#but sometimes i do. due to my nature. hashtag flawed

[garbagequeer]

really interesting to go back to the office after a while of fucking off from work etc because i get to see all the tabs i left open last time i was there doing whatever instead of work and it's like. girl. get well.

[johannesviii]

This is a long post about Shaman King I started to write ages ago and I don’t have a good title for it

Let me tell you about Shaman King for a few minutes, okay. Because the new anime adaptation is coming in like 3 months and I’m still not ready for it. Also I started to write this post 5 years ago just because I re-read the whole thing at the time and it’s been in my drafts since then. Oops

But yeah Shaman King was the very first fandom I got into when I first had a real internet access, around 2003-2004. I was around fifteen. The manga was still going. And in retrospect, it was full of problems. Among other things:

Not enough female characters & questionable choices for most of the ones who actually have a part to play in the plot

A black character drawn with big lips (see above), and I REALLY HOPE this is gonna get fixed in the new anime ; I mean even the author stopped drawing him like that a few years ago when he did the “remix tracks” extra chapters so come on please

An imaginary native american tribe who, while pretty cool, is still imagined by a Japanese dude in 1999 soooo yeah there’s some rough corners here and there (edit: got some anon hate about that but I'm sorry, "ancient aliens" tropes always make me uncomfortable)

An art quality which gets worse and worse over time due to deadline pressures and an increasingly exhausted author

Was stopped before it could reach its natural conclusion (the author drew an actual ending years later and tbh it’s great so I’m putting this very low on the list)

So yeah. Manga from 1999. Problematic. Aged badly. It happens.

BUT.

In retrospect, most of it is such a kick in the metaphorical butt of shonen manga as a whole I can’t believe it was competing against Naruto and One Piece at some point?? Like

It’s a shonen so it plays the "dramatic and sudden power jump” game, but it uses it to reach a surprising conclusion (in the “new” ending I mean)

Most of the characters are “shamans” which means they can see ghosts and spirits, and they use them to fight, to work, or to help other people. This is a manga in which you’re gonna see a Russian shaman channeling a Vodyanoy spirit into a drum to create a torrential flood. You don’t see that in every manga

It’s stated right away that no shaman can be truely, irredeemably bad, because only good-natured people can see ghosts and spirits.

So, no matter how bad a villain may be, they must have had a good nature once even if they look like a complete bastard at the moment.

How far is the author willing to go with that concept? Pretty far

Even without talking about the main villain and how the story ends because, duh, spoilers... Like

My favorite character, who gets a full redemption arc later, cuts someone open in his first chapter

He’s one of the good guys 10 volumes later

Speaking of which the amount of gore in this manga has to be seen to be believed, Jump would never let this happen nowadays

If you’re wondering why this is in the “positive” (......?) list it’s because I was 14/15 and all kids that age crave blood and angst

The main character, Yoh, pictured above, is very laid-back, and I mean very. He listens to the in-world equivalent of Bob Marley and constantly wears big headphones. Also he wears sandals, and sometimes there’s a weed leaf drawn on his t-shirt

His parents arranged a mariage between him and a girl shaman even though they’re still teenagers, so this would have potential for High Drama - but surprisingly enough it turns out they like each other and after that he just goes around saying “this is my future wife” and she’s like “hello if you touch him I’m going to end you”

It sounds weird and it......... is, tbh, but it’s also refreshing among all the “ugh, girls, yuck” tropes that nearly all shonen mangas used to have at the time

Yoh’s main goal in life is to live with minimal effort

When his grandfather tells him he must train to participate in a shaman tournament which happens every 500 years, because the winner gets a wish granted by the Great Spirit, he decides his wish will be to make everybody’s life easy so that nobody will ever be forced to work or do shit they don’t want to do to survive anymore

Yoh Asakura is a Millenial icon don’t @ me

Speaking of which

Almost everyone in this series is broke as f█ck

Yoh owns a big house but that’s only because the price was ridiculously low since it’s the most haunted place in Tokyo and nobody else wants to live there. The house is constantly full of other characters (including enemies) who have literally nowhere else to go

The only important character who isn’t broke has money because his family is super rich but he hates all of them because they’re all bastards so it’s super awkward

Another character bought a really cool motorbike but he’s going to be in debt for the next 40 years

