Leo's Anim(e)ted Blog

I like Scott Pilgrim, Gravity Falls, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Go gators.

[stephst]

Jujutsu Kaisen

At first glance, Jujutsu Kaisen is a fast-paced supernatural action anime with curses, flashy fights, and over-the-top abilities. But beneath all that energy is a show grappling with deeply human issues that feel relevant both in Japan and across the world. One of the most striking themes is the way it addresses emotional repression, trauma, and the societal pressure to “just keep going.” In Japan, where talking openly about mental health can still be really tough, the idea that bottled-up emotions can turn into actual curses feels especially powerful. It’s such a smart way to show how pain that goes unspoken doesn’t just stay inside, it can spill out and hurt others, too.

And on a global level, Jujutsu Kaisen captures the feeling so many of us have right now, like we’re growing up in a world that’s unstable and unpredictable, constantly trying to make sense of the chaos around us. The characters are young, overwhelmed, and forced into situations they never asked for, whether it’s Yuji Itadori grappling with death and morality,or Megumi and Nobara trying to define strength on their own terms. Their world is violent and unfair, and yet they still try to protect what matters. That sense of fighting back, even when the odds are against you, resonates with me.

Personally, watching Jujutsu Kaisen made me think about how we’re all carrying invisible burdens, grief, fear, pressure, and how often we pretend we’re fine just to get through the day. The show doesn’t offer easy answers, but it does offer hope through connection. These characters don’t just survive because they’re powerful, they survive because they rely on each other. In a world that often celebrates individualism, Jujutsu Kaisen reminds us of the strength found in shared struggle. That’s something I won’t forget.

[leosdenial]

I like that you mentioned the pressure of a fast-moving society that the characters are subjected to. In the assigned episodes, the series focuses on Gojo and Geto, who face similar pressures; however, as I wrote in my post, these pressures are a direct consequence of work culture, which maximizes effort and minimizes benefit, which is proved by Geto's complex character development.

[leosdenial]

Jujutsu Kaisen- An Analysis of Domains of Power and Work Culture

Jujutsu Kaisen is a series that revolves around heavy combat scenes and is seemingly light in terms of societal themes that apply to modern-day Japan. However, upon analyzing the show, it is evident that Jujutsu Kaisen imbeds themes of traditional work culture and domains of power, especially in a conservative sense.

To dissect the themes in this series, one must first understand the plot of the Hidden Inventory Arc and the complex dynamic between Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru. In this portion of the series, Gojo and Geto are introduced as close friends, who are assigned the task of protecting the Star Plasma Vessel- a girl who will inevitably assimilate with Tengen to preserve his immortality. Gojo and Geto must ensure the girl remains unharmed by cult-like groups that worship Tengen and believe the girl will "taint" him during the assimilation process. The initial antagonist, Fushiguro Toji, succeeds in weakening Gojo and killing the Star Plasma Vessel in front of Geto. This first half of the Hidden Inventory Arc is what sets the remaining portion up with the abovementioned themes, as the death of the Star Plasma Vessel is essentially the catalyst that sets off the beginning of the end of Gojo and Geto's relationship.

In Geto's initial opinion, he expresses that strong sorcerers have the innate responsibility to protect all who are weaker than them. To become a protector of others, a sorcerer must work exceedingly hard to achieve what they want. This aligns with traditional Japanese work culture, where it is believed that hard work is the only way to succeed in life. However, in modern-day capitalism, we see that this is not necessarily the case; in many scenarios, people who are fortunate enough to inherit large amounts of wealth or lie at the top of the economic food chain often outdo those who reside in the working class, no matter how hard the latter works. This is painfully evident in the development of Gojo and Geto's relationship; following the death of the Star Plasma Vessel, Gojo gains much more recognition than Geto and is assigned dangerous tasks due to his level of power. It is important to note that even before the Star Plasma Vessel's murder, it seemed as though Gojo was regarded as the stronger of the two, namely by Fushiguro. Apparently, Gojo's abilities outmatched Geto, leading him to receive more credit overall. On the other hand, Geto fell into an internal spiral of never-ending isolation, marking the start of his antagonistic shift.

Geto's opinions have always seemed to favor those who hold more power; however, his opinion becomes extreme once he falls into his period of isolation. Instead of being someone who seeks to protect those who hold less power than him, Geto shifts his stance and develops a new belief that favors evolution; in other words, he views non-sorcerers as "monkeys" and sincerely thinks that the world should be rid of them to effectively move forward. Geto eventually acts upon his belief and commits genocide, killing countless non-sorcerers to prove his point which, in turn, horrifies Gojo. Geto's beliefs turn into something very conservative; however, it is evident that he always believed those in charge of others should hold the most power. Geto's power-based opinions reflect his inferiority complex to Gojo, which effectively ruins their relationship in the long run and forces the two to be further incompatible.

[jaythomasthetrain]

Violet Evergarden

The second of the three anime chosen to watch this week was Violet Evergarden. I enjoyed this movie, and it made me want to watch the actual show. This show had many showings of the effects of war on people. Violet embodies people who know nothing but war, and don't even have a personality, because in war, you don't need one. The only thing she knew was following orders, and she was unable to do anything else when she no longer had orders to follow. The struggle with loss is also seen plenty in the anime. Violet struggled heavily when she found out the person she would follow in the war had died, and she is representative of many people who have had to deal with not only losing loved ones in war, but also losing loved ones in general. Another lens on loss was shown through the brother of Violet's partner in doll school. He became a drunk and was very depressed after his parents were lost because of the war, showing the effects war can have on normal people who just so happen to be caught in the crossfire. After the war, I feel Violet could be representative of young people trying to find a job and a place in society. She learned what she wanted to do, then set a goal, and did what she could to get it done. She went to school, failed, learned, listened to her peers, and was able to become a proper doll. I was pretty happy watching this movie, because Violet kept improving herself, as well as helping the people she came across. I hope to become somebody like her in life, someone who is able to brighten anybody's life. Overall, I was very satisfied after watching this anime, and am happy it was chosen!

