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Friday, September 3, 2010
Flipped Interview
Ed Chavez
There are a number of great manga sites and blogs on the web, but one of the most intriguingly informative is MangaCast, where a group of regulars and some special guests provide audio commentary and news on the latest developments and titles. It’s currently located at http://community.livejournal.com/mangacast/ but will be moving soon to http://www.mangacast.net. (Oh, the lure of Wordpress.)
This week, I talk to Ed Chavez, MangaCaster extraordinaire. He talks about cons, casting, and, if he was a tree, what kind of tree he’d be. (Okay, that last one isn’t true.)
DW: During convention season, you hit Anime Expo, the San Diego Comic-Con, and Comiket in Tokyo. Are you insane? That's like some fandom trifecta.
EC: Heh. Well to be completely honest I am insane. Not clinically yet but self-diagnosed since 1994 (when I started reading the Gunsmith Cats monthlies from DHl). But I want to publicly disclose that I didn't go to Seattle for SakuraCon; my taller, smarter and less springy twin Jarred went because it’s in his neighborhood. Both of us passed on AnimExpo because we don't like to be associated with "Anime". The two of us are manga-heads. We have that written on our hachi-maki and yanki trenchcoats.
San Diego and Tokyo on the other hand were musts for me. I’ve been going to San Diego for a few years now to check out the manga scene, and it’s really developing before my eyes. I feel like a mother hen or something. It is an emotional experience.
Going to Tokyo? Okay, that was truly nuts. I won't be the only Comiket attendee who will say this, but Tokyo in the summer is like a bad day in hell. The heat was mercurical and the AC on trains and in new buildings didn't help much when you're suddenly freezing in your juices. The crowds at the Tokyo BigSite were in the 100,000s. It was a mini-city on its own where the smell was funky and obsession, the emotion not the fragrance, was in the air. I haven't been for three years or so. So I had to take my listeners there ASAP.
DW: Judging by the coverage over at MangaCast, you were everywhere all at once, particularly at SDCC. Did you ever eat or even stop to breathe?
EC: No, not really. Breathing was for the anime fansites, and since the anime studios were hardly there they got plenty of oxygen. I on the other hand came prepared with organic fruit leather and was at the convention center from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. every day. I have to say I was really lucky this year. Last year I had to choose between manga events, as some were going on at the same time (a problem I also faced at New York ComicCon 2006). So while I didn't have much time for food, collecting my thoughts or even interviews of any reasonable length I did get a lot of anaerobic exercise. Lost 9 pounds!
Outside of the fruit leather (http://www.stretchislandfruit.com/), I did get a chance to eat dinner with Eric Rosenberger (Digital Manga) and Soyoung Jung (netcomics) at an industry event that revolved around manhwa. The grilled fish was superb and so was the hot & sour soup, but I felt the basil curry was lacking. Fortunately, the company made up for it. Manga is mysterious that way. Sometimes, I don't eat when I am not at cons, but a good title could make me feel full. Talking about manga does the same thing. (Did I say I lost nine pounds?)
DW: If you had to pick one of the conventions, which one would you have hated to miss the most?
EC: Comiket. Every 6 months Comiket transforms into something else. There is always a new trend or new manga that takes the con by storm. Comiket veterans agreed with me that Ookiku Furikabute (Hit it Big!) was this year's winner with Suzumiya Haruhi the runner-up (and the fan's choice).
But every time very little changes as well. It is always pretty much like a living organism with multiple limbs (the four main halls), main arteries (the super-long people movers that take you from East to West), a nervous system (the extensive staff area in East 123), gastro (the food floors in the East hall)- instestinal (the massive recycling/waste center in west hall) and red-white blood cells (as the all volunteer staff wears red/white caps and arm bands). Unfortunately, the 435,000 attendees this year were like parasites. We were the organisms destroying the beauty of that event for our personal needs. We left our RNA in the form of smells, money, waste and disease. I don't like referring to myself as a parasite, but after three days in temperatures that were at least 98.6º F I could not use much more than my amoeba brain anyway.
DW: I get some sense of the exhilarating horror of Comiket from Genshiken, but I always feel like Kio Shimoku is trying to protect me from the full reality. Can you sum up the experience, preferably with a gruesome metaphor?
EC: Gruesome? Well, I actually treat Comiket like a trip to the dentist. Some people go twice a year. Some people go once a year and some go every few years. The wider the frequency between shows the less comfortable you'll be. I mean if I smelled my teeth burning twice a year, I might get used to it. I might even be on a first-name basis with the dentist and staff. I would also possibly figure out routines to get to and organize my day around the trip. And I am used to Comiket, but being away brought back some chilling memories.
I did not get a broken arm but I did wait in line hell a couple of days. And if you listened you possibly noticed I didn't go to the Cosplay section. I didn't want to make this like a dental office nightmare... blood everywhere (nosebleed city!).
DW: I know Anime Expo is regional, but it does seem like it's becoming one of the biggest manga cons. It seems like everyone had a presence there. Do you think it will take a larger stage as time goes on?
EC: For manga? Well, I suppose it will. That does not settle well with me though as I really feel there is a place for both (especially with SDCC only days away). And as an old comikusu fan, it chaps my hide. I feel that the anime industry is hurting much more than studios let on. The number of titles is not there and the range of story is lacking after a short period of inspiration a few years back. Because of that manga will fill up the anime void at AX.
I'd rather manga be in the background at AX. People should be able to see what manga does to influence the anime scene. It might take some cooperation between publishers and studios to accomplish but I think it would be a good thing for fans. When I see more manga announcements than anime news from an anime con I get depressed about anime.
That said I am basically being forced to go to AX next year by the listeners. And I hate LA. My San Franciscan blood bleeds orange and black so anything LA gives me flashbacks of Tommy LaSorda... Why did you have to go there?
DW: Sadism, probably.
EC: Still I know it will get larger next year. I just hope the publishers just save their announcements for the comic convention.
DW: What about MangaNEXT? I know it's just launching this year, but the New York Comic-Con seemed to surprise everyone with just how much of an audience there was in the region for that kind of event. Is the northeast waiting for its big show? Or does Otakon in Baltimore already have it covered?
EC: A few mangasphere members have asked me about this for some reason. Well, I hope it does well. But I do not like the timing. Not that manga doesn't deserve it. I want a "MangaNEXT" to cover now, but I don't think New York is the right place and I don't think October is the right season.
New York is tough. Especially with NYCC shocking the world this year. NYCC was essentially MangaNEXT in its inugural event last February. Having experienced it first hand I was blown away by how manga had really grabbed hold of the industry (seeing Stu Levy at the State of the Industry panel was surreal). And with the majority of manga publishers in the West Coast (Viz, Infinity, Go!Comi, Seven Seas, DrMaster, TOYKOPOP, Digital Manga, Dark Horse, Broccoli) I have a hard time seeing them all pack up to the East Coast three or four times a year. I know I will have a hard time going to NYCC in February, BookExpo America in May, Otakon (Baltimore) in August and MangaNext in October. And with the Frankfurt Book Fair and YaoiCon also in October I don't think there is enough energy in the community combined to make another long distance trip like that.
I do not work for a publisher, and so far I have not seen their schedules for October, so they might all be going. I don't know. I know I will not be going. I just do not have the resources. I'll need those for YaoiCon and hopefully Winter Comiket.
I feel SDCC and AX work so well because of where they happen. It might be a trip for netcomics (New Jersey) and ADV (Texas) but the con could still have a good representation with the local publishers. At the same time California in July is hot but the perfect summer break. New Jersey in October... All I have on my mind is when does the hockey season start. I kinda want to see a San Francisco/San Jose "MangaNEXT" myself, but when would I have it?
DW: SDCC seemed like it had a much larger manga presence than it has previously, especially in terms of programming.
