Stripey and I often have quite different anime diets, it’s not unusual for one to have never seen a series that the other considers a favourite. But as we like to discuss anime, over bowls of minced pork noodles or ramen when I’m back in Singapore or via Skype when I’m not, there are constant battles to influence each other to watch this or that anime series. 2006 has been no exception. Looking back, it seems that Stripey patiently practises an attritional strategy while I prefer to strike hard at his weakest points to secure swift and decisive victory.
This year has been an exceptionally good year for some of Stripey’s longstanding machinations. Firstly, his efforts to get me to watch Kanon. I had resisted his advocacy when the Toei version first aired as I disliked Toei’s art style intensely. However, its "sad girls in snow" motif was sufficiently interesting to keep the tanuki’s insurgency alive as I do like bittersweet melodrama. Its popularity also gave Stripey’s campaign added staying power as I encountered references in many anime blogs and web comics like Fred ‘Piro’ Gallagher’s Megatokyo. When it was announced that Kyoto Animation was in charge of the remake, victory finally arrived after four long years as I had enjoyed Fumoffu and Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Though I’m not blogging Kanon, I’m still enjoying it - Mai x Sayuri FTW! Ahaha~
Another sustained Stripey effort that finally came to fruition was my recent devouring of 2004’s Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and 2005’s A’s sequel. The buzz around StrikerS (where they are no longer loli, phew) was the context upon which the initial trigger was finally activated, namely Seaotter’s entry for the Riuva motivation poster contest. Even though I do like hawt yuri pr0ntasticism (the Kannazuki/StoPani School), I prefer implied yuri (the MariMite School of Yuri Fandom) partly because there’s an exceptional tenderness to the way yuri relationships are developed that seems to be quite rare in anime BGR these days. Of course, I’ll be cheering for Nanoha x Fate in StrikerS while categorically asserting that Chrono x Fate siscon is soooo not gonna happen.
However, Stripey guerilla tactics don’t always work. Operation Yoake Mae Yori Ruri Iro Na never got off the ground; his efforts to preach about the series over Skype have repeatedly collapsed into uncontrollable sobbing, repeated orzing and incoherent babbling about cabbage. *Zyl shrugs Zaku shoulders* Currently, tanuki insurgents are being inserted for Zero no Tsukaima, Asatte no Houko and Souko no Strain but a threshold of sufficient interest has yet to be reached in any of these series.
Parallel to HiME Miko Mashiro to Otome Brat Mashiro LOL
I’ve had some limited success in getting Stripey to watch Black Lagoon and Sumomo mo momo mo but his interest has been limited to the episodes focusing on Gretel and Iroha respectively; my surgical strikes have thus failed to cascade and create the momentum for the rest of these series. Magikano was a peripheral battle field since I still haven’t even watched this series at all. But the observed response to the One Screencap Strike provided some pretty solid reaffirmation for the hypothesis first proposed by Ender in Jul 2005.
Stripey had held out for a surprisingly long time against Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru. This was a tad unexpected as I thought that Horie Yui in the starring role would reel him in faster than you say, ‘Trap.’ However, it was precisely because Horie Yui’s character was so lovely as Mizuho that Stripey feared that he would suffer the crisis of sexual identity that flows from adherence to the Kurogane Doctrine. He’s since fallen in love with all the girls and the male lead of OtoBoku’s cast and has joined Jason Miao and company on an Egyptian river cruise, hoping that their repeated chanting of: ‘I don’t care anymore. Just shoot me. No way there’s a penis on this. None. I won’t accept it (repeat)’ will result in Ep 13’s revelation that Mizuho really is a girl. Either that or they’ll hijack Sora’s ship from Kashimashi and arrange for Mizuho to have a little accident.
I was thinking of putting up a whole series of OtoBoku HCGs that display Mizuho’s manliness, mainly to hear what kind of justifications that will be put up to maintain the current state of cognitive dissonance. But given my own anime predispositions, it would be just sooo awesome if Mizuho is Kashimashi-ed and then both Mariya and Takako eventually decide to continue loving the now female Mizuho anyway. Awesome. And though I am looking forward to our 2007 skirmishes, there’s still plenty of common ground between us, such as: Mariya x Mizuho FTW!
