The case for criticising the tendency to simply discuss the merits of an appreciated work is that the analytical sight of the pertaining individual is confined by the limits of his or her self-centredness, seeing only a need to explain what impresses upon personal taste. That which follows seemingly suggests that perhaps the better and less egocentric way of demonstrating your ability to be a critic is–instead of talking about what one likes–to talk about why one did not like something: exploring nice things is a conveniently selfish approach in criticism, unlike the arduous task of understanding why a bad work is bad.
Yet what follows after the identifying the flaws of a “bad” work has to be the suggestion of improvements. Should a bad work be bad, its original intentions is unachieved and is doomed to be concealed by the ambiguity of failure. Offering suggestions of improvement–which are meant to remedy the failure and reveal how the achievement of a desired goal could have been possible–is based upon the assumption that the original intention is understood, and that assumption is contrived ultimately by the selfish preference of a critic after that critic has selected one preferred interpretation of the original intention out of the many plausible possibilities. Ironically as it appears, perhaps even the most “constructive” of criticism of disliked works is the byproduct of selfishness, let alone fan rage and hatin’.

So if you would not mind, let me go back to loving my shows like Nanoha for I will not even bother talking about shitty stuff like those featuring adult females with disgusting mammaries! Children are the best!

Yours truly

A day only for taking photos of cosplayers and the K-On event. Toyosaki Aki-san is awesome.

One of the best Amu-chan cosplayer i've seen

The Sojourner will love this

Obligatory queue photo

This is Private bk submitting photos for our Captain who is “still alive”.

I’ll start off with some comments of this event (will be a short one). Overall, pretty much the same as last year. Queue for ticket was long but pretty quick, say about 30mins? The sightseeing can be done within an hour. The figure shops are out there hijacking their price tags with their goods. A few really interesting booths. Saw Danny the man and Shokotan live. The usual Gundam and kachapon display. The organisers did a great job on the stage area, pretty spacious.

btw that is not me

One of the main highlights was the man, Danny Choo. He looks… exactly the same as what I imagined it to be.

Polite and friendly guy.

1540 hours. The Danny Choo special appearance started. It started off with the “Tokyo Dancing Trooper in Singapore” video.

Mah…if you followed much to his blog everyday, you would already know what he is going to present. Had a hard time adjusting to his British accent though. Still, its an interesting presentation.

Then there’s his special booth. Show casing “Tokyo Figure Show Singapore”. Weird name huh?

I would have preferred if he did a miniature of his room. I mean, would the middle and higher ends of the otaku community want to see what they already have/know of?

Approved.

Ahh, fanarts. One of my favourite sections. This character is from a trading card game, Weiss Kruez, with a growing fan base in Singapore. The “IN” thing as described by our Sandtrooper.

A happy touhou fan is happy to see that there are touhou fanarts.

Already saw them in moe imouto, but nevermind that.

Another interesting booth. Dubbing of scenes of anime. I was alone and couldn’t find anyone to join me

“ATHRUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” “KIRAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” (Something like that.)

Parental Guidance Gundam 00 Riser

And the moment you have been waiting for…

*Drumrolls*

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Cosplayers!

(Please try not to enlarge the pictures as they might look worse.)

Veteran Cosplayer

Suwako behind

My personal favourite of the day, Suika

The way she adjusts her horns is moe.

The Fate/Stay gang

3D Yui (2D Yui is mai waifu)

Azunyan

I think she was the emcee for the events

My photo might not show it but, he is really teh ikemen upclose

Nipah~

If you would like to have your photos removed, please kindly drop a comment below.

P.S. To The Sojourner: Don’t worry, there is always AFA10, AFA11, AFA12, AFA++ until you come back!!!

What Is The Topic?

Generally, there exist two kinds of anime fans: the “old school” fan and the “freshly baked” fan. The freshly baked fans, tend to mind their own business, eagerly consuming contemporary works; but the old school fans see a need to assert their belief that the golden age of anime has long passed, it, fading into the shades of a distant past. The freshly baked ones’ focusing on new anime shows is seen as an iniquity by their old school counterparts; that is to say, “newer fans are noobs because they watch contemporary sh*t and fail to appreciate great stuff like ******, ****** *****, and G**G**G**,” say the old school fans.

The main pillar of the old school faction’s claim is through the mentioning of the excessive use of popular archetypes, familiar plots, and motifs, leading to the asphyxiation of creativity in the anime industry. No, they shall not stand for this, the old school enforcers. They shall make sure that their ignorant colleagues shall see the light, and repent! So, it is believed by the ancients that the anime industry no longer has the vitality to produce shows of praiseworthy merit, and all nice things came from the past.

