This is to introduce you to the world of 'Otaku Rhapsody'. While the strip is based in Denver, Colorado, the names and places of the fandom world here have been changed so as to not cheese anyone off.
Kay and Lori Angel: Fraternal twin sisters and the stars of this strip. The Angels, despite their young age, have been anime fans for many, many years. Exposed to 'Warriors of the Wind' and 'AKIRA' at the tender age of ten via a much older brother, they went on a quest to find out more about these really cool cartoons. This led them to the local Star Trek convention and members of the soon-to-be-reformed Anime Fan Society. The group took them in as 'little sisters' and they've been hardcore fans ever since. 'Dirty Pair' is their favorite show and the inspiration for their first, and most consistently redone, costumes.
Personality-wise, they are very tomboyish, while still being girls. They also have a higher maturity level then most kids their age due to hanging around adults most of the time. The exposure has also rubbed off in that they are just as inclined to play video games as go dancing, or play laser-tag and go shopping. It is an interesting mix and tends to catch people who don't know them off guard.
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Kay (Kalyn) Angel: The most tom-boyish of the two. Most prone to emotion and cynicism, she is also the most mechanically inclined. Of the two, you will find her most likely in an arcade or engaged in physical activity. |
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Lori Angel: The more feminine of the two (in relative scale, that is). Most likely to be seen in dresses and skirts. Also the seamstress of the two and is usually the one making the costumes. And while Kay handles mechanicals better, Lori is better at handling computer software. |
The Angel Family: The usual nuclear family, with Mom, Dad, and older brother, Benjamin. Ben is 6 years older than his little sisters and is an aspiring rock musician in the Austin, Texas bar scene. The twins went to their first Project A-Kon on a family trip to see him. Not much to say about Mom and Dad other than they still don't understand their daughters' fascination with those foreign cartoons.
Quite simply, Otaku Rhapsody centers around the exploits of Kay and Lori Angel, twin sister anime fans, and their family and friends. Whether at AFS-Denver (Anime Fan Society) meetings, fan conventions, or just dealing with life as anime fans in a Mundane world, the Angels deal with events with the world-weary eyes of long-time anime fans.
Actually, this is the second incarnation of a comic strip I've been doing for years. See the Dirty Angels Section for details
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Why two female anime fans? It may have seemed odd, especially back in the early 1990's when scales were balanced heavily toward the male side. The inspiration came from two sisters who actually did dress as the Dirty Pair; "Kei and Yuri" Forrester. The two have since moved on to separate lives and different activities, but the idea is still burned into my brain. Part of what helps is knowing several other groups of sibling and female anime fans. |
Skip ahead several years... my life has taken several interesting turns, but the Angels are still in the back of my mind, making commentary of the events around me. I even toy with the idea of making it a full fledged comic book, but the idea of placing my Angels into large scale stories and dramatic situations doesn't completely appeal to me. They've always been a genki (happy) pair and I'd like them to stay that way. But I had no forum for my stories unless I convince some publication to run it, since it's way too specialized for newspaper syndication.
Enter the Internet. Or more specifically, the Internet comic strip. Strips like 'User Friendly', 'Sluggy Freelance', and 'Penny Arcade' inspired me to take my comic to the net. First thing it needed was a name change. 'Dirty Angels' sounds like a porno site and is probably already taken up. I needed something that would let me take the strip wherever it needed to go, but still sum up what it was. After playing with several names 'Otaku Rhapsody' seemed to describe it best. So now that I have finally gotten off my lazy ass and drawn & coded it, we are off...