Anime Day #10: Death Note vs. Death Note

Warning, this comparison is spoilerific. If you have no desire to have the Death Note cartoon series or live action movies spoiled, do not read below the jump. I will pretty much spoil all of the Anime and a lot of the movie. You have been warned. This is a comparison breaking down some of the major differences between Death Note, the anime series, and Death Note, the live-action Japanese movie.

On to business! Here is my comparison between Death Note, the animated series and Death Note, movies 1 & 2.

Let's get a few essentials out of the way. The CG is cheesy when it's not in bright daylight, Misa doesn't have blonde hair, and the actor playing the guy who murdered Misa's parents was hysterically over-the-top. My husband and I kind of wish that L would have been American or British (which would make him the odd foreigner, cause friction in the police force, and explain the addiction to unhealthy foods, and explain why his eyes are buggy compared to everyone else). Now that we've covered the supernatural things, I'm going to focus on the structure of the series and how changes in plot and characters for the live action film, either serve or detract from the themes.

At the start of the first movie, we're made to feel sympathy for Light and his motivations. That is a big change from the anime, where Light is set up as this callous, perfect young man. Scenes are added showing how Light becomes personally disillusioned with the Japanese justice system. While I'm not sure I like this, I will say that it is easier for a movie audience, who has less time to get to know the character, to find some investment in his success. The beauty of Death Note as a series, is that it makes the majority of its audience simultaneously root for both Light and L. Without Light's internal monologue to show his superior intellect and cool logic, we need emotions to rope us in.

Another major change to the character of Light is that he has a girlfriend. In the anime, Light isn't very interested in dating, but soon starts going on dates with a variety of girls to avoid suspicion. Super-smart boy who holes himself up in his room and shows no interest in sex waves all sorts of red flags. Light has one particular girlfriend in the movie, Shiori, but if you're worried that he's going to get romantic mushy, never fear. That's all a very good ruse. By the end of the first movie, Light's use of Shiori proves that no matter what he was at the start, he has evolved into the Light Yagami we all love, the compassionless bastard with a strong sense of justice and unwavering ambition.

For the most part, the first movie is loyal to the plot of the anime. We go through how Light takes care of the FBI agents and how L narrows down his profile of Kira. We even get Light's potato-chip cam (though I will say, it was not as epic without the narration "I will take a potato chip... and EAT IT!")

I pwned that Potato Chip at AWA last year.

The real changes come right at the end as Light brings Shiori in as a pawn to take care of Naomi. This change of events illustrates exactly how brutal Light is willing to be as Kira. It was the kind of surprising manipulation that was needed to match the intensity of Light's later accomplishments.

The second film starts with Light joining L's team in the wake of his girlfriend's death and introduces Misa Amane as more than just a background character. Misa sends the tapes to Sakura TV, just like she did in the series, and gets Light to come where she can see him and discover that he is Kira. Misa is kidnapped by L's team and Light promises Rem that he will save her.

Here comes a major divergence from the series plot. It was undoubtedly changed to save a few HOURS of plot. We meet a lone woman who works for Sakura TV, approves of Kira, and wants to oust the slutty anchor and take her job. She is the replacement for that entire council of businessmen who, in the anime, use the Death Note to kill off business competitors.

Anime fans will remember that pinning down who was on this council and tracking them was a large plot that took up quite a few episodes. It was the key to recovering Misa's Death Note and to clearing their names, but it took a LONG TIME. For the purposes of an already long movie (2 hrs, 20 mins), they were streamlined into one hot lady.

After killing Sakura TV lady to reclaim her Death Note, the plot takes a fast track. L immediately doubts the 13-days rule and sets out to test it. He declares his suspicion of Misa, sends Mr. Yagami and all of the police away, with the second Death Note, to test his theory in California (because they need American criminals as lab rats, apparently), and tells Light that he plans to let Misa try to kill him so that he can stop her and prove that she is Kira.

SUPER SPOILER TIME. Rem decides to kill L and Watari to protect Misa. As L is on the ground in his dying throws, instead of just LOOKING at Light like he creepily did in the TV series, he has words. L collapses, Light runs off to sift through Rem's ashes and then gets out the Death Note to clean up the rest.

Misa looks on horrified as Light write's his own Dad's name in the Death Note, with the stipulation that he would bring back the second Death Note, first. We know this is accurate because Light let his Dad half his life and sacrifice his right to go to heaven in the series, just to get the second Death Note back and to try and kill Mello.

