Blake's Blank Blog

Computer Science and Anime

[blogforanimeclass]

Hetalia: Axis Powers

Hetalia is a comedic retelling of 20th century European history with countries personified as cute boys. The series gives brief history lessons in the form of 5-minute episodes. The series does not tell a long, overarching narrative like a traditional anime, but instead, it gives brief background information on the international relations between the Axis and Allied powers of World War I and II.

Personally, this is my favorite anime of the ones that we have been assigned. Although I am not the biggest history buff, I could appreciate the lessons told in each episode. I imagine that the series could be enjoyed for its educational value both by those with and without an extensive historical knowledge.

What will strike any viewer of Hetalia is the incessant use of stereotypes throughout the series. The personification of Germany is rugged, Italy loves pasta, Japan is stoic and America is gluttonous. Furthermore, at least in the English dub of the series, each character has a thick, cartoonish accent representing the country they are meant to personify. Hetalia is clearly a comedy, and, as such, it can present these stereotypes that are typically considered offensive in a manner that shows more tact.

As the series is a comedy, it does not present itself as illustrating an accurate depiction of reality. It purposefully depicts a hyperbolic representation of these countries and their culture while the viewers are aware that the representation is exaggerated. In other words, the viewers are “in on” the joke. If the series only depicted one country stereotypically, it may come off as more insensitive. However, each country is depicted as cartoonishly stereotypical in a way that comes off as absurd rather than offensive. Furthermore, the stereotypes clearly come from a place of deep familiarity with the culture and its history as opposed to being perceived as an outsider poking fun at a foreign country.

When I first saw the character meant to represent America, he is depicted as eating from a pile of hamburgers and drinking a large soda. My immediate thought was, “Oh, America isn’t like that.” And then I realized that that is how America is perceived by the rest of the world. None of the characters are meant to even be remotely accurate depictions, but perceptions of a culture dialed up to 11.

Overall, I really enjoyed Hetalia. It’s the only anime I’ve genuinely considered watching outside of this class. It is a great comedy that satirizes countries and international relations in a way that I believe is healthy for people from all over the world to see.

[owen-bw]

Hi! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on Hetalia and agree with a lot of what you talked about. The most important point that I also agree with is how obvious it is that the depictions of nations in the show are not an accurate representation at all of reality. Primarily, it is impossible to conglomerate all people of a specific nation into a single personality as this shuts down the voices of the unique individuals that make up a nation. I don't think people watched and enjoyed Hetalia because they agreed with the stereotypes in it, but just that it is fun to watch especially as a historical parody for those who are well versed in the historical context.

[zachary305]

Identity and Power (Your Name)

So I had never seen this movie before, but I had definitely heard the hype surrounding it. It felt like one of those movies that everyone but you has seen so I’m glad I got the opportunity to watch it. Let me just say, it did not disappoint; I was thoroughly engaged in the plot, the artstyle, and the characters. I could criticize some of the plot holes (How did NEITHER of them notice that it was a different year when they were switching bodies) but honestly the movie makes up for them in every way and sometimes you just have to suspend your disbelief a bit.

When it comes to how the reading relates to the movie, I was definitely a little bit lost at first, but I think I’ve come to the conclusion that it relates to ideas of power in the sense of identity. The movie finds the two main characters switching bodies with one another at random and in this experience they essentially gain power over each characters identity. For Mitsuha, this means she is observed acting like Taki and Taki is observed acting like Mitsuha. In the characters reactions we see how they start to form new opinions on each individual character based on the behavior of who is controlling the body. Others begin to see Mitsuha as erratic, acting strange on random days, but that's only at the beginning. As Taki assumes the identity more, Mitsuha is seen as more masculine and outgoing leading a higher social status. For Taki, Mitsuha acts femininely and that leads others to believe he has a softer side, including the girl he is interested in. Now this has benefits for both of them, but in a sense it introduces a power dynamic unlike any other. They have power over each characters identity, personality, thoughts, etc. and that is one of the very few things that is true to you. In a sense I believe the anime could be creating a commentary on relationships in which you are changed by the other person involved, not necessarily in a  negative or positive way, but asserting that we are changed by the people around us. We certainly have power over how we act, but we aren’t under full control over it as others influence can have even more power.

