Taking a step back in time today to take a look at what is arguably the grandfather of all otaku metaculture. Join us for the grandiose and yet ultimately very personal tale of otaku in the 1980s and beyond.

I’ve been going back and forth on the issue of whether or not Kannagi, with its otaku-heavy supporting cast and frequent allusions to visual culture, can constitute proper otaku metaculture or not. Although it never becomes the focus of the series, it’s done with such reverence and genuine expertise that it’s difficult to ignore.

Regardless, there is a sequence in episode 6 that cannot go without comment. In it, the Kannagi gang visit a local meido kissa, which is very obviously modeled on my all-time favorite Akiba meido kissa, the Cafe Mai:Lish. The Kannagi animation team have really done a bang up job in this episode of recreating the Mai:Lish perfectly in 2D, down to the slightest detail. Have a look at some side-by-side comparisons.

Thinking about the problems facing the transplantation of manga kissa to the new world, I got to thinking about the vast number of otaku cultural elements that are wildly successful in the Other Country, and simply do not exist anywhere else. Even in the relatively short time that I have been interested in anime and manga, the official releases seen in North America have seen an exponential increase in both quantity and quality. Things that it seemed would never get an official release even two or three years ago are now considered perfectly normal. It’s now possible to find genuine gachapon in all sorts of places, genuine manga anthologies are showing up in otherwise normal locations, and translated light novels are coming out almost every month.

However, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, we need to remember that an otaku’s work is never done. For all the progress that has been made, it is important to remember how much further we have to go. Certain things are still not suitable for release in gaijin-land, and no matter how badly we may want them, they probably never will be. I promise that I won’t make a habit of doing posts that are nothing but enumerated lists, since I think that pretty much every other blog on the tubes has got that style covered, but since it is the beginning of the year I would ask you to grant me this one indulgence. Without much further ado, I would like to present a list of ten things that will NEVER be officially released in English for a North American market. I would invite all those reading to please prove me wrong.

I couldn’t resist…

Happy New Year from everyone here at Heisei Democracy!

No news or wall-of-text column right now, just a quick plug for a podcast I appeared in, over on wildarmsheero’s inimitable Mistakes of Youth site.

GO HAVE A LISTEN

Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, the time that Antony and I assaulted Gainax headquarters twice in one day. I’ll give that story a proper writeup someday, but in the meantime, here is some oral history of otaku insanity for you.

Me again, returning to my roots with a fresh TTS post! The rest can be found here, for those of you playing along at home. It’s true, I have actually written for HD before, back in the cretaceous period. This is how I’ve managed to sneak into Shingo’s web site without him being around.

Speaking of not being Shingo, I want to make it clear up front that unlike some people I could mention, I am not in Japan. I have been, in the past, and will be in the future, but for the moment I remain in exile. Previously in Boston, I just very recently migrated west and found myself in San Francisco. As much as I loved being in Boston (Cambridge, anyway, and if you’re in the area please do show some love to the Tokyo Kid) I absolutely love being in San Francisco. The food is good, the weather is actually quite pleasant (which is to say NOT shoving sunshine and triple-digit temperatures in my face all the time) and the “Japan Town” is nothing short of glorious.

Welcome back, Heisei Democratizers!

First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for your ongoing support (seriously, if you’re reading this right now, that’s support). However the site evolves, I will do my best not to disappoint you.

This brings us to the first in a new (hopefully) ongoing series, properly titled On the Creation of a Comprehesive Index of Otaku Metaculture. Which is to say, my attempt at creating a (more or less) complete list of anime, manga, and video games which happen to be centered on characters who are themselves afficionados of anime, manga, and video games. For our first installment, we will be featuring a retrospective for a franchise that is very near and dear to HD (hint: the site is named after it).

Happy new year, all!

By now I’m sure you’ve noticed that there hasn’t been much in the way of new content recently (understatement alert). A quick disclaimer: I am not Shingo. I have never been Shingo, and no matter how hard I try, I will never be Shingo.

The Queen’s Gate lineup was augmented yesterday with the announcement both on the series’ official site as well as online shop listings of the coming release of a Shiranui Mai combat artbook! The buxom heroine of the King of Fighters / Fatal Fury game series will be illustrated by Izumi Mahiru, doujin artist and eroge character designer of titles including Light’s R.U.R.U.R. The book will be in the standard Queen’s Blade format (64 pages, hardcover, full color) and is scheduled for release on October 31st. Cover image below:

Recent Updates

• Haruhi-chan, Churuya-san anime series announced
• Daiki Kougyou launches hug pillow line
• Tech Arts omnibus teaser
• Volks’ Masou Shizuka, Nanbu Kaguya prototypes unveiled
• Fullmetal Alchemist second TV anime series announced
• Tsuruya-san Figma preorder open
• Minamoto Chizuru oppai mousepad unveiled
• Alter announces Odin Sphere’s Gwendolyn, Saber reissue
• Urushihara Satoshi’s “Comiket Girl” preorder open
• Taki’s Minamoto Chizuru preorder open
• Kotobukiya’s Shining Wind Ryuuna, other reissues
• Figure Review: Daiki Kougyou’s Seyada Tara
• Clayz’s Tama-nee, Sasara preorders open
• Catching Up: Dakimakura
• Goodsmile presents Unity Yuuno
• Editor’s Desk: World of Lifecraft

Nothing to see below the fold this time around; I’m still playing catchup, but should be back in the regular pattern of Mainichi updates within the next few days. It’s good to be back in action! (no more)

Tomorrow (later today, as I’m posting this early Sunday morning) is Wonder Festival 2008 Summer, and I regret to say that for the first time in the past few years I won’t be in attendance. My goal of resuming regular updates has obviously not come to fruition as hoped, so to keep people from worrying that I’ve dropped off the face of the planet I’ll state that for the time being there will not be regular updates here at HD until I can be sure I have the drive to resume them in a disciplined way. I’d like to apologize to everyone who’s visited in the expectation of new content, and I assure you that the site is not abandoned, and I plan to continue updating in the future - just when and how I’m not quite sure at this point, but the updates will come.