Mr. Yagami shows up, opens the case, and BAM! It's empty! How did he deny the will of the Death Note? It was a fake! L shows up, miraculously alive, and explains that he swapped Light's Death Note and that he didn't die when Rem wrote his name because he already wrote his own name and was already fated to die peacefully in 23 days. Bam!

Okay, so in my opinion, L getting out of it with a win is not cool. I don't like that change. But they wanted to cut out a whole slew of episodes and the Kira representatives, Kira-X, Near and Mello. Concessions had to be made. As Light is going all hysterical crazy pants and trying to write people's names on scraps of Death Note paper, Matsuda, true to his epic moment in the show, shoots the pen out of his hand.

This is where the two diverge again. In the series, Light runs off and slows down on a stairwell. He lays, bleeding, defeated, and unwilling to wait until he should bleed out, Ryuk writes his name in the Death Note. Watching Light die slowly would be boring and Ryuk has better sh!t to do, but he has to be the one to write Light's name because he brought the Death Note in the first place.

In the movie, in a more darkly comedic but not as Shakespearean moment, Light demands that Ryuk writes a name, any name. Ryuk write's Light's name and shows it to him. Light dies. Ryuk proves that he is a heartless God of Death. He doesn't care about Light!

I enjoyed seeing Light using Takada, toying with her emotions to communicate with Kira-X in the anime series. I don't think, like some, that Mello and Near were nearly derivative of L. I do agree with some, though, that the time between Light and Misa being "cleared" and capturing the corporate jack-off that Rem gave the Death Note too was a little long and would have been better abbreviated.

What the movie did was abbreviate the series. It trimmed down a lot of the parts that were just too drawn out. The Light/L friendship isn't as close in the movie, which is probably the most unfortunate missing element. Their mutual respect and rivalry is what made the L/Light dynamic so fun to watch. They were friends, but they had to kill one-another to win the epic chess match.

L's survival takes something else away. L's defeat is what drives Light to a new level of boredom and arrogance and allows him to be caught. If L simply wins, it's just not as satisfying.

The live-action movies are fun for fans who have already seen the series, but I would never start anyone off on them. As for the idea of an L movie that takes place in the 23 days before he dies, where he solves a bioterrorism case... no thanks.

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Anime Day #9: Anime Weekend Atlanta 2011

For the past three years I have been attending Anime Weekend Atlanta with my husband, Kyle Strickland; my good friend, Ryan Brown; and my best friend, Anna Heim. Past attendees may recognize us as "That Awesome Sailor Moon Group That Has the Melvin (Ryan)" or one year, "The Sailor Moon Group With the Moon Boot" (Anna had a broken foot).

This year we're retiring Sailor Moon and torturing ourselves with the complexity of Amano.

Click below the jump to see the costume schedule for this year. I encourage anyone who reads my blog or likes my writing to say Hello! If you bring your Con Program with you, I'll autograph the Olympia Heights ads.

FRIDAY
Partying, Partying, Yeah!


Friday our group will be arriving early the check in to our hotel and sign up for a judging space for Saturday's costume contest. Our Friday theme is Eden of the East. I will be dressed as Diana Kuroha, complete with cigar cutter and victim (my husband in a gimp mask and suit).

That's right. I'll be blue-haired lady.

Ryan will be Takizawa (pictured above) and Anna will be Saki.

SATURDAY
The Main Event


Saturday is costume contest day and so we will be making the rounds in our ridiculously complex Final Fantasy IV costumes. Expect real leather armor, beads, dangly things, dyed wigs, and epic capes. I will be dressed as Rosa Farrell and carrying my own Seraphim Mace prop.

Kyle will be Cecil, Anna will be Rydia (you should see her massive green wig coming a mile away), and Ryan will Kain. We all have prop-weapons, made by me. I'm most proud of Ryan's leather helmet with mobile dragoon mask visor.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Casual Friday Saturday

Kyle and I have opted not to Cosplay Saturday evening after the contest. We'll change and chill in our jeans and Matter Deep Publishing T-Shirts. However, we will be with Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey (Ryan and Anna), so look for us and say Hi!

SUNDAY

The Final Day

Last year's Death Note Cosplays return with a few minor improvements on Anna's Misa and some better  (looser) slacks for my Light. I will be Cosplaying Light Yagami. My husband will be L, Anna will be Misa, and Ryan will be Matsuda!

