Untitled

[nickslays05]

Hetalia: Axis Powers

Hello everyone!! This is my last blog for this class! I am so excited, this has been fun having a Tumblr and all, hopefully, I make my page look better than it does right now, but in the meantime, I watched this anime, Hetalia: Axis Powers, which I will say was one of the weirder ones for this class. I understand it does blend humor with historical events, so I guess it was just like a history lesson merged into a show. But, here is my analysis of this anime: The anime personified the countries and presented them as characters with exaggerated stereotypes. The series tackles issues of nationalism, identity, and global politics in a light-hearted yet thought-provoking manner.

The anime's format allows it to address complex and sensitive topics such as World War II and international relations through satirical jokes and statements. By depicting each country as quirky characters, Hetalia makes history accessible and engaging, while also critiquing the absurd characteristics of nationalism and cultural stereotypes. This approach is particularly relevant in Japan, where the balance between acknowledging historical events and maintaining national pride is a delicate issue. Globally, the show prompts viewers to reflect on their own national identities and the stereotypes they encounter or perpetuate. The series also connects to broader discussions in assigned readings on nationalism and the construction of identity. By presenting countries as characters with distinct personalities and relationships, Hetalia shows the audience how national identities are constructed and perceived both internally and externally. This aligns with readings that explore how cultural narratives and historical events shape national consciousness.

Hetalia, however, is not without its controversies. The use of stereotypes, while intended humorously, can sometimes reinforce harmful clichés. If I were to suggest this anime to anyone I would say it's essential to approach the series with an understanding of its satirical nature and have a critical eye toward the stereotypes it portrays. This aspect of Hetalia offers a valuable lesson in media literacy, highlighting the importance of context and intent in interpreting media representations.

In conclusion, Hetalia: Axis Powers is a fascinating anime that offers a satirical look at history and international relations. It addresses both Japanese and global issues of nationalism and identity while connecting to personal experiences and academic discussions. Despite its controversial elements, the series provides an engaging and thought-provoking way to explore historical events and cultural dynamics.

[ahmed-jpt]

Great blog Nick. I honestly really enjoyed this film. What I found the most interesting you talked about is how Hetalia's use of humor can be used to reinforce harmful clichés. I didn't even think about it like that. I saw it as saying people know about these stereotypes but they're not necessarily true and it was trying to show us that these stereotypes were outlandish and stupid. But now that you say that I see how it can be used negatively and be harmful.

[ahmed-jpt]

Hetalia

Hetalia was really interesting to watch. It was indeed weird but I actually enjoyed it. It kind of took us through world history but made it humorous and satirical. The show used these personified countries to shed light on the complex history that took place between these countries. I would say it focused on Japan and its historical relationships with other nations while stereotyping them as well. I found it cool how Hetalia used comedy to showcase serious issues like war and nations. 

Hetalia shows us all the cultural misunderstandings that take place and how big some of these conflicts are. It does emphasize that every country has its challenges even though some might seem greater than others. I can’t help but wonder if this comedic approach Hetalia takes has made some people mad. If it made them think that they were making fun of suffering that took place in dark history. They talked about some very sensitive topics like World War II through these satirical jokes which is usually not appreciated. Hetalia also critiqued nationalism and cultural stereotypes which I thought was important. In our world, we humans kind of categorize each country by these stereotypes we have in mind. From media or word of mouth, we sometimes assume a country is in some sort of way which is completely false. We wouldn’t know until we actually visit the country and to most surprise, it will most likely be nothing like those crazy stereotypes. Especially in Japan, knowing what to say about national pride is super serious. 

I was thinking about how I learned about history in school while watching this. The humorous way they told each instance was honestly a great learning tool to understand the bigger issue at hand. It may get some heat for presenting issues in that way but I thought it was unique and quite enjoyable. 

[robian]

Your Name

One of my all time favorite anime films for sure. Every time someone who doesn't watch anime asks me for a recc I always say "Your Name" which has also led me to watch this film like 4 different times. I was going to watch it again for this class, but honestly I can remember most of the movie by now from memory except, ironically, their names apparently because I'm sooo bad at remembering names😭. Also this movie definetly has the best plot twist of all time, gives me chills. Alright time to stop yapping about my love for this film and get to analyzing!