Also he’s a hobo

And also bi

What I’m trying to say is: relatable

Also the tournament is held by an imaginary Native American tribe. They’re also broke. All of them. The two judges who are in charge of the main characters live in a cramped appartment and often try to sell souvenirs in the street to pay the rent

I know that’s hashtag problematic but I still love them I can’t help it

Just like in most shonen mangas the hero seems to amass a big collection of Friends but since everyone is a weirdo in a way or another and comes from all over the world it looks even funnier

At some point during the tournament, the main characters have to form small groups of three in order to participate to the next part. Yoh’s team is one of the strongest teams among the ones we’ve met at this point, and is composed of 1) Yoh, a laid-back sleepy kid wearing toilet sandals 2) the aforementioned bi hobo who’s sad because his current crush is in a rival team, and 3) a thirty-something tatooed guy with no legs and an IV drip and who looks like he hasn’t slept since 1997

Oh and they all wear adds for a bath house

Because remember: everyone’s f█cking broke

Spoilers for the mid-point of the manga but I need to talk about it because it encapsulates everything I used to love in it

You’ve been warned

So

At some point the main character, Yoh, is asked to choose between staying in the tournament or resurrect his rival

This is framed as some kind of very heavy, very huge dilemma. Like oh no what will he do. Will he give up his dreams and hopes. Will You Push The Button(tm)

So the choice is presented to him

In a very dramatic way

And he immediately goes “there’s a way to save him?? YES PLEASE”

He doesn’t hesitate a single second and drops the tournament in a heartbeat to save the guy

This scene greatly contributed to make me a better person I’m not even joking at all

I love Yoh

So anyway I don’t have a proper conclusion for this

Shaman King is very flawed and its flaws need to be acknowledged to fully appreciate all the good things in it, and the “old” fandom from more than 15 years ago was a very good formative experience for me because the forum I was on (which was nuked from the face of the internet by a hacker “looking for training grounds” (his words not mine, he posted it on our frontpage a full week before he did it) in 2005, rip) was full of people who were really into criticising every little aspect of the manga but still loved it dearly

And I think that’s a healthy way to enjoy things and I think we should bring this back

Anyway

Shaman King extremely flawed but full of good things

I still can’t believe it’s back

Johannes out

[wormbook22]

Hello world... again

Hellooo,

Thank you for finding me! \(^o^)/

This blog is mostly to promote my favorite arts & music, plus some stuffs about audio production (technical or not).

I used to have another blog on the same topics under the same name. However, due to some issues with Tumblr support (nothing illegal I swear o.O), I now need to create another one.

What you’ll find here:

Reviews of mostly non-mainstream musicians and their works (albums, singles, soundtracks, lives, operas etc.)

My journey of sound exploration, including discussion of music genres, recording techniques, instrument design etc.

(Sometimes) Other stuffs: books, art films, anime, paintings, comics, manga, sculptors, 3D rendering etc.

MINIMAL shitposting. I may post #random things and #announcement from time to time. The truly irrelevant stuffs are marked with #please ignore. Just block them.

I aim to churn out contents once every week for short posts (starting Aug this year), but more in-depth stuffs may take months, as I’m rather busy irl.

Now, here are some house rules before I start with the juicy posts:

1. Non-mainstream music?

That’s over-generalizing a bit, but I like weird stuffs from different genres all over the world. If it’s done right to me, it doesn’t matter if it’s jazz, pop, house, avant-garde, classical, hip-hop, soundtrack stuffs or whatever in-between. A few examples (not in any order): Kajiura Yuki, Ennio Morricone, Billie Eilish, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Björk, Agust D, Ulrich Drechsler, Hanoi Duo.

With that said, I’m quite biased with a mix of powerful female vocals, stuffs in minor keys & lots of evolving counter melodies. Sure, each of those do typically appear in mainstream music, but I tend to prefer more eclectic combinations of them. I’m sure I’ll unconsciously cover more people like that.

You’ll likely discover lots of weird people here. Do follow official channels of those who interest you! :D

2. Sound exploration...?

Well, after having too much time for introspection during Covid-19, I’m thinking of switching career to something along the line of foley artist or sound engineer. No idea what I want yet, so I’m exploring possible professions. Since this is a music-related blog, I just want to share my journey, haha.

Posts about this will have a separate hashtag so those not interested can ignore them. Topics will range from modding instruments, sound-making & recording paraphernalia, music theory, music history etc.

