Wednesday, June 14, 2006

On the egl community, a discussion came up about otarori, and someone mentioned about Pocky. Sure it's nice but it's not the greatest thing in the entire world, but a lot of people like that it's Japanese. I mentioned it annoys me when people like things ONLY because it is from Japan, and then my post got deleted. So I'll take the time to explain myself here. Part of this is also to explain to my friends why I don't watch so much anime or read so much manga (besides just money issues xD) It's another rant. And I'm sleep deprived because I feel like staying up late. So don't be offended.

I've seen it at school. A lot. Some people think that just because it's Japanese, it's the most wonderful thing to ever be created. And it kind of gets annoying after a while. It's not that I think they shouldn't like it. But, they should at least have some sort of REASONING behind it besides, "It's from Japan." Sure, they can be interested in Japanese culture. Sure, they can discover it BECAUSE they are interested in Japanese culture.

BUT! Liking something only because of its country of origin is not only a poor reason to like something, but also biased. At the very LEAST say something like, "I like Pocky because I like chocolate" (or some other flavor). Or, "I like gothic lolita because the style is pretty." Or something like that.

It's kind of why people who like EVERY anime or manga ever made kind of get on my nerves as well. Not as an attack or something, but, "I like *insert title here* because it is anime" is basically like saying, "I like Oliver Twist because it is a book." If you like *insert title here* because of its art style, or its plot, or even its choice of seiyuu, then great. BUT! Liking an anime just for the seiyuu, or liking a dorama just the actors, or anything else like that isn't really liking the anime or dorama - you're just following the seiyuu or dorama. If the person you admire is a great actor/actress and excells in everything he/she does, then maybe they will add to the anime or dorama. But sometimes it's not enough to make the anime or dorama worth watching.

So~ that being said, reasons why I like:

Gothic Lolita
I'm not big on keeping up with all the current trends in fashion because they are very skimpy and generally not my style. But gothic lolita tends to be more modest and childlike. The cute appearance appeals to me partly because I already look young as it is (haha) and also because I like to keep myself with not much skin (or signs of a figure, for that matter) showing at all~ xD;

Battle Royale
The original idea scared me at first, and it took me a little while to get up the courage to go buy the book ^^; But, I love Takami's use of psychological ideas (especially Freudian ones) to illustrate his theme and purpose. The idea is not completely original, but using teenagers helps to convey more of a shock aspect, and provides the opportunity to amplify common adolescent emotions and thoughts through the intense situation.

As I stated, you don't have to like EVERYTHING by an artist that you like. So, reasons why I DON'T like:

Asian Beat ch 1
Hakase Mizuki's art was, as usual, unique and stunning, but the story just didn't appeal to me. I suppose it was because the story was largely about the girl's feelings after having sex with a guy she didn't know. That type of story just isn't my thing, so I found myself disliking this manga after a few pages x_x;

...ing
It was a cute movie. It really was. But eventually it all seemed the same as any other drama - boy falls in love with girl. Girl has terminal illness (almost always cancer). As cute as it was, the story gets old after a while. Honestly, whoever made the first "girl with terminal illness" story must be either gloating that his story is so popular or cursing all the people who stole his story. XD;

Anyway. My point is: Like something for what it is, not where it's from.
Until next time~
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