Author: Anne

The World of Girls’ Manga exhibit and my first academic presentation

I briefly mentioned the fact that I recently attended an academic conference (symposium, to be exact) in a previous post as an excuse for not blogging for a while, but I figured since my topic and the theme of the symposium are relevant to this blog, why not blog about it? It’s okay for me take a moment to gloat about my very first name tag (shown above) and the fact that I got to attend the World of Girls’ Manga art exhibit from Kyoto International Manga Museum at the same event, right? (that’s a rhetorical question – this is my blog and I’m going to do it anyway!)

Don’t worry, just because I presented in an academic setting, I certainly haven’t let it go to my head. In fact, it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. For the curious, my paper was titled “From Shōjo to Boys’ Love (BL) and Back Again: Yoshinaga Fumi and the Diversification of Male-Male Romance in Japanese Manga.” I won’t go into the details of the paper because 1) it will probably bore many of you and 2) I’m planning on presenting a modified version in January which will then go on to be published in a journal somewhere down the track and I don’t want anyone stealing my ideas (hah), but I do have something else I’m very keen to discuss… 

Namely, the gorgeous full-color World of Girls’ Comics book that each and every one of the presenters at the 2-day symposium received, including myself! It’s chock-full of gorgeous illustrations and information on early shojo manga artists. I couldn’t have asked for a better memento of my first academic presentation.

Though I won’t go into too much detail, I just can’t help but share some of the exquisite art from this book! Each artist featured in the exhibition has a short biography in both English and Japanese, along with a number of illustrations, of which have been restored using the Kyoto International Manga Museum’s special Genga'(Dash) preservation technique.

 A lot of these early artists are people I’m only vaguely familiar with, if that, so this book has really opened my eyes to a lot of stunning work that I wouldn’t have known otherwise!

This is by the same artist as the image above, Katsuji Matsumoto. Her eyes are kind of derpy looking and I’m not sure what she’s doing with her hands, but there’s something really appealing about this piece to me.

Many early shojo manga artists, particularly those in the 60s and early 70s, were actually men. I don’t think many western fans realize that the popular artist behind the above illustrations, Macoto Takahashi, was actually a man! I love his attention to detail.

Another male artist, Satoo Tomoe, wasn’t afraid of drawing war-related illustrations. For better or for worse, any anime/manga-style work involving children will inevitably remind me of Grave of the Fireflies.

There was another piece from the series shown above, Shiroi toroika (White Troika) at the exhibit I attended that really grabbed me, to the point that I think I want to track the original manga down and read it someday. It was drawn by Hideko Mizuno.

Not all of the works included are color illustrations – there are also a number of original manga pages, which I find utterly fascinating. See if you can make out the the differently-colored text portions. I assume these were edits of some kind. This page is from Anasutashia no suteki na otonari (Anastasia’s Wonderful Neighbor) by Yukiko Kai.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a book about early shojo manga without some crazy shojo window eyes. I’m not particularly fond of the above illustration, but you’ve gotta admit it’s something else! This one’s from Aiba Enzeru (My Horse Angel) by Kimiko Uehara.

Last but not least, one of my personal favorite manga artists from this period, Keiko Takemiya. She’s actually a teacher at Kyoto Seika University in their manga studies program, and she was the supervising editor behind this collection. I find her dedication to restoring and preserving works from her early years as a manga artist and teaching others really inspiring.

Well, there you have it! Memories to last a lifetime. If you’re interested in reading more about the symposium and exhibit, you can do so at the official page here.

Memos from Mamemura: Weeks 2-3

Remember how I said I was going to start a (semi)weekly feature chronicling my adventures in Animal Crossing: New Leaf? Well, I’ve finally got off my lazy butt and compiled all my screenshots thus far into one such post! My Initial Animal Crossing: New Leaf Impressions post will serve as the first week, hence why this is weeks 2-3.

I’ll try my very best to talk about all the special events and fun tidbits that people might not know about in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, so keep in mind that these posts will be chock-full of information and screenshots that “spoil” some of the surprises in the game. That said, I won’t cover every little thing in order to keep some of the magic there for those of you who haven’t gotten the chance to play yet, but I can’t guarantee anything, so please proceed with caution!

Anyone notice my ongoing thing for Swadloon?

