This post requires a little backstory.  Not of the anime, but of why Camela and I sat down and binge-watched all 12 episodes of the first season last Saturday, when it was a gorgeous sunny day in Seattle.

From left to right: me, Her Royal Snugglepants Hairy Squirrel-Murder, and Camela. I'm opening a bar of Theo's chocolate, having already demolished a bowl of home-made guacamole and an entire bag of lentil chips, and Camela is almost done with her first bag of tarro chips.  Because we take research seriously.

      I wanted to update my presentation materials for Greek Girl Con.  Camela and I, along with her editor Patricia, will be doing a panel on "Brainy Anime Babes Who Know More Science Than You." I already did this at Ohayocon earlier this year, and there were a few tweaks I wanted to make, starting with adding more Brainy Babes to my list!  So I appealed - and continue to appeal - to all the anime fans I know to suggest characters to add. And my new friend Sean suggested I watch High School Of The Dead.  Camela elected to join me for a binge viewing. So with a few breaks and a lot of snacks, we took the plunge.
      Let me first say that Sean now owes me a boba tea. Because the "brainy babe" in this show didn't actually do anything remotely brainy (besides scream "I'm a genius" several, several times) until the FINAL FREAKING EPISODE!  So does she qualify for the presentation, or not? Now I have to watch Season Two.  sigh

Although we knew from the beginning who the Brainy Babe would be, because she's wearing glasses. This IS anime, people. Embrace the predictability.

      There were some things about it I really liked. The art was good for TV show, with a lot of the most contemporary styles affecting face shape, but with some throw backs in hair.* Camela confirmed that it followed a classic survival horror story pattern in terms of plot pacing and development. We both liked the way the zombies were portrayed, with the quick "turn time," and consistent details in physicality and behavior.  So points for the horror stuff.
      But add a face-palm or two for the number of panty shots.  Seriously.  Don't get me wrong, I am an anime fan, and that means I am happy to embrace a few skirt flares.  I know enough about Japanese culture to chuckle at the timing, and be amused by the irony that staring at a girl's crotch is just fine, but kissing is pornographic.** All the same, the number of PS's quickly reached "gratuitous" level for me.  I have a system for this, but that's a different blog post.  At least the boys reacted appropriately: there was no judgement, and no assumptions of inherent invitation.  If that were the attitude at college parties then campuses would be much safer places.
      The REAL issue that both Camela and I had with the series was the violence against women.  Not from the zombies, from the protagonist.  In the very first episode, our "hero" goes to tell his ex-girlfriend they need to evacuate the school, and when she gives him lip for interrupting her class, he slaps her.
      No, don't try to justify it.  It's wrong.  Period.

There was a Mythbusters episode about the efficacy of a slap in reversing cognitive impairment.  I'm too lazy to look it up.  Just Google it.

      Scientific research has shown that a slap can help interrupt hysteria and increase cognitive functioning when the brain is impaired by cold or fatigue.  But that was not what was going on here.  This was a male who wanted to get a female to do what he wanted, and he employed violence.  And this happened again between the same two characters later in the season, and then again between the same male protagonist and another female.  And the worst part?  After their initial shock, the girls simpered and acted grateful for him taking charge.
      So let me say it again: THIS IS WRONG.  This is where fiction gets it wrong.  That's assault, plain and simple.  It is ineffective, unethical, and illegal, and all for good reasons.  That is not taking charge and being a man, that is letting base instinct over-rule better judgement, and being a primal asshole.  Stories have power, and as vendors of fiction, both Camela and believe we have a duty.  So I'm calling out the creators of High School Of The Dead.  Get your pre-pubescent wanna-be macho heads out of your daydream space (aka "ass").  If you want your character to be a hero, then you need to rethink his approach.
      I will be on the lookout for this when I watch Season Two.  As it stands, I'm not sure I can honestly recommend this series to anybody, for that reason.  I won't take it lightly.  Nobody should take it lightly.  Because that's exactly the problem.
      And you thought this was going to be a light, amusing piece about anime zombies.  Yeah...so did I.




*If you know what I mean by that, then you and I should go out for drinks, my fellow Otaku.

**H.S.O.T.D. is a fabulous example of this, by the way. There's boob jiggles and panty shots galore, and in one episode even full upper-body nudity (which I wasn't expecting), but no kissing.  There's music and soft lighting and camera pans whenever somebody goes in for a kiss.  Japan is fascinating.