Some interesting information is that Makoto Shinkai was largely inspired by the events of the 2011 earthquake in Japan. Many people suffered and lost there lives. Makoto felt completely powerless and felt as if there was no way he could help these people. This led to him starting to portray disasters in his films such as Your Name, Weathering Away With You, and Suzume. Disasters seem to happen more frequently than ever and he wanted to do his best to "explore and face disasters that are only possible through anime and entertainment".

Okay the next theme people often think about when watching this movie is the red thread of fate which is a reference to old Asian Myth. Basically two people are fated to be together no matter what. Even though the main characters are seperated by time and space they are still pulled towards one another. But I'm going to hard disagree even if theres some obvious references to the thread of fate (I mean Mitsuha literally wears the red string of fate😭).

I think the movie is about destiny rather than fate. Now you may be asking "arent destiny and fate synonymous?" In contemporary english they might as well be but if you're as picky as me technically they aren't. Fate implies a predetermined outcome while destiny implies personal contribution to the outcome. The word "fate" originates from the latin word "fatum" which means "has been spoken". It implies an outside force predeterming an event. Destiny comes from the latin word "destinare" which means to "establishing or make firm". You pave the way to your own destiny. I say "Your Name" is a movie about destiny rather than fate because even though they are seperated by space and time, they both put in effort into reaching the movie's outcome. Quite literally they changed Mitsuha's destiny. Honestly, I'm definetly putting way too much thought into this movie and y'all probably think I'm just yapping, but I love this movie so please just give me a pass🙏.

Oh yeah, the movie also has a somewhat romantic theme (tying in with the red string of fate), but honestly I think this movie is so much more than just romance, so I'll spare you and myself from any more writing.

[nickslays05]

Hello Robian! I can see why it's your favorite film. Your Name is a gorgeous film with amazing animation. The plot twist is definitely one of the best ever. It's cool how Shinkai drew inspiration from the 2011 earthquake—adds so much depth to the story. The red thread of fate is a fascinating theme, and I get your point about destiny vs. fate. They definitely put effort into changing their outcomes, which makes the story even more compelling. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and no worries about yapping, this movie was amazing. Great Analysis!

[ahmed-jpt]

Your Name was a great film I agree. I found the most interesting thing to be is that the movie took inspiration from Japans real 2011 earthquake. It educated people on this unfortunate situation that happened. The red thread of fate was super interesting as well. When reading that it reminds me of the invisible string theory which I guess is the same theroy just in America.

[ahmed-jpt]

Your Name

Your Name was a great film. I liked the romance with the serious mixture for a film. It kept me engaged throughout. It explores many themes through the story of Taki and Mitsuha, two teenagers who begin to swap bodies. This swapping helped them see life from a different perspective and understand others.  

After their switch, Taki begins to explore Mitsuha’s life. It is completely different from his normal city life. Mitusha lived in a rural village while Taki lived in the busy life of Tokyo. They both come to see how difficult but beautiful each other's lives are. There is not just one way of living. Their environments are complete opposites. I believe this body-swapping scenario has a bigger meaning, especially in Japan. I believe it reflects the growing divide between urban and rural life. The film does a wonderful job of illustrating these two cultures and social dividends and despite how different they are, shows that each way of living has meaning and purpose.   What I loved the most about Your Name is how it showcased the human desire for wanting to belong and connect with others. In today’s world, most interactions are done digitally and aren’t real.  Taki and Mitsuha’s quest to find each other was beautiful. It shows that people still want to have genuine and authentic relationships. This theme is a global issue that almost everyone deals with. It’s hard to form real connections in an increasingly digital world.  

The film also had a comet strike that hit. This can be seen as a relation to Japan’s natural disasters that destroyed their city. Like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. These natural disasters remind us that life is not guaranteed and everything you have can flip in a second. They had each other to help in this time of mishap. 

[mochicrackersss]

Blog Post - The End of Evangelion ᯓᡣ𐭩‧₊˚ ⊹

I followed Neon Genesis Evangelion pretty well despite skipping a lot of episodes. The show was confusing, sure, but it posed a lot of interesting philosophical themes of self-hatred and fascinatingly illustrated biblical imagery. I even thought the ending of the original show was sweet despite its suddenness. I felt the characters deserved to learn to love themselves after the hardship they went through.

