lucy

Course Blog for JPT1311

[mochicrackersss]

Blog Post - Hetalia ᯓᡣ𐭩‧₊˚ ⊹

GIRL WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS SHOW!!! ITS SO GOOFY! I always forget that CountryHumans: The Anime exists, but when I do remember it, I always wish I could forget it again. Hetalia is pretty silly, but it gets kinda weird when you think about it for more than five minutes. I can recognize that it succeeds as a massive parody to make fun of real-world powerhouses and how much they don't attribute to the world besides violence. But, the show turns whole-ass countries into buff or twink men and lowkey encourages their fans to ship them with one another. No wonder the Hetalia fandom turned out to be so crazy.

However, one choice I didn't really like was when the creators cutie-fied the events of World War 2 from the perspective of the Tripartite Pact. I think it's a bit insensitive, especially for how infamously evil German and Japanese forces were during that time. I think if the show wanted to create shenanigans between personified countries in the present time that would be fine. But having a tiny stranded beach episode with Germany, Japan, and Italy while both sides of the war tortured and murdered thousands in real life during fights, concentration camps and sieges is just. Again, kinda weird. I don't wanna know that Germany is good at tying shoelaces right now!!! But maybe the show just wasn't my cup of tea, I could see how others can get behind it.

If I put to the side that all the characters were countries, Hetalia was a lot more enjoyable. But I think it was an odd choice to have this for our last anime in the class. This anime could've paired so well with Genshiken as a real-life example of toxic fandoms within anime communities. Both shows deal with the balance of good gay representation and dangerous representation from BL, but adding the representation of countries on top of that could've been super interesting to compare! But I understand why it was paired with Kobayashi's Sensōron instead.

But anyways, this is my last blog of the class! Yay!!! Pasta!!!

[keyboard-meister]

Yayyy!! Pasta!!!!

I also have some mixed feelings on Hetalia. While I found myself laughing at many of the exaggerated stereotypes displayed by the characters, especially England and America, I definitely saw some of the representations of world events as problematic. I understand that this anime is meant to be lighthearted and silly, but, like you said, depicting Nazi Germany as sort of a good-guy (for lack of a better term) felt reallllly weird. That said, Italy and Germany's relationship was so funny to me. I, too, felt like this was an odd choice to end this class, and was honestly kind of dreading watching it based on what I've heard about the Hetalia fandom's antics.

[letadlock]

Hi mochicrackersss, this anime is for sure wild and I agree that the stereotypes make for an interesting shipping of the characters among the fan base. Even when I went to go find pictures of this anime online for my blog I found some... interesting drawings of Germany and Japan not too far down scrolling on Google :,). Part of me wonders if, like you mentioned about the atrocities of Germany and Japan being turned into a lighthearted beach episode, this series wanted to kind of downplay these historical events to present a more positive view of these countries. Instead, it seems that this shows uses lighthearted and comical interactions to paint this positive light, even following moments of seriousness to ease the tension.

[keyboard-meister]

Your Name (2016)

This is for sure one of my favorite anime we have watched so far. It was visually stunning, with characters who were very endearing and relatable. I mean, I was mesmerized by the comet. This film really had me hooked, I found the plot very compelling. That plot twist really got me, I totally didn't expect it!

I think Your Name definitely has a bit of a critique on gender performance, although it isn't the main focus of the film. Taki and Mitsuha must each learn to perform each other's respective genders whenever they swap bodies. This leads to some embarrassing situations for each of them, like when Mitsuha uses feminine pronouns while hanging out with Taki's friends when inhabiting Taki's body, or when Taki spreads his legs out while wearing a skirt when he's inside Mitsuha's body. Through some of these situations, however, each character learns that there are some positives to performing non-normative behaviors. When Mitsuha fixes Taki's coworker's skirt, she manages to befriend her and even score a date for Taki. Taki finally stands up to Mitsuha's bullies, earning the respect of her classmates.

While I've never switched bodies with someone, I too have learned that, occasionally, performing non-gender-normative behaviors can help me in the long run. By performing a more "masculine" sense of harshness on the outside, I can gain the respect of others by coming off as "tough", although I very much am not. This is kind of similar to how Taki helps Mitsuha earn the respect of her peers by acting in a more "masculine" manner and defending Mitsuha against bullies while in her body.

While I'm not entirely sure how to connect the Foucault reading for this unit and Your Name, I definitely can see some connections to our previous unit on gender performance.

[letadlock]

Hi keyboard-meister, I find your take about the representation of gender performance in this movie very interesting. As a movie about swapping bodies with someone of the opposite sex it would make sense that each would have struggles performing the gender they are not used to. But like you said, it shows these struggles as well as the positives accompanying them like Taki's date with Maki. I agree that acting outside of our gender performance can benefit us in the real world as well, especially masculine gender performance as a woman. I also feel that at times when I perform more masculine traits like speaking out or taking risks that I can be seen as stronger even among my group of friends. Masculine performance, especially hegemonic masculine performance can definitely make one seem more respectable since this kind of performance is what society expects from it's male leaders.

[letadlock]

Your Name

I have the feeling like I've watched this anime before or perhaps I've seen clips of it online but it feels vaguely familiar to me. Your Name tells the story of highschool students Taki and Mitsuha who swap bodies and have to navigate each other's lives.

So this movie follows the classic city and country swap that many films harp upon and eventually leads to an appreciation for a simpler life in the country or what one has had before. But an emphasis is especially placed on the protection of Mitsuha's rural village which has lost some of its meaning to her as she wishes to move to the city. This idea reminded me of the concept of gemeinschaft that we learned earlier in this course. But now in Your Name, the community is threatened and in need of saving.

The ending of this anime brought me to tears. After all that time spent trying to find Mitsuha and even going to far as to help save her village, one that he originally had no connection to, he lost Mitsuha. Taki had no obligation to help Mitsuha but chose to anyways when he woke up in her body the day the town needed to be evacuated. ALSO HIM WRITING I LOVE YOU ON HER HAND?!!!?!!!! Ugh, that broke me, I knew I wasn't safe just yet ending this course without another anime bringing me to tears.

While the body swapping troupe is not a new one for me and I'm certain for a lot of people, this movie is so beautifully animated and it's plot takes such a turn that makes for a wonderfully unique anime. The red ribbon Mitsuha gives Taki reminds me of the red string theory, that lovers are connected by a metaphorical red string and are destined to meet. Even after both of them lose their memories they still manage to run into each other sometime in the far future.

[letadlock]

Hetalia

Hetalia is an anime personifying various countries and depicting comical interactions between them. I thought this anime was pretty amusing even though it harnessed a lot of stereotypes. Although I will say at times I could not tell if this anime was taking these stereotypes seriously or just purely mocking them.

As for the characters physical appearance they all seem to fit a narrow idea of what I'd imagine each to look like. As far as personality, Italy was honestly surprising to me. I was not expecting him to be this dense golden retriever type character but I honestly came to love him for it. I was also amused by America's character consistently holding a burger... because we all know Americans love hamburgers!

It was interesting to see bonds between the characters reflect actual allied bonds from history. Most notably the bond between Germany and Japan where we see a conversation where Germany is admirable towards Japan's productivity and efficiency. Germany's characteristics are not deployed as either good or bad but are interestingly neutral. After the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany I was honestly surprised to see him depicted in this neutral light. I would have assumed Germany to be depicted as malicious instead.

I can see why this anime would be pretty popular as it is fun to see countries depicted as people. But I at the same time that this anime amuses me I'm also conflicted because it feels wrong to have a very narrow view of a country. The developed countries in Hetalia each have diverse populations and so it feels a little disrespectful to group an entire population into a few characteristics. But maybe I'm looking too deep into this and the anime should just be enjoyed for what it is, a parody about personified countries.

[dillonmorse-ufl]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

This is a game I've always been meaning to try but never got around to. I knew absolutely nothing about the actual story, I'd only seen the cast of characters. And even though I knew from the lecture page that it took place on a destroyed Earth, I was still surprised by just how much it relates to the environmental messages and readings we've been assigned. I didn't expect the story to go where it did, and I found it very interesting that the nature these characters have been living in is actually entirely man-made.

Much like in Nausicaa, humans (and one human in particular, Klaus) had a terrible effect on the world. But in the case of Xenoblade, that effect is so severe that there was no world left. Nature could not heal itself over time like it did in Nausicaa and it was entirely up to human-made nano-machines to fix things and recreate nature. But maybe it makes more sense to simply say "recreate the world" instead of recreating nature specifically, because the point I get from this game when also thinking about our assigned reading is that humanity is nature. Humanity is not something that acts on nature but within it, a part of it. Humanity is nature and not only needed saving just as much as the trees and plants and animals that we commonly think of separately from humans as nature, but deserved it just as much, too.

I tend to see media portray humanity as simply the destroyers of nature and not just nature of a different kind, so I really liked this games take on it, and despite seeing basically the entire story now, it makes me want to go back and play it myself to really appreciate this world that humanity fought so hard to save.

[letadlock]

Hi dillonmorse, after reading your post I have a better understanding about the relationship depicted between humanity and nature. I thought that the message was just to just let nature be as is since the world was stripped completely but it makes more sense that humanity would have a role contributing to its rehabilitation. I agree that a lot of media portrays humanity as destroyers or just on the side lines to let nature heal itself so it was interesting to see how humans in this game played a role in restoring this world. By showing an interconnectedness that humanity is nature we can put ourselves into the perspective of what would happen if our civilization was wiped clean just like in this game. If anything Xenoblade shows the consequences of how when we destroy the environment we destroy ourselves.

