The crowds are dense with people The crowds are dense lobby, each wandering to and fro in the with people wandering to and in in the A group of with a destination fro mind. lobby, each with a run past, on their way group of people destination in mind. A to get in people run for on masquerade. in line early past, the their way to get A line early for the masquerade. A photographer stops a pair of Sword Art photographer stops a pair photo, and Online cosplayers for a of Sword Art Online cosplayers smile photo, and they oblige with a for a and a joint they their swords crossed. pose, oblige with a smile and a joint pose, their swords crossed. and the The excitement is high, The excitement feeling and the colours bright- it’s thatis high, of being colours bright- it’s that feeling of being in the middle of a crowd of strangers in the middle the same things. It’s that all enjoy of a crowd of strangers that all enjoy the same belonging. understanding that sense of things. It’s understanding that game characters, The moe blobs, thesense of belonging. The moe blobs, the game characters,
the old-school and new-school- anime the old-school and new-school- fans conventions are places where anime conventions are places where off converge to celebrate and show fans converge to their fandoms.celebrate and show off their fandoms. When growing with anime fandom, When sometimesgrowing wonder if fandom, you with anime you’re sometimes old. Your parents if you’re getting too you wonder will drop getting too old. Your parents will drop you off with a wry comment “When are you going a grow up?” you off withto wry comment, “Whenyou and are you going wave, turning away to join to grow up?” , and you shrug and shrug and the party. wave, turning away to join the was ?rst introduced to the concept I party. I was ?rst introduced to the concept of an anime convention in tenth grade. of an always convention in tenth grade. I had anime been an anime fan, as my I had always given me fan, as my parents hadbeen an anime cantonese parents had given me cantonese
dubbed anime to learn from. Over dubbed anime to learn it myself. time, I started to look forfrom. Over time, I started to look for it Indigo Wandering the aisles of the localmyself. Wandering the aisles of the local Indigo became a weekly pastime for checking became a weekly pastime for checking out the new books, and pestering the out the new books, and pestering the library with requests for new manga. library with requests forlong way since Things have come a new manga. Things have come long way since then. I have friends athat reminisce then. the days friendsthe tickets were about I have when that reminisce about the days when the tickets we cheaper, and we laugh becausewere cheaper, and counting the years. have stopped we laugh because we have can come and go, the years. Friendsstopped counting but it seems Friends can come and go, but it seems that the pattern is consistent meetings that the pattern is consistent meetings at the convention, most notably Anime at the once a year. North, convention, most notably Anime North, once a year.
Growing up Growing up with a with a Fandom Fandom
Written and Illustrated by: Written and Illustrated by: Alcina Wong Alcina Wong
alcinawong.com alcinawong.com
For some people, being an anime fan For chasing the being shows that means some people,newestan anime fan means chasing the whatever method it come out of Japan, newest shows that come out of Japan, whatever the way takes to get the fansubs. Withmethod it takes are now, fansubs. With stream things to get theyou can legally the way things are now, you can legally stream the episodes by groups like Crunchyroll the Funimation groups like Crunchyroll and episodes by(US only), but there are and Funimation (US only), in there are times I laugh at people butthe local times I laugh at for the in the local anime club that run people now-defunct anime club that run for the now-defunct position of “Subtitling Coordinator.” position of “Subtitling Coordinator.”had Those were the days where you Those your own anime you had to subtitlewere the days wherebecause to subtitle no anime licensing because there were your own anime compathere were no anime licensing companies, no distributors, no torrenting. Mailnies, no distributors, no torrenting. was ing VHS tapes to other anime clubsMailing VHS tapes to other anime clubs was a necessity for sharing anime; nowaa necessity tend to watch it at nowadays, people for sharing anime; home, days, people tend to watch it stream, by themselves, whether by at home, by themselves, torrent, or discs. whether by stream, torrent, or discs.
The ending of Neon Genesis EvangelionThe ending of Neon Genesisbecause feels fresh in your mind, Evangelionreboot fresh in your mind, because the feels ?lms are coming out, so it’s the reboot standing still. That moment like time is ?lms are coming out, so it’s like time realize that anime you like is when youis standing still. That moment when you realize old (My you like is now 25 years that anime Neighbour now 25 years CG remake Space Totoro), but the old (My Neighbour Totoro), but the CG is making a Pirate Captain Harlock remake Space Pirate return. Captain Harlock is making a return.guess you could call me a little I I for looking backward me a little foolish guess you could call instead of foolish for looking backward season is forward. The summer anime instead of forward. The and there’s season is approaching, summer anime plenty of approaching, and there’s plenty I shows to look forward to. Personally,of shows to look Niidame will be enjoythink Genshikenforward to. Personally, I think Genshiken (and highly be enjoyable to to watch Niidame will meta), as able to to watch (and highly meta), as well as Silver Spoon, the man-service well as Animation’s the man-service Kyoto Silver Spoon, FREE! (artfully Kyoto Animation’s FREE! (artfully dubbed “Swimming Anime” by Tumblr), dubbed “Swimming Anime” by Tumblr),
and Ghost In The Shell: ARISE. Where and ?nd time for Shell: ARISE. Where do I Ghost In The all this? In between do I and life, all with friends- I meals?nd time for or this? In between meals supposeand life, or go the extremeI some might with friendssuppose call it amight go the extreme route and some lifestyle. route and call it a lifestyle. Why Japanese animation? It might Why Japanese is big enough that be that the fandom animation? It might be that rabidly follow big enough that people the fandom is every piece of people rabidly follow every piece of news that comes out of Japan, or on news that comes out There’s enough their favourite studios. of Japan, or on their favourite studios. There’s enough variety that everyone has that niche that variety that and enough that niche tell they enjoy, everyone has friends to that they enjoy, and enough friends to tell you what to watch. AKB0048, anyone? youBut aside from that, I’m not here to what to watch. AKB0048, anyone? But aside from that, I’mfan ishere to tell to you that being anime not about tell growing up, or that you should be not to you that being anime fan is about not or that up, or that everyone. be one, growing anime is for you should It’s one, or about the for everyone. It’s mostly that anime isperspective, and mostly about the perspective, and doing what you like- anime fan or not. doing what you like- anime fan or not.
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PASSION8 MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2013