IDS 2935

[outofphase-owl]

I don’t wanna get stabbed with an umbrella.

Wow, I was really impressed by Perfect Blue; it was so well made. I liked the feeling that I got when I didn’t know whether what I was seeing was reality or imagined (or somewhere in between). It kind of speaks to the world of celebrities and idols, where the line between reality and “manufactured reality” is blurred. Our ideas of “what celebrities are like” are fantasies created in our mind based what we see from pop media. Celebrities, like all other people, are complex, but we tend to reduce them to simple, one-dimensional essences. Really, in our heads, we’re creating an entirely new person, merely based on the original. And in Perfect Blue, a simulacrum is reached; a second Mima, a simulation of the public’s perception of Mima, takes on a life of her own. Suddenly, the real Mima is unecessary, or rather, totally independent from this second Mima.

Going in a completely different direction (or maybe not), I thought this movie was really insightful in how it portrayed an actress being pressured by her staff into doing things that she didn’t want to do. I have to be honest: I’ve never thought about that before. I’ve always assumed that whenever an actor or actress acts in a scene, they’re totally comfortable with whatever they’re doing. I’ve never considered that maybe they’ve been pressured into doing whatever they’re doing by other people, and they just don’t want to cause trouble for anyone by standing up for themselves. This kinda changes how I think about pop media now. (And it’s so weird to think that an anime could change how I think about stuff, but here I am.)

I have to say, Perfect Blue was maybe my favorite viewing of the class (or maybe it’s just recency bias). Either way, this was my first time seeing a psychological horror anime (or whatever you wanna call Perfect Blue) and I really appreciate how well they pulled off this genre.

[nay0ungg]

As always, I love your title. I’d rather avoid being stabbed with an umbrella as well. Agreed, one of my favorite things about this movie is the way it was filmed, blurring the lines between reality and, like you said, “manufactured reality”. Celebrities, once they reach a certain level of popularity, become products in the eyes of the public and people feel that they can treat them however without consequences. I’m also not a huge fan of horror movies and the like, but this thriller is one of my favorites.

[nay0ungg]

Perfect Blue

I thought this film would be a good match for the class because we just finished a lengthy discussion on fandoms and respective culture. A look at a different kind of fandom, it shows us exactly how obsessive some fans can be and reminds us that celebrities are normal people like the rest of us. In my opinion, anime fandoms are among the healthiest in expressing their likes and dislikes. On the other hand, idol/celebrity fandoms are some of the unhealthiest. In general, when people start to idolize other people, it becomes toxic very quickly. When a celebrity’s flaw is publicly known, we are quick to cancel them. Mima’s situation is a similar example, where fans began viewing her as a product. When she changed her cute image into a more mature one, they felt a sense of betrayal. Although the film was made twenty years ago, the issues presented are just as problematic today. Some of the other themes are the importance of technology and identity. Technology is a double-edged sword, with a unique ability to empower and enslave. Identity is another common theme, one that is relevant to people of all ages, but especially important to the younger generation as our identities are still being formed and therefore fragile. Mima is especially vulnerable because she goes through a transition, idol to actress. 

The director, Satoshi Kon, left the title open to interpretation. He named it Perfect Blue after the original novel, so the color blue wasn’t necessarily the most meaningful. Colors do however serve to set the mood and deliver implicit messages. Red is the most common color throughout the film; expressed through blood, furniture, clothing, and makeup. For example, that one scene where Rumi (as Mima) fights the real Mima, she is almost entirely in red to show both insanity and danger. Blue is a calming color and used to symbolize stability. In the last scene, blue is the most present color. Previously muted colors are also vibrant to represent Mima’s improved mental health. Blue can also be viewed as a sad and cold color, so it could also be used to describe Mima’s primary state of depression and despair throughout the film.

[maxs-animoo]

Death Parade

I watched the first episode of death parade a few years ago and I kind of abandoned it after that because it didn’t intrigue me in the first place. And honestly this time around I couldn’t really say that my mind has completely changed. I still think one of the only things that I really enjoy about this anime is the opening because it is so damn catchy. 

