Out a few days early, but here it is!
Mt-Maigetsu: Issue No 16
This month's banners courtesy of Bernouli
CONTENTS
A/ What's New in Minitokyo:
Tags and Promotions, like whoa!
B/ Mai-chan's Mail bag!
Mai-chan has fans!
C/ Dear Botchii...
Botchii fights back!
D/Anime Spotlight
Michiko to Hatchin
E/ Get to Know Your MT Staff!
Tama, Tama, Tamaaaaa!
F/ Featured Member
Exhibiting a deep dedication to the walling community...
G/ Featured Group
We love bishies!
H/ Staff Picks
Art that deserves more love!
I/ Competitions and Projects
Are you missing out on the fun? Join in :D
J/ Group Ads
Looking for a new group to join, or to make new friends?
K/ Have your say!
Mai-chan loves to feel loved!
L/ The Usual Stuff
The enlightening links to Minitokyo Zen-dom...
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A/ RECENTLY IN MINITOKYO...
Mai-chan is back desuuuu~
And she’s got some new friends! Please be sure to congratulate sailorchiron, DarthTofu, Kitten, vitaamin, and Bernouli on their new Elite status!
We would also like to give a warm welcome to kayurachan as our newest Scan Mod!
More changes around MT
Article written by fireflywishes
- You can now add members to both your friendlist AND watchlist.
- Guestbook posts will no longer merge.
- The 'Self Scanned' tag has been reverted to the old 'Scan Source' dropdown on the submission page. All submissions in
Self Scanned have been updated to be 'Self Scanned'.
- Text overlay is allowed on color scans now; e.g. magazine covers. (Vector techniques nowadays are much better at
restoring the image)
- Browsing by resolution is possible, a resolution drop-down menu is added in the browsing options.
- Inserting a url to a submission in any post will convert it into a thumbnail.
- We have a new tag system. And thus we have compiled this handy userguide~!
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Userguide to the Tag System
+Where is a list of all of the series?
Link. Note the links to sort them either by popularity
or name.
+How do I add a tag to a submission?
There is a box in the left menu bar where you can add tags. As you type, suggestions will come up, so if you're not sure
how to spell it wait and see what pops up.
+What is a primary tag?
A primary tag is the main tag of a picture.
+Which tag should be the primary tag?
When there is one character depicted, the name of that character should be the primary tag. When multiple characters are
depicted, the name of the series/game should be the primary tag or the artist if series is not applicable. When the
picture is from an artbook, the name of the artbook may also be the primary tag.
+What is a meta tag?
A meta tag is a special type of tag that should not be used directly on submitted pictures, but exclusively acts as a
parent tag to other tags. However, most parent tags will be hybrid (both used directly on pics and a parent to other
tags) and as such should not be a meta tag. There are only 4 meta tags at this time: Series (a list of all franchises),
Mangaka & Studios (same for artists), Games (idem), and one for administrational purposes. Only administrators can
make a tag a meta tag.
+Are there any other guidelines regarding picture tagging?
-For each entry, the name of the series and names of the depicted characters should be amongst the tags.
-When the picture is identified but is known to not be from a particular series/game; it should be tagged as 'Original'.
-Scanty clad girls should not necessarily be tagged Ecchi, provocative content however should always be tagged Ecchi.
-Subjective tags (adjectives) such as 'beautiful', ‘kawaii’, or 'ugly' should not be added. This is for most
subjective adjectives not possible anyway.
-For indy art, the piece should have either a "Vector art" or
"Member art" tag. For scans, please add a tag for the type of scan: “Male”, "Female",
“monochrome scan”, etc. Use of these general theme tags (when applicable) will please the moderators. Usage of
character tags and the new theme tags such as outfits worn ('school uniform', 'thigh highs') will please
Sheqel.
+How can I add character tags to their series tag?
Only elite members or higher can do this. It is appreciated if you report hierarchical missing relations in the Tag
Administration Thread*.