Find me at AWA!

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Anime Day #8: Death Note Review

This review was originally written for All Death Note (.com) and can be seen there. Since its original posting, I have begun to watch past Episode 25. I now see that Near and Mello are not merely derivative replacements for another character, as Mello is much more than that. I will likely update after I have finished the series completely to determine whether I think I made a mistake in watching more. I have convinced my husband to take this journey with me.


Without further ado, Death Note: A Review

Let's start with an admission-- I haven't watched all of Death Note. My first experience with Death Note came with the suggestion that I stop when something big happened that would change the dynamic of the show. I got to that point and stopped. Call it peer pressure. I am now considering finishing. I'll explain more later. 

My husband watched the first few episodes ahead of me, but quickly went back so that I could watch it with him. Most of my Death Note watching experience took place on a couch in a basement in Massachusetts during one of the coldest winters on record with swine flu and a God-send stove keeping me nice and toasty. It was impossible just to watch one episode and stop. Even with an exhausting fever and a wet cough, I was fighting sleep for just one more episode each time. 

The characters are all incredibly intelligent and manipulative people. Even Misa Amane, the ditsy model, is clever enough to track down the protagonist so she can prove her devotion. What makes each and every one of them so interesting, putting fashion design and snacking habits aside, are the stakes. The stakes are so high for each character that comes on-screen in Death Note. Every character potentially has his life on the line and that makes every moment very interesting. 

Death Note is a metaphorical game of chess between two main characters: Light Yagami, a genius college student who gets the ability to kill with a notebook and decides to become the God of a new world, and L, a famous anonymous detective who wants to bring Kira (Light's alter ego) to justice (and even more, to solve the puzzle.) 

It's a game of logic and psychology. Each man is making moves based on predictions seven steps ahead, founded in highly informed psychology. Because Light and L each know that their enemy is their mental-match, the jumps are large and the outcome is always surprising.

The audience has to make the same moral decision that every character in the show must make-- is it okay for Kira to be justice? Should Light be playing God? Even if you agree with L, that Light has no right and that his kind of blind justice is dangerous, Light is so wickedly fun to watch that you still root for him anyway. 

One of the most fascinating things in this high stakes game is that even though Light and L are enemies, they are also friends. They are intellectual equals, a rarity at their level, and so they respect, if not admire each other. L knows for the entire series that Light is Kira, but cannot prove it. They each know that the other is their enemy, but for one to win they would lose their best friend. 

Trapped between them is Misa Amane, a tragic character, a beautiful actress who loves Light and knowingly lets him manipulate her because she believes so strongly in his righteousness. 

The show is beautifully animated with cohesive color palettes and unified character designs. It is dark and desaturated with a focus on red, the symbolic color of temptation, desire, passion, and blood. The music is also perfect. The opening theme for the second half of the series is black, heavy, and epic. It's a dark blend of System of a Down with speed metal. “Hey, hey, human sucker. Ah, humans... human F*#$er!” 

The choice between the Japanese subtitled and the American subbed is another thing to consider. My preference is to the subtitles in this case, even though I am usually a lazy girl who wants to sit back and watch the Dub. In some series, like Beck, I think Dubs are better. I've watched Death Note both ways, so I'll explain why I prefer the Japanese audio track.

Light, in the American, seems cool, stable, and relaxed. In this way, he seems almost sociopathic. While it works well for the character, the Japanese voices gives you a bit more suspense. The Japanese is much more expressive. As part of the natural cadence of the Japanese language, with short, sharp syllables, his dialogue sounds more determined and passionate. When he gets into his emotional speeches he seems more unstable. That makes him unpredictable.

L is an American hero, whether he's meant to be a westerner or not. He's cool. Everything is casual, thoughtful, and without passion. He's the quiet Clint Eastwood character who strolls in to the western amidst panic and never breaks a sweat as he sizes up the bad-guys. To the Japanese, though, L is weird and his voice reflects this. He is more quiet and disconnected. When L speaks he is in a world of his own. His voice always seems to drift to some far off place, which makes it more understandable why the police in Japan react adversely to his presence. 

