Quote from gwkimmy

it does sound a little weeaboo-ish though =/ Depending on who you ask, not knowing that adding a suffix (e.g. -kun, -chan, -san, etc) to the end of your name yourself, apart from it being a dick move, makes you a weaboo. Incidentally, knowing that might also make you one. the sad truth

Warning: tvtropes link. 😐

Sarcasm just doesn't work over the internet.

Quote from Hell_Clues

Quote from CuthienSilmeriel

A pen name can be anything you want it to be surely. I mean if we start limiting westerner to western names how long before we say that you must be from the country of origin to use the name? People have been stealing names from different countries for hundreds of years so I say ignore them. I don't have a pen name for my writing but my internet alias is derived from Lord of the Rings (it's elvish and me and my friend were a wee bit obsessed way back when and the name kinda stuck, lol). Ok it makes me kinda sad but it's just a name.

But... what is the reason behind her pen name other than to sound japanese. Maybe if there was a point to it. Technically you're right but there's something wrong with someone just faking a japanese name for no good reason.

Plus a pen name should be something you'll be using to build a reputation. Or to hide your reputation. It really just looks like she's wannabe.

I know that sounds cynical but it's true. I don't know if there is a story behind it, or what the reason is, but that's how its going to hit people. And you can't say people don't matter, because that's going to be her audience.

Does she need a reason? My name is pretty meaningless unless you count nostalgic value but when I started using it when I was 13 or so it was just a name me and friend stuck together for a bit of a laugh. Now I still use it because it's pretty unique and I've been using it for 7 years now so it seems pointless to change but my point is there.

What's wrong if she's a wannabee anyway? If anything it's a compliment to Japan. I get what you're saying about her image but most people overlook the authors image when the writing is good. I mean if I found out suddenly that my favourite author had a different name and was from a totally different country it wouldn;t stop me buying his books or liking his style. I agree with others that the name is meaningless, it's the writing that counts.

The pen is mightier than the sword...and considerably easier to write with.

It's a pen name. Isn't it suppose to be fake? 😕
People can make up whatever pen name they want.

no real reason to be concerned about it unless you're purposely using someone else's name as your own

The name you chose seems a little bit odd to me since it sounds more like an actual name rather than just a nickname type thing, but I don't see why it matters. I'm Asian, and I have an English name, so why can't a white person make up an Asian name for themselves right? Unless you stole the name from someone... That could be weird/stalkerish...

Doesn't really matter to me. I mean a pen usually has a meaning behind it, whether it be just b/c it sounds cool or to hide your ID. So if the name happens to from another language, who cares? I don't accuse Benjamin of being a wannabe Anglophone comic artist, so why should we hold a double standard against someone who wants to be called NAKA DASHI.

LOOK AT MY WITTY SIG!!11!!!!11

Quote from rikkastar7

The name you chose seems a little bit odd to me since it sounds more like an actual name rather than just a nickname type thing, but I don't see why it matters. I'm Asian, and I have an English name, so why can't a white person make up an Asian name for themselves right? Unless you stole the name from someone... That could be weird/stalkerish...

someone else who feels exactly the same.
i have western usernames online and in some other school stuff

Do whatever makes you happy. There is nothing wrong with pen names, but they are usually used for writing across genres (I suppose, in this case, you're writing across language barriers).

Why not just your own name?

Definitely poser-esque. It sounds like a deliberate attempt to make your drawings seem more like they were legitimately done in Japan, or something ridiculous.

But I can't claim to know your intentions, I guess. It definitely looks that way though.

Quote from eni

There's a huge difference in usage of terms. A pen name is (mainly) free of any restrictions and identifies a single person alone. So you can freely choose what you like within the borders of local law.

But a job description is bound to a more specific definition. In this case, a manga is a Japanese comic produced for the Japanese market. That's simply not what the manga-influenced comic published in Germany by an German comic artist is. It's merely sharing a style that was adapted from manga but it ain't one. This is not only my personal opinion but a set definition. It's the same for anime, Avatar is an anime-influenced animated series and not an anime.

Manga is nothing more than the japanese term for comics. They even call american comics "manga" over there. So even Stan Lee is a mangaka. Even if he made american comics for american people. And alot of manga, believe it or not, is also produced for foreign markets, not just the japanese people.

Another reason for pen names is because you are limited in what you can publish. Atleast, in America it's that way. That's why you can find books with different author names, but the same author e.i. Nora Roberts and J.D.Robb

"This year, they should give the Nobel Peace Prize to the inventors of cancer and accidents, because research shows those are the main causes of disarmament."

I don't think anyone would make a big deal of it if a French person took a Russian pen name or something like that.. so why is this different?

Of course, people will make assumptions about you, like that you idolize the country you took the name from, in the case of Japanese pen names, that you're a weeaboo.

But people will make assumptions about you no matter what, so if you don't mind that, then go for it.

http://kittenpatriot.wordpress.com/

Quote from Terpsichore

Do whatever makes you happy. There is nothing wrong with pen names, but they are usually used for writing across genres (I suppose, in this case, you're writing across language barriers).

Why not just your own name?

Because my name is retarded.

“𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑜𝓈𝑒'𝓈 𝓇𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓃𝓈.” ― 𝑀𝒶𝓌𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒶 𝒥𝒶𝓁𝒶𝓁-𝒶𝓁-𝒟𝒾𝓃 𝑅𝓊𝓂𝒾.
あたしは腐女子です。少女漫画、たくさん読んでください。

People always have and always will publish under pen names due to extraneous factors, I can't believe that no one has mentioned for example, George Eliot. An author that many regard as one of the best classical writers, and yet published under a male name instead of her given name because she thought she wouldn't be accepted if people knew she was female (for which she can be forgiven as in that era, a lot of people would have and did prejudice her work) and a more recent example of Robin Hobb. Those are the ones I know off the top of my head but I'm sure there's many more all with reasons whether wanting to avoid prejudice over where a name originates from or making it making it more of a gimmick so people buy the book. In either case, the individual purchasing is the one that makes the decision. If people didn't KNOW that others decide purely on the "cover" due to snobbishness (which has been displayed by a few in response to this post I think,) then there wouldn't be need.

Of course, there's many other reasons people would publish under another name and one of them might actually be for "poser" reasons however, as being considered a poser is on the whole subjective. Some people will always consider you a poser for using another name, and others will understand there could be other reasons and be tolerant. In the end, it all depends on if you're happy. People that have unjustified opinions on the matter are just being obtuse.

Now I've said my piece I'll go back to lurking. It's what I do best!

Hell is other people.

Quote from KennEH!

Pen names can be whatever you choose no matter what language it be in. LOL! too true!
If asians are allowed western names, I don't see why it can't go the other way. I go by Scyfon (Su-kai-fuen), and that sorta counts as my pen name as well...and I don't think it's me being a poser. Some people just wanna keep their anonymity and I don't see anything wrong with it.
(Though taking up a full Japanese name is a tad...extreme, if you don't mind me saying >_>)

[img]http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa229/azrinirza/makotoshinkai1_zpse3901c5a.gif[/img]
Everyday I'm tumblin'

Nothing's wrong with it, but when people have a full name from some other culture as their pen name, it kinda sends a message that you wanna be more like the people from that culture than what you are.

Quote from Klapzi

The cool part is that I never get tired of being deceived

Quote from tactics

Just because someone's head was chopped off doesn't mean they're dead. That's just silly.

[img]http://oi44.tinypic.com/vzy2qv.jpg[/img]