戦国乙女[sengoku otome]
Speaking of an otaku idol[オタクアイドル], I can think of 中川翔子[Shouko Nakagawa] who is called Shokotan. She loves anime, manga, or cosplay so thanks to her, otaku culture has been easier to understand for general people. By the way, there is a unique type of idol, that is 歴ドル[rekidol], which is an abbreviation of 歴史好きのアイドル[rekishizuki no idol], or an idol who loves Japanese history.
As far as I know, there are two famous 歴ドル, 小日向えり[Eri Kohinata] and 美甘子[Mikako]. Eri loves Sangokushi[三国志, Three Kingdom Saga], and Mikako adores Ryouma Sakamoto[坂本竜馬] respectively. When I was a kid, I used to watch the anime Sangokushi a bit though I almost forgot how it was. The only thing I could still remember was that I respected 諸葛亮孔明[Koumei Shokatsuryou] because he was depicted as an intelligent person.
I am not too sure if the girls also enjoyed the anime Sangokushi or the game 信長の野望[Nobunaga's Ambition] by KOEI while we boys did so in our school days. It’s way long time ago! あの頃から女子も三国志やってたのかな…Anyway, like above mentioned rekidols, there has been a lot of female fans who love Japanese history 2007 onwards. Yes, those players who enjoy 三国志大戦[Sangokushi taisen], 戦国無双[Sengoku Musou], or 戦国BASARA[Sengoku Basara] are not only male but female. Particularly, we call those girls who love Japanese history, 歴女[rekijo] which is abbreviation of 歴史好きの女性[rekishizuki no josei]. There is even a genre of moe called 武将萌え[bushou-moe]. If you tend to love Japanese old warriors, you have a 武将萌え.
幕末機関説いろはにほへと
It is said that female otakus are more intelligent and knowledgeable than male otakus. I didn’t know why, but now I think I figured it out; the three friends of mine are 歴女. One loves 幕末[Bakumatsu] or the nearly end of Edo Period[江戸時代, 1853-1869] so that she set up a blog for a certain Bakumastu anime only. I am not sure who she loved in the anime the most, but she investigated not only her favorite warriors, but any other trivia, or its background pretty well. I am not good at Japanese history so my score was in jeopady when I was a student. She is not Japanese, but I am sure I would be beaten if we two have a test.
One loves 源義経[Minamoto no Yoshitsune], actually she had a crush on him when she played the otome game, Harukanaru toki no naka de 3. After she finished the game, she started to collect whatever comes up with his name. She couldn’t help but open her wallet everytime she saw Yoshitsune-related merchandise goods. She even loved the TV drama, 義経 who was portrayed by Hideaki Takizawa, and bought its official guidebook. Of course, she seemed to know about him well. When I was investigating ヲタ芸[otagei], I came across a word 義経. That is, to describe a person who leaps from seat to seat during the performance. I didn’t understand why it had something to do with Yoshitsune, so I asked her about this. She clearly explained the legend of 八艘跳び[hassou tobi]. She was not an otageishi, but she knew about it. One loves 三国志, and a big fan of 趙雲[Chou un]. Yes, she of course read the novels, the manga, watched the anime or played the games. She mustn’t have missed Red Cliff, I assume. She becomes eloquent when it comes to Chou un and answers whatever I ask.
There is a unique bookstore named 時代屋[jidaiya] in Tokyo, which handles Japanese history-related books or miscellaneous goods. There is even a tea house so you can enjoy such a mood. The funny thing is that around 40% of the customers at this bookshop are women although almost all of them were elderly people at first.
Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi
I assume female otakus tend to learn more about what they love. Even if it has directly nothing to do with a character they love, the fangirls try to investigate whatever invloves him. That explains why those fangirls come to such a bookstore. Same goes to a certain weapon shop in Akihabara. Here, more than 40% of the customers are women too. They sell the same models of swords those were possessed by 沖田総司[Souji Okita] or 土方歳三[Toshizou Hijikata]. Needless to say, they are very expensive!
Come to think of it, there has been a lot of otome games which involves Japanese history as granting fujoshiotomes’ wish. Of course, this kind of game is really popular among cosplayers. Now the most popular one is 薄桜鬼[Hakuouki]. And there is a similar word to 歴女, that is 戦国乙女[sengoku otome] or feudal otome.
