Archive for May, 2010


My Point of View on Scanlation

May 19th, 2010

I’m getting a lot of angry comments from folks from Kotonoha these days, as a response to my post on my entry for Gunjo. The main accusation appears to be “how dare you, you’re friends with Lilicious and so you are playing favorites.”

I want to address this issue, mostly to provide a permanent link for the next 3,000,000 times it comes up.

I do not support scanlation of material that is currently in print or available for sale – in any language.

In general, I believe that you have no right to entertainment and if a book is licensable or licensed, scanning it does not “help build an audience.” Things might have been different a decade ago, but now, the justification for scanlation is primarily ego on the groups’ side and desire to get something for nothing on the leechers’ side.

The folks at Lililicous know my opinion on this. I have no influence or control over what they do. I am friends with them,  but we do not see eye to eye on the matter. I have made the point many times on their IRC channel in hopes of educating people who are not aware that they are violating copyright or hurting individual artists by doing this.

The reason for my post about Kotonoha was because they linked to my review of Gunjo and I suddenly got many new visitors to the site from there. It seemed sensible to let visitors from there know that I do not support scanlations of licensable material – which might be implied from the link. It’s not out of hate or retribution or favoritism and I’m sorry it seemed personal. I have no belief that any scanlation group is better than any other.

The fact that I have a notice up on this title and have never done that before is being misinterpreted by many of you. The issue is not what group is violating the copyright here – the issue is the work that is being scanlated. I am a little more vehement about this title, because I know how much blood, sweat and tears it took the artist to create and how important it is to her. And the thought that anyone is planning on scanlating it makes me ill when I know what she went through with it. The fact that Lili had it on their site is really quite irrelevant – for one thing, I don’t go to their site and have no idea what they have on it. I don’t follow their scanlations, to be honest. (In fact, I gave up reading scanlations some time ago when I realized that it was something with which I strongly disagreed. I also stopped providing out-of-print material for scanlations at that point.) If Lilicious had started to scanlate it, and I had received a lot of visitors from them for it, I very likely would have had the same or similar message. It was merely an issue of timing, not which group. I have removed Kotonoha’s name from the message, since so many thought I was harping on the group. That was not the intention and for that, I sincerely apologize.

If it were up to me, all scanlations groups would grok that they are not helping anyone worth helping. No mangaka is excited to be scanlated. You are not providing a service – you are complicit in copyright violation. You are not “building an audience,” you are devaluing something that many people have worked hard to create. And for every one person who *might* buy a work *if* it comes out and *if* it’s available at a local book store when they want it, you’re giving someone else’s work – something you have no right to in the first place – away to hundreds, maybe thousands of people who will take it and ask for more. The only audience you are building is one made up of people who have no intention of paying for the privilege – or worse, paying you to “support the group,” while the mangaka who did the actual work gets nothing from it.

To answer a specific, rather ingenuous argument in the comments – the chapters that were online for free at Ikki were published by the official publisher, with the artist’s approval. Legal online versions of a comic are clearly not the same as scans that do not have the artist’s permission.

This is exactly what licensing is. You want to publish this manga? Then license it. Then everyone gets what they need and want. You will get to translate, publish and distribute a title you love to people who want it and the mangaka gets paid for her work.

I’ll be glad to keep approving comments that disagree with me. I won’t be replying to them other than to point them to this post where it’s relevant. (My opinion on personal or offensive comments is very much “sticks and stones.” It’s tiresome, but you can’t do much damage, because I don’t know you, you don’t know me and you are not one of the dozen people or so on the planet whose anger can hurt me.)

This is my honest, heartfelt opinion as of today. It has changed in the past and will be subject to change in the future. Chances are if you rely on scanlations, I won’t change your mind. But to be honest,  I really can’t approve of people distributing work they have no permission to distribute. The more I get to know the mangaka, the less I find the justifications for scanlations make sense.

