Kian's World and Blog Project

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

EC and Appreciation Post for JPT3702

When I first came to class, I more often than not overlooked the significance of anime in terms of how the plots and characters have actually played roles in invoking societal change throughout the 20th century up to now. As can be seen by my earlier posts, I lacked any sort of analytical framework through which to view these works. Now, I feel, through group analyses in class, a greater sense of flexibility in the way I analyze a work and have developed different lenses through which to view them in order to extract certain meanings. I was shocked to learn, for instance, about the uses of anime for purposes ranging from the interests of aum shinkrikyo, made by themselves, to those calling the issues which led to their creation in Penguindrum. Furthermore, viewing far-right manga like Sensoron after the likes of far-left readings like Kamuiden has really allowed me to realize the massive scope and versatility of purposes anime and manga can serve. 

I also feel like I can appreciate, and moreover talk about, the visual elements of anime and manga that make them so charming. Learning about how to discuss the ways in which visuals can manipulate the reader into not taking a character seriously in one panel to completely resonating with them in the next by recognizing the degree to which they are depicted either cartoonishly or seriously through their expressions, etc. I feel like if someone wanted to discuss in depth works like these, I could come into the room with some idea as to how I should approach analyzing them and appreciating them, which is what has made this class so valuable. 

[monnnica-blog1]

4/23/2019

Can’t believe this is already the last post for the class! Ever since hearing about the story during the voting time, this show seemed very interesting. You don’t see/hear much about trans and identity in anime and especially in Japan, so I was pretty excited to watch this! I was really surprised to see it based on middle school students! But I also think thats what makes it great as well. It’s a time when students are trying to be who they really are and I think this can really help people who are trying to true to who they are as well. I think this show has probably made a much bigger impact than I could imagine and I think is a very big step forward. Really excited to hear everyones thoughts on the show in class as well! 

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

I agree with you on the progressive scope of the show. I love how many nuanced issues it brings to light relating to sexuality, especially given the characters’ ages. 

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

This is a very interesting view and sheds a very interesting light on identity issues. Identifying as straight male, there were certainly viewpoints and angles on sexuality I had not considered before made clear by this show. It makes these matters very digestible. 

I especially appreciated how Anna stays with Shouichi in the end. I think their relationship makes a lot of clarifications about the separating dimensions of gender sexuality and sexual preference. I think a common misconception is that homosexuality and being transgender are no mutually exclusive. 

[johns-anilog]

Post 23: Congratulations

Well, they weren’t kidding when they said by the end of Eva they resorted to using markers and crayons to finish the show due to budget and time constraints. 

Jokes aside, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a show I’ve been meaning to watch for a very, very long time, and I’m glad I finally got to get a taste of it. The majority of the final episode resonated with me deeply, as someone who’s struggled with their own sense of self-worth and purpose in life. That final episode, especially how it ends, has been very contentious ever since its release, understandably, but when viewed as a summary of this deeply introspective show, I think it works very well. Knowing that much of this show was meant to be a reflection of the creator’s own struggles and more of a quiet reflection on that than anything else (ironic since its setting subverts this notion at times), it’s definitely won me over. There’s no question why this show is such a landmark in anime history; literally, it revolutionized what a creator could do on a broadcast anime, and it paved the way for other deeply exploratory series such as Revolutionary Girl Utena (created in the immediate wake of this show). Additionally, it’s no surprise why this is one of the most iconic anime of all time, and its influence on pop culture still resonates to this day (I mean, just look at the gif below this).

Or how it’s used as a representative of Japanese consumable pop-culture in the music video for Me Me Me (also animated by Gainax, the video serves as a harsh critique of the dangers of overindulgence in otakudom and self-isolation). Though, this reflects more of an unwanted reality by Eva’s creator: that a lot of people see the series as not much more than any other mecha anime and focus on the action and cute girls (and ironically enough, Gainax is responsible for using Eva as a cash cow).

[Fair warning for those who haven’t seen Me Me Me and are curious, it does have some nudity, so probably best not to watch that in class.]

[summer-gator-blog]

First of all, as a reply to your reblog, the pigs freaked me out too! As for Evangelion, I feel like it can resonate with so many people. I looked into it a bit more, but I’m interested to hear more.

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

I too was awaiting to watch Evangelion! A little complex but it would be boring otherwise! It is definitely ripe with pop-culture tropes, including the opening which took Japan by storm.

