Welcome to my world
here you'll find...well let's face it you won't find much of anything, not many people pay attention to these places do they? lol
anyways, what you might find here are various thought from myself on random stuff...and also maybe some notices when I intend to change something, etc.
...yep that's about it, it's you'd still like to lurk look about, feel free.
So considering this is a site called theOtaku.com and aside from the other obvious tip-offs about me, it’s easy to see that I love anime/manga, both as an art form and an entertainment medium.
Most of us can say that we were not always fans of the genre, and we all have our individual stories as to how we discovered this realm of fandom. But the thing about my story that has made me wish to share it through this challenge, win or lose, is just how far away from a “fan” I was in the beginning…
I was about as far from a fan as anyone can be - I was an anime hater…
Yep, a HATER, no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it.
My disdain for the genre started back when the fandom really was starting to seep out everywhere…when basically no matter where you went you couldn’t get away from it, mainly due to the fact that "Pokemon fever" was sweeping the nation (and later, similar franchises like Digimon and Yu-gi-oh!) DragonBall Z was huge too.
And there was one thing I knew – I hated these genre giants.
I hated the art, I thought the characters were annoying, and the acting was horrid, and so in my “ignorant” youth I condemned all anime to be the same judgments as the few that I had been exposed to. I didn’t understand the attraction at all.
So naturally I was rolling my eyes when our cable provider finally got Cartoon Network, and I found out they had an entire airing block of anime, some play on words called “Toonami” with a dumpy little robot as the host on a spaceship.
“Great…Dad’s gonna be all over that…” was the thought that went through my mind.
- Hold the phone, wait what??? Yes, I said my dad, not my sister, not my brother, my old man, my DAD.
See, He had been an anime fan from way back…literally a fan from basically the dawn of Japanese animation itself.
In a way it was almost “in the blood”, that he’d be exposed to anime. He’s half Japanese, in Japanese-American terms, he’d be called an “Issei” – He was born In Japan, and lived there for about the first 3 years of his life, and so when my grandfather (Dad’s American side), a former B-29 crew chief during Korea and tech sergeant in the USAF brought my grandmother and my dad back to the US from good old Nihon, I suppose it was natural for my grandma to let her children watch the then-new series coming over from her homeland, like Astro Boy and Gigantor. And the fondness of anime Dad gained as a little boy didn’t fade even into adulthood.
Anyway - flashback over, back to present...or more recent past...or something like that - I was right, he was quiet happy to find this “Toonami”…
And I found it annoying, just as expected, and remained stubbornly blind to how much individual anime series can differ from one another…for a while…
Then one day I found him watching a new series…or at least one that wasn’t in the lineup when we got the network…this one was different…sure it had giant Robots, but it wasn’t Gundam…or Robotech…these robots looked like animals…I like animals…
So I convinced myself that I would just stick around “just because it was on”, because the machines were “kind of” cool, and I eventually learned the name of the show was “Zoids”.
I warmed up a little to it over time, I at least admitted that the machines were cool, not just “kind of cool”, but it took me a while before I dared admit that I was defrosting to the characters and that I was feeling something oddly similar to fondness for the artistic style…
It wasn’t gorgeous…but it certainly wasn’t the hardcore masculine DragonBall Z look that I so disliked.
The show slowly chipped away at my ice queen visage, until I finally had to admit it, the impossible had happened, I liked an anime; a mecha anime by the name of Zoids: New Century Zero.
But despite how Zoids had found a special little place in my favorites, I still remained obstinate to basically every other anime out there, including all the other shows on the Toonami block.
Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo, I turned a cold shoulder to them all after giving as little as a single short glance. I still was determined to NOT be called an anime fan!
Even if I did like Zoids and it had turned out to be the biggest ice-breaker between myself and my best friend (who is still my best friend since those first few Zoids-based conversations almost a decade ago), one show did not make someone a fan of an entire genre.
I stayed like that for a long time, maybe a year or so, until yet another “new” show appeared on Toonami.
This one was again, different, from the few other animes I had seen. This one had swordsmen in traditional costume…kind of like Tenchi Muyo…but Tenchi had a bunch of wacky futuristic stuff in it too, it wasn’t actually traditional.
