organizing vs arranging a bookcase

https://youtu.be/E2H5oPm6A8k

I love organizing, but I get a little irked when I see some home decor tips for "organizing" bookcases.  It's more like arranging. They flaunt so much _spare space_.  I've got too many books and figurines to be THAT inefficient!  And you waste so much space, like it's nothing, right in front of me?!  ;o;  Otaku need REAL tips for _organizing_.  Maximizing space is really difficult and if we're ever searching for "arranging" tips, it's for that.  That's what we really need.  Instead, we mostly just get tips for making things *look pretty*.

I'm sorry.  I really do like these organizing videos and videos of making spaces look nice.  But for me, functionality and utilitarian efficiency are a big part of what makes a space beautiful and impressive.

an otaku's first Comikaze Expo at Comikaze 2015

This past Sunday, I attended my first Comikaze Expo.  Which is strange, since I'm from the area and really should have always attended.  But Comikaze always falls on Halloween, and that's my annual sibling cosplay at Disneyland.

Whenever I go to comic book conventions, I feel out of place.  A few minutes into the dealer's hall, and I mistook a Cecil Palmer cosplayer, for Sanji from One Piece.  Then I was excited to see a Dante cosplayer (though missing his wig), only to later realize that maybe he was actually Star Lord.  This out of place feeling, is what I imagine my comic book friends described, when they recently attended an anime convention and said they felt disconnected from the people and fandoms there.  Everywhere I looked, were cosplayers from fandoms I didn’t really know.  I can only assume that anime con atmosphere doesn’t have the same effect on me, despite my being so behind in new anime series/fandoms, because all the costume/character designs all have that familiar aesthetic, that by now, feels like home.  And everyone seems to unconsciously all have the same tastes in story themes, archetypes, running gags, etc., and is just on the same page.  But that’s just a guess.

But I will say there are still a lot of positives, being an otaku in a comic book convention for American comics.  For one thing, the dealer's room is less daunting.  I was able to systematically zip through every aisle, scan each booth in only a few seconds, and finish going through the entire place in a mere 2 hours.  Plus, when there's less to buy, I can spend less money.  ...Except that whenever I can't really find anything I want to buy, my con experience feels incomplete, and I fall into wasting money on things I'm only slightly interested in.  And this seems to happen a lot whenever I attend comic book conventions.  ~_~;  I really should stop that.

Still, I bought Nendoroid Tina at $43, the cheapest price I've ever seen her, in person.  I once saw her for $35 online, but after shipping, she would have ended up being the same $43, at least.  So I shouldn't really feel too bad about splurging on Tina at Comikaze.  Besides, I was able to resist impulse-buying Nendoroid Celty, Nendoroid Archer, Figma Pyramid Head, and those Nendoroid sleeping bags.  So, I think I did pretty well with my (lack of) shopping.  ^-^

But maybe the best thing about comic book conventions for American pop culture, is to hang out with my friends and family, who aren’t as into manga/anime as I am.  They always seem to go to comic cons instead.  SDCC is their AX.  And this con, I had a nice chat with a family member, working his very first artist alley table.  ^o^  http://inkstainedbrush.wix.com/inkstained

finished Gakkou Gurashi & cried

My brother and I just finished the last episode of Gakkou Gurashi (School Live).  I don't really want to give away spoilers, but I will say that we loved this series.  ^-^  

I love how it left the viewer with a sense of hope.  It was uplifting, unlike most zombie movies and series.  I mean, The Walking Dead was always bleak, but with the 6th season, I just couldn't handle it anymore.  And High School of the Dead was "hopeful" in terms of leaving the viewer with a sense of empowerment, even though they ended up without shelter or their car anymore.  But School Live ended the same way, but felt so much more hopeful and positive.  Definitely a series that won't make me feel worse for the rest of the day...which isn't something I can usually say about a zombie themed series.  ^^;  

What is stupid, is that it took me all the way until last episode to figure out why Yuki's uniform was different from everyone else's.  ~.~;;;;;;;;;  She's one of those "scatter-brained" archetypes who forgets about the seasonal uniform change.  She probably wore her school's summer uniform, when they were supposed to switch to the fall uniform.  I think those green uniforms are for fall.  They look autumn-like.  

