Information AboutMegatokyo |
''Megatokyo'' is an . Sales of the comic's print editions rank it as the best selling Original English-language Manga .3 Set in a fictional version of Tokyo , ''Megatokyo'' portrays the adventures of Piro, a young Fan of Anime and Manga , and his friend Largo, a Video Game enthusiast. The comic often parodies and comments on the Archetypes and Cliché s of Anime , Manga , Dating Simulation s and Video Game s, occasionally making direct references to real-world works. ''Megatokyo'' was originally presented in the Gag-a-day format, with Continuity of the story a subsidiary concern. Over time, it focused more on developing a complex plot and the personalities of its characters. This transition was due primarily to Gallagher's increasing control over the comic, which led to Caston's controversial removal from the project.4Rodney Caston's version of the events surrounding his departure5 Fred Gallagher's view of Rodney Caston's departure. ''Megatokyo'' has received praise from such sources as '' The New York Times '',6 while negative criticism of Gallagher's changes to the comic has been given by sources including Websnark .78 HISTORY ''Megatokyo'' began publication as a joint project between Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston , Internet acquaintances and, later, business partners. According to Gallagher, the comic's first two strips were drawn in reaction to Caston being "convinced that he and I could do webcomic … [and] bothering me incessantly about it", without any planning or pre-determined storyline.''Megatokyo'' book one, pg. 6 The comic's title was derived from an Internet Domain owned by Caston, which had hosted a short-lived gaming news site maintained by Caston before the comic's creation.9 Interview with Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston accessed through archive.org With Caston writing the comic's scripts and Gallagher supplying its artwork, the comic's popularity quickly increased,10 eventually reaching levels comparable to those of such popular webcomics as '' Penny Arcade '' and '' PvP ''. According to Gallagher, ''Megatokyo'' In May 2002, Caston sold his ownership of the title to Gallagher, who has managed the comic on his own since then. In October of the same year, after Gallagher was laid off from his Day Job as an architect, he took up producing the comic as a Full Time profession.12A news post by Fred Gallagher in which he mentions that he has been laid off from work, and announces that he is now working on ''Megatokyo'' full-time. Caston's departure from ''Megatokyo'' was not fully explained at the time. Initially, Gallagher and Caston only briefly mentioned the split, with Gallagher publicly announcing Caston's departure on June 17 , 2002 . On January 15 , 2005 , Gallagher explained his view of the reasoning behind the split in response to a comment made by Scott Kurtz of ''PvP'', in which he suggested that Gallagher had stolen ownership of ''Megatokyo'' from Caston. Calling Kurtz's claim "mean spirited", Gallagher responded:13 Fred Gallagher's view of Rodney Caston's departure. "While things were good at first, over time we found that we were not working well together creatively. There is no fault in this, it happens. I've never blamed Rodney for this creative 'falling out' nor do I blame myself. Not all creative relationships click, ours didn't in the long run." Four days later, Caston posted his view of the development on his website: "After this he approached me and said either I would sell him my ownership of MegaTokyo or he would simply stop doing it entirely, and we'd divide up the company's assets and end it all. Production ''Megatokyo'' is usually hand-drawn in pencil by Fred Gallagher, without any digital or physical "inking". Inking was originally planned, but dropped as Gallagher decided it was unfeasible.''Megatokyo'' book one, pg. 11 ''Megatokyo'' ''Megatokyo'' ''Megatokyo'' Gallagher has occasional guest artists participate in the production of the comic, including Mohammad F. Haque of Applegeeks . {Link without Title} . Funding ''Megatokyo'' has had several sources of funding during its production. In its early years, it was largely funded by Gallagher and Caston's full time jobs, with the additional support of banner advertisements. A store connected to '' and '' Angerdog '' merchandise. Gallagher has emphasized that ''Megatokyo'' will continue to remain on the Internet free of charge, and that releasing