Though its artistic style suggests otherwise, Inu x Boku SS is in fact “shounen”. Note the quotation marks. Originally targeted at male audiences interested in the romance genre without having to resort to the dramatic nature of shoujo anime – that, or the plenty of fan service that the show offers as lolis and a “big jug lesbian” are a big thumbs up – female fans have also grown to enjoy watching the series. After all, Inu x Boku SS incorporates a brilliant cast that’s sure to involve a variety of male and female characters in which both genders of the audience can see fit to their taste buds.

As a result, there have been arguments regarding the demography under which the series is classified. Is it shoujo or is it shounen? I’m not surprised that many fans tend to confuse the two since they can’t decide whether Inu x Boku SS is one or the other.

The original manga Youko x Boku SS, however, was published under the shounen magazine Gangan Joker, which is managed by Square Enix, and all of Fujiwara Cocoa’s works have been shounen thus far (which really doesn’t count towards anything but still).

While it is officially considered “shounen” despite its artwork and plot being exceedingly shoujo, Joker has become an androgynous manga magazine in the past few years. A trend had begun when Square Enix allowed a lot of female mangaka to publish their works on their shounen magazines, and most of them didn’t care to change their shoujo touch. Youko x Boku SS is one of the many series which demonstrate such overlapping features of shounen and shoujo.

Inu x Boku SS is “shounen” because its manga counterpart is serialized in a magazine supposedly aimed at males – it just happens to incorporate shoujo aspects. But following the great success of Kuroshitsuji, which even Enix has accepted that it is a “fujoshi” title and is hence aimed at females, other manga published by Square Enix have earned similar titles. In other words, there are in fact a few works targeted towards the female audience.

Unless Enix does the same for Youko x Boku SS, there’s no real distinction whether its anime follow up is in fact shounen or shoujo. Inu x Boku SS is categorized as shounen because Square Enix is such a classic shounen magazine and demography is determined by the magazine by which the manga is published. As a fellow fan had noted on the forums, the only way to differentiate what’s shounen and what’s shoujo would be to wait for the manga to be compiled into a tankoubon (its own book) and have Square Enix place imprints on the volumes. For example, Beans Ace, a magazine that serializes both shounen and shoujo works, has Asuka Comics DX, a comic imprint for girls under which all the shoujo titles are published, and Kadokawa Comics A, which is for the boys. Otherwise Inu x Boku SS will remain being “shounen”.

I wonder if this bares any significance to the plot or is simply just fanservice.

There’s yet to be a Japanese target demography which takes into account both females and males since series are classified as either: shoujo, shounen, seinen, josei or kodomo. But these are nothing but titles for the targeted audience – a shounen anime doesn’t necessarily mean females won’t enjoy watching its contents. On the contrary, there might be more of the opposite gender than the intended one. Imagine the irony.

I wasn’t always a fujoshi. Somewhere down the road it just happened; symptoms of fanaticism had stricken me after much exploration through the wonders of the internet like daggers of sharp icicles that eventually melt into your skin. With thanks to Mangafox, the cause of my incurable sickness, curiosity had gotten the better of me. But I wouldn’t say that it was for the worst.

I have to admit, there hasn’t been all that great stories under the shounen-ai/yaoi demography, particularly the latter. While there’s been a few that’s enjoyable, it’s the obvious lack of realism which leaves you craving for a different touch after reading pile upon pile of manga. Perhaps this is because the majority of yaoi mangaka are female hence series such as Sekaiichi Hatsukoi and the works of Minami Haruka, the supposed crème de la crème, are no better than generic story lines and spicy sex scenes. If the only difference between steamy smut-filled shoujo and yaoi is the gender of the love interests, then this is a lacking distinction.

The gift package from yaoi manga: nosebleeds.

Homosexuality has never seemed so mundane nor has the female population been so insignificant. Where is the angst, the utter disappointment in the cruelty of humanity and the realization of one’s inability to let others adorn our worn out shoes? If only we could control living people like a mummer’s puppets, then surely heart-throbbing romance would never have to come hand in hand with troubles deeper than simple jealousy at your boyfriend’s ex or potential lovers.

But don’t get me wrong – this doesn’t mean I hate cliché yaoi stories (a bit of an overused term here since originality nowadays is arguable). Possessive lovers, silent protagonists and student x teacher relationships are enticing concepts but seeing something different sure won’t hurt my eyes.

