Hello OTAQUESTers and welcome to our second newsletter for 2021.
What is an OTAQUESTer you ask? Well, it’s you! And it’s me. And it’s everyone who writes for OTAQUEST, everyone who reads OTAQUEST, everyone who knows what OTAQUEST is and what it is trying to achieve. An OTAQUESTer has a fascination for Japanese geek and pop culture but knows that it’s not limited to anime and what is considered ‘otaku’. They listen to the music they like, read the stories that make them smile and cry and feel things, laugh at long Light Novel title names but know there is something more to them than meets the eye. They know that Japan is more than the sum of its ‘otaku’ parts and want to learn about the people behind their entertainment.
This newsletter is part of that effort. It’s for people who love Japan, just like you.
I am Ura, your tour guide in this amazing journey into Japanese pop, geek, and sub culture.
Thank you for joining us.
1
Engaging with the new normal.
The COVID-19 pandemic is, slowly but surely, making its way into Japanese media. How do we proceed?
Already, Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering With You aired on TV with a new ending referencing the pandemic, and he says that while his latest work won’t directly reference the crisis, it is certainly influenced by it. The original Cells at Work! manga, too, is coming to an end with a chapter centering around COVID-19’s effect on the human body, alongside a new educational book aimed at kids.
Alicia Haddick asks whether this has all come a little too soon. ‘While it’s inevitable that the things we create will be altered by our own experiences... the question remains: how should media like anime and manga explore a global situation that many have suffered greatly from and remains ongoing? Moreover, do people want media that reminds them of this moment of crisis?’
That’s a good question.
2
A new step forward for game preservation.
The classic JRPG Advanced Sorcerian is getting a re-release on Nintendo Switch, but, amazingly enough, the version being released will be the phone version of the game.
Although the differences between the original 1987 Famicom release and the 2007 phone release are negligible, it’s very unusual for pre-smartphone games to gain recognition like this. Usually, they are lost to the annals of time.
As Alicia writes: ‘Talking about gaming on pre-smartphone devices is difficult because so many of the titles released on older phones have been lost to time…. It’s this that makes the Nintendo Switch [release] of Falcom’s Advanced Sorcerian feature phone game so significant.’
3
Matsui and Shinohara are back.
Weekly Shonen Jump is seeing in the New Year by bringing back some old faces: Yusei Matsui, author of Neuro: Supernatural Detective and Assassination Classroom, and Kenta Shinohara, author of SKET Dance and Astra: Lost in Space.
It’s pretty exciting, and the best thing is that there are even more new series to look forward to.
As Jacob Parker-Dalton writes: ‘The importance of this cannot be overemphasized: both authors have contributed multiple successes to the Jump label over the years, and so momentous is the occasion that the next issue preview page embedded above carries the title “History moves with the return of legends.” Indeed.’
The flipside to this is the news that Hiroshi Shiibashi has seemingly given up on Weekly Jump with his new series, Iwamoto-senpai no Suisen. Was he forced out, or was this simply a change in tactics? Who knows.
4
Itagaki goes independent… again.
In 2008, creator of the Dead or Alive franchise and the modern Ninja Gaiden titles Tomonobu Itagaki left Koei Tecmo to become one of the founding members of Valhalla Game Studios.
Since then, he has only released one game: the truly terrible Wii U exclusive Devil’s Third, so one hopes that his new new studio, ItagakiGames, achieves better results.
‘There is no news what games the studio will be working on, but based on Itagaki’s comments, it will be a title for Microsoft‘s Xbox platform. The Xbox was very good to Itagaki and his team at Koei Tecmo when the original console launched, so he stated that he wants to continue to be loyal to it. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, we’ll know exactly what Itagaki is up to.’ (Corey Prasek)
5
What’s the AOTY? You decide.
Voting for Crunchyroll’s fifth annual Anime Awards is open now, and, predictably, many of the categories are hotly contested.
Battling it out for the 2020 Anime of the Year will be Appare-Ranman!, BEASTARS, Dorohedoro, GREAT PRETENDER, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!, all of which are incredibly compelling shows in their own right. The Best Opening Sequence category, too, presents fans with the impossible choice of picking between ‘Wild Side’ by ALI and ‘Easy Breezy’ by chelmico, among others.
Those who are about to vote, we salute you.
6
No ticket? No ride.
JR East recently launched their new ‘Touch de Ekinaka’ service, which allows passengers to enter one of Japan’s bustling train stations without taking a ride.
Previously, if you just wanted to enter the station without riding the train, you’d have to sheepishly ask one of the staff members at the gates to let you in. You might want to do this to explore any one of the numerous shops and restaurants that inhabit some of Japan’s larger metro stops, or simply use the toilet.
Now, it’s easier than ever: simply buzz in with your Sucia or Pasmo card at participating stations for either ¥140 or ¥150 for larger stations and enjoy two hours of free time inside. Great news for shoppers and those with weak bladders alike.
7
A toolbox worthy of Char.
Any aspiring Gunpla enthusiast worth their salt needs a good set of tools. Why not pick up some from Premium Bandai themed after Mobile Suit Gundam’s iconic antagonist?
Also available in ‘good guy’ blue themed after the Earth Federation Space Force, this set of special Char-themed tools contains everything you need to start on your Gunpla or plamo journey. They also carry the Zeon insignia along with embedded magnets so you can hang them up once you’re finished with them, handily.
As James Fujita noted in an earlier story, ‘more than 500 million Gundam model kits exist out there worldwide, so there’s undoubtedly a large market for this box.’ They’re also the perfect antidote for being bored locked down inside!
8
Oi! Oi.
If you’ve ever wanted to know exactly how many times the rowdy characters of Gintama say ‘Oi’ in the original manga, then boy do we have the video for you.
In a deep dive produced for the official Jump Channel, some poor Shueisha employee was forced to sort through all 77 collected volumes and 704 total chapters to count just how many times the word ‘Oi’ appeared. The total ended up coming out at a whopping 1883, showing just how important the exclamation is.
As Jacob explains, ‘while Gintama is known for its “high sense gags,” there is one thing that makes them work even better: the existence of a “straight man” (tsukkomi). In the series, this is played by any one of the characters... and is often signaled by the exclamation ‘Oi!’, expressing shock or disbelief. This brings the humor felt by the audience into the series, thus boosting its comedic effect.’
9
Eating Maccy D’s in the 1980s.
This biggest surprise of this week came when McDonald’s Japan announced that they would be teaming up with classic baseball manga Touch for a collaboration menu.
Ostensibly, this is supposed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mitsuru Adachi’s series, but burgers are hardly an important part of the manga’s iconography. Still, it produced a fun parody music video, evoking the spirit of the 1980s and reinterpreting the anime’s original theme song from the Showa era.
James explains the pun: ‘In the McDonald’s ad, the J-pop singer sings about having to choose between two kinds of chicken tatsuta sandwich. (You have to say Touch the Japanese way, Tatchi, to get the tatsuta/ Touch pun.)’
Very funny.
10
Ramen Simulator 2021.
Ever wanted to work in Japan’s favorite 24/7 underground ramen restaurant Ichiran? Well, now you can - in VR, that is.
Out now for the Oculus Quest and Quest 2, Counter Fight ICHIRAN will set you back a cool ¥1,480 yen for possibly the best ramen restaurant simulation experience currently out there. Developed by content planning and development company Tricol, it truly is defining proof that you can turn just about anything into a compelling simulation game.
‘If you’ve ever wanted to work in a ramen restaurant or are just a ramen aficionado like myself, I can see you having a blast with this game... The unique blend of skills it takes to make a proper ramen dish seems to be replicated pretty adequately in Counter Fight ICHIRAN, and based on the trailer Tricol released, it looks like that they went the extra mile to ensure that it matches the ramen chain’s standards.’ (Corey Prasek)
Video Corner
Part of BEASTARS Season 2's OP was Made By an AI
See you next week!
The OTAQUEST team.
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