Hello and welcome to Keba's Anime and Manga Place (KAAMP for short)! Here at KAAMP, I write about anime and manga that I have seen/read as well as my views on them. I'll also post about my original stories from time to time.
Just beware that some of my posts contain spoilers. I'll put them in spoiler tags just in case.
KAAMP's history: KAAMP was created in July 2002 by yours truly. It was a sloppy-looking website on Yahoo's now defunct Geocities. I posted my anime fan art on that site. Also, for a time, I posted my thoughts on the few anime series that I had seen. Now that I look back on it, my thoughts were rather ill-informed (is that even a word?) because I had only seen bits and pieces of anime dubs. Now that I've seen more series, I think that my commentary on various anime will be a little better than before.
So, come on in and stay awhile! KAAMP is now in session.
Alright, enough caps abuse. I'm over-caffeinated but I shouldn't take that out on your eyeballs.
Lately, I've been getting art stuff done. Not only did I finish up my queue of OC answers to your questions, I started some new art. If anyone wants me to livestream them later tonight, I can. That will be from about 9 to 10:30 Central, if you're interested.
I wasn't just productive on art. I finished up another chapter of "Rebels", too. I really had to beef it up from the original draft. It's still a rather short chapter-- kinda cliche, too. I haven't looked at it since I typed it out, but once I finish proof-reading, I'll post it.
Enough about me. I'm going to talk about the anime that I'm watching. OK, that's sort of about me, but in a more passive role. I started a new one (and by "new" I mean new for me) called Spice and Wolf. I'm really enjoying it. Sure, I'm having a little trouble following the talk about money and market values, but I still find it entertaining.
I'm really behind on my anime-watching. I mean, I missed the new season of Attack on Titan in its entirety. Heck, there are a lot of series in which I finished the first season, but haven't picked up the second. I don't know exactly how many series I can watch at once, but I think I'm going to try to start a lot of them.
This brings me to my next point. I'm on the fence about continuing some series. One that comes to mind is Noragami. Although the art was beautiful, I wasn't exactly smitten with the series as a whole. I heard the second season is better, but I still don't know whether I want to continue it or not.
For the record, I'm in no hurry to start Boruto. I may never watch it at all.
To be honest, a great deal of the anime I want to watch would be considered old. In fact, none of them are currently running. Either they've wrapped up or are on hiatus. This is why I feel so behind. I'm not stressing, though. It's only anime.
It was kind of on a whim. I remember when I was a kid, my aunt told me about a show called Sailor Moon which was supposed to be like Power Rangers (which I liked at the time). She told me that it was some kind of animated/live action hybrid, which, in hindsight, must have been that westernized version that never got off the ground. After I lost interest in Power Rangers due to the cast constantly changing, I didn't really have any interest in Sailor Moon. I had practically forgotten about it until it was advertised on Cartoon Network. With curiosity getting the better of me, I watched it, and I've been a fan ever since.
2. What was the first anime you’ve ever watched?
The first anime I watched, in case you hadn't figured it out, was Sailor Moon. FYI, it was the really bad dub that edited just about everything.
Hmm... I wonder who that could be.... Actually, I prefer Greed's manga counterpart. They practically threw him under a bus in the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime.
5. Name your favorite female anime character.
Sailor Saturn from-- you guessed it-- Sailor Moon.
6. What is your favorite genre of anime?
I'm into anything with some kind of fantastical element, whether it be fantasy or sci-fi.
7. Dub or sub?
Sub, definitely. They always seem to swap out voice actors in the middle of dubs due to contracts and licensing and legal junk. Having said that, I will watch the occasional dub.
8. What’s your favorite opening song to an anime?
9. What’s your favorite ending song to an anime?
10. Have you ever bought an anime on DVD? If so, what?
My first anime DVDs were actually a present from my cousin. He bought me the entire Death Note series. If you're talking about buying with my own money, I snapped up a ton of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood DVDs when I heard Funimation was losing the rights.
11. How often do you watch a new anime?
I can't tell because my watching habits are really sporadic. Sometimes I pick up a few at once. Sometimes, I don't pick up a new one for months.
12. Do you binge-watch your anime, or take breaks?
Again, it depends. I usually binge towards the end of a series.
13. Do you prefer manga to anime, or vice versa?
Anime is more readily accessible to me legally, so I usually gravitate to that first.
14. Have you ever cosplayed an anime character at a convention?
I've cosplayed Greed three years in a row at ACen.