[leosdenial]

It was interesting that you mentioned how people who are accustomed to war seem to lack personalities. In my post, I mentioned how war dehumanizes people, which supports your statement. War causes a sense a numbness in both those who are directly involved in battle and civilians, proving the point of the war representation module: Nobody ever truly wins in war.

[leosdenial]

Violet Evergarden: Recollections- An Analysis of War Representation and Gender Performativity

Violet Evergarden: Recollections explores war representation in a non-traditional way involving gender performativity. In this series, we follow Violet Evergarden as she discovers what "I love you" means while reintegrating into society as a child of war.

While it was immediately evident that this movie was meant to display war-related themes, I found that it was unlike the previous war media we were assigned in this course. For instance, Grave of the Fireflies and Barefoot Gen told the stories of civilians who suffered the consequences of a war they were not directly involved in. However, Violet Evergarden: Recollections tells the story of war through the eyes of a young girl who directly participated in battle as a soldier; in fact, Violet knew nothing but war, as she was raised as a soldier. Violet was viewed as a weapon rather than a person by many due to her impressive combat abilities. This is where I found this film to be similar to the previous war media in this course, as they share similar themes: War causes people to lose their humanity. While civilians in war are often viewed as "pawns," Violet was viewed as a weapon. In both cases, people are not viewed as people, who fall victim to mortality.

Because Violet was so accustomed to a constant state of war, she was never granted the chance to "live freely," as Major Gilbert instructed her to do; the fact that she was treated as a war machine did not benefit her in this sense either. It is clear that Violet is incredibly out of touch with her emotions, leading her to seek out the meaning of "I love you." With this, she becomes an Auto Memories Doll, which is a career that relies on emotional maturity and comprehension. Ultimately, Violet understands her emotions more and more throughout the film, and as the movie concludes, it is evident that she is able to discover the meaning of love as she processes her grief for Major Gilbert and applies it to her letters as an Auto Memories Doll.

While Violet achieved her ultimate goal of discovering the meaning of love, I couldn't help but feel as though the plot pushed her toward a modern sense of femininity. Violet was only seen as a machine for war ever since she was young; in traditional war media, women are rarely seen as participating soldiers, as they are rather portrayed as affected civilians, often victimized mothers or small children. Once the war had concluded and the army was no longer in need of Violet's abilities, I felt that other characters in the show only began to see her as a woman. In Violet's case, she was not very efficient when it came to female gender performativity. Unlike the other Auto Memories Dolls- who, I should note, are all females as well- Violet is not as emotionally comprehensive. It is traditionally expected that women are more in touch with emotions in general, as the conservative textbook picture of a woman pictures something with moderate vulnerability with a near-maternal ability to nurture. Near the end of the movie, Violet fits the description of a woman through gender performativity through her development.

[ace-o-spades-777]

A Lethal Mind; AKIRA

AKIRA is a post-apocalyptic film unlike any other. Where most movies would tend to go down the route of “Mad Max” or “I Am Legend, where the world has been transformed beyond any hope of true human existence, AKIRA instead takes the path of questioning what life would be like if humanity, rather than capitulate to the destruction of the world as they know it, instead opted to rebuild, and construct a newer, higher existence, in the face of insurmountable odds. AKIRA takes place in a Japan just over three-decades following the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan- however, rather than being dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the late 1940s to end WWII, this bomb is instead dropped by unknown forces on Tokyo in 1988, effecting the start of World War THREE.

The post-war, 21st-century Tokyo depicted in the film, dubbed “Neo” Tokyo, is portrayed as this glittering faux-paradise, characterized by neon light, futuristic vehicles, and glittering city-scapes, similar to those found in Evangelion. In this way, AKIRA is more of a cyberpunk film than anything else, as the culture and aesthetics of Neo Tokyo mirror those to be found in the fantasies of many other works of fiction that postulate a technologically advanced future. Oddly enough, AKIRA tends to also be relatively close in it’s predictions for what 2019 Tokyo would look like- the film was released in the late 80s, but is shockingly accurate all the same. The film itself follows a motorcycle-gang leader as he navigates a corrupt and morally depraved world. Said leader, Shotaro Kaneda, or simply “Kaneda”, is the boss of the Capsules, a name which comes to hold great relevance as the plot progresses. Kaneda and his Capsules engage in road-warrior antics with their rival biker gang one night, which ends in tragedy as one of their underlings, a boy by the name of Tetsuo, wipes out after coming into contact with what seems to be a small boy.

