Category Archives: anime

The Education of Poppensparkle… Canto 1

Canto 1 – Poppy’s New Digs

It was hard to get her eyes open on that first morning.  The White Stag had taken away all the memories of her abuse at the hands of the evil Necromancer, but that hadn’t kept her from having nightmares of nameless terrors stalking her in the darkness.  And she wasn’t used to sleeping in a soft bed in the Palace of Cair Tellos, the Willowcastle and Capitol of all of Tellosia.

She rubbed at both of her eyes.  She yawned extra large.  She then used the reverse of the Wingaway Spell to restore her butterfly wings.  She was still naked, and seriously planning to go out like that, looking forward to a nude sky-dance in the morning sunlight.  But the enchanted clothing, top and bottom, were still there where Tod had placed them the night before.  They were blue and lighter blue with yellow spots on them, a match for the colors of her butterfly wings.  But never in her life before had she been forced to wear clothing.  Not even the Necromancer was that cruel.  Butterfly Children were Fairies made for flying unencumbered by clothing, armor, or any other bindings.  They were magical beings meant for a life of joy and unbound freedom.

“So, you are awake,” Tod said, poking his head into the chamber where she had slept.

“Yes.  But I’m not happy.  Why do I have to be a wizard’s apprentice?  And why do I have to wear clothing?”

Tod was a fairly ordinary-looking Sylph with brown hair and large, soulful brown eyes.  And he never answered fast, always apparently thinking of all the possible answers before saying anything.  That was nothing like the evil Necromancer.  He started every answer with a yell, a threat, and an impossibly difficult order.

“When your sister and the White Stag rescued you, you were found to have considerable magical power in your little blond brain.  That means you have value.  And the White Stag decided to give you to Master Pippen in order to train you with those valuable skills.”

“So, is it like being a student, or more like a slave?”

“Well, I’m the Castle Steward, not an apprentice myself.  But from what I can see, it is more like being a slave.  But a valuable slave.  You will be treated well if you continue to obey.”

“So, I’m to be constantly whipped and told how bad I am.  I knew it!  How about answering the question about the clothes?”

“I am well aware that Fairies prefer to be nude and natural.  But Master Pippen believes that leaves you vulnerable.  Everyone who lives in the upper reaches of the Willow Castle must wear magical clothing.  One piece to protect you from mind-reading and mind-control.  And another piece to protect you from possession, like the Necromancer did to you in the final battle.”

She wanted to beat him with her fists because it seemed so unfair.  She had been a slave to the Necromancer, and now that she was free of him for the first time in her life, she would be a slave to Master Pippen.  And beating Tod with fists was entirely unworkable as a plan.  He was a full three inches tall and stood over her by more than half an inch.  And he had training in both hand-to-hand combat and blade combat.  She would never land a single light-fisted girly blow.

She picked up the clothing to look at it more closely.  It was a two-piece suit, the top part, which would cover her smallish breasts bore the pentagram of wizard-armor.  And the blue bottoms that would cover her sit-down parts were stitched  with soul-sealing designs.  The clothes were much like a Slow One’s swimsuit, the kind the gigantic Slow-One females called a “bikini.”  She guessed she could wear something that small since it was made in a way that would not interfere with her butterfly wings.

“I’m going to look ugly in this thing.”

“Try it on.  Let’s see.”

She put both parts on with some awkwardness, not being at all used to the idea of wearing clothes.

‘You are actually quite pretty to look at wearing that,” said Tod with a simple smile.

She still felt like smacking him, but the compliment was not unwelcome.

“This place is going to take some getting used to.  It’s not like Mortimer’s Mudwallow in any way.  I don’t know how to live in a castle or a royal court.  Master Pippen will have my head chopped off before the week is out.”

“Poppy, his reputation isn’t really the way he is.  He only executes Fairies if they break a minor law or make him really angry for some reason.  And besides, I am told you are my responsibility for the time being.  Only two of the five apprentices I have taken care of got beheaded.  Oh, and one exploded during a magical experiment on the roof.  But the odds are still… well, not entirely against you.”

“You should ask my sister, Derfentwinkle, about how that will probably go.  I was always annoying or arguing with the Necromancer.  And he was a scary and cruel master.  Just not as into executions as Master Pippen obviously is.”

“You don’t need to worry overmuch.  Both Glittershine and I will be nearby to help you.”

“Who is Glittershine?  Have I met him or her yet?”