Wait, I am not familiar with Bakumastu, but a big fan of Mirage of Blaze[炎の蜃気楼] which focuses on 戦国時代[Warring State period, 1467-1573]. So I am a bit familiar with that kind of thing. OMG, can I say I am a 戦国乙男[sengoku otomen]? I got promoted from a normal otomen! わっはっはっは＾＾
- Takaya-san, we are 戦国乙男…
[Cosplay] Crawl beneath Me -俺の下であがけ-
THIS ENTRY CONTAINS BOYS’ LOVE CONTEXTS AND DIPICTION. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE, PLEASE DO NOT WATCH, DO NOT FLAG. ABSOLUTELY NOT.
このエントリーはボーイズラブ（BL）表現が含まれております。BLの意味が分からない方、興味や理解のない方の閲覧はご遠慮願います。また、閲覧後のクレームや苦情、中傷的なコメントや質問は一切受け付けませんのでご了承下さい。 Read the rest of this entry »
[Cosplay] 遠くへ…
I was a bit surprised when someone noticed my Tosshi cosplay because I was pretty sure Gintama is less popular than any other Shounen Jump-related anime like D-Grayman or something like that. In this way, no matter how rare it is, there is always someone who could notice who a cosplayer is meant to be. So I decided to cosplay him with no hesitation.
sound episode 2
This is, as you know, Lelouch in Code Geass. But look, this costume is only found in the cover of Sound Episode 2. If you always download a character song, you don’t have to see how a picture is. So if this cosplay rings a bell to you, it might mean you bought this CD somehow or saw it somewhere…
At any rate, it is not very unusual that cosplayers try to complete all the costumes of the characters they cosplay in Japan. So there are of course a lot of cosplayers who do this Lelouch. Because they love Lelouch, because here is 愛[ai] or love.
愛がなくては始まらない。Nothing starts without 愛, especially in this otaku world. If you are just an anime fan or purchase goods, all you need is 萌え[moe]. But if you make a doujinshi[fan-made comic], draw a fan-art, or even cosplay, all you need is 愛. Because you love it, you would like to create it. But remember, sometimes love drives you crazy. If you love it too much, you would go too far and fans might blame you.
Anyway, I like this costume because it is nice for summer. And it is like a thief or a voyager. I hope I could give you the scent of early summer.
○○したら負けかなと思ってる[so-and-so shitara make kana to omotteru]
Nothing is perfect. While most people love it, there are absolutely people who never accept it. Just because everybody else does it, it doesn’t mean you have to do it. But actually there is a time you have to so long as you live in this irritating world. But even that, you might have something you don’t want to do no matter how many people are doing it. Yes, ○○したら負けかなと思ってる[so-and-so shitara make kana to omotteru] or I think I would be a loser if I did so-and-so is to show how much you don’t like or don’t want to do.
However, this sounds like you don’t do it because everybody else does so. So if you want to use this phrase, there has to be something most people do. There is not a specific reason, but you don’t like it. Just because most people like it. It sounds like 中二病[chunibyou]. For example, if you don’t want to watch K-ON, you can say けいおんを見たら負けかなと思ってる[K-ON wo mitara make kana to omotteru] or I think I would be a loser if I watched K-ON. No matter how much most anime fans like K-ON, you never watch it because it is too popular. It sounds like “I am not like you people.”
There were some people who used to say something like this around me. When we were talking about a certain anime we loved, a guy in our group looked annoyed. He said, “I have never watched it, and won’t watch.” We asked why, and he said,”because it is too popular.”
I didn’t really care what he wanted, but I think it is a waste not to give it a try just because most people do it. K-ON is sure popular, and I know most anime fans like it. But how do you know it is not worth watching without watching? What do you believe? You don’t believe what you see, but a public opinion? 自分の目で見たものを信じないなら、何を信じるの？
- I think I would be a loser if I worked.
- I think I am better than anybody else.
