This article is
for everyone. I have no intentions of gaining any profit from it. However, you
might find this article contradictory to whatever you believe. I just want to
make things clear:
1.) I have used specific anime titles only for the
purpose of giving examples. I am in no way against these animes.
Recommendation, yes, but obliteration, no.
2.) I have also used specific non-anime titles
such as “The Crow”. This is just to put emphasis on western type movies and to
give more versatility in my article. I am in now way contrasting the two: anime
and western movies.
3.) I have used specific names of anime
characters, but that is not to say I’m biased. If however, some of the
mentioned anime characters do not appeal to your likes, take to consideration
their role in providing good examples for a certain subject.
I guess that’s
what most of the things you’ll notice in this article. Also, if things get a
little out of hand and you think I’m some Mr. Arrogant “know-who/what” guy,
pardon me and please bear a little cos this is my first amateur work and I
admit I’m not that good compared to the others. All you’ll read here are my
opinions, based on what I have come across in the past months. If for some
reason, you think I have made good points, I thank you in advance, with some
time I’ll be able to improve my writing skills.
Lastly, I would
like to remind everyone that I am not making any profit from this and the anime
characters and titles, descriptions and insignias are all trademarks ™ of their
owners. I am in no way affiliated with them nor connected in some way with
them, but I do promote their very existence… Thank you and anime freaks rule
^_^
By Clive ~ryanclive@edsamail.com.ph~
Anime fandom along with its rapid modernization
had caused a tremendous growth in its ever-growing number of loyal fans.
Mangas, anime media, theatrical releases, they are all part of it’s
constitution. However, as fans continue to develop higher senses of anime idea
and perception, new means of anime fanaticism expression are created.
Fan-fictions were born.
Fan-fiction, or “fic”, is not just another method
of paraphrasing your favorite Fushigi Yûgi manga, or re-telling to your friends
what happened to Gate Keepers last night because they missed it at AXN. Rather,
fic-writing is an unconventional hub of recreating the story of your own
favorite anime into a new one. In other words, with albeit a simple or a
complex twist, turns an old stereotypical anime into a fresh, new idea, which
will later develop into a new occult following.
Have you ever wondered: What if Hiei falls in love with Botan (YYH)? What if Hajime Saito
falls for Kamatari Hongo (RK)? I’ve just given two examples, which when voiced
out into a group of people, you will never know who, or how many, will agree
and disagree. For some reasons, this mixed phenomena is the matter that makes
fics special.
You might disagree with the idea: “How come we
still have to read fics if we have already read the whole manga collection, if
we have seen the whole anime series?” So how come huh? Well, fics are not for
everyone. Just take into consideration your own creativity: the most common
flick – the “What if” question. Two words, barely able to make sense, but with
a little touch of creativity, confidence, and of course, your passion and
devotion to anime, voila! Congratulations! You have just written a fic.
But, after all’s said and done, I’m not sticking to
the fact that fan-fiction writing is supposedly just for animes only. I have a
friend who admits he enjoys reading most of “The Crow” (the movie… y’know,
Jason Lee!) fics posted on some sites. It might be for Buffy too, for X-Files,
it has no limitations. As long as imagination goes… Mebbe not long enough,
we’ll see a fic of Britney Spears too.
But it doesn’t end here. For my own opinion and
understanding, if you generalize the idea of fan-fiction, it is somehow
comparable to love. Ask it to many different kinds of people and all you’ll get
is a confusing pallete of different hues. I’m not saying fan-fiction is as
clouded as that, but rather people have different ways of conceiving it, both
positive and unavoidably negative.
So without further a-do, let’s see the breakdown of what’s good about
fan-fictions:
~The answer to the question “Why do people write fan-fictions?”~
1.) A virtual environment of fanaticism expression
You’re dying to tell
your friends about how you’re madly in love with Tasuki (FY). She disagrees,
thinking that Hiei (YYH) is sexier and more powerful than him, literally. So
what do you do? Blow his ears off… Or, you can write an article about it,
making an entirely new story with Tasuki as the hero falling for a simple
college girl when Tasuki accidentally teleported to our place. Bingo, a plot
then.
2.) Shared ideas and connections in the anime-world
You’ll know what I’m
talking about after exposing yourself into an ML (Mailing List) full of Tasuki
crazed females! It seems like Tasuki is making big waves in anime history, but
let’s not forget about the guys too. We dig Asuka of Eva! Anyone?… And there
you go. Suddenly, you see your mailbox full of mails with subject heading: OT:
anything for Asuka. It just goes to show that lurking people are also having
the same tastes as you. So voice out, you’ll never know at the rate of acting
mute at MLs.
3.) Contradictory purposes
Rarely, sometimes people
write fan-fictions to oppose biased opinions of other writers. Coming across a
fan-fiction made by Mr/Mrs. Someone, you continue to read it and find out the
protagonist is Recca (Rekka No Houno) and the writer’s twist is that Botan
(YYH) falls for him. How engrossing it is to you that you couldn’t control
yourself cursing him in the ML cos you really dig Botan, and you think Recca is
an asswipe. But before doing that, you think to yourself “Mebbe I can make
things even”. In a few days later, someone sees your “lemon” (an anime term
meaning “sensual” in nature) fic about Hiei and Yanagi, and the reader admits
Hiei must have enjoyed it… Oh well, what lowly ways of getting even…
4.) Unconventional and limitless
Unlike the matter of
enjoying watching anime through the limit of bills your father could carry in
his pocket, fan-ficitons come cheaply and unconventionally, unconventionally,
because only a fraction of a scale of people can understand the value of fics.
Moreover, it’s limitless factor means Yoshihiro Togashi or Toei animation (YYH
big shots) isn’t even concerned if you write a yaoi (fic term w/c means “man to
man”) fic of Kurama and Yûsuke.
Common places to look for a regular fic-posting basis
~The main arena to look for your fix of fics~
1.) Mailing Lists or ML
Most commonly, this is
where the average reader would get most of his fix of fic reading. Most lurk
and wait for people to post fics. But that is not to say that those lurkers are
stealers, fics are free. Once you posted it, whatever kind of threat you make
as long as you posted it, every member of the ML will get to see and read it.
2.) Personal home pages
Once you see a posted
message with a trademark logo (or graphic made by text) of the writer, check it
again for any URLs. Try to check it out cos if it’s his/her homepage, chances
are this is where he/she posts most of his/her works, some not even posted on
MLs or some of different anime title. Or, if you’re trying to follow the story
of a fic, and you have missed the earlier ones, check it here too.
3.) Anime database websites
Preferably, http://www.anipike.com. A big database of
anime goodies as well as some links to fic archives as well. You can find some
links too, by typing “anime fanfiction” at the Yahoo! Search engine site. It’s
up to you.
4.) Querying other people
Although it is an
obvious answer, still, why not try asking your email buddies. Mebbe she has
KoBo 1-8, the chapters you have missed. Lucky you, finally you can read it from
the beginning.
Now you know a little
about what is a fic, where can you find one and how will you find it. But
subsequently, as you begin to follow it, you also begin to have thinking ideas
as to such things like “How can you say that this fic 1 is better than this fic
2?” So how, huh? With a little experience from reading some fics, I have come
to know about these matters that could define interest in your fics:
Things to look for in a good fic
First of, we should take in to consideration the following factors:
Concept, Physical Structure, Length, Character Usage and Character info.
1.) Concept
Probably the most
striking part of a fic: your main idea. We have our own twists and turns when
it comes to anime stories, but due to the fact that millions are screaming out
for their own, we have to make our fic stand up above the rest. “What idea do
you think will make the people in the ML ask me for more of the continuation?”
Yep, you have to impress too. But let’s not forget the main reason for writing
fics: Our own passion. Ideas are not necessarily born in creation, but rather,
in innovation.
2.) Physical Structure
Paragraph arrangement,
quotation lines, character expression, it all falls into the category of
physical structure. Yeah, mebbe you know how to make paragraphs since grade 3,
but that doesn’t easily apply for fan-fiction writing. Fics utilize a way of
writing in which it must keep the reader absorbed in the story. Like when
someone yells out in the story, quotations and facial expressions use such key
typings like “ * ”. For example, Kurama kisses Shizuru (YYH) and you want to
portray to your audience how Shizuru felt about it: *blush*. There, fics go
that way. About formality, it all depends on the writer, but it doesn’t have to
be formal. In fact, fics with curses and runts are of most appeal to many.
3.) Length
Almost underrated,
length should also come into factor. Reading a long boring one is dumber than
reading a short, sensible one. For most reasons, some of what the writers would
really want to say is left out. Like for example, the writer is trying to save
his/her best “aristocratic” term for the next paragraph. He/She then adds
another paragraph just to scream a lowly trivial word just to impress the
readers. It’s not like this. Focus more on logic. If it means squeezing the
info on one short paragraph, then it’s better. Consider it not only on the
initial stages but on the entirety too.
