Toshokan 01 Introduction to Sara and Linda

[animemiz]

Watch on YouTube

This is the first episode of Toshokan 01

Notes from this episode

Notes from #ToshokanFLP #01
These notes will reflect main points, titles mentioned in first episode of #ToshokanFLP and is not an actual transcription of the 57-minute episode. Parts of these notes will be a matter of correcting or elaborating on topics mention. Titles mention are in italics. Also these titles may or may not be owned by FLP, and are may be personal copies.

• Collaboration between Sara Palmer (Adult/Teen Librarian Supervisor from Kensington Branch) and Linda Yau (Adult/Teen Librarian from Northeast Regional Social Science and Technology Department.
• These conversations will involve fangirling and us expressing strictly our own opinions.
• Linda’s entrance into anime/manga began in the 80’s and 90’s as an introduction from parent and has been a lifelong hobby. First anime was Dr. Slump, Voltron, Kinikuman (Ultimate Muscle), Umi no Triton (Triton of the Sea) by Osama Tezuka, Ninja Hattori-kun, City Hunter, Ghibli movies, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Yu Yu Hakusho. Majority of this was in Chinese and then English.
• Voltron is a Sentai show, with live action examples of Ultraman and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
• Manga is Sailor Moon and City Hunter in Chinese. English manga was with Ranma ½ and Sailor Moon (Mixx later Tokyopop). Anime and Manga Monthly Magazines with Galaxy Express 999 by Leji Matsumoto.
• Sara’s entrance into anime/manga was with Speed Racer Digimon Yugioh, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Inu Yasha, Full Metal Alchemist, Earth Girl Arjuna, Vision of Escaflowne, His and Her Circumstances. Adult exposure was in Library School in a class of Teen media. Impression was changed because earlier perception was influence by American comics targeted toward men. Impressed by Anime drawing and various age levels featured. Culture was also reflected in series. Fanfiction was my next exposure, with Yugioh. Disclaimer was mentioned watching bootleg version Yugioh.
• Revolutionary Girl Utena is a great example for gender and social norms.
• Linda mentioned unfair advantage in speaking Chinese, because localization was available for more Japanese Anime. Blessing and curse. Linda affirms that Sara’s exposure to anime/manga is a period of Anime/Manga going mainstream.
• Sara mentions importance of friendship exposure to anime/manga and this is quite organic. Earth Girl Arjuna is a beautiful, moving series in spite of being preachy. Linda compliments Arjuna with having beautiful music.
• Sara mentions Yoko Kanno music, and Linda follows up with a question about (Yuki Kajiura)
• Third question – What do you like about Anime/Manga. Linda mentions that anime/manga themes is all ages, and not tied to specific genre. Hours of entertainment is also a plus. Linda affirms that friendships is great, also it is a great exposure of Japan’s culture which is a blessing and a kiss to wallet goodbye with merchandise buying.
• Sara demonstrates merchandise with a Catbus pencil case from Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, Yugioh cards/kuribos, Erasers of Japanese cultural foods (Onigiri, Taiyaki), Keychain of a Mameneko.She later shows off a Natsume Yujincho bag, cell phone charm, figures.
• Sara mentions a good thing to share shelfies, which is a demonstration of personal collection of anime/manga memorabilia and collectibles.
• Manga is an interesting thing to collect. Linda mentions that she collects different editions of manga, in different languages and different formats. Sara owns Latin America, so she tries to visit and purchase different items showcasing Anime/manga cultures there. Linda mentioned that she had visited Japan three time, and this is goal of Sara as well as many other anime/manga fans. Linda mentions that she had visited Netherlands to look at the expensive imported prices, as well as Canada as she chased after the viewing of a mangaka (author).
• Linda mentions practice of also chasing after Japanese singers in other states.
• Sara mentions that many Kpop/Jpop is to be covered in other conversations. She mentions that a desire to explore more about mono no owari and wabi-sabi (Japanese aesthetics), and impermanence. Hikari no Go was mentioned as an example for showcasing Japanese aesthetics themes.
• Next week we’re speaking about what FLP has. Hikari no Go is shelved as a children’s book, so all ages.
• Each manga is separates into different age groups. Shonen for young boys, shojo for young girls, seinen for older men and josei for older women. There is overlap in American fans to consume everything, beyond what the target age range. Chii’s Sweet Home is mentioned as a title that appeals for all age, in spite of it being mentioned as a seinen title.
• Chii’s Sweet Home is licensed in United States by Vertical, which in term is Random House.
• This flexibility of breaking gender norms also extends to Rumiko Takahashi’s title while she is a female author for more broader appeal.
• Blue Exorcist and soccer manga Whistle also has female authors.
• There is a great divide and ability between authors on being able to draw in the styles of shonen and shojo. Moto Hagio has signature style of classic Shojo. Osama Tezuka started the entire genre of shojo with Princess Knight, which is Kickstarted crowsourced by DMP (Digital Manga Press).
• Sara mentions that being a fan, easy to go off on tangents. She brings the conversation back to the next question – What current manga and anime is being watched?
