project from Sae Okamoto, a self-described geek girl and anime industry professional. The promo video alone makes it clear she can make this happen.
“You’re cool, unlike those other fangirls,” is a phrase anime and game localizer Kara Dennison is really sick of hearing. A really important message that if you diss one group of fans, don’t get surprised if all of them take offense.
Keidra Chaney writes about the secret pleasure of solitary fandom, of indulging in a hobby you didn’t know anyone else involved in, usually pre-Internet. By the time I was in sixth grade I already had an Internet connection and was browsing Gundam Wing and Fushigi Yuugi “shrines,” as we called fansites back then, so this was a fascinating read.
Screencap via Trickster. I won’t be watching but damn, that’s pretty.
This is a cry for help: it’s been fewer than three weeks and I’ve already watched 40+ episodes of Hunter x Hunter (which I am pronouncing “Hunter Hunter” until I hear otherwise). I want to protect these children’s smiles, and also my Lyft driver said he was also watching it, which feels like a sign.
Of course, I only have time to watch this show now, before the fall 2016 season begins and I’m sampling everything, at least for the first three episodes. For some closure on the season that just ended, I just wrote up my Best and Worst of Summer 2016 opinions for Anime News Network if you’re curious. Also on Anime News Network: my Gundam Reconguista in G review.
We talk a lot about production budgets and smooth animation these days, but I’ll always remember that I got into anime because it was cheap and different and weird. Which is why I’m looking forward to Gakuen Handsome, a crowdfunded game-turned-anime that parodies the BL genre. It has all the hallmarks of a bizarre fan project. Other new shows I want to watch: everything with sports in it. EVERYTHING.
Power, Kindness, & Adulthood in Mob Psycho 100. Isaac’s Crunchyroll column explores the humanity inherent in the story of my favorite anime of the season. This is embarrassing, but my favorite fanfic right now isn’t even about romance; it’s a story where Reigen turns out to be Mob’s dad. For all his fraud, Reigen is a good mentor.
No Middle Sliders: Body Diversity in Anime. I usually wear an extra-small in US sizes, but when I was shopping in Japan, I wore a medium. Women in Japan are definitely more petite than here, but they’re certainly not all built the same way. Caitlin writes about the anime that are beginning to portray a wider selection of bodies.
Definitely missed this the first time around. Here’s an older post about otaku sexuality by Frog-kun that normalizes attraction to 2D characters without making it weird. Because really, we’re not weird for liking 2D characters. It just means we’re able to empathize with our media.
Just started reading Shattered Starlight, a webcomic about a badly behaved grown-up magical girl. There is definitely a riff on Madoka Magica going on there.
My Son, the Prince of Fashion. An author I love writes about taking his sartorially-gifted son to Paris Fashion Week and the result is a story about fandom, family, and finding your people.
