Deviant Art’s Otaku Spot
Volume #1, Issue #1

This newsletter is for deviants, who don’t want to leave DA to get their otaku news on the hottest anime and manga’s coming out!!! I’m your lead columnist and welcome to our first issue! We will be releasing between Sunday to Tuesday every week, to keep you up on everything you need to know for the anime world!

Recommendation for the Issue:
Mushi-shi by Yuki Urushibara
Graphic Novel by Del Ray Press--Three Volumes Released-Fourth in October 07
Anime Series by Funimation--Volume One DVD out now!

Ginko is a mushi-shi, a traveling healer who resolves problems caused by beings known as mushi. The mushi are things that occupy the gap between living beings and inanimate objects, very close to being manifestations of the life-force itself. Invisible to most, their effects are very, very real.

Sounds like a simple premise for a series right? Well not quite. Mushi-shi, tells the tales of not only the nature of the mushi, but the nature of the human condition as well. Each tale in both the manga and the anime are simple; tales of loneliness, illness, despair, and sacrifice, ever so human and yet eerily supernatural. Each tale gently insinuates us into the lives and minds of its protagonists, evoking surprisingly strong responses to the tragedy, hope, and quiet triumph they experience. What makes Mushi-Shi unique, though, is the intertwining of these human tales with the world around them, with the boundless universe of nature, with the green growing things, animals, and strange, ethereal mushi.

This series, is not for the weak hearted, or for fans who prefer the ha-ha, laugh it up series. It mixes action with deep thought, and deep thought with deep emotion. This is a series you may have to go back and look through a second time just to get a decent understanding of the subjects that are talked about. There isn’t too much difference between the manga series and the anime series, which means you can easily go with either one and still be content.

Miss Red Rose’s Verdict: I love the manga because of the intense detail of the artwork. But I am also a huge fan of Travis Willingham who plays Ginko in the English Voiceover version of the anime. (American Otakus may know Travis’ voice as Roy Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist.) Whatever you decide, both will satisfy your need for a deep anime that leaves you thinking about things long after you’ve stopped reading and watching. And you’ll be seriously left wanting more.

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Issue One Feature: What Anime and Mangas are and what they ARE NOT.

Ah, anime and mangas…

All fans of anime know the love they have for their favorite series, whether it be mainstream, underground, or straight from the source itself. The anime/manga craze, could easily be compared to the Harry Potter fan craze. Only, while the Harry Potter series took the Fandom world by absolute storm for almost a decade, it was a noisy following. Full of movie parties, book release parties, a wave of merchandising that even I myself admit to actually buying; and tons of screaming kids with books running all over the place, with parents unable to do anything but empty their wallets in order to silence their children.

The anime/manga craze however, is a lot more hushed. We don’t have manga release parties, or midnight movie showings of our favorite series. (There was midnight showings of “FMA The Conquer of Shamballa”, but they were really limited screenings..) Practically, the only time you ever see a bunch of insane anime/manga fans is if you are the stray wanderer into an anime convention at the hotel that you are staying at.

Most of the time, we are very quiet, and you would find us at the nearest Barnes n Noble or Borders in the Manga/Graphic Novel (since they now put them together) section sitting on the carpeted floor in silence, reading the newest release. As if it was heaven on earth and the gods were smiling upon us.

But many people do not quite understand all the background and the history of anime and why it’s such a big freaking deal. So this week’s issue is to at least bring those who are not in the anime world and those who are just entering the world up to par so at least you won’t look like a loser around any of your friends who are fans.

Anime by definition is: “an animated, professionally produced, feature film or television series created by a Japanese company for the Japanese market".[1] It was developed by Japanese filmmakers in the early 20th century who were experimenting with all the new art styles that were coming from all over the world. Anime eventually grew a big Japanese following mainly because filmmakers in Japan, didn’t always have the resources to do big live action movies like the US and Europe. By investing in anime more, filmmakers, had the ability to stretch their imaginations and take flight, being able to do the things that live action films could not.

Now, in the 1970’s, mangas began to make a huge mark upon the Japanese market, which were often later animated — especially those of Osamu Tezuka, who has been called a "legend" and the "god of manga". As a result of his work and that of other pioneers in the field, anime developed characteristics and genres that are fundamental elements of the art today.[2] In the 1980’s the rise of “Mecha” series (“Mecha” meaning mechanical robots.) took place giving companies a bigger reason to invest in anime, and along with it began the testing of anime and mangas being imported into other markets.

