Bata-kun no Uchi - FAQ

The list of frequently asked questions: here, you will find the answers to frequently asked questions that will be asked by you people, or questions I feel you people will ask me a lot.

Regarding myself

Can I e-mail you to your old e-mail addresses?

No. The only reason I still use my old Asia account is because of homework. I don't use my old Anime-Genesis one anymore because of junk mail. By sending an e-mail to the old Anime-Genesis address, your e-mail has a 50/50 chance of it being deleted by mistake. Okay. I guess it's gone now. While we're at it, stop sending me mail to my J-Fan one.

You're a real dedicated anime and manga fan, are you?

Let's say this. The last time I took a quiz, I got 368/500 right. That's a real high score. So, to answer your question, I really am. Now, yes, I have received the title of "otaku" several times, including the one test I took, but I don't consider myself one.

So, what are you strengths and weaknesses in anime and manga?

Despite the high score, I have a good amount of weaknesses. I am not good with shnen series. (I got six more points in the shjo section than in the shnen section - 22/25 to 16/25.) I am not good with series that are released in the States. I am trying to learn super robot series, though I still have a long way to go. Oh and I am not a dub fan. Thus, I am not good with any subject relating to dubs.

With the weaknesses, comes the strengths. I am very good with seiy. I know fan subbed series quite well. Um, translations, I guess I can call it a strength. (I missed only one question from that section.) I love shjo/ren'ai series. I added in "ren'ai" there because series like "Love Hina" and "To Heart" are more aimed towards guys. Calling "Love Hina" a shjo series is like calling "Power Stone" a fighting game. "Love Hina" is a shnen series with shjo elements and "Power Stone" is a party series with fighting game elements.

Why aren't you a dub fan?

Where do I begin? First off, I was born and raised in California. I lived in a heavily Asian community and as a result, I hate it when people change the names of foods like from okonomiyaki to pizza.

Dubs also tend to be off in translations. There are some parts that can't be translated. Some companies try, but others fall.

What else? I have seen a lot of bad dubs. For series with bad dubs, look at my review sections and see if the series has one.

If that doesn't help, there are barely any series in which the dub is better than the sub in my opinion. If the anime has a non-Japanese theme involved (i.e. "Cowboy Bebop"), usually I would prefer the dub. If not, all the time. The only Japanese-theme series in which I prefer the dub over the original is "El Hazard", which I will review later. Watch the dub and you'll hear how good it is. The only reason why I prefer the dub over the original is that I can't picture Jinnai being played by Okiayu Rytar-san, as I am more used to hearing him as pretty boys.

Speaking of him, I am a real big seiy fan. I guess I don't have time to stop and get to know the dubbed actors. There are people who are fans of the actors. I'm just not one of them.

What's the best way to message you?

Like I said, AIM's your best chance. Please don't act like some kind of idiot when you talk to me. Unless you have an alias people know you as, tell me where do I know you from or what places on the web you regularly go to because I can't keep track of everyone due to the amount of places I submit works for. That's better than asking who I am or it's better than having no idea on how to start your first converstion with me.

Oh yeah. Don't bother inviting me to chat rooms. I'm so busy and chances are that by coming in there, I'm expecting something idiotic. I'll deal with IRC channels, but not that often.

What's up with your obsession of Haruka?

Yeah. The picture you see when I do rants usually is like my signature picture. That's how people know me, I suppose. In message boards, you see me carry that picture of Haruka. Since I am a big Hayashibara Megumi-sama fan, I thought, "Why not have a signature picture of one of Megumi-sama's characters?" and I picked Haruka because if there needs to be a character people really need to appreciate, it would be Haruka, even though she didn't have many parts in "Love Hina" and plus, she's a real spiffy character.

Where do you get your anime and manga?

Most of the time, I get my anime from Animesuki. As for manga, I get them from Manga Jouhou. I won't go through the usual fan translation talk you hear out there because I'm sure you know what I'm going to say anyway. Every now and then, I will get a raw either because there is no fan translation version available or I just want to see the form of entertainment right away.

How good is your Japanese?

Not as good as I'd like it to be. I barely have the ability to speak it. I can read and write kana, but my kanji reading and writing ability is horrible. My translation ability is poor also, even though there's that one quiz section scenario.

This is a two-part question. First, where did you new alias come from and why did you change your other one?

For the first part, "Bata" means child or kid in Tagalog and since I have the personality of a kid, I gave myself that alias. As for the second part, there are a few people named Jazzie-kun. So, I decided to change my alias.

How come you never say words like "gotta"?

Simple. That's my style. I'll say contractions, but that's it. To me, words like "gotta" have that gimmick feel and I don't like talking that way.

Regarding the site

What does your site's name mean in English?

Bata-kun's place or literally, Bata-kun's home.

