Planet Rinda

      Fanfiction or fanfic has been around a long time.  Back when Star Trek was still king, it took the form of fanzines…hand-produced, mimeographed magazines that generally included some fan art and a story or two based on original Star Trek characters set in the Star Trek universe, circulated at science fiction conventions by fans.  The art form, if you can call it that, has grown and transformed mostly thanks to the Internet.  It’s usually fictional stories based on popular books, movies, television shows, anime, comics or cartoons.  These are written by fans for fans. 

     Technically, fanficition violates the copyrights of authors and production companies but most turn a blind eye as they are not written for profit and promote the fan-base overall.  The artwork or stories these fans create expand the original storylines, often exploring directions the creators never intended. One of the biggest growth areas with this has been erotic fiction, pairing characters that were not written as romantic in the original work.  From this has come the creation of slash  fiction, generally seen as the homoerotic pairing of two male or female characters in sexual situations.  While slash fiction has developed a huge fan-base, it also has attracted many outspoken critics (they’re general response is “Ewww!”).
     
     Fanfiction is a controversial subject.  Most people either love it or hate.  There are few that are indifferent about it.  Personally, I’m a fan.  I realize that a lot of people consider it a waste of time and talent.  While others think it’s a terrible disservice to the original work that’s based on.  Still others regard the whole sub-genre as overinflated ego stroking. 
     
     For me, I think it’s fun.  It allows for ideas that stray from canon.  It provides an outlet for fans who want more than is available of their favorite book, movie, television show, anime or comic.  Some of the writers out there are producing fanfic’s that are truly amazing.  They weave stories that are entertaining, provocative and fun!  Now, of course, there are terrible, frightening fanfics floating around out there .  But, honestly, finding that one glorious treasure is worth most of the bad ones. 
    
     I, myself, write fanfiction. That’s one of the reason I haven’t been around here posting lately.  I’ve been on a roll writing some fun stuff.  I don’t post my writing online…basically because I’m chicken!  Maybe one day, I’ll post some here.  Maybe not.  Either way, I’d like to recommend fanfiction to those of you who are interested in a specific show or book.  You may be horrified but you may be excited to discover something new.  It’s worth exploring. Here’s a few suggestions to start you off in the right direction…

• Fanfiction.net – this is great community of fanfiction covering many different genres.  It’s great for all ages with settings to control the ratings. 
• Live Journal – the fanfiction community within LiveJournal is one of the best on the net.  I strongly recommend it.
• Adult Fanfiction.net — this is an adults only fanfiction site that covers the gamut of genres out there.  If you’re over 18 then I recommend it.

Technorati Tags: fanfiction, fanfic, slash, homoerotic fanfiction, fanzines, Star Trek, science fiction, anime, television, books, manga, cartoons, comics, fanfiction.net, adult fanfiction.net, livejournal

     DragonCon 2007 is now just a memory that’s softly fading as the hours pass but for the past four days, it’s been a rocking good time for me! I’m home from the convention and I just want to say that, as usual, it was a blast. The anime track was a lot of fun though I think that the powers that be at DragonCon need to realize just how popular anime and manga has become in this country! Let’s just say that judging from the turn-out at the anime panels this weekend, they are definitely learning!

     I had the pleasure of meeting Vic Mignogna, a wonderful anime/game voice actor, a talented musician and an all around incredibly good guy! Vic is well-known for his work as Edward Elric on Fullmetal Alchemist, Dark Mousy on DNAngel and many others.  His roles number over a hundred in different animes and games.  I genuinely enjoyed his panels on Fullmetal Alchemist and Voice Acting.  He’s an entertaining and informative speaker that keeps the convention panels hopping.  A real fan favorite, Vic brings a sense of humor, kindness, and a great love of voice acting, anime and the fans themselves to everything he does.  He’s also a talented musician.  I’ve got the CD to prove it!  If you’d like to find out more about Vic Mignogna, I’d suggest checking out his fangroup the Risembool Rangers or his website!

