Zach does Homework (Watches Anime)

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[abhiramanimeblog]

Hetalia and Stereotypes

This was my first time watching Hetalia and I have to say I did not like it. I found the stereotypes to be amusing, but the overall experience was just not fulfilling. It may be that I have just watched Your Name, but the story of Hetalia did not hit. I was also surprised to find out how popular this was since I have never watched it or heard of it, but it has over 9 seasons. I think it is offensive, but like the reading suggests it inspires conversation which is also important. For this discussion, I want to talk about the stereotypes in Hetalia.

I want to preface this by saying that stereotypes are not inherently bad. They can be very comedic when used to that effect. They are generalizations about a population which is definitely bad if it is taken as fact. However, most will not take a stereotype as fact so it is not a bad thing. I did not get offended by anything Hetalia showed. A big part of my not being offended may be that my country was not represented heavily. I can see how people from Italy and England could be offended by the depictions Hetalia showed.

Italy is depicted as a very clumsy and helpless country. This is true in some regard since they were not big winners in any major wars. Where I can see Helalia stepping too far is when they make Italy a country or a depiction obsessed with pasta which may be offensive to the Italians, any generalization about a country's interests will be offensive to some people. One of the only things I found truly funny from the show came from the chibi form of the show where the Holy Roman and Italian relationship was shown which was hilarious.

I also think that the depiction of Germany especially in this time as being something noble and likable is a bit weird. To most people, this time period in Germany is definitely villainous. They did some undeniably heinous acts and to paint them as some kind of good character is very odd. Obviously, the show does not go out of its way to have any villains. It is just trying to showcase a funny telling of events. It is still a bit weird.

In my life, I have seen a lot of stereotypes about Indians told to me. I do not let these stereotypes make me feel bad. I know who I am, and while I do fit some of them I am still my own person. I am not a generalization of my people.

Overall, Hetalia is a short show that can comically tell you about the history of the Axis powers. If you have some time you should check it out.

[zachary305]

Hi! I really liked your blog and especially liked your nuanced opinion on the show. Maybe it's because I generally just thought the show was of a much lower quality, but I really really did not like it and was super harsh in my blog. I agree with most of what you said about how it inspires discussion and most of your crtisicisms too. When it comes to the countries that were represented very little, I’d be interested in seeing how they would go about representing smaller countries and other cultures. They mostly focused on countries in the US, Europe, and east asia, so perhaps their depictions of those countries would be different. I’m not sure, but I do think its worth examining as purely a comedy show and maybe nuance should be more important in discussing it.

[zachary305]

Going Out With a Bang (Hetalia)

So… here we are. The last anime we will be watching is… Hetalia. I mean, to some extent I absolutely understand why we ended with this; it's MASSIVELY popular, depicts real world events, is kind of an epitome of the anime-stereotype, and has definitely had a massive influence in the anime world. On the other hand… I tried so hard for so long to avoid watching this show ever again and it somehow found its way back to me. I really REALLY don't like this show, not just because of some of the questionable choices it makes, but I honestly find it super obnoxious. The fast paced scenes and the extremely energetic characters just don't do it for me. That's not even mentioning the problematic aspects of the show. Actually on that topic though, I feel that's why we even watched it in the first place; this is probably one of the most polarizing anime on the planet because of its depiction of real-world countries and events and that's something worth examining.

So, to start, the anime mainly focuses on the era of WW2, which when you’re doing that you’re already treading on thin ice, but goes as far to use an extremely lighthearted tone with the AXIS POWERS as the main characters. And as if that wasn’t absolutely insane enough, almost every character is a stereotype of themself EXCEPT FOR JAPAN. So even in its main premise this show was BOUND to create controversy, because its representation of these real world events are so far from the actual events that it's offensive to the real-world tragedies they are linked to. However, it also has an intention of educating its audience on various historical events, regardless of the way it does it.

The reading was also interesting as I believe it painted Hetalia’s fanbase within an interesting light, a unique group that consumes and CRITIQUES the anime which I think is important. It shows that these individuals don’t shun the anime completely, but rather consume it and create discussion. In this Hetalia becomes an interesting examination of the nature of consuming content and how we associate it with real world events. I think that's the core of the inclusion of this anime, it shows how we can critique a depiction of ideas but still consume it. If that doesn’t define this class, what does?

Well, I think that's all yall. I had a great time watching anime with you guys (even when things got a little more stressful than I would have liked). Before this class I had watched at most 4 animes, so I feel I’ve really broadened my horizons and my ability to critically examine media. I also found one of my favorite shows of all time through this course, so maybe all the stress was worth it. Congratulations to all of us for pushing through and I hope to see yall later!

[sophiamenet]

Your Name

While I’ve heard of the movie, given how popular it is, I had never actually watched it before, nor did I really know the plot/story line. The time travel bit was a big shocker to me, I was really surprised when Taki went to the village and found out it was destroyed. The whole time traveling aspect was a bit confusing to me but there's no need to try and understand it logically so I'm not even gonna try. As for the assigned reading, how does Foucault’s “History of Sexuality” and his contemplation on and redefining of power apply to Your Name? While I'm unsure about the manifestations of power in the moive, I found there to be aspects of sex and sexuality - specifically in the markedly different and gendered behaviors/personalities of Taki verse Mitsuha. Taki, in Mishua’s body, acts in a much more ‘free’ way than Mitsuha would typically act as a young woman in conservative Japan (particularly within the more traditional rural setting.)

Mitsuha on the other hand maintains her femininity in Taki’s body, making him appear more effeminate. These different behaviors of both - with a female body presenting and behaving in a distinctly masculine way and a male body in a feminine way - result in more queer presenting characters. Mitsuha even receives a confession from a girl at her school as a result of Taki’s behavior when occupying her body. Taki similarly is called cute by his friend, in reference to Mitsuha existing as Taki. This exchanging of bodies then also translates to an exchanging of sexualities, so that when Taki is Mitsuha, Mitsuha behaves as, and essentially is, a lesbian. This might be said also for Mitsuha in Taki’s body, however Mitsuha’s pursuit of Taki’s female coworker - said to be for Taki’s own benefit - introduces then a variation in sexuality and its presentation in the anime.

How this translates to power, aside from the manifestation of the general socialized dominance and agency of men verses the subjugation and traditional, stereotypical subservience of women, I’m not entirely sure. This movie definitely presents an interesting and unique exploration of sexuality. Even Taki and Mitsuha’s attraction to one another is unique, as it is an emotional attraction and connection rather than physical. Their love for one another goes beyond the corporal self, again presenting another variation in sexuality and its representation (which in media representations is typically is constrained to the physical.)

[zachary305]

Hi! Your analysis of your name really really stuck out to me as I thought it offered a unique viewpoint I did not consider. For me I spoke on the idea that while swapping bodies, they each had a sort of power over each other's identity and compared to that of influences others have on you. Your interpretation of sexuality actually kind of morphs this idea into another area. I really appreciated your notice of the flexible nature of sexuality in the film with both characters as I thought that was interesting. If I were to propose an interpretation that combined our ideas I would go as far to say that maybe the overarching theme is the fluidity of every aspect of one’s identity. Not one label fits us, so why should we try to fit ourselves to a label, just like how their behaviors took on new traits through the experience. Overall, your analysis was very good and unique in comparison to other interpretations.

[zachary305]

Identity and Power (Your Name)

So I had never seen this movie before, but I had definitely heard the hype surrounding it. It felt like one of those movies that everyone but you has seen so I’m glad I got the opportunity to watch it. Let me just say, it did not disappoint; I was thoroughly engaged in the plot, the artstyle, and the characters. I could criticize some of the plot holes (How did NEITHER of them notice that it was a different year when they were switching bodies) but honestly the movie makes up for them in every way and sometimes you just have to suspend your disbelief a bit.

When it comes to how the reading relates to the movie, I was definitely a little bit lost at first, but I think I’ve come to the conclusion that it relates to ideas of power in the sense of identity. The movie finds the two main characters switching bodies with one another at random and in this experience they essentially gain power over each characters identity. For Mitsuha, this means she is observed acting like Taki and Taki is observed acting like Mitsuha. In the characters reactions we see how they start to form new opinions on each individual character based on the behavior of who is controlling the body. Others begin to see Mitsuha as erratic, acting strange on random days, but that's only at the beginning. As Taki assumes the identity more, Mitsuha is seen as more masculine and outgoing leading a higher social status. For Taki, Mitsuha acts femininely and that leads others to believe he has a softer side, including the girl he is interested in. Now this has benefits for both of them, but in a sense it introduces a power dynamic unlike any other. They have power over each characters identity, personality, thoughts, etc. and that is one of the very few things that is true to you. In a sense I believe the anime could be creating a commentary on relationships in which you are changed by the other person involved, not necessarily in a  negative or positive way, but asserting that we are changed by the people around us. We certainly have power over how we act, but we aren’t under full control over it as others influence can have even more power.

