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Perfect Blue

This movie was definitely different than I anticipated, but it was very exciting to watch. I enjoyed being confused along with the main character about what was real and what was not. The influence of her stalker and also her sister (?) on her mental well-being was really apparent and could be felt with the viewer. I felt that it was also a commentary on stardom, as when Rumi was talking to Mima’s agent she mentioned that she hadn’t made it as a pop star. By the end of the movie we see that Rumi has been impersonating Mima in an effort to retake the spotlight and gain what she feels she has missed out on.

Since this movie was made in the late 90s, it was interesting to see how they viewed the internet back then. They clearly saw it as a large opportunity for anonymity and to pose as other people, which is interesting because that is still the case today. However, a lot of websites have addressed this issue, like twitter, instagram and youtube using a checkmark system to verify important users.

I also saw how the movie warned against the idolization and obsession with celebrities like the stalker had and the impact obsessive fan culture can have on celebrities. This movie had the foresight to see issues with the internet and fan culture even in the early days of the internet, as similar crimes have occurred since this movie’s creation that are somewhat similar. In response to these attacks, Japan extended their anti-stalking laws to include online harassment in december 2016, almost 20 years after Perfect Blue came out.

This is sort of a heavy way to end this blog, but I’ve just remembered that this is probably going to be the last time i ever post on tumblr (besides my response) so i guess this is the end of an era :(

woolooshepherd

I also thought it was interesting to see how people treated the Internet back then. Something like “Mima’s Room” seems like it would get taken down and investigated immediately, but its just brushed off? Mima’s fans are clearly aware of it, but no one bothers to ask her if its really her blog? Especially with the concerning posts “Mima” was making on there (e.g. the one repeating ‘Help!’ over and over again). Security definitely has stepped up since then.

Perfect Blue | 4/22/20

Perfect Blue was very well made, but very difficult to watch. I had to skip certain scenes because I got very uncomfortable.

Perfect Blue does a really good job at illustrating to the audience Mima’s mental state as she succumbs to her paranoia and psychosis. The jarring, repeating transitions from Mima doing a shoot, waking up in bed, talking to Rumi, etc. portray Mima rapidly losing touch with reality. Her confusion with what’s happening is relayed to the audience as well; I found myself a little confused on what was reality and what was her acting. I was really impressed with this movie’s ability to immerse the audience in Mima’s disassociation.

This film shows some of the worst aspects when it comes to the exploitation of women in the entertainment industry. When Mima leaves her music group in order to pursue acting as a career instead, we see that she’s pressured to perform uncomfortable/stressful acts so she can further her career. She doesn’t even feel like she has the right to refuse, for the sake of “everyone who has worked hard for her,” even though we can clearly see the mental toll this takes on her.

Also, it was surprising to me how no one took all those threats seriously? Especially after the fan letter addressed to Mima exploding and severely injuring Tadokoro. There’s no way something like that today would be let go without an investigation. Two men are also brutally murdered, both with clear connection to Mima, which the press acknowledges, and yet everyone just seems to carry on with the shoot with no concern for Mima whatsoever. It’s like they only care about her when she’s making money, and not for her actual well-being. I know her manager, Rumi, was the one orchestrating all of this, but surely someone else must have taken notice?

outofphase-owl

Sign Me Up For The Death Parade Please

Wow, Death Parade was really a unique anime. The story was framed around these moral dilemnas, in which we, as the viewers, must judge whether characters presented to us are “good” or “bad,” at their essence. (It reminds me of those trolley problems.) Of course, the conclusion that the show arrives at is the fact that nothing is that black and white, and that every person’s life decisions are morally ambiguous.

Speaking of black and white, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Decim is visually black and white (in terms of his hair and his clothing). His appearance certainly reflects his views: that every person is either good or bad, and that this moral quality can be exposed given enough prodding. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it kind of reminds me of the ideology of essentialism. But in this case, it would be essentialism of the individual, the idea that each individual, at their essence, is good or evil, and that all of their life choices can be rationalized by this essence.

This seems like a silly ideology, but it certainly pervades through everyone’s thought processes. People are guilty or not guilty, going to the afterlife or going to purgatory, etc. And much like how, in this anime, games are used to decide the fates of the dead, the judicial system kind of seems like a game too; one side wins and one side loses, and both are trying to do everything they can to eke out an advantage over the other while following the rules. And this “game” ultimately decides how society will then judge this person.

