YouTube Channel and New Blog

As of this post, this blog is officially closed. I may or may not keep this thing up, but I know I do want to keep some record of my writing here, as an indication of my progress in anime writing. 

I finally started up my YouTube channel, and it's here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyxvyB1VtGaM0eK_wvSforQ

It's only got 2 videos up, both pertaining to a convention. I need to ease myself into actual script writing and content creation, so expect a slow, gradual climb. 

I've also started up a much more streamlined-looking anime blog to accompany my channel, I switched to wordpress because it looks much more polished, it has an iOS app, and I needed to change the name to SugoiChappy. https://sugoichappy.wordpress.com/

I don't even know who I'm talking to anymore, but I guess I gotta put this up here, don't I?

This will be the final farewell you hear on this blog.

Cheers,

~Selena

Reply #1

Well, you see, you have to understand where I come from in terms of who I can talk to about anime IRL. In my school, the VAST majority of self proposed fans are actually casual fans. They don’t watch a whole lot of anime, don’t care to talk about it, don’t know anything about the industry or people involved, and don’t have the kind of passion I do. That’s not a bad thing, but then you look at the few that aren’t those people. 

Now, I run this year’s anime club. (Not doing so hot at the moment, BTW.) The people that do care enough to come, I’ve tried to have discussions with about anime, but all they really seem to say is “That was awesome” “He’s so cool” ‘I liked it a lot” and such. One particular person who shall remain nameless is just a long shonen tard, and without going on a rant, he just pushes my buttons a lot. I haven’t ever been able to have a meaningful conversation about anime where I don’t have to dumb myself down just to bear with it. No one, I’d say is “””on my level””” in layman’s terms. I know that sounds mean, but let me keep going. I can’t talk about themes, directing, acting, characters, composition, and really almost anything I want to about anime with any of these people. In short, I can’t discuss the things I want to about anime with anyone in my school without reducing my words to a fraction of what I think, say, and mean. Every single discussion where I stop restraining myself results in someone’s feelings hurt, or outcries of, “You’re too critical!!!” or “That’s just your opinion!” or “We’re just casual fans.” And I hate it. 

I’ve only been able to thanks to the internet and anime YouTubers. That’s why I wanna join. I want the opportunity to talk to other YouTubers and users without holding back. To challenge my views and mind. I’m sick and tired of talking people who don’t even know how to construct an argument, both with anime, and any other topic that I’d like to discuss at least somewhat intellectually. Also, I’m not exactly a social person IRL. I just about don’t have anyone in my life I can wholly call a friend. This could help me actually make friends and look forward to really talking to people for once. I can’t let my mind’s craziness and constant slew of ideas in general just be bottled up in me, or let the lucky ones get written down somewhere, otherwise I might go insane. I’ve already been feeling it, especially in these past few months when I started announcing my channel goals and asking for advice. (Part of the reason I haven’t produced anything so far is because school takes a lot more time than I thought it would this year. So sorry for not fulfilling my promise so far. And I’ve had too many writing woes, as Sooin put it.) 

Sure, you might say anime isn’t supposed to have a deeper meaning, But there’s just something in me, perhaps the side of me that’s been enamored by the domain known as TV Tropes, that just revels in the world of fiction. I like to keep an active mind, and to quote a lovely Professor, “Critical thinking is the key to success.” It’s the way I think, and if you don’t like it, just don’t listen to me. you can think for yourself what you will. 

I’m sorry if this has just been a wall of text composed of adolescent angst or pretensions. (Once I start ranting, things generally go on tangents and turn out this way.) And I’m sorry if I didn’t answer your question the way you wanted me to. But I hope at least you have a bit of an idea of what goes on in my head and around me that’s made me think the way I do. I don’t know if you’d consider this too personal, but I benefit nothing from holding back on the truth and not being completely honest. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’m open to talk more if you’d like. And again, I'm sorry. 

5,000 Pageviews!!!

(As of this writing, it's actually over 5,500)
Alright, people, I SWEAR I'm working on a BIG project, something I've been dreaming of for a LONG time now, I've finally been motivated to start, have gotten encouragement to start, and made ALL sorts of preparations.

So, to address the state of this blog:
This may be one of the last posts I put up here. If I work fast enough (bad timing for me to go full steam ahead now, as the summer is now over, and I was hoping to do lots of work these past few months) I will no longer be using this blog. I will do a Fall 2015 Pre-Season like I have been for almost a year now, but, again, if I work fast enough, you may see the list somewhere else...

You people don't know how long I've been constantly thinking, dreaming, about every aspect of my big goal here. I would like to thank everyone who has given me whatever support they can, with comments or even views,

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got lots of work to do...

Cheers,
~Selena

Last Updated: 30 August 2015
Originally Posted: 30 August 2015

RANT: EVERYONE SHUT UP THE FREE DUB IS NOT BAD

Buckle up, kids, this is gonna be a long rant.

I am tired of seeing all these posts all over the Internet on the dub, saying 50% Off is better and such. 