[owen-bw]

Hello! I was totally thinking about that plot-hole too! It was crazy to me that somehow neither of them looked at the year when they were controlling the other and noticed that they were 3 years apart. I also agree, though, that the beauty and rest of the plot absolutely makes up for this. I also talked about how the gender performance of each controlling the other benefitted them in some way, which is incredibly interesting and important to talk about. Personally, I think this shows that when it comes to gender performance, there is no right or wrong way of performance and it can be beneficial to break away from conformities as well.

[owen-bw]

Hetalia

Hetalia is an anime that my sister used to be obsessed with, so I already knew about it and even had the ending song drilled into my head (particularly because of how weird it sounded when I was younger). I found some parts of it to be somewhat funny satirical takes on real historical events, but I can see how it was also considered controversial due to the depictions of stereotypes for different nationalities, as well as it’s lighthearted take on these serious historical events. Nevertheless, I found it fun to watch and see how the writers tried to depict different nations as individual people.

The writing for this module by Annett talks a lot about the controversy between the anime and members of the Korean government. I don’t remember seeing Korea in the episodes we watched, and it seems like the character was cut from the series due to the controversy. The controversy seems to be rooted in the way Korea was originally going to be depicted int he anime, as the little brother of Japan and descendant of China, which Korean officials had issues with the historical accuracy of this. The way Korea was designed as well was to be “cute” and “appealing” through “moe” elements in the character’s deign, which the officials also did not like very much.

Addressing these controversies, I personally am all for people expressing what they want to through media. It’s also fair for the Korean officials to have felt offended by the original depiction of Korea that was planned for the anime, but I don’t like the idea of censorship of it to the citizens of Korea just because government officials don’t agree with the depictions in it. Overall though, I think it is important for creators to be mindful over what they are making and keep in mind things that could be deemed offensive to certain groups.

[owen-bw]

Your Name

Your Name is a film I haven’t seen before but have heard good things about, and it certainly did turn out to be a fun, beautiful and interesting film to watch. We see mane themes of power in terms of sexuality throughout the film with Mitsuha and Taki switching bodies a few times a week. This caused each of them to be in a sort of forced position of growing a better understanding of the perspective of the other sex. Taki’s outgoingness and hegemonic masculinity allowed him to control Mitsuha to do things she would never normally do, somewhat increasing her popularity as a result. When Mitsuha controlled Taki’s body, along with her feminine understanding of women, she was able to land him a date with Miki Okudera.

We see ideas of gender as a performance occur many times, specifically when Mitsuha and Taki set “rules” for each other to follow, one of which I remember seeing is “Don’t talk like a girl” given to Mitsuha by Taki. This imples that the characters were having difficulty with their gender performances and began to blur the line when it comes to their genders after swapping bodies. Another example, also when Mitsuha was controlling Taki was how one of his friends reacting to him performing his gender in a more feminine way, calling it “cute.” Overall, each character seems to just get really mad at the other at first since they aren’t performing each other’s gender in the “proper” way.

The main conflict around the film is the comet, which we find out destroyed Mitsuha’s village 3 years ago. Because of this, Taki realizes he must help save her village since he has the foresight of it happening in the future. This made both Taki and Mitsuha cast whatever gender differences they had aside and work together to save the village. I thought this part of the movie was super interesting, as the gender of them became less important as the situation became more dire, and saving the town became the mission above all else. In terms of the reading, I think it showed that power dynamics around sexuality can be entirely equal in dire situations.

[siriiim123]

Xenoblade Chronicles

This video game is set in the far future where natural ecosystems have been destroyed and demonstrate the concept that human prosperity is a good thing. In this game, genetic information from dead organisms to gain information about new life through a collection of nanomachines. It’s enforcing that the restoration of humanity is a part of restoration of overall ecosystem. Blades need humans to mature, so restoration can go hand-in-hand with human flourishing. The nanomachines rebuild cities and structures on the surface, even as they’re collecting genetic information. The problem is that this process is entirely artificial. I like that at the end of the game, the protagonists reach new land, and life is able to spread to new area, inspiring hope. There are also similarities and differences between Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind, and Xenoblade, the backs of the Titans. An important different is when they reach Elysium, they find it betrays the vision of thriving natural space, even though it’s an artificial space station. Both consist of disasters that caused the world to be wiped, whereas the Xenoblades had a disaster due to Klaus, and the destruction was so complete that nature could not regenerate itself, this they use the cloud sea, titans and the blades. This game involves the philosophy of environmentalism, which proposes the three bases for modern civilization, including objectification, instrumentalism, and the linearity of time. The idea that nature is an instrument to be used by humans was commonly spread. Moreover, the idea of nature of deep ecology, a movement of 1970s, tries to fight the mentality of instrumentalism. Preserving wilderness areas or restoring wilderness to formerly cultivated area exposes that nature is a force outside of humanity and does the healing for the planet. The proposal that ending the reparation between humans and nature is how human philosophy and mentality must deal with Anthropocene. Overall, I thought this game was cool because it implemented educational ideas, along with the activity of entertainment.

