I have come to notice something important about Japan. No matter what it is, if you animate it and put it in either a video game or anime form, it's perfectly acceptable in mainstream society.

Well, maybe not perfectly acceptable, but acceptable enough to allow you to do it. Seriously, try getting some of the stuff you see in anime on US broadcast television and you will be looking at outrage that makes the whole 'wardrobe malfunction' mess look like nothing.

My example today comes from the anime 'Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de', a/k/a 'They Are My Noble Masters.' It's an anime that aired earlier this year and one I just finished watching (it's hilarious. I'd recommend downloading it while you can!). Now, for those of you familiar with it, I will admit using an ero-game turned anime might not be the best basis for comparison, but a lot of the bits and pieces I am talking about are present in other anime as well. For those of you not familiar with it, check out the Wiki I linked to and read up on the characters I will be talking about.

As you can see to the right, there are thumbnails. This will allow you to follow along. The first bit is common and acceptable S&M. In picture 1 (click to enlarge), Anastasia Mistina is being beaten by classmate Keiko Inamura. The first time we meet her, she is plowed into by Ren and seemingly orgasms.

This kind of behavior, anywhere else, would be shunned by all but the most depraved people. Also, beating the crap out of someone in a live action genre would probably not go over so well either. However in animated form, it's made hilarious.

The rest of the pictures denote incest! Sort of. Pictures 2 and 3 show Shinra Kuonji having her way with her sister, Miyu Kuonji. This isn't necessarily because Shinra wants to have sex with her sisters - in fact she's not a lesbian - it's because she gets all warm inside for things that are cute. And to her, Miyu is just the cutest thing. (She is rather cute, despite the fact that she has finished graduate school.)

That also brings up the whole loli/shotacon thing as well. Shinra often refers to Miyu as 'loli', and Miyu enjoys.. Well, she likes young boys. My point is neither of those topics would be allowed to see the light of day, especially in a comedy, on American TV. I'd even question their ability to reach mainstream Japanese TV if they weren't in anime form!

I'd also like for you to tell people you licked cream off your sisters face (3) and see how they react.

Now 4 and 5 addresses the big sister complex (shisukon) that Ren has. Now Mihato doesn't help this matter any as she is just as obsessed (if not more so - some of her actions when she hears about Ren with some of the other female characters borders on disturbing) with Ren as he is with her.

As you can see in #5, Ren is very close to his sister. Outside of (comedy) anime, this topic would be stricken from the public airwaves. Even more so than Shinra and Miyu's 'relationship', since we have the opposite sexes involved.

Now if you were to delve into the back story, you could see and accept that Ren and Mihato's relationship is complicated and deep. But of course none of that takes away from my argument.

I know what you are thinking, and yes I can bring up an example from an anime that didn't come from a masturbation aid. Take Azumanaga for instance. The only way you could make a show with Kimura in it would be if it was a movie of the week on Lifetime and he was either arrested or murdered at the end. There is also the constant molestation done by Happosai to the girls in Ranma 1/2.

I won't even go into tentacle porn.

In summation, no topic, condition or dark element of life is off limits to anime. And of course this is one of the reasons why anime is so damned wonderful. I just pray and hope that too much western culture doesn't rub off on Japan. The last thing we need is a Law & Order anime.

Labels: anime, comedy, commentary, fanservice, Kimi ga Aruji

Hello and thank you very much for viewing my anime blog! I am sure you are only here because you accidentally followed a link from OtakuPhotog, or you are Keith, whom I begged to come and look. Either way, I am glad you are here!

So what is Funkdafacation? Well, it's another anime blog (as stated in the masthead). It's probably not going to be too different from all the other anime blogs out there, but none the less I will do what I can to keep you coming back!

I plan to offer reviews of fansubs that have just come out, commentary on anime, anime culture and various other anime and manga related things, and of course just me being a jackass!

You should also subscribe to the RSS feed, so that way you don't have to come here every day to see if I posted something new. Of course you can if you really want to. I don't mind!

Now, to make sure that my first post won't just be a post telling everyone how this is my first post, I will dive straight into the commentary! Today's topic is comedic timing. And there is no better anime to use when talking about comedic timing than Azumanga Daioh.

It's interesting to see how a four panel comic can be turned into a full length anime. A lot of that comes from seemingly pointless filler material to sometimes over the top, way to long repeating gags. Some are funny, like when Tomo goes to town whacking Yomi in the head. Others, like when Chiyo is flying around in Osaka's dream... Well, those seem to get annoying.

In the anime, Azumanga has several opportunities to utilize and win with the timing aspect of being an anime. One of my favorites is the scene in the video below. Oddly enough, I have not seen this in the manga, as I am missing one volume - the one Borders seems to never have in stock for some reason. I can however say that regardless of how they play it out - even taking all four panels to tell the gag - it can no way compete with the timing used by the director in the anime.

What adds to the comedy is that you know what the result is going to be. Even if you're like me and you hadn't read this part of the manga, you still know. I fall over every time I watch this.

Enjoy and I hope to see you back here soon. Well, I guess I won't actually see you, but none the less, I hope you return.

A Lesson in Comedic Timing

Labels: anime, azumanga, comedy, commentary