On the subject of JAFWA, and my absence thereat

[rallamajoop]

Technically, this is actually my third week without JAFWA (which is a little abnormal, but hardly a record). The first of those, however, was seventeen‘s birthday, and the second a non-screening weekend; making this the first week in which I have missed a screening entirely voluntarily in something of the vicinity of five years.

That is a hell of a lot of Saturday nights spent in one place. Even allowing for end of year breaks and non-screening weekends, that is a hell of a lot of Saturday nights spent in one place. We're dealing with something like the end of an era over here.

JAFWA has long been the only (and still remains the largest) anime club in the state, and I have it to thank for any number of titles I might never have seen otherwise (Rurouni Kenshin, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Slayers, Inu Yasha, Card Captor Sakura, Kodacha, Samurai Champloo, the list goes on). Even the items no-one liked much used to count for something, because they gave you a chance to head outside and chat to people for a while. Half the fun of being in fandom is getting to hang out with other fans - and at our peak, even our own little group filled three rows. It wasn’t just a chance to watch anime, it was our regular social get together. And it was a *lot of fun*.

Times, however, as they are wont to do, have changed. This started back in the days when indulging in our anime interest meant taking the bus into town and sticking twenty cent coins into a Dragonball card machine until we ran out of change. Now, what I can’t rent out at the DVD hire place down the road I can usually find online. And while it really is great that anime has become so much more easily available, it’s making gatherings like JAFWA sorta obsolete. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve more than doubled the number of anime fans in Perth in the last few years, but membership at JAFWA just keeps going down.

These days, there are exactly four of us on an average night (maybe six in event of a miracle); and often just me and my sister. There’s no-one to talk to anymore. But the real clincher in our parts is that what is on at JAFWA just doesn’t interest us these days. They’re only showing about a quarter as many shows as they used to - same program every night, and a lot of items are doubled up. Naruto is the only item I’m really into, and I’ve seen the episodes they’re showing already. There hasn’t been anything to get really excited about since Full Metal Alchemist started heading downhill and we ran out of Samurai Champloo.

And, well, yeah, that’s pretty much it. No arguments with the organisers, no transport issues or work commitments; just not much reason to go anymore, which is a shame. There’s every chance we’ll go back from time to time or if the program improves, but the days of spending every Saturday night there truly look to be over.

Actually, there hasn’t been much new stuff out in a while that has really grabbed my interest, period. I’m having to accept it’s possible I’ve grown out of anime to some degree, or at least have become more selective than I used to be.

I am definitely overdue for a something new to obsess over, anime or otherwise. Recs anyone?

Comments

[harveystoat.livejournal.com]

This is truly a shame, I knew that once you and Lisa stopped attending then it would really feel over for me, a potential harbinger of JAFWA's return to just being a bunch of like- minded people sitting around the lounge room of somebody's house. We'll always the memories, however.

Prepare yourself for John's nostalgia. :-)

I shall very much miss what we all used to do at JAFWA, for me the main focus of enjoyment was always very much to be found outside the subtitled world of sweat, munchies and unending sagas where charismatic klutzes walked along until they bumped into something to fight. I always loved being outside during Winter at Anime Night, trenchcoat- a- wearing and games- a- playing, just chatting and laughing with people I have always enjoyed spending time with. The first night that I met you, Lisa, Shasta, Adele, Aaron and Louise was a wonderful one, I recall they were showing the episode of Slayers: Next where Gourry dresses up as a jelly fish and the beginning of Kenshin's second battle against Soujiro. Man, I even jumped up on top of a bench and imitated poorly- dubbed samurai movies in an attempt to entertain you all. Of course, my first Anime Night was also notable for sparking the catalyst for the question "Are you my boyfriend?" and meeting Mel and Ken, who took a record thirty seconds to adopt me as a minion, which was later upgraded to "son".

The only recommendation I can think of for something to obsess over is "The League of Gentlemen", I think you'll like it. Have you already seen some of it?

While we're here, would you like to grab lunch again sometime soon? I work until 1pm these days, but I'm certain arrangements can be made, my boss, is, after all, about to receive a phone call where I claim to be ill, but I'm really getting a haircut and buying theatre props.

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

And while we're remembering those early days, I remember being introduced to you as the guy who'd gotten some thousands of dollars out of the government to make a short film called "Martha and Harold, pensioners with automatic weaponry", the re-enactment of a 2D fighting game on top of a small wall, and the good old days of wandering through the university without fear of the easily spooked security guards and pentagoning unsuspecting newcomers. Not to mention countless hours of standing around in a circle outside waiting for Armoured Trooper Votoms to finish laughing our heads off at god knows what.

It's kind've been our (me and Lisa's) role to be the only ones who were (almost) always there, hasn't it? Maybe we'll pick some night to get everyone to come along for one shot just for the nostalgia value. Truly, the social scene was one of the best parts of JAFWA. So many people we met there, so many we've practically lost contact with since they stopped coming.

"The League of Gentlemen", not to be confused with "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen"? Have heard of, don't really remember anything about. Further info?

Lunch shouldn't be at all hard to manage as long as we pick some day when I'm in at my conveniently placed two-blocks-away-from-your-apartment workplace. How about Wednesday?

[harveystoat.livejournal.com]

I remember all that. :-)

No, no, you can never confuse the two. It's a surreal British comedy set in a small town where all of the inhabitants are played by the same three people, which makes it a bit like "Little Britain", but it came first and it's better.