May 20, 2010 Update: In response to a totally reasonable question in the comments, I have pulled the full translations of the Maria-sama ga Miteru Novels from this blog and will not be posting any more. I am keeping synopses and reviews here, because,  when you talk about a cool pair of jeans you saw in a store to a friend, you are not implicitly encouraging them to steal those jeans.  I know that my reviews here stimulate sales – perhaps in only a small way, and perhaps more people rush out to find scans than are motivated to purchase the books, but I know that the large percentage of Okazu readers *do* buy what they want to read and watch and I thank them and tip my hat to them.


I also want to point out that it is not a sign of weakness or hypocrisy to have an opinion that changes over time, no matter what opposition politicos say. :-) As we change, the market changes, circumstances change, technology changes, it’s sensible to have one’s opinion change. Ten years ago, I was fully in support of scans. It was extremely unlikely that most of what fans read would ever get over here. Today, manga publishers are bringing over unheard of amounts of manga, which is good, and struggling with the market, which is bad. Go Comi!, CMX, Aurora, CPM, cutbacks at Viz…all of these are signs not that the publishers are losers, but that the growing audience for manga does not mean a growing market for manga.  As a result of this change, I’ve come to the opinion that while I still understand the desire for scanlations and subs…I can no longer support them. Does that make me a hypocrite because I translated stuff and provided raws for scanlations of out of print or obscure titles in the past? I’m sure many of you think it does. I can say only this – that was my position then and this is my position now. Things have changed. I have changed.


Perhaps one day publishers will find a way to create an online library that allows readers to read, and buyers to buy and all will be happy. I look forward to that day.





Magic Knight Rayearth Anime Season 1 (English)

May 18th, 2010

Magic Knight Rayearth Season 1 - Remastered Volumes 1- 4, Eps. 1-20Today is not a Yuri review. I’m obsessed but not insane. Magic Knight Rayearth, Season 1, had no Yuri. However, I had never watched it all the way through and I thought it was worth a mention here.

Surprisingly, I do not love CLAMP. Like Madonna, I admire their grasp of their business more than I do their actual creative work. They are undoubtedly talented, their art is lush, and they are as close to genius and masters of their craft as any creative group out there. I am an unashamed Card Captor Sakura fangirl, but with that exception, I can take them or leave them. So, back in the day, when MKR was all the rage, I gave it a try and let it drop. It just didn’t hook me.

When the fine fellows at Media Blasters offered me a copy of Season 1, I took it precisely because I thought that, with all those years of watching anime behind me, perhaps now I could come to this classic series with an appropriately “objective” mentality. Basically, I wanted to know if the series could make me care about Hikaru, Umi and Fuu.

Well…it did. About two-thirds through I found myself totally kvelling at them when they cleared some level or other. And boy, did I appreciate the meta-comment about their story being an RPG. It is obviously so, but it was fun to see them say it.

Aside from my dislike of Mokona who, as an acquaintance put it so well on Twitter, is like a kitten, “cute, but a real asshole” I found the series to be engaging. (I think I mentioned that if I find myself humming the theme song for days and days, it’s usually a good sign….) It’s also a product of its time and place. The animation was not as good as we might hope, and certainly not CLAMPs best work, but their standard character designs were solid. It’s fun to imagine what it might look like if it were done now.

The story was…refreshing. It’s innocent of service, it’s got solid storytelling, power-ups and great teamwork and bonding between the players. The “twist” at the end was as obvious as the hand on your arm, but it’s good to remind ourselves that this was a show for kids. You can tell by the “Who Is it?” “game” at the end of each episode, as well as the innocent look at life, love, adventure and maturity. It’s an added bonus for me that it is voiced by some of my favorite voice actresses, women who were the top of their industry at the time.

My *only* complaint about this collected Season Box set is that the interviews with the various Voice Actresses  have unbelievably bad sound quality and are impossible to hear even at top volume. In every other way, it’s a lovely set.

Did I like it? Yes. This time I did.

Ratings:

Art – CLAMP, but not at their best. – The art was 8, but the animation wasn’t up to it – 4
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri – 0
Service – .5 (I’m sure, if you REALLY wanted to, you could find something salacious to obsess over, but that’s a lot of work for little return.)

Overall – 7

My thanks go to Media Blasters  for their kindness in allowing me to once more step back to my anime roots and regain a taste of those early days.