      Growing up in the Pacific Northwest means a lot of hiking.  Three day weekend?  Let's find a hike.  Father's Day?  Definitely time to hike!  Looking for a cost-friendly family activity?  I think I foresee a hike in my near future.  Girl Scout activity?  School field trip?  Summer camp?  Employment team building exercise?  Baby, this is why we pay taxes that support our State Parks Department!*

Possibly my favorite hike in my "backyard" is Denny Creek.  Sloped enough to require work, but not so much that you feel completely wiped, and you get to follow THIS for the entire two hour round trip.

      When I was little, I loved hiking because I found every trip like walking into a fairy tale.  I had exercise-induced asthma and a big imagination, so I would distract myself from my breathlessness (and how far I was falling behind everybody else) by feasting my eyes on my surroundings.
      That tree held a captive prince.  That boulder was the secret entrance to a goblin cave.  The leaves in the stream were pixie canoes.  Those flowers were the secret cure to a wizard's curse.  
      None of these musings ever made it into story format, because it wasn't meant to be a story: when I was hiking, it was real life!  But there are the occasional boulders or clearings that I remember, and when I pass them the memories of my imaginary world flood back to me...along with that child-like wish for those day dreams to be real.

I was looking for something like this.  It's probably a good thing nobody had left this kind of art along the trails I went on, or I probably would have run away to live as a wildling in the wood.  And then died of mosquito bites within the first 24 hours.

       The Washington Trails Association lists 3388 hiking opportunities on their website.  My pledge this summer?  For the sake of my physical, mental, and creative health, to try at least ten I've never done before.  And if I happen to find a secret entrance into faerie along the way?  Well...at least then you'll know why the blog hasn't been updated.


*Which now, sadly, are insufficient.  Now one is required to buy a pass, and figuring out which one is which is a pain in the neck.  Then again, it separates the hikers from the whiners, because whiners won't pay to do something they only sorta-wanna-do-and-it-should-totally-be-free-anyway.   So woohoo, less whining on the trail!

      ...aaaaand I'm back!  No, for reals.  I'm really back this time.

      The move happened, and then it happened again as I went from temporary crash-pad to new studio apartment.  Then the spouse followed, flying the cat from Ohio to Washington, with a layover in Midway. Then where was the hustle and bustle of visits and furnishings and may I just say how awesome I am at assembling Ikea furniture?  But now it's all over, and I can breathe again, and be creative again.  Hurray!

The fuzzy heart flew under the seat in a carrier.  She was not pleased.

      Here's the updates in a nutshell:

Bad News #1 - the Shadows On the Sound podcast is no more.  :-(  It was tremendously fun, but proved too time-consuming and expensive for two struggling writers to maintain.  Camela and I may switch to the occasional vlog, but that's still to be determined.

Bad News #2 - the therapy firm where I work was hit by a computer virus called - and I am not making this up - the "CryptoLocker virus."  Which begs the question, who the heck names these things?  It sounds like something a 7th grade boy might come up with in his first attempt at writing a sci-fi story.

Billy's hands were so sweaty he could barely hold his LaserBlaster 5000. He followed his team through the enemy ship, trying to ignore the stickiness of alien blood and guts under his boots. When they finally reached the CryptoLocker on deck 72, he overcame the HyperGravity bolts on the door by setting a SuperNova SpaceBomb on the heavy metal doors. Shards of meteor titanium flew everywhere. When the spacedust finally settled, he heard Commander Ramsgroin swear in his native Plutonian. "They've used Ionian Sub-ice to cryogenically freeze the TimeSpace Ambassador at -42 degrees Kalvin! It'll take us two hours to safely thaw them! We'll have to hold the bastards off! At least half of us are going to die, men, but we'll take as many of them with us to hell as possible!"

Good News #1 - Tomorrow is National Strawberry Shortcake Day.  Dori Greenspan has the best shortcake recipe I've ever tasted, but try the biscuit from this recipe for an extra layer of flavor.  And for the love of Julia, go get your strawberries from the local farmer's market!

Good News #2 - Camela and I will be hosting my "Brainy Anime Babes Who Know More Science Than You" at Geek Girl Con this year!  If you are a geeky girl - or think geeky girls are awesome - or if you're just awesome - or if you're just a geek - then mark your calendar and come join us!  Major kudos to Camela who took the time and effort to get our submissions in and organize all of this. We can hardly wait to indulge in a full weekend of geeking out with the best in the Pacific Northwest!

Not this year's poster, but I love it soooo much!