I’ll be honest; the little interpersonal dramas between members of the Quindecim bar were kind of boring to me. But I thought that the overall premise of this anime was pretty interesting. And that metal music during the end credits went super hard! :D

woolooshepherd

I like your take on Decim and essentialism! He pushes people to their very limits, and reduces their entire character to how they act in that one instant. Like you said, he believes that people are either good or bad at their essence, and fails to see the complex range of emotions humans display.

Death Parade (EP. 1,2,9,11)

I watched Death Parade back when it first came out a few years ago and its still one of my favorites to this day. Great concept, and the OP slaps too.

Death Parade is clearly a show about moral conflicts, and the difficultly of placing objective judgement on a subjective concept. In order to do this effectively, or attempt to, Arbiters were created with no emotions. In fact, they are created with the idea in mind that they should be as far from human as possible. They are dummies that cannot die, and they cannot work with anything living. In theory, this seems like it should work – what better way to stay objective than to have a completely outside point of view?

However, in reality (anime reality), we can see from the start that Decim makes a mistake in his judgement of Machiko and Takashi because of this. Because he doesn’t understand emotion, because he doesn’t have empathy, he sees everything at surface-level. He takes Machiko’s claim about the baby’s father as fact, and condemns her to the void without a second glance. It wasn’t until Chiyuki, the one human staying in Quindecim, points out Machiko’s underlying intentions to save Takashi that Decim questions his decision. Decim’s inability to feel emotion rendered him blind to the true dynamics at play, and therefore caused him to make a ‘wrong’ decision.

At the end of the series, Decim is able to experience human emotion through his time with Chiyuki. We don’t get to see how Decim changes in his judgement-making after he sends Chiyuki off to be reincarnated – the ending is interpretable. Judging humans is still complex, not everything is black and white, but I think we can assume that Decim is now able to understand his clients’ emotions and morals better than before. As said in the show, you need to understand one’s suffering in order to truly pass on judgement.

derekpenasbl0g

Violet Evergarden

I was recommended this anime by a friend, so I took it upon myself to watch every episode up to episode 10 and I plan to finish the series tomorrow! I am enjoying this series and have a lot to say on the structural side of it. But don’t worry, I’ll get into my connections to this class and the world shortly after!

So a major motif shown throughout this anime is hands. There are tons of shots where we are made to focus on character’s hands, the post office’s logo is two hands joining together, and of course we have Violet’s metallic hands that shock everyone that sees them. I believe this motif is meant to symbolize the idea of bringing people together or lifting them up from darkness, as the post office ensures that every letter is delivered because of people’s “precious feelings.” Strangely enough, the person who does the most of this is Violet, despite her unnatural hands. Furthermore, it was her natural hands that ended people’s lives in her “previous life.” Her losing her hands not only symbolizes a rebirth in her character, but also shows how anyone has the power to help or hurt others. You would think that her cold, unfeeling, and rigid hands would parallel her want to harm others, but the anime subverts that expectation and shows how she can use her skills and demeanor to benefit others.

Speaking of Violet, I thought her character arc so far is very well done. Many of the characters we meet along her journey only get about an episode or so of screen time. While this can make it a bit hard to sympathize with some of them to a great extent (Ann is the exception), it does show us how Violet interacts with different people and grows because of these interactions. In episode 10, we see how she goes beyond her duties as a doll and plays with Ann, something the Violet we see in the earlier episodes would never do. Just when you might be getting bored of her dry answers, she starts to surprise you by taking back some of her humanity. Again, humanity that was lost with her real hands and regained with her mechanical ones.

And this finally leads to my last point. War is a focal point for this series as we see Violet struggle to come to terms with her deceased love interest and having her humanity crushed as a young girl because of it. Not only this, but many of the characters met along the way are shown to have lost close family due to war. It is clear that this anime takes a strong anti-war stance but it also ensures to paint the soldiers separately from the war. LTC Hodgins states that he wants to run a business after the war, wanting nothing to do with the army after it has concluded. Violet has suffered greatly from the war, but flourishes when she is given the opportunity to live a normal life. Although she has ended the lives of countless soldiers, is she truly entirely at fault? Or should we instead blame the war that transformed her into a monster? The war that ripped the one person she cared about most from her life.

woolooshepherd

I really love your analysis on hands. We see in the beginning of the anime that she has a lot of trouble with her prosthetic hands -- they’re stiff and unfeeling. However, towards the latter half, she moves them with dexterity and precision. She learned to be in touch with her prosthetics, just as she had learned to be in touch with her emotions. What she found difficult to understand and control in the beginning now comes easier to her than it had before, albeit not perfectly.