Putting it aside, this is based on what NEET said at the interview on TV in 2004. When the reporter asks him why he doesn’t work, he says, 働いたら負けかなと思ってる[hataraitara make kana to omotteru] or I think I would be a loser if I worked. And he even says 今の自分は勝ってると思います[ima no jibun wa katteru to omoimasu] or I think I am better than working people. The 24-year-old NEET shares a room with two NEETs altogether, and he dares to say he won’t work until he turn 40. I wonder if he is still a NEET. Anyway, 働いたら負けかなと思ってる became famous in 2ch after this show, and he was bestowed a nickname, NEET-kun[ニートくん].
I know there are people like him, but there are also people who became a NEET because of the recession. I already mentioned 派遣切り[hakengiri] here. More and more people are losing a job, and looking for a job. I have watched the video that followed a 42-year-old day laborer who stays at an internet cafe[ネカフェ難民]. People like him didn’t want to be who they are. Nonetheless, some critics are saying they are good-for-nothing.
I don’t think so. The 2,125 graduates got a withdrawal of an employment offer this spring, and the 1,093 new recruits got forced to stay at home[自宅警備員]. Still, you think young people are becoming lazy?
This stupid shaven head said he is better than working people, but is that really so? He is free, nothing binds him. He doesn’t have to wake up so early, nor get on a jammed train. He doesn’t have to be bothered by anybody, nor say sorry to anybody. No stress. But you think this life is the best?
While I was asking myself, I thought of a TV drama, すいか[suica] which follows a 34-year-old single woman, Hayakawa who moves to a flat. Although she seems to be anxious about her new life, she starts to do good with other residents. Meanwhile, her colleague, Baba-chan embezzles from the bank they work for, and disappears. Since she is too bored of her tedious life, she absent-mindedly takes away money. Even though she starts to buy whatever she wants, she gets bored soon again because she has no friends to share the happiness, yes, because she is on the run…
- The landlady gives Hayakawa a shopping list.
In the last episode, Baba-chan asks Hayakawa to come to the forest where they have been. The two have lunch there as though nothing happened, talking about the days they used to work together. After the lunch, Baba-chan asks Hayakawa to come with her and start a new life together, showing a plane ticket. But Hayakawa takes out a note from the landlady, and tells she has to buy food and a coffee filter for the other roommates. She says,”I am sorry, but I have to buy a coffee filter, otherwise they won’t have coffee tomorrow.”
I really like this scene. Both Hayakawa and Baba-chan figured out, going further alone or having such a big money wouldn’t necessarily make them happy. Away from such a stressful life, Baba-chan got freedom. Nonetheless, she is missing those days. Hayakawa realises she doesn’t dislike such a busy life with neighbors. What is the meaning of happiness?
Life you don’t have to care about anybody means, in other words, that nobody cares about you. How could such a life be better than that of working people? To be obsessed with being a workaholic, or to be a hermit, you have to choose. There is no answer coming out. Because this world is empty, and we live in such an empty world.
コスプレしたら負けかなと思ってる。
Oh no, I am sounding like an old man! Then I shall make an example, using this phrase. Well if you don’t like me, all you have to say is this, オトメンになったら負けかなと思ってる。[I think I would be a loser if I became an otomen.]
アゲ嬢[agejou]
うーん、スゴい！
A while ago, a charismatic visual-kei singer who actually claims to be a Gundam otaku, Gackt crossdressed in the cover of his brand-new CD. What surprised people was that he cosplayed an アゲ嬢[agejou]. I didn’t mean to introduce this word because I didn’t think this could interest anime fans, however, I am sure Gackt has a lot of fujoshi followers so I decided to introduce it. Actually, I like him because Gackt is a nice cosplayer!
There is a monthly magazine by Inforest Inc., 小悪魔ageha[koakuma ageha]. 小悪魔[koakuma] means a gremlin, and ageha[あげは] is a swallowtail butterfly. Most of the readers are young girls who work at a hostess club. A young hostess is called キャバ嬢[hyabajou]. キャバ[kyaba] stands for キャバクラ[kyabakura] or cabaret, and 嬢[jou] is a young lady. Those girls would follow such a high-end label and a current fashion. アゲ嬢[agejou] is a young lady who follows this magazine, or a model who shows on it. Even in this recession, this magazine is doing good, I heard. This means women can’t stop following beauty no matter how terrible the economy is, am I right? Same goes to otaku, we can’t stop following moe, can we? Can you live without moe? Me, nothing without cosplay. Cosplay is my everything, my life! No cosplay, no life. No moe, no life. そうでしょ？
Anyway, I am not an アゲ嬢, so I don’t know how to be. According to the resource, the most important point is hairstyle and make-up. As for hairstyle, they shall either roll or wear in a bun like a peacock’s feather. And they do strong eye make-up. The bigger the better らしい…If necessary, they wear false eyelashes. Color contacts are also necessary. Even black ones are very popular because it makes your black eyes look bigger. I can’t explain well, so I shall upload some images. Please learn from them, sorry.