Seeing this series after Dramatical Murder, I kept noticing the Nitro+ credit at the very end of each episode and wondering if this anime was based on a visual novel, or vice versa...?  Well, my brother immediately went online and found a Gakkou Gurashi manga.  By the condition of Miki’s patched eye, and their talk of a helicopter crash, the manga sounds much more harsh.  o_O

sword story with Touken Ranbu potential

Just saw this awesome story today on NHK World Newsline.  The report is called “Home, at Last”, as reported by Taro Nagaoka for 10/27/2015.  This sword’s story has so much Touken Ranbu potential.  ^.^  (In terms of Touken Ranbu fandom spilling into general interest in swords, rising in Japan’s female population, it seems appropriate that one of the museum visitors interviewed was a woman.  lol)  Here’s a transcript of the report:

Reporter:  "Swords that once were weapons in Japan are considered works of art today.  Some have been designated national important cultural properties.  But that sort of recognition also brings attention from opportunists.  NHK World’s Taro Nagaoka reports about a stolen sword that only recently resurfaced.“

Nagaoka:  "The sword has a name:  Bishu-Osafuneju-Motoshige.  It was made about 700 years ago, and is an important cultural property.  The inscription says ‘mikaeri’, meaning ‘to turn back and look’.  The sword was said to be so sharp, that you did not know it had cut you, until you turned around and fell down.  People were able to see it in the safety of an exhibition in the city of Tsuruoka.  The sword proved to be a big attraction.”

Female museum visitor:  "The condition is terrific!  It makes me speechless.“

Male museum visitor:   "This is a real treasure for everyone in our city.”

Nagaoka:   “The sword was owned by a descendant of the feudal lord of this area.  But in 1986, someone stole it from the family storehouse.  The thieves were caught, but the sword was lost.  It had already been sold on the black market.  Tadahisa Sakai is the director of the museum that held the recent exhibition.  It was his father who owned the sword at the time of the theft.  He says his father was heart-broken.  The elder Sakai had written many poems about the stolen treasure.”

Poetry by elder Sakai:  "Oh, stolen sword, do not turn rusty.  I await the day you come back to me.“  

Nagaoka:   "His father passed away eleven years ago, without seeing the sword again.  Last year, a…collector in Osaka told Mr. Sakai, someone was selling the object.  Under…Law, the time limit for getting the property back had passed.  The seller was not responsible for the theft, and buying it from him was beyond Mr. Sakai’s ability.”

Sakai:  "The price was close to a million dollars.  I have no way of coming up with money like that.”

Nagaoka:   “A collector in Osaka came to the rescue.  He purchased the sword and offered to lend it without charge, for exhibitions at Sakai’s museum.“  

Sakai:  "Finally, I was able to tell my father, that the Mikaeri Motoshige had returned.  I can almost hear him say, ‘Thank goodness’.”

Nagaoka:   “The day before the recent showing, Sakai polished the sword himself.”

Sakai:  "I had given up on ever seeing it again.  So I’m delighted that we are finally able to display it.“

Nagaoka:   "On opening day, Sakai explained the origins of the sword and its more recent history.”

Sakai:  "I hope people will have other opportunities to attend exhibitions [of] this sword and learn about Japan’s sword culture.“  

Nagaoka:   "After 30 years, the wandering sword finally found its way home.  Sakai hopes to exhibit it every year to highlight a form of culture that cuts across the centuries.  —Taro Nagaoka, NHK World, Yamagata.”

Here is a video of the news report, from the official NHK World website.  But it is likely only a temporary post:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/features/201510280816.html

S.H. Figuarts vs Figma as drawing manequinns

Comparing the S.H. Figuarts Man DX Set versus the Figma Archetype He and She, in terms of drawing models, is a little difficult without physically testing out their articulation, side by side, but I can try to compare what we can see from their official photos.  (S.H. Figuarts Man DX figures in gray; Figma Archetype He and She figures in flesh tones.)