Violet Evergarden (EP. 1, OVA, 9, 10) | 4/17/20

Violet Evergarden was really enjoyable. It’s a shame I didn’t have time to watch the whole series; I think it would have been nice to watch Violet gradually come to understand human emotions, rather than the huge jump in character we witnessed, haha.

To be honest, my first impression of Violet that she was pretty edgy, being emotionless and whatnot. However, after learning her history, I understand how she came to be this way. She was a child soldier, weaponized by her government and boiled down to be nothing more than a tool for war. Her extensive time in the military has drastically hindered her social and emotional development. Or maybe her outward lack of emotion is some sort of defense mechanism for coping with the horrors she’s witnessed and the atrocities she’s committed? Perhaps both. It’s no surprise that she had grown so attached to Major Gilbert, the first person to show her some human decency, and the main person that has propelled her post-war recovery, even in death.

Episode 10 and the OVA special were very bittersweet and a little tear-jerky. Violet is able to come into touch with her own emotions and trauma by first trying to understand /other/ people’s trauma through the intimate act of writing personal letters. I really wish I had time to watch the entire anime to see what kinds of letters she has written for other people.

marweep

Sensoron

Obviously much of this manga is quite extreme, and I’m unsure if there is any truth at all to be found.

But I do know guilting children isn’t the best way for them to develop mentally, so if there is blame being instilled in kids or shame of those before them, I see where there could be an argument, as obviously kids had no part in the past and could shoulder many psychological problems from growing up in this way.

As for the rest, this manga was very conspiratorial, ranging from fake photos to brainwashing from the west. Oddly enough, it appears the author himself is “brainwashed” by the ideals propagated during the war with a “we can do no wrong” mindset, trying to transfer the blame to Japan’s oppressors like America and China. Propaganda is propaganda, even when combating propaganda by spreading your own, it’s still propaganda. I believe there’s a fine line to walk–all parties are flawed and guilty of something, but it’s best to criticize others while having self awareness as well. This author has no self awareness, not even on a shallow level.

I’m not quite entirely sure what he was getting at by “debunking” so many photos, as if that eliminates all that happened during the war. I’d hate for someone to mention that fake or not, a war still happened and it was not good.

The kicker was when he was discussing comfort women and drew a few people shouting “It’s the Japanese army we’re talking about, of course they’d do bad things!” and he responded, hand raised, “That’s just prejudice.” I can’t with this manga.

woolooshepherd

I agree, he talks about not getting “brainwashed” by propaganda, when it seems that he himself has been influenced by propaganda as well. That one picture -- the one of the baby sitting all by himself, that he “debunks” by showing another picture with someone who could be the baby’s guardian. It doesn’t change the fact that the baby is covered in soot (not completely sure, its hard to tell) and surrounded by debris? I’m honestly not sure what point he was trying to make with this.

Sensoron | 4/13/20

When I heard this manga was controversial, I really wasn’t prepared to see how controversial it was. I will say, going from talking about poop to World War II was really jarring.

I do admit, I got more than a little angry reading this manga. It’s chock-full of conspiracy theories, talking about “brainwashing” as well as claiming that the events of Nanking and comfort women are fabrications. He takes on an irritating, arrogant attitude as he portrays himself to be somehow better than everyone else in Japan who been “brainwashed” by the west. As someone with an Asian background, my family has always been sensitive to Japan’s imperialism. I confess that I’m not unbiased, and the historical retelling of WWII has always been more than a little messy.

Content aside, Kobayashi brings up /some/ valid points. Don’t take everything in the media as gospel, do your own research, maybe showing small children pictures of dead bodies isn’t a good idea, etc. However, he purposely chooses specific points to better fit his narrative of “Japan was framed!” A simple Google search of “Nanking” (will come up as Nanjing) will bring up hundreds of links to scholarly journals, documentaries, and articles written about it. As Kobayashi delves further into his ramblings, it seems that he goes from saying “the death toll was inflated” to “Nanking never happened,” which is a very ridiculous claim to me.

It’s hard to take someone who is saying “don’t succumb to propaganda” seriously when it is clear that he has been heavily influenced by propaganda himself.

justagirlwithaclassblog

Your Name

“Treasure the experience. Dreams fade away after you wake up.”

