vanessasamsoe

[vanessasamsoe]

Hey! I think you did a really good job explaining how the power dynamics within Your name, were expressed. For example, when you stated how Mitsuha’s desire to become a man in a complete different environment is a strong example of how society treats specific genders. I think by highlighting this point, it shows that while these animes may display ideas of nationalism, it also does display traditional gender stereotypes as well. l I think this was a very unique perspective since I didn’t really focus on that when I wrote my blog and I didn’t seem to pick up on it while watching the anime. I also like how you mention how Sensoron represents stereotypes because I also noticed how the workplace culture was so heavily leaned into within the anime, and it was more so the traditional ideas you would see within a workplace. Again, I like how you tie these two together, especially when putting it in the context of manipulating opinions. I think it shows how media can truly play an influential role on how a person perceives characteristics of culture and further displays how the depiction of global cultures in media is important.

Your Name / Hetalia: Axis Powers / Sensoron: Module 11

Throughout Your Name, the power dynamics attached to sex is shown through the anime. The secondary part of the film presents the issue more evidently but Mitsuha’s initial statement wishing she was a man in an entirely opposite environment than she was represents an issue that many people of the female sex may face. Mitsuha yells this sentiment because of the power dynamics placed onto sex, causing her to wish she was on the opposite side of the power spectrum. This is a prevalent issue today where people feel disheartened by situations that are based on bias and or sexism, placing a priority or superiority with males. This is where Your Name does a good job representing the issues of power dynamics associated with sex. By how people are reluctant to listen to Mitsuha when she is trying to protect the people of Itomori from disaster. This is a real world issue that many women have, where they are not taken as seriously because they are a woman. I feel as though if it was Taki trying to convince the people of Itomori then there would not have been as much friction between the people and Taki. Aside from the issues of sex and power dynamics associated with gender, Your Name also presents an unrest from the younger generation that is prevalent in today's world. Mitsuha’s resentment for the life that she was born in due to the cultural pressures and or expectations on her that is colliding with her desire to become part of society. Mitsuha residing in the rural village in a way is similar to how some people in America who live in the suburbs and or rural areas dream of places like New York, the prime of society. Mitsuha from Your Name reminds me of this sentiment. 

Then Hetalia and Sensoron represent the fine line of caricature, stereotypes, and the extent of rhetoric. Both the anime and manga provide caricature as a way to poke fun at an idea, however both take a different approach to caricature to portray story. Sensoron represents the issue with media and pushing peoples opinion to an idea that is not exactly factual, but persuading people to view a group in a more negative light. Hetalia utilizes caricature to bridge connections and provide comedic relief to a topic that has lots of political tension attached to it. Both represent the issues with how rhetoric is used globally, in how it can manipulate or sooth popular opinion. Another thing to mention is that in Hetalia, all the characters were male, a subtle detail that gives some perspective of what the ideal representation of each country was.

[vanessasamsoe]

Your Name/ Hetalia/ Sensoron

In Your Name, the animated pics, two teenagers who mysteriously swap bodies. However, when they switch bodies, you can see the differences between the two sides of Japan. For instance, in Mitsuha’s town, it is more rural and to me represents the more traditional Japan. The towns architecture, landscapes, shrines, and how close the community is to one another, seem to connect to traditional Japanese values. In contrast, Taki’s cityscape reflects the modern and fast paced environment that is filled with technology, which displays the more modern culture of Japan. I think these two settings equally get represented within the anime. Yet, I think it serves as a reminder that culture isn’t stagnant it’s more so evolving overtime. Thus, I feel like the film suggests that Japan’s cultural identity is worth preserving whether that be a more modern identity or traditional. I think it connects to the idea as well that we learned in past lectures, that historicizing culture shows deeper knowledge than a synchronic view. To dive deeper on the two main characters switching bodies, I think that the suggestion of this action is to further proof the idea that understanding Japan’s past and present is important for the protection of cultural heritage. Without understanding both sides of Japan, one would not fully understand the values that Japanese culture truly represents. 

Additionally, within the anime Hetalia: Axis Power, the tone completely shifts to being a loud, satire statement of nationalism. For example, the anime turns each country into its exaggerated stereotypes. So for Italy, its character is a pasta lover, for America it is a superhero, and then for Germany it’s an authoritarian character. These character stereotypes heavily lean into the World War II propaganda, and almost pokes fun at the countries for playing into the stereotypes that are given to them. I also feel like this anime shows historical nationalism due to the references of World War II, and it also shows the darker sides of nationalism on the people. For instance, it shows how extreme patriotism can be, especially when each country character is dressing up as the stereotypical citizen of that country.