No, no – I’m not talking about Bara manga. That’s taking it a bit too far. I still prefer heterosexual-esque relationships with the masculine seme and feminine uke types. Nitro+chiral’s ero games and Jigoku Meguri are the best I can handle when it comes to two muscular men doing this and that.

Seinen wa Ai o Kou and Konbini-kun are series which I read not too long ago and am rather fond of. The first, in particular, addresses the issue of homosexuality in a way which I feel is rather lacking in other yaoi stories. The use of pathos is empathic. Though the happy ending is perhaps too good to be true, too much angst would have resulted in fans pouring their tears out at the sight of a pitiful tragedy. But being only three chapters long, this leaves little room for character development.

Konbini-kun presents a similar tragic experience on the protagonist’s behalf. Tormented by the scorn and repulsion others hold towards his sexuality, it’s not surprising Hiroshi resigns himself into hiding. But tripping on a small stone and knowing the pain of grazed, bleeding skin leaves one no choice but to limp the rest of the way home. Another short series but worth the read.

Yuri fans are dominantly men and I’ve always wondered whether thoughts like mine ever across their minds.

In the end, does realism matter when it comes to fiction and do the publishers even give a damn? No, probably not. But I would still like to see my yaoi stories with an intricate and realistic plot than just steamy bumsex.

A promise of blood, guts, and Lovecraftian monsters, a disgustingly tasteless sequel delivered. As one of my lovely friend declares: “Blood-C is ambiguous at best.” It has been stripped of all the wonderful assets that made Blood+ a memorable anime and is left hollow, completely without substance. I am so utterly disappointed. It left a vile taste which may never be cleansed regardless of how the following episodes proceed.

CLAMP, famous for magical girls and sultry temptresses, is simply not able to adapt. The Blood series is gritty. It’s filled with harrowing monsters and engaging characters. What is this clumsy moe nonsense? Who would introduce nine characters and foreshadow them all in the span of ten minutes? Where is the beautiful swordplay and sexy chevaliers? Why is there such a heavy emphasis on school life?

If only, if only.

Jacqivarius: The worst affront is that the directors focus so heavily upon the high school aspect rather than what the series is supposed to be about. It’s a mess with no semblance of pacing or atmosphere. One moment Saya is in a classroom laughing at jokes and then, all of a sudden, she has flashes of symbolic images which are never further explained. Never does she look out of the windows to see a miasma covering the city therefore confirming her darkest fears nor is there an omniscient view of some evil warlord preparing to invade the city. The scene afterwards is of her playing basketball. Excuse me? I guess they’re trying to convey that Saya isn’t a clumsy imbecile but that’s rather abrupt and unnecessary. Light-hearted and oppressive isn’t a popular combination for a reason, especially if they try to cram it all into the same scene.

All that I wanted from this show was for Saya to dance the seductive dance of death. Instead she gets manhandled, throws her sword, and proceeds to hack away with no apparent skill. The previously impregnable defences of her opponents melt away for no apparent reason. It makes no sense. It’s horrible! I hate it; I detest it.

The music makes even less sense. Oh, the music is horrendous. Saya is happily skipping down the street to a dirge. She dithers about on the street, drowned in a silence perfect for an encounter only to have the tension broken by a puppy. A grandiose piece that would more suit a devious baron watching his plan play out accompanies our lackluster protagonist as she gets battered and beaten up by a small fry. It’s confusing.

I wish that they would stick to one genre. Either have the action or don’t.

Fabulously blob-like splatters. For decorative purposes of course.

Serenata: Seven minutes of chatter at the local café. An additional five minutes of needless blabber in the enjoyment of a magnificent lunch. A minute spent on the heroine and a strange dog inquisitively gazing at one another. Two minutes of singing. Three minutes of spotlight on probable love interests. Four minutes and a half of mind-blowing swordplay. A total of eighteen minutes of my youth left rotting in the bin. Unfortunately for me, it’s non-reusable.

Though it’s much too early to establish any ground-breaking assumptions, it’s never too late to furiously criticize CLAMP’s creative storyline. Where questions were anticipated to be given answers, a mirror of the previous episode glorifies the fans with sentiments of ennui and self-pity. Save for a few minor differences – I highlight minor – episode two is once again mundane and ambiguous, though more of the former than anything.