The biggest difference is found in Misa. Misa Amane in the American Dub is pushing her voice through her nose. She is loud and energetic. It is clear that she is meant to be whiny, hyper, and obnoxious. In the Japanese her voice is high and girlish. The cutesy, fast paced manner of speech fits her character as a model who plays on her looks and femininity to get her way. When Misa slows it down, however, her voice is far more breathy and sexual than the American version. Despite being youthful, she is a sex symbol and adds more interesting tension to her relationship with Light. In the American Dub you don't see the potential for any physical relationship because you understand why Light would find her annoying. In the Japanese Sub, if you close your eyes during the big hug scene at her earliest appearance, you would swear the gasps and breaths were sex noises. 

Death Note is dark, but it knows how to balance its darkness with humor. The jokes are in the little moments. Ryuk, the God of Death, loves apples and there are quite a few chuckles involved in his obsession. L's odd nature and inappropriate, almost autistic social behavior, can also be humorous at times. The character Matsuda, one of the investigators on the police force who also takes it upon himself to act as Misa's manager, is almost completely endearing comic relief. The biggest running gag, the one fans have taken to the most, is L's constant consumption of sugary treats. 

As for the story, the plot makes many wonderful twists and turns in the struggle between Kira (Light) and L. Just the simple challenge of trying to discover each other's identities leads to the loss of thousands of lives. We start to see how ambitious and ruthless Light really is, how willing he is to use people for his cause. The other most important characters, Rem and Ryuk, the Gods of Death for Misa and Light respectively, have their own distinct personalities and motives that also become tools for Light to use in his quest.
I stopped at episode 25. Something big happens in the Light/L struggle that felt like an ending to me and so I took my friend's advice and stopped. However, another friend has urged me to finish and lately the curiosity of how things play out for Misa has lead me to the decision to finish it. The camp that stops at Episode 25 is quite large, however, and so either choice is a valid one. Some claim that the new characters introduced to continue the series after that point are just derivative of other characters. I haven't seen them, so I really can't weigh in on this debate. Either way, watch Death Note. Just a few episodes is all it will take to leave you hooked.

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Anime Day #7: Is Anime Cosplay by "Westerners" Racist?

~Nauri @DeviantArt

If a white man put on black face and started dancing around singing "Mr. Bones," it would be racist. We can all agree that Minstrel shows are racist. Some Japanese Cosplayers are now arguing that Westerners who don Cosplay costumes are being racist in the same way. The internet isn't buying it.


This Youtube account makes that claim: "Cosplay Are Not for Fun."

"We Asians create Cosplay which now have become as one of the world's trends are with the purpose of to impersonate or to be the characters the person which known as cosplayers want to Cosplay, that is why cosplayers not only trying to wear the same dress, costumes, accessories, etc as the characters..."

Now, the first claim here is completely false. Cosplay actually goes back to the 1st World Science Fiction convention in 1939. Forrest J. Ackerman wore a futuristic costume made by Myrtle R. Douglas and inspired a trend that spread throughout the world.

As for the Cosplay of specifically Anime, activists like this Youtube user and similar Facebook campaigns make the assumption that all characters in Anime are Japanese. Some of the characters portrayed aren't even human. Is Final Fantasy set in Japan? (Psst, the answer is No.)

By that logic, then, this totally awesome Black Butler cosplay is racist for trying to portray Victorian-Era English demons.

Photo from DeviantArt ~BeBelial

Asians against Western Cosplay go on to cite that "Crazy Westerners" even go so far as to making their hair look like the character's. This is where they poke a giant hole in their own argument. How many Japanese girls have you met with HUGE blue eyes and blue hair?







But Most Cosplay IS Trying to Impersonate Japanese Characters


Okay. That's true. Here is the difference. I'm not going to tell a black man that he cannot Cosplay the very pasty Harry Potter. Though I believe that you should Cosplay your body type, I don't believe in limiting people to characters that look just like them because it's about Fantasy! It's not about reality. I am a tiny American girl named Amy who likes computers, so I like dressing up as a tiny Japanese girl named Ami who has an awesome Mercury computer.

The biggest difference in Cosplayers playing Asians and the horrid minstrel shows of the past is this: intent. When vaudeville stars put black makeup on with big lips and danced around, they were making fun of African Americans. When we don costumes of Asian characters, we are praising our favorite entertainment.

For closing remarks I would also like to point out that every channel or blog I have seen about "Crazy Westerners" and their "Racist Cosplay" goes on to generalize that we're rapists who treat people of Asian descent like property and nuke them. This one in particular deletes any comments contrary to her opinion and only posts the support. While I agree, the Japanese have the right to be mad at the American Government for Hiroshima and Nagasaki until the end of time, making generalizations about individual Westerners (clustering many diverse countries into one identity) is absolutely racist. Pot. Kettle . Thanks.