-Hitoha Miyamizu

Although I had never seen the film before, it is a film my friends have constantly recommended to me and I can see why. Your Name is a film that not presents a commentary on tradition and modernity through juxtaposition presented within the two protagonists’ lifestyles, but also presents a commentary on human connection.

Mitsuha is the electoral mayor’s daughter; thus, she must represent the epitome of perfection meaning she must embody the expected and respected: tradition. Despite this expectation placed upon by her father’s position, like most if not all teenage girls she is embarrassed to be seen by her classmate and would prefer not to live up to tradition, claiming that in her next life shes wishes to be a boy from Tokyo. It is important to note the difference in setting. While Mitsuha resides in the rural town of Itomori, Taki lives in the bustling metropolitan city of Tokyo. The fact that the commentary on tradition is presented through the character from the rural town ties back into our discussion of how nature represents the origin of values and/or spiritual origins. So perhaps the comet’s annihilation represents how tradition is dying out and will be gone before we know it, as Toyko doesn’t get struck with one of the splitting pieces of the comet. Thus, as seen in the film where Taki tries to save the town and Mitsuha, we must work hard to try and save tradition and the origin of values and our spiritual origins.

The film presents a commentary on human connection through The type of human connection the film seems to focus on is an almost mystic human connection to a certain person, place, time, or even an event without even remembering the reason why. This relates to everyday life as people are drawn to certain people or places without knowing why. Some may attribute this attraction to past lives, believing that their past self had a connection with said person or place hence the attraction as their soul and/or spirit recognizes them.

woolooshepherd

I think that, in spite of the comet destroying Itomori, if the people live on, so will tradition. The great fire that Mitsuha’s grandmother talks about also perpetuates this idea. That fire destroyed an entire town, Itomori’s old shrine, and the old documents that detailed the origins of traditions. Despite that, Mitsuha’s family still practices those rituals. Even if the meaning is lost, the tradition still Iives on.

Your Name | 4/10/20

Your Name is a really wonderful film that I thoroughly enjoyed. Beautiful animation, soundtrack, and story. It was my first time watching it; I never really could get around to it despite all the hype. I am not at all disappointed.

One of my favorite parts of the movie was watching how Mitsuha and Taki fumble around trying to manage life as the opposite gender. Taki in Mitsuha’s body acts more masculine, and Mitsuha in Taki’s body acts more feminine. In direct contrast to Wandering Son, Taki and Mitsuha actually become more liked for it. Very surprising, especially in Taki’s case. We see Mitsuha receive love confessions, one notably from a girl and stares of admiration. We see Taki go out on a date with his crush from work, and one of his best friends, Tsukasa comments that he seemed cuter the day Mitsuha was in Taki’s body. Your Name does a wonderful job of balancing masculinity and femininity in each character, without mocking one or the other.

We also see the contrasts between urban (Tokyo) and rural (Itomori) life. Despite how Mitsuha feels, Tokyo is not portrayed as “better” than Itomori, and vice versa. The two areas are very different from one another, but the people that live in those areas are shown to be deeply interconnected (Taki and Mitsuha), in spite of the differences.

I do wonder though, with Taki and Mitsuha still attending school even when they’re switched, how did they not notice the time difference lol? Surely there must’ve been /something/ in school that said the year date, if not on their phones?

outofphase-owl

Pasta!

I remember my friends excitedly talking about Hetalia in middle school. I tried watching the first episode, but it was such an information overload for my middle-school-brain that I couldn’t follow it (and didn’t like it as a result). I’m happy to report that I’ve now made it past the first episode, and I have to say that the whole “making fun of history” thing is right up my alley. To a lot of people, history is pretty bland because of the way that it’s presented, but this show takes advantage of the fact that history, after all, is a narrative involving real people who think and feel and joke around just like us.

I think part of the humor of the show comes from the oversimplification of national stereotypes, which kind of makes fun of the national stereotypes themselves. For example, no person would seriously believe that Italians’ one single focus in life is pasta. It is kind of funny, though, to watch a character that seems to be made by somebody who has this belief. The stereotypes that we see in Hetalia aren’t really the stereotypes held by creators of the show. Instead, they’re more like stereotypes of stereotypes: a simulacrum, if you will. So when we look at, for example, Japan in the show, who is very reserved and ineffective, we can interpret his personality traits as being representative of common stereotypes of Japanese people, taken to an extreme. Similarly, America, who acts like a hero and eats a bunch of hamburgers, embodies many common stereotypes of American people. (I do like hamburgers tho.)

