Calvin's Ramblings

[justagirlwithaclassblog]

Perfect Blue

“How do you know that the person you were one second ago, is the same person that you are right now?” 

                                                                                                   – Eri Ochiai

Perfect Blue is a film that explores the dark side of fame through Mima, a former pop idol and aspiring actress. The film particularly delves into the toll fame and its dark side has on one’s psyche.

The film relates to the real world and everyday life because at one point or another most people want to be famous or at least consider what it is like; however, most people only think about the positives like the glory and the benefits that come with it. The thing that most people seem to forget is the numerous sacrifices made to reach the level of esteem they desire and dream for. People sacrifice their mental (and somethings even physical) health, their body and dignity, their privacy, and even their right to choose for this social status. Everything they do is always being judged and inevitably will end up letting some people down, even their selves at some points. 

The film also illuminated on the dark side of the super fan turned stalker, reminding me of Pyscho-Pass. In Pyscho-Pass, the superfan had idolized versions of different internet idols and posed as them online, killing them when they deviated from his perfect image of them. In Perfect Blue, the superfan, Mr. Me-Mania has the perfect image of the Mima, the pop idol. Therefore, when she starts to break away from that image to become a serious actress, he tries to save her by following the request of the “real Mima” aka Rumi’s alter pop idol Mima, trying to kill the imposter, the one who allowed for her defiling. In fact, their delusional way of thinking leads them to believe that they are their beloved stars’ saving grace and truly know the real them. Thus, they take drastic measures to save them. This relates to real life, as there are a multitude of fans who would do anything for their precious idol and the image of them they have. Sometimes these obsessed fans fo a little too far become stalkers or even end up killing (or plan to) the idol. For example, something similar to the Perfect Blue would be in 2009 when Beyonce received threatening letters from a man who was convinced she was an impostor who killed the real Queen Bey and took over the real star’s life.

[cyang2000]

Perfect Blue is definitely horrifyingly realistic in its portrayal of the stalkers and superfans that plagued Mima. People are unable to change their perception of a pop icon to a perception of an actual person, instead idolizing them and viewing them as objects instead of real people. This issue is even more prevalent today than it was when Perfect Blue came out, so it’s interesting how accurate it was in its portrayal.

[cyang2000]

Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue was a film that I’ve heard many good things about, and it really delivered. As my first Satoshi Kon work, Perfect Blue weaves together a narrative of reality and fantasy perfectly with Mima’s ordeal following her career change. Despite taking place in the early days of the internet, one of the things that I think Perfect Blue does amazingly is how it portrays Mima’s online and public identity being dissociated with the real Mima. 

Mima’s Room as a website displays how celebrities today use social media as a window into one’s private life. In Mima’s case, her portrayal online as a dazzling popstar begins to interfere with her life as a rookie actress. The sequence when she starts becoming delusional and losing the ability to distinguish between the fiction of the show and her reality was extremely captivating, and it through it we saw how these dissociations can occur. The stalker, while not the root of Mima’s issues, does represent the rabid fans that stalk and intrude on the private lives of celebrities, in part fueled by the image that celebrities portray. It’s really similar to the actions of sasaeng fans in the K-pop industry. Perfect Blue shows the damaging effect that an online persona can have on the individual.

[emilyanimeted]

Death Parade

I loved this anime so much! I ended up binge watching the entire series yesterday so this post will definitely have spoilers for more than just the episodes we were supposed to watch. I actually thought the chosen episodes would have been a good depiction of the show but i got hooked. Every episode had some sort of moral dilemma and i found myself pausing the episode just so i could think about what was happening. A lot of the show seemed to be centered on making decisions without emotion and by the end even Decim himself began to realize this was flawed. In the end, the conclusion seems to be that objective judgments are incapable of making decisions about subjective matters. It seems that Decim may make changes, as he finally begins to get a taste of human emotions, but we aren’t shown how these changes in the judgment process are implemented. 

I accidentally read some other people’s posts before starting mine, but I saw that somebody else noticed that Decim is mostly black and white, even his hair. They compared this to how he views people’s situations as being black or white, with no room for bad in anybody who deserves to be reincarnated. This resulted in some questionable decisions. In episode 4 (which we weren’t assigned), Decim ends up sending a victim of abuse to the void because she ended up being abusive herself. He didn’t consider the fact that her violent tendencies could be the result of her mistreatment throughout the life, and did not consider that she was passionate about caring for her children. This also resulted in a mistake in the first episode where he actually believed something one of the visitors said because he did not understand her emotions enough to know she was not telling the truth. When he uses his objective reasoning to consider a subjective subject, Decim often fails to understand the motivation and thoughts of the people he is observing.

Also, I wish the main character could have stayed with Decim and helped with the decisions forever, I was actually really sad when she had to like,, go actually be dead.

[cyang2000]

I think Decim’s growth is meant to be slow, but even with emotions, the subjective judgements that Decim makes aren’t always what other people would agree with. That issue is one that can plague justice systems worldwide, but in those cases they have codified law. There’s not really a codified law for morality that Decim can use to apply judgement, so the arbiters try to bring out the darkness in people by coaxing them through the games. Chiyuki points out that their tactics might be creating darkness, so there’s not really a clear solution as to how to perfectly judge people in Death Parade.

[cyang2000]

Death Parade

Death Parade tells a very deep and moving story despite its very cheerful opening song. It’s been a while since I first watching it, but after rewatching it I think I can better appreciate some of the themes of morality and emotion that it delivers.

One of the things that Death Parade really got me to think about is how humans should be judged. There’s not really any moral basis for what is good or bad despite what humans themselves have decided. That’s why the arbiters purposefully lacking human emotion does seem to be a flaw. Decim made a mistake in the first episode when he failed to consider Machiko’s emotions in the first episode. Machiko’s outburst was likely an act, but because Decim took her words at face value, he decided to send her to the void instead of Takashi. I don’t think there’s necessarily a right or wrong answer on where each person is sentenced to go in Death Parade. Having only two choices only restricts the range of human action and emotion into only a black and white choice when the truth is always much more gray. In episode 9, it’s assumed that both participants were sent to the void, but both followed their own standards of morality through their murders. 

Another thing that Death Parade doesn’t really address that I wish it did is that it seems that those who have good fulfilling lives and are good at heart go to be reincarnated, while those bearing sins are cast to the void. Is being reincarnated always a good thing? In Buddhism, the main goal is to break the cycle of reincarnation to achieve Nirvana, but Death Parade says that the end of the cycle is void. There’s a lot more that I think Death Parade could’ve explored with its world and themes that was limited by its runtime. If there was a spiritual successor that tackled similar questions, I would love to see it.

[ian--yu]

4/17 - Violet Evergarden (ep. 1, OVA, 9, 10)

Like many of the other anime we’ve watched, Violet Evergarden deals with the effects of war on people, mainly on the grief and suffering. The title character, Violet, is introduced as a girl who has been used as a tool for war since childhood, now struggling to adapt to civilian life and her human emotions. One thing that struck me was her disregard for her own life before and after her transition to a more human life. In episode 1, Violet asks Hodgins to dispose of her now that she was too injured to fight, seeing herself as only a weapon of war, while In episode 9, she tries to take her own life after realizing the pain she caused for the loved ones she killed. Both no emotion and too much emotion can be dangerous, but as the anime points out, all one can do is to try to make other lives better and it will have as permanent effect as past wrongdoings. 

The scene of Violet reading all the undelivered letters in the OVA reminded me of a short story I read in high school, “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, in which Bartleby “would prefer not to” do anything, eventually leading to his death in starvation, which was explained by his past job in a dead letter office. While just words on paper, they show the complexity of emotions, and that much unacknowledged emotion can definitely be depressing. However, upon reading all the undelivered letters, Violet is able create an emotive work and share the grief caused by war, rather than succumbing to depression, further emphasizing the idea of turning pain into something good for all.

Also, the name of the occupation of Violet and others in the postal company, Auto Memory Doll, seems a bit confusing to me, as they are very much humans, needing to understand the emotions of their clients to do their job. Perhaps the word “doll” references the fact that they need to only concern themselves with the emotions of their clients, disregarding their own emotions despite the heavy feelings that they have to constantly work with.

[cyang2000]

Violet Evergarden’s commentary on how war affects people is really relevant to a lot that we discussed in class. I’ve never heard of the Bartleby story before, but it sounds really similar to Violet at the beginning of the show. With no orders, she believes that she had no purpose and was willing to be thrown away somewhere to die. You thoughts on what the meaning of Auto Memory Doll is also interesting. I think there’s some story reason to how they were made, but I imagine it’s kind of the reverse of how computers were named. Computers were originally just people who did computations, but now it’s the machines that do it. 

