LafufuCrashOut

[lleytond]

Thoughts on Your Name / Hetalia: Axis Powers / Sensōron

After watching/reading Your Name, Hetalia: Axis Powers, and Sensōron, it was apparent that they all focused on nationality and the culture that forms a nation.

Watching Your Name for a second time made me think more about how nationalist believe in the value of a rural area that is often overlooked by modern urban areas. This anime was able to portray rural beauty and value through an emotional story that looked at changing perspectives of two young kids, Taki and Mitsuha. At first, both kids didn’t really value rural societies, but eventually they learn the importance of rural areas and keeping small traditional cultures that reside in them. The movie also looks at another concern, which is natural disasters. Natural disasters are a huge problem in not only Japan, but globally. Earthquakes and tsunamis have greatly damaged Japan. This was something I was able to relate to because I have plenty of family and friends who have lost a great deal of possessions and even their home to hurricanes in Florida.

Hetalia: Axis Powers served as a reminder that nations and the people they are comprised of are often stereotyped. It made me think about how nations aren’t just geographic locations but led by numerous politicians playing roles. I thought that Hetalia showed that history can be seen as almost a joke or something that changes for every person based on how they remember it. This show mainly expresses how differing memories of history can be used to justify present identities and actions. 

Lastly, while reading Sensōron it was clear that nationalism was involved to a high extent. This reading tackled how Japan has shaped history. It critiqued how some citizens view war and history. The manga used shiny eyes and certain dumbfounded facial expressions as a form of visual rhetoric used to attack those who think massacres happened in Japan. This manga really brought to my attention that war is a narrative that can be manipulated by those who choose to remember it. I personally wasn’t able to relate to either this manga or Hetalia: Axis Powers, but I understand the importance of analyzing such media. Ultimately, I thought that these pieces of media tied together a message concerning the importance of what we choose to remember and how these memories shape us on a personal and national level. 

[lafufucrashout]

I love how you spoke about Your Name. When I was watching it, one of the things that stood out most to me was the drawings of the rural town. The animators portrayed the town's beauty really well, and that made its loss even more harrowing. I think how the creators went about this was really clever, too. In the lecture, the professor touched on nationalism, and I think that applies to this movie. As the town is built up for us and then destroyed, we, the audience, feel a sense of connection, pride, and urgency to help. Within a short film, we became part of this small community as well. (Sorry for my poor grammar, week two of my migraine, and it's taking its toll.)

[bradenmmiller]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Xenoblade Chronicles 2

To begin, I will refer to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind as just Nausicaa and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as just Xenoblade, so as to keep reading this a bit easier. I believe that both Nausicaa and Xenoblade were fantastic pieces of media. I enjoyed watching Nausicaa and watching the cutscenes of the game Xenoblade. Both provided great commentaries on post-apocalyptic ecofiction, and what humanity would do in these two different worlds. Like the lectures stated, the most prevalent idea that formed for me when watching the two pieces of media was the contrast between humanity's involvement in recovering these environments.

Nausicaa was a dive into the deep end for me. Directed by Miyazaki Hayao, who was also the director of Spirited Away (one of my favorite anime we have watched so far in this class), this anime was another fantastic watch. I believe it was also animated in full animation, a style that I love due to the facial expressions and emphasis on negative space you can portray unlike limited animation. I also thought the anime itself was great as well. The contrast between nature and humans was thoroughly exemplified. I believe this can relate to my life as well. As an individual who has always loved nature, I can confidently say that Nausicaa and its ideas of post-apocalyptic humans and nature related to me personally. There were a number of aspects of this anime that stood out to me when watching it. Most notably, the revelation where Nausicaa identified the toxic jungle, or the "Sea of Decay", as actually a cleansing process stood out to me the most. I believe this scene embodies the overall message this anime is attempting to forward, that being, in my opinion, nature is sympathetic towards humans, neutral almost. Nature does not retaliate to the harshness of humanity's actions, instead, it only maintain itself. That is, nature does not want revenge or retribution for its degradation, only life. I believe this contrast between nature and humans is thoroughly shown throughout the anime and through the anime's message, that being humans should stop harming nature and just let is heal itself.

Secondly, as for Xenoblade, this anime was polarly opposite in its ideas compared to Nausicaa. It was set in a similar universe (post-apocalyptic eco-fiction), but it had one key difference. This difference was highlighted when Elysium was revealed as not a paradise, and instead lifeless. Nature was completely destroyed, not just diminished as it was in Nausicaa. There was no opportunity to just let nature heal itself because there was no nature. I believe this anime really gets into the hypothetical scenario of what would happen if humanity degrades nature so much that it is fully gone? Relative to Nausicaa, Xenoblade, in my opinion, asks the question of whether nature is actually able to heal itself, and then presents the outcome of what would happen if nature was not able to heal itself, with its solution being that humans must intervene (Klaus creating the new system to rebuild the planet).

Overall, both anime relate to the real world, that is, that Nausicaa suggests we should let nature be to let it heal itself, and Xenoblade suggests that humans should instead have an active role in mitigating environmental damage and in healing nature. I believe that both apply to modern societies. There are many arguments in favor of both methods to environmental prosperity, and both hold their merits in helping nature. Examples of each would be national parks and conservation areas, which would represent letting nature be, and then human efforts to clean up land and marine habitats of litter, which would represent active involvement to help the environment.

Both of these pieces of media were great anime to watch, and I enjoyed them.

