Tavis

[imkindacoolngl]

Goodbye Animeted World

Your name was incredible. I love everything about it. The animation was stunning, the music hit every note just right, and the story had so much emotional weight that it stayed with me. The moment when Taki and Mitsuhameet on the train after Taki learns he can save the town. I was nervous until the very end, when they finally saw each other and exchanged names. The anime made me think about how people can feel connected even when they don't fully understand why. I love that, thanks to his plan, the town's culture was saved, and he still got what he wanted. 

Hetalia wasn't as interesting as I thought. I liked the character designs, even though they are stereotypes like America always holding a hamburger or a shake, I found it amusing. The exaggerated voices and sexual undertones were often distracting and annoying, but I can see why this anime had such a huge fan base. It turns the serious events of World War II into something funny and laughable. At times, it worked well; other times, it was a little too serious, which was unsettling. I respect it for tackling a new topic.  

Sensoron was unsettling. The author was very persuasive in his way of convincing you of his side, and how the war stories can and were manipulated, yet I think his writing does something similar, especially how he can selectively pick his arguments after hearing that in the lecture, it showed how when he makes points, you can trust him, either because of his own tactics and visual rhetoric.

All of these works reflect different aspects of Japan, like memory, identity, and war. While I connected with Your Name the most, I still think the rest of the anime had a unique idea, and I wish I could have connected with them more.  

So for a final send off, it was fun reading y'all's post and making them, good luck at UF and Sayōnara

[tavisholman]

I loved Your Name as well. It was a great movie, and I thought it was insightful. I believe the emotional aspect of the movie is what intrigued most of its viewers and fans. The movie incorporates suspense and humor in order to get multiple messages across to its audience. I was nervous towards the ending, but I was glad that he got to save the culture and Mitsuha. Different from you, I thought that Hetalia: Axis Powers was humorous, but only at certain times. I could tell they were poking fun at the stereotypes, and found it amusing as well. 

[tavisholman]

Blog Post - Your Name / Hetalia: Axis Powers / Sensoron

Your name was a great movie. I love romance movies, but this one stood out to me more because it was humorous. When they felt each other's body parts to make sure, and they were surprised, I laughed. I have seen a lot of fantastical worlds where people switch bodies, but I was disappointed when Taki said that they never switched bodies after that. They had become friends and found comfort in each other, and that was so sad. This movie shows that love does not mean everything. It also shows how age can really impact a love story. Age gaps in relationships are often talked about, and in the United States, we have specific laws regarding it around the age of 18. In the movie, Taki was 3 years behind and could not find Mitsuha because of the comet. This shows the dedication he had, but also the lesson that love can only take you so far. I liked that they still found each other in the end and showed the realistic worry that can come with speaking to someone that you have not spoken to in a long time, or asking someone their name even if it has been years and you guys were close. 

I thought that Hetalia: Axis Powers was also humorous to an extent. They start with all the countries fighting and show small differences in the way that the boys act and talk to each other. I admired the way that France was surrounded by flowers because French is a romance language. I also thought it was so funny when Italy said “Pasta!” because it is an Italian food that Italy is known for, but had nothing to do with the conversation that the countries were having. 

I did not like Sensoron. However, I do not like to read comics or historical texts, and this was a combination of both. 

[aidansanimetedworld]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Watching these anime reminded me a lot of the contrasts between nature and technology. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind feels like a warning about the possibilities of environmental destruction. The Sea of Decay is toxic but also symbolically beautiful. It is a reminder that nature regenerates even when poisoned by human carelessness. It reminds me of Avatar in that way, specifically the game Avatar Frontiers of Pandora. The RDA is trying to take over Pandora, the world of the Na'vi, and the planet works to recover after parts of the RDA are taken down. In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the Titans and Cloud Sea feel related to parts of the world Nausicaä. Ancient beings that literally carry human civilization on their back. the slowly are dying of exploitation. Both stories exemplify the anxieties that feel not only Japanese but global. Although, Japan, an island rooted in a long history of natural disasters and postwar industrialization, and the atomic bombs. The ideas that our survival hinges on respecting the balance we keep destroying is so painfully relevant in todays world.