This small boy, we soon learn, is being hunted by the Japanese military, who arrive on the scene and subjugate Kaneda and his men at gunpoint, whisking away the small boy and Tetuso alike. Over the next handful of minutes, we witness the Japanese government, as well as what we assume is a third party, engage in genetic experimentation on children, in what we come to understand is one of the precursors to the now established “super-soldier” trope. What took me by surprise is the degree to which those who are/were in charge of the experiments were detached from the reality of what they were doing. Biologically engineering children in order to harness “the power of God”, only to snuff out a young life if it, not they, but rather “it”, fails to perform as desired or simply cannot hack it, is a callous portrayal of the nature of power, and the cold indifference of authority. We soon learn that the bomb dropped on Tokyo that set off WWIII was, in fact, dropped by the Japanese government itself after it’s child experimentation project(s) went awry, and necessitated the incineration of failed subjects, lest they rise up.

After his abduction, Tetsuo goes on to be just another subject of the government's experiments, where they discover that he just so happens to be shockingly powerful, so much so that he potentially could rival the very pinnacle of psychic ability. Tetsuo is nurtured, cultivated and molded into the ideal superweapon- but of course, it all goes sideways. Tetsuo gains powers, this is true- powers that enable him to do things no life form should be able to, but the strain of said abilities causes havoc on his psychological state, causing crippling mental illness. A sickness of the mind is a horrible thing in any situation, but doubly so when your superpowers, the very same ones that arguably make you nigh-omnipotent, come from that very same mind.

The film's core conflict is between Tetsuo and his inner self, the nature of his psychological degeneration and how that same degeneration endangers the whole of Neo Tokyo, if not the entirety of the world. AKIRA's ending takes Tetsuo to the natural resolution of his inner conflict- his demise. There is no world where a young boy, given the powers of a god, can overcome such deeply ingrained issues, and as a result, Tetsuo falls on the battlefield at the hands of his best friend and former partner, Kaneda. The story of a young boy, searching for meaning, craving adoration and power, ends with his evolution into a monster, and subsequent euthanasia.

The Japanese government’s pattern of attempting to subjugate children, experiment on the innocent, and attain power by any means necessary is indicative of why it is one of the most powerful films of the last century, and easily one of my favorite works of anime ever. 

[leosdenial]

I noticed that you mentioned war in your introduction, and that has prompted me to think about how war representation in media can also be applied to this movie. This film goes to show- just like the other war films we watched for this course- that nobody truly wins in war, and a lot of the time, it is the innocent that reap the penalties. As I mentioned in my blog, Akira includes so many themes covered over the course of numerous modules in our class.

[leosdenial]

Akira- An Analysis of Control and Alienation

Akira is a film that applies to many themes from this course, such as control over children, discrimination, and different internal domains of power. I was able to draw connections from the messages of Akira with some of the other assigned films from this class.

Almost immediately off the bat, the viewer learns that the Japanese government in this futuristic version of Tokyo- which is referred to as Neo-Tokyo- frequently conducts inhuman lab experiments on children for them to carry out "godlike" tasks. Instantly, I thought of Shin Sekai Yori, which admittedly was a bit different in its treatment of children; however, the two forms shared similar themes on the surveillance of children. The differences between these seemed stark at first but became increasingly similar as the plot of Akira unfolded. While Shin Sekai Yori began with child surveillance, Akira started with lab experimentation and evolved into child surveillance and control, which is not quite the same thing. However, once Tetsuo's superhuman abilities were revealed, the government treated him as something dangerous and similar to Shonen A. It was then in the movie that I asked myself, "How would the government change how it surveilled adolescents?" Once the government realized they could not control Tetsuo, they attempted to terminate him and ultimately failed. I noticed that Tetsuo was also meant to be exploited in ways that reminded me of Shinji from Neon Genesis Evangelion. This demonstrates the government's internal sphere of power it holds over the people in this futuristic time with evolved technology. Unlike Psycho-Pass, the government in this film exerted its power through brute force rather than psychologically, which is evident through the heavy insertion of assault weapons throughout the movie.

Tetsuo is similar to Shinji in ways more than one. I noticed the parallels between the two in the ways that they both house their own internal dilemmas. While Shinji internally struggles with his queer masculinity, Tetsuo struggles with harnessing his unique abilities. Although a lot of Tetsuo's struggles may root from his powers themselves, I would like to argue that his perspective of himself may very well be heavily affected by the treatment of the government, as stated above. Tetsuo is treated as both a god and an animal, but never as a human by the internal societal powers he is subjected to. In this way, he is similar to Naruto from Naruto, who is viewed as a monster just because the spirit of the nine-tailed fox resides inside of his body. While Tetsuo may struggle under the pressure of his abilities, the way that he is being hunted and treated by the government is likely contributing to a major sense of self-isolation and feelings of alienation.

Akira is definitely an appropriate film to wrap this course up with. There are so many aspects of it to analyze and connect with the learnings of the class. Additionally, the plot is amazing and keeps you interested; I consider it to be a must-watch classic for all avid anime watchers.

[wonviiii]