[letadlock]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

I have never heard of this game before but to my understanding Xenoblade Chronicles is a game about trying to restore civilization.

The characters of this game have faces and facial expression that closely resemble the anime look we've seen in previous shows and movies throughout this semester. But other than this the 3D rendering is pretty distinct from the 8 and 24 fps animation style.

From the beginning there is a stark divide between humanity and nature where the only lifeforms we see are Rex and his Titan among the vast and seemingly barren sea of clouds. While it seems the ecosystem is almost entirely wiped there are some forms of life but only present atop the Titan's backs including the plants Rex is cultivating atop Azurda's Back.

So a clear call to action is presented in the first couple cut scenes where we hear about this bountiful land of Elysium that sits atop a tree and where life prospers. Here we see that this world and it's inhabitants used to come from a thriving ecosystem but now tit is confined to a small space among a vast sea. To me, this sea felt like a representation of the future from our real world climate issues. Our distance from nature and the pollution we've emitted has led to rising sea levels globally and even the fear of the world being covered in water.

Only in later cut scenes do we see this myth of a prosperous land is false. Once Rex and the other Blades have finally arrived to Elysium they are met with a sad reality. A land of dust extends for miles with no sign of civilization but rather ruins of what it once was. They meet the creator who explains why he wiped out the world and the new system he created.

The creator has completely stripped the land which is why we see Elysium in the barren state it's in. But he did create a new system of creating life in the sea of clouds I thought to be without life. Core crystals bonded with the structure of the sea of clouds to collect genetic information passed onto Titans who create new lifeforms.

So to me this whole journey seems almost pointless. Rex and the blades set out to this paradise of Elysium only to find it is completely barren and that lifeforms will continue to exist so long as the Titans exist. I suppose the final solution is then to protect the Titans as much as they can to ensure life continues. Perhaps this is a broader message that we need to preserve what already exists and let nature be as it is.

[stallings-am]

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind- Analysis

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is one of my personal favorite works by Studio Ghibli. It follows Nausicaa, the princess of the Valley of the Wind, who lives in an area unaffected by the apocalyptic war that created a Toxic Jungle. The Toxic Jungle inhabits many different species of insects, including the Ohm, that serve as a protection to this desolate wasteland. However, the spores that form from the plants in the jungle create air and water that can’t be consumed by humans.  

Nausicaa follows the trope that a good portion of Hayao Miyazaki’s main female leads abide by, a confidant, young woman that does anything to protect what she loves. While this may be an overused trope by Studio Ghibli, I believe these characters serve as good role models for the young children Miyazaki's films are directed towards. When it comes to Nausicaa specifically, her character arc and personality type mainly parallel another lead, Princess Mononoke. While I know that Princess Mononoke was created after Nausicaa, I still think the relations between the characters are interesting with retrospect to the message Studio Ghibli was attempting to convey. There are many similarities between the two women that emphasize Miyazaki’s beliefs on environmentalism and modern-day ecoterrorism that seemingly plague the earth.  

Both movies discuss a world that is filled with rage and conquered with pure hatred between differing groups of humans. The hatred in the world develops into war and consequently damages the environments around them, which leaves the animals of the earth to fight to save their land. Miyazaki utilizes emotional ploys through the connections between sets of humans and animals to illustrate just how terrible the war is on the forests. The audience is meant to realize that human greed is the enemy in both these movies, not the animals or insects that are victims of rage.  

Princess Mononoke feels as more of an artistic approach to this concept, while Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a more analytical approach. There is one scene, though, that really struck me in Nausicaa, and it was when Nausicaa attempted to hide the baby Ohm when she was a child, yet her father killed the baby anyways because humans and insects aren’t meant to coexist with one another. This scene enables the viewers to recognize that Nausicaa serves as a middle ground between the differing worlds. That her sense of empathy and pure generosity triumphs over the greed and hatred in the hearts of humans. I think that Nausicaa is a beautifully made character that represents how protective humans should be on our earth. War and rage only result in terror that destroys our environment and pollutes our land, while fueling a terrible world for our future generations.  

[letadlock]

Hi Stallings, I completely agree that the strong female troupe Miyazaki uses is a great role model for children. This a theme I've also picked up on but considering a good number of Studio Ghibli's animations are catered towards younger audiences these characters are an amazing representation encouraging sustainability. Your point about Nausicaa's character serving as a middle grounds for the humanity and the natural world remind me of Ponyo. Ponyo is a representation of the human and marine worlds and both characters play a role in restoring the earth. Like you said, Miyazaki's characters represent how we should act on compassion with our environment instead of fear and neglect.

[letadlock]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

I feel that a common theme among the Studio Ghibli films is this divide between environmental protection and destruction. Ponyo, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and now Nausicaa are all films I've seen by the animation studio touching on critique of ecological mistreatment.

While everyone stays clear of the toxic jungle Nausicaa willingly ventures into it. Nausicaa respects the feared environment and the creatures that live within it. She shows compassion even in little gestures like apologizing to the nonverbal bugs she steps on as she makes her way deeper into the jungle. Nausicaa reminds me of that friends you have growing up who isn't afraid of anything. Someone who pushes you out of your comfort zone and faces challenges (mine included scary bugs like beetles and cockroaches) head on.

The humans on the other hand interact with the environment out of fear. A stark contrast to Nausicaa. Ironically enough, the dangers of the jungle the humans so fear is caused by the humans themselves. The Seven Days of Fire fought against the god-like warriors brought about so much pollution and destruction that the jungle turned into a wasteland of toxicity.

I believe Miyazaki is critiquing here the effects of our own wars and specifically of nuclear warfare. Much like the other films we watched about WW2, the effects of nuclear radiation damaged generations long after the war was over. Not only did Japanese citizens suffer health complications related to the blasts by Hiroshima and Nagasaki but agricultural systems were contaminated or destroyed.

At it's core Naussica of the Valley of the Wind calls on the preservation of nature. When left without interference by the humans the jungle was able to heal itself. This reminded me a lot of the wetland ecosystems we see here in Florida. Often times the native grasses lining ponds and lakes are ripped away for aesthetic purposes but only lead to eutrophication (that weird green stuff). When we let nature do its thing it usually bounces back but it also takes effort on our end not to mess with these natural processes.

[shadowydazecg]

The End of Evangelion

"The End of Evangelion" serves as a multifaceted conclusion to the anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion". It addresses deep psychological, existential, and societal issues both within the context of Japan and on a global scale. This movie includes a surreal and disturbing examination of the individual and collective psyche results from the movie's portrayal of the Human Instrumentality Project, which entails the psychological fusion of all human consciousnesses into a single collective entity. Shinji Ikari’s inner turmoil is laid bare as he confronts his fears, desires, and sense of self.

"The End of Evangelion" reflects the struggles associated with mental health and the societal pressures that contribute to psychological distress. Japan has a culture where mental health issues are often stigmatized. The honest depiction of mental suffering in this movie speaks to the internalized conflicts that many people experience. The film’s exploration of identity crises, existential despair, and the search for meaning resonates with those who grapple with similar issues in a society where emotional vulnerability is frequently hidden or suppressed. Globally, the film tackles universal aspects of mental health, such as loneliness, self-doubt, and the pursuit of personal understanding in the face of external pressures, making it relevant to audiences worldwide due to its intense focus on psychological themes.

Mental health is a serious topic that I'm glad we covered in school. I know some people still don't believe in the effects of mental health, but it's definitely real. It's not going away unless we do something about it. I'm sure everyone has experienced when their mental health is at its lowest. Sometimes we don't even realize that our mental health is so low until it's too late. I definitely have moments when my mental health is low. The causes are usually the amount of schoolwork I have to do and personal relationships. In order to get my mental health up to par, I have to truly relax. It could be watching a movie, sleeping, being by myself, etc... The important thing is to do something that makes you happy and lowers your stress/anxiety levels.

[letadlock]

Hi Shadowydazecg, NGE surely has it's fair share of mental health depictions as you mentioned and it's a relatable point for a lot of audience members. In a negative light the alternative ending to this movie as opposed to the series suggest that there isn't a place of acceptance for people who suffer with mental health struggles, especially those related to identity and gender performance. I'm not sure that having this kind of media necessarily helps the public with these mental health issues. If anything the series could have left off with a hopeful ending and promote healthy acceptance because, like you said, it's not going away unless we do something about it.

[letadlock]

The End of Evangelion

“The End of Evangelion” is an absolute whirlwind of “what just happened” for me. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts I’ve seen this series before but never this movie and I’m honestly even more confused now than I was before. 

So something I haven’t talked about in previous posts but I’d like to talk about now is the religious allegory of this series. A lot of it is right in our face I mean we have “Adam” and “Lenin” as well as imagery of the cross. But dissecting the last beach of Asuka and Shinji we hear the sound of water, see a nailed cross, then a hanging angel, and a lying Shinji and Asuka on the beach. While they were able to prevent the merging of humanity, they formed a new genesis of sorts where Shinji and Asuka symbolize Adam and Eve and the water marks a cleansing of old humanity. 

We then have yet another disturbing scene between Asuka and Shinji where Shinji tries to strangle a now very real Asuka but ultimately fails to do so. He reverts back to his queer masculine self crying over Asuka because he is unable to prove his hegemonic masculinity through violence and stand up for himself against Asuka. The movie ends here with Asuka calling him disgusting and the screen goes blank. I believe this ending, quite different from the series, tells us society will never accept queer masculine performance. 