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

4/17/2019

Spirited Away is a timeless classic that I’m proud to have been apart of the generation that came up on it. Nevertheless, its confusing as it sort of meshes elements of reality and fantasy without much warning sort of as Penguindrum did. On that note, the transformation of the parents into pigs is one early example of how greed affects society, indicating to me that elements relating thereto are an important theme of this movie. The happy ending was also nice seeing as how we have seen many very not happy endings. 

Evangelion is an enthralling show upon first sight. The opening song I knew through a friend who mentioned something about its popularity in Karaoke playlists throughout Japan. On that note, this is a work rich with anime and pop culture troupes which I feel contribute to its popularity. Definitely feels like there are societal critiques underlying the show encompasses a greater dialogue underlying the show. It feels again like wartime and bomb references are prevalent. 

[tobe-gandamu]

The End of Penguindrum

           What is there that I can say about Penguindrum? I’m genuinely uncertain. These past few episodes certainly captivated me a lot more than the first few- though I suppose I resigned myself to the confusion of the series and just rolled with what came at me… That being said, there were quite a few really beautiful scenes (animation-wise) that really reminded me of Ghibli’s style, or even Your Name’s. Stylistically, very nice. Plot/message wise- I’m still a great bit confused.

           That isn’t to say that this is a bad show, in fact- I’m sure I would have really enjoyed it given the opportunity to watch it in its entirety. Sure, towards the beginning I found the characters and plot flat, confusing, and lacking all sorts of depth, but by the end of this I could see the faint whispers of the larger narrative, and some really cool moments (looking at you, burning journal scene) really showed off the depth and well… character, of these characters. Also the penguins were adorable as always. Good stuff overall.

          Couple of interesting notes here- the director/co-writer for the series apparently headed Sailor Moon R & S, as well as Revolutionary Girl Utena (design similarities abound).

AND WE’RE OFF TO THE PSYCHOLOGICALLY COMPLEX RACES!

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

I certainly feel a work like this is an acquired taste and is perhaps more enjoyable with further context. Even without having watched the episodes in between those assigned, learning about the background of this work as it relates to aum shinrikyo and it being a critique there of makes it more enticing and also adds reasons to its overall ambiguity.

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

4/15/19

Still quite the mysterious journey but with further context from the previous class and further reading, the series’ finale becomes more decipherable. Himari embodies fate at the time she and Shouma meet as children, at which point he submits to the will of fate with her. This I feel helps set the tone for his opposition to the attack to come. In light of this, it become clear that fate is supposed to reflect the actual nature of life as viewed by most people in society and thus serves as the opposing basis from which the terrorists form their worldview.

The critique towards aum shinkrikyo here, I feel, is of their ideological naivety and how it took advantage of a rough situation that was not properly handled by society. The child broiler they reference is supposed to represent society’s neglect of children, and perhaps other marginalized individuals, and serves as the basis for their resentment towards the world. Their approach, however, is shown by Penguindrum to be bitter and unnatural as their ideal solutions to such issues only really seem to perpetuate the extreme possible outcomes of their supposed concerns anyways. They don’t offer solutions, only a medium for people full of bitterness or emptiness indicative of the time to apply their frustrations and ambitions towards something depicted as being meaningful. The facelessness of all secondhand characters, including those apart of said organization, now comes into further context as we see that those within it are not different from many others in society, particularly at that time. The emptiness being a mutual quality amongst all sorts of people in society speaks to how the organization, of course, never managed to provide a character to those faces, as joining members may have expected, but rather took advantage of greater societal issues affecting those individuals out of malice.

[daynihongo-blog]

4/11/2019 - キュー

Today’s viewings were Penguindrum and Kimi no Na wa. Kimi no Na wa is a mvoie that I have seen a few times being that it was super popular when it released and it is personally one of my favorite anime/anime movies. The soundtrack from the movie is something I listen to from time to time and the animation of it is top quality. It carries a theme that I think is pretty common in anime and Japanese movies from what I have seen, being romance mixed with a situation that pulls two people apart or won’t let them have the relationship they desire. In Kimi no Na wa, the two main characters are introduced to each other by a comet switching their bodies and them having to live each others lives, communicating with each other by leaving each other messages. The twist comes when it is learned that they are living in slightly different time periods in Japan and Taki has to use Mitsuha’s body to save her soon to be destroyed town by the comet.

This plot style is one that see a lot in Japanese media, and one that I really enjoyed. The twist in the plot isn’t something that I ever saw coming and was one that caught me by surprise. This kind of plot style is something that I usually see in Japanese style media in sometimes different forms, one example being a movie where the two people met and fell in love but they were ageing in different directions and had their love ripped apart.

