Chag's Comments for 2008/05 (2)

Looks like you're preaching to the wrong crowd, and I suppose I'm not learning from your mistake, heh, but anyways, here's my interpretation it. Almost all of you are completely missing the point. Disgusted? That's because the _statues_ are embodiments of a criticism against the shallowness of anime, manga, and otaku culture in general. They only extend the already greatly exaggerated portrayal of sexuality in otaku culture -- I'm sure if you have come across H-manga and H-doujins before, you have most likely already encountered large breasts and ejaculations of... great volumes, and even if not, you have surely come across fan service anime, ecchi manga, and trashy figures (they're all over this site, duh) featuring similarly styled characters. And yet. by distorting that only a little, Murakami creates a slightly disturbing image that questions otaku culture and sexuality. The epiphany comes when you realize how little Murakami deviates from the standard quo, but by actualizing the sexual ideals printed on paper in life-sized sculptures, he captures the hint of deep perverseness in otaku, which is proven when each of you shuddered in disgust -- they are the unsightly reflections of anime, manga, and otaku culture that you all envy so much, a materialistic and hyper-sexualized culture, a fact none of you can deny (yes, I realize just about everything in media is materialistic and sexualized these days, don't bother bringing that up, as it still doesn't change the argument at hand). There is damn good reason why the sculptures are valued at an amount greater than what most of you would make in your entire lives. This page is testament to the provoking nature of Murakami's art. Of course, I'm not asking you to LIKE the sculptures, but it seems almost none of you are giving them the few moments of thought they deserve. ...and I'm spent, God, talking about not learning from another's mistakes. ( View formatted comment » )

Oh what the hell, time to be an ass: Nothing too offending with the models themselves, but the photo has a few notable problems. Destiny's pose is bad. The arms don't look like they're swinging the sword -- they look like they're just merely holding it. Trying swinging a broom or something to get a better sense. Either straighten the elbows a little to make it seem that Destiny is in the process of downward swing, or bend the elbows more and tilt the sword a little backwards to make it seem like the two are in the middle of a weapons clash. The legs and wings are also awkwardly positioned: the legs look like they're just dangling, and the wings, though firing off, are pointed completely to the sides. You'd think they would be pointed backwards, you know, for thrust, which is what all those pretty lights are for? You might be able to get away with it in a casual pose, but in an attempted battle reenactment, it just looks awkward to a pair of picky eyes. Point those things back a bit, and pose those legs like they're dashing. The legs problem also applies to the gold unit (too lazy to check for the spelling of the name, bite me) -- the gundam is getting a full serving of anti-ship sword, the legs should reflect that, either with a dash pose or pointed forward to emulate being blow away or something. Also, the fact that the right shoulder is completely blocking the head is also an eyesore. Anyways, the photo looks every amateurish. I'm not going to complain about the background, since not everyone is interested in setting up a photo booth. However, the poses are just not natural, which is a shame, since they look like well-made models, and I know for certain that Destiny has great poseability, especially in the shoulders and arms. The photo could be much better. On your next attempt, put yourself in the same pose as your models, and see if it feels natural or not. ...So much for "being gentle", but don't take it the wrong way -- play around with the models a little and you'll get it easily. ( View formatted comment » )