Mari Okada discussion

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by totoum

In addition to her being at anime expo there's another couple things I'd like to mention:

- Nagi no Asukara was confirmed for fall, so it'll be the Okada show of 2013 considering she's actually slowed down a bit compared to the last couple years.

Good point. I haven't heard much about Okada lately. And apparently, there's a reason for that - I don't think she's done much this year yet.

It's good to see she's giving herself a bit of a break. I'm looking forward to Nagi no Asukara.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Okada has slowed down, but she still did the 2nd cour of Blast of Tempest, Sakurasou and then AKB0048 s2 earlier this year. Also True Tears Nanto this season though that's more of a special/split up OVA episode then a full series.

EDIT: She also did the HSI movie and Anohana movie is coming out this coming season.

[Leo_Otaku]

I wonder what people will ask her? What would you guys ask her? I've often wonder why they don't screen some of these questions in advance. Some are an enormous waste of time. Such as the time at the Fate/Zero panel last year with that guy asking why Kiritsugu wasn't more burned at the end ..

I would like to know if she is influenced by KEY works in anyway especially because of the the Super Peace Busters in Anohana. That would be interesting to know.

[Guardian Enzo]

Yeah, Okada really has barely slowed down at all - she's just been focused more on the theatrical side lately.

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by Leo_Otaku

I wonder what people will ask her? What would you guys ask her? I've often wonder why they don't screen some of these questions in advance. Some are an enormous waste of time. Such as the time at the Fate/Zero panel last year with that guy asking why Kiritsugu wasn't more burned at the end ..

I would like to know if she is influenced by KEY works in anyway especially because of the the Super Peace Busters in Anohana. That would be interesting to know.

Seriously? You meet an industry member up close and THAT's what people ask them?

I'd be interested in her personal developments and motivations for the series she worked on that I really enjoyed: Toradora, AnoHana, Hanasaku Iroha, Sakurasou, etc.

Super excited to be able to meet with her this year.

[DragoonKain3]

2010
Winter - Book of Bantorra (started 2009 fall)
Spring -
Summer - Black Butler 2
Fall - Zakuro, Gosick

2011
Winter - Gosick, Fractale, Wandering Son
Spring - HanaIro, Anohana
Summer - HanaIro
Fall -

2012 (Kenshin OVA 1 episode in Winter and another in Fall)
Winter - Aquarion Evol, Black Rock Shooter
Spring - Aquarion Evol, AKB0048, Fujiko Mine
Summer -
Fall - Sakurasou, Blast of Tempest

2013
Winter - Sakurasou, Blast of Tempest. AKB0048 S2
Spring - True Tours Nanto, Hana Iro Movie
Summer -
Fall - Nagi no Asakura, Ano Hana Movie


Yeah, Okada is slowing down in terms of workload, but that's only because she did an awful ton of stuff in 2012 (most likely due to the success of AnoHana and HanaIro... of which did well enough to warrant movie companions to each). Otherwise she works around the equivalent of roughly 5 one-cour anime per year (same during 2008 and 2009), so I wouldn't be surprised if she worked one more series on top of Nagi no Asakura during the fall.



But yeah, I was actually planning to go to AnimeExpo just to get my shit signed, not to mention I want to be in the panel asking questions, but alas emergency expenditures halted that trip. So sad because I haven't felt so strongly about Okada like I have with anyone in the anime industry apart from Kasai Kenichi, of whom I really doubt will ever come this side of the Pacific.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Yeah, Okada really has barely slowed down at all - she's just been focused more on the theatrical side lately.

Theatrical is unfortunately what sells...

Originally Posted by papermario13689

Seriously? You meet an industry member up close and THAT's what people ask them?

I'd be interested in her personal developments and motivations for the series she worked on that I really enjoyed: Toradora, AnoHana, Hanasaku Iroha, Sakurasou, etc.

Super excited to be able to meet with her this year.

Some people are just retarded. Even with their troll questions The first question I would ask if she ever worked in the TV drama industry because her slice of life/drama scripts are very much a K/J drama and anime hybrid. If was allowed to ask a question I would ask if she likes crossdressing with a smirk?