[owen-bw]

Hi! I like your analysis on the cutscenes we watched from the game. What caught my attention was your mentioning of how the use of nano-machines to rebuild cities being completely artificial as the reason why it was wrong. This is perhaps the key issue, as Klaus put little thought into the natural landscape and ecosystem as he enveloped the world in an artificial sea of nano-machines as a means to attempt to shape and rebuild it in his image. The problem with this is that humanity can't just exist with artificially created habitats, as we must always have a natural environment to coexist with and fall back on to sustain ourselves and natural ecosystems are necessary for that.

[owen-bw]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a video game I’ve heard of for many years but never got around to playing it. When it comes to video games I’ve played that were developed by Japanese development studios, the Pokemon games and a handful of Square Enix games (like the Kingdom Hearts series) are some of my favorites. Watching these cutscenes from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 reminded me a lot of Kingdom Hearts and I enjoyed watching it, although watching the cutscenes alone did make some parts difficult to understand without more information. We learn about the lore of the world of Alrest, specifically with the understanding of how it came to be enveloped in a sea of clouds. 

It was said that humanity used to live on the World Tree in a place called Elysium, which seems to be a representation of a paradise untouched by human destruction. We later learn after Rex and his party finally make it to the top of the World Tree that Elysium is a wasteland, and the only thing at the top of the tree is the architect Klaus who is the reason behind the cloud sea in the first place. It was his ambition through studying the conduit and wanting to create a paradise for humanity that ultimately led to the destruction and chaos that followed.

Klaus’ motives align with some of the ideas stated by Cobb in the reading, including the basic principles defining humanity’s current relationship to nature, primarily objectification and instrumentalism. Klaus sees nature as something outside humanity and thus as something that can be altered and controlled, which is the embodiment of the instrumentalism described by Cobb. We see the devastating effects of this ideology in the cutscenes, where the world becomes almost entirely inhospitable due to the cloud sea, and thus there must be a better solution for humanity to coexist with nature. This is where Cobb’s description of something called “deep ecology” is very useful. It is a challenge on the ideas of progress like Klaus wanted, and instead focuses on preserving natural landscapes and reverting to sustainable ways of coexisting with our natural environment rather than shaping it to our desires.

[rhejac]

nausicaa of the valley of the wind (1984)

First of all, I think this film did a lovely job with having a strong female protagonist. Her emotional journey with loss and struggling with pacifism was so interesting and human. She herself isn't perfect, but she represented all of humanity in the end as she tries to stop the Ohms from destroying her home. A lot of these environmental-themed movies always seem to put the environment over human lives, and while I see what they are trying to do with blaming and punishing humanity, I found this movie much more refreshing. Nausicaa's concern for her people was at the forefront, and she found a way for both sides to survive.

The scene with Nausicaa getting shot up and going to comfort the baby Ohm was very powerful. These were two young beings from each side, battered and wounded, and simply trying to understand one another. The movie seems to argue that we should live in harmony with the environment, and not against it. This message is conveyed through Nausicaa's actions and her ability to empathize with both humans and the creatures of the Toxic Jungle.

What sets this film apart is its nuanced approach to environmentalism. It doesn't demonize humanity for its impact on the planet but instead suggests a path to coexistence. Nausicaa embodies this ideal, showing that it is possible to care for the environment without sacrificing human lives. Her character is a beacon of hope, suggesting that empathy and understanding can bridge the gap between humanity and nature.

In the end, Nausicaa's ultimate sacrifice and subsequent revival symbolize the potential for renewal and reconciliation. Her ability to connect with the Ohms and her unwavering commitment to peace underscore the film's core message: true harmony can only be achieved through compassion and mutual respect. This film, with its strong, relatable protagonist and its balanced view on environmental issues, offers a refreshing and inspiring perspective on how we can forge a better future for both humanity and the natural world.