The one thing that was a little annoying about Hetalia was how short the episodes were. If they just condensed the episodes, five at a time, it would’ve been cooler. But oh well…

woolooshepherd

I agree, the over-exaggeration of stereotypes was funny, in a way I didn’t expect to enjoy. Particularly, I found America’s arrogance and obsession with heroism to be pretty funny. I’m no history buff, but the light-hearted nature of Hetalia made it easier to watch.

Hetalia (EP. 1-19) | 4/6/20

I’ve never watched Hetalia before (never been a big history person), but I know it was really popular a few years ago.

The over exaggeration of stereotypes was pretty funny in some parts and way overplayed in others (the whole ‘pasta’ thing was getting a bit too much for me). It’s kinda weird to see the Axis Powers be played off as ‘moe’ anime boys with silly personalities. Of course, I know that nothing in this anime is meant to be taken seriously, and that no character is meant to be truly ‘bad’, but it’s still jarring to watch, lmao.

What I really found interesting was how you can see bias of history telling throughout the show (e.g. the depiction of South Korea vs the depiction of Japan as read in the article). In the episodes we watched, Japan is portrayed as stoic, mature (even as a kid), calm, and agreeable. Conversely, many of the other characters, while mainly silly, are depicted as arrogant, brash, cowardly, etc. As Hetalia was written by a Japanese man, this bias was to be expected. It’s difficult to tell history from a totally neutral point of view, but as we can see, sometimes biases are more prominent than others.

Wasn’t really a fan of this one, but I find it hilarious how people will try to anthropomorphize anything. Literally anything. I think they’re called gijinka in Japan? I’ve seen Pokemon gijinka, soda gijinka, and even vehicle gijinka. Does anyone else remember when Internet Explorer had a cute anime girl as its mascot? I really thought that it was just some weird fever dream I had, but upon looking it up (on Google Chrome of course), I found out that it was a real thing that happened.

elliekimono

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Wow, I didn’t expect to watch a whole anime through cutscenes. While I don’t mind, I wonder how the actual gameplay is like with so many cutscenes. I know some people disliked Pokemon shield for the amount of cutscenes it had. But also Xenoblade Chronicles relies a lot more on plot and the story. I also questioned a bit on why I didn’t mind the 3D aspect when its a game, but I do when it’s an actual anime. Anyways, that was just some extra thoughts. It was a great story and I was left in tears… again.

In the scenes, we see the theme of fighting wars over land and resources happening again. Like in Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, in the Xenoblade world, habitable land is disappearing. For the Xenoblade word, it is because the Titans are dying. Unlike in Nausicaa though, the land dying is slightly less a fault of the humans, but more just a part of the cycle of life. The cycle of life and climates is part of our world too, except the issue is that global warming speeds up this climate change cycle faster than organisms can adapt. However, there’s still themes of humans being at the fault of the ruined earth. Because of the Praetor’s greed, he released essentially weapons of mass destruction and also killed many people resulting in the end of peace and thus more conflict that ruined the world further. His greed is the result of wanting to become god, which isn’t as unreasonable as it seems since the Architect, the creator of their world, also used to be human. His greed also caused problems in both worlds he lived in, and we see the result of this as him being split in half. His actions ended up with his world ending up as the ruins beneath the sea and the people of his time becoming monsters. From the Architect’s actions, we also see the result of wanting to escape to a different world to run away from environmental problems. Rex also embodies this desire as he searches for Elysium instead of working to fix problems on the ground. In the end, the Elysium he found at the tree is barren, not the perfect world he wanted everyone to be able to live in and it’s revealed that Elysium was the union of all the current land all along.

woolooshepherd

I also thought the search for Elysium was a naive attempt at escape from the problems they had at hand. The Elysium Rex wanted to find didn’t exist at all, and actually looked worse than the world they were already living in. Just like in real life, there’s no utopia that we can escape to once the consequences of our reckless actions catch up to us. We have to work with the environment we live in, and take actions (or inaction, as Nausicaa implied) to try and remedy the damage caused.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Cutscenes | 4/3/20

I’m not really familiar with the Xenoblade series at all (funnily enough, I was thinking just last week of picking this game up for some stay-at-home lockdown fun hours), but after watching these clips, I can see why some of my friends are fans of it.

