I'm an amateur artist, mainly doing things like icons and symbols. However, I'd really like to draw a bit of manga/anime as well. But I couldn't find any page with something like tutorials or lessons or anything... Could you help me out? I don't have any means of paying for the lessons, so it's best if the lessons/tutorials are free...

Thanks!

Steven. [/Slash] velema@pop.crosswinds.net

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I personally can't think of anything. If anyone can help this guy out, please let me (or him) know!

The next letter had to be heavily edited for reasons of length.

I totally agree as to the misuse of JavaScript. It is a powerful addition to standard HTML and it can be extremely useful in the hands of those who want them to be. Unfortunately fan sites almost never use them right.

Now it is also perfectly fine with me that you not use JavaScript. I'd imagine going through what you have to do monthly could be a living hell with your equipment.

HOWEVER, I think if you are not reviewing any sites that REQUIRE JS, you are decreasing the quality of your column. Why? You review sites for content and presentation as a website reviewer would do, right? And again, JS alters the presentation of a webpage to produce either a desirable or undesirable effect. By ignoring that, you just ditched all of your readers who uses JavaScript because when they surf, they will have a difference experience than when you surf.

I think what you said exactly in May's column was "From this point forward, I will not review any site that requires JavaScript to function. If your site includes JavaScript as a bonus feature, ..., fine." That is certainly fine, and I have no problem with that. But [JavaScript] can change the presentation of a webpage for the better. JavaScript presents an extra dimension to the presentation--it's dynamic--compared to normal HTML, which is pretty much set in stone once you loaded the page. Eye candy, after all, is important. Sure, it may not convey useful information, but there are a lot of people who surf the web just to be amused and entertained and these JS extras can be just the thing.

To sum up:

1. JavaScript is misused
2. JavaScript enable more options in presentation of websites
3. Browsing without JavaScript enabled through a JavaScript-empowered site alters the presentation unavoidably, thus websurfers w/ and w/out JS perceive sites differently physically, may it be so small and so rare.
4. Despite the misuse, the judgement of considering JS in reviewing shouldn't be limited just by your own sense of convinence, rather, be quality-driven ^_^, unless you consider the ease w/out JS for YOU outweights the possibliblity JS presents to your READERS.
5. You should be aware of some minor security issues, as well. All discerning websurfers should when it comes to JS.

Jeff rotinoma@animefan.org

First off, I want to apologize profusely for chopping up your letter. It was just way too long to print as it was. I hope I captured the gist of what you were trying to say.

I think I need to make clear the type of site that I am excluding from my column. I am excluding only those sites which become unnavigable with JavaScript turned off. If you can't get around the site with JavaScript off, or, as I've seen, you're presented with an empty browser window, then I'm not going to review the site. I don't feel I'm breaking any reviewing rules by doing this, since I only include sites that I think are good, and I certainly do not have a positive opinion of any site that can't be explored without JavaScript.

I won't be excluding sites that merely use JavaScript to place "goodies" on the site, and if these goodies are known to exist, I will of course, turn on JavaScript to check them out.

While I normally agree with the picks you make for websites to take notice of, I have to say one site you gave recognition to rather irked me. The Bastard Translations page for Manga 19, I personally don't think should have received recognition.

I don't mind when people do full translations of manga where they can easily buy the book and have the translations with them. The problem with the site you gave recognition to had full scans and altered bubbles of the original work. This gives people absolutely NO insentive to purchase the graphic novels. I mean after all I don't think many of us would be happy with this person if they gave out mass copies of altered Bastard for free when some of us went out and PAYED for non translated ones. We did it for the enjoyment of the manga reguardless of whether or not we could read it. Now this person opened a very big can of worms by doing what he/she did. It makes it worse since after all this is the World Wide Web.

Altering speech balloons, or the original artwork in manga is akin to those people who alter the original artwork of anime to make it hentai. Both do it for "free" and spread it out to people and definitely without the consent of the company or artist.

Other than that, the Apocrypha - A BASTARD!! Manga Fan Page , deserves better than being mentioned with someone who doesn't respect other's creative work by altering it.

Thunder Empress Arshes Nei arshes@fanartist.com

Point taken. I consider your argument valid, however, I have to respectfully disagree, as I can't believe that scanned images on a website could ever be any competition for the real thing. In addition, I really don't want to get into the position of making morality judgements on a site's content. That's somewhere I really don't want to go.