TokiMemo Online....?

[Mari-chan]

So, what do you think? Fun idea, bad idea? Would you want to play it?

BTW.... there's a new wallpaper available with a September calendar on it at the site.

http://www.tokimemo-online.konami.jp/

[JackalAndromeda]

I'm still looking through the site, but it seems really interesting. The art is very nice, and I like how your character can look. I'm not sure if my conversation skills are good enough to play a social game like this though. The classroom game looks timed too, and I read very slowly. Hmmmm.

I like the drama events, those look interesting. I think the only thing really stopping me is that I read poorly. I would like to try it out though. It looks like they had open testing in August, too bad I missed it. Do you know when it will be out and how much per month it would be?

In past MMOs I've played the social aspect was least important to me, but this game seems to be all about the social interaction. It does look really cool though!

[Piroshiki]

Hmm, honestly, I don't know... I guess I have mixed feelings about that one. The concept is good, but concepts and real life are two completely different things, and a MMO game of that nature can easily go downhill. So I'm not really holding my hopes up...

On the graphic side of things, the way the characters are drawn sometimes creeps me out, especially the male ones... and so does the art teacher. I think I'd avoid her at all cost (...is it even really a she?) >.>;;

On the other hand, they do get bonus points for giving us the ability to make your character that straight-out-of-the-70's bad mofo everyone has always wanted to play as, even if only unconsciously. Not to mention Mari-chan's (in)famous ganguro Shiori...

[Counter Arts]

Umm... if this really is what I think it is... and this article is true.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/get ... 1213ks.htm

Argh! Something just broke in my brain! Beacause I'm thinking that tokimeki memorial online is a great way to meet japanese women.

It hurts so much.

Please say I misintereptered something somebody.

[mikey]

Nice article.

I wouldn't buy too much though, into the geek/sweetness theory. It indeed may be perfectly suitable as a reason for getting a date, but seen as a longterm thing, I'm not so convinced. I tend to favor the women in this, as (as the article explains), it's ridiculous to be pitched against some Ayu and lose every time.

[Counter Arts]

Well, the geek/sweetness theory is heavily reliant on the theory that the alternatives are worse.

Time for an "Osaka Moment" (Osaka from Azumanga Daioh).

Does this mean that playing dating sim and games like that help you get a real date?

And if forginers are good and now otakus are good to date, are foreign otakus doubly good?

Besides, there's the whole japanese penpal thing.

Hmm... I would really like to join this as one of the forigner characters. Practicing my japanese would be great and they can practice their english with me... a native speaker.

Awesome! Can anyone figure out how this glorified chatroom works? (EDIT: I think there's a battle feature. Cool turn-based RPG fights 1vs1 up to 7 vs 7) It looks cool and it looks like the way online battles for beginners should be like.

I've tossing around an idea for a multiplayer visual-novel/ADV/sim.

[Taavimon]

And if forginers are good and now otakus are good to date, are foreign otakus doubly good?

I'll act as a guinea pig next year if I get to go to Japan as an exchange student (it's pretty much up to the Japanese university whether I can go or not).

[GLACIER]

And if forginers are good and now otakus are good to date, are foreign otakus doubly good?

There's probably some truth to the story (based only on anecdotal evidence, which doesn't really mean much of anything). However, bear in mind that the article is unlikely to represent the views of most Japanese. It's journalistic sensationalism at work.

There're all kinds of eye-catching stories out there:

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/ar ... 6000c.html
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/ar ... 9000c.html
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/ar ... 7000c.html

While amusing or over-the-top, none of them are good generalizations about anything.

It's true that "otaku" subculture is getting more attention as of late. A couple successful novels captured media attention recently, making moe a hot topic (commercial success will do that. With the novels doing so well, people want to capitalize on moe with more products catering to "otaku", more tie-in merchandise to the novels, more eye-catching headlines, etc.). However, it's by no means a commonly accepted or mainstream thing.

The same is true for foreigners. There's a segment of the female population that prefers foreign men -> in Okinawa, locals call these people amejo (woman who loves Americans) or kokujo (woman who loves African Americans) subculture. As you might expect from the names, the subculture is frowned upon by many.

Lately, South Koreans have also gotten much attention due to the popularity of KBS' Winter Sonata. According to one writer, many women supposedly associate Korean men with the Kang Joon-sang character. However, it's really only a tiny, overexaggerated phenomenon that has cropped up (even now, Korean men would probably have a VERY hard time finding girlfriends).

In short, none of what you might read actually applies to the majority, who still emphasize the need to marry "socially respectable" people (Japanese ones at that). You'd be setting yourself up for disappointment if you were to buy into the media's fad of the moment.

Does this mean that playing dating sim and games like that help you get a real date?

I digress, but as a clarification, I don't think dating sims are essential to the phenomen they call moe. "Genuine" moe isn't about romantic love....in some ways, it's closer to a fond familial connection to fictional characters, with the latter in a position of strength (kind of a motherly sort of way?). These people seek a calming or soothing sensation from their "relationships". Of course, aesthetic beauty is important too, but the connection is never about sex/romance.

Anime, manga.....that covers it well enough. Indeed, the sim and digital novel market is ridiculously small, so I'd wager that the majority of "otaku" don't even play them.

At any rate, the article addresses those caught up with moe (and subsequently the women who admire them for the kind of sweetness they supposedly possess).