Until アゲ嬢 got in the mainstream, there was a similar word ギャル[gyaru] which means a young girl who does a loud make-up and shops around in Shibuya[渋谷]. But ギャル may refer to a teenager, a schoolgirl whereas アゲ嬢 implys around 20’s. And to be an アゲ嬢, you have to be rich…You know, to be an otomen, it takes no money. All you need is 乙男心[otomengokoro]: a gentle heart and shoujo stuff.
アゲ嬢みたい…
I don’t think this could be moe, so I can’t think of anyone like an アゲ嬢 from anime. Wait, there is one, Anya Alstrelym in Code Geass R2, no? I mean, her hairstyle is like an アゲ嬢. Come to think of it, I have seen some Anya cosplayers and most of them look like an アゲ嬢.
厨メール[chu-mail]
I think I already explained 中二病[chunibyou] here, but I noticed there are amazingly other similar terms, and then there are too many to sum up in one post. So I shall pick up one by one, and explain.
First thing first though, I have to explain 厨房[chubou]. If you have been to 2ch, you must have seen a lot of slangs which are very common out there. 厨房 is really one of the basic terms, which simply means an idiot. In fact, it has to be written 中坊[chubou] which means a junior-high. In this way, wrong spelling happens all the time in 2ch. By doing so, they make a new slang. Though even 中坊 is a slang itself…At any rate, 厨房 means by rights a kitchen, however, it means a person who has incredibly no common sense or does such a stupid thing especially on the net. When a real 中坊 does such a thing, he/she is going to be labelled リア厨[riachu], that is an abbreviation of リアル厨房[real chubou].
There has been numerous cases which 厨房 brought about. Especially the most troublesome and painful is 厨メール[chu-mail]. As you may imagine, it means such a mail from a 厨房. If you own a blog, have you gotten any so far?
The impotant thing is when you can figure out a mail you get is actually a 厨メール. Of course, there are 厨メール that obviously look so. For example, you had better think it is 厨房 if he/she is not polite in a first conversation. We Japanese normally use polite Japanese[敬語] to speak to a stranger. Even if the person you want to speak to has the same interest or loves the same thing, please mind your manners(if you dare to speak in Japanese). If you sound too friendly, you would be regarded as a 厨房.
日本人はマナーや礼儀を重視します。同じファン、オタク同士だからと言っても相手はあなたの事を知りませんから、最初からタメ口で話しかけるのは止めた方がいいでしょう。私は上手くない英語でこういうブログをやっていますし、外国人の方にはたとえ日本語が話せてもたまにそういうことを知らない人もいますから、柔軟に対応していますが、他の日本人ブロガーに日本語で話しかける時は注意した方が良いでしょう。
Back to the topic, you might not notice first if the mailer seems to be a good fan of you. But for example, such a mailer might write to you more than ten times in a day, or comment on your blog even though the passage itself looks nice. Or, if you write a fan-made novel(or a fanart) on your blog, such a 厨房 would misinterpret your idea or thoughts, and comment blah blah blah or write down his/her meaninglessly long dellusion. And first you might reply it, but when you feel it’s annoying, you would igonore him/her. Watch out, the 厨房 would change the attitude and show hostility. If you keep ignoring, the stupid might show at the event you join. It’s like stalking!
Since I am doing a blog like this, I sometimes get a mail. Mostly, they ask me to add my blog on their blogrolls, translate something, or simple questions. That is no problem. Once I really got annoyed by the continuous 厨メール. The 厨房 used to give me a lot of incomprehensible questions. Or comment that has nothing to do with the topic. I decided to ignore him, and after a while finally 厨メール stopped coming.