However, I think the anime provides a useful commentary on society and how people are perceived. From the first two episodes alone we saw how judgement is very subjective even in a situation where it seems like Decim will always make the proper judgement. In my opinion Decim was representative of how society judges individuals, especially, those within Japanese society. The couple we saw at the beginning was the perfect example of this. Machinko clearly had good intentions in her actions. She did cheat on her husband but it was something that she obviously showed regret for. In the game she was the victor but she snapped at him in order to keep him at ease in the situation. We see that she gets judged to get her soul put into the void and her husband gets his reincarnated. Decim bases his decisions on who he thinks have led a fulfilled life. Despite Machinko’s attempt to requiem for her actions Decim(society) ignores her and still puts her at fault for them. However, for the doctor who has led a fulfilled life he provides him with reincarnation. It kind of made me think about how many idols and celebrities in Japan can fall out of the life they have achieved with just one slip up. For example, if an actor gets caught of smoking weed they have essentially sabotaged their career and I think it is representative of how Japanese society judges individuals. One mistake and your out no matter how safe you thought you were. And you always get praised and rewarded for following the status cuo and living a life that is deemed socially acceptable(and that’s one that is usually rid of any major faults).

[nay0ungg]

Agreed, it almost seemed like Decim was an all-knowing god, but they were trying to show that empathy is necessary to make proper judgement. With Machiko and her husband, I felt that both of them needed to go to the same place, whether it was the void or reincarnation. Neither of them were particularly good or bad, but it is the husband’s insecurity that landed them in this predicament in the first place. Also, the theme song is really catchy, almost morbidly so, considering the nature of the show. 

[nay0ungg]

Death Parade

This anime was really good, I’m probably watching the rest of the episodes soon. The title sounded a little intimidating, so I probably wouldn’t have watched it on my own. Interestingly enough, it presented a lot of ethical dilemmas. Death Parade obviously involved higher stakes, but it almost seemed like Kakegurui, which is another gambling anime. Most of the anime was staged in life or death situations, so it was interesting to see the extremes people were willing to go to save themselves or others. The black-haired girl, later revealed as Chiyuki, was a good addition because she added a much needed element of empathy to the team. Decim took an immediate interest in her because he was intrigued by human complexity. In terms of Freudian psychology: Chiyuki was superego, Decim was ego, and the dead humans were id. Like the anime said, humans are driven by fear and other primitive emotions. If pushed to the very edge, most will commit violent acts. 

I did not agree with the first episode’s judgement, but the creators meant to show that even the arbiters make mistakes. Human actions are circumstantial. Therefore, empathy is necessary to judge accurately, which is unfortunate because most of the arbiters lack emotions. Episode 9 brought up an interesting point, the policeman said he did not intervene when the girl was being violently raped because he needed to make sure the guy actually committed the crime. The rape scene was a parallel to what the arbiters in Quindecim do to the dead: pass judgement after seeing the absolute worst people can do. However, if the residents of Quindecim were really testing humanity, I felt that they also should’ve provided the dead a chance to showcase their virtues because the current death games were geared to expose only the most sadistic vices of people. 

[jo-tarou]

Violet Evergarden [EP 1, Special, 9, 10]

As far as I knew, Violet Evergarden was a series I knew to be influenced by the World War II era. Much of the aesthetics of the scenes seem to be a very idealized version of a post-war period. Medical technology seems to be rather advanced, as she is able to survive literal fatal wounds and have her arms replaced with functionable prosthetics. But, with the forms of military wear, standard technology, outfits, and architecture, it is hard not to compare this world to the past of our own. Violet Evergarden seems to deal with her trauma that she had carried through the war and the inability to understand love she never had growing up.