“You have not… or you would remember.  She’s a Butterfly Child like you, but one experienced with Fairy magic and potions.”

“When do I meet her?”

“Now, since you’re awake and dressed.  Master Pippen is expecting all of us in the sunroom.”

Poppensparkle was not wild about this new life that had been thrust upon her.  But it was better than the painful abuse the stinky old Necromancer had heaped upon her…  At least, she dearly hoped that it would be .

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Filed under anime, fairies, humor, novel, NOVEL WRITING, Paffooney

RumikoTakahashi

Yesterday I used a Paffooney I had stolen to illustrate my gymnasium adventures, and in the caption I gave credit to the wonderful comic artist I shamelessly copied it from.  The second imitation Takahashi that I did yesterday is now displayed next to it above.  I am now compelled to explain about my goofy, sideways obsession with Anime and Manga, the cartoons from Japan.  I love the art style.  I have since I fell in love with Astroboy Anime as a child in Iowa.  Rumiko Takahashi is almost exactly one year younger than me.  As a cartoonist she is light years more successful than me.  She has been crafting pen and ink masterpieces of goofy story-telling longer than I have been a teacher.

lumstatue1

Her artwork is a primary reason I have been so overly-enamored of the Japanese Manga-cartoon style.  I love the big eyes, the child-like features of even adult characters, the weird poses and still-weirder comic art conventions of this culture from practically a different planet.  She has created comic series that are immensely popular in Japan, and have even put down sturdy roots in this country, especially with young adults since the 80’s.  She is the world’s number one best-selling female comics artist.

Just as we Westerners have to accept numerous ridiculous things to appreciate the stories told in American comics (for instance, brawny heroes running around in tights with their underwear on the outside of their pants, nearly naked ladies with super powers diving into battle next to men encased in armored suits, and talking animals), the Manga-minded must also practice a bizarre form of the willing suspension of disbelief.  In Ranma 1/2, the main character is a boy marshal artist who turns into a girl when splashed with cold water.  Much of the romantic comedy of that work revolves around boys and old men finding themselves in the bath house next to naked young girls.  For some reason that sort of naked surprise causes the boys to spout fountain-like nosebleeds.  In Inu-Yasha the whole thing is about fighting demons with swords.  Inu-Yasha himself is part demon.  Apparently part-demon is a good thing to be.  Japanese villains are spectacularly susceptible to fits of crying rage and tantrums.  And everybody looks more like American white people than orientals.  Oh, and there are talking animals.

Rumiko is a master of pen and ink.  Here is a sample of of her black and white work.

And she does color well too.

6976529_orig

The little people are a special style of Manga character called a Chibi, and all regular Manga characters can turn into one at any moment.

b10674ff244da5bae98e0296cd7e09b41437155319_full

0

And, of course, to read actual Manga you have to master reading backwards.  Americans read left to right.  The Japanese read right to left.  You have to open a Japanese book in a manner that seems both backwards and upside down.

chapter1large

This illustration shows how American publishers flip Japanese comics to make them more accessible to American audiences.

So now, by uncovering the fact that I am addicted to and seriously affected by Japanese cartoons, you have one more bit of evidence to present to a jury in case you decide Mickey needs to be locked up and medicated for a while.  Japanese comics are a world of great beauty, but also a world unto themselves.  It is an acquired taste that has to be considered carefully.  And of all the many marvelous Manga makers, Rumiko Takahashi is the one I love the best.

Rumiko_Takahashi_18050

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Filed under anime, artwork, cartoons, humor, Paffooney

RumikoTakahashi

Yesterday I used a Paffooney I had stolen to illustrate my gymnasium adventures, and in the caption I gave credit to the wonderful comic artist I shamelessly copied it from.  The second imitation Takahashi that I did yesterday is now displayed next to it above.  I am now compelled to explain about my goofy, sideways obsession with Anime and Manga, the cartoons from Japan.  I love the art style.  I have since I fell in love with Astroboy Anime as a child in Iowa.  Rumiko Takahashi is almost exactly one year younger than me.  As a cartoonist she is light years more successful than me.  She has been crafting pen and ink masterpieces of goofy story-telling longer than I have been a teacher.

lumstatue1

Her artwork is a primary reason I have been so overly-enamored of the Japanese Manga-cartoon style.  I love the big eyes, the child-like features of even adult characters, the weird poses and still-weirder comic art conventions of this culture from practically a different planet.  She has created comic series that are immensely popular in Japan, and have even put down sturdy roots in this country, especially with young adults since the 80’s.  She is the world’s number one best-selling female comics artist.

Just as we Westerners have to accept numerous ridiculous things to appreciate the stories told in American comics (for instance, brawny heroes running around in tights with their underwear on the outside of their pants, nearly naked ladies with super powers diving into battle next to men encased in armored suits, and talking animals), the Manga-minded must also practice a bizarre form of the willing suspension of disbelief.  In Ranma 1/2, the main character is a boy marshal artist who turns into a girl when splashed with cold water.  Much of the romantic comedy of that work revolves around boys and old men finding themselves in the bath house next to naked young girls.  For some reason that sort of naked surprise causes the boys to spout fountain-like nosebleeds.  In Inu-Yasha the whole thing is about fighting demons with swords.  Inu-Yasha himself is part demon.  Apparently part-demon is a good thing to be.  Japanese villains are spectacularly susceptible to fits of crying rage and tantrums.  And everybody looks more like American white people than orientals.  Oh, and there are talking animals.

Rumiko is a master of pen and ink.  Here is a sample of of her black and white work.

And she does color well too.

6976529_orig

The little people are a special style of Manga character called a Chibi, and all regular Manga characters can turn into one at any moment.

b10674ff244da5bae98e0296cd7e09b41437155319_full

0

And, of course, to read actual Manga you have to master reading backwards.  Americans read left to right.  The Japanese read right to left.  You have to open a Japanese book in a manner that seems both backwards and upside down.

chapter1large

This illustration shows how American publishers flip Japanese comics to make them more accessible to American audiences.

So now, by uncovering the fact that I am addicted to and seriously affected by Japanese cartoons, you have one more bit of evidence to present to a jury in case you decide Mickey needs to be locked up and medicated for a while.  Japanese comics are a world of great beauty, but also a world unto themselves.  It is an acquired taste that has to be considered carefully.  And of all the many marvelous Manga makers, Rumiko Takahashi is the one I love the best.

Rumiko_Takahashi_18050

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Filed under anime, artwork, cartoons, humor, Paffooney

More Scanned Artwork

Scan_0040

DinoGirl

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Filed under aliens, anime, artwork, illustrations, Paffooney, pen and ink

Ladybugs Conquer Cartoonland

C360_2017-04-02-08-07-13-140

Yes, Mickey couldn’t help it.  The toys hit the shelves in Walmart.  He discovered the silly superhero junior highschool romance thing first on Pinterest, then on YouTube.  Miraculous, the Adventures of Ladybug and Cat Noir.   The silly thing is on Netflix now too.

So, why would a goofy old man like me be interested in a thing like this… a thing aimed at an audience of pre-teen girls?  That’s disturbingly creepy, isn’t it?

Well, I never claimed to be cool.  I was an English teacher for 31 years.  Cool was never an option.

C360_2017-04-02-08-07-25-860

And I collect dolls… erm… action figures… uh… well, I might as well be honest.  I have more Barbies than G.I. Joes.  I have a hoarding disorder fixated on 12-inch dolls.  And when I saw this doll for less than 15 dollars at Walmart, I had to buy it.  And it has the other super hero, Cat Noir right beside it.  Both under 20 dollars so they fit under the 20 dollar limit.  And both together only cost 30 dollars, so it fits under the 50 dollar per month limit as well.  Those collecting rules are important in saving me from my own juvenile regressive self and helps me have enough money to buy food all month long.

C360_2017-04-02-08-09-19-133

The people in the store don’t look at me funny.  I am not the only old man buying toys and dolls in Walmart.  I am just the only old man there not buying for his grandkids.  I don’t have any grandkids yet, and my own kids are definitely older than the toy-wanting stage.  The people would be far more disturbed if they knew I was now struggling with the question, “Do I preserve these dolls mint-in-box?  Or do I take them out and play with them?”  And if you have read any of my lunatic “he-plays-with-dolls” posts, you probably already know how that one will turn out.

People might also be deeply disturbed to know that I have already watched two episodes of Miraculous, and (shudder) liked them in spite of the moronic romance and love-triangle bull poop.  I can’t promise that I will not watch more and turn away from this new filthy habit.  The stories are stupid villain-of-the-week stuff.  But the CGI animation is brightly colored, smooth, and highly interesting… to the point that I and any available chimpanzees or monkeys will be enthralled with it.  Oh, and pre-teen girls too.  I won’t go into the connections between those things.

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I could probably spend a lot of words telling you more about how this cartoon is set in Paris, France, and how Marinette and Adrien, the secret identities of the two superheroes above, are both in love with each other, but don’t realize it because neither one knows the secret identity of the other.  But I won’t.  This post is not a review of the cartoon show.  This post is a goofy commentary celebrating the fact that I bought myself two more dolls, and now must somehow rationalize that weird, compulsive act.

23f

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Filed under action figures, anime, cartoon review, cartoons, collecting, doll collecting, goofy thoughts, humor, toystore quests

RumikoTakahashi

Yesterday I used a Paffooney I had stolen to illustrate my gymnasium adventures, and in the caption I gave credit to the wonderful comic artist I shamelessly copied it from.  The second imitation Takahashi that I did yesterday is now displayed next to it above.  I am now compelled to explain about my goofy, sideways obsession with Anime and Manga, the cartoons from Japan.  I love the art style.  I have since I fell in love with Astroboy Anime as a child in Iowa.  Rumiko Takahashi is almost exactly one year younger than me.  As a cartoonist she is light years more successful than me.  She has been crafting pen and ink masterpieces of goofy story-telling longer than I have been a teacher.

lumstatue1

Her artwork is a primary reason I have been so overly-enamored of the Japanese Manga-cartoon style.  I love the big eyes, the child-like features of even adult characters, the weird poses and still-weirder comic art conventions of this culture from practically a different planet.  She has created comic series that are immensely popular in Japan, and have even put down sturdy roots in this country, especially with young adults since the 80’s.  She is the world’s number one best-selling female comics artist.

Just as we Westerners have to accept numerous ridiculous things to appreciate the stories told in American comics (for instance, brawny heroes running around in tights with their underwear on the outside of their pants, nearly naked ladies with super powers diving into battle next to men encased in armored suits, and talking animals), the Manga-minded must also practice a bizarre form of the willing suspension of disbelief.  In Ranma 1/2, the main character is a boy marshal artist who turns into a girl when splashed with cold water.  Much of the romantic comedy of that work revolves around boys and old men finding themselves in the bath house next to naked young girls.  For some reason that sort of naked surprise causes the boys to spout fountain-like nosebleeds.  In Inu-Yasha the whole thing is about fighting demons with swords.  Inu-Yasha himself is part demon.  Apparently part-demon is a good thing to be.  Japanese villains are spectacularly susceptible to fits of crying rage and tantrums.  And everybody looks more like American white people than orientals.  Oh, and there are talking animals.

Rumiko is a master of pen and ink.  Here is a sample of of her black and white work.

And she does color well too.

6976529_orig

The little people are a special style of Manga character called a Chibi, and all regular Manga characters can turn into one at any moment.

b10674ff244da5bae98e0296cd7e09b41437155319_full

0

And, of course, to read actual Manga you have to master reading backwards.  Americans read left to right.  The Japanese read right to left.  You have to open a Japanese book in a manner that seems both backwards and upside down.

chapter1large

This illustration shows how American publishers flip Japanese comics to make them more accessible to American audiences.

So now, by uncovering the fact that I am addicted to and seriously affected by Japanese cartoons, you have one more bit of evidence to present to a jury in case you decide Mickey needs to be locked up and medicated for a while.  Japanese comics are a world of great beauty, but also a world unto themselves.  It is an acquired taste that has to be considered carefully.  And of all the many marvelous Manga makers, Rumiko Takahashi is the one I love the best.

Rumiko_Takahashi_18050

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Filed under anime, artwork, cartoons, humor, Paffooney

R.D.G.

I have discovered treasure on Netflix.

It should come as no surprise to you that I am as enamored of Japanese Anime as any cartoonist nerd-boy has ever been.

I told you already about Astroboy and the old movie The Magic Boy (1959).  Now witness my newest Anime/Manga love.

If you watched the opening in that video, you will see right away the first, best reason I have to fall in love with this moving painting, this gloriously subtle Japanese art print set to motion and music.   If you like that opening sequence, you have to see the first season ending sequence as well.  Izumiko slowly and elegantly walks as spine-tinglingly exquisite melancholy music plays and gallery-quality scenery behind her is interspersed with unfurling fans.  You have to see it to understand what I mean.  I’m sorry I did not find a YouTube version to post.   But you can find it at the end of every episode you watch.  Wait a minute!  What do you mean you didn’t watch that opening YouTube video?   Don’t make such a mistake!  Go back and watch it right now!  Oh, you did watch it?  Okay.  But go back and watch it again.  Believe me, it is that good.

miyuki

My sister Mary, the archery coach, may guffaw at the way  Miyuki draws his bow, but, hey!  That’s actually the way the Japanese teach it.  Everything in this cartoon show is stunningly realistic.   And everything is subtly building up to a story that is wholly surreal and unbelievably touching.   Look at how it combines with popular music in this YouTube highlight reel;

It is filled with wizards and warlocks, spirit creatures and Japanese nature goddesses, and a conviction that love and goodness will find a way to win out.

The story is about a young girl, Izumiko Suzuhara, who has been raised in mountainside isolation at Tamakura Shrine, an otherworldly place in a beautiful forested landscape.  She has an unusual problem.  She short-circuits electronic devices, burning out the school computers and breaking every new cell phone her family gives her.

A family friend visits as she is trying to make the decision whether to go to the mountain village high school or go to the Tokyo school her absent father and mysterious mother have recommended to her.  The friend leaves his son, Miyuki Sagara to be her protector, though she doesn’t understand why she needs a protector, or why they have chosen a boy she has always believed hated her.  He has been a bully to her in the past.  But Miyuki has studied to be a yamabushi, a mountain monk, since a very young age.  It turns out that Izumiko is chosen to be the vessel of a Kami, a good spirit who protects and empowers the world.

There is no way to adequately explain why this Japanese cartoon is so good and so necessary to be viewed by anybody and everybody I can put the word in with… It is one of those, “you-know-it-when-you-see-it” things.

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Filed under anime, cartoon review, humor

The Magic Boy (1959)

When I was a boy in the magical, wonderful days of black-and-white photos and Howdy Doody on TV, the 1960’s, the Belmond movie theater did free Christmas movies for kids.  Every weekend when I was nine we went to the show and took the neighbor kids, packed ourselves five-to-a-seat along with every other kid in Wright County, Iowa, and watched wonderful movies.  We saw westerns with Jimmy Stewart and Alan Ladd.  We saw Tarzan find the Elephant’s Graveyard in a movie starring Mike Henry.  And best of all, we found a movie playing there as part of a triple-feature free-movie day, all in Japanese animation (known today as anime) called The Magic Boy.  I fell in love.  No, not with a neighbor girl or girl cousin that I was either sitting on or holding on my lap, but with the magic that is Japanese animation.  Now, I won’t lie and say this was before I became slavishly devoted to the animated cartoon show Astroboy that played most weekday afternoons at three, and for several years at five o’clock in the morning.  I was already immersed in that as well, but it was all on the black-and-white Motorola TV.   It was the color, the motion, the cuteness of the characters, and the Japanese-ness of the basic story that I fell in love with.

220px-Magic_boy

It was the story of  Sasuke, a young boy living in feudal Japan with his sister and several cutesy, highly-personified critters.  One day, a marauding eagle comes and snatches up the little Bambi deer-thing and takes him to a lake.  The fawn is dropped into the lake as a necessary sacrifice to the eagle’s evil mistress.  Sasuke and his pets come to the rescue, leaping into the lake and saving the drowning deer.  A huge evil salamander, actually the witch in her accursed form, nabs one of the rescuers, one of Sasuke’s pets, and eats it to gain the power to re-constitute herself in witch form as the evil Yakusha.

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Sasuke then goes on a quest.  He must learn magical powers from a wizard and grow into a competent sorcerer so that he can defeat the witch and avenge his lost pet.  It was a quest that closely mirrored my own.  (The year after I saw this wonderful movie, I was sexually assaulted by an older boy, a trauma it took me a lifetime to overcome.  My quest was to become a wizard and find magic power to restore myself and protect others.  My quest led to becoming a story-teller, a teacher, and an artist… as well as being a wizard.  I chose colored pencils as my wands of power.)

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This movie changed my drawing style and my life goals for good.  And I had never been able to see that old movie again or find it on video despite years of searching because I could not remember what it was called.  Today I found it.  It is posted online with it’s German title, but the dialogue all in Spanish.  I will watch it anyway.  But I will only post the snippet I found in English here.

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