it in book form is simply another way for the comic to reach readers,20 as opposed to replacing its webcomic counterpart entirely.21 Additionally, he has stated that he is against Micropayment s, as he believes that Word Of Mouth and public attention are powerful property builders, and that a "pay-per-click" system would only dampen their effectiveness. He has claimed that such systems are a ''superior'' option to direct monetary compensation, and that human nature is opposed to micropayments.22 THEMES AND STRUCTURE Much of ''Megatokyo'' The comic features characteristics borrowed from anime and manga Archetype s, often Parody ing the medium's clichés.28 Examples include Junpei, a Ninja who becomes Largo's Apprentice ; giant monsters based on Godzilla ; the Tokyo Police Cataclysm Division, which fights the monsters with Giant Robots and supervises the systematic destruction and reconstruction of predesignated areas of the city; Fan Service ; a Japanese school girl, Yuki;''Megatokyo'' book one, pg. 51 and Ping, a robot girl.''Megatokyo'' book one, pg. 156 In addition, Dom and Ed, Hitmen employed by Sega and Sony , respectively, are associated with a Japanese stereotype that all Americans are heavily armed.''Megatokyo'' book one, pg. 13 Other characters include Seraphim and Boo, the "conscience enforcement agents" of Piro and Largo, respectively, who try to assist their clients in making morally correct decisions while Asmodeus, Piro's "anti-conscience", attempts to undermine their efforts. Characters in ''Megatokyo'' usually speak Japanese , although some speak English , or English-based L33t . Typically, when a character is speaking Japanese, it is signified by enclosing English text between Angle Brackets .''Megatokyo'' book one, pg. 33 Not every character speaks every language, so occasionally characters are unable to understand one another. In several scenes, a character's speech is written entirely in Rōmaji Japanese to emphasize this. ''Megatokyo'' is divided into chapters. Chapter 0, which contains all of the comic's early phase, covers a time span in the comic of about six weeks. Each of the subsequent chapters chronicles the events of a single day. Chapter 0 was originally not given a title, although the book version retroactively dubbed it "''Relax, we understand j00''".''Megatokyo'' book one, pg. 5 Chapter 0 began during August 2000, with chapters 1 through 7 beginning in June 2001,29 November 2001,30 October 2002,31 April 2003,32 February 2004,33 November 2004,34 September 2005,35 and June 2006,36 respectively. The ninth and most recent chapter, entitled "''over1o4d''", began in April 2007. 37 MAIN CHARACTERS See Also: Main characters of Megatokyo See Also: Minor characters of Megatokyo Alternate universes and omake theater in Megatokyo The authors of Piro Piro, the main Protagonist , is an Author Surrogate of Fred Gallagher. Gallagher has stated that Piro is an idealized version of himself when he was in college.38 A news post by Fred Gallagher in which he states that the character "Piro" is an idealized version of himself (Gallagher) when he was in college. As a character, he is socially inept and frequently depressed. His design was originally conceived as a visual parody of the character Ruri Hoshino , from the '' Martian Successor Nadesico '' anime series.39 His name is derived from Gallagher's online nickname, which was in turn taken from Makoto Sawatari's Cat in the Japanese Visual Novel '' Kanon ''.40 In the story, Piro has extreme difficulty understanding ''Megatokyo's'' female characters, making him for the most part ignorant to the feelings that the character Nanasawa Kimiko has for him, though he has become much more aware of her attraction. Gallagher has commented that Piro is the focal point of emotional damage.41An interview with Fred Gallagher at THE PULSE Largo Largo is the comic's secondary protagonist, and the comic version of co-creator Rodney Caston . As the comic's primary source of humor, he is an impulsive Alcoholic who speaks L33t fluently and frequently. A technically gifted character, he is obsessed with altering devices, often with hazardous results. Gallagher designed Largo to be the major recipient of the comic's physical damage. Largo's name comes from Caston's online nickname.42 Largo seems to be entering into a relationship with Hayasaka Erika, at present. Hayasaka Erika is a strong-willed, cynical, and sometimes violent character. At the time of the story, she is a