@tuzzler - Tumblr Blog

I don’t wanna get stabbed with an umbrella.

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

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

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

tuzzler

The way you wrote about our images if celebrities and who they really are was honestly really well-done. There is probably no better way to describe the differences between the two than using terms like simulacra and it never occurred to me to define it like that.

perfect blue.

Coming into this movie I knew there were themes regarding fame, expectations, and self which made me think of other films like Birdman or Black Swan where the protagonist could possibly be unreliable and as we go through the movie we need to reflect on what we’ve seen as somethings might contradict.

Fame creates a difficult situation for someone who may not understand how this can possibly affect their life and what others expect from them. I’d like to relate this to sort of the music industry because we always see some sort of popular artist at odds with their label or their manager because there is a disagreement as to what they want to ship and what the artist is creating. In the film industry this is the same idea as an actor may want to deliver a particular role yet be pressured by immoral directors or staff who just want to see the cash-flow with no regard to the person who has hired them to oversee their work and manage it. Aside from these sort of people we have the fans, who although are on the receiving end can still impact an artist and their decisions just as much through idolization, pandering, and speaking on an artist and their work as if it were worthless. At that point there will be a divide in what the world sees of this person and how they see themselves and how they will act out in public and this will now potentially affect what they do next in their career or how they interact with the masses. It’s painful to see an artist who was growing, coming up, just get shot down by media and pressures because it is a lot to take in mentally and that transition, which is not done willingly, should be kept in mind more often by those who want to support an artist. Perfect Blue shows us all of these ideas through it’s character Mima who is losing her touch with reality and for a watcher it becomes difficult to see this downward spiral.

jamesonioninjapan

Death Parade [1,2,9,10]

I really like that opening song, so upbeat and active in contrast to the calm demeanor of the bar tender.

From the first episode, my impressions of the show’s commentary on how people act is unruly in a way. The notion that people behave in their truest incarnations when their lives are seemingly at stake, or when pitted against another person, is a scary idea (one that I sadly am compelled to believe in). It also simultaneously shows how people are unable to act rationally, especially when they are stimulated through physical pain and emotional shock.

But the method of determining who is worth eternal damnation and who is sent to heaven (or in reality, being reincarnated or being eternally dead) is something that is intriguing. Imagining that this ‘holy’ process is rather in the hands of humanoid like beings rather than godly entities is also somewhat fun.

Something I couldn’t help but catch is that there are 7 darts in the game. A dart for every Christian sin. The idea that whoever’s score is lowest from throwing darts is, rather than prove a winner, instead proves who is more worthy of damnation (for being willing enough to hurt their ‘opponent’).

Their portrayal of manipulation and vulnerability is also eery to a viewer. When someone is in fear of being killed, their natural instinct to survive moves them to act in a way to manipulate their opponent. Even when they find out that their lives are not at stake, this want to win in the end continues to drive people to act maliciously.

But the show then calls into question why this game is just. Especially the fact that, even though Machiko, had an affair (you could see her true feelings, that she indeed loved her husband). This lack of a gray scale in determining the results only leaves room for error, as people cannot truly be malicious or truly be good.

tuzzler

There’s a lot to dissect and argue may be wrong in the show and that lack of gray scale is important to consider but in some episodes of the show we see that the system the arbiters use isn’t really as binary as we think it is form the get go. Although there is a mistake that they make in the first two episodes I got interested and the the third episode and in that one both people end up getting reincarnated which I thought was right, you know? But I missed that point that you bring up about the darts. Numbers can always have some significance and I should really look out for them more often since in this case it can add quite a bit to an analysis.

death parade.

