The Anim(e)ted World

[123moomoo]

Perfect Blue

The only word I can describe this movie as is bone chilling. I’m honestly still in shock and don’t really know what to think about it. A few things that I identified as important is the performative gender acts that were highlighted, the pressures on celebrities, and of course capitalism!

In reference to performative acts, I think the way in which people perform their gender is underlined in this film. The idea of a pop idol in a way sets the benchmark for how young females should perform their gender. It seems that mima was in a way tired of this which gives reason to why she moved to change her image. This becomes more obvious when her apparition tells her that she filthied her as a pure idol. This leads me into the idea of purity and how it may negatively affect mima. I think that a lot of the psychological damage that she incurred was due to this idea of purity and how deeply it was ingrained in her. As a woman and as an idol especially she had to perform this role of purity to perfection. It seems that a sudden change from this had heavily affected her psyche. 

Another important topic that this anime delves into is the pressures that celebrities and those in the public eye have. Many have to live lives without the privacy that most of us have. Thousands of people depend on them to produce so that their fans can consume. I cannot even imagine the pressure thousands of people can put on a person. In addition, these celebrities must continually act in the face of the public. They have to perform a role that their fans enjoy.

Finally, I think some messages about capitalism and consumerism can also be drawn. Even as murders were going on, the film continued to be made. The pull of consumers and capital was so strong that individual lives became less important. It was truly clear that everybody was  a cog in the capitalist machine, and if one broke it would be immediately replaced without second thought. A sad but true thought.

As this is the last blog post, I would like to say that I enjoyed this class very much!

[ian--yu]

The way the filming kept playing out despite the murders that surrounded it was definitely strange. The screenwriter appeared to be extremely respected, yet he was hardly talked about again after his death and the show kept going without any issue of writing the plot, which was mentioned as one of the issues. It really does go to show that even if you are a talented individual, there are just as many others ready to take your place.

[ian--yu]

4/22 - Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue has criticisms of consumer culture, as people like Rumi and Me-Mania become obsessed with commodified idols, no longer respecting the individual, and Mima, the idol, struggles with who she really is versus the manufactured image of herself. When Mima decides to turn her career toward acting, this upsets many of her fans and her manager, Rumi. Eventually, Rumi manipulates Me-Mania into killing Mima because they both believe that the real Mima is an imposter to the image they have constructed. In a way, this reminds me of examples when we discussed otaku culture like when fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion didn’t like the ending, so they created doujinshi and other fan material as alternatives. Rumi and Me-Mania don’t like the “ending” they are seeing as Mima is no longer the pop idol they imagine her to be and seek to create their own ending by killing the “imposter”. It’s also interesting to note that this scenario isn’t just hypothetical, and has happened before, with John Lennon’s murderer being upset at Lennon’s “more popular than Jesus” comment, and a Bjork fan who mailed her a letter bomb, which was intercepted, upset at a relationship she was in.

Mima is similarly affected by her own decision, as she imagines a fake pop idol version of herself that mocks her for her career change and the effects of the traumatic rape scene that she was pressured into. Because of her time as an idol, Mima internalizes the idea that she is just a commodity, letting the scene go as planned based on her producers and managers’ expectations despite her hesitations. She ends up overcoming this, declaring “I am who I am” when Rumi tries to kill her to save the image of pop idol Mima. However, it’s only in this intense conflict that she’s able to gain the confidence to be herself, showing how consumer culture can affect the perception of ourselves.

[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]

You make a good point about whether reincarnation could be good or not, as the world clearly has a lot of suffering, some of which are fixed by circumstances one can’t control. I guess the point of all the filtering through the arbiter system is to make the Nirvana on Earth as it is only populated by ‘good’ souls, while the rest are discarded into the void. However, my disagreement with this is that it offers no point of redemption as you said that peoples’ actions are judged at face value.