Personally, these works made me reflect on how detached my own daily life is from the land I live on. Driving around in a car, use electricity, eat packaged food, etc, all without seeing the real cost it has on our environment. Nausicaä's empathy for every living thing made me question how I could live more gently. In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the theme of inherited mistakes resonated too, how we carry forward problems we didn't create but have to fix anyway.

One connection I keep thinking about is how both stories blur the line between savior and destroyer. The same humans who poison the earth also hold the power to heal it. That contradiction feels very honest, its a very grey area seemingly without heroes or villains and a hope that we change before we lose everything.

[tavisholman]

I liked that you mentioned the contrasts between nature and technology, but I also saw some similarities when watching the movie. Many people see technology as something that we have to get rid of, like the Tolkienians saw the Sea of Decay. Instead of killing everything off or destroying it, they should have strived to gain more information on the environment like Nausicaa did. I see the same thing in the way humans dislike technology and AI. Tons of people want to get rid of it, but it can be useful. We just have to be careful and informed with the way we use it and share information. 

[tavisholman]

Blog Post - Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind / Xenoblade Chronicles 2

The movie Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind was good. I liked to see a strong woman leader, although technically her father was still king. She was helpful, kind, and a good leader. She cared about her constituents and tried to save as many people as she could, while struggling to keep the environment stable. I liked that she could just be with nature and saw its true form. I was shocked when Lord Yupa found her hideaway with all the plants. This demonstrates how people may have to change their surroundings in order to survive and thrive. This movie made me relate back to 2020 when everyone had to deal with Covid spreading. When everyone was inside, and there was not as much pollution, nature was able to rejuvenate itself and the ecosystems were prospering. This made me think about how most people are striving to reverse the effects of pollution, but should be striving towards prevention. I also think that instrumentalism is used in the real world with aesthetics and social media. Many people will destroy a natural environment just so that they can get a good picture or act as though they are a good person. 

I do not play video games often, but I usually skip past the intro and the backstories of the games. Watching the clips made me think about the effort that goes into each video game and how they are structured. The game showed a big difference in the types of worlds, and I thought that was cool. I was also shocked when Shulk died and went to the other world. I did not expect the changes to happen so quickly, but I believe that it demonstrates how rapidly the environment can be affected by people’s decisions. Furthermore, the rebuilding of the cities demonstrated how we need to go back to the foundation of the ecosystems of our world.

[eliacker]

Evangelion

Throughout this animé Evangelion critiques queer masculinity versus hegemonic masculinity. This is especially present in the twenty-fist century and many gender bariers set in the 1900's are being broken down with all haste.

Characteristics of Hegemonic Masculinity

For example, across the world the LGBTQ movement is taking place, and while the main goal is trying to normalize homosexuality, it has also taken traits that are associated with homosexuality, which are different from hegemonic masculinity and making them seem more masculine.

While third wave feminism for women is taking items and traits that women already have and making them more feminine and powerful, for men it is taking traits that are not the norm and infusing them with masculinity. For example, in my own life, I have many friends who love to go shopping or love to smell good, however that was in the past a primarily womenly thing, especially using fragrences to smell good. Men now are using queer masculinity in their everyday lives, changing the narrative on masculinity.

In this animé it depicts the main character physically not being able to do many things related to hegemonic masculinity, resulting him falling into a cycle of depressing and internalizing the hatreds of society towards him. Now boys do not have to play sports or be competative to be seen as men or have to embody the traits of hegemonic masculinity. I believe this animé must have had a major effect on the world because people are not as prone to reject someone who is representative of hegemonic masculinity and are more likely to accept a queer masculinity.

Overall, I feel as if masculinity is going through a change at the moment, especially with the lecture term of hegemonic masculinity being represented by a military man. Many of the men I know in my life would never want to go into war or even into the military, and would rather rely more and brains and intellegance than violecnce to get themselves through life. I dont know if this is due to major non-violence campaigns throughout the world, or the non-violence preached in schooling systems, but men in this age have lost much of their need to commit violence whether to bond or if it is call upon by a person.