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

Otherwise she works around the equivalent of roughly 5 one-cour anime per year (same during 2008 and 2009), so I wouldn't be surprised if she worked one more series on top of Nagi no Asakura during the fall.

I was half-hoping that she would adapt Kimi no Iru Machi for lulz. I mean the manga is already a massive ragefest, so you might as well go all the way.

So sad because I haven't felt so strongly about Okada like I have with anyone in the anime industry apart from Kasai Kenichi, of whom I really doubt will ever come this side of the Pacific.

I haven't heard of Kasai Kenichi for ages. Last time I heard was him doing Bakuman S1/S2 which frankly was boring me to death. Want him back into noitamina (he did do two of my all time favourites in Honey and Clover & Nodame Cantabile) and do some good old josei/seinen slice of life/drama. Perhaps teach Nagai a lesson or two on being less theatrical - Nagai x Okada is a good duo, but if I had to criticise I wish they would tone down the ham/cheese.


Back onto AnimeExpo. I will pay someone lots of money if they manage to buy a Japanese Blu-ray True Tears Box and then get Okada's signature on it. The shitty bandai DVD one does not count.

EDIT: Golden Time still hasn't announced the studio/director/writer and its scheduled for Fall 2013. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Okada is involved because it's right up her alley - college based romance/drama/comedy

[totoum]

Originally Posted by Pocari_Sweat

What about AKB0048? s2

I should have been clearer, the okada show of the year that isn't related to what she's already done, AKB0048 S2 , the ano hana and Hanasaku Hiroha movies are all based on stuff she's worked on before while Nagi Asukara is brand new and true tours nanto is not a full show.

You are right though that I didn't account for Tiny twin bears but I can't even find raws of it online, japanese wiki says it consisted of 26 5 minute episodes that aired every weekday back in winter on nhk-e.
Not sure how many of those she wrote.

And to get back to the "slowing down" part,it's not only about the amount of shows but how involved she gets, for example while she wrote all the episodes of the first season of AKB0048 herself, she only wrote half of S2 herself.

[Tyabann]

Let's talk.
Please explain how Mari Okada's works that "emasculate" male characters are unusual in a medium which absolutely loves to have girlish male leads dress up as women and has done so for many, many years now.

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Let's talk.
Please explain how Mari Okada's works that "emasculate" male characters are unusual in a medium which absolutely loves to have girlish male leads dress up as women and has done so for many, many years now.

Nobody really said she has a monopoly on it. So no, it's not exactly unique or unusual; doesn't mean it's not subject for discussion.

Everything has been done by someone else before.

[Guardian Enzo]

Honestly, that question is like looking at an American who's murdered six people and saying "How is this person unusual? There are thousands of murders in America every year!"

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Honestly, that question is like looking at an American who's murdered six people and saying "How is this person unusual? There are thousands of murders in America every year!"

You realize that this makes you sound pretty crazy, right? Comparing crossdressing to murder?

[Archon_Wing]

It does sound crazy and is too extreme of an analogy, but your logic still doesn't work.

I'll make it work, but I'll give you guys one chance to dig yourself out.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

You realize that this makes you sound pretty crazy, right? Comparing crossdressing to murder?

Only is you intentionally ignore the point of the analogy, which you did.

[Tyabann]

My point is that if there is crossdressing in Okada's anime (of which I can only remember four, two of which where it was a minor joke, one of which was an adaptation of a manga about trans people, and the last of which was a show for which we already know she had very little creative control over, as she's not even credited as Series Comp for it) it isn't something exclusive to her, but rather indicative of an overall trend in the industry.
If you have an effeminate male lead, chances are he's gonna end up in a dress at some point. Traps are mainstream these days, you know?

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

My point is that if there is crossdressing in Okada's anime (of which I can only remember four, two of which where it was a minor joke, one of which was an adaptation of a manga about trans people, and the last of which was a show for which we already know she had very little creative control over, as she's not even credited as Series Comp for it) it isn't something exclusive to her, but rather indicative of an overall trend in the industry.
If you have an effeminate male lead, chances are he's gonna end up in a dress at some point. Traps are mainstream these days, you know?

