Monokuma’s Blog! @harleehix - Tumblr Blog

-~-~- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind -~-~-

This movie is a great representation of humans and nature coexisting. Humans are greedy and selfish creatures who want to take whatever they think is theirs, such a land. I remember learning back in middle school that the Natives were baffled when they heard Americans were ‘claiming/owning land’. One can not own the land, we merely coexist with it. In the movie, a toxic jungle, where humans can not survive, is ravaging the world. The toxic jungle filled with dangerous mutant insects was the result of humans fighting in an apocalyptic war that lasted seven days. I believe this is saying that human war and destruction makes our world sad, thus making a toxic jungle to kill off the toxic humanity. This reminds me of the cleansing flood in the biblical sense. Additionally, Nausicaa represents the hope that humans have for coexisting with nature. She does not want to kill or hurt the jungle inhabitants, but she wants to find a way for them and humans to live together. She has been doing research herself to learn more about the jungle. She figured out that it is the polluted soil that created the toxic plants in the first place, probably from the war. In her research she proved that when she grows plants in pure soil that they are not toxic. Also, the “bad guys” in this movie represent human’s destructive nature and ability to cause violence. Instead of trying to learn more about the jungle and its inhabitants, they resort straight to violence. This is understandable I suppose, since society is dying from the jungle. It’s a cyclic pattern of pain and misery. Nausicaa is the change that breaks the cycle of misery.

animenss

Swampcon

As a first-time attendee of conferences like the Swampcon in Rietz, I was fascinated by the distinct economy that surrounded the event's fan culture. At the conference we could clearly see the Otaku’s means of “possesing” the object of their desires by creating their own spinoffs through the many artists and creators present repurposing ideas from popular culture and niche material to produce their own unique narratives. Not only did these artists produce such content, but they were also selling it for wealth. It was also interesting to see how the attendees of the convention were avid consumers of this type of re-created content.

At the vendor booths, I had the chance to speak with one of the sellers who was showcasing his collection of quite well-crafted posters — where both the designs and even the material imprinted were of very high quality — based on popular anime series. I was surprised to learn that he was able to travel around the country selling his designs, and that he and his partner made money through the designing, drawing and selling of such recreations of existing content. It was interesting to see how he was able to make a living from such a niche fandom, and it made me realize that there are a significant number of opportunities to be found in targeting specific communities.

Swampcon was not just limited to anime enthusiasts, though. It also contained Furries, Star Wars fans, and "believers of the dark," among other niche groups. The vendors at the convention were similarly diverse, targeting specific fandoms and subcultures. I noticed markets ranging from goods of the occult to recreated anime. The prevalence of such a wide range of fandoms concentrated in such an environment makes me think if there is a possible link between these different niches. Maybe the specificity of these fandoms and their conceptual difference to “common” society makes them thrive in such small niche-focused events.

Another aspect of Swampcon that caught my attention was the emphasis on identity expression. The convention was a safe space for people to dress up and explore different aspects of their identity with lesser fears of judgment or ridicule. I saw numerous cosplayers, furries, and cross-dressers who didnt seemed too concerned in expressing themselves. These kinds of smaller fandoms seem to be more open minded. Perhaps its due to their differences from the “standard” of society, placing them in a position of being more accepting and welcoming of more uncommon means of identity expression.

To sum it up, attending Swampcon was a really cool experience that exposed me to the unique economy of fan culture. The convention showed me how niche markets can be a source of opportunity for artists and entrepreneurs, and how targeting specific subcultures can be an effective way to build a dedicated following and a consistent source of income. The diversity of identity expression at the convention was particularly striking, not only were there multiple different means of expression — particularly on the way one dressed — but their proportion relative to the number of people that attended the conference was incredibly high compared to my own personal expectation. Overall, I enjoyed my time at Swampcon and look forward to attending similar events in the future.

harleehix

Hey animenss! I really like how you touched on the subject of there being an emphasis on identity expression at the convention. I completely agree with you when you say that the convention allows a safe place for people to explore themselves. This is a very good post!

SWAMPCON 2023 <3

I want to start this blog post talking about my time at SwampCon 2023!! WOO! As a volunteer, I was scared that I was not going to be able to enjoy the convention like everyone else, but I was mistaken. I still got to enjoy the vendors, shows, and cosplays!

I loved walking around the Reitz and seeing so many people dressed up in their favorite characters. Everyone was so sweet and kind! I love the atmosphere that conventions bring. Just folk coming together to consume the things they love. Additionally, the vendors were awesome. You could buy fantastic works of art, jewelry, clothes, etc. from talented creators. There was one shop that sold the cutest earrings! XoX.

Anyway getting back on track, the drag show, cospoi show, and maid cafe were my favorite parts of the convention. Starting with the drag show, I just love how creative and fun the shows and outfits were! For example, one of the queens were dressed up as a game character and used a large mouse prop to imitate gameplay, which I thought was really cool. The cospoi show was so unlike anything that I have ever seen before; It was amazing! The music and the theatrics were beautiful and I would definitely attend again. I especially like the glowing balls that they swung with the music. Lastly (and most certainly not least), the maid cafe was so cute! You could order cakes and drinks while the maids performed a dance for the guests. The atmosphere was so chill. One more thing that I really enjoyed at the convention was the drum game they had in the U.R.G.E room. You would have to hit a drum to the beat of the music. My boyfriend and I had a blast in there.

If I could add something to the convention to make it better, it would be to add more decorations around the Reitz. If there weren’t so many people in cosplay, you would not be able to tell that there was a convention going on in the Reitz. It was plain. I wish there were more SwampCon decorations around the building.

I briefly talked about consumption above, and want to expand on that discussion. In class we talked about the unofficial/shadow culture capital, otaku, fandoms, etc. and I want to apply these concepts to my time at SwampCon. The convention allows fans ( in this case mostly fans of anime) to come together and personalize a piece of fictional anime. An example of this in its most simple form would have to be cosplay. Cosplay is an outward expression of a fan’s love for a certain piece of fiction, and allows them to ‘give love’ back to that show. Additionally, the vendors were also contributing to the otaku culture that accumulates at conventions such as at SwampCon. These artists create pieces of work that allow them to portray their view of a show however they see fit. For example, one amazing artist had artwork of two characters from Danganronpa kissing (which is awesome). In this manner, it is similar to doujinshi.

I want to also discuss the spread and use of unofficial culture capital at the convention. I went to the convention with my boyfriend and my friend Riley, who has not watched any anime. I was able to talk with other convention attendees about a show and spread shadow culture capital with them, but my friend Riley had a hard time since she hasn’t accumulated any unofficial culture capital about anime. After the convention, she was finally convinced to watch anime (WIN).

I enjoyed my weekend very much at the convention and will certainly be attending next year!

misthxshira

A Silent Voice

★★★★★

This was my second time watching this movie so I really took the chance to analyze some parts. We've been talking about discrimination in class, so I was thinking we're obviously watching A Silent Voice because Shoko gets discriminated against for being deaf. But it really wasn't as simple as that. Yes, Shoko did have to go through discrimination for being deaf (Ueno literally hates her for no reason) but Shoya also faced his own discrimination. No one wanted to be associated with Shoya's bullying once he was being called out on it, and they all shunned him out from everything. Shoya also "discriminated" against people he didn't consider his friends. He wouldn't look anyone in the face if he didn't feel safe around them. In my opinion, I don't think this movie has the conservative take that society can't change, more specifically in this movie it would that those who discriminate can't change. For one, Shoya did change and accept Shoko for who she was. I don't think he ever really hated her but rather hated the fact that he didn't know how to communicate with her (he basically says it at the end of the movie). Shoko's mother was also able to change and accept Shoya, and that's considering she didn't accept him when Shoya started being nice to her daughters. Another thing is Shimada, who cut off Shoya, still saved him from the river when he fell. My last example would be that Shoya was able to find the strength to finally look everyone in the face, as symbolized by all the x's falling off everyones faces. But one thing I do want to point out is not much change happened, but rather forgiveness. Shoko never really changed who she was and neither did Sahara. They all just accepted this is who they are and forgave each other for the past. This movie broke me but I still really love it, and I'm happy it was one we were assigned to watch.

jjraderftw

Hey, I too agree that this movie displays people who cannot change. At times, it’s evident (even in our word) that there are people who just can’t grow up or accept people of different backgrounds. This is what causes discrimination and helps contribute to a static societal point of view on different individuals.

harleehix

Hey misthxshira! I would have to completely agree with your take that this movie shows people who discriminate can not change. I like how you pointed out that it was more forgiveness than changing that occurred in the two individuals. That they came to understand and accept themselves for who they were. This message is kinda hopeless. It alludes to a world where discrimination will be our constant companion.

+++++ A Silent Voice +++++

The movie we were assigned to watch this week, A Silent Voice, attacks many prevalent themes of today’s world such as mental illness, disabilities, and bullying. The way this movie messes with my emotions is incredible. The first topic I would like to discuss is the way bullying is portrayed in the movie and how we see it in the real world. Ishida, the popular school boy, gets pretty much the entire class to bully Shoko, the new deaf student, because she is different from everyone else. We can see this kind of behavior in the real world as well, especially in a younger setting such as in a silent voice. Children can be brutal. A question we should ask ourselves: Why is bullying a thing? I would say it is a form of power play. Putting down someone to make yourself feel more in control of a situation and of the people around you. It is just cruel and selfish. Does this behavior stem from a particular event, or is it just engraved in ourselves? Maybe both. Another topic I would like to discuss is the appearance of mental illness in the movie. For example, the scene where Ishida covers his ears and everyone has X’s on their faces. I think this represents his social anxiety. He distances himself from the people around him out of fear, maybe as a result of his younger days. He believes he does not deserve to have connections to the people around him. As he meets people and gets to know them personally, he learns that people might accept him for who he is and the X’s fall away from their faces. I think we can look at the X’s falling off when Ishida starts looking at people for who they truly are. This movie was truly beautiful <3

Graveyard of Fireflies

bluelockholytrinity-jpt1311

Barefoot Gen

Barefoot Gen was a good watch and, at the same time, a sad one. This movie showed a whole new perspective on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War two.

At first, Gen was very unbothered by the whole bombing of cities around Hiroshima. He believed that Hiroshima was never going to get bombed like the other cities around it, that he sometimes made jokes about the multiple warnings the military gave every other nights. After Hiroshima was bombed unexpectedly during a normal day, around one hundred thousands people died during the bombing and the events afterward. Seeing these events at firsthand, Gen was forced to accept that the bombing news was real, and he was also forced to grow up as his father, brother, and sister died as their house caught on fire.

Since he was the second oldest, and his mother was expecting another child, Gen had to look for food in all of the destruction around him in order for him and his mother to survive. I like how Gen was stopping in his way to help others in need. I think this shows his selfless character, as he was always happy to help others, even if it meant stopping what he was doing for himself or his family. He was also able to help another person affected by the bombing to believe in himself more, as others were neglecting him. Even though that person was treating Gen badly at first, he finally understands the impact that Gen had on him and began to believe in himself more.

I would rate this movie 7/10 because of the storytelling and the development of Gen as a troublemaker at the beginning and how he became more mature as the bombing of Hiroshima forced him to take care of his remaining family and adopted little brother.

bleachenjoyer

Thanks for this post! I definitely agree with the points you made here. I think that the humanity of the main characters throughout the story is one of the highlights of Barefoot Gen, and helps offset the bleak situation created by the bombing of Hiroshima. I didn't think of this film as a coming-of-age for Gen as I first watched, but after reading your post I can definitely see how he has to grow up in a trial by fire.

harleehix

Hey BlueLock! I completely agree with your analysis of Gen’s character. He is a selfless character and I really like how you underline this fact in your blog post. He helped that uncle experience joy again by just being himself and treating everyone with humanity.

-~-~-~- BAREFOOT GEN -~-~-~-

When I say I was not expecting that :’). This movie hit all the emotions from sadness to happiness and told a story from the view of victims of World War II. More specifically, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I find this interesting because we usually only hear the perspective from the American point of view about the war. Such as, simply that America bombed Japan twice before they surrendered. Before watching this movie, I never really thought about the victims and how they experienced life after a war or during for that matter. The movie really brings attention to the real life impact that these wars have on people and educates people like me about its impact. The pain and suffering that is involved in war. It brought a twisted humanity to the concept of war and I think it is a sad reality that should not be ignored by society.

This movie illustrates a different perspective of World War II and really shows the horrors of war. For instance, Gen’s village in Hiroshima was struggling to support itself in the wartime environment. The shift of resources for example will go towards troops, weapons, and vehicles instead of to the citizens . Even so, their struggles were compounded in full force by the Little Boy’s destruction. I wanna take a turn in this discussion and talk about Japan’s leadership in regards to the war. Why did they not surrender after the first bombing? Why did they not surrender before the first bombing? Gen’s mother asks these questions after Japan surrenders after the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. She wonders why all these people had to die when they were going to surrender anyways. Was the reason for Japan’s delay in surrender a result of fear? Maybe pride? I do not know. Did Japan soft surrender and America dropped bombs anyways because they could? I do not know. I just know that there are always victims when it comes to war, on both sides

jjraderftw

Shin sekai yori (ep. 15,21,24,25)

I grew to like the characters and direction this show took as its story progressed. It felt like a really deep journey that begged you to ask questions about the world you live in and how people are treated within that world. From the New World continued its story in a way that was quite unexpected. The story shifted its focus from one of a society unfairly governed by the people in power to themes about power and human nature. However, the effects of such a society are felt through the story and its conclusion. The main ideas seen throughout the ending episode are those of primal children, chaos and order, and what it means to be human.

The idea of the primal child shows up once more in the latter part of the show in the daughter of Maria and Mamoru. This child was taken away at birth from her parents and raided amongst the monster rats as one of their own. Being raised this way prevented the child from feeling any form of sympathy towards people of her own kind, believing she was a completely different species. As a result, her nature came out to be more feral and violent, due in part to Squealer's influence. This highlights the ideas Aria mentions in their paper titled “Wild Children” once more by displaying the violent tendencies of a “wild child.” However, just like the special case discussed in the paper about an average boy going on a killing spree, we are left without information about whether or not this girl was considered “ill” or “dangerous” natively. In fact, it's mostly likely a commentary on how anyone, even the most innocent looking, could turn out to not be what they seem, making the dystopian idea of eliminating the possibility of a dangerous individual impossible and intangible. Instead, we as a society should focus on providing nurturing environments for children growing up. This style of care should allow them freedom to be themselves while also providing them with emotional love and care and proper consideration for the problems they may face during development.

Chaos and order are themes that arise often in dystopian societies. The idea that overwhelming control can bring about peace is flawed because the balance of human desires can never truly be overcome. In this society, the government exerts discipline by changing the psyche of the human, making them fear the infliction of pain onto others and going out of line. Furthemore, potentially harmful people from their ranks are eliminated and other humans who the power in control deemed “threats” (such as the slaves nations of the past) were converted into monster rats to prevent interference. These actions created a form of control that was overwhelming. Everything was accounted for but the freedom of the self and the freedom of non-power wielders were hindered. By taking away the ability to think differently or underperform compared to the rest of society, the person is dehumanized. Their free will is revoked. In a more literal sense, this was the case for the monster rats. As humans, they were literally stripped away of their humanity because they were deemed inferior and threats. This mimics the attitudes seen in our world with racist tendencies and the abuse and enslavement seen throughout our history between people. This want for control and order causes unfair treatment in some other area that will incite a reaction of chaos that will balance out things. It’s a matter of time before balance is reinstated and some form of reaction happens. It’s wrong to believe that anyone is above anyone else and the value of the human mind and person should be appreciated. Our differences make us who we are and that’s good. We should embrace this and live together. There is no “power” that makes anyone intrinsically better than the rest. Our minds and free-will make us who we are. The uprising by the monster rats was a cry for help to finally be recognized on the same level as the existing humans. The bloodshed and war was the chaos caused by the over exhausted “order” brought by humans with power. No one should be a slave to anyone else.

Overall, I think the show was wonderful. I will be finishing off the episodes I skipped over on my own to get a complete feeling for it. I’d recommend this to anyone who wants a show with a massive dose of social and political commentary.

projectmcblog

I think it's interesting how we're seeing a pattern of immense control and subsequent chaos in these dystopian societies. As you stated, the idea of overwhelming control bringing peace is flawed, but I'm beginning to think that peace was never the end goal. It was simply an easy way to justify treating people so horribly.

harleehix

Hey jjraderftw! I find it really interesting how you underline how the society in this anime is obsessed with control when in reality total control is just not feasible. Taking away the freedom of self for the sake of control (such as taking away memories) creates a society of broken individuals, thus creating a broken society. It is a cyclic destruction.

♬♩♪♩-- From the New World (ep, 15,21,24,25) --♩♪♩♬

vickys-death-note

Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World) [Part 1]

[A chain always breaks at the weakest link.]

Honestly, I am mad confused. This post is mainly going to focus on the first two episodes since I was just completely lost by the time I had to skip to episode 12.

Going into this anime blindly, by the animation, it seemed like a sweet slice of life that would focus on the power of growth and friendship like "A Place Further Than the Universe" but boy was I wrong. Right off the bat, there's just a crazy amount of gore with students being killed in awful ways. However, the first three minutes of episode 1 have got to be some of the most beautiful and intricate animations I've ever seen. The eerieness yet calmness of these first few minutes immediately got me hooked onto the show.

Saki is the odd one out in her group since she was the last one to move up to Sage Academy. When the conversation of the Copycat is brought up, I immediately assumed it is some joke that is passed around by the students to scare the others. However, seeing Saki's memory with the Copycat was definitely disturbing. This seems to have to do with something about altering memories which is the basis of the system in place.

So obviously a bunch of stuff went down before episode 12, but I noticed that there is something called the "Personality Index" which is a number that measures one's traits and how stable they are. This immediately reminded me of "Psycho-Pass" with the crime coefficient. With just this connection, I can get a feel of what I had missed in the episodes I had skipped. This seems to be a society that crazy heavily monitors everyone's activity, and if it isn't up to standard then you kick the bucket or something.

Hopefully, I will read the summaries on what I missed in order to get a better understanding of this very intriguing and thought-provoking anime. I would love to go back and actually watch the episodes I skipped.

harleehix

Hey Vickys!! I liked how you related the Personality index to Psycho-pass. I don’t know if you noticed since you might have skipped the episode, but this index will later come up again as a big reasoning to get the main character a higher position in their society. Just like in Psycho-pass!

A world created from the continous fall of societies. Before the emergence of the new world, people with psychokineses in the modern world used it for violence and destruction (even if it was against their will). Wars destroyed the modern society, reverting the world back to fudualistist times. Again, psychokineses emerged in society causing chaos. This way of living was unsustainable for humans. Thus, they created a new world where they changed the genome of the psychokineses-welding people and created a society separate from others. A society “devoid of violence”, or such is what it seems. Behind the veil of genetic suppression lies those unaffected by the gene manipulation. Ogres — people devoid of reason and completely consumed by the desire to harm other; And Karma demons — sane people whose overpowering and uncontrollable negative psycic powers destroy all that living around it; and the two major threats to this utopian society. With the people suppressed with the genetic “death response” as a result of harming other humans, handling of these uncontrollable beings are usually met with death by the unfortunate soul that takes on such apocalyptic entities.

The way this society conducts itself is very similar to that of a cult. The control of information such as the taking of memories and the murdering of the unicorn thingy shows this communities attempt to restrict information that does not align with its very closed off ideals. The murdering of the children that they believe will not be of the best interest of the community (or those whose behaviors deviate from the immunity’s belief system) are promptly removed. Are their causes justified? Is this society they built the way for their civilization to maintain their existence when so many other civilizations perished? Is it a cult, or a necessary societal structure for them to survive?

cascaheartsgutz

Psycho Pass Pt 2

Psycho-pass continues to dive deeper into the idea of panopticism, as well as the downsides it may have on the human race. The flaws in the Sibyl system are pointed out. For most of the citizens, it seems as they view the Sibyl system almost in a religious manner, it has total fear based control over its populous. The masks point out that there are in fact ways around the Sibyl system, and it may not be as flawless as the citizen's originally perceive. We see this when the Bureau is unable to shoot the first man in the mask. The bureau is unable to shoot an actual criminal because it only sees the black and white of the Crime coefficient. We also see this during the riot, as the citizen's go from not helping someone getting murdered to brutally murdering the murderers themselves. We witness the citizens go from the freeze stress response when the first group witnesses a murder to a fight response. Is seemed the man in the mask made a purposeful move to the kill the first woman in front of a psycho-pass camera to prove a point. Breaking into the Bureau as well makes it feel like it is has game like properties. Makishima knows that the Bureau does not have the infrastructure to deal with this kind of disorder.

Ministry of Welfare Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Department is extremely underprepared for the massive riot in the city. The names of the ministries remind me of those in 1984, satirical as heck. This situation points out the Bureau's inability to perform any of the responsibilities you would believe its name would entail. They are at mercy to the Sibyl system. As soon as there is an actual issue with people and they step out of line, the Bureau can not maintain welfare or public safety.

I really enjoy this anime and I plan to watch more of it. Psychological thrillers are my favorite so this was a fun one to watch.

harleehix

Hey cascaheartsgutz! I really like how you point out that the Sibyl System is not as flawless as the citizens believe it to be and can be proven flawed when the masked people start to cause violence in crowded places. Additionally, the police can not take action on these masked indivdual since their scores seem to be ‘normal’.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚Psycho-Pass (14,15,16,17) ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊　

animenss

~~~ Shiotani – Psycho–pass (ep. 1,3,4,5) ~~~

harleehix

Hello Animenss! I love how you laid out the anime for us and conducted an analysis of the structure of the Psycho-Pass world (your analysis was well put together!). Additionally, I like how you pointed out Akane’s potential role in the future change of the centralized system that uses psycho points. There is certainly foreshadowing that Akane will have a big role in the change of this world.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ Psycho-Pass (episodes 1,2,3,4) ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

kookiewinchester1401

A Place Further than the Universe (ep. 6,9,10,12)

A significant detail that I noticed was that their first adult responsibility was to ensure they kept the essential belongings (money and passport) safe when exchanging flights to meet the expedition team. Without a passport, Hinata could not be able to go to Antarctica or even return to Japan. However, her initial reaction to her lost passport was calm saying "it will eventually appear". While the other girls were panicking and worried about finding Hinata's passport and missing the Antarctica expedition. This was interesting because they rather change their original flight than to Hinata behind!

The Captain of the boat and team captain Gin told Shirase that getting into Antarctica is hard. To break the ice, they need to go step-by-step to reach Antarctica. Antarctica can be seen as a metaphor for an external place out of capitalism. In the article, "Emancipation from Capitalism", the argument was that a post-capitalism society is possible by going step-by-step, solving the problems as they arise.

As they arrive at the first station, the whole expedition crew had to work together to make the station comfortable and functional. The expedition runs smoothly as long as each member pulls their own weight. Can this be a reference that a post-capitalism society is possible as long as everyone works together?

When Yuzuki presented the girls with the "friendship contract", she was confused about how friendship is defined. Shirase defined friendship as being unrestrained. This was interesting! Referencing that friendship can be liberating and free from restrains.

During the inland trip, Captain Gin told the girls to be careful to get lost in the blizzard because they will not be able to find their way back. This can be a warning about getting lost too deep in exploring a post-capitalist society! If you are preceded on the wrong path to find an alternative to capitalism, you can fall deep into social chaos and debt. For example, the history of the failure of communism.

angel-is-not-creative

I think one of my favorite moments from this group of episodes was when Shirase tells Hinata that she will postpone her trip just to make sure they all go together. This is such an excellent piece of character development, she is willing to push back her goals in order to make sure her friend is with her for the experience. At the beginning of the series, if someone had been forgetful enough to lose their passport, she would have never let them join her on the trip. But now, she has gained true friendship and realizes that she can both accomplish her goals and make connections with people along the way.

harleehix

Hello Angel! Can I just say WOW you made so many interesting points in your blog post! Your analysis of the anime and relating it back to the article we read (Emancipation from Capitalism) shows your understanding of the topic and your passion. I like the part where you draw a connection between the ship having to break the ice step-by-step to reach its goal of making it past the Artic Circle and the step-by-step process that would have to be taken for the emancipation of capitalism.

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