How I taught my old blog new tricks

Uncategorized

Things have been a little crazy in Otaku Journalist land. At one point two weeks ago, I counted that I had six different jobs. I was maintaining multiple WordPress sites, writing a curriculum for my WordPress course, putting the finishing touches on my next book, and of course reporting for ReadWrite, blogging, and maintaining my business as usual.

Last week, however, was just the opposite. It seemed like everything finished up at once. Now I’m back to normal and feel like I have way too much time on my hands.

I decided to put that time to good use by doing some maintenance around my blog. Otaku Journalist is nearly five and I’ve had a list of things I’ve needed to update and fix.

Anyone who’s been running a blog for a awhile can relate to how upkeep slips through the cracks. So I’m sharing some tips for keeping an old blog running like new:

Update the user experience

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You might notice some ever-so-slight changes to the look and feel of Otaku Journalist. That’s because I finally set up a child theme for it.

WordPress sites get their appearance information from themes, templates designed by developers all over the world. If you know a little HTML and CSS, you can customize your theme’s design. But when the original developer spots a bug or a security issue, you need to update your theme and lose all those custom design changes. So as a result of doing this, I hadn’t been updating my theme and it’s been getting slowly buggier.

The alternative is to create a child theme, a theme that inherits the functions of the developer’s theme, but can host its own custom design. This is so easy, it’s something I taught my WordPress bootcamp how to do in one weekend. But I had been putting it off until now. Now the site is running Purple Pro Child so I can update Purple Pro whenever its developer does.

Another user experience change? I’ve finally added Disqus comments. I’ve been meaning to do this since the reader survey in May. Not everyone likes Disqus, but let’s try them out for a bit and see if they make commenting less of an ordeal. You can finally edit your own comments!

But seriously, I wish I had installed Disqus for WordPress much earlier. It took almost 24 hours to migrate my existing 2,500+ comments to the new system!

Optimize your site speed

sitespeed

With five years of posts, images, and data, Otaku Journalist is getting bulky. I’ve started to notice page loading speeds suffer as a result.

The first thing I did was go to Page Speed Grader to see what was taking so long. Before I did anything, it was taking nearly 6 seconds to load, which is noticeably slow. And after assessing the issues, I installed a couple useful WordPress plugins:

  • W3 Total Cache, a plug-in that caches elements on your page to improve loading time.
  • EWWW Image Optimizer, a bulk image lossless compressor. It took an hour for it to go through every image ever seen on Otaku Journalist and compress it.
  • Leverage Browser Caching Ninjas, a one-hit wonder that does for free what W3 Total Cache will only do in the paid upgrade.

Now each page comes up in about 3 seconds, cutting load time in two with just a few installs.

Update static pages

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I (usually) update my blog once a week, but when’s the last time I even looked at my About pages? And these are the vital first links on my site that new visitors click!

Two of them, About the Site and About the Author, were still linking to my non-existent digital journalism guides instead of my new book. Tiny missteps like that can keep new readers from even realizing I have a book out there at all.

Most of the changes, however, I made to my portfolio site. It was so out of date it didn’t even list my business name on my resume or display any portfolio pieces later than February, which probably makes it look to potential employers like I’ve been out of work that whole time.

Maybe this tip seems obvious to you. But I always forget that even though these static pages seem old to me, they’re brand new to first-time readers and absolutely essential to keep up.

I hope you’re enjoying the new and improved Otaku Journalist! What are some regular maintenance you do to keep up your blog?

Otaku Links: Moral panic of the day

Otaku Links

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I always promised myself I wouldn’t become one of those bloggers who are always apologizing for not posting instead of just getting out a damn post, but I do have to say sorry for not posting this week. I taught my aforementioned WordPress bootcamp all weekend long and that’s usually when I write my posts.

Expect a return to normal next week and until then, enjoy some links!

