This isn’t quite a serious response to a recent Sankaku Complex article (NSFW). Their jab at Western “dating sims” was obviously not intended for any kind of serious contemplation, despite the fact that they overlooked something crucial.
The punchline, however, felt disturbingly familiar. It isn’t all too uncommon in anime fandom to criticize Western media, much moreso when a person is creating something that “resembles” Japanese media like anime and manga. It’s the typical “stop trying to be Asian” argument, which appears to be worse for the YouTube stars (although that may only be because they have to deal with YouTube commenters).
Anyway, media is the issue here, not culture. Put simply, some fans have a bad habit of underestimating Japanese-style media that wasn’t made in Japan, and that can be as unhealthy for the community as it is harmful for your own media intake.
I don’t think anyone would benefit from me listing the reasons why Western “imitations” of Japanese media aren”t necessarily bad. It’s common sense, for the most part. While anime is distinctly Japanese, I don’t believe the fact that it’s Japanese has much to do with our enjoyment of it. The fact that it’s different, maybe, but not simply because it came from Japan. So, instead of rambling on about the importance of open-mindedness, I’ll do something productive and list a few pleasant Original English Language creations I’ve had the pleasure of discovering over the years.
- Katawa Shoujo needs no introduction (and it’s linked above). I played the demo up to the opening video, by which point I was convinced that it would someday become the revolution that the OEL VN community needs. There’s no question that I’ll play the full game when it comes out.
- The Answer is clever, though it has little value unless you’re an aspiring visual novel creator.
- You’ve probably played The Best Eroge Ever already. If not, do so now: it’s the good kind of meta.
- Tomorrow is an unusual OEL VN written like a Shakespearean play. Sorta. It’s no masterpiece but it’s a refreshing change.
- Sorcerers & Secretaries is a soothing romance manga that isn’t too ambitious. It’s an enjoyable read for the two volumes that it lasts for.
- Megatokyo needs less of an introduction than Katawa Shoujo, but it’s worth linking to for the two of you who haven’t heard of it. The comic supposedly dropped in popularity as it took a more serious turn, but while I wouldn’t recommend reading it in webcomic form due to the naturally slow pace, the archives and/or manga volumes make for a great read.
- Textnovel is one of those sites for amateur writers to post their work, the only problem being that there’s usually more writing than reading. However, the site’s focus is on cell phone novels, and it seems to have a heavy slant toward Japanese-style light novels. The Ranobe Cafe took note of them a little while ago, and the most popular story seems fairly interesting. At least the art is good!
That’s about all I can think of at the moment, but I’m sure there are a few buried (and not-so-buried) treasures that I have yet to stumble upon. I’d appreciate any and all recommendations if you happen to know an OEL gem or two, but failing that, perhaps it’s time you took a break from watching Railgun and reading Umineko to give the unknown a shot. Who knows, you just might earn the bragging rights of saying that you were there when a future classic first got off the ground!
~ ETERNAL
つづく
