The OQ Weekly (3 June 2021) - The 'You Can't Deconstruct Magical Girls' Edition
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Deconstruct: the analytic examination of something often in order to reveal its inadequacy
I've heard of deconstructed theories. Deconstructed myths. I've even made a deconstructed tiramisu and many deconstructed quesadillas with my best friend Carley. Deconstructed quesadillas are the best because you don't have to fold them.
You know what I’ve never heard of? Anyone successfully deconstructing what defines Magical Girls shows! You can try but you will most likely fail. Why? Keep reading this week’s digest and you’ll find out.
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I am Ura, your MOON PRISM POWER! MAK… (I wish) in this amazing journey into Japanese pop, geek, and sub culture.
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1
You can’t deconstruct magical girls.
When a brand new movie in the Puella Magi Madoka Magica franchise was announced back in April, this revived a familiar argument.
For those of you who have been around long enough, you may remember the debate surrounding genre deconstruction. Apparently, Madoka Magica worked to deconstruct the magical girl genre and broaden its appeal to new audiences, but Alicia Haddick makes the point that what defines magical girls is actually immune to deconstruction.
Essentially, these are series about female characters who create a new identity through transformation: often, this externalized uniquely female inner strength, weaponizing objects of traditional femininity. Strength comes from within and in ways far different from those found in the male-dominated action shows of the time.
What causes people to call Madoka Magica a deconstruction is ultimately its dark tone. Yet, this isn’t even antithetical to the genre’s central ideas or other highly regarded magical girl series in the past: Princess Tutu is perhaps the most famous example of a magical girl series that was far more mature than many of its contemporaries
‘What Madoka Magica showcases is that a genre often shunned for its femininity can appeal to everyone while staying true to the ideas which have defined it for decades. As Madoka Magica turns 10 years old, and with another movie on the way, maybe now is the time to recognize the strengths of the magical girl genre.’ (Alicia Haddick)
2
Looking sketchy.
If you’ve checked out this week’s chapter 150 of Jujutsu Kaisen, then you’re probably already aware that there’s some pretty sketchy art on pages 18 and 19. What’s the deal?
To be honest, it’s quite hard not to notice: right in the middle of Maki’s fight with the Hei (the strongest sorcerers in the Zenin clan), things suddenly break down to line art that looks like it has been taken directly from the original storyboards. Making matters worse is the fact that it is surrounded by otherwise excellent compositions. It’s quite bad.
Stemming from such a drop in quality, much of the conversation surrounding Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 150 has been dominated by calls for series author Gege Akutami to take a break. Many have also pointed out the fact that Hunter x Hunter suffered from something similar towards the end of the Chimera Ant arc, but the circumstances are very different: both Gege Akutami and Yoshihiro Togashi suffer under the strain of weekly publication, but Togashi was suffering with intense back pain at this point in Hunter x Hunter’s serialization.
If Akutami has any such similar health problems, he’s never made them public. As a result, the most likely explanation behind the sketchy art in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 150 probably has something to do with the fact that he drew not one, but two color illustrations for this week’s issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. Maybe it was just a matter of bad timing.
‘Still, it shines a light on just how tough weekly serialization can be, as well as how an added workload can easily let some things slip through the cracks.’ (Jacob Parker-Dalton)
3
Back to normal?
In a rather bullish statement from the organizers of Supersonic, they want their 2021 event to be the first music festival in Japan to invite international artists after the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’ve already seen the gradual return of music festivals in Japan, following a complete wipeout of the calendar year 2020. Even so, many have been forced to rely more heavily on domestic artists because of strict entry requirements and lower audience numbers.
Many of the largest Japanese music festivals rely just as much on international artists as domestic ones, however, so a true return to normalcy depends on their return. A new statement from the organizers of Supersonic 2021 says that there are plans for it to be the first Japanese festival to welcome back international artists for both the Tokyo and Osaka events in September, but Alicia isn’t convinced.
‘Japan’s strict entry requirements have kept out even those wishing to enter the country for work purposes for all of 2021, and the hope that this could change so soon after the Olympics seems too good to be true. Especially if any further spike in cases occurs.’ (Alicia)
4
Happy one million!
Following recent milestones achieved by Takanashi Kiara and Ninomae Ina’nis, hololive EN has achieved a very rare feat: all of its creators have surpassed over one million subscribers.
The first hololive EN member to hit one million subscribers was Gawr Gura, back in October 2020. Since then, she has rapidly grown in popularity, to the point where she is on the verge of overtaking Kizuna AI. Then it was Mori Calliope in January 2021, followed by Amelia Watson in February of the same year.
Kiara and Ina, meanwhile, both managed to surpass one million subscribers within literal days of each other: Ina was eating spicy noodles on 27 May while Kiara was in the middle of a twelve-hour endurance stream on 31 May. All in all, this means that all five of the current first generation of hololive’s English-language talents have achieved this incredible feat.
‘It is very rare for an entire generation of VTuber talents to reach one million subscribers. There are plenty of creators who never achieve this milestone, to say nothing of the speed at which hololive EN has accomplished this... What’s more, it puts hololive EN and Cover Corp in a very strong position ahead of the launch of a second generation, auditions for which were held back in February.’ (Jacob)
5
Some good history.
Interested in learning about the history of Nintendo consoles and franchises? Well, you’re in luck: a Nintendo museum is coming to the company’s hometown of Kyoto soon.
Set to open sometime in fiscal year 2023 (April 2023 to April 2024), the museum will be a tourist facility where Nintendo’s past products will be displayed and visitors will be able to interact with them. Funnily enough, the complex is being built on the site of Nintendo’s Uji Ogura factory, where the hanafuda cards that gave the company its start used to be manufactured.