[lafufucrashout]

Your post was great; it summed up my thoughts exactly. I liked how you brought up that Xenoblade begs the question "Can nature actually heal itself?". I didn't talk about it much in my post, but the things you mentioned here intrigued me. I argued in my post that nature does heal itself (because, generally speaking, it does), but it also doesn't. There is always a point of no return. Just like if you get a paper cut, you can heal pretty easily without scarring; if you get cut with a knife, you might heal, but you'll probably have a scar for life; but if you get stabbed, you probably won't live much longer. The same is true of nature. The earth can take some damage and heal, sometimes leaving behind scars, but at some point, the damage would be too much. Nature is far more resilient than the human body is. Still, constant and massive amounts of pollution, non-renewable resource consumption, livestock farming, war, overpopulation, etc., are taking quite a toll on the earth. My long-winded point is, much like what's shown in Xenoblade, there does come a point at which nature can't heal anymore. It doesn't have to come from a science fiction or nuclear disaster, though; it can come from what is going on on the planet right now.

[lafufucrashout]

Your Name. & Hetalia: Peace and Cringe

I really enjoyed Your Name.; as I watched it, I didn’t really take any political message, but I don’t think I was really looking for one. The story and the visuals were nice, and I felt like I was taking a break from class. As I reflect on my viewing now, that feeling of taking a break is still the message that I’m getting. Maybe it’s because I’m burning out for the semester, but I genuinely felt like that was the point of the movie. The characters switch places with each other, taking breaks from their own lives and seeing new perspectives on the world, the city, and the countryside. Even after all the work they do to save the town, their memories fade like they’re getting away from it, completely unburdened by what they went through. In the end, they are even eventually reunited. I understand the points made in the lecture about gender and how the movie is very conservative. Maybe it just isn’t relevant enough of a topic in the movie for my brain to care to talk about, though, because, much like the characters in the movie, I keep forgetting what I’m looking for.

Hetalia, on the other hand, was not a good watch. I was in elementary school when this show was popular, and my sister (5 years my elder) was super into anime. When this show was popular, she was all over it. I still remember her shipping Germany x Italy, and gushing about it all the time. She’s still into anime to this day, and she is one of the reasons I took this class, even though I’ve never personally been into anime. Memory lane out of the way, when I saw Hetalia on the list of anime to watch at the beginning of the semester, a part of my soul died. After watching it, my consensus is that it obviously has some incredibly offensive tropes and stereotypes, and the show’s portrayal of a kind and cutesy World War II-era Germany is so far beyond a weird, deeply messed-up take. Honestly, though, I remember what the world was like when this show was coming out, and this was one of the less offensive pieces of media from the time. Overall, I found Hetalia to be just as weird, cringe, and offensive as I remember it from my elementary school days. I feel blessed never to have to disgrace my eyes with this show’s presence again.

Finally, RIP to my 2 Crunchyroll free trials.

[bamboo-sticks-are-cool]

Neon Genesis Evangelion / The End of Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion confused me quite a bit. The animation looked like limited animation but it was still pretty interesting to observe, yet the plot did not make sense to me. I feel like it was left semi-unclear why only the protagonist could fly the Eva, or at least it was made to seem like only he could, but then other children show up who are also pilots. Also, I was wondering why the commander would put his son up to the task seeing how bad the other Eva pilot was hurt in recent trials. I also did not understand why the father and son were not acting like family but were distant and hateful to an extent. I would have liked to see what that had to do with the show, but I did appreciate that that interaction reminded me of how independent kids can become when their parents aren’t constantly around; kids can become mature if given the opportunity. The characters being naked in front of each other was also made out to be normal, but I find it is not reflective of society at all where a practical stranger wouldn’t be tolerated to just walk into another person's house and be naked or see the home owner naked. Ultimately, the anime had an ending where the protagonist embraced his queer masculinity, which was a nice touch contrasting how poorly he would think and speak of himself before the final episodes. His self loathing was indeed a mirror to society showing how many despise themselves when really we are all accepted and have to simply learn to accept that love. It was truly a beautiful and heartwarming message to all, especially the young viewers. 

For The End, there was a lot more resistance with the protagonist to accept himself. His self degradation was so much that I almost didn’t feel sorry for him but rather just wanted to get on with the film. I feel like his aggression towards hating himself just made the world seem more hateful than it actually was, and his problems were made bigger through his negative perspective. The ending was a bit different from the original series, where there was not so much of a happy resolution either because although there was a somewhat loving embrace with Asuka, everything went back to the way it was after and nothing had really changed. With all despair and fighting, I wish there was more emphasis on resolution within the show to reflect the ups and downs of a day in the real life.

[lafufucrashout]

I was also confused about this anime, mostly with what the point was. There was minimal character development throughout the show, and what little development was made was reversed in the movie. I generally didn't think any of the characters were likable, so it was hard to get through this week's line-up for me. Shinji in particular; I feel bad for him, for the reasons you talked about, but his self-loathing got to the point that it hurt literally everyone on the planet and he was just cool with it. I geet he was hurting, but he was uber self-centered. At every chance he got to redeem himself, he chose not to.

I also think it was weird how often these kids were naked on screen. That bugged me. I don't get how the naked kids advanced the story. That was just... disturbing... I would have certainly felt violated if I had been in the position of any of these children.

[lafufucrashout]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind & Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Humanity Kills, Nature Heals

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was gorgeous. It felt realistic yet whimsical, and dark yet optimistic. One thing that stood out to me in the film was the idea of humankind stepping back to let nature heal itself. The depiction of how Princess Nausicaä sets about to persuade the different kingdoms to join in this cause is already very touching and beautiful, but the cause itself does ring true to life. Back in 2020, during the height of the lockdowns across the world, I remember we got to see this idea of nature healing itself play out in real time. Wild animals roamed the streets, unafraid of human contact or cars for the first time in decades. Dolphins could even be seen in the Venice canals in 2021 as the water cleared up due to less boat traffic. 

Beyond just the COVID era, this is the general idea of population plateaus and mass extinction events. Even invasive species, which have unlimited access to food, no natural predators, and should theoretically be allowed to continue growing and growing, will eventually reach a population plateau. This is nature’s way of stopping invasive species. Oftentimes, when these species become dominant over the planet, there are mass extinction events, as seen multiple times with the dinosaurs. Humans, at this point, are unlikely to face a mass extinction event caused by nature on Earth due to mankind’s ever-evolving technology and adaptability to change. The most likely way we will go extinct is at our own hands, as seen in both Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. We are our own biggest threat, and once we face our self-inflicted mass extinction event, nature will be the only thing left to salvage what little, if anything, remains of Earth, wildlife, and humanity. With nature taking the wheel out of our hands, though, I feel comfortable with the idea that the world will be okay.

[lafufucrashout]

Neon Genesis Evangelion and The End of Evangelion: I'm Losing My Mind

Throughout my viewing of Neon Genesis Evangelion and The End of Evangelion, my main thoughts were not about the portrayal of masculinity but rather how tired I am in this class of seeing little girls being exposed, groped, and creepily sexualised. I can barely even get through these anime anymore, and I can’t focus on what I’m supposed to learn because I feel disgusted by the things I’m watching. The most genuine portrayal of any “form” of masculinity through this show and movie is not through the male characters at all, but through the treatment of the women. 

In the lectures, Shinji is said to display traits of “queer masculinity,” meaning that he can’t fit into the status quo of “straight masculinity.” I think that what’s actually going on is that Shinji is a child who is used to being alone because his father abandoned him. Shinji lacks self-confidence and self-respect; these are not traits of masculinity; they are just traits. I was also rejected by my father at a young age, and I can tell you it does not do great things for one’s confidence. Despite all of this, Shinji still grows into toxic masculinity. In the lecture, the professor offers his take that Shinji masturbating to an unconscious 14-year-old child in a hospital is merely his attempt at performing “straight masculinity,” which he obviously fails at.

Judging by the happy juices on his hand, I would say he very much succeeded at “performing straight masculinity.” he just realised after the fact that his actions were, as Asuka would say, “disgusting.”I would prefer not to give Shinji any excuses for any of his behavior. I empathise with him for what he has dealt with in life. Dividing masculinity into categories like this, however, just leads to bullying, the diminishing of human emotions and trauma, and the justification of abhorrent actions. If we’re going to divide up masculinity, let’s divide it into masculinity and toxic masculinity.

[bamboo-sticks-are-cool]

Convention Post

I have never been to any manga or anime convention necessarily, but I have had the pleasure of meeting other otaku and discussing our experiences together was a memorable experience for me. Personally, I believe that cosplaying in particular is a very fun thing; it reminds me of Halloween but in a much lighter sense as it has all the fun of dressing up but it is more based around one’s fandom interests and in when meeting up with other cosplayers or at events where otaku go to to meet up there’s a lot of people with similar interests. I am particularly fond of those cosplayers who use their abilities, whether that be costume making, makeup, acting, martial arts etc, in order to help out a good cause. As seen in part 2 of the documentary, some otaku preform for hospitals and other worthy causes. Cosplaying in this case becomes something more than just an individual portraying a character, it becomes as close as one can get to an interaction between a fan and the character themselves. 

Cosplaying is also a very intricate process and activity as it can require much attention to detail and preparation in order to portray the character as best as one can, yet, on the other hand, it is not necessary to be so strict with costumes and acting as one can be cosplaying just for the fun of it and to feel involved in events and such. I once had put together a costume for Halloween as I had not bought all the pieces and I was really eager to portray a certain character; putting that costume together with the clothing and even some anime character aspects like cat ears was difficult, so I can only imagine how difficult and all the attention that is required to complete a cosplaying costume. This notion, in my opinion, very well portrays the passion of otaku and cosplayers as no matter what the event or occasion, to dress up and involve oneself in such activities requires so much preparation and once more passion.

As a fan of anime, I really enjoy meeting other anime fans and otaku because whenever I do there is always a sense of belonging and community in that interaction. No matter what interests one person, it all always comes back to anime and that is something that I believe all otaku can appreciate. Anime and manga fans share a passion for their interests like no one else, and when I have gotten to talk to others about anime, they always respond back to me with the same high and happy energy that I give to them in the first place. I like feeling relatable to others, and as a fan, I feel that this feeling can be achieved not just through the characters I love to watch but also through my fellow audience who immerse themselves in the world of anime and manga and cosplay too. The social interactions that occur when talking with otaku are so lively and they make being a fan that much more special and fun. These interactions also are a part of identity formation for many otaku and fans including myself as it heightens the sense of community and togetherness one may feel with others who also appreciate many aspects of Japanese culture. It can even bring many people from opposite sides of the country together, and highlight key similarities that unite them. I think it’s beautiful that all cultures can come together and appreciate the Japanese culture which has so much to offer and share just like any other culture. 

[lafufucrashout]

Your post was really beautiful! I never really thought about how cosplayers could use their talents to benefit their broader communities. I also wrote in my post a bit about how fan gatherings bring people together, sometimes from around the world, which is absolutely incredible. To think, without fan culture, without TV and cinema and books and art, so many people never would have met. I wonder how many lives anime must have changed? I'm glad that you've been able to find your community through anime!

[eternaljourneyinsignia]

Exploring feminism and gender identity through anime

Watching these animes I really felt like we were addressing very different things. While I know that the concept was the idea of gender identity, I feel like the discussion of feminism versus the discussion of gender identity concerning transgender are such different topics, I need to address them separately.  

Sailor Moon for me was very nostalgic as I remember watching this in middle school in the mornings before my school day started. Back in this time I was watching it for purely entertainment purposes, so it was very interesting to watch this from a different perspective. Sailor Moon demonstrates some very cliche female archetypal concepts here. In the episodes here we watch we see Usagi cry very easily, especially when confronted with conflict. The episode about women wanting to lose weight felt like nails on a chalkboard it was so cliche. Even with “girl power”, Usagi still has to be saved by Tuxedo Mask in the one episode, continuing this masculine/feminine distinction and expected roles. It was also mentioned how Sailor Moon transforms into this sexualized version of herself. I particularly like the thought process in the lecture about why young women would identify with it when it’s so sexualized and geared towards men. I feel like Professor Smith made a fantastic point in discussing sexual identity as well as the regression into Usagi’s normal schoolgirl appearance and age. As I did in fact watch this in middle school that probably was one of the things that appealed to me. At that age, with puberty and the current society we live in, your physical appearance holds a lot of importance. Sailor Moon transforming is almost like the ugly duckling into the swan. I think it’s something a lot of young women could relate to, the wanting to skip past puberty and all those awkward years, straight to this attractive and outwardly appearing confident young woman.  Aggretsuko continued with these expected gender roles with a great sense of humor attached. I really enjoyed this animation, and I identified with it quite a bit, particularly the times where you have such pent-up rage you just want to scream. I feel like perhaps death metal karaoke would be an extremely healthy coping mechanism for your frustrations.  

Regarding Wandering Son, I thought that it did a great job showing some of the struggles that transgender youth do in fact deal with. I thought it was very interesting the difference portrayed between a young woman wearing boy’s clothes versus a young man wearing girl's clothes. One of my absolute favorite parts was when Nitori was walking with her dad and her dad simply said, “Maybe we got it wrong”. Nitori had been afraid that her dad would be angry like her sister and here with a very simple statement Nitori’s dad showed an understanding and acceptance that I don’t believe many children who struggle with gender identity receive. It was a welcome contrast to see her dad’s acceptance in the face of her school mate's rejection.  

[lafufucrashout]

Your post was pretty spot on, and I wish I could've put something this nice together! I particularly enjoyed your review of Sailor Moon. I didn't grow up watching the show, but I did watch Miraculous Ladybug when I was younger (and I was surprised how similar the shows are). It transcends time and felt so nostalgic to me despite having never watched it before, and I do think that has a lot to do with girlhood. A lot of the issues tackled (and how they were addressed) are outdated, but in a way still relevant. I can think back to when I was 14, and I was also so concerned about my weight. I wasn't trying to impress boys or girls; in part, I felt like I was supposed to care about my weight, but mostly, my body was changing (which means gaining weight, naturally), and that scared me. I remember having silly crushes and crying easily. Usagi was so very real, and I don't think it's necessarily fair to chalk her character up to solely a stereotype.

[lafufucrashout]

Sailor Moon, Aggretsuko, & Wandering Son: Feminism and the Pressures of Being a Woman

**Just to preface, I've had a migraine for going on like a week now, so I'm sorry if my post is not the most coherent.**

I enjoyed watching Sailor Moon. The show started airing in the 1990s, but it remains relevant and iconic today, globally. I wouldn’t say that Sailor Moon changed any major gender norms or anything like that, but the show addressed serious social pressures that women faced (and still face) that are pressed on us from a young age. Sailor Moon follows a 14-year-old girl as she figures out life and tries to understand herself. The show empowered young girls to not feel less than for “feminine” qualities, but rather to embrace them. In a world of toxic “boys will be boys,” Sailor Moon was a positive “girls can be powerful.”

Aggrestsuko was a fun watch, as well. The most important message I got from the show is the pressure put on women to perform these perceived gender roles despite not wanting to. It is frustrating watching Retsuko hold in her rage at her boss just to buckle and make him tea, but we see that when she tries to take a stand and report him, her boss retaliates. She is belittled for being a woman. This goes beyond gender performance and gender roles. It doesn’t matter if you decide to participate in gender performativity or not; other people will still project their ideas onto you. It’s an issue to only focus on the concept of gender and how it is a social construct because people discriminate based on sex and sexuality, too. To get into the bigger picture, this is why things like DEI are so important. Because even given two of the same exact resume, verbatim, with the only difference being one resume says male and the other says female, the man will get the job every time.

With Wandering Son, I don’t have much personal experience with the subject matter, but I do understand that at such a young age, the confusion of being bullied for something another person was met with acceptance for. I was glad to watch as she found herself more and more, and was even able to stand up to that punk brat who was trying to use her as a laughing stock.

[lafufucrashout]

Conventions: A Personal Reflection on Fandom Culture

In September of 2014, I was in the early days of my eighth-grade year, and I loved the show Supernatural. I was the new kid at school, so life was particularly tough for me at the time, and Supernatural gave me comfort. Over the summer, I had sold some of my things to save up money to go to a Supernatural convention. I really wanted to go to a convention because I thought it would be such a cool experience. In my mind, I was going to meet the actors, get a photo and an autograph, get to see props from the show, and learn about the behind-the-scenes.

My mom was a trooper and actually took me to this convention in Dallas, Texas, and I was probably one of the youngest people there. It’s pretty safe to say, the convention was not what I expected. There were a lot of people dressed up as characters from the shows, and there were plenty of booths selling Supernatural merchandise. Some of the actors were there to talk at panels, but they didn’t talk much about the show (in fact, a lot of the actors talked about some pretty raunchy things). I did get to take a picture with Misha Collins, which he later autographed, but the whole photo-op/autograph experience cost an additional $125 and lasted a combined total of 15 seconds.

[Blurry photo of Mark Sheppard taken from my seat during the convention.]

I was only 13 at the time, so it was really disappointing to feel like I had wasted $425 on a mediocre day in a damp hotel convention center. I don’t blame myself for any of it, though, nor do I regret it. 

During that convention, I learned that so many people are into different “fandoms” for reasons I never really understood. Many of the people there wanted to showcase their creativity. Some of the cosplays were pretty insane; I remember one girl had built functioning wings that lit up. Maybe that’s not a huge feat in the cosplay world, I wouldn’t really know, but 13-year-old me thought it was pretty neat. 

Other people want to meet their “other” families. There were a lot of people at the convention who didn’t have great relationships with their biological families, maybe because their families weren’t accepting of their sexual orientation, or maybe because their families didn’t approve of their lifestyles. Regardless, Supernatural, much like any fandom, was a way for these people to find and connect with people who had gone through similar experiences. The show was just a vehicle to bring them together and start conversations. Going to the conventions allowed so many people to meet the new families they had built online.

Of course, there were also people who just wanted to meet other fans and have a good time. I’m sure this group of people knew exactly what they were getting into ahead of time. Just like some people go to football games just for fun, some people want to see their favorite actors and relax at a hotel all day for fun. 

Again, I was 13 at the time, so I didn’t have people to go with – only my mom. I didn’t want or know how to talk to people, and all the noise turned out to be a bit too much for me to handle. I wasn’t grown enough to understand what the adults on stage were talking about, or to have a drink to relax and enjoy the weekend. That doesn’t mean, though, that just because I didn’t have fun and I don’t personally understand conventions and much of fan culture, that it isn’t important or that I can’t recognize its impact on people. It’s clear that, with every negative thing fan culture may bring, there are just as many, if not more, positives that fan culture brings, too.

[stardustsunnyshine]

Genshiken: Fantasy vs. Reality

Rating:

I did not remotely enjoy anything about this anime at all. I was uncomfortable with the topic and images present in Genshiken. This anime is not suitable for children or minors due to the explicit nature of this anime. The are many photos and media depicted in the show that contains nudity and sexual connotations that are not suitable for minors.

Reflections:

I understand that Genshiken was bringing awareness to otaku culture in Japan. It was meant to bring acceptance to otaku culture; the characters become content in realizing that they share a common interest with others.The show surrounded a club that was based on otaku culture. However, I first thought the club would be about cool anime or video games, but it was quite the opposite. Many of the characters enjoyed consuming sexual explicit drawings of anime characters and creating fantasies about them. Genshiken explored the sexuality of the characters based on their media consumption. However, its use was quite harmful and predatory.

I was quite uncomfortable with idea that many of the male characters were sexually attracted to characters that are supposed to be minors. I get that otaku culture normalizes that because its fiction and their interest and behaviors toward fiction does not necessarily translate to real life. That still does not hide the fact that grown men are sexually attracted to sexually explicit content of women that represent children. Again, I understand that these drawings are fiction and do not represent reality or real people, but what is stopping these fantasies from becoming reality. In my opinion based on how the male character are into these explicit images is borderline pedophilia.

If you watch crime shows like Law&Order SVU or Criminal Minds, many of the unsubs have pedophilia fantasies of children and women. The unsubs enjoy consuming content that is violent and sexual explicit and even create fantasies like many of the characters in Genshiken. Many of the unsubs have kidnapped real people to dress them up like fictional characters to fulfill their disturbing fantasies. What is stopping the characters in Genshiken from loosing sight of reality and enacting their fantasies.

I was also very uncomfortable with excessive amount sexual content and the normalization of it. It was normal for these characters to play disturbing games where they could sexually assault characters that were children. The female characters were just as bad as the male characters, they created same-sex fantasies about their friends and drew pictures of them. I was especially disturb about this, because the male characters in Genshiken fantasized about fictional anime girls, but the female characters made fantasies about real life people. The behavior that the female characters had made it seem that they fetishized same-sex relationships.

In all I would not watch Genshiken again or would recommend it to anyone.

[lafufucrashout]

Yes on everything. I was also extremely uncomfortable watching Genshiken. This anime seemed like it was trying to be a light-hearted slice-of-life story with characters developing and learning how to grow and interact within the world, but the sexual overtones throughout the show are hugely problematic. I can't feel any empathy for a character, nor can I even begin to like a character, who looks at women dressed as young children in a sexual way. I can't root for a character who openly brags about playing a game in which he rapes a high school girl. It is bizarre and disturbing to me how anyone could come up with any justification for the behaviors in this show. It does not matter how much a character grows or how much the show tries to portray their virtues and vices, or how many people picked on a character; none of this excuses sexually inappropriate behavior.

As you mentioned, it is not just the men, it is the women, too. Everyone's behavior in this show was abhorrent. I genuinely struggled watching the show on occasion because of how horrible and disgusting it was. It is terrifying to imagine children or teenagers watching this show, thinking it is a fun and light-hearted depiction of Otaku culture, and growing up to hold sexually aggressive or sexist ideas. Shows like this can be genuinely dangerous to young people.

[lafufucrashout]

Genshiken: Sexual Deviancy in Otaku Culture

Genshikin aims to portray the facets and quirks of Otaku culture. The show touches on comic fests, manga and anime clubs, and fan obsession. For the most part, I was uninterested in the show; it was a slice-of-life show with not much to offer. However, one theme in Genshiken kept me interested and upset: the portrayal of sexual deviancy in Otaku culture. It seems like the show tries to normalize a lot of the sexual deviancy it depicts, but some moments go too far. 

The male characters in the show are eager to view sexually explicit drawings of anime girls and attempt to look up the skirts of anime girl statues; these things are not particularly harmful on their own, but adding to this that they play sexually explicit games where they do things like rape a high schooler changes things. Considering many depictions of anime girls are “lolita” and the girls are meant to appear underage or dress to appear childlike, the fact that grown men are sexually looking at these drawings is disturbing, whether in private or not. It does not matter if this is a true portrayal of their sexual identity or if it is a portrayal of something they would do in real life; the concept itself is disturbing.

Going beyond the men’s behavior in the show, the women’s sexual deviancy is also a problematic facet of Otaku culture that is portrayed. Chika Ogiue fantasizes about her real-life friends in a sexually explicit manner. This might be okay to do with fictional characters from a book or a TV show, but real people can’t consent to being depicted in precarious sexual situations with whoever is in your head. Beyond just fantasizing, she also draws her fantasies without the consent of those she draws. In a society that is not accepting of LGBTQ+, what could have happened if any physical portrayal of the fantasies she had about her friends were seen by someone else? Again, it does not matter if this behavior is a true reflection of her sexual preferences or her behaviors; having those thoughts is problematic on its own. 

Angela is yet another portrayal of sexual deviance in the show. Within the first minute of her appearance in the show, she presses her chest onto a man she does not know, who is clearly uncomfortable; she even acknowledges that her behavior is not normal when she mentions that Japanese people must not greet each other by hugging like she was. She then makes him read manga with her, grabs his hand (knowing he does not understand the language she is speaking to him in), and comes onto him. Throughout the rest of her episode, she fully unclothes herself in front of a man. Angela blatantly sexually assaults and harasses male characters throughout the episode in which she appears, and she faces no consequence. No one even blinks an eye.

Anime, manga, and Otaku culture in general may not equate to or even cause sexual deviance or pedophilia, but, as seen in Genshiken, there are too many instances of sexual deviancy and pedophilia sliding by for it to just be a coincidence.

[lleytond]

Thoughts on Naruto / Wolf Children / A Silent Voice

After watching Naruto, Wolf Children, and A Silent Voice, discrimination was the common theme brought to attention.

In the anime Naruto, a young child is portrayed as an outcast who is rejected by society. Naruto’s desire to be accepted and well respected by those around him drove him to change to fit society's view of someone praiseworthy. This resonated with me and most likely many others. As children we often do anything we can to try and fit in and ‘belong’. Personally, in the past I have changed how I act around certain people just to feel accepted. This change through discriminatory means represented in Naruto can be reflected in our own world today. Social exclusion exists all over the world in forms of bullying. Bullying is often overlooked, and this is made apparent not only in Naruto, but the two other anime I will be analyzing.

Wolf Children also dealt with the theme of discrimination but approaches it in a different way. Both Yuki and Ame are able to choose to represent the more human or wolf side of their self. In this anime, having a split ethnicity forced them to adopt one side and embrace it. This anime looks at the duality of split ethnicities. Yuki decides to embrace her human side and become a part of what would be seen as normal. Ame on the other hand, adopts his wolf side and escapes a society full of discrimination. I think that this suggests the importance of finding oneself's belonging and purpose. I was able to relate to this anime because I have decided to adopt more of my American side to fit into society rather than embracing my Jamaican side, which has a vastly different culture.

Lastly, A Silent Voice was able to portray discrimination in a way that is very common in the real world. This anime deals with young children specifically Shoya bullying a deaf girl named Shouko. A Silent Voice points out the lack of care and awareness of adults when it comes to bullying in discriminatory behavior. As the movie progressed, Shoya realized the weight of his actions and decided to make up for his wrongdoings. Shoya created a small community that accepted Shouko for who she is. This anime takes a different path than Narutowhen it comes to dealing with discrimination. A Silent Voice highlights how it is the responsibility of society to change and accept those who are seen as ‘different’. I think the reason why we don’t learn a lot about Shouko, is so that her character seems more static to reinforce the idea that it’s the community’s responsibility to change. Whereas in Naruto, Naruto is forced to change himself and fit what the community views as acceptable. I was able to relate to Shoya, because his character shows that our actions have consequences, but we can still redeem ourselves. I find myself making mistakes at times that not only harm others, but myself too. Even so, I am still able to learn from these mistakes and find redemption.

[lafufucrashout]

This is a great analysis of how discrimination is portrayed in Naruto, Wolf Children, and A Silent Voice. Your take-away from Wolf Children did make me a little bit sad, though. I think that the mother in the film also played a role in the discrimination her children faced. Suki and Ame shouldn't have had to feel pressured into choosing one "side" of their identity over the other. I'm glad that you seem to be happy with your choice to embrace American culture more over your Jamaican culture, but I hope that doesn't mean that you fully dismissed a part of yourself solely for the sake of "belonging."

I also largely agree with your analysis of A Silent Voice; however, I strongly disagree about the reasoning for why Shouko's character is not explored more. The film does explore how much progress Shoya and his group makes in changing to accomodate Shouko instead of the other way around, but I believe an important part of the commentary is that despite that progress, there is still room to improve. We easily could have learned more about Shouko's character and her personality without changing the theme and tone of the film. Instead, she is the only character that stays stagnant and meek, with her only defining characteristics being that she is disabled, discriminated against (and unwell for it), and in love with Shoya. She serves as a manic pixie dream girl for Shoya. Her only purpose in the film is to drive the other characters to embrace societal change, but she is not allowed to be her own defined person. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but it is sad, regardless, to see the single representation of a disabled person in the film about a disabled person serve as nothing more than a plot device.

[lafufucrashout]

Naruto, Wolf Children, & A Silent Voice: A "Realistic" Portrayal of Discrimination

Last week, I shared a bit about the discrimination I’ve faced in my life as it pertained to Shin Sekai Yori, and I will be expanding on those experiences today with Naruto, Wolf Children, and A Silent Voice.

In my viewing and analysis of Naruto, it was immediately clear to me the discrimination that Naruto faced in his childhood. I had a hard time connecting to the show, however, because it was so wildly far-fetched in a way that felt almost disrespectful. Naruto is treated horribly in his childhood to the point that people struggle to look at or face him; he is left alone, afraid, and confused as to what he did wrong. In the jump into Naruto Shippuden, when Naruto faces Nagato, everything has changed. Naruto can convince Nagato, who has just wiped out an entire village and murdered people in the name of “peace”, to abandon his idea of how to achieve peace and believe in Naruto in an instant. The switch-up nearly gave me whiplash. Suddenly, this boy who was so unloved and feared could influence a man to give up his life? In the aftermath, it becomes even more bizarre to me as the entire village (which Nagato brought most of the people back to life after deciding to believe in Naruto) loves Naruto. The idea is that Naruto worked so hard for so long; he fought for his people and earned his place in society. That is, first of all, a very problematic message to send to young people, but it is also a horribly unrealistic message to send to young people. When you are discriminated against in the real world, it doesn’t matter how hard you fight; there will always be someone trying to knock you down. My brother was adopted from a not-so-healthy mother, and he loved Naruto. He took the message that if you work hard for your place in society, the world that once discriminated against you would welcome you with open arms as a hero. He did work incredibly hard, but the world was not so kind to him. I wish that he could have had a fate like Naruto’s rather than what he got.

Watching Wolf Children, I thought of the stories I’ve heard from mixed-culture households. I’m glad that I watched this movie because I am married to someone from a different ethnic and religious background from my own, and if we ever have children, I don’t want them to face the difficult decisions the children in this movie faced. The closest I can relate personally to this movie is growing up in the deep South, where the culture is very people- and food-oriented, and I was not able to talk to people or eat most foods. For most of my childhood, I felt like I was betraying my family and my community simply because I couldn’t participate in the most important aspects of my own culture.

A Silent Voice is where discrimination shone through in the most realistic portrayal of the three anime. The lack of accommodations from the school, teacher, adults, and other students was true to reality. Something I especially want to point out, though, is how, for the majority of the movie, whenever Shouko is bullied or harassed, and someone comes to help, the person helping only ever steps in to confront the perpetrator. No one ever talks to Shouko about how she wants to handle a situation, nor does anyone ask if she’s okay (except for Shoya’s mother at the end of the movie). Shouko isn’t able to love herself or even really see herself as a person deserving of the same amount of respect, because that is how everyone in the movie treats her. This is, realistically, how disabled people are treated in our society, whether their disability is visible or not. I can speak from personal experience, disability discrimination does not come solely in the form of bullying and harassment; disability discrimination could be your doctor only discussing your medical issues with the person accompanying you. It could be your best friend telling you that your disability isn’t really all that bad. All the little things add up, too. The saddest part of A Silent Voice, in my opinion, was how little we got to know about Shouko besides her disability and suicidal ideations, as if she was nothing more than the “problems” by which society defined her.

[bamboo-sticks-are-cool]

Shin Sekai Yori

The anime,  Shin Sekai Yori, was a bit confusing for me to understand; from the beginning I felt like it was a bit all over the place and would not have very well transitioned scenes. Apart from that, I feel like the characters were not introduced very well to the point where I felt like the other individuals in her group were irrelevant. Additionally, the part where the group is asking the creature in the forest for all the answers to all of their life's questions seemed like an easy way out of explaining the plot of the anime and the problems of the human race and the other creatures in the show. I sincerely wanted to like this anime because of how it was set up to have such an elaborate back story with intense relationships between species, but the only idea that popped into my head while watching it was that I did not want to be one of the kids in the show that were so heavily instructed on what to do and watched over. The kids seemed to have no liberty to simply be kids, and when at the beginning of the show there was a fire/ritualistic event going on to get rid of worldly desires and such, that seemed very off putting to me. Especially when tears were shed during the event, it made me feel that something was very wrong. Overall, this has to be my least favorite anime out of all the ones we have watched. People acting out of pure fear is not only unhealthy but also a very dangerous motion. What we consider murder in our world was what this anime considered a chance of ridding the universe of a possible wild child. I can’t imagine a world where getting rid of a child is justifiable simply because of what if scenarios.

[lafufucrashout]

I also really struggled to understand this anime. The story that was building up seemed very interesting to me at first, only to turn in a very different, very dark direction. It was hard to keep up with what was going on, and I think that was due in large to the huge gaps between episodes, we just didn't get a lot of context for certain events. I, too, would say this was my least favorite show we've watched. Not just because of the difficulty of trying to piece everything together (I'm still not sure I got everything right), but also because it was very upsetting and hopeless. The themes of eugenics and slaughtering people throughout the show just felt a little too... relevant. Watching how everyone loses just made me feel empty. Even the ending that is meant to be a hopeful portrayal of happy children leading to a better future just felt wrong, like no one learned anything and nothing will change. We've watched some depressing, messed up, and very relevant things, but this was too close for words.

[lafufucrashout]

Shin Sekai Yori: Eugenics and Isolation

As a child, I was different from my peers. I didn’t know what it was, but there was something that so clearly set me apart from every other child my age. My differences caused me to struggle in a lot of the social, academic, and behavioral aspects of my life, but no one ever bothered to help me. I was left to the wayside of life, and I was worse off for it. My struggles became worse: my grades slipped even more, I acquired bizarre social habits, and my behavior became strange and unpredictable. I was cast away so as not to “taint” my “normal” peers. It wasn’t until I got to high school and transferred schools that I was finally given a chance and looked at like a human being. My grades improved vastly, I started making friends for the first time in my life, and I understood that I was never the problem; people were just scared of me. My story relates to two major groups portrayed in Shin Sekai Yori: those who were cast out from society for being deemed too aggressive, powerless, or generally posing any potential threat to the community, and the Queerats who were purposefully mutilated by the humans’ ancestors as a method of deeply disturbing eugenics. 

In Shin Sekai Yori, people are monitored during their formative years for any signs of aggression, antisocial personality traits, or anything that could make them a risk to society. If deemed a threat, or if they never receive their telepathy at all, they are sent to die. This ideology is based on historical instances of violent people able to use their cantus while bypassing the death feedback. In essence, a hidden few in society have made the decision to get rid of children who have done nothing wrong just because they could possibly have the potential to do something bad, and this group keeps this secret from society. It seems to me that killing a bunch of children who have committed no crimes is just as monstrous as the “fiends” they fear so much. Never did it occur to anyone to teach accountability, respect, kindness, forgiveness, gratitude, teamwork, inclusion, or anything, instead of just prodding children in stressful circumstances with the sole purpose of seeing if they crack under pressure. With their logic, it’s incredible that there aren’t more violent people on their hands.

Another major facet of the show is that of the Queerat race and their revolt against the humans. The Queerats are revealed to be human beings whose genetic makeup was modified using DNA from naked mole rats long ago. The reasoning behind this: these humans did not have the same telepathic powers as the rest of the human race. This is a disgusting display of eugenics. The Queerats are treated as a second-class race and as slaves by the humans. By no means do I agree with abhorrent violence, which they chose to use in their revolt against the humans without so much as talking first, but their demands to be treated as equals are most certainly understandable and reasonable. The main character Saki is no stranger to the superiority complex the humans display in the show. She does not bat an eye at being referred to as a god from a species she deems as less than; she hopes to save the fiend by showing her that she is a human killing her own kind, not a Queerat fighting for her people; and even after discovering the truth about the Queerats’ speciation, she is still able to kill Squealer without facing the consequences of the death feedback (one could speculate this is because she deems him as subhuman for the atrocities he committed, but she did feel the death feedback as a result of indirectly killing the fiend, who committed atrocities as well). Saki is better than her predecessor, but she is no saint. So it goes with generational trauma. I was given a chance despite so many people in my life treating me as subhuman, but the same cannot be said for the characters of Shin Sekai Yori. This show has no heroes.

[eternaljourneyinsignia]

The panopticon of Psycho-Pass

Psycho Pass definitely had a darker theme than some of the other animes I have previously watched. I think it really highlighted some of the disadvantages of a high-tech society, particularly when the tech is focused on people. In our modern world where so many advancements are made, almost daily, it’s a good reminder that not all advancements are advantageous.  

I feel that many of us can relate to the feeling of being judged without being able to do anything about it. Most commonly we are judged on our appearances; however, there are many different factors that can come into play. A good example would be social media; most people don’t post every aspect of their lives. Social media often serves as a highlight reel, where we pick and choose what we want to highlight. A big part of the decision-making process on what to post comes from what you feel others will think about it. Will this reflect poorly on you in some way?  

I think the assigned readings were very pertinent to Psycho Pass. The reading on Machine Bias with it’s prejudice was very similar to that of the prejudice seen in the anime. One of the key points in the anime was people who were judged to have a higher propensity for crime, and who would be punished. Why not perpetuate the crime when you will be punished for it anyway? This is not a foreign concept in our society. If you are going to be punished for an offense, it’s not uncommon to go ahead and add to it. For example if you’re going to get a write up at work, why not call out, it’s just another offense to stack. Or in school if you’re going to get detention because the teacher thinks you talk too much, perhaps you might mouth off to the teacher, because you’re already going to get punished. This is part of why society has tried to move away from a pounitive approach and more towards a rewards system. Get rewarded for doing things the “right” way. Benthams’s concept of panopticon is perfectly shown in Psycho Pass. Society is under perpetual supervision without any break in the visibility of the supervision; therefore, they are constantly under guard. 

[lafufucrashout]

This is a very thoughtful analysis of how the advanced surveillance system in Psycho-Pass led many people to commit crimes they would not have otherwise committed. Your argument for the show serving as a reminder that "not all advancements are advantageous" and that society is too quick to judge people is extremely compelling.

I do fully, totally, 100% agree with you about quick judgments, whether in the show or the real world. Making snap decisions on someone's character (and choosing to act on those snap judgments) based on appearance, bias, or other stereotypes is extremely problematic and unfair. I think that is by far the biggest difference between the show and real-life, though, as in the real world we have the right to due process (in most countries around the world), whereas this is not present in the show. That is not to say that due process is perfect in our world; I would say that, at least in the United States, due process is facing a dangerous period in history. That also is not to say that biased judgment based on stereotypes is not prevalent in our society, as it very much is. I am simply saying that the existence of due process itself in our society sets us apart from the show.

In the case of the show being a reminder that "not all advancements are advantageous," I can't agree with your wording or reasoning. The Sybil system in the show is deeply flawed and unfair, and it puts a lot of people at risk (though, in my post, I argue that that is not quite the fault of surveillance itself), but that does not mean that this massive advancement in technology and society is not advantageous. Throughout the show, it is apparent that the Sybil system has been beneficial for the vast majority of the Japanese population, providing lower crime rates, lowering overall stress and anxiety in the population, increasing job satisfaction (and in turn vastly reducing unemployment rates). The population is safe and happy, and the economy is thriving. The people who have fallen through the cracks of the system are, generally speaking, the severely mentally ill and the victims of potential crimes. That is horrible, no doubt, but this fact doesn't negate the massive positive impact Sybil has had on Japanese society. Sybil needs reform, much like how we function in our own world. When there is a problem, we fix it; we don't scrap the whole system.