If you’re wondering where the pink panties came from, they’re from Figma Sonsaku Hakufu who I reviewed earlier. Most Figmas come with only white panties, pink are unique ^_^;;
Actually come to think of it, the real Fate Figma actually comes with *black* panties. Now that’s cool, but only what could be expected of Feito-chan. Anyway I better stop mentioning pantsu or hordes of ecchi people all searching for that word from Google will soon descend upon my blog.
As always, if you missed earlier parts, please head to the 4Koma section
Being an episodic anime blogger who works full time limits my ability to sample every new anime that’s released, so after picking my 3-4 series I’ll blog episodically and choosing the other 10-12 series that I’ll watch but not write about I generally look towards other bloggers’ opinions to see if I’ll add anything to my watch list.
Generally, this system had worked quite well for me until now, but with Kanamemo it failed. As the new anime season began, most of the bloggers that did a “first look” post of Kanamemo rated the series as one of the worst of the year, so I didn’t bother with Kanamemo. But, the other day I had some time on my hands and several episodes of Kanamemo on the computer so I watched the first episode and fell in love with the series.
A short description on Kanamemo’s plot and main characters.
Plot- Kanamemo is the story of thirteen year old middle school student Kana, who up until now had been living with her grandmother because her parents died early in her life. Recently, Kana’s grandmother passed away and after the funeral some moving men show up at her house and start hauling away her grandmother’s furniture.
Kana not being the smartest person in the world assumes that the movers will soon try to grab her and put her up for sale, so Kana rushes into her room and loads up a small bag with some of her clothes and rushes out of the house. Then Kana proceeds to search for a job that provides room and board included, as Kana passes a newspaper delivery office she sees a help wanted sign offering room and board but she runs away when she sees two of its female employees kissing outside the office.
Kana then keeps looking for a job but is turned down either because of her age or that she needs to show permission from her parents or guardian. As night approaches, Kana finds herself walking past the newspaper office when she gets slammed into and knocked unconscious by one of the employees returning from her route by bike.
When Kana wakes up she finds herself inside the office surrounded by its female employees. At first, the office chief offers Kana a job, but withdraws the offer temporally when she finds out that Kana is only thirteen. After hearing about Kana being a orphan with one to look after her, the chief gives Kana the job and just kind of forgets to fill out all the proper paperwork. Soon, Kana spends her days learning her job, attending school, cooking the office meals, and becoming part of the family of misfits who work and live at the newspaper office.
The cast of characters.
Kana-A thirteen year old orphan and middle school student, a very good cook, and a very sweet but not very smart girl.
Saki-The assistant chief of the office and the only company manager that we ever see; while she’ only s a fifth or sixth grader she is by far the most mature person working in the office.
Yume-Is a college age girl who attends a patisserie academy, she puts way too much sugar in everything she cooks. Yume and Yuuki are a openly lesbian couple and show their affection for each other in public.
Yuuki-Is a college age girl who also works at the newspaper, but it’s never shown what college, if any, she attends. Yuuki is Yume’s lover and she is very jealous if anyone gets too cozy with Yume.
Haruka-Is a college student who studies bio-fermentation, she is always seen drinking some form of intoxicating beverage. Haruka is a lesbian who has a weakness for cute girls between the ages of eight and fifteen. She is constantly hitting on Kana and getting smacked around by Saki and Hinata for her advances on Kana.
Hinata-Is a college age girl who has failed her entrance exams for two straight years, she works hard and thinks a lot about money but tends to try and get more money by gambling , playing raffles, and entering contests.
For me, Kanamemo is about the value of having a “family” and not being alone.
Yes, your Honor, the verdict is in and Kanamemo has been found guilty on all charges. Yes, Kanamemo is loaded with silly tropes, a unrealistic plot line, unbelievable characters, and just plain silliness that could never happen in real life but Kanamemo works for me. First and foremost, Kanamemo is about the value having some sort of family that cares for you, looks after you, keeps away the loneliness, and is non-judgemental and supportive. While the newspaper office is populated by a strange cast of weird girls, they form a “family” unit that works for them and they’re happy with their arrangement. Many critics have been very mocking of the unrealistic nature of Kana’s situation saying that she must have other relatives to care for her, or her grandmother must have had money, or that the state would have sent her to some institution or boarding school for kids in her situation. But, I would rather see Kana being part of a family of misfits than going home alone each night to an empty house or a lonely boarding room at some school (think of Orihime from Bleach at home alone every night).
Another thing I like about Kanamemo is that while most of the girls attend some sort of school or college the series doesn’t spent much time showing the girls’ attending school, and while the girls work six days a week doing early morning and late evening newspaper delivery that’s still a small part of the show. School and work issues in Kanamemo only function to have the girls interact with themselves as a “family” unit, they great each other before work, eat their breakfasts and dinners together, taking trips to the public bath together, and generally hanging out in the evenings together before bed. Also, the employees of Kanamemo function as a full family in the respect that they do all the things a normal Japanese family would do together, such as, celebrating the Japanese holiday of Obon.
I guess, in the end, that I’m a sucker for the ‘family is were you make it” types of anime like Eureka 7, Brigadoon, Maison Ikkoku, and Clannad, which place as much value on the closeness of your relationships with your friends as you would with your normal family, in affect your friends and companions become your real family.
Notes about Japanese newspaper delivery. I did a little bit of research on this topic and found that over 90% of Japanese households take a daily paper, and about 35% of households take both a morning and evening paper. Also, since the papers are delivered very early in the morning and late evening it’s one of the jobs that are considered to be compatible with a student’s schedule with over 45% of the delivery employees being students and almost half of all delivery employees being female. A typical Japanese biking/walking delivery route has about 200 delivery points and takes about two hours in good weather to complete. Also, the delivery person is not paid a large amount of salary, I read a little ditty written by a college age newspaper delivery boy and he said he made less than 22,000 per year before the company deducts any fees they may charge for the use of a company dorm or other such living arrangements, and of course, taxes.
The Westermarck effect has nothing on the Sakurai twins.
One of the biggest culture shocks you’ve probably experienced when learning about Japanese culture through Anime is that, over in the great land of the rising sun, incest is not illegal. While incestuous couples aren’t allowed to have their union recognized by the country, that isn’t to say that the Japanese populace haven’t made strides to be inclusive, shown in the legalization of marriage between first cousins. Sure, the Japanese have a proclivity for the kinky and bizarre, and incest in folklore is something that’s pervasive in most other cultures. But with the media’s influence on the cultural importance of values, the lax attitude on a taboo that is likened to pedophilia in most other countries opens up avenues of discussion on why incest is slowly becoming a mainstay in Anime.
Watch Anime for a long enough time and you’ll notice that the fandom has taken on a veneer of complacence when it comes to shipping incestuous couples. If it’s ever mentioned, there may be a few seconds where we’re jarred by our morals to react accordingly. But there’s still an unspoken comprehension when incestuous shippings becomes a possibility or even canon in some Anime. Is this expressive of a pro-incest attitude? From the looks of it, the answer is predominantly no. It seems that we’re willing to overlook a few discrepancies on the grounds that Anime is solely entertainment and not a mirror of our own values, a mode of thinking that I would equate to the trap infatuation, like a de facto disclaimer that says in bold-faced print “being attracted to a transgendered character does not make me gay” or more appropriately “shipping two blood-related characters does not mean I support incest.” A faulty comparison, maybe, but it underscores the mentality of the otaku fandom that I could never relate with (no pun intended), and it also illustrates a slippery slope.
Think of a popular Anime where you’re given the possibility of an incestuous relationship. To name a few: To Love-Ru (Mikan Yuuki), Kanon (Nayuki), any Clamp show (Everyone). More often than not, these characters are portrayed in a positive light that makes them endearing. If it’s a harem show, some of us even anticipate an incest end. Then there are the shows where incest isn’t the subplot, but the main theme, like in Candy Boy (pictured above), Koi Kaze, and Akane-Iro ni Somaru Saka. It’s safe to say that although we may not support the idea of incest outright, we’re nevertheless conditioned to not be as squeamish about it when it presents itself.
The many instances of how incest is used for comedic effect is telling. In Clannad, the main character, Tomoya, fantasizes about his best friend and his best friend’s little sister getting intimate after a misunderstanding, exclaiming “This is turning me on!” We also have the openly perverted Battler Ushiromiya from Umineko letting his indecent thoughts get the best of him as he admits to fantasies involving him and his female family members. We’re essentially laughing at the prospective copulation of two members of the same bloodline, something you could never get away with on North American broadcasting. Another example is in subtext. I’ve never watched Code Geass, but the premise is something I’m all too familiar with. Lelouch Lamperouge wants to take down his father, the barbarous king of Britannia, to avenge his dead mother and crippled sister. Oedipus complex much?
I’m kidding about some of these, obviously, but now I turn the question to you. Do you think Anime has warped your perception of the great incest taboo that lingers on the sociological stratum of the modern world? What was your moral stance before and after you became involved?
Whatever the case may be, I leave with three categorical statements I deduced from observing incest in Anime:
1. Sibling incest in Anime isn’t just compulsory, but a rite of passage for most. Fanfiction.net and Danbooru can attest to this.
2. The Japanese animation industry is actually the head of a long-running conspiracy to get male otakus to fall in love with their little sisters, therefore promoting endogamy and eliminating social diversity. (NHK anyone?)
3. It’s just wish-fulfillment. Who gives a fuck.
and that mode of thinking is something that I would equate to an otaku’s infatuation with traps;
Riff va mieux!!! Il mange, il ronronne, et il ronfle. Tout va bien…^^ Il mange les croquettes spécial rénal de chez le véto, il continue à faire son difficile quand les croquettes sont pas fraiches…enfin, il va bien. Il a une prise de sang à faire le mois prochain pour vérifier sa créatinine, mais sinon, l’est en pleine forme ce chat…
Donc, pour célébrer ce fait, je vous donne des jolies n’images des héros de Hetalia. XD (donc en effet, le titre avait un rapport…XD)
Les “gentils!”
Le Royaume-Uni (aka Arthur)
Facilement irritable, le Royaume-Uni est connu surtout pour sa nourriture immangeable, sa grossierté et la pléthore de fantômes et de créatures surnaturelles qui habitent chez lui. Il se dispute sans cesse avec la France, et maintient une relation ambigue avec les USA.
Les USA ( ou Alfred, pour faire simple)
Pays qui adore jouer au héros, même si aucun de ses plans ne fonctionne. Il se goinfre de burgers tout le temps, et écoute que très rarement l’avis des autres pays, même si ses liens avec le Royaume-Uni restent ambigües.
La France (ou Francis…XD)
Un grand pays affaibli, il se bats avec le Royaume-Uni depuis sa naissance. Il considère avoir la plus belle langue du monde, drague ouvertement tous les autres pays, et attire les touristes chez lui avec son vin.
La Chine ( Wang Yao, en simple)
Immortel, c’est le grand frère des pays d’Asie. Malgré les temps changeants, un peuple moderne et cultivé, il reste très religieux et superstitieux.
La Russie (Ivan!)
La Russie est un pays qui oscille entre grande gentillesse et cruauté enfantine. Tout ce qu’il entreprend comprendra de la vodka, et comme le Royaume-Uni l’empêche d’aller plus vers le sud pour l’obtenir, il a envie de l’éclater.
Les “méchants”!
L’Italie (le piti Feliciano)
L’Italie est une nation passée de l’Empire Romain à un pays un peu badole, qui pleure souvent et qui aime tout le monde. D’ailleurs les autres pays ignorent son côté irresponsable, mais son obsession pour les pâtes et les pizza les énervent souvent.
L’Allemagne (Ludwig! Naaaaaan…XD)
L’Allemagne est un pays ultra-sérieux qui suit toujours les instructions à la lettre. Il n’a pas de chance avec ses voisins et son patron “complètement cinglé” comme il le dit lui-même.
Le Japon (”Honda desuuu~”)
Petit pays qui est apparu recemment mais qui a grandit à la vitesse de l’éclair. Il est respectueux, et même s’il ne connait rien aux autres pays, il essaie de son mieux de comprendre. Il aime beaucoup boire sous les cerisiers.
Pfiou, long post, mais bon…je suis fan de cette bande de débiles…XD
You know, I’m thinking of making a Higurashi Rainmeter skin in a short period. This is actually a request from Cycloptic Bandit who gave me a load of Higurashi pictures. However, I was not satisfied with the pictures and go to AnimePaper instead. Anyway, my papers are limited and it is began to decreasing as I download the scanlation of Higurashi. Therefore, I have to make these skins fabulous to worth my downloads. Keep anticipating and here’s your wallpaper of the week.
Haha, ich hab beschlossen, eine Sammlung von Charakteren anzulegen, falls ich jemals einen Manga zeichnen will der, der auch vollendet wird ^^;.
Heute stelle ich Arashiya vor >w
Nya~, wie heißt es doch so schön? “Ein Bild sagt mehr als tausend Worte”, und genau dieser Meinung bin ich auch, weshalb ich endlich meinen Mund halte und euch das Bild einfach zeige °`w´°V. Hoffe auf ehrliche Kritik UwU *verbeug*
Shikabane son los Muertos Vivientes quienes se quedan en la tierra debido a que estan apegados u obcecionados con algo o alguien, estos atacan a las personas y los matan. Shikabane Hime es la chica creada para cazar los Shikabane. Un niño llamado Kagami Ohri es adoptado por un sacerdote budista llamado Tagami Keisei del clan Kongon. Kagami fue criado en un Asylum y una noche se encuentra con una hermosa chica la cual trabaja para el jefe de los sacerdotes, su nombre es Hoshimura Makina quien caza a los Shikabane bajo las ordenes de Kakusei, pero no le es facil a Hoshimura cazar a los Shikabane, ya veran porque les digo.
