ET Anime

I watch anime and talk about it sometimes

[ace-o-spades-777]

Where Is My Mind?; JJK

JJK is many things to many people- the inspiration behind fanfiction, a medium from which to source cosplay ideas, the subject of thinkpieces, the occasional “who would win in a fight” YouTube video, and an excuse to watch a story that is essentially a portmanteau of Naruto and Harry Potter- but I never expected it to get to me. Full disclosure, I was never really able to get into JJK; not for any one reason, it just never stuck with me. Maybe I’m Shonen Jump-ed out or suffering from “Chosen One” fatigue, but the show never seemed to make it’s mark on my soul the way it had for other people- which is something that gnawed away at me for months, if not years on end, my inability to assimilate into the current cultural supernova; however- I think that’s changed now.

Season Two of JJK, the “Hidden Inventory” arc, is essentially a prequel, which might be part of why I was able to really get into it this go-round. Chronicling the story of Gojo “Six-Eyes” Satoru and his struggle to overcome what very well may be the worst day of his life, this section of the anime delves into how children, at least in JJK’s world, are made to shoulder the burdens of their fellow man, to serve as vanguards for the betterment of humanity, disregarding their own safety. One of the core characters, one Suguru Geto, echoes this same sentiment, making a moral argument that the strong have a duty to protect and safeguard the weak, in order to allow them to remain weak, as is their lot in life.

This deterministic outlook parallels many of the same philosophical treatises proposed by those who adhere to determinist philosophy, some of which relates to the nature of strength vs weakness. There are those who would posit that those burdened with excellence, sheer overwhelming power, have a responsibility to use it in order to shield those who do not share that privilege- however, there are also voices in the mist that argue that, no, strength should be used to subjugate the masses and enforce one’s will, as the strong have the proverbial mandate of heaven to do as they please, as determined at their birth.

In JJK, these philosophies are represented by Geto and Gojo respectively, however, after the former’s tragic death and subsequent transformation into the anime’s antagonist, their philosophies appear to reverse, which I found to be fascinating.

Overall, this anime speaks to the morality of power, the nature of rationalizing how to contend with your innermost self, ego, and even how authority may seek to take advantage of those who are blessed with extraordinary ability, in order to enact their own interests. Tragedy that I’ve already seen how the story ends though- would've loved to have seen how it all played out in real-time. C’est vie, I suppose.

[etanimeclass]

Hi there, I was the person who recommended this anime to the class and I'm so glad you liked it!

For a while I was in the same boat, where I just couldn't bring myself to care for Shonen like it, but when I walked in on my friends watching this arc, it just kinda clicked.

In a lot of ways, seeing you coming into the series with a fresh perspective lets me see where my edge has been dulled by a year in fandom, but also where the series' themes shine the most.

Specifically I feel I neglected Gojo's personal growth in these episodes. As you pointed out he basically swapped moral codes with Geto by the end. I also missed how important repressing emotions is to not only the worldbuilding of the series, but the themes too.

[etanimeclass]

Various thoughts on JJK’s Hidden Inventory Arc

Fun fact, I’m the one who suggested this anime! Though actually, I was busy writing my final essay, and it was my girlfriend who wrote the suggestion that I posted. She’s been super into the series for ages and jumped at the opportunity to spread the gospel! (even if her darling baby Sukuna doesn't even appear in these few episodes)

As for me, I’ve watched and read the whole of JJK, but its been a long time since I’ve watched this arc. I actually watched this before anything else of the series, so its literally the furthest removed from my initial viewing.

Enough preamble though, lets see what I’ll find this time around.

This damn guy. (I am so sorry if I’m the reason you had to get acquainted with the most annoying man in Shonen)

And what compelled him to make that face? (Hi there Shoko!)

But in all seriousness, I feel that I gained a deeper understanding of Suguru Geto through this viewing. In the real world, youth in many places face insurmountable hopelessness, oftentimes floundering in diminishing economic conditions never faced before by their parents who likely grew up in booming economies. And in Japan especially, children are often burdened while still young with the need to provide for their economically irresponsible parents (this is a big point in Spirited Away as well). Geto and the other sorcerers are representative of young people with bright futures who have to slave away and often give their lives in the service of a thankless greater society. Though Geto goes to war with all of non-jujutsu society (not explicitly elders), the show still makes the point to depict the Star religious members as creepy old people, and to depict society’s victims through the two girls Geto saved from the villagers.

When Geto reflects on how “no one knows what curses taste like,” he lets out pent up spite against the thankless society. When he witnesses “the ugliness of the weak,” he loses the desire to prolong his generation’s noble suffering. When he slaughters the village to save the girls, he chooses to forsake society’s order in order to protect something of his own choice.

Suguru Geto’s story is similar to that of a wild child, he’s somewhere in between a person who sits outside of an outwardly cruel society, like the free timing Saki from Eden of the East, and a true wild child like Tetsuo from Akira, undermining society by enacting mass violence. His motivations condemn hierarchical society as his actions provide discourse on the power of individuals. There’s a surprising lot to find in this fun battle anime.

Themes of combatting hierarchy continue throughout the rest of Jujutsu Kaisen, the Zenin clan that the deadbeat Toji ran away from is a prime example of specifically patriarchy’s cascading effects on people, and the reasons behind Geto’s fall are kept close in Gojo’s heart and mind.

I hope you all enjoyed the chronological beginning of JJK! And if you didn’t, uhm my bad!!

This was a lovely class with you all, I wish everyone here a good farewell!

[ace-o-spades-777]

Hope Springs Eternal; Violet Evergarden

My god, what a work of fiction. For one, allow me to get out a thought that has been haunting me ever since the introductory credits rolled- Violet’s own name. Now, I understand that it might be a bit of a low-brow assertion to make, but I implore you to follow along with me and suspend your disbelief for just a moment. Violet, the word “violet”, phonetically sounds VERY similar to vio-LENCE, for good reason obviously, as I’m sure you’ve begun to think, seeing as how they share many of the same letters. However, “read” and “read” are the SAME word, but sound radically different, as do “rouge” and “rouge” - a handsome “rouge” and the color “rouge”, respectively. I make mention of this because Violet is herself, very nearly indistinguishable from violence. A child soldier, raised in the ways of warfare, some would argue, even engineered by it, now faces a world that has no need for her any more, a largely peaceful land, fertile, lush and rich with life, perpetually green. This “Violet”, must shed vio-LENCE, and learn to inhabit a world of ever-gardens. Beautiful, no?

The anime’s handling of the innate traumas that come with being a child soldier, the training that one must be subject to in order to survive such an ordeal, time and time again, both physically and mentally, is stellar. When we are first introduced to Violet, it would appear she has no identity outside of being a warrior, her first instinct is to seek her commanding officer, to prostrate herself before his authority and operate, not as an individual who is a member of an armed force, but rather, a tool- a tool to be used in any way seen fit by those who one views as superior. It would appear that war has rid Violet of any desire to be anything but an extension of warfare, greeting her new patrons with a military salute, standing at parade rest when in the midst of being offered a softer, peaceful life, and even addressing individuals in a matter-of-fact way, as one would expect a junior officer to address a CO.

The entire length of the anime chronicles how Violet fails to see any innate value within herself that does not involve violence or her commanding officer in some way- she constantly attributes effectively everything in her life to being the result of an authority’s role in her life, attributing herself no agency whatsoever outside of executing commands, and as such, fails to find any reason to stay alive after the end of the war, explicitly requesting to be cast to the side, as she has failed to be useful.

This parallels the struggles that military members face when returning to civilian life, the rigor and structure of the military, having overridden their psychology as it was designed to do, now has no place in their new world, and the process of shedding something that was ingrained within you by force and then reinforced time and time again over the course of several years is an arduous task, and one that can be likened to taking scrap metal, forging it into a sword, melting it down, forging it again, repeating the process until it becomes nigh-unbreakable, then tossing it to the side, expecting it to become scrap metal again on it’s own.

Equal parts heart-breaking and thrilling, this anime whisked me off my feet, then proceeded to kick me in the sternum- and God save me, I love it all the more for it.

[etanimeclass]

I watched the recap movie with my partner, and she also had a bit to say about Violet's name. Funny enough one time when I typed her name in my blog, I accidentally wrote "Violent" and I felt quite bad about it.

Her name comes specifically from the flower in the context of the story. In symbolism, violets represent humility, honesty, and faithfulness. What she suffers from at the beginning of the story are the flipsides of these adjectives. She's so humble that she suffers from abysmal self worth, she's so blunt she fails to understand understated emotions, and she's so dedicated that she can't move on.

The story is her reclaiming these traits for their positives. Becoming an auto emotional doll to help others shows her ability to healthily put others before herself, her honestly allows her to quickly resolve personal conflicts, and her faithfulness instead pushes her forward.

[jaythomasthetrain]

Akira

Entering the final week of watching anime for class, the class was given the chance to choose which anime they wanted to watch. While voting, Akira stood out to me the most. I had always been interested in it because of the meme that blew up a few years ago and the classic Akira slide on the motorcycle, so I voted for it. I won't lie when I say I believe I judged a book by its cover. I thought it was going to be a cool action shounen anime about motorcycles and stuff, but it was hardly that. I don't think I enjoyed it all that much, to be honest, I wanted to, but it just didn't happen. The entire movie is essentially a boy who gets Eleven's powers from Stranger Things, kills everyone he sees, and then gets nuked. Aside from my opinion of the movie, there are definitely some ways it relates to real life. The complex a person gets when they have so much power is shown through Tetsuo. He was always being saved, and never the strongest, but once he got his powers, he went mad. This could have been because of the stress he was going through, but for the sake of argument, let's just say his mind was altered by all the power he now had. There were also plenty of scenes where the people of New Tokyo were trying to rebel against the government. This seems to be incredibly common in the movie, showing that people are very upset with how the government is operating. Poor government is a large issue in many places around the world, and protest and terrorism are also big issues in society today. Overall, even if I didn't love the anime very much, I'm happy I was able to watch it and learn what it was all about.

[etanimeclass]

I find myself in the same boat, where our expectations weren't met for no fault of the film itself. It was several degrees darker than I could've guessed. I suppose when a movie gets as iconic as this one, actually watching it can result in something similar to culture shock.

The movie makes the most sense when you look at the era it followed. The decade prior to its release, Japan experienced a surge of violent protests within its college aged population. The country-wide discourse that followed includes this film in my opinion as an outsider. But exactly because I'm an outsider, its difficult to grasp what commentary the protests in Akira provide.

[etanimeclass]

Various thoughts on Violet Evergarden

What stands out first to me is that this show (movie? It’s a recap movie of a show so I’ll refer to it as a show) was produced by Kyoto Animation, the same studio behind a Silent Voice. There’s so much masterful work here with the cinematography this studio is plain incredible. Unlike Akira, I had intended to watch this series of my own volition sooner or later. Violet’s often compared to Aigis from Persona 3 (who is probably my favorite fictional character of all time) so I went into the story with the expectation that I would fall in love with it.

She’s got those beaming blues! How could you ever tell her that her commanding officer passed? (the answer is accidentally!) The way she finally found out was actually quite similar to when the sister in Grave of the Fireflies was informed of her mother’s passing by the careless aunt.

The film clearly has a lot to say about veterans. Violet herself represents all manners of grief experienced by former soldiers. As if she’s the walking Tomb of the Unknown, she holds remorse, survivors guilt, and unconscionable grief. When Violet is given the gloves to cover her prosthetic arms, it’s a comment on how society wishes to cover up the scars sustained by those who once fought on its behalf.