[zachary305]

We are Nature (Xenoblade Chronicles 2)

I personally haven’t played Xenoblade Chronicles 2, so watching through the cutscenes was a little bit of a strange experience for me. However, I did end up enjoying a lot of what I saw; the story was interesting, the art direction was cool, the worldbuilding seemed very interesting, and the characters themselves were very charming. When it came to themes, I didn’t know what I expected, but it absolutely wasn’t what I got. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 uses the worldbuilding I mentioned previously and uses it to craft a story about environmental disaster, rebuilding, and our role as part of the environment itself. 

The topic of not separating humanity from nature is something I immediately was hooked by within this module. I had been wondering much of the same things that were being questioned in the material for years, but I had never once heard others voicing the same ideas. So to see it in this class was something really cool and I think that same thinking can be applied to Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

In the game, we are introduced to 2 settings, Alrest, a world covered in a sea of clouds, and Elysium, a paradise where open fields abound and nature thrives. Elysium becomes this sort of macguffin for our heroes and once they get there, its revealed it isn’t a paradise of natural life, but a deserted ruinous landscape contained by some sort of futuristic technology. We learn that a long time ago, the earth underwent a cataclysmic event that killed almost all life on earth, but Klaus created the cloud sea, elysium, and the titans all to bring back life. Here we find the key aspect of this story: every single thing that is restoring life to the planet is tech, it isn’t naturally-occuring.

So finally we get to the connection to the idea that humans cannot be separated from nature, because we ourselves are natural. We must consider ourselves as natural and not try to let “nature” repair itself, but actively be a part of the repair process. Anything less is irresponsible and separates us from our true nature. We cannot heal what is broken, if we do not address two things, not either one, but both: 1. We broke nature

2. We are nature

When you get cut, you apply a bandaid, so why can’t we do something similar with our environment and work to heal ourselves?

[mochicrackersss]

Blog Post - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind ᯓᡣ𐭩‧₊˚ ⊹

I have very fond memories of watching Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind last year. During my and Dad's flight to Japan last summer, we downloaded all the Ghibli films we hadn't watched in preparation for the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. Going to Japan, but ESPECIALLY the Ghibli Museum was on my bucket list for so long because I'm such a huge fan of Ghibli, so I wanted to make sure I could enjoy every bit of it! And I'm glad I did, as I don't know why I never watched Nausicaä until then. Not only is it (kind of) the studio's first release (since technically it was created and directed by Hayao Miyazaki even though the studio was founded after its release), but it's also just a beautiful animated story that holds up great even today.

During my second watch, I noticed Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind has a similar setting and tone to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Both stories are set in this post-apocalyptic world populated with monstrous, alien creatures. Although, it seems Nausicaä's world is more far gone than Evangelion's. The air is barely breathable due to the spore-like infection covering almost every inch of the Earth, and massive insects that could crush any remaining human civilizations. However, unlike the Tokyo-3 citizens, Nausicaä stresses to her people that cohabitation with insects and humans is possible. If anything, similar to Evangelion, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind illustrates that humans are the root cause of violence and destruction. The soil and water were polluted by the wars thousands of years ago, which caused the air to be unbreathable, all the plants to be lethal and the toxic jungles to grow.

Side note, I absolutely love the music for this movie. Joe Hisaishi ate so hard with the 8-bit synthesized fantasy score, it tickles my brain so well.

[zachary305]

Hi! I really liked your analysis of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and how you connected it back to the themes present in the module. Your mention of how you watched this with your Dad was super nice and added a layer of personal connection to your blog post that aided it. One thing I really enjoyed was your connection of the film back to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Comparing the violence of Nerv to Nausicaa’s passivism is really interesting and makes for an excellent foil to one another. The one thing I feel they have in common is the main character, in the sense that I see much of Shinji’s personality in Nausicaa. Their sense of passivism, whether is it out of empathy or anxiety, is super interesting. Perhaps Shinji would be a better fit living in the Valley of the Wind instead of Tokyo-3.

[zachary305]

Coexisting (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)

‘Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind’ was a really fun, watch but if I’m being honest it wasn’t my favorite studio ghibli film ever. I liked the messages it had, the characters were fun, the world was cool, but to me it felt like this was a slightly worse Princess Mononoke. However, I can’t blame the film for this, but rather the era in which it was created. This was Studio Ghibli’s EARLIEST film and was created before they even recognized themselves under that name, so most of my criticisms come from the fact that the movie shows its age. However, one aspect of the movie that remains timeless is its commentary on the environment and human intervention.

So in the world of Nausicaa we’re introduced to the toxic jungle, an ever-growing mass of poisonous plants and deadly animals that threatens a post-apocalyptic society. However, we learn through Nausicaa that the plants themselves are not poisonous, but rather the soil in which they grow. This was caused by the selfish actions of the humans of the past and their disregard for the environment. Not only that, but the toxic jungle is inhabited by gigantic animals and bugs that are known to attack human settlements. Once again though, we see Nausicaa consistently tame many of these creatures, advocating for our coexistence with them.

So it's through these ideas that we find the core theme of Nausicaa, that being that Humans must take responsibility for the poor environmental conditions we have caused and we must take responsibility properly. This is show in the response to these threats that most humans have which is violence. They aim to kill much of the life, eliminate the toxic jungle with brute force, which in reality only causes more harm. This is true to real life, where often our response to environmental issues are harmful chemicals like pesticides rather than learning to live with our environment and the issues we caused within. We refuse to acknowledge our role in our own problems with the environment and as a result, we only make things worse. Nausicaa spreads the message that we must coexist with the environment, not fight against it. If we can’t learn to coexist, what chance do we have at existing at all?

[mochicrackersss]

Blog Post - The End of Evangelion ᯓᡣ𐭩‧₊˚ ⊹

I followed Neon Genesis Evangelion pretty well despite skipping a lot of episodes. The show was confusing, sure, but it posed a lot of interesting philosophical themes of self-hatred and fascinatingly illustrated biblical imagery. I even thought the ending of the original show was sweet despite its suddenness. I felt the characters deserved to learn to love themselves after the hardship they went through.

HOWEVER! The End of Evangelion movie confused the shit out of me! I thought the show was done? Does this take place after his self-love revelation in the last episode or before??? If so, why is Shinji now going insane again??? WHY DID SHINJI DO THAT IN FRONT OF ASUKA'S UNCONSCIOUS BODY IN THE HOSPITAL?????? WHY ARE A BUNCH OF ADULTS SEXUALLY HARASSING KIDS???????? (Insert defeated Shinji leaning over chair image here...) I just truly feel like I missed something here. I still don't understand what "The Promised Day" means, who Rei and her clones are in relation to Shinji's mom, why those black armored soldiers are attacking Nav HQ, or why Asuka and her Evangelion are going berserk.

I don't know... I feel like the original show put a lot of care into showing their characters' flaws, but also demonstrating that these flawed people were born from their terrible environment. Therefore, if they could accept their wrongdoings or learn to love themselves and others, they deserve to live peacefully. So is the movie trying to take back their claim or show the other side of reality? Is it saying sometimes despite bad environments, bad people don't try to change? Because End of Evangelion made a lot of their characters into suddenly shitty, violent people. It's fine to have those kinds of characters, but not so suddenly with no buildup. But that's just me, and like I mentioned, maybe I missed said buildup in the show.

At least those white, angel-like Evangelions are pretty cool design-wise. I have no idea where they came from, but I like their wings and hoverboard swords.

[zachary305]

Hi! If I’m being honest I picked your blog post to respond to because your descent into madness was a perfect encapsulation of how I think it must have felt to watch this while skipping episodes. I decided to watch it without skipping anything, so I had a pretty decent grasp on what was going on. I think specifically your comments about the characters becoming suddenly violent was really interesting. I think it shows just how much context was missing from the movie, because knowing the backstory behind the events really puts their actions into perspective. On the topic of the adults assaulting kids, the rei stuff was because she was a clone of Yui, Shinji’s mom, (not exactly but its extremely complicated) and Kendo was using her to create essentially a instrumentality specifically for himself to live out his life forever with his wife (still a little weird tbh). With Misato, one can make the argument she did it so Shinji would go pilot the Eva, but… she was also a bit freaky in the original show so I don't think that defense works.

[zachary305]

Individuality and Shinji (The End of Evangelion)

I really really loved The End of Evangelion. I thought it was a really beautiful, but somewhat depressing film. It leaned into the surrealism, especially near the end, which I definitely appreciated as it was some of my favorite parts of the series itself. I think this movie has A LOT to say about many real world issues, ranging from everything to one’s sense of self, accepting who you are, moving on, and making amends. However, when specifically examining masculinity in the context of Shinji, I feel each of these themes feed into it.

So one of the biggest moments in the movie, is the moment Shinji realizes what happens to Asuka and lets out that primal scream. Prior to this, Shinji has been very much aloof the entire movie, having to be dragged around and convinced not to just let himself die. So to see him give out this scream and transform EVA-01 is extremely guttural and shocking in the moment. In the context of Asuka’s role as a representation of hegemonic masculinity I think this is particularly interesting. It shows the representation of queer masculinity, essentially mourning the loss of the traditional masculinity. Almost as if one identity cant exist without the other and in losing hegemonic masculinity, queer masculinity takes on its now empty role.