So Cosplayers, keep it up. If someone really chews you out at a Con for Cosplaying, then they have some seriously misplaced anger. We should appreciate that interest in other cultures can bring us together. Let's rejoice about what we share instead of lashing out over superficial differences.

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Anime Day #6: Speed Grapher

As we approach AWA, my work gets more urgent and my costumes come together. Watching Anime at night has also become more urgent. I have to watch as much as I can so I can understand as much of the con as possible. Every year that I absorb anime, the experience becomes much more fun.

One Anime I just finished Tuesday night was a suggestion from a friend's wife. It's fairly new, but it's a great show with only a few minor flaws.

Speed Grapher is a contemporary anime about decadence and purpose. Tatsumi Saiga is a war photographer struggling to find his place during peace times. He works for a newspaper and feels like he has no muse. One night he goes to investigate a rumor about an elite club for the upper-crust, a club where debauchery is king, and finds himself in the middle of a mad-man's plan.

From the ceiling descends the Goddess, a tranced-out 14-year-old girl in a costume who kisses Saiga and unlocks hidden potential. Saiga is a euphoric and his deepest desire, to kill through his lens, comes true. Everything Saiga shoots in focus with film in his camera explodes. Saiga rescues the girl, daughter of the richest woman in Japan, and the adventure begins.

The cast includes a terribly designed crazy cop (Saiga's almost-girlfriend, whose design vastly improves with the addition of a coat towards the very end), super-gay Bob, and a host of excellent villians. The mastermind behind it all, Mr. Suitengu, is smooth and calculating. He is one of the greatest anime villians in that he is utterly despicable, but at the half-way mark suddenly becomes someone you root for.

I said a few things about Speed Grapher while I was watching it. First was that the show was like watching someone waterboard a bunny. The girl, Kagura, is so innocent and sweet and watching her be rescued and dragged back in to her terrible life over and over is a bit emotionally draining. The second is that Speed Grapher is a show that says, "Nobody is good, everyone has a price-- except this one guy." Really there are a few guys who can't be bought, but that is still a good idea to remember as you watch the series.

The animation is beautiful and the story manages to tell a story of a relationship that cannot be defined. Everyone accuses Saiga of being a pedophile, but his love for Kagura is never romantic. The only other big problem that I saw with the show was that while the show said, "Look at this disgusting vice", the up-beat theme music said "Yay! Vice!" Thankfully the theme is dropped for the final episode, which has a meaningful end and plenty of explanation and closure for every question raised during the series.

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Anime Day #5: Gurren Lagann

"Yours is the drill that will pierce the heavens!"

My sister-in-law, Carly Strickland, pitched the show to my husband and I, like this: There are robot shows like Gundam that rely on some common perception of laws like science. It may not be perfect. Someone who knows anything about computers or biology might say "now wait a minute", but the basis is a twist on the laws of nature that we know. That is a robot show. Then we have Gurren Lagann, which knows no such laws and relies on willpower and speeches. There are no limits to how far your powers can go (it's over 9,000!) because that doesn't matter. This is a SUPER robot show.


Tengen Toppa (Heaven-Piercing) Gurren Lagann takes place on a future earth where humans are forced to live underground. Simon, an orphan whose job is to dig tunnels, is the best there is at what he does. Tremors and earth quakes are the biggest fear for these cave dwellers. Then there's Kamina. No idea what his job is, aside from causing problems, but he's loud and never wears a shirt. Kamina is a character not limited by silly things like limitations, and so he breaks Simon free from the earth and from any moral weaknesses and physical boundaries.

Now it turns out that the earth has been run by Beastmen who are keeping filthy humans under ground. They drive giant robots called Gunmen. Simon and Kamina break out of the tunnels with a Gunman found by Simon. It looks like a giant head and Simon uses a drill-like-key to power it. Once on the surface, however, Kamina and Simon meet up with tough-riflewoman, Yoko, who has great sexual tension with Kamina and wears practically nothing.

Together Kamina, Yoko, and Simon start acquiring Gunmen, followers, and start a revolution for human freedom. A MAJOR game-changer is thrown in during episode 8.


