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[letadlock]

Hetalia

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

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

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

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

[theanimatedworldblog]

Heyy :) This is an anime that I had never seen or heard of prior to taking this class. I also thought the anime was a funny even though it could be taken the wrong way sometimes due to the way the characters portray different countries. I could see people easily taking offense to the writing though I don't think the writers were trying to offend anyone by making this anime rather I think they were trying to exploit ridiculous stereotypes and ideologies. This was a great blog post and you brought to my attention different aspects and point of views to the show that I hadn't seen before.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Hetalia: Axis Powers

Hello :) This was my first time seeing or hearing of this anime so it was quite a shocker that it was a really popular well known anime. I think the animation style is cute and the characters are quite funny as they take on the roles of different countries. As the characters within the show portray a country, I can definitely see why this anime would be classified as problematic. There may be many different offensive points in the show where we as viewers from the outside take no offense because it isn’t our culture being talked about.  We as viewers may laugh certain jokes off but it may actually be really offensive to other people whose cultures and countries are  being portrayed. We can definitely see that the anime is based off of stereotypes placed over countries as a whole because that is the only possible way to get to one “personality” outcome for a country. Again this can be problematic because we know that everyone within a country is not identical and doesn’t always agree with the consensus of the country, but again in order to make a character based off of a country the artists and writers had to narrow different stereotypes down into main ones. Issues worldwide that are relevant in this anime are the placement of stereotypes on other countries. I personally don’t relate to the anime at all because nothing in my real life correlates with it. I enjoyed watching the anime because it was interesting and though there may have been some confusing or offensive areas of the anime, the anime writers were obviously not trying to offend anyone rather they were trying to make the point that these stereotypes were mostly obnoxious and ridiculous. I would recommend this anime to other people if they are interested in history and different semantic facts and also like anime.

[pari-patel]

Your Name Blog Post

The themes being identity, connection, and the passage of time are self-evident and the narrative of body-swapping between the two protagonists conveys the message across to the audience pretty well in my opinion. It sheds light on the intrinsic nature of humans to connect with others and understand them better, in essence, to grow fonder to each other regardless of background and differences. This is especially crucial to our world with the diverse cultures it holds and the interconnectivity it could bring. The deeper focus on natural disasters like the comet definitely relates back to these connections and how fragile it can be to both build them up and lose them instantaneously. Unexpected challenges are bound to rise and, from what I can tell, this anime sheds light on the resilience meant to overcome them.

The anime made me reflect on the importance of maintaining relationships whether it be with your significant other, your family or friends. This summer, I have been staying in Ohio for an internship which has been difficult for me in terms of reaching out to my friends and family and maintaining that relationship that we have. Distance definitely serves as a barrier for me and oftentimes makes me unmotivated to keep those connections strong. However, I see how the characters’ journey to find each other, despite the space and time, highlight the power and force of a human connection. I am not worried about going back to Florida and experiencing different behaviors with my friends and family, because I know we can go periods without talking sometimes and still be stronger and the same as ever. The narrative of the film encourages people to reflect on how our identities are being shaped and it also underscores the importance of dialogue and cultural exchange. These shared narratives could further foster a sense of belonging which we have discussed in previous modules.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Hey :) I had never seen or heard of Your Name before watching it for this class. I really liked it and it was a very interesting watch. I pointed out in my post how the Foucault reading related to the anime. The idea of power relation or how power isn't something superordinate or above us as humans. In the film it should Taki and Misuha switching back and forth between lives but it also shows that Misuha wished to be a Toyko boy and it wasn't just something that came out of noway. The film making you reflect on the importance of maintaining relationships is something so real as it is a very important thing to do. Overall great blog post :)

[theanimatedworldblog]

