Zalor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z3hb93BZnI
 
Pretty much my thoughts. I hate where the anime industry is going now...

Kanon is not only a great visual novel, but also among the most influential. It was Kanon that really introduced, (and more or less perfected in my opinion) the crying girl genre in Visual Novels. It was also Kanon that first made KEY a  successful company, which therefore allowed KEY to create other great VNs like Air, Clannad, Little Buster, etc. Therefore, I think Kanon deserves a holiday of its own. The reason January 7th is the chosen date is because the story of Kanon starts on January 7th. Although the prologue may take place during Jan 6th, the game doesn't really begin until Jan 7th. 
 
I personally will be celebrating what's left of this day by playing through some Kanon. I also tried to start a personal tradition last year to play through one day of Kanon for every day in the game. So basically start playing Kanon on Jan 7th, and finish playing a route on February first (the last day in the game). This was unsuccessful last year due to my schedule having been packed with work, but I'm hoping it will be successful this year. In any case, Happy Kanon Day!
 

Well fuck, that was depressing.

I've believed, and will probably always, for a long time that love is really the only thing that mattered, that was worth living for, and that could lead to happiness.  I had that for a time and it was incredible.  To hear people not even wanting to bother with it because it's a pain is depressing.

Sure, I may have given up on it, but not until I thought long and hard about it, and I decided it was just too wonderful for me.  I kind of want to hope people simply reject love because they don't understand love, but even that is depressing.

I'll acknowledge that different people feel differently about different things.  Hell, I find just about everything boring and uninteresting.  I'll still believe, though, that what I felt when I was in love was something far different, and far greater, than anything else in the world.  Maybe it was just pleasure because biologywhich is depressing, but I don't care.  I was happy, and to think that other people will never experience that or simply can't is depressing.

And, gosh, I may be isolated in my own family, but I can easily see how wonderful a family can be.  Even if I'm not a part of it, everyone looks so damn happy.  To never have that is depressing.

And I'm thinking that it's not so different everywhere else.  This is me being cynical, but most of the time when I see couples I can only think of them just using each other for sex as well as other short term pleasure. though love is just long term pleasure because biology doublethink and depressing The only reason I can think of for Japan being "weird" is because people want to desperately cling onto what they see as "normal."  I see it as ordinary for a tough guy to laugh and mock a cuddle cafe and then later that night sob himself to sleep because no one ever loved him.  I think divorce rates are high because no one wants to admit they hired a woman to humiliate them, and so they charge into unsteady relationships to get what they want and ditch them when they're done.  And now I lost my train of thought but it was probably something depressing.



The worst part of all this is that I want to be able to buy affection and that's depressing.
But even if I did, I'd just spiral into depression about how she doesn't really care about me she's just using me for money this is all a lie none of it means anything I want somebody to love me Im just a animal with desires why is life so hard I hate myself for hating myself 

That's only if you sell them as games.

Well what you are is not a collection of anything but rather the very core of what makes up your consciousness. You cover that up with who you are. I am pretty easily attracted to people but will close off to them as soon as I think they are not friends. That is what I am. Who I am is kind of an ass. I have learned that people don't take it well when you don't like them or when you get too close too fast. So to better cope with society I have altered my behavior. Thereby covering up the what with the who. I am sure most people don't much think about it but they are never very honest to their base desires or instincts. When you first meet a person and you decide you hate them for some odd reason you still put up a charade so as not to be rude. The charade is what I call who. Adaptive behavior. 
What you are cannot be changed simply because you forgot everything. It would take a very mind destroying event to change your core. Like for example you having to murder your and or rape your own family at gun point. There is no way that you are coming out whole from that one. You are most likely broken. That is enough to alter what you are.
one other example would be something like complete isolation from society. it mushes your brain and alters how you see everything.
Sorry if my rant is crude or rude but I have a tendency to be a little to direct and open. I dislike censorship of opinions.

I hadn’t planned on responding to this thread (more on this later), but I’ve since decided that I need to do so. I spent a lot of time thinking about my response, and I hope that the community will take a moment to listen to what I have to say. This is Batman’s thread, but in order to address what he’s offered us here, I need to start with a few words about me.



I officially joined the forums just after the original site was hacked/trashed, and was able to participate in the rebuilding effort. That was well over a year ago, and I’ve seen the community go through several unique periods since then. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, and the site has constantly grown, stretched and dreamed of bigger things. It’s been inspiring, sometimes stressful and heartbreaking, and at other times, it’s been all those things simultaneously. During the recent site outage (read: Fuwapocalypse), I realized that Fuwanovel means a lot to me, and has had a great influence in my life. I decided to start a project: “Tay’s History of Fuwanovel” – a chronicling of my time here in this community. Each chapter of the book is divided up into the names of community members. One of the chapters is named “Solidbatman”.