[tavisholman]

When you mentioned the traits associated with the LGBTQ+ community and how it differentiates from the traits of hegemonic masculinity, it made me think about how some heterosexual males will be labeled as gay when they have one or more visual traits that do not correspond with hegemonic masculinity. For example, painting fingernails was categorized as a trait associated with gay men or women. Heterosexual males can be seen with painted fingernails and should not think that they are out of the ordinary. It made me think about how gender is socially constructed to what we are taught it is. On the other hand, I like what you said about violence. No one desires to hurt someone who has done nothing to them. Even if they have done something, violence is usually not what people want to bond over. They would rather bond over shared interests or hobbies.

[tavisholman]

Blog Post - Neon Genesis Evangelion / The End of Evangelion

This show and movie truly stunned me with how much I did not like it. To be honest, all of the other shows were at least decent, but this show was not at all what I was expecting after all the hype that I had heard about it. Shinji, as a character in general, annoyed me the whole show. There was no confidence anywhere within him, but it was sad because he was saving thousands of lives, and he still could not see that he was worthy of some love, even though people were freely giving it out. I thought it was weird that there were so many naked bodies. I know it was TV-MA, but there were times when they could have worn clothes, and the same point could have been made. One of my favorite characters was Ms. Misato. I liked that she went against some of the rules and always questioned what was going on. She also encouraged Shinji, although not always in the best way, to try to give him some confidence and guidance. There were only two things that I did not like about her. The first one was when Shinji found out about her and the guy, and she said something about grown-ups, and then the second one was when she repeated it when she kissed him before she died. That is wrong. I believe she was grooming him. He was 14 years old in the show and still in high school or middle school, and she was at least 29 years old. They should not be kissing, and she should not be initiating that. I thought that was so weird, even if she did die right after. On the other hand, I was shocked when Ritsuko tried to shoot Shinji’s father and failed. That was disappointing, and I wish that it ended with him dying, Shinji getting some confidence and retaining it, and everyone else still alive, but not in this weird world. I believe that the difference of masculinity in this show were shown to the extreme, and there are better subtle ways that hegemonic and queer masculinity intercept each other. 

[eliacker]

Fan Convention

Recently, Lionel Messi moved to Miami to play for the soccer team Inter Miami. Eventually, his kids began to play for the academy team run by Inter Miami association. One day there was a mass email going out to all Azzurri players that Messi’s son was going to be playing against my cousins team, on our local fields. Everyone was very excited to meet Messi and many people in the soccer community began posting about it. However, when I showed up on game day, the parking lot was already full, 30 minutes before the game, and people were parked all over the road and grass. I made my way to the field, which was already packed with kids. Throughout the area, there were also tents strewn about selling Messi memorabilia. After I arrived at the bleachers, there was an announcement made from the crowd that Messi was in the bathroom, and within seconds and ensnaring mod was sprinting towards the bathroom all feeding off of each others energy. Then me and my friend decided to sit down on a bench and not run over, and behold we were sitting next to his wife and children who we began to talk with and they told us he took off in his car because of the danger and overwhelmingness of this crowd. My friend was eventually able to get a photo of Messi after he came back to the field. However, he was once again swarmed and he ended up leaving until the game was over and his family was escorted out by police, and while I was driving I looked over and they were driving right beside me somehow. Overall, I think the entire scenario was overly inappropriate for what it was. Yes, it started it off as a small meet and great, however so many people showed up, ignoring lines and ignoring human decency and surrounding the man. I personally did not get a photo with him because of the overwhelming nature of what his wife said to us, I almost felt bad as he is unable to watch his kids game. The people who sprinted to the bathroom and swarmed Messi, to me, seem like an accurate representation of Otaku as they were doing everything possible for a photo with Messi, although that would have absolutely zero value in the real world. These kids around me knew stats of each year he played while I felt I barely knew anything, I almost felt as if I didn’t belong there. Additionally, everyone there wanted to get a signature on the Messi jersey that they were wearing, however that would have no real-life value outside of the “otaku of Messi”. This moment really changed the cultural identity of soccer in Naples Florida I feel. Many people I saw at the fields had never played or even talked with me about soccer, but since then they have begun to assimilate into the soccer community learning more statistics and playing more. I think Messi coming to Naples while not enjoyable for him because of the inappropriate security and childness of the crowd, it was very beneficial for the cultural identity formation of soccer here. I think fandom can certainly go too far to the point that it is influencing someone’s life, such as a movie star being swarmed wherever they go, degrading their quality of life. They constantly have eyes on them and their family. Everyone wanted a real “piece” or rather picture of Messi to have for the rest of their life to bring him into their reality. Furthermore, I believe this is relative to anime conventions because many times fans can go too far with creating fan art so that they can have a piece of that fantasy for the rest of their lives, but its particularly harmful when it’s in pursuit of a real person.

[tavisholman]

I am a huge soccer fan, so I understand the hype around Messi. He is an amazing soccer player and so fascinating to watch on the field. I have gone to a few of his games, and the fans have the passion that Otaku represents. In your case, I believe that the crowd was distasteful. It was sad that he could not watch his kids play. I also got to watch his son play in the DR, but he was not there. I don’t know why he wasn’t there, but he probably would have encountered the same activity as he did in Naples. I think that this obsession plays into the possession that people want to have with Messi. He is not physically obtainable, but a picture is. His presence is probably something that a lot of people strive to get, and unfortunately, it comes at the cost of his quality of life. You mentioned how this relates to movie stars, and it shows a picture of what we consider to be the closest form of possession that we can get. Paparazzi have followed celebrities around for “the perfect photo”, and sometimes they can get hurt trying to avoid them.

[tavisholman]

Blog Post - Convention

I have never been to a fan gathering or anime convention so I watched the documentary about the anime conventions. I have always heard about the conventions and a few of my friends have gone to them, but they have never been of interest to me. After watching the documentary, I have a new view on how these gatherings work. There were multitudes of people there, but not just young kids; people of all ages. People from different areas of the country all came to these conventions to share their passion for anime. In the documentary, people’s passion for anime, manga, and video games is seen in multiple ways. They do not just wear these costumes. They make them. They embody them. It is a way for them to have fun, and it’s kinda like a second Halloween. They do all types of research, sewing, and modeling to get their costumes to be the way that they want. This type of creative activity develops skills and allows people to express themselves through clothing, art, and accessories. This way it becomes a form of learning from your last mistakes in your last costume and improving each time. It was shocking when the person cosplaying Princess Peach said that her job was a United States Air Force broadcaster. People’s real lives also play a role in their costumes. Many people try to stay in shape to fit their character’s body shape. This can motivate some to continue or start to improve their health. Moreover, people can connect with the older generation when learning to sew. Sewing is not as common as it was back then, and most people do not make their clothing. As a result, there are competitions for the costumes. There are costumes made with half things that are bought and a combination of things that are made. It was cool to see the different styles.One that stood out to the interviewers was the Lolita fashion. This was a very modest style, but still sexy. People wanted to find their way to show their interests and can do this at these conventions. Accordingly, people have found community in these places. They make new friends and feel confident when they put themselves out there. Some people identify with their fandoms, and it was interesting to see who I could recognize based on their outfits. Recognition within these fandoms is something that surprised me. One of the fans said that after a few conventions, she was able to recognize people from the last ones and get to know them. This was amazing to hear because it demonstrates their connection to the fandom. A lot of people at the convention considered it a community, and several referred to it as family. This indicates a cultural identity formation within the anime supporters. In fact, they all share a passion for the creative arts. They are willing to spend tons of money on games, manga, shows, merchandise, and costumes. However, they do not all agree on the word Otaku. Some people are proud to be Otaku, some people think it has a negative connotation, some people do not think that they are Otaku yet, some people believe that others are using the word wrong, but they all have a sense of pride in the work that they contribute to these gatherings. One of my favorite things about the fan convention was when they were fighting with swords. The head of that program explained how they do a lot of community outreach, but have fun doing it as well. I think it is important to see how fandoms can benefit the community that they make, but also the community that feeds into the fandom. Overall, it was fascinating to see the way that people interact with each other. These gatherings demonstrate how easily cultural identity is found when multiple people have shared common interests. Many of these people have grown up attending these conventions, and the youth find it as a way of relating to one another.

[jonathanuf]

Watching Sailor Moon, Aggretsuko, and Wandering Son together was a great anime touching things like identity, gender, and societal expectations, childhood fantasy and adult disillusionment and personal transformation. Sailor Moon struck me with the idea of womanhood/girlhood and the power behind it. I think the femininity in the anime is a fresh and welcome surprise compared to the content I usually consume. I think that Sailor Moon is al about being very emotional, very flashy and doing things to the max, which I think is a very empowering topic for women in current society.

In Aggretsuko, I think the topic of the "daily grind" stood out a lot to me. The microaggressions and the "be nice" expectations in the workplace. I think that Retsuko's screaming karaoke was almost cathartic. I think that work culture is very front and center, but the exhaustion can transcend that. I've worked in environments where being polite was expected, even when being disrespected, and it can be very draining and demeaning to my self-esteem. Aggretsuko gave me a place to laugh and get healthily angry at the same situation.

Wandering Son was the most quietly profound story of them all. It's rare to see a portrayal of gender identity handled with such tenderness in my opinion. Watching Shuichi and Yoshino explore themselves amid the extreme pressures to conform reminded me of people that I know that have to navigate gender in a world that is often cruel or ignorant to such a thing. I think in the United States, the complex relationship with gender roles is evident in contrast with the desire to be see and accepted.

I think that together these anime offer a lot more than just a social commentary, but emotional landscapes of growing up, fitting in, and breaking out and becoming one with one's own identity. They're deeply rooted in society and speak a lot to tough situations that many people in the real world go through.

[tavisholman]

I liked what you mentioned about the workplace. Especially in service environments, like restaurants, you are expected to act a certain way even if it is the last thing that you want to do. The one thing about your post that stood out to me was how you discussed gender roles within the United States. Many people just want to be accepted as who they are and how they want to be, instead of being bullied. I feel like the Westernized view puts everyone into a box and expects them to stay within the framework of it. We have made many boxes, but it is impossible to box everyone into one. I think that the anime shows gender roles with variations in order to demonstrate how society treats them.

[tavisholman]

Blog Post - Sailor Moon / Aggretsuko / Wandering Son

My favorite out of the 3 shows that we watched was Sailor Moon. I love to see a girl as the hero. I like that she did not stop being herself. In most superhero shows, like Superman, the person takes on a different persona, but it is usually given increased confidence because they are considerably better than everyone else. I liked that she was still nervous and did not have everything figured out after a few tries because she is literally a middle school girl. On the other hand, Aggretsuko resonated with me the most because, at a job, you cannot always share your feelings. You can report something to the manager or HR, but it does not always stop the problem. In the show, she is publicly humiliated because he finds out that she reported him, and this happens often in the workplace. Women, even when in equal positions, are not usually heard or taken seriously. This is detrimental to the workplace environment because people can end up hating their jobs. Moreover, music is used to express Retsuko’s feelings. This is relatable because almost everyone has music that they listen to. People find it freeing and comforting when they listen to their music. Some people have concerts in their showers or their rooms, so I loved to see her sing in the bathroom to let off some steam. It is something that most of us have probably wanted to do. Furthermore, Wandering Son made me question the way that I think. At first, I was confused, but then each person was straightforward about their intentions. Multiple times during the show, the question, “What are little boys made of?” or “What are little girls made of?” is asked. This question demonstrates the stylized repetition of acts that would be considered to make a girl or a boy. I thought this was interesting because we have seen girls who dress more masculine and act more masculine, and I have never thought of them to be trans. In the same way, I have seen boys act feminine and wear makeup and dresses. I usually think that they are homosexual, which would probably be a monolithic view. This anime really made me reflect on how I view people.

[icadive]

Genshiken review

After watching Genshiken, what strucked me the most was how the show didn’t mock or overly glorify fandom. It just showed it. Watching Sasahara join the club and struggle with accepting his love for anime and manga felt surprisingly relatable. I’ve been there, hesitating to share my interests in fear of being seen as childish or too niche. What I found comforting in Genshiken was how it portrayed that hesitation not as weakness, but as part of figuring yourself out in a world that doesn’t always value passion unless it’s profitable or considered socially acceptable.

Azuma’s theory of otaku as database animals makes this even more interesting. The Genshiken characters are not tied to any grand narrative about changing the world or building some noble utopia. They just want to enjoy their interests, dig into their favorite tropes, and find meaning through shared excitement. According to Azuma, that is what postmodern identity looks like: people living in the “endless everyday,” finding purpose in smaller moments instead of chasing some huge historical goal. That might sound kind of bleak, but I don’t think it is. Genshiken shows how meaningful life can still be even when there’s no clear direction. It is about friends, community, and the joy of sharing weird fandom stuff.

