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RPGHero's Corner: Anime + Current Events

RPGHero's Corner

What does being an otaku mean in the modern world? Well we should examine current events through the perspective of anime and video game to find out a bit more.

What comes to mind first when you think about the, “#blacklivesmatter” protests? For myself, “Sword Art Online”. “Angel Beats”, and “Steins;Gate” are three anime that have come to mind. As an otaku who also founded this blog and also who is African-American, I see the plot elements of these anime when I see the emotions that the “#blacklivesmatter” protests have evoked from both those who agree with the protests and those who don't. That's because if you've seen all those anime mentioned, they are about the drive that the protagonists have to protect the lives of those around themselves and not necessarily their own life. I clearly see that the real-life protesters would fit in as the protagonists of any of those anime, if not the ones of their own choosing. They feel more strongly about the sanctity of life, especially in the face of clear persecution against “Black people”, than the people who see themselves more as spectators to the protests or even who are offended by them. In the otaku world of anime, such protests would happen and they would be called “human rights” protests. However, IRL the “#blacklivesmatter” movement has been seen as a bunch (rather large bunch) of youths rasing trouble for other people who are supposedly already down with the sanctity and purpose of all life. For those new to the concept of protests or self-actualized endeavor, that should be expected but for adults in reality any protest is a rally for society to change, not for any one individual or something. That and self-actualized persons, the famous ones rather, are all familiar with the concept of failure on the road toward a goal. So otaku and also everyone else should understand that without the protests, nothing would change and nothing would get better. At least nothing that the right people can take credit for when it happens. That's one perspective from the founder of a blog.

There's still more yet. What about the gender equality movement, called feminism? Actually feminism is much more popular as a movement than as a protest against society. Gender equality is a societal trend and not something anyone is really fighting for and striving for at all (that protesting was already done before our time).

The anime, manga, and otaku world is just following the rest of the world and by following them, I meant leading the way by showing young women and women in a more positive than the rest of the world's media. Even if that means portraying all men as, “nose-picking, selfish, tie-on-head wearing, grouchy, crybaby, softy, hippocritical, and about everything else there is in the book, stopping short of hardline misogynist (which no one can really prevent or change in another person).

But what if you ARE a woman? How do you see the otaku world?

IMO there are barely any shounen-power inspired heroines in anime, not enough to combat the fujoshi-girl stereotype of otaku which actually seems like a negative connotation for the real life woman of power. IMO the anime industry would greatly benefit from more Blood+ and Birdy the Mighty like anime series but I'm sure I've mentioned that before on here somewhere... The two main characters of those shows Saya and Birdy the Mighty are assertive and powerful enough to feminist character models.

Haruhi from “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” actually seems like a fujoshi-girl but given her power over the other characters in the show, it looks more positive. C'mon what kind of real life girl would go for a a male character like Kon... a loner like Kon, a over-critical loner like Kon! It does make make sense now to you, the reader, right??! Haruhi's character, even a extroverted fujoshi-girl, comes off as the savior character, especially since Kon doesn't “do” any saving or anything at all for the group. All Kon does is suggest different alternatives to haruhi's outlandish and outgoing plans and actions, adding to his character's needs which he later says are met by Haruhi's brooding influences and escapades!

In addition, Gintama has enough sketches that make fun of men, for a person who is a “good-for-nothing” to relate and laugh! Maybe Gintama isn't the best show for human empowerment since its a comedy battle shounen, so IMO it keeps it real with its fans. Gintama pokes fun at all kinds of “good-for-nothing” and “weird” characters and doesn't discriminate between different “kinds” of people, just making fun of as many people as possible without really apologizing. IMO that's just the way IRL works with injustice and misfortune and the alleviation thereof. I would rather laugh and feel a bit uncomfortable with Gintama, than deal with injustice and misfortune in the real world...

There you have it, otaku friends, and without any obvious political references!!!

Christmas Cheer!!! Merry Christmas Otaku Friends!!!

Hi everyone! RPGHero here!

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who checks in and also reads this blog. Without you all, we wouldn't be here. I know that some of our readers are from far off countries like The Philippines where there have been some hard times because of the typhoon seasons. Thank you all for reading this blog and liking us on Facebook. You are all the best! A very special Merry Christmas to you all!!!

Anime and manga is a cultural thing. Here in America, everyone is wondering what culture really is, with all of the social change happening. To anybody who likes anime, manga, and games that is their culture, not just a part of it. A big part of life for every Otaku is striving to be better, just like all of those characters from anime. Sure sometimes the days are mundane and the nights are long, but all of it's already been told in the stories of anime... Culture to us, is loving anime and loving our fellow Otaku. ...and that is why we keep blogging, because we are passionate Otaku too, just like you all!

