Notes: I’ve been meaning to type up a rant about San Jose for a while. I figured that right now would be the case. Oh. If you have not done so, make sure you read the Profile section before you actually comment here.
San Jose may be one of the biggest cities in the world. However, for a big city, it’s disappointing as an entertainment city. Why would I, a person born and raised here, say this? Sure, it has an anime/manga con in Fanime. Sure, it has a Japan town. Sure, it has its tournament level players. Sure, it has a Kinokuniya store and a User’s Side store.
Where do I begin? Fanime is supposed to be a reflection of how grand the city is, but it doesn’t deliver what I would expect out of a big name and a big city con. I mean, what do I have to do to get someone like the Yamadera couple and Tanemura Arina-san to come to San Jose or to have a game like “Pink Sweets” there?
Speaking of games, San Jose is very slow when it comes to games. Don’t believe me? SJSU got “Espgaluda” earlier this year. This is great news…until you realize that “Espgaluda II” was released last year. No arcade place is really up to date here. Right now, I want to see “Arcana Heart” come over here within three months, but the way I see it, I’ll have to go to Arcade Infinity (Arcade Mugendai as I sometimes call it) down in Rowland Heights (which is not far Los Angeles).
People here will claim that San Jose has very good gamers. Skills, that’s probably the case, but I really question their knowledge. Anyone knows companies like Capcom and Namco, especially here because their American branches are in Sunnyvale and Santa Clara respectively (two cities near San Jose), but do they know companies like KID, NEC, Cave, Key, Enterbrain and Giga? Only a few people here know some of those companies I mentioned which really irritates me; I am like the only person in the city who reported on the latest “Sentimental” game (which is “Sentimental Prelude” if I remember correctly) and to this day, I still find it baffling because the “Sentimental” series is one of the more well-known series in Japan. If this doesn’t seem good enough, did anyone here report on “Mushihime-sama II” or even a game like “Finder Love” besides me?
For music, San Jose has the resources. The problem is that not many people take advantage of them. It’s like a standard to know who people like Hamasaki Ayumi-san, BoA and Malice Mizer are. Well, to me at least.
With all this ranting, it may not seem like it, but I want San Jose to be a real grand city. However, it doesn’t seem that way from my point of view. I wish there’s something I can do, but I’d only wear myself out.
If you plan on visiting San Jose, contact me. Why? I could be considered the bottle of San Jose that contains information of various subjects, but I know for sure that I have some knowledge on various sections. I may be weak on some cases such as K-drama, K-rock and idols, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to learn. People may not know this, but I’m still a student or a senpai of entertainment, not a sensei. The moment I become a sensei is when I am really, really old and when I am gone from this world.
Well, that’s San Jose for you. It’s a big city, but it’s not a big entertainment city. Well, I shouldn’t really say that in the end. You just need to look hard for your resources, but you can always come to me if you’re looking for something.
retsgip | 02-Jan-07 at 3:00 am | Permalink
The modern bay area culture just doesn’t cater to the needs of every type of individual, and tends to isolate the few who have different tastes. You like J-pop etc, but there’s practically no market for that not only in San Jose, but almost the entire Bay Area. I’m pretty sure you can find a store here and there within reasonable driving distance, but other than that you’re kinda screwed.
I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that I live in two different worlds, the world at home and the world outside of home. Most anything I need can be gotten from the computer, but once I step outside I have to turn into a pure bred American or I’ll be left behind. Kind of rough.
Bata-kun | 07-Jan-07 at 2:44 pm | Permalink
I think that the problem with San Jose is that it’s a city of many cultures. You can’t expect San Jose to just fulfill a person like myself. Oh well.