Batman is one of my closest friends on Fuwanovel: someone who's opinion weighs as heavily as Ryoji’s – which is really saying something – and somebody I deeply respect. He’s my friend, and I hope that I’m his. I’ll be the first one to admit that Batman joined the staff – and became an admin – during some of the site’s most difficult chapters. Despite seeing the very ugliest that Fuwanovel has to offer, he’s been a constant force for cooperation, compromise, and respect. The word “character” comes to mind, here. “Integrity” is another good one.

I am glad that Batman took the time to write this post. We do need to be friendlier to each other, and more patient and understanding when miscommunications and conflicts arise. Like Batman, I’ve seen the ugly corners of Fuwanovel’s history. They’re there. The staff forums chronicle some of them. Many others have happened off the forums. I’ve been there for most of them. I’ve tried to learn from them.

The point I’d like to get across is pretty simple. We are each responsible for what Fuwanovel becomes. The way we act, re-act, react all determine what the community stands for.




I hadn’t originally planned on responding to this post. Batman and I already know where we stand in relation to each other. However, the responses of many new members prompted me to respond to them. To new members, and to their concerns.

Fuwanovel is changing, but it’s always been in the process of changing. Better than anyone, I can attest that the site and community have never stood still. As new people come into the community – especially from other VN sites which are known to have toxic rhetoric – we will be faced with a constant identity crisis. We will be constantly faced with the decision to be welcoming, friendly and respectful, or the opposite. As we go forward, we will have to make the conscious choice – every day – to be different.

I am deeply grateful for Batman, and the dozens of other members, who face this choice with a determination to do the right thing. Let’s get along. Let’s play visual novels. Let’s have fun together.

Basically I regard violent scenes the exact same way I regard everything else.
 
Violent scenes for the violence = bad
Violent scenes that adds to the story and/or character development = good (or well... as long as it's not too horribly excessive about it)

Oh I kinda went offtopic a bit, my fault.

Anyways, I do agree on that aspect. Niche artwork is still artwork and has great stories to tell to the open minded people willing to listen to them. That's why I said what I said. There is a bit of a culture barrier from anime being considered a true way of expression, but you'd be amazed at all the variety and discussion about certain anime. It's hard to say if it'll ever break into the educational system, though. The stigma attached to it might be too much.

Not so much for VN's though. Remember our biggest official outlet (MangaGamer) constantly vomits out porn games so they can stay financially afloat. Those are some deeply ingrained prenotions about them.
 
 
 


That's really subjective territory and kind of what I wanted to clarify with all that is all. Hope I didn't come off as a twat.

If I were to really get into this I'd probably end up rambling at length about society and ethics and I really don't want to do that, so I'll try to keep it short.

If culture is the thing that defines art, then VN's cannot be art by definition. Most people consider VN's to be nothing but porn games and self inserts into harem scenarios. Everyone around the VN medium knows that's not true, but hey, culture defines art, right? Our opinion has little value because it's "overruled by culture." Switch words around and this is exactly what you are doing by rejecting pieces of work that other people could like/find meaning in simply because you don't find it good enough.

What you are talking about isn't the beauty and freedom of artwork; it's the sacrifice of individual creativity to conform to society standards of what is looked at as 'art'. That isn't art, that's marketing.

So no, I do not believe for a second that culture dictates the definition of artwork. Culture dictates what is 'good' to consider artwork, what is popular to consider artwork. Not what <is> art. Something as creative and as free as art can't be defined by something as silly as tyranny of the majority.

1.  Strong protag (reasonably smart, capable, non-hetare)
2.  Emotionally moving
3.  well-written
4.  intellectually interesting
5.  funny
6.  good music that is also used effectively to enhance mood

My top four qualities is:
1. Awesome protagonist
2. Funny gags etc
3. Story centered (Not focus on moe stuff, yeah...)
4. Has a deeper meaning or a makes you see the world in a different way
5. Enjoyble characters

Yes I cheated and added a 5th one! moahhaha! ;3

Hey everybody,
 
I had a crazy idea just now.  One that I think could be pretty fun and cool.   Let's begin with this post by shirayuki75.  In it, he comments on the very-interesting LB analysis by Isaac and comments that it's something one would expect to see in a VN literary journal.
 
... Then I started thinking:  Maybe it would be fun to put one together!  I've been editor on a handful of journals (though most were poetry journals), and I think it's a no-brainer that we have a lot of really interesting material here on the forums.  Would anybody be interested in helping compile (or write anew!) interesting content and/or design the first-ever Fuwanovel Forums Literary Journal, Volume I (title a work-in-progress )?
 
 
If not... No problem.  Just seemed like a fun project we could do.  I think we could have a good time with it.  
 
