Cliff A. Hicks
Japanese
anime art
action-filled
Do you remember “Speed Racer”?
You know, that strange style of art that,
as a kid, looked nothing like any
drawing you’d ever seen?
Well, that’s an art form that has
many names like Japanese animation,
Japanime, manga ... But call it what
you want; it’s still the same.
mg eyes, action, numor ... amme.
The very word brings pleasant images
to my mind. Violence and comedy
wrapped into one power package.
There arc three artists/writers who
have become the essence of anime.
And here, to introduce you to the art
of the far East, is a short guide of
what’s good and what’s not.
The most popular humor artist/
writer is Rumiko Takahashi, whose
series “Ranma 1/2” has stirred more
interest in anime than anything else in
the past few years. She has a knack
for creating lovable characters.
Ranma, the main character in
“Ranma 1 /2,” changes from a boy into
a girl when he falls in cold water, and
back again when he falls into hot wa
ter. His father turns into a panda. His
main rival (and also his best friend)
turns into a pig. Sound confusing? Oh,
it’s hysterical; you’ll love it. Another
great scries by Takahashi is “Maison
Ikoku.”
Too lighthearted? Then you might
try the works of Masamune Shirow,
who created the legendary
“Applcsccd,” a post-apocalypse series
that is heavily laden with drama, war
fare and a touch of humor. His most
recent miniscries, “Ghost In The
Shell,” is still gamering praise.
Too serious, huh? Well, then try my
personal favorite, Kenichi Sonoda.
Sonoda blends action and adventure
with cynical humor and wild hijinks.
Handguns, grenades, car chases, drug
smuggling, terrorists ... you name it,
it’s in there. The first volume of his
series, “Gunsmith Cats,” just ended.
Gunsmith Cats is the story of two
girls who run a firearms store in Chi
cago. This is, of course, a front. One
owner. Rally Vincent, is really a
bounty hunter and a crack shot who
knows just about everything involv
ing weaponry. She also lies about her
age to get her bounty hunter’s license.
The other store operator is Minnie
May, a girl in her mid-teens. She used
to work as a prostitute, but now she
lives with Rally. Now she works as the
explosives expert.
I am, because of the overwhelm
ing number of people who read it,
forced to mention “Akira.” Many
people love “Akira,” but it doesn’t
impress me at all. Other series to read
include “Sanctuary,” “Dirty Pair” (but
not the “Flash” stuff! Ick!),
“Bubblegum Crisis” and collections
such as “Orion” and more.
With the immense volume of anime
in print, how do you know what’s good
and what’s not? Try some of my sug
gestions and find out what you like,
then ask. Comic World is the best
place in Nebraska for anime in any
form.
Anime’s a big field, but it’s a blast.
Literally.
Hicks is a freshman news-editorial and
English major and a Daily Nebraskan staff
reporter.
The roar of nature
.ChistOFJherC.Payne poses by a couple of his paintings in the Gallery 9 Studio. The title of Payne’s exhibit is “TheWolfEMers ‘
Lincoln and Other Stories and features several animal paintings and landscapes.
Payne’spaintings feature wildlife, Huskers
By Patrick Hambrecht
Senior Reporter
Chris Payne’s paintings at Gal
lery 9, 124 S. Ninth St., render the
natural ferocity of all manner of wild
animals, including eagles, dogs,
wolves — and the Husker football
team.
“The football guys, you could
call them wildlife, especially in this
town,” Payne joked.
The artist said the three expres
sionist Husker paintings included in
his “The Wolf Enters Lincoln and
other Stories” show were inspired by
the Nebraska football team’s repeat
championship games.
“It’s extra nice to be in a place
where two years running, they’re the
national champions.” Payne said. “It
does well in the painting, the action,
the contact of it. It’s kind of a heroic
struggle.”
Payne said he planned the foot
ball paintings to be entirely abstract
expressionist pieces, but then
“started putting in the figurative
thing, and it worked pretty well.”
His paintings show the fluid mo
tion and speed of football, captured
in its moments of graceful combat
and brutality. '
In “Blackshirt,” two Huskers rise
into the air as they hoist a helpless
member of the opposing team, just
before they throw him on the
ground. But the players show no sign
of strain; they are a featureless, tire
less wave of natural movement.