HOWEVER! The End of Evangelion movie confused the shit out of me! I thought the show was done? Does this take place after his self-love revelation in the last episode or before??? If so, why is Shinji now going insane again??? WHY DID SHINJI DO THAT IN FRONT OF ASUKA'S UNCONSCIOUS BODY IN THE HOSPITAL?????? WHY ARE A BUNCH OF ADULTS SEXUALLY HARASSING KIDS???????? (Insert defeated Shinji leaning over chair image here...) I just truly feel like I missed something here. I still don't understand what "The Promised Day" means, who Rei and her clones are in relation to Shinji's mom, why those black armored soldiers are attacking Nav HQ, or why Asuka and her Evangelion are going berserk.

I don't know... I feel like the original show put a lot of care into showing their characters' flaws, but also demonstrating that these flawed people were born from their terrible environment. Therefore, if they could accept their wrongdoings or learn to love themselves and others, they deserve to live peacefully. So is the movie trying to take back their claim or show the other side of reality? Is it saying sometimes despite bad environments, bad people don't try to change? Because End of Evangelion made a lot of their characters into suddenly shitty, violent people. It's fine to have those kinds of characters, but not so suddenly with no buildup. But that's just me, and like I mentioned, maybe I missed said buildup in the show.

At least those white, angel-like Evangelions are pretty cool design-wise. I have no idea where they came from, but I like their wings and hoverboard swords.

[ahmed-jpt]

I totally get your confusion. The shift from the show's original ending which we though was over to this intense ending was crazy. It seems to explore the characters' psyches even deeper. Showing their vulnerabilities even more. Shinji's actions really showed how extreme mental health can get. It is a lot of pressure on someone. It's sad that so many young people go through this. I also agree that Evangelions have amazing visuals.

[ahmed-jpt]

The End of Evangelion

Having watched Neon Genesis Evangelion, I was awaiting The End of Evangelion for some much-needed clarity, but it didn’t do a good job of that and instead left me with more questions. I just accepted the fact that I’ll focus on the themes of this series instead. The film delves even deeper into the mental health struggles of the characters, particularly Shinji.  As we talked about in our previous blogs, mental health is often suppressed by individuals as this is what society expects. The End of Evangelion confronts this head-on. It depicts characters with extreme mental anguish that we haven’t seen before. Shinji slowly turned crazy, Asuka kept on fighting for self-worth, and Misato was still dealing with complex relationships. These all reflect the idea that they should just hide their emotions but in doing so have turned crazy and had some devastating effects on their selves. These themes are globally relevant, as mental health issues are universal concerns. 

The film left us thinking if everything was in Shinji's mind or if was he experiencing this. It made us wonder if all these scenarios were made up or if he struggling within himself. The blurring of reality and imagination mirrors the confusion that comes with severe mental health crises. This portrayal was extremely important for viewers to see. It highlights what mental health struggles do to one. The film's exploration of existential questions is a real concern many people deal with. 

Similar to how Shinji grapples with his purpose and identity, many people around the world do the same. The film doesn't provide clear answers, which is an important detail because it reflects that everyone goes through their struggle and there is not one way to resolve it. They just have to go on their journey to fix it, even if it takes a while. But what is important is that they communicate and actively try to help themselves out.  

[julietv09]

Neon Genesis Evangelion Pt.2

I thought I understood why the Evangelion worked, but part 2 of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” really confused me. I did not understand how the Evangelion went rogue and seemed like an angel at times. These episodes in part 2 were definitely more confusing and complex.

In part 2, we can see the mental health of the pilots decay slowly. When Shinji gets stuck in the shadow, we can see him start to spiral about his father and mother. His panic was due to being alone in his own thoughts, but he was able to overcome these mental blocks and break through the orb.

Episode 26 really confused me. I am not sure if it is because we skipped episodes or if it was just confusing in general. It just flashed between reality or an alternate universe. I understand it was Shinji’s thoughts but I could not tell when it became real or if any of it was real.

In the last episode, he is thinking about his feelings and we can see the different characters telling him how he should feel. It was kinda like the angel and the devil on your shoulder analogy. It also showed how Shinji was not the only one struggling mentally. This need to have someone understand you is why Shinji so easily trusted the undercover angel. He felt a connection and needed someone to lean on. Each character had some reason to why they we not happy and I believe this is why they were chosen to pilot the Evangelion. The pilots need a purpose and piloting the Evangelion is what gives them that sense of life. Becoming a pilot, gave each of them something to be motivated by and work hard for.