[ian--yu]

4/20 - Death Parade (ep. 1,2,9,11)

One criticism I have for the arbiter system in Death Parade is that it does not seem to take into account the effects of the environment in which people develop in. In the second episode, Nona notes that the husband, Takashi, was a person that was unable to trust anyone, which would have led to other conflicts with his wife, even if he was right about her cheating. I think that it’s possible that previous events could have affected his judgment, such as being betrayed before by someone he trusted, making him the cynical person he is in the afterlife. The arbiters in Death Parade take the people’s actions at face value, disregarding possible reasons for why they occur, and conclude whether they should suffer being sent to the void based on that. Takashi, while violent and distrustful, reacted because of being betrayed by someone he loved and the further provocations of his wife, which is not a completely unreasonable action. Had he gone through therapy successfully and overcame his trust issues, he would have been judged differently.

The arbiter system is also obviously a reference to religions where there is a heaven and hell, with where one’s fate is decided based on their actions. The anime notes the fault in the system, as Nona told Decim that he made the wrong judgment regarding Takashi as Machiko, and Chiyuki asks Decim how could he possibly judge humans when he is not a human himself and as well as with his prodding of Shimada into his darker emotions. Therefore, Death Parade could be considered a criticism of religions like this, as people willingly let themselves be judged by other beings who make faults and don’t know of the complexity of human emotions. But this also seems contradictory, as humans are prone to make mistakes due to their emotions, so having human emotions to understand other humans could also be detrimental. In the end I think that it criticizes the idea of a heaven and hell in the first place, as no system can be perfect.

[ellietennis146blr]

Violet Evergarden

Because Violet Evergarden was on my list to watch, I binged the series. I really didn’t know what to expect, only from people who said “ the feels”, and yes, there were the feels. 

Since I watched the whole series, I found different themes then the ones that were presented in the select episodes we were assigned. However, for the episodes that were chosen, the main idea was presented on how people react to the lost of their loves. For episode 9, we learn that Major Gilbert was someone who Violet treasured dearly  (and if you watched the whole series, you realize how dependent she was to him) that was missing in action after the war. In episode 10, we follow the story of a young girl who is about to lose her mother. Her mother, knowing her end is near, hires Violet to write letters to her daughter for the next 50 years of her life, showing that she is still with her. In the OVA, we follow an opera singer who lost her lover and the conductor who lost his son in the war. The opera singer is obsessed with presenting the perfect song to convey her feelings bout the matter, as she wants to touch many hearts who have suffered the same situation due to the terrible war. The theme that I got, as cliche as it is, is that the people who you lost will still forever be in your heart. As in episode 9, Violet comes to peace when she talks to Gilbert’s mother and the both say “ Gilbert will always be in our hearts”. In episode 10, the message is conveyed through the letters that the daughter will receive for the next 50 years. Even though her mother has passed away, her letters show how precious her daughter is and thinking of her future, resulting in the daughter not feeling as lonely as she thought she would be. Lastly, in the OVA, the song lyrics really conveyed how even though you may have passed away, “Love is always”. Even though all us may not have experienced a love one pass away, all of us will experience sooner or later because we are humans. Regardless of the circumstances, grieving for our loved ones and moving on is a very difficult and emotional time, and I think this Violet Evergarden presented this topic in a delicate and beautiful way. 

Watching the beginning, it was clear how robotic Violet was. She had to act based on orders given by Major Gilbert. In addition, how she was very blunt to the Evergarden family about sensitive topic like their dead son. As this anime was about the growth of Violet, one of the main conflicts was Violet’s purpose in life. Violet had deemed herself a tool for war, so when the war was basically over, her purpose in life was challenged. Furthermore, it is more impacted by the fact that doesn’t understand emotions and living for herself, as she dedicated herself as a tool for Major Gilbert. As we know Gilbert did not think of her as a tool but as girl who he loved and wanted the best, his last words to Violet, “I love you”, propelled her to try and understand these human emotions; thus, resulting in finding her meaning in life. I feel like all of us has dealt with this kind of problem, where finding our purpose is uncertain. I know for me that I haven’t truly found my purpose in life and I am just going with the flow with a vague idea of what I think I want to do, so watching this made me feel happy for Violet, as she found her place and meaning in her world. 

