takin' a break...

November is rolling around. I really need to finish college apps. I've finished up my interview questions and will be sending them off soon. After that though, my days until November 11th will be strictly for college apps, starting today. Wait. I think I just contradicted myself.

College to-do list:

1-University of North Texas App
2-University of Texas App
3-University of Victoria App
4-Tulane University Scholarship Project

Granted, in my free time I will watch Anime to feel like I'm doing something. I recently finished watching one called "Baka and Test", and I'm in the middle of this ambient one called "Mushi-Shi". Occasionally I go back and watch one of the many 5-minute episodes of "Hetalia" just for laughs (or if I'm cleaning my room). Still need to do specific research on Anime though.

a word from my mother...

It must've been about six years ago when a friend from gymnastics let me borrow some Anime he had been suggesting I watch. He already had the whole set of episodes on DVDs, so I figured what the hell.

The title of the Anime was (and I guess still is) "Negima!?". Please note: irrelevent English punctuation is not uncommon in Japanese, let alone irrelevent English. The story is about a 12 year old wizard named Negi Springfield* who works as a professor at an all-girls middle school in order to complete his wizardly training. He's annoying, whiny, and dweebish. Granted, he's extremely smart, and he knows magic.



Basically, the 31 girls he teaches all develope crushes on him, and throughout the show there's a lot of emotional drama, boobs breasts, and some brief girl on girl action. And then as luck would have it, a girl dies at the end but is brought back to life. Something about a deal with the devil**? Appearently they've recently relseased another set of episodes for this Anime series. That being said, I have no intention of watching them any time soon if not at all.

All in all, I cannot remember how I ever finished watching that show. I'm not even sure that I liked it. Looking back now, the plot wasn't that brilliant and the audience was definetly girl oriented. I think. I do rememeber my mother giving me some sound advice regarding Anime during the period that I was watching this show. It was a short but sweet lecture.

Jonathan. Those Japanese people teach children sex. They hook kids on TV shows, and then make them about sex when they're older. I grew up in Thailand.

I admit I have never been blind to the content that is out there, and that even goes before my mother's proverb. While I already have a general idea, I do plan on researching the specific genres of Anime and Manga. For instance, "Negima!?" falls under the categories of School, Harem, and Romance wheras Dragon Ball Z would be in Shonen and Action. But as I said, I will cover these topics and genres later. Including ones that will make the former Dowdle cover her face with her hands and rethink her life.

That being said, the main purpose of this post is to provide a nice transition into the more "formal" and information-based blog posts that are soon to come.


*To my mentor: does that name sound familiar?
**Spoiler alert!

so i watched this weird movie...

Well, it was actually a documentary. After the football game last Thursday (are we 9-0 now?) I was heading to bed and flipped on to Netflix briefly to see if there was anything I could fall asleep to*. It just so happened that I ran across some Japanese documentary made in 1994 called "Otaku". The description Netflix provided is as follows.

This documentary explores a group of mostly male Japanese youths who are obsessed with Manga and Anime subculture, and how this escapist world of comic books, movies, dolls, guns, art and video games began, evolved and is affecting Japanese society.

Please keep in mind I was reeally tired after the game. When I saw the words "manga and anime subculture" the first thing I thought was, "well perhaps this film directly relates to my ISP". While I won't say I was totally wrong, I must say: I was totally wrong. It very well could have been that I fell asleep before the movie reached the topics I wanted, but the last thing I remember was three dudes sitting around an apartment talking about why they have or haven't had sex. They also kept going on about Japanese idols (equal to Justin Beiber except unquestionably girls) and how they love how they can't access these "goddesses".

The movie did make clear what Otaku is, and through its explanation the movie made a whole lot more sense. To be blunt and crude, the movie described Otaku as this culture of people who do nothing but collect Anime, Manga, Dolls, and anything mainstream pop culture. Essentially, an Otaku is the kind of person Americans mix up normal Anime fans. Granted, there is a similar type people in the USA, examplified by Japanese Culture Greg in the popular mini-series Teen Girl Squad at homestarrunner.com (to the teacher formally know as Dowdle: I highly recommend watching all of the TGS's in order).


