Weeaboo Wednesday: I’m Sick

So I’ve been stricken with some kind of horrible and life consuming strain of flu. While my initial plan was to sit around and feel sorry for myself, I had a realization: this was a golden opportunity to try some of the ways the people of Japan deal with their colds, flu, and other horrors. I did some research (and tapped into my own tremendous store of Japanese knowledge) and went to work on healing myself. One of the maxims of eastern medicine being that the bitterer the better, I knew I was in for a taxing experience.

Robotic cats are symbols of good health in traditional Japanese culture

Hit the jump for my quest for a cure!

Weeaboo Wednesday: The JRPG; Disc 3: Final Battles, Villains, and the Long Goodbye

This is the third and final part of Weeaboo Wednesday’s examination of the JRPG. You can find parts one and two here.

Over the last few weeks, you’ve come to learn what to expect from the story and characters that you’ll find when you take your first steps into a Japanese role-playing game. You know now that it doesn’t matter whether or not you care what’s going on, or if the characters are likable—you’re just along for the ride. And now, you’re at the end. You’ve spent 30 hours getting through the story, another 40 hours forcing birds to fuck, and another 63 hours leveling your characters so you can actually finish the damn game. Now all that remains is to take on the effeminate villain who awaits on the other side of a vast expanse of pain and suffering that we experts call the final dungeon. So come with me on this last leg of our journey so we can put an end to this once and for all!

Weeaboo Wednesday: The Japanese RPG; Disc 2: The Usual Suspects

This is the second part of the Weeaboo Wednesday look at Japanese Role-playing Games. You can find the first part here if, for some godforsaken reason, you’re interested.

If you’re new to the JRPG genre it’s important to familiarize yourself with the characters you’ll be meeting before you run headlong into territory you’re simply not mentally prepared for. The jarring, abrasive folks that make up most of the cast you’ll find in these games is not something to be tackled while under the ‘ignorant’ status effect. So quaff a potion of knowledge and come with me as we take a look at the characters of Japanese RPGs.

Weeaboo Wednesday: The Japanese RPG; Disk 1: The ‘Frying Pan’ Method of Storytelling

Today, we’re going to embark on a long journey through the world of Japanese Role-playing Games. The JRPG is one of the most misunderstood genres in all of gamedom. Its games are often dismissed as trite, poorly written/translated messes with unbearable characters and equally outdated and uninspired gameplay. I say that these games are misunderstood because in spite of the fact that these criticisms are almost universally true of the genre, they still possess a rabid and almost cult-like fanbase (myself inexplicably included). But perhaps I’ve gotten ahead of myself. I should begin by explaining exactly what a JRPG is. A JRPG is really any role-playing game produced in Japan. That’s it. What’s astounding is that in spite of this broad definition, the characteristics that these games all seem to share an astounding amount of thematic, literary, and gameplay similarities. This allows the term JRPG to be indicative of much more than a game’s geographical origin. Ultimately, when we cut through the bullshit, we see that a JRPG is a very distinct type of game; one that, over the next few weeks, we’ll be examining in detail worthy of a mind-meltingly boring cutscene.

I enjoyed these games...

We’ll begin this installment with a look at ‘storytelling’ in a JRPG.

Weeaboo Wednesday: What Your Anime Says About You

Sarah’s fascinating post last week inspired me to further investigate the nuances of other media from the glorious East. This time, however, I’ll be investigating the more personal connection that lays between anime and its consumers. More specifically, what we can learn about a person’s personality from what kind of anime they enjoy. While some of you might immediately dismiss this idea as silly, cliche, and more suitable for a MySpace quiz, I can’t help but remind you that it’s totally tsundere of you to point that out (and if you get that without clicking the link, you simply cannot judge me). Now then, without further ado let’s move on to the main attraction:

The Sqlog’s E3 2009 WrapUp WriteUp RoundUp

Really? This was the best logo they could come up with?

E3, as you may have heard one of G4′s insufferable talentless personalities patronizingly explain to the mainstream media, is the main event for the video game industry to present their new products to shareholders in order to convince them not to sell their stock of a luxury product in times of dire economic crisis like any rational person would.  However, easily duped and painfully desperate nerds take it as the time when everything they will waste their barely-earned dollars on is carted before them like silage.

Sqlog writers Kyle Smith and David Hollingsworth are just these kinds of nerds, and will now take this time to carefully review some of this year’s more impressive and inevitably disappointing announcements for you, the reader, while strategically not lampooning all the things we’re genuinely excited for, like Left 4 Dead 2, which will own.

Weeaboo Wednesday: Love Hotels

Generally we view Japan as a society of polite, and reserved people. Over the last few weeks, Sarah has shown us just how untrue that is. The truth is that Japan is host to a profound separation between public and private spheres (in-groups and out-groups). That separation produces some pretty hilarious results for us gaijin to laugh at. While that certainly doesn’t explain all of the weird things to come out that country, it certainly helps us understand the phenomenon that we’ll be examining today: the love hotel.

Love hotels are exactly what you think they are: motels that serve the modern, on-the-go couple looking for a quickie. They generally feature hourly rates, entertainment like karaoke and video games, and a comfy place to bone at will. Some of the places even have really nice websites. So yeah, today we’re talking about these strange little places called love hotels. Hit the jump for a journey into strangeness.

Weeaboo Wednesday: A Wonderland Called Japan

In my travels across the internet, I have seen wonders and heard tales of a land across the sea called Japan. There, one can seek the company of a loli without some prick from NBC spoiling your fun, read manga all day without your step-dad telling you to man up and wash your face, and even spend hours laughing at a TV show that has no premise beyond a ‘monkey and a dog are friends.’ Japan is almost too glorious a place to describe in one post so today I will take you into the home of a Japanese person, and show you a small sample of the wonderland called Japan.

All Japanese people live in homes like these

You would be amiss to assume this house’s old-timey hidden ninja village look carries through into the interior. In fact, this house holds technological wonders that we won’t see for another 15 years. The items inside this home are a testament to the efficiency and industry Japan. Since the Japanese are a trustworthy people, doors are rarely locked, lets look inside!

What You Should Have Played: Disgaea

And Here... We... Go!

‘What You Should Have Played’ is exactly what you think it is: a weekly look at the kinda old or very good games that you either missed because of forgivable ignorance or repugnant character flaws. The idea being that after you read my amusing,  masterfully written columns, you’ll give these often overlooked games a try.

For my first post, I’ve chosen Disgaea, a hidden gem in the tactical role-playing game genre developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software. The first game in this series was originally released on the Playstation 2 in 2003. Since the original release there have been two sequels and a series of ports to other systems. Each one stars a prince of Hell that seeks to rule over all of the Netherworld while warding off the ambitions of traitorous servants and other devious would-be usurpers. At the prince’s side are a vast cast of fun and cheeky characters.

It sounds like the most derivative and hackneyed thing ever written. Hit the jump to see why it’s worth your time.

Weeaboo Wednesday: Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: The Endless Title

Japanese games have always set themselves apart from those of west. During the 80s and early 90s, they did this through innovation and creativity. Now, Japan defines its niche in the games industry by baffling their consumers with any means available to them. The Japanese are so adept at this that the very titles of their games are often ludicrous, barely-coherent strings of “words.” Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: The Endless Frontier is obviously a product of this Ha Ha ha school of thought.