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Watching Steins Gate With My Son: Episode 2

May 3, 2015May 3, 2015madreceiverLeave a comment

AKA: The “but he’s a guy.” episode.

We got to episode 2 sooner than I had expected. I am in the middle of moving and so I didn’t think this was going to be an option for a couple of weeks.

However, the move went fast and my couch and t.v. was already set up so my boys both decided that they wanted to spend the night. After watching episode 4 of the new Nisekoi season I popped on the blu ray of Steins Gate. First, I have to say: I watched Steins Gate the first time through Hulu on my Kindle Fire which was fine, but watching it on a big screen with a blu ray= Awesome!

This episode Okabe has found that Makise is not dead and goes to her lecture at the university. Her lecture establishes a couple of things well: She is smart, smarter than Okabe, she is a bit of a smart ass, and that Okabe doesn’t like having his delusions challenged.

Episode 2 also serves as a vehicle to introduce most all of the other characters. Yuugo Tennouji , owner of the CRT repair shop and Okabe’s landlord, was already introduced in episode 1. He, Yuugo,goes on to hire 18 year old, Suzuha Amane as a part time worker in the repair shop. Okabe runs into Moeka Kiryu on the street after she takes a photo of him with her phone. Okabe also goes to visit Mayuri at her part time job at the maid cafe and we are introduced to Faris Nyannyan (Rumiho Akiha) who is part owner and the most popular maid there (who is very good at indulging Okabe’s delusions). And lastly we are introduced to Ruka Urushibara, a friend of Mayuri’s that generates this wonderful scene:

This might be the only thing people would find objectionable in this episode, but even that is pushing it.

Overall the episode went over well and I didn’t cringe at any moments. The draw back to watching with both boys is the inevitable sibling rivalry and personality differences that crop up. My younger son has a habit of interjecting what he thinks is going to happen next. While I tell him to just watch, his brother is not as patient yelling:”Shut up! No one wants to hear your commentary!” ….Brothers.

Until next time: El Psy Congroo!

Nyan, nyan, nyan….

Watching Steins Gate With My Son: Episode 1

May 1, 2015May 1, 2015madreceiver2 Comments

This is my new experiment. I decided I will see how it goes to watch Steins Gate with my 11 year old son.

I tried to remember how much violence, blood, nudity or adult themes it had and came to the conclusion (perhaps wrongly) that he could handle it. Yes, it does have several deaths (or a death several times), a few off color jokes, and some high concepts. Nevertheless, I decided to go forward with the experiment.

He hung out with me before bed and we watched the first episode on my kindle laying in bed. He was pretty excited to do this knowing that Steins Gate is a favorite of mine and that I am planning on cosplaying as Yuugo Tennouji (aka Mr. Braun) later this month for Anime Central (albeit a much more ginger bearded Mr Braun). So this was quality father/ son bonding time.

Overall, episode 1 went well. There is what is probably the bloodiest scene of the series with the dead body of Makise Kurisu.

And then there is the floppy banana scene….

Now this scene isn’t inherently horrible for him to see, it’s just I know what will follow. So I say to him: “be cool about this and don’t go repeating this all over the place”. He didn’t do that, but he did go down the hall after the episode to his older brother saying: “What that guy said in episode 1 was just wrong! Remember? It was so wrong!” *facepalm*

A couple things that struck me in the re-watch. How Okabe’s bravado and conspiracy delusions masks his general social awkwardness was one thing. The other was his caring nature, especially towards Mayuri. He even gave her the metal oopa (he didn’t know how much it was worth however).

So, first episode: Not bad. Blood. Questionable banana phrase. Not too much harm done.

I am in the middle of a move, so I’ll see when I can watch with him again.

Have a good week.

Dad Gets Serious For a Moment

April 26, 2015April 26, 2015madreceiver9 Comments

I started blogging about anime for several reasons. Because I like it, gave me something to do, community, and to be a resource for other parents who might look at a show and ask: “What is that show about that my kid is watching?” But that is not what inspired me.

I got inspired after attending Anime Midwest last July. It was there that I felt like I really got it.The community. I watched my , then 10 year old, son ask 20 year old Fairytale cosplayers a for their pictures and the cosplayers were always happy to oblige and were really cool to him. I spoke to other attendees about their favorite shows. My older son made friends with a few other kids his age which he hung out with throughout the con.

And then there was Greg Ayres’s panel: “Why Your Fandom Sucks”. I had missed his previous one: “It Gets Better”, so myself and both of my boys made sure to attend this one. The stories Greg told were funny, if not downright disturbing at times. But more than that, there was a message: You enjoy what you enjoy, others enjoy what they enjoy. Celebrate that and don’t be a jerk. Pretty simple message. It was the idea of keeping the anime fan community as a supportive place, that appealed to me.