You people do not realize what a HUGE risk Funimation took in licensing Eternal Summer. And yet, over the past year, they've been giving it tons of love and exposure, hoping it will be a success. They gave it an all star cast, they're releasing a premium box set, and they've hinted at the special episode too. And now that everyone has had their turn for a punch, FUNIMATION WILL THINK THIS WAS A FAILURE. THEY WILL NEVER LICENSE ANOTHER SPORTS ANIME AGAIN. THEY WILL NOT TRY TO (somehow) PURSUE SEASON 1. IT WILL BE BIG WINDUP ALL OVER AGAIN. 

The dub is not "too straight" or "too bro." What you people, who probably haven't done a lick of research about voice acting on either side of the Pacific, haven't realized is that voice acting is supposed to be a PERFORMANCE. DUBS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO COPY THE JAPANESE IN EVERY WAY. I have heard dubs at the hands of directors who thought that was a good idea and they are truly TERRIBLE. Director Jerry Jewell most likely realized that the feeling the Japanese voice acting gave is something that can ONLY WORK IN JAPANESE. Over-exaggerated archetypes, shonen-ai subtext, THESE ARE THINGS THAT THE JAPANESE HAVE DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN, and English dub actors have only really hit their stride in the past 10 or so years, so only the veterans have experience in. WHICH IS WHY HE CAST ACTORS WITH YEARS AND DOZENS OF SHOWS UNDER THEIR BELT. He knew trying to emulate the seiyuu's performances would be a bad idea, so he made the dub feel much more NATURAL. THE BOYS ACTUALLY SPEAK LIKE REGULAR TEENAGERS IN THE DUB. 

Say what you will about the supposed mispronunciations, DO YOU HONESTLY EXPECT NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS TO PERFECTLY PRONOUNCE JAPANESE LIKE PROFESSIONAL SEIYUU. And for your information, they are pronouncing "Rin" CORRECTLY. IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO RHYME WITH "FIN." What you also may not realize is that English dub actors RARELY get the chance to see at least an episode of a show they're cast in in Japanese. THEY ARE TOO BUSY TO DO THAT. The most they usually get to hear are little clips of the Japanese version the ADR director shows them right before they dub the line(s) in the recording booth. SO IF THEY MISPRONOUNCE ANY JAPANESE NAME, IT'S BECAUSE THEY READ THE NAME OFF THE SCRIPT, WITHOUT HAVING HEARD THE JAPANESE. AND ONCE THEY ESTABLISH A PRONUNCIATION, THEY HAVE TO STICK WITH IT, BECAUSE INCONSISTENCIES ACROSS A DUB CAN MAKE IT FEEL A LOT WORSE. (Please see the dub to Say I Love You for reference)

Because the Internet is full of idiots, I need to say this again: VIC IS NOT HOMOPHOBIC, much less "too homophobic to be in Free." YOU ALL TRIED TO RUIN HIS CAREER LAST YEAR, and to what avail? WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH??? 

(exhales)

So, in conclusion, if you were one of those oh-so-lovely folks on the comments of the dub trailer released last month saying this dub made you physically ill or such, I bet your knowledge of anime voice acting is so minimal, you don't even know what ADR stands for. This automatic violent reaction to the dub that has now been so perpetuated in the anime community so much that new listeners are EXPECTING to find the dub as repulsive as everyone says it is, WHICH BECOMES A SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY. YOU PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE HOW MONUMENTAL THIS DUB IS, AND THE NUMBER OF THINGS IT DID TO HELP FUNIMATION, THE CAST, AND THE ANIME INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY MOVE FORWARD. HECK, THEY EVEN INVITED OCTOPIMP AND SPARKY TO BE IN THE ACTUAL DUB. If that's not respect, you tell me what is. 

If you made it here to the end, I have a few things to say to you. First, if you just scrolled to the end without reading what's above this, and you know what I'm talking about based on the title of this post, GO BACK BECAUSE I CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE YOU'LL LEARN SOMETHING. Second, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SUPPORT THIS LICENSED RELEASE OF FREE. EVEN IF YOU'RE GOING TO JUST WATCH THE SUB ONLINE, PLEASE DO NOT USE TORRENT SITES. THIS SHOW NEEDS A LOT OF LOVE, and if it's successful enough, who knows, we could be seeing a wave of sports anime be available on places besides Crunchyroll. Third, I hope everyone who actually read this will have learned something, and will maybe keep an open mind about this. 

(Bows out)

Cheers,

~Selena

Last Updated: 31 July 2015

Originally Published: 31 July 2015

Summer 2015 Anime Pre-Season Impressions

I swear, these things are the only thing keeping this blog afloat. As usual, you can view this season's chart at http://anichart.net/summer

There's no sequel to a show I've seen and liked airing this season, so I'm not going to be watching anything on this chart this summer. (And all but one of those sequels I watched turned out to be big disappointments.) On to the originals. Oh, and if an original isn't on here, it means I have little to no thoughts on it.


