Sea Slugs! Anime Blog

Er, I guess we had to take 3 months off after that last Tripeman-filled interview, but this month we’re back and chatting with the supremely gifted DS of Daijoubu. While many of you may know him for his dango-filled artwork, there is much more to the man. Yes, behind all the funny comics lies a tortured soul, and I know all of you are dying to hear about the angsty and emotional story behind the laughter. Read on to find out what DS does with his time when he isn’t pulling a fast one on the aniblogosphere.

Deep Thought Questions

How has the journey through raw-viewing and episodic blogging been going so far?

I have to admit to myself that I’m not at a point yet where I can understand enough of raws to make it profitable for me to watch them, let alone try to blog them. Getting to that point will be one of my goals, of course, and I’ll have to teach myself, presumably in something like the way Totali described doing in one of your earlier interviews. In the meantime, I’m debating whether to dabble in episodic blogging at all. There seem to be two waves of postings by summary bloggers: the ones who are right on top of the raws are the cutting edge and those that come along later, when a translation is available, form the long tail. At Anime Boston, I had the chance to observe Hinano and JP watching a raw episode of Rosario + Vampire (while laughing at all those funny user comments) on Nico Nico and I thought, “This must be an ideal for weeaboo/otaku/whatever – as cutting edge as you can be outside of Japan.” (lol)

Being part of that second wave is, of course, a viable option, but I have a tendency to fall behind and develop a large backlog. And I have to ask myself what the point is, when so many others are summarizing, screen-capping and so-on already. My short-lived attempt at blogging Higurashi Kai got little attention and, yes, I’m as obsessed with getting comments as anyone. To be original I can try the humorous approach, complete with edited screencaps, which people like, but that would be a real challenge to keep fresh and entertaining if I regularly did multiple series every week! What bloggers like Owen do, analyzing a series, or several series with a similar theme, at different intervals, rather than grinding out a post every week, is probably the approach I like most. I’m going to try to get back to doing something like that. But often I’ll get inspired by a particular scene or image and just end up wanting to do some funny stuff, so we’ll see how it goes.

Could you walk us through the process of creating a MegaDaijoubu?

The MegaDaijoubu strips usually come about because I get a sudden inspiration. Often, the entire strip pops into my head while I’m doing something else and then I just HAVE TO run to my computer and create it. Sometimes I’ll get the beginning of a concept and either figure out the ending while I’m creating or, or even change the ending to something better than I had originally thought up. I can’t really draw and I’m using the very basic Paint.net, so obviously I don’t waste too much time with the drawing part (lol). I also tend to use cut-and-paste of the same character and make minor changes because I can’t always be sure they will look enough the same if I redrew them each time from scratch!

So why do it if I’m no artist? It’s really because I think the ideas I come up with will be entertaining. I’m usually laughing at the joke I’ve come up with and am rushing to get it out and going back to read it and laugh again. That’s why I’m very irregular with doing them: they only come out when I get an idea I think is good.

When people respond with comments I’m happy that, despite the art, people liked the joke and this response makes me want to continue. I was also surprised when, soon after I started, DiGiKerot of Beta Waffle took such an interest in MegaDaijoubu. I respect his mastery of puns and, while some people out there describe his art as “ghastly,” I think it’s very good and obviously better than mine! I like it when we occasionally play off each other.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start a webcomic?

While art is important, it would seem that a good idea or joke can carry a strip, even if you are only using stick-figures! Maybe even bad art can become part of the charm of a webcomic! Of course, anime blog webcomics have a limited audience compared to big, really famous webcomics. As one part of a blog where other things happen, it adds to the variety and provides me with the option of posting something even if I don’t feel like writing a traditional type of post. If someone wants to start a webcomic that they hope can stand on its own, then MegaDaijoubu is perhaps not the best model. To develop a following beyond the anime blogosphere, a more consistent artistic style and regular posting is probably required. But for those who have an idea or concept and just want to get it out and experiment, blogs are designed for just that, so go for it!

Many folks have been decrying the increasing rarity of ‘hardcore’ anime conventions due to the increasingly mainstream appeal of anime. Do you agree and/or feel that this is a problem?