Penguin drum was a interesting anime to say the least. The plot line was pretty interesting and it was fun to get surprised with the characters with what was happening to Himari. My favorite part was when Shouma was asking the Mother and her daughter what the penguin was and the thought he was a weird person hallucinating. Being that we skipped a lot of episodes there are a few characters that we don’t get introductions for but the story was still easily understandable. I really enjoyed the art style in this anime as it was very colorful and felt very vibrant. I am excited to watch the next 3 episodes that we have lined up and can’t wait to get to see more of the plot.

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

I too listen to the soundtrack occasionally! On a serious note, the twist is indeed a unique one and I appreciated the high note on which it ended. The film had me on my seat, particularly when Mitsuha was trying to evacuate Itomori. 

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

4/10/19

To start with Your Name, I would say its a sweet movie that’s beautiful to watch and has a lot of meaning but the general plot line and subplots involving romance makes it a little corny. That being said, I took particularly to its realistic depictions of modern Japan. The way it portrays the buzzing city life in Tokyo using nuanced details like realistic depictions of actual train stations while contrasting it with the rural lifestyle of North Gifu prefecture provided a really interesting way to highlight the disconnect of worlds between Mitsuha and Taki. Also, I sense some sort of memorial vibe from this movie, though I don’t know what event(s) I could attribute that to.

Penguindrum is fascinating. Super confusing and strange but honestly soothing and an overall beautiful watch. It definitely seems to be a lot of existential discourse over the existence of fate. I really loved the soundtrack, I felt like it was used in tandem with the plot to facilitate compel the viewers to think deeply about the dialogue,  particularly when the spirit preaches. 

[animishyo]

04.09.19 - The Wind Rises (2013)

I watched this movie not knowing anything about it other than that it’s a Miyazaki film. It was a long movie and since there wasn’t much action, it definitely felt long too. Once the film finished I felt a bit confused? And thus, I did like I do and looked it up on YouTube to see if there were any vide essays/analyses on it. There weren’t too many and they were pretty short as far as video essay standards go (at least from what I typically watch). I did get the most important historical context from them though: that Jiro Hirokoshi was real person.

Jiro Hirokoshi was a Japanese engineer who worked on designs for many aircrafts used in WWII, including the one used in the Pearl Harbor attack and the planes used in kamikaze attacks.

Oooooh! Everything made so much more sense after that. (Imagine that.)

With this historical context, I can appreciate the film much more. The juxtaposition of this quiet and passionate designer, who seemingly isn’t concerned much with the fact that these are war planes to be used and is just thrilled he has an opportunity to design beautiful planes, is a bit eerie. How could such lethal machines be created from such (arguably) innocent passion?

I think this kind of question is also applicable to the world of technology today (e.g. security concerns with Facebook, Google, etc., Amazon’s domination of the retail industry, etc). These developments typically came about from passion projects. It’s not a 1:1 comparison (since the creators weren’t employed and ask to make these things, nor were they intentionally created to be malicious), but it’s something that crossed my mind.

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

I also watched the film with fresh eyes. Your assertion regarding his innocent passions is interesting. Perhaps this is a stretch but maybe this speaks to how people who individually possessed creative capabilities were, during that time in Japan, subject to apply them within context of Imperial Japan’s climate. 

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

The Wind Rises (1/8/2019)

Wow, what a beautiful film. I read somewhere that a general aim of Miyazaki’s has been to illicit an appreciation for the ‘little things’ in life amongst his viewership. Certainly, I feel typical settings seen in every day life, such as mountains, shorelines, cities, etc. are made easier to appreciate through this film as they’re depicted with rich detail, going down to the finer points. Even with people, I love how the boss’ hair, for instance, would rise and fall back on his head as he went about; it really contributed to characterizing him as a ‘kibishi’ boss. The train rides also serve as a great example of this, as provide an ideal site to gaze in awe at Miyazaki’s depictions of mother nature race by at a speed they actually would in person. Miyazaki must be really observant. The Kanto Region earthquake was depicted in a rather pornographic manner, as the bomb in barefoot Gen was, depicting a quite literal rolling out of the land scape and everything within it with no special regard for the life it hosts. While evil music plays in the background to inject a stronger sense of tragedy into the event, almost making it seem like a menacing act, it is a very real event.