      DragonCon wasn’t just about Mr. Mignogna and the anime track but they were both definitely major high points for me.  Of course, the costumes were mind-blowing.  (Check out the fan photos posted online if you don’t believe me!)  The cosplay contest was a lot of fun.  The range of anime, manga and games that the contestants drew from was so varied!  Truly, all fandoms were represented!  My personal favorite was an amazing Cloud from Final Fantasy Advent Children!  The DragonCon Parade was also a colorful representation of all genres and tastes.  And while the Masquerade was fun, the hall costumes blew most of those contestants out of the water! 

     The convention was crowded and having it spread out over the three hotels made it difficult to see and do all that I wanted.  But the sights, the sounds, the tastes, the smells and the spectacle that is DragonCon remain extrodinary, astounding and ever inviting!  If you haven’t attended a DragonCon before, I strongly recommend your doing so.  Regardless of what where in entertainment your personal tastes lie, you can find something intriguing at DragonCon.  Probably a bit more than you bargained for!  It’s kinda like that old Chinese curse, “May you have an interesting life.”  DragonCon is very, very interesting!  And I’m so glad that I was a part of it!

Technorati Tags: DragonCon, convention, anime, manga, voice acting, Vic Mignogna, Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dark Mousy, DNAngel, Final Fantasy Advent Children, Final Fantasy, Cloud, cosplay, costumes, masquerade, costume contest, Risembool Rangers

     For my last installment in the What is Anime series, I want to recommend at least a minor exploration of manga to all anime fans. To the newbies, manga (pronounced mahng-gah) is a Japanese graphic novel or basically a Japanese comic book. Manga and anime are closely inter-related. Most anime started as manga. The majority that didn’t, have since been made into manga. Anime is moving images, manga is the equivalent in still drawings.

Fruits Basket manga has broken into the top 25 of USA Today’s Bestseller list several times.

     Many mangas follow the same storyline as their anime counterparts. While others, take different story arcs. Often, reading the manga of a favorite anime will provide a deeper level of story telling than the anime may allow due to time restraints and other reasons. Sometimes the art will look a bit different than the anime. Whether it’s better or worse comes done to personal preference. But manga fans are just as rabid as anime fans. And usually those lines of fandom criss-cross. The two mediums are very closely related.

     In Japan, like anime, manga is a huge business. According to Wikipedia,

“In economic terms, weekly sales of comics in Japan exceed the entire annual output of the American comic industry”

Naruto’s adventures continue in anime, in manga paperbacks and Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine!

You will find manga in books and magazines. They are generally geared towards boys (shonen) or girls (shojo). Nowadays, manga is much more accessible in the US. You can find growing sections devoted to it at most bookstores. There are numerous English magazines that include monthly mangas alongside anime information. A few of my favorites include…

• Newtype USA -The English version of Japan’s Newtype Magazine.  It’s carried previews of such well known manga as Chrono Crusade, Full Metal Panic! and Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days
• Otaku USA – It’s a new magazine (only two issues so far!) that’s similar to Newtype with an American Flare.  It focuses more on America’s Otaku community than Japan’s.  The latest issue has previews of Key to the Kingdom and Vampire Hunter D.
• Shonen Jump – The birthplace of such wonderful animes as Bleach, Dragon Ball, Naruto, Rurouni Henshin, Yu Yu Hakusho and the list goes on!
• Shojo Beat – The female counterpart to Shonen Jump.  It’s carried such favorites as Honey and Clover, Nana and Vampire Knight

You can even get manga downloaded to your cell phone!  It’s a growing trend in Japan that’s starting to spread over here.
 
      So as you explore the world of anime, leave a little room for manga.  You may find a new passion within it’s many brightly illustrated covers!

Technorati Tags: anime, what is anime, manga, Wikipedia, Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine, Newtype USA, Otaku USA, Shojo Beat, Shonen Jump, shonen, shojo, Chrono Crusade, Full Metal Panic!, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days, Key to the Kingdom , Vampire Hunter D, Honey and Clover, Nana, Vampire Knight, Bleach, Dragon Ball, Naruto, Rurouni Henshin, Yu Yu Hakusho , Fruits Basket

     I’ve finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (My boyfriend called dibs when it arrived so I had to wait my turn) My first impression of the book…thought provoking. There was a lot that left me thinking. At times, I found myself having to pause, consider and sometimes reread sections. There’s a lot going on in this book. Which shouldn’t be surprising. J.K. Rowling has a knack for layering her stories. And she’s very good at leaving certain scenes open to the interpretation of the reader.