The female figures seem pretty much the same to me, except for the articulation at the toes, which are available in the S.H. Figuarts, but not the Figma Archetype.  The S.H. Figuarts waistline has an actual seam delineating it at the natural waistline, while the Figma Archetype She dips the seam to allow the midriff to be a more continuous sculpt.  (This may also allow for more leeway in articulation, but that's just speculation.)  The hip joint sockets for the legs are also a little more visible in the S.H. Figuarts, than the Figma.  The torso seam on both S.H. Figuarts are much lower and allowed to be visible, while the Figma Archetypes try to hide the seam under the bustline.  But without physically comparing their articulation in person, the female figures seem very much the same.  And without comparing those differences, I have no problem skipping the female S.H. Figuarts, since I'm already getting the Figma Archetype She.  (Except for my collector-minded completionist tendencies.  @_@ )  So, unless there is a big difference in actual articulation, or if a collector/artist is swayed by that toe articulation, then a collector/artist can probably just get one female figure, without also buying the other.  

Now the male figures, on the other hand, are much more drastically different.  I was always annoyed with the look of the bustline seam on the Figma Archetype He, while the S.H. Figuarts Man's chest is much more aesthetically pleasing.  But is it better for sketching as a model?  That may depend solely on each artist/collector's preference.  The Figma's pectorals seem more pronounced, while the S.H. Figuarts' pectorals seem flatter.  But while I have an aesthetic preference for the S.H. Figuarts's chest piece, its hip area is a little awkward.  The hips' joints with the legs are extremely pronounced, and while all the extra seams clutter the hips, it could enable superior articulation, for all I know.  But strangely, the S.H. Figuarts' feet (for both genders) are sculpted like the figures are wearing shoes, even though the rest of their bodies are sculpts of bare muscles.  The Figma Archetypes (for both genders), on the other hand, include feet sculpted as if they were bare.  

I already pre-ordered both Figma Archetype figures, so now it’s just a matter of convincing myself to buy or not buy the S.H. Figuarts.  Maybe if Bluefin Tamashii Nations had such a convenient international official online store, like Good Smile Company, I would have already pre-ordered these S.H. Figuarts.  But I’m kind of glad it wasn’t that easy to order, because I really should save my money.  Especially since I’ve already pre-ordered extremely similar figures in the Figma Archetypes.  But in all honesty, I prefer the male S.H. Figuarts and the completionist figure collector in me can't just leave that female S.H. Figuarts as the only one I leave out of my collection.  So even though I am considering also pre-ordering the upcoming Figma Archetype Next He and She, I will probably pick up the S.H. Figuarts Man DX Set if I should see it.  ^^; 

Picture sources:
https://www.facebook.com/Tamashii.USA/timeline/story?ut=43&wstart=0&wend=1446361199&hash=-389610718224917035&pagefilter=3
http://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/5177/figma+archetype+she+flesh+color+ver.html
http://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/5176/figma+archetype+he+flesh+color+ver.html

Timid Otaku isn't my artist alley blog

Recently, I had to sell at Anime California 2015's artist alley without proper business cards, because my new cards wouldn't be delivered until after the con.  So I had to stamp my artist alley website onto the back of my older business cards, which had obsolete information, including this blog Timid Otaku.

If you have one of these make-shift business cards of mine, please know that this blog is just barely breathing.  It's hardly ever updated, and even when it is, it usually has nothing to do with artist alley, what I'm selling, my fan-crafts, or ideas for future products and conventions.  For that actual information, please visit my real artist alley blog at mysticdragon3.tumblr.com

This blog Timid Otaku is just about my random fandom rants.  Especially the ones a little too long-winded for Tumblr.  Or about sensitive topics, that Tumblr would make too public.  I want to express myself for cathartic reasons, but Blogger/Blogspot is a little safer because it gets less traffic.  And I don't really want to use Tumblr to so publicly post sensitive topics, because that's just bait for trolls or aggressively argumentative people, which I may not be in the mood to handle.  In fact, my posts on this blog are sometimes so stream-of-consciousness styled that I don't think I really expressed what I was really thinking/feeling in some of my more convoluted posts.  In fact, pretty much all my posts _are_ my process, a progression of my thoughts, which I often don't settle on until the conclusion of the post.  It can be a little confusing, and sometimes I feel like people post comments reacting to the feelings I had at the _beginning_ of a post, rather than the conclusions I come to at the end of that process.  @_@;

