Revised Edition: Volume One, Issue One
January 27, 2005
A New Journey
I'll begin with something I had to write about because I feel that strongly.
I had the honor and priviledge of seeing Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" for the first time a couple days ago. I won't ruin it for those who have not yet had such an opportunity by doing a detailed review of the film, but there are a few things I can mention about it, and what it's effect on me has been. No language on earth has evolved enough to accurately convey the scope and spleandor of the film. It was visually beyond stunning to me, richly emoted with a score that defied reality, and saying it is timeless just doesn't do the story the justice it deserves. The words beautiful, classic, inspirational, brilliant, masterpiece, or indeed timeless, aren't strong enough to fully emote the elaborate, and intricate subtleties that exist within the film.
Seeing "Spirited Away" opened my eyes once more to why I have such a passion for anime. I don't like to admit it, but I had gotten lost along the the way, and had forgotten what and why anime meant so much to me. Miyazaki's film reached down to where I had those ideas buried, and brought them back into the light. It is stories like what I saw recently that make anime what it is to me, the passion, the energy, the conflict is all there in ways I can't even begin to describe. In summary, I'm saying "Spirited Away" is one of those gems that should find itself in any anime collection.
It has been a long time since I talked about my artwork, and since I'm beginning a new phase in the
development of my art style, I think it's more than appropriate that I start by tracing where I have
been, in order to determine where I want to go. It is not often I deliberately choose to dance with
the ghost of who I once was, but I have to do it to fully appreciate who I have become, and why I have
become who I am today. To me, there is no such thing as a lonely journey, only lonely people on that
journey. We quest for that one thing that calls us to keep going, to not stop until we get either to
paradise, or pergatory.
I'll begin by going back a few years, to trace the roots of my anime obsession. From that beginning
point, I'll go on the journey that opened my eyes to this new world around me. To do that, I have to
go to the show that started everything. I committed its name to memory upon seeing the first aired
episode, because it was visually something I had never seen before, and it wasn't a Vaudeville-esque
slapstick routine of cross-dressing rabbits, yellow canaries with gender issues, or the menagerie of
dim-witted villans who never seemed to learn from their mistakes. It had some depth to it that I had
never seen before, and was hooked from that Saturday Morning on. The name of that show brings much
controversy with it, as I have found in my recent years of research. I will not argue the details of
that controversy because I can not change that it was what essentially hooked me on anime. That show
was called Escaflowne. As I mentioned, my addiction began with the visual appeal of that one show, and
I soon found myself looking for more shows like it. It took a couple years, but I finally got decent
cable channels, and that's when it got interesting. One afternoon during the week, I decided on a
nostalgia trip and flipped through the channels to find an afternoon cartoon line-up, not expexting to
find much of anything worth watching, but I had to stop when I came across a CG character hosting a
program block dedicated to anime, he made the show announcement, and I watched for the first time
Outlaw Star, and I believe Mobile Suit Gundam came next, I'm not sure, it's been a while and I've
gotten all those shows that I saw that first week mixed up. Other shows that amused or interested me
came in the forms of Tenchi Muyo, Zoids, Gundam 0080, and others that I can't name off hand. Then, in
2002, a new, late night block began to air, and I'm sure many of you know what Adult Swim is, I sat
and watched, finding another favorite from the moment the first notes of that jazzy blues harp played
to the dark background in which a slight movement could be seen. Cowboy Bebop became an instant hit
to me. Not long after that, a Saturday night line up began, running the show that hooked me on
Japanese Pop music with it's upbeat, opening theme "Change the World"(Go figure my avatar is still
from InuYasha). I was thrilled when TechTV(This is pre-G4 Merger by at least a year) started an
anime line-up too, the most recent favorite of mine to air on that channel, was the Premiere of Last
Exile, which I can't watch on the new G4TechTV because they butchered even the early episodes. That's
the history in a nutshell of my growth in anime, and I'm still finding great shows like Wolf's Rain
(For the record, Wolf's Rain, Cowboy Bebop, and even Escaflowne were created by the same people, is it
any wonder I like them all?).
"Where does my art come in?" is a question I'm sure many of you are asking by now. The idea to be
able to draw characters with the style of Van Fanel, the intensity of InuYasha, or the youthful wonder
of Jim Hawking probably cemented itself in my head not long after the Adult Swim Saturday block began
the first time back in 02, they pulled it for a while and reintroduced it recently with the newer show
lineup. The idea was there, but I lacked the motivation to do anything until May of 2003, when I lost
my cable, and had to do something to keep my interest alive. I got on the TechTV message board and
began asking basic questions about drawing that style. I completed my first attempt (It was a
screenshot of Jim Hawking from Outlaw Star that I duplicated by hand) in the end of August, and then I
did InuYasha twice(I still can't get his eyes right!) and gradually worked into doing my own
characters. I still do repro work, but not as often as I should to practice, so I'll be starting to do
that again at least once a week so that I can really improve my skill.
As I sit here now, I'm waiting to hear from an Art School that offers "at-home" courses. They were
supposed to contact me a while ago, but I may have gotten lost to them in the holiday shuffle. I do
want to take every opportuninty to make my myself better as an artist, because I'm now slowly getting
hooked on Graphic Novels, and I want to be able to attempt my own by the end of the year, or the
middle of next year at the latest. As my priorities shift, so does my concept for the page I have
here on myotaku. I want to make sure that I'm representing the best of who I am here as an artist.
Up to this point I've been an arrogant, whiney, spoiled brat when it comes to many things, as can be
seen in some of my previous posts(The rant against Digital Music Servies being the flagship post for
what arrogance is in my book). I'm reworking my concept for the page, and that includes taking down
all my "Original Anime" pictures in favor of the repro work I will be doing. Once in a while, I'll
put a thumbnail of an original art piece into a post, but for the most part, I want this aspect of my
artistic expression to focus on my passion for the anime that exists out there. The characters I
create on my own are not really ready for a mass media market. There is a lot I need to do first to
make my creations worthy.
I also owe this site a great thanks for being part of the motivation that brought around my finally
sitting down to draw that first picture. I joined here just before I drew it, and it was seeing the
other artwork that pushed the final button and made me want to draw. So thank you to everybody, the
users who post their pictures, and comment on the works of others, the creator, and staff who keep
this site running, and anyone else I might have left out. I have made a home here, and feel welcome
to be myself, which is just the right kind of motivation for my artistic endeavours.
I didn't really intend to write so much, but when I focus on something, I can get a lot done. Thank
you for taking the time to read all this way, I appreciate the effort.
Always and Forever Cosmic,
Anime Dreams for years to come! |
