#ACGN

[sglilac]

Im gonna be tabling at ACGN Expo this coming weekend!

It’s my first time actually having my own booth so quite nervous but also really excited~

[salieri-multiverse]

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[ilotheoe]

風中殘燭？重病不起的《少年SUNDAY》

文：Negator

　 相信一直以來，各位都有聽��日本的少年漫畫周刊有所謂的「三大誌」。「三大誌」分別指是集英社的《週刊少年JUMP》、小學館的《少年SUNDAY》、講談社的《週刊MAGAZINE》。為何稱呼他們為三大誌呢？雖然應該很多人都知道，不過還是說明一下。原因他們從八十年代開始，都一直維持過百萬的發行量，同時又是同一領域中的競爭對手。後來到了日本出版業最高峰的九十年代中期，三本雜誌的發行量分別為：《JUMP》六百多萬、《MAGAZINE》的四百萬、《SUNDAY》三百多萬，三本加起上來過千萬，而當時日本人口才一億多一點，因此粗略計算的話，當時約每十個日本人，就有一個會買周刊漫畫來看！所以這年代這三本周刊和他們的出版社都可說風光至極。

早已不再存在的所謂「三大誌」

　不過時移世易，現在「三大誌」其實早已經不存在，原因便是《SUNDAY》一早就退出了百萬發行量之列，如果還把衰退到此這地步的《SUNDAY》還稱作「三大誌」之一，實在是太過屈就其他兩位，於是現在只剩下「二巨頭」。不過其實這也只是近兩年發生的事，原本2006年左右《SUNDAY》的發行量還能維持在百萬上下的，但到前兩年已經跌至93.5萬部，現在更只有68.4萬部（2010年3月最新數字），所以難聽說一句現在《SUNDAY》已經和「公稱50萬部」的《少年CHAPMION》同一等級。

百萬漫畫誌仍然有三本？

　但雖說《SUNDAY》掉了下來，不過日本的漫畫誌現在仍然有三本擁有過百萬發行量。前兩名自然不用說，而第三名說出來不少人一定會很多人嚇一跳──《月刊コロコロコミック》，中文版就是《快樂龍》。這本雜誌是小學館於七十年代末期創刊的少年向漫畫誌，一直都是中堅份子，但當然要和從七十年代末開創戀愛喜劇熱潮後，便風光到2000年的《SUNDAY》相比一直都是陰影人，不過可別以為他上面的作品香港少人認識就是雜魚──其實日本版《快樂龍》在08年時發行量已經達93.2萬部，而現在不用說當然已經超越《SUNDAY》，擁有100.1萬部發行量，位居漫畫誌銷量第三位的百萬雜誌之一。不過因為它是月刊，所以還只是二巨頭而已，畢竟主流世界仍然���以周刊為中心旋轉，況且他是月刊那麼和周刊比也要除以四才公平。

非戰之罪？數字會說話

　當然畢竟大環境改變了，整體市場萎縮造成發行量大跌也非戰之罪，三家大型漫畫出版社仍能賺到蠅頭小利的就只有集英社而已，就連最會賺錢和炒作的《少年JUMP》都是3百多萬發行量，只是全盛期的一半。《MAGAZINE》方面則是157萬，不過再糟都是黃金九十年代的一半到四成左右，所以如果要筆者說的話，《SUNDAY》還真是難看了點──原本就敬居末席，但下跌卻是最厲害的一個，這慘狀已經不是單用「整體市場萎縮」便可以解釋過去。雖說《SUNDAY》傳統方針就是慢熱，因此本誌銷量一直都較低，而且原本出版漫畫就是靠單本行來賺錢的，所以的確不能單是用發行量來嘲笑《SUNDAY》不好賣，但始終數字會說話──根據小學館公開的財務報告，他們已連續兩個財務年度共虧蝕差不多一百億日元。可能有留意日方新聞的人會反問筆者：講談社這兩年來蝕的錢不是比小學館多嗎？但看整體數字的話會發現講談社的營業額仍然是比小學館多10億左右（與集英社相差也是10億左右），即事實上他們的漫畫還是賣得比小學館的好（有說講談社虧損原因是房地產投資的問題，但這方面找不到詳細資料），換句話說只是節流的問���。因此不管從他們的「前龍頭」雜誌的發行量或整間公司來看，小學館都是正在衰退，而原因不用說自然就是經營不善。