On another note, though, she has that on. I love her outfit!

“Wow she’s just terrible at this!”

…Were my initial thoughts at her attempts to become an auto memories doll, but in all seriousness her rehabilitation is beautiful. A problem I’ve had with a few of the movies we’ve watched recently have been their hopelessness before their difficult themes. Akira and Nausicaa in particular I feel stuttered a bit when trying to deliver their themes, but Violet’s emotional disconnect has a real tangible path to recovery. Through the life she’s lived, Violet’s grown stoic and cold. As soldiers who’ve gone through the horrors of war often come back shell-shocked or with debilitating PTSD, Violet can’t seem to find joy nor comfort in life. Because people were there to catch her, who understood what she’s going through, she’s able to undertake a path to reconnect with empathy.

In most works of fiction, “dolls” represent a sort of confinement to another’s whims. However, this series turns the imagery on its head. The dolls here, like toy dolls, are able to channel the emotions of others. But their work is an admirable display of empathy and understanding. Only by taking on the burden of truly understanding others can Violet (and our metaphorical soldier) begin to understand herself.

The story with Oscar illuminated so much about Violet. The two are the different sides in a parent and child relationship who mutually lost each other. They can share their grief, and share a small view into what the person they lost might have felt.

Oscar’s story reminds me about Grave of the Fireflies. The story about the story, actually, how it was written autobiographically to process the grief of the real author’s lost sister. When Oscar sees his daughter in Violet, he sees his daughter in his play. He writes fiction to let her live out the dream of walking across the pond.

There’s so much to this story that I’m sure the movie had to skip over for time. I’ll come back soon to give it the full viewing its due. I liked it, (I knew I would it played into every trope I love) but I can’t yet say if I loved it until I watch it fully on my own terms.

[etanimeclass]

Somewhat Confused thoughts on Akira

Alright so, before I begin here, I want to make clear that I knew very little about this movie before watching it for the first time for this class. I knew its name, and the iconic bike scene of course. I also kind of knew that it had a cyberpunk setting.

Theres a ton of imagery in the early part of the film about student protests. From 1968 to 1970, a phenomenon of student protests swept through Japan. I can’t claim expertise over these events, but I absolutely believe the movie is invoking the movement here. The society depicted by Akira is a capitalist dystopia. As World War 3 is said to have taken place, I can assume that the Cold War turned hot, and conflict between communist and capitalist powers has reached some sort of conclusion. The student protests in real life Japan were founded with predominantly Leftist, particularly Marxist principles. When the protesters in this film brandish signs shouting, “STOP IMPERIALISM!” it brandishes its allusions on its sleeve.

Poor girl, she doesn’t deserve any of this. Tetsuo should’ve finished that guy off. Aside from anger, it’s difficult to parse what Kaori’s suffering means, and why this film would go to such lengths to show it.

I can tie it into a metaphor, albeit loosely.

The main characters of this movie are a microcosm of postwar society. The kids are exploited and cannot understand the desire to create conflict. The colonel saw the last war, he’s the archetypical veteran, staunchly opposed to initiating further conflict, yet ingrained within the systems of power that themselves ultimately led to ruin. And then we have the disenfranchised young men, Kaneda and Tetsuo, who burn with rage following lives of humiliation. Their desire for conflict is alike to the flames that burned in the youth of post-World War 1 Germany. Tetsuo takes the might given to him by the elders in power, and fights to burn the world. Kaori is their female peer, and she suffers torment on their behalf, as women in historic wars would be victim to mass rape and indignity when the men failed their violent quests.

This film tackles so many allegories I’ve lost track. In the same breath as it depicts a coup, it takes pot shots at unethical sciences. When it talks about revolutions, it follows a trail dirty money. When it wants to tell a story about losing oneself, it instead births a new universe. Having now finished the movie I can’t say I’ve come to fully understand it. It’s so thinly spread in what it wants to discuss that I can’t find where its truest themes begin nor where they end. Though I distinctly felt terrible watching the film, I won't say it’s a waste of time at all. Despite the discomforting gore and confusing direction, I still found myself gaining a new understanding of the world thanks to this film.

Though, I can’t say I’m not glad to move on from Akira, this was a rough one.

[malloryblog425-deactivated20250]

Your Name

Your Name is a reflection on fate identity, and the spiritual connection that we as humans have with one another. At its core, the "freaky-friday" esque storyline holds lessons that can be applied to real life scenario.

Mitsuha is a girl living in a satellite area who like most of us, dreams for a big city like Tokyo (in our case, New York City) and Taki is a boy living in her dream. They begin to become one another through a swap of bodies but remain as their own conscience. Similar to the film coraline, this reminded me of the sentiment to 'be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it'.

This swapping on physical body aside and remaining entity of conscience teaches the viewer off rip what it is like to walk a day in someone elses shoes. it gives these two young characters experience into a life that is not their own. Interactions, how people address them, how they are perceived through a semi-omnicient presence.

Mitsuha and Taki is emotional, with their bond built upon a sort of old-timey longing and empathy. Once they begin to live in one anothers body, their soul longs for a connection with the conscience that once housed it. They learn more about one another through consideration and curiosity than most base-line relationships go. They can see one another at their darkest points without being physically there as a separate entity. This shows us that you don't need to be right up next to someone every day in order to be close with them. This is something that a lot of people forget, as we see in our real world, their being such a stigma about long distance relationships being a waste of time.

Their relationship with one another solidifies the fact that it is not about being close to the people you love, it is about learning about them, and carrying what you've learned throughout your everyday life, thinking of them fondly. What is disheartening about this film is that Taki and Mitsuha begin to forget one another. While they forget one another, they still feel as if something is missing. It shows us that loss can affect us in vast aspects.

Overall, this anime was great. I would recommend it to friends and family.