This plays a massive role in the ending of the film as well where we see Shinji try and kill Asuka, but after she shows Denji a form of softness, Denji loosens his grip and cries, Asuka calling him disgusting. It’s this constant existence of both forms of masculinity. Denji chose to live in a world where humans weren’t all one being, because he wanted to meet different people and continue to exist as an individual. So in this context, how can one exist as an individual, if others that are different than you cease to exist. Queer masculinity cannot exist without hegemonic masculinity and vice versa, because in that case it would just be masculinity. 

And taking this all into account, I think we find the core message of The End of Evangelion, that being the idea that individuality is an impossible concept without conflict. Without our differences, an individual cannot exist, in the same way one cannot exist in a sea of souls. Individuality is the key of this movie, it tells us to keep being ourselves, even in the face of adversity, because its that adversity that makes us who we are.

[ndsblog4uf]

NGE pt 2

The second half of the series gets more introspective than the 1st half, especially in the somewhat odd last episode. Going against everything he's seen and how the one and only person that he considered a true friend is gone, he still chooses life even after all that he's been through. Shinji's queer masculinity is further explored as this time he even tries to embrace the more hegemonic masculinity he fails (as seen in episode 16). So, Shinji is still alone, unable to change the forces around him that constantly attack and hurt him. He is still lonely and is forced to save the world again and again with little to no recognition from those who are around him. Despite that he fails to fit into the world he exists in, he still chooses life. In the introspective 2nd half of episode 16 he reconciles with that "People can't handpick a series of pleasant events to make up their lives," showing the side of him that believes that he should just deal with it verse the side of him that exists in the present that wants to continue what he does best and screams "What's wrong with that!" NGE doesn't condone this complacency or escapism, it’s the opposite. In the vast majority of the episodes not shown this escapism from the pain of living (whether it be the pain of not fitting into masculine norms or something else) is shown as harmful to every character (especially Asuka who’s whole character development was skipped). One must choose to take the step to accept themselves in the world that is lived in. Running away will only momentarily solve problems, so the only option is to change personally or to change the world. That is precisely what Shinji chooses to do in episode 26 (in his head which is why there is that wacky "congratulations" scene). I don't consider that the true end to the show though, honestly this is my least favorite episode as it is a pretty anticlimactic way to end the series. But the movie End of Evangelion has this internal conversation in a much better way that isn't completely random like this one. And the ending is super cool so sometimes I just tell people to skip 26 and watch the movie instead.

[zachary305]

Hey! Even though we disagree on a couple things, I think your analysis of the second part of Evangelion was very well done. I disagree that the last episode wasn’t good, as I thought it was a very cool expression of artistic representation and  philosophical ideas, but I do agree the congratulations scene is slightly goofy. Anyways, one part I really liked was your mention of how the show critiques escapism. Throughout the show, we see shinji using escapism to disassociate with his situation. He daydreams, gets lost in thought and often separates himself from reality. I personally think this a product of his anxiety, which really shows another symptom that would exemplify his role as being not traditionally masculine. Daydreaming and dissociation, is a sign of “weakness' ' to many, you feel as if you can't handle your situation so you escape it. It critiques this idea, while also not looking down upon shinji for it, which I think is really interesting and well done.

[zachary305]

Asuka is Society (Neon Genesis Evangelion Part 2)

Okay uh, I’m struggling to think of what to put within this review other than simply the word “what”. What an insane ride, but I loved every second of it. When you take a moment to re-examine the series as whole, taking that first episode as a “point A” and the last episode as a “point B” really is surreal. Overall, I really enjoyed the series though, especially its continued examination of masculinity.

So within this part we get introduced to the character of Asuka who I personally believes as a direct foil to Shinji. She is a woman, but she takes on this role of a representation of the expectations society places on men to conform to hegemonic masculinity. Constantly belittling Shinji as he is placed in positions that reaffirm his status as a lesser male. Shinji even tries multiple times to adapt a more traditionally masculine personality, but it always ends up badly or Shinji gives up on it. 

However, Asuka isn’t just there to contrast Shinji, but also as Shinji grows through the series, Asuka becomes increasingly frustrated with how everyone seemingly cares more for Shinji then for her. So not only does she represent this pressure of hegemonic masculinity, but the existence of Shinji’s status as a lesser mail is actively frustrating her. She believes she should be receiving the attention and begins to resent the others because of this, most likely a product of her repressed trauma that the show explores later on. Asuka becomes more than just a display of how society pressures men into conforming to one idea of masculinity, but also the supposed imbalance caused by men falling out of line.

Its with this that I believe Asuka is a key character to much of Shinji’s own expression of masculinity. She is an expression of societies beliefs and reactions to non-typical masculinity.