[cyang2000]

4/17 Violet Evergarden

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Violet Evergarden while it was airing, and watching it again is a treat. Violet Evergarden is not only just visually stunning, but it tells a thoughtful story of how war affects everyone, even after it’s over. As a soldier for her entire childhood, Violet never learned what it means to be a human and live a normal life, acting only like a tool that belonged to the military. Hodgins in episode 1 says that she is burning but she doesn’t realize it. All of  the lives she’s taken in war eventually come back to haunt her when she realizes her own humanity and the extent of the lives she’s taken. 

The best part of Violet Evergarden is how Violet herself develops as she works with others through her job as an Auto Memory Doll. Initially emotionless, thinking of herself merely as a tool, when Violet starts listening to the letters and emotions that other people want in their letters, Violet herself slowly starts empathizing more and more. Violet yearns for this because it’s one of her last connections to Gilbert, as she initially didn’t understand what his “I love you.” meant. Violet eventually becomes someone who can confidently convey the emotions of others into her letters, and it’s a satisfying process to behold. It really benefits from the semi-episodic structure that the story presents itself in.

I haven’t seen the OVA before, but it was a great addition to the show. Irma’s desire to move on from the war resonates well with Violet’s character, and Violet’s letter helps Irma move on from her loss due to the war. I think Violet Evergarden is ultimately a story of how emotion is conveyed between people, through stories, letters, and speech, all these come together to help Violet understand the meaning of love.

[maxs-animoo]

Sensoron

This manga sure knows how to be quite controversial. From the second the whole pooping fiasco finished it was clear the direction this manga was going to take. And that direction would be the radical nationalistic one.

For a manga published in 1998 it portrays an extremely dated viewpoint on wartime Japan and on the events that occured during WWII. Kobayashi rants about how Japan has been brainwashed by America and this brainwashing is still instilled in them to this day. He claims that America and other nations unrightfully took Japanese generals and such to court after the war and they framed all of the bad actions on Japan. I think that this topic in and of itself is very debatable and even though I have learned about all of the history before I don’t really know what conclusion I should come to. On one hand it is true that Japanese generals took a big hit from the war, however, on the other hand these generals had done horrible things regardless of whether or not Kobayashi wants to admit it. Both Korea and China were abused by Japan whether it be comfort women or the rape of Nanking there is clear history to tell us this. Kobayashi attempts to deny the severity of Nanking as well as put down the victims of Japanese occupation with his trivial evidence. I think that Kobayashi is trying to stir even more hate for China and Korea within Japanese society by putting these ideas out there. 

Also back to the brainwashing thing. I think that regardless of whether or not America impacted Japan with their politics and occupation following WWII, America did good for Japan. The Japanese Government were the ones perpetuating the war longer than it needed to be. The likelihood of success continually diminished yet they dragged on the war and inflicted suffering upon the average citizen. They literally brought their country down just an attempt to keep their pride. Obviously America utilized a very severe end game in order to put an end to the war. I don’t know if I can say that this was justified simply because we don’t know how many more lives would’ve been lost if the war continued.

 I don’t want to say that America is directly responsible for how Japan has become today. Our occupation (in my humble opinion) benefited Japanese society because we changed their governmental structure. If Japan had kept its previous militarinistic(idk how to spell that) structure I think that their society may have progressed to become something similar to North Korea today. Which is why I think it was positive, however, this topic is too hard to debate without introducing opinion into the mix honestly. I just think that if everyone owned up for what was done and stopped pointing fingers it would be better for everyone in the end.

[cyang2000]

Yeah, I think it’s fair to say, but America’s influence in Japan’s postwar reconstruction played apart in their economic boom that defines them today. While the outcome may have been good in Japan, I feel that America does try to force a certain pro democracy narrative in countries that they intervene in around the world, with results that aren’t always as good. Kobayashi seems fixated on this narrative on war, and it feels like he’s trying to stir up the same sentiment that Japan had during the war.

[cyang2000]

4/13 Sensoron

I’ve read a lot of manga, but none have really taken such an inflammatory tone as Kobayashi’s Sensoron. Not just manga, but this is one of the most controversial texts that I’ve read on the subject. Kobayashi holds views that would be heavily frowned upon today, or even when he wrote this manga. It challenges a status quo of “peace” and it seems to want to recite the Japanese national sentiment that led to their imperial conquest pre WWII. 