+I added a wrong tag but I can't seem to remove it.
Only the owners of a submission, or elite members and up can remove tags from submissions. It is not a big problem
anyway, soon someone with that power will come along and fix it. If you insist your error be corrected ASAP, you can
report the incorrectly tagged submission as such.
+I can't figure out which spelling I should use?
Any common spelling will probably work.
+Can I search for multiple tags?
Yes. Just type them as you would in Google: "xxxholic couple".
+Retyping common tags each time becomes bothersome.
A lot of common tags have shortcuts or acceptable abbreviations. These are listed amongst the aliases for each tag.
(located in a box on the left side of the page) Examples:
F = Females
M = Males
H = Ecchi
S = School uniform
Code geass = Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
CCS = Card Captor Sakura
Br = Brown hair
neko = nekomimi
These aliases work everywhere tags can be typed: tag addition, search and uploading. If you find yourself using a tag a
lot you can see if it has a short alias; if it doesn't you can propose one in the Tag Administration
Thread.
As with new features, there are probably bugs and room for improvement. You can always give your feedback in the forum:
MT Tagging
System
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B/ MAI-CHAN'S MAILBAG
This month’s mail has been answered by fireflywishes
Quote by yothsothgoth I'm writing this because I'm curious about when I might possibly be able to read the next issue of Mt-Maigetsu. I know it’s been a long time, but I thought someone might be working on it... really slowly... or something. I also want to know what happened to Popular Chan. *insert dramatic music here* Is the search for people to assist with writing articles going well?
I didn't realize how much I've missed the updates, articles, and everything. Please come back soon!
Thanks so much for reading this!
Well, thanks for sticking with us yothsothgoth! Here is the long awaited 16th Issue! Hopefully it will have been worth
the wait! As for our dear departed Popular-chan, according to the last issue, she has been banned from MT! T_T But in
her place is our very own (oftentimes abused) botchii, with Ask Botchii! Keep on reading and let us know what you
think!
Finally, as far as help goes, what we would love the most is hearing from you, the readers! Let us know what you’d like to see more of! Tell us what to watch for the Anime Spotlight! Nominate your underappreciated groups/new MT artists! As we’ve always said, Mai-chan loves getting mail!
Quote by nikko3I would like to know if this thread is still working? Request Signature/Avatars here
Thanks for writing nikko! Well, since I don't personally participate in the making of such things, I directed your
question to melymay. She responded back to me that even
though it seems the thread is inactive, she still checks in on the thread and does what she can. Also, the two of us
cleaned up the thread so all of the fulfilled posts should be deleted now.
SO! What does this mean for you? If you want an avatar or signature, but are not computer savvy, then please feel free to put in a request (be as specific as possible and provide images) and one of your fellow members will make a superAWESOME icon and/or sig just for you!
Conversely, if you are one of our computer savvy artists here at MT and have some free time on your hands, please stop
by the thread and take some requests! I'm sure that melymay would appreciate any help that she can get. Just make sure
that you post in the thread whenever you take a request.
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C/ ASK BOTCHII!
Quote: Hello BotChii,
My name is Miss Pleasure, tall and slim, I love dancing and meeting new people. I viewed your profile at this site Minitokyo.net and was intrigued and wish to know more about you. I know you are not the kind that judges by appearance alone, but I am ready to send you my pictures anyway. Please email me at misspleasure@findtruelove.com and we can begin our romance. Remember it is not age, race, or gender that matters, but true love.
Thanks,
Miss Pleasure
misspleasure@findtruelove.com
*Sigh*... I roll my eyes as I hit the "ban" button. It's not fair, my sister Mai-chan is so loved and gets all these interesting letters, and what do I get? Stuff like this!
I mean, I do a lot of important work around Minitokyo, helping to moderate the gallery, keep the forums clean, read reports, send deletion messages that nobody ever reads, and then they complain about it. I mean yeah, it feels unfair to have things deleted, but most of the time, if they'd bothered reading the Policy, they'd know not to submit them in the first place, or try using the Sandbox or other resources. I'm not out to get anyone, just trying to keep Minitokyo a fun place with high-quality images. I'm not saying not to complain if you feel the deletion is unfair either, but I wish they'd read and ask if the Policy is unclear to them.