Let me know in the poll above, or by responding to this thread!

Ive been watching anime since August of 2012. And when I started, I thought it was interesting and a fun thing to watch. But for months, I never would have called it "important" to me. Anime was just another type of entertainment that I enjoyed which I mixed in witch other TV shows, gaming, and reading. But it all changed when the Anime-Haters attacked.

It was one early March morning, when I went out with a group of friends to hang out. We rented a movie, forgot what it was, but it had traditional Japanese themes in it. Needless to say, I got into the movie (Girls in Kimonos, come on, nothing sexier than that). Then my friends, joking around would start to make fun of my fascination with the movie. And throughout the movie, I hear quirks like "Hey Vibrantblade! A girl in a Kimono! Oh wait, isnt she underaged? Like those Anime shows you usually watch?" stuff like that really, joking around, not really meaning it, just trying to get me heated up.

They started to make fun of anime in general and the people who watch them, stereotypes really. But every time they remark about anime in general, I found myself a bit...heated? I started to aggressively defend anime and other Japanese Media (like JRPGs). I didn't see it as one of our usual fun arguments, I took it personally. But once they noticed I wasn't taking things as jokes, they backed down.

Once I went home that day, I looked at my anime, looked at my small collection of downloaded shows, and that is when it hit me...Anime isn't some medium I use to enjoy my time. It was more than that. It was important to me. It started to become a lifestyle. Something that will take hours of my free time. And that is when it ultimately hit me...that I am an Otaku.

Griffith from Berserk.





Edit: (W00T! finally 100 posts. In comparison to everyone else 100 posts seems to be nothing at all. But it's a small tradition of mine to exclaim with joy when I reach this feat on any forums).

Yume Miru Kusuri I think that bout Kagami Aya and Nanjou Kyouka should get their routes.

And Tokita Yuki from G-Senjou no Maou.

Griffith from Berserk.





Edit: (W00T! finally 100 posts. In comparison to everyone else 100 posts seems to be nothing at all. But it's a small tradition of mine to exclaim with joy when I reach this feat on any forums).

Please try to keep your discussion to the topic which is the video itself. You can look on the video and see some signs of politics in there but in fact, it is larger than that.


Let me tell you what I see in the video.
It will be worth mentioning that I am not American and yet I see the problem with this, I who only know Obama as "the president of the US", nothing more, I don't know anything else about the politics in the US or what parties there are, I don't even care about politics and government of my country because currently we don't even have one I think (it collapsed or something) xD

But the point of this video is not to point out any mistakes in politics, it is to point out mistakes in humanity and people on this whole planet.
Because this doesn't apply only to the US, this stuff can happen everywhere and it can be related to politics, it can be related to religion but it can also be related to internet cultures, games and visual novels, because it is the human mind that is being tested in the video.
It is the problem with humanity, that they tend to select a individual person who they believe in so much that they become the same mind as the person, losing all their personality. And it doesn't matter if it is the President, if it is the first man on the moon, if it is some actor or celebrity or some youtuber, or even if it is a moderator on forums. The outcome is the same, it is always bad to blindly support someone else's mind and opinions.
And you can see obvious examples of it even in Visual Novel and fan translation community.
How many times have you seen people just blindly follow someone's opinion on vndb, without actually knowing the facts.

Let me show you example of what this video represents if we take Fuwanovel into it:
Imagine if I go without Aaeru knowing (she can be away or something) and I start a topic petition that "We support Aaaeru making Fuwanovel a monthly paid website" and then I start talking about how good that would be for everyone. How many people, especially those that come mostly from the blog could I get to agree with it? Maybe there would be some.
And see how wrong it would be? What if Aaeru actually decided to do it, how many people would blindly agree to change the basic principle behind Fuwanovel, to undermine the foundation that Fuwanovel is based on - it being available for free to everyone in the world. Thats what the video is actually pointing - what if it was actually true, how many people would blindly agree.

Now this is a small community (relatively) and there already might rise some problems from thing like that. But this is already happening in much larger scale on the whole internet. Someone who has lot of viewers on youtube can start something and get full support for it without the people actually knowing what it is, just because their favorite youtuber is always right in this.

This comes to the fanboism and overall worshiping of a single person and it is terribly wrong thing to do, we are all originals and we are all unique people so why should we follow mind of someone? I already said that in different topic, you are encouraged and you should disagree, being able to disagree is one of the most powerful things you can do in your life. I don't simply follow Aaeru or anyone else to that matter and you shouldn't too. That's why we can have healthy conversation with people like sanahtlig with whom I disagree in most cases - yet the conversations are on good level and intelligent and even though we never reach agreement, we get lot of useful information from those discussions which both of use can use for their own.
Some might call it a bad trait, standing behind your words and not changing your mind, I do that a lot, if I believe in something, I believe in it and it is a prove I am human, if I just changed my opinion to what Aaeru things or some youtuber thigns or even some politician or even the President of the whole galaxy, I would lost part of what makes us human.