One quote in particular was very striking to me, “But humanity won’t change unless you act on your own initiative, that is why you must act on your lost selves through your own efforts. Even if you lose your words.” To me this seemed like a solution to accepting gender performance deviating from the norm. That Shinji and anyone like him need to continue to be authentic to their gender performances if they want to see humanity change. Now maybe I’m overthinking this and this is total fooey but if not I think it’s an alternate take to the final ending admiring there can be acceptance of anyone who does not exhibit monolithic gender performance. But then what to make of the movie ending at “Disgusting,” I’m not really sure. Perhaps we have two views, one that society can accept non hegemonic masculine performances with perseverance and one that society will never accept these performances which are “disgusting.” 

Now all of this may be a little far fetched and totally off from the storyline’s actual meaning but this show is so far fetched that I’m trying my best to make sense of it all. 

[robian]

Evangelion Part 2

Alright Part 2 is where I can actually get to writing. I wrote my part 1 blog almost entirely on Shinji so I'll start off by explaining what I meant by his “character development” that I mentioned in my last post.

Those last 2 episodes were probably super confusing. They probably felt like they came out of nowhere. Some people say it's an amazing ending, while others say it's horrible. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about it. I even needed the help of redditors to get a semi-understanding of what it meant without having the movies spoiled for me. Basically these two episodes are all about Shinji's self hatred and at the very end he comes to finally accept himself. Really, it seems to be that simple. Of course, I haven't watched the movies yet, so if there's more to it, that's probably why.

 Honestly, I knew that Shinji hated piloting the Eva, but I feel that we don't get a true understanding of his self-hatred until these last two episodes. You can say this is dumb, because it may seem like the writers just suddenly had Shinji hate himself, but personally I feel that the story had some obvious hints along the way. When people yelled or even hurt Shinji, he never defended himself. He always avoided problems. Someone who hates themselves, doesn't have the power to protect themselves. 

Alright, I should probably talk about some other characters. Rei still confuses me and I'm betting there's more info In the movies because it seems she has some connection to Shinji's mother. Rei's character development is basically her smiling and shedding a tear. She's attempting to find her humanity and sense of self even though she knows she is different from everyone else. 

Asuka says she's piloting the Eva for herself, but in reality she pilots the Eva as a coping mechanism for her mother. Her mother never cared for her, and the chance to become an Eva pilot meant that people would always care for her, unlike her mother. She believes that if she isn't the best, people will stop giving her attention. She believes that she'll lose any value she has. As of the ending of the series, Asuka is still in a depressive state, but I'm assuming she'll get back on her feet in the movies. 

Finally, I'll talk about Misato Katsuragi. At first, she just seems to be this strong, independent, happy, snobbish, beautiful lady. However, we later find out that she's dealing with some serious trauma of her own. Her dad, who she originally hated, sacrificed his life to save her. It left her confused as to whether she hated her dad or not. She unintentionally sought out things that reminded her of him such as her job and her boyfriend to fill the void left in her heart. At the end of the series, it seems to point out that she is scared of being alone. Her dad leaves her. Her boyfriend leaves her. She just wants anyone's attention and even seemingly makes a move on Shinji.  

Hopefully y'all didn't seriously read all 500+ word yapping session, but part 2 was definitely where the phique of the characters was delved into more. As for my opinions on Evangelion (before watching movies), I liked it, but I don't really understand the hype. 

[letadlock]

Hey robian, if it's anyone that can provide an explanation its redditors and youtube movie analysts. It seems that each of the characters feel this profound sense of loneliness and isolation which actually makes this a very dark and depressing anime, something I was not expecting from its mecha genre. But you would think because of their pain they would help each other out but no it's much easier to use Shinji as a punching bag because he is weak and doesn't fight back (sorry Shinji). To an extent they all deal with self hatred but Shinji doesn't lash out on others, instead her just falls further and further into a depression. I think this anime has a very unique and complex storyline through it's depiction on the way pain is felt and inflicted through past traumas and gender performances.

[letadlock]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Part 2)

As we watch more episodes further into the show, the introduction of Asuka presents a clear challenge to Shinji's queer masculinity.

To be completely honest when I first watched this show I thought Asuka was incredibly irritating and mean to Shinji. Now with the knowledge of hegemonic, queer, shadow, and sissy masculinity I can view her role in the series as a display of what Shinji is not. It's ironic to me they chose this representation of hegemonic performance through a woman but I think that all the more pounds the nail into Shinji's self-loathe.

Asuka is strong, violent, and fearless in piloting her Eva. She does not hold back unlike Shinji and even mocks him and his queer masculinity saying things like "well aren't you a man?" But now it seems to motivate Shinji into really delving into his hegemonic masculine performance. We see scenes of Shinji piloting his Eva without holding back in violence. Only he seems to end up right back where he was in his self hate when things go wrong.

