My Anime Blog

[achenjpt1311]

Death Note

Death Note is certainly a very iconic anime, an anime that spans beyond those that have watched or seen this anime. More people probably recognize the death note notebook than the characters inside of the anime. It is famous because of its unique premise, and its eternal debate on morality or ethics. Light Yagami gets hold of this insane godlike power that allows him to kill anyone just by knowing their name. He himself has a very strong sense of justice, but it is also very short-sighted and stubborn. He does not consider justice to be nuanced, and only thinks about his own perception of justice. He starts off by using his power for "good" where he only targets criminals and people he deems to be "bad." Thats where the issue comes in. His mercy is merely decided by his own subjective judgement on whether or not a person deserves to die because they are not "good." However, later in the anime he is consumed by his power and also by his anxiety about being caught for what he did. In a way his extreme anxiety that he is going to be caught and brought retribution upon is him admitting that he has done something wrong. Death note highlights the everlasting question of whether or not "bad" people deserve to die. If people in a society should attempt at reforming criminals or be as harsh as possible to try to deter crime.

I feel as though the pacing of the anime is not very good, and Light also possesses a little bit too much plot armour. He fumbles immensely at the beginning by allowing L to locate somewhere down to the region of where he lives. L is shown to be very brilliant in the beginning of the anime with how fast he progresses through the mystery, but at some point it seems like the author thought the series would end too fast as a result. Instead, they nerf him down and eventually kill him before he solves the case.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

Major spoilers here, however I like that you brought up the point of the show asking the eternal question: should criminals be killed? It's the harshest of punishments but the point of it is not to bring justice, it's to deter others from committing the same crime. However, for most crimes I think those who are determined enough to go through with it have considered the consequences and would not be deterred by anything harsher. I highly doubt someone planning another's murder is going to call it quits when they get wind of the immediate death penalty that this would come with. Those who are going to go through with such a heinous crime are not going to be convinced otherwise, only convinced to cover their tracks more. Justice does not serve to deter people from committing crimes, but to appropriately deal with those who do.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

Death Note (eps. 1, 2, 5, 10, 11)

This show is incredible, and honestly it's been the first one that I almost continued watching after finishing the assigned episodes. It's also chock full of discussion topics.

To start, the overarching theme of justice. This one is obvious. Light gets the supernatural ability to kill anyone from anywhere for any reason and in any way. Light uses it to get rid of people he believes are plaguing the world. This begs the question though, who gets to decide who plagues the world? From the perspective of many criminals sure, they know they are doing something wrong. But others believe that they are doing something for the good of the public. Most of the social change we have had throughout history has occurred because someone broke a few laws. The saying 'rules are meant to be broken' exists for a reason. Breaking rules challenges their authority, and forces people to think about whether that rule is fair or not, and whether it should continue to exist. With Light killing people who break rules ruins this entire idea. It silences the people who question the justice system in the most extreme way possible.

Another issue with Light killing these criminals is that many of them, as one of the people in the convention points out, are already on their way to execution. So, whats the point of killing them? They're already going to die anyway, Light is just quickening the justice that will eventually ensure. He is eliminating the bureaucracy that makes executions take so long. However, there have been plenty of instances where someone sentenced to death was later found innocent. Had they been executed on the spot, the justice system would have murdered an innocent civilian. These bureaucratic systems are in place for a reason. They allow for due process and time to correct mistakes that could have terrible consequences. The entire point of the justice system is not to kill those who are guilty, its to ensure that everyone receives fair treatment and that society flows smoothly. As we can see in Death Note, Light's killings do everything but keep society flowing smoothly. Everything halts for a while. Everyone is afraid that they might be next. And while this might seem like a good thing, as people try to be the best, most upstanding version of themselves, it goes back to the idea of social change. Social change can only occur by challenging the current issue. If people are too scared to do so, society stagnates. Breaking laws is necessary for progress. Every day previous legal precedents are challenged. The circumstances surrounding previous rulings are not absolute. But if we can't challenge those rulings because we'll be murdered by some omnipotent character who decides we are guilty, nothing changes. Those unfair rulings stay in place and we deteriorate as a society.