It is not uncommon for veterans have trouble reconnecting to society after a war has ended. Whether they find themselves mentally or physically harmed from their service, in a sense, they have to restart a life that is very different from the ones they’ve faced. Violet seems to have survived a rather violent ending to the war, where she loses touch with her Major, someone she considered her closest person. Shortly after her recovery, Violet Evergarden is drafted to work as an Auto Memories Doll to write and deliver letters. She keeps busy and does the only thing she can understand to do well, which is to follow orders. Yet she waits for the return of her Major and his instructions. It is an unspoken understanding that the Major will not return from war, yet Violet holds onto that hope until she finds it in herself to let go.

There is also a sense of grief or regret from actions ones had committed in war. Maiming or taking another’s life may seem a common occurrence for a soldier, yet they are expected to return a society where such actions are seen as crtiical offenses to humanity. Violet questions her worth, seeing herself as stained from the war. Even at one point, she felt she didn’t deserve to live. The acceptance of the past and its circumstances becomes a vital lesson for Violet. And only in the end, she finds it in herself to move on with her new life.

[nay0ungg]

Agreed, the anime really showed the consequences of war and how difficult it can be to reintegrate into society after war. War is really extreme, so it does bring out the worst in people. Desperate situations call for desperate measures, I don’t believe soldiers or anyone in the Army should be penalized or judged by anything other than military law. Violet wondered if she even deserved to reconnect people through letters. But that’s precisely why she needs her job, to rehabilitate and reconnect with her emotions. 

[nay0ungg]

Violet Evergarden

I enjoy watching most of the class material, this was no different. The anime is pretty popular, so I’m glad I got the chance to watch it. When it was confirmed the letters were for Ann, I felt really conflicted. Losing a family member is traumatic in and of itself, but losing them at a younger age must be that much more painful. However, I did feel that the girl would’ve definitely felt excitement and look forward to getting the letters every year, so I felt happy for her. Honestly, at first, I thought Violet was a robot or at least a cyborg because she did not seem to understand what love was or eat and had mechanical arms. However, she showed empathy, so the fact that she may be a cyborg was not important. It was really saddening when it was revealed that Violet was actually a human possibly suffering from PTSD. The anime reminds us of the consequences of war. Violet, for example, is emotionally stripped. She lost one of the most important people in her life, her Major. She also grew up in the army, so she’s used to expressing little to no emotion. It’s common knowledge that war is extreme and people can be ruthless, but actually seeing it was shocking. The Major was completely out of commission and they still continued to shoot at them. They call her a tool of war multiple times and Violet herself calls herself useless without Major Gilbert. At one point, she says she’s living to find the meaning of love. I took this to show that humans don’t need a lot to live on, sheer willpower and a reason to live is enough. 

[cyang2000]

4/13 Sensoron

I’ve read a lot of manga, but none have really taken such an inflammatory tone as Kobayashi’s Sensoron. Not just manga, but this is one of the most controversial texts that I’ve read on the subject. Kobayashi holds views that would be heavily frowned upon today, or even when he wrote this manga. It challenges a status quo of “peace” and it seems to want to recite the Japanese national sentiment that led to their imperial conquest pre WWII. 

One thing I agree with Kobayashi upon is how information and evidence is used by those in power to manipulate narratives. Kobayashi does the same thing in Sensoron. By pointing out the “fake” narratives crafted by the US and China during post-war Japan’s reconstruction, he wants to enforce his own narrative that empowers Japanese national sentiment. Whether or not the evidence he tries to point out the Nanjing Massacre as fake really is fake, I think it’s almost certain that some of the gruesome events described by witnesses firsthand occurred. Of course China is going to exaggerate the severity the event to try to control the narrative and gain some power over Japan. Kobayashi takes this to the extreme with his takes on events that occurred. Despite being born in the post-war generation, he desperately tries to cling to this narrative of war that empowers the Japanese people. Perhaps he feels disillusioned with the “brainwashed” postwar generation now that Japan is no longer a major imperial power. Sensoron is an attempt to give power back to Japan following the collapse of the grand narrative of war. Kobayashi himself seems to be personally burdened with the Aum cult which could lead to his fixation of brainwashing techniques. Today, I do think information is manipulated and used by governments to influence the population, but not to the extent that Kobayashi posits. Nevertheless, history is written by the victors, and that is an issue that Kobayashi brings up that the public has to deal with in our modern era.

[nay0ungg]

Agreed, I was never completely sure whether he really agreed with these sentiments or was calling attention to it. He also seemed to have a problem with Japan being the country blamed for all the war crimes, but they’re obviously being blamed because they lost in the war. The winners won’t voluntarily admit they were also participants, but America also doesn’t deny committing war atrocities. Although difficult, the main takeaway is that people should try to remain unbiased.

[nay0ungg]

Sensoron

Wow, that escalated quickly. Really interesting read. It almost seemed tame. I was wondering if the bathroom war was going to be a commentary on the war, that was not the case. I was absolutely flabbergasted by some of the contents of this manga. I know we were warned, but nothing could mentally prepare you for this level of propaganda. His suggestion that the Nanking Massacre and comfort women were used against the Japanese was pretty shocking. He implied that the Nanking Massacre did not happen, which is false. He also said, only fifty were killed, like that makes it any better. According to Kobayashi, nothing is trustworthy, as he says “photos don’t necessarily depict objective reality”. At this point, how can we really say that he was stalked to be assassinated? According to his logic, anyone could be lying because pictures are easily falsifiable and testimonies are untrustworthy. His reasoning was also comical at some points, saying the famous Nanking Massacre photo was actually taken when they colonized the Koreans. The main point of contention seemed to be the Nanking Massacre, trying to justify and debunk the photos and arguments for it. Towards the end, when he talked about comfort women, he said they were Korean. The Koreans were being colonized. There are no Koreans who would voluntarily prostitute themselves to the Japanese, even for money. It was also pretty interesting to see his blatant bias expressed through characters. He used heavily exaggerated features on characters he did not agree with, painting the anti-war citizens and believers as fools. However, I did enjoy it because it was a rare look into the perspective of the far-right ultranationalists.

[elliekimono]

Your Name

This was my first time watching Your Name and I really liked it. It had some really beautiful scenes and animation, and I definitely cried. Many times, I wondered why no one really noticed the changes between the two, but analyzing plot holes isn’t quite productive. However, I’m still going to question it anyways. First, there’s a interesting fact that it seems both Mitsuha and Taki has nontraditional family structures. We never see Taki’s other parent so we can assume that Taki only has a single father. And as a single father in the city, he’s clearly busy working as he only shortly appears when Mitsuha is in Taki’s body, therefore it makes sense he doesn’t notice the change in Taki. However, its strange that his friends don’t question the change in behavior beyond the shallow questioning. Mitsuha’s family is also much more involved in her life aside from her father. It can easily be disregarded though considering the setting of the world and the ability of time to twist and change memories even on technical devices. However, like in Wolf Children, we see the difference between urban and rural settings. Although the people in the rural setting complain about the lack of entertainment, there is a distinct lack of family in the urban setting. Even with the bad relationship between Mitsuha and her father, he realizes that Mitsuha isn’t Mitsuha. Along with her grandmother, those are the only people that realize that Mitsuha is someone else. Everyone also seems to know everyone in her town. However, in the city, many people seem pretty distant to Taki aside from his few friends and his coworkers. 

[nay0ungg]

Really interesting points here. I think these plot holes weren’t really plot holes because they kinda highlighted the idea that gender roles aren’t that important. Even if you act “femininely” as a guy, it doesn’t matter. I also thought the frustration with their respective cities was interesting because it’s a common feeling with our generation. The grass is always greener on the other side. 