  • CNN reported on Japan’s new child pornography law, criticizing it for being harsher on photos of actual children than it is on how young the women in hentai manga appear to be. Anime fans are mad because policing moe drawings is unlikely to make children in Japan any safer.
  • The most outrageous part of the article, as Otaku USA Magazine observes, is that the illustration blurs out a PG-rated cover (unblurred version here) to imply that something explicit is occurring on it.
  • In response, Anime Maru put up some timely satire of the article. “The article admitted that there was no reported link between manga and child abuse, and then inexplicably continued for 472 more words.”
  • Did you notice the Daily Dot launched its new Geek section this week? Aja and Gavia kicked it off with a guide to fanfiction for journalists who can’t stop writing horrified think pieces about how fanfics are corrupting our children.
  • Old but great—why your 600 word armchair treatise on how you’d improve video games doesn’t apply at all to the struggles of real professional game developers.
  • Finally, Charles Dunbar has put together a really fascinating Tumblr that compiles all of his research on yokai, or Japanese legendary monsters. It’s like an “at your own pace” version of one of his panels, and just as informative.

Photo via CNN.

Otaku Links: Actual news for a change

Otaku Links

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  • Geekosystem and The Mary Sue are merging into one big mega nerd news site. I’ve been reading Geekosystem since it launched in 2010, and The Mary Sue was how I first found my friend Aja. I’m excited to see where they take this.
  • Crunchyroll just acquired a video discovery site you’ve never heard of called Redux. Why should you care? Redux’s technology is designed to make accurate “watch this next” recommendations. With Crunchy’s growing title list, this might help us pinpoint the handful of anime we actually want to watch.
  • Gundam fans rejoice! Gundam Build Fighters just got a tentative launch estimate for its Season 2: Fall 2014.
  • They’re remaking everyone’s favorite pigeon murder dating sim, Hatoful Boyfriend, for English speakers. I just learned the word “hato,” or pigeon, in Japanese class and couldn’t stop thinking about this. It was better then the class when we learned how to pronounce “senpai” (with an “m” sound.)

Photo via plumgirl of Tumblr user whiteislandvalkyrie‘s mom. 

A World Alone: Isolation in Natsume’s Book of Friends and Mushi-shi

Anime

natsume

I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately, and my recent anime choices have reflected that. I’ve been dividing my viewing time between two calming, spirit-filled if not spiritual, shows.

First I was rewatching my 2013 favorite, Natsume’s Book of Friends, a staple I always turn to when I need a pick-me-up. Then, a friend recommended I check out the similar Mushi-shi.

I mistakenly thought the OVA and second season, both on Crunchyroll, were all of the show that existed. It was pretty exciting when I discovered the Season 1 S.A.V.E. DVD on Amazon. Now I’ve watched both shows in full—several times if you count some of the episodes.

This is what I tweeted after my first episode of Mushi-shi. They’re so similar, so I decided to write down my feelings and figure out why I see them so differently.

Both series center on a young man who has the unique ability to see spirits that inhabit our world. In Natsume’s case, those are ayakashi straight out of Japanese folklore; in Ginko’s, they are mushi, a fictional form of life somewhere between plant and animal. It is unusual for Ginko finds a mushi human enough to talk to, and very rare that Natsume finds a yokai who can’t.

Natsume’s Book of Friends is all about the problems of the yokai themselves, and Natsume does his best to help them find solutions. Ginko, on the other hand, assists people who have fallen on disaster by accidentally crossing paths with mushi. In Natsume’s world, ayakashi can be good or evil or a mix of the two. In Ginko’s, mushi aren’t good or bad, just trying to survive. Mushi aren’t governed by morality, just the often harsh laws of nature.

Sometimes, Natsume crosses paths with other people who can see what he sees—the exorcist Natori, the antagonistic Matoba clan. Other times he spends time with friends who have a touch of his gift, or can only sympathize, like Taki and Tanuma.

Meanwhile, Ginko interacts with somebody who can see mushi almost every episode. The human victim of a mushi is able to temporarily see the mushi that plagues them. It’s apparent that other mushi-shi, people who do what Ginko does, also have the gift. However, Adashino, who is portrayed as Ginko’s old friend, is fascinated by but unable to see mushi.