I also liked how the anime doesn’t push the characters to grow out of being otaku. Instead, it makes space for growth within that identity. Saki, the “outsider,” starts off judging everyone, but over time she learns to understand them. In doing so, she challenges what it means to be “normal.” That tension between what society expects and what people actually enjoy is very relatable, especially now when everyone is trying to craft a perfect image online.

In the end, Genshiken reminded me that even in a postmodern world without big narratives, small communities and shared passions can still offer something real.

[tavisholman]

I like how you related the show to figuring yourself out in the world that doesn’t always value our passions. Sometimes, you cannot even join fandoms unless you already have an extended amount of knowledge because fans will only use inside jokes within the interested entity. Furthermore, I believe it is so important to mention the way that we try to present ourselves online. Many people do not want to join specific groups because they feel like they will be considered “weird”. This makes me think about what is considered weird and why it is so bewildering. Everything new or reformed and presented to society was once weird, even if we deem it to be normal now. This show gave us a lot of questions, but I like how you connected it to the “endless everyday”. We may not be looking forward to a big goal, but we could be looking forward to the goal of interest and intrigue. 

[tavisholman]

Blog Post - Genshiken

Genishiken was a surprising show to me. I have never watched something that included a fandom within the series. This was cool to watch because almost everyone has a show or movie that they take particular interest in. This show relates to how many people support their shows and art that they like. When the group went to the festival and stood in line for hours, even though they were on the first train, it made me think about how we support the Gators Men’s Basketball Team. People would be outside the night before in tents, chairs, and blankets. Even in rain or shine, people were out there, even if it meant that they had to be in an uncomfortable environment. Harunobe Madarame made a valid point. He was going to tough it out until he could get the manga and anime that he wanted. Although his situation got bad very fast, this was so relatable because he put in all that work and was not going to give up now because of something that started off so small. This demonstrated the pure determination to attain his collection as well as his attraction to the artwork. 

Furthermore, Genishiken discusses the Otaku. I had never heard of the Otaku before the lectures and the show, but I like that they are aware of the differences between reality and the manga or video games that they are enthralled by. It is important to differentiate your reality from something that you watch because then anything can influence how you see your life. Some people take on a character and become them in real life. For many, this is just cosplay, but others turn it into method acting. Sometimes this is cool, especially when they are in theatre or film. Often people have read the book and become fans. Later on, they continue their interest by becoming that character or at least part of a show. My favorite part about Genishiken was when Kanji Sasahara paced back and forth multiple times before going to the table. It establishes him as self-conscious, but he was willing to put himself out there and find his interests.

[icadive]

Naruto and Wolf Children Review

Watching Naruto and Wolf Children back to back made me think a lot about how different stories handle discrimination. Both anime show characters who don’t fit into the norms of society, but the way they deal with that rejection couldn’t be more different. Naruto decides to stay and fight for acceptance, while Hana and her children escape into the countryside to live freely.

Personally, I’ve always related more to the quiet urge to escape. Wolf Children hit me hard, especially the scenes where Hana can’t bring her kids to a doctor or school without risking being judged or exposed. It reminded me of how people with mixed identities in real life often get boxed in. Society wants you to pick a side and stay there. Watching Yuki try to clean herself off after being told she smelled like a dog felt so real. It reminded me of how people sometimes try to hide parts of who they are just to avoid being labeled or laughed at.

With Naruto, I was impressed by how hard he worked to prove himself. But I also couldn’t ignore the fact that society never really changed. He changed. He got stronger, better, more acceptable. That stuck with me because it made me question how often we expect individuals to transform just to be seen as worthy. It felt unfair, honestly. Why should the burden always fall on the person being left out?

Both anime left me thinking about what real acceptance should look like in a society. I don’t think it’s enough to say, “You’re welcome here—if you change everything about yourself.” Real acceptance should mean making space for people as they are. Wolf Children might be the quieter story, but it showed me how healing it can be when someone is simply given room to exist.