Aside from how fun and well put together the show seems to be regarding the way it can juxtapose more macabre themes and ideas into a relaxed environment with fun characters that have some surprises to them, the show in it’s flawed perception of human morality and emotions just shows how human that is. There is no way that all of us can look at another person and expect to understand them perfectly without giving them enough time and seeing them in different situations. Yet, in the show the premise lends itself to quick character development by providing the people playing the game a way of realizing who they were, the circumstances of their death, and memories regarding the other person as they play a game supposedly with their lives at stake. Quickly the show makes it apparent the game is more so a facade for the arbiter to be able to observe and understand those that they are observing more easily by placing them in a difficult situation that makes the players interact with each other and show off who they really are, which is made apparent through the lovely intro song. Now I’d like to address something I said earlier being that their system is flawed which we see in episodes 1 & 2. The show in saying this upfront to the viewer I think is better than the show playing it off immediately because needless to say our own perception of morality and a person is never accurate and even when were six feet under it won’t be any better. In the bit I’ve seen, I’m a big fan of stories and worlds that humanize seemingly supernatural things such as God and more things that we don’t understand. Even if it might take away some of the mystery that is enjoyable of things that elevate that element of supernatural beings, they’re now subject to things like emotions and flaws that we dissociate from God. In short though, the show presents a lot of things that are important to talk about with regards to our own humanity, our morals, and death.

justagirlwithaclassblog

Violet Evergarden

“Her existence had been kept secret from everyone However people who know about said that she was a weapon. She would fight if you wanted her to. She looked like a human. She was just a tool…without a heart.”

-Lieutenant Hodgins

Violet Evergarden presents a commentary on human connection and emotions through the juxtaposition of the desensitization caused by war and the expressive and sensitive nature of everyday life. We see Violet struggle with understanding complex emotions, emotions that serve as a driving force behind humans and their actions.

In the first episode, we see how war, specifically the desensitization caused by war, can lead to emotion stunting and the lack of emotional recognition, especially in children soldiers like Violet, herself, hence her inability to understand love.

Something that stuck out to me was when Violet said “I am the major’s tool. But if he doesn’t need me anymore then I should be thrown away. Throw me away. Throw me away somewhere.” It reminded me of Haku from Naruto and his devotion to Zabuza, serving as his weapon. Just as being Zabuza’s weapon gave Haku purpose, being the Major’s weapon, receiving orders from him gives Violet purpose, driving her through life. Thus, when there is no more war and no more orders, Violet finds herself at loss. This relates to everyday life with the struggles in the transition from a war mindset when integrating back to civilian life. As illustrated through Violet, a job serves a great auxiliary in helping veterans re-transition and integrate into civilian life. Her job as an Auto Memory Doll, gives Violet a new purpose as she tries to navigate the emotions of others by putting them into words. She ultimately learns the importance of expressing emotions and emotions, themselves, recognizing that the letters which serve as the medium of this emotion outpouring and expression, all deserve to be written, sent, and delivered. As she claims, “No letter that could be sent deserves to go undelivered.”

Thus, the anime also makes evident the importance of moving forward through life, even with the invisible scars left by the flames of our past and actions, and emphasizes the importance of feelings and emotions as a vital aspect of the human experience. Although at times it may seem easier to bottle up and block out are emotions, we must recognize that they are a vital as part of human nature and the human experience, and also a part of who we are.

tuzzler

Human nature is weird and incredibly complex to talk about but what you say in your last paragraph is just fact. I think the worst part about this though is that we never realize these things when it is necessary due to how much we can argue with ourselves emotionally which is why this process can take soooo long for so many people and for some it just can’t happen where they understand what they are experiencing can move on.

violet evergarden.

