Happy Halloween y'all!

Now my title sounds like a bad anime episode. That aside, I would please like your help in finding "magical girl"/mahou shojo types anime/manga/characteristics/characters for a current project. Rest assured I have researched the basics, but I find REAL experience always more helpful than just reading about it.

I like magical girl/shojo as much as the next person (die hard Sailor Moon fan ), but it's really not my cup of tea since I'm more of a shonen, mecha, die-hard action fan. The series I am aware of and have references for are:

Sailor Moon, Pretty Cure, Tokyo Mew Mew (Mew Mew Power), Cardcaptor Sakura

...Yeesh, I'm so North American mainstream.

Featured Friend

I just had my SIXTH anniversary on DA yesterday (Nov. 6) and I think it's time I paid more hommage to my roots: TRADITIONAL ARTWORK! *Devoratus is extremely skilled in digital works and daaaaang, some of his stuff looks so realistic, but what strikes me the most are his traditional pieces made with white ink and pencil crayons. My favorite is his macabre stuff which combines bright colours with creepy subjects. Black, soul-sucking eyes with a cheerful grin? Wicked cool, man, wicked cool.

Clubs l Beyblade Revelation l Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Lost Saga l Forum | Child's Step

Screenshot the page please!

I'm trying to be more active since I've almost been on dA for almost six years AND I want to draw something [not explicit] from another deviant's mind.

What will be suggested?!

Featured Friend

Featured friend #150 - Feeling depressed? Need some "happy-happy" anime style? Or maybe some action is right up your alley? Then ~AkitoMaru can fill that void! Both a traditional and digital artist, she is a varied anime arist who is willing to try things and her character designs are quite pretty. Take her SDL (Samurai Duelers League) character Tomoe for example - she's got the whole Asian family pride thing, but still wants to better herself FOR herself. Yup, sometimes you just have to do that for yourself.

Clubs l Beyblade Revelation l Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Lost Saga l Forum | Child's Step

I was perusing my local bookstore when I came across xxxHolic: AnotherHolic by Nisioisin and thought, "Wow! A xxxHolic novel! I'll try it!" because I enjoyed Nisioisin's previous work, Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. However, I totally forgot that Del-Rey does the translations for xxxHolic.

You know what that means - SHODDY TRANSLATION TO THE MAX.

I was right. Honorifics and footnotes for jokes and terms abound when it could be translated properly. Take the word hitsuzen (p.33) for example; there's a note it means inevitablity when you could put that in writing. Don't give me the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis because in this case, English DOES have a word for hitsuzen - it's called FATE. Or DESTINY. Take your pick! There's also no notes on what the honorifics mean but there is a footnote on what a ninja does (p. 49). I think everyone knows what a ninja does. Not just because of Naruto either. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, anyone?

I was going to be disappointed in the work of the translator, Andrew Cunningham, but then I realized the name was awfully familiar. He also did the translation for Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases which was well-written and DOESN'T have honorifics. Well, except when Ryuzaki uses them, but it's a strange nuance I notice he has in the manga, anime, and movies to give him an eccentric factor different from the other characters, so I guess it's forgivable. But more impressive is he makes obscure Japanese references work. Take the page and "Holy Up!" references from Akazukin Chacha (p. 59). If he can do THAT, he can translate anything.

So why the huge translation difference? Unless Mr. Cunningham was hit by a bus and totally changed his translating style due to brain trauma, it's editors and what the companies demand from their workers. Obviously Viz and Del-Rey differ on opinions and Mr. Cunningham simply complies. It's not his fault, I'm sure he has his own convictions on what proper translating is, but in order to find work and survive in this world, he does what he has to do.

I forgot about this, and I want to apologize that I thought so poorly of the individual doing the work. That's not the case, is it? We all have our own opinions, but no matter how reasonable they are, sometimes they get drowned out. I understand this myself, because when my school was doing a production of Grease and the art team I was a part of wanted to make a backdrop with music notes, the lead artist drew the eighth notes on the backdrop BACKWARDS (upward notes had the tails and heads on the same side). I said it was wrong and even offered to grab sheet music 7 feet away from us to prove it but she insisted that it looked better that way, so we had no choice but to comply.

The musician in me died a little that day.

Moral of the journal? Voice your opinions, even if they get squashed. Hopefully others listen eventually and we change for the better. Be open, because even we need a "slap in the face" honest opinion to set us straight too.

P.S. Del-Rey gonna kill me one day.

Featured Friend

Originally ~Sakura-Star, this artist has improved quite a lot. His (her?) gallery consists of a nice collection of original works and fanart from nostalgic and modern anime. Oooh yeah! I highly recommend checking out his (her?) watercolour works and the original comic, Chiqua Defenders. Now if only I could be certain about a gender...

Clubs l Beyblade Revelation l Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Lost Saga l Forum | Child's Step

Hi everyone!

I'm taking a brief rest after Ai-Kon, as I am totally wiped out. As soon as I recover a little, I'm finishing that art trade with *angelnablackrobe and =ancode's request. Dammit, I will not receive subscriptions for free! Then it's some doujinshi-writings in between looking for a permanent science-related job. Aww, YEAH.

I've always been interested in OCs and I'm wondering how people come across creating them. As for myself, I observe people and from their traits build characters. After that, I make stories based on how they'd react in certain situations. I don't really think of any backstory until it's time in my doujinshis. My OCs are always flat when I think of them, but I try to give them dimension in subtle ways through their actions. I also like thinking of flaws which is the character's strongest fault but also their strongest attribute.

How about you guys? Do you find the need to totally complete a character? Is it better to be 3-dimensional right off the bat? To have subtleties that barely anyone notices, but happen throughout the story? Or design is a much better thing to focus on? How about omnipotent characters? Fun or Mary-Sue-ish?

Featured Friend

Simple line, intriguing art. Mainly of the manga genre, ~rifgocrazy2 has a style that reminds me of those dogs/cats with huge eyes that stare at you on school supplies, mainly portfolios. Yeah, I realize it's a weird analysis, but it's true - and I'm fond of it. Who needs excessive detail when you can get to the point with simplicity?

Clubs l Beyblade Revelation l Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Lost Saga l Forum | Child's Step

What's the worst/funniest dub you've ever heard? It doesn't matter if it's anime, American movies, Bollywood flicks - I'm game!

Mine - Dragonball GT, Chinese. I have NEVER heard such high-pitched voices. I think they're even higher than the original Japanese women voice actresses. Second is English-dubbed Speed Racer. Ha ha!

P.S. Rest in peace Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. You will be missed.


Featured Friend:

Bright and shiny, cute and lively! I think she overuses the dodge in some of her pieces, but on the whole knows how to bring a smile to your face. I recommend seeing her HUGE fanart piece with so many characters from different animes. You can't miss it in her gallery. Can YOU name 'em all?

Clubs l Beyblade Revelation l Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Lost Saga l Forum | Child's Step