Lisa on Visual Culture

Megatokyo

Megatokyo is the first comic I check when I go to my page of webcomic links. I have all the books and a considerable amount of swag. (Check my livejournal profile page for a photo of the Tohya Miho blanket I have hanging on my wall.) Why am I a Megatokyo fan?

You can't actually be wondering that if you've spent any time on my websites, but I'll play along. I'm a geek who's built more computers and networks from scratch than I have fingers and toes, and have taught my kids to do the same. I'm an otaku who would be happy to live in a sappy romance set in Hokkaido. I'm a Nihonophile. I have both an English-language and a Japanese-language PSP, and I'm furiously studying Japanese so I can buy more anime and manga directly from Japan. I mainline J-pop. My kids (older teens at this writing) and I have a set of l33t tiles for our Scrabble™ set. What more do you need to know?

I love Fred Gallagher's art style. Not coincidentally I am also a pencil artist. If I ever become half as good as Fred, I'll die happy (if I can live in an anime set in Hokkaido in winter; especially if I can have wings).

The Megatokyo characters are meaningful to me, because I know people like them IRL. Yes, even the scary ones. The humor is wonderful. Every time I reread the books I have giggle fits. But I also ache for the relationship problems of the main characters. I have a thing for magical girls. I am, of course, a long time Gojira fan. (I'm only a few years older than the big G.)

I love Megatokyo! Truly, I do.

That's what I think, here in Lansing MI on 2008 February 2.

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