But before I begin, you’re probably wondering why I decided to title this “Memos from Mamemura.” I’ve named my Animal Crossing: New Leaf town Mamemura, which literally means “bean town,” but I like how it almost sounds like Amemura, short for America Mura, which is an actual location in Osaka.  Of course since I am actually American, a town who’s name is a pun of Amemura sounded like a grand idea! (Amemura really doesn’t have much of anything to do with America, if you’re wondering) And I’d like to give everyone who pitched title suggestions in my last post a huge thanks for the wonderful inspiration! If it weren’t for your awesome ideas, I wouldn’t have come up with Memos from Mamemura, which I’m quite proud of, if I do say so myself.

Enough talk! What have I been up to in the world of Animal Crossing: New Leaf?

I got a whopping three new villagers over the past two weeks! The first to appear was Frill, who, if I’m not mistaken, is new to New Leaf (someone please correct me if I’m wrong!). Doesn’t she look like she came straight out of a Tim Burton film? And I love the Victorian decor! I wonder if they were channeling lolita goth when they designed her.

Next came Rocky the koala, another (definitely) new villager to New Leaf! I’m really lucky to have gotten such a wide range of characters! I just adore his shades, sideburns, and leather jacket. 
Finally, we have Kuroko, or Alli in the English versions. It’s lots of fun to see old and new faces mingle. 

I got my first visit from Kaburiba, or Joan, the lady who sells turnips. As all Animal Crossing aficionados know, you can make quite a killing reselling turnips to shops, as the price changes from day to day (I believe it even changes multiple times a day in New Leaf). The only downside is that they go bad in a week, so you might find yourself stuck having to sell them back for a less-than-desirable price. I thought Joan was trying to pull me a fast one by setting the turnip price rather high this week, so I decided to play it safe and not buy any.

I finally unlocked the island! If only I took better notes, I’d be able to say exactly which day this occurred on… After completing certain tasks as mayor, Tortimer, the mayor of previous Animal Crossing towns, will appear when you load up your game and invite you to visit his island. From the next day, you’re able to travel to the island whenever you wish, as long as you can afford the 1,000 bell fee. It’s a great place to find rare bugs, fish, and fruit, as well as play special mini-games!

Swimming is new to New Leaf, as well, and can only be done on the island. It’s a lot of fun diving for things! You can see I’ve caught a sea urchin above.

I bet you’re wondering what’s wrong with my eye in the above screens, right? Well, guess who shook one too many trees? I pushed my luck too far and a beehive landed right next to me! I was no match for those bees. I love how the villagers react to seeing your mangled face. They suggest to find medicine but I had no idea how to get any… Luckily all was well the next day.

New digs and swag! I love my Mario hat and sparkly shojo eye glasses.

My first project as mayor was building this bridge! Every time you compete a project (i.e pay off your debt) you’ll have a little celebration with some of the villagers and Shizue, the secretary.

Last Thursday was the Harvest Festival! This turkey, Franklin, shows up in everyone’s towns asking for ingredients to cook a feast. Unfortunately the event was going on when I was traveling, so I didn’t get a chance to complete all the tasks.

I did, however, trade some ingredients with some villagers…

and brought them back to Franklin to make a mushroom salad! He asks you to bring a “secret ingredient,” but I didn’t realize I needed one, and unfortunately there’s no turning back once you have the required items and initiate a conversation with him. Basically, my lack of the secret ingredient meant that it wasn’t the “best it could be,” which leads me to believe I might’ve gotten a better item had I brought the secret ingredient. I’m happy with the harvest dresser I got in return, but it’s a shame I’ll have to wait until next year to do the rest of the event! 
I also built a tent in my town so wandering villagers could come visit. You can play a short guessing game with them, and in this case the conniving deer you see above, Doremi (another newcomer to New Leaf!), managed to swindle my bug net off me for a mere 56 bells because I kept picking the wrong numbers (it’s basically all up to chance, I believe). Luckily she said she enjoyed my town and wants to move in, so I hope to see her soon! 
Gettin’ my nerd on with an arcade machine and cat ears. 
Finally, though I don’t have space to share all of the pictures I have from visiting friend’s towns, I wanted to show a quick glimpse of K.K Slider’s Club 444. You can actually dance around by pressing the directional buttons and everything! (Can you see my little hip shake in the above image? Talk about cute!) 
Well, that about sums up my last two weeks in Mamemura. As always, if you have any questions about the game, feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer. See you next week!