What is the best way to get throgh 厨メール? If you ask me, it is to ignore. Such a 厨房 does not even realise how painful the actions look. In other words, there is no point in talking. They can’t communicate properly. The more you get involved with them, the more you get tired.
When things go too far, you might end up closing your site. If you do that, your fans would be disappointed. Please talk to your friends if you get annoyed by 厨メール. And consider talking to your provider.
性別受け[seibetsu-uke]
There is a unique type of uke. I think I should make a separate post on this although I always sum up any other types.
I am starting to doubt if the makers do this as a サービスシーン[service scene] since I seem to come across this a lot lately. But well, come to think of it, I have seen this kind of thing for ages. Anyway, if you see a male character who really looks like a girl, or occasionallycrossdresses, he is going to be a 性別受け[seibetsu-uke]. 性別[seibetsu] means gender.
Upon hearing this, you might be thinking of 性転換[gender-bending]. But no. 性転換[seitenkan] is to change a character’s gender like Kyonko(boy→girl) or Haruhiko(girl→boy) in the Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. However, 性別受け doesn’t do this. They are strictly boys no matter how much they look like a girl.
Then why is this necessary? Because if you change a character’s gender, he won’t be uke anymore. Here is another way to change a gender, 女体化[jotaika]. 女体化 is to womanize his body, I mean, to make him physically function as a woman. やおい穴[yaoi ana] is a good example. Either, やおい穴 might be necessary no matter what, though…However, those fans who love 性別受け do not want to change his gender, but want him to be a boy no matter how much he looks like a girl. Crossdressing is preferable because it makes him look like a girl much more (but he is still a boy). Usually, when a character crossdresses in the series, he would be embarrassed. Yes, that is what turns fans on. Hard to believe it? I don’t think I am explaining this well, so feel free to ask me if you don’t understand.
Then let’s see some example. If you have played Code Geass LOST COLORS, you must have seen Lelouch of trying a wedding dress. In this case, Lelouch is just wearing a wedding dress, not gender-bending. He is not acting like a girl, Luluko. Next is Fuchoin Kazuki in Get Backers. He is definitely a 性別受け because he really looks like a girl. The way he is also seems to be girly. But he is strictly a boy. Is Jubei really sure about this? Come to think of it, he cosplays a nurse in the series, and wraps his chest with a towel when he takes a hot spa with Jubei. なんで胸を隠す必要があるんだ? There is Tieria in Gundam oo. He also crossdresses in episode 8, doesn’t he? If nothing else, he looks like a girl!
Jubei x Kazuki
Caught on, haven’t you? I already explained 女装少年[josou shounen], yes 性別受け has something to do with 女装少年. When such a shota-looking character crossdresses, he is going to be a 性別受け for sure. Ciel in Kuroshitsuji is a perfect example. His crossdressing killed some of my fujoshi friends actually. But remember, if a character crossdresses on purpose in the first place, he wound not count such as Watarase Jun in Happiness. Meanwhile, not only his looking, but the way he is seems to be girly shall make him 乙女受け[otome-uke]. Wolfram in Kyou kara maou?
If you want to bully your favorite uke-character, use 性別受け and humiliate him!
- だから女にしか見えないっつーの！
[Intermission] Decayed, but women
Whenever I shop around in Akihabara, I always stop to think about. Especially when I see a long line in front of a maid cafe. Well, if you have been to Akihabara, you must have seen a lot of maids giving out flyers on the street. That means there are a lot of maid cafes as such. However, not all of them are doing good. When a new maid cafe opens, an old one might be closing somewhere. In this way, this industry is not that easy just because maids quite embody moe. When I escort someone in Akihabara, I always go to my favorite maid cafe. But although the cafe used to be full of customers before, it is very slow now. I wonder if it is going to close soon. Meanwhile, the popular maid cafes are doing okay since I can always see a long queue. What is the difference?
There is no question―the thing is, the maids are all pretty. Yes of course. And, the maids are acting who they are supposed to be. This is important. Once I got disappointed when a maid who served me was not really like a maid. We say 萌え[moe] when we feel hot, but you can say 萎え[nae] in such a situation. 萎え is a noun form of 萎える[naeru] or wither. When you see something turns you off, please say 萎え～[naeee].