     Another early impression of the book. It’s complete. I have a genuine sense of having reached the conclusion. It’s a satisfying feeling. More and more it seems these days that so many books, TV shows and movies never really tie things up and end. There’s always a cliffhanger. It’s kinda surprising because I didn’t think I’d feel this way but this book is a solid conclusion to Harry Potter’s story.

     There were some surprises. There were some tears. I anticipated beloved characters would die in this final book. It is a war that they’re fighting after all. Casualties are to be expected. But at least a couple of the deaths were completely unexpected.

     It’s a good book. I will admit that I felt it was dragging at times. By the halfway point, I couldn’t believe that she was going to manage to end the book, let alone the series because it felt like it was meandering so. But once I reached the end, I realized that a great deal of information was imparted in those seemingly slow moving parts. I just didn’t recognize it until it all came together. Rowling is exceptional at foreshadowing. At planting small clues or seemingly insignificant facts that later become pivotal points of reference. She has written an entertaining, delightful and highly addictive series of books that I readily recommend to young and old. These books go far beyond any hype that surrounds them. They are truly magical.

Technorati Tags: Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling, books,

Azumanga Daioh is a perky school-days, shōjo type anime that I absolutely adore. From the opening credits, it lifts my spirits and makes me smile. It’s based on a manga and was adapted to anime form back in 2002. It’s a goofy but sweet story that follows the lives of five high school girls that come together in their freshman year, all in the same class. Their teacher, Miss Yukari, is a laugh riot. A wild, unpredictable English teacher who has more in common with her students than her coworkers. Her old friend and the girls gym teacher, Minamo Kurosawa, is a stabilizing influence. Well, as much as anyone can be with Yukari! The girls are united by the unexpected arrival of Chiyo Mihama, a child prodigy who has skipped five grades to enter high school at the tender age of ten. Chiyo (or Chiyo-Chan as she’s known to her friends) is smart…really smart! And very cute with adorable little pigtails.
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     I’ve just finished the seventh book in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series,  All Together Dead.  And as I expected, it was wonderful!  Allow me to confess that although I love to lose myself in a good book, I’m not a speedy reader.  More like molasses in January when it comes to tearing through a book.  Yet with every one of the Sookie Stackhouse books, I’ve quickly devoured them!  And the same holds true with the latest one.  I just gobbled it up in less than two days! 

     The books are an easy read.  They draw you into the world of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress that is steadily becoming more and more involved in the world of the vampires.  Now, I don’t want to give away a lot.  No spoilers necessary here.  What you need to know is these books are well-written.  The characters burst with life and energy.  And they are very believable, which is kinda scary because her books are populated with a bevy of supernatural creatures.  Sookie feels very comfortable to me.  She feels like she could be me or my sister or my best friend.  I can relate to her real-life problems and the world she’s grown up in.  Now, the vampires!  They’re mysterious, complex and most of the time, damn sexy!  But there’s so much more.  Shapeshifters, weres, witches, demons…she covers the supernatural spectrum in these books.

     The series starts with Dead Until Dark.  A quiet, unassuming story of a small-town girl that never fit in who discovers that Shakespeare was right.  There really are more things in heaven and earth than Horatio or Sookie dreamt of.  And after a great revelation worldwide, Sookie discovers a world where she and her ability (telepathy) aren’t considered weird.  She discovers love and loss. And Charlaine Harris is such a good writer that you can’t help but want to tag along. 

      Oh, and one more quick note.  HBO is in the process of filming a new series based on the books called True Blood.  It’s being written, directed and produced by Allan Ball, the creator of HBO’s Six Feet Under.  Anna Paquin is set to star as Sookie.  I haven’t heard much buzz on it yet so I’ll keep you informed.

Technorati Tags: Charlaine Harris, Dead Til Dark, All Together Dead, Sookie Stackhouse, Southern Vampire, Sookie Stackhouse Series, HBO, Allan Ball, Six Feet Under, True Blood, Anna Paquin