15. What was the longest anime you’ve watched?
The longest anime I've completed is Naruto at 220 episodes. The most episodes I've watched without completing the anime is Naruto Shippuden. I'm currently 260 episodes in, which means I'm over 200 episodes behind. -_-
16. What was the shortest anime you’ve watched?
Blue Submarine No. 6 at a whopping four episodes.
17. What do you look for when wanting to try a new anime?
Foxes! I'm kidding. Kind of. Honestly, I mostly look for recommendations. I know that's not the kind of answer one would normally give. Still, they're usually helpful. Once I read a synopsis on the plot of the recommendation, then I'll make the final decision on whether I think I'd like it.
18. Describe an anime you feel had an amazing ending.
I think Death Parade had a great ending, though it made me cry my eyes out.
19. Describe an anime you feed had a horrible ending.
Eden of the East felt very incomplete to me. Sure, there were two movie sequels, but I wasn't invested enough to watch them.
20. How does your family feel about anime?
My brother and his girlfriend are into anime, but I get the feeling they either don't have time for it anymore, or they've "seen everything" already. My parents aren't big anime watchers, but they don't have anything against it.
21. If you could spend an entire day with one anime character, who would it be?
If I was still a teenager, I'd would have loved to spend a day with the girls of Sailor Moon. Now, I don't know who I'd like to spend a day with.
22. How do you feel about fanservice in anime?
I'm not a fan of fanservice. Usually, it's unnecessary.
23. What is your favorite anime pairing, or ship?
My first instinct is to say Ban X Elaine from The Seven Deadly Sins, but since I've only read the manga, I can't say that. Hmm... Maybe Naruto X Hinata. I may not be caught up with Naruto Shippuden, but I know it became official in the manga. That makes me happy.
24. If there was one anime you feel could pull off a live-action series, what would it be?
I don't know. I'm not big on live action adaptions of anime.
25. What’s your favorite anime movie?
Kiki's Delivery Service. It's an oldie, but a goodie.
26. What’s your favorite anime soundtrack?
I've only really listened to one soundtrack, so Gurren Lagann wins by default.
27. Do you believe graphics and animation “make or break” an anime?
They can. Sometimes I can look past the art if it has an "old" look, but bad animation has the potential to detract from a story.
28. What do you believe is the most overrated anime?
I actually had to think about this one. My first thought was Naruto, even though I have a soft spot for it, but it gets a lot of criticism, too. My next thought was Fairy Tail, but I've only seen 12 episodes, so I can't tell. After that, I considered the original Fullmetal Alchemist, but the hype has died down a ton. Finally, I settled on Fruits Basket of all things, because so many people seem to consider it a beloved classic and I don't know why. Please don't hurt me.
29. What do you believe is the most underrated anime?
Usually, the anime that don't get much attention don't get attention for a reason. There are exceptions, though. Baccano! is a great one that hardly anyone ever talks about.
30. What is your guilty pleasure anime?
I don't really feel guilty about the anime I like.
31. What anime made you the most depressed?
I don't really feel depressed when watching anime. Sure, I have been known to cry, but it's usually the bittersweet moments that move me to tears.
32. How do you feel about anime sequels?
If it means dodging filler arcs that drag the series down, bring 'em on!
33. If one anime deserves a sequel, which would it be?
Magi may have already gotten a sequel, but it needs another.
34. Name an anime character who annoys you to no end.
Mihoshi from the various Tenchi Series is so airheaded that I want to scream, but I think that's kind of the point.
35. What anime cliche do you enjoy the most?
"Cliche" can be defined in a lot of different ways from archetypes to tropes. It also has kind of a negative connotation. In short, I'm not sure what to say here.
36. What anime ‘universe’ would you want to live in?
I don't know. They all seem really dangerous.
37. Are your friends into anime, or just you?
I have some friends who are into anime. Not all of them, though.
38. Do you own any anime merchandise?
Yes. They mostly come in the form of t-shirts and plushies.
39. How do you feel about ecchi anime?
I have seen a few, and they make me kind of uncomfortable.
40. If you could steal any power from an anime character, who and what would it be?
I want to have the ability to instantly heal wounds. A lot of anime characters seem to be able to do that.
41. What’s your favorite anime production studio? (Gonzo, Madhouse, Bones, etc.)
No preference. The production studio doesn't really factor into what I decide to watch.
42. Who’s your favorite anime voice actress/actor?
I hardly know any of them by name. Besides, it depends on whether we're talking dubs or subs.
43. Have you ever watched an anime that was different than what you expected?
Attack on Titan, definitely. I was certain that I wouldn't like it. I also had a friend who had a similar opinion, but I urged her to give it a chance, and now she's hooked.
44. Have you ever watched an anime that made you question any religious or psychological matter?
Fullmetal Alchemist, I guess, though it was the manga that affected me more so.
45. Have you ever binged an anime all night?
Yes, I watched the entirety of Anohana in one night. Sure, it was only eleven episodes, but that's usually my limit in one sitting.
46. Do you write fanfiction for your anime, if so, what anime?
I haven't written a fic in ages. If you want to see my disasters, here they are. I actually still get reviews on them from time to time, which surprised me. How do people find this stuff after more than a decade?
47. Has watching anime made you more interested in Japanese culture? How so?
A bit, I guess. I'm way more interested in Japanese mythology than I used to be.
48. How do you watch your anime? (Online, DVD, etc.)
I usually stream in online.
49. How do you feel about yaoi, yuri, shounen-ai, or shojo-ai?
First off, yaoi and yuri are way different from shounen-ai and shoujo-ai. Sure, they all involve same-sex couples, but the difference is that shounen-ai and shoujo-ai are more innocent, and yaoi and yuri are pretty much porn. Same-sex couples in love are fine. Two people of the same sex getting it on just to turn on viewers of the opposite sex is not. I could get into this more, but I'd probably make enemies.
50. How has anime impacted you as a person?
As dumb as it sounds, anime has changed my life. My drawing has transformed a lot because of it. I've also foraged friendships online and offline because of anime. I really don't know where I'd be without it.
If you've ever read a book with dialogue, you've probably imagined the speaker's voice. Well, at least I can say that's true for me. The same goes with manga. I look at a character, read the speech bubble, and I can "hear" the character's voice.
Then I watch the anime that the manga is based on.
Sometimes, I'm thrown off by the voice actors. I tend to think "that character isn't supposed to sound like that!" Although, in other cases, a character's voice can be so close to what I imagined that it's freaky.
I haven't read many manga series. In fact, I can name all the ones I read before watching the anime. They are Fushigi Yugi, Fullmetal Alchemist, The Seven Deadly Sins, and Blue Exorcist. I'll give a (hopefully) quick rundown of the first three, since I haven't seen any clips of Blue Exorcist yet. Also, please note that I'm referring to characters' Japanese voice actors, not the English dub ones.
If my memory serves me correctly, I read the entirety of Fushigi Yugi before ever watching the anime. Since the series is 18 volumes, I had a pretty solid idea of what the main characters sounded like. Once I saw the anime, I was actually pretty disappointed by the actors who voiced the main couple, Miaka and Tamahome. They sounded outright annoying compared to what I had imagined. As more characters were introduced, I realized that my perceptions were very different from the vision of the people who were making this anime. Until they introduced Chichiri. From the moment he spoke his first verbal tic, my eyes opened wide in amazement. His voice was exactly what I thought it would be.
I know that in the two anime continuities of Fullmetal Alchemist, the voice cast is, like 90% different. I've only seen FMA-1, but I know which characters retained their actors for the second series. I'll focus on a few of those, such as main characters Edward and Alphonse. I wasn't really sure what to imagine for Ed's voice. I knew that in the dub, he was voiced by a man, but I thought that Ed should sound more... prepubescent. When I saw the anime, I didn't know what to think. Ed was voiced by a woman who could deepen her voice enough to sound like a teenage boy. Nothing like I had perceived, but it still worked. Al's voice was perfectly spot-on though. The one that bothered me was Bradley. His voice was completely different than what I thought it would be. It sounded too familiar... like I had heard it before. Then it hit me: the actor had also played the third Hokage from Naruto.
When I saw clips for The Seven Deadly Sins, my ideas for the characters' voices were shattered. Meliodas's voice was a bit too low for me. Diane's was too high. Hawk sounded too girly. Ban's voice sounded too... I don't even know. The only one that sounded remotely similar to what I had pictures was Elizabeth. Well, maybe I'd get used to the voice-acting choices if I actually saw the anime. Until then I'll still hear the voices I had imagined whenever I read the manga.
Conversely, when I watch an anime first, and if the characters' voices are distinct, I can hear those voices while reading the manga. This was most unfortunate in the case of Sailor Moon. Whenever Luna spoke, I could hear that Julie Andrews impersonator from the original English dub. Sure, Luna still has a distinct voice in the original Japanese version, but somehow, even after a decade or so, I can still here that English voice actress say, "Serena, you must transform!" like a distressed grandmother.