My first impression remains unchanged: Blood-C leaves a bitter aftertaste of “oh, it could have been better”.

The food talk is overwhelming. I may be a food addict but had I intended to indulge myself with an anime on food, I would have done so long ago. The action’s decent but terribly short-lived in stark contrast to the comedy which fails to amuse me and a heroine, who despite her “athletic” skills, is useless without her extraordinary sword. Whatever happened to blood-infused weaponry? And hello, any regenerative powers?

This is supposed to be Guimauve. Marshmallow in other words.

Blood-C is treading on extremely thin ice. Two episodes of ordinary life before shit hits the fans. Or will that be three? The preview doesn’t comprise a bright future for this pitiful series.

- Serenata and Jacqivarius

Upon revisiting Ambivalence , or is it ambiguity? and reading Valence’s more recent posts, I’ve been pondering since how one could motivate themselves to watch anime as well as aniblog. It’s not easy. I’ve found myself on more than one occasion indulging in the two activities not out of enjoyment’s sake but for a different reason entirely, say for example, a sense of a duty. I’ve been experimenting with episodically reviewing series for months and can firmly declare that the idea does not sit well for me or my fellow blogger and friend Jacqivarius. The monotony has led me to abandon ship and hence a different approach to aniblogging. The only problem is… however do I manage to keep my motivation in check as to achieve this? I have a few suggestions in mind but we’ll see. We’ll see.

The longer I squander my time, the easier it is for my motivation to diminish. Not that I’m proclaiming my efforts are halfhearted (though the title of this blog may suggest otherwise) but that I ought to “reignite my own spark”.

How long does it typically take you to write a post? I would say two to three hours personally, sometimes more. I’m not one who can simply waltz into an examination with an air of confidence such that I could pull a brilliant, if not, decent extended response. I’ll be spewing incomprehensible word vomit onto the paper rather.

There’s also the editing which itself is another crisis. I’m a perfectionist; if given the time, I can be horrendously picky with my words. I’m more likely to run than to tread cautiously on a field of landmines. Mental breakdowns are common.

“Maybe I should press the delete button… On a second thought, better not. Ah, how about I tweak this part over here? Gah! What have I done?! CTRL-Z, CTRLZ!”

I’m also easily distracted. It doesn’t take long for my mind to deteriorate into jelly. That’s when anime and other fun getaways come into the picture. Blogging is no different but concurrently it’s also serious business. Unless your style incorporates stream-of-consciousness, you would and should think before you blog.

But like watching anime, reading manga, playing games and other interests, blogging demands passion, devotion, and above all, motivation. It’s time consuming, and there are and always will be moments where I’ll be grumbling incoherent words along the lines of “fuck, I’ve just wasted -beep- minutes of my life”.

What motives your drive to blog?

Every now and then, I’d like to visit other aniblogs and read their posts if any happen to pique my interest. I’m not one for commenting with elaborate feedback but regardless, reading is good inspiration. I’m however interested in adopting other methods that might aid in the refueling of my mind when I’m in need of it. Or perhaps a suggestive reading list of sorts will do the job if none seem to work. What do you think?

Oh, and the name’s Serenata. I’ll be blogging at Kirakuna from here onwards with many thanks Jacqivarius for the invite. Like Jacqivarius, I’ve “resigned” from The Otaku’s Blog but will continue to post there as a guest writer. I’ll attempt to provide innovative content to each though I ought to warn you beforehand as to not be alarmed by the two blog’s differences and similarities. I hope that my character will somehow amuse the current readers of Kirakuna. Yoroshiku!

- Serenata.

Exchanging banter over a succulent bowl of pork stew, Shion and Nezumi watch as the typhoon rocks the window panes. Rain splatters against the glass. Their hair is still glistening from the wet. A sarcastic gibe and they launch into each other. Nezumi mounts Shion. Hot breath gently caresses Shion’s ear,  his eyes are filled with naivety. The nape of his neck is exposed as Nezumi digs into flesh. A fit of laughter. They roll but this time end up side by side. Nezumi still clutching. Their hands clasp mingling sweat and body heat. A genius and a convict.