This one looked to have a more historical setting…and the art was…well…it was kind of nice.
I still convinced myself that I was indifferent to it, that I alerted my dad to the new series simply because he might want to watch it, and not because I was curious...because I wasn't, not in the least...right??
The day of the new show’s airing came and we tuned in, well, Dad tuned in… remember, I was the passive observer; after all, anime was the still the devil!...except for Zoids...
But after a little while, as much as I might have denied it in my own head at the moment, I watched just the same. One thing was for sure, this one was REALLY different…
It was kind of pretty…and surprise, surprise… the main character wasn’t annoying, or self-centered, OR immature…he was nice…heck he was a total sweetheart.
And somehow the drama didn’t bug me, I could get behind these characters, I liked their motivations. I liked this show…
But only after the first episode??? No, sorry, I wasn’t going to make a decision that fast.
I decided I would give this one a second look, and that I would tune in for the airing of the next episode…but this time was different from when I started watching Zoids, this time, I made the decision to watch on my own.
It's not that my dad disliked the show, but the way he put it was that it was that it reminded him of a Japanese soap opera, like my grandmother (his mother) watched, it wasn’t really up his alley as more of a Sci-fi/Action fan.
I watched the second episode - this time with my sister, another anime-sceptic at the time - then the third…and the fourth...
Finally, I had to admit it, I didn’t just like this show, Rurouni Kenshin, I loved it…and the weirdest thing?
I didn’t care.
I didn’t care that my preconception of anime was defeated, I didn’t even look at it as “defeated” it was more like a discovery now.
I had stumbled upon a whole new world and from then on I was ready and excited to explore it – I had no reservations anymore about giving all the new animes I came across a good chance, and in turn I found even more shows I enjoyed.
So, it was official.
I was an anime hater no longer, in the course of roughly two years, I had turned a complete 180, I was an anime fan...and I liked it!
Well, it's been about a bit over a week now, and I'm actually rather happy with the outcome of my return here...but it is a bit slow as far as climbing the ladder and receiving efficient feedback. I think because I'm doing a lot of original work and people mostly search fanart of various types here.
so I suppose it may be time to whip out some fanart for gallery publicity, perhaps that could help bring in viewers and hopefully, feedback. only thing is, prettymuch the most popular series out there is Naruto, and I'm not that into that series anymore...then again perhaps the principle of my doing fanart essentially as a means of drawing attention to my originals could be an interesting point to incorperate into said fanart...hmmm...
I do want to try my hand at Bleach fanart, but I am unconfident still as to how well I can mimic Kubo-Sensei's style - or vice-versa, how well his charas tranlate into my style...the latter sounds an interesting prospect...perhaps worth exploreing...we'll see...
later, non-existant readers *waves at imaginary readers/viewers*
the following is my universal requet policy and goes for any the sites I am a member of, please read thoroughly before making a request or request inquiry -
Please Note:
Your request may not come at light-speed - though I will give 110% on requests and try my best to get them done, please keep in mind that I may get busy with more pressing things, or that my skills may be in a rut at the moment, causeing me to take longer to get the request done in proper condition. I don't rush - if you need it fast, I suggest finding another artist.
Content: What I Do NOT Do
- Yaoi or Yuri (Homosexual/bisexual artwork)
- Incest (romantic or sexual situations between relatives)
- Explicit Sexual Material (a.k.a. "Hentai") - due to the wide interpretation of this bracket, I will use personal judgement on wether the requested content is appropriate or not.
- ANY remotely romantic or sexual situtation between and adult and a minor (character under 18)
- Any Remotely Sexual situation or otherwise erotic or provocative material involveing a minor (Character under 18) - I don't care if they're cartoons, they have a term for this content - it's called Child Pornography, and it's WRONG.
- Any content glorifying the occult or demons/devils - example: portraying them as the "good guys", etc. - I'm sorry, but this is against my personal beliefs, please find another artist if your character is a "demon", "half-demon", or has pentagrams etc. stuck all over him/her.