Death Note also plays with blame. Like Light himself says as he's describing human behavior to Ryuk, humans tend to keep their most controversial opinions to themselves. That is, unless there's a way to share those opinions anonymously. This parallels what Light does with the Death Note. Had Light been handed a gun and told he could ask for anyone to be set before him so he could execute them, I doubt he would have killed so many people. The mask of the Death Note allows him to kill whoever he wants by quite literally lifting a pen. He doesn't have to watch them die. He doesn't have to directly accept blame from anyone. In fact, we see how he goes almost sociopathic with power after the fake L comes on the news broadcast, laughing a crazy laugh and putting on a psychotic smile. This is someone who has done nothing wrong. On the contrary, he has presumably helped the world's police organizations capture some of the most dangers criminals. Despite this, Light wants to kill him immediately, without a second of hesitation. This is the power of anonymity, and this is exactly what this anime is demonstrating.

[2and2makes5]

Media Analysis: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Eps. 2, 22, 25, 30, 54)

From watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I can see one universal theme: the cost of trying to reshape the world and the emotional consequences of facing what's been lost along the way. The underlying trauma facing the main characters sets everything in motion for this anime: the failed resurrection of the Elric brothers’ mother. This failure serves as a metaphor for the dangers of trying to control what we fully don't understand, and this cost isn't just physical. Ed and Al are haunted by the guilt and grief not only for themselves but disturbing a natural order they now know can’t be broken without irreversible consequences. This theme continues with the discovery of how power and ambition can destroy entire lives, like in the Ishvalan genocide.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood resonates far beyond mere fantasy; it interrogates the systems that enable loss and regret. Focusing on the real world, these themes echo in the world from government-led war crimes to the manipulation of truth for control, particularly in societies still wrestling with colonial violence, systemic racism, and unchecked authority.

Yet, even in the darkest moments of these episodes, there's still a part for empathy. Not choosing violence becomes a radical act of resistance against an endless cycle of vengeance.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

I like that you brought up the theme of cost. This show deals with it a lot, right from the beginning with the famous line "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost." But we don't just see the physical cost of alchemy. Al and Ed's mission symbolizes the emotional cost of losing a loved one. I also like that you bring up how the show integrates with important real world things, like manipulation for control and the cost of power that sometimes we neglect. I find it interesting that you talk about how there's a path to empathy no matter what. I think it symbolizes that no matter how far down the road of moral compromise someone is, there's still a way back. It's never too late to acknowledge and take responsibility for one's actions and break the cycle.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2, 22, 25, 30, 54)

I've been wanting to get into this anime for a while, and a long time ago I read a little bit of the manga, so I'm glad we're watching this as a class. This anime strikes me as a warning to not play god too much. Similar to Akira, the protagonists of this anime are seeking ultimate power: the power to resurrect the dead. After unsuccessfully attempting to bring back their dead mother, the brothers experience a huge cost, which is foreshadowing for the rest of the show and demonstrates the first line which (paraphrased) is everything has a cost.

The cost the brother's paid serves as a metaphor. We can't try to control something that we don't understand. It is similar to the point made in Akira, where the government tries to control the powers they gave Tetsuo without fully understanding them. I think this entire anime serves as a warning against as to how addictive playing god can be, and the extent to which people will go to achieve godlike powers.

The entire point of the show is Al and Ed's mission to find the philosopher's stone, which will give them this godlike power. Along the way we discover how this stone was made and how destructive and dangerous striving for this power can be. There was an entire genocide of people for the sole purpose of gaining more power, which begs the question, when is it enough? Will humanity ever be satisfied with the power and abilities we have. This is mirrored in the real world with businesses, who are always trying to make more money. It seems strange to think about how companies like Amazon and Disney make billions of dollars every year, and are still looking for ways to make more. This anime tells us that we will never be satisfied with the current state of things. We always need 'more', whatever that means. The show also offers a warning, which is how easy it is to let the search for more consume one's humanity.

[2and2makes5]

Media Analysis: Akira

Akira is a film that I have known for so long, and I feel like a lot have aswell. Not necessarily that they watched the movie, but more specifically witnessed the "Akira bike slide", which is in so many different shows, movies, and video games. Yet, I like to say how Akira is one of the most influential films in history, and not just for its animation, but its grotesque and brutal explorations of power, identity, and control.