Why Magical Ferret Begs To Differ

But Magical Ferret begs to differ. The past can never outshine the future! Simply, all pioneering works are an issue of trial and error, or experimentation. Without the guidance of any precedence, that is how older works were created. They either succeed, or disappoint. But it is a different matter when it comes to the consideration of anime works in the future. When anime studios make animes in the future, they have a weapon that their predecessors do not have: the privilege of referring to the past.

Brilliance, in all forms in life, can rarely be imagined as the result of sudden and isolated occurrences. Greatness is the result of reflecting upon accumulated failures in the past, and the reflection and improvisation of pioneering concepts. A simple example can be found in the deeds of a good fellow called Willy Shakingspear, a writing man of the Renaissance period. No doubt, he is well known for writing great works like “Harry Potter”, and “Gonzo’s Romeo X Juliet” (they all came from the UK, so he must have wrote it). But few are aware of the fact that Willy was one who improvised. And when we talk about improvisation, it means something had to precede before improvisation can take place! Before Willy, there was another man who toiled in the uncharted waters of uncertainty. He violated playwright decorum, gave logic the boot, and became a pioneer whose works would eventually inspire Willy in the future. That man, who dared to pierce the heavens with his pen (for the penis mightier than the sword), is Chris Marlol. End of the story. So what is the message that Magical Ferret is trying to deliver? Simply, greatness can be achieved through reflecting on the past! Without Chris Marlol, there would not have been a Willy Shakingspear. Without Chris Marlol, Willy would not have been great. Without Chris and Willy, John Milley could not have produced the awesome sauce “Parrot’s Dice Lost“. Without Strike Witches, there would not be Strike Witches 2. And so on.

But Ah Ha! Here Comes A New Challenger (Who Wants To Kick My Furry Bottocks)!

But now, we are faced with another inquiry: if the future is full of promise, why are newer works so sh*tty as compared to the past?

Well, my friend. That is because your mind is playing tricks on you! It is easy to look at a collective of great works that define a certain period and praise of that period’s splendour, but it is never easy to confidently say that the future will always surpass the past while one is stuck in the slow moving present. For the dust of an age can hardly be visible to many until it has finally settled down.

Let us go back to the example pertaining to Willy Shakingspear. People agree that his time, which happens to be the Renaissance, was a time of great probing and enlightenment! Great works were forged! But how many are aware of the cesspool of mediocre or absolutely worthless works from which those defining masterpieces rose? If greatness can be based on the alphabets, then perhaps most people can only reach up to the letter D, and the outstanding ones, probably Q. Finally those supernova of excellence are the marks of those who went on to claim R or S. But then, how many are able to  reach that extent? (Protip: Go study statistics)

Those who reside in the ongoing present can hardly sense any form of potential or promise as his/her sense is stifled by the presence of the many disappointments, still lingering strongly in their senses. This renders the appreciation of the new successes weaker (only to be enhanced through nostalgia in the future lol). But on the other hand, old school fans can reminisce over a past, strongly imbued by their lingering fond impressions of good old works, while the disappointments of the past are cast aside through forgetfulness. My old uncle Scruffy Ferret whines about how the past is great, but he forgets that we had to constantly flee from Peter The Great Ferret back then.

So…

Magical Ferret can firmly believe that the future will never disappoint! Never!

Also, flat chested prepubescent girls look nicer with modern visual renderings. Old graphics? Ewwww.

P.S. Mayor Jaypee wrote something about the good old days too. But I do not know what he is trying to say.

lolololol

Q: What kind of enemy shoots rainbow at you?

A: The gay kind, obviously!

But I like Gurren Lagann not because it features Kamina the generally acknowledged epitome of manliness, because I beg to differ when it comes to considering him as the sole individual who upholds all that is courageous and spirited. Well, he is brave all all, but I think he has only demonstrated a third of the aspect of having courage. Putting it simply, there are other ways to be GAR; and Kamina’s GAR is complemented by the GARness of his esteemed colleagues in the show. And finally, by their powers combined, we can imagine the quintessential concept of GAR.

At this point, do pardon me if I am meandering in my attempt to profess that Gurren Lagann is awesome, or excellent. However, the treatment of the various GAR facets in TTGL excites me greatly because it is a far more efficient way to preach on GARness than when there is just one person who is quintessentially GAR. In other words, why is it better not to have one character who has all the aspects of GARness in him? Why must we bother having characters who are all individually fragments of what it is to be truly GAR?

Well, in a story, how should one go about revealing a characteristic of a character? The common approach (I use the word “common”  because I cannot help but imagine someone offering a different opinion, for certain reasons) is by putting a character in a scenario and let that character respond accordingly to his/her given nature. Put a cowardly person in a dangerous predicament, and his/her fleeing will revealing that cowardice. Kamina stands firm in the face of danger, revealing courage. Suffice to say, characters have to be given a chance to show what they are made of. Conflicts, interaction, and recounts do that.