[owen-bw]

Hello! I enjoyed reading your analysis and completely agree with your perspectives on how this movie is set apart from others that criticize human effects on the environment. Instead of demonizing all humans, the film shows that it isn't humans themselves that is the problem but rather our values and ideologies with regards to nature. We see for example Asbel initially very hostile towards the insects in the jungle as he shoots at them, but his view on the jungle is quickly changed after his encounter with Nausicaä. I loved how it ended as well, as the Ohm repaid Nausicaä for all the sufering she went through to save both the insects and the people of her valley, by which the Ohm healed her and saved her life.

[katibis]

The End of Evangelion - Blog Post

Mixing gore and body horror, lightly seasoned with some pornographic elements, “The End of Evangelion” is a movie I will never forget. This movie always leaves me in a slightly stunned state at how mesmerizing it was. EoE is a more nihilistic version of the final two episodes of the NGE series. Viewers may feel after watching this movie that humanity will always be doomed to face war and conflict with each other and that truly we can never understand each other.

Shinji is used to trigger the Third Impact or mass extinction event which in turn leads to Human Instrumentality or the total assimilation of human souls into one being. Shinji, like many others, wishes to be understood and happy in a society that he does not fit into. Until Instrumentality, Shinji’s mode of protection was to keep quiet and stay in the shadows, alone. He feared the pain he would receive if he grew close to anyone and thought that all he caused was pain for others. Ironically, Shinji’s father, Gendo Ikari, thinks the same way about himself. We can now reflect on the past interactions between Shinji and Gendo to see that pushing others away did not help solve the problems in their hearts nor prevent each other from hurting one another. During Instrumentality, Shinji is able to learn that it is ok to be yourself and alone and make peace with his mother. This is where the movie deviates from the anime. Instead of accepting Instrumentality like in the anime, Shinji rejects it and chooses to return to Earth. His friends and family support him and his decision. Shinji is aware of the pain and loneliness that is caused by being unable to fully understand others, but he accepts it. His mother leaves him with some advice, “As long as the Earth, Moon and Sun exist, everything will be alright.” This movie, as opposed to the anime, accepts that loneliness and pain are inevitable parts of life but tries to encourage the viewer that despite these problems, life will always be alright.

[owen-bw]

Hi! I like your analysis on The End of Evangelion. This is a movie I also will never forget particularly due to the morbidity and nihilistic ideas like you said as well. Your comparison with Shinji and his father Gendo is interesting and isn't something I thought of until you mentioned it. As I was watching, I always thought of Gendo and Shinji as polar opposites, Gendo aligning more closely with hegemonic masculinity traits and Shinji aligning more closely with queer masculinity traits, but in this film in particular, they definitely resembled one another more closely than ever before. I didn't really like how this film ended compared to the series though.

[stevescimoneanimatedworld]

Neon Genesis Evangelion Part 2

I found these episodes to be much more interesting than the first ones we watched. Although I liked them both, I think possibly because these episodes were so spread out, I got more details about different aspects of the show, instead of just focusing on one part of the plot. Each episode focused on something different which is probably why I was constantly engaged more than I usually am. One thing I really like about this show is the contrast between Shinji and Asuka’s character. They are almost polar opposites, however they are forced to work together on something very important, which I find very entertaining. This part of the anime went more in depth on Shinji’s inner feelings, explaining his lack of self-worth and vulnerability. The anime also goes in depth on Rei, Asuka, and Misato’s feelings as well and reveals important things about their past and their character. These episodes allow the reader to have more insight on the characters which further explains why many of them act the way they do. This anime is a great representation of how you never know what people are going through. Although they might seem one way, their thoughts and personal feelings can be completely different, so it is important to be nice to people and try to understand that not everybody is as they seem. The characters in this anime go through significant character development due to what they go through internally and externally while piloting the Evangelion. Personally, I can relate to the anime. I mean this not in a mysterious way or depressing way, but there are a lot of emotions and feelings I have that many close people around me do not know about. Some of them are very good and some of them are not, I just am not a very emotional person on the outside so many would never be able to tell. Overall though, I really enjoyed these episodes.

[owen-bw]

Hello! You make some good point sin your analysis and I enjoyed reading what you had to say. I also think the contrast between Shinji and Asuka's personalities is particularly important, as Asuka resembles much more closely to the idea of hegemonic masculinity than Shinji, even with Asuka being a woman it shows that these personality characteristics do not necessarily need to be associated with one specific sex but rather is merely a set of traits or personality characteristics. Asuka constantly pressures Shinji throughout these episodes to align more closely to hegemonic masculinity, and I think this pressure along with the pressures of others really led to Shinji's emotional instability later on in the series. I agree that they should have had more of an understanding of him and been more accepting of his queer masculinity.

[blogs-no-giggles]

Evangelion Part 1 Reflection

 

Part 1 of the “Evangelion” is super exciting to say the least. The show featured a post-apocalyptic era where humans were forced to hide underground because of the monster species “Angel”. They built cities and very sophisticated structures and technology. It is actually super interesting to see that the city underground is much like an upside-down world kind of like the other side in Stranger Things.

  The Anime first starts off with Shinji getting rescued by Ms. Misato when the Angel raids the city. All the military forces were useless against the Angel, so they denoted a bomb much like the nuclear bomb with a radius near the ground zero to be utterly evaporated. However, this did not stop the Angel, it healed rapidly and the Allied forces were left with no plans left. Shinji is then transported to the main city where the Allied forces live underground away from the sight of the Angel. There he found his dad, however, his dad commanded him to operate the last resort of humanity, The Eva Series 01. Although Shinji doesn’t really want to, he is guilted in operating the machine since his dad gave him the ultimatum of either the hurt girl to operate or him since only they are able to operate the Eva Series and the same humanity. Shinji in the show is kind of like the queer masculinity the module discussed whereas Hegemonic Masculinity is what is expected of him. The society expects him to be fierce, violent, and be honored to defend the human race. Which is a common perception of what males should be and should do back in the traditional society.

  When Shinji ultimately faced the Angel, he struggled to command the Evas 01 and were brutally defeated at first. But, suddenly the Evas 01 gained control of itself and obliterated the Angel, this could be a contrast between what Shinji should have been, and what he couldn’t do. The actions of Evas 01 is what is expected from him in the beginning, something he couldn’t do for which the machine did it itself. Then Shinji was left with either quitting or staying, a stage of personal reflection for some time. He ended up coming back and was faced with another mysterious Angel, the fifth and most powerful angel. The episode left a cliffhanging scene as Evas 01 is seemingly getting destroyed by the Angel. I’m very excited to watch the part 2 of the show!

[owen-bw]

Hi! I liked reading your reflection on part 1 of Evangelion. The contrast of Shinji's queer masculinity with the hegemonic masculinity expected of him is clear from the start, and the pressure he faced to pilot Eva Unit-01 was so immense that he had to completely go against his personality. I think this was really sad to see but the desperation faced by humanity at this moment was so immense that even with his reluctance, he had a strength within himself that he originally didn't realize. Although Shinji's personality and values didn't align with what those around him initially wanted, he ultimately was still the correct choice for the situation and ended up achieving victory over the angel.

[owen-bw]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was a beautiful film set in an alternate post-apocalyptic world where the exploits of humanity created a toxic environment. From the start, we see the protagonist Nausicaä express a connectedness to all creatures as she is able to calm an Ohm and tame a small creature named Teto. Nausicaä also showed that just about any insect can be tamed and pacified using various techniques like her insect flute. The people of her valley also live very peacefully and sustainably, using windmills and hydroponics for energy as well as living off the land without depleting its resources.

All these actions she takes to calm and befriend creatures and nature as well as the lifestyle of the people in her valley directly contrasts the warring nations of Pejite and Tolmeika, which both pay little regard to the creatures of the jungle and purely see them as savage enemies. Each nation is too busy fighting one another to even realize the destruction and rage they are causing to the insects of the jungle, such as when the Tolmeika ship crashes into the jungle and all the insects start swarming.

We learn some of the lore behind the apocalypse and how humans used giant manmade creatures as super weapons to take over the world. We see one of these creatures left, which was incubating aboard the Tolmeika ship. These super weapons and the struggle between nations and nature displayed a resemblance to reality, where competing nations pay little regards to the destruction of nature that occurs on each of their own soil, instead focusing solely on victory over the other. I think the message at the end of the film is clear after Nausicaä practically sacrifices herself to protect her valley and the Ohm as well. Humans and nature can coexist, but we must make consistent efforts to take care of the natural world around us.

[owen-bw]

The End of Evangelion

Wow. This movie was such an enigmatic and morbid piece of media. It so greatly contrasts the beginning of the series that it almost feels like a completely different anime. Shinji, from the very start of End of Evangelion, is completely mentally broken. He has become a husk of what he once was due to feeling completely rejected from those around him and even himself. He wanted to be accepted so badly that he even tried to change his very personality to conform to the idea of hegemonic masculinity. Throughout the movie, we see Shinji at war with his own masculinity as he is overcome with self-hatred for killing Kaworu.

During the Seele attack on Nerv, Asuka awakens in Unit-02 at the bottom of a lake. The scene here is super interesting and calls back to the scene earlier in the series where Shinji is trapped in the Angel sphere, resembling a maternal womb, similarly to Asuka’s situation at the bottom of the lake. With bombs exploding around her, she reverts to the fetal position and begs for her life, contradicting her earlier resemblance of hegemonic masculinity. Asuka in this moment is no different than Shinji in the sphere, and it is a hallucination of her own mother that awakens her and finally brings back that masculine energy she is known to have, only this time to the extreme. She emerges in Unit-02 from the lake and starts destroying the Seele forces, including the group of Eva units that are sent to destroy her, proving her again as the symbol of hegemonic masculinity.

For the rest of the movie, things get very strange and even religious as Rei is revealed to have the soul of Lilith within her, which she uses to betray Shinji’s father and merge with the Lilith Angel. Some really strange things continue to happen and Shinji ends up getting crucified in a way by the Eva units that were fighting Asuka earlier. Shinji becomes enraged after seeing Asuka’s Unit-02 corpse, contrasting his usual personality and instead opting for what more closely resembles a hegemonic masculinity. Without getting too detailed, Rei creates a unified consciousness of humanity, and Shinji realizes this is not what he wanted even though all humanity now has collective understanding of one another. He destroys the Lilith-Rei by severing her head (or convincing her to release everyone? This part was confusing). It seemed that Shinji was so far gone mentally at this point that even after being released, and finding Asuka alive, he resorts to violence and begins choking her at the very end of the movie.

Asuka’s touch ultimately brings Shinji’s humanity back and he stops choking her. Her response really summed up the issue of Shinji’s internal conflict, simply “Disgusting.” Even after all of these events, Shinji would still be heckled for not committing to his true self. There’s so many crazy things that happen in this movie that it’s hard to draw lessons from it like you can in the show, but I do believe Shinji should have accepted his true form of masculinity and kept true to himself. He shouldn't have tried to become someone he was not.

[owen-bw]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 2

In the second part of Evangelion, we meet the third Eva pilot, a confident and outgoing girl with a bit of an attitude named Asuka. She pilots Eva-02 and in episode 8 we witness her and Shinji pilot Eva-02 together temporarily to defeat an angel. This scene was very interesting as it showed Shinji and Asuka’s similarities to one another when it comes to handling stressful situations. This contrasts Shinji’s reactions to these kinds of situations in earlier episodes, perhaps indicating the pressure from those around him to conform to hegemonic masculinity have been effective, specifically when influenced by Asuka’s confidence which falls more in line with the idea of hegemonic masculinity.

Later on we see more examples of people around Shinji criticizing him for his personality, which still doesn’t fully conform to a hegemonic masculinity especially when he is undergoing mundane everyday situations. In episode 16 Asuka replies to Shinji saying “sorry” with “It’s like a conditioned response with you! You do it so people won’t yell at you!” pointing to Shinji’s non-confrontational nature. Later in the same episode, we finally see some introspection on the psyche of Shinji when he is trapped inside the spherical angel and begins to pass out. He starts to hear a voice representing his “inner self” which explains that everyone has a “self that is seen by others and the self that observes that act.” It is here that we finally hear from Shinji himself what he truly fears as he states “I’m afraid of being hated by others.”

This statement shows a clear struggle within Shinji with regards to his masculinity. Hegemonic masculinity emanates a bolstering ego with high confidence of how others regard them, while Shinji fears that he is hated by others. Taking a turn, in episode 24 we witness some expressions of Shinji’s possible sexuality when he meets Kaworu. Kaworu, who we later learn is a malevolent angel, also happened to be one of the first people to show Shinji respect and emotional connection, and Kaworu was even the first to tell Shinji he liked him. It was fairly clear from the episode that Shinji was at the very least questioning his sexuality during his encounters with Kaworu, and further shows Shinji’s contrast with hegemonic masculinity which is associated with heterosexuality.

The final episode of the series culminates in an episode entirely dedicated to the introspection of Shinji after all these traumatic events. Here, he finally learns to accept himself for his differences and realized that he truly isn’t hated by others and it is truly okay to have a masculine personality that doesn’t align with hegemonic masculinity.

[owen-bw]

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an anime I’ve heard of for many years and know of its extreme critical acclaim. I began the first episode a few years back but never got around to continuing until now finally. I can say that this is really an incredible anime and I’m glad this class has finally gotten me to start it and I really want to continue watching. When it comes to the anime and the topic of masculinity, there is a lot to talk about. In regards to Connel’s writings, we see examples of a masculine hegemony of leadership roles throughout the first few episodes. The military commanders are all men, the prime minister/politicians are men, and the head of the Evangelion project (Shinji’s father) is a man.

We also see a range of masculinity from different characters. The protagonist, Shinji, is very soft spoken and introverted compared to his other male peers, especially his classmate Toji, who initially decides to resort to violence towards Shinji after his sister was buried under rubble from the first fight between Shinji’s Eva Unit-01 and the angel.

Shinji exhibits personality characteristics that seem to align with the “sensitive” young boy as described by Heasley in “Masculinities of Straight Men.” We seein the anime how he constantly responds to Misato with “yes” (with a highly subordinate tone) to which she initially criticizes him and says “You’re a boy, aren’t you?! Let’s hear some backbone and confidence!”

This personality difference of Shinji from the typical “masculine” as well as insubordination leads Misato to believing he might not be the best fit to continue to participate in the Eva project, and even consideres it to be for the best that he decided to run away temporarily. She later learns to accept him for how he is after some reflection, stating “He talks like that because he doesn’t know how else to express his feelings.” 

I was happy to see her accept him for his personality, and society as a whole should continue in a direction of acceptance for all typologies of masculine personalities.

[spburns1]

Convention Blog Post

In July 2023, I went to MetroCon in Tampa. This was one of my favorite experiences to this day as I had never been to an anime convention before this. I found my love for anime in 2020 when COVID-19 hit, so this was my first opportunity to attend one of these events.

The venue was amazing, with lots of cosplayers as well as colorful showcases and anime booths, I felt like I was in heaven. MetroCon's colorful, varied ambiance perfectly captures the essence of today's young culture. You enter the convention hall and are immediately engrossed in a world where there is a tangible passion for gaming, comics, and anime. The event draws a varied spectrum of people, most of whom are young, who gather to celebrate their common interests. The intricate costumes, dynamic discussions, and vibrant fan interactions all demonstrate this sense of enthusiasm among attendees.

The convention functions as a miniature representation of young culture. It offers a venue for young people to openly and creatively express themselves, frequently via cosplay. Participants can explore many facets of their personality by dressing up as their favorite characters.

I saw many attendees challenging the traditional gender norms/roles, which we had recently learned about in this latest module.

Cosplay was one of the most obvious ways this was accomplished. Adorned as characters of varying genders, fans demonstrated that their identities and passions transcend conventional norms. To subvert traditional gender norms, male guests may have cosplayed as female characters and vice versa.

The event also included talks and panels that examined gender diversity and included perspectives from the LGBTQ+ community. By offering a forum for discussions on gender identity and expression, these workshops inspired participants to accept and express who they really are.

Gender-neutral areas and activities were also featured during the event, making everyone feel comfortable attending regardless of gender. MetroCon fostered an open atmosphere that made it possible for individuals to question and reconsider conventional gender standards in a safe environment.

At MetroCon, fandom is a significant cultural phenomena that both impacts and is impacted by wider societal trends, outside the realm of hobbyism. The event is evidence of how fandom can unite people in a common cultural experience that goes beyond personal passions. The wide range of discussions, seminars, and displays captures the complexity of fandom, which includes anything from cosplay and video games to anime and manga.

MetroCon is distinguished by its commitment to showcasing fan ingenuity. Numerous fan-run activities, such as cosplay competitions, and fan art exhibitions, are held throughout the convention to display the creativity and commitment of the local community.

Participating at MetroCon was a really fulfilling experience. I saw the convention as a colorful celebration of my hobbies and passions as an anime and manga enthusiast. The chance to interact with other fans, take part in different events, and fully immerse oneself in the anime world was enlightening and thrilling. The event made clear how crucial a sense of belonging and common interests is to the development and validation of cultural identities. MetroCon gave me a place to meet others who share my interests and explore various aspects of my own identity, whether it was through costume competitions or panels discussing the newest trends in anime.

Overall, though I really enjoyed my experience and it helped me to further understand Japanese anime culture and youth culture. I learned more about gender norms as well as cultural identity formation while I was here.

