The Wonderful Life of the English Teacher in Japan

For many different reasons, people want to be in Tokyo. I can attest myself that you can find the best food, technology, and places to go there. Alas, it would be an understatement to say that it's expensive to live there but you have to find a way to sustain yourself nonetheless. Oh, but if you're a foreigner, a gaijin, it'll be even harder to get said job as that's how Japan unfortunately is.

Fear not, the eikaiwa schools are always looking for teachers! Eikaiwa, or English conversation, schools exist all over Japan especially in the metropolis of Tokyo and is quite the lucrative business. Students, young and old, come to supplement what they learn in school, to hone the language for business purposes, or for personal reasons like travel. It certainly sounds like a good first step during your stay in a new country to teach what you know best. The life of a teacher at one of those schools is actually not as glamorous as it may seem.

Halloween: Costume or Cosplay?

Halloween has come and gone once again. It is said to be many's favorite "holiday" (if it could be called that) as it gives people a reason to dress up. I've personally never been one to dress up for Halloween or in general but this year, I decided to go for it.

FRIEND

Jikan Mukankei

While Japanese pop culture is indeed a huge interest to me, photography is another strong passion of mine. You may have noticed that in my Comic Con entry and I plan to show more of my stuff whenever I feel may be necessary. Just you wait till I start talking about my figure collection!

I would like to take the time to promote a photography project my friend, Kriztille, and I are doing titled "Jikan Mukankei" (Irrelevance of Time). Every week, we send each other a picture we took which are then put together to form a diptych. Prior to the uploading of the diptych, we do not have a single clue of what picture we took so it's interesting to see how incredibly different the contents are or perhaps even induce amazing parallels with each other. We started a mere five weeks ago but we intend to keep doing this for as however long we can. Please check it out here whenever you have the time. We would most certainly appreciate it as well as any comments or criticisms you may have.

Kriztille on the left, mine on the right

I consider Kriztille the more talented half of the duo we form and you can find out why by checking out her out at Agent Pulse for more of her photographic work as well as Agent Pulse Draws for her sketches.

Thanks and we hope you enjoy!

A Look at the Otaku Identity Through "OreImo"

One of the most anticipated shows for this fall season of anime is Ore no Imouto ga Konna Kawaii wake ga nai (My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute). This lengthy title of a show is an adaptation of a light novel with the same name that debuted two years and has come out with six volumes thus far. Due to my inability to read Japanese, it always makes me glad to be able to enjoy light novels animated and voiced. OreImo, the truncated name which I will be using for the rest of this entry, is two episodes in and so far has defied my initial expectations of it being just another entry in the (over) saturated slice-of-life comedy.

Cover of the first volume of the light novel.

OreImo, in short, is the tale of a popular, fashion magazine model middle school girl Kirino who harbors a secret: she is a diehard otaku. One fateful day, her secret hobby is accidentally and slowly discovered by her older brother who she thoroughly ignores on a daily basis. Being the nice guy he is, however, he promises to keep his mouth shut and Kirino is finally talking to him under the guise of what she calls "life counseling" which also includes forcing him to play the games she does to better make him understand her passion.

Certainly, OreImo is not the first series to focus on the otaku culture and identity. There's Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (The Secret of Haruka Nogizaka) which has a more fluffy, romantic undertone or Lucky Star which celebrates and parodies the otaku life without holding back. It's tough to say in what direction OreImo will be heading in since I have not read the light novel and the anime only recently begun but I feel it may be more serious in what it has to say. For example, their strict, conservative police man father makes his dislike towards the otaku very clear at the dinner table which makes Kirino understandably uncomfortable. Yet she herself gets uncomfortable around the otaku guys in her class even though she clearly has a keen interest in what they're talking about. I can certainly agree that it's hard being an otaku when you don't have anyone to really express that to without being criticized for it. Will the eventual revelation make her a stronger person or lead to an unfortunate breakdown?

As the series continues on, I'm sure more fears and anxieties of the otaku identity will be addressed. OreImo has started off strong so far and I look forward to seeing further commentary. Even fictional otaku need some love.

Comic Con and New York Anime Festival 2010

Another weekend has come and gone. However, there's no way to to enjoy a weekend than to go to a convention. For the first time ever, New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival combined to create a convention for the ages during October 8th to 10th at the Jacob Javits Center. NY Comic Con was conspicuously missing last year and made a huge splash with its return alongside its anime counterpart featuring cosplayers aplenty, intriguing panels, and booths with tempting wares. With my weekend pass in tow, lets see what I did during my time there.

Day One


The moment I stepped outside of Penn Station, I knew exactly where to go as groups of cosplayers would pass by me in one direction as if it were the most normal thing to do. Yes, the pilgrimage to New York's anime and comic mecca has begun. After meeting up with my friend, we walked three blocks down to venue and once inside, we were immediately overwhelmed by the scene around us. After grabbing lanyards for our passes, we started to take pictures of cosplayers for a bit then attempted to make heads or tails of how to get into the actual showroom.

With your powers combined.

It required shuffling through and waiting in ludicrously long and winding lines but we finally made it into the bustling showroom. For some reason, though, I never picked up a program which had me in a panic as I searched for the first panel I wanted to see: a K-ON! concert featuring the English dub voice actors. Now, I am not a fan of English dubs for anime whatsoever but I was far too curious to not check it out since it IS K-ON! after all. It was indeed surprising to hear them sing the show's songs in the original Japanese but, as expected, I was not impressed and left the stage early before the elitist in me decided to say anything rash out loud.

There is no ocean too wide or mountain too high for the otaku.

The next panel was something I was looking forward to for a long time as it featured voice actress/singer Minori Chihara (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Ga-Rei Zero, Minami-ke).  To no one's surprise, she barely knew any English though circumvented that by speaking in the cutesy voice that she is known for. Despite the many inane questions and sad attempts at conveying messages in Japanese from the many fans, it's always a pleasure to see the person behind the characters which I come to love and know. This would certainly not be the last time I see her during the con fortunately.

To keep things brief, I'll just say I've been in panel rooms for the three or four hours. After Chihara left, VAMPS, a visual kei duo featuring Hyde of L'Arc en Ciel fame and K.A.Z. from Oblivion Dust, took the stage in front of waves of screaming fan girls. With their translator in tow, it was interesting to hear various stories from him about working in the business. I then sat through an informative VOCALOID panel which featured the makers of the voice synthesizer product that spawned a character which captured the hearts of musical and visual artists. It truly is amazing how the popularity of the likes of Hatsune Miku and friends have touched down in the states. After that came the most anticipated screening of the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya movie which was certainly good but I can't really agree with all the raving reviews it got. It simply had too much exposition and judging from how people reacted to it in terms of emotion, I was expecting to at least get teary but I didn't even come close. Nonetheless, it was a busy first day at the con.

 A mad, mad world.

Day Two


The second round of NYAF/CC was definitely the biggest and most exciting. I actually was able to spend most of the day walking around the showroom areas and also spend the contents of my wallet. After being closed out of the virtual Hatsune Miku concert (or at least a screening of it anyways), I stopped by the Far East to East Showcase panel which invited the etheral and calming Echostream, rock/dance/electronica maestros Boom Boom Satellites (a band which I am absolutely  in love with right now), and the world famous duo Puffy Ami Yui. It was a pleasure being able to hear from them but I was sad I would be unable to attend the concert for which they gathered for.  At the very least, I did get a CD and autograph from Boom Boom Satellites which made my day.

Many hours and closed out panels later, the time to line up for the one panel I've been waiting for since I first heard of it: Yoshiki of the famed metal band, X-Japan, and Stan Lee ('Nuff said!). The two legends took the stage to a roaring crowd and announced that they will collaborate to create a motion graphic novel due sometime in 2011. Besides that news, the mere banter between the two men proved hilarious as the hearing-impaired Stan proved to be the character he always has been and Yoshiki answered back with dry humor in a raspy voice. I may have missed out on the X-Japan at the Roseland Ballroom the following night but I am more than satisfied to have seen the two legends in the flesh right in front of me.

X-celsior!

The moment I left that panel, it was a mad rush to the IGN Theater. As promised, Minori Chihara made another appearance for the awaited concert. The line to get in was troubling and when I got in, the stage seemed so far. Luckily, I was able to go upstairs to a balcony area and had an excellent view from above. Singing classics like "Paradise Lost" and "Hare Hare Yukai" had the fans riled up from beginning to end. The concert capped another awesome day at the con despite the cries for "Encore!" going unanswered.

Blue goddess.

Day Three


The final day was definitely the shortest one and least eventful. After two rather busy days anyways, I didn't mind so much. The only panel I ended up going to was another informative one headed by the ambassador of anime, manga, and Harajuku fashion, an eccentric and excitable fellow. Next to him sat Kanon, the bassist for the renowned visual kei band An Cafe. A slideshow was put on with pictures of cons around the world and the speaker explained his wishes to see the interest Japanese pop culture continue to grow around the world. I immediately went to stand in line for the room across from me as the screening for the new Gundam 00 movie would be shown there. Perhaps what I would consider the most torturous moment of the con, I had to stand by the loudest and inconsiderate bunch of geeks who were not only able to shut up in the line but during the screening as well. It didn't help that the movie failed to impress me much in terms of the story but when people are cheering and yelling every five minutes, I could only sit there aggravated. With the credits done rolling, I was ready to say good bye to the venue. All in all though, I was pleased with Comic Con/New York Anime Festival and I will be looking forward to the next time it comes around.

Excelsior!

The "O" Word

"Otaku."

What does it really mean? First of all, let us acknowledge its Japanese origin. It was actually used as a second-person pronoun in an honorific manner to address another individual's family or home. The Japanese language has modernized and simplified since then so no one ever says it anymore. This honorific has instead evolved into a whole other thing.

What I'm going to discuss is the modern day usage as a slang. The closest English equivalent would be "geek" as it describes an individual who is passionate and perhaps even obsessed with a certain subject such as anime, video games, and manga. The term encompasses literally any subject, however, as long as it is the topic of interest. People these days like to associate themselves with the label of the "otaku" much like the punks, mods, and other subcultures. With the growing interest in Japanese pop culture over the last couple decades, those outside of Japan proudly wear their "otaku" badge as well.

In Japanese society, "otaku" is a dirty word. It was and still is a negative label for the obsessed who live in their own fantasy worlds. One should certainly not decree to the Japanese public that they are otaku as they would be shunned in an instant. Little do some people know though is that one might want to tread carefully when uttering such a word. The media does a great job of reminding everyone of the "horrors" of the otaku every time a crime revolves around the suspect who just happens to own some anime and manga in their home. There is a reason that the otaku are an easy target as their hobbies can be of a perverse nature. This certainly only helps in alienating a group of people who most likely lack basic people skills and thus have to seek refuge in the 2-D world. Certainly, not all otaku are complete sociopaths but the label holds such a strong stigma, the general Japanese society will not look kindly upon it.

This fellow here is a "typical" otaku and his 2-D date enjoying a night out.

Being Japanese myself and having lived in Tokyo for several years, I feel uncomfortable with calling myself an "otaku" though, truth be told, I am. I follow the releases of certain games to the day, pre-order collectible figures from import sites, and watch episodes from over ten different anime shows on a weekly basis. I prefer to call myself "geek" or "connoisseur" but that does nothing to change who I am. There just needs to be an understanding that there is the right time and place for everything especially for showing otaku pride.

Welcome to Otakurotica.