And this is what we should bring from this video, its not about politics, its about us, people and how to actually be people, not just robots. Look at how many times you did something that wasn't really for cause you believed in, how many times you simpli "liked" a video because you were told to like it, how many times did you upvote a greenlight game on steam because you were told to, without even knowing what the cause behind it is.
Can you say you haven't? Maybe not even I can, but I hell try to not do that, even when some of the VNs were on greenlight and posts here were "go and upvote now", I didn't do it as I didn't believe the cause, I formed my own opinion on that from which I based my decision.
Did you do the same or did you just blindly did what you were told? Now I am not saying you should have not upvoted, but having a thought about it is what's important, if you agreed with it because YOU agreed with it, then please do it.
But never do stuff without thinking, just because someone you are friends with or believe in tells you to. Because yes, lot of the times you might end up agreeing anyways, but what if there is one time you wouldn't agree and what if it then changes outcome for something you care about.

Btw just to give you an example of greenlight going wrong, look at YogVentures of how that game is called. I understand kickstarter, kickstarter is "would you like to see this game" and ofc, fans would like to see. So I didn't have anything against the KS itself.
But when it came to greenlight, the game wasn't even in a playable state, the game wasn't working and it is still not. And SO MANY people clicked "I would buy this game if it was on steam" - they couldn't possibly know if they would because they had no idea about the game as it just didn't exist. That is how this matter reflects into our lives as gamers and into the life on the internet.

And you might look at me as Scumbag Steve for not supporting some VNs on greenlight but the question there is clear, I wouldn't buy the game if it was on steam because I wouldn't even play it. I overall voted up a single game on greenlight, a single game I was supporting from the start, made the first video review of it and loved it so much and that as Unepic and only recently the game after years made it to steam.

Now again, this is no discussion about greenlight but the matter is close.
This applies to everything, please try to be human and try to have your own mind.

And remember, arguing and disagreeing is a sign that you are human so please, argue!
There is difference between argument and fall out (or flamewar is a knowo word for it), we as moderators should support healthy arguments and solve flamewars (luckily we don't have those).

Kick ass, Kanon was my first official VN too, (I say official because I played one or two freeware VNs first). Anyway, while Kanon is brilliant, I watched the 2006 anime first, so that had more of an effect on me then the VN did.

I played a decent amount of VNs, and while some really got me to think and challenge ideas, the only one that had a permanent effect on me was Yume Miru Kusuri. I always knew bullying was bad and never supported it, but this VN got me to realize just how terrible an effect bullying can have on the victim(s). Before I read Yume Miru Kusuri when the topic of bullying arose I would think something along the lines of, "yeah that sucks and all, but I'm not a bully so what do you expect me to do about it?" Then after I read Yume Miru Kusuri I socialized with the kids who got made fun kids more. I never went to a school that had a huge bullying problem, it was usually just malicious comments, but I still tried to make kids who felt outcasted feel more at home.

As for anime the three that I would say changed me perspectives the most were Kanon 2006, Kaiji, and Berserk. Kanon was the first anime that got me to realize that anime was more than just mere entertainment, but that it could tell very strong, and excellent stories. If it weren't for Kanon I kind of doubt I would be the otaku I am now...
As for Kaiji and Berserk, they forever changed me views about capitalism and ambition. I think Kaiji is the reason I sympathize with socialist ideals so much, and why I disdain capitalism as much as I do. (Don't get me wrong, as nice as Marxist ideals are, their unrealistic and capitalism is the only system that satisfies the greed in us all. But just because capitalism accommodates human nature, it doesn't mean I have to like it!) Berserk pretty much reinforces the beliefs I've cultivated from Kaiji. Basically that ambition and greed will lead to your own ruin.

Fuck that, recently I've been trying limit the amount of time I spend on the internet so I can focus more of my time on writing and reading. Limiting the amount of time I spend on YouTube alone is a challenge for me, I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be if I had a FaceBook as well.

On Topic: It's been a while since I watched a harem anime, but the only VN/anime I can remember with a Yandere in it was Shuffle and Higurashi. Hmm... oh and I think Mirai Nikki is known for its Yandere meme. But that's really all I could think of. Honestly in my opinion there are FAR more Tsunderes. I come across a Tsunderes far more in VNs and anime than I do Yanderes. Although, now I'm really curious. Other than Shuffle, Higurashi, and Mirai Nikki, what other animes and/or VNs have Yanderes in them?

I posted some links for Visual Novel Talk, but Down beat me to it and included all of the ones I had. So I just edited my post and got rid of the links.