To reiterate, I am not sure what really happened in the last episode and hopefully “The End of Evangelion” further explains what is happening.

[ahmed-jpt]

I agree, I kinda gave up on focusing on the storyline and just took in the themes at hand which as you mentioned was the mental health of men. I really liked your second paragraph. That is a perfect example of why mental health is so important. Shinji out of nowhere started to panic and spiral. If he took care of his mental heath, he could've better controlled this. It's a shame that men's mental health is often overlooked but there needs to be a change.

[ahmed-jpt]

Neon Genesis Evangelion Part 2

Part 2 of Neon Genesis Evangelion delves into the same issues of mental health of its characters. However, we witness the deterioration of their health on a bigger scale, particularly the Eva pilots, and it’s sad to watch their struggles. The immense pressures faced by young people and the devastating effects these pressures can have on mental health are again emphasized and something we see all around the world.  

What we notice in these later episodes is that Evangelion challenges the norm of men being strong and stoic by exposing the raw, unfiltered emotional states of its characters. Ryoji Kaji, for example, starts as the epitome of what a man should be like. Confident and brash but as more stress comes his way, he starts to unravel. He starts to open up and reveal some of his biggest insecurities and trauma. This behavior is not normal for men at all, or at least for what men are supposed to be like. It completely challenges the notion that men are supposed to suppress all feelings and bottle them up. His decline is painful to watch but incredibly powerful. It shows that these societal pressures and personal trauma can lead to a mental breakdown. It is important to see that Rei Ayanami's sense of identity, and Kaworu Nagisa's reflections on existence, all contribute to a narrative that normalizes mental health struggles. That man should have help when needed. Each character experienced turmoil and was just trying to find their purpose in life. 

As I mentioned before, every guy goes through this. They believe the ideal man should not be showing emotions and have to put on this strong man act all the time when in reality it is not healthy. It is important to open up and share your feelings. Evangelion did a great job of depicting this. 

[julietv09]

Neon Genesis Evangelion Pt. 1

When I began watching “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, I originally thought it was going to be like “Mobile Suit Gundam”. Although they have similarities, “Neon Genesis Evangelion” does not entirely focus on a war. The storyline of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” explains the stigma around masculinity and men’s mental health.

As young boys, men are taught to suppress their feelings. This misconception is drilled into their way of thinking from early on. The anime portrays this by showing the little care everyone had about Shinji’s feeling towards his father. He resented his father as his father had “no use” of him, so he abandoned Shinji three years prior.

Once his father had no one else to pilot the Eva, Shinji finally was of use to his father and was able to see him again. Shinji was reluctant at first to help his father with the Eva, but he knew he needed to help. In order to operate the Eva, pilots must sync their mind to the robot. They must be mentally prepared as it takes a lot of strength to operate. We see this as the character Rei fails connecting with Eva and the operators worry what she might have been thinking. Furthermore, we see the difference of treatment between Rei and Shinji. His own father is dismissive and negative towards him, but with Rei it is apparent he has a soft spot for her. The father’s care for Rei is shown when a malfunction happens and the father burns his hands to open the pod Rei was in. On the other hand, anytime Shinji gets hurt when in battle, he wakes up in a bed alone. This just shows the idea that men are supposed to be stronger than women.

Overall, I am interested in watching more and seeing how both Shinji and Rei continue to operate the Eva.

[ahmed-jpt]

Great blog. I wrote about the same exact thing, about how men's feelings are often undermined and overlooked. The suppression of men's mental health is a serious issue, all around the world. There is not enough recognition for this brutal circumstance. I love your example of Shinji's feelings towards his father. It accurately represents how men suppress their feelings.

[ahmed-jpt]

Neon Genesis Evangelion P.1

Neon Genesis Evangelion was similar to mobile suit gundam but it goes much further than just some mecha battles. It talks about the deep psychological and societal issues, especially on men. I loved how the anime addressed themes of masculinity and mental health, both can be seen in Japanese culture and on a global scale. The struggles faced by Shinji Ikari show all the hard pressures and expectations placed on men. I know particularly in Japanese society, stoicism and emotional suppression are often emphasized and unfortunately, this is a common thought in all men.  

There’s a significant cultural expectation for men to be strong and emotionally reserved. Evangelion faces these by portraying Shinji as a more vulnerable and fearful male teenager. There were multiple instances like when he refused to pilot the Eva and when he battled himself with his identity that mirror the realities of men's mental health issues. Mental health struggles experienced by men are not talked about nearly enough but are seen everywhere.  I know many men who can relate to these feelings. Almost all men are often pressured to meet societal expectations of what it means to be "manly." Shinji’s emotional turmoil can validate many men's feelings. A lot of men struggle with their mental health and it is important to address those issues.  

These feelings are not only seen by Shinji; other characters like Gendo Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa also offer different perspectives on masculinity. Gendo's demeanor is very cold and is what the typical man's feelings are thought to be. It represents the consequences of emotional repression, while Kaworu's openness is the complete opposite. These different emotions challenge the idea that men should follow this one way of being.  Overall, I liked Neon Genesis Evangelion. It did an amazing job of exploring masculinity and mental health. It reminds men that it is okay to have emotions. 

[pari-patel]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Blog Post

I appreciate how this deviated from what we have been writing about in our past blogs, but I’m still not a fan of it. It does offer an immersive experience that tackles important environmental issues, but it just didn’t engage me or catch my attention much. This game presents a narrative that resonates with both Japanese cultural concerns and global environmental ones. Set in a world where Earth has been destroyed, it reflects the vulnerability of natural disasters and the chaos that technological advancements bring. It aims for a balance between that and environmental preservation. The narrative connects to climate change and degradation which incites players to consider their own actions on the planet they live, making this both a global and native concern. Furthermore, it elicits that degradation drives human ingenuity for environmental restoration.

Personally, the themes of this game related to my own experiences of being raised in a world where technological progression has outstripped and overshadowed environmental considerations constantly. It further sheds light and is a reminder to prioritize ecological importance and restoration, furthering reducing out environmental footprint and helping better preserve and restore our planet. Through witnessing the impacts of climate change first hand, I advocate for more sustainable practices and, as mentioned in my previous blog post, that is mainly done through participating in annual walk-a-thons and even spreading awareness locally in campus. This further connects to the readings by navigating human relationships with natural ones and the need to recognize both aspects as an integral part of a system. They are not separate entities, but, instead, need each other to facilitate restorative acts and encourage individuals to preserve the planet for future generations to come. It highlights how human and ecological restoration must go hand in hand and that one thing cannot happen without the other supporting it. This is a little different than the Nausicaa Blog Post since that one relied on the planet to restore itself overtime, but this one relies more so on humans and the plant collectively.

[ahmed-jpt]

Hi Pari. I know you didn't like this type of game but I kind of enjoyed it. It was a different pace from our other world. I agree with your points. I made my whole blog around that main idea where human relationships are so important to rehabilitate the earth. Humans and the earth need to work together in a symbiotic relationship in order to restore it.Even though the natural disasters are unavoidable, humans can still take movements that will fix the world.

[ahmed-jpt]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

I found this assignment interesting. Instead of a normal anime, we watched a video game cutscene. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was a cool adventure. Its visuals were amazing and it is more than just an RPG.   The game’s protagonists, Rex and Pyra, are humanity's last hope. They both battle with a sense of purpose for their future. The game’s narrative is set in a post-apocalyptic world, which follows along with this module's concerns about global environmental challenges. The game shows a planet ravaged by natural disasters and very advanced technology. It undermines preservation but continues to progress.  These concerns can be seen in our own lives. We keep advancing technologically and coming out with new gadgets, however, how much are we focusing on saving our planet? While it looks like we try our best there is more that can be done. And if we continue on this path, who knows how much longer until our world will look like Xenoblade? The game's portrayal of a world striving to recover from ecological collapse is a powerful reminder of our responsibility to safeguard our environment. 

Our time right now technological progress often overshadows environmental considerations. We are neglecting our planet right this second. We need to reduce our environmental footprint and engage in efforts to preserve and heal our planet. I believe Xenoblade Chronicles 2 emphasizes that human ingenuity must work to preserve our Earth. Restoration efforts require a collaborative approach, where both humans and the environment play roles. This game reminds me of Nausicaa but the game’s narrative differs from the themes in Nausicaa, which focused more on the planet’s ability to self-heal. Xenoblade focuses on how it needs humans to help the self-healing process. And the game's advanced technology is saying that we need to use all the technology we have invented to start healing the world. We need to focus more on preservation than continuing progression otherwise we might not have a world to progress on. 

[mochicrackersss]

Blog Post - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind ᯓᡣ𐭩‧₊˚ ⊹

I have very fond memories of watching Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind last year. During my and Dad's flight to Japan last summer, we downloaded all the Ghibli films we hadn't watched in preparation for the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. Going to Japan, but ESPECIALLY the Ghibli Museum was on my bucket list for so long because I'm such a huge fan of Ghibli, so I wanted to make sure I could enjoy every bit of it! And I'm glad I did, as I don't know why I never watched Nausicaä until then. Not only is it (kind of) the studio's first release (since technically it was created and directed by Hayao Miyazaki even though the studio was founded after its release), but it's also just a beautiful animated story that holds up great even today.

During my second watch, I noticed Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind has a similar setting and tone to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Both stories are set in this post-apocalyptic world populated with monstrous, alien creatures. Although, it seems Nausicaä's world is more far gone than Evangelion's. The air is barely breathable due to the spore-like infection covering almost every inch of the Earth, and massive insects that could crush any remaining human civilizations. However, unlike the Tokyo-3 citizens, Nausicaä stresses to her people that cohabitation with insects and humans is possible. If anything, similar to Evangelion, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind illustrates that humans are the root cause of violence and destruction. The soil and water were polluted by the wars thousands of years ago, which caused the air to be unbreathable, all the plants to be lethal and the toxic jungles to grow.

Side note, I absolutely love the music for this movie. Joe Hisaishi ate so hard with the 8-bit synthesized fantasy score, it tickles my brain so well.

[ahmed-jpt]

Hello! I've heard about the Ghibli Museum so you getting be able to visit it is so cool. I like How you compared Nausicaa and Evangelion. Both in this module are focused on the the environment and the damage being done to it. Humans have been doing a horrible job destroying the Earth and this relates in the real world. It is the same problems.

[ahmed-jpt]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was set in a post-apocalyptic world consisting of fantastical elements. It touches on many urgent, very real issues.  These themes and issues in "Nausicaä" are relevant globally. Climate change, deforestation, and pollution are all major issues worldwide. There are so many parallels between this film and real life. For example, the Amazon rainforest fires, the melting polar ice caps, and the effects of plastic pollution are all relevant to this. The air is barely breathable in Nausicaa because of the spore-like infection that covers Earth. This is like air pollution. Nausicaä’s journey through the toxic jungle mimics this as she tries to find out what she can do to better the environment. Japan struggles a lot with air pollution.  

I liked Nausica’s character. She was so brave and wise and thought about her environment. She loved the world, so she wanted to make sure it was healthy. It made me think about caring for our environment more. It is easy to become disconnected from the environment, but it reminded me that we should appreciate it more.   A big message I believe this film is trying to communicate is that humans are the root cause of the destruction of our world. The world Nausicaa lives in is way beyond saving and this is a direct cause of the soil and water being polluted by all the wars the earth has been through. It has caused an Earth that is not liveable and I believe it is trying to send a message to us in the real world that if we keep up the pace we are going, Our Earth will turn out just like that. We have to think like Nausicaa and start to appreciate the world more. By recycling and being mindful of our environment we can do just that. 

[robian]

Wandering Son

Honestly, at first I thought this anime was a comment on discrimination against transgender people. However, by the end of the show, I think the anime was more of a comment on cross-dressing. Either way, the discrimination portrayed could easily be applied to either one because most people can't differentiate between the two. Most people, if they saw a bio male in a dress, would automatically jump to the conclusion that the person was transgender.

I thought it was interesting how the anime portrayed the contrast between male and female cross-dressers. Women can pretty much easily get away with dressing as a man, but if a dude were to wear a skirt (unless you're about to whip out the bagpipes), people would judge him. My personal thoughts on the cause of this is that women tend to be more fashionable in general, so a woman dressing as a man could just be seen as fashion.

The anime makes a pretty clear statement that society frowns upon men to women cross-dressing. What I think is interesting is how we've applied gender labels to so many things. Even the color pink is seen as girly. Personally, as a dude, I love the color pink. Society, from a young age, conditions us to like certain things. Boys are given toys different from girls, they're dressed in different clothing, etc. There's nothing biologically that implies a guy can't like wearing a skirt. It's all psychological conditioning.

