The Ganbare! Shimura-san FAQ Backstory Rating Questions A little backstory . . . . Ganbare! Shimura-san (English: Hang in there, Mr. Shimura!) was developed in 2000, when I was into overly dramatic Japanese TV shows. I devised several comics, one of them being TV CIRCUIT, my latest web comic. Both TV-C and GSS take place in Japan. I have been to Japan several times, have many Japanese friends and have studied the language and culture for almost 10 years, but I'm not about to say that I am an expert on the country. Some people feel that even if you're drawing in a Japanese style, you shouldn't make stories that take place in an Asian country if you're not a native, since your views on how things are may be distorted. People may feel this way about my comics, but that's their opinions. I think anyone who has ever wanted to become a 'manga-ka' has tried to draw a comic that takes place in Japan. I have even read some Japanese comics that take place in the US, and even those artists admit they are not 100% accurate. Even though some readers may not enjoy a slight Western spin on the Japanese culture, that's okay--if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. I'm not losing or making any money by creating these comics; they're simply for my general amusement--a chance to try out different techniques as I strive to make myself a better artist. I just so happen to post it online so the general public can go along with me on my journey :D In other words, it's just a comic. It's fiction--hell, it might even be fantasy! Just have fun with it. I do everything I can to make it accurate, but I can't promise it can read like a guide to Japan. Should anyone with more experience find something amiss, let me know! After all, pobody's nerfect :B The Rating of Ganbare! Shimura-san Ganbare! Shimura-san, just like TV CIRCUIT, features characters in their 20's and older, and contains some adult language and situations. I don't want to give it a set rating since not every chapter will have the same elements. I'd like a wide variety of people to enjoy this comic, though :D It will visually contain nothing worse than what you find in an episode of Friends or Scrubs. It is aimed at people in their teens and older (like those shows), so I'll just advise readers to use discretion. Questions Q. Shouldn't it be 'Ganbaru' instead of 'Ganbare'? A. I was asked this by someone on the message board (thanks for bringing it to my attention! :D) recently, and I thought I'd clarify its meaning. The verb 'ganbaru' means to persevere, persist, stand firm, do one's best. When written with the ending 're', it turns it into the imperative form of the verb, reading as 'go for it!' or 'hang in there!'. When you think about it, the title is quite cheesy, but I like it, so I kept it XD; For more info on Japanese verbs, check out Jim Breen's English-Japanese Dictionary. Q. So, how come the times the comic is updated fluctuates? A. In a perfect world, I would love to get the comic uploaded at 12 AM (EST) on the dot each update day. But, unfortunately, sometimes the real world steps in and distracts me ^^; I work 11-hour work days, and don't have a lot of time to work on the comic unless I'm off and have a good chunk of time. Each page can take up to 6 hours to complete (especially if I need to rewrite something, redraw a page, etc.). So, usually, I am able to get a page uploaded between 11 PM and 2 AM. The comic page itself takes precedence over voting incentives, so, that too can get pushed back a bit. However, should there be a problem that doesn't allow me to get the page uploaded within that time frame, I always try to let as many people know as possible! There are times when my server goes down for maintenance, and if that's the case, I post info in the newsletter and the message board :D If you have any questions about this or any of my other comics, feel free to e-mail me at genji_kanzaki at hotmail dot com. Thanks!