[ian--yu]

There definitely was a lot on losing loved ones, as I recall almost every character mentioning losing a family member in the war. Each person that Violet writes for has trouble processing those emotions, hence the need for Auto Memory Dolls. Grief is natural in these situations and it only makes sense that words are used to help deal with it, as they can serve as memories and feelings to be stored and read again. 

[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.

[snipesga]

Sensoron 4/13/2020

I don’t read much manga, but Sensoron’s arguments and content is not something I would have expected from this type of medium. Furthermore, I did not expect this level of conservatism in Sensoron, even after hearing it would be “conservative”. The content in Sensoron seems to paint an extremely strong argument for Japan’s innocence.

While reading Sensoron, I couldn’t really grasp whether Kobayashi was being satirical with his writing or not. The fictional examples and stories he made lead me to believe that his arguments were satirizing Japan’s innocence and involvement in violence and war; however, Kobayashi’s repeated examples of “framed Japan” makes me think that his arguments were legitimate and it is what he truly believes. That’s not to say the Japanese didn’t commit war crimes; however, the misinformation and information manipulation obviously present in the text are morally wrong in my opinion. Everyone is at fault in some manner and I don’t have the capacity to validate any claims made within the manga or by any information I’ve received in the past.

As a Chinese-American, this text is really confusing for me. Both my Chinese background and American background tell me that Japan is terrible (my parents still don’t like the Japanese) and that we were not at fault for much during wartime. Furthermore, American schooling has always taught us that Japan became a pacifist nation and a great democracy as a result of the United States. The content of Sensoron obviously goes against all these teachings and beliefs of mine. I also read some of the responses from our classmates that have Asian backgrounds regarding Sensoron. Not surprisingly, there were some rather strong positions on the portrayal of Japan’s innocence. At this point, I personally don’t know what to think of the situation. For example, the Rape of Nanjing was obviously an atrocity on Japan’s part; however, the death toll is hotly debated. Is it 300,000+ as reported by the Chinese? Is it 60,000 as reported by Kobayashi? There is so much information that I can’t confirm; because of this, I’ve basically chosen to simply take in the information without deriving a conclusion. While the actions of the Japanese are unforgivable, the world is different now; America doesn’t hate Germany for its actions in the past, so why should Japan be any different?

I’d like to see the opinions of my classmates who have no relation to these events in the past at all. I think it would be interesting as to how everyone responds differently to the manga, and how influenced or swayed they are by Kobayashi’s arguments.

[ian--yu]

While I don’t know that much about this subject, I think it’s safe to say that Kobayashi is not being satirical, although it’s hard to believe someone would outright deny such a large historical event. Most people haven’t had any contact with this subject at all and with the little we know from textbooks in school, it’s not hard for Kobayashi to come in with his evidence of fake photos and say it was all a lie. The death toll may be debated, but I personally trust the years of research of the Nanking Massacre and other Japanese war crimes as evidence that it happened over it not existing whatsoever.

[ian--yu]

4/13 - Sensoron

Reading Sensoron, I can see how nationalist rhetoric can be very attractive, especially in recent times where all kinds of information, true and false, is easily available. A lot of the author’s evidence is very convincing if one doesn’t have any knowledge on the subject, as he picks apart supposedly doctored photos, then concluding that there is zero evidence that the Nanking Massacre and comfort women existed, outrageous claims that goes against decades of academic study. Kobayashi avoids the dense wording of academics in favor of simple claims of falsified evidence, in addition to the manga format, which is more easily consumed. Statements like on page 25, “even to an amateur’s eyes this is clearly not a photo of poison gas” and on page 28, “a fake photo that even an amateur can tell is not a photo of the Nanking Massacre” appeal to the audience’s lack of knowledge, giving them a sense of superiority over scholars. It’s very obvious that this manga was meant for the “brainwashed” Japanese people, and Kobayashi further acknowledges that by saying he was once one of them, encouraging readers to think critically as a sort of enlightenment over current Japanese society.

Also, Kobayashi draws certain characters in certain ways to appeal to emotions, with the “masterminds” of the brainwashing being faceless and with a dark shadow over their entire body, emphasizing their evil intentions and unseen power. Interestingly, his self representation has hair antennae, which was identified as a moe element, probably to make himself seem more cute, contrasting with the serious topics in the text of the manga and the more realistic drawings of historical figures like Judge Pal and General Douglas MacArthur. The emotions of the brainwashed Japanese are also exaggerated to a point where they look disgusting, with large lips, gaping mouths, and tears streaming down their face.

[lazurievans]

Your Name

Your Name is a movie that received a stellar reception on its release, and is often lauded for it’s beautiful art and animation, as well as the atmospheric soundtrack that seems to amplify every emotional moment experienced. The movie contrasts two relatively different ways of living and the individuals that live in these environments; as well as the supernatural connection they share.

I think Your Name provides an interesting commentary on tradition and religion, as not only is it a focus of Mitsuha’s life, but it is also given actual form through the events of the story, at least in the explanations that the characters come to. We learn relatively early on the traditions that Mitsuha’s town follows lost their original meaning and purpose many years prior, yet they are still practiced diligently, while tidbits of knowledge give meaning to certain parts of their customs, such as their braided cords and the location in which they bring the sake. There is also the character of Mitsuha’s father, who has left the family tradition in order to pursue politics and develop their town, which in turn would bring more modernization and cause tradition and older ways of thinking to diminish. Here the lack of purpose, and in the case of Mitsuha’s father the loss of belief, is causing more individuals to move away from these older ways of thinking. The events of the film then come around and begin to assign purpose yet again to these older traditions. The dreams of Mitsuha’s family are given their reason for existence and the tales her grandmother speaks of are shown as reality. What I find most interesting about this is that this occurs due to the growing beliefs of a boy in the very core of modern Japan: Tokyo. Not unlike how time is rendered obsolete through Taki and Mitsuha’s connection, the film shows that despite the level of progression of modern society, tradition can (and will) still maintain a presence in society. The arbitrator of the events of the film is never given form, in fact the closest assumption we can make is that the events are simply a part of nature itself - supported by both the comet and the secluded tree where Taki and Mitsuha are able to meet at half-light. We see that even the scientists cannot fully predict the actions of the comet, and thus the explanation is handed over to religion and tradition, which are often used to give a sense of rhyme and reason to the unknown. It seems the movie tries to acknowledge tradition as a valid way of knowing, whilst giving it reverence and placing it on equal footing with modernization and quantitative knowledge.

[ian--yu]

Mitsuha’s father is an interesting character, especially as you said with him leaving the family, which is especially strange as their community is so small with many traditional values. He is absent from Mitsuha's home and her grandmother says that Mitsuha and her sister are just with her now in a flashback, but other than that there is no more mention of her family situation, suggesting something different from the normal parent-child household. His more pragmatic nature in his opposition of the proposal to save the town isn’t wrong, as Mitsuha/Taki provide no proof, although the viewer knows that it is, which again supports your idea that tradition has its place among quantitative knowledge.

[ian--yu]

4/10 - Your Name

While Your Name is a fantasy movie, there are still many points that are questionable, including that they don’t realize the three year difference with dates on their smartphone, that Taki never learns the name of the town he’s in half the time, that he writes “I love you” instead of his name, and that Taki and Mitsuha fall in love with someone they’ve never met. However, I can mostly excuse them because of Your Name’s focus on emotions and spirituality. The body switching phenomenon happens to be passed down among family, the traditional ritual that has lost its meaning provides the sake that allows that transformation again, and modern technology with Taki’s smartphone diaries are at the whim of this power. The lack of logic is compensated by the characters emotional decisions, especially around Taki and Mitsuha’s longing for each other. I think that Your Name promotes feeling over rationality, especially in the ending. Taki wonders what he is longing for and thinks about the possibility of it being a job, a thought more in line with rationality, although the viewer already knows it to be the connection between him and Mitsuha. At the final scene, Taki and Mitsuha are motivated to find each other by the feeling they’ve met before, almost missing each other when they come face to face. However, it’s that emotion that allows them to finally acknowledge each other, fulfilling what they felt they were missing.

It’s also interesting that Taki and Mitsuha are more successful with the other gender when they’re not themselves. In the other’s body, they still perform most of the duties they are supposed to do like going to school, Taki’s waiter job, and Mitsuha’s cord braiding, but still show traits of their own gender, like Taki’s confidence and hot-headedness, which ends up attracting multiple guys, and Mitsuha trying hard at work, which Okudera thinks is cute. This supports the idea that gender is socially constructed as they are more attractive when they no longer perform the gender they are supposed to. Gender norms are rigid and when people no longer stick to them, it could lead to more cohesion.

[shinyintheeast]

Hetalia Axis Powers - Apr. 6th

Watching Hetalia Axis Powers really threw me back to middle school where it was the only show I watched for over a month (yikes). It is different watching it now and watching it back when I was 12-13 because I did not know much about world history. I took a lot of history classes in high school so I actually knew what was happening in each episode this time around. Something I picked up on in the show, that I did not notice years ago, was there are many stereotypes for each country. In Annett’s “World Conflict”, she states that the anime makes fun of stereotypes, but does not dismiss them because the characters only play the stereotype. Hetalia Axis Powers is seen controversial because of this reason where hurtful stereotypes are presented and insists that it is true. The anime sets up bad examples of how some people view those of different nationalities and/or ethnicities. Hetalia being a popular anime means almost everyone has access to it and watching it puts a horrible influence on those who are easily susceptible to believing that people from other countries literally act like that. It carries into people making racist and prejudiced comments.

Annett also brings up the biased side of the anime. Past conflicts between South Korea and Japan are presented in the anime with a favorable bias toward Japan. Over 17,000 Koreans signed a petition to cancel Hetalia Axis Powers because of the anger they felt over events shown in the anime, such as the ones during World War II and the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute, and depicted Korea in a disdainful manner. It is interesting to know that the anime has a bias, even if it is not blatantly obvious, because it was written by a Japanese man. The show has gathered hate from fans of other nationalities/ethnicities because of the downplay of certain events by projecting it in a silly and/or cute way. However, it is mentioned in “World Conflict” that some Hetalia fans are educating others by providing factual information of past historical events that are portrayed in the anime. 

[ian--yu]

It definitely does downplay the gruesomeness of history as the story is based upon World War 2 while simultaneously being extremely silly, not to mention the absence of the numerous war crimes committed during the war, though I wouldn’t expect it to as the purpose of the show is comedy. It’s possible that shows like this can lead to a misunderstanding of historical events, especially now that World War 2 is no longer a recent event that everyone has lived through.

[ian--yu]

4/6 - Hetalia Axis Powers (ep. 1-19)

Annett’s “World Conflict” notes how Hetalia Axis Powers can be problematic with its portrayal of historical conflicts and events as cute characters meant to appeal to fujoshi. Combining all the stereotypes of a country into one personality is undoubtedly going to be offensive to some as there is no way that a single person can represent the diversity of individuals and opinions that a country has. The English dub’s primary difference was the addition of stereotypical accents of the various countries, which wasn’t present in the Japanese version (though I can’t be completely sure as I don’t understand Japanese). Accents themselves can be offensive as non English speaking countries could be seen as outsiders instead of all being part of a global community. Similarly, portrayal of countries, for example Germany as a tall, handsome, with blond hair and blue eyes is clearly a reference to Nazi Germany’s idolization of the supposed Aryan race. Yet, the character is also represented this way in the present day first episode, despite modern Germany trying to move away from anything Nazi related.

“World Conflict” also states that Hetalia Axis Powers is perfect for database consumption, which explains some of the questionable decision making toward the show. Personally, I found the nonlinear story, though it hardly seemed like a story at all, extremely confusing, and there were quite a few repeated scenes used for comedic effect, though it seemed like laziness toward animating, despite the running time of the anime being only five minutes. “World Conflict” notes the example of trailers of the episode “America’s Cleaning of the Storage”, which appears multiple times, and I noticed other examples, such as the scene of the Allies attacking the Axis powers at the beach, and Germany instructing Italy and Japan on how to act in the military. The usage of the repeated animations allows for more of the characters performing their typical stereotypical silly actions, part of the database consumption for this anime.