Considering a narrative that we haven’t directly discussed being that of reintegrating into postwar society, Violet Evergarden is a personal story that shows how difficult this process can be. War and the problems that come from it for all the people involved cause lasting scars that may never heal regardless of how much time has passed and this other idea that there are many different ways to begin the healing process comes up. I would like to remind us of how the creator of Grave of the Fireflies found release in acknowledging his regrets and creating a narrative that ends in a sort of suicide that could give him release from his darker past. With this mentioned, Violet has to deal with the thoughts and feelings that are keeping her from moving on but once she finds those letters from the war that express grief and pain she finds motivation to continue because it feels she can finally properly acknowledge her feelings that may be repressed or that she cannot express. Just to reiterate, this idea of revisiting past trauma and writing on it as if it were something to be changed in order to understand can be surprisingly effective for some people and reading these narratives may be just as helpful for others. Emotional rehabilitation and the process that society goes through to start back up after war needs to be acknowledged I think through a collection of these personal experiences and narratives in order to properly understand how difficult postwar situations are. People will start to discuss issues such as postwar economics and more but lets bring this conversation to the people, families, and individuals. I’ll use veterans in western society as an example because my knowledge is limited but I don’t think it would be too unreasonable to assume that in other societies veterans are overlooked by people regularly. Veterans can come back from war and due to trauma and difficulty reintegrating into society they cannot find jobs, feel comfortable around their own family, and go down a spiral that can lead to suicide. Let’s bring this back to the show now, Violet is nothing less of a veteran and allows this conversation to come up since she has to come to terms with the things that war shows about humanity, morality, and people’s own mortality and we see her experience this downward spiral. Violet Evergarden does a great job in conveying many of these ideas which allows this piece to shine today.

cyang2000

4/13 Sensoron

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

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

tuzzler

His obsession with arguing against people who have been “brainwashed” is particularly annoying because in doing this he brings down even his own people who he is trying to build back up in some sort of way. He succeeds in no place when telling the reader that people are being misinformed especially since, like you say, it is no where near the extent he is describing. Something I’d like to mention is that if this text wasn’t using manga as a medium, I think it would have never received the attention that it did.

sensoron.

Quite the conservative and spiteful text Sensoron shows itself to be. Kobayashi in the manga attempts to show its readers particular arguments that are founded upon the idea of biased nationalism and a tendency to claim other sources of information illegitimate due to reasons that are not founded upon reason or factual information. Similar to radical propaganda that we have seen throughout decades even before our time this reeks of a familiar “fake news” argument that we have become accustomed to. Now with this comparison I do not mean to put what Kobayashi is doing at the same level as these sort of childish arguments that can be seen in today’s media. What Kobayashi has attempted to do in his manga is particularly incorrect and almost like what a villain would do in some sort of fiction, honestly. Take for example how in the manga there are panels where they claim that they need to speak to members of the war generation, as postwar intellectuals he is assuming this sort of responsibility to speak to the masses on a topic that even he claims to know nothing about which is war. To take Kobayashi’s own words, they are different species. Western powers imposing themselves on “lesser nations” is nothing new and immoral but something to consider is the lack of reason in the argument that he puts out when claiming that Japanese people were brainwashed and did not need this war anymore. There are countless other sources of media, by Japanese people, that put out their frustrations with the war and the reality of the situation on a micro scale in order to understand the impact that the war had on them. We need to look no further than some of the texts that we have watched in class such as Barefoot Gen, which is proud of it’s Japanese origin yet isn’t afraid to argue against both sides of history. Kobayashi also makes attempts to justify, or bring down actual crimes against humanity in order to further his argument that Japan is not alone in it’s mass murder and war crimes. This is true, it is undeniable, but how could someone attempt to make this argument by speaking of crimes against Jewish people less seriously than they were, using terms such as “comfort women”, and using stereotypical imagery which shows racist ideologies and tendencies.

maxs-animoo

君の名は。

I watched this movie for the first time in 2017 and it was my first real anime movie(after I had become conscious of the anime I was watching). And honestly its still probably in my top 5 anime I have watched and it keeps holding that spot in spite of the anime I am continuously watching and adding to my list. The first time I watched I couldn’t help but cry when Taki and Mitsuha had their fleeting meeting on the hill and rather than right his name he wrote I love you.

Regardless of the emotional content the show holds a lot of different messages regarding gender roles and how society perceives people. One of the things that stuck out to me the most was how Taki and all of his coworkers are flustered and seemingly in love with Okudera, however, it only when Mitsuha is in Taki’s body that he is able to actually make a move on her. Although the relationship ultimately goes nowhere it shows that acting as macho buff masculine guy doesn’t always get you the girl. In fact, displaying more feminine traits and breaking the typical gender roles actually proves to be useful. Similarly, when Taki is in Mitsuha’s body he sticks up for Mitsuha being bad mouthed by her classmates.

The anime also showed us the difference between traditional and modern Japan. Taki lives in the city and Mitsuha lives in the countryside and her family owns the local shrine. We see how both of them almost long for each other’s live and I think this might speak to the themes we discussed in wolf children. But also I think the anime teases with everyone wanting what they don’t have. ‘The grass is always greener on the other side’ sort of thing.

tuzzler

Man that scene you talk about in the beginning had me FUMING. I was so upsettttttttt the first time I watched the movie and he did that. But putting that ASIDE. There’s a great benefit to not being you know one particular way and through that interaction with that girl we see that. People who express themselves in more open and interesting ways, even if it isn’t labelled as masculine or feminine are more open to particular feelings and other people will see that and I think see them as more ideal people. Which I think goes without saying so I was just being redundant but yeah.

your name.

This movie is for most of the time an assault on your feelings as you’re just looking for a sliver of hope as Taki and Mitsuha get ever closer but the distance between the two becomes painfully clear as the story progresses. In the film the only constant thing that they can keep track of is each others names and that fact carries some symbolic importance throughout the film and we can briefly talk about language in the movie. Both characters through this dynamic of switching bodies have to deal with of course presenting themselves in a different way in order to sort of pass of as this other person which is interesting given the ways that they try to do it. They have to adapt their demeanor at times, they use different pronouns in order to speak on different things, they have to recognize different things about each other’s lives in order to behave properly. It is no easy task to do all these things but luckily the two of them actually manage to make their time in each others bodies more than ideal as their lives improve and we can briefly just note that cliche of “walking a mile in someone’s shoes” or whatever. I think there is a lot to be said about the way the film was drawn, animated, and more but sadly I don’t want to talk about it here. There is also a sort of distinction made during the movie about the families of both and the expectations that they have for them and we mostly see that coming from Mitsuha’s character and what she has to deal with. This idea is no apparent when we see Taki but this is just because it isn’t something he has to deal with, whether it be because he is from a more populated urban area where people are different or because he is a male or both. Traditional ideas and practices are regular for Mitsuha and certain things are expected from her in this regard which comes from her grandmother. This part shows the sort of less ideal problems or rather just a different lifestyle as through the body changes the characters get some perspective on these differences between people and the greater picture of a lot of people being sort of able to make sense of other people’s lives is shown.

cyang2000

4/3 Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Wow. I had started playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in advance because it was a game I had my eyes on for a while. It was also a great way of spending time during the quarantine. And I got addicted. After 50 hours I only made it to chapter 6, so I had to watch the rest of the cutscenes, but this is definitely a game that I will be finishing in the near future.

One of the best parts of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is how its plot comments on what human nature represents. The world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 features these massive titans which serve as the only landmasses for other forms of life to live on. These titans seem to be divine at first, almost like the Architect that created them, but as the story in the game progresses, we learn about the extent of humanity’s control over the titans which represent the environment. The dying out of the titans and the ensuring struggle for power and land between Mor Ardain and Uraya represent how humanity’s struggle for controlling land and the environment just causes harm to the environment. We see that this slow degradation of the titans is caused by none other than humans themselves, more specifically Indol. By disturbing the natural cycle of life that the Architect created, Indol and Amalthus are able to gain more power. Just like in Cobb’s “Drama of the Anthropocene”, humans alter the environment in order to suit their needs.

One thing I also enjoyed about the plot of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is how just like how humanity was flawed in Alrest, their creator was flawed too. Klaus’s hubris in searching for a solution to humanity’s problem did lead to the creation of a new generation of humans, but it also meant that its flaws were still there, letting people like Amalthus and his blade Malos desire for the destruction of humanity. Rex eventually proves to Klaus that despite their flaws, humanity still has some good in it, which ultimately leads to the salvation of Alrest.

tuzzler

There is a lot of problems humans have caused solely due to their inability to think before acting or taking things slowly to possibly examine the consequences. So many examples to cite and it just speaks to how much we can impact the world around us despite feeling so small. With all that being said there is also the fact that in both of the viewings there are things that humanity doesn’t understand and as a result the environment suffers as we do things that will harm it.

xenoblade chronicles 2!