[ndsblog4uf]

Finally, Peak Fiction (Neon Genesis Evangellion Pt.1)

Let me preface this by saying that this is one of my favorite anime of all time and I have already watched the whole show once before along with the End of Evangelion movie and the revamp movies that were made recently on Amazon Prime. So obviously, I recommend to everyone to continue watching this show if you enjoyed it. I even have a poster of Eva 01 on my wall.

Anyway, this show explores loneliness in though all of its main characters and its first and most explored is Shinji Ikari. Sinji isn't the most masculine, nor brave. Despite that, he is virtually forced into piloting the Eva. The immense pressure of not only being responsible for your own life but preventing the end of the world is debatably too much for any one person to handle, especially a timid 14-year-old boy. This is shown most prominently in episode 3 where Shinji stops angel Shamshel with only seconds to spare, Shinji is understandably visibly shaken. Because of whom he is and what he does Shinji still remains isolated, this quote form episode 3 exemplifies that too from Misato "Well, he'll eventually learn that growing up means getting closer to people and distancing them, finding a distance where you can avoid hurting each other too much."

Brutally alone, Shinji escapes his isolation through music. The, while pessimistic, perspective of Misato remains true to Shinji especially, nobody can relate to his own struggle and those who can are equally distant. He's not an always determined hero, nor is he stoic enough to keep his personal struggle inside of him, and too wimpy himself to face his problems without fear, making him an normal kid stuck with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Another thing to point out is the Christan symbolism in the show. Every angle is a real character in the bible (for example Shamshel is a gaurdian of the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve are banished, serving as a metaphorical example of how in NGE the angles prevent Shinji from living his own life) or that the name Neon Genesis Evangelion can be seen as the beginning (Genesis is 1st chapter in the bible) of the end (Evangelical translates from Greek to "good news" the good news is rebirth after death or revelation for believers) of the future (neon associated with future). Taking that the beginning of the end of the future is in the title serves as massive foreshadowing of something more to come. Very happy to be watching one of my favorite shows!

[zachary305]

Hi! I really enjoyed reading your analysis of the first part of Neon Genesis Evangelion.It was especially interesting to read a review from the perspective of someone who had already seen the show. It offers a more in depth approach others might not have. I specifically liked your mention of the biblical symbolism in the show and how that relates back to Shinji’s character. The idea that these angels represent a  different point in Shinji’s own character arc by harking back to their biblical origins is very interesting. I also think that is true, as much of the biblical ideas seem to relate back to the story, and the message of the story itself relates back to biblical themes. The idea of one’s sense of self isn’t just philosophical, but existential, leading back to that religious theme.

[zachary305]

Drop and Give me 20 (Neon Genesis Evangelion Part 1)

So I started watching Neon Genesis Evangelion a couple months ago and stopped watching after a little bit. When I saw this was the next anime we were watching, I was excited because now I have an excuse to actually watch it. Funny enough, I had actually already watched the episodes for this portion already so I had to do some rewatching to spark my memory. I actually really enjoyed this portion of Evangelion, it really feels like I’m watching a classic giant mecha series, but knowing how crazy things get down the line really puts things into a much greater perspective.

So Evangelion focuses on Shinji, a boy who's been tasked with piloting the giant mecha, Eva-01, against a race of otherworldly entities called the “Angels”. He’s tasked to this by his father, who now heads an agency known as “Nerve”, an organization (supposedly) dedicated to fighting off the angel invasion and preventing an apocalyptic event called the “third impact” from occurring. So already we have elements of Shinji’s emasculation in the sudden return of his absent father and his demands of him to pilot the Eva. Shinji is, rightfully, scared to do so and because of this he is looked down upon by his caretakers and his peers. He’s seemingly only seen as a tool to this group, something to be used, fixed if it isn't working properly, treated like trash until he takes down an angel and in that case he can be treated nicely.

Not only that but Shinji is put in a position that the typical “masculine” protagonist would take in stride, but because Shinji has even the slightest objections, he is treated as strange, a coward, not a real man. 

In this, we see how the anime is showing how Shinji is this model of a man who doesn’t fit the norm of a typical society. Everyone around him is trying to push this masculine role onto him and he doesn’t want it, but because of that people see him as less than a “typical man”. It shows how society doesn’t accept many men who don’t fall into this stereotype of masculinity. If you don’t fall in line, drop, and give me 20, how am I supposed to think you’re a “real” man. Follow orders, risk your life, and maybe you’ll have earned society's respect.