[gamefreak105]

Retrospective: Chronicles of Anthropocene

“The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.”

—John Paul II

Warning there might be some spoilers for Chronicles of Xenoblade 2. You have been warned.

Anthropocene is the age of human influence on the Earth. We have and will continue to be part of the natural order of the world, yet despite that humans think to justify their misuse of nature by separating and disassociating nature and humans. Compared to other animals that live on this planet in harmony with nature, humans utilize nature to its maximum in order to benefit, an example of a relationship leaning towards parasitism. As stated in Cobb's Drama of the Anthropocene, there are three basic ideas that define our relationship with nature: Objectification, instrumentalism, and the linearity of time. We objectify nature and view it as something different than ourselves. We use it to our max benefit without considering the consequences. In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the protagonist Rex searches for the elusive Elysium in order to solve the current issue of overpopulation and not enough land or resources. Elysium is seen/heard of as a paradise with lush greens and large lands. However when the team finally reaches this “Promised Land”, all they find is ruin, previously destroyed by the very humans who inhabited it before. We continue to make mistakes yet we do not try as a whole to change our attitude and fix them. We can see that when much of the population in our world today is either ignorant or does not care about the world around them. There are also those who disbelieve in global warming and other worldwide issues as it fits their own agenda. Elysium in Greek mythology is the afterlife home of heroes and those who lived a good life that helped others. So it is ironic for the game to choose such a place to represent the past ruins of a great civilization. This could show that when we are the judges of our actions without looking towards nature to keep us grounded, we will lead ourselves to a new Elysium inherited from the last generation.

[ian--yu]

Interesting fact about the word Elysium, though the fact that it's completely uninhabitable shows that the heroes that came there to live a good life did not treat it well. Additionally, the choosing of the name could be to show that the idea of being rewarded is ultimately false as one can’t just rely on that to save themselves, as the party discovers when finally reaching it. They have to work harder to actually find their own Elysium and it doesn’t come without the sacrifice of Pneuma.

[ian--yu]

4/3 - Xenoblade Chronicles 2

The world in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 consists of two worlds, both of which can be compared to the issues on Earth. In the first world, which is a parallel to our current world, man has become as powerful as divine entities, resulting in the creation of a new world and the destruction of the old world. This can immediately be related to our current situation, as people continually look for advances in science and technology, leading to ethical concerns about their own creations, with the development of artificial intelligence as an example. Klaus’s discovery of the conduit and his desire to see its power manifested, without thinking about the consequences first is representative of the speed at which new technologies are developed, leaving behind actually discussing its ethical issues, as he is quick to push Galea away to activate the conduit. Klaus’s controlling the conduit’s power is the final result of the common opinion described in “Drama of the Anthropocene”, as people look to better technologies to fix the problems created by technology itself. However, this is ultimately destructive, and the creation of the new world is not without its problems too, suggesting that humans shouldn’t act outside their place in nature, which is the idea of deep ecology. This is similar to the effect of giant warriors in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, as the destruction of the world is caused by humans harnessing powers greater than themselves.

The second world, Alrest, contains titans that people live on, which are slowly dying off, and can be compared to the lack of space on Earth and overpopulation. Rex’s answer becomes to reach Elysium, which is revealed as a wasteland. However, in the ending they find the true Elysium in the giants coming together to form a giant landmass. This can be interpreted with “Drama of the Anthropocene”’s idea to become a participant in nature as the titans come together to live peacefully with the humans, instead of separately and in conflict as before.