Putting aside those in-store events like playing a game or a drinking competition, here is one more point we should talk about. That is a quality of food and drink. If you go to a maid cafe, do you expect this? If the maids are all cute, don’t you feel it is okay even if food and drink are not that great. I am okay unless it’s really really horrible. If a maid like Souryu Asuka Rangley serves me, I would go again even if food and drink are mediocre. If you are a man, please think about this. Do you agree?
I figured out something. Here is a difference between male otakus and female including fujoshis. Speaking of such a themed-cafe for women, it is definitely a butler cafe[執事喫茶] where handsome butlers serve for you. Because of some trendy anime or TV-drama such as Kuroshitsuji[黒執事] or Mei-chan’s Shitsuji[メイちゃんの執事], butlers are becoming popular again. Nonetheless, there are very few butler cafes in Japan (is there any in your country?). As far as I know, there are just three, which are in Ikebukuro[Otome Road], Shibuya[渋谷], and Roppongi[六本木]. I have been none of them, so I don’t actually know how they are. But according to some customers’ review, the good one is just that cafe in Otome Road. You have to wait for a month to make a reservation, and all the tables are full from open to close. Meanwhile, the other two are very slow now. I don’t even know the one in Roppongi, but as for the one in Shibuya, it becomes slower and slower. But why? Please watch this video, all the butlers are handsome, aren’t they? How come it doesn’t work?
The answer is, the quality of food and drink they serve. Women are more particular when it comes to スイーツ（笑）food and tea, so it seems that they are not willing to go again unless such things are also good even if the butlers are all handsome. They shall call you ojou-sama[Miss] or princess, so you can feel you become such a noble lady. But that is why food and tea have to be nice. Otherwise, it would ruin your dream, in other words, you will say 萎え～. Those reviews said the same thing; all the butlers are handsome, but the tea wasn’t great; the cake was not great although it wasn’t cheap. Meanwhile, the butler cafe in Otome Road reportedly serve more than forty kinds of tea and the dishes and the tableware are very handsome. There are even professional pastry chefs and all the butlers get strictly trained for two months. By doing so, it can finally meet women’s expectations…That is why there are very few butler cafes, I suppose so.
There is a proverb, 腐っても鯛[kusattemo tai] which means it may not be what it once was, but it is still first-class. 鯛[tai] is a sea bream. It is kind of a handsome fish. Even if it is rotten now, it is a sea bream. This means the value or the quality never change even if it doesn’t have a good-looking anymore or it gets too old. 腐女子[fujoshi] is literally a decayed girl, but they are strictly girls. 腐っても女子[kusattemo joshi], that is what I coined, and I believe.
僕も執事のコスプレってやってみたいな（笑）「お帰りなさいませ、お嬢様♪」なんちゃって＾＾
[Cosplay] Endless Sorrow -Mirage of Blaze-
There is no doubt―I am doing 腐教 to you guys with Mirage of Blaze[炎の蜃気楼] even though I don’t mean to do. If you have followed my blog since last year, you have seen how much I love this series. That is why I can’t stop cosplaying someone from this series, and this is going to be the third character I cosplay.
He is the lead character, Naoe Nobutsuna[直江信綱]. He and another lead, Takaya are actually the reincarnated though Takaya remembers nothing about his past. Naoe tries to make him remember who he actually is, and realise they are wrapped up in an ancient war of darkness and tragedy which began during Japan’s chaotic Warring States period. In case you don’t know this anime, I shall upload the OP here.
I think I tend to like a sad character like Suefumi in Maihitoyo who I cosplayed as well. Here is my favorite adjective in Japanese, 切ない[setsunai]. If you hear sad, you would translate it 悲しい[kanashii]. My dictionary also translates 切ない sad. But if you ask me, 切ない is a bit more complicated than 悲しい. It is like a feeling that is a mixture of not only sadness, but loneliness, pain, nostalgy, and love. See what I mean? So I dare to say Naoe is a very 切ない character because he is hopelessly in love with his master, Takaya. While he protects Takaya, he is suffered with his own feeling for him. Although he knows there is no point in this love, he can’t stop himself…Even he truly wants to end this never-changing-relationship as a master and a servant, but he can’t…He knows his beloved master never comes to him, but he even gets rid of his girlfriend. He even tries to die together with Takaya and end everything at the bottom of the lake…Ah, 切ない！ちょっとヤンデレ入ってるけど切ない！I really like Naoe. I cosplayed Takaya first, but I like him the most. He is almost the same age as me, oops, this is perhaps the first time that I cosplay someone who is the same age as me.
Mirage of Blaze is in general categorized as BL(yaoi). Maybe. But please know this is not such a meaningless story. If you have a chance, I recommend you give it a try. Read the rest of this entry »
棒読み[bouyomi]
There is the most insulting word that most actors or actresses are afraid of. At the same time, it could be the worst label…that is 棒読み[bouyomi]. 棒[bou] means a bar, and 読み[yomi] is a noun form of 読む[yomu] or read. 棒読み[bouyomi] is an emotionless speech. There is no acting, no emotion…such a boring speech. Once an actor gets labelled as 棒読み, it would take much time to improve his reputation.
Still, actors or actresses could get through if they have a good-looking. However for seiyus(voice actors or actresses), there is only one thing they can use. It’s voice. Lately this is also changing, I will explain later.
I am sure you have your favorite seiyus even if you don’t understand Japanese. And I am also sure you can even evaluate the quality. So if you hear a character whose voice doesn’t go well (or merely poor acting), you would like to label the seiyu as 棒読み.
I have two friends who want to be a seiyu, and both of them belong to a certain agency(already finished training school) although they haven’t made a debut. They told me that it basically takes a lot of time for male seiyus until they make a debut. So it is not unusual that they make a debut after 30. Meanwhile, it is much faster for female seiyus to make a debut because they are mostly recruited as an idol. Because of this, it doesn’t also take that much to fade out…True, because they have less experience as a seiyu. Please read my previous post as well.
Come to think of it, what has happened to this occupation, seiyu[声優]? Lately it is not unusual that young idols voice a character(especially in a brand-new anime film). Not only young idols, but comedians(お笑い芸人) or other celebrities(タレント). Has this occupation declined to such a quick job?
Having said that, there are even fans who dare to love such a 棒読みseiyu. Such an emotionless speech could turn them on, that is 棒萌え[bou-moe]. Also, they might see how such a 棒読みseiyu becomes more professional. Even though a seiyu is such a 棒読み, he/she could be a 成長系声優[seichou-kei seiyu] or a developed seiyu after having some experience.
There is no accounting for tastes, so I hate to say some examples. Please be patient for what I am going to say. These examples strictly depend on those fans, so…no complaints, please.
This video is from Code Geass R2, and it focuses on how bouyomi V.V. is. He says, 教えてあげようか？はじめまして、枢木スザク。ぼくの名前はV.V.[Shall I tell you? Nice to meet you, Kururugi Suzaku. My name is V.V.] I don’t know if the seiyu is acting like this on purpose, but it sounds boring to me.
This video shows the two scenes from Supernatural, and comapres the original and the dubbed. It is not really important that which scenes they are, but how horrible the dubbing is. Before Supernatural DVD was released, the news that the actor and the comedian featured the two brothers spread out. Neither had any experience of seiyu, so the result was a nightmare. In the first scene, the brothers are interrupting the ritual, shouting 火事だー、逃げろー、燃えてるぞー、火事だー早く逃げろー！[It's fire, get out, it's burning, get out now!]. And in the second one, the brothers are trying to get attention of a monster, shouting 「出て来い人喰い鬼ー、腹減ってんだろー早く来いー俺うまいぜー。おーいここだーつかまえてみろ[Come on, aren't you hungry? I am tasty. I am here. You catch me.]」 「よし行くぞ、急げ[Good, let's go. Quickly.]」「よう、俺の肉は食いたくないってかー上等だー[Yo, don't you wanna eat me? Great.]」
こ れ は ひ ど い。よくこんなのでDVD出せたね。I am not that picky, but I can’t stop wondering why it had to be them. I am not gonna demand Koyama Rikiya or Horiuchi Ken’yu, but there MUST HAVE BEEN much better and appropriate seiyus even if they are not that famous.
I know things change as fans change their needs, but I feel something is missing as the industry doesn’t seem to value the sheer quality of seiyu.