So I made a deal with Mai-chan that she share her Inbox with me and give me a section. Here's your chance Minitokyo, if there's something you want to ask me, please send them to MT-Maigetsu with the subject "DEAR BOTCHII", and I'll try to answer them, if I feel like it. I hope I get more letters than Mai-chan.. if not, I'll just hijack some of hers, ha!
- BotChii
Article written by Marissa and MapleRose
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D/ ANIME SPOTLIGHT
In a small Latin American town, a young girl dreams to be freed from her abusive foster parents. Her wishes come true when an escaped convict leaps through the dinner room window on a teal motorbike and asks her to help her find her mysterious father. Together, they travel the distance to find a man they thought they knew while experiencing the barren but lively existence shared by their fellow countrymen.
It's been a few seasons since the last promising title in this genre popped up--and Michiko to Hatchin certainly lives up to expectations. With deep Latin American vibes and subtle storytelling, the series manages to pull the audience in for a look at several storylines loosely tied together through Michiko's (the vixen convict) past. While their search for Hatchin's father--Michiko's former lover--provides a stimulus for their journey, it acts more as a literary tool to pull the characters through a myopic look at the lives of their fellow countrymen. It is difficult for me to find a favorite among the subplots as they all took a decently honest and heartfelt look at how people in less developed nations survive--though I found the more dramatic subplots (i.e human trafficking) of rather mediocre execution.
Michiko and Hatchin act as foils for one another: Michiko, the adult, acts childish and impulsive while Hatchin, the child, behaves responsibly. Most reviewers seemed to enjoy this chemistry but I found it lukewarm and underdeveloped. While Hatchin's character failed to impress(her relationship with her abusive parents never felt present and her "maturity" seemed a pretentious addition), Michiko was developed extensively throughout the series and the characters associated with her past succeeded in hooking my attention. In fact, I personally preferred watching the minor characters in the series--their stories were deeply entrenched in their impoverished situations, yet the livelihood with which they confronted adversity became truly inspirational.
The series boasts a strong soundtrack and voice acting, nicely echoing an image of a boundless road, sprawled before Michiko, Hatchin, and the people they met. The Latin traces are very apparent in the bold color schemes: cyan skies splashed with vivid turquoise and deep reds. The combination of brilliant sound and great animation certainly makes this anime worth watching, even if it falls short of the true geniuses in the genre (see Cowboy Bebop + Samurai Champloo). So be sure to check this out for a look at something different than your run-of-the-mill titles!
P.S. After a quick check, Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo fame was indeed involved in the soundtrack. Sayo Yamamoto, who directed Michiko to Hatchin, also played an important role in the making of Samurai Champloo. Good to see that these people are still making shows >3.
Michiko to Hatchin @
ANN
Opening Credits
A More In Depth
Look--Courtesy of Yumeka
Episode
1--First Look @ THAT Animeblog
Article written by vitaamin
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E/ GET TO KNOW YOUR MT STAFF
Heya, MT peoples! Mai-chan is back, and we're on to interviewing another Elite member;
Tama-Neko!
(Note: This month's interview was conducted by Bernouli!)
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Tama, you've been an Elite member for as long as I can remember! How long exactly?
I'm not sure, actually. According to the elite-members group, I've been a member since October 2004. I can't quite recall whether groups came first, or I became an elite member first. They were fairly close together chronologically, so let's just say I've been an elite since late 2004 ;)
You and your artwork are admired by a lot of people. (including me XD) Is there a waller/artist that you really admire?
I haven't been keeping up much lately with walls and wallers. However, when I first started as a waller, I greatly
admired the works of Cynical126. I believe it was her walls that really got me started in walling.