Lastly, Sensoron, displays a heavy influence of traditional Japanese values. For example, the characters have to navigate the workplace hierarchies, expectations of professionalism, and out of work relations with coworkers, which are all deeply rooted within Japan’s corporate society. While this is a lighthearted, romance anime, I do believe that there are hints of nationalism within this anime. Yet, I don’t feel like it’s in a way where the nationalism is bringing pride to its citizens, it instead normalizes Japanese customs. Like, the characters never really question why their workplace is the way it is, instead, their mindset is it’s just how things are.

Well, I do feel like these three animes show individual ideas of nationalism, I almost feel like each anime’s depiction of nationalism is vital to understand understanding a diachronic view of a countries culture. 

[vanessasamsoe]

Hey dapaucar, I loved how you set up your blog to show some contrasting points between the animes that we watched. I agree with your point about how the empire of Tolmekia was a symbol of humans in real life, trying to conquer nature, however failing in the process. I think this says a lot about human nature, and how we feel the need to be the most dominant species through our technological advances, however we should be working in harmony with nature instead of harming it. Your point about Xenoblade Chronicles 2, interested me a lot, especially about how the ending of the game was a solution to restoring nature. I think that your take about how technology can either aid or destroy nature is something that we need to take into consideration whenever we are looking at technological advances. For example, AI has been on the rise recently as a helpful resource, however, recent studies have shown that it has an impact on the environment. So to your point about technology having impacts on the environment, I completely agree. You offer great ideas and perspectives within your post, so great job!

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind / Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Thoughts

Words can’t begin to describe how I felt after watching Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 cutscenes. Both offered incredibly unique settings with beautiful environments. While both are set in worlds that had been previously ravaged by some apocalyptic event, each offers a unique story of living in that post-apocalyptic world.

In Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the apocalyptic event left the world in ruin, now covered by a toxic jungle. Throughout the story, we witness the conflict between the Empire of Tolmekia and Nausicaä. The Empire of Tolmekia wants to conquer nature and use an ancient bioweapon to clear the toxic jungle while Nausicaä attempts to stop them. The Empire of Tolmekia's primary goal is to conquer nature, seeing nature as the issue, and using technology as its replacement. They parallel the real-life idea of technological advancement as a way to make humanity no longer dependent on nature. As a species, we have slowly become the most powerful species. We use our intellect to solve problems that other animals just can’t. If there has been one thing humanity has yet to conquer on Earth, it is nature. We have built structures like roads and giant cities that break through nature. Yet still to this day, we have to contend with unpredictable weather and natural disasters. Just like in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the Empire of Tolmekia tries and fails at conquering nature, showing how nature is an omnipresent force that, rather than destroying, we have to live in harmony with nature.

In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the world is also left in ruin, with humanity living now on giant titans in the Cloud Sea. In the ending of the game, a solution is created to help restore life by using the nanomachines that make up the Cloud Sea. Rather than in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, where most human technology is portrayed as going against nature and harming it, in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the solution is technology. Going back to the point about human technological advancement being used to oppose nature, some advancements have been used to help protect and rejuvenate ecosystems. Nature, while being able to fix itself, takes a long time to do so, so, like with the nanomachine in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, human efforts can be used to help accelerate natural processes that could take thousands of years.

Ultimately, both Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind provide interesting views on how humans and nature interact and coexist.

[vanessasamsoe]

Nausicaa of the Valley/ Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Nausicaa of the Valley and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 takes place within a post-war period in which the environment has been heavily damaged due to the destruction. These animes show two different types of human- nature relationships: those who live in harmony with nature and those who dominate nature. To better understand this relationship, I personally thought of the movie Avatar; where the Navi people live symbiotically with nature while the humans trying to colonize Pandora destroy and use nature for their needs. I think that both Nausicaa and the Navi have similarities in the way that it shows the limits of environmental action. Both do not have the power to actively heal nature by their own hands, however it is through prevention that peace can happen. They each allow for nature to heal itself while they take preventative action to avoid further harm on the environment. I think that this could be reflected onto our society today and what humans could do to improve our natural environment. We could possibly try to place limits on environmentally harmful practices whether that be overfishing, pollution, or forest fires, so that nature would be able to heal itself without humans trying to aid it. In both of these cases, it shows that this issue can only be solved through forces outside of humans aid; however that is not true. I think that while in some cases nature should try to heal itself without humans, yet there’re are things that only humans can help with. For example the plastic debris in the ocean, should be collected and recycled by humans since there isn’t a natural process that the environment could use to solve that issue. I don’t think that humans can’t do anything about the current state of the Earths ecosystems, I just think that we as a species need to act with environmentally conscious idea and clean up our planet so that nature can potentially heal. However, one thing in Xenoblade that needs to be addressed is that nature didn’t heal naturally, instead human efforts rebuilt ecosystems. These two pieces of media actively contradict each other when describing how humans could help the environment: one showing a more passive approach and the other showing a hands on approach. 

