Current location:	Ipoh, Malaysia
Current mood:	tired
Entry tags:	meme

Meme: Interview Me
Here are the rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you 5 questions of a very personal nature.
3. You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them 5 questions.

Questions provided by cbeveridge:

1) You've been on the site for ages now and seen a lot of changes. What's been the best change in the US anime industry that you've seen and why?

The best change I've seen in the US anime industry is the direct involvement of the Japanese companies in producing and releasing their product in the US - whether it be the much praised approach by Kadokawa or the much maligned approach by Bandai Visual or the more adventurous internet approach by Gonzo.

Kadokawa did their homework and excited the US fanbase of its works by making a splash with a current and well-loved property that has been a sensation on the net - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. They marketing to them in a way that titillated and heightened their already fervent interest. Each subsequent show to be released by them went through a bit of meticulous planning in how they approached marketing their product. And kudos to them again, they split the co-production and handling of titles amongst a couple of companies instead of putting all their eggs in one basket. Most of the Kadokawa titles brought over so far showed that they really did their research in what the fans wanted. Recently, I do think they are making a very calculated gamble in bringing over Ookiku Furikabutte, a seinen sports anime show that also gives fodder to the BL/yaoi fans to speculate to their hearts desire. (It's also a show which totally bowled me over due to its attention to detail and characters that feel real, i.e. like you know them. Chris, with the amount of overlap in the anime shows that we both like, I do think it would fall in that overlap.) The key to their calculated gamble is that it is based very closely on a multiple award winning manga, garnered good ratings for a late night show, and sold a very good number of DVD volumes - averaging 19,000 units per volume, more than a large number of shows.

Bandai Visual's approach while much maligned by a number of fans would have been more palatable if they stuck to a Criterion-like approach with a slightly lower price point than what they released them for. Pricing it at usually equal to or more than USD30 above the standard list price of a somewhat similar product is asking for trouble in a market when everyone was feeling the pain of paying more even at standard list price. A premium of USD10 or thereabouts would have had more people buying. In the end, the pricing of their product was too much a reflection of their fear of reverse importation. They were willing to shoot themselves in the left foot so that they could keep their right foot in pristine health.

Gonzo - all credit to them for taking the adventurous approach in releasing their recent shows on the net. While a certain choice of net distributor is not to my liking, Gonzo has been smart enough to ensure there is variety in streaming and download choices. Among the 2 shows released on the net, I've been following Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk via YouTube until Episode 10. That was when Gonzo experimented with their release over at YouTube - Episode 10 had a large annoying white advertising bar throughout the episode which annoyed the heck out of nearly everyone, and Episode 11 was initially released with only 5 minutes of it. I posted my unhappiness and walked away. A lot of people posted their unhappiness. By the looks of it, Gonzo seemed to have rectified after seeing all those comments. Putting aside the furore arising there, Gonzo, with their decent net release of Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk, has made a significant impact in the English fansubbing community. For one, the interest in the show via English fansubs was reduced significantly with most going to the official distribution/streaming sites to watch rather than download the fansubs. There will be diehards but it is a significant success in my opinion.

2) And conversely, the worst?

It's the licensing frenzy between 2004-2006 and the fallout therefrom. I had some misgivings with the licensing frenzy when it happened but was just pleased like most that some very unlikely shows were being licensed for release. There was too much product being released going after a market that was feeling the strain of too many shows to choose and pick from. In addition, a pricing war emerged to move inventory. While this move was good for the consumers, it also started setting expectations that the industry would find hard to meet. The companies with the most cash-cow titles and those which have a clear understanding of the dollars-and-sense (yes, it's deliberate) are the ones who survived. Unfortunately, one of my favourite anime releasing companies in the US was one of the fallen - Geneon Entertainment US, you are sorely missed.

3) What show that hasn't been released in the US translated do you wish would be so that I could finally see it?

So many... I can't choose just one. I could easily make a list more than 50 titles long and provide quickie summaries but that would be taking things a bit too far. As a compromise, I'll list 10 unlicensed shows (some obvious, some not so obvious but a variety. No point in putting in Legend of the Galactic Heroes =D )

• Touch - I've already written a review for you at AoD =) (Obvious entry)
  
• Kekkaishi - A shounen-type action show on the supernatural but one which has a strong consistency in storytelling and direction.
  