So, who here has read a manga and then seen an anime that was inspired by it? Which did you experience first-- the manga or the anime? How did that affect your listening experience? Are there characters whose voices sound exactly like you imagined? What about ones that were completely off? Just let me know if you heard the original vocal track or a dub.
I was thinking about how different anime sometimes have similar characters or plot elements, even though the anime series are completely different. So I was thinking about listing various archetypes and seeing which anime comes to mind. Some of the descriptions I provide will be oddly specific.
Example: Name one anime with a character who breaks his finger and focuses on the pain to free himself from an illusion.
You wouldn't believe it, but I have seen at least three anime where a character has done this.
Rules:
1. Only name one anime for each question.
2. Do not name the character that the anime describes (I don't want spoilers for ones I want to see but haven't).
3. Do not name the same anime twice (alternate continuities, reboots, and sequels count, but are not encouraged).
4. PM the answers to me (so no one else can copy you).
The person who can name a different series for every example given wins. If you can't think of an example, leave the space blank. Your chances of winning will be diminished, but if everyone leaves a space blank, there could be a winner.
1. Name an anime in which an adopted character learns of his dark lineage, and decides to oppose his family's evil ways. This character also grows a tail at some point in his life.
2. Name an anime in which a girl travels back in time through unconventional means, and meets a boy who eventually becomes a love interest.
3. Name an anime in which a group of characters have markings/symbols/kanji on their bodies.
4. Name an anime that involves zodiac signs.
5. Name an anime where a character dies, is resurrected, and dies again.
6. Name an anime that is set in a school where the majority of the cast is of one gender, heterosexual romance is not addressed, and is NOT dirty.
7. Name an anime with a male animal familiar to a magical girl.
8. Name an anime that contains a character who does everything he can to avoid having innocent people die. This character is missing an arm.
9. Name an anime that focuses on three characters: two female, one male.
10. Name an anime that contains a genius girl with blue hair.
11. Name an anime in which the main character is a girl who is a big eater.
12. Name an anime where the main hero dreams of attaining the high rank of a leader.
13. Name an anime where characters exert special powers with their eyes.
14. Name an anime that contains fights and action, but the characters don't say their attack names out loud.
15. Name an anime where a character aspires to become immortal.
16. Name an anime where a character actually does become immortal.
17. Name an anime with an antagonist that seems evil at first glance, but really isn't all that bad.
18. Name an anime in which the main character is not conventionally attractive.
19. Name an anime in which the lead male and female do not become a couple.
20. Name an anime which consists of mostly male characters, but has one or more females that can fight alongside the guys.
21. Name an anime in which there are two siblings and one is adopted. One has a crush on the other.
22. Name an anime aimed at a teenage audience, in which the majority of characters are adults.
23. Name an anime with a magical girl that doesn't have a transformation sequence.
24. Name an anime that has a character that can change into an animal.
25. Name an anime that has a character that can change into different people, but not animals.
26. Name an anime that contains a character who can destroy heavenly bodies (planets, moons, stars).
27. Name an anime in which the protagonist is a vampire.
28. Name an anime that has a girl with a tail, but no animal ears.
29. Name an anime that has a character with a scar on his face.
30. Name an anime with a "mascot" animal that cannot talk.
Good luck. Depending on how many people do this, I might give an actual prize.
I don't even think I could complete something like this. @_@
Here's a new little thing that I've decided to do: Otaku Discussions. Hopefully this will be the first of many. (Shout-out to TDE for giving me this idea.)
Our first topic involves HOW you like to watch your anime. Would you rather watch an anime as it's currently airing? Or would you prefer to wait to the end and watch it in large chunks?
Personally, I've been trying to catch up on a bunch of older anime (60+ titles), so I guess I'm binge watching by default. In fact, the only currently-airing anime I'm watching (kind of) is Naruto Shippuden, and I'm almost 200 episodes behind. My plan is to do a lot of binge watching on that one once it ends. And it NEEDS to end.
Lately, there haven't been a lot of new shows that I've been interested in, so I haven't simulcasted anything recently. The last anime I simulcasted was Sailor Moon Crystal. Hopefully, once the second Attack on Titan comes out, I'll watch it as it's aired. That is, if I can clear through some of my backlog.
So, now that you've read my answer, how about yours? Feel free to leave comments.