- Hate art - any artwork or situation or image of a malicious nature towards any particular individual, race, religion, orientation, or "label" (goth, emo, bro, etc.) - don't get me involved in your personal rage, I have my views and opinions, but I don't hate.
- Excessive Blood/gore - true, violence, bloodshed, and death are realistic, and even natural aspects of life, but we don't need to glorify it, and while in some ways there may be a time for the "shock-factor" there are some places where it is simply not appropriate, theOtaku, I feel, is one of them.
- Use of Drugs/Tabacco or glorifying portrail of drunkeness or other intoxication - These conditions are NOT funny, and should not be portrayed as such
- Excessive profanity, explicit language, or rude gestures. - this content is unnecessary, enough said.
I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY ABUSE, VERBAL OR OTHERWISE. We all have the ability to be polite and constructively critique - this means I will not tolerate language or communication such as, but not limited to "You suck", "this *particular artistic element* sucks", "You're a Jerk, idiot, Etc." and the like - I am a Human being, and I do not have to, nor will I stand for it.
All requests are one shots, sorry, no do-overs - as I said, I give my all, and that's all I can give at any given time, so if you are dissatisfied with your request once it's finished, I suggest you go to another artist.
- Thank you for reading this, basically, keep it reasonably clean, and depening on availability I will try to work with you.
Last updated Feb. 28, 2009
The following policy applies to any and all of my original characters posted to this and any other site I am on, please read thoroughly before reposting my work in any form. -
ALWAYS REQUEST MY PERMISSION REGARDING ANY AND ALL USAGE OF MY ORIGINAL DESIGNS - THANK YOU
My Original Characters, Line art or otherwise, are:
- Available for: With REQUESTED permission, coloring/recoloring/tracing and any combination of these three mentioned actions, for practice, personal enjoyment or curiosity. - If asked, I am not stingy, I'll more than likely give the okay, just say the word.
- NOT Available for: Portrail (recolored, altered or not) in Manga, fan Manga, Wallpapers, cards, or any other usage other than that specifically stated above. this applies to usage on any sites, and anywhere NOT JUST THEOTAKU - I do not want to see my design(s), recolored or otherwise, on a wallpaper, in a manga, etc. that I did not create or specifically authorize anywhere, period, I don't care how "good" you make it look, or how long you spend making it, that is not an excuse, it's the principle of the thing.
When reposting AFTER asking please do NOT -
- Re-post BEFORE I give my permission and respond to your request. I don't care how impatient you are, wait for an answer.
When reposting AFTER asking please DO -
- remember to credit me for the original design, doesn't have to be long, just something simple like "Original design by KuboRocks", or "KuboRocks drew/created this character, and I colored it"
If any part of this policy is violated, I Will -
- Step 1 - Request that the repost in question has it's description altered to give proper credit
- Step 2 - I will give the member in question 1 month (four weeks from the day of the first alteration request) to make above mentioned changes, and I will ask a maximum of three times within that period to assure that the requests are heard. - I understand that some people are less active here than others, or get a lot of messages and could lose mine, hence I will give some time for response.
- Step 3 - after the above mentioned alteration period, I WILL consult the proper authorities of this site to have the repost removed completely - I'm stop being nice after the third try, go past the third strike, and I Will raise Hell until it comes down.
Kay, so that's it, thanks for reading and being honest and considerate of the work of others, so long as you have read and understand this, request away!
- last modified Feb 27th, 2009
Okay, soooo...first day with the new account...
I gotta say, it's not as bad as I thought it was, starting fresh with a new account after closing my old one seems to be working out better, I feel more in tune with the site because it's essentially like erasing my memories of how things were done in the old version, and learning and adapting on this one.
that said, Version V does have some nice features, like the introductions, but I still am pretty well against the "worlds" idea, I think they should have kept it like the "myOtaku" interface, and instead of having our "profiles" be separte from our "worlds" they should have just made the wrold's our profiles in the first place, because from what I've gathered, not that many people who visit a person's profile actually bother to visit their world. where their REAL information that they'd like you to know about them is stored.
but whatever, I now know not to expect too much in that area. anyone who actually bothers to read this gets an imaginary cookie, I have a few submissions up now, so yeah, check em out...and stuff...later.
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