[123moomoo]

Replacement for Swampcon

In chronological order, I’ll begin with the discussion about the definition of the Otaku. There were many different definitions given. One is an extreme fan, another is just an anime lover. Some don’t like to be called Otaku and some think it is open to be repossessed as a positive term. We learned that in Japan Otaku is a negative term, however, like other derogatory terms, it has been repossessed by some of the people within the subculture. In this movie, I saw some stereotypes of an otaku that we looked at in class. In Genshiken, we discussed madame’s character and how he cuts down on living expenses in order to consume more fan goods. In this documentary, there is a similar interviewee who cuts down on food in order to buy more goods at the convention. I can definitely relate to this because that’s exactly what I did when I went to an anime convention! There is so much to buy, and with a budget, something has got to give! The specific definition of an otaku that we discussed was the definition by Saito. He said the Otaku is the extreme fan who is productive in possessing the hyperreal through the creation of simulacra. This definition is highly applicable to this documentary especially considering its focus on cosplay.

The second part of the movie focused on cosplay from production to practice. Many of the interviewees confirmed their desire to represent characters from their favorite shows through cosplay. This cosplay is the simulacra that Saito was referring to, and it is used to possess the works of fiction that they enjoy so much. There was a focus on one specific cosplayer, and she exemplified very well the productivity of the otaku referred to by Saito. I had always been intrigued by the process which was one of the reasons I liked the content of this movie. Personally, it made me nostalgic about my experiences going to anime conventions and my experience cosplaying. 

Other than cosplay, another topic that I wanted to talk about was the cross-cultural similarities and differences between Otakus in America and Japan. Less so nowadays, but people who are very passionate about anime are often dismissed as weird. Based on this movie, I think many otakus go to conventions to feel that they belong. This makes sense to me because for my first experience at a convention I felt very comfortable and at home. I also feel like this feeling is universal for all Otaku based on the anime Genshiken and this movie. A possible difference that I noticed was the inclusion of American cartoons in the fandom. I saw toothless from how to train your dragon as a cosplay. In addition, an interviewee explained that her sons were dressed up as characters from cartoon network. I found this interesting as it shows differences among Otakus across cultures even though it all stems from Japan.

Something that I didn’t see was fan discrimination which is something we spoke about in class. To be honest I noticed a lot of acceptance from fans. One interviewee stated that even costumes that aren’t as detailed are welcomed as a part of the community. This could be because maybe the otaku culture isn’t as large in America so Otaku’s are happier to accept anybody in America rather than in Japan. There was also talk about shadow cultural capital in the movie. One of the interviewees said that having more knowledge can translate to social status with the “inner circle.” This is very similar to our discussion of shadow capital. 

All of these topics are ones that really stood out to me that the movie discussed. I found it really satisfying being able to connect the things that we learned in the classroom to real-life more or less. I would have obviously rather gone to an actual convention but I think this movie had a similar effect.

[ian--yu]

The Toothless cosplay was funny, as I definitely wasn’t expecting it. Otakon and these other otaku conventions were presented as primarily for the appreciation of all types of Japanese culture, but in reality it becomes a gathering for fans in general. I doubt that many would discriminate just because the cosplay was from an American animation instead of Japanese, as I think the fans of the two types would overlap, especially as you said with the acceptance among otakus in these conventions.

[ian--yu]

Otakumentary

The depiction of American otaku culture in True Otaku is in many ways similar to Japanese otaku culture depicted in Genshiken and the class readings. The conventions in True Otaku like Otakon and Anime U.S.A mirror conventions like the Comic Market with large gatherings for sharing fan culture and numbers of obsessed fans. As described in the readings, both American and Japanese otakus are both very productive, although in different ways. The otakus in True Otaku focused mostly on the creation of cosplay for the conventions and the competitions they held while in Genshiken, the creation of doujinshi was emphasized. One reason I could think of for the difference was that otaku conventions in the United States revolved around the appreciation of Japanese culture in general while in Japan, they are the people that create the culture. It’s possible that American made doujinshi could be seen as less legitimate for Americans who enjoy consuming various Japanese media like anime, manga, and doujinshi, preferring the immersion and craft of cosplay.