I have absolutely no prior knowledge on the xenoblade franchise so it’s interesting on first watch. As far as thematic issues, we are examining the same problems of environmental difficulties that we saw in Nausicaa but of course with a different enough plot to examine different issues. People begin fighting for land as it starts becoming more scarce due to the worlds “Titans” dying and the land disappearing and this is something that we always see as scarcity breeds competition but what is highlighted in the game is the fact that in these people fighting they aren’t really solving any issues on a large scale. Humanity has had a lot of influence but with this big issue at hand there is a lot at stake because it is not like the Titans are something that humanity can keep alive it seems and Rex begins looking for an alternative which we find out is Elysium. This sort of thing just for a moment reminds me of the fact that in our own world there have been talks of populating other planets within our solar system to finding some sort of sister planet similar to earth which just avoids the entire issue of fixing all the problems that we have caused. Elysium is that sort of place that has been unaffected by everything and a blank slate for humanity to restart on but at the end of it all we find out that there really is no sort of alternative that avoids the problems that we’re dealing with. So if there is nothing to do that will keep humanity from perishing as a result of all the things that have affected the world around us, then the Age of the Anthropocene will be no more. As far as how all these issues are represented in the characters in the game it’s sort of done by showing how all these people have been also affected by the world around them and their own decisions are shaped by those things. There are many inherent flaws that everyone shows, some more than others.

derekpenasbl0g

Otakumentary!!!

While it was quite unfortunate that SwampCon was cancelled, I did enjoy getting to watch the documentary on Otakus and conventions with my classmates and imagining how this documentary could relate to SwampCon. I’ve never been to a large convention, so I feel like it’s one thing to know what a convention is like, but it’s an entirely different experience in person. Fortunately, this documentary gave a decent insight as to what it’s like to attend a convention so I could formulate some thoughts concerning these events. I noticed several ideas that were discussed in class during this viewing, such as the ideas of shadow cultural capital and animalism. The ways in which Otaku were able to convert this cultural capital into some form of real-world value was also quite intriguing to see.

According to the readings discussed in class, cultural capital is essentially knowledge of a certain topic, such as movies, shows, or music, that bolsters one’s status in a social group and is broken up into official and shadow cultural capital. Where these two differ is in their ability to be converted into money or professional advantages, as official institutions and professionals don’t recognize shadow cultural capital as worth much. However, in the documentary it is made clear that there is some form of hierarchy in the conventions. Lolita cosplayers note how those who use cheaper fabric don’t look as good as those who know to use better quality materials, and cosplayers don’t see much of a point in going to conventions without donning a costume. In addition to this, those who frequent conventions begin to recognize people and build relationships whereas newbies often stick to their original friend group. It is evident that the more conventions you attend and the more knowledgeable about certain social groups you are, the easier it is for you to connect with others at these conventions.

In addition to the larger amount of shadow cultural capital cosplayers seem to possess, they also are great examples of humans becoming animalistic, in the sense that they are unburdened with a grand narrative and human progress and are content with their current way of life. The cosplayer that is the center of this documentary is clearly dedicated to her hobby, even stating that she sometimes lost relationships due to being more invested in her art. She appreciates the challenge in the art and the attention she receives, working to win more competitions at the conventions she attends. She seems very content with the state of her life right now, as she is not searching for better paying jobs, or a spouse to settle down with. At least, not as hard as she is seeking to better her ability to create costumes that will win costumes and grant her a larger sum of shadow cultural capital.

