Here we go…

1. What is the harshest criticism you received for Shoujoai ni Bouken (and/or Saiyuu no Ryokou), and how did you respond to it?

A very sweet fan accosted me over why Yuriko, although Japanese, has blonde hair and blue eyes. My stock answer has always been, “because I like blondes” but that didn’t satisfy her. So I tried to explain that it was like a manga, you know – crazy hair color…but she was no less unhappy with that. At that point I was out of reasons and she started to get insistent that I have a better, more sensible reason. After nearly half an hour of this, I ended up protesting feebly that it was fiction and she’d just have to accept it.

2. What do you consider to be the most irritating and pointless pairing in all of Yuri?

All of the ones that don’t make any sense.

3.What’s your favourite piece of fanfiction of all time (that you or someone you know didn’t write)?

Case of the Philosophers Ring. Sherlock Holmes meets Aleister Crowley. It’s out of print now, sadly. It’s a total wank. But at the time I read it, it seemed brilliant. The key to fanfic is to write in a fandom that has gone out of copyright – Sherlock Holmes fanfic writers have all the luck.

4. Pepsi or Coke?

Nice cup of tea.

5. Meeting eyes across a crowded room or dark smoky bar?

Caught you looking at me in the stacks in the library.

6. Where did you meet your wife?

Mrs. Welty’s American Indians class in middle school.

7. What advice would give to another human being?

Don’t take yourself seriously. Never, EVER use absolutes. It’s not personal.

8. So, who is this “A. Niles Bocon” person, and why are you using his email?

Obscure alchemist, best known among devotees for developing a foolproof system for turning gold into lead.

9. If you could have a plushie of any one character (not of your own creation, but any other book/anime/manga/movie/ova, etc are fair ground) who would it be, and why?

A talking Friday Monday plushie complete with pathetic evil laughter. If I can do real people, I’d want an Adam Smith (author of Wealth of Nations) so I could beat the shit out of it every once in a while.

10. What kind of world will we be living in? in 50 years? 80 years? (or the kind of world you see yourself in) Apocalypse?

The same. Only with slight differences.

11. What is your favourite anime/manga that doesn’t have even the slightest trace of yuri in it?

Hands down, no hesitation, Patlabor.

12. What do you usually have for breakfast?

Half a bagel with cottage cheese and coffee.

13. Where is that “Nonsense! I don’t agree” picture from?

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~class/am485_98/graham/psych.html
There’s no source for it on that page, though.

14.What is the stupidest thing you have ever done?

Followed a kid we didn’t know into the souq in Cairo to go to a store that (hopefully, supposedly) sold belly dancing stuff, because the wife wanted to shop. If he had led us straight to a slaver, no one would have ever known what happened to us.

Fnord?

Fnord.

15. What’s your middle name? (if you refuse to respond for reasons of identity theft, I’ll understand)

Lee – I’m named after a grandfather and a great-grandfather.

16. Why do people still use Yahoo! and AOL? (or more appropriately, why did they ever use them in the first place)

Free and OMG! Free CDS!

17. Should i really be concerned about sodium benzoate in soda pop?

Among other things. To be on the safe side, stick with water, or failing that, grain alcohol.

18. What is your favorite place on Earth? What is your least favorite?

Most favorite: My house, followed closely by Ikebukuro, Tokyo and Brecon, Wales. Least favorite: Ohio and Florida.

19. Have you ever been convicted of a felony?

No. Not even a misdemeanor. But if I did, I would hardly tell you, would I?

20. Do you find that people respond differently to you when you talk about your “wife” as opposed to having simply referred to her as your “girlfriend”? Or did you always just call her your wife?

No one really reacts around here these days. Except to say, “what’s her name?”

20. When are you going to summarize next Marimite novels?

When I get around to it.