[Update] Ah yes, I forgot to post what my town’s layout looks like! Here you go:

 

Braving the wait for Rune Factory 4 with gorgeous fanart

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Sorry for the radio silence over the past week! I’m back from presenting at my very first academic conference, so I can finally take a breather and return to a regular blogging schedule. I don’t want to inundate everyone with too much Animal Crossing: New Leaf (lest you think this has converted into an Animal Crossing blog), so today I’ll talk about another game that’s been on my mind: Rune Factory 4.

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It went under my radar a couple weeks ago, but XSEED Games actually dropped a hint on their Facebook page that they might have picked up (or be working on obtaining) the license for Rune Factory 4. In a response to a fan inquiry, an XSEED employee wrote, “We’ve had an itch to work on another Rune Factory game since we loved Frontier so much, so let’s see if we can’t grab a back scratcher somehow…”

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Natsume has brought over all of the Rune Factory games besides Frontier, but the above statement certainly makes it sounds like they don’t have exclusive rights to the series. Personally, I’m a big XSEED Games fan, so I’d be more than happy to purchase the localized Rune Factory 4 from them, but in the end I really don’t care who picks it up, as long as somebody does!

Of course, with a Japanese 3DS now in my possession, I could very easily import the Japanese version of the game, but for titles like these that are likely to come out in English I generally like to support their western releases. So how do I deal with the waiting game? As you can see from the above three examples and the title of this post, with fanart, of course!

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I’m glad to see some really beautiful pieces of Japanese fanart floating around on the internet, and that so many of the characters are represented! But looking at all of this great art is just making me want the game more, if anything. Unfortunately, given the track record of Rune Factory localizations, we probably won’t see it released in English until well into next year. Good thing I have Animal Crossing: New Leaf to keep me busy! And yes, there are already Rune Factory 4/Animal Crossing crossovers in the form of fan-made clothing…

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And I’m sure there’s more where that came from!

Initial Animal Crossing: New Leaf Impressions

 
I’ve certainly written enough about the limited edition Animal Crossing: New Leaf that came in the mail the other day, but what about the game itself? I’m happy to report that I’ve been playing it for the majority of the week, and it does not disappoint! It’s far too early to give my final verdict, and I have yet to unlock a lot of the game’s content (I still can’t go to the island, for example), hence why I’ve called this “early impressions.” Oh, be warned, there are going to be lots of screenshots of my game (Which you can conveniently take whenever you want by pressing L and R! Nifty!), so if you don’t want to see what townspeople are in the game or be otherwise spoiled, I suggest you avert your eyes! 

You certainly don’t start with that cute little house at the top of the page! No, instead you’re stuck in a tent until you can pay off your first loan. You can’t start working as mayor until you get a house, as well, so it’s pretty imperative to pay off that loan straight away. Luckily it doesn’t take very long at all to do so. It’s pretty quaint under the stars, though, don’t you think?

Here’s my first act as mayor – planting a tree! I love how you can see all the townspeople gathered around. Funny that I started out with not one, but two, tigers, though!

 A glimpse inside Shimoyake (Egbert in English)’s house. He’s certainly into all things astronautical!

Sumi (Nan)’s house, on the other hand, has a more classic feel, and she’s got quite the collection of musical instruments. The other day I suggested she buy a chest of drawers from the local recycle shop (just for kicks, since it’s a new feature in this game) and she replaced that fancy turntable with it! It looked so much better before… 
Here’s Johnny (Gulliver)! He appeared on my beach the first night, but I’m not sure if that’s random or not. Admittedly, I like to play through the game and be surprised by things as they happen, so I haven’t really read any guides or anything like that. I couldn’t help but take a screenshot when he asked me to name the place he was thinking of that was home to koalas and kangaroos! Well, he’s talking about Australia, of course! What a funny coincidence. The next day I received a letter from him from Australia and a special Ayers Rock present for my house, which I then promptly gave to Shimoyake because he asked for it. Now I kind of regret giving it away! 
The blue llama is perpetually sleeping until a certain point in the game (sorry, not sure what his name is). When he wakes up, he’ll modify your furniture for you!
New townspeople started moving in on the second day. Arthur here is pretty cute, don’t you think? I love his mustache! Apparently he’s one of the new additions to New Leaf. 
Hey, it’s Rolan (Sahara)! I got her to make over my house for me, which gave me a new floor and wallpaper.
And to finish the tour, here’s a token fishing shot. I absolutely love the puns throughout the game, and if Wild World was any indication, I’m sure the English version will do a great job capturing the atmosphere and humor of the game. 
Well, if you’ve got this far, congratulations! I think it’s very obvious that I’m throughly enjoying my time with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Though it’s definitely bigger than any previous Animal Crossing game, the first few days are very similar to what I remember from Wild World, but the online features and island, in particular, are really great new additions (that I haven’t been able to spend much time with yet, unfortunately). 
I’d like to take the opportunity to announce a new column I’m planning, as well! I’d like to do a weekly (or so) feature that chronicles my adventures in the world of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I haven’t nailed down a name yet, but I’m tossing up some things like “My Week in Animal Crossing: New Leaf” or “Greetings from Animal Crossing: New Leaf.” If you have any suggestions for a name, I’d love if you left your ideas in the comments! 
Oh, here’s a bonus image of me visiting Punipen of Dudelde Studio‘s town! Don’t miss his adorable flag design:
If you have any questions about the game, leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.