Hetalia: Axis Powers- Blog #25

Hetalia: Axis Powers is an extremely satirical anime that personifies the countries as characters, using stereotypes and exaggerated traits to explore international relationships and history. I remember watching a few episodes of this back when it was really popular, but never truly finished. However, from the very first episode, we can already see many stereotypes presented and discourses between the countries explored. America is cheerful and outspoken, not letting anyone disagree with its opinion, yet England is quick to jump in and disagree, causing them to argue, which reflects tense relationships perhaps stemming from the American Revolution. France is in its own world, portrayed in elegance, as it disagrees with everyone on the basis that they are distasteful. Italy is also portrayed to be in its own world as it yells out the iconic line “pasta!” after Germany’s serious order in the courtroom. Japan, on the other hand, is portrayed as polite because it seemingly agrees with everyone always. So, we can see how most of the characters were based on cultural stereotypes which may be harmful to a certain degree because it isn’t just poking fun at these stereotypes but in a way enforcing them as a representation of the country itself, even if it may not be true. As the Axis Powers start forming their alliances, cultural differences emerge, showing overall dysfunctional and chaotic dynamics which drive the comedy of the show, but also give in to underlying messages of cooperation between different countries. While the show does dwell on a mainly historical depiction of the countries, it isn’t exactly accurate and instead exaggerated to drive the comedy of the show forward, which may lead to some misunderstandings from viewers who may not know much about the country depicted. In terms of nationalism, I feel as though the different countries represent different types of nationalism. For instance, America is portrayed as overconfident and obsessed with heroic deeds, which may stem from propaganda and a more patriotic idealism. This portrayal, in a way, critiques feelings of national superiority as it can blind a country to other perspectives and ideas.  On the other side of the scale, Italy represents a more culturally nationalist sentiment as it is more interested in culinary and art ideals. It doesn’t take pride in its military, which contrasts with Germany, who strongly takes nationalist pride in its military. Overall, Hetalia seems to critique the idea that nationalism is a noble thing because, instead, it often leads to conflicts and misunderstandings between countries due to cultural differences and ideologies. Despite this criticism, I feel as though perhaps using historical narratives in a comedic way may feel insensitive to some viewers, as it takes harsh realities from history and simplifies them for comedic effect, but it was a fun and lighthearted watch. I do wish Spain had appeared more in the episodes because I wanted to see how they portrayed my country, haha.

[leosdenial]

I agree, the types of nationalism were very different between each country- even if they were mixed with heavy satire and outdated representations. I wrote on Japan's nationalism, which I noticed was symbolized when Germany and Italy had their own white flags of surrender, while Japan did not have one due to the cultural dishonor that comes with surrender.

[leosdenial]

Hetalia- An Analysis of Nationalism and Stereotypes

Hetalia is a satirical series that consists of short episodes depicting the world's powerful countries as anime men. While Hetalia includes historical aspects, it is largely built upon satire that targets the stereotypes of each nations, dancing on the lines of comedic and problematic.

While this show wasn't one I would normally be drawn to, I enjoyed the historical aspects of it. I've always been a huge fan of history and loved learning about different places, which is likely why I enjoy taking international classes, such as JPT 1311. While the show was focused on the satirical nature of each of the characters, I noticed some fun facts that were some of my favorites, such as the Opium Wars in China and the Renaissance in Italy. I also noticed some of the minor details included in the World War II (WWII) part of the show were true events as well, such as France's failed plan to invade Germany under the Nazi Party's nose.

If it wasn't for these historical aspects, however, I don't think I would have been as invested in this series. While I can see how many people could view this show as problematic, I found the humor to be light. For example, Italy is portrayed as being overly dependent and generally useless, especially during WWII. Personally, I thought this was humorous, as Mussolini historically was the least effective Axis leader during the real WWII. Germany was portrayed as a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, which, in history, was the superior "Aryan Race" that Hitler often spoke of- I could see why this would be controversial. Japan was a soft-spoken and serious man, and Germany's surprise towards Japan's intelligence and power hinted towards Western Orientalist ideas. I noticed that Japan did not have a white flag, while Germany and Italy both donned white flags during the scene on the beach. I enjoyed this touch, as it represented the Japanese ideology of honor above everything else; in war, the greatest humiliation a Japanese soldier could suffer was the act of surrender. In fact, many Japanese soldiers and leaders committed suicide rather than surrendering, which was considered to be much more respectable. Finally, America was portrayed as gluttonous and prideful; during the meeting among the Allied Powers, he boasted about how he would inevitably "be the hero." As an American, I thought this was funny- it seemed accurate with our track record of foreign entanglement.

The controversy from this show doesn't stem from the stereotypes as much as it does from the audience. As noted in Annett's reading, Hetalia took off in popularity when its fan base- which was made of mostly females- exploded. The stereotypes in the show, while humorous, may create false ideas of what each country is like today, as many of the representations are misleading and outdated.

[monjustmontemp]

Your Name

Your Name is a movie that tugs at the heartstrings in a very unique way. The fact that our leads do not touch, cannot touch, for most of the movie. The fact that there's love there.

I think that the movie speaks of the intangibility of emotional connections, and their importance regardless. These two are literally separated by space and time. Their text messages are ephemeral. Even their memories of each other are not certain. None of that makes their love disappear. None of that makes them less aware of the loss. None of that stops them from reaching out.

I think that we live in a very materialistic era, a very functionalist era- where things have value because of what they do, less for what they are or what meaning we imbue into them. However, I personally think that functions must be given meaning. A meal in the morning is the sustenance of the day, and that is meaningless if you have no reason to live the day- though perhaps that is a bit of an extreme example, let's say, the meal is less valuable if one is not hungry. If one is not feeling something that imbues value upon the function of the object, the function is simply meaningless. If we forget to imbue value upon every aspect of our lives, we live in inertia, we leave in empty functions.

This movie challenges the materialistic functionalist view of the world. It asks us to give value to small towns and traditions and distance relationships. It asks us to imbue meaning, fight to preserve that meaning, and to recognize it when we encounter it. To ask for it's name.

I think it says: Name it, in your life, give it power. Welcome that power. That power is meaning.

It is, I think, an essential aspect of living in our capitalist world.

