Monthly Archive for May, 2005

Project BEO: Synthetic Ah-peh-ture Radar

Published
by
Zyl
on 2005/05/29
in school rumble
. 3 Comments


One of the reasons why Stripey and I are good pals is because we appreciate beauty. Even though we have very different taste in our real life and anime ladies, we can often appreciate each other’s point of view. It is in this spirit that the Synthetic Ah-peh-ture Radar (SAR), as I like to call it, was developed. It is our take on Synthetic Aperture Radar, “a form of radar in which sophisticated post-processing of radar data is used to produce a very narrow effective beam.”

The above screen caps from episode 21 of School Rumble (aka “Sukuran“) is precisely the kind of situation that the SAR was developed to avoid. What Imadori (the blond guy) did was the classic direct radar contact, staring at (i.e. to BEO or Hokkien-derived slang for “look” ) whatever attracted his attention directly and most indiscretely, resulting in physical violence and hilarity.

SAR has a similar starting point from normal BEO radar. It relies on passive, edge of the horizon observation (aka “corner of the eye” ). For conventional BEO, after passive identification of a potential contact, the normal standard operating procedure is to zoom in directly on the contact for confirmation, re-confirmation (the second glance), appreciation and possibly sounding of the alert to fellow BEO operators. Often this direct approach will alert the contact which have powerful detection modules (more observant and the all-powerful female intuition as pictured above in the third screencap) and adverse reactions may arise - at best, contact moving out of range to an anti-radar strike on the BEO operator.

SAR relies on the sweeping glance where the contact is the starting point of the sweep. Several sweeps at varying intervals will then follow after which the collected data is agregated and put through pattern recognition. Of course, every BEOster has a different pattern recognition program (taste, preference) but we believe that some universal criteria for enhancing pattern recognition through the deployment of the BEO Jammer Canceller can be developed. And if an approach is considered, the BEO Stampeder may also be used. (Apologies to non-Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny fans.)

Thus it is fairly obvious that the fine art of BEOing chiobuz requires a complete suite of modules and concepts of which the SAR is only the begining.

Yuri For Adults

Published
by
Zyl
on 2005/05/25
in loot
. 3 Comments

Rica ‘tte Kanji!? by Rica Takashima, translated by Rica Takashima and Erica Friedman, edited by
Edwin Chapman, ALC Publishing (2004).

Acquired Rica’tte Kanji!? (roughly translated as “Like, Rica!?” - thanks, Erica!), a 96 page translated manga at the 2005 Yuri Revolution event in Tokyo and though it’s hardly a new work, I do think it is a good introductory manga to yuri stories about mature lesbians. Short summary. The main character, also named Rica Takashima, meets Miho in a Shinjuku Nichome bar. Hilarity, fun and love ensues.

Art. At first impression, the drawing style looked simple. Upon further examination, there was actually plenty of little details built in which made the characters and their surroundings quite distinct, giving them plenty of substance and yet still looking quite clean and uncluttered.

I thought it was a good decision to retain the Japanese format whereby pages turn from left to right as the story progresses and the (English-style) back cover is actually the front cover. This avoided having to mirror the storyboards inside. This change is a subtle one but the difference was really brought home to me when I compared the Dark Horse and Kodansha editions of Ghost in the Shell. With left and right inverted, the balance of each panel composition was really affected. I do think that publishing companies should have more confidence in non-Japanese readers and retain the Japanese format to preserve the original intent and artwork of the mangaka.

Translation. Reading the English text felt effortless and seamless, a really positive testimony to how well Rica and Erica worked together on this. I also liked how Japanese characters were retained for sound effects since translation of those tends to be unavoidably unwieldy (e.g. “gan!” as “horrible revelation!”) though I am sure not everyone shares this view.

Story. Erica Friedman has often bemoaned the lack of yuri anime and manga by adult women and adult lesbians and I would think that this manga gives a perfect feel of what she would like to see more of. While yuri in terms of fan service (Ikkitousen, KannaMiko etc.) and recurrent jokes (Kaorin in Azumanga) are well established, I do believe that the market for well-crafted stories about mature adults in a yuri relationship can be tapped. This manga transcends the high school first lesbian kiss stereotype with characters who are not angsty or uncertain about their sexuality and go about leading their lives much like the rest of us. Too often, “adult” or “mature” is taken only to mean “sex” or “porn”. Rica’tte Kanji!? helps to redress this imbalance.

The juxataposition of Rica and Miho with their contrasting status as newbie and veteran love-hunter introduces the reader to the wider dynamics of Nichome. This acts as the context and supporting cast for the development for their relationship which goes through the trials and tribulations of first impressions, competition from romantic rivals, (relatively minor) personal crises, some exploration of personal histories and break throughs in levels of mutual understanding. Everything remains quite chaste which quite nicely suits how the relatively pure Rica is controlling the pace of the relationship.

In conclusion, a genuine pleasure to read. The characters are likeable and believable, the story moves at a gentle but steady pace. I certainly would love to see how Rica and Miho’s relationship develops from here and look forward to future works by Rica Takashima. (Rica ‘tte Kanji is available via ALC Publishing’s online shop for USD 15. Currently some damaged copies with the wrong ISBN number are available at 50% discount.)

