An Anime Manga Development Review
by Presley H. Cannady
Fanfic Author Spotlight: Jason W. Smith
Works to date: Attention on Deck!
No other genre of fanfiction matches the sophistication and writing quality
of Robotech fanfiction, possibly one of the oldest fields of creative fan
writing for an anime series. Having written several Robotech fanfics
during my long association with the fandom, I've come to appreciate a
particular quality in many of my colleagues work. Rather than try to
recapture Carl Macek's vision or attempt to mirror the show absolutely,
each author molds the background story of Robotech and retells it as if it
were his own. I hope this would be the goal for any author--fanfic or
original--and am proud to say that of all the works I've read, Jason W.
Smith, the mastermind behind the massive Attention on Deck!! Project, has
done the most to further our collective aim.
Attention on Deck! takes you head-first into the mind and world of Jake
Framton, a man of average and humble character forcibly thrust into more
than extraordinary circumstances. Starting off with a stirring reflection
from a wizened senior officer looking back on an remarkable career, Mr.
Smith takes us back to the very beginning, a fateful summer day in the
Southern Pacific that would change the life of Jake Framton forever.
A large part of this story's gritty realism stems from Jason's own
experiences. Drawing from a number of experiences unlike any shared by his
colleagues, Jason has incorporated in Jake Framton elements of his own
military service, a sense of honor and duty embued by the Boy Scouts of
America, and life-long dream of flying, realized at last as he pursues a
career as a commercial airline captain. The son of a fallen US Border
Pilot, Jason Smith has followed in the footsteps of his father both as a
talented pilot and a proud, American citizen. An NRA Certified Riflery
Instructor, Jason has competed on the state and national levels in a number
of rifle competitions. After recently adding a family to his long list of
accomplishments, Jason clearly has enough life experience to jot down
something in the way of a believable, relatable character.
-Anime Manga Development Group
I. Say, doesn't he remind you of�.?
I definitely wouldn't call my first online exchange with Jason "Smitty"
Smith a pleasant one. Hell, long before we discovered our commonality on a
variety of issues, we stood at opposite ends of the spectrum in the
Robotech fandom. He belonged to the Purist camp, and I affiliated with the
group that would later call themselves universalists. Back in the days of
controversy over 'canon material' and Jack McKinney and comic books, Jason
and I would be right out there; foul-mouthed, loud, prolific and utterly
convinced the other person had something unscrewed in the head.
Then, I went to college and got involved with the real world, and Jason
started aimlessly wandering down the road to fatherhood�.just kidding.
Actually, the whole fandom decided that everyone had better things to do
than debate the nature of protoculture. In short, we all decided to back
off and get back to what the Robotech fandom was all about--having fun. In
1997, after already completing several parts of his massive fanfiction
Attention on Deck!, Smitty threw the entire work on the World Wide Web.
I started reading AOD when I first saw it at the Fanfiction FTP archive,
but the HTML version
ould enhance the story in a way I doubt the author could have foreseen.
Almost immediately, I was hooked--not addicted, but definitely interested
in reading more.
Now, I didn't read AOD in order at first--good thing, perhaps. I had just
gotten back from Boys State when I keyed in on Chapter 8. After chuckling
through Jake Framton's account of his first night with Rebekah, I read on
and found myself laughing outloud as Framton's experience with an RDF Drill
Instructor brought back memories of Staff Sergeant Travieso and formation
training. That experience set me on the track of military service I
continue on today, and there I was reading and relating to a FANFIC
character. The DI's lesson in reading
Jake Framton mirrors Jason in a number of ways, but the character also
reaches out to the author's audience. An okay kid, wears glasses, thinks
about girls and falls in love--just like the rest of us. It doesn't stop
there, however. As the audience rides backseat with Framton through the
First Robotech War, we're forced to come to terms with the harsh quality of
life. Widowed at and early age and left to raise a child on his own,
Framton's life is hardly an easy one. One by one we see people close to
Jake pass on--suddenly and violently. More to the point, the reader will
feel the angst and frustration from that night Jake wakes up from his coma
to find himself stranded with the SDF-1 to the day Waylan Green buys the farm.