One thing I agree with Kobayashi upon is how information and evidence is used by those in power to manipulate narratives. Kobayashi does the same thing in Sensoron. By pointing out the “fake” narratives crafted by the US and China during post-war Japan’s reconstruction, he wants to enforce his own narrative that empowers Japanese national sentiment. Whether or not the evidence he tries to point out the Nanjing Massacre as fake really is fake, I think it’s almost certain that some of the gruesome events described by witnesses firsthand occurred. Of course China is going to exaggerate the severity the event to try to control the narrative and gain some power over Japan. Kobayashi takes this to the extreme with his takes on events that occurred. Despite being born in the post-war generation, he desperately tries to cling to this narrative of war that empowers the Japanese people. Perhaps he feels disillusioned with the “brainwashed” postwar generation now that Japan is no longer a major imperial power. Sensoron is an attempt to give power back to Japan following the collapse of the grand narrative of war. Kobayashi himself seems to be personally burdened with the Aum cult which could lead to his fixation of brainwashing techniques. Today, I do think information is manipulated and used by governments to influence the population, but not to the extent that Kobayashi posits. Nevertheless, history is written by the victors, and that is an issue that Kobayashi brings up that the public has to deal with in our modern era.

[shayagain]

Your Name,, aka: Cinematic Masterpiece.

Wow. let me just start by saying Your Name is the single best piece of cinematic art that has ever been produced and I stand by that. This movie was stunning. The art was beautiful, the characters were perfect. Just everything about this movie. I have never felt so touched by a movie. Wow, okay. Let me stop gushing about this movie and start my blog post.

The movie starts with the introduction of two main characters. There are Taki and Mitsuha. The two characters are complete juxtapositions of each other. Mitsuha is more shy and timid and Taki is louder and gets into trouble more. This foil causes disrupt between their actual lives whenever they switch bodies. We see this when Mitshua gets made because Taki is picking fights as her, and when Mitshua tries to help Taki in his love life. He didn’t like that at all.

The most interesting part, however, was the motif of time and being linked together by it. I’m not gonna lie, I was very confused at some points especially when viewers found out that both Taki and Mitsuha were experiencing the same events three years apart. I feel like it shows that time [links everyone together. Time can be manipulated and even changed - we see this with the saving of Mitsuha’s village. I don’t know, It just feels like the movie was trying to tell us that everyone is linked to each other. I also wanted to emphasize the differences between Taki and Mitsuha and how they contrast again. Taki was from the city and Mitsuha was from a rural area where they didn’t even have cafes. She was so mesmerized by the city society and even expressed how much she didn’t like living where she did at the beginning of the movie. The contrast between technology and tradition was so interesting to watch in the movie.

Anyways, these movies cinematography was beautiful and I will say that every day for the rest of my life.

[cyang2000]

I like the points you made about the contrast between technology and tradition, as it’s huge theme in this movie. Taki and Mitsuha represents both, but Your Name shows that both are necessary. The tradition with the strands which linked Taki and Mitsuha together as well as the technology they used to communicate and issue the evacuation order were both essential to saving the town. Both Taki and Mitsuha play off of each other really well, and it was great that they met at the end.

[cyang2000]

4/10 Your Name

Your Name by Shinkai is one of the movies that took a lot of people by surprise. It was a massive blockbuster hit from a director that was not extremely well known like Miyazaki. Your Name tells a fresh romance story through the body switching of the two main characters.

The reading by Foucault was somewhat confusing, but I could tell how it connected to Your Name. Taki and Mitsuha are both adolescents, those lacking power according to Foucault. When they live their lives in each other’s bodies, you can see the efforts they go to do act as their opposite gender. While hard to translate to english, you can see the different pronouns Mitsuha uses in Taki’s body. Mitsuha first uses watashi, which is more feminine. She then progresses through other varying pronouns before using ore, which is a more masculine pronoun in Japanese. 

Another interesting point from their body switching is that actions by both taken in the opposite gender leads to benefits. Mitsuha in Taki’s body lands a date with Okudera, while Taki in Mitsuha’s body is able to confront the students who were bad-mouthing her. Taki’s friend also found him “cute” when Mitsuha was in his body. Your Name doesn’t really show any negative stigmas between the two when they are in each other’s bodies, despite acting more masculine or feminine then how they normally were. In fact, it was thanks to both Taki’s and Mitsuha’s efforts in Mitsuha’s body that was able to evacuate the town before the meteorite struck. 

[twisted-tito]

Hetalia

           I admire the show for being very funny and enjoyable to watch based on all the characters and their stereotypes that are involved with each one of them. I think that by making countries into male fun-loving characters it downplays their role in war and is more geared to the history and making of the allies and their respective nations instead of full on battle and casualties. However, we do see many themes of colonialism and armed conflict at times.

           One of the interesting things I saw is that it didn’t downplay colonialism and how we see many of the characters submit to their superiors. Although it just tells history, it doesn’t show the full picture and context between the relationship the countries. Italy is seen as being subordinate to a very strong and caring Germany. Even the representation of a country has some bias when it comes to show making Germany being attractive and very helpful to Italy’s development. It also shows how biased it, especially how the reading shows how Hetalia received some backlash due to how it portrayed Korea in the show.

           I think the platform for how Hetalia is transmitted through is also very interesting. The fact that the episodes are only 5 minutes long, and that they are fairly new so that they can also be widespread throughout the internet makes it very crucial to what the reading was talking about when it mentioned how through this different medium there was a separation of ideology between the otaku community. The article also focuses on the relationship and community of those in the otaku community and there’s some generational differences which cause many to see what the community is about in a different way. Many people in the community see the online communication and connectivity as the community while others think the conventions are the way to keep in touch with the community.

[cyang2000]

I really like your point about how the shorter episodes could allow for possible spread of Hetalia. It really was a big thing in the otaku community, and that might’ve been part of the reason why. Most popular anime were full length, long running series, so having something shorter and more refreshing would have made it easier to spread to groups of otakus.

[cyang2000]

4/6 Hetalia Axis Powers

I’ve always heard of Hetalia before where all the countries were portrayed as cute guys and it being a typical fujoshi anime. I never expected to watch it myself, but it did fit in line with my expectations.

Annette’s “World Conflict” talks heavily on the subject of fujoshi and Hetalia, including the negative responses to it, such as with Korea. While I don’t personally have any issues with the portrayals of the countries, I can see how some would be offended. Hetalia involves a lot of stereotypes based around the countries woven into their characters. Italy’s portrayal as a food loving pushover would not reflect that favorably for some, albeit he does appear moe. I do feel that characterizing the countries as these characters does wipe away many of the negative aspects of these countries’ histories. While Germany, Italy, and Japan are portrayed as this fun group of friends having fun in a wartime, little is touched on the atrocities largely committed by the fascist regimes of these nations. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however. I think there can be some good about laughing off previous conflicts with a silly show like this, and Hetalia does not demean or belittle specific countries. 

On the topic of fujoshi, I can understand why Hetalia would become massively popular among their community. All of these countries are easily connectable to for anyone who has learned some history and geography. Combine that with typical moe traits, and you have a perfect storm for a sensation like Hetalia.

[dixiesbizarreadventure]

The Xenoblade Chronicles and the Age of the Anthropocene

“The land is the only thing in this world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it’s the only thing that lasts.” 

-Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

I was originally skeptical of this piece, as most video games aren’t particularly my cup of tea, and I wasn’t sure how much context I could garner from a compilation of cutscenes. However, I did feel a flush of relief when I saw the Nintendo logo, and over time became surprisingly invested in The Xenoblade Chronicles, as the concepts were very original. I was curious however, as why they changed some of the names in the subtitles, such as Homura being Pyra. 

We begin by meeting Rex the Scavenger, atop his Gramps. This introduction gives us important exposition, that the land of their world is running out as the titans begin to die off. We can even look in character design to gather an important message of this piece, in how drastically different Rex and Gramps look (besides the fact that one is a boy and the other is a giant dragon-like creature). Rex is young, with a clean face and very vivacious. Gramps is large, and everything about his appearance says ancient, from his voice to the moss growing on him. This is similar to the human race, the species that has only been dominant for a small portion of the Earth’s history. Like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, this piece makes it apparent that mankind must remember its humble place. Humanity can die off, and the planet will keep turning. When all the titans are gone and humanity has no place to live, the cloud sea will still be swirling, and the Age of the Anthropocene will end. 

Gramps is well respected among the adventuring party as an elder. This makes a statement on the place that those with more experience have in society, as well as in the symbolic sense that Rex and company are aware of how dependent they are on Gramps, being self aware of their dependence on things beyond their own species. 

However, like in The Age of the Anthropocene, humans have become aware of this fact a little too late. It seems as though the world of Xenoblade hasn’t made any plans as to what to do when the titans die off, lacking that signature ingenuity and persistence that I believe are humanity’s best traits. They had hundreds of years to create methods of floating islands or some other way of survival, but didn’t. Even The Architect took a back seat to what was going on. 

On the other hand, The Xenoblade Chronicles makes other, more positive statements on the human condition. Despite the fact that he was directly responsible for the death of a comrade, Rex was able to look inside himself and forgive the relentlessly harsh and handsome Malos. Upon his death, Malos even stated that he wished he had met Rex sooner, and things could have been different. Furthermore, themes rightfully glorifying selflessness, seen in the sacrifices of Pyra/Mythra, and Vandham, are present throughout. Traditional morality is seen as a good thing, unique to sentient beings in The Xenoblade Chronicles, and characters are able to think in the context of the greater good, setting an example to the viewer. The difficult moral of putting others’ needs before yours is seen through Poppi’s promise to Pyra, to not fly Rex over to her, no matter how much he begs. She does this, even though it breaks her heart, because it will save so many lives. 

[cyang2000]

Your point on how mankind only recently acquired its dominance is really true. Humanity’s hubris-fueled progress comes at the expense of the environment and their elders, like the Titans. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 does a good job of showing both the good and bad parts of humanity in all of its characters. Many of its characters did in fact have the capacity to do good, even Malos and Amalthus, but their fear and exposure to the negatives of humanity led to their destructive natures.

[cyang2000]

4/3 Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Wow. I had started playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in advance because it was a game I had my eyes on for a while. It was also a great way of spending time during the quarantine. And I got addicted. After 50 hours I only made it to chapter 6, so I had to watch the rest of the cutscenes, but this is definitely a game that I will be finishing in the near future.

One of the best parts of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is how its plot comments on what human nature represents. The world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 features these massive titans which serve as the only landmasses for other forms of life to live on. These titans seem to be divine at first, almost like the Architect that created them, but as the story in the game progresses, we learn about the extent of humanity’s control over the titans which represent the environment. The dying out of the titans and the ensuring struggle for power and land between Mor Ardain and Uraya represent how humanity’s struggle for controlling land and the environment just causes harm to the environment. We see that this slow degradation of the titans is caused by none other than humans themselves, more specifically Indol. By disturbing the natural cycle of life that the Architect created, Indol and Amalthus are able to gain more power. Just like in Cobb’s “Drama of the Anthropocene”, humans alter the environment in order to suit their needs. 

One thing I also enjoyed about the plot of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is how just like how humanity was flawed in Alrest, their creator was flawed too. Klaus’s hubris in searching for a solution to humanity’s problem did lead to the creation of a new generation of humans, but it also meant that its flaws were still there, letting people like Amalthus and his blade Malos desire for the destruction of humanity. Rex eventually proves to Klaus that despite their flaws, humanity still has some good in it, which ultimately leads to the salvation of Alrest.

[cyang2000]

True Otaku

I’ve never been to an anime convention or something similar, so True Otaku gave me really good insight into the goings of an anime convention, namely Otakon. True Otaku also places a large emphasis on cosplay as a medium which western otaku express themselves through at these conventions.

The Otaku in this film, while similar to Japanese otaku found in our texts, do have differences. Western otaku feel much more extroverted at the convention, and usually have some pride to calling themselves as otaku. Historically in Japan, Otaku has had some negative connotations. As we saw in Genshiken, many people who went to the comic festival looked similar and tried not to stand out, while Otakon had a wealth of unique cosplay from numerous attendees. We saw how easy it was to make friends and meet new people at these conventions, and somebody in the documentary likened it to high school. There are countless groups of fans willing to accept another, and that’s a great part of the western otaku that isn’t necessary discussed. 