At its undeniable core, Akira is about the instability of control, whether that be over one's body, society, or the future. Tetsuo's transformation from a nobody outcast to a godlike figure is both breathtaking and horrifying. His powers are a symbol for unchecked technological and political experimentation, especially if this experimentation becomes way too out of anyone's grasp. This is viscerally represented in the final scenes of Akira, when Tetsuo's body becomes a massive, uncontrollable blob, reflecting what happens when human ambition and power are stretched and unchecked.

This theme of control is emphasized in the portrayal of institutions like the military and the government. In Akira, they oversaw the secret psychological experiments on children to harness psychic powers for national dominance. The irony here is that while the state attempts to create control, it actually creates something uncontrollable. Even the scientists are reduced to spectators by the end of the film. Their awe quickly turns to fear, showing how even the most “rational” systems of knowledge are helpless when confronted with forces they helped unleash but cannot govern.

One last thing I'd like to mention is some comparisons I found with Akira and Neon Genesis Evangelion, particularly in Shinji and Tetsuo. Both are teenagers who were forced into roles shaped by adult institutions, with both stories ending in bodily transformation and psychological collapse. Tetsuo's mutation was uncontrollable, a total collapse of his autonomy, consumed by a power never meant to be wielded. Shinji’s absorption into the EVA-01 in End of Evangelion and his near-loss of self during Instrumentality represent his psychological collapse under the burden of expectation, grief, and emotional isolation. In both cases, the protagonists lose control over their own existence, highlighting the terrifying consequences of forcing growth without guidance, care, or consent. However, both endings are different. Akira ends in cosmic rebirth, with Tetsuo becoming something entirely new, very ambiguous but oddly hopeful. Shinji's end results in personal revaluation, left in a world where meaning must be self-created. Yet, both attempt to answer one question: What does it mean to grow up when the world around you is broken, and the systems meant to protect you are the ones doing the damage? Both suggest that this path to maturity involves confronting such chaos, not through violence, but with awareness, reflection, and, sometimes, painful transformation.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

I like that you brought up the theme of control in this movie, because I completely neglected it. Akira deals with control by showing an absolute extreme of it. We have this dictatorship-like military government who ignores its youth and fails to supply them with a Grand Narrative. The government shuts down protests and silences dissent, then mismanages crisis after crisis. Like you said, the irony is that such a controlling institution created Tetsuo, an uncontrollable being hell-bent on destruction. Then we see Tetsuo evolve into a gross blob that absorbs everything around it, without remorse or control. Even when Tetsuo himself tries to stop before absorbing someone he loves, he can't. We see again the same irony. Tetsuo used his powers to control others, and then they grew so much they controlled him.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

Akira

This movie was really confusing, but it was beautiful. Right from the start I got the post-war narrative of this film, and how devastating war really is. The explosion at the beginning is extremely reminiscent of atomic bombs like the one that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the entire city is this dystopian, post WWIII, concrete jungle where the military rules everything with an iron fist while the youth rebel. There is a great mistrust in the system as people protest, highlighting the idea that the harsher the government is on its people, the more chaos ensues. Then, there's Tetsuo.

Tetsuo's arc is extremely interesting. He goes from this insecure, little kid in a biker gang, who's always kind of in his friend Kaneda's shadow, to a literal monstrosity. After gaining access to psychic powers, he really shows the importance of the quote "with great power comes great responsibility". Spiderman had great responsibility, and was able to put his power to great use in his own concrete jungle. Tetsuo, on the other hand, doesn't have great responsibility, is consumed by his power. He kills and tortures effortlessly, and without remorse. He destroys buildings and hurts people without a second thought. Tetsuo represents what happens when power is handed to the wrong person. Tetsuo is furious at those who wronged him when he was powerless, which happens to include most of society from his point of view, and uses his power to exact revenge. Eventually this grows to the point that his human body can no longer contain it. He mutates into a grotesque monstrous mass, that keeps consuming everything around it. It gets to the point that not even the one person who treated Tetsuo right, who Tetsuo loves, is safe.

This all amounts to two main ideas. First is treat everyone with respect, no matter who they are. And second is to be careful when scientists play god, because mother nature won't appreciate it.

[clnme]

Sensōron

This was a pretty wild manga, which presented a revisionist perspective on Japanese war crimes during World War II and claimed that the United States exaggerated these crimes and essentially brainwashed the Japanese people over the next 50 years. The main focus was on the United States' claims about Japan's Nanking Massacre. I honestly don't know too much about the Nanking Massacre, so I have no clue how true any of the manga's claims are, but they seem really dubious to me. While the manga attempts to point out multiple facets of propaganda that apparently exaggerates Japan's crimes, it is also obvious how the manga itself is propaganda as well, and quickly jumps to large and often absolutist claims through logical fallacies.