THIS EPISODE, THE LAST I CHECKED, HAS BEEN MISSING FROM NETFLIX INSTANT-WATCH FOR MONTHS. IF YOU ARE WATCHING ON NETFLIX, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU WATCH EPISODE 8 SOME OTHER WAY. YOU WILL MISS THE BIGGEST PLOT EVENT POSSIBLE IF YOU SKIP IT!


The only other thing I should say about this series is that 50% through it we skip ahead 7 years and it feels like a very different show for a while. We finally understand why humans were kept below the earth and then all hell breaks loose. It's awesome and heart-wrenching and makes you feel pretty great about the power of the human spirit.

So give Gurren Lagann a watch today and understand why that shirtless guy at the con in the cape keeps shouting "Don't believe in me-- believe in the me who believes in you!"

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Anime Day #4: Planetes

Anime has a reputation for being about pointy-haired action heros cutting people in half, flashing underaged panties, ranting in shrill harpy-thing voices, transforming into robots, and narrating their special power-up moves in long monologues. Planetes is a different kind of anime.

Planetes takes place in space, but unlike Gurren Lagan or Galaxy Express, things like physics and science not only matter, they inspire the plot. Planetes is about a future earth, much like our own, where space travel is common place. Here's the problem: In the early days of space exploration, leaving debris in space didn't seem like much of a problem. Now mankind has learned that a penny floating in space can kill an entire commercial space shuttle full of innocent passengers. The fallout from a discarded rocket or debris from a crash can be devastating.

Tanabe, an idealistic young woman, joins the debris collection division of a major company. Her team is not so lovingly dubbed "Half Section" and they have little resources and less respect for doing their job. It's unprofitable and so their division only exists for the corporate tax write off. Her mentor, a nihilistic young Japanese man called Hachi Maki, has to teach Tanabe the ropes and the very real dangers of working out in space.

The show starts off with 3 or 4 episodes of Tanabe ranting about war, idealism, environmentalism, and compassion. If you wanted to punch Katie Holmes in Batman Begins, then you will want to throttle Tanabe. They do that on purpose. Tanabe does calm down and become a bit more realistic, though, and then things get interesting.

The plot takes a lot of interesting turns, ultimately leading down a road to a Jupiter expedition that explores a strained father-son relationship and brings in a well-organized group of terrorists. It's an amazing series with a fulfilling ending and some really beautiful writing.

http://www.amazon.com/Planetes-Complete-Collection-Nao-Nagasawa/dp/B000HT3876/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1312855105&sr=1-1

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AWA DOs and DON'Ts

Over the past few years I've joined the con scene. I've done AWA (Anime Weekend Atlanta) 3 years now and did Dragon*Con last year. I've journeyed with some more seasoned con-goers and, if I was financially able, would love to attend more.

Left to right- My husband (Kyle Strickland as Tuxedo Mask), Anna Heim (as Sailor Moon), Myself (as Sailor Mercury), Awesome T-Shirt Vendor (as Sailor Jupiter) and Ryan Brown (as Melvin)

Unfortunately, I'm now a Grad student. Money is not flowing.

Someone on the Anime Weekend Atlanta Facebook Group asked for DO's and DON'Ts. My list got too long for a Facebook reply, so here is my advice in long form. DON'Ts come first, so we can end on a positive note.

DON'T be rude. That girl who asks condescending questions, that guy who points out canonical flaws in costumes, and the attention-whore who spreads herself across the front of photos are NOT cool, even among nerds.

DON'T refuse photos, unless you're late for judging or a panel you're part of. If that's the case, explain. If you came in costume, you've asked to be photographed.

DON'T forget to hydrate. Heavy Cosplay + walking = heat stroke. I'd much rather have to unbuckle half my friend's costume for her so that she can pee than have to leave the con because she blacked out.

DON'T be a creeper. Shouting "SAILOR MERCURY IS HOT!" is fine, but overly-long hugs and groping are NOT Okay. Teen girls: don't spend the con stalking that cute Tuxedo Mask, especially when he's six years older and with fiance.

DON'T be late, you'll miss out on the fun!

DON'T tread on capes and trains.

DON'T host a panel and open it up to fan comments. That was hell.

DO pack cereal bars and water to save money on snacks. Experts- fill your hotel with cereal and microwave meals. Eating meals out quickly dwarfs a costume and admission budget. Save money for Manga and Pocky!

DO HYDRATE!

DO plan photo time into travel time if you Cosplay. I've spent the majority of my time at AWA in years past taking photos because my seamstress, Anna, is awesome.

DO get to costume judging early in case you need to pose or repair.