[etanimeclass]

When I watched the movie most recently, I really began to question the romantic conclusion, I thought it wasn't built up to clearly enough.

But reading your blog, I've come to have a better understanding on the movie's perspective on romantic love. Our leads learn about each other's lives and personalities in a way that is more intimate than can be possibly achieved in our world. Though the meteor plot injects plenty of drama to spark emotions in them, their love blossomed in the mundane moments of sharing their lives with each other. As a smaller note I also appreciate you comparing their relationship to long-distance relationships in real life. I'm entirely unfamiliar with them myself but connecting the phenomenon to this movie helps with my personal understanding.

[wicckim]

Hetalia: You Would Not Believe How Huge This Fandom Was in the Late 2000s/Early 2010s

I was in middle school when this anime was in its prime, in fact, this was the largest fandom present at the anime conventions I first went to. This anime was the anime of discussion, the only thing I remember being as big as this on the convention scene was Homestuck that followed some years after. People would be dedicated to role playing their character/country, and I had never understood its popularity then, and still am not sure I quite understand even now after rewatching a bit of the series. It's not my cup of tea (or plate of pasta, I guess).

Watching Hetalia really puts you on a rollercoaster of quirky, sometimes uncomfortable, viewing experience and history lessons presented as anime comedy. It’s an anime that discusses serious topics without taking itself too seriously. The series’ concept heavily relies on personifying entire countries as characters and throwing them into situations ranging from WWII skits to food arguments, which is undeniably creative, but it also walks a tightrope between satire and stereotype. As Annett’s article "World Conflict/World Conference" argues, Hetalia is more than just chaotic nation-boys bickering, but that it’s also a reflection of how fans engage with national identity and historical trauma, sometimes critically, sometimes passively. As someone who experienced the fandom at large in person, it became clear to me that it could be harmful to perpetuate a medium that portrayed off putting stereotypes or maybe even prejudice towards other countries, particularly to outside, objective viewers not familiar with anime. This anime was definitely one that, at the height of its popularity, may have given off the wrong impression on what anime is about and/or what morals anime fans may personally adhere to. I appreciate Hetalia’s ability to make learning history a bit more “fun” by offering a narrative perspective of historical facts and providing a figure to connect with for each nation, but it’s aim to do this did not put the appropriate amount of focus on the problematic undertones associated with the personalities of these characters as these nations. 

In these early episodes, we see characters like Italy portrayed as bumbling and helpless, Germany as strict but caring, and Japan as quiet and efficient. These are all exaggerated national stereotypes, and often they're played for laughs. But the article points out that Hetalia doesn’t just mock these stereotypes, it sometimes reinforces them. Watching this in dub was especially problematic, as accents for these countries are over exaggerated and some of the dialects chosen may misrepresent the nation in favor of that stereotype for the sake of comedy. It’s easy to see how people of these cultures could be offended by these representations, especially if the fandom was perpetuating these stereotypes without doing any critical analysis or critical engagement on what they were meant to represent. 

So yeah, Hetalia can be problematic. It presents nations as one all-encompassing personality, erasing the internal diversity and complexity of each country. The anime simplifies history, sometimes dangerously, like showing Nazi Germany as a moe character (perceived as cute, innocent or vulnerable which assuredly is not an accurate homage to this time period in history). Despite this, Annett makes a poignant claim to refute how bad this might look to the outsider: the fan community surrounding Hetalia doesn’t just passively accept these portrayals (not most of them, anyway). Fan discourse often discusses what feels offensive or inaccurate, oftentimes creating alternative takes (fanfiction was huge at this time, and often gave people of different backgrounds opportunity to contribute more in their perspective or shed light on otherwise overlooked cultural impacts), and reflect on how they might relate to these caricatures both personally and culturally. 

Episodes 1–19, while brief episodes, depict national personalities in silly scenarios but under the tone of humor, and eventually emerge real power dynamics and histories. Especially in the way colonial histories and wartime alliances were represented, these events are brushed over or extremely softened. It enables the viewer to become oddly attached to a character meant to represent an entire nation of people, and with that, comes some complicated feelings toward the messages being represented by the anime. Fans grappled with enjoying a series that relies on national stereotypes and simplifies complex historical events, such as colonialism and World War II. They had to ask themselves how to reconcile their enjoyment with the show’s political and ethical issues, especially when it portrays controversial figures, like Nazi Germany, in a sympathetic light. On a constructive note, these conversations allowed for cross-cultural dialogue, as fans from different backgrounds share perspectives and challenge each other’s assumptions. Annett describes the fanbase as a “fictive collaboration across difference,” where people become more self-aware of their own emotional responses to the anime. I saw this exemplified most when people would role-play their country when they were cosplaying, taking constructive liberties on what a country might do or say based on their emotional contexts or need to maintain historical accuracies.

[etanimeclass]

Hey, @wicckim As someone who's barely ever seen the fandom (I've only heard its name in hushed whispers!) I found your recounting of its time quite interesting. Particularly that when people cosplay the characters, they'd typically roleplay them as well. While the idea of people acting out stereotypes of varying harm dressed in WWII uniforms is concerning to say the least, you also brought up how improvising in-character reactions while roleplaying (as well as adding to the characters via fan fiction) naturally leads to members of the fandom questioning how the characters are portrayed and possibly growing their understandings of how the stereotypes came to be and how inaccurate they may be.

[etanimeclass]

Various thoughts on Hetalia

…mostly negative ones if I'm being honest.

Oh my god, Italy stop talking. Please.

There’s a bit to be said about how the web series chooses to depict each of the countries. Germany is the perfect Aryan stereotype, Japan is a pretty boy with a reserved personality, Italy is an innocent buffoon. It love to depict the positive stereotypes of the countries, to the point that it’s infuriating, and this is made only worse by the context of a World War 2 parody. Though I think I can only say it “goes too far” in infantilizing countries with real crimes against humanity in their closets because I simply don’t find it funny.

Though, as I’ve got complaints there’s no better place to air them than here. Germany being a blue-eyed blonde hair perfect Aryan follows Nazi propaganda more than it criticizes it. In real life the phenotype was certainly common in Germany, yet it was never a majority. By portraying Germany itself as embodying the phenotype, Hetalia feeds into the Nazi foundational myth. This is a trap that plenty of different media fall into so I can’t exactly blame this series for inventing it. Now that I look again, most every European country has blonde or blondish hair. Outside the context of humanized countries, blonde hair in Anime has long been the way to code characters as being white.

Take England and Japan for instance, they have almost identical facial features and skin tone, If England wasn’t blonde, (Other than the humorously ugly eyebrows) how could we possibly tell these two are supposed to be different races?

Though most of my thoughts here have been scathing, this series made me think about why stereotypes in anime are relied upon so heavily.

Its rather choice how only China has talked about his love for conquering

The series is giving almost no accountability to Italy despite the word “fascism” originating from the Italy of this era is quite annoying.

GERMANY IS PATRICK SEITZ?? DIO BRANDO???

The show’s got some funny bits, it’s growing on me albeit slowly. I still have to say that this was one of the hardest anime to get through in this course, for once however, it’s not because of dark subject matter or emotionally charged stories, it’s because it’s just plain insufferable. Genshiken got close as well, but I began to love that show for its uniquely open discussion of Otaku culture, and its cute and candid personal interactions between characters. Hetalia though, I just can’t bring myself to enjoy past a few cheap jabs at stereotypes.

[etanimeclass]

Various Thoughts on Your Name

Before I get into my viewing of the film, I want to talk about my history with it. It’s nowhere near as personal as my relationship with A Silent Voice, but I’ve watched this film long before this class. Back then I was a 12-year-old boy, and now I’m a 20-year-old woman, so really, I’m excited to see how my perspective has changed over the years. The movie’s got quite a bit of gender-bending shenanigans, which in hindsight very well might have drawn closeted kid me to the movie.

Oh my goodness, I forgot how much I loved this movie’s soundtrack. Also, I never noticed how weird it is that this only ever theatrically released movie has a standard anime opening.

Why’d she have to specify a Tokyo boy, Huh?

…I say as a joke, but I can tie this movie into our gender performance unit as well. Not much, but I do believe that this movie is an example of crossing the gender barrier being acceptable only within a comedic or theatrical context. It’s a cute gender-bending romance story (and its really good at being that) but it’s not a queer story by any means.

The friend groups in this movie are to die for, they’re so precious.

It’s hard to give strong commentary because I just enjoy this movie. It’s a great comfort watch!

Though earlier I declared the film as being distinctly not about being genderqueer, the moment of them both crying at the disconnect to the life in their dreams makes me think about quite a bit. Though it wasn’t in the assigned watching (nor was it covered in the anime adaptation actually), Wandering Son has a plot about a cross-dressing play for their class. Obviously Nitori and Yoshino have a lot of dreams pent up about living as the other gender and the play gave them a time to unabashedly live as their genuine selves. While I wouldn’t argue one bit that either of Your Name’s leads suffer from gender dysphoria, having a version of yourself be so restricted hurts anyone to the core.

Not at all winning the subtlety competition with that big ARCITECTURE posture are you, Shinkai?

ORANGE GAMECUBE! AND A DREAMCAST TOO! Haha! I love these systems!

If I had an “I told you so” moment this good I wouldn’t let anyone forget it.

I apologize for this blog post being so unfocused (definitely living up to the “Various Thoughts on” title I’ve been using), but the movie is truly masterful in its production and its very obvious to see why it was such a blockbuster. It was fun to watch for sure, and quite fun to re-watch with 8 years more perspective.

[cherryblossomcinephile]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Where Fantasy Reflects Reality

While I generally comment on film and television shows, this week, I will be commenting on the cutscenes of the game Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*

Released for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a role playing game (RPG) but its far more than just a video game. If you pay close attention to the cutscenes, its a story that weaves existing issues into its narrative. These themes include survival, limited resources, and political conspiracy which can resonate with players all over the world. 

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 takes place in a place called Alrest. It is a world beneath a sea of clouds where humans live on top of creatures called Titans and each one of these titans holds a specific civilization. As the titans face decline, the available land habitable by humans decreases which leads to conflict over resources. This can reflect Japan’s challenges with limited resources as well as other areas of the world struggling with issues such as food insecurity and limited health resources. 

This game also explores the complexity of international political relations through the portrayal of the nations Mor Ardain & Uraya which are headed towards war because of territorial conflicts. Mor Ardain is headed towards depletion of their resources and they seek to expand into neighboring territories which leads to conflict with Uraya. This parallels real world tensions reflecting the balance of power as well as the impact of expansion. 

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 also looks into themes such as the nature of humanity as well as the pursuit of a brighter future. Drivers and Blades interactions prompt one to reflect on human relationships as well as societal structures. Rex and Pyra’s bond highlights dependence and understanding emphasizing the importance of alliance despite diversity. 

This game incorporates religious and philosophical undertones as well which is something I did not expect. The concept of the Architect and hearing it being called “The Divine” draws a parallel to a theological narrative. While it does not align with any particular existing religions, the Architect could signify a higher being while Elysium could signify divine paradise. This invites players to think about the topics of creation, purpose, and destiny. These themes resonate globally across all cultures as existentialism is something that many question. 

While Xenoblade Chronicles 2 seems like a fantastic, fun filled game, it serves as a critique that reflects issues that impact people worldwide. Through the depth of the storytelling in addition to the graphics, this game makes players think about much more than just beating the game; it makes players think about things such as resource management (aka take only what you need), the meaning of human existence, and the complexities of politics. By interlocking real issues within the realm of a video game, it acts as a platform to bring a call to action. 