Technically, the above paragraph is not shounen-ai. It is not yaoi or homosexual. There is no genitalia poking nor is there mouth to mouth. Nezumi is not savagely removing articles of clothing. Romance is not involved no mater how sexually insinuating this is. Imagine if Shion and Nezumi were brutish warlords and the gibes more foul than sarcastic. The entire scene changes. If they were kissing or having sex, then it is impossible to say they are not.

Adding in the words, it becomes violent instead of sexual.

In the context of the show this hand holding makes sense. The kiss that Safu gives Shion makes sense. No.6 is a city driven by technology where human interaction is at a minimum. The mother is literally in the other room but calls Shion on the intercom to advise him that dinner is ready. She could yell but that’s obviously not couth. It’s utopian, a perfect society right? The act of playing, knitting, and holding hands are only there to symbolize humanity. It could also be used to foreshadow their friendship to be. It is not sexual in the slightest.

There is one more thing.

Nezumi had Shion in a grapple. He was gripping the wrist because that’s how you restrain movement. However, once Shion noticed that Nezumi’s hand was abnormally warm, he slid his own hand upwards in order to check for a fever. The palm is much more sensitive than the wrist after all.

They weren’t even fucking holding hands.

Wrist is being held.

Sliding upwards to confirm if he has a fever.

My world is a dark one, filled with the smells of sweat and oil and the deafening noise of machinery. Dexterous fingers prick and prod away. One boy’s most treasured possession: a dull red button is entrusted to me. My features, disfigured but I do not mind. The rhythmic hum of a hundred sewing apparatus permeate the very walls of the factory; a never-ending whir. Calloused hands take me away from the boy and plunge me into darkness. A single bump here, a dull thud there are all that distinguish my living.

Once more I am plucked from my place, this time by delicate hands. The fluorescent lamps alter the colours of the walls making them a blinding pink. Large people and small people mill about speaking in a language unknown to me. They are vaguely similar to the boy. My lopsided bow-tie and my red button elicit some attention from onlookers. A girl points and shouts but she’s much too little to reach my shelf. Lifted up, by large wrinkled hands, I’m put into her open arms. She’s warm, bright, and smells of strawberries. Joy.

The ruffles are smoothed out from my shirt and my crooked tie fixed right. By my long floppy ears she grasps onto tightly, her smiling face boring into her ageing guardian’s. Another trip but this time bathed in sunlight. For days and weeks we played together. Although of late she hugs me often. I do not see the older one. I hug her back.

Black again, the room is so dark. The aroma of flowers mingle with salt. My friend sits neglected and I too. A man, taller than the rest, rises. He offers a gentle hand. I hope that she doesn’t forget me, that she doesn’t drop me into darkness. She doesn’t.

- Jacqivarius

I was reading the third instalment in the Game of Thrones series and then this happened. What the fuck I don’t even.

I’m frightened by this show.

If you were to take the experience of a visual novel and turn it into an anime, it would be The iDOLM@STER. Boasting a surprisingly natural first person perspective, the viewer is thrust into a cavalcade of Japan’s finest moe symbols. The senses are overloaded. Twelve, vastly different in personality, virtual idols talk to you and act out before you as if there was no distinction between their world and yours; of 2D and 3D.

The medium of animation never ceases to amaze me. Rather, the vocal talents of Japan are far beyond what I would call ordinary. It’s simple enough to draw an overly cute girl with large sparkling eyes and the largest set of hooters that a man can dream of, but to put a voice to this over-the-top character is quite the task. I have to commend the 24 year old voice actress that has to somehow contort her body to speak like a child half her age. Being a North American, I have not had the fortune to play an iDOLM@STER arcade cabinet myself. From what I know, which isn’t much, you play as a faceless producer of the fictional 765 Production studio. The many characters assail you with banter and dancing and singing. Whether they’re sexy or cute, you’ll never be able to bed them but it’s nice to bask in their glow. Or in the glow of the cabinet.

The anime adaptation startled me when it followed the same first person perspective. It felt as if I were playing a VN but without the playing aspect. There is close to no music, only their voices. Your persona asks questions and they reply as befits their character. You are drowned in their auras. There are so many conflicting and powerful personalities. It’s… strangely organic. Had I not been so exposed to the culture, I may have been turned off.