If you’ve left a comment or sent an email to me I’ll be sorting through those as well, when I’m able - otherwise, I can be reached most reliably on IRC during the week at #naisho on irc.synirc.net, if you’d like to chat.

I’ll be keeping an eye on Wonder Festival news and try bring up some of the most relevant material here, over the next week, but otherwise it looks like I’ll be sitting this one out.

The official site of figure maker Alter was updated today with two new figures scheduled for release in November of this year: Suzumiya Haruhi (school uniform ver.) from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, and Shigure Asa from SHUFFLE! MEMORIES. The Haruhi figure is being produced in cooperation with Chara-Ani and features a sculpt from Inagaki Hiroshi, and is to be released at 1/8 scale (18 cm tall) and 6,090 yen. Asa is is also coming at 1/8 scale (21 cm tall) and 7,140 yen, with a sculpt from Kuramoto Ikuma of Millimeter Modeling. Figure images below:

Amiami’s evening update yesterday included a listing for Ikkitousen’s Ryomou Shimei (maid ver.), a new figure from rookie maker Xenon. This is their first foray into the PVC market, following their unconventional entry into the figure arena last year with a soft vinyl version of Ryomou; as such it’s hard to estimate final production quality, but for a 1/6 scale figure the price seems on par with other similar releases (7,329 yen retail). She comes with detachable handcuffs, and is scheduled for release on October 24th of this year. Figure images below:

Figure maker Griffon updated their official site yesterday with the news that they’ll be producing a “goth punk” version of Asahina Mikuru from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu. She’s scheduled for release in October at 8,500 yen retail, 1/7 scale and 24.5 cm tall, with a sculpt from Yamamoto Masahiro. Preorders are up at Amiami as well as all the other usual suspects. Figure images below:

Hey all, apologies for the lack of updates over the past week and a half. AX went off better than I could have hoped, it was great to meet everyone who showed up either at the booth or the panel on Saturday night. Thanks again for stopping by, it really meant a lot. I took a few days (a week…) off after the event to recover from jet lag but now we’re back in business! Look for regular posting to resume again starting today. It’ll still be somewhat lighter than in the past few months, but regularity is key on the road to recovery… I’ll be getting to unanswered emails over the next few days as well, so if you’ve sent me something and don’t have a reply yet you can expect one soon. It’s good to be back!

As was the case last year, HD is once again representing at next weekend’s Anime Expo! I’ll be selling games at the J-List booth all four days of the event, and we’re doing a panel on Saturday night (8-9 PM, room LP4) for those interested in developments on the bishoujo game scene.

I’d love to chat with anyone who feels like coming by (and maybe go out for a drink afterwards if we can get a decent group together), so if you’re going to be at the event please do say hi. I’ll be the tall, balding guy with glasses trying to explain that “no, these aren’t anime”, for reference. Leaving on the plane to LA tomorrow morning, so if I’m not around for the next couple of days that’s why (as opposed to not being around for the past week or so, which can be blamed on an entirely different pastime)…

I may be in big, big trouble.

• Alter announces Yagami Hayate PVC, due out in October (Amiami listing)

• Yamato’s Yuria 100-shiki, Doubutsu Nee-chan Brenda preorders begin

• Minatogawa Amaha original Battle Girl Mil Alpha PVC announced from Beat

• Kuramoto Ikuma’s Lyrical Lyric Takami Rin PVC preorder opens, release in September

• Wonder Festival 2008 Summer Goodsmile / Max Factory event limited PVC releases announced - alternate version Melissa Serafi and Hatsune Miku Nendoroids, Suzaku Figma

• Swimsuit version of Yotsubato!’s Fuuka coming on September 1st

• Nitro+’s Sumaga eroge limited edition to come with two petit Nendoroids (Getchu listing)

• Prize figures, trading figures shown off at the Tokyo Omocha Show 2008 (Amiami) (GA Graphic) (Otasuke) (Post Channel) (Hobby Stock) (Digitamin) (Dengeki Online)

The two latest Queen’s Blade combat artbooks hit store shelves yesterday (Allean and Ardra), and with them the news that the Queen’s Blade franchise is scheduled for TV anime adaptation! Other than the bare fact that it’s in the works little is known about the project, but based on Hobby Channel’s official announcement it’s hinted that Reina will be the protagonist. This in turn leads to all sorts of wild speculation - with the shared character designer, can we expect animation from the My-HiME team? Hobby Japan is a Bandai property, Sunrise is a Bandai property, it’s not entirely out of the question… we’ll follow up on this as soon as further information is made known. (no more)

Figure and goods maker Jun Planning updated their official site yesterday evening with a listing for a new Sanzenin Nagi figure from comedy manga and anime Hayate no Gotoku!. Seated holding a removable game controller and flashing a “V” sign, she’s scheduled for release in August at 1/8 scale (10 cm tall) and a very reasonable 4,179 yen retail. The sculpt is from Kiyama Naotake of Hyper Space. Figure images below:

You may have noticed that there haven’t been any Mainichi updates for about a week. There’s no serious reason for the lapse, but motivation is at a bit of an ebb right now and to avoid a more serious case of burnout I’m deliberately pulling back from a super-intense update schedule for a little while. I’ll still be posting daily with news items of interest, but for the time being they’ll be displayed in the center column in the place of Mainichi posts until I can get back on the daily summary schedule. More below: