New Round of "Utter Nonense!"

December 10th, 2009

It’s that time again! Yes! Time for you to send in your questions about whatever and put up with my answers of “whatever.” :-)

For this next round of Utter Nonsense we’re going to have a few simple rules:

1) I will not answer questions about “what is your favorite….” anymore. They distress me, because I don’t *have* favorites, usually.

2) No “ham or cheese” or “Coke or Pepsi” questions. Please. They provide no entertainment to either you or me.

3) If you want to ask me what I see as the future of Yuri or why I like Yuri, I beg you to read all the previous iterations of my answers to these questions. If you have a real question about Yuri that I have not previously addressed, bring it on!

4) Please, please, no questions that can be answered by 30 seconds of actually READING one of my reviews here. (Sorry first question person – I’ve answered that three volumes worth. Search for the title here, or click the “Morinaga Milk” category on the righthand sidebar.)

5) And no “define the term” questions. Go here: http://okazu.blogspot.com/2008/03/okazu-glossary-of-terms.html. I did that already.

As always, I’ll do my best to answer most or all of the questions. I may combine similar questions, or decline altogether if it’s just something mean-spirited or weird.

Above all, funny questions tend to allow for funny answers, so be creative!

You can email me questions or put them in the comments here. I look forward to seeing what you have for me this time!

35 Responses

  1. Anonymous says:

    Does Morinaga Milk’s Girl Friends fill you with rage like it does all the other fans?

  2. moritheil says:

    In Yuri, is there any genre convention that you would say serves an analogous purpose to the oft-referenced “uke and seme” of yaoi? If not, what is it about the structure of the genre that means such things are unnecessary?

  3. Yurinsane says:

    If you were to create a rock-paper-scissor game using: neko, tachi, and reba, how would you describe the order?

  4. What is one of the best examples of a character you’re supposed to like but completely and utterly hate with every fiber of your being?

  5. Anonymous says:

    It seems that many Yuri mangas are based around ‘cutesy’ girls, young girls, or hyper sexualized girls. Do you feel that these thematic/artistic choices portray the love between women as an immature or not serious thing?

  6. Which Yuri would you say is the closet-est portraying, the most realistic lesbian life-style, relationships, and struggles.

  7. Katherine says:

    If you could have any Yuri manga adapted into a live drama, which one would it be? And who would you cast as the leads?

  8. Rowan says:

    What was your first job?

    What was the craziest thing you ever did in college?

  9. Anonymous says:

    What is the most annoying thing a fan has ever done to you at a convention?

  10. Anonymous says:

    Episode 10 of Sasameki Koto had this immense, Comiket-sized, all-female Yuri convention; intended joke or not, I unfortunately had to chuckle and facepalm at it.
    I know you’ve reported of the Japanese female Yuri-scene in Comiket, but what about the exclusive events?

  11. Anonymous says:

    A corollary to Ted the Awesome’s question: What is one of the best examples of a character you’re supposed to hate but completely and utterly like with every fiber of your being?

  12. Anonymous says:

    1. Good.
    2. Yuri.
    3. Anime.

    Why can we only pick two of those words and not all three?

  13. Ramiya says:

    Just a side note on the glossary–an entry defining “akogare” would be good (I’ve since seen it explained in one of your posts, of course). It’s a term I’d like to see catch on more…and it does come up a lot in your reviews. ^_^

  14. Ed Sizemore says:

    Any pleasant surprises in the manga publishing world this year? Series you didn’t expect to be licensed, companies that took an unxepected turn in direction, and such.Any unpleasant surprises in the manga publishing world this year?

    Is there anything manga related that has you excited for next year? Anything you’re dreading to see?

  15. Senbei says:

    Would you say that Yuri suffers from too much editorial direct/censorship, or is the opposite true with some mangaka having zero direction ala Manga no Tsukurikata?

  16. @Ramiya – Good suggestion. I will definitely add that asap. Thanks!

  17. With the surge of Yuri popularity in Japan there is (thankfully) more ecchi and hentai Yuri manga to be found that fall outside of the stereotypical male fantasy of how lesbians have sex and into the reality of how lesbians REALLY have sex. (Not that we don’t trib, I just can’t even remember the last time I did!) Could you list a few titles that you feel portray a realistic sexual relationship between women?

  18. Anonymous says:

    Do you believe male mangaka should write or make YURI?
    (or even if the editor should be male itself)
    I mean equal rights it is but the question is if they convey the whole concept of YURI to begin with.
    (there is a different view on the other side of the fence)

  19. If you could have any animation studio adapt any Yuri manga, which studio and which manga would you choose? Also, why would you choose those specifically?

  20. Anonymous says:

    When did you start learning Japanese. How long have you been learning until you could understand Japanese media?

  21. Hafl says:

    Is there any series, manga, book or whatever you absolutely loathe, but you also like it? I mean in the sense that you know it’s horrible and insulting to you, yet you can’t help yourself. In short, what is the guiltiest of your guilty pleasures?

  22. BruceMcF says:

    What’s the most annoying ques… oh, wait, that’s already basically answered in the post itself.

    Oh, yeah, now I remember.

    What do you reckon is the most effective way for a fan to promote Yuri anime in social media?

    And, yes, that’s probably three questions snuck in there (on Twitter I’d be out of space long since) … in general, for a particular series with a legit stream, and for a particular series (*cough drill-chan FTW cough*) that is coming out only on DVD.