EC: Not really. It really was smaller this year than last year. You should have seen the Manhwa booth from last year. Almost as big as DC!! Things were scaled back this year but there were more publishers. But that was also because there are more publishers now.
The programming was stepped up because of scheduling. I wonder if there was some sort of conspiracy behind that. Maybe an evil consortium that gave Viz and TOYKOPOP more than six hours of programming through that weekend?! But what really impressed me is that the smaller publishers started to chime in. Seven Seas caught my eye even though I was one of ten people present at the panel. The guest list was also packed with the likes of manga legends Koike, Watsuki and Amano.
Manga might not have had more floor space but it really came on strong this year. I think that's why I heard people say the industry had matured this year. Really looked professional. Made the mother hen in me cry again.
DW: Okay, moving on to MangaCast. What made you choose the format you did?
EC: Well I was already audio blogging. My personal online rant was mainly about politics and my manga purchasing habits. Eventually, it turned into a politics podcast. I felt that was a healthy release for me. But because I am involved in local politics I didn't get to really say everything I wanted to say.
So when Jarred asked if I wanted to combine manga and podcasting, I knew we would have a show and maybe even an audience. Podcasting was relatively new back then. Not even a year old, and no one was covering manga in that format. We basically had this open field to experiement in. We tried a few things along the way, like two podcasts when we launched (MangaCast/SAMAcast). But after a few months we settled in and we really began to have fun with it.
I have to say the audience is still questionable. I wonder if the only people listening are manga bloggers and manga editors along with their staff. But the best thing about getting something in audio format is being able to just load it up to a tiny .mp3 player and takings it on the run. You can pause and rewind. It's like manga and because the audio only gives you so much you can fill in the blanks as you please. Reminds me of manga in a way.
DW: More and more people seem to be dabbling with video blogging, but you folks are the leading purveyors of audio blogging, as far as I can tell. I can picture some not-too-distant future where manga lovers read their downloaded comics as they listen to MangaCast commentary. It's all part of an evil scheme, isn't it?
EC: Do we want people to listen to Jack or Erin while they are reading?
Well, not really. Manga is cool because in between panels, as the reader's eyes crosses the gutters, their minds can go wild adding more to the book. I wouldn't want to fool around with that with particularly with my obnoxious voice. But wouldn't it be cool to be able to scan a book's barcode at the Virgin MegaStore or Borders and get short reviews?! I mean they let you sample CD's at the Virgin, why not do that for manga? Definitely an evil scheme... but I am a Green so I don't have the money or the connections. So you will all have to settle for the podcast.
But, just a secret between you and me, I am working on getting a camera for NYCC (hopefully for Winter Comiket). Now that is evil!
DW: Now we're going to try something new that I call "Publisher Association." I'll mention a manga publisher, and you type the first thing that comes into your mind. (Usually this is done in person, but since we're conducting this interview by e-mail, you can totally cheat.)
ADV.
EC: Industry Killer
I don't think they meant to but they flooded the shelves with filler and single-handedly began the manga depression of 2004. Not even the super-cute powers of Yotsuba&! can make me forgive them.
DW: Broccoli Books
EC: Organic
I possibly would not eat a volume from Broccoli Books if lost at sea, but I would recommend healthy amounts of their manga to everyone. Not only do their manga look and read great, just like manga should, they don't do anything funny like add fillers or genetically modify art or text for their own profit. Broccoli Books is the anti-Monsanto of the manga scene. But like many organic farmers their books take time and their stock is limited.
DW: CMX.
EC: TenTen
I hate being predictable. But I cannot get over how serious this was when the news came out in early 2005. Newspapers were talking about it. This was more than just fanboys. But I actually like them more than ADV. Actually more than some of the other pubs on this list.
DW: Dark Horse
EC: Carl
You asked what first comes to mind, right? Carl Gustav Horn. The image of him with Koike Kazuo immediately appears in my frontal lobe and I begin to obsess over titles like the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service and Banxha: the Explosive Delivery Man.
DW: Del Rey.
EC: Homecoming Queen
Huh? Yeah, I love Del Rey. I want to date Del Rey's books - Basilisk, Mushishi, Nodame. But Del Rey seems to only hang out with a particular crowd (Kodansha). And I am more of a Gentosha and Akita Shoten guy. At times I feel I am too much of a loser to be seen with the likes of perky-cute Kitchen Princess and the uber-cool ES.
DW: Digital Manga Publishing.
EC: SEXY
You might think DMP is sexy because of their BL. Sure, that's hot. But what is sexy about DMP is their DMP line. Come on Ikebukuro West Gate Park is oozing sex. Look at their covers and tell me you don't need to cool off. ROBOT is darn sexy! So sexy it its in full color! I think Tina Anderson would agree that WORST is REAL SEXY! But sexy isn't always positive either. These guys are so sexy, they know it. So they have neglected their DMP line in favor of EduManga. Okay brains are sexy too, but come on guys, I want some of that vavavooom to look at and dream about when I am lonely. Come on now!
DW: DramaQueen.
EC: Penpal
If I had the chance to buy more of their manga they would be my favorite publisher. But I only get to read DQ manga every two or three months or so. DQ is so cool with their anthology plans and their Taiwanese titles. But if we could only hang out I know we'd be best buds.
DW: DrMaster.
EC: Minor Leaguer
DrMaster is a type of publisher that seems to understand their place. They find some gems from the farm system and hope these guys pan out. Many of my favorites come from DrMaster, but like most minor leaguers you possibly have not heard of them.
DW: Fanfare/Ponent Mon
EC: Boutique
If I want vintage manga or manga that matches my unique style, I don't mind buying manga from the Old World. Even if I have to pay almost twice as much as a Viz title for a josei title, if it’s from Fanfare I can show off the label and just laugh off the price. Trés chic!
DW: Go! Comi.
EC: Tease
This is not fair, but these guys took me to dinner (Tenshi ja Nai), bought me flowers (Cantarella) and asked me upstairs (Her Majesty's Dog), before they dumped me when they did not announce new shonen titles (plural...plural) for early 2007. I love Go!Comi. I will be going on another date with them soon (Afterschool Nightmare), but I think I will not be begging when go our separate ways that night.
DW: netcomics
EC: my idea
No need to call the patent office or anything. They didn't steal my idea, but if Jarred and I had a chance to start a manga house it would look similar to netcomics. We would possibly add some crazy tweaks like RSS subscriptions to the net manhwa program but these guys have the right idea to get their mix of unknown titles (unknown because this market is still not that familiar with the Korean Wave), from established artists to readers. I feel it’s like what the Koreans and Japanese are doing with PCs and cell phones as printed phonebooks are seeing their numbers decline. Their quality is improving and the genres they cover are also growing.
DW: Seven Seas.
EC: Revoluntionary
Seven Seas seems to be taking off on a journey that could end up making them a publisher to reckon with soon. I think they have a better approach to global manga than the rest. I have enjoyed their moves with novels and licensed titles. And I think they have established a fanbase with their web comics that can support them on both sides. They haven't made noise yet, but I see them everywhere now (yes in San Diego and Tokyo). So that makes me think they are on my vibe!
DW: Tokyopop.
EC: Crusaders
People who go on crusades then to have good intentions. But along the way people die. And the reasons for taking on the journey might change along the way. I don't know where TP is going. I might agree with them about many things but they also do things that make me wonder about their flavor of Kool-aid.
DW: Viz.
EC: Real Madrid
Los Galacticos are able to pick up the best titles. They are able to get it to you better than the rest can. They can make it worth while in many ways. At the same time, over the last couple of years you almost have to wonder if all those names are worth having a product that is flawed. Viz has average to bad quality. They censor the dumbest things. But they dominate the charts and they know you cannot be a fan of this sport/media without them.
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April 22, 2008:
February 4, 2008:
November 20, 2006:
A Comic-Con without the Captain