[nay0ungg]

Your Name

I’ve always wanted to watch the movie, but never really got the chance. I remember one of the songs, Nandemonaiya, going viral. Honestly, it was a really cute movie with literal star-crossed lovers. The title of the movie really sets the mood, names are really telling. Not only are they identifiers, the movie suggests they’re connected to the soul. It’s the one word everyone uses the most. In temples, you’re buried with your name because it’s believed your name is connected to the physical world. So when you die and possibly get reincarnated, it’s believed that you’re leaving this world behind and entering the spiritual world. The one accessory Mitsuha is wearing, the red ribbon, also carries a lot of meaning. Red strings symbolize fate. If cut, you change the trajectory of your life. It was interesting to see it actually materialized because red strings of fate are invisible and really thin and therefore, easily cut. I might be reading too into it, but her ribbon was thick enough to be used as a bracelet. I think this says a lot about the strength of their relationship, one that transcends time. 

Another thing I noticed throughout the anime was the importance of gender roles. When Taki and Mitsuha first exchange bodies, both have an understandably difficult time adjusting to their new lives. Mitsuha gains popularity because she’s a lot more honest and “boyish” and Taki is shy and sweet. The movie highlights the importance of gender roles in the most wholesome way, showing that even if you don’t adhere to societal norms, it’s okay and might even be better. People will accept you for who you are. 

[jo-tarou]

Hetalia: Axis Powers [EP 1-19]

I was introduced to Hetalia: Axis Powers as a sixth grader and found a series that was enjoyable to me, as the content was short but no short of supply. I found it easier to keep up with and later pursued the actual webcomics. Seeing Hidekaz Himaruya’s improvement of his art throughout Hetalia drove me to see him as a model of my own interest in art.

Certainly as a younger person, I was aware of the controversial aspects of Hetalia, but I wasn’t as receptive of it as I could have been due to my lack of contextual understanding. I dropped out briefly after Himaruya’s World Stars serialization slowed to a hiatus. Looking back seven years later, I am able to discern the critiques made by others on Himaruya’s work. His objectification of certain nations may seem harmlessly stereotypical, though the English dub can very well be taken with offense as voice actors may go interesting lengths to sound Asian. There is also a concerning lack of countries that isn’t Eurocentric, America, or East Asia. The majority of other cultures from South America, Central America, Africa, and the Middle East are either ignored or represented with several undeveloped characters (Egypt, Cuba, Cameroon). There also the depiction of South Korea that has caused major backlash for insensitivity of war affairs.

There is also the infamous presence of the yaoi community, where the extremities of fetishized gay men is depicted through the numerous choices of attractive male countries. As discussed prior, certain Hetalia content perpetrates negative stereotypes of actual gay relationships and assigns a label to characters that fall under such fetishized roles. A significant thing I noticed was there was an implicit powerplay between nations in such fantasies, where stronger, more developed nations (Germany, Russia, America, at times France and England) would be the dominant side of the relationship. The other side would be either nations that are weaker in nature (North Italy, South Italy, Canada, Austria) would be submissive. Himaruya also has a tendency to portray East Asian nations as the opposite of Western nations, who are confident, large, and masculine. China and Japan are those who are canonically shorter and slimmer than the rest of the Western nations. While China may not be as soft-spoken or shy as Japan, China’s design is explicitly feminine in nature, as well as his love for cute objects. The self-inflicted Orientalism is apparent in Himaruya’s work, which propels the Japanese fanbase’s infatuation with ‘strong, blond foreigners’ to be paired with ‘delicate, timid, or feminine’ characters. 

Though my fondest memory of Hetalia merely consisted on what historical and modern events Himaruya had created to expand his universe of personifed nations. My interest in Hetalia lied outside the malestrom of Hetalia’s WWII period, as Himaruya does build a lot on Ancient nations (Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Persia) as well as the creation and fall of nations (Germania and Rome’s fall, Prussian dissolution, German reunification, Italian reunification…). And after Hetalia: Axis Powers, most content is held in a modern setting with the same nations. At this point, Himaruya seems to detach his characters from the Axis Powers foundation he had staretd out with and approached the countries as actual characters where their personification doesn’t make up their entire personality. They are given human counterpart names, alternative versions/universes, and have their own hobbies that isn’t in a miltaristic setting.

[nay0ungg]

Honestly, I tried not to view the anime too seriously because the characters and plot execution were meant to be ridiculous and oversimplified. For example, one of America’s few personality traits is being a glutton, especially with hamburgers. I did notice that they did not include many Oriental countries. I thought it was a smart move on their part, however, to not include South Korea because it would create a lot of backlash. Stereotypically, East Asian countries are thought to be meeker and more submissive than Western countries, which is false. The next arc, after Axis Powers, sounds less controversial.  

[nay0ungg]

Hetalia: Axis Powers

I’ve always wanted to watch this anime because of the memes. I do think it can be controversial, considering the fact that the countries are personified and oversimplified. Italy is the token lovable but useless character. There was one episode where Germany spent the entire five minutes rescuing Italy from getting captured. I also found it interesting to see how the creator decided to assign genders to the countries. For example, Hungary was described as a nice pitiful girl under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire. Interestingly enough, all the main countries (Axis and Allied Powers) were males. On another note, the anime was also surprisingly bold. Italy was always sent back to Germany with FUCK written on his package. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an anime use a curse word so blatantly. The dub and sub were vastly different. With the dubbed version, the differences in accent and voices were a lot more apparent. The anime was well done, considering stereotypes of the countries and reasonable historical accuracy. Although it was biased, the creator made it clear that it’s not meant to be taken too seriously through the ridiculous comedy and omittance of historically sensitive bits. To touch on World Conflict, I see what Annett’s talking about. The anime’s target audience is female, so the characters were mostly male and had cutesier features. It would also make sense to make the characters chibi for half of each episode. Annett also notes that the anime’s weakness is also its strength, potentially controversial but inclusive. 

[outofphase-owl]

I’m The One True Otaku

I think that the otaku subculture in the U.S. is awesome. Despite this, I wasn’t a huge fan of the True Otaku film. This documentary prided itself on the fact that it was made “by otaku, for otaku,” but I think that this fact was the documentary’s greatest weakness. It’s great that the filmmakers were excited about their subject, but their seeming disjointedness and lack of both informational and analytical depth was comparable to a superfan rambling on and on about how great their favorite anime is. The film provided surface-level information about the otaku subculture (explaining common terminology and such), but didn’t go much deeper into really uncovering why this subculture exists and what really makes its members tick. Instead, it felt more like an advertisement for anime conventions. My suspicion is that True Otaku would have been better had it been made by filmmakers totally outside of the otaku subculture, kind of like the documentary Trekkies (about Star Trek fans).

Nevertheless, we can still glean a lot from what True Otaku gives us. To me, the most interesting part of the documentary is when it follows Dust Bunny in her creative process of designing a costume for an upcoming cosplay competition. Maybe it’s because I love the creative process so much, no matter what is actually being created. To be honest, before this documentary, I kind of disregarded cosplay as something stupid. But I really respected Dust Bunny’s craftmanship and artistry in designing her costume. I can almost see her as an “economic unit” in the otaku subculture, but instead of being payed in economic capital, she’s being paid in shadow cultural capital. In addition to being an “economic unit” of sorts, she’s one of many conduits for idea exchange within the otaku subculture (i.e. she’s influenced by other cosplayers, thus creating her own cosplay and contributing specifically to fans’ idea of Kirin while also inspiring other cosplayers in general).

Speaking of economics, one thing that became very clear as I was watching the documentary (that surprised me) was that a lot of people spend a lot of money at anime conventions. When we talked about economic capital and cultural capital in class, we talked about them as if they were two independent axes. However, at anime conventions, it seems like they are somewhat related to each other; if you spend more economic capital on merchandise, you can acquire more shadow cultural capital (”anime clout”). From many of the interviews, I got the impression that people buy a ton of merchandise to kind of prove how much of an anime fan they are. To extend this idea, one might say that Dust Bunny is investing a large amount of her economic capital into acquiring shadow cultural capital when she is designing her cosplay. (However, the creative side of me says that she spends all of this economic capital just because she enjoys her creative process so much.)

Despite all of this, I think that it’s wrong to compare the capital exchange within an anime convention to the capital exchange in the outside world. After all, both consumers of merchandise and cosplayers have to bring economic capital from the outside world inside (in boomer speak, make money in the real world) in order to engage in their activities. Anime conventions aren’t self-sufficient; they rely on economic stimulus from the outside world in order to operate. I guess it’s for these reasons that the otaku subculture is called a subculture, and isn’t a culture unto itself. It’s a dependent fragment of society that has internal capital exchange, but isn’t separated from everything else.

Anyways, this just makes me want to watch Trekkies again.

[nay0ungg]

You have some really good points. I agree, the interviews weren’t very detailed or looking for anything more than surface-level information. They didn’t mention any of the cons to holding these conventions. I viewed it as less of a serious documentary, but more of a fun short film. True, there seems to be some kind of internal competition among the fans at these conventions. Also true, otaku subculture is not independent, but if they added all this information, it might have had to be more than two hours. Trekkies sounds interesting, I might watch it. 

[nay0ungg]

True Otaku: The Documentary

I had never been to an anime convention before and was really looking forward to it. Although the cancellation of the SwampCon event was unfortunate, I’m glad I still got to experience a convention virtually through this documentary. It was really interesting to see the juxtaposition between American and Japanese otaku subculture. I really liked the documentary because it brought a positive light to a culture viewed so negatively. The filmmakers were really interested about the topic and that was clearly visible, making me just as excited. 

Prior to the viewing, I had no idea what happened behind the scenes of cosplay. Every time I saw someone’s costume, I assumed that it probably took a lot of work, but the film made it clear that these costumes take a lot more effort than we’d expect. That one scene where Dust Bunny talks about fabrics was especially memorable. I was shocked because she was able to make distinctions among fabrics. In the case of lolita fashion, the guidelines seemed to be even stricter: modest knee-length, frilly, high-quality material. 

The interviews also showed us a lot about how otakus view themselves. When the convention attendees were asked whether they were otakus, most responded with a resounding yes. In fact, there were very few who reacted negatively to the question and I remember one of them being Asian, which is very telling. In Japan, it’s not viewed positively. Otakus are viewed as useless members of society who invest all their time into anime. I actually talked to one of my Japanese friends about this, he gave me a very detailed response about the stereotypical otaku, none of the traits he described were positive in the eyes of society.  

There seems to be a lot of reasons why people go to these conventions. As a casual anime fan, I had never really felt the need to go beyond viewing, but I assumed it was kind of like going to a concert for an artist you like. For example, when My Chemical Romance reunited this year, a lot of their fans went all out and went to concerts in black, head to toe. The part where the woman talks about how going to anime conventions relieves her stress, akin to the way people go to clubs, was also really eye-opening because I had never thought of it like that. “They think we’re weird, but I think they’re the weirdos”. Another woman also said people go there for attention. They like the cosplay competitions and the satisfaction that comes with winning. One of the female interviewees also said she likes being asked about her costume and flaunting the fruit of her labor. We could also see lightsaber competitions, which looked pretty exciting, imagine being in a space where everyone is a fan of the same thing. We also saw things unrelated to anime in the background, one the interviewees did mention that otakus in America are not necessarily fans of anime, they could be gun or cat otakus. 

[culturedpersonstuff]

A Wandering Son

Despite Japan being a very socially conservative society, it is interesting how it can produce many cultural products that are quite socially libral or test the bounds of what is considered socially acceptable. This is kind of akin to our discussion on BL (boy love). Despite the production of cultural products such as Yaoi, there is a clear disconnect between wants in a fantasy world and real world change. 