3. Weeb? NO. Maybe nerd at most.

In case someone spotted me mentioning “anime” and “manga” and thought “what if...”, no, I’m not into waifus, bishounen cults, or the other stuffs (you know what I mean)... Do not expect such contents here, though you can freely fangirl/fanboy about your favorite stuffs in the comment section (but keep it toxic-free plz) (^o^)/

I love many anime & manga series just as much as I enjoy Pan’s Labyrinth or NatGeo documentaries. I casually join fandoms, but I’m not hardcore and by no means an expert in anything. So do correct me if I get some facts wrong!

4. NO political stuffs, conspiracy theories, fan wars etc.

More like, I’ll keep potentially toxic stuffs to the minimum. I’ll still discuss them objectively if they’re relevant to the topic at hand. E.g. how a group’s disbandment may affect a musician’s solo career etc.

With all the crap happening in the world, we could do with a bit more positivity. And cooler heads. So I will NOT rant extensively about such things. And I WILL report such posts if I ever see them here.

I don’t care if you shitpost elsewhere. I do too. But please just spare this place...

Also, yes, it’s important to be aware of certain social issues.

However, I believe such things should be discussed with well-sourced information, clear illustrations and non-malicious intents. Not angry people throwing their opinions on the table, and sometimes throwing the table themselves. And more importantly, MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY, social issues must be solved by consistently educating oneself and taking actions OFFLINE.

If you still wanna do that here, please please please switch to DM. I do want to have discussions with you.

Finally, I naturally stand at a respectful distance to my fav musicians.

I do get hyped and have expectations ahead of releases. But I’m not the type to directly message my favorite musicians, or queue up for hours to get their autographs. I also don’t collect merchandise or limited-edition items. I don’t go on “pilgrimages”. Just listening to their music, promoting them and supporting them financially (through streaming, buying releases, attending lives) is good enough for me. I don’t encourage this kind of behavior actually. Without avid fans, lots of musicians would starve... But this is just how I am. Plus, there’re just too many musicians I like. If I were too hardcore, I wouldn’t have time & resources to support them all xD

I’m interested in what they can share about their personal lives, but I don’t want to dig deeply into things that may disturb them. Unless they did something unlawful (not just morally questionable) that went unnoticed or unresolved (like smoking weed where it’s banned and not getting caught).

I love to discuss what make them spark as well as their flaws, casually but objectively. But I’m only human so biases is unavoidable. I always want to anticipate their next works or breakthroughs, if any, as long as their interest in making decent music is still there.

Liking their music doesn’t mean I need to like them as people. And certainly not love them romantically.

I sometimes need to compare some aspects of them (e.g. musical inspiration, background, how they’ve changed following financial success or failure etc.) But I’ll avoid that as much as possible, especially when it comes to music groups. A group is more than just its members.

All questions & gossip regarding opinions of fanbases should go to my inbox, and not anonymously (cuz I can’t reply you otherwise). I wanna keep this space clean, so I want to avoid fan wars & jumping to conclusions. Pretty sure it will happen eventually anyway, one way or another...

Wew, that sure is a lot of text *sweats*. Hope I’ve made it clear to you and myself what this blog will be like.

Please anticipate my next post around 2 months from now.

Thanks for reading. m(_ _)m

[abutlerbbbwc2021]

Thinking and Growing Ideas (2)

Brain Storming

From personal perspectives, thoughts, and issues I feel strongly about, in relation to identity, culture and particular matters. Looking at the artists from part one of ‘Thinking and Growing Ideas’, here are a few ideas which has stemmed from my fascination of their work, and reflecting on those visual pieces, artistic concepts, and through my own ideas.

Looking at the present and past of an area.

From the inspiration of Shimon Attie.

Recently I have had an interest with the history and presence of my hometown. Three years on and I have returned/living back in my childhood town.

I remember arriving back from Brighton and smelling the air, which sent me back to being a child again. Also, nothing had changed, visually. Most local business have changed ownership, yet they have maintained the same feel and appearance of the place. 

There is a sense of home and nurture. A place which I feel very attached to, in terms of my identity and memory. I have experienced loss, new beginnings, love and shelter within this place. - A sheltered, historical 800-year-old town. The town is compacted of young and old families, and a growing population of students. I have seen the town shift, grow, expand within the realms of this town. Which can feel very small and sometimes suffocating. I have experienced new beginnings and ends, and I believe the inability to leave for good has created a problematic effect within my personality and growth.

