The Status of Things

While I’ve been lurking the site during my break and reading the odd comment here and there, I’ve been somewhat detached from the everyday happenings in the past month. I never would’ve imagined that I’d be able to take a break to begin with, so I’m curious as to what the sentiment is towards me doing so. I feel the other writers have done an admirable job filling in for me, but it’s hard to get a feel for what it’s like from a reader’s perspective when I’m in the “hot seat” so to speak. The poll I held about this initially was kind of split over the idea, where more than half of the voters were either a little concerned or flat-out didn’t like it, leaving me wondering if people still feel the same way.

If you’d like to leave more detailed feedback, you’re more than welcome to in the comments, but all I ask is that you word things in a constructive manner and don’t berate any of the writers for their efforts. There will be little to no tolerance for flaming, and I won’t even entertain the notion that it’s “funny”. Random Curiosity has built up a bit of a reputation with its timely posts (i.e. covering raws), insightful and objective content (arguably), and of course, plethora of high definition screen captures, so those are some areas that may be worth addressing to help this site continue to grow as (hopefully) one of your regular anime stops on the Internet.

As always, from one fan to another, thanks for reading.

Edit: Added the Retrospective Look poll for better visibility.
Edit #2: This post will be kept at the top for the next bit, since the feedback is veering toward a direction of personal interest. Please be sure to scroll past it or refer to the Recent Entries in the sidebar for new posts.



Thanks For Reading! 70 Million Visits and Counting!


In just seven months, Random Curiosity has been graced by another 10 million visits, so I’d like to once again thank all our readers for continuing to make this site one of your regular stops on the Internet. It simply wouldn’t be what it is today without its readership, which motivates me to continue on to the best of my ability. The five-year history that was about to come to a close has officially become six, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of things under my tenure. Both Kiiragi and Prooof are approaching their first full year as writers as well, so I’d like to thank them for all they’ve contributed. The same goes for Takaii, who’s taken on a fair number of shows in the past six months and handled them very well.

This isn’t the same Random Curiosity that Omni left behind, but I hope the changes made in the past year are seen as positive ones. This includes the ever-so-popular season previews that I’ve tried to improve by making them more comprehensive than in years past. A goal of mine has always been to promote a more open-minded view on anime, so hopefully the fairly objective coverage on a diverse range of shows has achieved that to a certain degree too. For me, one of the most satisfying aspects about blogging anime is helping people discover new shows that they would have never considered and sharing in the discussion of them. After all, it’s about being a fan first and foremost, and our mutual interest in anime.

Since August, the site has seen 600 new posts, 32,000 new comments, 18 million new page views, and of course 10 million new visits. We’re quickly approaching the 5,000 post mark and have already past the 205,000 comment mark. Again, thank you all for helping Random Curiosity grow, not only as an anime blog but as a bit of a community as well. This one’s for you guys!

Poll: Spring 2011 Anime Season

After allocating whatever free time I had in the past couple of months, I managed to get the season preview out on the week I was hoping, meaning there should be ample time to vote on the upcoming spring shows. Please keep in mind that most shows will likely be pushed out a week due to the natural disaster that struck Japan, so there’s anywhere from one and a half to two and a half weeks before the season starts. Once again, you can refer to the Spring 2011 Preview for any dates that have changed. The currently announced changes are marked in red and more are likely to come.

I realize it’s going to be difficult to pick 5 shows from the 43 that will be airing, but keep in mind that this poll is only intended to get an idea for what readers are looking forward to. Just vote for the five shows that you’re looking forward to the most, even if you plan to watch many more than that. Hopefully the season preview has given you a better idea as to what each title is about and if there are any that interest you. I’ve already categorized all the shows according to my expectations, so now I turn things over to you to share your thoughts. You never know, some fan sub groups just might be listening.

Note: The same poll will also be available on the sidebar. It is tentatively set to close on April 1st at 7:00 AM GMT, coinciding with the start of the new season. If the season start date gets pushed out, so will the poll.