RPGs are very fun and that's why when I was a teenager, I played RPG games for hours on end. Army people know that the RPG is a term for an artillary weapon blast or whatnot. The RPG game genre is for people who like Role Playing Games and that's where my teenage years were spent over the summers and winter breaks. Sure, I could have been getting out more for real but I was a gamer at heart and the 40-80 hour games were my calling. It is from those RPG genre games that many teenagers learned about a different part of the world. Being that RPG games are different than games like Grand Theft Auto or The Sims, they have brought new elements that teenagers can get addicted to that aren't action or violence. RPGs introduced the concept of the Fantastical whether it was the good guy or the bad guy, each RPG had the amazing or crazy element that they added to only some of the game characters.

Games like Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X, both had the fantastical and wondrous elements. But it was kind of funny because both main characters were not that special, they were both kind of jockish, boyish guys that were catapulted into a world where other people were amazing and daresay Fantastical. That really makes the RPG game player think, especially because the main POV is from the character that is the most regular and ordinary but has to adapt to win the game or the girl. Then there's Final Fantasy XIII in which the main character IS a girl but they gave her the most amazing and daresay Fantastical elements in the game, only lagging from every other bad guy in the game (because the game is that hard). Think about it, Lightning, the game's main character is way more of a soldier than either Cloud Strife from FFVII or Tidus from FFX, and she actually knows how to hold her own in a fight, rather than complain or have the other characters react negatively to the world around them, Lightning is comforting because she is a strong personality, in the game. That goes to show that RPG games are changing too. No more, will teenagers waste those summers solely for Cloud Strife or Tidus, even Serge from Chrono Cross, to be disappointed in their emo, introverted personality styles in the super human worlds of Final Fantasy. Fingers-crossed!

Anime too had changed, becoming more liberal than conservative hehe. The hard smack to the main characters seen in the first Gundam series' are now replaced by LGBT positive humor in the newer anime like MM! or Tiger and Bunny. That's good, because its painful to see the main character of those old Gundam treated like a rag doll for frustrated older male characters, just for the main character to climb out of the social hierarchy to be second, only to that one moment... Same goes for anime like Grappler Baki, The Fist of the North Star, and old DBZ. they were all painful to watch when the good guys weren't doing well enough. But even the new anime are kinda painful with Attack on Titan or Deadman Wonderland, they're way more suspenseful and thrilling, in other words not anti-climactic.

Anyway, we hope that anime and video games do keep on changing. That way those who truly like anime and video games will stick with it. The ones who truly like something stay with it through thick and through thin, as their nature and the nature of the things that they like change too. True Otaku will like anime and manga, even to watch the new ones just as much as the old ones. That's the way that Otaku support the changing way of anime media and the treasured manga-ka that continue to create those stories out of the Japanese they were given.

Lucky no Kaze Ni... Dragon Soul and all that good stuff!

...and Merry Christmas to you all! :D

Why are old guys in Japan so cool? Man, I would do anything to have a drink with a Japanese old guy. They are always talking about "youth" as if it were something cool to be young and not old. As if they themselves found the secret to enjoying youth and loving life; then love to see new young people being themselves.

These days, a lot of old guys seem crotchety and angry, as if young people are taking all of the oxygen away from their oxygen machines or something. It might or might not have to do with the interweb and the skyrocketing use of smart phones. Then again, it could just be because life can be a b**** or a d***. Hopefully its not beause being old is just plain hard. Then there would be no "COOL" guys to have an ice-col d beer with, those old Japanese guys.

Otaku Let's Play! - Megaman X Part 4: Don't game and drive

Break all your life's cieling, my son, Megaman!

There! The level you shouldn't play in the car! 

Or at the airport!

It's all gonna go down once the bird poop hits the fan...

Otaku Let's Play! - Kirby Super Star Part 1: Cook Kawasaki Steals My Gir...

On this edition of Otaku Let's Plays, the Otaku Reviewers try to figure out the true identity of Cook Kawasaki, a kirby baddie. What's his angle? Does he want to take over the world? Or is his true purpose to steal your girlfriend?

Anyone remember his special powers in the main story???

Comment your opinions below :D

Popular Opinion: One Piece Opening 12

A subject of popular debate between me and Chansu is the coolness factor of One Piece Opening 12: Kaze Wo Sagashite by the Hexagon Family.

I believe that it's a great opening and that the song matches the mood of the arc, not by the sound of it but by the lyrics and meaning behind the song which serve to boost the coolness of the arc. Chansu thinks that this song does not match the mood of the arc. That there was something cooler that could have been used. Probably also that the coolness of the arc itself is what's carrying the opening.

It might be alittle of both...

Well decide for yourselves!