Well, let's play around with this a bit. I'll keep my trump card in tow to make this look a little competitive.

A crossdresser was a major plot point in 2 of her shows that she had control over, jokes were sprinkled a bit in one series that she had control over, and you might claim that Wandering Son is an adaptation, but a less biased statement would say that she at least has some experience in gender identity issues or at least some kind of interest, or at least someone that works with her and makes decisions is.

So all you really have to say here is that "we don't know if definitely Okada... and it could be attributed to general industry trend." That's fine; it's most likely true. Well, honestly, that's a broader generalization that you would find harder to objectively prove then any assertions made in this thread.

And now I'm going to declare riichi. Be careful here. My hint is that it is possible to come up with factual statements yet not create an argument.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

And now I'm going to declare riichi. Be careful here. My hint is that it is possible to come up with factual statements yet not create an argument.

If you have something to say, say it.
Listen, I bet you that if I actually put effort into doing so I could find you another series comp who has just as many shows involving crossdressing/emasculation/what have you under his belt as Okada does, yet of course he wouldn't be famous for it.
So, the question I have here is this: why is Okada 'famous' for it?

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

If you have something to say, say it.

That's the problem. I feel what I've already said is enough. But hey, I just wanted to have some fun.

Listen, I bet you that if I actually put effort into doing so I could find you another series comp who has just as many shows involving crossdressing/emasculation/what have you under his belt as Okada does, yet of course he wouldn't be famous for it.
So, the question I have here is this: why is Okada 'famous' for it?

This is true. I have too. I estimate one Hiroyuki Yoshino could be pretty damned competitive.

Yoshihiro Togashi is yet another when it comes to this kind of gender ambigous concepts. Yet if I say he does, is anyone going to scoff and be like "Oh that's nothing special! Other people...". But he has appears to have a certain style that's very notable even if I've only seen 2 of his work.

Why is Okada famous for it? Because she wrote works that were famous. It's simple as that. And, most importantly, this thread is about this person. Is it right? I don't know. Somehow this perception was created, and it didn't pop out of thin air.

I mean would it be any less controversial if I said someone likes to put crying as an element? Would it be proper to be like "well, that's nothing special in anime at all!"

It's about the intensity and impact. Or to put it soundly, how a single instance etches itself in people's memories. Why exactly do characters like Kirino from Oreimo or Shu from Guilty Crown generate such polarity even though their character archetypes are as common as grass on the lawn?

Point is, you are correct that this is not unique and is possible to attribute this to greater industry trends. But this isn't mutually exclusive to what people are claiming or generalizing. You're just doing it at a broader level. All perspectives carry of flaws, depending on the scope they cover. I'm just going to say the broader strokes are harder to prove and aren't exactly the best ones to analyze any particular situation.

Although Enzo's murder analogy was politically incorrect, it would be fixed to say something like "It's like responding to a statement of it raining to be like 'whatever, that's nothing new'"

Essentially, it'd be like saying that the sun isn't very important, since it's not a particularly big star anyways, or anything special when it comes to the grand scheme.

[Tyabann]

Then in that case, do you think certain people are justified in going "oh god, another Okada anime, I hope it doesn't have crossdressing again, she must have a really low opinion of men"?
Because that's really the problem I have here.

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Then in that case, do you think certain people are justified in going "oh god, another Okada anime, I hope it doesn't have crossdressing again, she must have a really low opinion of men"?
Because that's really the problem I have here.

They aren't. unless Yuki Kaji is casted

Personally, I do it facetiously. I would never write a serious writing going: omfg man-hater is back.

At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised either.

However, I may be the only one that doesn't see it as a completely bad thing and chuckle at it. Because to be fair, the times when crossdressing were major elements of the story, they actually worked well. (Lupin, Anohana). I could argue that the writing actively defies traditional gender roles, and might even been progressive. Therefore, I do think it's a valid topic to discuss if we go being the memetic portion. But at least we can agree the memetic part is too strong atm.

Though it is not me only that thinks that her guy characters aren't as good.

It might not be fair, but I can't fault people for getting these ideas. This is coming from a dude that considers her best work to be Anohana, so YMMV.