We are also introduced to another character, Kaworu, the supposed 5th child. Kaworu, unlike any of the other characters (except maybe Misato at times) approaches Shinji with complete kindness and understanding. Shinji is able to open up to Kaworu about his past leading up to piloting the Eva and even his hatred for his father. He entrusts Kaworu because he sees himself in Kaworu.

Kaworu, like Shinji, also performs queer masculinity. But unlike Shinji we don't see him being punished for it or scolded into performing hegemonic. Instead, Kaworu is a sympathetic and accepting model for Shinji. Which I think is also why Shinji takes it so harshly when he finds out Kaworu is actually an Angel.

I mean think about it. Shinji never lashes out at the others the way he does when he finds out he has been betrayed. He is hurt because the one person he could trust, the one person similar to him in his queer masculinity, was all a lie.

So then I question if this has a broader meaning that there is no room for acceptance of queer masculinity in society. With Kaworu's identity being false our representation of queer masculinity in this series falls back on the self-loathing Shinji. Does this mean there really is no real existence of healthy queer masculinity in society?

Even now I'm still incredibly confused about the ending of this series. On one hand, yay Shinji is finally accepting himself! On another... what just happened. Perhaps the last "End of Evangelion" will provide some further context.

[abhiramanimeblog]

Evangelion and Masculinity

This was my first time watching Evangelion. I was aware of it well before I watched the episodes I did, but I never got around to watching it. I do think the episodes I watched did not give me the full idea of the story, and it left me a bit confused about the world so I would recommend watching everything if you do. For this blog, I want to talk about Evangelion about masculinity.

Mecha anime in general typically focuses on performing actions of violence through using mech suits. It is this violence that is tied to hegemonic masculinity in a normative sense. Men in a traditional sense are expected in society to engage in violence when they are needed which is something that mecha anime shows often through their conflicts with deadly threats. This applies to Evangelion as we see that from episode one Shinji is called up to bat to fight off a giant monster, but he is deadly afraid and rejects his role. This goes against the willingness to engage in violence that hegemonic masculinity in men expects and leans more toward queer masculinity for Shinji. We also see that in the society of Evangelion that this queer masculinity is highly criticized. Shinji is pushed into the role and he is called a coward for denying it, his fear of stepping up to the plate makes him the subject of a lot of disrespect from the scientists, his father, and his friends. This shows that when someone engages in a lesser form of masculinity such as queer masculinity, straying from the expectations of Hegemonic masculinity then they cannot be readily accepted in society as a true contributor.

This is an interesting stray away from typical mecha main character traits. We see that in Mobile Suit Gundam Amuro is ready to jump into action, taking his father's creation and going into battle at the first sign of danger. This is in stark contrast to Shinji who avoids this responsibility and seems to let everyone who was relying on him down. This passivity is what gives Shinji a less masculine appearance and makes him so different from all other characters in the mecha genre.

I can relate to Shinji's fear of taking on that responsibility. If I was in the situation he was in, where I had to enter a mecha robot to fight a threat I would likely not readily step forward. I do not think I would consider my male status to be on the line in my decision, but I do think I would have accepted since the situation was very dire. In that way, I do think I am a mix of the hegemonic masculinity and the sissy masculinity.

Overall, Evangelion is a very interesting mecha anime that focuses on Shinji a timid and cowardly boy who has to try and step up to perform the masculine hero role. The series seems very interesting and worth the watch if you have the time.

[letadlock]

Hi abhiramanimeblog, I can surely see how this series would be confusing for someone who hasn't watched the entire season. Even as someone who has seen all the episodes I'm still lost lol. However the discussion about the presentation of masculinity in this anime is a little easier to pick up on. Like yourself I would also have a lot of hesitation in piloting an Eva but your view of yourself performing sissy masculinity is interesting to me. I guess I have a different perspective as someone who performs female masculinity but with any dire situation of war I would actually expect most masculine performing men to feel the same as you. It's odd to think that anything not entirely conforming to hegemonic masculinity is queer or shadow masculinity, especially when so many men exhibit traits of both. Maybe it's different now though with Gen Z since we've never had an need for men to be drafted into war. So perhaps one explanation for why we have a greater influx of non-hegemonic men in our generation simply because we aren't drafting non-volunteering men into war to the extent we used to.

[letadlock]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Part 1)

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an incredibly popular anime in the mecha genre about a 14-year old Shinji tasked by his father to pilot an Eva robot to fight off earth destroyers called Angels. I have watched this series in the past but I find it so complicated that even now rewatching some of the series I'm still lost. Nonetheless, Neon Genesis Evangelion critiques socially constructed gender performances and defies the stereotyped hegomonic man war breeds through Shinji Ikari.

Shinji almost entirely defines Connell's definition of hegemonic masculinity. He is not violent or aggressive, respects and does not objectify his female copilots, and is positioned as a shy and weak character. Yet he is placed in a position of great power in piloting the Eva showcasing Connell's argument that "even the most powerful men in society might not actually be exemplars of hegemonic  masculinity."

There is another argument that war breeds hegomonic men because traits providing meaning to this socially dominating masculinity are aligned with traits required to fight in war. Yet of all people, Gendo Ikari tasks his meek son Shinji to save humanity from the powerful extraterrestrial Angels. It almost seems like Gendo is punishing his son.

I found it very strange Gendo chose teenagers to pilot these machines and especially three who do not exemplify any traits of a military man.

So we basically see Shinji as a representation of queer masculinity where, from my understanding, he is not sexually queer but does not fit in with traits of hegomonic masculinity. He does not follow the typical path of gaining these traits by being thrown into a state of war either though and in fact seems to become even more consumed and panicky under pressure. He is constantly pressured by both older figures and kids his own age to act in line with heomonic "manly man" traits but struggles greatly to do so.

This paints a negative view of Shinji as a wimp or coward in the series even under the pressure of piloting this immense piece of technology. However, I feel bad for Shinji. He was thrown into a life he clearly was not cut out for and is lectured to fit into a masculinity he just does not exemplify. I wonder what would have become of Shinji if he had gradual time and positive encouragement forming into this hegomonic performance or support as he is in his shadow masculinity. Would he still struggle because he cannot fit into a societal standard or would he have been able to slowly transition into this role and better pilot the Eva?

[blakesuga]

Little Things #16: Wandering Son

I would first like to state that I really like the style and color palate of Wandering Son. The use of watercolor and paintbrush strokes appear transparent which ties in well with one of the messages the anime is trying to convey: transparency and building identity. The main character, Shuuichi Nitori, is a young transgirl who has always enjoyed female-oriented activities like dressing up in cute and sparkly clothes, but they were constantly discriminated against by their classmates. They found them weird for dressing up as a girl and not portraying a society-defined male persona. Shuuichi's struggles in trying to find their identity in a sea of confusion and fear resemble a lot of what the LGBTQ+ community (especially the transgender community) experiences. They are often cast alone during their struggles and rarely have places where they can go to find answers to their problems, and if they try to express their newfound non-traditional identity in public, they will just be mocked and ostracized. This is why having resources targeted for these sorts of people like consultants and counselors is important because it lets these people know that they are not struggling in an uphill battle, someone will always be there to help them.

Although I am not a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I have a good friend who has recently converted to a male starting in junior year of high school. I had no idea that he was struggling with his identity and had always thought that things were going well, but I was wrong. You have no idea what the person next to you is going through until they either tell you themselves or someone else does, but even then it is rare to hear a person is struggling with their sexuality or identity since it is seen as personal and not quite destigmatized. Luckily, his parents are accepting of him and he has managed to get a girlfriend, but once again this happy ending is not a universal experience for trans people. Many of them are disowned by their families and become depressed with the reality of their circumstances and maybe, for the worse, are pushed too far. We need to be open to accepting those who are outliers of the traditional roles and regulations so that those people can be transparent about their chosen identities without any problems.

[letadlock]

Hi blakesuga, your connection between the art style of the anime and it's themes of transparency and identity are very fascinating to me. I never put the two together but it honestly makes a lot of sense why the animators would chose to draw in this style as it pertains to the main character Shuichi. Since we are watching this anime from an outside perspective but still following Shuichi's life it seems as if we see the world from her true feminine perspective. It is a very relevant anime to today's LGBTQ youth and one that I think is a good resource as you mentioned for preteens and teens to have a representation of different types of gender identities.

[letadlock]

Wandering Son

Wandering Son is a show about a transgender girl surrounded by a mixed view environment and dealing with the struggles of gender presentation.

In the first episode we are introduced to a few different characters that defy our traditional definitions of gender. The main character Shuichi is assigned male at birth but wishes to dress as a girl while her friend Yoshino is assigned female at birth but wishes to dress as a boy. Both encounter opposing perspectives of transgenderism. Shuichi is faced with anger and shame by his sister Maho when trying on one of her dresses, saying she'll "stink it up." Yoshino on the other hand admires a girl in their class who dresses in the boys school uniform and invites Yoshino to play basketball.

In the 7th episode we see Yoshino and Shuichi are comfortable enough with each other to embrace each other's identities and hang out in clothes of the opposite sex. I imagine it must serve as a great comfort to be able to embrace the identity you feel most comfortable with around someone who's feeling the same way.

As the series progresses we see Yoshino feeling comfortable enough to dress as a guy more often in public and even at school. But Shuichi still battles how she will be perceived by her family and her classmates since society is more critical of men dressing as women than the opposite. She is admirable of Yoshino's courage and wishes to be just as comfortable but is tied between people encouraging her to dress the way she wants and the fear of societal rejection. Regardless, she takes the leap of faith and comes to school as a woman one day.