• Monster - Suspense psychological thriller by Urasawa. After making an altruistic decision to save a boy instead of a politician, Dr. Tenma later finds out that the boy he saved later turns out to be ruthless and brilliant serial killer as he grows up - the "Monster". (Obvious entry)
  
• Nasu: Summer in Andalusia - Bike racing. A stage that brings Pepe home as his hometown is one of stages of the race. All in time for his brother's marriage to the girl he loves. Nothing sappy there =)
  
• Yomigaeru Sora ~Resuce Wings - Trials and tribulations of a new military rescue helicopter pilot. Like a slice of life show.
  
• Nodame Cantabile - Romantic comedy in a music academy. Noda Megume (i.e. Nodame) has to be experienced. Gyabo!
  
• Touhai Densetsu Akagi - Mahjong. You want to see someone who has gargantuan balls made of adamantium? Akagi is the one. He lives for the thrill of being at the edge and then some. He's an expert at playing mahjong and the stakes gets progressively higher with each match he plays. The main match and one that takes up nearly half of the show is played with blood as stakes. If you take the trouble to understand a bit about mahjong, the version that the Japanese play (and there are many - Taiwanese, Hong Kong, etc), the psychological brinksmanship aspect of the game is like a drug to watch.
  
• Moyashimon - It's about a university freshman who can see microbes with his bare eyes. Follow him as he enrolls in an agricultural university and learn some microbiology while watching anime. The microbes are too damn cute! The plushies of the microbes sold out very fast in Japan =)
  
• Bokura no - It's a gawk away trainwreck but there's more to it. The people who enjoy the manga hate the anime adaptation due to it being watered down and certain matters changed. The director of the anime is aghast at the manga story and wanted to do something which made the manga fans even more angry even though he got approval from the mangaka to do so but with certain conditions. The manga is still ongoing. The anime wrapped it up. So, there will be a mismatch but watch it as is.
  
• Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora - A gimmie in golf parlance. This is available from BOST TV (link). Nice little short series of 6 episodes.

I won't bash your head with some other obvious shows like one of my all-time favourites, e.g. like an old anime about a scoundrel who takes up boxing XD

4) What show have you liked that I've trashed and why was I wrong?

I can't really recall any that I liked that you trashed. For some, 1-2 grades lower. Would grading it 2 1/2 grades lower be considered "trashed"? A B+ rating instead of an A/A+ for me? The show: Five Centimeters Per Second. I like the movie a lot. It's one of my favourite movies. I understand Makoto Shinkai directs his movies not on an intellectual basis but on an emotional basis. If one tries to analyse them on an intellectual basis, oftentimes one will end up missing the message he is trying to convey. I understood that from his very first release, Voices of a Distant Star, and with Five Centimeters Per Second, he has honed his emotional message to near perfection - not one of melodrama but one that is honest and realistic. People who connect with Five Centimeters Per Second are either those who have been or understand the situation he is showing, or those who are finding their feelings being shown. The ending is disliked by most but there's also a large contingent that loves it. Once you get it on an emotional level, it's a brilliant mix of scenes, music, and emotions - all laid down by what has gone before. Let me relate something similar. Someone wrote a review of Billie Holiday's album, "Lady in Satin", in Amazon about how when he got it, he was blown away. That album is not an easy one to listen to. It was her penultimate album and her voice was gone. It scarred, battered, and ravaged by hard drink, drugs, and a hard life. When you listen on an intellectual level, you would hate it because that voice of hers was scratchy and hard to listen. However, when you listen to the album on an emotional level, you will hear the voice of experience singing that communicates much more than words - she sings her life, the wisdom she gained, the experience she has had - everything clicks. You will hear what true singing is about. When I first heard that album, I got it and was rocked to the core. I was humbled and in total awe of her. Watching Five Centimeters Per Second was somewhat similar but not to the extent I had with the album. Makoto Shinkai hit very close to home for me with Five Centimeters Per Second.

5) Best part of living where you are?

Food. Glorious local food. And it's all relatively cheap. If you look at my last few blog entries here on local food (and those over at the AoD blogs), you'll get a hint of the variety and vibrancy of the food. Coming over to Malaysia would be a seriously bad idea for your health, and if you have me as a guide, especially so XD


Edit: Typos and linkages