[etanimeclass]

I want to elaborate on the religious undertones you noted.

Or rather, there's something in particular about them that undermines the typical creation myth. That being, Klaus is human. Everything he does to recreate the world is an effort to fix the human mistake that originally destroyed it, and the ways in which he does so reflect real life ways humans can help the environment. He uses nanomachines (as the cloud sea) to rearrange matter, and he spreads DNA samples into the wild to spark new evolutionary paths.

Undercutting its apparently religious undertones, Xenoblade 2 speaks to the real responsibility humans have to protect the environment.

[cherryblossomcinephile]

The Enduring Wind: Nausicaa's Lessons for a Sustainable World

For my second viewing this week for my JPT1311 class, I watched Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. This 1984 masterpiece is far beyond an adventure full of giant bugs and flying. If you scratch beneath the surface of the breathtaking animation (typical for Studio Ghibli of course!) and captivating characters is a powerful commentary on the human relationship with nature. This is a message that resonates with people all over the world today. 

This film depicts a post apocalyptic world plagued by a toxic jungle full of giant, mutated creatures. The Valley of the Wind exists in delicate balance with this dangerous ecosystem, a large part due to their princess, Nausicaa. Her respect and understanding for the Ohmu, the giant insect guardians of the sea, stands in contrast to the fear of other human kingdoms who want to use the toxic spores as weapons. 

The central conflict of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind reflects many issues happening in the world today. Japan knows all about natural disasters as well as the delicate balance so the film’s portrayal of ecological downfall hits hard. With rapid environmental pollution that plagued Japan in the later half of the 20th century, this film serves as a cautionary tale urging people all over the world to keep the earth clean and move toward a more sustainable lifestyle. 

The themes within this film are universal. The fear and lack of understanding that drive the feud between the humans and the Ohmu reflect our own relationship with nature. We see this in deforestation, pollution, and the instillation of fear surrounding various animal species. For some societies in the film to try and control nature reflects modern debates revolving around resources and the consequences of harmful technologies. 

Nausicaa takes a different path. She takes patient observation and she is willing to understand how the ecosystem works. Her belief in the possibility of peace offers an alternative to the destructive impulses of other humans. This relates to the growing movements advocating for conservation, sustainable living, and a deeper understanding of the delicate balance of our ecosystem. 

Despite the Tolmekians aggressive motivations, this film has no clear villain which also reflects the complex real world issues surrounding resource availability and environment. This makes one look further than the simplicity and think about the true causes of not just human conflict but also environmental devastation. 

Watching this film, I felt that it was a beautifully crafted tale that spoke on the importance of taking care of the planet as well as one another. The message continues to speak to society today as environmental issues still plague society with examples being global warming, resource availability, and pollution just to name a few. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind reminds us that survival doesn’t come simply from conquering nature, but learning to live in a peaceful harmony with it. This is a lesson that remains relevant all over the world.  

Nature is a beautiful thing that offers so much more than just something pretty to look at so next time you’re at a sporting event, at the beach, or just out and about, be a good human being by throwing your trash away in the proper receptacle. An easy way to remember this is a term I've used for years, “Leave nature the way you found it”. 

Have you watched this film? What are your thoughts?  

[etanimeclass]

I appreciate the context you added about how Japan dealt with an era of rapid pollution recently, it does change my own view on the film quite a bit. Being reminded of the film's very much so not American origin gives me a second opinion on its themes, that community support and even individuals can inspire societal changes in opinion. While America's people and politics have drifted backwards over the last decade in the fight for conservationism, Its best to look at the bigger picture and remember some of the good humanity can offer back to the environment.

[etanimeclass]

Various Thoughts on Xenoblade Chronicles 2

The setup of the "architect" and the whole story with the paradise of Elysium feels like a religious origin story. Actually, Elysium is a name taken from Greek mythology where it describes a layer of the underworld most comparable to the Heaven believed in by those of Abrahamic faiths. That actually gets me to think about how religious myths often reflect the concept of instrumentality. Take the genesis story of Adam and Eve for instance, Eve was created to ease Adam’s loneliness. In that way, Eve is more an instrument to solve a problem than she is an existence for existence's sake. Instrumentalist ideas like this being present in religious texts speaks to how the philosophy has deep roots in our history.

“Seal of Adam” huh? I suppose that bringing up Genesis wasn’t so random.

“If I wasn’t dead, I’d kick that guy’s ass!” is funny as hell. But “Rex-surrection” is funnier than hell. There’s also an incredible charm to these in-engine cutscenes, I love seeing them use gameplay animations to save time and seeing where the cutscenes blend with gameplay.

Coming into Xenoblade 2 itself, and under the guise of its relationship to “Objectification,” I have plenty of preconceived notions of the game despite never touching the series myself. Anime as a whole has a bed reputation for incessantly sexualizing its female characters at their expense for the (primarily young male) audience to enjoy, and Xenoblade is an often brought up in the discourse. (Watching the source material, I’m left to ask, “Why the hell is Nia wearing that?”)

But I’m starting to understand that our topic of “objectification” ties just as much into how the story handles blades and drivers, as well as the topic of instrumentality, that nature is ours to command.

Beings like this one portray “blades” as forces of nature (not at all dissimilar to the Ohmus from Nausicaa). Titans and blades are also different sides of the same coin, both in a literal sense (titans are blades), and a storytelling purpose.

This guy just exists to exposit the themes, doesn’t he? But, as he said, “Blades are nature” and thus humanity’s exploitation of blades is akin to exploiting nature. Titans are the land that’s fought over as blades are the weapons used in war, they are nature’s expanse and resources respectively.