[tavisholman]

I completely agree with you. It should be forced onto the person being left out to change. It makes me wonder what if Naruto did not change. What if he decided that everyone else’s opinions were right? This is seen so much in our society, and it relates to A Silent Voice because depression and suicide are often the result of being discriminated against or bullied. Furthermore, I was happy that Hana and her children were able to live freely, but I also think that it demonstrated the pressure that even society places on people. The environment that Hana was in gave her children the choice to choose whenever they wanted, but they still had to choose. I think it is important to notice that they still could not be both, and had to hide parts of themselves, even though they would in a gemeinschaft society. 

[tavisholman]

Blog Post - Naruto / Wolf Children / A Silent Voice

I heard a lot about Naruto before this class, and I was glad that I got to see what the hype was all about. I liked how it used historical references with the war.  One of the situations that we often see in history is someone wanting to make a change, but doing it the wrong way. Pain went about it through violence, and I connected this to Malcolm X’s famous quote, “by any means necessary”. After all his pain, violence was the only thing that Pain thought would truly scare them.

I liked the movie Wolf Children. I think that it demonstrated the importance of having a community that supports you to be able to live out your dreams. It also went into being able to dismiss what other people think about what you want to do and who you want to be. Ame wanted to be a wolf, and it took his mother's treacherous route in the rain to finally understand that he is not coming back. I think that this was also a coming-of-age movie. In the US, it is common for people to leave their parents’ houses at 18, when they legally become an adult. For Ame, he was considerably an adult in wolf years and left the house to be on his own and pursue his passions. 

In A Silent Voice, there was a lot of bullying. I have always seen bullying as a good thing as long as it does not go too far. I think it makes the person confident in themselves when it happens once or twice, but it is not okay when it happens excessively, and that is exactly what happened in the show. Internalized hatred is very common when people are discriminated against. They believe what others say about them, and they see the world through the eye of someone else’s hate. It is unfortunate that this happens at all.

[ayamimouni]

Shin Sekai Yori

Watching Shin Sekai Yori really shook me. At first, the world looks calm and peaceful, with small villages and kids learning to use psychic powers. But underneath, it’s terrifying. The society kills its own children to keep things under control. That hit me hard because it reminds me of how some places, even in real life, pretend everything is fine while hiding awful truths.

It also feels very real when you think about the world today. The way the elders lie about history to control people reminded me of governments or groups that rewrite the past to justify violence or stay in power. The part where humans treat the Queerats as animals, only to reveal they’re actually humans, felt like a clear metaphor for racism and discrimination. It made me think about how easy it is to see people as “less than” if it helps us feel safe or in control.

Personally, I found it disturbing how the main characters, even Saki, end up accepting the system once they learn the reasons behind it. It made me wonder if I’d do the same. I think everyone compromises sometimes, maybe not in such extreme ways, but we all look the other way or make excuses for things we know are wrong.

It reminded me of dystopian stories I’ve read where society trades freedom for safety. The anime shows how hard it is to have both. While it has a very Japanese focus on the group over the individual, the message is universal. It left me thinking about what any society is willing to sacrifice to stay “peaceful,” and whether we’re honest about those sacrifices. Overall, it was haunting, but also made me reflect on my own choices and the world around me.

[tavisholman]

I agree with most of what you reflected on. Society harming parts of itself just so it can show face is awful. This happens so often in real life as well. Especially with history and how Natives were stripped of their land and how slaves were transported to the US. In the end, I think Saki had to. She looks toward a better future, but there is no easy way for her to turn around the system and make it just. She would have to find ways to do that and could implement them slowly, but it would not be a quick process either. I believe everyone compromises, but there is a threshold at which we all stop. It is a point at which we see what we are willing to sacrifice, knowing that we are protecting our peace, even if it means we do not know what is next.

[tavisholman]

Blog Post - Shin Sekai Yori

I thought that Shin Sekai Yori was a good show. It started a little slow, but I was very intrigued with the last few episodes. This show teaches a few life lessons. One of the first things I related this to was the casualties mentioned in the lecture. When the fiend would kill people, it seemed not to affect them mentally. This happens often with mass murderers. Killing one person usually does not affect their psyche, and they can continue to kill people until they are stopped or something mentally stops them. This led me to think about mental health crises. In the past, fiends were killed instead of people trying to understand or help them. This has happened many times in the real world, although it is usually shown differently. They are usually isolated or left to deal with issues that they cannot handle on their own. The fiends in the show are comparable to what we would call a “wild child”, but there are a million frameworks. No one can predict or prevent all of them. 

