Kitsune_H's Blog

I went to FIBDA, a comic book convention in Lisbon, yesterday. It was quite good, in fact! Loads of comics from all over the world, a decoration that's a pleasure to stroll by, and there were the usual suspects down at the Merchant's Room. Also, there was the usual cosplay contest, and that's what I'ld like to tell you about.

Cosplay here isn't at quite the same level in America, or even Japan, but there's a strong, growing community, always open and welcoming new-comers. This society, as many another sub-culture, is also tainted with it's own vices. And in the case of the cosplaying lot, it's what I call the 'Cheap and Easy' Cosplay. These are the types of cosplays that use garments that are easily accessible, from some or other shop, and that with little or no adaptation are fitted so that anybody can make a cosplay of certain characters. We've all seen these, in all generations. Shinji Ikari, Ryu, and Spike are just the first few examples to pop up to mind.

I hope you excuse my raving and ranting, but while I can understand easily how fun cosplaying can be, and how expensive it can get to prepare a full outfit. But still, it's annoying, specially when suddenly there are 6 Misa Amanes in the room! More than being a lack-luster attempt at Cosplay, it's highly uncreative and utterly lazy, facts that only get amplified with the increasing numbers of copy-cats.

So, please, just do two things. First, make your own bloody cosplay costume, or have a competent seamstress make it for you. Faking it with a quick drop by your local Sears just doesn't cut it. Second, if you see a group of emo kids 'cosplaying' L, shoot to kill.

Thank you.

The other day, while in an imported magazine shop in downtown Lisbon, I came across an edition of a certain, popular Anime magazine from the USA, Anime Insider. I've seen this publication before, and although I, embarassingly enough, can't seem to remember the exact title, it's quite a good magazine, with a good staff that has a great sense of humor. But, what brought my interest into this particular edition itself was a brief answer by Mr. Rob Bricken, to a comment on piracy. Basically, what he wrote was that while Anime and Manga might be heavily edited in the USA (heck, in other countries too) and is released at slower rates than the illegal fan-made translations, only by buying licensed products, instead of downloading them, since this option allows there to be a continuous flow of new products into the market. A valid opinion.
But a dead wrong one, also.

Imagine that you had a really hard day, and need a harder drink. So, since there's only one pub in town, you're forced to go there with your mates. When you arrive, all seems good, so you ask, and pay up front, for a nice shot of vodka, straight. Then, to your amazement, the barkeep fills the glass up to half with water, before adding just an itsy bit of the liquor! Surely, whatever viable reasons the tender may have had, a watered-down drink is not what you wanted, and definitly not what you paid for. Shame you can't go somewhere else. This is what happens with edited Anime and Manga.

We've seen it happen before. Fifteening, censorship of 'morally incorrect' items, the so-called 'cultural readaptions to fit a wider target audience' (I'm looking at you, 4Kids). There are some good reasons for this being done, some against it, but that isn't the real issue. The truth is, that whatever the change is, it detracts from the image, idea or story the original creator was trying to send out, to whatever public he was trying to have receive it. This might seem a bit too grandiose a view for, I'll put it bluntly, cartoons and comic books, but still, changes detract from the original none the less.

But still, the books and DVDs are sold, and increasingly well. Doesn't this reek of hypocrisy? Near everyone who understands the concept of altered Anime and Manga is against it, so why buy them, when free options are produced for the fans, by the fans? Scanlation and Fansub teams have evolved into authentic media translation machines, that can dish out a job well done at a rate of one chapter or episode per week - we can download a fansubbed episode only a week after it is released in Japan, and months before it arrives to the TV screens and DVD players in the western world, if it does.

I can understand the whole copyright issue, and agree that it is better, both practically and morally, to adquire a physical copy of a series that you enjoy, but there is still a whole issue against this, when you keep in mind the whole editing and censorship issue. We've all seen blog posts (like this one), online petitions and the such against the butchering of series, but it still goes on (hello, Tokyopop! 100% Manga my yarbles!). This, is because the public allows it, by buying what they get in the shops. After all, why should the editors rectify their views, when that view sells? Now you understand why I'm against buying censored products: It teaches the market that this is an acceptable procedure.

Therefore, I leave this message: The editing teams won't listen to polite letters, so let their accountants and PR teams do the complaining for us. It is (or should be) your right, nay, your duty, to pirate, seed, download, rip and hack every single piece of Anime and Manga ruined by this corporate (un)cultural regougitation machine, and reeducate those who would take this ever-growing community for mere children, needing to be "shielded from unappropriate content".


P.S.: Just to make it clear, I am fully aware, and thankful, of the good, uncut editions out there, and encourage whole-heartedly their adquisition. Thanks, FUNimation!