Yuri Manga: Gunsmith Cats Burst, Volume 5 (English)

May 17th, 2010

Gunsmith Cats: Burst Volume 5Last year, I was so very pleased to review the final volume of Gunsmith Cats Burst. Now, just a little bit over a year later, it’s my double pleasure to read and review the final volume of Gunsmith Cats Burst in English!

My belief that this was the end that GSC deserved has not changed. The story has a little bit of everything that made GSC a classic series – one that actually stood the test of a few decades of time. Guns, car chases, sexy women…none of this goes out of style.

For this English-language version, Dark Horse provides the kind of work we expect from them – great reproduction, good quality pages, solid translation.

So what is there to say about the English edition that I did not about the Japanese? This. Sean Gaffney asked me to talk about the drug Goldie is selling. It enhances people’s susceptibility to “persuasion.” It’s not a brainwashing drug, just one that makes it easy to convince people to see your point of view, especially when it fits their already preconceived beliefs.

Some of you may not know this but I work in the pharmaceutical industry and I thought I’d tell you that there is *already* a pill like this. In fact, I smiled through the entire book knowing *exactly* what Goldie is pushing. You know what it’s called? It’s called…a placebo. No, seriously. If I give you a pill and tell you that it’s going to make you relaxed (or tense or hot or full or whatever) chances are, your brain (which is no doubt a finely honed instrument, capable of great feats of imagination) will immediately set you to feeling just that way.

Don’t believe me? Let’s do a little experiment.

Imagine that you are outside in the cold. It’s cold and dry and you enter your home and are greeted with a blast of cinnamon-flavored warmth. Someone is baking in the kitchen. Perhaps it’s cinnamon bread or muffins. You walk into the kitchen where the air is redolent with the smell. You open the oven door and a puff of warm air hits you in the face, and the room is once again filled with the scent of cinnamon.

Now…notice that you are salivating. You are, more than usual just sitting here. (Except for those of you who HATE cinnamon, hah on me.) I know you are, because your mind was imagining eating delicious cinnamon bread and when you do that, you start to salivate.

So, the power to persuade? Give a person a pill or a shot and tell them that it’s going to help them be convinced of your point of view and most people will be *thrilled* to give up their responsibility and let you make the choice for them.

In any case, with May married and in the role of a new mommy, Misty assuaging her desire for Rally with Goldie and Roy moving out to the suburbs, it’s no real shock that Rally decides it’s time to move on.

And now, so can we. With no lingering regrets, the book finally closes on a series that was one of the first to really make an impact here on Western shores.

Farewell Gunsmith Cats – it was loads of fun.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Characters – 9
Story – 9
Yuri – 6
Service – 5

Overall – 9

Today’s review was sponsored by the kindness and generosity of new Okazu Hero Ariella M! Thank you and welcome to the team, Ariella – email me to receive your Okazu Hero badge for proud display on websites and social media profiles. ^_^





Interview with Yuri Manga Artist Fujieda Miyabi

May 16th, 2010

There’s not too much to say as an introduction. I have been enjoying Fujieda-sensei’s work since 2004 when I encountered it in Yuri Shimai. That story would eventually be published as Kotonoha no Miko to Kotodama no Majyo to. I liked how cute his stories were and was charmed by the goofy humor of Iono-sama Fantics and the gentle calm of Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan.

I also believe that Fujieda-sensei has the best costume design sense in the entire manga industry. So, when he agreed to answer a few questions, you can imagine how thrilled I was. ^_^

Continuing my series of interviews with Yuri Artists, it is my unbelievable pleasure to present a short interview with Fujieda Miyabi-sensei.

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Q1: Please tell us about yourself.

A: My name is Fujieda Miyabi.

Even though I draw mostly to make myself happy, I am glad that there are overseas fans who can enjoy my clumsy work.

Q2: How did you become a mangaka? Did you want to be one when you were a child?

A: When I was publishing original doujinshi (self-published works) I was scouted by an editor and became a pro. That original work was Twinkle Saber Nova. It’s not a Yuri work.

Q3: Which artists inspire you?

Although I am ignorant about Fine Art, the manga art that most inspires me is Nagano Mamoru’s Five Star Stories. After that, the CLAMP-sensei, Kouga Yun-sensei and others whose work I admired in my youth.