Your Name

I’ve never seen or heard of Your Name (what a shocker I know), but it was a really good watch. I really liked the graphics and the animation of the film. We can see so much compositing which was talked about in previous chapters like when the sea is moving with birds flying or characters nodding at passing pedestrians. I was interested throughout the whole film as Taki and Mitsuha switch back and forth between each other's lives when they dream. As for how this anime relates to the article written by Foucault, my perspective on it is related to the term “force relations” or the idea within the reading that power comes from within society and people. Also that power isn’t a single thing rather it comes from many different points. This can be seen in the anime as Taki and Mitsuha switch back and forth between lives because towards the beginning of the film Mitsuha screams out into the open, “I wish I were an attractive boy who lived in Tokyo.” As Mitsuha wishes herself to be someone else in this part of the film, I believe shows the inner power of Mitsuha and her words, though she may have felt she had no control over these transitions I think she contributed to it by wishing it upon herself. I can’t personally relate to the anime in the sense that I’m constantly transitioning between my own life and the lives of someone else, rather I would say I can relate by feeling a lack of control over my own life. I’m sure we’ve all talked about or maybe thought about being the opposite sex for one day but that isn’t possible to just transition back and forth through a dream. Overall I really enjoyed this anime and would recommend it to others.

[robian]

XenoBlade Chronicles 2

I've heard a bit about this game before so I thought it was an interesting pick for the class. The anime is a clear cut comment on the relationship between humanity and nature. Basically, Klaus destroys the entire world and is trying to rebuild it. He uses nanobots and the titans in order to achieve this restoration. Humanity is clearly struggling with the absence of nature and would have completely died off if it wasn't for Klaus creating the titans. Humanities depictions of Heaven or “Elysium” is basically just a place that has nature within it. After living in a world absent of nature, humanity's greatest wish is simply to return to it. It comments on today's world that is actively harming nature. It's easy to destroy nature but hard to rebuild, and once it's gone, you'll wish you never destroyed it. So, we should preserve nature, so there is never a point in time where humanity is threatened by the absence of it.

What's interesting is that unlike in Nausicaa, it seems that nature has no way of naturally healing itself. Nature is completely reliant on Klaus and his plan in order to regenerate. Nausicaa gives the idea that nature can live independently without us but that we cannot live without nature. Xenoblade makes it seem that we are intereliant on each other. Personally, I think nature being capable on its own makes more sense from a current standpoint. We'd really have to mess up the world, for nature to not be able to survive without us. Ultimately, our job as humans is to simply not prevent nature from doing its purpose and preserving itself.

Anyways, like I said before Xenoblade is a clear comment on humanity's relationship with nature. We shouldn't harm nature for our own greed. We are reliant on nature to survive.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Hey :) I personally had never seen or heard of Xenoblade Chronicles prior to this class but I'm also not a big gamer so that's probably why. I didn't really enjoy watching it that much because I wasn't too interested and the graphics weren't really good to me. I will say I was shocked to hear that many correlations between Christianity and the show as it talked about similar topics like the fall of mankind and the perfect earth that people were then outcasted from. I will also say that though I didn't enjoy the viewings that much I did enjoy the message about how we are damaging earth and how we should do our best to not.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Xenoblade Chronicles

I’m not a gamer so this is my first time seeing or hearing about Xenoblade but it seems like it would be a fun game to play. I also wasn’t particularly interested with the series because it was a little slow for me and the graphics weren’t my favorite.  I was again really shocked with the religious correlation within the viewings. Rex talks about a paradise that was beautiful and bountiful which was perfect and created by the Architect. Rex then goes on to say that the people were kicked out of this perfect land and didn’t know exactly why. Though the story isn’t fully similar it reminded me of the story of Adam and Eve and the fall of man. I can’t relate personally to this game because I have no personal experiences with the events that take place within it. I would say global issues that can be seen through the viewings are climate change and environmental pollution. We as humans continue to damage our environment through placing pollutants within our water and into the air. When we damage our environment weren’t not only harming ourselves, we are also harming the animals we share our planet with.  If we continue in the direction we are heading right now we may end up damaging our planet beyond repair or regeneration just like the planet in Xenoblade Chronicles. I think there is a great message behind the article and the series though even if we believe that nature should be separate from humans or not, we all should respect nature. We can all adopt a Nausicaa mentality where we have respect for nature and animals, and acknowledge when we’ve done something wrong that can harm it. So though I didn’t necessarily enjoy the watch, I can say that I enjoyed the message that was given throughout the viewings.