Many who have read my blog may have guessed that my older son is gay. He is out and has the support of his friends and family. I wish more kids had this. As someone who trained as a family therapist (I haven’t practiced in over 10 years) and worked with teens I see the need for kids to have a place just to be okay with themselves as important.

The internet, while being a great place to bring people together, can also be treacherous for many teens. The anonymity of the internet allows for greater abuse. People feel great power behind a keyboard. They can say whatever they feel like, no matter how hurtful or cruel. As an adult in my 40s I can see people who abuse others online for what they are: weak, afraid, bullies,trying to make others feel bad because they don’t feel good about themselves.

Please. Please if you are having a hard time in life: don’t listen to the negative voices of the net. Talk to a parent. Talk to a friend. If you can’t do that: find a resource online or in your community to help you. Because while there are horrible people online and in real life, there are wonderful and supportive people as well and those are the voices you should seek out.

Keep your fandom clear of bullies. Enjoy what you enjoy. Love who you love. Life is too short and precious to take hateful voices to your heart.

Some resources

ReachOut.comUSA

Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide

It Gets Better Project

Now off of my soapbox….Carry on and watch more anime!

If you have other resources to help others please feel free to add them in the comments. I just ask that they are secular in nature, open to helping everyone regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual/ romantic orientation.

Spring 2015 Season Watch List

April 12, 2015April 12, 2015madreceiver6 Comments

A new season is upon us and after sampling a few shows this is what I’ll be checking out this season.

In no particular order:

Food Wars: A cooking show where an aspiring middle school cook gets accepted to an elite culinary academy for high school. Looks to be fun to watch, but on the ecchi side. I won’t be letting the 11 year old watch this one.

Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon?: Adventuring, dungeons, warriors, girls, gods…Will it be good? Not sure yet, but has potential. Also somewhat on the ecchi side. Another I won’t let the 11 year old watch.

My Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu Too: I loved the first season of this, hopefully the second will be as good. I am fine with the animation studio change thus far.

Kinmoza: English exchange students in Japan. A cute show. Pretty harmless. I think my son has watched at least half of the first season of this already.

Nisekoi: Raku, Chitoge, Onadera,and Tachibana are back! 2nd season of this harem comedy by Shaft. I really enjoyed the first season and have read a bunch of the manga. We’ll see how much they cover in this season and how much filler they ditch.

Plastic Memories: This looks like an interesting offering about a world where androids (or something like that) have synthetic souls that only have a life span of 9 years before they deteriorate. The show centers around the squad that is going to retrieve the androids at the end of their life span. It has got a good premise. Hopefully it will be a good show.

Punchline: A guy wakes up after a terrorist attack that happened on a bus back in his apartment building to find that another spirit is occupying his body and he can’t return to it. Now he has to find a book with a ritual to get himself back to his body. But there is a twist. In the building where the book is lives several girls. Fine…Right? No, this is anime. Here’s the twist: If he happens to see a girl’s panties, or gets excited, he has such an extreme reaction that he attracts an asteroid to the planet that destroys the earth. This happens…he turns back time and keeps trying to get his body back. Well obviously I won’t let the younger one watch this. I am not sure if I’ll continue or not.

Re-Kan! : A girl who can see and befriends ghosts. The others around her can’t see them for the most part, but accept her for the most part, except for one classmate who refuses to believe in spirits. It is a goofy comedy. The jury is still out about how appropriate it is….there is a perverted cat.

Sound! Euphonium: About a girl who played in the brass band in middle school who decides to join the band club in high school. It looks like a harmless school anime. My largest worry would be whether it will be able to maintain my interest.

Well, That’s it for now. What are you watching?

The Show That Made Me Want to Work on My Japanese Cooking

April 5, 2015April 5, 2015madreceiver4 Comments

Gourmet Girl Graffiti

Well, Shaft has done it again. Put out another show that I truly enjoyed and loved the art. Was this one of my favorites, no, but I liked it a fair amount.

The show follows RyoMachiko, a middle school girl who has been living alone since her grandmother died. Ryo was inspired to learn to cook by her relationship with her grandmother and has gotten quite good, but has felt something was missing. The missing piece falls into place when her cousin, Kirin Morino, comes to stay with her on weekends to attend cram school in Tokyo. Company, and the act of sharing a meal is what makes food come alive for Ryo.

The show’s premise is summed up pretty well here.

And so it goes. Kirin comes on the weekends. Ryo makes food. Food is enjoyed. Girls become close friends. It is a quiet and simple show that focuses on the importance of connection in one’s daily lives.

But wait there’s more….Is food erotic and sensual? Shaft thought so.

Can food be a sensual experience? I would say so!

Attention Parents: There is no nudity, violence, cursing, or traditional fan service in this show. There is suggestiveness without a doubt.

My 11 year old keeps asking me if it is okay for him to watch. I know most of the imagery would go over his head, but I still keep imagining the following scenarios: “Dad? What are these funny feelings I’m having while I eat hot pot?” “Why does omurice make me tingle?”

Oh…perhaps I worry too much. Or perhaps I’m a little nuts.

Watch, if you like low key shows about food and friendship. It is really well done and worth a viewing.

Itadakimasu!

The Power of Family

March 21, 2015March 21, 2015madreceiver2 Comments

Usagi Drop

I was recommended this anime about parenting by Miharusshi at Anime Vios. I finally got around to giving it a watch and I have to say I loved it.

The show opens with Daikichi Kawachi, a 30 year old single man, returning to his grandfather’s home for his funeral. Upon returning he learns from his mother that his grandfather had a daughter, Rin Kaga, who is now 6 years old and that the rest of the family didn’t know existed.

UsagiDrop_01_header

Rin’s mother has disappeared and this leaves the family with the question: What to do with Rin? There is much discussion about how everyone else cannot take her and it is suggested that she be placed in an orphanage. It is at this point Daikichi steps in and said he’d take her, at least for the time being.

From this point on Daikichi and Rin’s life changes. Daikichi gets an education of what it is to parent and raise a child. He has to deal with how it impacts his work and how he views the world through the lens as a caregivier. He gets her into school. Deals with her new friends. Meets other parents. All while trying to figure out what happened to Rin’s mother and why she left.

I won’t go too much into what else happens in the show since I don’t want to ruin it for those who choose to watch it.

I will say the following about it. It was beautifully done. The story is sweet. The characters are likable and have depth. The soundtrack is good, especially the background music. The animation is quite beautiful and well directed. I recommend this show wholeheartedly.

Attention Parents: There is nothing that is objectionable in the show. No fan service, violence, or cursing. What you may find is that, depending on you and your child, that it may be cause for some discussions around death, divorce, and the meaning of family. However, this is not a bad thing and can be just be the kind of thing that adds to life. So take that less as a warning and more of an opportunity.

Remember: I am not a writer or a critic, just a dad who likes anime.

Why I Haven’t Got My Older Son a Dakimakura

March 15, 2015March 15, 2015madreceiver6 Comments

I just finished 2013’s Love Lab and was pleasantly surprised. Love Lab is an adaptation of a 4 panel manga that was put out by Dogakobo animation (Who also did Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun and Engaged to the Unidentified). Set at Fujisaki Girls Academy the story follows Natsou Maki, the student president, and Riko Kurohashi, an athletic tomboy.

Both of these girls are admired by the student body.

Natsou for being a model student who is poised and reserved.

And Riko for being forward and outspoken.

At the outset of the show the two characters don’t know each other. They meet when a teacher sends Riko to the student council office to deliver something and Riko walks in on this:

Natsou making out with a hug pillow. Natsou has never had a boyfriend, much less even talked to a boy, but is dying to have a romantic relationship. She enlists Riko to help her conduct “love labs” to find out what boys like and how to be more appealing. Riko gets roped into this because she gives Natsou the impression that she is more experienced than she actually is (due to her own embarrassment of being inexperienced with boys). This is where the story sets off from.

The animation is decent, nothing groundbreaking, but good. The comedy is what sold it for me. It is not ecchi, just silly. A lot of it stems from Natsou, whom all the students see as perfect, is a bit ditzy and out of her mind.

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She often comes up with elaborate set ups of how to get boys to notice and fall in love with her that are not well grounded in reality. Riko, while inexperienced, does have some sense and is frequently trying to bring Natsou back to reality.

Which often involves Riko hitting her with a paper fan.

If you like silly school based shows, this one is for you. It is cute and the comedy is pretty good. I had found it randomly on HULU and thought I’d give it a try. Like I said in the beginning, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this show.

Attention Parents: There is not a lot that is objectionable. No fan service, or ecchi stuff. No cursing that I remember. Aside from some minor fights, no violence of any real merit. There is one scene, however, that made me cringe a little. There was a part where the student counsel are answering questions about love from anonymous letter. Someone wanted to know if boys liked “tan” girls. Natsou took it upon herself put on “black face” while singing “Oh my soul sister”to get an idea of what that would be like. I found this to be unfortunate and not very good comedy.

That being said. I won’t get my son a Dakimakura because: 1) He’s not on the student counsel. 2) He’s not old enough. 3) I’m not paying for it. and 4)I don’t want this to happen:

Score 1 for Dad.

When Little Girls Want To Rule The World.

March 9, 2015March 9, 2015madreceiver4 Comments

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They will…

I love this show. The concept, artwork, story, and the randomness of it all.