不是《SUNDAY》獨憔悴

　當然說小學館的生死興亡都由一本《SUNDAY》主宰的確太誇張，但講他們沒責任也絕對說不過去的。月前ORICON就公佈了2010年上半年度漫畫銷量（計算方式是每本單行本獨立），佔地最多的不用說當然集英社，前二十位中《JUMP》的漫畫就佔了十三本。雖然講談社方面，《MAGAZINE》的作品到了三十名左右才看得見《FAIRY TAIL》和《×××HOLiC》，但同社的《交響情人夢》則是頭十名內的前列份子，而《おおきく振りかぶって》和《浪客行》仍在五十名內有一席之地。相反小學館方面原本《犬夜叉》也是銷量排行榜的前列常客，但可惜年前已經完結而高橋留美子的新作亦仍未有足夠時間建立人氣，於是現在就只剩下《名偵探柯南》（第67卷，17位）和《結界師》（27卷，50位）而已。其實有此結果，回想來也是理所當然的──這十年來多少部暢銷漫畫你能數得出來是小學館出版的？連《SUNDAY》上的作品也這樣，小學館的其他漫畫有多慘自然不在話下。

小學館的怪異經營方針

　如果要討論《SUNDAY》或小學館有甚麼問題，其實只要把他們經營模式與其他兩個競爭對手作比較就很容易得出結論。人人都知道賣漫畫是賺不了大錢的，要食大茶飯就是多媒體化，這方面相比起《SUNDAY》不管是《JUMP》或《MAGAZINE》都積極很多，後兩者的分別是《JUMP》走動畫化，而《MAGAZINE》則因為明知這方面鬥不過《JUMP》，於是就偏向日劇／實寫化方面來發展作品，但不管如何這兩本雜誌上面都有很多作品都是為了能夠改編而開始企劃的。故且不論這做法的好不好，筆者也不是要歌頌商業主義，但畢竟賺不到錢就一定沒戲唱，還談甚麼理想或優質漫畫。

對待作品的態度

　當然《SUNDAY》上改編過的作品都不少，不過如果拿它們拿去和本誌的作品對比，就會發現一個很奇怪的現象──不知為何有些中堅的長期連載，單行本銷量不差又有穩定的讀者群（否則不會連載那麼久吧），但說到改編永遠沒他們的份。例如結成正美的《牧馬奇緣》是連載六年以上，26本單行本的長篇作，竟然沒有改編過。較多人認識的藤田和日郎的《潮與虎》共33本單行本也只有數集OVA，後來的《魔偶》更加是完全空氣，但相信它們連載的當時，沒有人會認為這兩部漫畫人氣不夠吧（順帶一提，他現在的《月光條例》看來也大概是無望動畫化的）。老人不說，新世代的漫畫家也有藤崎聖人的《WILDLIFE》，好歹也是出了27本單行本的長篇，竟然才只有2集實寫版（原預定3集）的日劇化計劃。雖說多媒體化的改編需要多方面的配合，也要電視台願意投資才能成事，而且這些作品的現有讀者群能否支撐收視率也是疑問，可是在改編後才大賣的作品根本就比比皆是，因此漫畫受不受歡迎，能不能炒作得起來，事實上最大的因素還取決於出版社願意給多少支持的。明明擁有有高質素的漫畫和已建立固定死忠讀者群的中堅漫畫家，小學館卻不去為積極地為他們開發市場。更有甚之的是不知為何《烈火之炎》、《MARS》這類「《JUMP》系戰鬥漫畫」的劣質仿製品卻能夠相繼動畫化，���藤田和日郎這類長期默默耕耘中堅份子，雖說的確沒有青山、高橋、安達充的叫座力，但故事穩定單行本銷量又不是不見得人，可是《SUNDAY》卻寧願把動畫化的機會給予��些稀疏平常的新人作品。當然這怪異情況近年有點改善，但過去失去太多，已經追不回來了。