More Gratuitious Animal Crossing XL/LL Photography (GB Micro Comparison Edition)

Those of you who read my last post on the Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS LL were probably thinking that was the end of it, right? Well, think again! Bryan over at The Gay Gamer unintentionally gave me a brilliant idea when he commented on the small size of the LL’s box in one of his recent posts. What kind of idea, you ask? Well, I’d prefer to show, rather than tell:

Game Boy Micro and 3DS LL comparison photos! It dawned on me how funny it is that the LL is so large and the micro is so small, but the LL utilizes much more economical packaging than the Micro. Take a look at the thickness of the two boxes!

 The Micro box looks massive in comparison! The systems themselves, however, are an entirely different matter:

It may be hard to tell in the second photo, but the Micro is still thinner than the LL. Of course the weights are very different, but I think the neatest thing to come out of comparing the two handheld’s packaging is being able to reflect on how hings have evolved over the years! The Micro came with a charger, while the LL didn’t, so that does factor into the size of the box, but the Micro’s box definitely feels like it still has a lot of wasted space compared to the LL’s.

I also can’t believe the Micro came out in 2005! That wasn’t that long ago, really! It launched one year after the DS was released, though, so I can understand why it didn’t do so well. Can you imagine if Nintendo came out and said they were releasing a revamped DS now that the 3DS is out? Well, actually, with all the crazy things Nintendo is doing these days (like not releasing the Animal Crossing: New Leaf  3DS LL outside of Japan, for starters!), I suppose I could imagine such a scenario…

Gratuitous Animal Crossing 3DS LL/XL Photo Shoot

Guess what came in the mail today?

That’s right, the limited edition Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS LL! I’m sure those of you following me on Twitter have already heard, and others may have guessed after my hints in previous Animal Crossing: New Leaf posts, but I was dead set on preordering one of these puppies as soon as they were announced. But enough with the pleasantries. On to the pictures!

Just some shots and details of the lovely, colorful box. Please excuse any graininess in these photos… It’s times like these that make me really wish for a fancy camera!

 

The box is actually a lot thinner than I expected, and has an interesting matte finish on the cardboard that makes it quite nice to the touch! I should’ve put something in so you could gauge the size of the box, but I imagine it’s only about an inch and a half thick.

