Followers of the anime fan community have already heard of the Otaku Elimination Game, and Danny Choo’s upcoming Otacool 2 book launch. I’ve been following the two entities since they came into my consciousness, and while I believed this topic has been done and sealed by many, I find the enmity too powerful to be left un-commented.
The ‘Otaku’ Elimination Game
The 'Otaku' Elimination Game (OEG)
Largely, the “‘Otaku’ Elimination Game” crew (OEG) has pretty much done their stated objective thus far, which is to strike down blogs that misused the word ‘otaku’ (Wikipedia), and/or the ones that hanker over the likes of Danny Choo. Personally speaking, having met the person face-to-face before, I’m neutral over the matter, because I felt the whole “hobby as a business opportunity” talk was an interesting concept that no other businessmen would bother delving. The other factor was that, since late 2008 I have been pretty much jaded with the entire subculture having so many e-drama even Korean soap operas look like iCarly.
It also does not harm to mention that the few bloggers “targetted” by OEG – the truly deserving people to be credited as “otaku” – passed the first round, warming me up to OEG’s intents and purposes.
As someone who had experience following the now-dead Odex saga, supporting the rebellion has always been a part of my social life. It is not about fighting for the sake of it, but the cause which OEG raised their banner in defiance of Danny Choo do have legitimate points. I am pretty sure many detractors of OEG out there will highlight their “immature tactics” and the general raging out against a segment of the anime blogging community; then again, asymmetrical warfare has long destroyed the concept of “conventional warfare,” so it does not matter to the OEG whether they will amass a huge following like Danny Choo. As for me, supporting OEG seemed like a natural instinct, considering I don’t fancy Danny Choo’s business-minded tactics (the Otacool books being one of them).
Yet, I don’t see why the Japanese could not just adapt and evolve.
You see, having Danny Choo coming on board, the so-called “murder of the small-time hobbyist businesses” were a natural progression of the demand for anime. Ideally speaking, as my fellow friend-cum-blogger hinted out, Danny’s otaku business empire can flourish with all its might (just like the Imperial Empire he adores – by “cosplaying” as a Storm Trooper – of Star Wars fame) and the small-time businesses can still attract the following of the real otaku. They just have to not locate at the bloodily-expensive, n0w-oppressed Akihabara district anymore (consider the area a dead desert), deal in other niche areas, or consider online-only setup. They also might consider moving along the lines of Comme des Garçon’s “guerilla shop” tactic.
Easier said than done, a lot of you will raise this unsympathetic remark.
Put it this way: As much as I prefer the “old” Akihabara, having spent time visiting places where they’re almost certain to be f***ed up (Lebanon being one of the many countries I will never visit again, because they have changed since the 2006 War), and not having Elven powers to stop change, inevitably the winds have conspired to turn her into a monstrous tourist trap. I do not know what are the thoughts of real otaku in Japan about this matter; for that matter, otaku-dom is, in actuality, a celebration of consumerism. So be damned if the small-time shop-owners die off, the otaku will still be happy that they got the latest 1/x figurine that will bend over to gravity in 2 years time. Give them what they want, and they will not complain.
Have fun while it last, gentlemen.
Otacool 2
Otacool 2 Main Cover (Copyright: Danny Choo)
Previously, Danny Choo presented the world with his Otacool books; in other words, “free publicity for the ‘otaku’.”
The first book featured the rooms of various ‘otaku’ from around the world, showing off their collection of figurines, collectibles, merchandises, posters and whatever garbage that can pass them off as “otaku.” If the OEG crew were right in their claims, I guess it was a bad fish in Japan, at least.
(I will dare to make that one post to contrast between Japanese otaku and non-Japanese ones, but I fear the OEG will castigate me instead.)
The upcoming Otacool 2 will feature cosplayers from around the world, in their best (or worst) Yoko Littner outfit; yaoi-inducing, chest-baring guys propping their costumes base on characters of anime shows no sane/straight man is willing to go through (to a certain someone, I’m still marathoning 07-Ghost, so please be patient!); and photo portfolios which I think all the modeling agencies should buy, so that these small-time modelers and photographers (if they are credited in the book) can go on to become big stars and big shots. [/sarcasm]
Yada yada yada.
I shall save the criticism to when the book comes out in April. Until then, having no part of the cosplay scene (whether as a cosplayer or a photographer) meant that I do not qualify to criticize the people who took part in the exercise.
The beef that is currently on-the-rumor-mill (or rather, recently settled) is the accreditation.
Apparently the cosplayers’ photographs were taken by pro-am(?) photographers, and these people would want to be credited as creators/co-creators of the photographs. Evidently, Danny Choo did not thought of this matter (or rather, it was Kotobukiya: they “apologized for not asking for the photographers name in the original submission requirements”). Hence, the matter was brought upon to him, and quickly as the news come forth, accreditation has become necessary.
I was somewhat amused at the whole “copyright issue” thing that was discussed on his Otacool 2 Q&A post:
I certainly hope that anal copyright owners don’t start a movement against cosplayers. More importantly, I hope that anal cosplayers don’t stimulate the copyright owners to take action.
My bet’s on oppression being the “coolest in-thing” for this decade. (Look at how rich so-called “oppressive states” are now: UAE, Saudi Arabia, China even. Liberal democracy is dead and over!) [/sarcasm]
I have read Matt Mason’s book, “The Pirate’s Dilemma.” I have also read Lawrence Lessig’s “Remix”, so don’t tell me what I already know about this subject matter. The whole point here is: these companies who owns the intellectual property to their works, have that “red button” at their disposal to push. If I have a prediction, not even less than two years from now, this whole “anime subculture” will die as a result of corporate bullying. (Veoh just died recently, with their intent of bankruptcy, citing “distractions from lawsuits.”)