One scene I found interesting was when Jiro goes to spectate the German planes. Many of these scenes were very racially charged as the German soldiers kept referring to them as ‘these Japanese’ and were very suspicious of them the whole time, even though they had explicit permission to be present on supposedly equal terms, even though, of course, the Germans did not truly view it this way. When one soldier advised them not to go beyond a certain point for their safety, he referred to them in that same demeaning manner as previously mentioned while Jiro refers to him as ‘kyodai’ or ‘brother.’ Obviously, the soldier doesn’t consider them equals and while Jiro doesn’t care, his partner does. Somehow I feel this another way the film emphasizes innovative qualities in people overlook superficialities and thus is encouraging thereof.

[summer-gator-blog]

That got dark. I mean… where to start? I watched Barefoot Gen first, so I guess I might as well just dive right in.

I knew these were sad (thanks for the heads up!), but other than the family being hungry, it started off pretty happy. I guess that’s where they really get you. I hate that Gen’s family knew the war was almost over. They were so close to making it out, and they were even at a safe enough distance to escape a lethal amount of radiation. I mean, Gen’s family died from fire and starvation.

The deaths in Grave of the Fireflies were caused by such similar things, even if the circumstances were different. Another thing I hate: in both movies they were just a day too late with the food. Although, in Grave of the Fireflies, I still don’t understand why the brother didn’t withdraw money to buy food earlier, or even go back to his aunt and beg (it would’ve been better to lose his pride than his sister’s life). It was also pretty depressing to see how he didn’t even realize the war was over, since they were still starving and all.

Well then, I think I need to go pet a puppy.

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

Very sad. On the note of him not realizing the war was over, I suppose it would be hard to after getting into a routine of ducking for cover with havoc guaranteed to ensue. Makes me wonder how that ties into the lost generation of Japan and how people lost their sense of identity after the war.

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

Grave of the Fireflies is where I began my tear-jerking evening. One thought I had was regarding my surprise at the nature of the bombings compared to my expectations. It seemed as if a great deal of the damage which ensued occurred resultant of the subsequent fires of the bombings rather from the bombings themselves. My preconception was that the blast themselves contributed to a majority of the damage and while I’m sure they did, this film really allowed me to conceptualize the effects of the war on a more personal level, seeing things from the perspective of those who got bombed rather than the other way around. This personalized the experience overall and certainly makes other perspectives on the war seem the least bit more approachable. 

The scene I want to discuss from Barefoot Gen is probably among the most significant and that’s regarding the actual bombing of Hiroshima. Prior to watching this, the stories and histories I have heard about reactions to the bombings did include similar to happenings to those displayed in the movie. One instance of this included curiosity of those on the ground regarding a lone plane in the sky. Apparently, a lone plane was a rare occurrence so I heard, as confirmed bystanders this film, that people on the ground where confused by this prior to the explosion. What makes this film so heartbreaking is how they put you on the scene and make you watch the really sad reality of zombie-like impacts on the population and family dying before one’s eyes. 

[monnnica-blog1]

4/2/2019

Although Tezuka Osamu is truly amazing, and so is the series, I think I’m starting to drift away from war time mangas. Maybe its just a personal preference, but it kind of just makes me sad and confused. Ofcourse it is very interesting, and the connection with history makes it somewhat informational (?) even if its not accurate. 

This also really reminded me of the one Japanese Drama that has Oguri Shun who falls during a field trip to a historical town and basically travels back in time and becomes the Oda Nobunaga. All of the fighting and behind the scenes romance seemed kind of similar. Also the fact that its inspired by historical happenings, but has a magical tone to it, like the phoenix and the time traveling. 

Im not sure how I feel about the main character. I couldn’t tell if I was on his side or not throughout the whole thing. I guess in the end it worked out for him though which is good. 

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

Monica, I definitely feel and appreciate your fatigue. While I do agree with you to a degree though, I also feel this one had a more compelling spiritual edge for me and honestly I like this series for its introduction to ancient Japanese tales and histories.

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

April 1, 2019

One thing I found particularly interesting about today’s reading of Phoenix was the dialogue on Buddhism. First off, I found the way Tezuka references Chōjū Giga to be incredibly amusing and witty, seeing as he how even created an origin story for it. This manga’s discussion of it confirms the assertions made in our class discussions regarding the 12th century works’ aim at depicting humans, particularly those of high acclaim, like monks, as humorous animals in order to level them and highlight the tendency for those of high influence to be prone to abusing their positions due to such instincts. I will say however, based on what we learned in class about manga, Master Kakuyu referring to it as such might be misleading as the context in the story seems to imply that the style of drawings in Chōjū Giga is what defines it, which is of course is not entirely true. 

