EPT
I navigated the U.S.S. Teamliquid across the Google Ocean in hopes of opening up the isolated Japanese SC2 scene.
Some
Here it is! But how do I enter...? Oh, what is that I see? An IRC channel!
I then joined their IRC channel and was already blown away by their completely different culture--I automatically got OPed the moment I entered the channel of 160
I know I wouldn't trust 99% of you guys with OPs.
In any case, I looked around. A native approached me and spoke... in English! He must have noticed from my ISP that I was not one of them.
"Hi, where are you from?" he asked.
I responded with, "California," not entirely sure why I didn't say America.
He gave me a "Wow" in response, and I asked to speak with his leader.
He said his leader went by the name of matsujun, and that he could not see me until night time. It was currently 10:00 A.M. there.
"Okay," I said. "Guess I'll have to wait a while. ^^;" By then we had switched to their native tongue, Japanese.
When Emperor matsujun logged into the channel, I immediately approached him in Private Messages and bombarded him with questions!
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Japanese SC2 Scene, now opened to the world!
DISCLAIMER: No Japanese were hurt in the interviewing of their leader. Also, don't mind me, everything went very professionally and we were all very respectful. ^^
After the interview, he asked me if he was allowed to stream Japanese-commentated games on Teamliquid.net. I asked around and was told he could, so he's applying to have his stream published and plans on streaming Japanese tournament games. ^^ Look out for those!
In case any one is interested, you can obtain their replays here: http://starcraft2.jpcommunity.com/sc2/modules/xhnewbb/viewallforum.php?cat=2
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Note: All references of "foreign(er)" means anyone that is not from Japan.
matsujun
![[image loading]](http://static.minitokyo.net/view/38/29/286488.jpg)
"We will begin catching up, and from here on there may be players who are willing to challenge the world."
matsujun
"We will begin catching up, and from here on there may be players who are willing to challenge the world."
Hi, matsujun-san! Can you please tell us about this Starcraft 2 community?
Sure! The Starcraft 2 JP Community was created for players who are located in Japan and speak Japanese.
We wish for it to grow into a community where those who are unable to speak English can gather and share information, and we wish to hold many events and tournaments.
When was the community created?
The site has been up since February 2010, but it didn't actually take off until around July 2010.
Nice. ^^ I see. Do you have tournaments often?
Yep. The community has organized five tournaments since July. We have also been requested to host tournaments for other organizations. (Note: I believe he means sponsors like Razer and stuff.)
Ohh, that's amazing! About how many players participate in these tournaments?
In order to accommodate as many Starcraft 2 players as possible, we have a total of three separate levels. In the previous tournament, there were a total of 122 participants.
122 participants! That's great! Out of all the Japanese players, who is currently the best? What about the best Zerg, Terran, and Protoss?
We held the Grand Championships for a tournament the other day and the player who won was a Taiwanese player who was living in Japan at the time by the name of SorrowRush. He is a Protoss player. However, he returned to Taiwan to become the coach of a Taiwanese professional Starcraft 2 team. As such, the best Japanese player is nanashii. He was also ranked in the U.S. Top 200.
nanashii is also a Protoss player. The top Terran player has to be between PSiArc and Ash. I believe the top Zerg player is between Skeith and kurOa.
There are a lot of Japanese Protoss players in Master League, so the competition among them is pretty stiff.
We also have a list of the Japanese players who are in Master League: http://starcraft2.jpcommunity.com/sc2/modules/ranking/index.php?r=L0
(Note: Go here for the full list of players: http://starcraft2.jpcommunity.com/sc2/modules/ranking/ )
Ah, I see. Do Japanese players know about the GSL? Do they watch the GSL?
Yes, many Japanese people watch the GSL, especially the players who converted over from Starcraft 1. My Twitter Timeline is full of scheduled GSL matches.
Ohh, I see. That's great. Honestly, the Japanese SC2 community is not something foreigners really know about. Are there any Japanese players who intend to participate in the GSL or any Asia-specific tournaments?
As of now, there are no plans for that. There are many Japanese players who feel as if there's a big wall between them and foreign players in terms of skill. But, if there are players who would like to participate in those events, we, as a community, would definitely support them.
