Editing MegaTokyo

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'''This page needs refactoring with a really big stick.  Anyone feel up to it? --K'''

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One of the WebComics read by a number of ToothyWikizens.

Location: http://www.megatokyo.com
Archives: Lots (400ish), big strips. Server is often slow.  If you want to read this, start from the beginning; but not worth it in some people's opinion. 
Updates: Mon, Wed, Fri
Actually Updates: Usually on time but with a number of 'dead' days`
Rating: U / PG
Recommended by: [[Vitenka]], FlameRider
Recommended against by: [http://www.websnark.com/archives/2004/08/you_had_me_and.html You Had Me, And You Lost Me]
Example Strip: []

Discussed a little bit below, and a bit more on MarySue.  Click the title to find any other mentions of it on the ToothyWiki.

It's a pencil drawn webcomic, which started off as pure gaming jokes, had the main characters (who are the artist and co-author) sneak into a convention, get drunk, and flown to Japan.

From there, it's turned into much more of a WishTrip for Piro - lots of sad girls in snow.  Largo (the original co-author) is no longer co-authoring, Piro's RL SO is showing up more, and the gaming jokes are being replaced by general insanity.

Piro managed to make his comic famous by having an update schedule so erratic that it made people cry - then complaining about it for over two years.  Budding comic artists take note!

The first part of this comic is now available collected into a single graphic novel from [Count:www.ic-ent.com www.ic-ent.com] (not from [[Amazon]] UK yet, but they have a page for it - ISBN:1929090307). 
:I have a copy I found in ForbiddenPlanet. Alas, it got oil spilled on it rather thoroughly. Still readable, but about half of each page is translucent. Not happy about that, but there you go. -- TheInquisitor

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''According to Piro's 'rant' (more a briefing, really) today (4th July), he'll be at [http://www.ayacon.org.uk Ayacon]. W00t :) - SunKitten''

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=== Discussion on quality from WebComics page entry =

For everything.

:''You think? The art in ''Megatokyo'' is a good example of its style, but the plot is messy and can't decide what it wants to be, the dialogue is for the most part bland, the jokes poor, and the whole thing seems to be Mary-Sue-esque wish-fulfilment on the cartoonists' parts. But then I don't play computer games, so I'm not, I suppose, its target audience. ''
:: Well, ok, it is gone downhill a bit (especially since the largo stopped writing half of it) and yes, it is a complete and utter author insert - but it's still pretty good.
''I think it's picking up now.  It did go through a bit of a 'nothing is happening' slump for a bit but it seems to be moving a little now.  Besides 'Great Teacher Largo' is very cool :) (see today's, 4/11/2002, strip :) ) - [[Kazuhiko]]''
:There's a book out of 'Chapter 0' (first year or so, I think) - I ran across a copy in ForbiddenPlanet yesterday - the surprising bit isn't so much the book, as the fact they had it for sale in the country. -- TheInquisitor

AlexChurchill has recently started working through the MegaTokyo archives.  I agree the art is excellent. The jokes were variable for the first 100 strips or so, but I've found myself spluttering with giggles a lot around strips 150-180...

Mmmm.  I'd say that's the golden bit.  Gets a bit slow later as he splits with largo, tries to concentrate on plot and ends up, as he has remained, "About three sad girl drawings from a nervous breakdown&quot;

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=== Plot discussion (spoiler warning if you've not read all the comics) =

I'll definitely keep reading, but more and more I keep wondering when the plot is actually going to progress.  I guess the effect is exaggerated by the wait between comics but we don't seem to have learnt anything new about the characters for a very long time.... - [[Kazuhiko]]
: Plot?  Watch the shinies!  :)  --[[Vitenka]]

: Well, I think this day (in story chronology) has shown us lots about the characters, and the plot of Kimiko getting the part, not to mention characterisation of Ping, and Miho making comments about playing the "games" of both Piro and Largo quite recently.  The problem is, this day (in story chronology) has been going on for at least 6 months.  The beer garden was only '''last night''', in MT-time, and the audition was yesterday.  The Super Moe-Moe Ball battle was what Largo's class did '''this morning''' - that was when Miho disappeared and Ping went off to look for her. Piro went for coffee at Anna Midler's at lunchtime, having had Dom and Ed visit in the morning. ([http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=341 Strip 341] is helpful in keeping track of time.  This day is the first day of Chapter 3, and started at [http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=307 strip 307].)  So we are due to see Yuki at seven o'clock this evening (see [http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=308 308])... but that'll probably be around June.  I had been laughing at the way Phoenix Feathers' Lent term lectures about to start while RealWorld Cambridge's Lent term is just finishing, despite both Christmasses coinciding; but compared to MT things really aren't too bad...