KannaMiko Pencil Board

Published
by
Zyl
on 2005/05/24
in kannazuki no miko and loot
. 0 Comments


It’s generally agreed that KannaMiko’s plot doesn’t make sense but has a fair strong following anyway due to the fan service element as well as the sheer intensity of Himeko and Chikane’s relationship.


This one is from the front of the KannaMiko pencil board that I bought for JPY 380 (SGD 6) and I found it so gorgeous that I bought two. One to use on my desk and another to be safe kept like a collector’s item. Download 1280 x 1024, 1.27 MB. It looks a bit too bright so any suggestions to improve it will be warmly welcomed.


And the back, in sepia tones, with our two favourite lesbian shrine maidens’ story in grammatically correct English. Download 1280 x 1024, 1.14 MB.

But as yuri wallpapers go, Erica’s “Lesbian Approved!” wallpaper (featuring everyone’s favourite Rosa Gigantea Sei Satou) still comes up tops. :)

Also I like the KannaMiko winamp skins by lildragon who is also a Chikane x Himeko fan.

KannaMiko OP & ED

Published
by
Zyl
on 2005/05/23
in kannazuki no miko and loot
. 0 Comments


I’ve raved about KOTOKO’s Agony before. Was very fortunate to have Serge find this Kannazuki no Miko single (JPY 2,100, released 2004-11-17) at Toranoana Ikebukuro and he, bless his generous soul, let me have it although he also wanted to buy this last copy on the shelf.

Although it has got a very techno-dancey sort of sound, the lyrics (scan) are extremely romantic and at times, openly erotic. AzureLight’s translation is by far the most complete but I do think it is a tad too literal. However as my command of Japanese is rudimentary, I am unable to offer a better interpretation. Also how this fast-paced song was juxataposed against the stills of the ending sequence of moonlit Chikane and sunlit Himeko gazing at each other, zooming out as the takes alternate was a masterstroke.

The artwork on the back cover is quite sweet but I really do prefer the art of the anime more than the manga mainly because somehow Himeko’s hair just seems even bigger in the manga!

Evangelion Iron Maiden 2nd Vol.2

Published
by
Zyl
on 2005/05/21
in neon genesis evangelion
. 0 Comments

Continued from Vol.1, the Giant of Light appears so we can probably assume that there wasn’t any Second Impact. Apparently in Fumino’s happy happy interpretation of Eva, the rest of the world, like the characters, was spared a screwing over as well. Anyhow, the appearance of Adam, the first Angel, is hardly going to get in the way of the teenage classroom romances of the cast.

Hikari and Asuka exchange notes on getting their respective thickheaded objects of affection to realise their feelings and reciprocate (goddamit!), eventually wondering if they have to fess up first. In the meantime, Kaoru confronts Rei about her feelings for Shinji and makes it clear that he is not happy. When Rei demands to know he is friend or foe, he replies that he is a friend of Shinji’s. Latterly Shinji’s declaration of friendship to Kaoru after they make music (Shinji on cello and Kaoru on violin) also touches the latter.

There is a pretty big hint that Rei has been some kind of test subject from the time she was a toddler, lending credence to the canon depiction of her as a clone but there is no indication of what she is a clone of. Certainly not Yui I hope. She recalls the mother figure researcher who encourages her to be independent and to have the strength to pick herself up from a fall and not to need to rely on others. But back in the present, assistance is exactly what Shinji offers her and it comes with all his kindness and concern which invariably touches her heart and makes her realise how lonely she is.

Just before the Third Angel finally makes its appearance, there’s a hilarous scene where Kaoru and Rei tustle over Shinji while they make their way to the Geofront. Kaoru puts with his hand on Shinji’s right shoulder in a rather possessive way, provoking Rei to retaliate by pulling on Shinji’s left arm. The Children are shown the Evangelion robots for the first time and they’re shocked that this is what the plug tests have been preparing them for. There is considerable argument over who will pilot the first two robots. Rei readily volunteers as does Kaoru but the latter is rejected for some bs technical reason from Ritsuko, reflecting their suspicion that he might actually be the enemy. Shinji actually steps forward to help Rei who doesn’t seem to value her own life, much to Asuka’s anxiety as she worries for his safety.

In the course of the battle, Rei is hurt and giving the artist a chance to draw her with those sexy bandages. Shinji comes to the rescue and destroys the Angel, thus saving Rei but he’s terribly upset that he had to kill. Well, it does make it a bit better that Asuka is there for him. Even though she doesn’t really know what to say, at least she’s not the spiteful competitive little twat in the original series.

The story progresses with more canon Evangelion elements entering but we see how the differently predicated characters react and behave considerably at variance with the original series. Circumstance and context really are everything. The main thrust of this manga, the romance angle, doesn’t really progress much in this volume but hopefully the “new” elements of the Angels have been sufficiently developed to allow the romance to proceed in the next volume.

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