I went to my first anime convention in 1998 (10 years ago, wow!) and even then, “hardcore” fans were lamenting the hordes of Gundam Wing and Pokemon kids crowding the place. Some of those kids have no doubt moved on, but others have matured and now think of themselves as “old school” too! But in the last ten years, Naruto and the like have exploded in popularity and the so-called “Narutards” and the frequently immature yaoi fans often seem to totally swamp cons, which are themselves growing larger and larger every year. Will these kids mature like their predecessors? I don’t know, but what is clear to me is that, while last year I went to more cons than ever before, I feel more-and-more distanced from the proceedings each time I went to one. I feel like I have little in common with the kids there and for those who follow the latest anime in Japan, the cosplay and dealers room is mostly stuck in Naruto-mode. Going to so many cons last year, I was seeing the same dealers and the same merchandise and the same characters being cosplayed over and over again.

It’s best when there are people you know there to hang out with because that makes it easier to ignore the kids all around who are often acting stupid. Also, every con is different. Anime Boston used to be quite good until the crowds and long lines ruined it for many this year. Anime Next had lots of yaoi paddles, but some decent panels with some older fans in attendance. NYAF was more industry-oriented and therefore more professional. ConnectiCon has tended to have the best balance, being just the right size and appealing to a wider range of fans interested in everything from gaming to webcomics. We’ll just have to see if it can keep this equilibrium in the future. The convention planned for Providence seems like a good idea, though it is quite expensive! I’m waiting to learn more details about it.

Quick Shots

Like Picasso moving from his Blue Period to Rose Period, do you ever see yourself moving totally out of your Dango period?

Ah yes, Dango. They have brought me attention, but at the same time I don’t want Daijoubu to just be type-cast as a dango blog. Eventually, I will have to move on, but whenever I try to set aside the dangos, someone comments in shock and disappointment! Actually, I’m very interested in how artists (including musicians) have different artistic “periods,” like Verdi, the Beatles or Miles Davis. I never thought of myself in that way!

Besides Hinano/JP and Sat-chan, which other anibloggers have you met in real life? Are there any in particular that you really want to meet?

I did get to meet wildarmsheero at Anime Boston. He caught me on tape, but I didn’t say much, so I hope to do better if that happens again, lol. I have a fantasy of traveling to Singapore, which must be the dream island of anibloggers. In one day, you could meet dozens of them, even a green-haired trap and one with three you-know-whats! It must be an amazing place indeed! Closer to home, I’ve wondered what Kabitzin looks like too! Oh, and as for my relationship with Sat-chan… maybe I should just keep those details a secret to protect the innocence of your younger readers!

Was Daijoubudesuyo.com the first domain name that popped into your mind? Which variations failed to make the cut?

For a long time I wanted to use daijoubudango.com. I assumed that would be it, but when it finally came to actually doing it, I thought about how I’d be paying money to be stuck with that name. Daijoubu was taken (as I knew it would be), so after I considered alternatives, like daijoubudesu and daijoubuyo, I settled on daijoubudesuyo. Did I do the right thing? What if I hadn’t chickened-out and gone ahead with daijoubudango?

Favorite anime blog besides your own?

I love the blogs where the writers have strong and distinctive personalities, like Hinano. I also like how DiGiKerot is devoted to doing his own distinctive thing with his own art. Alafista always has cool and interesting bits of news. I am often in awe of the incredible writing skills and perfectly realized blogging persona of tj han at RIUVA. He has a great combination of satire and seriousness which never fails to be entertain and amaze!

Best part about blogging?

As I’ve mentioned before, I love coming up with extreme ideas that I think will be fun for people. I lol at the thought of people reading this stuff and how they might react. I also like meeting people around the world through blogging.

Worst part about blogging?

I am obsessed with comments, so when reactions to my posts appear I am pleased. Conversely, I hate it when posts sink without comments. Even one good comment can satisfy me. Page views and hits actually mean less to me than comments!

There are many types of dango. Which do you find the tastiest?

I do not eat dango. I might do so some day, as long as they don’t have eyes on them!