[owen-bw]

Hello! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post about your experience at MetroCon! I've been to similar sized conventions and can definitely say I hold the same sentiments for anime conventions as you do. You mention the many examples of how cosplay is a means for many to counter traditional gender norms and I think this is one of the most awesome parts of cosplay! Dressing as your favorite character from something should never be held back by gender, ethnicity, or any other physical characteristics, and the community created by most anime conventions is fully accepting of all forms of cosplay. I hope I'll get to attend another convention and cosplay sometime soon when I'm not as busy!

[rhejac]

wandering son (2011)

The style of this anime was so pretty, it reminded me of watercolor paintings. The way the screen would fade into white at the edges really draws the viewers to how the work is composited. I think the soft art style was a nod to the manga's style, and I think the painterly soft vibe made the entire anime distinct.

This anime really brings to light the struggles of being transgender in society. Gender has always been very rigid, and switching to a different one has been stigmatized. I thought it was refreshing to see how the anime points out how different a trans woman's experience is to a trans man's. Society has always seen masculinity as cool, and the neutral gender identity. Most objects are seen as neutral until you add the color pink to it, like razors and clothes. We assign gender to a lot of things, and it changes our attitude towards them. Feminine things always have a negative connotation. It's written in the English language, and in our culture. Society exclusively views any man wearing clothing made for women as weird and funny, while we allow women who dress masculine and see it as normal.

I do think society has gotten more accepting since the manga of this anime came out. It's becoming cooler to be androgynous, and clothing seems to be released (mostly) from gender constructs. Still, institutions like school are pretty rigid when it comes to gendered clothing, which inhibits children from identifying the way they wish.

We also see Nitori face fetishization as a trans woman, as Doi encourages her to continue to dress as a girl while he internally thinks the idea of it is hot. It is obvious he doesn't value Nitori as a person as he calls her a moron for dressing up like a girl at school. It shows how trans woman struggle with acceptance even in the face of people who seem like they accept it. I thought this anime was really ahead of it's time, even more so the manga as it came out two decades ago.

[owen-bw]

Hi! I enjoyed reading your take on Wandering Song. I also really liked the soft style of the compositions. You bring up how gender is assigned to lots of different things, including physical objects, which is very interesting and not something we often think about, myself included. It's a way that society seems to perpetuate a binary gender system and to cater to specific genders. I've even seen cases where prices differ for the same item based on the "gendered" version of that item. I do agree with you that society has started to become more accepting since the release of the anime, but there is still a ways to go.

[owen-bw]

Wandering Son

Wandering Son provided some very insightful commentary on many of the struggles students face with gender identity. It follows the stories of middle school students, a time where many are just beginning to understand and figure out who they are and how they fit into society. The focus of the anime revolves around Shuichi Nitori, a soft spoken middle schooler who behaves in a feminine manner and has the desire to be a girl. Nitori befriends another student, Takatsuki, a middle schooler who wants to be a boy, a similar situation to Nitori. We see countless examples of gender as a performance in the anime, most prominently through the school uniforms worn by the students. Notably near the beginning of the anime, we see one of the first examples of a student purposefully going against the societal ideals of gender performance with Sarashina who comes to school wearing a boys uniform.

Possibly due to her somewhat chaotic nature in general, nobody makes much of a deal about Sarashina’s decision to wear a boys uniform. We see later in the series that there is more to how others react than just the personality of someone, however. When summer starts and the uniforms change to summer uniforms, Takatsuki uses this as an opportunity to try wearing the boys summer uniform to school, and isn’t met with really any negative reaction either, only some concern from a couple of teachers. Some students actually told him that they think he looks really awesome.

With two examples of students who succeeded in expressing themselves by performing the gender they feel more comfortable with, Nitori began to believe she too might be able to do the same and come to school wearing the girls uniform instead of the boys, and was even encouraged to do so by some students including a student named Doi. It is here that we see one of the major societal issues and double standards that is very common with gender expression, as Nitori decides to come to school in the girls uniform.

The students do not accept Nitori in the same way at all that they did with Sarashina and Takatsuki. They laugh at her, belittle her, and even her mother shows a great amount of concern for her actions. Doi, who encouraged Nitori to do this, even called her an idiot at school for wearing the girls uniform. This was heartbreaking to watch, and displays some major societal issues that are prevalent in reality just as much as in the anime. The solution presented in the anime is a true societal change, and the genderbend play written by Nitori was a great way to contribute to this change. Having others act out the opposite gender to understand what it is like and to create a more equal environment can help shape a better and more accepting future for open gender identity.