Quick Update on Broadcast Schedules

Japan clearly has much more pressing concerns in the wake of the horrific earthquake and tsunami that it suffered, but I just want to provide a quick overview on what’s happening with each of the shows broadcast-wise. As you can probably imagine, most shows are being postponed for a week, some of which go back to last Friday. For most stations, the tentative plan is to resume broadcasts the next week, but don’t be surprised if some are delayed longer. It’s very likely the April 1st start of the new season will get pushed out as a result (and understandably so).

* Information is care of syoboi and official websites.

…more after the break.

Massive 9.0 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan

[flv:Japan_Tsunami_Aftermath.mp4 550 310] News footage from NHK and CNN

As most of you are already aware, Japan suffered a major earthquake last Friday (3/11), last reported to be 9.0 magnitude, making it the largest ever recorded in the country’s history. The epicenter struck off the coast of Sendai in the Miyagi prefecture and caused a catastrophic tsunami which hit the eastern coastline. The quake and its aftershocks caused heavy damage, but was incomparable to the destruction of the waves. Sendai was hit by a massive 10-meter tsunami traveling at jet speeds and many other cities such as Tokyo suffered 4-meter high waves as well. Everything in the tsunami’s path was swept away, including entire towns, and many people were stranded by the water.

…more after the break.

Seiyuu: The 8th Quiz

[flv:Random_Curiosity_Seiyuu_Quiz_8.mp4 512 288]So what if it’s already a month past Christmas?

Most Amount Correct – Salty & KMM (8 Correct Answers)
Second Place Goes to Hiddenpeep (7 Correct Answers)
Third Place Goes to Rei (6 Correct Answers)
Nobody answerd the entire quiz correctly. Good try to everyone who participated though!

Answers:
Show Spoiler ▼


Previous Winner
Winner of the 7th Quiz – DarkWind
It took 4 Hours and 48 Minutes for someone to solve the 7th quiz.

Music Japan – Shinseiki Anisong Special 4


Last year, some of you may recall that I posted live performances by May’n and Nakagawa Shoko from NHK’s Music Japan program. Those were actually a part of the third “New Century Anime Song Special”, and just over a week ago on January 16th, the fourth half-hour special was aired. The filming of the live event at NHK Hall actually took place back on November 22nd and featured more songs than were televised; however, of the ones shown, there was a special collaboration between Mizuki Nana and May’n that I caught wind of just a couple of weeks ago. All it took was mention of a rare duet of Macross Frontier’s “Diamond Crevasse” ending theme to get me eagerly anticipating this special, which also featured a bunch of good anime songs from both past and present. This includes the last live performance by Angel Beats’ Girls Dead Monster, where both marina (Iwasawa) and LiSA (Yui) took to the stage together. If you’re like me and enjoy seeing anime songs that you’ve heard from your favorite series performed live, then be sure to check out the videos after the break.

An Interview with Yamamoto Yutaka

The Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun published an interesting article (translated) just over a week ago on an interview with Ordet studio founder and director Yamamoto Yutata, whom most people are probably aware is behind the original series FRACTALE airing this season. In the interview, he talks about the declining state of the anime industry and how business practices have driven down wages and hampered creativity, which Wall Street Journal also looked into over a year ago. While outsourcing to China and South Korea is nothing new, Yamamoto makes an eye-opening point about how it’s not necessarily for cost reasons, but because they’re short-staffed in Japan due to lack of interest.

Given the dire working conditions and dismal pay of animators, I can’t say I’m surprised when I can easily picture young bright-eyed individuals with visions of a lucrative career in anime get disillusioned once they actually get into the industry. The benefits, even if it’s simply personal gratification in seeing one’s work come to life, can only take most people so far and hardly offset the corporate politics that surely go on. There’s no denying that the anime medium has fallen into the trap of recycling character stereotypes and rehashing similar premises in slightly different settings, which may retain most of its current audience but clearly doesn’t reach out to new ones. Recently, there’s also been a growing trend towards using the “moe” aspect, which Yamamoto admits being guilty of. However, as someone who’s seen a fair share of corporate politics and business practices that don’t encourage creativity, I get the feeling that the problem lies more in the people who get the final say in what goes into an anime, as they’re often afraid of breaking outside of their comfort zone and trying something new.

Director Yamamoto Yutaka posing with a FRACTALE poster. A Black Rock Shooter one can be seen behind.

* More after the break…