Stiffanie:

>Could anyone recommend some good Miyazaki films?

Isn't that redondant? ^_^ (actually, it isn't)
I myself love Laputa and Nausicaa. Totoro is cute. Kiki and MwS 
(whispers of the heart IIRC) don't let you panting and wanting for 
more... (oh my god I'm starting to sound like Anno, help me!)
Porco Rosso I'd recommend. I found it really interesting. 



About japanese learning, might as well tell a few things...

As Mibat pointed out, it depends on the course. I'd advise learning 
it in university, considering that to me THAT was teh point where I 
started progressing. I've done 2 years on my own first, listening 
(like Albert) to anime CDs and original tapes, but aside from 
picking up Ryou Saeba's language (definetely NOT recomended for 
tourists) it didn't push me far, and I had been, like, overly motivated.

University gave me access to native speakers, teachers, and lots 
of exercises. Not only the 30 texts I had for my bachelor grade, but 
hundreds of examples every week. I was to study during the class 
8 hours a week, then to work -for- the class an hour each day.

After 2 years with this program, and a strong motivation, I was 
more or less fluent, if you consider what I am supposed to know as 
foreigner.
But living in Japan was the last straw. It's like the "total immersion" 
method; only this time if you can't get it right you have problems. 
Well, that is, if you're in Japan through your own efforts.

I'd say that as long as you get a serious method (university  or the 
like) one can get good after 2 to 3 years. I'd say 3 years c(sh)ould 
make you fluent. Which is not much more than other languages, all 
considered.

Albert's list of books is good, btw, but so long!!! My goodness.
I don't remember reading that many books (on technical aspects) 
for my graduation.


And now, SoW...

Long, nice post. Could make NC proud sometimes. I'll only nitpick 
and comment about a few things.

>I'm down on stupidity, self-induced ignorance, and the like.

As long as you don't define stupidity too broadly, I think most 
people think alike.

>No, we have a duty, as fans, as otaku, as
>intelligent people who love a genre (at least, love some of the 
>things within this genre; 'genre' is a terrible word, I apologize for 
>having to use it),

Don't apologise, many years of discussion (12 in France...)outside 
Japan proved unable to define what is an anime and what is a 
manga, although any fan can tell the difference in a heartbeat. 
Makes one wonder...
As for duty, I'd agree with you on the general principle, but not as 
fans or otaku (*whines a little about wannabe experts that 
published books full of -crucial- mistakes*). At best, I'd say we 
have a duty as "veteran". 
It's difficult to explain. Basically, WE are the one who opened teh 
market. I for myself imported Lain to Italy, which in turn translated 
it for the whole Europe. I made reviews in little fan-zines, and 
generally tried toi bring (albeit in VO with direct translation) 
products accordingly to my friends' tastes. It's something many of 
you did, too ; maybe not teh importing, but basically, on a ground 
level, that's what you do when you try to introduce a friend to a 
series you like.
In that regard, I am responsible if my friends are disappointed. 
In that regard, Tenchi on air in America might be, like you say, "the 
bomb" that will decide of the future.
But when the french translator screwed KOR royally (teh manga.. 
the anime too actually) I didn't feel anything. On teh contrary, I feel 
outraged each time I see a really crude adaptation (Dragon Ball 
comes to mind, in Germany at least; France is not much better, 
but still...)
You'd think that in France at least, where Anime is firmly implanted 
since 1978 or so, we'd have come to an understanding. But NO. I 
guess there are too many megalomaniacs. It's in our education. 
Whatever.
The point is, don't blame yourself, you can't really help it at that 
level.

>There shouldn't even be a separation between anime
>and other animation, I don't see Europeanimation, 
>Americanimation, etc. 

Europanimation is almost non-existant, because it concentrates on 
short spots that are only projected at private cons. That's unknown 
to the Large Audience.
Americanimation is generally refered to with other words (no, not 
"piece of crap", as bad as it might sometimes be).
I've mostly heard the separation in sentences like "between 
japanimation and _real_ animation", which _somehow_ doesn't 
satisfy me. Of course, I've heard teh contrary too, but that comes 
mostly from wannabes. You know, your average "fanboy" (the kind 
that every fan hates with a passion). The ones that discover yet 
another holy truth about Eva even though the interpretation has 
been more or less given away since 1996 by the author himself.
(happens 20 times each day in France as I speak; in FRANCE of 
all the places!)

>If it's successful, we may get altered, edited,
>censored, and otherwise different versions of our favorite series.  
>Are you, any of you, prepared to make that sacrifice for the sake 
>of getting it on the air?

I like the rethorical figure, but that was unneeded. I think the 
answer is obvious enough. Although of course that doesn't prevent 
companies from making errors.
But it made them change their approach. Fair enough. Just a tad 
too expensive.

>That is who will be the new generation of fans, and sure, we'll get 
>a few decent, intelligent people, like those who fell in love with 
>Robotech and then found Macross, or who got Galaxy Express 
>on TV and then spent many a night debating the principles of 
>honor and dignity in combat as represented by Captain Harlock.  

Hey, Relic, we're talking about you! 
Seriously, that represents the fan that are right now about to get a 
serious job. That leaves the possibility of a better future.

>Sure, there's always a few of them, but they're not the bulk.  They 
>aren't even the bulk of fans right now, the mass of anime-lovers, or 
>self-proclaimed anime lovers, enjoyed maybe one, two series, 
>most likely Fist of the Northstar is the ultimate in anime they 
>could ever wish for.  That's who we are judged by, that is what 
>anime is judged by.

Which is a tragedy, if that's what you're getting at. I agree with you.

However, let the insiduous voice speak to you... in other words, let 
the Dark Force beckon young fans into translating and importing, 
and we might avoid troubles.
No, the biggest problem is to counter the actual literature on teh 
market. I don't like Schodt's book, and I pested audibly when a 
professor read us the intro of Samurai from Outer Space. The girl 
that wrote that wasn't nearly involved with the Otaku phenomenon, 
it seems. Well, she does write good stuffs (I didn't proofread it, but 
I guess she does) but she introduces a concept that is nowadays 
our greatest ennemy: the concept of the American Otaku.
(maybe she isn't the one who introduced it; I apologise to the idiot 
who did this before her)
As long as you stay a simple fan with no name and no face, I 
honnestly don't give a f*** what you consider to be otaku and what 
not; but as soon as you write a book about it, espescially as a 
pioneer, you are bount to use correct things. Which is why I dream 
of the day fans throughout the world will actually agree on a 
definition of manga and anime; it will be a great start, because from 
then on we will be able to write books about it, that will inform the 
people that are judging us right now, and that have NO IDEA 
WHAT SO EVER what they are refering to.
But as I said, it's only a dream for now. And every book further 
written along the "wrong" path (i.e. that bases on the books filed 
with critical mistakes) makes it harder to fulfill.

>Maybe, what we need, is the time it took for those series to
>grow, mature, and mutate into new series, as they did in Japan

We need another way of thinking. As I said, anime has been 
broadcasted as such in France for a long time, and people still 
don't get it.

>You think we had problems
>being otaku before this, you ain't seen nothing yet

I see what you really mean... 
Just in passing, being an otaku cannot give you problems, since 
one generally has no problem with one's own opinion. The others 
just don't count (actually, "exist") anymore. 
Well, just shrug the "scrutinizing looks" off. That's their problem. 
As long as they don't take everything away from you, you have no 
duty to care about their opinion. It's sad to have to do that to 
friends, though. Gives a bitter taste to teh medicine.



OK, I think I'm done. Now back to my studies...


	Pierre