It breaks my heart to see the adverse reactions Shuichi faces when she comes to school presenting as a woman. Even afterwards Shuichi still faces the repercussions where her classmates lock the doors on her and then one kid who encouraged her to come to school as a girl calling her a "moron". I believe this is a very relevant view of transgender women not just in Japan but in the U.S. as well where even with LGBTQ progression, we still see transgender women beaten, raped, and even killed.

Outside of school Shuichi is also subject to questioning by her parents. Her mother asks if it was a prank or a dare but surprisingly Shuichi's father takes the situation a lot better than she had expected which was similar to her sister's reaction. Her father says that he feels they got the genders of Shuichi and Maho flipped because even from birth Shuichi was a feminine presenting quiet baby.

If I had the time to watch the ending of this anime I'd really like to see what happens. If Shuichi ends up coming back to school as her authentic self or if she finds a work around. Either way it's sad to see her classmates accept everyone else choosing to dress the opposite gender and reject her. Though, I can appreciate the representation of transgender youth this series has. Even though Shuichi has help coming to terms with her identity with her friends and even an older mtf woman, it is ultimately a very personal internal battle of deciding how she wants to present.

[mochicrackersss]

Blog Post - Convention Preview ᯓᡣ𐭩‧₊˚ ⊹

I've always enjoyed participating in fandom experiences! Though, I haven't been to anything crazy, like Comic-Con or Anime Expo. My most notable were just a few local Florida conventions. But they were still fun overall and gave a great look into youth culture and fandom communities with its vast amount of participants around the globe and things tailored for each fandom.

My first convention was PolyCon at Florida Polytechnic University. I don't remember much about it because it was a couple of years ago, but would say it was a good time! The convention itself was pretty quaint with not a lot to do and not many people attending besides Polytechnic students. But for being my first exposure to convention life, I was enamored. There was also a student-run maid cafe that was amusing to go to, specifically because my dad came to the convention with me. Younger me had absolutely no idea how to explain to my dad why a bunch of college students were in cat ears, maid costumes, and doing intricate dance routines. He was so confused... it was lowkey hilarious but also embarrassing.

I'd say the most memorable convention memory I have is when I went to Mega Con in 2021! It wasn't super long after the COVID quarantine got lifted, and so until then, I hadn't gone to anything or seen many people for what felt like a long time. Being able to go to a convention (of course, by then it was safe to be in public spaces) and simultaneously going with my best friend for her first time was just what I needed. However, it was very different with COVID regulations still in place, like masks and social distancing. But I did notice the convention felt like a sense of normalcy for many con-goers after the pandemic. Everyone I met was so kind (and that's rare because you're bound to run into a few bad eggs or creeps), and every cosplayer I saw, even with the masks, made the most out of their costumes! My best friend and I also tried to cosplay as our favorite characters from Demon Slayer because the anime was a huge comfort to us while we holed up inside our homes with nothing to do. Yes, I think my costume was horrible because I am no professional, and I lowkey hate looking at pictures of it, but it did act as a nice escape from the COVID-filled reality at the time. Because of that, I was so happy to spend that precious time with my best friend! And buy a lot of stuff in the artist alley because Mega Con's is so big lol.

Another convention I went to earlier this year was the University of Florida convention, Swamp Con! I never knew until later in my first semester that UF held its own convention, and I think more students should know about it! Swamp Con is an event completely run by students in the Reitz Union, which I think is super impressive based on how many activities there were to do! There were panels, quizzes, performances, cosplay contests, an artist alley, outdoor games, special foods and drinks, and even a maid cafe (which was so funny to see a second time in a college). I also cosplayed again for this convention as Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle, which is such a huge shocker based on my Tumblr. 

Overall, the convention setting on a college campus took an unseen pressure off, which is something I also remembered feeling at PolyCon. I thought that would be an interesting thing to point out compared to venue conventions! 

[letadlock]

Wow I know you said you don't like your demon slayer cosplay but I think it's fantastic! As someone who has never done cosplay I admire your dedication to still portraying the character with the wig, props, and makeup as well. I also like the group photo you included from the con with all the other people who also dressed up as characters from the anime you were. I think that must be so fun to dress as a character and find other people cosplaying from that show to get together for a photo.

I also had no idea UF has an anime convention that's so sick! I'll have to check that out the next time it happens and see what it's like. I did not know there was that many people who enjoyed anime at our university that we have our own convention. It seems like you bought some nice artwork and stickers too were those made by other students or did they invite sellers to come host booths?

I've only ever heard of maid cafe's in anime and Japan but I think it would be interesting to go to one run by college students, and I would also find that hilarious if I went with my dad as you did. I really admire all the photos you shared on your blog! It looks like a great time and it's nice to see other students at our university perspective with conventions and cosplaying.