Substitutes & Referrences

Oha

An interesting trait that I've noticed as of late, Otaku tend to draw referrences and substitutes quite often.
Perhaps this is not limited to Otaku only but, the manner is somewhat removed from those who aren't involved with Otaku-related matters.

Below is an example (excuse the overexposure ^^;):




"Marvellous Maids"
Once I read that title, I couldn't help but think of the idea of a Meido, immdeiately I drew referrences from various places... despite the fact that the idea of maids here differs greatly from the 'Meido' we see in anime and related places.

As for the substitutes:



The "Choc Stix" on the right has been a stable substitute for Pocky for many years, or so I'm inclined to think.
While "Gap" is a product from Thailand, it is the next best thing to Pocky to Otaku here is SA.
If all else fails, I may very well be the only one who thinks so ^^;;

Do you have subsitutes or draw referrences?

Well, that ends this post.
'Til we meet again,
~suki

Career Choices

Oha

After thinking about many career choices that are available to us, I've noticed that some Otaku tend to follow a path rather close to their hobbies. It may be writing, designing, illustrating, programming or figure sculpting. This is a very brave and admirable idea and those who wish to pursue a path like this one tend to be happier with their experiences. Danny Choo is a good example of a good business-person, Hobbyist and mentor. He allows us to feel that we can still succeed even if our aims may not fulfill those around us.

This particular image from Lucky Star is a good description as well, even though it is a fairly humourous scene.

Is your career path related to your Otaku hobbies?

That ends this post.
'Til we next meet,
~suki

Happy figure releases vs. Sad wallet [pic heavy post]

Oha

This post was brought on by the waves of lovely releases that seems to be approaching us in the coming months.
Being enthusiatic about figurines and related items, it is hard to hold back and purchase a few at a time. What can be done about this?
Plan carefully

It's easier said than done but, if you have an idea as to what figurines are being released at certain times, it should make things easier.

That said, here are the figurines that I have my eyes on. Pictures are all (c) Good Smile Company and/or Mikatan's blog. Pics are arranged from most recent announcement of release and only releases from January 2008 - 2009 February are mentioned. Older releases are all on preorder or in the process of ordering. [Images can be enlarged when clicked]













Well, that is pretty much all the figures that I'm aiming for and fairly certain I can get hold of. Some Figma's and Nendoroids have been ommited as I'm not sure if those are within my reach (limited edition).

How are you coping with the release schedules and managing your finances alongside them?

That ends this post.
'Til we next meet,
~suki

Learning Japanese: A few methods [pic heavy post]

Oha!

One of my planned entries was to share my methods of learning Japanese. It is by know means the best way and might not suit everyone but, I find it to be a good approach. If this is able to help you in some way, then I have achieved my goal!
Do excuse the pic layout, I'll be updating my layout soon and that should help pic posting in future m(_ _)m


Writing sytems:
Of the available writing sytems in Japanese, the commo approach would be Hiragana first and then Katakana.
Hiragana is the lower level of the two as children at primary school level is taught it first, it is also used to aide pronounciation in Kanji.
Katakana is used for English loanwords, neologisms, foreign names and company names.

A table featuring both Hiragana and Katakana, this will be your friend XD

Once you're able to read a fair amount of either Hiragana or Katakana, you shold find yourself recognising letters in very different places.
Here are to examples that stand out:








The 'A' of Azumanaga Daioh is a recurring idea that appears during the eyecatch. In the case of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, the layout and style of the text is different and it catches one eye due to that.

Parallels:
Once your character recognition grows, you should be able to draw parallels between two words in different situations.





The first logo is from Hidamari Skerch and the second is from a Touhou doujinshi by circle Sekitou.
The same chacters are used and by this stage, you should be able to read both, despite their different styles.