4.) Character Usage
Characters should look
and act the same way. Also, behavior should be practical and true to its anime
roots. What’s more annoying? Seeing Hiei laughing out loud or seeing Kurama
lifting the skirts of high school girls? Both (YYH) I think LOL. When it comes
to pairings, be logical too. You wouldn’t want to see tens and tens of flames
in your mailbox just for the simple fact of pairing Kaoru Kamiya and Shishio
Makoto (RK)… Sometimes, we also have to roll with the bandwagon. But then
again, devotion is stronger than anything else. If you really dig the idea, you
have to come up a way of making things look good.
5.) Character Info
As much as the extent of
knowing what color of underwear Nabiki (of Ranma fame) wears everyday, you
should also have a good backup of the most “conventional” matters in anime
fandom. Like, how far Kuwabara would willingly go for his love of Yukina (YYH),
or mebbe how Sakuya really digs Tenchi (TM). Other than that, typically, how
the character should act in a given situation.
All of these are
standards for the readers however, it should also be considered by writers.
Despite the fact, that part I couldn’t write. Being a fan myself, I dunno what
it takes to be a writer. But for some reasons, it shows up in their works.
They’re not just another bunch of paragraph writers but they also excel at some
things: Skillful word utilization and talents in making their audience listen.
Fics, like I said, are not just ordinary stories – it speaks for itself. It
gives, it expresses, it even cries. Fueled by fame, one wrong step could change
its fate from an occult following to an occult trashing.
The bad things about fics…
There are, yes, but hardly noticeable…
As much as we like fics,
there are some who hates its very existence (Nope, don’t count me in!). For me,
it’s hard to say I’m not biased, but I think it’s only natural for people to
express. In connection with that, I think when you come across a fic that you
don’t like, it might be because you don’t like the general idea of the fic,
particularly the fics, but not the insignia “I hate fics”.
Understanding and
devotion plays some roles in fan-fictions. It’s like playing with your brat
kiddie brother “action heroes”, with him as Kenshin Himura and you as Shisho
Makoto (RK), and of course, you have your butt kicked. It’s a matter of
choices, but of course, not everyone’s butt is being kicked with fan-fictions,
even the creators of the anime.
When it comes to
coughing up the bad points, we all have similarities and differences. I’ve
taken up lots of considerations and conclusions to this, and I think the
following are the most problematic issues of fan-fiction:
1.) Lack of Innovation
Sure, you also want to
express how hysterical you become when you see Tamahome and Yui (FY) and
together… But, get a life! Almost everyone has done it before, even in “lemon”
pairings with Amiboshi (FY) too. Stop imitating and start innovating.
2.) Unmotivated Storyline
Your idea of Saitoh
Hajime (RK) becoming a retired swordsman and later having a job as a medicine
salesman might be interesting. But is there enough impact to it that will glue
your audience to their seats? It might be interesting at first but you should also
consider the latter part of its production.
3.) Spoilers
Although some people
prefer spilling the beans to other people, the latter when heard becomes
annoying, since you spend hard earned bucks for anime media only to hear the
juicy facts earlier without the excitement the manga or the anime has to offer.
For me, its just ok, I have no problems with it actually. But for some, it
could be a major piss-off.
Huh, only three? Yep,
that’s all I can think of. I don’t have anything bad against fan-fictions, and
I think it’s everyone’s right to write one. The general rule is, if you don’t
like it, don’t read it. And of course, if you really hate flames (term for
cursing ~ “flaming” in MLs) in your mailbox, you should include a small panel
of what the reader is going to find in your fic, some that might offend them
and such.
Actually, I haven’t
thought about writing my own fic. As much as I crave Japanese Animation as
everyone else, the prob is I’m not up for the task of writing one. But of
course, I also have my own ideas. Like blah, blah, blah… That’s it. It’s a
secret for now. But who knows, I might be able to write one in the near future…
I didn’t write this
article to make enemies. We all have opinions and I voiced out mine through
this. The bottom line: I enjoy reading fics! Thanks to some people, Alli. Reiko
and Arazhi. Through their fics and ideas, I am somehow inspired, LOL. If in the
near future, with some help from the above mentioned and you see this article
posted somewhere, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!!! Sugoi ^_^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some of the animes I have mentioned above…
RK – Rurouni Kenshin
YYH – Yûyû Hakusho
FY – Fushigi Yûgi
TM – Tenchi Muyo!
I am not in any way affiliated with these animes. All are copyrighted
and ™ of their owners.
If you have comments,
flames, queries, curses, anything to say, email me at ryanclive@edsamail.com.ph. Just
please, make it logical if you’re going to berserk it out. I’m just an amateur
and time will teach me everything (and the three above). So this is Clive
signing off! Version 1.1 Guide, over. Ja ne! ^^