Ideas and notes: 

The representation of the economic effects

Maintaining historical presence

The loss : the ‘legends’ of the town or community, the essences of the high street; local shops

Present memory within the community of the locals, architecture, and archival footage and photos. 

((ADD A SCANNED IMAGE FROM SPIDER DIAGRAM))

Update (09/02/2021): The more I look into it, the more I feel like this is my least favourite of my ideas, however I think it is valuable to brainstorm, create potential ideas, to expand and go beyond.  Which is why I decided to collect material. It’s an interesting development between old, new, present and past. However, I now realise that I feel like this may just only be that. An interesting perception, however it may not be an interesting development; into the theme of this module and my personal body of work. 

The perceptions and problems associated to body image.

Visual inspiration from Ana Mendieta 

We are told to alter ourselves, to fit a specific preference in relation to cultural and systematic practices. Everyone has some way been effected by it, and the issue seems to be heightened and visualised via social media platforms, the media, internet, adds, societal, cultural economics and capitalism, etc. 

From a young age we are unknowingly being trained by magazines marketing and all forms of media into thinking that having cellulite, body hair, or not wearing makeup is not worthy, and as a consequence publicly shamed. I do feel there is a growing awareness on this though, which I’m all for! 

We are either told that we are, for example, too “skinny” or too “fat”, or we are told a part of our bodies don’t look right, or we should change those specific “flaws”. This also appears within ourselves too. It’s almost as if we have to be perceived a certain way, to be and feel accepted. It is almost ingrained into us, which becomes this insecurity. We are not born with these insecurities, we are told to be insecure about certain things, and we are conditioned to feel ashamed or embarrassed about certain parts of ourselves.

In reality, we are uniquely us, imperfectly beautiful and we should value and appreciate ourselves, accept and pride ourselves of our bodies. We shouldn’t feel like we need to be categorised in a particular box to feel and be accepted. This is a theme I would like to visit within my work. 

 I want to capture the body in a way which shows what's real with no filter and certainly with no shame. To also show the beauty of our parts that we have been forever told to hide or alter. 

((ADD A SCANNED IMAGE FROM SPIDER DIAGRAM))

I have faced criticism over this, and told I have no right to feel that way since I am “skinny”. I understand the systematic issue of body shaming, and the societal nature of these. With slim being associated as the norm and large being regarded as problematic. The topic is fragile, so I do feel a sense of concern over this. There’s still much I personally need to learn, which I am willing and able to do.

((ADD A SCANNED IMAGE FROM SPIDER DIAGRAM))

Other Notes: 

It’s a touchy subject, so it may be risky. 

I would approach the subject carefully

Photographs and/or videos

Images of family members, and friends (outdoors and/or following health and safety requirements)

Some self portraits: due to pandemic restrictions. 

Sound: The 4 elements of nature: fire, earth, wind and water. To express our connectivity to nature. To nurture our natural bodies.

The problematic and potentially dangerous consequences of miss information and conspiracy theories.

Lately I've notice there's been a growing issue with conspiracy theories, they are increasing and becoming more prominent within social media. There’s a few currently where there is a sense of a battle between the public on whats real and what’s not. It’s interesting to see how miss information can create an illusion of reality. There’s one where a large amount of people believe that the pandemic is fake, and the other half are trying to tell them that it is not fake. This is only an example, however I believe this divide, and uncertainty on what is real or fake is due to the internet, society, miss information, control, growing technologies, information becoming realisations (true or false), and the difficulty of knowing whats what. There’s a consequential effect of miss information, whether they are big or small, they have a certain impact.

Hashtags that feel unimportant, and have a sense of not really a concern can be used as a way of spreading information. The hashtag “stopthelie”, which feels ironic yet contradictory, is used to spread the news that the virus isn’t real. Then another.  It has come to the point where we are battling within ourselves and others on whats right and whats wrong, whats true and whats false.

Idea example. 

Below is a gif I created as an example of how I could approach it, and would be created using real, physical materials. Could also stem into something bigger with a consequence. Think domino effect.

Would be more than just two lines, and I would add other contradictory lines associated to tag-lines. 

My only issue with this idea is that I do not want to promote them, but to highlight the issue, and how these promotions of misinformation can become a ripple effect of implications.