Although the progression into mainstream was slow, it eventually began to make it’s break out in the late 1990’s into the new millennium. With the help of shows such as Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo, and even Pokemon, capturing the hearts of children in the US, anime has become a huge part of the US market. How much you say? Well in 2006, The Japanese anime market became a BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY! It reported almost $2 Billion dollars in revenue, and in the US is gaining even more, reporting almost $500 million dollars in revenue in 2005 alone![3]

Nowadays, anime is literally everywhere. If not in plain sight, in slight tributes. However, we must stress, that anime is from Japan. Any other type, from any other country is considered either a “cartoon” or “animated series”. So to classify it, I’m going to list some series that would fall under one of the following: Japanese Anime, Anime Influenced (those from Asia, but not Japanese works) and Non-Anime (anything not produced originally from Japan)

Japanese Anime: Sailor Moon, Naruto, Dragonball Z and Neon Genesis Evangellion, Final Fantasy Series

Anime Influences: Cyber Weapon Z, Dragon Blade, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(yes really!)

Non-Anime: The Boondocks, Avatar: The Last Airbender, (sorry guys, It’s made in the USA. But the designers are probably some of the biggest otakus on the planet.) and Teen Titans.

So what does this have to do with Deviant Art?
Well because Deviant Art is an open forum for artists to find their place in the artist communities, Fan Artists all over the globe, who share in the same love of anime and mangas, are able to draw, screencap and even digitally remix all of their favorite characters. And they are in quite big numbers! I mean, Deviant Art had to establish a Fan Art, Manga/Anime, Doujinshi (anime-based original comics made by fans), Oekaki (Java applet drawings) categories here on Deviant Art. So it’s obvious, that Deviant Artists, are fans of the anime world in itself.

Anime/Mangas to many people, are a form of escape from the status quo. So many series that are being brought to the US are most definitely a change from Marvel Comics, live action films and reality TV shows. While there are children versions of anime/manga, a majority of the series released are designed for teenagers and up, since many talk about a lot of serious adult themes. Deviant Art is also a showcase for newer anime/manga series that have not yet been brought to the US as a tester for marketability. How? Well, say you check out one of your favorite artists, and you see a new anime/manga series, that you had never heard or seen before, and you spread the word faster like widlfire. Espcially good if you have good artists designing good fan art.

If nothing else, convinces you that anime is a big part of Deviant Art try this: go to the search and type in "anime". As of 08/05/2007 there is currently 1,032,272 pieces of anime related works on Deviant Art. And may I remind you, that with the almost 5 million artists around the world who are members of the Deviant Art Community, the fact that there are 1 million pieces of anime, should tell you that you should give anime a fair chance before shutting it down as a group of weirdos. Because if you do, I must warn you, there are millions of weirdos who love anime.. So move with caution.

This newsletter, will showcase some of the many things that follow the anime and manga worlds. It is my hope that all of you who will continue to read the newsletter and be informed on what’s hot, what’s not and what is going to take the entire otaku world by storm!! Tune in next Tuesday to learn about what exactly is an “Otaku” and why they are such a big deal! All notes are comments are welcome, please send them to my main Deviant Page here:

Gifts of Fan Arts and Deviant Art Subscriptions are always welcome!

See you next week!
Miss Red Rose

Feature Sources:
1 and 2: Wikapedia’s Entry on Anime--[link]
3: Anime News Network--[link]

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Upcoming Releases!-- All releases are subject to change without notice, and prices will vary on publisher, and distributor which you buy from. So shop around okay!

Upcoming DVD Releases for 08/07/2007
.hack//Roots (DVD 3 and Special Edition)
Air Gear - Wings Reborn (DVD 4)
Cat's Eye (Sub.DVD 2)
Gakuen Heaven - Secret Summers (Sub.DVD 3 of 4)
Hakkenden: Legend of the Dog Warriors (DVD 2)
Kannazuki no Miko - DVD Box Set (DVD 1-3 of 3)
MÄR (DVD 2) Nobody's Boy Remi (Sub.DVD 2)
Rumbling Hearts - DVD Box Set (DVD 1-3 of 3)
The Super Dimension Century Orguss (Sub.DVD 2)
Viewtiful Joe (Dub.DVD 10)
Weather Report Girl (DVD)
When They Cry - Higurashi (DVD 2)
Zatch Bell (Dub.DVD 11)

Upcoming Manga Releases for 08/07/2007
Absolute Boyfriend (G.novel 4)
Bleach (G.novel 20)
Buso Renkin (G.novel 7)
Chibi Vampire (G.novel 5 of 10)
Claymore (G.novel 9)
Crimson Hero (G.novel 6 of 7)
D.Gray-man (G.novel 6)
Dragon Drive (G.novel 3)
Eyeshield 21 (G.novel 15)
Fruits Basket (G.novel 17 of 17)
Godchild (G.novel 6)
Hikaru no Go (G.novel 10)
Houshin Engi (G.novel 2)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (G.novel 8)
Kaze Hikaru (G.novel 6) [200]
Loveless (G.novel 6) [192]
One Piece (G.novel 15)
Peace Maker (G.novel 1)
Pretty Face (G.novel 1)
Tail of the Moon (G.novel 6)
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist (G.novel 22)