When I dislike a movie, I tend not to get worked up over it. At best, the goofy ones will be valuable for a laugh or two later. But for movies that are simply garbage, I don’t waste a second thought and move on. However, if the circumstances are just right, a movie can evoke a mysterious rage from within.
Channeling this anger into something creative, I’m launching a new column for the site. I call it Reel Mad, where I deconstruct films that anger me so much, I burn calories hating them until the End of Days*. Expect it to be written, but like my rant on The Expendables, I may occasionally grab a mic.
The first in this series is Easy A.
The truth is that I wanted to like this movie! The premise was great! Girl does her gay friend a solid, there’s a big misunderstanding that paints her with a nasty reputation, and she embraces the exaggerated adulteress image to spite the misconception that a woman who has/enjoys sex that isn’t defined as a whore. That almost happened in the movie…but didn’t.
Whenever I rant on about the terrible trend of digital distribution, I risk being stamped a kook. Then events like the recent PlayStation Network outage emerges and I feel vindicated. My rhetoric isn’t of issues that could arise; they’re consequences that arehappening.
Ultimately, the outage was Sony’s reaction to hackers breaking into the network and pillaging private user information. I’ll likely expand on this, the true catastrophe of this event, in a later blog post or the podcast since it’s relevant to my religion (of sorts). But for the meantime, I’d like to begin by fortifying my previous points.
My basic position is that consumers are being duped into accepting it’s more favorable to pay admission for access than to trade for property. If digital distribution becomes the standard for media, consumers lose all their power in the market.
One of the bullet points in my case is that consumers will be completely dependent on the distributor to access the products they buy. Third party services like Hulu Plus and Netflix are reportedly included in the outage, which means that their subscribers have paid for services that they now cannot use. Video games that include multiplayer are now reduced to less than half of a full product. And thanks to DRM, some games are now effectively dead.
“Anime sucks.” At least, that’s what I hear. “Anime is dead.” I’m not yet convinced.
In my world, every experience is comparable to food; anime included. Shows centered on fan service are easily associated with fast food. That stuff is cheap, abundant, and can be appear to taste even good, but making it a staple in your diet will destroy your body and soul over time.
Substantial anime, on the other hand, is your home-cooked meal. Often times, yes, the recipe may not work or the finished dish may turn out a bit “off” or maybe the cook didn’t cater to your particular tastes… But at least someone cared enough to get in the god damned kitchen.
Here’s an extra holiday bonus… This is a rant that I put together on some topics that have been a popcorn kernel, long wedged in the gum of my molar.
For months, I’d outline rough articles on the harbingers of digital distribution and the abuse of Godwin’s Law against chimerical censorship. Mid-draft, some new report would spring up from the media, putting the SEAN SMASH! on yet another helpless keyboard and leaving the written article in wait.
The pen is mightier than the sword, yet impotent to the power of the microphone.
Last week, I took part in the Twitter discussion ignited by a recent Penny Arcade strip. The strip stems from a recent article perpetuating the ongoing, exhausting controversy of used video games. Publishers feel robbed. Consumers are bearing the blame. GameStop is the devil. By now, you know this song by heart.
Below, I revisit points brought up in this conversation…
Words fail me in describing my reaction to The Expendables. At least, written words. Put very simply: I didn’t like it. After several failed drafts, I finally just gathered my notes, fired up the mic, and spoke my peace about this movie.
**SPOILER WARNING!** Proceed with caution.
Since this is just myself and no Kevin for this round, it’s not to be considered part of the Method to Madness canon, though he and I might have a followup to this on the podcast in the future.
Awww… He’s a lover AND a fighter!
What is wrong with this picture? (Don't worry, you'll get two chances to guess.)
In the Method to Madness podcast, I’m joined with my good friend Kevin “The Business” Gray to discuss great anime and video games that you should be watching as well as ones you should feel ashamed you are watching.
For years, I’ve adamantly opposed the idea of completely replacing tangible media with digital distribution for video games and other forms of entertainment. It’s a fantastic alternative, but could spell disaster for consumers if it becomes the standard.
This resistance on my part stems from an age where products that you purchase (like video games) became your property. Media publishers have begun adopting digital distribution as a lucrative business model, now that they’ve realized that they can use it to destroy the secondhand market and overthrow consumer ownership.
A topic that’s a frequent fly in our podcast ointment is fan service. It is a poison to Japan’s entertainment industry; transforming those otaku who ingest large, regular doses into ghoulish misshapes of humanity. Exposure to the One Ring is less toxic and more likely get you laid.
But it didn’t used to be that way.
Fan service, literally, was a way that creators used to give appreciation to fans of their shows. These often took the forms of Easter Eggs within other shows. A brief cameo or in-joke would spark delicious glee with those watching “in the know”.
On occasion, full productions were put together as an entire entrée of fan service. A perfect example is Scramble Wars. This early 1990s OVA is regarded as the anime counterpart to Wacky Races (though a more accurate comparison would be to Laff-A-Lympics). Only instead of Yogi Bear, Jabber Jaw, Speed Buggy, and (of course) Dick Dastardly & Muttley, the celebrity contestants hail from Bubblegum Crisis, Gall Force, and Genesis Survivor Giarth.