 The role of the Phoenix in this narrative is interesting and seemingly unique. I think it’s supposed to serve as a sort of symbolism for the cycle of life or immortality, that being death and rebirth, referred to throughout this work. With the old man always referred to as Goblin by Ushiwaka, he only dies upon realizing the monotony and meaninglessness of his excessively long life and it is only at that point he is able to see the fire bird. The regent's desire for the bird stems from his wish to be like the former and live for as long as possible. Both instances go to highlight the bird’s purpose as a symbol of the immortality that lies in the general cycle of life as opposed to individual lives because they prove that the elongation of any individual human life is pointless and senseless within the context of the grand scheme of things. 

[krupptonaru-blog]

Phoenix pt 2

I mean it’s volume 3, but whatever. 

I love it. Definitely not what I was expecting.

Coincidentally, I had to write an essay this previous Saturday for Felt’s samurai class, comparing two of the warriors that we’ve covered up to this point. One of the warriors that I chose to cover was the Kojiki Yamato Takeru. The other was a woman named Tomoe Gozen. Tomoe Gozen doesn’t have a lot of battle scenes, but the main one is where she takes on a challenge from an enemy warrior. They’re basically trying to grapple each other when the guy pulls his sword on her. She calls him out for it, strikes his elbow hard enough to make him drop it, and then kills him. Obviously I’m a bit biased, since I just wrote an essay on these two characters, but I could swear that’s the scene we’re looking at… Anyway, I also thought the portrayal of Yamato Takeru was so odd. In the Kojiki he’s like the opposite of honorable. Ambushes, disguises, deception, etc. Yamato Takeru is all about those dirty tricks. If we were to try and give him one good attribute (other than just good at killing) it would probably be that he’s loyal. Follows his dads order to take out rebels, then follows the order and tries to clear the east of barbarians and deities. Contrast these things with Tezuka’s Phoenix and we have… basically the opposite? Yamato Takeru is shown as being much more sensitive/sophisticated. And though he keeps the first order, he eventually betrays his dad. Also just in general the story is so different. I mean I know Tezuka isn’t just going to rip of the Kojiki, but it seems so different. I imagine there’s a reason for it, but it does make me scratch my head. Small notes - I really disliked the beginning of this story. I felt like the king’s representation and all the references/jokes were too much, and I was dreading having to finish it. After a while it calmed down though, and I enjoyed it. Some of the plot was a bit… odd. Why wouldn’t you just kill a 10/10 definite assassin that’s come to kill you? Especially when that person’s only connection to you is that they’re the enemy. And then, the last minute change in plan for Takeru and crew was like… dumb. Takeru: “I have to get this bird so all the live sacrifices will be able to survive instead!” Also Takeru: “Hey guys what if, and hear me out on this one, instead of climbing out of our graves we just did karaoke until we die?” I mean I get that it was supposed to go with the whole fulfilling death theme thing, but ehh…

SHE ALREADY ANSWERED!

I really enjoyed the space story (more so the beginning parts of it than the end). The creepy space murder mystery type of story is a super interesting one to me. I was wondering to myself while reading it, it seems to be pretty common knowledge that there’s something fucky going on with this guy’s age. So why wouldn’t they have him stay awake (that way there are always 2 people awake for a cycle)? I guess if you’ve already tested to make sure people won’t go insane then it doesn’t matter that much… but since his age becomes a problem it makes more sense. Now to talk about the part I didn’t like so much… the love stuff. So annoying. I mean I don’t have much more to add here, I just didn’t like it. It’s bad enough to have a love triangle, but then you add in this sucker who’s just been crushing in the background this whole time? Meh.

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

I tend to agree with you to some degree on the love triangle. I’m a total mush so while I found it enticing, I think it was just strange. I mean, what’s wrong with Saruto? If they were the last two people they knew I think Nana should’ve lowered her standards for him but that’s just me. 

[themediumsizedbear-blog]

March 25, 2019

This week’s reading of Phoenix, particularly the concept surrounding a man being cursed into turning continuously younger into infancy reminds me of the film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I wonder what folklore or the like it may be influenced by. At any rate, this one was certainly emotionally compelling. For one thing, it was relieving that the characters were able to make it back onto a planet with oxygen and be mobile. Even if the circumstances we not ideal, the idea of being in a pod is suffocating to think about. 

The love triangle dynamic is also enticing. I personally did not appreciate Nana’s aversion of Saruto’s love confession as it seems bizarre or blind to me that someone would choose to be with one subject to Makimura’s curses as opposed to another who could sustain a life with her in the place they belong. Moreover, it seems shallow and I don’t if that was something the story was trying to get at but just my thoughts.