21. Serious. I have been thinking for some time and come up with a theory: Any series that markets itself _primarily_ as ‘yuri’ or ‘yaoi’ is going to be, at best, second rate – for the same reason that we are knee deep in asinine Harem animes. For example, Utena contains a strong yuri component, but that isn’t what the series is about primarily; similarly, Tokyo Babylon contains a strong yaoi component, but, again, it isn’t what it is about primarily. And both of those are first-rate. Yet, anything that tries to base itself _primarily_ on that will, at best be second-rate – witness Simoun, Devil Lady.

Your Thoughts?

I think I pretty much disagree with all your specific comments while mostly agreeing with your premise. I think Simoun and Devilman Lady were brilliant – and the latter was in no way marketed as Yuri. Nor do I think Tokyo Babylon was anything like good. I found it inexplicable and stultifying. I also disagree that marketing is why we are knee-deep in harem anime. The reason we are knee deep in harem anime is that the large bulk of anime fans are guy who dream of being surrounded by girls with crushes on them.

I don’t think there have been very many good Yaoi/Yuri anime because there aren’t really that many *good* anime in general. It’s a matter of percentages. And, apparently, taste.

21. First Spurious question: What the most annoying type of Yuri fanfiction out there?

Anything that pairs two characters together that shouldn’t/couldn’t/can’t be together. I don’t think a story has to be realistic, or even possible – but it should be plausible. Pairing two characters that show no sign of any feelings for each other is just…weird.

22.Do you believe in fundamental gender differences between men and women? If so, then how?

I believe in fundamentals differences between people. And similarities. It’s awfully complex.

23. What yuri manga do you believe would make a great feature film? Maybe specifically an American feature film?

The Japanese can make movies of their manga, because they don’t mind nothing happening, or strange pacing. For any manga to be made into an American live-action, it would essentially have to be rewritten completely, thus rendering the question moot. I’d personally find Maya no Souretsu to be a great over-written, campy, creepy, late-night horror movie, though.

24. I’m scared of getting old, really, I feel life can have gruesome ways of pressing, so.. any advice/info/insult on this?

Getting older rocks. And really…what are you going to do about it anyway? Worry about something you can do something about.

25. Why do you think boys like Yuri? (and I’m talking about non-hentai yuri)

Girls are pretty, soft and smell nice.

26. Based on their characterization, what do you think are the chances of Sachiko and Yumi ending up together (not necessarily in the novels themselves but at least in the imaginary “after the novels” time)?

Zero.

27. here’s a question I’ve been asking myself for some time, and I’ll use this occasion to ask it to you. I’m sorry if someone already asked it before.
As a fanfiction reader and writer, what do you think about the concept of throwing the cast of a comedy in a dark and dramatic story?

The wife and I did it in reverse once. ^_^

Writing “hand of god” tragedy is the easiest thing to do. Writing comedy is hard – writing farce that’s even remotely amusing is next to impossible. Writing comedic characters in angsty situations is what nearly every fanfic writer in the world does to start.

28. What does IMHO mean?

It means “In my humble opinion” but I’m not likely to ever be accused of being humble, so in my case I use the alternate “In my honest opinion” which is completely true.

Well…you know, I was kind of disappointed with your questions. Not very funny, really. You all need to go back to comedy improv class. For the ones I thought weren’t going to be fun to answer, I asked my wife to answer them instead. Because *that* is comedy. ^_^

You may have noticed that I’ve been doing reviews and posts something like 6 days a week recently. Or maybe you haven’t. But I have. :-) And now, I am tired. I am also beginning the last couple of weeks of production work on Yuri Monogatari 5 (which, btw, is going to be brilliant. And I’m not just saying that.) And I start a new job tomorrow. So…no reviews for a couple of days while I reconstruct my daily schedule and figure out where and what I am doing.

In the meantime, as I have done the last few times I needed a break, I am once again taking questions on anything – life, the universe, Yuri, my favorite flavor of jellybean, whether jelly bean is one word or two, Maria-sama ga Miteru, Yuriko, anything. Feel free to post your questions here in the comments field, or email them to me at [email protected]. I do not promise to answer every question, but I’ll do my best. The better the question, the better the answer, usually. Hint, hint. ;-)

The last few times we did this, it was a total scream – I can’t wait for your questions this time!