　《SUNDAY》除了有不願意炒熱作品的問題外，他們也有不願意腰斬作品的問題，一些看不到未來發展性而且又不好賣的漫畫卻可一直連載。最經典的例子便是久米田康治的《妄想改造人改藏》，寧願一直放牛吃草都不願意引刀一快，就讓久米田歹戲拖棚，而這戲還要是不賣錢的。雖然不是叫你應該像《JUMP》一樣老是十回完，但是總得給空間讓新人出頭吧？ 像是《MAGAZINE》願意給五期單行本份量讓新人盡力，不行再給兩期份量腰斬也是一個方法，但《SUNDAY》就好像一開始連載，就會雜誌上生萬年根似的，身陳代謝率這麼低，會腐爛也是理所當然。

對待漫畫家的態度

　接下來這個問題，也得先說說《JUMP》和《MAGAZINE》方面。《JUMP》對待漫畫家多殘酷不用多說明，絕對的跟紅頂白主義，管你《星矢》、《劍心》、《通靈王》賺過多少錢，新作不行也是刀不留手，但另一方面他們卻會十分努力地為漫畫家爭取應得的東西──錢，只要有一定成績（有說是總銷量過百萬）便有機會動畫化，而對暢銷中的漫畫家更不用說，四個字：「奉如神明」。《MAGAZINE》方面則相反地以編輯為中心，培育他們成為原作者，因為畢竟編輯才是公司的正式員工，而漫畫家是可以隨時替其他出版社畫連載的「合作伙伴」。

　而《SUNDAY》這方面與《JUMP》相似都是漫畫家為中心，但問題就出在這裡了。第一，保障不到漫畫家發達，上面也說過漫畫家最賺的就是改編的版稅，而在《SUNDAY》畫漫畫就算能夠長期連載和有穩定銷量，也不是一定能夠吃到這個餅。第二，保障不到漫畫家的基本生活，《SUNDAY》連載的稿費出手低是冠絕業界已經是人所共知的，而很久以前就有一個傳聞，說有新人漫畫想增加稿費，但卻被《SUNDAY》編輯部以「連高橋留美子這種大前輩的稿費也是收這價位，你憑甚麼要求稿費比她高」為理由拒絕──問題是高橋可是百萬長者呀！對新人來說單行本又賣得不多，能吃的就是稿費而已。當然傳聞聽聽就算，但要講實在的也有《���神追女攻略》的若木民喜說過：「為《SUNDAY》連載了9年，連1日元的稿費也沒加過」，所謂沒功勞也有苦勞啊。

還有未來嗎？

　前兩年「雷句誠事件」而相繼爆出了小學館的編輯賤待漫畫家一事，相信很多人也有所耳聞。明明是靠漫畫家吃飯，卻不把漫畫家當人看，自己的編輯又沒有《MAGAZINE》的原作實力和《JUMP》的炒作能力，又不把漫畫家當人，試問如果你是漫畫家，要如何在《SUNDAY》上看到希望？無怪乎《JUMP》「腰斬不留手、作品不給完」的惡名昭著，但新人們卻仍然前仆後繼寧願命喪其鍘刀之下，也不想為《SUNDAY》賣命，而《JUMP》也樂得慢慢揀卒。就算有新人不喜歡《JUMP》制度也好，也很自然地寧願選擇方針較自由和編輯支援較多的《MAGAZINE》也不是《SUNDAY》，於是便演變成現在漫畫家青黃不接的狀況。

　而且原本就找不到人才了，卻連近十年的新人中難得一個能生金蛋的雷句誠都趕走。更糟糕的是上面提到被一直放牛的久米田，跳槽到《MAGAZINE》後的《絕望先生》卻像被變魔術般捧紅，這更證明《SUNDAY》的編輯的多缺乏企劃和發掘漫畫家才能的能力。這情況下，試問假設你是《SUNDAY》上半紅不黑的老牌漫畫家，假設哪天和編輯鬧翻了你又跳不跳槽呢？沒有有才能的新人出現，長年耕耘的中堅作品又當成空氣，最終就演變成現在只能吃自家大師級漫畫家的老本，會賺到錢才怪。更何況當連高橋、青山、安達充的叫座力大不如前，新一代讀者又不買他們帳的現在，形象更因為醜聞而賠了個清光，真不知要多少年才能復活……當然在這之前小學館會不會先自己倒下來，又是另一回事了。

[terencekkbdxk]

Whispers of Magic: The Humorous Tale of Lelouch and His Illusionary Quest (Part 1)

In a world where the Holy Empire of Britannia had conquered Japan, a young man named Lelouch Lamperouge rose to lead a rebellion against oppression. Armed with the power of Geass, he could bend the will of others to his command. But behind the serious and emotional battles lay a secret – a world of magical illusionism that only a few knew about. In this short novel, embark on a humorous and…

[aoral]

This is so true that I wanna sob (with love)

YOU FORGOT THE CAFE

I made a presentation.

[firstservepercentage]

ranking all the atp players' chinese characters/kanji tattoos

rankings will be based on the meaning of the word they chose, placement and font. in other words its just me judging people based on my bias

(might not be a complete list if you know anyone else with chinese characters/ kanji tattoos please tell me in the comments!)

matteo berrettini

愛(traditional chinese character/ japanese kanji) - Love

tbh that is a bit of a cliche word but the font has a nice traditional calligraphy done (correctly!) with a brush vibe, and the placement is a bit weird for me but hot (imean its on matteo berrettini) so id say its a good tattoo

2. flavio cobolli

勇氣(traditional chinese) - courage

i actually quite like this choice of word, but the font is like the chinese equivalent font of calibri. or impact at max. imagine tattooing something in those font on yourself 😭 but because this word gives a bit of a ACGN+ vibe and the font also gives some manga text vibes (although! it is not japanese kanji, japanese kanji of this word would be 勇気) so it actually kind of worked for me, and id say its still a nice tattoo. but i dont think he thought this much he probably just chose the first available font lol

3. arthur cazux

战士 (simplified Chinese) - warrior

cool choice of word, but (1) it is quite obvious that this is done by someone who is trying to 'draw' a traditional calligraphy style chinese characters and (2) i think that is a samurai knife behind the characters so it would probably go better with the japanese kanji version 戦士. and also why simplified chinese that is literally the most swagless form of chinese characters????

but still i am very impressed they managed to cover all forms of chinese characters with just 3 of them 😭😭😭 very inclusive

???. Marat Safin (i have so many things to say about this one)

猴 (same character used in all three forms) - monkey

yea his tattoo means monkey. which is supposedly because he was born in 1980, and 1980 is the year of the monkey in the chinese zodiac calendar. at this point you might think oh okay thats cool, but no, because for calculating zodiacs we use the lunar calendar which is typically 1.5 months later than the solar calendar we are all using now and he was bon on the 27th of January of 1980, so his zodiac animal was actually a goat instead of a monkey. big missed opportunity for him, he could have tattooed 'goat' on himself, that would be incredibly narcissist but at least cool

[baiwu-jinji]

"In her analyses of the philosophy of the ACGN world and fandom, Yusu Wang suggests that for younger generations the existing orders represent certainty, and a 'normal' world that one falsely believes to exist. The young people prefer to accept and respect any existing law and order not because these are more just and/or more reasonable, but simply because following them is easy and simple, and such actions are protected by the state apparatus. Wang calls this tendency to avoid responsibility and to follow orders a kind of cynicism. Sue Curry Jansen also tells us that 'the Powerful do not just have the first and last say. They do not just control access to podium, presidium, or press room. They also determine the rules of evidence, shape the logic of assertion, define the architecture of arguments'. To respect the existing law on pornography is to accept the rationale and procedure of defining and identifying pertinent crime, and to follow the official logic on regulating the press and publishing. It not only illustrates the cynicism of a group/generation of people, but also unfolds in front of us how the official education system has successfully and systematically affected and trained its receivers’ way of perceiving the world, analysing the sources of information, and processing evidence."

-"More than Conformity or Resistance: Chinese 'Boys’ Love' Fandom in the Age of Internet Censorship," by Xi Tian

[ita-bags]

Towards the end of September, MINISO launched what it calls the “pain-style project” campaign. It’s called “痛风计划” in Chinese, playing on the words literally meaning “gout project”. MINISO tries to capitalise on the “painbag” or “ita-bag” trend this summer.

Click thru to read more!

[lapplandsdog]

Hey everyone! I'm working on a research about customers' attitude to ACGN (animation, comics, games, novels) products. If you have a moment, I'd love if you could help me out by answering a few quick questions. Your answers are incredibly valuable to me!

Here's the link for anonymous survey, thank you sooooo much

P.S. Don't worry if you didn't buy any goods before, please try to complete the questionnaire if you are interested! Thanks again!!

[meida-ip]

✨ MeidaIP Magical Girl Acrylic Standee – Blue Witch with Duck Charm | Cute Anime Collectible

Bring a splash of magic to your space with this stunning acrylic standee featuring a charming blue witch and adorable duck companion! Perfect for anime fans, this vibrant figure stands out with clear printing, intricate details, and a playful design. Ideal for decorating your desk, shelf, or as a unique gift for your fellow anime lovers. Compact, lightweight, and easy to display—add a touch of kawaii charm to your collection today!

#animemerch #acrylicstandee #CuteWitch #MagicalGirl #KawaiiVibes #OtakuRoom #animecollector #DeskDecor #animegift #CuteFigure #BlueAesthetic #kawaiistyle #CosyVibes #pastelgoth #meidaip #animeaccessories #meidaipacrylic

[hibernatingflame]

Regarding the Ai♡Scream! interlude trend

note: i do not follow the lovelive fandom personally. i am merely a casual listener of their music.

“RUBY-CHAN!” “HAI!” “NANI GA SUKI?”

it’s everywhere. just to name a few applications:

trendseeking tiktoks — personally quite indifferent since i’m not on tiktok much

fandom crossovers — i have seen a few wacky ones like this from the hsr fandom and this from the classical music fandom. also some hilarious cursed stuff from the science history fandom that i cannot locate links from at the moment

marketing/advertising/publicity campaigns??? — what are you trying to achieve when your captions aren’t matching the audio? cognitive dissonance? grabbing the viewer’s focus away from your product to the song instead? www

i digress.

the key takeaway of this post is i adore the song and it needs more heartfelt appreciation. not just the “nani ga suki” interlude, the entire thing from vocal delivery to inst accompaniment and harmonies. and i am worried that tiktok will diminish this song’s value to “tiktok trend song” by making the only memorable thing about it the “nani ga suki” interlude. then the interlude would get milked so hard that and people may overlook the rest of the song, and worse, those unfamiliar with the fandom may dismiss it as tiktok slop music without bothering to listen to the full song.

i wouldn’t want something i like to become (potentially) treated lesser than its value. who does? the situation now looks like aiscream interlude only is gradually being treated by the masses as some cheap commercial thing. lovelive is technically ACGN subculture, yet it (a part of it) went mainstream and it feels very strange (i know the psychology reasons behind it, i’m just saying).

it makes me question whether people even listen to music mindfully anymore?

imo aiscream is a good example of a pop song that gives both the impression of thoughtfully made, and easy to listen to without sounding boring. selfishly, sometimes i wish aiscream was gatekept more from the mainstream “corruption”.

so if you like aiscream even just averagely, go listen to it properly in a quiet place with earphones — appreciate the various layers of vocals and instrumentals beyond the main vocal. if you have a bit of musical knowledge, search up scores online (perfect pitch gang may skip this step /hj) and look at the chords and vocal harmonies.

finally i think everyone should stream the off vocal inst at least a few times and listen to what goes behind supporting the main vocals.

if you’re still here, thanks for sticking through this insecurity-charged rant. goodnight from my side of the world.

[terencekkbdxk]

The Fanaticism Behind Code Geass: Why Fans Just Can't Get Enough!

what are the top 3 most impressive and remarkable classic dialogues in the Manga of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion ?

Join the Rebellion: Discover the World of Code Geass! Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a critically acclaimed mecha anime series that has gained a huge following since its release in 2006. The series is set in an alternate timeline where the Holy Empire of Britannia has conquered Japan and renamed it Area 11. The story follows Lelouch Lamperouge, the exiled Britannian prince who gains the…

[firstservepercentage]

my 5th attempt at drawing Elena. This is the evangelion/elena crossover no one asked for, but i really need to put her in this driver's suit:

we are anime otaku. of course, whenever we see something thats black and green and purple, we say: its evangelion unit-001!

i havent drawn anything this anime-ish for quite a long time im just going back to my anime girly roots, and it went a lot smoother than i expected 😭ACGN+ you will always be my home