[hayleyrainbowprincess]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was a movie I actually enjoyed watching and thought it had a good moral message. It is a Studio Ghibli creation so that could also be why. 

It is really interesting to see how the people in the film, besides Nausicaä, believe that the Earth and its resources are for THEIR use. They also like to get rid of any obstacle that they find within the environment. Nausicaä, however, is the complete opposite! She sees the world in such a different light. She believes that we should respect nature and work in harmony with it, not forcing it to work for us. 

Nausicaä does have her flaws though. After her father is murdered, she has a lot of anger within and she does end up killing someone. She immediately regrets it, but it’s something she cannot take back. She puts this rage she is filled with aside so she can help the people. I think this was a really important characteristic and action to see Nausicaä make. I feel like in most films this would have been the beginning of her villain arc. However, she decides that this isn’t her and she needs to put the others before her emotions. This is such a brave and strong move. 

Personally, I do not see myself with the instrumentalist perspective that is displayed by some of the people in the film. I think nature is something that humans take too much advantage of everyday and it will definitely be our demise if we keep it up. 

I really enjoyed this movie as I think it takes an important stance on nature and human impact. Most, if not all, destruction is caused by humans. I think this shows that we should respect the environment we are very fortunate to have. I would for sure recommend this movie to people as I find it very fascinating and honestly a good warning sign to possible future endeavors.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Hey :) Your post just enlightened me on the fact that Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a Studio Ghibli creation which is so cool because I love their films. I also really liked Nausicaa's morals and values in the show as she was seen as a person who loved nature and sought to protect it. Nausicaa doesn't fully fit into the societal norms of a female though as she is good at fighting and has aggressive attributes when needed. I love that you highlighted this movie's stance on nature and human impact because I feel as though it is something that is often overlooked. I wrote in my post that we should cherish our planet because it is so beautiful and provides us with all the basic things we need to sustain life.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

This is another one of my first in this class, I had never heard of or seen Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. The beginning started off slow in a seemingly desolate desert of a town filled with infected plants and wildlife. In the film we can see a world wide issue of toxin pollution that has corrupted society and devastated the land. I can say we as humans pollute the world so much and damage our environment through war and waste pollution. This is another animation that had some religious relation and context that I was curious about because there were a lot of Christian-like symbols like Nausicaa’s resurrection. I wouldn’t say that I can relate directly to this film because it doesn’t portray anything that is close to my own life. The closest relation I would have to the film is the idea of world damage due to pollution. We as humans are seemingly continuously damaging and polluting our environment through wars and different chemicals. We must remember that we only get one earth and that we should treat this beautiful planet as if that is the case. We must learn to respect and not take for granted what we have because its truly wonderful if you think about the conditions of the universe compared to our inhabited environment. Nausicaa is such a strong woman and reminds me a lot of Asuka from our Neon Genesis Evangelion. She reminds of Asuka because they both do not fit into the societal norm of a female figure, she is a warrior and aggressive. Though Nausicaa also portrays  a soft female as she is kind to animals. I think I can relate to Nausciaa as I related to Asuka because we both live outside the societal norms of a typical woman.

[theanimatedworldblog]

The End of Evangelion

This series has honestly grown on me so much because of how intricate it is, there are so many different parts to it. This movie started off with Asuka in a hospital bed with Shinji pleading with her for help as she always used to do. I think this part again portrayed Shinji as a “Queer Masculine Man” as he cries over Asuka portraying his emotions for her. We see that Shinji objectifies a woman for the first time which was typically something foreign to him. Him objectifying a woman was an attempt for him to align with “typical” male traits rather than Queer Masculine characteristics. This start of the movie shocked me honestly as Asuka would be the last character I would think to get harmed during the show, at least not before Shinji because she seems to be stronger and more aggressive than Shinji. In  the middle of the movie we witness Asuka in battle where she is fighting off the enemy by herself. Within the battle she lets out a battle cry and says, “I am not going to lose, not with Mom watching.” Here she still seems to display that longing to be accepted and wanted by the same parents who neglected her. The aggression that Asuka displays is what Shinji was expected to have during Neon Genesis Evangelion part 1 as he was asked to fight in war. It is seen even as Asuka has been literally eaten alive she continues to say that she will kill the enemy over and over as Shinji cries and says he can’t do anything about it. The act of Asuka dying in war and Shinji crying about it fits into the narrative that Shinji fits into the Queer Masculinity and Asuka being more “masculine” in terms of aggressiveness, than Shinji. I can’t relate to the anime too much but I will say that Asuka’s more aggressive characteristics is something that I can relate to in the sense that I was a tomboy growing up, enjoyed sports, and being outside etc. Overall this was a good series to watch. I would recommend it to others. 

[shadowydazecg]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Part 2)

The eighth episode introduces Asuka, the new Eva pilot. Her relationship with Shinji and the other members of the NERV team is evident. It emphasizes the conflict between her and Shinji as well as her aggressive nature. In Japan, there are pressures and expectations placed on individuals in competitive environments. Asuka’s introduction shows the impact of high expectations and the struggle to meet societal standards. High academic and professional expectations are common because of how competitive Japanese society is. Globally, this episode tackles issues of rivalry and how personal concerns affect interactions with others. Asuka's aggressive demeanor and the tension it creates illustrate the universal challenge of navigating personal identity and self-worth amidst external pressures and expectations.

On the other hand, I feel bad for Asuka. I did more research on her background because she intrigued me. She resembles Shinji in a way because she also wants to be loved by her parents. They neglected her for no reason. NO child deserves to be deserted. I think that's why when she's introduced, she has an aggressive demeanor. Since I talked about Shinji and his father in my part 1 post, I won't mention them here.

Episode 16 delves into the character of Kazuichi, a member of the NERV support staff, and examines the effects of the ongoing battle on a human and psychological level. It also features a significant confrontation between the Eva units and the Angel, highlighting the cost of battle on human lives. This episode reflects concerns about the impact of relentless technological advancement and warfare on individual lives and societal values. Japanese concerns regarding military involvement and technological ethics, both historically and currently, are reflected in the strong emphasis on the human cost of conflict. Globally, the episode addresses the broader implications of technological and military progress. It serves as a critique of how technological and military pursuits can overshadow humanistic concerns, encouraging viewers to reflect on the ethical dimensions of progress and conflict.

I think they did a great job showcasing the damaging effects of military actions on people who live in certain places. Some war conflicts (in real life) could've been avoided if leaders tried to accommodate one another. They are constantly thinking about themselves and their pride, they forget to think of the people and what they need. Unnecessary deaths don't seem to faze them, instead, they use those deaths to manipulate the people to take their side in fighting against their "enemy".

[theanimatedworldblog]

Hey :) I would say I really liked Asuka because she is strong spirited and confident, she seems to be everything Shinji lacks to be an effective fighter. I would say that I can relate with Asuka a little bit because though I am not a war hero, I do think that I fit outside the social norms of a traditional women. I say this because I was mostly a tomboy who loved playing outside and loves sports. Your research on Asuka intrigues me as I would never expect someone with such a bold personality and confidence to be a product of neglect. Here again I think she is the mere opposite of Shinji because although they went through similar circumstances they have completely different personalities.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Again I had never seen or heard of Neon Genesis Evangelion until this class and I will say that the anime is starting to grow on me. In this module we are still discussing the idea of the Queer Masculine Man and how this idea fits in with the idea of the anime. Right from the start of episode 8 we can see the ideas of the Queer Masculine Man portrayed through Shinji, a soft spoken teen age boy. We can see how he contradicts the characteristics of a “typical” boy as he accidentally walks in on Asuka getting dressed. When Asuka sees this she calls him a pervert like all boys and asks him why boys always have to be horny.  We know from watching Shinji’s reaction that he was embarrassed by walking on her getting dressed and he didn’t display the “typical” attributes that Asuka describes a boy to have. Another part where Shinji displays characteristics described in the reading is when Asuka told Shinji exactly what to do and he did it without any resistance as he puts on a skin tight suit.  We see that another character Kaji fits into “typical” masculine characteristics while Shinji is the opposite. We can also see that Asuka, a girl, seems to fit more masculine traits then Shinji as she is confident and a great fighter. This swap of traits between a “non masculine” male and a more masculine female seems to show that such gender characteristics are fluid and not fixed depending on the person. I would say I can relate with Asuka as I don’t fully fit into the more feminine stereotypes that society places on women. Rather I was a tomboy as a child, I loved playing sports and being outside etc. I would say this anime just shows that these expected traits for each gender to have isn’t something that is true because as seen in the anime a boy may be better than a girl at something seemingly more feminine and vice versa.

[katibis]

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Blog Post

“Neon Genesis Evangelion” also know as NGE, is one of my most favorite animes. I originally found this anime through a recommendation from a friend of mine. I should mention I have watched the entire anime series, movie series and EoE (The End of Evangelion) many times. At the age of 14, I could relate with Shinji the most out of any character in fiction and I loved the mecha battles, music, and themes, so it was only natural I made this anime one of my favorites. This anime is also well received by Japan and the anime community. Side note: The director has stated before that there is little to no meaning to be found in the Christian or Jewish symbols and ideas, found in this anime so I will avoid speaking about them.

Shinji is an oddball of a teenager boy. A lonely boy abandoned by his father is suddenly recalled by his father and tasked with saving the world. Shinji, like many young men, are figuring out their future, goals, and identity when suddenly life calls for them. Fortunately for Shinji, piloting the Eva provides him with attention, praise, and indirectly, friendships, somethings he lacked in his life before becoming a pilot. But as time goes on, his identity becomes dependent on being an Eva pilot. Whenever Shinji runs away from being a pilot, he is always alone as he was before he became a pilot. He is only seen as useful and therefore praised and loved, when he participates in the system. I never would have made this connection before this module but, I can see the connection between being an Eva pilot and hegemonic masculinity. If what I understand from the readings is correct, hegemonic masculinity exists to reinforce the patriarchal system and thus any man who exists outside of this masculinity weakens the system. In my opinion, I see Shinji as one of the “Males living within the shadow of Masculinity” mentioned in the readings. He has been hurt in the past so he withdraws all his emotions into himself and shuts out the world by listening to his Walkman (the tape player with earbuds). I look forward to discussing further episodes and elements of this anime series and eventually, the movie.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Heyy :) before this class I had never seen or heard of Neon Genesis Evangelion but I'm glad to hear it is one of your favorites. I found the references of angels in an anime quite cool and I'm glad you mentioned it had no Jewish or Christian relation because I was curious about that. Shinji does seem to fit into the stereotypes of of a Queer Masculine man as he isn't aggressive, good at war, or obsessed with women. Shinji is tasked with saving the universe even though he didn't want to fight off the angels.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 

This is the first time I’ve ever heard of or seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, I love how action packed the anime is from the start because it is something I would usually watch. This animation style is not my favorite because the quality doesn’t look as new but other than that it was an alright watch. In this module our overriding theme is masculinity and we see this theme portrayed in the very beginning of the anime Evangelion as it is about fighting to defeat the enemy and war. As for masculinity, most of the time it is portrayed as being pro-war, having the ability to fight and being aggressive, but sometimes we realize that people don’t fit into those stereotypes though they may identify with being a biological, heterosexual male. We see this in  the reading of Heasleys Queer Masculinities of Straight Men as he describes men who are heterosexual but still don’t fit categories with full characteristics of “typical” straight men. These categories can include sexualizing women, being aggressive, being arrogant, having high self esteem, and participating in war. In the anime we see the main character Shinji not fit into this typical category as he is first brought in to fight but not wanting to . Even when he finally agreed to fight he couldn’t fully operate the robot that he was in control of. Shinji is the perfect example of this “Queer Masculine Man” as he is soft spoken, quiet, and not aggressive. I can’t personally relate to the anime or the reading but I will say that I have a couple of friends who don’t fit into the “typical” description of a man because they connect more with women on an emotional level. I think that is a big role in the idea of masculinity, the idea that emotion is placed on the back burner as if sensitivity makes you any less of a man. I obviously don’t think this is true. In fact I think someone who can handle and sort through their emotions is more mature than someone who can’t.

[theanimatedworldblog]

True Otaku

I personally have never been to a real life convention nor did I have a chance to go on before completing this assignment so I will be writing about True Otaku. The beginning of the documentary starts out by skimming the city life of Baltimore, Maryland where this convention, Otakon,  has taken place one weekend of each summer since 1999. In the beginning of the documentary the narrator and host, Nicole, defines Otaku as the American fans of popular Japanese culture. From the beginning with just the camera skimming over the convention center you see people cosplaying as their favorite characters and playing their favorite arcade and video games. Everyone seems so happy and excited to be at the convention center. Very quickly after she gives this definition we realize that Otaku has a very different meaning for each individual. Some individuals consider themselves Otaku because they are very driven fans of anime, some consider Otaku to be their status, and others consider themselves Otaku because of their passion for anime. As for cosplay, many different people said that cosplay was a way of expressing and appreciating different characters.

Others identified cosplay as an outlet and a way to escape being yourself for a weekend, sort of like an acting gig. The different styles that are seen within the convention center were also spoken about like the gothic style, cupcake or cutesy style, skimpy more sexy style and so much more. Towards the end of the first documentary Nicole states that now that Otaku culture is becoming more popular and prevalent, it has become a full culture rather than a subculture. There are also so many different groups within Otaku like furries, cosplayers, cross players and many more. At the start of documentary two we jumped further into the world of Otaku at Anime USA which is hosted in November. Within this documentary We heard more from Dustbunny who is an award winning cosplayer as she prepares to compete in a costume contest. Nicole spoke about how people embody the characters that they dress up as for example how furries won't talk to you while in their costumes because they have “become” that animal they are dressed up as. We then began to talk about different clubs that characters use to stay connected between conventions. These anime clubs were described to be like mini conventions where some clubs bring in guest speakers and what not. As for dressing up for different conventions you look into which character you want to dress up as and you do your research on the character and their costume in order to make sure that you don’t miss anything. In part three of the True Otaku documentary Nicole begins by defining the word fantasy and explains that everyone engages in some form of fantasy everyday. Here a correlation between fantasy and fandom was identified where fandom became the physical response to gratifying a fantasy. Though Nicole identifies that there are flaws within the anime community she identifies that there is such a strong connection among the people who participate in these conventions. A lot of people said they felt as if they didn’t belong anywhere else but being an Otaku and going to the conventions gave them a sense of belonging where they found people with the same interests as them. Towards the end of the anime we get to experience true convention judging with Dustbunny as she competes in the costume contest. And then lastly we hear from Takamasa Sakurai who spoke about his different experiences traveling around the world and how these different conventions bring Japanese culture into different parts of the world. Overall learning more about these conventions were interesting and I think it would be pretty cool to attend one if I knew where they were held. 

[jpt1311summerbnixautumn]

Convention Blog Post

On August 1st, 2021, I went to Tampa Comic Con with my dad. This was the first and only convention I've ever been to, but I'm planning on going again with my dad this year at the end of August. At the time I was 15 and a very anxious teen so i was SO stressed about going and being judged. I had planned to cosplay as Nobara from Jujutsu Kaisen, but I decided last minute not to wear it because I didn't want to be embarrassed if I saw someone I knew while walking into the convention center (for context I lived an hour away from Tampa and there was no way I would see anyone I knew but you know when you're nervous you don't think clearly). I was very into manga and anime back then, and I was going with my dad because he's HUGE on Marvel and DC Comics, which I am also still interested in. I didn't have any big expectations going in, or really any sort of plan. I was hoping to buy some Chainsaw Man merch but that was really all I thought of ahead of time.

The convention was 3 days long: a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We decided to go on Sunday, when tickets were reduced and the convention closed earlier than it had the previous days. We also got there as soon as it opened, and I was praying that both of these conditions would make for it to be not nearly as busy as I was anticipating, but I never could've imagined how insanely packed it was. From the short walk to the parking lot to the center, we passed numerous people decked out in cosplays of all kinds. Some just wearing shirts with their favorite characters, others wearing an outfit that they bought from Amazon most likely, and a few people adorned in completely homemade cosplays that they had clearly spent days, if not weeks, completing. I didn't wear a cosplay because I thought I would be one of the only ones, but it turned out that my normal clothes were actually in the minority. After going through the long process of entering, getting our wristbands, and traversing the center to make it to the convention space, I was amazed at how many people I had already passed. And my shock only grew as we stepped inside the large room. The space was like a labyrinth, a maze with walls of tables and booths, filled with all kinds of merchandise. I had thought that fanmade anime merch like keychains and art prints would be the main thing being sold, but I was very wrong. There was a GIANT section right next to the entrance that was just at least 10 long tables of boxes filled with vintage comics. There were multiple woodworking booths that sold beautifully intricate sculptures and wall art that were all well over $300 (which seemed a very appropriate price for the amount of detail that was hand carved). It's easy to say that I was very overwhelmed by all this.

I have always LOVED people watching, and I've never been to a better place to do so than this convention. After walking around for about an hour just taking all of the information in, my dad and I went to a little snack stand and each got a cheeseburger and a drink. The few tables they had were full, so we sat against a wall and surveyed the crowd. People of all ages were cosplaying and interacting. I saw one middle aged man dressed as Batman go up to a kid dressed as the Joker who couldn't have been older than 12 and start pretending to have a rivalry with him. There were so many group costumes for things I couldn't have even imagined cosplaying. Another teenage girl was sat on the floor a few feet away from me with her group of friends, wearing her interpretation of Bill Cipher from the show Gravity Falls. It genuinely filled me with so much joy to be able to watch all of these diverse groups come together to just celebrate what they like. I was so nervous going in, but everyone there seemed so friendly and at ease, I couldn't help but feel a lot less embarrassed.

My dad and I sat on the floor for about an hour and finished our food, and we went to explore the rest of the convention. We stopped at almost every booth, and I had bought 2 things along the way, a Gojo Satoru poster for my friend's birthday, and a Neon Genesis Evangelion shirt for my other friend's birthday (all of our birthdays are within a week from each other so it was nice to be able to get their gifts all in one spot). The event didn't really seem like my dad's cup of tea, and I was getting worried that he wasn't having fun, but he reassured me that he was just enjoying walking around and hanging out. After 3 hours of being under bright fluorescent lights and surrounded by people and bright colors, we were both starting to get a headache and decided it was time for us to head out. I know lots of people stay at conventions from open to close every day that they run, and I have to give MAJOR props to them because I am not nearly strong enough for that. On the way out, my dad and I passed a booth that we missed before that was selling $5 vintage tees. I dragged him over to look and was SO excited because all of the shirts they had were actually really cool. He bought 2 Marvel shirts, and I was very happy that he wan't leaving empty handed. I also got 2 shirts, an oversized graphic tee of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show that my dad made me watch as a kid, and a Def Leppard shirt that I still wear to this day (shown below in a picture way too big for this post but it won't let me make it smaller).

3 years later, as a much more confident college student, I can't wait to return to Tampa Comic Con. I'm planning on wearing a Sailor Moon cosplay that I wore for halloween last year (added below in case anyone wanted to see), and after my previous experience, I'm no longer nervous about being judged. Comic Con is a place where the only requirement to be accepted is to be kind <3

(So so sorry this is over 1k words I just got really into writing about my experience and reminiscing. Please don't dock any points I'm just overly passionate)

[theanimatedworldblog]

Hey!! This is so cool omgosh I have never personally gone to an anime convention but I felt like I just lived going to one vicariously through you. your costume is so so cute you look amazing in it! I'm so glad that you had a lot of fun and I honestly want to attend one of these conventions on my own and even cosplay as well. I don't think I would be able to create any of my own pieces though so I would have to buy them or have them custom made. Overall i'm glad you got to experience such a cool experience and your write up was quite interesting as well. :)

[robian]

Wandering Son

Honestly, at first I thought this anime was a comment on discrimination against transgender people. However, by the end of the show, I think the anime was more of a comment on cross-dressing. Either way, the discrimination portrayed could easily be applied to either one because most people can't differentiate between the two. Most people, if they saw a bio male in a dress, would automatically jump to the conclusion that the person was transgender.