While the documentary focused on Otaku, I feel like there was a much larger focus on Otaku who cosplay. Cosplay, mentioned in our readings, is one of the way for Otaku to have some ownership over fiction, giving them some semblance of cultural capital. That reflects itself well in the documentary as we see numerous western otaku who cosplay. The guy who paper mache’d random objects together to form a really cool looking staff went through a lot of effort to do so, and the cosplayer featured in part 3 treated cosplaying as a second job. Dustbunny even said that in a relationship, she would eventually move back to prioritizing cosplay. Cosplay for these otaku form a very important part of their lives. Dustbunny does immense research on the character and exercises regularly to stay in shape for her cosplays. 

Even separate from anime and manga, there are also cultural niches that western otaku find themselves in. I was surprised to see interest in lolita fashion, despite being something that I thought was only just part of Japanese fashion and separate from anime and manga. The group that performed lightsaber duels also impressed me. The otaku seen in Genshiken only seem to follow anime, manga, and games, so the otakus that like lolita fashion practice lightsaber skills seemed really unique to the western otakus. This does a good job of showing that otaku is not necessarily exclusive to anime and manga, and just shows their focus and fervor on specific subcultures.

While dated, this documentary also shows the impact of the internet on growth and development of otaku in America. So many websites were shown were otaku can just post and discuss what they’re interested in. It’s fascinating to see how freeform and interactive the web was back in 2011. The internet has definitely played a major role in how Otaku spread across America.

Overall this documentary does a adequate job of showcasing the uniqueness of western otaku and how their passion for certain types of media fuels their desire to create.

[maxs-animoo]

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Miyazaki always puts out pieces of art and this film was no different than his usual film. The music, the art, and just every little detail he put into it is one of the reasons so many people love Ghibli films. Their beauty always creates enchantment for the audience and their (sometimes)vague yet distinct story telling techniques do the same.

In this film we see war between humans, as well as, a war between humans and the environment. We see the humans constantly polluting and disrespecting the earth whilst simultaneously pitting their selfish desires against each other and therefore ensue a war. The humans initially believe the jungle itself to be a poisonous and harmful entity but after the princess begins growing the jungle plants in her isolated space they are not harmless. I think that this was representative of how nature is pure unless it is polluted by humans or outside forces. In our world there are parts of the world that are extremely clean and beautiful and those that are not so clean. In certain areas in South America the jungle is pristine because no one touches it, however, in other places such as certain overpopulated areas in cities we see rivers and water systems that become so polluted and toxic that they are unable to support any life forms. And the problem at the root(haha like a tree) of it all are humans. Humans selfish intent and hunger to be better than one another always have repercussions on the world around them. Currently some political leaders(not going to name names) believe that global warming is a hoax created by China. This is beneficial to no one literally. It just causes more competition and makes the environment even worse.

[cyang2000]

Yeah, Nausicaä really tackles the issues of how the environment is misrepresented by humans. Many people are unaware that the source of a hostile environment are humans. Nausicaä teaches a good lesson to be respect nature and to not take it for granted. There is also a good lesson in how competition and conflict between people damages the environment which you did point out.

[cyang2000]

3/30 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

I think that Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is the third Ghibli film I’ve watched, and it’s the one that has the strongest environmental message, making it the main focus of the film.

The setting of the film is one of the more unique ones I’ve seen in anime. Taking place in a far post-apocalyptic future, the technology is subdued, and there is a greater focus on the conflict between humans and the conflict between them and the Toxic Jungle. One of the main themes showcased throughout the film that I really enjoyed was how it demonstrated the harm that human conflict causes to the environment. Just like how human strife ruined the environment in civilization in the past, different groups of people continue to feud which almost cause another disaster to humans. The Toxic Jungle represents on act of nature repelling the toxic effect that humans cause to it. While this is not extremely tangible in our modern world, the Toxic Jungle in the movie manifests itself as an active force that directly reflects the harm that humans cause to the environment. The Tolmekians in the movie represent that side of humans that feel like the destruction that the Toxic Jungle can only be countered with more destruction. The movie shows this to be a dangerous mindset, however, as trying to cause harm to the forest will enrage a massive horde of Ohm that can not be stopped. Nausicaä, on the other hand, tries to seek peace with the Toxic Jungle and the Ohm, asserting that it can be stopped by making peace with nature. Nausicaä is able to understand and reason with the Ohm, and by doing so, is able to stop their rampage. She realizes that the Toxic Jungle is also the source of life underneath. I really like Nausicaä’s take on how to preserve the environment. The insects that seem to be really grotesque were just trying to protect their source of life, and humans wrongly encroached on that.