While shadow cultural capital may not be able to earn you a job as a high-ranking businessman, it does have the potential to generate value on its own as seen by the sellers at these conventions. There are a wide variety of games, manga, posters, clothing, and even hentai available to purchase at Otacon. Some of this merchandise is the work of amateurs that use conventions as a way to become recognized and generate currency for themselves. As seen in Genshiken, Otakus generate the fiction they desire and sell it off to other Otakus for their consumption. Furthermore, this high amount of shadow cultural capital can also be used for charitable causes as seen with the Star Wars club’s performances. There is a market for the types of things Otakus can provide, so it is a bit misleading to determine that shadow cultural capital cannot generate any real capital.

To those who are only acquainted with official cultural, conventions and the media associated with them may seem like a waste of time. It seems the only culture worth knowing is the music theory behind Bach’s symphonies or the structure of Shakespeare’s sonnets. But this documentary has proven that there is in fact something to be gained here. Whether it be social relationships, the generation of revenue, or simply an exploration of your passion, conventions serve as important and worthwhile events in the lives of Otaku and should be experienced by more people with interest in anything not considered a part of official culture.

tuzzler

There’s no reason to think of all this as inherently worthless because the way that i see it is that this is just so big that it’s impossible to ignore and just pass off. If people do that they would just be ignorant and within circles in otaku culture there have been people that can use their skills and knowledge of all this to actually establish themselves and have actual jobs which is something that we wouldn’t see if otaku culture didn’t exist. So without a doubt there is something the be gained form all this and it’s pretty cool that within expectations for people to get conventional jobs they can take their hobbies and passions and sustain themselves through them.

otaku doc.

From what we’ve gotten to know about fan culture, it is just on the forefront in the documentary and this is just exaggerated by the fact that these people are also the authors of this documentary. From shadow culture capital, to a sort of acknowledgment that people know more about this sub-culture causing a hierarchy, to recreating works as a fan to be able to embody them either through other creative works or cosplay, to the more tangible part of all this, the money involved. Otaku culture becoming more popular has obviously led it to become a more organizational deal with conventions happening worldwide and becoming so popular that their culture seems to be just common knowledge, even for those that are not quite familiar with anime and other similar content.

The idea of an otaku when discussed formally at this point has to always be contextualized and by that I just mean whether were speaking on a western or eastern audience. This term has become redefined when westerners use it and for the Otaku that we see in the documentary it becomes a symbol of pride, something that some of them wear on their sleeve, as they are proud to identify with this community that has become so established in their lives and means a lot to them. This is, of course admirable and something that a lot of people actually don’t get the chance to identify with, but when we sort of move this term over to people in Japan it is definitely not hold the same sort of positive connotation that many people here will assume. Fan culture may be huge in Japan but actively associating or labeling oneself as an otaku would be less than ideal for someone in Japan because many people will equate an otaku to a NEET, which is easier to see why it is looked down upon. Now although there are these different issues regarding how someone can view the term, those that made this documentary, those filmed, do not see any inherent issue which is great for them so it brings this positive light on their community and what they like to do instead of possibly something more disconnected that would could be oppositely biased and put them down.

The reinterpretation of actual works is a given when it comes down to otaku culture and with the brief discussion on cosplay this is how we get our fix on this topic. Before Swampcon was cancelled I remember seeing at least like seven people in full cosplay advertising the convention in the middle of Turlington so it should be no mystery that cosplay is becoming another sort of art form filled with many intricacies such as prop building, tailoring, sewing, and I’m sure many other processes that I can’t do justice. The otaku in the documentary, Dust Bunny in particular, have an admiration for cosplay and they get to bring a regular person who may not be involved in this some information regarding the process and that it is more so just a new medium for creating art. Something else I would like to say is that these days cosplay is independent of otaku culture. People do cosplay all the time for anything that they would like, as far as even original characters instead of pop culture. But with this discussion on art and medium we can finally tie them all together into the a short discussion on the economic end and how it involves capital, whether cultural or not. All of this has to be a lot of money, whether it be buying parts for a cosplay, the time put into all this work, organizing events, buying manga, the list goes on.These fans are incredibly dedicated to all this and are willingly ready to invest in it and fork over x amount of money since this is their hobby or passion and this is no different from a lot of other things which is something else to remember. It’s not like otaku are some sort of case study that are just a rare occurrence and need some great analyzing to understand. They’re just people that really enjoy pop culture and express it through many different ways.

All in all, what one would expect from a documentary is a sort of disconnected, deep understanding of something, but a documentary can also just be a small dive into the culture or topic in order for another audience to just get some understanding and enjoy it vicariously. So without expecting much from the documentary I think it’s a fine work in most regards because of how it’s just another product of these fans that are just enjoying themselves and their sub-culture.

dixiesbizarreadventure

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

“You may live to see man made horrors beyond your comprehension.”

-Nikola Tesla

I have a high regard and respect for movies from Studio Ghibli, and I hope to watch them all eventually. This is the first time I’ve viewed Studio Ghibli, and they lived up to their reputation with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, an inventive and piece that any viewer can tell is created for the love of the art and not for the money.

The main protagonist is Nausicaä, the princess of the Valley of the Wind. Her happy homecoming with Lord Yupa illustrates how in the thousand year aftermath of the seven days of fire, humanity has lost its industrial and aggressively capitalistic foundation system, and The Valley of the Wind is very much a gemeinschaft, with the people respecting and cooperating with each other. A hierarchy exists, since Nausicaä and her father are monarchs, but this monarchy is idealistic, her father being a gentle king, our heroine being a calm and loving princess. This image rejects the industrial society we have built, giving an example of a true community in which people flourish.

The true message of the film, however, comes through with the fact that the beautiful Valley of the Wind is under constant threat by the toxic jungle. The world-building here is particularly excellent, as insects are its main inhabitants. Insects are the most diverse and abundant group of animals on earth, and it would make sense that they would become dominant animals after the seven days of fire, since many species can even survive nuclear explosions. There is a testament to the intricacy and unknowable contents of nature, as Nausicaä discovers that these insects are not aggressive animals, but protecting the forest that needs ample time to renew itself. Another contribution to this theme is the mysterious Ohm. With their feelers, they revealed to Nausicaä that the Pejite pilot was still alive. They do the same thing to resuscitate Nausicaä. It is never explained how they are able to do this, and that is why it is humbling to the human species. Although we are able to make such bounds and learn so much, there are some mysteries of this planet that we cannot solve, and questions that don’t need to be answered.

Humanity’s hubris rears its ugly head through the Tolmekians (less so, but still, through the Pejites). The Tolmekians masked their ambitions of conquest under those of unification, as many powers have in our own time. Furthermore, they ignore the patterns that humanity has seen. They are aware that the giant warrior was something wrong in the cosmic sense, they were a result of human arrogance and had scorched the earth as a consequence, and yet the Tolmekians believed that they were somehow better, that they could do what ancient humans could not. It is interesting that while the Valley of the Wind uses futuristic gliders, the Pejites their unique flying craft, the Tolmekian aircraft all looks very antique. They even look a little antique to us, more like World War II aircraft than the sleek fighter jets we have now. They are also notoriously flimsy, foreshadowing that Tolmekian brute strength is a delicate facade, as when things turn, their soldiers do as well, deserting.

Thus, the overarching message of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is environmentalism, but not in the “paper-straw sense”. It reminds us of the consequences of our actions not in the way seeing a dead seabird does, but in the way that seeing an entire city ravaged by a storm does. It doesn’t make us think of the dodo bird, but of the passenger pigeon. This makes the message far more chilling, that although we may seem the dominant species, we are bound to nature’s whims. Thus, we must not concern ourselves with petty, artificial arguments such as the control of kingdoms. A respectful understanding of nature and its laws is the only way we can ensure the survival of our species far into the future.

tuzzler

To talk on your last paragraph, the scope of the film is massive when it comes down to the way that they want the viewer to see the consequences that humanity has had on the world just from the setting alone. And like you said we’re bound to nature’s whims which ultimately makes all of these massive wars and situations where nature suffers at our expense all that more concerning because it’s self-destructive and in the end we’re only going to suffer even more once we realize how much has been lost. Hypocrisy is always something that the studio loves highlighting in many of it’s characters and this time it is the Tolmekians who embody a disillusioned, one-way mindset that thinks it can surpass the faults of the people that came centuries before them, yet they cannot even begin to understand that the jungle itself is a natural part of the world. And just a note on what you said about the Tolmekians, the foreshadowing wasn’t something I immediately recognized but now I can’t believe I didn’t!

nausicaä of the valley of the wind.