Can you link to my site?

Yes, but if there's too much work with me, then the chances of your site being linked are small. I can't place every site up here. I'm a pretty busy person myself and besides, I am not the directory of anime, manga and video game sites you know. Okay, that's what my links pages seem to be like, but still, it is not a directory of sites. That's why sites like Anipike exist. They do a better job at that than I do, especially the Anipike.

If I do link to your site, link back to my site. Both links pages have directions on that. Also please try to make your site clean. That means no weird, naughty stuff or profanity or any items like those. I originally wanted to put up a review on a series for mature audiences (since I was old enough to read it at the time), but then at some moment, I changed my mind. Also, I am aware that some sites will have profanity or the like at times, such as Megatokyo, but in that site's case, Piro, Dom and the rest of the crew are professionals. They know when enough is enough. I tried to make my site clean though.

In terms of the that review gig, if people really ask me to do a review on say "Plastic Little", then I might do it. That will mean I will have to put up a note for those little kids saying that they should not check out this review. You know what I mean?

Can I use the images on your site?

Yes, but there are catches though. Ask me first and give me credit after. If I give credit towards people, you must do the same, though I may forget where I got them. That's why I placed the last paragraph in the Credits page. By the way, save the images and put them in your server. If in the near future, I have fan art, you can't use those images, unless you ask the artist first, especially if I plan to do some myself.

There's a chance you have material that should rightfully not be up there. Can you take it down?

Yes. Just contact me and give me the details. Once I have read them over, I will follow your request. Just don't kill me afterwards, okay? Sometimes, I overlook some statements, though I don't do that intentionally. (Again, I'm only one person that's constantly busy.) If you want, you can ask me to give you credit if you want it to stay up in my place.

I have spotted a broken link. What do I do?

Just contact me, give me every detail on the situation and I'll fix it up.

Why is it that some people have "-sama" at the end of their names?

Actually, I have a chart for general use. Don't ask why it is this way. It's me. =P

Female idols or actresses who should be idols that are older than me: "-sama" (i.e. Hayashibara Megumi-sama)

Guys in general and actresses who seem to be more like an on-san than an idol: "-san" (i.e. Matsumoto Yasunori-san and Neya Michiko-san)

Mangaka when I first introduce him or her in a review: "-sensei" (i.e. Akamatsu Ken-sensei) and generally, if the creator's a popular woman, I use "-sama" (i.e. Takahashi Rumiko-sama) or if the creator's a guy, I use "-san" (i.e. Sonoda Kenichi-san).

Entertainers younger than me: "-chan" for girls (i.e. Utada Hikaru-chan) and "-kun" for guys.

How did you do various characters like the macrons and yen signs?

I used Character Map a while back, but then, I made the characters as pictures.

Are there rules I should know of?

This list will grow. For now, here are a few rules to keep in mind.

1. If you're going to send me an e-mail regarding the site or just an e-mail for some other reason, make sure you put some sort of indication in the subject title. If you don't, most likely I'll assume the mail is spam mail. To be safe, just make sure you have a title for your subject. Don't put down a greeting for your subject such as "Hi!" or "Hey," or "Greetings!" and while I'm at it, don't even put any of those words in your subject becuase I will think of it as junk mail by mistake.

2. As for requests for series being reviewed, look for some kind of indication saying that I will accept requests and then send your e-mail.

3. No chain letters or such. I just hate that stuff.

What does the sign at the top of your entrance say?

"Gomen nasai. Shu to shite ni Eigo desu." Sorry. Mainly in English. You know how Japanese pages say a phrase like, "Sorry. This page is in Japanese only," right? The sign is a parody of that. Of course, the site is not all in English, which is why I did not put down "only".

Why is it that I see you use the word "naughty" a lot and not "hentai" or "ecchi"?

Long story short, "hentai" means weird as a whole and not just limited to anime. "Ecchi" means sex, but there's no negative impact involved. There used to be a page that indicates this, but it's rebuilding. Yeah, you see "hentai" meaning pervert in dictionaries, but again, there is no negative impact involved. If you want, go here:

The 'H Does Not Mean Hentai' page from Olf de Fol

Do you have any plans of making a Japanese version of this place?

What's funny is that I've tried testing it out. It worked, but the catch is that the computer the viewer is looking at needs to be able to display Japanese. Adding on, if I do, this would mean that the one parody I placed up will be taken down and the process will take a while because I'm not that fluent. Oh yeah. Since I hardly get any visitors from Japan (if that's true), the chances of me doing the page are very little.

Rewind! "Anime" means animation and "manga" means comics. Why is it that most of the series mentioned here are Japanese?

It's because those terms are in Japanese? I have done reviews of Korean comics and animation segments also you know. Do I plan to make any reviews of series out in the west? No. You might see me make a short review of a segment in a diary entry, but that's all that you're going to get. While we're at it, expect the same for games not from Asia. Though I know that Konami made games like a few of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles" ones, I won't bother making a review of them. Oh and before I forget, don't even think that I'll do reviews on Capcom's flashy crossover games or its related games.

Regarding anything else

Can you give me advice on how to make a web page?

Got a while?

1. Check your site to be sure it is clean. This is the most important point to remember in my opinion. If you have to let some parts slip by, don't over do it, though I'd prefer that you keep the site clean.

2. Have a good building base. Make sure you know what you are doing. This includes finding a good provider, putting up a suitable name for your site and so forth.

3. If you have a hard time choosing between style and viewability, pick the latter. Do this if you can't seem to make some sort of balance. I try to though.

Yeah, it seems more plain than balanced. I don't want to ruin people's connections and sight. This is why I don't put up a blog, but rather a diary like a lot of Japanese sites, especially those who work in the fields of anime and manga as well as games.

4. Always give credit! I'll repeat that. Always give credit! If you are getting images from some other page, give credit if they ask you to.

Be careful when you give credit on various material though. A site like mine can't go mention every company because I cover various series, though some people mention the companies. I bow to them. That's why the entrance page has the statement, "All of the materials here are materials of their respective owners," down below. If you're doing a site on "Love Hina" for example, you better put down a statement like, "'Love Hina' is property of Akamatsu Ken-san, Xebec and such."

5. Find ways to let people come to your site. Put your e-mail address, join a group, do whatever to get visitors coming in.

6. Try not to put up too many pictures. I know it's nice to have lots of pictures. Still, try not to put up a lot, especially if you do it on one page. Not everyone has a fast connection.

7. Be consistent with your updates. If you can't do that, when you finish an update, tell the viewer when the next one will come up.

8. If you submit your page to various sites like Anipike, make sure it is done! No, I don't mean like, "I better put up summaries for all 13 episodes of 'To Heart', as well as placing the seiy of each character, pictures of the games and other stuff!" Just have the basic parts of the page done, like the front page. (If you are not sure on whether or not your page is finished, you can ask for my approval.) Various places, especially the Anipike, probably don't want to see your page not finished because there will be a 90% chance, you won't return to finish it. If not, higher.

Also, don't say, "This site is under construction," if you submit a site. Saying this is annoying. They want to see your site done.

9. Have some creativity in yourself. No one wants to see a page that doesn't stand out. If you want to use my site as a model, go ahead. I grabbed ideas from various sites and I did build up my own as well. In fact, the task of combining ideas from great sites in the past and now was what I originally planned to do before I made this place. Well, just don't use all of my ideas here though.

10. Try not to make promises you can't keep. Chances are that you won't fulfill them. I know I made that mistake a few times, but I try not to.

11. This is frustrating for me to say, but try to have a no frame equivalent. Doing so will bring in more visitors. If you think frames will carry the load for you, think again.

Why do I say it's frustrating? I had a hard time making a no frame equivalent. Yeah, I have done it, but I don't know if the layout as a whole looks weird.

12. Don't be such a bragger. Yes, I love being the best and yeah, I might brag when I make video game reviews, but do I enjoy bragging? No. The same should apply to you. No one likes a person who brags a lot.

13. If your page is in English, make sure your English is good enough! I don't want to see leet because if you do, I will assume that you have low self-esteem. If you're trying to make a page in English and English is a language you have difficulties with, ask me or anyone else out there that knows the language well. (Despite the fact that I correct papers well, English is one of my weaker subjects. Still, ask me if you want. I can make the page easy to read and understand.)

14. When creating a site, take breaks. Stretch out and you have to especially work on your arms as well as your hands. You can not make a page in one day. Shoot, it took me longer than a week to create this site.

15. Have a lot of heart building your place. As Herbert Kelleher (one of the founders of Southwest Airlines) said, the worker, in this case, you, comes first. If you feel good about yourself, you will start a chain and that chain will make your visitors happy. Not only are the visitors happy, but you are happy as well.

16. I'm sorry I didn't think of this earlier. Think of the visitor a lot. This means, watching your music files, the format of the page and so forth.

17. Redesigning: I have bumped into various pages that do this. Do the redesigning while your original site is still up. If you don't, you'll frustrate your visitors.

18. When doing updates, you better have free time ahead of you. This will help you become more focused.

19. If you haven't done so by now, pick up lessons from sites besides mine or pick up lessons from people. Feedback also helps. Oh and get someone to check your page.

20. Having a little luck helps.

Conclusion

Are you really tired from all of that fixing? (I am asking myself this question. =P)

Hai! =P

- Is your question not on the FAQ section? Go ahead and contact me.


Last update - 1/14/05


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