Particularly exciting is the thought of seeing and maybe even getting to play some experimental or unreleased console prototypes. Nintendo has always been a secretive company, with lots of its development history being kept behind closed doors. Might we finally see the long-awaited Wii Vitality Sensor?
In any case, Corey Prask makes the point that ‘If there is any company that should have a museum dedicated to their history, it’s Nintendo. Their consoles and franchises have completely shaped the video game industry into what it has become today. If it wasn’t for Nintendo, it’s possible that there wouldn’t even be a video game industry the size that it is today.’
6
Taking on the internet.
Although legendary manga creator Rumiko Takahashi isn’t exactly known for being open with the public, she’s turning a new leaf with her own official Twitter account.
That being said, she didn’t actually set it up: alongside an adorable illustration of Lum from Urusei Yatsura, she said in a statement that her editor opened it for her. This is because she’s ‘bad at the internet,’ which is pretty adorable.
Still, the prospect of Rumiko Takahashi having her own Twitter account is an exciting one. She says that she’ll be using it to ‘announce various things,’ which presumably includes updates on her latest series, MAO. Already, the response from fans has been overwhelming: the comments are full of people talking about how she and her works have changed their lives.
‘Just what kind of content and information Rumiko Takahashi will be sharing on her new Twitter is still up in the air... but one thing is for sure: we are going to look out for her posts, as she’s one of the most prolific creators in the industry.’ (Corey)
7
Pedantically 31.
Gag manga legend Koji Kumeta will be holding a special exhibition to celebrate 30 years since he became a creator, but in typical fashion, there’s even a joke in this.
Technically speaking, his debut work Go!! Southern Ice Hockey Club started back in April 1991, meaning that we’ve already passed 30 years since then. As a result, this exhibition has rather pedantically been named ‘Koji Kumeta: 30 Years as an Artist All Works Public Humiliation Exhibition ~Actually 31~.’ That’s quite funny, in my opinion.
Much like every other anime or manga exhibition, there will be manuscripts and other original production materials on display, as well as photo opportunities and a big illustration produced by Koji Kumeta especially for this event. What sounds most interesting, however, is the room dedicated to Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei’s frontispieces: anyone who has read the manga will know how beautiful (and occasionally disturbing) these can get.
‘Although the author may view having material from all nine of his different manga on display as a form of public humiliation, it offers an excellent opportunity for fans and enthusiasts alike. Over the course of his career, Kumeta has produced many excellent comedy series, remoulding the subgenre in his image along the way.’ (Jacob Parker-Dalton)
8
Giving back to the fans.
Adapting to the changing times, Crypton Future Media has announced that they will allow content creators to monetize YouTube videos featuring Vocaloid characters.
Indeed, in recent years, there has been fierce debate as to whether creators should be able to monetize their content if they are using a third party IP. This is particularly the case in the gaming industry, where some companies have opened up - and some haven’t.
Luckily, Crypton Future Media is taking the former approach. The company will launch a YouTube Content Creators program soon that will allow creators to monetize videos with such characters as Miku, the Kagamine twins, MEIKO, and KAITO in, provided that they sign up. Furthermore, creators who sign up will no longer be barred from joining the YouTube Partner Program.
This is particularly important for Vocaloid. Corey makes the point that ‘Frankly, if it wasn’t for the community and content creators, I don’t feel that any of their characters and IPs would be anywhere near as successful as they have become.’
9
A villain, a bully, and a senpai walk into a bar…
The heroines of My Next Life As A Villainess, Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro, and My Senpai Is Annoying are teaming up for a very ambitious crossover.
Among other things, this will include a monthly four-panel manga and ads featuring the voice actors for all three characters. That being said, they won’t be narrating their own stories: Katarina (Maaya Uchida) will narrate for Nagatoro, Nagatoro (Sumire Uesaka) will narrate for My Senpai, and Futaba (Tomori Kusunoki) will narrate for Villainess. Undoubtedly, each one of them will add their own spin.
You’re probably familiar with Katarina: she’s an otaku-turned-villain in an isekai world. Nagatoro is, of course, the teasing underclassman that everyone loves to hate. Out of the three, Futaba might be the most unfamiliar: she’s the lead of My Senpai is Annoying, but her series has yet to be adapted into an anime. It’s coming in October.
James Fujita is as excited for the four-panel manga as I am. Given that each of these series enjoy such different concepts, how do you bring them together? Do you go full parody like with Isekai Quartet, or attempt to find some common ground? Either way, I’m interested.
10
The impossible becomes reality.
Somehow, A Couple of Cuckoos has managed to do it yet again: secure another seemingly impossible collaboration, this time with the Re:Zero manga series.
Penned by Haruno Atori and based on Tappei Nagatsuki’s original light novel, the Re:Zero manga is currently serialized in Monthly Comic Alive. Given that this is published by KADOKAWA and Cuckoos is represented by Kodansha, you wouldn’t expect them to crossover: publishers don’t usually tend to go beyond the realms of their own intellectual property rights because of the extra hassle.
Even so, in A Couple of Cuckoos’ case, it’s probably worth it. The manga broke several records for Weekly Shonen Magazine last year, and the first volume ended up becoming a bestseller, so the extra hassle is more than merited from KADOKAWA’s point of view if it can draw a little bit more attention to the Re:Zero manga.
‘No doubt we’ll see more of the impossible becoming reality in the future.’ (Jacob)
Video Corner
‘It’s not uncommon to walk into a convenience store in Japan and to hear video game music. In particular, music from the Dragon Quest series. To call it popular would be a massive understatement. Cultural touchstone would be a better descriptor. But there’s a massive gap when it comes to its popularity overseas right now.’
Video by Callum May
See you next week!
Ura and the OTAQUEST team.
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