[jpt1311summerbnixautumn]

Convention Blog Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

[zachary305]

Hi! I really enjoyed reading through your recounting of your experience at Tampa Comic Con. Throughout your blog, I couldn’t help but relate your experience to my own. I also went to a con for the first time with my dad and remember the exact feeling of “is he enjoying this as much as I am or is he disappointed?” I also heavily relate to that anxiety of standing out or being weird at a con. It can be really intense, especially since if it's your first time, so the feeling of being  welcome at an event like that becomes even better, allowing your anxieties to wash away. I also agree with your mention of how overwhelming a con can be, sometimes you just gotta teak a break from it. Overall I thought your post was super interesting and hit very close to home for me.

[zachary305]

My time at San Diego Comic-Con!

About a year ago, I was lucky enough to attend the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con with my dad. As an early birthday gift, we had bought tickets almost 6 months prior and I was beyond excited in the time leading up to it. I had never been to a con, so going to one for the first time, let alone one on such a large scale, was beyond intimidation, but I had a plan. I was going to cosplay, see all the biggest panels, wait in all the biggest lines, buy as much as I could carry and just generally have a great time. However, even before the event started I realized that I might have bit off more than I could chew. My original plan was to cosplay as chainsaw man. I was already building cardboard chainsaws and everything, but that plan quickly fell through as I realized I definitely wasn’t crafty enough for that. So instead, I decided to cosplay as The Spot from the animated film, Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse. I was more than proud of the cosplay I had created for it; I decided to go specifically with the outfit he was wearing when he was robbing the convenience store at the beginning of the film, so I didn’t have to go around in only a white morph suit. I handmade some of the costume using a white morph suit, black fabric, fabric pencils to create the sketchy style he has in the movie, the outfit he wore, and I even carried around a tiny atm (if you know, you know). It looked great, but seeing as at the time I was more on the heavy-set side, I was definitely grateful I went for the more covered look. 

Anyway, the time came and we arrived at comic-con, but that’s when the other flaw of my ambitious plan brought itself to light. This year’s comic-con was a little more lackluster in terms of panels and guests, because it was at the height of the actors and writers strikes. So some of the biggest names in movies and tv dropped out of the event because they had nothing they could present. I didn’t let that get me down though and I ended up attending some really awesome panels, like the HBO Animation panel where I got to see a first look at their brand new series, Fiona and Cake. I also had a BLAST on the showroom floor where I encountered things that I now recognize as part of the fandom experience as discussed in our course.

To start, my cosplay was a MASSIVE success. I was constantly stopped for pictures and it felt like I was a celebrity (carrying around the atm was a great choice). One of my most fond experiences on the floor was when a younger girl dressed up as Spider-Punk (a character from the same movie as my cosplay) ran up to me and started begging for a picture. Afterwards, she looked at me and asked “What did spiderman say when he caught the spot?”

I responded with “I don't know”.

and in the most excited voice imaginable she yelled “That hit the spot!”

She laughed and went back to her parents who thanked us and went on their way. I still think that is one of my favorite interactions I’ve had in regards to fandom and really encapsulates the idea of owning fiction. Cosplay is the perfect means of basically becoming the fiction you consume and it really does make you feel that you’ve accrued something worthwhile, even if it wasn’t anything more than cultural wealth.

So, back to the showroom floor experience. When we first walked in, I was astounded at the sheer number of shops and venues that existed. It was almost overwhelming, but not enough to make me turn back. Now when it comes to these venues, there were 2 things in particular I was surprised by; a majority of people actually cared enough about themself to wear deodorant and the amount of free stuff that the booths gave me was intense. It felt like every booth they were assaulting you with one trinket or another. One moment I was taking a picture with these spiderman statues and the next I’m being handed a free comic and a discount on the new spiderman game. Another moment I’m doing a photo op with a star wars speeder and as soon as I step off they hand me an umbrella (???). It was a lot, but I really enjoyed it. However, most of the free things weren’t from fans, but rather the brands themselves, looking to sell their product to me. The fan-ran booths were a completely different story.

I ended up buying less than I expected, but definitely enough to leave me satisfied. One of the things I bought was this star wars poster that I have hanging up in my dorm right now. Me and the artist really connected and he ended up signing the poster for me. However, that's one of the very few fan-offered content I bought, because what I found at the event was that most of the fan-content was extremely expensive and way out of my price range. Not to say they were priced incorrectly, but rather that I underestimated the value of the products they were creating. These artists were the perfect example of turning your own fan-experience into profit. They had everything from One Piece merchandise to Kingdom Hearts posters on display (I actually really wanted this one Kingdom Hearts poster but it was so expensive that it would have left me with no room to buy anything else). They had created this art out of their love for the fiction that inspired it and they were using this to accrue a real world profit. Like in Genshiken, they were creating productivity out of their fandom experience.