  23. Story says:

    Most Western lesbian works, if not center around, then contain many, many themes referenecs to, the social discrimination and identification issues/angst faced by the characters. They often detail the experience of fitting into the GLBT community as well. Most lesbian works of manga, anime, etc., however, if not rarely, then not always, contain anything of the sort, instead focusing on romance; the complications in the relationships of the characters seldom seem to revolve around their sexuality or societal perception of same-sex couples, and rarely do the characters seem to seek out other GLBT people or become involved in activism. The downside of this is obvious – a perceived lack of realism and opportunity for reader identification – but, on the other hand, I’ve always thought most American GLBT works tend to go too far the opposite direction, in that all characters often face complete and utter societal rejection and, in the end, appear flat-out doomed, and that ALL relationship conflicts revolve entirely around the characters in them questioning their sexuality, being rejected due to it, attempting to maintain secrecy, trying to come out at the age of fifteen, etc (Desire Lines, anyone?). Even lesbian books advertised as being a “romance” – and not, primarily as a “lesbian novel” – seem to do this. My questions are, why is there so little Yuri containing themes of lesbian identification, why is there so little Western lesbian fiction not focused entirely on sexuality angst, and which direction do you prefer the works you read/watch to take?

  24. Story says:

    Oh, and if it’s okay to ask another question (and if “Have you heard of–” questions are allowed), have you read the manga Horou Musuko? It’s not Yuri, but it’s about two transgendered children, and I’ve always wondered what your opinion of it would be.

  25. devildyke says:

    What are your thoughts in general on all this anti-lesbian/anti-Yuri stuff coming out through the woodwork a lot recently, especially by males? Do you expect this crappy trend to continue?

    As a side: Have you encountered any anti-yaoi/anti-gay stuff by women or is this just another wonderful example of society’s double standards?

    Also, I owe you a Queen’s Blade review now that the second season ended. Sorry for the delay, I’ll get on that this weekend.

    -Atma

  26. Don’t you think there is a lack of originality in Yuri? It’s filled with school settings and lesbian students. It was good in the beginning, but it gets boring. The last Yuri anime I’ve watched that blew me away was Mnemosyne. I wish that there were more titles out of the all-girl school thing.

    Could you name some?

  27. Yurinsane says:

    And now for something completely different…

    Yuri manga provides a window into portrayals of lesbian relationships in the popular culture of Japan. Although similarities between stories in Japan and the US allow for cross-over appeal, cultural differences can affect what stories are told and how they are told. For example, LGBT adolescent stories in the US often spend a great deal of time on “coming out” to oneself while in the Yuri manga more emphasis is on the relationship “coming out”. This difference fits within the social-psychological theories of cultural differences in individualism (self as seen as autonomous) vs. collectivism (self as seen as inherently tied to close others). An emphasis in coming out to oneself makes sense in a culture that views individuals as autonomous while a focus on outing one’s relationships makes more sense in a culture where the emphasis is on the self in relation to others.

    Do you feel that much (or very little) of the Yuri story is lost once translated into English? Have you or your colleagues noted common misunderstandings among Americans about Yuri manga stories?

  28. The Denominator says:

    Ah, sorry, I meant to add other than “Shoujo-ai ni Bouken”, because I believe you might have been asked “What would you like to see as anime?” before… but even if you maintain that that will be your answer, then which animation studio then? Eg. Bones, GAINAX (LOL), Production I.G. etc.

  29. Val says:

    If Shoujoai ni Bouken could be adapted into an anime, what would the list of voice actresses look like?

  30. Konoha says:

    What are some of the worst translations you’ve ever had to suffer through, be it from a book or movie? Did they contain sentences that were unintentionally hilarious, and if so, do you have any funny quotes of those to share?

  31. Anonymous says:

    Will there be a possibility for you joining in a conversation with the guys of ANN and other manga representatives in an ANNCast podcast episode?

  32. @Anonymous – That’s not an opinion thing – if I’m invited, sure.

  33. Anonymous says:

    From a market standpoint, wouldn’t one of the best way to jump start the Yuri manga market is for companies to license racier Yuri manga titles. That way while the readers will get their smut, they’ll also get some semblance of a Yuri story.

  34. Frea says:

    If they made a sequel for Burst Angel, how likely would it be that Sei-who-is-not-named-Beth would contract scarlet fever taking care of a poor German family? Or would it be more likely that she contracts TB?

    As a follow up, have you read Geraldine Brooks’ book, March?

    Next question: I know that you’ve been there a few times, so is there any item from Japan that you cannot buy online that you miss?

    Another: in an all out battle of Xena versus Sailor Uranus, how do you think it would go?

    As a follow up, would anything change if both of their partners (Gabrielle vs. Sailor Neptune) joined as well? And of course I mean end of the series kickass Gabrielle and not silly farm girl Gabrielle.

    Final one: Do you think that there will ever be a time in the future that books made of paper will cease to be printed?

  35. Rosalie says:

    Do you have any new predictions for Yuri with the popularity of series like Sasameki Koto and Aoi Hana?

    Do you think a better communication line between Yuri mangaka and their foreign audience would create a better Yuri community? (i.e. maybe inspire more fans to cash in and support their authors?)

Leave a Reply to BruceMcF