What makes Natsume so charming and Mushi-shi so dark? Natsume’s tragedies lie in the past while Ginko’s are always looming, ever-present and ready to consume the show.

mushi-shi

Natsume focuses on the tragedy of Natsume’s lonely past, made dim by the close friends and family he has in the present. There are clear antagonists with clear motives, and it’s obvious who the good guys are, too. Every episode has a happy, or at least bittersweet, ending.

On the other hand, death and loss are not glossed over in Mushi-shi. The worst part is that, because mushi are rarely sentient, there’s nobody to blame for the tragedies. Ginko visits the occasional friend, but mostly he is alone, a traveler. And because of his unique tendency to attract mushi, he is condemned to wander forever.

Natsume is portrayed as a formerly very lonely person. But in the show, Natsume is always talking to people who love him—family, friends, and yokai. For him, loneliness is something that can be overcome. For Ginko, never. The people Ginko meets need him, but he can never stay in one place long enough for them to get to know him or—of all impossibilities—love him.

Natsume has grown adept at putting up walls around himself, but the people around him have grown adept at breaking through. Ginko doesn’t need to try to keep himself aloof; his lifestyle guarantees it. Loneliness pervades both shows to be sure, but the difference for me is how permanent it remains in Mushi-shi.

These are both great shows to watch quietly before bed. The pastoral, sylvan atmosphere and gentle music makes each one strangely calming. Supernatural intrigue takes the stage, but the real theme shows through the cracks—how isolation can mold and change a person.

Screenshots in order via Natsume’s Book of Friends, Mushi-shi.

What the Summer of Shoujo says about anime

Anime, Fandom

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Scamp did a pretty great runthrough of the summer anime season on the Cart Driver—check it out!—and I can tell this is going to be a pretty full season for the ladies.

Here’s what I mean:

  • We’re getting Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal (not to be confused with Viz Media’s Sailor Moon re-release) a remake of only one of the most beloved shoujo series in Western anime fandom;
  • Blue Spring Ride, a Kimi Ni Todoke-type shoujo romance;
  • Free! 2, which puts all the talent and hype of Kyoto Animation behind a series engineered exclusively for the purpose of ogling hot guys;
  • Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, a rare 4-koma romance adaptation targeted at girls;
  • Dramatical Murder, Love Stage, and Black Butler: Book of Circus (thanks for the correction, Tony!)—three shows that are probably not going to be notable except that they’re all BL shows that pander to women. I cannot recall a time we’ve had more than one BL show airing per season.

I’m not saying that all of these shows are going to be awesome. We probably won’t know if there’s even a single one worth watching until July. However, this seems to be an indication to female fans that senpai has finally noticed us. Studios realize our money is just as good.

Still, will this season be any better for it? I don’t think it will be.

A lot of these shows may be pandering to women now, but it’s still pandering. Whether it’s the “my little sister is hot for me” of last season or the “men in drag for no reason” of the now, studios will deliver us these fantasies whether we want them or not.

Did you notice that just about all of these shows are romances? Whether het or BL, they seem to be primarily about two people getting together. But I suppose that comes with the territory of the shoujo term—even if we had a show about an engaging, independent female character kicking ass, that would probably be considered shounen.

And let’s look more closely at this glut of BL. So far, nobody has very high hopes for the plots of these shows; they’re simply targeting fujoshi viewers. We’ve been trained not to expect much from the single BL show of the season and we get what we expect; recent titles like Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi get uncomfortably non-consensual. Yes, I am definitely part of the problem, but if we tell studios we just want pretty boys, we’re not going to get any of the cool female characters we crave.

It’s almost cliche for an anime fan to bemoan today’s shows and how much they suck, compared to the “good old days,” defined as “five to ten years before that fan discovered anime.” You often hear a lot about the ‘90s or early ‘00s being a golden time for anime, when really, there was just as much junk then as there is now. In reality, time and distance wipe away the bad shows from our memories, so we only remember the good stuff that aired.

My guess? Probably I’ll end up watching one or two shows from the summer season—same as always. There’s more shows aimed at women, but the percentage of what looks like quality and what looks like junk remains the same. It’s remarkable that women are getting such a big piece of the pie now, but fanservice is still insufferable, no matter who it’s aimed at.

More of my writing on fanservice:

Photo via Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal.