Iwa ni Hana

The meaning of "Iwa ni Hana" (and where it fits in my life)

I have been seeing some obsessive Google searches of the phrase iwa ni hana recently in my web stats - mostly from the US and the UK. I cannot think who could be so obsessed about the blog itself, so I would interpret it as a sign that curious minds would like to know that the phrase iwa ni hana means.

In Japanese, it is written as 岩に花 and means transliterately "flower on a rock". It is actually an idiom that means "the impossible", because in reality flowers grow on soil and not on rocks.

But there is a place where flowers can grow on rocks and it is the imagination. Flowers can grow out of a rock in animation. Flowers can grow out of a rock in an illustration.

Some readers are shocked to learn that I am actually a corporate banker in real life, doing project finance, issuance of securities and acquisitions (most seem to have expected that I am in academia one way or other). I don't think I am cut for academia, and I actually quite like corporate financing, if only because it made me more well-rounded as a human being. When I finished my undergrad in Vancouver, I had zero people skills, probably not much in the way of EQ, and certainly no effective communication skills whatsoever. I was simply the quiet and introspective type of girl who buried herself in books all day long, and when I did talk to people I probably tended to speak without tact or much consideration for another's feelings. A combination of relocating to Hong Kong, cut-throat competition at work and nasty office politics changed all that. Now I actually know how to build and maintain contacts and relationships, mix with people twice my age, read the air and people's faces, talk (or stay silent) with diplomacy, have ample EQ skills like anger management (like knowing when to wait for an explanation before I allow myself to explode in anger, or when to forgo any request for an explanation altogether and simply work at the solution without any anger or bitterness - an indispensable skill in dealing with certain difficult personalities in these difficult times). I also became more outgoing - like every two week I would look through my book of contacts and call up someone I have not dined with before for dinner. Even my own mother did not recognize me when she flew here to catch up with me. In short, I grew up.

So there you have it. I think nowadays I am extremely grounded in reality in a way that makes me yearn for the world of imagination, and of aesthetic beauty, to which I have always felt an irresistible pull. Hence this blog.

[Housekeeping] Sub-blog of Tanaka Yoshiki's 'Tytania'

Apparently the anime series that is most anticipated by me in 2008 is called 'Tytania' not 'Titania'. Anyway, the official website of that series was launched a few days ago and between now and the scheduled release in October, I will probably be updating my dedicated sub-blog on bits of news that leak through.

[Housekeeping] Iwa ni Hana evolves once again

I know I have swung the emphasis of this blog before in the past: First it was arthouse Japanese animation, then it was arthouse animation with no emphasis on any country of origin in particular, and now this time it has swung to:

Art-house Animation and Illustration: Commentary and Analysis (with a comparative focus on the PRC and Japan, and other topics such as manga/manhua, cinema, music, literature and other aspects of culture)

The thing is, ever since I discovered the Chinese manhua/illustration/animation scene lately, I feel that I have not been this excited for a long time - to the point that I am of half a mind to just fold Iwa ni Hana and start with new blog on Chinese works alone. There is so much going on in the Chinese scene that I feel I just have to take my time to dive into each artist, and introduce their works to the West with a loudspeaker or something.

And on a honest note, I also have to say that I am somewhat jaded with the Japanese anime/manga scene. There is a grand total of two manga artists whose running manga series I follow and they are Shimizu Reiko's Himitsu and Umino Chika's March Comes in Like a Lion. Of anime series I actually remember to watch every week, there is also a grand total of three and they are Library War, Itazura na Kiss and Kaiba. The only light novel series I am actively following these days is Tanaka Yoshiki's Titania. These are all great and highly accomplished works, but (with the exception of Himitsu) they do not really make my heart skip a beat.

It is not like I have given up on Japan - there are things like Kato Kunio's Tsuki no Ie which I am dying to see. And I think discussions of the Chinese scene is more productive with references to Japan since Japan is (and will probably remain for some time) the origin of inspirations.

[Housekeeping] New layout

Further to the earlier reader survey, the layout is now changed to black on white with bigger font since a few of you suggested it. I hope it should be easier on the eye.

Also, there is new sidebar section on the upper right-hand called "Lexicon". Since quite a few of you expressed interest in more posts about cultural concepts, I think a good way to go about it is to discuss unique words in Japanese to that effect. All my future posts in that regard will be linked under that sidebar section for quick reference.

Please do not hesitate to let me know if there are more suggestions/complaints in terms of layout. Thanks in advance.

Reader Survey

I think I will make it simple and the questions should self-explanatory:

1) What do you want to see more/less of in terms of content here at Iwa ni Hana?

2) Do you think the length of the posts are: i) too long, ii) just about right or iii) too short?

3) What are the strengths/weaknesses of Iwa ni Hana?

(When I blog, I apply the same assumption I have when I send emails at work - that nobody ever reads what someone else wrote carefully word by word. So I aim at brevity, precision and clarity. I assume that people's eyeballs just glide through the screen and that is why I always highlight in purple important points I have to say.)

Thank you kindly for taking your time to answer this survey.

Iwa ni Hana launches sub-blog dedicated to anime adaptation of Tanaka Yoshiki's 'Titania'

Creating a sub-blog to devote more coverage to a splendid series is something of a tradition here at Iwa ni Hana. The last time I did such coverage was with Mononoke in the summer of 2007. Now I will be doing the same for the anime adaptation of Tanaka Yoshiki's Titania. I just had a peep at the first few pages of the novel volumes and without reserve - Titania has the promise to be a worthy if not greater successor to The Legend of Galactic Heroes. The animators would have to try very hard to fall flat with this material.

I will be posting more on the Titania sub-blog shortly. See you all over there!

The best of Iwa ni Hana

In light of the upcoming Anime Blog Awards, I think this would be a good opportunity to round up past posts on Iwa ni Hana that I rather like. (I would also like to point out that Iwa ni Hana is not just one blog, but one main blog with several series-specific sub-blogs.) Anyway, here it goes:

Cultural Theory & General Observation

Anime that they do not want foreigners to see, and anime that they do want foreigners to see

Some observations of the behavioural patterns of Japanese and English-speaking anime fans

The fantasy of growing up fast in older anime/manga

The aesthetics of the 'deliberate blank' in anime

Just what English-speaking anime/manga fans mean by 'angst'?

The strategy of 'being loved by everyone, one person at a time' in HaruToki (and economic reality)

Why so many adaptations?

The Problem with Depictions of Parent-Child Relationships in Anime

How do you define a 'cult classic' in anime?

Racial identity in anime

Markerting strategies of English anime ads and Japanese anime ads

Iwa ni Hana at The Anime Blog Awards

I am pleased to say that psgel of Star Crossed Anime Blog put forth the name of Iwa ni Hana in the Best Editorial Blog and Most Thought-Provoking Blog categories. (Many thanks for your kind appreciation, psgel.) I also received a personal email from the staff running The Anime Blog Awards and it would appear that the voting happens on April 1st.

To be honest, I think the comments of readers of this blog are probably more insightful than my own posts. Readers regularly post illuminating essays in the comment section of this blog. Personally I would like to nominate AniPages Daily in the Best Editorial Blog category as soon as I figure how to register etc.

The thing is, I think I am brought up in such a way that I take a detached attitude towards competitions of any kind - I don't feel too much joy if I win and I don't feel let down if I lose. But I will see.

A housekeeping note

1) Typepad shows only the last 10 months' archive by default. I messed with the code and have set it to include all the months since this blog came into existence back in December 2006. You can find all the archive links in the sidebar.