So as much as I want companies to not push that red button (already this kind of politicking mimics real-life, which is not what the anime subculture is supposed to degenerate into), they will push it: it’s a matter of when.
Once again, gentlemen, have fun while it last.
P.S.: Singapore version of Otacool… F*** THIS, I’M GOING TO ASK <censored> TO <censored> THIS F***ING PLACE INTO <censored>.
P.P.S.: Not going to say what I want to say, because I might get caught by the ISD for terror-related charges.
Last Words
In my opinion, this subculture will be warped into something I myself will never associate with some years down the road. As with the degeneration of video games (I once favoured auto-wreck games like Interstate ’76, but games from such genre are rare, with the now-old-news Auto Assault dying in 2007), anime subculture will continue to evolve as with the change of times. Old-timers will find it hard to adapt or impart their wisdom to newer generations of the subculture. Inevitably something awesome will come by once every generation; most of the time, it will be rehashes of the same old thing.
The most ironic thing about this post, is that I have expressed similar sentiments 3 years back. I guess this isn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back (or was there one?), but I am increasingly frustrated with either the subculture or the industry. I once joked that the last good anime season was in 2007, and after that, it seemed that all of the creative talent has gone into hibernation.
Anyways, I think it’s high time for a rethinking of this blog.
COMMISSAR MADOBE NODOKA – wut shimapantsu? 8D (Credits: {link:http://atticus83.deviantart.com/art/Commission-Hitoribocchi-154182828}atticus83{/link})
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True, sometimes the hobby that we embark in changes over the years and it became something totally unfamiliar to us.
… Holy shit you actually played I76 b4!
That was the better Interstate ‘XX series I’ve played: Interstate ’82 totally killed the allure of vehicular combat strategy that I’76 presented.
But I digress. I think I don’t think I like the change that the anime subculture has gone through, but otherwise, we wouldn’t have anime shows nowadays. I will quietly wait on the sidelines, and see if there is light at the end of the tunnel.
That you even still bother about this subculture locally is commendable. Time to just chat with the peeps you call acquaintances or friends that you already know of through your hobby and stop bothering about such matters except for the lulz or just a topic of comedic discussion. They are just not worth your time and health to worry or be bothered over. We all have far more important things to worry about instead.
Indeed: I still owe you some important stuffs to give over.
Well, a major rethinking should be done for this blog: having 10 more months’ worth of web hosting to go.
>> the cosplayers’ photographs were taken by pro-am(?) photographers, and these people would want to be credited as creators/co-creators of the photographs. Evidently, Danny Choo did not thought of this matter (or rather, it was Kotobukiya: they “apologized for not asking for the photographers name in the original submission requirements”). Hence, the matter was brought upon to him, and quickly as the news come forth, accreditation has become necessary.
This is not cool. Profiting from another person’s work ( and without permission at that) is as good as giving the creators the finger and farting in their general direction while laughing all the way to the bank. Places one on the same level as those pirated game/software/movie dealers in days of yore. (For Singapore anyway)
>> I certainly hope that anal copyright owners don’t start a movement against cosplayers. More importantly, I hope that anal cosplayers don’t stimulate the copyright owners to take action.
Hmm… anal… stimulate…
Erm, I mean, that’s like a torrent site response arguing the fact that exposure will result in sales (true to a certain extent. I do buy stuff that I enjoy when I have the means, even if it means leaving them in their shrink wrap) But I’m not sure about job prospects for photographers and cosplayers resulting from the “exposure”, especially since they are all on pro-bono basis. (I guess) DC’s not sore since he isn’t a content creator and doesn’t know how it feels to have your creation stolen. (I don’t know what he does exactly. Something to do with databases and e-commerce and stuff?)
On a final note, the cover page of Otacool 2 left me in stitches. It’s like playing, “Which item doesn’t belong in the set?” LOL.
EDIT:
Just read the Q&A and I retract my 2nd last paragraph.
There was a similar hoo-ha regarding creative commons being a loophole in copyright content rights or something. I’m not sure of the exact outcome but it was along the lines of flickr, deviantart, etc being able to monetize from your works. The whole cosplayer claiming copyright thing left me facepalming though. Guess they haven’t done modeling jobs before. Something new to learn everyday.
It does seem that Singaporeans love cosplaying and Danny Choo with regards to that post. I won’t comment further though lest I open a can of worms.
Well, the whole thing about the accreditation is that the photographers – who spent their money on cameras and equipment – want some justice done; at least give credit where it’s due. However, Danny Choo (or rather, Kotobukiya) does have reservations on crediting the kitchen sink, which is justifiable (at the very least, credit the photographer that captured the published photos on their own camera, on Otacool 2).
In actuality, the whole animé fan community’s lifestyle is surrounded by mucky brownish-gray legal loopholes in which only through enforcement of common mutual points/codes of conduct, will the situation not degenerate into a free-for-all killing fields. That was something Danny Choo do not want the subculture to devolve into.
My opinion still stands, though: the power of attorney is still lie on the content owners/creators’ hands, and sooner, rather than later, they will push the “red button.” Then whaddaya gonna do, change a new hobby?
It does seem amusing that the OEG crew regarded the Singaporean “otaku” as blind adherents to Danny Choo’s cult of “otacool.” F***ing hilarious, and righteously deserving.