[leosdenial]

I really liked that you highlighted the intimacy of Taki and Mitsuha's relationship, and that it didn't require physical touch or materiality. You're correct in that our society is built upon materialism, which bleeds into our relationship. In this movie, Taki devotes so much of himself to Mitsuha while knowing that they exist in different periods of time; nevertheless, he loves her the same and remains undeterred.

[leosdenial]

Your Name- An Analysis of Kizuna and Connections

Your Name is a heartwarming movie that delves into relationships, connections, and different forms of power. This film tells the story of Taki and Mitsuha as they constantly live in each other's shoes and are affected by the abovementioned aspects.

While this film discusses different forms of power that influence the two main characters, two forms are the most prominent: Government and gender performances. This movie creates an incredibly real example of how the government holds power over the people. For instance, Mitsuha's birth father is in charge of their small town. While in Mitsuha's body, Taki tries to convince her father to initially issue a public evacuation to prepare for the comet that is to strike and fails, as he says she sounds crazy and needs medical attention. This instance is so relevant to today's society, as many people feel the same sense of helplessness regarding their government's lack of action. However, with the positive ending of the film, it is shown that forms of government are meant to be sources of power that the people can trust and rely on. In addition to governmental power, a huge internal power source comes from gender-related traditions and expectations. At the beginning of the film, Taki and Mitsuha must adapt to being in one another's bodies; for both of them, this means learning how to perform as the opposite gender. Both of them set up ground rules to help one another; for instance, Mitsuha tells Taki to mind her skirt, as he is not used to sitting with his legs together or tucked underneath him. On the other hand, Taki tells Mitsuha to mind her dialect, as she is used to speaking in feminine ways.

One of my favorite representations that I noticed in this movie was the red string of fate. This movie is all about the connection between Taki and Mitsuha despite the time that they lived in different bodies in different time periods. In a lot of media, the red string of fate is an invisible thread that everyone has but cannot see. At the end of the red string of fate lies an individual's soulmate, who generally has the string wrapped around their finger. I felt that this representation was made incredibly clear during Taki's vision upon drinking Mitsuha's sake, as the red thread that Mitsuha had given him years ago connected him to Mitsuha's entire life. The symbolism of the sacred thread as a whole in this movie related to connection, as Mitsuha's grandmother often described it as representing the flow of time, which, in theory, is the biggest connector between all people.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Taki and Mitsuha's relationship dynamic was so emotionally intimate, and it gave them the chance to learn true empathy as they learned how the other functioned. The messages of power and connection were evident and even overlapped with one another as Taki and Mitsuha had to work with each other more and more, prompting their feelings for one another.

[schneiderc1]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

So, this was a pretty fun watch, and it definitely made me want to play the game. Although I don’t own a switch, so I don’t know what to do. Anyway, the cutscenes we watched painted a pretty good picture of the storyline, although it was a bit jarring when someone was alive in one cutscene and already dead in the next. This game is set in a world where there is no “land,” only this sea of clouds. In order to survive, humanity lives on top of titans that float in the Cloud Sea. Rex, the main character, becomes the Driver of the Blade Pyra (and Mythra) and sets off to reach the paradise Elysium. There are a couple of takeaways that I got from this game that relate to issues globally and in Japan. First, one of the big things that this game pushes is the fragility of one’s environment. The titans that people live on are slowly dying out, and Rex wants to reach Elysium, a so-called safe haven, so that no one has to worry about dwindling resources anymore. He says, “Living space is running out day by day. Sooner or later, we’ll be the ones sinking down into the cloud sea.” He wants to find the way into Elysium so that “everyone could have peace and security.” The next takeaway I got was how some humans interacted with the Blades. Even though these Blades are sentient weapons, some people still treated them as tools and not as people. I believe this kind of resembles Japan's work culture. Many offices in Japan don’t treat their employees like people and more like tools to do their bidding.

Overall, this game was pretty fun to watch. I’ve always wondered what game Pyra and Mythra came from since I’ve played them in Smash; now I know.

[leosdenial]

The way you described the peoples' interactions with Blades is a perfect example of objectification. Just as you wrote, people used them as "tools" meant for humanity's gain, as treating them otherwise would not provide the desired benefit that people sought out for. This analysis of objectification can be applied to a larger scale and could serve as an example of the Earth; while the Earth itself is not living, it houses a living ecosystem that we fail to regard as another lifeform.

[leosdenial]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2- An Analysis of Objectification

While most of the content consumed from this course comes from a television series or film, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 displays relevant messages and themes through cutscenes and gameplay. This game bluntly displays environmental decay to raise awareness regarding ecological sustainability and relay the extent of people's impact on the nature surrounding them.

The game follows Rex, the protagonist, as he seeks out Elysium, which is what he believes to be a glorified safe space that will provide him with solutions to his issues regarding resource scarcity. Upon reaching Elysium, however, he discovers that the area has become a desert that is devoid of any life or resources. This crushing revelation displays the false belief that the environment is never-ending, which is a very real belief in our current world. The majority of people do not realize the extent of their actions and the horrifyingly true amount of accumulated waste that exists solely from human activity. Rex's naivety is not only evident here, but also when he fails to realize that others around him are using resources for their own gain in unsustainable ways. Again, this is a true representation of the naivety of the human population as a whole; we do not realize that most of what we do profits our race, even when we think we are being sustainable.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 links directly back to the assigned reading of this module. The entire world that Rex resides in is meant to be a greater representation of the Anthropocene; to review, this term describes our current age, where human activity has become dominant and irreversibly impactful on the environment. Again, like Rex, humanity does not realize the extent of our impacts on the environment. As a population, we fail to realize that we are currently living in the Anthropocene. The reading also discusses objectification, which is used when something is viewed as solely an object. In the case of Rex's world- and the Earth in real-time- natural resources are being utilized as objects; the land and animals around us are not being viewed as living things simply because viewing them as such would not benefit us.

This game is a drastic reminder of the fact that the world's resources are bound to eventually run out. While the world can function and repair itself on its own, people hold the ability to propel that resurrection forward. Until we do this, however, the planet will continue to hurt, and we will not realize it until it becomes unmistakably clear, just as Elysium served as a rude awakening for Rex.

[monjustmontemp]

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Another Ghibli production with clear anti-war and envieromentalist messaging.

Here, the curse of the world, the toxins that are expelled into the atmosphere, are implied to be a result of human contamination during the industrial age, and interestingly, of massive fires produced by representations of war, which are the Giant Warriors (which I'll get to in a moment). It is made clear that places that have become uninhabitable for humanity are, in fact, recuperating. In these places, nature has had the time to, through natural processes, decontaminate the soil and the water. And humanity has unknowingly been benefiting from this purification.

However, because they cannot directly inhabit these places, humanity seeks to destroy them. Humanity seeks to burn down these places to modify them to human conditions, which would inevitably doom them, both because the purification of vital resources (like water) would stop, and because nature in this anime has very literal protectors which will strike back in retailation, the Ohms.

Seeing the world as it is, seeing how we continually exploit the soil and forests and the sea, bleeding them dry and indeed contaminating them, producing conditions which makes us deprive ourselves of resources due to a lack of sustainable practices, and producing what has been considered to be a sixth mass extinction due to the rate at which species are dissapearing, and the very looming threat of Global Warming, as a sort of ticking time bomb of consequence not unlike the stampeding Ohms, makes me think this is very assertive commentary of the fallacy of human action.

(Seriously, we need to have net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or large sections of the planet will inevitably become uninhabitable for human life. Under a certain level of heat your body cannot regulate internal temperature anymore and you would die.)

Of course, the humans in the anime have no idea how nature will react to their attempts to solve the crisis, ignorance gets in their way, and are too busy fighting to learn more. The only ones who learn the truth from Nausicaa (because she has been studying nature and has found the caverns of purified soil and water) immidiately jump in to help her stop the crisis. We, human of the real world, know exactly what is going to happen, why, what we can do about it, and the time frame we have to do it. Hopefully, we will react a little better than the humans in this anime because at least they have the excuse of not knowing.

Now about the anti war message tied in...

If you saw the Oppenheimer movie, you probably know that in making nuclear bombs, the scientists working on the project considered the possibility that the whole of Earth's atmosphere might get caught up in the chain reaction and we could have all, all life on Earth, have died. And then they tested the bomb anyway. And you know- maybe you did not think of a nuclear bomb while watching this movie. Maybe the skin melting off a humanoid figure after two, two, not one, explosions was not on the nose. I was looking at this scene with my mouth hanging open.

As I mentioned earlier, the characters in this movie, the humans, are too busy involving themselves in war, shooting first and asking questions later, to be able to communicate and know how to save themselves. They think their violent efforts are necessary and will lead to salvation. Some think that accumulating power under a single empire will allow them to save the world, so they go in soldiers first, attempting collaboration never. Their greatest weapon of mass destruction shoots directly at the symbolic consequence of harming nature, and they were, of course, still in a direct course for death.

They are saved by the protagonist, who is hinted at being a literal messianic figure, sacrificing her life in the process of giving something back to nature, and she is brought back to life as a symbolic representation of the forgiveness of nature.

So I would say the humans in this movie are quite lucky to have Nausicaa.

Maybe we will be as lucky. Hopefully we are not caught up in wars, at least three of armed nature, and we can do better.

Nausicaa, who throughout the movie is almost entirely consistent. She cares about all life, does not want anyone to die or be killed, even if they dirctly harmed her, and she respects, and tries to understand, nature. If there's a role model for anyone, she is it.

[leosdenial]

I like the way you were able to connect the messages of this film to anti-war messages. They way you described this movie reminded me of the Avatar movies; the only difference is that Miyazaki's film displays aggression against the unknown rather than for economic profit. I think that this goes to show that our destruction of the environment is caused by a plethora of reasons, each of which can be avoided in their own way.

[leosdenial]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind- An Analysis of Instrumentalism

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a film that conveys environmentalist lessons and evaluates the extent of humans' effects on the planet. While many people do not understand the planet and fear its unknowns, Nausicaä embraces new knowledge and seeks to live in harmony with nature.

It's important to note the nearly universal reactions that many of the characters in the movie have to the jungle. From the very beginning of the movie, it's clear that, to the human eye, the jungle is uninhabitable and dangerous. The first frame of the film displays characters in something resembling gas masks to filter the toxic air that sprouts from the spores of the jungle's palms. The movie also portrays the insects of the jungle as formidable; their eyes are red with rage a lot of the time and they display aggressive tendencies when faced with humans. However, as it is later explained in the movie, the red eyes of the insects represent emotions of anger. When the insects are not angered, they are, in reality, quite docile. Many characters do not know how to "control" the jungle, leading them to lash out with their own forms of aggression as self-defense. For instance, the people of the Valley of the Wind panicked once they realized that spores had infested their village, leading them to set the spores ablaze in a blind, panicked frenzy. Additionally, many characters know very little about the insects and assume them to always be harmful. It is also a common misconception that the insects can be killed with firepower, which is proven to be untrue. While many characters react to the jungle negatively, the way Nausicaä interacts with the nature around her proves that the jungle is not the bringer of poison; rather, the people are.

Nausicaä's relationship with the jungle- and nature as a whole- holds great symbolism relating to environmental awareness and sustainability. It's immensely clear that Nausicaä has a special relationship with nature from the very beginning; for instance, she, unlike other characters, works patiently with wildlife to calm their anger in instances that would generally cause panic. Rather than fear the animals, Nausicaä sympathizes with them and reminds them of their home. She finds the poisonous spores beautiful and is fascinated by the gigantic Ohms that inhabit the jungle, creating harmonious relationships with the planet around her. In the second half of the movie, Nausicaä and Asbel discover that the jungle is a necessary part of the planet's ecosystem and purifies the air and water located beneath it. Without the jungle, the planet would die from the ignorant pollution the people have injected into the soil. The jungle seems scary only because the people have made no effort to understand it. On the other hand, Nausicaä learns of its functions and beauty, which is demonstrated by her discovery that the pollution roots from the soil; without the poisonous soil, the plants clean the air, making it fresh.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind displays the greater relationship that the world population has with the Earth today. Our society prioritizes productivity over sustainability, just as many villages in the film did. People tend to go for the quickest, most profitable solution rather than one that will last in the long run. This movie teaches its viewers to slow their thinking and fears to correctly assess issues with the environment, which realigns economic priorities and the upkeep of our planet.

[ace-o-spades-777]

The End is Not the End is Not The-

"End of Evangelion"

End of Evangelion is one of the bleakest films I have ever watched, which is saying something coming from someone with a Letterboxd the length of the Nile. After hours upon hours of bearing witness to the evolution of countless characters, plot twists, and the veritable loop-de-loops that the story takes you on, to know that this is how it all shook out left me borderline catatonic. EoE, in my eyes, is comprised of three parts: Shinji’s recognition of his futility within the grand scheme of his wider existence in the world, the maturation (or lack thereof) of his relationship with Asuka, and finally, the Human Instrumentality Project (H.I.P.) and the Third Impact’s clear relation to Christianity and Christendom as a whole.

Over the course of the film, we watch as Shinji, who previously has been little else but an instrument of his father’s will and a reluctant participant in the whole of NERV’s works, struggles to reconcile himself with the very things that he has been doing, as well as form meaningful relationships. Everyone who once looked kindly upon Shinji met their demise, leaving him completely and utterly alone, resulting in Shinji adopting a rather self-flagellating worldview. Misato, his former mentor and elder-sister figure, gives her life saving Shinji, protecting him from harm, closing out the pair’s narrative loop where she rescued Shinji from certain death in episode 1 of the original series. Misato also advances herself sexually onto Shinji mere moments before her death, promising that she will sleep with him if he returns to her alive and in one piece—an obvious extension of Misato’s compulsion to use her femininity to communicate things she is incapable of saying verbally—and sends off the character with a bang, albeit with the implication that her death was less than final.

It’s impossible to discuss Evangelion without making mention of that hospital scene—but first, we need context. Shinji and Asuka have always been at odds, first as roommates, then rivals, and finally as emotionally stunted lovers who dance around one another in a manner that results in the pair regarding one another through a lens where each perceives the other as running counter to their own existence, contradictory on the grounds of differing beliefs and behaviors. When we are first introduced to Asuka, we see her as a child prodigy, a true genius who was all but made for the EVA program. We witness Asuka thrive in her role as a pilot, standing on the cutting edge of the program and serving as the basis against which her fellow pilot, Shinji, is measured. The pair are obviously attracted to one another, but their psychological issues prevent them from truly sharing their feelings with one another—Shinji, with his timidness and sexual ineptitudes, fails to pick up on Asuka’s pursuit(s) of him, effectively shunning her by consistently passing by any opportunity to engage with Asuka in any manner outside the surface level, if even that. Asuka’s headstrong nature and conception(s) of what Shinji ought to be as the “strong male” to her “strong female’, coupled with Shinji’s own deficiencies, make for a relationship that suffers a great many twists and turns, eventually culminating in the infamous hospital scene where Shinji kisses Asuka while she is in a coma and even pleasures himself to her naked body, which is implied to be a common occurrence.

Both Shinji and Asuka, on separate occasions, ask the other to be their devoted, romantic partner, and on both occasions, the other refuses. Asuka implores Shinji to surrender himself to her in his entirety, a request he refuses out of a lack of self-esteem and the belief that nobody truly loves him in any way that matters, and Shinji begs Asuka to be his better half, to be with her forever—a request that she denies despite desiring him anyway. Asuka and Shinji’s relationship is the final thing that the viewer sees in terms of the overarching story of Evangelion, with Shinji attempting to choke the life from Asuka whilst in tears after the Third Impact, only to give up once the latter caresses his cheek before spitting nigh-venomously in his direction, alone in an ocean of red. The two are the perfect illustration of what havoc toxic love, genuine as it might be, can wreak when exhibited by two deeply traumatized individuals.