I wonder if transgender people feel that they were born into the wrong body because their interests happened to align with the opposite gender's. gender and sex are fundamentally different after all. One is based on psychological aspects while the other is based on biological aspects. In my opinion, theres actually nothing psychologically wrong with transgender people at all, rather, it's society assigning labels that's the problem.

Society is wrong for discriminating these people just because they don't fall under it's standards. Just let people like what they like. If it isn't hurting anyone, then what business do you have with them. To all my homies out there, if you wanna go dress up as a woman, go do it. To all the ladies out there, if you wanna dress up as dude, go do it. Who cares what society thinks, cause it's all BS anyways.

p.s. if you disagree or feel strongly about any of the things I said just know I don't read any of yalls reposts, but feel free to criticize🙏

[ahmed-jpt]

I found your thoughts on Wandering Son very interesting. This anime definitely showcases society's double standards when it comes to gender expression. Your point about the psychological conditioning from a young age is spot on. Its hard living in societal norms that don't leave room for much outside of it. How can one be truly happy if they can't express themselves. It’s time society moves beyond superficial judgments and embraces individuality. Thanks for sharing your perspective!

[ahmed-jpt]

Wandering Son

Wandering Son dug deep into the issues of gender identity and the struggles faced by transgender individuals. The anime is about the journey of Shuichi Nitori and Yoshino Takatsuki as they try to be themselves but have to deal with conflicts from others and within themselves. 

There is always a lot of controversy surrounding gender norms. In Japan, thoughts about these ideas are still pretty strict. Wandering Son addresses the challenges of growing up transgender. It shows how hard it is for these people to fit into societal expectations and how they normally just feel the pressure to conform. The struggle for acceptance or the fear of being misunderstood is an issue that we see as globally relevant. The journey to self-acceptance is something many people around the world can relate to. Wandering son helps create an inclusive feeling and perspective on gender identity. Relating Wandering Son to my own life, I find it deeply moving. Although I do not personally identify as transgender, watching the characters' struggles made me feel for anyone who is going through a similar feeling. It made me reflect on my own experiences of feeling different and trying to find my place in the world. The way the anime shows friendship and support is very important as well. It is so important to have supportive people behind your back who can push you through hard times in your life.  

A cool aspect I wanted to touch on about Wandering Son is how the storytelling was. The show was so gentle and showed the characters with such respect. It was hard to not like the characters or feel for them. All their experiences were presented in a way that can feel relatable and not in a way that forced you to feel shocked or considerate towards them. I think this way lets viewers connect to the characters out of their feelings instead of forcing it. 

[mcdouble28]

Sailor Moon

While Sailor Moon has a special place in my heart, watching it again made me realize that even though it has themes of girl power and feminism, it also promotes ideas that are harmful to women. There are many episodes that have some questionable plots, such as episode four that we watched for class. Usagi is worried about gaining weight, even though she’s literally in middle school and shouldn’t be worrying about that. Naru and the other girls in their class are literally willing to sacrifice their well-being to lose weight. They also show before and after pictures of their teacher, and she went from skinny to borderline unhealthy. It’s great that the girls are exercising, but they are doing it for the wrong reasons. Also why does Ueno have pictures of his teacher in workout clothes??? 

Sailor Moon also ties into the readings. Like in the reading by Newsom, girl power shown in Sailor Moon is limited by femininity. While I do love the sparkly superpowers the heroines have, they never physically fight anyone or actually get injured. I'd love to see them punch or kick their enemies, or maybe get a cut or two sometimes. I also dislike how easily Usagi is influenced by male input, such as when she only quits her diet after Motoki says he like “curvy” girls. With all of that said, it is nice to see Sailor Moon and the other Sailor Guardians defeat bad guys while still being feminine. It is a very inspiring show, and I love how it balances the girls’ everyday lives with their crime fighting scenes.  

I relate to Sailor Moon. Her interests like playing video games and eating snacks are very similar to mine. I think each of the sailor guardians has something relatable about them, and that’s why this show is such as classic.  

[ahmed-jpt]

I really like how you touched on the ideas that are harmful to women. While the show seems like it is empowering them and uplifting them, It does still all come back to those harmful ideas that fill women's heads up. Like you said, episode 4 emphasizes on a women body and I know many girls struggle with their body dysmorphia. All girls want to be super thin and that episode definitely went against empowering women. Great analysis on that part.