tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27660602.post8354601329210408074..comments2023-03-23T13:29:32.105+00:00Comments on Vaguely Simian: A sweeping generalisationMonsieur Le Capuchinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07927917854738455114noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27660602.post-22420676052835648722007-06-17T22:38:00.000+01:002007-06-17T22:38:00.000+01:00When i was in Geordietown there was the Tyneside C...When i was in Geordietown there was the Tyneside Cinema which was a little independant place with Mike Figgis as one of it's patrons.<BR/><BR/>It was the place you went to see Chopper and Donnie Darko and junk like that...also sometimes films with subtitles!!<BR/><BR/>It was good. I hope it's still there.Sunny Walkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16766732414927528364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27660602.post-60800073407368861552007-06-08T23:09:00.000+01:002007-06-08T23:09:00.000+01:00Hello Duncan! Or should I reply on your blog?You w...Hello Duncan! Or should I reply on <I>your</I> blog?<BR/>You were never geeky enough, don't you feel lacking? Taste my geek might!<BR/>I guess Newcastle would suit the average cinemagoer, but I tend to see a couple of films a week. I haven't seen Pirates or Spidey 3 yet, if I do bother, but I doubt I could manage two films a week in Geordieville without viewing them.<BR/>But you probably have different priorities than me, like a career and social life, whereas I choose to sit in dark rooms watching films.<BR/><BR/>Fare well.Monsieur Le Capuchinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07927917854738455114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27660602.post-80603938589371366332007-06-05T22:53:00.000+01:002007-06-05T22:53:00.000+01:00Hello sirDon't actually have much to say about ani...Hello sir<BR/>Don't actually have much to say about anime, as I'm obviously not geeky enough in this respect, but I thought I'd get all facebooky/myspacey wall-to-wall on your ass and say hello back on your blog...somehow I'd never really had the curiosity to discover your blog thru Al's one, but now I have...I shall read your film stuff with interest...I note that in one of your previous posts you dreaded the idea of living in a town with only a big cineplex and a small indie cinema - sounds like Newcastle...though given that I only manage to make it to a film once every 3-4 weeks it doesn't matter too much. On the plus side, any kooky stuff that you review down in London will only be shown here in about a month's time, so I will be well versed already.<BR/><BR/>Blogging is dead. Vive le blogging!Herr Kapitän Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07479357347684280280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27660602.post-80778338386512317132007-06-02T12:23:00.000+01:002007-06-02T12:23:00.000+01:00Over here being Normandy, over there being the Cot...Over here being Normandy, over there being the Cotswolds.<BR/><BR/>Anime fans in the UK are big geeks. Some are vaguely sociable and savvy geeks, such as the geeks in our blog-circle, whilst some are scary and embarrassing - visiting the anime/manga section of Forbidden Planet usually fills me with some sort of violent, hateful fear.<BR/>It's a sub-section of a sub-culture.<BR/>The Xmen and Spiderman may be household names, but I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of those in the UK who watched the first movies had never read one of the comics. And then within the comicbook geek subculture of Britain, you have the anime fans.<BR/><BR/>In Japan, manga comics have been a large part of the culture for decades. Some say that the American occupiers tried to get their culture across via the visual medium of comics to overcome the language barrier, which made comics or manga a central part of the culture post-war. You also have the fact that the Japanese language itself is very visual, where the letters are pictures and often represent something, however abstract. The mere act of writing is itself an art form, far moreso than Western calligraphy.<BR/><BR/>Because manga has been so central to Japanese culture, it has endured, as rather than being seen as something for kids, manga are created to cover every theme, topic or genre you could think of. Therefore manga are read by both genders at all ages and at all levels of social standing - be it the cutesy magical girl tales stuffed with frilly dresses for little girls, or stories of pro golfers for the middle aged salaryman, there's something to cover all bases.<BR/>The majority of books printed and purchased in Japan are manga, so the fact that it is mainstream isn't surprising. Over here we tend to get the stories that appeal to the already established comicbook geek market - that of the 13-35 year old male, so lots of action, sci-fi, horror etc. and the stuff distributed in the UK isn't exactly indicative of what is produced overall.<BR/><BR/>Think of getting the tube in the morning, only instead of everyone reading the Metro everyone is reading comics.Monsieur Le Capuchinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07927917854738455114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27660602.post-17791392269576853272007-05-30T18:51:00.000+01:002007-05-30T18:51:00.000+01:00How come anime shows are mainly associated with ge...How come anime shows are mainly associated with geeks and their ilk over here, when they seem so universal and part of the mainstream culture over there?<BR/><BR/>Over here being Blighty, over there being Japan and that.Sunny Walkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16766732414927528364noreply@blogger.com