The associated text, A short history of mankind by Gellner, provides more context for the claims made within Sensōron by analyzing the concept of nationalism. Sensōron appears to be driven by a desire to reclaim Japanese national identity that was corrupted by American influence, which is also apparent in the later pages of the manga that switch the focus to how Japanese people have come to develop individualism as a result of the United States, rather than nationalism or unity through Japanese identity. The manga does this by framing Japan as the victim rather than the aggressor, which directly opposes the history that Japan and the rest of world have come to accept.

The biggest thing I noticed, though, was how the manga attempts to make its perspective appear more appealing by frequently depicting the "brainwashed" Japanese people as extremely childish and infantile, mainly through their dialogue. The author also claims that he used to be brainwashed too before he realized the truth, which his parents and the older generation have always believed. Through this, I feel like he attempts to establish himself as an authoritative figure through the age of the older generation in addition to his own experience and development. It can make the audience feel like they are intellectuals for siding with the author, because they were able to "see the truth."

[madis-marvelous-blog]

You're absolutely right. Throughout the entire manga (or the piece that we read), the author drums up a nationalist view that the current generation lacks according to him. He frames himself, as you said, as someone who's seen the truth and is seeking to enlighten others. This is the exact same perspective as one of the 'cultists' the author likes to mention so often. The entire manga feels like a poorly thought out expose that was written in a fit of 'rage with with the system'. It's not to say the text has no merit. The point of photos not being trustworthy anymore is correct, and the overall message of double checking every claim you come across is good, but the delivery doesn't make the author's perspective any more appealing than the opposing one.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

Sensoron

This is a wild manga. It starts off really weird, talking about some guy pooping and then being gassed out of the bathroom, which the main character covers up using "American tactics". What he talks about after is pretty interesting though.

The manga brings to attention the fact that we live in an age where photographs, that we used to hold as indisputable proof, are untrustworthy. Photos can now be mis-labeled, edited, or completely falsified to "prove" that some event happened. The author uses this fact to dispute the crimes committed by Japan during the second world war, namely the Nanjing Massacre. From what I can tell of the little research I've done on this event, it seems widely agreed upon that this really happened. Despite this, the author disputes the photographic evidence from a few sources and comes to the conclusion that the US fabricated everything about the Nanjing Massacre in order to brainwash the Japanese into thinking the dropping of the atomic bombs was justified.

I believe that the US used some propaganda in order to get the public to believe that this choice was in pursuit of the Grand Narrative, but I disagree that this entire event is fabricated. The manga talks about how the government and news stations use emotionally charged pictures and stories to get people to believe something which may or may not be true. However, in order to get the readers to agree with the message, the manga employs the exact same tactics. It's an excellent story and a good point to bring up, but the authenticity of the authors claims are brought into question when the manga criticizes the strategies newspapers and governments use while using those same strategies.

This as a whole brings to light an important truth. We can no longer believe what we read anymore. Even if it is from a respected, highly educated, individual. We need to start employing the scientific method for things like news stories in order to get the actual truth. Looking at various different sources and questioning everything we come across is more necessary than ever before.

[jpt1311-gm-blog]

Your name

Your Name is my favorite anime movie ever, and every time I watch it, I feel like I notice something new. On the surface, it's a beautiful romantic story with some body-swapping and a cosmic twist, but there’s more going on underneath. It’s a film about memory, loss, and the way history can slip through the cracks, even when it’s something huge like the destruction of an entire town.

Foucault, in his essay “Method,” talks about how power isn’t just held by governments or big institutions, but shows up in how we remember things, how history is written, and what gets forgotten. That hits hard when you think about Itomori, the town in Your Name. It gets wiped out by a comet, and it’s almost like the world just moves on. But there’s this lingering sense of grief and disconnection. The characters know something’s missing, even if they can’t name it.

That’s one of the most powerful parts of the movie, how Taki and Mitsuha fight to remember each other, even when their memories start to fade. The names are important, but so is the feeling behind them. It reminds me of Foucault’s point that the past isn’t just a timeline of events, it’s full of forgotten power struggles. Your Name isn’t just a love story, it’s about resisting that forgetting. It’s about holding onto meaning even when the world tells you to let go.