2)  I have changed the subtitle of this blog from:

Art-house Japanese Anime: Commentary and Analysis (and occasional off-topic posts on Japanese cinema, manga, literature and other aspects of culture)

Into:

Art-house Animation: Commentary and Analysis (and occasional off-topic posts on cinema, manga, literature and other aspects of culture)

The point is, there is a lot of good animation outside Japan that I would like to expose myself to more. I will continue to write about Japanese anime for as long as there are good ones worth writing about, of course.

A book on anime terminology?

Some of you may remember that I told a Japanese friend of mine to blog about anime terms - and the blog Japanese words of anime fans, by anime fans, for anime fans came into being as a result.

Lately, I have been trying to make him produce a book on anime terminology, and the discussion thread for what the book should be like is here.

Please go there, have a look and make your voice heard. We would really appreciate your input.

Just a housekeeping note

1) As requested by w-dono, I added a feed for comments in the sidebar. I hope it works.

2) I changed the heading of this blog into:

Art-house Japanese Anime: Commentary and Analysis (and occasional off-topic posts on Japanese cinema, manga, literature and other aspects of culture)

I hope you, Gentle Readers, will indulge me to post off-topic occasionally. Iwa ni Hana will still be primarily an art house anime blog, of course, but I find it more interesting to explore other areas and make cross-references.

3) As we know, this fall/winter is a rather lacklustre season. Since I doubt I will dedicate a sub blog to the discussion of an ongoing series or two, I will spend my time instead on writing posts that are more editorial in content. Here are some ideas I have for the fall/winter season ahead:

• Discussing anime in a legal context

Not that I know anything about Japanese law, but I do know something about English law. I have always been meaning to write a post on whether Kyon and Itsuki would be liable for manslaughter if the prank at the countryhouse were real in The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, and whether the contract between Misaki and Satou in Welcome to the N.H.K.! is legally enforceable (I think it is not under English law).

• Discussing old-school classics

There are a number of old-school classics I have never seen. I just finished all 13 episodes of The Legend of  Basara, and am about to start on Captain Harlock.

• Discussing more recent shows I need to rewatch

These include Mushishi, Hataraki Man and Mononoke. And then there are shows which I lost interest after the first episode or so and should probably have another go - namely Ergo Proxy and Dennou Coil.   

If there are particular topics you would like me to write about, or if there are series which you recommend me to see, please do not hesitate to let me know. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Housekeeping] New blogs dedicated to 'Toward the Terra' and 'Seirei no Moribito'

After much internal struggle, I have set up new blogs dedicated to  Toward the Terra 地球へand Seirei no Moribito 精霊の守り人. It was a tough call to choose among the shows in the April line-up, but there it is.

Housekeeping blurb

This blog is now accessible at this domain:

www.iwanihana.info

I can be reached by email at this address:

mail (at) iwanihana.info

(The old link address showing typepad's domain name still works and will continue to work, in case you want to save yourselves the trouble of updating the bookmark.)

Introduction

Let me say it upfront that what I mean by 'arthouse Japanese anime' is just any high-quality Japanese anime, and 'arthouse' need not be exclusive of 'grindhouse'. It seems to me that there is a niche to be filled in that not nearly enough noise is made about certain anime titles that appeal to a more mature audience. Certainly there seems to be a void to be filled when it comes to a deeper level of analysis and commentary than a casual review could afford.

I assume that people who bother to read at all are familiar with most of the titles in question - so the titles I discuss would probably need no introduction (which is not to say that I will not be doing overall reviews from time to time). To economize on time and effort, I will very likely be jumping right into the point I wish to make with the assumption that the reader is already familiar with the plot and characters - so please be warned of spoilers.

Another caveat emptor is that I will probably be discussing the titles with reference to Jungian psychology - which I must stress is not the answer to all things, in spite of its many interesting theories. It just offers another perspective to see something in a different light.

Finally, why is this blog called Iwa ni Hana 岩に花? It may be translated into English as something like 'flower in a rock'. It is a Japanese metaphor for the impossible or things that do not exist (ありそうもないことのたとえ). The world of anime is, after all, an imaginary world.