Otakuism

Yoko wants to know what is this faggotry.

The controversy surrounding Gurren-Lagann 4 and certain comments made afterward about its quality have finally culminated in the resignation of Akai Takami, co-producer of Gurren-Lagann and member of Gainax’s Board of Directors. The controversy started with episode 4, which was directed by Osamu Kobayashi, a man with a very “unique” sense and a virtual one man studio. Fans didn’t take kindly to his rather bizarre interpretation and made their thoughts known on the GL blog, an open blog kept by the GL staff. The controversy probably would of died there, if it wasn’t for other comments made earlier in the month on a social networking site by Mimori Keiko. She basically said she hated all otaku and wished for them to die. Akai Takami chimed in, mentioning how 2ch is like an “anus” that feels itself superior to everyone else. Needless to say, these comments did not go down well, ultimately leading to Akai Takami’s resignation. It’s pretty sad actually, since Takami has been with Gainax since Daikon III and has been working on GL for five years.

So, instead of posting pics from ep.4, I’m just going to post Yoko, in order to remind everyone why GL is awesome.

As for my own impression of episode 4, I have to agree that it’s downright shitty. The animation is subpar, story illogical and boring, and the eating of Boota’s hind regions was plain bizarre. The Black Family people were pretty cool though. While Gainax keeps saying that the episode was a level of art normal people couldn’t understand, I disagree. Sure, Osamu Kobayashi can make an episode all by himself. That’s talent. But a mainstream anime is not the place to show that talent. Why Gainax thought it was a good idea to give an episode completely to this man is beyond me. Did they not think GL was going to be popular at all, and people wouldn’t care? No wonder fans were upset, as it feels like a big “fuck you,” similar to the final episodes of Evangelion. However, if it was just episode 4 that was the problem, this all would have blown over. Episode 5 would air, be awesome, and people would forget. Too bad some of the staff decided to air their grievances, in public.

If there’s anything that the internet has taught society, aside from the fact that there is porn for everything, it is that if you say something bad about someone, they will find it at some point. This fact increases exponentially when it deals with a web forum with like a million members. I’m not going to say whether the comments made, about otaku and 2ch, were correct or not. That’s a whole can full of worms I don’t feel like dealing with. However, I will say why any member of Gainax was stupid as shit to post those comments, especially a co-producer like Akai. First, whether you like it or not, otaku are going to be the first and, probably, most important fanbase you have. Here’s a hint when dealing with a fickle fanbase: don’t piss them off! They’ll just come back a hundred fold to strike back at you. Any member of Gainax should know this well, but someone still felt like posting that comment, and others agreed. Did the people of Gainax feel so high and mighty that otaku would bow down to them, no matter how shitty they were treated? Otaku may be some weak-willed people, but they’re not afraid to stand up to companies, especially when anonymity is involved, like 2ch.

There is such a thing as decorum. No matter the personal feelings of people within a company, publicly, they should be happy to everyone. It’s called good advertising and having a reputation. Don’t make potential customers angry and not willing to check out your product. And in the world of anime, reputation matters. It’s why every new Kyoani anime is heralded as the second coming of christ and every new Gonzo show as the end of the world. No matter how many exceptions, certain images stick. Gainax will probably have to deal with this publicly for a while, and it certainly mars GL’s release. No matter if the statements were true, I’m amazed that Gainax could act in such a candid way online, especially for a major company. Right now, I only hope for the best for Gainax, and especially Gurren-Lagann. But make no mistake, Gainax brought this on themselves and they’ll have to deal with it. They’ll get no sympathy from me. This is what you get for deciding to throw responsibility out the window.