Nevertheless, Framton's character does not go through life a grim and
embittered man. Despite the tragedy visited upon him and those around him,
he reminds us all of that piece of hope we desperately need to bring us
through trying times. His solid friendship with Kaufman, a beautiful
daughter and loving parents, a personal love for aviation and even a
fascination with some of Steve McQueen's best work go a long way towards
breaking several combat aviator character clich�s.
II. Recast
A number of characters from the original series make cameo appearances or
even play significant roles. One of these characters more than any other
stuck out.
All Robotech fans very familiar with Sammy, the annoying little bridge
bunny who's a stickler about regs and up in a titty every time she's left
with a little bit of responsibility. Whether you like her or you hate her,
she is one of the many elements of comic relief. Jason Smith, on the other
hand, sees another side to Sammy. In Chapter 30, he examines the
implications of Sammy's character from a very real, very serious
perspective. On the bridge, Sammy serves as backup for Lisa Hayes at the
fighter director's station. Her duties include acting as the Big Eye over
all deployed fightercraft from the SDF-1, a job that requires competence
and confidence. Unfortunately, the show clearly shows Sammy lacking in
both of these skills. Now, Jason reveals the very serious consequences of
her ineptitude. During one particular episode, Framton encounters a frayed
and frantic Porter during a Barrier Combat Aerospace Patrol. One of her
many mishaps leave Framton's group without the SDF-1's tracking support
during a firefight, placing the whole flight in a very dangerous situation.
On the way home Sammy nearly leads Jake into a collision course with a
pair of Valkyries, sending Framton into a vicious rage. More importantly,
however, we learn that Sammy's actions were partially responsible for the
death of seventeen of Framton's BARCAP.
One weak point about this particular characterization: the less than
emphatic presentation of the consequences of Sammy's mishap leaves an
undeservingly diminished impression on the reader. While sifting through
the jargon which at times is only partially tagged, I had to read the
chapter a second time to really get the whole scoop on Jason's plan for
Sammy's character. Personally, I would like to have seen a greater look
into the actions of Sammy Porter over a longer period of time--maybe
several chapters. The idea, however, has tremendous merit. Fortunately,
Jason has made AOD! an ongoing effort; since this issue has already been
brought up with the author, future revisions may address the Porter subplot.
III. The Joes
Probably the most striking characteristic of this story beyond Framton's
own extraordinarily average characterization is the humility the author
expresses in fleshing out the supporting cast. Far too many Robotech
fanfictions center around the lives of dispossessed loners and
anti-establishment rebels who also happen to be incredibly talented pilots.
Instead, we see Framton carried throughout the story by friends,
acquaintances and enemies alike.
As for character introduction, Jason turns to reality rather than fantasy.
Waylan Green makes a uncelebrated entrance as an aside in Framton's
thoughts--the roommate who took responsibility whenever Jake neglected his
cleaning responsibilities in Basic. In flight school, he and Framton adopt
a special system to help them think faster. Josh Kaufman and Max Sterling,
that famous ace from the original series, also enter in without the
unnecessary fanfare typical of many pieces of fanfiction. Smith takes his
time, letting the interaction grow by itself as Kaufman, Green and Framton
become an inseparable trio.
IV. Last Thoughts
Here's a dangerous thought. I actually liked Kevin Costner's The Postman.
I mean I really, really liked it. Folks thought it was sappy, too
"nationalistic" and didn't go off on enough symbolic tangents orsomething
like that. To put a cap on my ranting, I like two kinds of stories:
uplifting tales and genuine war stories. Attention on Deck! combines both
of these elements masterfully, avoiding the sappy pretentiousness of
good-feeling, pedagogic war pieces while sticking to a structured, readable
story sequence. I am almost reminded of General Palmer's memoirs and
assessment of the Vietnam War, or Hackworth's firebrand treatment of his
experience.
I look forward to walking with Framton for the rest of his journey. This
is Presley Cannady, signing off.
* * *
+-----------------+-<The Badass Reverend of Funk Prez>---+
| Presley H. | Political Science / Computer Science |
| Cannady II | and Electrical Engineering Undergrad |
|<revprez@mit.edu>| at the Mass. Institute of Technology |
+-----------------+-<Anime Manga Development Group>------+
+ Author of Liars and Dreamers, a Robotech fanfic +
+-------<http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/1731/index.html>-+
| MIDN 3/c, MIT-Harvard-Tufts NROTC Battalion |
|_|"The art of war is of vital importance to the state"|_|