I just love the attention to detail Nintendo always puts into their products. Simple flourishes like characters adorning the side of the box really add to the whole package, don’t you think? It reminds me a lot of Nintendo’s gorgeous Japanese Game Boy Advance boxes. I like the Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS LL box so much that I’ll definitely be displaying it on my shelf… Next to my GBA Micro box, of course.
The unit itself! I know I made a big fuss about how I really wanted the Pikachu Yellow 3DS LL back when it was announced for Japan, but I’m actually happy that I didn’t end up getting it, as I think this one has a much more timeless, classy feel. And yes, I’ve heard the comparisons of it to a Luis Vuitton pattern… I definitely can see where some people might think they look similar, but for me the similarity isn’t the heart of its appeal at all (I literally have zero interest in Luis Vuitton, for starters). 
Well, suffice it to say… I just love it! The inside looks just like a regular white Japanese 3DS LL (or the new pink x white model), and admittedly it’ll take some getting used to as my first white console, but I’m really happy with it. I should take this opportunity to give a special thanks to my husband, who let me go ahead with the exorbitantly expensive preorder and open it today as an early birthday present… What a sweetie! I don’t think many birthday presents top an Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS LL. 
Since the game itself comes on the SD card, it’s a little jarring to open the system up and have a big empty slot, I must admit! I’ll probably stick a DS game in there just so I don’t have a mild heart attack every time I open it, momentarily forgetting that Animal Crossing: New Leaf isn’t on a cartridge. Right now that’s the only Japanese 3DS game I have, but I have a feeling it’ll keep me busy for a while… That and all the eShop games and demos, of course! I was pleasantly surprised when I booted up the eShop to find a newly-released demo for the upcoming Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Magna Gate and the Infinite Labyrinth. Of course, I’ll definitely have to give Bravely Default: Flying Fairy a shot, as well!
Expect a post on Animal Crossing: New Leaf in the very near future! In the meantime, feel free to ask any questions about the game in the comments, and follow me on Twitter or Tumblr for lots of image dumps courtesy of the game’s new screenshot feature.

Translation: Style Savvy x Animal Crossing (Lucinda’s Blog)

I don’t do a whole lot of translations on this blog, but with my mounting Animal Crossing: New Leaf excitement leaving me checking my FedEx package status every five minutes (more on that in a future post), I figured I could use something to take my mind off things. Plus, this isn’t just any translation, but a translation of the most recent post at Lucinda’s Blog, the official blog for the Japanese version of Style Savvy: Trendsetters (known as Wagamama Fashion: Girl’s Mode in Japan). And this isn’t any post, but a post all about the new Animal Crossing: New Leaf crossover! They’ve gone about promoting it in a pretty interesting way, so I definitely suggest giving it a read through if you’re into either of those games. So, without further ado, I present to you the full blog post in its translation:

Shop Manager Asks

11/7/12

Have you heard?

The Animal Crossing brand will be coming to our town tomorrow.

In honor of the Animal Crossing brand’s launch, I thought I’d talk to Gracie, the gifted designer from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, who designed the items.

I guess you could call it “Shop Manager Asks”!

Miki
Gracie! Thanks for coming today. I look forward to talking with you♪

Gracie
And I you.

Miki
Let’s get right to it. Your brand in Animal Crossing is called GracieGrace. What is its concept?

Gracie
GracieGrace is all about providing a high-end lifestyle! You can’t have refined fashion without a refined lifestyle. That’s why my brand covers everything from clothing and accessories to interior design.

Miki
That’s wonderful! So, what made you decide to design fashion items for our town?

Gracie
I’m a designer who travels all over the world. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a forest or a town, as long as there’s someone there to love my products, I’m happy.

Miki
I see. Well the people of this town certainly know all about fashion! I’m sure they’ll love GracieGrace~

Gracie
Recently I heard that your town was gaining recognition for trending in fashion. Seeing the town for myself today, I realized the rumors were true. I’m confident everyone will wear GracieGrace brilliantly!

Miki
Thank you very much♪ I also tried on your samples. I really feel like it’s such a charming brand, and it totally gives new options for coordinates! Now if you don’t mind, let’s get straight to introducing your new items♪

Gracie
Of course. Take a look at this!

Miki
There are items in here that reflect your own fashion, aren’t there, Gracie?

Gracie
That’s right. Since this is the debut of GracieGrace, I wanted to design a new line that could be regarded as a flagship of the brand. The sunglasses and dress may look psychedelic at a glance, but they’d be outstanding in both a high-class or more cool coordinate. There’s no doubt they’d be sure to make a statement as an accent, as well! The bag and hat can also be pared with more effeminate coordinates.

Miki
So you can enjoy them as a complete outfit, or pair the individual items with different coordinates for a wide variety of impressions! The boots are also lovely.

Gracie
Oh, my… You have fine taste! The boots are the part of this lineup I have the most confidence in. They’re lovingly crafted, right down to the charms on the back. I kept everything both high-class and easy to use, so I hope everyone will try them with different outfits.

Miki
After talking with you, I feel like I want to try all kinds of different things♪ Do you have any final words for our village?

Gracie
I’m not usually one to give praise, but I was touched by the abundance of fashion brands, items, and fashionable people in this town. I’d love if everyone of the town could enjoy high-class fashion with GracieGrace.

Miki
Thanks for your time, Gracie♪