I'm also fond of more artsy styled walls, sort of like the creations of flyindreams and crapmonster, as well as a number
of candy-chan's walls.
What is one of your favorite/best memories about Minitokyo?
Playing Graffiti (a Pictionary clone) with a number of Minitokyo IRC folks, like Osiris, RavenIsUnskilled, et. all. Additionally, running the rounds of Which?Waller were entertaining, as I watched people try and guess who made the walls!
What is the first anime you ever watched? What was your impression of it?
Probably Sailor Moon on TV. Rather a typical show to get into during high school. I liked the art style (it was quite a departure from the standard Warner Bros cartoons I typically watched).
Super Special awesome random question time! What is your favorite snack, food, and drink of all time?
Drink: Milk Tea (specifically, Gogo no kocha by Kirin). It's tea, and milk, and sugar, in a bottle. Full of win.
Snack: That's a little harder to say. I'm fond of way too many chocolate snacks, like Flipz or Scharffenberger tasting
squares of 70% bittersweet. However, I recently discovered the addictiveness of ketchup chips. It's a good thing they
don't stock those in the US.
Food: I can't decide. I love food in general.
What is your most favorite movie of all time?
Hmm... I'm not that much into movies. Give me a good sci-fi novel any day! However, something I can always watch is The Princess Bride. It's all about twuu wuuuv.
What kind of pets do you have, or have had in the past?
I don't have any pets. I had a series of goldfish as a kid. Once we had a bunch of sailfin molllies. Fish are pretty boring pets, unless you have one of those fancy tropical seawater aquariums. In the future, I'd love to have a cat, either a tabby or a calico.
Name the top five anime you like the most.
Oh dear, I'm going to totally date myself on this:
1) Kino's Journey
2) Mushishi
3) The Vision of Escaflowne
4) Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
5) The Rose of Versailles
Do you believe in ghosts or aliens at all?
Don't particularly believe in ghosts, although I believe there are some phenomena we can't adequately explain yet, which people tend to attribute to ghosts because they convenient. I hope there are (intelligent) aliens out there in the universe, because otherwise, as someone (whom I don't remember, really) has said, "It's a great waste of space."
And to wrap the interview up; As an elite member, do you have any advice for the new elites, or any of our members who might be aspiring to take on this role in the future?
Just keep helping the Minitokyo community grow and mature. It's great to see members take an active role in topics they feel passionate about. Without that type of participation, this site would just be a boring place to snag pretty pictures; instead it becomes destination for all sorts of discussion and creative discovery.
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That concludes this month's "Get to Know Your MT Staff!" Thanks again to our
new Elite Member, Bernouli for conducting the interview! Remember minna-san, if
you have a member of the staff that you'd like to know more about or would like to submit a question, send it to (fireflywishes)
via PM.
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F/ FEATURED MEMBER
The MT staff would love to recognize Sinever for her bright, cheery vitality and commitment to making all members feel at home. Her gallery provides inspiration for those looking for neat, clean technique and bright pastels, or just gorgeous desktops for avid VK fans like herself.
But in all honesty, her vibrant personality and deep dedication to encouraging MT wallers has separated her from the rest. Always supportive and always friendly, she has made a huge impact on the community. Of course, we can never forget how much time and effort she has put into Vector-Wallers which has become one of the most active groups to date. Thank you Sin-chan and keep up the great work <3!
Article written by vitaamin
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G/ FEATURED GROUP
OK. Seriously. How has this group not been brought
to MT before? For fangirls everywhere, this group unites the vast collection of bishielicious walls in attempts to ease
our endless appetites. Although new to the MT group scene, Chamber of Kings has already amassed an impressive list of
members--but really, did we expect anything else?
With a monthly highlight system and seasonal contests coupled with activities, this group is sure to please (mind, body and soul yo >D) So check it out and bring on the tasties!
Article written by vitaamin
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H/ STAFF PICKS
Monochrome Part 2 by windyroller
Who doesn't like hot men? ESPECIALLY in monochrome. :D windy really gives each character her own spin in this awesome
crossover piece. Great composition and layout.