The show follows the main character Asuta Jimon , a middle school age boy, who had just run away from home due to issues with his father. He encounters a little girl, Kate Hoshimiya, who knows it is her fate to conquer the world. She recruits Asuta to her secret organization, Zvezda, and makes him a private in her small (but effective) force that will help her take over the world.

What makes this show entertaining to me is was how it follows the “bad guys”. Yes, I know other shows do this: One Piece for example, I just like the tact they are taking. It is like that are following the weird bad guys in a Power Rangers series, only the “bad guys” are far more interesting than the “good guys”. The good guys they fight are called White Light. White Light work to help the Japanese government and are Zvezda’s main obstacle. White Light, while the “good guys”, are shown in a critical light that blurs the line of who is “good” and who is “bad”.

The other entertaining tact they take is the use of a little girl as the leader, who while ambitious to take over the world, is also a little girl.

And she is also hilarious…

The show does go off on a few goofy tangents.

And there is General Pepal who I would love to cosplay as. I mean the man has a bad-ass mask, is an ex-gangster,and battles while eating cake. This is a role model if I ever saw one.

The show is just a great deal of fun. I enjoyed it. You may too.

Attention Parents: There is some cursing. Revealing outfits if that bothers you. And a few ecchi sight gags (but not many) that will probably go over your kid’s head.

If I was ever given the choice, I’d follow Kate. “May The Light of Zvezda Shine Throughout the World!”

The Challenge of Raising Otakus

March 2, 2015madreceiver6 Comments

So my son (11) who won the cosplay contest earlier this month at Anime Milwaukee got a bag of some promotional materials and such for winning. He got several show postcards including the “Dog & Scissors” postcard pictured above.

He said: “Dad, I think I want to watch this show.”

“Of course you do…but no.”

“Why not?”

“Not appropriate for you.”

“Awww.”

And so it goes. So many times as a parent you have to explain to the child (who often knows why fully well) why he can’t watch a show.

Many anime are geared to older kids and adults. Sifting through it all to find what he can watch is a challenge at times. However, I am a fan and so is his brother. This both helps and hinders the issue.

He will often want to watch what I, or his brother, has watched even though he knows he can’t.

Attack On Titan for example:

Just a bit to much violence and bloodshed for his age. But he knows about the show, knows what happens, still not allowed to watch it.

There are the shows I let him start without realizing where it was going and had to stop him from watching after a few episodes.

And then the shows I let him watch even though there were scenes that were going to get me in trouble.

(I can’t excuse that oversight).

This is a challenge of any parent really. Deciding what entertainment content is appropriate for your child to watch. The difference I think lies in the amount of anime that is available is wide and can be intimidating. The other is the voracity with which a young anime fan can consume content. My boys like their shows and watch a good deal of differing shows.

Besides the content viewing there is how they express their fandoms. Going to a convention, if I am not careful, will leave me broke. They love their shows and would like all associated merchandise (and lets be frank: there is some cool anime related merchandise).

And if your partner doesn’t like anime….

Well, my wife isn’t a fan. That is cool too, people like what they like. This can be a point of contention too. What you may see as being a show that is fine to watch, your partner may not having no context or experience with the genre. My son understood that Kuroko, in A Certain Scientific Railgun, was the standard pervert character that will act like a creep. He knows her behavior is inappropriate. My wife, seeing her out of context, gets very disturbed by Kuroko’s behavior. Is she wrong? Not exactly, but context is different to the regular viewer vs someone just walking by and seeing the pervert character doing something creepy.

So there are challenges with raising otakus, but that is being a parent.

By the way the wife took away his “Dog & Scissors” postcard, gave it to me and said: “He doesn’t need something like this.”

I have it now….

Anime Milwaukee: Day 1

February 14, 2015February 14, 2015madreceiver9 Comments

Myself and son 11 got to the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin around 10 a.m. and the cosplayers were already in full effect.

After checking in, registering, and lugging all of our stuff up to our room we got dressed and headed out to the wild Con.

We checked out the Merch room, the Manga library, and the table top game room (my son played me in a game of magic while we talked to a nice college student who was about to move to our hometown for college). We also got in line and waited for autographs. My son wowed voice actors Joel McDonald and J. Michael Tatum with his Kululu costume (they were seriously happy).

My son got a lot of attention and it is still just day 1 of the Con.

A Few Characters We Saw on Day 1

Kate from World Conquest Zvezdsa Plot (she told me she had just got there so her costume wasn’t complete)

Mirai Kuriyama from Beyond the Boundary.

Kurisu Makise from Steins Gate.

Sailor Moon of couurse.

Adventure Time!

A mini Lucy from Fairy Tail.Kyubey from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. She did ask for my soul…

Ken Kaneki from TokyoGhoul.

This is just from Friday at Anime Milwaukee and there are so many pictures I didn’t take. A convention is an interesting experience, try one if you haven’t. I will post more later.

Note: I was very tired while doing this post.

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