Then something strange happened. Someone, somewhere had the bright idea, “Hey, I know a real treat to give the fans! Let’s take their favorite female characters and put them in bikinis! Maybe even…naked? Tanaka, you know what naked boobs look like, right? No? Well…can you draw them? Yeah, I knew you had that shit down, dawg.”
At first, this was a treat, but little did we know just how far it would escalate. It’s like when your mom starts out encouraging you to eat healthy snacks like fruit or granola. But as you get older, her resolve weakens as she more often offers you cheaper, pre-packaged cookies and candy for goodies. By the time you’re in college, you’re stuffing football helmets filled with Oreo brownies covered in Snickers ice cream and chocolate chip cookie dough…for lunch.
Over the past decade or so, fan service shifted into a sexually potent feature. “Fan service” became the Trojan Horse for [s]exploitation. Exploitative shows had already existed for decades (mostly thanks to Go Nagai), but what was once niche was quickly becoming the standard. Every series got its token beach episode or bathhouse scene. Costume designs for anime and video games became more provocative. And for a fandom that’s dominantly male, this proved to be a commercially successful move.
Once production companies hopped on this gravy train, they knew that if they were each going to compete in the industry, they needed to continue pushing the envelope. Enter the invasion of lolicon, moé, incest and any imaginable fetish into our cartoons. Titillation used to be the icing to the fandom; now we’re served solid slabs of fan service fondant. Seemingly sweet, but sure to turn your stomach.
Now here we are: In a dark age for anime, where what’s essentially soft-core porn is now the lifeblood of the industry. Where fan service once rewarded faithful fans, it’s now a device for drawing attention from new viewers.
As I’ve said, I’m prepared to ride this through because I have faith that it is temporary. As long as I draw breath, I will continue to endorse anime and video games that are fun without resorting to spank material. I want to be there when we as otaku ring in the new era where “fan service” returns to its roots.
Saturday was the apex of our convention experience; a whirl of events, commerce, and good drink with good friends. Sunday wound down the weekend, but not without a grand hoorah.
Also, Kevin hates furries.
KEVIN DOESN'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
In the Method to Madness podcast, I’m joined with my good friend Kevin “The Business” Gray to discuss great anime and video games that you should be watching as well as ones you should feel ashamed you are watching.
Animazement reminds us why we not only love anime, but also love being part of the fandom. Strangely, the opposite is simultaneously true.
Kevin and I has so much to say in our podcast report of Animazement 2010, we had to split it into two parts! In part one, we discuss Thursday’s pre-con harbingers along with the big con kick-off on Friday. Stay tuned for part two when we follow up with Saturday and Sunday.
For those curious about the kinds of horrors inflicted upon hapless otaku during Anime Hell, the video playlist has been posted here.
Please notice the Knuckles cosplayer. This will be important later.
In the Method to Madness podcast, I’m joined with my good friend Kevin “The Business” Gray to discuss great anime and video games that you should be watching as well as ones you should feel ashamed you are watching.
If you're new to Alpha Counter or Method to Madness, we've put together a nifty sampler of some of our best stuff! http://t.co/6ghHHnAi15 hrs ago
Ideally, I'd like to borrow someone's hotel room, but I may need to have to find somewhere public and hope there's minimal noise/distraction 15 hrs ago
I'm interviewing someone at Animazement, but need a quiet place w/ at least 1 electrical outlet. My need to scout out the convention center. 15 hrs ago
Who can I high-five for getting Unico in the Island of Magic on the Animazement video room schedule? 1 day ago
Oh, what the hell... We now have an Official Alpha Counter Facebook. If you like us, please Like us! https://t.co/Jkdh7wAO1 day ago
Hey, Method to Madness listeners: Out of curiosity, what's your favorite episodes of the podcast so far? For reference: http://t.co/Hi3DPOFp1 day ago
I had a dream that a fan offered to get the @AlphaCounter crew into a convention but we couldn't afford the travel expenses. #NIGHTMAREBOAT2 days ago
Maybe the reaction to my name is like a trigger word. It works in the same way as MK-Ultra sleeper cells, only benign. 4 days ago
Maybe my name is some unknown glitch in the English linguistic code. Like there's a percentage of folks just wired to have that reaction. 4 days ago
Is "Sean" registering in peoples' minds as a title? Like "Sir", "Doctor", or "MC"? Do some people not know "Sean" IS a name? 4 days ago
On occasion, full productions were put together as an entire entrée of fan service. A perfect example is Scramble Wars. This early 1990s OVA is regarded as the anime counterpart to Wacky Races (though a more accurate comparison would be to Laff-A-Lympics). Only instead of Yogi Bear, Jabber Jaw, Speed Buggy, and (of course) Dick Dastardly & Muttley, the celebrity contestants hail from Bubblegum Crisis, Gall Force, and Genesis Survivor Giarth.