The difference in the preference for cosplay and doujinshi, although there is cosplay in Japanese conventions, also demonstrates how each of the fans want to possess their world. Many of the American cosplayers noted that dressing up as a character will often lead to acting as the character, even if they normally act oppositely. In Japanese conventions like Comic Market, the buying and selling of fan-produced doujinshi is more popular, showing a desire to produce and consume more simulacra. Cosplay allows one to become immersed in a world, similar to simulations discussed with Sword Art Online, but I think that this differs from Azuma’s database model as the American otakus aren’t just content with consuming repeated forms of simulacra as with doujinshi, instead wanting to bring it into the real world. Cosplay as a form of simulation adds another difference with the database model as the acting and immersion in cosplay promotes legitimate social interaction, noted with the Lolita societies meeting up in costume for various activities, whereas Azuma describes the sociality of otakus as mainly exchanges of information.

Some people in the documentary expressed a desire for cultural capital, as described in “The Cultural Economy of Fandom”. One of the reasons that the cosplayer Dustbunny said she cosplayed in competitions was that she wanted to prove that she wasn’t a novice and wanted to have something to show for the hard work she put in. While a cosplay trophy has no tangible value, this still shows how fans want to demonstrate their depth within the fandom and increase their cultural capital. However, the idea of social standing based on capital within a fandom is definitely less strict than with real social standing, as some cosplayers encouraged others to just do even a little instead of putting them down for not having handcrafted costumes. Likewise, acceptance amongst members of the American otaku community as having a place where people with unusual interests can safely interact seemed important, which was also reflected in Genshiken. Many characters in Genshiken didn’t find acceptance anywhere else but the club, with some eventually getting involved in relationships. This is the same with American otakus in the documentary as whole families were getting involved, and with a couple that met at a past anime convention. Similar to what I said earlier, I think that this shows that the sociality of otakus is not just for gaining more information, although that may be the start, as it eventually develops to genuine relationships.

There was also a small mention of the Japanese government’s efforts to promote Cool Japan through cultural ambassadors, which is an example of developing soft power. The ambassador states its purpose as building bridges among countries, although the true purpose is to turn the soft power into hard power eventually. Otaku culture is still described as a subculture, but with its popularity growing, it’s possible that Japanese hard power will begin to materialize, if it hasn’t already. 

[randy-wlee]

Mar. 30 - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

I think the most obvious lesson we can learn from Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is that humans are the main cause of nature’s disruption. From the onset, the movie portrays the Sea of Decay, a spreading uninhabitable area where deadly toxic vapors pose an existential threat to humans. We see two different approaches to this issue. On one hand, Nausicaä seeks to understand the causes and origins of the Sea of Decay. She sets up a lab containing plants from the Sea of Decay in order to understand the region better. Through her observations, Nausicaä realizes human pollution is the main cause of toxins. On the other hand, Kushana and the Tolmekian nation seeks to destroy the Sea of Decay through firepower even though such a method likely contributes to more pollution. After escaping into the Sea of Decay with Nausicaä, Kushana’s reaction to her surroundings is evidence that she does not understand the issue she is dealing with.

In reality, Kushana’s actions to “counter the Sea of Decay” such as raising the Great Warrior is only a pretense for gaining power. Kushana, as well as the Pejite leaders, are blinded by the need for power and ignore the repercussions of their war. Due to militarism, the existential threat people face is further intensified. For example, the Tolmekian’s arrival in the Valley of the Wind introduced toxins to the village. Also, the Pejite’s use of ohms have destroyed their village entirely. Throughout the movie, Nausicaä has the role of stopping the conflict in order to prevent both the disruption of nature as well as mankind’s own destruction. I think Nausicaä best represents the scientists in our world. Faced with climate change, we are experiencing more extreme temperatures, which causes a decline in population of many species. Climate scientists and biologists are calling attention to these issues, attributing this issue to our development. In the movie, the leaders of the nation failed to heed Nausicaä’s warnings. Hopefully our society will be different and take precautions before we become the cause of our own destruction.  

[ian--yu]

The pretense of getting the Giant Warrior to stop the Sea of Decay is interesting, as it seems to make no sense at all, given that they are what caused the Sea of Decay to exist in the first place, and Obaba’s explanations that there have been similar failed attempts. As you said, militarism has blinded people from the truth, ignoring obvious facts in favor of what will make them more powerful than other nations despite a needed unity.