What I love most is how the film doesn’t give easy answers. It’s emotional and mysterious, and it trusts you to feel your way through it. Watching it always reminds me how fragile memory can be, and how much strength it takes to keep hold of what matters.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

I hadn't even picked up on the theme of memory through the movie and now I honestly don't know how I didn't. Memory plays such a huge role throughout the entire movie, not just the part when they try to remember each other. At the beginning, neither of them can remember what they did as the other in the dream, so they write diary logs. And to your point of forgetting the past, when the grandmother figures out that Taki has taken control of Mitsuha's body, she mentions that every member of her family had experienced the same thing, but that they had all forgotten everything about the person they were connected to. "Dream's always fade over time".

[madis-marvelous-blog]

Your Name

This movie is one of the all around greatest anime movies that I have ever watched. The visuals, the music, the story telling, all phenomenal. There aren't words to describe how beautiful this movie was to watch. And the way this movie displayed the juxtaposition of rural and urban lifestyles and how the grass is always greener was riveting.

I also loved the intertwining strings metaphor. It reminded me of the invisible string theory, where everyone on earth is connected with another person by an invisible string, and the person you are connected to is supposed to be your soulmate. Having the string literally intertwined on Taki's wrist to represent the intertwining of fates and time between these two characters was an excellent touch.

Every time Mitsuha and Taki switch bodies, there are clear challenges that come from their vastly different life styles. When Mitsuha takes control of Taki's body, she can't find anything relevant to Taki's life. She struggles to find her way to school and then work, implying that the city is so dense its difficult for someone who doesn't know how to navigate it. When Taki takes control of Mitsuha's body, he struggles to adjust to the culture of the town, which seems to be (somewhat) normal for everyone living there.

I also picked up on a commentary on gender roles in this movie. The fact that the two main characters were a man and a woman was not just for the romantic aspect. They both behave according to their societal gender roles. Taki tends to be more aggressive and brash, "quick to a fight" as Ms. Okudera points out, whereas Mitsuha is more kind and gentle. For example, despite being very embarrassed with the rituals her grandmother has her do, Mitsuha still puts in great effort to do them because her grandmother asks her to. While we don't see it in the movie, I doubt Taki would be the same. To add to this, when they switch, many of the characters close to Taki and Mitsuha are jarred with how great the change is. For example, in one the scene where Taki-as-Mitsuha tries to get Mitsuha's father to call for an evacuation and her father shuts the idea down, Taki retaliates violently, jumping over the desk to grab the father's tie. The father is so taken aback by this that he drops his hegemonic masculine fascade for a second. Earlier in the film, where we see Mitsuha's father yell at her to walk straight, she doesn't retaliate at all. She doesn't even seem angry at her father for doing that, merely embarrassed that it happened in public. This huge divide in behaviors stands as a commentary on how different society expects men and women to act, despite the fact that we're all the same flesh and bones. That's why the movie has these characters switching bodies so much. It's to show that gender is just the body you live inside, and shouldn't dictate how one behaves in society. The anime demonstrates the fact that people's outsides and insides are different entities. I also found the changes in their behaviors, even when they were in their own bodies, fascinating. As Ms. Okudera told Tsukasa, over the course of the movie Taki becomes kinder and softer. He adopts behaviors of the opposite gender. Taki was more likable when he portrayed these 'feminine' traits. Here the anime is trying to demonstrate that the most perfect person in a social sense has traits traditionally held by each gender.

[gigadrillbreak]

Hetalia

Out of every topic that could be chosen to anthropomorphize the subjects and make a gag anime about, World War 2 is probably one of the best there is. The amount of genuinely absurd things that happen during the war make for great material to satirize even further. That said, this show is just not funny. I find all the characters (specifically Italy, which I find odd that he is such a pushover considering the fascist movement during this time) to be extremely annoying. The characters interact with each other in a way that causes complete chaos to unfold, especially in the first scene of episode one, although that isn't unrealistic. Other than that, the show continues on satirizing different topics and making fun of history through the form of anime humor.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