Q4: If you weren’t a mangaka, what would you be doing?

A: Before I set my sight on being a mangaka, I thought I might become a chef.
Even now, I like to keep my hand in and do design work.

Q5: What was your motivation to start creating Yuri Manga?

A: When two women are happy together as a couple, I can say that that is the time I am at my happiest. In my middle school years, I became acquainted with the idea of drawing same-sex couples through CLAMP-sensei’s and Kouga Yun-sensei’s work, and I began to think about doing stories with female couples. Once I passed through technical school for drawing manga, I began to draw Yuri manga.

Q6: Can you tell us a little bit about your process?

On average I draw about 16 pages every two weeks, but my production schedule is pretty unsteady. Faster if I’m running out of time.

Q7: How were Iono-sama Fanatics and Ame-iro Kouchkan Kandan received by the Japanese audience?

A: Iono-sama Fanatics was not a romantic love story between two women, but was drawn to be a story about a loving Queen with a harem. Those people who prefer mainly comical series seemed to like it. Ame-iro is about only two women, the ones who like it are those who take time and read it slowly and gently.

As an author, these both make me happy. I think Ame-iro is more popular and has gained more readers, though.

Q8: It is not unusual for a man to draw Yuri however, your work has a gentle, feminine atmosphere. What are your thoughts on drawing women’s emotions and thoughts?

Of course, because I am a man, women’s feelings are difficult.

But, I think it’s the same as when it’s a woman and a man, that sense of wanting to be kind to one another. That’s my first thought. How much of that emotion, of feelings of kindness or happiness is just in my imagination depending on the scene that I’m drawing.

Q9:　Is there something you’d like to ask your overseas fans?

A: To the fans who anticipate my next work, what kind of story would you like to see?
I’d like to hear from you.

(This is Erica: You can visit his website, Moonphase or follow him on Twitter and contact him directly!)

Q10:　Do you have a message for your overseas fans?

A: I am still inexperienced, but from here on, I will to the best of my abilities, continue to work as a Yuri manga artist. From far away, I will work hard to confer upon you happy hours.
Should you encounter my next work, I will be happy.

See you again.

***

Thank you Fujieda-sensei for taking time from your busy schedule and answering our questions – and thank you everyone for reading this interview.





Yuri Network News – May 15, 2010

May 15th, 2010

Shortish report today. I’m feeling kinda crappy and got stuff to do. But I promise you something extra good tomorrow in return! An interview with Fujieda Miyabi, creator of Iono-sama Fanatics and Ame-iro Kouchakan Kandan! Now on to the report:

Yuri Anime

Via @giapet on Twitter, our friends at Media Blasters have relaunched their website with streaming for Ikkitousen and Queen’s Blade. For you old-school anime fans, Media Blasters sort of forgot to mention to anyone that they also have released the entirety of Magic Knight Rayearth – season 1 and 2 as a set. I’m watching Season 1 right now for the first time all the way through. I’ll let you know what I think when I’m done.

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Yuri Manga

Shoujo Hakumei~ Nekomedou Kokoro-tan collects a bunch of the Black Cat Mansion tales from Yuri Hime and is out this week from Ichijinsha.

Also out this week from Yuri Hime is Shoujo-Holic and Yuri Hime Selection, Volume 2. If you recall, the “Selection” books are collections of the random one- and two-shots that appear in earlier issues of the magazine.

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Yuri Artbook

Speaking of Ichijinsha, you gotta love how they are wringing every drop of money they can from their IP. Along with a pile of manga, they are also putting out Yuri Hime Artworks – CHRONICLE, an artbook of the color illustrations from the magazine (and, I’d presume from YHS, as well.) This is slated for July, so plan yourself a summer gift. :-)

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Snatches of Yuri

Comic Lo has a series which may or may not have Yuri, but the Japanese bloggers seem to think so, anyway. Probably because the title is Hajimete no Yuri. :-)

This piece of news is for Bruce, really. God help us, but there’s a 5th volume of Mikarun X. Can you believe it?

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That’s a wrap for this week.

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!