One of my favorite parts of the show was when the Squealor said, “We are humans!” That shocked me. I was thinking, ‘There is no way they put that in there for nothing, but there is also no way that you are a human!’ When they explained what had happened in the past with the injections, it was disappointing. I did not expect that to be why, but it put into perspective the lengths that some people are willing to go to put others down to stay on top. Furthermore, Saki talked about how the friend was not getting controlled by queerrats using drugs. She mentioned that if that was true then the society would have done it a long time ago. This prompted me to consider the drugs that people are given in rehab facilities to slowly wean off of their addictions and how some drugs are given as sedatives to control people who won't calm down. Although these drugs are usually administered in a reliable way, some have not been.

[lemonadesport]

Blog Post: Psycho-Pass

Wow.. Psycho-Pass?? The anime should of been named Psycho-Mess from the way the policing system has no regard for regular human emotions and only cares for technical psychological exams. From the show's description, I expected the characters to keep track of movements and possibly have insight into the lives of those walk Japan's streets. But do base criminality on psychological readings and color hues cannot be more inaccurate. I could only imagine what life would be like if this was real… if we really lived in a world ran by the Sybil system. But some details are not far off unfortunately. Japan is naturally a place with high rates of technology and progressive building infrastructure. And the reason is not for the place to look pretty but to govern the people which is a direct pull from Sybil. This advancement also creates jobs in tech.. kinda like how in the episodes the company under the ministry of economy was focused on robotics for labor. They employ humans to debug but these humans are trapped for efficiency in the process.The big one here that was relevant throughout the episodes of Psycho-Pass was the trend of the social world. People are almost trapped and forbidden to express how they feel about anything at all or they risk being tucked away from society. This is all thanks to the policing force and the dominator weapons that read the Psycho Pass levels. The issue of diversity and simply comfort is so huge that people are taking drugs to "suppress emotions" so that they can either be criminals or walk the streets without raising concern. Such a dangerous act this is as it causes distrust and inhumane actions to take place. The new inspector Akane in the first episode right away saw how carried away these systems can get. They just judge right off the bat and block second chances (Kogami was an inspector) and this is direct relation to the Machine Bias article. The global issue here is right to privacy and biases that are released because of the tracking algorithms used. Algorithms are trained on history.. so if someone decides to use a specific of history, any past event, then that would apply to today's society and most likely wrongly convict someone. This surveillance is also invasive, cameras and technology that can become a creepy force (The Panoptic article describing this system as a collector to give to overseer - always watching) The article by Drew Harwell as well as the Panoptic lay it out for people to be aware. It may seem like a good idea, to make sure people are doing the right thing. But all it takes is one wrong thing to happen, someone nefarious takes over, someone has the wrong intentions, and then we as a people loose our freedoms slowly. On a personal level, this affects how I live and present myself online. Sure people tell you be careful what you post but when it comes down to it, social media is supposed to be an outlet to express emotions and show your interests. When I hear of these new and improved algorithms and artificial intelligence coming out that are meant to scope out your information, I now fear that some false image of myself is likely to be created. AI is not perfect, and I don't think officials understand that yet - so the question becomes what's real? Was that media planted? Did it originate from panoptic systems? Where was the surveillance? I often don't use race in law or ethical situations but the truth of the matter is, I am a afro Caribbean 18 year old girl - If algorithms use past events to determine future... it doesn't look the best from here. Psycho-Pass shows the extreme version yet most details exist in our world.

[tavisholman]

When you mentioned taking drugs to walk the streets without raising concern, it puts into perspective just how restricted that society is. People are genuinely scared for their lives, that they are willing to go that far to just live what they would consider a normal life. This brought me to one of the first few episodes we watched when the girl was raped and then was willing to kill herself because her crime coefficient was too high, and they were likely to kill her either way. Furthermore, I do think carefully when posting myself online or on any social media platforms. I am similar to you, an 18-year-old Afro-Caribbean girl. What is out there can be scary. AI should focus on the facts and not false information that could be misleading. Although looking at history is important so that we do not repeat the bad parts, it should not be the main factor determining how and when things will happen.