So please visit my real artist alley blog instead.  mysticdragon3.tumblr.com

fanservice equality

Watching MTV Braless's episode about "What is the Female Gaze?".  https://youtu.be/FdHJG67xmsQ

Well, now I know what to call anime's fanservice shots:  "The Male Gaze".  Apparently, it's a term from the 1970's, when Feminists pointed out that camera shots/angles framed and emphasized female characters as sex objects, even outside of sexual contexts/scenes.  In other words, for no reason.  Maybe I've become desensitized to it, but by now when I see it in anime I just find it funny.

What's even more funny, is to see the Female Gaze at work in Free Iwatobi Swim Club.  While Laci Green from Braless discusses the second Magic Mike movie, I was reminded of the same issues brought up by watching Free.  Yes, the camera angles objectify the characters as sex objects, in non-sexual contexts.  But we find that hilarious!  Why?  Because after decades of watching the same camera angles used to close-up girls' butts, go up skirts, flash panties, and close up boobs for no reason (not to mention, all the situational fanservice, like "oops, I landed on your boobs/lips!" or "why are you wearing less clothes for no reason?"), seeing the same camera angles superimposed onto male characters is hilarious.  But only because of the previously established context of anime's prevalent fanservice.

Actually, a lot of anime comedies rely on referencing genre/medium cliches.  Look at Excel Saga and Ouran High School Host Club:  Half the comedy is dependent on previous familiarity with anime/manga conventions, and the contrast of those series contradicting or playing with those anime expectations.

For now, it's funny.  Within the context of our current day, when women's sexual urges are not discussed or acknowledged, and when most anime flagrantly flaunts the "Male Gaze" as fanservice, seeing the tables turned is unexpected and funny.  But still, throwing more people into the same mire that females are trapped in, in and of itself, isn't really progress.  Objectifying guys just because girls are objectified just equalizes the suffering, rather than pulling people out of it or making it disappear.  I look forward to future generations who will grow up with less of our current generations' contexts and simply see objectification as hurtful for anyone, without first considering gender.

Yet, while I say that, I do have to admit that I am from this current generation.  I grew up in this context.  And I do see Free's flip of the fanservice "Gaze" turned on male characters, as hilarious.  I enjoy it.  And I do see the significance of movies like Magic Mike and 50 Shades of Grey, in breaking this unspoken myth that women don't have sex drives.  Admitting that my generation's perspectives and media are ingrained into me, is just part of me being part of my generation and of being human.

And besides, within today's contexts of my current generation, this "table turning" may be exactly what we need towards equality.  For example, the past's male-hating version of Feminism was appropriate to combat the more fiercely pronounced machismo, during the 1980's.  But by now, such a type of Feminism is called-out for promoting inequality, through its degradation of men, just to even out degradation of women.  Again, what the past times (of the 1980's) needed, has now become obsolete.  And one day, our table-turning will be called-out...while we cry proud tears for how much more enlightened than us, our little babies grew up to be.  (Actually, I do that now, over an episode of Kids React that I saw.)  As folklore studies often point out, the tyrant kings of one story, used to be the heroes of their previous stories.  From Lucas to Edison, the methods they used to successfully combat the "tyrant kings" of their own times/fields and become Heroes, turned them into "tyrant kings" when their methods persisted into the next generations, which found such methods obsolete.

But for now, I'm going to enjoy Free.  And I'm going to take back what I said to my cousin about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde being very difficult to make into a relevant movie today because "modern day society doesn't have the same societal repressions that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was representative of".  Because apparently, we still have a Victorian Era view of women's sexuality, if we're only just now getting big production movies like Magic Mike and 50 Shades of Grey.  Apparently, we still need big portrayals of what's repressed, to shock society out of repressing it.  But once that's solved and accepted, our kids will probably look back and call us out on being too shocking.  LOL