Aniblogger Interrogation Game--I Was So Close to Avoiding This

Image from Pixiv
I had a plan. Stay low, don't mention it on twitter, don't comment on the posts pilling up in my reader, and I would be left alone...

And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling anibloggers!

I kid of course, but sarcasm doesn't translate as well through the internet, so I have to cover my bases. Especially after all the complaining I've been doing lately about SAO. So let's get this started!

Rules by Iso
1. Each person is supposed to follow the rule of fives. You are allowed to ask 5 questions, after which you can tag up to 5 bloggers by hyper-linking to their blog; 5 questions because it’s not too many to flood another blogger and occupy too much of his/her time, but yet a large enough number to ask your most important questions, and 5 bloggers to avoid spamming. Hence, prioritize your questions, and who you wish to ask!

2. Those tagged are obliged to answer the questions in a blog post, and after which, they are entitled to create their own 5 questions and tag 5 other bloggers, so on and so fourth. You are allowed to tag the person that tagged you in the first place. Also, copy and paste this section on your blog so others can understand how the game goes.

3. In the case where a blogger strongly refuses to answer a question, he/she must instead post a nice anime image, wallpaper or cosplay picture, et cetera in response to that question.

4. To make things interesting, a blogger can include wildcards in his/her 5 questions by placing an asterisk, (*), after which those tagged are obliged to reveal something interesting about themselves that others did not previously know. There is no limit to the number of asterisks one can place (which means there can be up to 5 wildcard questions).

5. Anyone can feel free to start the game; you don’t necessarily need someone to tag you. Just create your 5 questions and tag your 5 people of choice. However, the catch is that you must answer your own 5 questions as well.

6. To potentially prevent an endless game, this round of games will end on the 8th September 2012, 12pm JST (GMT +9). After which, no more bloggers can tag others to answer their questions.

Justin's Questions
1. What else do you like besides Japanese Pop Culture?

I like video games, but I'm really sure if that counts since I consider it an extension of my fandom. I mostly play Japanese games; I'm a fan of Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Pokemon, Final Fantasy, and the Persona series (although I still haven't gotten around to playing 4 yet). There's also the occasional fighter game thrown in there. Recently I've been playing a lot of Blaz Blue and Tales of Graces f.

More on-topic, I'm also a writer, to the point where I'm going to school so that I can teach creative writing at the college/university level. It's been a lifelong dream of mine to publish a novel, and with all the connections I'm making through school, I feel like I'm almost there... This is why you'll hear me harping on about theme and character arcs in anime on this blog, since that's my focus in fiction.

2. Since you started blogging, what is the one thing you learned about Anime (or Manga) that you did not know of?

It's a lot more commercial and recycled than I realized going in. On the one hand, there's just so much out there that I'm pretty sure that nearly every kind of story, art style, and characters (just to name a few) is represented. At the same time, despite the number of shows produced each season, there are a lot of rehashes or copycats of more popular shows instead of the diversity that makes me love the medium (ex: the >9000 shows about "an all girl's club that does nothing" after K-ON's smash success). It's a little sad that after watching anime seasonally for a while, you can pick out shows and say, "Didn't something exactly like this air X seasons ago?" I'm not going to get on a soap box and make hyperbolic statements about the anime industry "dying" because they don't make the kind of shows I like all the time; I still find plenty to love! I just wish that this wasn't a world were animators live hand to mouth and studios weren't so strapped for cash that they could experiment a little more without worrying about the bottom line.

3. If there is one thing you would like to see the Anime/Manga industry do, what would it be?

Treat its fans a bit better. It's one thing to make business decisions based on money, but it's another when you expect your Japanese fanbase to basically fund the show by buying boxsets costing hundreds of dollars and remove subtitles from overseas releases. I've also heard rumblings that some companies still don't completely trust legal streams yet because it doesn't make them a lot of money. Some of you may remember the knee-jerk reactions that happened early on. Instead of assuming that your fans' priority is cutting into your bottom line, how about giving them a bit of a break?

