Satoshi Kon last testament, translated.

I am too sad to write anything much here now, but this is full translation of Satoshi Kon's last testament for the world before his untimely passing on 25th August 2010.

Here is the full translation.

Rest in peace, Kon-Sensei. Sic transit gloriam mundi = Latin's phrase for "there goes the world's glory"

anime

Satoshi Kon, director of Paprika passed away?!

This news is 2 hours old when this entry was made but multiple reports suggested that highly talented director of Paprika, Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress passed away suddenly this morning. If this is true, then it is a great loss to anime industry and fans alike.

I mourned for Mr Kon, as I do enjoy his works very much. Sigh.

Source no 1
Source no2

anime

Autumn 2010 Anime Lineups!

Ah, it is the time of the year again.

My prediction of popular series this time around will be:

1. Index S2
2. My Sister Can't be This Cute
3. Iron Man
4. Star Driver
5. Mirai Nikki

Remains to be seen if I am correct or not. I will watch Iron Man, Star Driver and Mirai Nikki, I do have some expectations from Studio Bone's Star Driver.

Cheers.

anime

Mangakas gave middle finger to pirates / "fans"

Few days ago, an irate mangaka of Black Butler / 黒執事 (Yana Taboso) posted a scathing entry on her blog when she literally pissed off by smug pirates / "fans" who wrote to her on how good her work is but paid zero for it. Her entry is pretty dramatic, along lines of "It is not okay to starve me to death while you enjoy my manga for free!". She literally blew her top, I guess she must have a bad day.

Recently, Rei Horie who is famous for his love of gun toting babes and outlandish action wishes a certain someone who posted Black Lagoon manga chapters in single zip to have some kinda form of cancer on his Twitter which followed on by another famous mangaka Kouta Hirano (Hellsing); he wishes it will be more than just "normal cancer", he wishes a disease so rare that the uploader will be inflicted by it so can be recorded in medical posterity.

All these are signs of creators are fed up and if situation did not improve anytime soon, they might just give up doing it one day. That time, it is lose-lose for everyone. Sometimes I wonder what kinda idiot "fans" who wrote to this mangakas and rub it into their face that they are not paying for their work. If you pirating the works, the last thing you want to do is inform the creators about it, right? Anyway, I do not condone the piracy but the ballsy "fans" truly amazes me with their blatant rudeness.

I believed the solution is adopt the medium on how this mangas to be distributed to the fans; by using Internet more pro-actively. So far the big guns of the manga industry seems to be leery to adapt it. The publishing companies were making fat profits by adding cost and royalty on the product, make it impossible for average fan to buy the originals in sustainable exchange. Perhaps traditional book bound manga is not way to go? Afterall with advent of I-pad, Kindle or e-readers nowadays, they should really seriously look on it to make the hobby affordable in long run for fans.

Fans too have to play a part by buy the originals so the mangakas will be continue their work instead of zero sum game which currently prevailing right now. Mangas took time and effort to be made, a financial compensation is rightly theirs to take. To be continuously take their work and not paying it is a tantamount of stealing no matter how you dress it, the bottomline is still the same.

Things don't have to end up like this, it can be better for fans and creators.

Cheers.

anime