Derangement x 2

This time I have added two titles to my recommended lists, a manga and a movie based on it.

 The manga is Anno Moyoko's Sakuran which is available in translation from Vertical Inc.

 The movie of Sakuran stars Tsuchiya Anna, while not available in a U.S. release the Japanese blu-ray disc has excellent subtitles.

The story is set in Edo Period, specifically in Edo's Yoshiwara district and tells the tale of a young woman who starts out as a girl serving an oiran, the highest rank a prostitute could attain in Edo, to becoming an oiran herself without losing her rebellious spirit, in fact that spirit contributes to her popularity.

mystery + mystery + manga + mystery/manga = 5

I have just added three mysteries plus two manga, however one manga is an adaptation of one of the mysteries. I hope these provide interesting entertainment for readers.

Edogawa Rampo
- Strange Tale of Panorama Island [novel]

Maruo Suehiro
- Strange Tale of Panorama Island [manga]

Matsumoto Seicho
- Pro Bono (novel)

Yasuhiko Yoshikazu
- Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin (Manga)

Yokomizo Seishi
- The Inugami Clan (Novel)

Wrapping a Straight Head Around the Queer

My newest additions to my Recommended Titles - Prose Translated from Japanese and on Japan web page. McLelland's works have been useful for me in that I had many of my assumptions challenged and learned much that puts what I see in anime and read in manga involving gay characters in context. I hope these works will of interest to others.

Here is the text of the addition to the page:

McLelland, Mark

Back in 2004 a gay friend who had moved a couple of years earlier to Tokyo asked for help to understand the queer scene in Japan. I told him that as a straight, white male raised in California I could not be of much direct help. Then the librarian in me took over and I sent him the links to several articles by Mark McLelland, an Australian scholar studying the topic.
I had first run into McLelland's name when I stumbled across his article "Why Are Japanese Girls' Comics full of Boys Bonking?" along with a few other works of his on the Online Bibliography of Anime and Manga Research.
After that initial email exchange from my friend wrote back to me that the documents were very helpful and of interest to some of his Japanese acquantances. As a result of his question I eventually bought several books written and edited by McLelland and found them informative. I recommend these to anyone interested in 20th century queer culture in Japan.
Note: there are other books by him which I have not read and are not listed here.

McLelland, Mark J. and Romit Dasgupta, eds Genders, Transgenders and Sexualities in Japan
This collection of essays includes a variety of topics on gender and sexuality. However many of the essays are on queer culture.

McLelland, Mark J. Male Homosexuality in Modern Japan: Cultural Myths and Social Realities
This book deals with changing representations of male homosexuality in Japan from the regular media, popular entertainment, to views within the queer community.

McLelland, Mark J. Queer Japan from the Pacific War to the Internet Age
Covering the queer subcultures from the early days of sexology publications in the 1920s to recent times. Informative on changing identities, social views and even the terminology used within the queer Demi-monde.

McLelland, Mark J., Suganuma Katsuhiko and James Welker. eds Queer Voices from Japan: First Person Narratives from Japan's Sexual Minorities
A collection of articles and essays selected from decades of Japanese publications.

Anime Sols

Anime Sols is a new company out of Japan. They are a partnership of several animation producers and have an interesting model.

You can watch shows for free, preorder the series you want on DVD, they batch the shows in 13 episode chunks for $40.00, and when they have enough preorders they will charge your card and ship the discs to you, basically this is crowd funding.

The shipping is being handled by The Right Stuf a company that has a sterling reputation with fans.

These are mostly older shows serious fans have wanted for years

http://animesols.com


Sam Pinansky, an American who is a staff member on the project, has been interviewed by some blogs.

Anime World Order:
http://www.awopodcast.com/2013/05/anime-world-order-show-115-lets-ask-the-animesols-guy-about-string-theory.html

Anime News Network:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2013-05-03

FanimeCon 2013 - my schedule

Folks:

As most of you know I'll again be a guest of honor at FanimeCon. I have 3 presentations this year.

This schedule is a little dated but as far as I know still stands.

Subject to changes at any time. If I find out about any changes before the con I'll post that information in this blog.


Friday, 5pm (1 hour) - Anime (and Manga) for Parents.
- No badge needed open to the general public.


Friday, 9pm (2 hours, in the biggest panel room) - Sex Trade in Anime and Manga
 - You have to be over 18 to get in and bring your ID


Sunday, 3pm (1 hour) - Navigating Tokyo

Live Action for April

I have added four live action movies to my recommended lists. One is available on region 2 DVD with subtitles from Japan. This batch gives us an interesting mix of samurai, arsonists, ronin, murderers, con artists, and middle school teachers.

The four movies are:

- Blind Menace

- Goyokin

- Hei no Naka no Chuugakkou

- Revenge

Check these out and see if you may be interested.

April's New Recommendations

I have added several more anime, and one manga to the recommended lists. A few are actually restorations as I have found subtitled releases from overseas, mainly Japan, as well as new US re-releases. I have also updated some of the older links adding blu-ray releases and newer versions. This updating is a task that shall continue for a few more weeks as I do it in small chunks.

The added entries are:

Anime:

- GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka

- Mobile Suit Gundamm TV series

- Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn)

- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation

- Redline

- Royal Space Force - The Wings of Honneamise

Manga:

- All My Darling Daughters by Yoshinaga Fumi