I'd love to have lunch of Wednesday, as I presume that I'll be skipping work on that particular day, because the Blue Room Launch is that evening. (I feel a bit bad, I've skipped work today, too, but I'm working on publicity material for my play so they can readily do without my potential selling abilities.)Is 12pm good?

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Sounds good. Probably easier to figure out any other details via the phone.

[velithya]

I remember going to JAFWA. I went for a couple of weeks (months?) and then just couldn't make it there anymore; I was too busy. Good fun, though. I won a door prize there one night, a P-chan bag. Cute.

Have you watched Smallville? Well, I haven't either, but there is some really good fic here and I intend to watch Smallville in the holidays.

Also Highlander (the TV series) is pretty good, some of the characters are pretty hot ♥

Two steps ahead of you

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Eerily enough, not only is Smallville my last/current obsession, there is a week of my life missing back around late November and the contents of that link are responsible. Could rec you a half dozen other good authors too. Smallville seems to get all the good fic. So, does 'intend to watch' imply 'have access to episodes'?

I've heard of Highlander a couple of times (usually RE: how *not* to use a sword, admittedly), never seen any though. It's on my general list of things I should probably have a look at at some point, but I wouldn't know where to get any from.

Re: Two steps ahead of you

[velithya]

oh, excellent :D My study for exams has been a bit... er, lax, and the non-spoiler containing stories behind that link are responsible, heh. 'intend to watch' means that I will have the DvDs in my hot little hands tomorrow evening, but not be watching them until after my exam on thursday, I swear. ^_^ (ps. make good on those recs? :D)

You should watch the movie before you see the TV series. The first movie, please pretend the other ones don't exist. PLEASE. ;_; The first TV season is a little bland, but once you hit season 2 and 3 it really picks up. Plus it has Methos in it (see icon). Methos is... incredibly adorable. :D (he comes in in season 3, iirc)

Re: Two steps ahead of you

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

What, you too? That's pretty much the story of my last exam period. ^^;

I was under the impression they only ever released the first two seasons in Australia. Mind you, season 4 was all pretty missable, and the whole series seems to treat coherency as some sort of optional extra. Most of the episodes I've only gotten hold of in transcript form, but, y'know, puts the fic in context.

This site has a fairly complete list of the recs lists out there, and I'd personally recommend anything by runpunkrun as a good place to start.

I don't know much about Highlander, but even I have heard bad things about the second Highlander movie. Think I've seen at least one of them at the local DVD place though. (http://medicationforsleepdeprivation.popullus.net/svresources.htm)

Re: Two steps ahead of you

[velithya]

Yeah, someone pimped me Pretty when you're mine, which I (foolishly) read, and then I went back and read everything else without a spoiler tag, heh. ^_^;

My dad only remembers 2 seasons on TV, but being released in australia isn't required for getting hold of the DvD release :)

Bookmarked for later reading after exams :)

THERE IS NO MOVIE BUT THE FIRST MOVIE. I don't care what your video store says, they are lying and those other movies don't really say Highlander on the box, no really. There is no movie but the first movie. Watch the others and you will be sorry :P

Re: Two steps ahead of you

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

You started with that one? Ow. Though seeing as my introduction to the fandom was via a Discworld crossover I probably can't talk.

*files later Highlander movies with the Star Wars prequels, Terminator 3, Batman 3 and 4 and everything after Aliens* Gotcha.

Re: Two steps ahead of you

[velithya]

Heh, yeah. Really good fic, that, I just wish Jenn would write the next part. Because! OMG! Lionel is so dead! Yeah. anyway. :)

Apparently Alien 3 directors cut was actually really good, it was just that the original version had about a third of the movie cut from it. Someone once said that the stuff removed was act 2 from a movie in 3 acts, if that makes any sense to you.

Re: Two steps ahead of you

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

He'd damn well better be!

My main issue with Alien 3 was that after all the work they went to to save the little girl's life in the second movie, they kill her off in her sleep before the third movie even starts. It's like, before anything's even happened, they've made the events of the previous movie pointless. I can imagine a better cut would have helped, but not really fixed the premise.

Re: Two steps ahead of you

[velithya]

:D fangirls demand BLOOD.

I think it was meant to be completely alientating, although to tell the truth, I was more irritated about the cute male lead :P I really liked the funeral scene, and the scene right at the end, especially when they integrated Ripley's radio transmission from the first movie into it (read: I bawled ;_;)

Re: We need Kodocha club, where we go and watch Kodocha for a few hours once a week and we sing abou

[rallamajoop.livejournal.com]

Some sort of JAFWA-replacing-social-thing would be great. Trouble with nightclubs and bars is firstly, a lot of people we'd like to come don't like them/don't drink/wouldn't be allowed in, and secondly they often limit such popular activities of ours as skipping around at high speeds, re-enacting bad movie fight scenes, John's attempts at breakdancing, etc. Probably the best thing about JAFWA as a social thing was that it wasn't *primarily* a social thing - even if no-one else showed up there was still all that anime to watch. We could always try for a regular Saturday movie night or something, but it's hard to know what to suggest.

I've never been a particularly big Lupin fan, but I'm fairly sure at least a few of the movies are available on DVD around here now. The DVD place nearest to us has a great selection of anime titles, I'm sure if they're available anywhere they'd be there.