dang....
(Sorry I've been really bad with comments recently, just have been in a weird place mentally)
It is totally weird to realize that 2-3 years ago (make that practically 4 years) I was regularly reading raw manga. (for Giant Killing, coz I adore the series and scanlations were way behind [I think it's been picked up and dropped several times].)
As it stands, my language skills ebb and flow depending on how "in practice" I am. But it's really gratifying, as 2014 comes to a close, to go back and catch up on scanlations of Giant Killing and realize that yeah, I totally understood everything and literally all I missed were the little bits of occasional side banter, and that in fact there were some things I evidently understood better than the translators.
(Scanlations are STILL behind where I got to before something happened to my raw source!)
(I'm disappointed that there wasn't a 2nd anime season this year to play off the World Cup!)
Giant Killing remains my favorite sports series, I think -- primarily because it is the only sports series I've encountered that's really examined the intersection of "fandom"/local community/commercialization in a way that's thoughtful and subtly moving without ever turning into angst and melodrama. Despite the title, it is not about underdogs beating favored champions. (Actually I bet this is why it never got a 2nd season, because other than the official Tokyo Victory rematch most of the next couple of volumes are not really about particular matches.) It's not even really about genius players and hardworking nobodies, the way most sports series are. It's about community on several different levels (individual, team, management/staff, fandom, local, national, international) -- in other words, the series isn't so much about turning around a lackluster team, but about rebuilding the community around that team. And that makes for a far more nuanced and intricate story than a simpler tale about winning and losing.
(Although I'm positive this is also why the series is so unpopular with the [predominantly USian] Western manga-consuming fanbase. US soccer bias aside, the failure to follow the "underdog meets catalyst/quirky hijinks & hard work ensue/underdog ends up prevailing despite the odds" story structure is a turnoff for most sports manga fans.)
I really should pick the raws back up if I can find them... *whistles* I know they should be on like Vol 32 by now. (I got up to vol 19 or so; scanlations are still finishing up vol 16.)
But man, rereading the flashback arc still breaks my heart... The way how you can see all the doors opening and closing, all the factors accumulating and building toward the inevitable... :(
(Also I still loooove the manga art. Sigh.)
comments at the original Dreamwidth post
It is totally weird to realize that 2-3 years ago (make that practically 4 years) I was regularly reading raw manga. (for Giant Killing, coz I adore the series and scanlations were way behind [I think it's been picked up and dropped several times].)
As it stands, my language skills ebb and flow depending on how "in practice" I am. But it's really gratifying, as 2014 comes to a close, to go back and catch up on scanlations of Giant Killing and realize that yeah, I totally understood everything and literally all I missed were the little bits of occasional side banter, and that in fact there were some things I evidently understood better than the translators.
(Scanlations are STILL behind where I got to before something happened to my raw source!)
(I'm disappointed that there wasn't a 2nd anime season this year to play off the World Cup!)
Giant Killing remains my favorite sports series, I think -- primarily because it is the only sports series I've encountered that's really examined the intersection of "fandom"/local community/commercialization in a way that's thoughtful and subtly moving without ever turning into angst and melodrama. Despite the title, it is not about underdogs beating favored champions. (Actually I bet this is why it never got a 2nd season, because other than the official Tokyo Victory rematch most of the next couple of volumes are not really about particular matches.) It's not even really about genius players and hardworking nobodies, the way most sports series are. It's about community on several different levels (individual, team, management/staff, fandom, local, national, international) -- in other words, the series isn't so much about turning around a lackluster team, but about rebuilding the community around that team. And that makes for a far more nuanced and intricate story than a simpler tale about winning and losing.
(Although I'm positive this is also why the series is so unpopular with the [predominantly USian] Western manga-consuming fanbase. US soccer bias aside, the failure to follow the "underdog meets catalyst/quirky hijinks & hard work ensue/underdog ends up prevailing despite the odds" story structure is a turnoff for most sports manga fans.)
I really should pick the raws back up if I can find them... *whistles* I know they should be on like Vol 32 by now. (I got up to vol 19 or so; scanlations are still finishing up vol 16.)
But man, rereading the flashback arc still breaks my heart... The way how you can see all the doors opening and closing, all the factors accumulating and building toward the inevitable... :(
(Also I still loooove the manga art. Sigh.)
comments at the original Dreamwidth post