A really quick top 5 fanish things I will never get or see
5. An apology for Voyager and Enterprise - I know that these shows have their fans, I even think that both shows have high points that make up for the shows mostly sucking, but let's face it - they suck. The reason why we only have original series and ST:TNG movies (aside from the reboot) is because none of the shows past TNG have been strong enough to carry non-trekkies into the theaters. People who are not Star Trek fans will watch and do know about the first two series. DS9 on, it's all fanish, and Voyager and Enterprise are so deeply fanish that they largely suck. Paramount needs to issue a serious apology for both shows so that we can all move on.
4. The official release of any gambling manga or anime - The non-otaku friends of mine (and some of my otaku friends) have no idea what I'm talking about, but gambling manga and anime are a genre that we really do not get to see outside of Japanese entertainment. Titles like Kaiji, Akagi and One Outs: Nobody wins but I are amazing stories, centered around crazy gambling main characters who are often putting their lives on the line for a bet, and winning in crazy, interesting and amazing ways. So why will these never come out? They are ugly. With the exception of One Outs, the character designs in these manga and anime are so ugly that many American fans just cannot stand them. It's because they are in a hard-core section of seinen, which is meant to be more realistic and very "un-pretty." Since kids and 20-somethings will have little to no interest, American companies will never bring these over.
3. The Death of Terrestrial Radio - As much as we would like to think that in the day and age of the internet and music online, record companies, who still control the music industry and a lot of artists, are still trying to make radio relevant, and as long as they have the money, radio will determine what bands and artists get pushed and which ones get shelved and have to struggle to get anyone to hear them. Yes, iTunes and other online services have made radio less relevant, but in reality, the recording industry is still behind most of those legit online things, even if it is against their will. Eventually, terrestrial radio will die, but it won't happen in my life time.Airplay will remain one of the most important indicators for record companies and bands outside of the acceptable and ever narrowing mainstream who got duped into signing a contract will be stuck because of antiquated beliefs held by stupid old men.
2. An official DVD release of Song of the South - I have had the argument with people who think it's just fine that Disney has kept this locked up because it's racist. You know what? Song of the South, in many respects, is no more racist than Huckleberry Finn, and like Twain's classic, it is an important part of American cultural history that we should not be hiding from. James Baskett, who played Uncle Remus, won an Honorary Academy Award for his performance. Yes, the film has problems, but they are problems we should be willing to engage and discuss, and not ignore that technically speaking, this is one of the most important films ever made. Disney will use "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" to market their theme parks, but the movie that song is from will remain in their vaults because they are cowards.
1. An official release of Aoi Hana - And this is what I really wanted to get to. If you don't know Aoi Hana (Sweet Blue Flowers), it is a yuri manga and anime written by Takako Shimura, and it is one of the few depictions of lesbian relations in recent times that is more realistic than it is idealistic or melodramatic. Takako Shimura is one of the few authors out there who is writing LGBT stories in an honest or meaningful manner without trying to "cash in" on the growing acceptance of LGBT people in society at large. Her other big work, Wandering Son, which is about prepubescent transgender issues, actually has been released, but for reasons passing understanding, Aoi Hana remains shelved and currently only available in scans and illegal downloading forms. I cannot really blame American companies because it didn't do well in Japan (the anime, the manga seems to be doing fine), but someone, anyone needs to make this available.
4. The official release of any gambling manga or anime - The non-otaku friends of mine (and some of my otaku friends) have no idea what I'm talking about, but gambling manga and anime are a genre that we really do not get to see outside of Japanese entertainment. Titles like Kaiji, Akagi and One Outs: Nobody wins but I are amazing stories, centered around crazy gambling main characters who are often putting their lives on the line for a bet, and winning in crazy, interesting and amazing ways. So why will these never come out? They are ugly. With the exception of One Outs, the character designs in these manga and anime are so ugly that many American fans just cannot stand them. It's because they are in a hard-core section of seinen, which is meant to be more realistic and very "un-pretty." Since kids and 20-somethings will have little to no interest, American companies will never bring these over.
3. The Death of Terrestrial Radio - As much as we would like to think that in the day and age of the internet and music online, record companies, who still control the music industry and a lot of artists, are still trying to make radio relevant, and as long as they have the money, radio will determine what bands and artists get pushed and which ones get shelved and have to struggle to get anyone to hear them. Yes, iTunes and other online services have made radio less relevant, but in reality, the recording industry is still behind most of those legit online things, even if it is against their will. Eventually, terrestrial radio will die, but it won't happen in my life time.Airplay will remain one of the most important indicators for record companies and bands outside of the acceptable and ever narrowing mainstream who got duped into signing a contract will be stuck because of antiquated beliefs held by stupid old men.
2. An official DVD release of Song of the South - I have had the argument with people who think it's just fine that Disney has kept this locked up because it's racist. You know what? Song of the South, in many respects, is no more racist than Huckleberry Finn, and like Twain's classic, it is an important part of American cultural history that we should not be hiding from. James Baskett, who played Uncle Remus, won an Honorary Academy Award for his performance. Yes, the film has problems, but they are problems we should be willing to engage and discuss, and not ignore that technically speaking, this is one of the most important films ever made. Disney will use "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" to market their theme parks, but the movie that song is from will remain in their vaults because they are cowards.
1. An official release of Aoi Hana - And this is what I really wanted to get to. If you don't know Aoi Hana (Sweet Blue Flowers), it is a yuri manga and anime written by Takako Shimura, and it is one of the few depictions of lesbian relations in recent times that is more realistic than it is idealistic or melodramatic. Takako Shimura is one of the few authors out there who is writing LGBT stories in an honest or meaningful manner without trying to "cash in" on the growing acceptance of LGBT people in society at large. Her other big work, Wandering Son, which is about prepubescent transgender issues, actually has been released, but for reasons passing understanding, Aoi Hana remains shelved and currently only available in scans and illegal downloading forms. I cannot really blame American companies because it didn't do well in Japan (the anime, the manga seems to be doing fine), but someone, anyone needs to make this available.