• Linda mentions these manga titles: (paper format) Ancient Magus Bride, Girl From the Other Side, Beastars, Takana and Hana. (Digital Manga) (Global Walker, Amazon)) Cells at Work, The Way of the House Husband, A Man & His Cat, Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family, Syrup, Pleasure and Corruption.
• Sara has a manga subscription with local comic shop. Shoutout to Atomic City Comics. There is a huge leaning toward American comics. This is also a variable series such as, Silver Spoon, Wandering Son, Delicious in Dungeon. Also a ongoing subscription to Shonen Jump: Bleach Naruto. There is a dogged determination to see a series through even though interest had waned. Linda ask if better to collect omnibus instead, and Sara answered, if there was an motive to wait. But she got it as it was released. She has 10-12 titles to read. She has subscription to Renta and follows webcomics from legal sites: Lezhin. Also other legal sites where manga is produced from other countrie, or locallizated into a languages. Is this the same as OEL (Original English Language)? Titles that originated in English.
• Anime is not the first love of Sara and Linda.
• Sara is watching --- , Erased, Show Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Your Lie in April
• Linda has a subscription to CrunchyRoll and Netflix. To be watched is Bearstars. Last title is Somali and the Forest Spirit, The Case Files of Jeweler Richard and Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, March Comes in Like a Lion
• Sara has subscriptions to CrunchyRoll, Hulu, Amazon as well. She likes both anime and manga in Yona of the Dawn. Because often as an anime series ends, the manga tells the rest of the story.
• Linda mentions that anime is a way of promoting manga. Currently manga has extend into different services, such as light novels and video games. Light novel wasn’t a popular format to base promotion from because of the length of time it took to localize a few years ago. Viz might have early light novel publications.
• Sara mentions that a recent light novel to anime adaption is the title Free. This takes fanservice in another direction. Another title is Yuri on Ice. Shogi is featured in Tonari no Seki-kun.
• Sara is part of a Facebook Group: BL Garden in Philadelphia, and they are re-watching Revolutionary Girl Utena.
• Linda has never watched Revolutionary Girl Utena, but the song is sang by Masami Okui, who is in turn part of JAM Project, a favorite music group of Linda. JAM Project is celebrating their 20th Anniversary. Which she has the limited box set, that is valued at probably $400.
• Sara mentions that as an anime fan, you don’t have to spend as much as we do. There is the library, where you don’t have to put a lot of money toward.
• Sara mentions another favorite titles, Natusme Yujincho (Book of Friensds) which has the same feel as Mushishi to which Linda defined saying that it was kiseki. (It is not, it is Transcendental themed). (Kiseki means miracle).Vampire Princess Miyu is probably another similar series with the same feeling. There is a mystery quality of the series.
• Linda has experience for a time of her life being a blogger in her 20’s, so there is much interwebs. She doesn’t share the same preferences as her irl and convention friends would. She experiences anime/manga by herself, and not in the same experience as Sara. Sara affirms it is hard to find a community, so to find a community or group of friends where you can talk for hours is interestingly difficult.
• Sara mentions LiveJournal as a platfom that she enjoyed looking at the fandom, and ships that was loved by the fandom. She would be on more likely to check out a series if it was recommended by a fanfiction author that she enjoyed, based on if they watched it and recommend it, then it is going to be not such a bad series to watch. LiveJournal was eventually abandoned. But it might have moved onto Tumblr, and this is probably abandoned. Speculations for what the next platfom there is, is still to be figured out by Sara and Linda. Linda mentions the concept of aniblogger and anitwitter on Twitter. Sara said in clarification that these are twitter terms to represent the global community on fans expressing love for anime and manga.
• Linda mentions that if there is a anime series, it will be merchandised and commercialized from fashion items to car parts. Stationary goods can also be mass produced such a Shitajiki (pencil boards) or clear files. Sara interjects and asks for a definition of what is a Shitajiki, which is about an B5, A4 sized plastic used as a smooth buffer or placemat between a rough desk and paper that is written atop on with a pencil or pen. It has gone out of fad, because of travel logistics and people don’t need shitajiki as much.
• Sara mentions that anime can make different places popular, promoting tourist destinations. Also merchandising is also with body pillow which can be budget purchasing.
• Sara mentions that there is future plans to upload this to Facebook and Instagram, on Kensington Social media with plans for cross posting with Northeast regional, which in the time this notes was written, should you want to check Free Library’s Event Calender, it is listed under Kensington and Northeast Regional as virtual programming #toshokanFLP with Sara & Linda. https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/101522
Next conversation is going to occur on July 24, 2020 and is about what Free Library has and what your library card can do.