To return to my discussion of religious instrumentalism, meeting Klaus gave us the perspective of a creator. From an all-knowing viewpoint, he only created things to solve problems. The cloud sea was to reconstruct the surface, the titans were to one day evolve back into humans, and the blades were to observe humans. Just as many religious doctrines attempt to rationalize a divine creator’s intention, Xenoblade 2 gives definite reasons as to why the world exists as it is.

[etanimeclass]

Various thoughts on Nausicaä and the valley of the Wind

My initial thoughts here are that despite industrial society collapsing, particularly due to weapons of mass destruction used in war, there’s something incredible about humanity still surviving a full millennia later. And while the movie focuses most on how war hurts the planet, many of its themes can be tied just as strongly to the issues of climate change and pollution, which have only grown in severity over the 40 years we’ve been through since this movie was originally released.

The full animation is definitely showing here. For such a quiet introduction, its done wonders showing just what makes Nausicaä who she is.  

A side note, but this looks just like the setting of the video game Hollow Knight; I bet it got plenty of inspiration from this movie.

Nausicaä definitely represents harmony with nature, taking only what she needs from shed Ohmus, adopting peaceful relations with the bugs, and even apologizing to a random bug she stomped on in the woods.

Of course, she’s friendly to the little guy too.

The valley kingdom is at first a perfect little green society, it’s even fully run by windmills. Though it’s also built off of the bones of feudalism, having a royal family and revering the “lord” Yupa. This reminds me a lot of our unit on “escaping capitalism,” where the world of Nausicaä is so far in the future and supersedes a society built on capitalism, so it intrinsically brings up the question of “what comes next.” Though the movie doesn’t elaborate very much on this point. It’s interesting to point out that this view of a utopian future society appears more similar to feudalism than anything we’re familiar with.

Her struggles to understand the forest remind me of our current world, and its poor acknowledgement of dangers it perpetuates through continued ecological destruction. Torumekia and Pejitei alike deny Nausicaa’s knowledge of the ecosystem as real-world powers like the United States ignore scientists warning about the knowable dangers of climate change.

How Nausicaa is treated by Pejitei elicited an unexpected hatred in me, much more than I’ve felt because of any movie or series we’ve watched previously for this class. These nations are absolutely cruel, but worse than that, they’re abysmally stupid. There’s humanity to be found in individuals depicted in the film, such as Asbel and even Princess Kushana to a degree, but in our world, those who make the decisions never have to face the danger they’ve wrought.

They think they’re the Principality of Zeon.

Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind was beautifully produced and written. The dialogue was incredibly natural, the themes are still applicable today, and the Ohmus were depicted with the perfect mix of awe, terror, and beauty. For those reasons, it’s hard to explain why it has left me unsatisfied. I believe that in our modern times, arguing on behalf of nature has so often been silenced that the pursuit itself has become associated with futility.

[ace-o-spades-777]

Fandom- Anything but Random ;)

Let me be the first to admit that my experience with fandom culture has always been relatively… limited. As an only child, I grew up in a home where I didn't really have anyone to share my interests with, and up until the beginning of middle school, the furthest I ever forayed into quote, unquote ,“fandom” was the occasional lunch-table argument about who would win in a fight between Goku and Ben 10. (To this day, I am still team Ben 10.) Growing up, I consumed media at a rate that you wouldn't believe, so much so that I burned through my K-5, middle and high school libraries at least two times over, not to mention the bookshelves a home that were cleaned out and refilled at least five times in as many years- and this is all without mentioning television, anime, films, games, the works. If it existed in the 2010s-20s, I had my hooks in it, so it’s fair to say my interests were varied. 

As such, I felt as if I didn't, couldnt belong to any individual fandom, a belief that subsisted until about midway through the 6th grade, when I took a day trip with my cousins to Orlando and happened across the city’s “Anime Festival.” What was initially supposed to be 20 minutes of looking at people in increasingly complex costumes snowballed into hours on end of exploring every possible inch of the place, furiously taking notes with my phone’s stylus (I was one of those), before returning home with the realization that I didn't necessarily have to belong to a single niche, or even two—but rather, I could be equally as hardcore about Cowboy Bebop as I could about Mortal Kombat, and everything in between. In essence. My handful of hours there, which, by the way, still is the only instance of my ever stepping foot in an anime convention, essentially legitimized my desire to find where I belong in the grand scheme of fandom—I just never expected the answer to be “anywhere and everywhere you please.” 

Over the next handful of years, I got about as immersed into fandom culture as you can without finding yourself suspended by your ankles in the proverbial bowels of late-2010s internet, seeing as how the shadowy tendrils of the “SuperWhoLock” craze still gave fandom culture as a whole a bit of a bad name, despite its recent demise. As such, for the first couple of years, my experience with fandom culture lived and died with what was culturally pervasive at the time—when Naruto was at its peak, I learned to weave hand signs; when Mortal Kombat X released, I spent hours on end learning as much lore as my brain could handle and knew both my Harry Potter and GoT “houses” like the back of my hand. My childhood was spent having full-length, knock-down, drag-out arguments about every piece of media under God’s own sun, and I loved every second of it. That said, I feel that it would be remiss of me to fail to mention the fact that what was missing from my fandom experience as a younger man was the presence of more…enthusiastic dalliances into the concept.

You see, despite my wealth of media consumption and standing as a bit of a cultural chameleon, I never actually fully engaged with any sole fandom—at least, not to the extent that has become the norm. Instead, my experiences remained rather limited to the likes of feverish text conversation(s) after watching the latest movie in a series, or perhaps the odd keychain and/or hoodie featuring a character or a saying, relatively tame, otherwise unnoticeable things—effectively conversation starter pieces and little else—most of which have been phased out by now. As a matter of fact, I believe the only evidence of the interests of my younger years is a poster of the Marauder’s Map that hangs above my bookshelf and a shoebox containing my Limited Edition Green Arrow Converse that I wore nearly every day in the 7th grade. 

