It’s the biggest annual tug-of-war in the world and it’s roots can be traced to the 1600’s. The Naha Tug-of-War will be taking place again on October 11th and will once again draw thousands of spectators and participants to Okinawa. The tug-of-war is a symbolic battle between East and West Naha, a parade, costume leaders, and coaches for each team. The rope itself weighs about 40 tons. Participants in the tug-of-war pull smaller ropes which are attached to the giant rope. At the end of the battle the rope is dismantled by the participants and spectators as it is believed that to own a piece of the rope is good luck. Check here for a video of this amazing event.
Naha Tug-of-War
What We’ve Watched: Ranma 1/2
Synopsis: Due to an unfortunate accident at the cursed Chinese training ground Jusenkyo, when Ranma and his father get splashed with cold water, papa turns into a giant panda and male Ranma becomes a buxom young woman! Hot water reverses the effect, but only until the next time! Constantly chased by battle-happy martial artists and lovesick suitors of both sexes, what’s a half-boy, half-girl martial artist to do?
Copyright Owner: Viz
Rating: Teen
What the teens thought: While this series was very familiar to some, the age of the show guaranteed that a good number of the teens hadn’t actually seen any episodes yet. We watched the “Ukyo’s Secret Sauce” disk and everyone enjoyed the humor. Though this is also a martial arts series, most of the show was wrapped up in comedy and romance. There were plenty of laughs but it didn’t “wow” anyone.
What I thought: How we ended up watching two Rumiko Takahashi series back to back I’ll never know. Like InuYasha, Ranma 1/2 could end up in both the shojo (romance) or shonen (adventure) category. This is a fine introductory title for mixed groups.
+ Lots of humor
+ Romance to keep the girls happy
+ Not as many teens have seen this series due to it’s age
- Not the most complex plot ever. That could also be a plus.
What We’ve Watched: InuYasha
Synopsis: Kagome Higurashi, an average ninth grader, gets pulled into an ancient well by a demon, bringing her 500 years in the past to the feudal era. There, she meets Inuyasha, a half-demon who seeks the Shikon Jewel to make himself a full-fledged demon. With Inuyasha and new friends, Kagome’s search for the Jewel of Four Souls begins…
Copyright Owner: VIZ
Rating: Teen
What the teens thought: This was another series that a lot of the club members were already familiar with. Many of them had seen it on Adult Swim or had been reading the manga in the library. Some of the club members requested that we show an episode with Sesshomaru (he’s such a bishi). Enough action to satisfy the guys. Enough romance and hotties to keep the girls happy. Too familiar to keep everyone interested through the entire show.
What I thought: I’ve also seen most of this series so I spent part of it cleaning up the mess everyone made at the snack table. It’s a decent series. Rumiko Takahashi is pretty well known and she’s good at mixing action and romance to keep everyone happy. Still, it’s too familiar.
+ Good mix of action and romance
+ Good animation
+ Connection to historical period might make for interesting cultural lessons
- Too familiar
Gyaru Style and Anime Characters
Just as in any other television show or graphic novel, personal style can say a lot about characters in anime and manga. There’s been plenty written about the meaning of haircolor in anime (check here), but what does style mean in realistic storylines? Do any of these stereotypes carry over to real life in Japan?
One of the most popular shojo series around is Peach Girl. Though the main character Momo Adachi is a good girl, she suffers from rumors mostly because of her tanned skin and blonde hair. So, what is it about her personal style that causes people to talk about her behind her back? Momo’s look typifies kogal style, a subtype of gyaru style made popular in 90’s Japan. Gyaru is the Japanese form of the English word “gal” and has come to encompass any number of styles worn by teenage girls and young women in Japan. Many of those styles are reactions to the homogenious Japanese culture and rigid social rules for young women. Some types of gyaru style are directly influenced by American culture. In general, many forms of gyaru style are marked by dark skin and light hair. A sort of Japanese take on the “Valley girl.” In general, any break away from the subdued traditional style of the average Japanese teenager may be viewed as a rebellion and automatically define a character as loud, a delinquent, or possessing loose morals. In the case of Peach Girl this is not at all true. Even though her classmates believe it is.
In the past 20 years gyaru style has evolved into many different subtypes, each of which can range from interesting to outlandish. Just look up “yamanba” on Google to see what I mean. If you have a lot of girls in your anime club or just a general interest in shojo style and Japanese fashion you might want to check out gyaru style. Here’s a few links:
List of gyaru subtypes with pictures
Watch Anime for Free Online! Legally!!!
We all know that teens love to go online to watch anime. It’s free. It’s easy to find. And it’s not like they can find a lot of anime on TV. One of the downfalls of this is that many people don’t discriminate between legal and illegal downloads and streaming video. Many rely on YouTube or torrents to deliver their email and don’t particularly care about copyright infringement. The internet has made fansubs and bootlegs impossible to resist instead of impossible to find, as they were in the past. Some fans say they they only preview anime online and have every intention of buying legitimate releases at a later date. Most never follow through on this promise. This type of attitude has contributed to the downfalls of Geneon, Broccoli USA, and Central Park Media, as well as the recent transfer of ownership of ADV. For this reason I like to encourage club members (and leaders) to watch anime online LEGALLY. At least then companies can get some money from advertisers. Here’s a list of places to go:
Bento: When Lunch is Pretty
As you’ve watched anime you may have noticed characters enjoying bento boxes. These are popular (and very attractive) box lunches common in Japan. They can often be found in convenience stores and can be made at home. In fact, the making of a bento box can be considered to be an art form. If you don’t believe me just do a Google image search for “bento” and see what comes up. There are all kinds of special techniques related to shaping rice and cutting vegetables. The boxes themselves can be as diverse as plastic take-out containers or lacquered boxes. In anime you’ll most often see bento boxes used in romances. Girls in anime take pride in a well-prepared bento for their significant other. If you want to learn how to make your own bento, or just share some fun bento recipes with the teens in your anime club be sure to check out Just Bento. They even have vegetarian recipes and bento planning guides.
What We’ve Watched: Kodocha
Synopsis: Sana Kurata may be a famous TV star, but her life is anything but perfect! Her classroom at school is controlled by the boy bullies, all of whom are led by the nasty Akito and his gang of hooligans, who are at it again, wreaking havoc in the classroom.
Copyright Owner: Funimation
Rating: TVPG
What the teens thought: This was one of the lowest attended anime club meetings we ever had. In general we have a lot of guys in the club and when Kodocha was chosen as the title of the month most of them made other plans for that day. The few guys that did show up were bored and uninterested. The girls that were there seemed to be ok with watching the series, though there were complaints about how whiney and annoying the main character was.
What I thought: I’m not a fan of shojo in general, so before I even watched the DVD there was already a strike against it. Nothing about this series changed my mind. The main character was annoying, flaky, juvenile, and a klutz. For some reason most shojo writers think these are great character traits for the female protagonist. The lead male was a cold jerk with a tragic past. If they had given him an emo haircut he could have been a slightly more talkative Sasuke Uchiha. This is not a plus with me.
+ Good for mostly female groups
+ Quality of the animation was good
- Not to be shown to a predominantly male group
- Female characters shown as vapid klutzes
- Older groups may not appreciate the juvenile age and behavior of the characters
What We’ve Watched: Zatch Bell!
Synopsis: Kiyo, a genius but introverted middle school student, hates going to school and has trouble making friends… until one day Zatch comes crashing through his bedroom window! Zatch is a present from Kiyo’s father, who saved the little tot on an archaeological dig and hopes that Zatch will help motivate Kiyo to go to school and make friends. What is Kiyo going to do with this kid Zatch, who suddenly sticks to him like glue?
Copyright Owner: VIZ
Rating: All
What the teens thought: This was a take it or leave it title. The teen who nominated this one was a huge fan. To the other teens it was a more or less forgettable title. There was a little bit of action. As the rating suggests, it’s aimed at a younger audience and was a little more juvenile than what we usually watch. The consensus was “Eh, whatever.”
What I thought: I kind of thought that the character Zatch was more annoying than he really needed to be. This was one of those series that was edited in the US to appeal to a younger audience and the VIZ DVD didn’t even make the Japanese audio available so I’m not sure how much less annoying he would have been in the original. It’s too bad VIZ doesn’t give audiences a chance to find out.
+ Enough action to distract viewers from the kiddish behavior of Zatch (but not for long)
- No Japanese audio option
- Poorly edited for the US market
- Kind of annoying
FanArt for fun (but not for profit)
Want to encourage creativity in your anime club? Give them a way to show off their fanart! Many teens (and other anime fans) love to draw their favorite characters or even create their own characters for their favorite series. You’ll find tons of examples of this on Deviant Art. While some fans and artists post their works online, most casual fans don’t have the means to share their work online. Anime clubs may be the perfect place for such budding young artists to showcase their talents.
FanArt Slidshows: Since the beginning of the anime club at my library teens have been emailing me their fanart or bringing it in for me to scan to add to our monthly slideshow. The slideshow is simply a Powerpoint presentation featuring the fanart gathered during the last month. Lately our slideshow has also included Japanese vocabulary words. Once a year the slideshow features pictures of cosplayers from the local anime convention. The slideshow is an easy way to feature fanart because you don’t need to setup a website. You only need a computer and a projector.
Encouraging fanart may also be an easy way to promote some items in the library collection. We have tons of books on drawing manga in the YA area that can be displayed during club meetings. It may also be a good idea to share some websites with the teens. Manga University, one of the publishers of manga drawing guides, also has a great website with tutorials. Here’s another great manga tutorial website.
What We’ve Watched: DragonBall Z: Fusion Reborn
Synopsis: An industrial disaster in Other World has unleashed a gargantuan monster, and the Z fighters are taking action! Janemba’s arrival has thrown the dimensions into turmoil, leaving the door between worlds gaping open and the dead are rising from their graves. To combat this juggernaut, Goku must power up to his race Super Saiyan 3 form, but shockingly the move is not enought. It’s a battle on two fronts and teamwork is the key! As time runs out, Goku stumbles across a weary Vegeta and devises a risky plan that might be the universe’s only hope…Fusion Reborn!
Copyright Owner: Funimation
Rating: 12up
What the teens thought: At the beginning of the club I let the kids vote on what they wanted to watch. This generated a lot of votes for very popular series. When DragonBall Z was selected for our second meeting I thought it would be better for the kids to watch one of the movies than pick random episodes. We ended up with this 60 minute movie. Be prepared for the peanut gallery to get very active during this one. There’s a tiny pseudo-Hitler running around and some really weird power-ups for the characters. Nobody was quiet during this one. They had a blast.
What I thought: At first I wanted to veto this choice since pretty much everyone in the club was already familiar with the series. I requested two of the movies through ILL and let the kids choose which one to watch. If your club is looking for something silly to get rowdy to this is the one for you. Just don’t try to keep people quiet during this one.
+ Hilarious
+ The peanut gallery opportunities will allow the teens to bond
+ Lots of action
- Again, not a lot of depth
- Not good for clubs that need to keep quiet
- Too familiar