Reflecting on my own experience, I have been trying to be more conscious about the environment and how my actions affect it. Personally, I’ve been contributing to Project Pan, which is this idea that before consumers buy new products, they use up all the ones they already have. Not only does this combat the issue of consumerism, but it also makes humans more conscious of what they are actually using. For instance, if people are more inclined to finish their products they dispose of the container only. Yet, when someone lives in excess, the discarded contents are both its container and the product leading to more waste than necessary. 

Overall, I thought that watching these animes allowed for me to create more ways for my actions to have more active and passive effects on healing the environment since it seems both is necessary. 

[vanessasamsoe]

I completely agree with your statement about how this anime represents issues associated within society, especially with masculinity around the world. I loved your example on how there is a contrast between how masculinity is represented within two characters, Asuka and Shinji, where Asuka is praised for her aggression while Shinji is alienated. Also, your connection to the real world scenario of social media was genius. I never really thought about how social media plays a role within gender stereotypes. Additionally, your point on Shinji being a representation of how men may feel after or during their adolescence was an eye-opening argument. Again, that’s something that I never really thought about and your perspective on that really made me reflect on how toxic masculinity is so prevalent within society today. Lastly, your statement on the dissatisfaction we have due to the cycle of comparing ourselves is completely correct from my point of view. I think that this anime truly shows how comparing yourself to others displaying more femininity or masculinity can actually harm who you are and your goals as a person. Great job on bringing new perspectives to light and your connections to real world scenarios!

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Module 9

After watching the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion I am reminded of the issues associated with masculinity present in both Japan and globally. Within Evangelion, both sides of masculinity are represented by the characters Asuka and Shinji,where Shinji feels an existential pressure to become someone he is not. Shinji’s alienation and belittling throughout the entire anime is a representation of the internal struggle that many people across the globe struggle with, and only when Shinji conforms is he considered acceptable and praised.  I feel as though this is a prominent issue in today's society where social media and societal expectations push people to align with socially accepted gender identities. This creates an environment where people feel insufficient with their gender identities, feeling as though they are not performing their masculinity well enough; This is represented with Shinji as a reflection of internal struggles many men may feel during or after adolescence. The feeling of not being enough or feeling alienated is only being perpetuated by the growth of social media and how interconnected it makes society. The ability to peer into the lives of others creates a peer pressure, despite being in no physical proximity to another human being, to conform to a certain trend or style to become more masculine/ feminine. This is something I have seen happen to the people surrounding me, where they would scroll on people’s instagram and admire certain aesthetic features and or hobbies that person is presenting to social media and would feel the need to be more skinny and or become more muscular. The constant dissatisfaction with who we are only leads to a perpetuating cycle of envy and or questioning as shown in Evangelion. The depression and loss of identity Shinji feels is the inevitable result of constantly feeling insufficient, acting as a reminder to society of the issues when people lose themselves within society's pressures.

[vanessasamsoe]

Neon Genesis Evangelion- Blog Post

Watching scenes from Neon Genesis Evangelion of the destruction and weapons used highlights some of the key points of masculinity. The inclusion of these b-roll scenes showing these elements continues the ongoing conflict of how society has created standards for men to reach. They are not only subconsciously told this within society, but also have constant reminders in their daily lives of what the expectation is. Also, what the viewer sees on the outside of the main characters consists of what society deems feminine and masculine, thus the anime shows the extreme performance both genders have to put on within the anime’s society. However, when we get to know the characters we start to understand that the female protagonist, Asuka, is exhibiting a lot more masculine traits, while the male protagonist, Shinji, displays more feminine traits. These details are stark contrasts of each other since their outwardly appearances are exactly what is expected of them from society, however their personalities aren’t. Yet, this isn’t to say that this is the only contrast between queer masculinity and “real” masculinity. I feel like the presence of Shinji’s father within the anime acts as another figure that possesses the masculinity that Shinji lacks. When they are face to face the viewers can see the clear differences between them; one is emotionally expressive, while the other isn’t; one is violent, while the other runs away from conflict. Again, these comparisons serve as a reminder that Shinji does not live up to the societal expectation placed on males and we as the viewer see how “weak” and vulnerable he truly is. 