This is to say, I have never found myself in head-to-toe regalia with a retinue of friends, explored a convention center, attended a panel, or anything else that springs to mind when you think of the word “fanboy,” but I do like to think that this does not discount my experience as a member of fandom culture or take away from my passion(s) for the things I love. I have made friends that I otherwise likely never would have if I had never made the conscious decision to engage in various fandoms, and while my tastes have migrated, I continue to do so to this day, all as a virtue of the fact that no matter how intense your love for a piece of media, whether you just think one of the characters looks tough or can write a PhD-level dissertation about the intricacies of said character’s breathing patterns during an important plot point, you are a member of a fandom, flat out. If that’s not community, I don't know what is.

[etanimeclass]

I love your lax view on fandom, its an almost aggressive anti-gatekeeping stance.

All that makes a fandom a community is a shared love for something after all. Though I've personally been more focused on certain game communities like Guilty Gear, Overwatch, and a bunch of different visual novel series, I love seeing all sorts of fandom engagement, and will visit most any stall at a convention.

[the-animated-world-of-kay]

The End of Evangelion

Few films hit as hard as The End of Evangelion. A follow-up to Neon Genesis Evangelion, this movie isn’t just an ending—it’s an emotional gut punch that forces you to confront themes of identity, loneliness, and the terrifying weight of existence. Watching it, I felt both mesmerized and emotionally drained, like I'd just been thrown into a psychological abyss.

At its core, The End of Evangelion is about the struggle for human connection and the crushing effects of isolation. This isn’t just a Shinji problem—it’s a global one. Japan, with its intense work culture and rising issues of social withdrawal (hikikomori), has long wrestled with these themes. But these struggles aren’t exclusive to Japan. In a world increasingly defined by digital connection yet profound loneliness, the film feels more relevant than ever. It asks: Is it better to stay isolated and protect yourself from pain, or embrace others, knowing that connection comes with suffering? That’s a question I’ve often asked myself, especially during times when I’ve felt disconnected from my support system.

What makes the movie even more impactful is its brutal honesty. It doesn’t hand you a clean, satisfying conclusion—it shatters the very idea of one. Instead of a traditional “happy” ending, we’re left with uncertainty, much like real life.

Watching this film while balancing my own career aspirations and personal struggles, I found myself reflecting on how we seek meaning. Whether it’s gymnastics, education, or relationships, we all search for purpose in a chaotic world. And maybe, like Shinji, we just need to keep moving forward, even when the path ahead is unclear.

[etanimeclass]

Evangelion as a whole is an in-depth elaboration on the famous Hedgehog's Dilemma. As you discussed, the movie follow-up to the series especially depicts the consequences of human connection in brutal detail. It also opens a philosophical debate on whether such pain is worthwhile.

To connect the metaphor to our current unit on gender performance, I'll say that one of the quills each hedgehog holds is the gender performance that they show others. The potential pain of getting past the sharp quill prevents us from sharing our warmth, or truest selves, to survive hardship. In the show, Asuka and Shinji's mutual disdain is a product of their gender expressions' incompatibility.

[lapspps]

Neon Genesis Evangelion, Part 2

Ok, now we’re in Part 2 of the classic anime. Last time I have talked about Shinji’s weakness regarding his masculinity and trauma in the EVA fights. In my previous blog, I mentioned about how I want to see Shinji’s character development in Part 2. This time, it mostly focuses on Shinji’s relationships and self-exploration.

We can see the differences of gender treatment based on Shinji’s relationships with Asuka and Kaworu. In Episode 8, we get to see the interactions between Asuka and Shinji in her EVA during the battle at the ocean. In those scenes at the cockpit, we can see the differences of gender treatment (and somewhat of a female hegemony) based on their interactions. For example, Asuka occasionally berates Shinji for trying to get control of the cockpit. There was a little gender discrimination in that situation when Asuka tries to comprehend Shinji’s risky actions. In a way, this gender mistreatment reminds me from Aggretsuko, where Retsuko usually gets reprimanded by Director Ton. Similarly, Asuka mistreats Shinji, but the difference is that she has a valid reason: it is too complicated to understand Shinji’s worthlessness. 

With that in mind, it actually comes down to an understanding between two genders. Enter Kaworu in Episode 24, and he and Shinji got along well very easily. This is because Kaworu is very emotionally open to Shinji’s feelings, and of course… Shinji accepts him. This relates to the “queer masculinity” concept by Heasley. There is indeed a mutual understanding between similar genders, granted by Shinji earning Kaworu’s “affection.” It is too complicated to understand what Shinji feels and/or wants, mainly because Misato and Asuka don’t know what to do with him. But nevertheless, Shinji feels safe within Kaworu, at least until Kaworu’s death.

Another topic I want to point out is the exploration of being guilty and isolated. Episode 26 directly talks about it through Shinji’s self-reflection within his mind. He ponders about trying to make himself “disappear” from the world. The episode also talks about the Instrumentality itself, where its purpose is that no human will be left behind. This is similar to the collectivist culture, where it focuses on a group rather than the individual. However, the anime also critiques the flaws of the collectivist culture by asking these questions: Is it better for the world to function this way? With no freedom to choose and think? With the world being so united and free of pain that it has become stagnant?

Well, Shinji answers this question throughly and deeply. He decided to live by himself… in a world where there is still pain. He knows that life will be painful, but that is the only way to grow as a person. And I think that is the lesson we should learn from. No matter how tough life gets, we should strive hard and keep moving forward. 

[etanimeclass]

I want to add a bit to what you said about the final episode, about how removing pain from the human experience makes it stagnant. In my opinion, it makes it something else.

As shown by art like Evangelion, we as people communicate by sharing stories of hardship with each other. Almost all fiction fits this frame (to varying degrees of hardship of course). Media that explicitly acknowledge that part of humanity as something that is beautiful is a strong answer to nihilism.