As discussed in Drama of the Anthropocene, as humans become the dominant species on the planet, we also become the biggest influencers on the climate and the environment. As our technology rapidly develops, we become less connected with nature – we see ourselves as living outside of nature, not in it. Nature and the environmental resources become tools at our disposal, tools used to maximize our comfort in the short run, as Cobb put it. Without proper reflection and action taken to remedy our relationship with the environment, we are on a clear path to destruction.

We can clearly see a degrading environment in XC2. The Titans, from what I think I understand, are creatures that basically serve as land for people to live on. They’re dying, however, and as habitable land dwindles, so do the natural resources that come from those ecosystems.

Rex desire is to reach Elysium, a supposed paradise with unlimited resources that can bring peace among humans. When he arrives there however, he finds it desolate and in ruins. It’s a stark contrast to the image of Elysium he had in his mind.

Just like in reality, we can’t just hope to find a magical place that makes everything better. We can’t just leave when this planet is at its limits. When this environment finally collapses, so will civilization.

jamesonioninjapan

Otakumentary

Having never gone or seen what a convention is like, especially regarding Otaku culture, I was sort of amazed by what I saw throughout the documentary. The goers of the otaku convention interviewed throughout the documentary seemed to reflect a very inclusive community. I was originally dissuaded by the seemingly intense culture and high barriers to entry that may present themselves at an anime convention (as we discussed in class regarding things like shadow cultural capital and the cliques created by fandoms). But this was, for the most part, debunked within the film by many of those interviewed (some of them even venturing into the realm of cosplay on a whim, which made the act seem less extreme to me than it once was). But the possible limited production of the film quickly became apparent. Specifically when the majority of the film became centered around one particular cosplayer’s experience at conventions and competing in cosplay competitions. She seemed to contras the narratives depicted by other con-goers citing that the conventions is full of “attention whores”. Making friends along the way and easily losing the same ones as time goes on, which she just accepted as a matter of fact. This doesn’t really paint the same inclusively minded community that I thought the conventions presented.

After part 1, the documentary became almost exclusively from the viewpoint of this one cosplayer who I found to be extremely boring (this may be due in part to us just following her finishing up one of her costumes inside her house). But again, the lack of diversification from her opinions in the latter half of the documentary sort of tainted my opinion of the documentary as a whole.

Additionally,the documentary didn’t really give a great view of exactly what happens at these conventions apart from the cosplay competitions at the end. I felt there should’ve been more inclusion of the different aspects of enjoying a convention (I hear eating overpriced convention food is something that must be experienced in itself). As well as the other modes of being an Otaku, showing the interest in manga and video games would have been a nice touch to the film.

But, seeing the ability for a fandom and subculture being cultivated within the US is kind of cool to watch. The opportunity for many interest-sharing individuals to be able to rent out a large stadium and or venue in order to hold a multiple day event.

One point I found particularly intriguing was the multiple con-goers’ recounts of what it means to be an otaku and whether or not they would classify themselves as one. Many of them saw it as a word to express their interest in Japanese culture and like-mindedness with others. But some found it as a term to be sort of derogatory and condescending, not wanting to call themselves that. In this sense, the otaku culture within America reflects both a newfound foreign sense of what it means to be an Otaku and what it means to be an Otaku in japan. The shame that some expressed in not wanting to refer themselves as an Otaku may stem from the fear of public backlash and or ostracization that they may face, which would be the same in Japan.

Overall, the film was alright at depicting the subculture of Otakus within America but could’ve done a better job.

woolooshepherd

I agree completely. The documentary does give some view into fandom, especially considering cosplay is so big. But focusing on just one cosplayer really did make it boring and narrowed the point of view. I was really hoping to see other things in fandom like fan-artists and fans of video games. This documentary was definitely amateurish, but they said it was a submission for a film festival so I guess its not unexpected.

True Otaku: The Documentary

I’m really bummed out that I can’t go to SwampCon and MomoCon this year; I was really looking forward to attending both. Despite that, I had fun watching True Otaku with everyone. It was pretty interesting to see a more in-depth look at western fandom, even if the documentary is a bit dated.