Chosen by fireflywishes
just bite to death - No Plan B! by Sakura-Dust
Vibrant colors with a kick of pure abstract crazy, Sakura-dust's wall showcases a much under-appreciated genre. Great
text work combined with strong vectoring and interesting design provide a creative twist on the original bw scan.
Fullview, adore and then try it on your own :D!
Chosen by vitaamin
Final Fantasy IX - Chocobos race by jehanaruto
Jehanaruto's bright and cartoony yet detailed style really comes to life in this amazing doujin. The action gets in your
face with an incredibly well done "bugs-eye" perspective. Wonderful job on the characters'–both human and
chocobo–expressions as well.
Chosen by DarthTofu
Drifting off to sleep by segnoj
segnoj has been cranking out great original works recently, and this piece is no exception. The water is beautifully
done with its subtle transitioning between warm and cool colors, and serene ripples as the little boat trudges along to
its destination. And the sweet Sleeping Zuru just adds to this wonderful calm scene and really does make you wanna drift
off to sleep. <3
Chosen by Bernouli
the way of a little girl smiling by EKYU
EKYU did a stunning job with the character design as well as the detailed scenery. The bold shading works nicely,
especially with the calm atmosphere in this piece. It's really interesting to see original manga arts like this in the
Indy Art gallery.
Chosen by gaara-no-shukaku
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Do you know of an item you think deserves more love?
You can actually PM Mai-chan about it! Include the gallery item and a short reason why you think it's great. If Mai-chan
also gives it a thumbs up, we'll feature it next issue! Just don't nominate your own gallery items X-P Cheeky
cheeky!
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I/ COMPETITIONS AND PROJECTS
(in alphabetical order)
FALLing BACK INto SCHOOL!
Need help getting back into the mood for school? The Doujinshi Support Club is having a Fall/School themed display of
member's artwork (also includes wallpapers featuring member art). The deadline is September 30th!
Announcement Thread: FALLing BACK INto SCHOOL Display Thread
Remember if you don't tell us it's on, we can't tell everyone else. ;)
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J/ GROUP ADS
- Do you draw with pen, pencil, crayons,
tablet or other media? Do you want to improve your skills or share your own talents with other people? Or do you just
plain love doujinshi? Then join this group!
- Love vectoring? Then, join this group! It features
high-quality wallpapers and vectors, as well as tutorials for you to learn.
- A misc group for members over 18 and out of high school
to interact.
- Because painting is IN.
- Vector. Wall. SHINE!
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K/ HAVE YOUR SAY!
Want to see your group advertised, we now request you send in your group as well as a short summary of it's purpose or current highlights. This will of course become far more useful that an icon alone. Also if you feel there is a group or a member worthy of nomination in the MTM again please PM it. Questions, comments, whatever, simply PM the MTM with the subject MYVOICE.
Remember the MTM is determined by you! ^^
Below are banners: featured member, featured group, a MTM writer and I <3 MTM banner (free for use by everyone).
Feel free to use these banners anywhere you want- signature, group page, userpage or even personal blog/ site! Please
click them to get the hosting link.
Looking forward to your company next month (and keep sending me PMs T.T)
From botchii, with love
Call me Mai-chan <3
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L/ THE USUAL STUFF
All
about the Mt-Maigetsu: requests, ads and features --> To know how to advertise and nominate your group or member
you would like to see on the MTM!
The Policy --> A must read!
The Userguide
--> For day to day living!
Forum
guidelines --> Keeping it clean!
Common problems and
their solutions --> Got you covered!
Visit HeadQuarters for more juicy goodness or contact your nearest friendly moderator.
Links compiled by littlejonny100
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(c) Mt-Maigetsu 2009; any part of the Mt-Maigetsu or in its entirety cannot be reproduced in other publications without prior permission from the author(s). If you wish to share the Mt-Maigetsu, simply share the url- thank you.