On another note, I watched a different Japanese movie last Friday, this one actually being a movie versus a documentary. It was called "Until The Last Sword is Drawn" and had nothing to do with my project except for the aspect of it being Japanese. I'm not sure why, but I thoroughly could not stand the main character that is definitely portrayed as the good guy. This Yoshimura dude is basically a Samurai skimping for a living at the turn of the century. He's kind and flexible -unlike traditional Samurai- and frankly I find him a disgrace. There's another character in the movie that feels the exact same way as I do: we both find Yoshimura extremely annoying. If he wasn't a Samurai I wouldn't mind so much, but I really did feel like punching Yoshimura in the face. A lot. And then I fell asleep in the middle of the movie. What a pity.

*Consequentally, the last movie I watched for the sake of slumber was "Barney: Let's Go to the Zoo"

the game plan...

This is so I can get my personal calendar straight.

The actual dates for class:

1.) OCT.21.2011; topic due with parent and mentor signatures as well as blog address

2.) NOV.29.2011; check process tracking form and documentation (4 blogs w/proof)

3.) FEB.14.2012; check process tracking form and documentation (4 blogs w/proof)

4.) APR.11.2012; check record of progress (4 blogs w/proof); analyze with partner; synthesize results for final product.

I can already check off number ichi seeing as I've finished this blog and my mentor has been confirmed (who is it?? Only people on the "inside" can know!). What I'm going to do now is formulate a more personalized schedule for this semester, with the focus being on the Anime aspect. The second semester's focus will be on Voice acting, but I'll figure out it's schedule as my New Year's resolution.

MY CHECKPOINTS

10.20.11 - Request mentor to respond to this blog post. (I think you'll need to make an account if you don't have one, but you aren't required to actually embellish is or make an actual blog) After this date, blog comments will not be formally requested, but implied by each of the following dated activities.
10.24.11 - Begin researching super basics; Anime history and development, Voice Acting history and development, etc. Post article links and information on blog. Begin formulating questions for email interview with JB* as well.
10.29.11 - Send interview to mentor for review. Also have mentor try and take a whack at it.
11.1.11 - Post interview to blog and send a copy to JB
11.11.11 - Begin research on distribution process and content coverage. Ask mentor about IKKiCON (?) or any other convention: which ones are good, what do I do there, possibly set up a meeting?
11.25.11 - Review blog and research up to this point; check 4 proofs of progress AND mentor's minimal 4 blog comments (the absence of either will result in contact of mentor for a team meeting)
11.29.11 - CLASS CHECKPOINT
12.9.11 - Birthday. Be sure to take up time with an excessively long blog post.
12.17.11 - If not already, finalize registration for some sort of Anime convention. Refer to mentor.
1.1.12 - If the world still exists, begin planning 2nd semester's detailed agenda.
1.3.12 - Research different types of Anime - genres and they're audiences - and post findings to blog.. If received and not yet posted to blog, upload JB's response to interview questions (that would be a good mentor blog comment opportunity). Try and convince mentor to help me snag an email/skype interview with CS**.

As soon as my phone's recharged, I'm going to put in these personal dates so I have some sort of reminder.
This schedule's dates are relative, but very intently designated. Odds are I won't do things exactly when listed, but I will for sure do them dang close to the planned days.

*JB does not mean Justin Bieber.
**CS does not mean Charlie Sheen.

the work begins....

I'd like to start my blog very formally, but the odds of me actually doing so are very slim. Instead, I'm going to start talking about the ISP that the teacher formally known as Ms. Dowdle has assigned to me for the second year in a row.

Now. Last year I decided to do an extremely broad topic of "Thai Food" and used my mamma as my mentor. While that was all good and well I don't feel like I had reached out as much as the former Dowdle had intended. Therefore, I'm going above and beyond with my topic this year. My new topic is WAY more interesting, WAY more demanding, and WAY more unique than last year's topic (or anybody else's topic for this year).

By the time this blog will be read I will have already turned in my actual topic request paper to the former Dowdle. Because of that, I feel I have no obligation to flat-out state what my topic is in this post or on the blog. Think of it as a game; I'll post blogs accordingly, and you'll try and use deductive reasoning to figure out what the heck I'm webLogin' about. The people who already know my topic will be referred as members from here on in, and will receive special benefits for being on the "inside".

Wow, am I really ahead of things or what?! The checkpoint for topic selection/finding a mentor etc. is on Octogon21, and I've already completed everything for it. I'm probably going to do that thing where if I finish early I turn it in early as a mark of pride. Now all I have left to do is to read that book and type some paper!