Sorry for the lack of updates here at Okazu. Some of you may be aware that we were hit by a massive hurricane here on the East coast of the US. This is not normal for us up here in NJ, so it was a bit nerve-wracking.

Here is a real picture of the storm, just to give you an idea of the size.

Here’s what it looked like from inside:

I’m kidding, of course. Jaws isn’t that big. ^_^ (Image from Jezebel)

I just want to take a moment and thank all of you and everyone on Twitter and Facebook, for your kindness, care and concern for me and my wife. Truly, you are all lovely people and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We’re fine and dandy, damage is minor and we were without power for less than one full day. We staved off cannibals, zombies and aliens successfully. All things being equal, reviews will resume shortly. ^_^

Thank you again and, if you are moved to do, consider sending a few dollars to to Red Cross or other reputable relief organizations – there are a lot of people who genuinely need the relief both in the US and in other countries hit by Sandy. Thank you again.

I have wanted to write about this since it popped up on my radar, but life got in the way. Now I’m going to linger over it: Veteran anime maker Masaaki Yuasa has turned to Kickstarter to fund a wholly original anime called Kick-Heart.
THIS IS WHAT CROWD-SOURCED FUNDING IS ABOUT FOLKS.

We all know that anime is about sales, and about reaching the largest possible audience who will buy stuff. That means that in the last 10 years we’ve seen multiple levels of simplification, in art, story, character and design. The audience for anime has effectively been shrunk down with every simplification. And those of us who love animation for itself, love it for the sheer fantasy playland of possibilities, have been kind of shunted onto the sidelines while baby-faced girls showing their underwear to big brother figures have overrun this art form.

Here is our chance to regain some of our dignity  – and, I say this without irony – I cannot think of a better way than with an anime about S&M pro-wrestling romance. This story is crazy, but it’s adult crazy, not eternally suspended at 12-years-old crazy.

Kickstarter isn’t a perfect solution, but it does change the playing field significantly. Imagine if animators could actually be in charge of their animation once more. Imagine if creators did not need to bow to market pressure to make materials that only appeal to the Lowest Common Denominator.  Imagine if we – we, the fans that love animation – can be the force for creating Art.

I backed Kick-Heart this week because I believe in it.  I hope you will consider backing it, but more importantly, I hope you will spread the word. Facebook, Twitter, wherever you are, you can make a difference. In return, the team is showing that they “get” a global, digital market – downloads are DRM-free, the DVDs/HDs are region free and they are covering shipping for overseas customers!

Production IG is at over 80% of their funding goal, but could really use help making that last 20%. If you have ever wanted to be a part of an anime project, here you go – this is your chance. Make anime happen!

Very quick note. I have spent the last few days in the hospital, and Rica is also sick, so our NYCC plans fell through. If all goes well, Saturday I will be there for a short time, but Rica’s signing sessions are canceled. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Also, my blogging schedule might be considerably altered for a while, due to health issues. My apologies about that as well.

In Part 1 on the Study of Yuri, I introduced what I consider to be the origin of what will later be called “Yuri” in a novel entitled Yaneura no Nishojo. During the same period in which she found success with this novel, the author Yoshiya wrote a series of short stories that catapulted her into enduring popularity (if not critical acclaim) in the Japanese literary world. These stories, the Hana Monogatari (Flower Tales) are considered to be one of the masterpieces of a new genre – Japanese girls’ literature – in the early 20th century.

The Hana Monogatari are not Yuri, but as stories of girls coming of age in a newly westernized Japan, they include a few examples of same-sex platonic love. These are all of a type, in which a younger girl at a boarding school or “mission school” admires an older student with slightly more emotion than mere friendship. This emotion, what we might refer to as a “crush” in English, is called “akogare” in Japanese.

Since the 1920s saw an expansion of both adolescence and extended education for girls and boys, and literature and magazines for adolescents of both genders was expanding equally as rapidly.