As for the Third Impact itself, it has overt similarities to the Biblical concept of The Second Coming, or the Rapture. The liberation of souls from physical form to unite with a singular entity, within which they will be complete and want for nothing, rationalized as the natural progression of humanity—its destiny truly—is likely the basis upon which the Third Impact and the H.I.P. are predicated, not to mention the wealth of cross motifs to be found across the length and breadth of the anime, chief among them being Misato’s pendant, which we see Shinji journey on with, and the cross-shaped beams that erupt forth when the entire occurrence is at hand and the souls of Evangelion’s world are being harvested. Shinji, as close to a messianic figure as Evangelion ever gets, falters in the face of absolute power, condemning himself and the entire world to death on the back of his sense of inferiority and belief that the human race is beyond saving—only to then about-face and champion individuality, determined to bring about change, only to succeed and realize the damage is done; the world is barren and forever unchanged.

EoE wraps with the realization that Gendo Ikari, through bringing about the Third Impact, technically won—and now, his son, alongside his Madonna, must go forth and remake the world in his image—a Neo(n) Genesis.

[leosdenial]

Shinji and Asuka's relationship is so crucial to the plot, but it's even more important in relation to the context of hegemonic masculinity in the movie and television series. Their connection with one another is extremely complicated, with Asuka constantly trying to one-up Shinji while he fruitlessly tries to beat her. I mentioned in my post that Asuka bests Shinji when it comes to "being a man," which may be the biggest element that overly complicates their relationship. Great post!

[leosdenial]

The End of Evangelion- An Analysis of Masculinity

The End of Evangelion provides an alternative ending to the Neon Genesis Evangelion series that focuses less on internal turmoil and more on interpersonal relationships. The film capitalizes on Shinji's failed attempts at hegemonic masculinity and how the people around him react to such.

I found it interesting that the movie both began and ended with Shinji attempting- and failing- to display hegemonic masculinity. Additionally, in both instances, he tries to assert dominance over Asuka, who, in the series, made it known that she was not "below" Shinji through her overconfidence and bossiness. At the start of the movie, Shinji accidentally exposes Asuka's nude breasts while she is hospitalized; upon this, he masturbates over her helpless body and immediately calls himself "the lowest of the low." At the end of the movie, he attempts to strangle Asuka but is ultimately unable to go through with the action. To this, she calls him disgusting. I believe that, in both of these instance, Shinji was attempting to find some sort of hegemonic masculinity inside of him. His goal was to channel gender performativity over the one person who consistently bested him as "being a man," even though Asuka is a female. Both instances also ended in disgust, both from himself and Asuka. This demonstrates the belief that men who do not display traditional masculinity are pathetic; while this belief stemmed from third parties, it eventually spread to Shinji himself, as he convinced himself that he was worthless.

I would also like to point out that these instances from the film are not the first time Shinji tries to be traditionally masculine and fails in doing so. There is one scene from the series where he attempts to tell Asuka that piloting an Eva is a "man's job" after she pressures him into taking the offensive fighting stance by asking him, "Or do you not think you can do it?" Asuka has always known that Shinji does not display hegemonic masculinity; therefore, her words were meant to instigate and further prove her superiority. This point still stands at the end of the film when she calls Shinji "disgusting." I believe this statement is up to interpretation, as she could either be referring to him as "disgusting" for trying to strangle her, or it could be because he was unable to go through with the action.

The movie's ending differs from the series finale because Shinji is left to feel isolated. At the end of the series, Shinji garners more acceptance for who he is; clearly, this is not the case for the film. The contrasting endings represent the different experiences men of varying masculinity levels endure. For some who display queer masculinity, they can find or form a community without any social discrimination. In other cases of queer masculinity, however, some men are unable to harness the same levels of support and are left feeling alienated and worthless, simply because they were not accepted for their gender performativity.

[ianjapanblog]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (pt.2)

Exploring Neon Genesis Evangelion: Episodes 8, 16, 24, and 26

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the kind of show that starts off as a mecha anime and slowly unravels into something much deeper—an exploration of identity, loneliness, and the human condition. Episodes 8, 16, 24, and 26 highlight some of the most intense emotional and psychological moments in the series, addressing struggles that resonate not only in Japan but around the world.

Episode 8 introduces Asuka Langley Soryu, a fiery, confident pilot who seems like the polar opposite of Shinji. But beneath her bravado is deep insecurity—a reflection of Japan’s rigid expectations of success. Asuka represents the pressure to be "the best" while suppressing emotional vulnerability, something many people globally can relate to, especially in competitive cultures.

Episode 16 is where things get existential. Shinji is trapped inside an Angel and forced to confront his own fears and self-doubt. His struggle mirrors Japan’s growing conversation around mental health, especially among youth who feel lost in a rigid system. Globally, it touches on themes of self-worth and the fear of truly knowing oneself.

Episode 24 is one of the most pivotal in the series. Kaworu, the mysterious Fifth Child, offers Shinji unconditional acceptance, something he’s never received before. His presence challenges ideas of human connection and love, themes that are universal. His tragic fate speaks to the pain of losing someone who truly understands you.

Then we reach Episode 26—the mind-bending conclusion. Instead of a traditional action-packed finale, we dive into the human psyche, tackling themes of isolation, self-acceptance, and identity. It’s chaotic but profound, echoing struggles faced worldwide: Who are we without external validation? Do we deserve happiness?

These episodes solidify Evangelion as a series that isn’t just about giant robots—it’s about what it means to be human.

[leosdenial]

I like that you called out Asuka for her facade; her bossiness and overconfidence is meant to cover up her insecurities. I think that this representation can be applied to hegemonic masculinity as a whole, as the ultimate point of that specific gender performance is to ensure that one never becomes "lesser" than others.