I thought it was interesting how the anime portrayed the contrast between male and female cross-dressers. Women can pretty much easily get away with dressing as a man, but if a dude were to wear a skirt (unless you're about to whip out the bagpipes), people would judge him. My personal thoughts on the cause of this is that women tend to be more fashionable in general, so a woman dressing as a man could just be seen as fashion.

The anime makes a pretty clear statement that society frowns upon men to women cross-dressing. What I think is interesting is how we've applied gender labels to so many things. Even the color pink is seen as girly. Personally, as a dude, I love the color pink. Society, from a young age, conditions us to like certain things. Boys are given toys different from girls, they're dressed in different clothing, etc. There's nothing biologically that implies a guy can't like wearing a skirt. It's all psychological conditioning.

I wonder if transgender people feel that they were born into the wrong body because their interests happened to align with the opposite gender's. gender and sex are fundamentally different after all. One is based on psychological aspects while the other is based on biological aspects. In my opinion, theres actually nothing psychologically wrong with transgender people at all, rather, it's society assigning labels that's the problem.

Society is wrong for discriminating these people just because they don't fall under it's standards. Just let people like what they like. If it isn't hurting anyone, then what business do you have with them. To all my homies out there, if you wanna go dress up as a woman, go do it. To all the ladies out there, if you wanna dress up as dude, go do it. Who cares what society thinks, cause it's all BS anyways.

p.s. if you disagree or feel strongly about any of the things I said just know I don't read any of yalls reposts, but feel free to criticize🙏

[theanimatedworldblog]

Heyy :) The end of your blog post made me laugh LOL. But I never watched or heard of Wandering Boy before this point and in the beginning of the show I was confused about discrimination rather I was confused about who Nitro was. I think this anime portrays struggles that people all around the world go through because they don't fit into societal "norms" and therefore feel out of place a lot of the time. I also think that discrimination against people outside of these norms who aren't harming others is wrong overall. The conditioning of society on our lives is so true because we are taught that girls should be lady-like and boys should be strong. We are also taught that there are boy colors and girl toys etc. Overall I think this anime is need in order to show people that being who you are is okay.

[theanimatedworldblog]

Wandering Son

This is another first time animation that I’ve had in this class because I have never heard of this watch or heard of this animation before this point. I personally have never watched anime that display real world issues such as politics and sexuality or gender. In the beginning of the show I will say that I was confused about the show because Nitro’s narrator voice was more feminine than those of other animated male characters that I had seen before. I soon was able to grasp onto the idea this show was based on gender identity after that point. This animation was definitely a pleasant surprise because it addresses issues that people struggle with on a daily basis while also integrating in with a pleasantry many people enjoy, which is watching different media. In the anime Nitro isn’t comfortable with the gender performance that he has been assigned according to society. The idea of gender performance comes from Butler's theory of gender performativity. Butler’s theory says that gender is a performance that is learned through societal structures and history which are taught and learned to children. Essentially I would say that this theory identifies that gender is learned through the stereotypes that are taught to people like boys should be strong and girls should always be lady-like. As for how this anime relates to the module’s intended lesson it is quite obvious to fit along the line of gender discussion. This anime doesn’t personally relate to my life at all actually. According to society I would align with the conservative views of where gender and sexually “should fit” according to my biological sex. I will say that this anime is definitely well thought through and necessary because surely there are people struggling with expressing their identity in a similar way that Nitro was. To have this anime to look at and know that you aren’t the only one feeling out of place within societal “norms’ is a big necessity.