Okay, if I was going to be watching originals, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime would most likely be one of them. It's a shojo, it's Bones, it's a fantasy, and it reminds me of Yona. Which, if that's true, is all the more reason for me to wait 'till this is done then marathon it. (Please Funi, pick this one up.)

I'm not quite sure what kind of anime Aoharu X Kikanjuu is trying to be. There's action, otaku appeal, cross dressing, possibly romance... Love the character designs though.

Charlotte has a bit of a generic premise, and I predict this show might just devolve into a generic school life/supernatural show. I just don't understand the little slivers of hype this thing has in the anime community.

Classroom☆Crisis. Given this anime's premise, this thing seems like it's underselling itself. But I guess that's okay, because I predict this will also be a generic, forgotten show. 

Here's how I imagine Gakkou Gurashi! came to be. *ahem* Pitcher: "How does this sound: We take the standard moe four-girl group of close knit friends, but we add a zombie apocalypse to save this from being generic." Producer: "Ah. So, it's like Highscool of the Dead, but for people who are into moe girls instead of Matrix tits. Okay. Green-lit." 

*Exhale* Okay. Finally, another original on this chart that I think will be worth watching. I do think a certain video published by 42Believer significantly increased the popularity of the manga of Gangsta, and it's actually because of that video that I decided to buy the first two volumes of the manga when I saw a manga lot for sale on Craigslist. From what I've read, this is gonna be pretty good, and the PVs I've seen have showcased some great Madhouse-worthy animation. Love the artwork. And the previewed OP song.

Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri sounds like a cross between D_r_ _r  Th_ _  B_ _ck and W_ _ ld T_ _ gg_r. The otaku pandering is kind of obvious, and this is another show that seems like it isn't sure what to be. We know you want a SAO III green-lit so you can make more money, A-1 Pictures, but for now, you're biding their time with this, while glaring at your producers. But hey, the character designs look nice. 

Man, ufotable is rolling it in with their anime recently. I'm not sure how successful the game that God Eater is based of is, but I've seen the PV, and the character designs were a bit jarring, being somewhere between 2D and 3D animation. The very least I'm expecting from this anime are some phenomenal animation and action scenes.

Jitsu wa Watashi wa. Sounds generic, but why do the character designs remind me of a few anime YouTuber's profile pictures?

Joukamachi no Dandelion. A supposedly dystopian that's also underselling itself. Next. 

Prison School
Joining its cousins Akame ga Kill and Triage X, I say...
 

Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan. Do we really need another generic-ish anime to give the lucrative title of "Black Swordsman" to a probably generic male lead? We all know Guts is the one true black Swordsman. 

Oh my gosh. Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou is just Rosario+Vampire all over again, but maybe a little more shameless. Bleh. RUN AWAYYYYYY

Okay. Overlord is giving us a bit of a different take on this "trapped in a video game" phenomena the anime world has been experiencing these past few years.

Rokka no Yuusha. Slightly interesting, slightly generic fantasy adventure concept, but this is probably going to be more generic fantasy with hot girls. Skip. 

J.C. Staff...what are you doing this year... Earlier, Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai had this ridiculois fanservice-y key visual, and looking at how well DanMachi did last season, I'm actually wishing JC Staff went back to making supernatural light novel adaptations with tsundere girls. WHY ARE YOU TURNING TO ECCHI, J.C. STAFF???

Sore ga Seiyuu! is another anime about the anime industry, though I'm not sure if this will be as good or successful as the acclaimed Shirobako was.

Not exactly sure what Ushio to Tora is gonna be like, but my money's on it being a dark, supernatural seinen-esque action with demons and possibly body horror. *watches everyone else immediately jump onto the MAPPA hype train*

I know this is a movie, but thank you for slightly improving my outlook on this season, Boy and the Beast. Mamoru Hosoda, please work your magic again.

Yeah.....this season looks like it's going to be pretty bad.
What sequels are coming out?

Uhhhhh...

TOEI YOU ARE FALLING APART. You've been taking on way too many things, and delivering poor results. I mean, just look at the quality of anmation in Sailor Moon Crystal and World Trigger. Just. Stop. Toei.

Is this the second half to what aired this winter?

More Type-Moon turned moe.

I didn't watch the first season when it aired in 2013...should I have done that?

I AM NOT TOUCHING YAOI IN ANIME FORM...yet. Not sure if this is a good start.

Heard good things about this first season, but pure slice-of-life with cute girls just isn't really my thing.

I think I know a certain anime related YouTuber will probably be happy about this...

Ugh. More ecchi franchise.

And...more slice-of-life I'm not sure if I should watch or not.

Man, this season looks pretty bad.
And now, watch as all the shows I've deemed generic to be massive smash hits. (Glares at DanMachi, Seraph, Punchline, and Plastic Memories from Spring)
2015 is looking to be a pretty bad year for anime.

But wait...what do I see in the horizon?
   
Nah.

Alright, after I just spent time whaling on this season's chart, what shows are you guys looking forward to?

Cheers,
~Selena

Last Updated: 28 June 2015
Originally Published: 28 June 2015