DO pack safety pins, superglue, and duct tape.

DO remember your spare camera batteries.

DO plan some plainclothes time so you can see the con.

DO make business cards with your blog, photobucket, flickr, or DeviantArt so people can see pics you took of them later.

DO double check all con rules before beginning costume construction. At AWA you cannot walk around hand-cuffed together, carrying realistic guns or metal weapons.

DO cosplay to your body-type/look. I'd make a poor Sailor Jupiter (short and skinny) and my husband would be a terrible Aang. Know your type. You'll get more love if you look like your character.

DO work a purse or pocket into your costume... unless you have an entourage.

DO practice poses beforehand so you can snap into them easily and so you know beforehand what is going to hurt in the long run.

DO shower Artists and Cosplayers with compliments.

DO remember that cosplayers come with different levels of skill, wealth, commitment, and talented friends. Cut the criticism from your conversations. "I love your boots" or "Speed Grapher is my favorite" are just fine, but if you really can't think of anything nice, zip it.

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Anime Day #3: FLCL

I'm still not quite sure what Furi Kuri (Fooly Kooly, for those Americans trying to say it) is, but whatever FLCL is-- is amazing. I was really luke-warm about the series at first. The first few episodes left me more confused than entertained. I have now come to see it as a brilliant piece of absurdist art.

FLCL is by the genius responsible for Neon Genesis: Evangelion. That said, it is a lot like Neon Genesis and at the same time not at all like Neon Genesis. Both shows are about a motherless boy who ends up dragged into a fight with robots from outer-space. Both shows have a spunky, loud-mouthed, fan-servicey girl, and both shows have lots of collateral damage. The similarities stop there.

FLCL is bizarre. The main character gets whacked on the head and then robots start sprouting out of his skull. His father is absolutely insane and the alien who threw his life into chaos fights with a guitar.

Like I said, it's bizarre. It's very weird. If you can stand to be confused for a few episodes, it starts to make enough sense to be able to be organized in your brain and then it's really, incredibly fun. I will say that not everything ever makes complete sense, but that is the point of absurdity. 

Even if you hate it, it's only 6 episodes. All-in-all it's shorter than one Lord of the Rings movie, so give it a chance. You might find that this splash of weird is exactly what you needed.

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Anime Day #2: Beck (Mongolian Chop Squad)

"I was made to hit in America"

Beck (Mongolian Chop Squad) was an accidental find. A friend bought it for us for Christmas without knowing anything about it aside from the reviews on Amazon. Amazon ratings didn't fail him. This is an incredibly enjoyable show, though the ending leaves much to be desire-- namely a whole second series.

Beck tells the story of Koyuki, a 14 year old boy who grows into a man over the course of the series. The series spans two years of his life as he discovers rock music, learns to play the guitar, and joins a destined band. The show is about rock and roll and about the band, but at its core it really is a coming of age story.

What my husband and I enjoyed most about this show was the way that it handled adolescent romances. So many animes sexualize 14-year-old characters in a way that is intended to arouse adults. It's a problem I have with a lot of otherwise great shows. This problem stems partly from targeting an adolescent audience, but for adult viewers it tends to be disturbing.

Koyuki's sexual awakening is done in a way that almost desexualizes it. The emphasis of these scenes is on the awkward, the mysterious, and the new. You remember what it was like to be fourteen-- not just the memories, but the emotional quality.

As for the disappointing ending, I won't spoil much except to say that the finale is done with B-roll and still frames and rushes a whole season's worth of plot in one episode. I get the feeling like they ran out of money and wanted to end it. Still, there is supposed to be a movie soon that should wrap it up, so the series is definitely worth a watch.

Last word of advice-- even for Sub-Purists, get the Dub or you'll have to listen to awkward Engrish singing. The American actors have prettier voices, too.

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Anime Day

Once a week until AWA (last weekend of September) I'm going to be posting a feature on an Anime that I've watched. There will be some reviews, some previews, and some critiques and comparisons. Look for these posts on Thursdays, all the way through to the night before the con.

I will be at Anime Weekend Atlanta in costume (plans include Eden of the East for casual day and Final Fantasy IV for the contest (see how I made Cecil's sword in an upcoming post)). There will also be an ad for my book in the AWA con program.

Now, to make this post valuable, some good news. The bastardization of Akira that was going to set it in New York with a white-washed cast has been canceled! Hooray! Rejoice!

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