This is where the danger lies. Imagine if Kamina were made of Simon GARness, Roussiu GARness, Kittan GARness and all. In addition, let us imagine the situation if the anime strives to reveal every single aspect of Kamina’s all rounded GARness. Given my proposal, you can consider how all that can be presented to the viewers: the show would have to dedicate a significant lump of events that revolves around the unveiling of Kamina’s perfect GARness. I cannot help but consider that a great hindrance to the flow of the story. Of course, I speak of an awfully extreme and unlikely consequence. Splitting up the perfect personification of GARness into various aspects smooths out the development of the story, reducing the need to pay too much focus on a certain character at the expense of other story aspects. So Kamina is not all GAR, but he is diet pepsi GAR. So are the others. Looking at Simon, you can understand an aspect of Kamina without having the story explicitly reveal it to you through the insertion of some scenario, which might be considered trivial for the advancement of the story (I sound vague, I know). I call it Division of Labour.

So I now end my highly boring and silly rant by attempting to describe the different ways of being GAR, as shown by Kamina and other GAR characters. But my main interest lies in Simon and Roussiu, who both, I believe, are comrades in GAR in TTGL.

The concept of being GAR does not belong to anyone, GAR owns you!

KAMINA

• He is generically courageous?

I find it hard to classify Kamina’s GARness. That is perhaps he does what we would expect a courageous one would do. He is not afraid of a lot of things (most of the time). He faces his challenges despite great odds. He is uh… courageous, ergo GAR.

SIMON

• Possesses the courage to change

Crossing over one’s comfort zone is never an easy affair. Simon, despite his inclination towards timidness and all that is not like Kamina, is driven by his love for his friends to mature and assume a role of great responsibility.

It is never easy to change. Can you ask Shin to stop fapping to pictures of little cartoon girls (remember, fanarts have to be credited)?

ROUSSIU

• Possesses the courage to do the right thing, even when general opinion believes otherwise.

In this case, the general opinion lies in the viewers of TTGL, who have totally been inoculated into the awesomeness of being GAR. Roussiu’s stern adhering of policies causes us to frown upon his disposition. He made painful decisions, and upholds logic more than his emotionally capricious comrades from the Dai Gurren Dan. But that does not make him any less GAR than the boisterous rest.

Roussiu embodies the courage to uphold what he believes is necessary, even if he is a lone wolf in his quest, subjected to the scrutiny of disapproving opinions. GAR? Aye.

So what happens if they all combined into one entity? Simple. GaoGaiGAR.

STAKE UP!!!!!

If you managed to pass beyond the somewhat hilariously awesome picture spam, congratulations to you!

I learned a lesson through a really painful process, all thanks to Akane Iro Ni Somaru Saka. Akasaka is a show that will compel one to keep watching it even if it considered as “bad.” That was pertaining to my circumstances. There were certain elements in the show that were sincere in their cruelty, ripping the many layers of my tolerance and sanity. The generally acceptable opinion (I would perceive it to be) of why Akasaka is “bad” is because of its weak development. But putting that aside, I was made to reflect on a certain matter after noticing another VERY UNIQUE aspect of Akasaka.

Perhaps the most obvious issue in Akasaka is that ALMOST EVERYONE IS NOT PERTURBED BY THE FACT THAT JUNICHI IS INTO HIS SISTER. Surely “socially healthy” people would find it a glaring matter but that is really not what I would want to talk about.

If the implied society of Akasaka is generally fine with the idea that SISTERS ARE FOR HUMPING, then perhaps we ought to accept it as a distinctive, and plausible element of the show. After all, I believe the transcendence of realism and the embracing of plausibility in literary work is an useful approach to convey messages, drive (otherwise unacceptable) the plot, and provide character development. And we can take certain plausible, but not realistic, observations as allegories of some sort, right?

So I confess, I did not enjoy Akasaka; but that did not stop me from finishing the show lol. However, the question I want to put forth is as follows: is it right to dislike something for a lack of realism and an inclination towards plausibility?

Oh dear. Although I would want to say that we ought to be more receptive of a compromise between being realistic and being plausible, I guess I should not have used Akasaka as an example, right. Or maybe it is an example of DOING IT WRONG?

Hey. Now we have to accept the fact that boobs like Tsukasa’s do behave like that conventionally in the world of Akane Iro Ni Somaru Saka eh?

Summary of Akasaka’s Merits and Weaknesses

Merits

1. It is so bad, it  compels one to watch.
2. Yuuhi.
3. Tsuaka’s lulzful boobs.

Weakenesses

1. Forceful conclusion.
2. A travesty in the utilization of plausibility over realism.

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