This isn’t to say that The iDOLM@STER is a bad anime, go ahead and disregard whatever cynicism I may have exuded. It’s fairly enjoyable which is something I never would have expected. My more favourite genre is the slice-of-life genre and this is a different take. The animation quality is smooth and despite the lack of ambience, things don’t feel out of place. One thing that may distress fans is that the producer is given a face. I hope that this is seen to as it breaks the immersion completely. Otherwise I’d watch it if only because it’s a tad queer.

Oh, the opening and ending themes are also original; by 765PRO ALLSTARS. A bit squeaky for my tastes but a nice touch.

- Jacqivarius

Natsume Yuujinchou is an anime that has ever warmed my heart. For a reason unbeknownst to me, it has that power. Maybe it itself is a spirit. Wouldn’t that be a treat?

Takashi Natsume, voiced by the lovely Hiroshi Kamiya, is a boy who’s strong spiritual senses have pestered him since birth. He comes into the possession of his grandmothers “Book of Friends;” a catalogue filled with names of spirits. Reiko, Natsume’s grandmother, never got along with other humans and thus resorted to bullying spirits into submission so they could become her friends. Some may be violent while others kind hearted. Natsume spends the majority of his free time dissolving the binding contracts with the help of the feline spirit, Madara.

Natsume Yuujinchou likes to put about at its own pace. This is the third instalment in the series and I have no doubts that it will continue, hopefully, for many seasons more. It’s a relaxing and narrative driven story. The interior monologue of Natsume is heavily reliant on Hiroshi Kamiya’s voice talent and I believe that is what lends the anime its calming vibe. His voice is simply soothing to the ears. Coupled with the stellar artistic direction and crisp animations, it’s quite the sight to behold.

This is exactly the type of anime that I liked to watch during the summer. As Natsume encounters different youkai he learns a little bit more about them; about their relations to humans and their motives or pasts. It’s an enchanting story that I would love nothing more than to be enveloped by. When he returns their name after a kind gesture or a desperate fight for his life, it’s always bitter-sweet to seem them drift off in peace.

The sound assets and Midorikawa Yuki’s art are stunning when fitted together. When cicadas merrily chirping and gentle melodic accompaniments overlap with Madara’s grating pitch or Natsume’s dulcet tones, it gives the anime a certain magic. The wonderful backgrounds are so colourful and nice on the eyes. It’s an amazing experience. Even during the moments of intense action, the quality is not marred.

I was captured by the series the moment I set my eyes on the promotional stills. It seems that they called out to me and said “you will enjoy this.” I’m sure that many others share the same sentiments.

- Jacqivarius

Ah, summer is here and so is the gaming drought. The games have piled up and it’s around this time of year that I begin to plow through the slew of releases good or bad. The first game is The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

Based on a book series by Polish author Andrezej Sapkowski, The Witcher 2 is a third person action RPG in which you play as Geralt of Rivia. The combat is intense, I’ve already bedded several women, and monsters ravage the lands in calamitous fashion.

At the present moment, I’ve only just completed the first chapter and the experience so far has been brilliant. Aside from the ass-kicking that I took during the prologue, the combat is satisfying. Every ability needs to be used in conjunction with each other in order to fight through the throngs of enemies and monsters. At one point, I entered a cave in search of some side-quest related item. What awaited me there was a horde of Nekkers. These little creatures are ferocious and with my playstyle, I charged at them with sword in hand. I died in a glorious manner and restarted the game. This time, I put down a few traps and tried again. Failure. Ten minutes later, I return to the cave with three different types of potions, enchanted armor, and a specific sword oil designed to deal with these creeps. Victory was mine at last and it tasted good.

Every action that you take in this game matters. You cannot run haphazardly into battle as that will result in your utter annihilation. This is not Dragon Age where you can simply crush your opponents with AOE and chain stuns. There is only Geralt, for the majority of the game anyways, and the game will not hold your hand at any point. In his arsenal are signs (magic), alchemy, and swordsmanship. Even if you are a gungho player and skill exclusively into swordplay, there will come times where chugging a potion can mean victory or defeat.

When I see a game that I enjoy, I try not to watch any of the gameplay footage in order to keep my experience as pure as possible. The prologue gives you several options to choose, you can talk to the king, fight a dragon, or traipse about in some besieged castle. Obviously I would pick the dragon, who wouldn’t? This was not exactly the best of plans as I was plunged right into the heat of battle and running away from the flames of an extremely pissed off dragon. I barely even knew how to use my skills or whatnot. The game will not treat you as a child, it doesn’t guide you through the entirety of the game as others might. If you are going to play this game, I would advise choosing the first option and reading all of the tooltips. A tutorial, there is none.