I have the HCGs which show all of the manliness… and I say keep them away from Stripey, lest his eyes be ruined, since in some of them some of the girls look three times as wide and squarish as they do in the anime, even when they look normal in other parts. It’s enough to make you think Shion’s a trap too, for example.
As far as Black Lagoon goes, I suggest also showing him the early eps; since he grew up in the 1990s, they should rekindle some nostalgia about those old blockbuster action movies; Ep 2, Ep 3, and anything with Chen ought to do the trick.
Oh, and the last few eps of the Second Barrage, since it involves Japanese Schoolgirls running Yakuza gangs.
>>(Stripey) patiently practises an attritional strategy… (Zyl) strike hard at his weakest points
You mean my incessant nagging and your low-blows to my siscon vulnerabilities? XD
And you are NOT going to show me Mizuho manliness/manhood/man-whatever. I will kill myself faster than Horie Yui can say uguu. XD
So, it looks like Stripey(3) : Zyl (3) (if we count Sumo^6 and Black Lagoon 2 as halves) Ahhh but it’ll be a 4 for me real soon. I can already hear your will buckling to my Lavinia X Sara pics from Soukou no Strain.
Looking forward to our sparring in 2007! :)
“Ep 13’s revelation that Mizuho really is a girl. Either that or they’ll hijack Sora’s ship from Kashimashi and arrange for Mizuho to have a little accident.”
My partner has formulated Mandy’s Law of Anime Gender-Bending: “Once a girl has been created, circumstances will conspire to keep her a girl.” Watch the skies carefully, and be careful when going out of doors, Mizuho-onee-sama….
Futaba-chan: They had BETTER not. I like Mizuho better this way, anyhow; if you crush him and make him into Hazumu, you risk infecting him with Hazumu’s ‘anno’ meme. Best to keep it this way, and let Stripey and Kurogane and Jason sail down the river Denial.
Besides, this way, whoever Mizuho doesn’t choose is fair game for the rest of the fanboys. ;)
“However, Stripey guerilla tactics don’t always work. Operation Yoake Mae Yori Ruri Iro Na never got off the ground; his efforts to preach about the series over Skype have repeatedly collapsed into uncontrollable sobbing, repeated orzing and incoherent babbling about cabbage. *Zyl shrugs Zaku shoulders*”
~~~~ ~~~~
Funniest part of the entry. :D
Cheers.
Maybe digitally enhanced Mizuho pictures are in order.
Yes, Stripey must atone for pimping cabbage love. I think your surgical strikes need to be timed with cutting his supply lines ie interdict what he hopes to see.
I find this quibbling of Mizuho’s manliness starnge and tiresome. Otakus exist in a moral vaccuum there is no need to desperatlely defend your orientation least of all to world wide community of strangers. Besides the pads speak for themselves. It would be a crime to make Mizuho a girl such a mad scheme reeks of cowardice. If God wanted Mizuho to be a girl God would have miracled something other pads in that bra no matter what was animated. :P
Souko no strain. Oh, I’ve already read Omni’s entry for Ep 7. :)
tjhan’s latest idea is simply brilliant: that all obviously female pics of Mizuho (real breasts, no crotch bulge) are those actually of Mizuho’s mom. Of course, if Mizuho is accompanied, in those pics, by other members of the cast other than a still-alive Ichiko then we’ll have to start importing other notions like time travelling. LOL
In any case, Horie Yui’s done a fantastic job because the gender of her voice is just ambiguous enough whereas Kana Ueda’s male rendition for Hazumu was just a tad too girly.
That idea is absolutely brilliant! All the pictures are totally viable then.
I don’t mind if Mizuho really a girl!
I nearly died from laughter from the soul-departing image in the 2Koma.
Click Here
Cheers.