In other words, today has been going on since [http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=307 6th September 2002]...  Interesting comparison to [http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=37 one of the earlier comics]... - [[Kazuhiko]]
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'''Plot discussion for 27 June 03'''

:''[http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=428 Today's strip] most definitely rates an "Eh???"...  Anyone following Megatokyo care to explain it to me? --Kazuhiko''
Hmm.  Well it's deliberately not exactly clear.  But Miho has been acting rather familiar to Piro and Largo for quite a while.  I think the reason is that she's been hacking the [[MMORPG]] which they spent a lot of time playing - which, it appears, is called "Endgames".  Piro is familiar with this - so either he's met this character online and the avatar she used made it surprising that Miho turned out to be female; or he's heard of these legendary hacker/s, and is surprised that she turns out to be a high-school girl.
:''Spot the [[Matrix]] reference... -- [[Senji]]''

The "Should I hide the knives" line is wonderfully sinister-comical or comical-sinister, and is presumably a reference to something which we don't get yet.  --AlexChurchill

:''I think the bit about the knives is just an "if you're that dense, we shouldn't let you near sharp objects".  Have we heard of "EndGames" before?  I don't recall it, unless it was the heart/face monitor used in the games convention they first went to, but then not many people could have played it.  I'm assuming her hoards of zombies are the userbase she has control of but...  how do you control someone through their computer avatar?  In what way does she "wrest control of [their] characters"?  *still confused* --Kazuhiko''

::Well, this being MegaTokyo it could well be a DotHackSlashSlashSign type of thing.  I thought the 'hide the knives' was a sharp objects reference too.  I hope that the next couple of strips explain things, but suspect that they will instead feature boo.  I'm pretty sure that we ''have'' heard of EndGames before, but I don't want to look through that size archive to find out where.  --Vitenka (well, not today, anyway)
:::''A what type of thing, for those of us who've never heard of this SlashyHackySlashSlashFullStop thing outside of Toothy Cat?''
::Well, the linked page gives information.  SerialExperimentsLain would be another reference.  The whole 'the real world and the virtual world are just as valid as each other and can effect each other' thing, with whatever pseudo-science/mysticism you choose to wrap it.  --Vitenka
::''We have heard of EndGames... though not exactly in the comic. It was the subtitle given to all the NeverwinterNights [[DeadPiroDay]]s with Pirogoeth (Piro's female avatar) fighting someone who looked suspiciously like Miho. [http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=229 1] [http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=239 2] [http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=241 3] [http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=259 4] should be somewhat enlightening (it explains the knives, too...). - [[tjm]]''
:''I was thinking that EndGames must be connected with NeverwinterNights, but I hadn't noticed the subtitle. Those four strips indeed tell a rather telling story (particularly the fourth), which connects hugely with what we've seen today.  Excellent references, [[tjm]] - thanks!  --AlexChurchill''
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Today's (8 July 2003) news text from Piro announces that IC Entertainment willl not be publishing Megatokyo vol 2 nor "any future volumes of Megatokyo material".  In addition Warmth will no longer be published in Amerimanga...

He goes on to say that he sees no particular reason to publish vol 2 in a hurry, if at all.

So...  Piro is jobless, relying on the income from publishing comics which are no longer being published and Seraphim has just recently quit her job to help him with the finances.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

--Kazuhiko

:Ah, but they are a company now - so they don't need to make any money, they can just make it up on paper and then vanish to the cayman islands.  (Seriously though - is dropping one publisher really that huge a deal?  I was under the impression Piro was one of the few artists breaking even on advertising and merchandise)  --Vitenka

::''I could be wrong, but wasn't that when he also had an architects salary in addition?  I think advertising and merchandise covered hosting and maybe even the odd server upgrade but I don't think it gave him enough money to live on... --Kazuhiko''
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The good news from the world of Piro and Largo is that the next collected Megatokyo manga (book 2) will be published by Dark Horse. --Tsunami
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I'm really interested in Fred Gallagher's own comic, 'Warmth'.  Has anyone seen it, or know anything about it? --FR
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Have just read through 551 episodes practically without pause. Piro must be stopped or I will get no work done. **readies the missile launcher*** - CorkScrew
:Don't worry - for all practical purposes he has stopped.  It's just taking people a long time to work this out... --Angoel
:''I'm not convinced. He seems to have found more plot the last few weeks. Or at least something resembling it. And the large array of Ed's weaponry is amusing... --ChrisHowlett''
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Much plot progression recently, notably Erika's past.  Volume three will be published early next year, by the way, and can be preordered from [http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593073054/ref=cm_mp_wli_/026-4829217-4730823?coliid=I1DE2HD64YGOXX&colid=23EAMWFQIDZSR amazon].  By far my favourite webcomic, even if it is more of a webmanga now.  Oh, apart from PhoenixFeathers, of course :)  --FlameRider
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:''Ninja live by code of Honor.  Magical Girl live by code of Love.  This lead to many disasters and much destruction of urban area.  Honor much safer.  <nowiki>--Junpei</nowiki>''
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Definitely variable in terms of plot progression.  They can o for long periods with nothing, but revently everything seems to be happening at once.  And the other magical girl who's just appeared is really sinister.  She is ''so'' much more scary than Miho, or anyone else.  --FR

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WikiNow end of June 05 - the plot threads have actually come together.  Largo and Piro still interface with reality in a different style - but they are together and sharing a story again, at last.  --Vitenka

Annnd as of July 05 we've started a whole new plot.  In a whole new universe.  Looks fun, in a "I ate the author of 'winter'" kind of way.  --Vitenka
:It's an [[Omake]]. He's adding off-world filler between chapters. --CH
::Since I haven't conciously realised the starting of the [[Omake]], and I can't recall what's happenning in MegaTokyo at the moment, I guess that MT's moved into 'You had me and you lost me' territory.  I guess I'll have to remove it from my comics links. --Angoel
::''I stopped reading it in WebComic form some time ago, when I read the first two volumes of the printed manga and realise how much much better it works printed compared to page-by-page as a webcomic. Volume 3 served to confirm this further, and brought me up to almost as far as I'd read in the webcomic. So I look forward to reading the current story and its omake, when they eventually hit print. --AC''
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