Story-wise, it’s compelling enough even though it draws heavily upon the previous instalment which I never played. The short comic-styled cinematics are interesting to watch and effectively tells of Geralt’s past. I believe that there are branching paths and various endings to be acquired which means replaying is tempting. Through the grapevine, I heard that depending on your actions in the first chapter, the setting for the second will be completely different. I can already see myself squeezing a lot of value from this game.

If I were to have one gripe with the game, though it’s mostly due to my laziness, it would be looting. There may be a part in the game where you enter a military encampment. Equipment and crates of supplies are everywhere. I am afraid of hitting my Z button to highlight all the lootable things in the area because I know that the entire camp will be glowing a bright orange and begging me to riffle through their goodies. It’s the same thing with games such as Fallout 3 where I see a box and I need to check if there is anything of worth inside of it. This is made worse when I’m over encumbered because I’m that guy who holds onto a feather that I found at the beginning of the game thinking it may serve me well down the road. I know that this has to be in the game, the crafting is superb, but I wish I could have a magical spell that brings everything worth pilaging into my inventory. I’m a lazy chump, what can I say?

Another praise worthy thing about The Witcher 2 is that it was built with the PC in mind. When playing Crysis 2, which was initially a PC title and put Crytek on the map, I found that the textures were muddy and overall horrible. The first Crysis had stronger texture quality than the second and that boggles my mind. The Witcher 2 however, has the most realistic skin that I have ever seen. That may sound strange but it’s true. When I walk into a forest, I can individually distinguish between the bumps in the bark. It’s fabulous.

So far, The Witcher 2 has put forth on all fronts. It has received high scores on several different sites, some hailing it as the best RPG of this year. Coupled with the strong mod support, I can definitely recommend this to anyone who likes to play RPGS.

- Jacqivarius

A one hour long special detailing the antics of a hikikomori detective and her eclectic cohorts. Sounds like fun right?

As with most anime, the story begins with a transfer student. In this case it would be Fujishima Narumi (Matsuoka Yoshitsugu) who flutters listlessly from town to town due to his father’s work. He finds himself at the scene of what could only be described as bizarre as a high school prostitute leaps from a window; luckily landing on a pile of garbage below. There, he meets Tetsu (Matsukaze Masaya), “Major” (Miyata Kouki), and Hiro (Sakurai Takahiro). As it so happens, his classmate Shinozaki Ayaka (Kayano Ai) is in cahoots with these ruffians and he soon becomes entangled as well.

Of course, the main star of the show is Yuuko “Alice” Shionji voiced by Ogura Yui. She’s a self declared NEET detective bent on searching for the truths of the world while performing deeds as “messengers of the dead”. She happens to be cut from the same mold as Victorique of GOSICK. Small and cute, she has a dominating personality until her teddy bear rips a seam. It’s been seen before and it has definitely been a hit. The dynamic between Alice and her new assistant Narumi is somewhat refreshing as Narumi does possess some form of intelligence.

So far it’s enjoyable. The inclusion of a high school prostitute is quite intriguing and despite the goofy cast of characters, the tone remains on the darker side. In comparison to J.C. Staff’s prior works of the same genre, Ookami-san coming to mind immediately, Kamimemo focuses much more on the urban underground and societies hardships. Unlike GOSICK and its abrupt solving of mysteries, Kamimemo has a steady arc of progression which benefits the flow greatly. Clues are found and pieces are put together to form a whole. It keeps you guessing as to what is truly happening. Less subtle touches, such as a train obscuring vision and hearing, are also there for added effect.

Being a full one hour pilot, the episode encompasses an entire case. The characters are introduced in a nonchalant manner owing to the absurdity of their personalities and there is ample fan service for all those who are interested. The opening theme is most surprising as it is performed by the famous NicoNicoDouga singer Choucho. The reference to Dr. Pepper made me snigger. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the visuals, it’s not particularly staggering but more than serviceable.

All in all, it’s a very nice way to start off the season. I only hope that the mystery and scripts will last the duration.

- Jacqivarius