Environmentalism is a topic that we actually see multiple times in the Ghibli filmography and as far as I know Nausicaa was perhaps the first one. Considering the movie came out in 1984, there were I think clear reasons behind the conception of this film, one of them just being highlighted by the setting of the film and its origins. The characters live in a post-apocalyptic world that has been recovering from a devastating war. It wouldn’t be a reach to assume that this was inspired by the Cold War which was going on years prior to 84′ and there were fears of possible nuclear war as both the USA and Russia had access to nuclear warheads and its damage was already seen in Japan itself... So with this idea being communicated we move onto issues of reconstruction and in particular nature being able to reestablish itself after this war. We should all know how resilient nature can be as after several natural disasters and years of destruction, even that which was not man-made, a forest can come back or animals may repopulate the scene. Take for example the surrounding nature around Chernobyl which is already teeming with seemingly healthy animals on the outskirts. Although on the surface an environment can look toxic, burnt to the ground, or seemingly too far gone, behind the scenes all of this is working together to put nutrients back into the ground, decomposing to bring life anew. There is no reason to bring quick judgment but it is best to be patient and allow these places to thrive for years and the differences will be seen. This is how I see the Toxic Jungle as some of the humans in the film are so quick to want it destroyed just because it is in part hostile when in reality it’s working to purify the world that has been tarnished around it by humanity. Years later we receive Princess Mononoke which repeats the message of environmentalism but more so that of deforestation and extinction just for the sake of industrialism and capital growth.

shinyintheeast

Wandering Son - Mar. 27th

I am glad we watched Wandering Son because of the issues that it deals with. It is an important double standard that needs to be addressed. I thought the anime was very mature for the age of the characters they chose to portray these issues with. The children at the school think that Chi and the other girl that came dressed in male school uniforms are cool whereas when Nitori came dressed as a girl, he was made fun of. Nitori said that he was the only one, out of the three, that had his parents contacted, sent to the nurse’s office, as well as taken out of class. Girls cross-dressing is more accepted than boys who do. The double standard that arises out of this seems to be common in various countries. It discourages those who wish to express themselves and dress how they want to. Back in the 20th century, women broke the social norm by wearing pants and more revealing clothing than previous generations have. In the present, seeing women wearing men’s clothes is normal and no one bats an eye. On the other hand, if a man goes outside wearing a dress or skirt, he will receive stares and possibly hateful comments. I hope in the future, men will be able to wear feminine clothing without being ridiculed. Nitori is a strong person to be able to go to school dressed as a girl when he knew people were going to bully him and received discouragement from his friends. Nitori takes the comments his classmates make and simply makes a sad face, but he finally snaps when walking home with Doi. I was happy when he did that because it shows that these comments are truly affecting him and he is able to stand up for himself. However, it was disheartening to hear that he does not want to dress up as a girl ever again when it is something that makes him happy. There are countless people around the world that are in Nitori’s situation and I hope they do not give up on what makes him happy in life.

tuzzler

Yeah It’s extremely surprising how young they are and how much they know about other people and just like dynamics and behavior it’s kind of strange but I started thinking of them more so as high schoolers. One reason I think the original mangaka, Takako Shimura, may have made them middle schoolers is cause of how important the transition that is puberty and adolescence really is for trans people and the way that they begin to understand their feelings and how they may properly identify in order to just be themselves as soon as possible because of how puberty leads to body dysphoria and just a lot more issues :c .

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs