Metallion
05-25-2010, 01:46 PM
Hi all
This might be my first post but I've been using this website to improve my play for quite a while now. I've actually been hanging out a lot in Japanese arcades and quite recently I ran into Manakan there. I'm a Litchi player myself and he's always been my favourite player to watch and learn from so I was quite excited about this. He gave me a free coaching session and agreed to an interview for my blog over at Destructoid.
You can check out the original post here (http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Metallion/e-for-effort-becoming-a-world-warrior-171873.phtml) if you want but to make things easier, I'll just paste the whole interview below. The original post does have a bit more info about me and how exactly I met him though.
I'm gonna go to another tournament on Saturday btw. I wonder if I'll meet any of the other top players. In case I do, would you guys be interested to read another one of these? If so, any constructive criticism or suggestions about which player to approach and which questions to ask would be welcome.
Metallion: Please introduce yourself a bit and how you got into fighting games.
Manakan: Thank you. My name is Manakan. I guess I started playing fighting games when I was just a kid and saw my brother play Street Fighter II. I got completely absorbed in learning single basic moves. Roughly, the games I have played until now are the Street Fighter II series, the Fatal Fury series, the Art of Fighting series, X-MEN Children of the Atom, Darkstalkers, the King of Fighters series up until 2000, the Guilty Gear series and now BlazBlue. There are a few more but these are the most important ones.
Metallion: Are there any among those that you are particularly fond of?
Manakan: That would be the Guilty Gear series. It's packed with awesome systems like Dust Attack and Roman Cancel. The tournaments were also really fun!
Metallion: I see. So even though BlazBlue is Guilty Gear's spiritual successor, you still prefer Guilty Gear?
Manakan: Hmmmm, If you really want to compare them, I guess I do like BlazBlue better.
Metallion: Could you give us a bit of an overview of what the fighting game scene is like in Japan?
Manakan: What do you mean by that?
Metallion: Yeah, I guess this might be a bit of a tough one...
Manakan: (interrupts) Oh, I think I understand. Before the year 2000 there were loads of people playing fighting games. Since then it has been dwindling over the years. The waiting times to play used to be immense but lately it's been getting less and less. I don't know about other people but personally, it makes me feel a bit lonely.
Metallion: The other day I was playing BlazBlue and another guy was waiting behind me. When I was done, he started playing on my machine and I soon noticed how he was much better than me. He could have easily whooped my ass and take my place but instead, he kindly waited for me to finish. Is this kind of courtesy common in Japanese arcades?
Manakan: I think that depends on the people, really. There are people who wait, there are people who give advice and there are people who will challenge you.
Metallion: I see. So it's not like there is some unwritten rule to let newbies practice or anything like that.
Manakan: Yep.
Metallion: Why did you choose BlazBlue and not another game? Why Litchi as your character?
Manakan: I was playing other tournament fighters too but as time progressed, more and more people were abandoning them. Also the lack of any sequel prospects in the Guilty Gear series was a major factor. As far as Litchi is concerned, she's got pretty long reach and I like all the tricky little moves she can do with her bou. Of course the fact that she's an awesome female doctor also helped. (laughs)
Metallion: Amen to that! I heard you're a Fate Unlimited Codes player too.
Manakan: That's right. I see you've done your homework.
Metallion: You use Dark Sakura, right?
Manakan: Yep
Metallion: Isn't it hard to keep up with two games at the same time on this level?
Manakan: Once you get used to it, it's not so bad.
Metallion: I see. How long does it generally take to get used to?
Manakan: I've actually been playing Fate since before I started playing BlazBlue but I guess it takes me about three months to get used to a new game.
Metallion: That fast? That's pretty amazing.
Manakan: I guess I can do that mostly because I've stacked up so much fighting game experience over the years.
Metallion: Yeah I guess that's right. I also get used to new games quickly as long as there isn't a fightstick involved. How many hours do you generally practice per day?
Manakan: Right now I haven't got so much time due to my job so I can't play every day any more. I guess it's usually between thirty minutes and an hour. When there's a tournament coming up, I make that two hours.
Metallion: Oh really? So you can keep up this level of play even with such little practice? Did you know the Korean professional Starcraft players practice about fourteen hours per day?
Manakan: (shocked) Fourteen hours? Isn't that like half a day?!
Metallion: Yep, that's right.
Manakan: So there are people who take it that far. I'm a bit surprised.
Metallion: Yeah but they're different. Gaming actually is their day to day job. It's pretty much the same as professional sports.
Manakan: Come to think of it, you mentioned something about these Korean pro gamers when we met right?
Metallion: Yeah, I did. Their matches are shown live on TV as well.
Manakan: So those people are practicing that much? Wow, that's amazing!
Metallion: I agree. Anyways, about how much do you earn in tournament prizes?
