不愉快ですよ、先輩…

Just a short one for now, but lets be real here for a sec' - if we're going to talk about maji fuyukai anime, this one aint' one of them!

星を継ぐもの

So I just finished watching the Zeta Gundam A new translation OVA trilogy, and while it was kinda jarring to see the really awesome updated animations next to the extremely dated '85 version, the story was pretty amazing. A bit hard to follow, but Tomino's skills as a director were very apparent. Its too bad Seed and Destiny lacked the mature feel of the original Gundam and Zeta.

That said, perhaps I'm alone in this, but Emma Sheen reminded me a lot of Lunamaria from Destiny. Not so much in the strong, maturity of the fashionable brunette, but in the fact that she inherited the Gundam from Kamille, and the skill she was portrayed to have. Seriously though... Luna was a Zaft RED, they don't give their colours away to just anybody, and did she ever achieve anything significant!? Was Tomino the only gundam writer capable of making female pilots feminine AND badass >_<? But that's a story for another day - no, today we're here for a much better reason!

So, since Luna was my favourite of the CE heroines, and Emma Sheen was an awesome UC gundam pilot, AND the Gundam MK-II was a pretty sweet machine.... Gundam MK-II Lunamaria Custom, Build Booster Ver. is on the way! 

I'm thinking mostly white, with strong red elements, similar to the colour pattern of a GM. Pictures forthcoming alongside my Anaheim Test Hazel~

やっはろ～

That moment, when your eyes meet and time freezes in place. Cold sweat, thundering hearts, burning passions. This can mean only one thing... It's time for a pokemon battle!

This is Mei and her older sister Touko, and they both attend the Lillycove Pokemon Academy.

Stay tuned for more info on the two sisters~

Tachibana Karen: Summer Lovin' Had me a Blast

So the other day, I was perusing my way through pixiv, and I stumbled across this little gem! Sorry young-Japanese-artist-san, but yo' design gon' get stolen! No, seriously though, I thought it was really great, and had very nice balance of typical anime design elements and a clear personalty came through, so I decided to use it as a strong inspiration for a new character brewing in the 'izzet steamworks' sitting between my shoulders.

What she'll be doing, is anyone's guess at the moment. Unlikely new-type stumbles upon a prototype mobile suit, pokemon trainer in the making, combatant in a virtual dungeon-crawling-death-game, who knows?

But, as always: 

放課後 Tea Time with Saber: Raidin' Tombs and Takin' Names! Who needs a Y chromosome, anyway!?

Aww snap, its that's time again! Houkago Tea Time with Saber! And today, we'll be talking about men with boobs! What? I'm serious!

Men with boobs, or more accurately, female-action-hero-characters-characterized-in-such-a-way-that-they're-reduced-to-little-more-than-a-male-character-with-female-body-parts, seems to be a bit of a problem in the gaming/movie/tv/literary industry. While I don't have any wild accusations of which character's are secretly post-op traps, I DO have an example of a character that DOESN'T have a Y chromosome! 

 　
This weekend I watched Day[9] play Tomb Raider(2013), and it was just as awesome as I expected it to be. Previously, busty-British-archaeologist/gunslinger Lara Croft was what I would have considered a seemingly empowering female character that in reality was just a sex object. While I don't have extensive experience with the game franchise, I would find this analysis hard to overturn based on the limited knowledge I do have. 

However, in the recent remake of the classic game, we see a complete 180 in terms of our heroine's portrayal. Focusing more on her backstory, we see Lara thrust into a situation where she's forced to kill, enduring gut-wrenching trauma and survive in a harsh wilderness. Cold. Wet. Puncture-wound through the abdomen the moment the action begins. This game is a series of events gone as wrong as possible, and with danger, intrigue and a pair of jaws around every corner, the action is raw, brutal and terrifyingly desperate. 

Lara's character is more practically clothed, covered in cuts, scrapes, bruises and all manner of dirt and grime. Breast-implants no longer! This girl means business! She'd give Jack Bauer a run for his money!

Now, that's all well and good, but what of her gender identity? What makes a female character female or a male character male?

First, let me draw your attention to an example of a gal done right in anime: 

Ryuuko as I've mentioned before challenges traditional gender roles, especially prevalent in shounen anime series', but at the same time, her designers haven't forgotten the essence of what maker her female. Much like the way Lara is written in Tomb Raider, Ryuuko's feminine side comes out through the way she interacts with others, the way she carries herself, and in the subtle details of her existence.

This is all very vague, and if I had a concrete formula of all the small details that define the feminine experience without being cliche and gender biased by citing vulnerable, weak, emotional traits, then I'd be on my way to a PhD right now! But at the same time, just by watching with an attentive eye, you might be able to see an example of what I'm talking about.

To better illustrate my point, lets listen to Rhianna Pratchett, the writer for the 2013 remake: 

Certainly with Lara, I wanted to make a human story. But I never wanted to forget that she was female either. And, I mean, certainly the way she reacts to things could be said to be more female as a reaction. I’m not talking about being scared, or being vulnerable. But the way she interacts with other characters, her friendship with Sam in particular…you wouldn't see a male character holding the hands of an in-pain male character or hugging a dying male character. 

I mean, I didn’t want to just make Lara a male character with boobs. It’s always kind of a…it is a human story at heart. But there things—the language she uses, or the way that she interacts—that could be said to be more feminine. I’m very much not talking about her sense of vulnerability or being scared. That again has been rolled out as: male characters aren’t shown as being scared or vulnerable, why should female characters? Well, just because it hasn’t been done with male characters doesn’t make it wrong! It’s probably more of a problem of the way we depict male characters. 

When it comes to these girls, there's no looking off into the distance through teary eyes, hands held to their bosom, wishing  the hero would come and save the day. They're ready to do what it takes to survive! Take up the master sword that's lying next to them and shove it up an over-sized big-human's ass!
If I were to hazard a guess, I would say there is an inseparable 'softness' in the feminine 'side' of things - not a pink-and-frilly-barbie-aisle-at-Toys-R-Us kind of softness necessarily, but a kind of softness that harkens to our biological differences, one who's extent is mirrored in the relative softness of a female body compared to a male's. Its not a limiting difference or a difference that necessitates a hierarchical disparity, or even necessitates anything other than its own existence, at all! But at the same time, I think this difference is key in representing the female experience in literature - without it, we would run into a series of testosterone driven humans with boobs running amok, or overly dainty damsels distressing over every little thing.

What does this all mean for you and me?

I'd very much like to replicate this feeling of intense, raw, down-and-dirty, cringe-worthy style of action in Sword Arte Online. I want readers to grimace at what our main heroine is forced to do to survive, knowing that there was nothing else to be done, and fearing that in her shoes they'd be paralyzed by fear and unable to fight on like she does. I want her to wade through the muck and emerge with victory clenched between her teeth, but at the same time, tenderly cultivating this fundamentally important ethereal softness that is necessary for her character to be fully realized. 

Much pondering ahead! But in the mean time, I think there's a game that needs downloading! Bee Are Bee!

次のコーナ〜

Just testing out a banner design~

Perhaps for a sub blog, or just a post series - maybe a random set of discussions, thoughts, musings, opinions and speculations....

If nothing else, I just think it looks good!

Stay tuned! 

あまり見ないで.......恥ずかしいから～～

Just firing off another quickie - a bit of an alternate take/fusion/evolution of the look, turning the corset into more of a belt-like thing and adding a chiffon babydoll to it, showing a little skin but also making use of the design space around her mid section. これだ！！ってきがするね～

Also just for added reference, some sample expression that suit her character, taken from characters that are also similar in personality.

And as a final tidbit, the main characters of the entire overarching story have been sketched out - no visuals yet, but conceptually they're coming to life nicely. The theme of "Three" will be pretty heavily focused on - Real Life, In-Game-Life, and Metaphorical-REAL-Real-Life, in terms of layers through which the story will unfold; or Courage, Wisdom and Power to borrow from  another franchise! Three guesses which one this girl embodies :P

The story's 'main' antagonist will embody one segment, and the 'victim/sidekick/romantic foil character will embody the other.

Warp Desu~

Just a quick update, offering up an alternate take at our main character, <Estelle>.

Hiiragi Yuuki in the real world, a girl best described as quirky, energetic and always filled-to-the-brim with determination, had the misfortune of being the first to play her friend's copy of Sword Arte Online. What hope does a klutzy, air-headed teenage girl with little to no gaming experience have of surviving a ruthless virtual reality death game? 

Yuuki will symbolize courage within the story: the courage to carry on in the face of insurmountable odds, the courage to break from the norm and do the unexpected, the courage to always get up when knocked down

She will evolve from a boarder-line comic relief n00b to a front-line fighter that lives off the motto "with hardwork and guts, you can accomplish anything!~"

A bit of a departure from the original image of the character, but I think this will prove to be more entertaining and lead to a better story overall - her foil, and main romantic interest will be a more stoic, cynical, 'cool' character - think Kousaka Kyousuke, Kyon, or Hikigaya Hachiman.

トップをねらえ！

君がいるから

Just an image thrown together of some personal favourites of mine~

「If the rest of the anime sucked, but these characters stayed the same, then I'd still have cause to watch it」って感じね～～

I-Its not like I wanted to show you this because I like you, Baka!

Irrelevant-Kirino or Always-Totally-Relevant-Kirino?
と、とにかくちゃんと読みなさいよ。バカ兄貴！

Way back when, I was enamored with the idea of forum-based RPGs. Complete with somewhat elaborate game systems, levels, equipment and items, combat stats - the whole 9 yards. And don't get me wrong, I STILL think that kind of thing is awesome, but as with everything in life, it comes down to a matter of time and not enough hours in the day.

But none the less, to the point of the matter. In my semi-recent rekindling of my writing spark I came across a post I had worked on for a Naruto RPG. We had to have a character approved, and then if we wanted them to belong to a specific established ninja clan, write a post that would showcase our ability to role-play to maintain a sense of prestige or quality. That said, this was my application to become a member of the Hyuuga clan - showcasing my characters discovery of her Byakugan, and a realization that she had been a Hyuuga all along.

Its by no means perfect and remains in its unedited state from a few years ago, however I do think its at least on the right track to being good~

Enjoy this bite-sized writing sample and stay tuned for more Sword Arte Online!

Oh wait, there's more!

Just a dropping a quick visual update for Estelle's character sheet - hopefully when I stop having to read Lenin (if ever >_>) I'll be able to make a more in depth description of the goings-on in this splash of pictures, but until then I'll leave you with the mystery and intrigue that is my thought process. Ooooh ahhhh such mystery, much puzzling~~

This isn't even my final form!

A quick look at what's been cooking lately - we can see some examples of gear progression for Estelle. If we compare these to the earlier developed concept piece, a number of recurring themes emerge, something I want to incorporate in the designs of each character in the story.

On the far right we can see examples of her starting gear, black leggings, a thick shirt with ribbed detailing (not drawn in yet) and rolled cuffs revealing a burberry lining. I want to keep the 'lots of belts for no reason at all' theme present where possible, because... come on - belts, guys! For no reason at all!!?

On the left we see the next step in the gear ladder, her typical white stockings with leather garter, her dark shorts with burberry lined cuffs, a leather bustier and metal breast plate and single pauldron. White long gloves with burberry detailing and more belts around the waist and leg complete the gearset. To its immediate right, we have an unfinished design which was folded into the middle design, the third rung to the ladder. Babydoll top with leather breast armor, metal breastplate over top, small puffy detached sleeves with leather detailing and burberry lining, shorts with small leather hip detailing and burberry cuffs, more intricate stockings, and small leather gloves with similar design elements.

In terms of the hair, we have a long ponytail, reaching to her mid back/hips, two braids in the 'side bangs' slot, and a three-part arrangement in the front. Her large, perhaps oversized bow ties the whole look together and adds dimension to her face, offsetting the vertical movement of her braids, bangs and ponytail with some horizontiality (yes, I made that word up).

All in all, the design is coming together - expect to see a more polished rendition of Estelle's design in all 6 stages in the near future, and following that.... the pilot chapter of Sword Arte Online!

楽しんでね～～

A New Challenger Appears

The moment I've you've all been waiting for has arrived!!! I'm happy to present 瀬乃宮あかね Senomiya Akane, <Estelle> in-game.

<Name>: 瀬乃宮あかね Senomiya Akane

<Age>: (Book 1) 16

<Race>: Japanese

<Country>: Japan, Nishinoomote-Shi, Kagoshima-Ken

<Occupation>: High School 2nd Year

<Reason for playing SAO>: A gift from her older brother with whom she rarely speaks. She was reluctant at first because of her lack of interest in gaming, but finally agreed. 

Obviously there's more to it than that, but I can't spoil it all at once now can I! But before we move on to bigger and brighter things, I'd like to point out that the use of Asuna's face is merely a placeholder - Akane will have a similar range of expressions and similar features but will have a unique look. Her unarmored character art is still in the works, but until then, enjoy the first step into the re-imagined world of Aincrad!

'Tis the Season!

What better time of year than Christmas to take a look at a favourite anime of mine - Amagami SS!

More to follow~

Spring '13 Lineup

Its no secret that this season's anime is top-notch. With multiple big name titles and an impressive level of hype, all thats left is to jump right into it!

Theres no way my blog could be this cute!

To put it simply, this is going to be a blog for anime reviews, rants, ravings and other related topics. It will be rife with opinions and biases but will hopefully have no shortage of education. Stay tuned and fasten your seat belts ladies and gentlemen, because this shit just got 可愛い!!