Payne had another reason for his
Husker football series, he said.
“They were winning again, and I
figured, maybe the wolf has some
thing to do with that.”
Hie wolf is a symbol that is found
everywhere, Payne said. From his
years working as a cowboy in rural
California, Payne developed a love
for wildlife and quickly became at
tracted to wolves.
But the individuals must figure
out for themselves what his images
of wolves mean, Payne said,
Payne painted one set of wolf pic
tures back to back, “The Wolf En
ters Lincoln” and “The Wolf in Lin
coln,” on an office divider.
“A lot of people think of the lone
wolf (and) think of artists that way,”
Payne said. “But wolves work better
in groups, in a family structure. But
people still have this romantic image
of the lone wolf.”
“The Wolf Enters Lincoln and
Other Stories” will show at Gallery 9
until March 31. Admission is free.
‘Autobody’ parodies sexes
By Brian Priesman
Staff Reporter
What place does pornography
have in society? How does pornog
raphy change the image men have
of women? And how does it change
the image women have of them
selves?
These questions and more will be
asked in the
latest produc
tion from the
UNL Theater
Department,
“Miss
Autobody.”
“The play
is not about
pom ,” director
Karen Libman
said. “Miss
Autobody
uses pom and the subject of pom.”
With such a serious subject, one
might think that “Miss Autobody”
is a drama. This isn’t the case,
Libman said.
“It’s a parody. It lampoons every
thing,” she said.
“Miss Autobody” tells the story
of a group of feminist mechanics
Movie
Preview
who lead the women of
Pompomville in an attempt to thwart
a scheme to show pornographic vid
eos at a local bar.
Originally conceived by the ac
claimed Quebec theater troupe, les
Folles Alliees, “Miss Autobody”
parodies life by exaggerating sex
and power.
“The play is supposed to provoke
and not preach,” Libman said.
“There’s a line in the play where
someone says: ‘No, not my mother,
not my sister, not my life.’ That is
somebody’s daughter, somebody’s
sister, somebody’s mother maybe,”
Libman said, “This is certainly not
a black and white issue.”
By using gender-bending, video
and current events, “Miss
Autobody” tries to challenge the
audience into looking at our society
and its norms of behavior, Libman
said.
“I think the play ultimately does
challenge people to stop and take ac
tion of some kind,” she said.
The play explores in a cabaret
like way the relationship between a
husband and wife, the economic re
alities for women, stripper bars and
even a daughter whose dream is to
play football for the Comhuskers.
“Because it is a parody, it has tc
be topical. All of the hockey jokes
were changed to, you guessed it,
football jokes,” Libman said.
As a part of the production,
Libman has organized a panel dis
cussion entitled “What’s sex got to
do with it?: Power and the politics
of pornography.”
The discussion* will be held
March 13 at 3 p.m. in the Studio
Theatre at the Temple Building. Pan
elists include the Rev. Patsy Moore,
Ann Hoschler from the Nebraska
Task Force on Domestic Violence
and Helen Moore from UNL’s soci
ology department.
“Miss Autobody” opens Thurs
day night in the Studio Theatre at
die Temple Building and will run
Friday and Saturday and March 12
lb. All shows start at 8 p.m.
Tickets are available at the The
ater Department Box Office and are
$6 for students, $7 for faculty, staff
and senior citizens and $9 for the
public.
“Miss Autobody” is recom
mended for mature audiences. Pa
trons under 18 years of age will not
be admitted without a parent or
guardian.
Professor
to honor
Schubert
By Emily Wray
Staff Reporter
A University of Illinois School of
Music professor will be one step
closer Friday to accomplishing a
gargantuan task.
Piano professor John Wustman
will take that step when he goes on
stage at Kimball Recital Hall for a
concert Friday night.
He will accompany five under
graduate and graduate voice students
from the University of Illinois in a
concert featuring the works of 19th
centuiy composer Franz Schubert.
This concert is part of a seven
year series that features all of
Schubert’s 630 songs. Friday’s con
cert will consist of about 20 of those
songs.
“He is presenting all the songs
Schubert wrote in five programs a
year,” said William Shomos, an as
sistant professor of voice and opera
atUNL.
The series culminates in 1997,
the 200th anniversary of Schubert’s
See WUSTMAN on 13