I completely disagree with this on most of your points. The anime is pretty funny for the first few episodes, and the fact that it talks about WW2, one of the most serious events in recent history, makes it more ridiculous. I like that it talks about WW2 this way because it ridicules some of the absurd things that happened at that time, but I don't like the extent to which they do it. In the anime, it seems like Germany Japan and Italy are just doing something that they would do every day. It mis-represents the tragedies of the war and, for anyone who doesn't know much about the war, makes it seem like Germany, Italy, and Japan are the good guys. They're the main characters and we don't see them do anything that bad, so we naturally assume they are the good guys. I didn't like this part because it glorifies the, objectively, bad guys in the second world war.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

Hetalia: Axis Powers

This is, by far, the weirdest piece of media I have seen in my entire life. The concept of making all the countries people with personalities was pretty interesting, and the stereotypes of France being an "asshole" and England not having good food was funny at first but it got old after a while.

In Hetalia, all the stereotypical traits of a country are blown up and exaggerated. We see this with the scene where America is literally eating burgers while talking, then when Britain says no one can hear him, American decides it must be because of his "advanced vocabulary". Italy, like I said before, is wish-washy and cowardly, and oh so pasta obsessed. France, to (loosely) quote the show, is a bit of a "dick", who's also pretty wish-washy and unserious. Russia is quiet, and doesn't show emotion because it was "drowned out by [his] icy environment". Britain has terrible food (though this one might be right) and is always at odds with America.

This exaggeration for comedic effect pokes fun at these stereotypes. Interestingly, Hetalia both plays into and challenges these preconceived notions at the same time, lining up with what the article argues media has the power to do. By stereotyping everyone, no matter who you are you are bound to feel misrepresented. This creates a subtle feeling of "well this sucks" and gets you thinking the next time you make an assumption about someone before knowing them. It's hard to describe what it feels like to be misrepresented to someone who has never experienced that feeling before, and by misrepresenting absolutely everyone, Hetalia succeeds in this regard.

This anime is trying to get people to realize how bad stereotyping can really be. Not only does it feel frustrating to be misrepresented, but after watching this I can personally say how wrong stereotypes can be. My family is Italian, and seeing how Italy was in the show I was annoyed. I felt as though this character didn't match my mental depiction of Italy in the slightest.

I always knew in my head stereotypes were bad because they could be wrong, but seeing this show really made me understand that fact. This is exactly what Hetalia is attempting to, and successfully at that, accomplish.

[marsisfried]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

I went into Xenoblade Chronicles 2 expecting a fun fantasy JRPG with cool swords and yeah, it has all that. But what I didn't expect was how devastatingly real it would get with its themes. After watching Nausicaa Valley of the Wind, I found myself thinking more about climate change, exploitation, and the whole "what are we even doing as a species" thing.

The world of Alrest is made up of these giant living Titans that people live on but they're all slowly dying. Sinking into the Cloud Sea and no one knows how to stop it. Every cutscene reminds you: that the lad is disappearing. People are running out of space, resources, and hope. The slow collapse isn't just a part of the scene but the main problem everyone's trying to survive.

Cobb writes about how humans, unlike every other species, live beyond natural limits. We don't adapt to nature, we remake it. But power has a cost. We've pushed ecosystems to the brink and now we're not sure how to live in the world we've broken. What Xenoblade 2 gets right is the idea that when nature collapses, everything else does too. Politics, society, identity. The nations in Alrest are clashing because the land itself is shrinking. It's the same story Cobb tells about modern civilization pushing past limits, ignoring that nature has limits, and now scrambling to hold itself together. Additionally, the Blaes are sentient beings with memories, emotions, and tragic fates. They get used and reused, sometimes with care and sometimes just for power. It's an allegory for nature. They're resources and people. The way we treat Blades says everything about how we treat the world and each other. Schimelpfenig talks about how we've bought into a worldview that treats nature as something to use, not something we're a part of. The strongest characters are the ones who bond with their blades, not control them. It's Merleau Ponty's philosophy in action, we're not observers of nature, we are nature, and the split is a lie we've told ourselves.

With Elysium, what if we're chasing it the same way we chase Mars or post-apocalyptic survival fantasies because we've given up on Earth? Cobb warns us that faith in heroic science is just another illusion. We think we can fix the planet's carbon capture, electric cars, etc, but it's the mentality that needs fixing.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

I completely agree with you. The world as we know it is dying and it's because of actions we took in the past. Relying on science and advancements that would 'save' it is futile. If we don't change how we think about the world that we live in, we could save the world 1000 times and still be fighting the same crisis. I like how you brought up the point of when nature collapses, society does too. I never really picked up on this, in the cutscenes or otherwise. It's a very valid point especially considering 90% of what politicians talk about is saving, or ignoring, the environment.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 cutscenes

I have wanted to get into this game for some time, and this might just push me to do it.