Compared to Japan, western fandom has a more positive view on the term ‘otaku.’ Here, many fans of anime enthusiastically call themselves ‘otaku’, perhaps out of ignorance of its connotation in Japan, or out of desire to make it more positive. Additionally, this isn’t something big, but there is one slight difference in its meaning in the west. Here, ‘otaku’ refers to fanatics of anime and manga (personally, I lovingly use the term ‘mega-weeb’). While in Japan, ‘otaku’ can refer to hardcore fanatics of well, anything really. Anything from anime and manga to computers and idols.

Another thing I noticed was that this documentary largely focuses on the cosplay fans create and wear around conventions. Something we noted in class was the difference between otaku and fans of other things is that in order to closer to their object of desire, otaku create more fictional works, for example in the forms of cosplay and doujinshi. Something an interviewee points out in this documentary is that not only will a cosplayer slave over the details of their outfit to make sure its as accurate as possible, but that they will often take on the persona of whatever character they’re dressed up as. It helps them to feel like they are actually that character, meaning they get closer to their object of desire than they would if they were only mimicking the looks of that character.

These cosplayers accumulate shadow cultural capital as they improve their skills and gain attention. They sort of, obtain a ‘higher status’ within fandom. Cosplaying is definitely not for me -- I don’t think I could ever dedicate myself to that, but I do enjoy seeing other peoples’ cosplays. Seeing one of your favorite characters brought to life is exciting, and personally, I really enjoy the creation process many cosplayers post on their social media.

On another note, as I mentioned before, one of the ways otaku create fictional works is through doujinshi. Doujinshi are really a more popular thing in Japan, and the closest equivalent I can think of that we have here is fanzines (short for fan magazines), which are basically short anthologies of many artists’ and writers’ works. Even then, I only see them sold online – we certainly don’t have anything as large as Comiket or Comifes (at least nothing that I’m aware of). It makes me wonder why something like cosplay is so widespread in both the west and Japan, but doujinshi are not?

This documentary also didn’t really mention anything about fanmerch or artist alleys at conventions. Although to be fair, I’m not sure how big artist alleys were back in 2010 and 2011. As an artist myself, I really love artist alleys; they’re a great place to get merchandise like charms, buttons, and art prints. (I’m still mourning the loss of SwampCon, I saved up a bunch of money, haha). I like showcasing my collection to my friends who are in the same fandoms as me, and looking back on it, it may just be another way of accumulating shadow cultural capital and status.

Overall, I think documentary did an alright job of covering anime fandom in the west. I wish it were more diverse though in its content, i.e. show more than just cosplayers. Although, I think it does show the bonding and sense of community people develop through their fandoms.

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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

This has to be my favorite of Studio Ghibli’s soundtracks by far.

Nausicaa and Asbel have also captured my heart. I love their interactions, I love them as individuals, this movie is great. Nausicaa has to be one of the best protagonists I’ve witnessed conveyed through a movie. She’s a badass in the best way possible. It’s not forced, and she never takes the victim role. I usually don’t connect well with movie protagonists, whether it be they bore me or annoy me, but Nausicaa genuinely amazes me, from her connection to nature, her internal struggle with violent tendencies, to her self sacrifice in all situations while still being rational. She carries a title of power as a form of respect, not as some petty political affiliation. The villagers listen to her and are calmed by her because she leads by example and knows exactly how to treat all parties in a rocky situation. I.e. she smiles despite her own unease in order to get the hostages to follow her instructions and save them. What a character. I also appreciate that the Valley of the Wind isn’t stupid; they submitted to their invaders in order to fight another day, with plans already in mind to stop the Toxic Jungle/Sea of Decay from getting attacked.

This movie both adds in human destruction of nature and each other, which can in some cases be considered the same thing. Fighting fire with fire is only a good idea in the literal sense; if you’re not a firefighter, don’t use this strategy, especially to somehow beat nature. Or another human. The cycle of vengeance is vicious, as we see when the insects are angered and readily fight back. The Ohm are certainly a topic of great discussion as well, as they were seen as wielders of destruction by the humans for the whole movie, but turned out to be healers as well at the very end. You get out what you put in: throw in grenades, take an explosion to the face, but throw in love and you get love back.

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I really enjoyed Nausicaa’s character too. Compared to Princess Kushana, Princess Nausicaa unifies her people through respect, while Kushana unifies her people through a show of power. Even in the face of a raging stampede of Ohms, the people of the Valley remain unwavering in their faith in Nausicaa, while the Tolemkian troops scramble to get away (until Kushana shows up with the Giant Titan).

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