I see. That's too bad. What server do Japanese players usually play on?
We mainly play on the U.S. server.
The U.S. server? Isn't there a problem with lag for you guys?
There are many players who feel as if it's not a big deal. It depends on the ISP, but there are ISPs that are directly connected to America and those are good, and then there are also those that have terrible lag.
I see. It must be quite inconvenient for there to be no Japanese server. Also, the contents of the game are all in English. How do you guys read all the patch notes?
It would be nice if the number of Japanese players would increase so we could ask Blizzard for a server of our own *laugh*.
Someone usually translates the patch notes into Japanese for us. Also, there are many players who are studying English so that they can read the patch notes as is.
There are players who are studying English just so they can read the patch notes!? Really!?
They are studying English for Starcraft 2 in general. I know about four players who are currently doing so, and I believe there are more.
Wow, that's great! Such passion! If they ever need to practice their English, tell them they can ask me, I'll help them out! ^^
Thank you very much!
So earlier you spoke of a "wall." Why do you think there's a wall?
The reason for the wall is difficult. First off, the number of players. It is natural for there to be more skill amongst players the more players there are. I feel the amount of Japanese players is still quite small.
Also, the practice environment; not online, but we are unable to practice offline in an environment where we are able to give feedback to one another and share strategies. There are no environments in which Japanese players gather and play together offline.
I see. Do you guys plan on creating such an environment? Do you plan on having an offline gathering?
There is a net cafe in Tokyo that is periodically holding events for Starcraft 2. We are hoping it turns out into a situation where we can often gather and practice.
I am also hosting LAN parties 2-3 times a year and would be very pleased if it could develop into an environment where players can gather offline and practice.
Yes, that would be nice. ^^ Do Japanese players know about Teamliquid.net?
There are many Japanese players who know of Teamliquid.net. However, there aren't many who frequent the site.
Ah, yeah, it is an English site after all. Well, are Japanese players familiar with foreign professional Starcraft 2 players?
Yep, we are very knowledgeable of the South Korean players and the other players who appear on GSL. There is a site called Starcraft Times that frequently gives updates about the South Korean pro gamers. http://sc-times.net/
Ah, that site looks very nice! Oh, I see Flash on it. It has information about SC:BW too? How is the SC:BW scene compared to the SC2 scene these days?
Hm... Almost all of the SC:BW players have started SC2. All of the leaders of the SC:BW community have switched over to SC2, so there aren't many players left in SC:BW.
Oh, I see.
So, matsujun-san, who are your favorite foreign players?My favorite has to be Jaedong. For SC2, it's IdrA. I have to support him as a player who has traveled all the way to Korea from a foreign land of course!
IdrA!? Wow, that's a surprise! I really like IdrA too, but foreigners generally look down upon him because of his attitude. Are Japanese players aware of this reputation? (Note: Okay, I have to admit, I busted out laughing when he said IdrA was his favorite player. Totally unexpected... but I guess it makes sense since IdrA is honorable!)
Yes, we've heard of it. It seems his attitude is somewhat poor. However, in Japan, IdrA has videos of him talking about balance, and in those videos he doesn't really give off a bad image.
This is the video where he talks about balance:
(Note: Okay, I started laughing even harder when he started talking about "IMBALANCED!" All I could think of was the high-five... TT Sorry, I love you though, IdrA! ^^)
Yeah, that's true. He seems very kind in videos and interviews. Also, that series is quite (in)famous in America and Europe as well.
Okay, matsujun-san, let's wrap it up here. ^^ Can you give the users of Teamliquid.net some last words?
Since now, the Japanese RTS e-Sports scene has been a step behind, but this year there are many sponsored tournaments to come. We will begin catching up, and from here on there may be players who are willing to challenge the world. When this happens, everyone at Teamliquid, we hope very much for your support! Also, if you happen to ever come to Japan, please make sure to visit our Starcraft 2 JP Community!
That is all!
Thank you so much! I am sure everyone at Teamliquid will support the Japanese players! We will be waiting eagerly for that moment to come! Please do your best!
Thank you very much!