Looking back, I see now how the experience was an integral part in accepting my social identity. Before going to the event, I was a little nervous about how I would be perceived, in the same vein as the main characters in Genshiken. At the end of the day though, these were all people who enjoyed the same things as me and were also looking to express that. That was the reason I had such a good time, because it was an environment where I felt I could be excited about these weird things and not only be accepted, but celebrated. In a way, I was expressing and gaining my own cultural wealth, I just didn’t realize it.

At the end of the event, I was sad to go. Getting on the bus, I squeezed past Goku, asked if Iron-Man was holding those seats for anyone, sat down, and started reading a copy of Junji Ito’s Soichi I had bought earlier that day. It was my first time at a con and although it didn’t all go to plan, I still had an amazing time. I’m hoping to go to another con soon, because the experience I had was simply amazing. When you’re surrounded by people who are as passionate as you are about this culture, that's when you feel the most welcomed.

[pixiebat13]

Wandering Son Blog

Wandering Son was a great anime which depicted the struggles experienced by transgender people within society perfectly. Personally, I haven’t seen many anime which deal with transgenderism so openly, so it was refreshing to see. Themes that can be found in the Wandering Son are transgenderism, LGBTQ+, and gender conformity. 

This story follows two school children by the names of Nitori and Tatsuki. Both have desires of representing themselves as the opposite gender, which this anime dives into. However, presenting themselves as the opposite gender doesn’t come by easily and they often received judgment from their peers and teachers. Their first escape from gender conformity is changing their uniforms to the opposite gender. Uniforms are often used to help keep people within their gender assignment, enforcing the expectations of gender conformity. Finally, when Nitori started cross-dressing and expressing herself more, we see disapproval from her sister who calls her disgusting and avoids her at school due to this. We also see her girlfriend Anna being appalled at the fact Nitori would crossdress and broke up with her in response. However, when Tatsuki cross-dressed he wasn’t met with such disdain from his peers or teachers. I find this due to male gender being enforced more than the female gender. Since women have been fighting off the patriarchy for 100’s of years it isn’t as uncommon to see women fighting off gender conformity. However, for the male gender people hold toxic expectations and any form of female expression is met with disapproval. 

This anime dives into the hardships transgender identifying people can experience within normal life from family, peers, and even authority (teachers). I like how this anime doesn’t create an unrealistic situation where everyone accepts you and there is no struggle. However, through exposure and time people you may have not expected to can come to terms with acceptance. 

[zachary305]

Hi! I thought your analysis of wandering son was really well put, especially with the relations to the module as a whole. In specific, your mention of the uniforms as a symbol for the gender roles and rules that society pushes on people is interesting. It shows how one steps the boundary of society’s expectations and the reaction that comes with it. Showing both the unbalance in how people react to others adopting traits of the opposite gender, but also showing the way in which they perform to fit the gender they were assigned at birth. Overall your review was interesting and was a good interpretation of the anime’s content.

[zachary305]

Gender and Society (Wandering Son)

Wandering Son was really just a sweet anime to watch. I love the music, some of the choices they made for the soundtrack were perfect. Playing Clair De Lune was the quickest way to tug on my heart strings and they took advantage of it! I also like that this anime handles the topic of transgender identities, something I haven’t seen many other animes discuss, and if they do discuss it, often its done in a poor manner. Regardless, it uses this story about transgender youth to discuss themes of gender noncomformity and the pressure society places on the people within it to conform to its standards.

So the story follows two middle school students named Nitori and Tatsuki. Both are struggling to understand their transgender identities in an environment that doesn’t accept this idea. They slowly help eachother to realize their identities and present as who they really want to be, but not without resistance from their peers. It’s through this that the anime tackles these themes and also the varied levels of acceptance towards the two children. Tatsuki, who is a trangender boy, starts wearing the male student uniform to school, but this is only met with mild backlash and intrigue. However, when Nitori wheres the female uniform to school, its met with incredible amounts of ridicule and backlash. It shows the true nature of this gender divide and relates it back to the idea of gender as a performance. Women are known to have masculine traits, so many dont oppose to Tatsuki adopting the masculine uniform, however men are known to solely have feminine traits, which is why Nitori is met with backlash. It shows that there are rules and guidelines to these ideas and if you step out of line, you are going against the norm. There must be something wrong with you in society’s eyes.

Which is why its so touching to see Nitori and Tatsuki to also have support systems. They are adapting to who they believe themselves to be and although the world isn’t ready for that, those around them will defend them. I also think this anime lends to the idea that gender isn’t much more than a concept as it deals with the “genderbender” play near the end of the anime.