popular former Japanese Idol ( Singer ) and Voice Actress who has been out of the limelight for three years, though she still possesses a considerable fanbase. Erika's past relationship troubles, combined with exposure to swarms of Fanboys have caused her to adopt a negative outlook on life. Gallagher has implied that her personality was loosely based around the '' Tsundere '' (tough girl) stereotype often seen in anime and manga.43 Gallagher comments on Kimiko being of original design. Nanasawa Kimiko is a Japanese girl who works as a waitress at an Anna Miller's restaurant. The story puts forth that she is an aspiring Voice Actress who sometimes finds herself too shy or insecure to take on roles. Kimiko is a kind and soft-spoken character, though she is prone to mood-swings, and often causes herself embarrassment by saying things she does not mean. Gallagher has commented that Kimiko was the only female character not based on anime Stereotypes .44 Gallagher comments on Kimiko being of original design. Tohya Miho is an enigmatic and manipulative young Goth girl. She is drawn to resemble a " Gothic Lolita ", and is often described as "darkly cute," with Gallagher occasionally defining her as a "perkigoth."Gallagher, Fred. ''Megatokyo'' Volume 1. Dark Horse Books, 2004. Pages 90 and 154. Miho often acts strangely compared to the comic's other characters, and regularly accomplishes abnormal feats, such as leaping inhuman distances or perching herself atop telephone poles. Despite these displays of ability, it is hinted at that Miho has problems with her health. Little is revealed in the comic about Miho's past or motivations, although Gallagher states that these will eventually be explained.45 PLOT ''Megatokyo'' After their eviction, Piro begins work at "Megagamers", a store specializing in anime, manga, and video games. His employer allows him and Largo to live in the apartment above the store. Largo is mistaken for the new English teacher at a local school, where he takes on the alias " Great Teacher Largo " and instructs his students in L33t, video games, and Computing . The " Tokyo Police Cataclysm Division " hires Largo after he manipulates Ping into stopping a rampaging monster, but they soon dismiss him for failing to contain a riot. Early in the story, Piro meets Nanasawa Kimiko at an Anna Miller's restaurant, where she is a waitress. Much later, Piro encounters Kimiko outside a train station, where she is worrying aloud that she will miss an audition because she has forgotten her money and railcard. Piro hands her his own railcard and walks off before she can refuse his offer. This event causes Kimiko to develop an idealized vision of her benefactor, an image which is shattered the next time they meet. Despite this, she gradually develops feelings for Piro, though she is too shy to admit them. Later on in the story, Kimiko's outburst on a Radio Talk Show causes her to suddenly rise to idol status. Angered by the hosts' derisive comments about Fanboy s, she comes to the defense of her audience, immediately and unintentionally securing their obsessive adoration. The stress of the audience's focused attention overwhelms Kimiko, and she lashes out at Piro when he tries to defend her. Meanwhile, Largo develops a relationship with Hayasaka Erika, Piro's coworker at Megagamers. As with Piro and Kimiko, Largo and Erika meet by coincidence early in the story. Later, it is revealed that Erika is a former Pop Idol , who disappeared from the public eye after her fiancé left her. When she is rediscovered by her fans, Largo helps thwart a fanboy horde and offers to help Erika to deal with her "vulnerabilities in the digital plane". Erika insists on protecting herself, so Largo instructs her in computer-building. Finally, the enigmatic Tohya Miho frequently meddles in the lives of the protagonists. Miho knows Piro and Largo from the "Endgames" MMORPG previous to ''Megatokyo'' BOOKS ''Megatokyo'' was first published in print by , 2003 , Gallagher announced that Ironcat would not continue to publish ''Megatokyo'' in book form.49 Fred Gallagher announces that Studio Ironcat will not publish ''Megatokyo'' volumes 2 and above. This was followed by an announcement on August 27 , 2003 that Dark Horse Comics would publish ''Megatokyo Volume 2'' and future collected volumes, including a revised edition of ''Megatokyo Volume 1''.50 Fred Gallagher announces ''Megatokyo'' As of .
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