4. Would you like to get paid to write about anime?

Yes! That would be very cool. I wouldn't like to do so at the expense of objectivity though.

5. What’s the one type of work that you would like to see created someday?

I know that I just said above that I understand why the industry can't make more of the kind of shows I like, but since you asked... I'd like to see more in-depth fantasy shows in the same vein as Beast Player Erin. It's not a perfect show, but that finale trumped everything else airing at that time in my opinion. You knew that everything in this girl's life was leading up this one epic moment that would change the world... It's hard to explain or recapture, but if there are more stories like that out there that haven't been adapted yet, I'd like to see them.


Naru's Questions
1. Ten years from now, can you still see yourself immersed in the Japanese culture?

I'm not sure; a lot can happen in ten years! Although, to be honest, ten years ago I was completely obsessed with Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, so I guess things haven't changed that much... I don't know what my level of obsession will be in the future, but Japanese pop culture has been a part of my life for so long now that I'm sure it'll remain in some way.

2. What is your favorite quote from an anime series?

"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness. May those who defy it be granted glory."--Edel from Princess Tutu

3. What do you enjoy most about being an aniblogger?

Talking to other fans, for sure. I need to comment and tweet more. That was one of the main reasons I started a blog, since I came to the gradual realization that even among my other friends who liked anime, they weren't as deep into it as I was. Although things can get a little prickly at times, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels driven to write about this crazy subculture obsession.

4. How would you react if you receive any negative comments concerning your way of writing or your thoughts on a certain subject?

Depends on how it's presented. If it's a legitimate complaint about something that I could improve or a different opinion that someone would like to explain and politely debate, I'm completely fine with that. However, if it's just someone trolling for lulz, I'm not above bringing down the banhammer.

5. If there was one element you could remove from anime, what would it be?

Lol hai guiz

I'm a GENKI anime chick who's the main character for no reason! I'm as thick as a concrete wall and learn nothing! Idk what I'm doing here, but everyone should be GENKI! Like me!

To be fair, Fam is the worst example I can think of, but I still really dislike pointless happy-happy-joy-joy characters whose only purpose is to pad time or be moe. They're like a clown that won't leave when the party's over. I don't have a problem with the "genki" archetype itself, but more often than not the character that falls into that mold contributes nothing to the plot, which is pet peeve of mine.


My Questions
Watch as I repeat questions that people have probably already asked

1. If you could live in a world from an anime/manga, which one would it be and why? (If you wouldn't pick one, explain why not.)

I wouldn't pick one, because it seems like every anime world I like has some sort of problem in it that would make it dangerous for a non-superpowered human being like me to live in. I'd probably end up being a badly animated extra who gets killed off. As fun as it is to imagine what it would be like to live in an anime, I like my real life just fine.

2. Have you ever watched a show ironically?

I used to do this a lot when I was a newer fan, a few years before I started this blog. You know the type; the "fans" who watch something just to mock it and feel better about their own preferences. I'm honestly not really sure why I did that anymore. Now my ironic watches either happen accidentally (when a show is so bad it's hilarious) or on special occasions when the entire fandom is in on the joke.

3. Are you the kind of person who easily drops shows, or do you always watch until the end even if you hate it?

I do believe that people shouldn't judge something if they haven't seen it for themselves (that's why I actually read through the entire Twilight series... Spoiler alert: It really is that bad.) but I've started to cut myself a break recently. If something becomes a chore for me to watch, I'll back away. That's exactly what's happening right now for me with SAO; I'll make my case for why I don't like it, then I'll drop the subject.

4. Do you have other ways of expressing your fandom other than reading manga/watching anime and blogging about it?

YAY PLASTIC

5. What is this?

THE GREATEST ANIME EVER.

Tag, You're It!
Everyone's been tagged already. I'm going to tag Mira because you have to suffer too and SnippetTee assuming she even sees this. No pressure though, since I'm already pushing the deadline.