Manakan: I get pretty huge and colourful audiences at tournaments. When it's an official tournament, you usually get a trophy or some kind of prize for first place. As far as money goes, I think that's limited to a kind of tournament we call "tougeki". I can't enter those because of my job. (disappointed)
Metallion: So you're doing it mostly for fun?
Manakan: It might turn out that way.
Metallion: How is the competition level? Are there a lot of great players out there or are there a few winning everything?
Manakan: I play with people of all skill levels. Some times I fight stronger opponents, some times they're a bit below me and some times I just play with my family and friends. All in all the level of play really depends on the place you go.
Metallion: I see. Can you name a few places that have particularly strong or weak players?
Manakan: Weaker places I can't really say but as for a place with lots of good players, there's this place called Tachikawa Oslo. I haven't been there myself yet actually. I do feel like checking it out.
Metallion: Oslo? Is that an arcade?
Manakan: Yeah.
Metallion: Which city is that in?
Manakan: Tokyo.
Metallion: I see. I should find a lower level place before I can consider going there though. What do you believe is key to being a successful tournament player?
Manakan: I guess that's pretty much effort. You just have to work hard and do your best.
Metallion: So it's all a matter of practice? I wonder if I'll be able to do it one day. Right now it all seems like a different planet to me.
Manakan: I believe you can do it. Practice hard!
Metallion: Thank you. I'll do my best. Where do you see yourself after BlazBlue? Do you have any other games in mind yet?
Manakan: Hmmm, I haven't really decided what I'll play yet. Maybe I'll just keep playing BlazBlue forever. (laughs)
Metallion: (laughs) Then what will you do when the tournament scene disappears?
Manakan: I'll keep playing anyway for Dr. Litchi's sake! (laughs)
Metallion: (laughs) Yeah I guess she must be lonely after all the other players have left.
Manakan: You bet.
Metallion: Then for my final question, do you have any tips for aspiring players like myself?
Manakan: Basically to practice the basic input commands to death and get a firm grasp of the buttons. Also don't rush and play as calmly as you can. Learn one tiny piece, then another tiny piece and then another. It's best to take baby steps while you make your progress.
Metallion: Too true. I was thinking just that lately. I've gotten myself done in so many times by getting too excited.
Manakan: Yeah, I used to be like that too actually.
Metallion: Really? Hearing that you've come from the same place does up my confidence a bit. Manakan, thank you very much for this interview!
Manakan: You're welcome.
This might be my first post but I've been using this website to improve my play for quite a while now. I've actually been hanging out a lot in Japanese arcades and quite recently I ran into Manakan there. I'm a Litchi player myself and he's always been my favourite player to watch and learn from so I was quite excited about this. He gave me a free coaching session and agreed to an interview for my blog over at Destructoid.
You can check out the original post here (http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Metallion/e-for-effort-becoming-a-world-warrior-171873.phtml) if you want but to make things easier, I'll just paste the whole interview below. The original post does have a bit more info about me and how exactly I met him though.
I'm gonna go to another tournament on Saturday btw. I wonder if I'll meet any of the other top players. In case I do, would you guys be interested to read another one of these? If so, any constructive criticism or suggestions about which player to approach and which questions to ask would be welcome.
Metallion: Please introduce yourself a bit and how you got into fighting games.
Manakan: Thank you. My name is Manakan. I guess I started playing fighting games when I was just a kid and saw my brother play Street Fighter II. I got completely absorbed in learning single basic moves. Roughly, the games I have played until now are the Street Fighter II series, the Fatal Fury series, the Art of Fighting series, X-MEN Children of the Atom, Darkstalkers, the King of Fighters series up until 2000, the Guilty Gear series and now BlazBlue. There are a few more but these are the most important ones.
Metallion: Are there any among those that you are particularly fond of?
Manakan: That would be the Guilty Gear series. It's packed with awesome systems like Dust Attack and Roman Cancel. The tournaments were also really fun!
Metallion: I see. So even though BlazBlue is Guilty Gear's spiritual successor, you still prefer Guilty Gear?
Manakan: Hmmmm, If you really want to compare them, I guess I do like BlazBlue better.
Metallion: Could you give us a bit of an overview of what the fighting game scene is like in Japan?
Manakan: What do you mean by that?
Metallion: Yeah, I guess this might be a bit of a tough one...
Manakan: (interrupts) Oh, I think I understand. Before the year 2000 there were loads of people playing fighting games. Since then it has been dwindling over the years. The waiting times to play used to be immense but lately it's been getting less and less. I don't know about other people but personally, it makes me feel a bit lonely.
Metallion: The other day I was playing BlazBlue and another guy was waiting behind me. When I was done, he started playing on my machine and I soon noticed how he was much better than me. He could have easily whooped my ass and take my place but instead, he kindly waited for me to finish. Is this kind of courtesy common in Japanese arcades?
Manakan: I think that depends on the people, really. There are people who wait, there are people who give advice and there are people who will challenge you.
Metallion: I see. So it's not like there is some unwritten rule to let newbies practice or anything like that.
Manakan: Yep.
Metallion: Why did you choose BlazBlue and not another game? Why Litchi as your character?
Manakan: I was playing other tournament fighters too but as time progressed, more and more people were abandoning them. Also the lack of any sequel prospects in the Guilty Gear series was a major factor. As far as Litchi is concerned, she's got pretty long reach and I like all the tricky little moves she can do with her bou. Of course the fact that she's an awesome female doctor also helped. (laughs)
Metallion: Amen to that! I heard you're a Fate Unlimited Codes player too.
Manakan: That's right. I see you've done your homework.
Metallion: You use Dark Sakura, right?
Manakan: Yep
Metallion: Isn't it hard to keep up with two games at the same time on this level?
Manakan: Once you get used to it, it's not so bad.
Metallion: I see. How long does it generally take to get used to?
Manakan: I've actually been playing Fate since before I started playing BlazBlue but I guess it takes me about three months to get used to a new game.
Metallion: That fast? That's pretty amazing.
Manakan: I guess I can do that mostly because I've stacked up so much fighting game experience over the years.
Metallion: Yeah I guess that's right. I also get used to new games quickly as long as there isn't a fightstick involved. How many hours do you generally practice per day?
Manakan: Right now I haven't got so much time due to my job so I can't play every day any more. I guess it's usually between thirty minutes and an hour. When there's a tournament coming up, I make that two hours.
Metallion: Oh really? So you can keep up this level of play even with such little practice? Did you know the Korean professional Starcraft players practice about fourteen hours per day?
Manakan: (shocked) Fourteen hours? Isn't that like half a day?!
Metallion: Yep, that's right.
Manakan: So there are people who take it that far. I'm a bit surprised.
Metallion: Yeah but they're different. Gaming actually is their day to day job. It's pretty much the same as professional sports.
Manakan: Come to think of it, you mentioned something about these Korean pro gamers when we met right?
Metallion: Yeah, I did. Their matches are shown live on TV as well.
Manakan: So those people are practicing that much? Wow, that's amazing!
Metallion: I agree. Anyways, about how much do you earn in tournament prizes?
Manakan: I get pretty huge and colourful audiences at tournaments. When it's an official tournament, you usually get a trophy or some kind of prize for first place. As far as money goes, I think that's limited to a kind of tournament we call "tougeki". I can't enter those because of my job. (disappointed)
Metallion: So you're doing it mostly for fun?
Manakan: It might turn out that way.
Metallion: How is the competition level? Are there a lot of great players out there or are there a few winning everything?
Manakan: I play with people of all skill levels. Some times I fight stronger opponents, some times they're a bit below me and some times I just play with my family and friends. All in all the level of play really depends on the place you go.
Metallion: I see. Can you name a few places that have particularly strong or weak players?
Manakan: Weaker places I can't really say but as for a place with lots of good players, there's this place called Tachikawa Oslo. I haven't been there myself yet actually. I do feel like checking it out.
Metallion: Oslo? Is that an arcade?
Manakan: Yeah.
Metallion: Which city is that in?
Manakan: Tokyo.
Metallion: I see. I should find a lower level place before I can consider going there though. What do you believe is key to being a successful tournament player?
Manakan: I guess that's pretty much effort. You just have to work hard and do your best.
Metallion: So it's all a matter of practice? I wonder if I'll be able to do it one day. Right now it all seems like a different planet to me.
Manakan: I believe you can do it. Practice hard!
Metallion: Thank you. I'll do my best. Where do you see yourself after BlazBlue? Do you have any other games in mind yet?
Manakan: Hmmm, I haven't really decided what I'll play yet. Maybe I'll just keep playing BlazBlue forever. (laughs)
Metallion: (laughs) Then what will you do when the tournament scene disappears?
Manakan: I'll keep playing anyway for Dr. Litchi's sake! (laughs)
Metallion: (laughs) Yeah I guess she must be lonely after all the other players have left.
Manakan: You bet.
Metallion: Then for my final question, do you have any tips for aspiring players like myself?
Manakan: Basically to practice the basic input commands to death and get a firm grasp of the buttons. Also don't rush and play as calmly as you can. Learn one tiny piece, then another tiny piece and then another. It's best to take baby steps while you make your progress.
Metallion: Too true. I was thinking just that lately. I've gotten myself done in so many times by getting too excited.
Manakan: Yeah, I used to be like that too actually.
Metallion: Really? Hearing that you've come from the same place does up my confidence a bit. Manakan, thank you very much for this interview!
Manakan: You're welcome.