Reading matter:
Since you're able to recognise characters well enough by now, reading is one way to strengthen your skills. Here are some examples of reading matter that can help you:






The first instance could be raw manga or doujinshi. The pic displayed is a Touhou doujinshi by circle Stripe Pattern named, Battle Cry. It is best to pic something that you enjoy as this allows you to enjoy the process of reading in a new language.
The second image is Mikatan's (Good Smile Company) blog. I read that one pretty often, even though I can't understand the Kanji.. I do try ^^;
Lastly, the third image is the blog of Fumikane Shimada. He is most famous for his Mecha Musume images and ideas. This is also a blog that I frequent.

Anime:
Probably the most famous common source of learning, anime. Although you won't be able to read the the Japanese text, anime helps the viewer to hear that language and interpretate. Watching raws and then the subs is a great help.



Radio Drama & J-music:
There are many radio dramas released or aired on company websites. There aren't alwasy translation of it available but, at least it's another way to enhance you Japanese.

Listening to Japanese is quite a plus as the videos or PV's are often subbed or translated lyrics of the songs are easier to come across.
Playing games of guessing the words and their spelling is a fun method that I use.

Visual Novels or Eroge:
I've saved the best for last! Personally, I find this to be one of the best methods as most aspects of learning is used. Reading, listening and interpretation are all used when playing these types of games. Although writing and speaking don't fit in, you still have the advantage of growing three skills through one medium.



That ends this post, I do hope that this was informative in some way.
'Til we next meet,
~suki

Put your eroge face on!

Oha

The title of this post is self-explanatory XD
After reading a post on Danny Choo's site (forgive me for not getting the link), I wondered about something...

Are you able to remain calm and collected while playing eroge? Does living at home have you nervous or anything like it?

Picture below is Osana Najimi from Doujin Work. ^^; I guess you could consider that my eroge face >.<





Well that ends this post
'Til we next meet
~suki

Hobbies: deep or not?

Oha

This is a simple question that I have for my dear readers out there ^-^
We all have similar interests, sometimes our interests vary but, we can still appreciate those differences.

Just how deeply involved are you with your hobbies?
Do you feel that it takes up a lot of your time, how do you feel about that?

Someone that I care for greatly told me, "Do not confuse your hobbies with your life".

It seems like a simple statement at first but, upon further thought... it is not. Being passionate about something, in itself, is not bad. Having your passions replace your life, is not an event that we choose.
We make it happen.
How one ensures that this delicate balance is preserved is simply the power of the mind. If we are aware of the difference between reality and our passions, we should be able to control it.

Let's hope that we can all achieve this while still enjoying our hobbies!

That ends this post
'Til we next meet
~suki

Otaku and merchandise

Oha!

A slightly different post for today. It's a question to the female Otaku out there though; I don't mind males answering either ^-^

There are a few figurines which are made with the intent of revealing more of the body than others but, there is others which just happen to be revealing in one instance.
Whichever you prefer of the two, if your friends and family do not approve of your hobby, it may be hard to display these types of figurines...

What is your reaction to a figurine that suits your tastes but, you are unable to display it for certain reasons?

Personally, I avoid any figurine that exposes more than a bunny-girl figure would. It is a sad thing as there are many figurines that grab my interest but, cannot be displayed due to their appearance ^^;

That ends this post
'Til we next meet,
~suki

Idle fun

Oha!

It has been quite some time since my last post, I hope that you are all faring well?
I've realised just how sucky my connection can be so, content heavy blogs are ones that I can't visit often. I apologise if anyone reading this is victim to this m(_ _)m

On the Otaku side of things, I have increased my collection a bit ^-^
Having acquired some visual novels a while back and between my art and other gaming, I've been trying my hand at Tsukihime and Kanon.
They're very good games and I'd recommend them to anyone, really.

Do you play visual novels/eroge? If so, what are you playing at the moment?

Waiting for releases are painful and I'm sure you understand this feeling ;_;
In about two weeks or so, my Tohsaka Rin Figma is scheduled to arrive.. so that is my current countdown.

What are you currently waiting on?

Well, that ends this post. Please look forward to more in future.
'Til we next meet,
~suki