Otaku Links: Hi from Anime Boston!

11 years ago

This week just won’t stop. First I launched my very first book, and now I’m at Anime Boston as Lead Staff Blogger, volunteering for the con doing what I do best. Actually, I’ve been blogging for AB on and off since 2010!

You can keep up with me and my blogging staff on the official Anime Boston Tumblr all weekend. But before that, Friday links:

Not into March Madness? What about if it were about anime shows instead of basketball? Build your brackets at My Anime List or Anime Bowl. Are there any others I don’t know of? Let me know!

Anime Maru is a parody site that’s like the Onion for anime fans. This one cracked me up: Fan Service Industry Suffering.

Gargarstegosaurus watched the first eight episodes of Zambot 3—and found it to be much darker than she’d expected for a ’70s kids mecha show.

A post has been making the rounds on Tumblr by a girl who claims to be a “transethnic Japanese woman.” I loved PrettyGeeky’s sane, logical, and down-to-Earth response to it. It takes guts to respond to something you disagree with with so much compassion.

From the talented Lisa Granshaw: Yes, fanthropology is a legit field of study.

And finally: how Yowapeda-loving female otaku are bringing bicycling back in vogue in Japan.

Otaku Journalism is on sale now!

Writing

11 years ago

And now, the moment I’ve been waiting for ever since I told you I was writing a book.

Otaku Journalism: A Guide to Geek Reporting in the Digital World, is on sale today.

Measuring up at 144 pages, Otaku Journalism costs $5.99 and can be read on any device that can run a Kindle App—iOS, Android, or Windows. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can even borrow it for free!

As promised, Otaku Journalism is a vast improvement over my digital guides. It contains two new chapters, fictional stories about otaku journalists illustrating the lessons of each section, and deeply personal accounts of how I manage my own career. Not to mention Lisa Granshaw‘s geeky editing magic, and Kevin Bolk‘s cosplay-worthy cover.

As far as I know, Otaku Journalism is the ONLY journalism textbooks for aspiring fan reporters. Unlike my own college journalism textbook, it doesn’t just reluctantly add a section about “computer assisted reporting.” It assumes, like every modern journalist ought to, that this is the age of digital journalism, and our reporting methods and our pop culture story topics should both reflect that.

This book has been in the making for years, and I’m so excited to finally be making good on my promise. Pick up a copy, and let me know what you think of it in the form of an Amazon book review!

I’m luck to have had so many people willing to help me publicize my launch. Check out the press I’ve gotten at the following sites (I’ll continue to update this all day):

J’s Writing: Otaku Journalist Releases First How-To Guide For Fan Journalists
Nathan Meunier: Guest Post: Why I Wrote A Book On Fandom Journalism
OASG: Five Tips For Getting Anime Industry Interviews
Deremoe: Otaku Journalism book is out on Amazon
Japanator: Get your writing career started with an anime blog
The Escapist: Otaku Journalist Blogger Publishes How-To Guide for Fan Journalists
Musehack: An Interview With Lauren Orsini About Her New Book

P.S. Self publishing was an exciting new experience for me, and not half as intimidating as I thought it would be. (If you know HTML, you’re golden!) I would love to do a Q&A soon where I answer your self publishing questions, so ask away in the comments!

The Otaku Journalism cover is here!

Writing

11 years ago

I am so excited I could burst. This weekend, Kevin Bolk gave me the final draft for the cover illustration.

If you’ve been playing along, you’ve already seen the original sketch. The final cover is actually pretty true to form:

I’m really impressed Kevin’s ability to read my mind and draw what I was hoping for—without a lot of guidance. It helps that I’ve been a fan of his work for a long time.

It was really important to keep the tone of this book light, even though it gets pretty far into the weeds of journalism practice. That’s why I decided on a cartoon cover and added fictional stories to help illustrate the technical lessons of each chapter.

Otaku Journalism will be available in the Kindle Store on Wednesday, March 19 for $5.99. I can’t wait to share this labor of love with you!

Otaku Links: What is this I can’t even

Otaku Links

11 years ago

First off, it’s ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! The Otaku Journalism book is fully formatted and will be on sale sometime next week! I’m so exciting to finally share it with the world, and I wanted my readers to be the first to know.

Now, onto the links:

From the design studio that conceptualized the XBox 360 comes Stolen Jewels, a highly pixelated accessory line.

Beginning this April, you’ll be able to buy Gundam model kits at 400 different Barnes & Noble locations. At this rate, how long will it be until B&N turns into a toy store?

An email exchange between Tony and myself prompted him to write about the link between autism and fandom.

The Daily Dot explored how tabletop games became such a big part of our plugged in world. Part of the answer: Wil Wheaton.

The ancient Greek rhetorical tradition of “I can’t even.”

Why Obama’s Between Two Ferns appearance worked. From the article:

Obama’s presidency has overlapped with the rise of the meme, and both he and Michelle have taken advantage of this.

How bronies are redefining what it means to be a man in America.

Finally: Praise Helix! How Twitch Plays Pokemon invented a nuanced Pokémon mythos.

Photo by Mike&Maaike Studio

How journalists are portrayed in anime

Anime, Journalism

11 years ago

When’s the last time you’ve seen a positive portrayal of journalists in the media? For me, that would be All The President’s Men, a 1976 film on the Watergate scandal. Today, the journalists I see on TV are more of the Rita Skeeter type: nosey, ruthless, and rude.

My last post on the public perception of journalists got me thinking about how journalists are portrayed in my favorite fandom: anime. Here are some of my favorites:

Tina, Toriko

Tina is an anchor for Gourmet News, and she often accompanies Toriko on dangerous ingredient-gathering excursions. She’s always trying to get her next big scoop on rare ingredients, but usually there’s a mishap with her camera.

Fran Doll, Turn A Gundam

Fran is really good at her job, somehow managing to take shots from the front lines, risking incredible danger. But she’s seen more as a nuisance at odds with the protagonists. Even as the Luzianna government censors all her work, she keeps documenting the war. I couldn’t find a screenshot, so that’s Fran in her cameo in Gundam Build Fighters!

Akira Komatsuzawa, Ouran High School Host Club

A third-year student at Ouran, he loses his position as president of the newspaper club when he decides to pursue a baseless rumor on host club president Tamaki. He’s a clear villain with no ethical worries about inventing a story to harm another student’s reputation.

Niko, Engaged to the Unidentified

A high school newspaper club member with no scruples whatsoever. She sneaks around for stories and considers one character’s concern over her ample butt to be a scoop. Niko is a hapless antagonist, whom the other characters try to keep our of their personal business.

Diethard Reid, Code Geass

A former member of the press staff at Hi-TV, a Britannian television station, Reid eventually defects to the rebellion and literally becomes a terrorist. He uses his journalism background to become Head of Information, Espionage, and Public Relations for the Black Knights.

Of course, these are just a few of them. There are many, many more! Who is your favorite journalist character in the anime world?