A Wandering Son is clearly centered on gender identification. In this film, the two central characters both seem to have some degree of gender identification in the other gender. The female character is interested in dressing in a more masculine manner while the male character is interested in dressing in a more feminine manner. Although both fashion styles receive considerable push-back from their peers, it clear that a much more strong reaction is produced when a male tries to dress in a feminine way. I think that this societal reaction holds true in the real world and speaks a lot about what qualities (positive/negative, etc) that we associate with a certain gender identity. It is also interesting to think of why we have this societal reaction. While some may think that people like these are transgender or have gender dysphoria, I am not sure if it is that cut and dry. For example, Drag Queens and cross dressers, might only pursue this as a hobby or treat it as a partial escape, and yet may still identify with the gender identity that matches their biological sex. 

[nay0ungg]

You brought up an interesting point. Japan is more than willing to include liberal topics, but the people are still pretty conservative. Your example with BL is perfect, there is a clear division between fantasy and reality. Also, I did assume that the two main protagonists were transgender and experienced gender dysphoria, which was never explicitly mentioned. Like you said, the topics might not be that cut and dry.

[nay0ungg]

Wandering Son

This show was another hit, I’m hoping I have time to go back and watch the rest of the episodes. Straight off the bat, we’re introduced to a diverse array of characters, one of which is transgender. We’re able to compare the double standards with gender roles. Our protagonist, Nitori, enjoys dressing in girly attire. Each time, however, she’s met with disapproval and disgust. Very rarely does she ever feel accepted and comfortable, which results in visible frustration, such as the time she pushed her sister. Maho, although unpleasant, was a vital character because she was the human embodiment of transphobia. Watching her, I felt her transphobia and disgust likely sprouted from ignorance and xenophobia, not out of malice. Japan and most Asian countries are still conservative and not regularly exposed to LGBTQ-related topics, like we are here. Sarashina has a completely different experience, as a girl, she dresses in both male and female attire and nobody questions it. In fact, dressing in this non-conforming manner actually gets her popularity. 

We can see this divide in our everyday lives, women’s styles are becoming more adventurous while men’s fashion is not really being explored. If a man dresses in a crop top, people automatically assume he’s gay. Women can dress however femininely or masculinely they wish and will not be met with the same judgement or curiosity. No one will really pry, most will assume she’s a tomboy. In fact, in the past two years, there has been a recent influx in masculine fashion for women, the most obvious example being the pantsuit. I know some guys who won’t even wear pink because they don’t want to be misunderstood. With the rise of feminism, women’s pantsuits are associated with power and therefore encouraged. Men dressing in skirts and more feminine dress is discouraged because females are still viewed as the second sex, weaker. 

[nay0ungg]

Aggretsuko and Performative Acts

Aggretsuko’s interesting art style was an initial deterrent from watching the show. But I’m glad I got to see it through this class because it addresses a lot of societal issues. We can see that everyone is acting according to their personal interests and goals. For example, even though Retsuko and Fenneko didn’t seem to like Tsunoda, I had no problem with her. She was acting according to the way she felt she would thrive in the workplace. If she felt like stroking Ton’s ego was the way to survive, she can do that. Retsuko seemed a little hypocritical because she hated Tsunoda for putting up an act when she does the same thing. Everyone, to a certain extent, puts on a facade in public because they’re adhering to social norms. Retsuko follows the societal model of a woman because she doesn’t want to be singled out, so instead she sings death metal behind closed doors to relieve stress. On the topic of the workplace, we can see that the salaryman, considered an ideal job, also has its own set of problems. NEETs and Freelancers are “useless” and socially ostracized, salarymen have workplace problems; is there even an ideal job? 

Performative Acts discusses the gender roles of women and how they’re formed. According to Butler, they’re practiced throughout history. Like a performance, women learn to act in this manner from past women, which are then passed on to the next generation of women. Compared to the past, things are a lot better, but men and women are still pressured to act in certain ways. However, the very fact that these theories are actively discussed already makes me hopeful for the next generation.