The Xenoblade cutscenes portray a state of society where humans are trying to escape the consequences of the world they created. The article by Cobb on Anthropocene as humans detaching from nature and trying to control is perfectly mirrored in this game.

The Architect does this exact thing. He creates something, detaches from it, then regrets it all. The blades reflect nature. These blades are living beings, that were designed to be tools. They only get awakened when they are with a Driver. But even when they are with a Driver, they don't get control. They don't have a say in how or why they are used. They simply gain consciousness. Their lives are constantly reset until someone finally treats them like a human being. This reminds me a lot of the same subplot in Magnus Chase. Magnus finds an ancient sword used by his father that has a full personality, but he doesn't know this. He treats it like an object until he figures out it is a living being with feelings and thoughts. Only then can he unlock its true power. This is also how Cobb suggests we treat others and nature. Instead of treating them as equals in our story, we treat them as objects.

Malos was quite literally made for destruction, and when he does exactly that it becomes a problem.

By the end we have before us a world crumbling down and people trying to fix it. The irony here is that this is something that they themselves caused. This entire situation parallels the situation we are in today with the environment. In all likelihood there is no way to 'fix' our world, its too far gone. The best we can do is reach some mutual understanding, like in these cutscenes, and know to do better the next time. This is what the cutscenes are about. It's a realistic depiction of what our only solution to the world ending may be.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

SwampCon blog repot

I have never been to a convention like this, and all of it was pretty surprising.

As someone who has only really watched the anime fandom from afar, I always thought conventions like this would be small. Something low-key like maybe some costume contests and like famous directors, writers, or actors showing up for signings and stuff like that. But swampcon showed me this assumption could not have been farther from the truth. The sheer magnitude of the event was awe-inspiring, and not to mention the level of detail and effort poured into everyone's costume.

At swampcon there were so many events I couldn't possibly go to every one of them. Unfortunately I didn't make the opening ceremony, but I did go to the maid cafe, which was a cool little event with some dancing and sweet treats. To me it resembled how close-knit the anime community can be.

I also attended the Vendor Hall. The Vendor Hall is the definition of sharing of shadow capital. There were so many people buying and selling random little pieces of anime culture, like stuffed toys and candles, and plenty of art. It was a whirlwind of colors, creativity, and fandom energy. Just walking into the room reminded me of the anime convention from Genshiken—a chaotic but cozy shrine to niche passions. Artists and small businesses like PikaBelleChu, LunarJelly, and Rootis Tabootus offered everything from pastel fanart to gothic soaps, each booth telling its own story.

The Artist Alley had a different vibe. It was calmer, quieter, smaller, but equally as passionate. Seeing conversations happen between fans and artists and seeing the shared spark of the love of a series or movie was incredible. You could see so many people connecting over what characters they loved or hated or wished they saw more of. Seeing so much art was inspiring, because you know the artist made it from sheer adoration. They didn't paint this picture or draw that sketch because they thought it would sell. All of the things in this room were visualizations of someone's love of anime.

Now lets talk about those costumes. From a perspective of an artist, every last one was beautiful. The level of detail put into these costumes was fascinating. I find it so interesting because I know it's not done to try and impersonate some character so others can see you that way. People dress up and create these intricate costumes so they can really feel like they've become their favorite character. It's also a clear marker of who else loves that anime, and is a great starting point for getting to know people. The amount of socialization during this entire event was amazing. As someone who only really knows the anime community through it's generalized stereotypes of socially awkward individuals, it was nice to see that they were wrong. I saw plenty of people meeting someone new and striking up a conversation just because they thought their costume was cool or they liked that series too and wanted to share some fan speculations or theories. That's another thing I loved about this event. Having conventions like this means there are going to be a huge amalgamation of people who know the same lore. This leads to people sharing it amongst themselves, and furthers the development of these fan theories. People bring in various perspectives and arguments for tons of different theories. It reminded me of more academic versions of the same thing, like physicists arguing about string theory. This entire event is a prime example of how shadow culture is essentially a smaller, more niche version of society, with the same rules and functions. You see exchanges of knowledge amongst members in order to further the understanding of certain topics.

To me, this entire event was so much fun and so interesting to go to and experience, and I will absolutely be going for the rest of my college career.

[esofficialuf]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Another Ghibli film, so I knew I was gonna be interested in the happenings and appearance of the film. Here we watched the people of The Valley of Wind resist the conflicts they were brought into. I liked this film a lot, but this class isn't about just acknowledging great anime, its about the analysis.

There wasn't a reading for this, so I'm gonna try and find what I think it was about, and I think this movie is about the tragic irony of human nature. (At a societal scale, not just individuals.) It explores this idea with Nauisca and Kushana (Princess of Torumekia).

Kushana represents the tendency for people to fear the unknown/what is different and lead with & sensationalize hate. She plans to use old technology to eradicate the sea of decay altogether, insisting it was the necessary change. However it is clear that she truly only wants the power that comes with controlling the giant warrior. She used violence to attain her goals, and ultimately, failed because all she did in this film is create more enemies out of everyone who wasn't "her people." So despite her intention of creating world peace and bringing back what was lost, she only created enemies for herself, which only invites conflict. This is without even mentioning that she had 0 clue what the sea of decay even was, and if she did, she would know that destroying it wouldn't really fix anything, you'd just make more desert, but also you would destroy the last thing keeping earth in any sort of ecological equilibrium.

Nauisca represents a foil to Kushana in that she represents curiosity and acceptance. She sought to understand the sea of decay and the insects, through that she learned that the fauna in the sea of decay actually act as purifiers, cleaning the surface level pollution and leaving clean product below and that the insects are protecting the sea of decay from humans. To attain her goal, which was end the conflict in the valley, she used communication nearly exclusively, with humans and the ohm. You may see a lack of irony there, but its because it's in the subtext: Nauisca actually wants to save the world, not through some drastic action, but by understanding and accepting the world as it is. Not aiming for what we had a thousand years ago, because there's a reason it changed. The irony being that she doesn't hold the power to do truly act on it.

A bit too obvious for me to want to make the whole post about, but this movie is also a green PSA. The main issue bringing everyone to action is the issue of the sea of decay and the bugs, but all of that was caused by human disregard for the environment, which forced nature to "counterattack" by destroying everything.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

I completely agree with the points you brought up. The point you made about the irony of human nature especially, and the contrast of Kushana and Nausicaä really shows it. Kushana's character is obsessed with power and control, mirroring how things like fear and ignorance can drive destructive actions. Meanwhile, Nausicaä's character is empathetic and understanding. Instead of destroying what she doesn't know she tries to figure it out. This feels like an ideal we should strive for, even if its not the one with power. And of course, the go green message was pretty obvious. I've always loved how Studio Ghibli portrays their messages.

[madis-marvelous-blog]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

This movie is beautiful. And it feels very relevant to me because, since arriving at UF, I've met so many people like my girlfriend who have a strong will to protect and save the environment.

The movie is also very meaningful, considering its a fictional movie about huge bugs and the decaying jungle they live in. Its clear the movie's message was that this is the effect humans have on the environment. But the anime doesn't do this in a necessarily accusatory way I think. The anime is moreso saying this is what happened.

Additionally, the anime provides us with a great example on how to fix it: Nausicaä. Nausicaä is a strong character in that she seeks to understand others no matter the situation. Because of this, no matter how hectic it gets, there's always a sense of hope that if we can all agree to make a change, we can fix this.

For this reason, I think the point this anime was trying to make is that our ecosystem is broken. The only way to fix it is to follow the blueprint laid out in the form of Nausicaä. The writers are telling us that if everyone were a little bit more like her, we'd see real change in the world around us. And I don't think this is limited to saving the environment.

Nausicaä's drive to understand other people can be applied to other social issues as well. The topic we discussed earlier about accepting others and one-self is relevant here too. In order to accept others for who they are, we must first understand them.

Another point the movie makes is that we, as a society, are not hopeless. Despite all the war, destruction, and every other problem our society faces daily, there's still a chance. It's not dangerous to hope for a better future and to work towards one. The movie is saying that despite how far gone our society may seem, there is no reason to stop trying.

As long as there's a world, we should fight for it.