On the other hand, in the later episodes of the anime, we see a different side to Shinji that we did not see in the first couple episodes. While at the start, Asuka serves as yet another character who is more masculine than he is, showing what he lacks as a man is possible for a woman to have almost makes him reflect on himself and try to replicate. Episode 16 plays an important part within his journey as he tried to change himself to become more masculine, however his efforts fail and he cannot succeed due to his “weakness”. Yet, it is when he is saved by the Eva, it is when he starts to realize he can find power within his queer masculinity. This idea only strengthens as the series comes to a close where he finally has confidence within himself and not conforming to societies wishes. His whole psychological journey can be seen as a powerful reminder to anyone struggling with conformity to social norms, that it is fine not to be “normal”. I feel the anime’s message to the viewers is that the more confidence and acceptance you have in yourself, the less you have to beg for acceptance or love from others since you find it within yourself: thus, offering peace for yourself in the end. 

However, while the show offers a peaceful ending to Shinji’s story, the movie contradicts this. Instead, the movie offers a realistic standpoint for the viewers to understand: queers within society will always tried to be allured into becoming what society wants them to be. I almost think that this ending compared to the show ending displays how two different people will look at someone who is queer. The show represents a person who is willing to show their love and respect to people like Shinji, while the movie represents someone who is hostile towards queerness and always try to get them to conform. I think that this artistic approach of how someone who is queer is be treated within society in two ways, ultimately illustrates that acceptance of oneself is the most fundamental asset for them to possess. Whether society accepts it or not, that doesn’t matter, since what stayed the same in the endings is the fact that Shinji stayed true to himself. 

[vanessasamsoe]

I really think that involving your own personal experience within this discussion and connecting it to ideas we learned in the class as helped me understand deeper concepts about conventions! I loved your personal anecdote about how young people can meet others that enjoy the same piece of media that you do. I especially love that you were specific with the phrase “niche media”, since I think it makes an interaction more personable and meaningful if the media is not mainstream. Your mention on specific types of stalls at PolyCon showed me that these conventions aren’t necessarily for just one type of audience, these conventions are more so a mixture of both Japanese and Western media. I think that this was extremely important to emphasize since it displays the array of different groups all coming together for these conventions and potentially becoming friends with those of different interests. I also enjoyed how you brought up the fandoms and how each one has their niche of entertainment and merchandise for anyone to buy, it truly shows that there could be anything for anyone at conventions! Ultimately, your perspective of conventions was very nice to read about and I’m glad you had a great time!

In 2023, my friend invited me to PolyCon, a fandom and geek culture convention held by the Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland. This would be my first experience going to a fandom related convention. We took our close-knit group of friends and walked around campus to see the various of stalls and activities the university set up around campus. I only ever saw pictures of anything con-related online, so I was surprised to see the sheer amount of people cosplaying in the hot summer sun. People were dressed as up various of characters, from Yoshi to Final Fantasy’s Cloud and Tifa, to Hatsune Miku. You could see the love people had for Japanese pop media. There were lots of costumes that I did not recognize either, which made me think that conventions like PolyCon are great opportunities for young people to meet fellow fans from a small niche since finding people that love the same piece of media you love can be very difficult. 

The campus itself was huge, containing a giant central building that is very designed uniquely, with many people saying it looks like a space ship. This central building was where we entered first to get wristbands for admission. After the admission table, we went down the hall, which circles around the whole building and back to the admission table. The hallway was filled with attendants, stalls with foldable tables that presented tons of fan goods, artwork, merchandise, and anything under the sun pertaining to fandoms. There was a table with Chainsaw Man artwork that my friend quickly went to, being a big fan of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s work. He bought two posters of Makima, a main character from the manga, since he was so attracted to her that he even put Makima as his Discord profile picture.  

Every classroom in the hallway had more booths displaying goods from different fandoms and media. Western media was also popular, with the big ones being Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. There was an entire room for Star Wars fans that displayed light sabers, large Star Wars Lego sets, helmets and costumes from characters like Darth Vader and Boba Fett, and a working BB-8 droid. Each room was packed with fans carrying lots of bags and posters in one arm, while scanning for goods with the other. Many people talked passionately about what their favorite character or scene was, their grievances with the new sequel, how the fanbase has changed, and other intricate pop culture topics. Fans from the Star Wars booth staged a light saber fight with costumes, spinning 360 degrees to strike or blocking and evading attacks.  

The university prepared a gaming tournament for Smash Bros upstairs, which my friends wanted to participate in. We entered and saw rows of tables with monitors and gaming rigs already set up and tons of people already competing against each other. My friends registered their names and chose a place to use. I never played Smash Bros and was basically seeing my first gaming tournament in person, so I chose not to participate but it was interesting to see the focus contestants had playing, and when the round was over, contestants would shake hands as a show of sportsmanship. It showed a level of comradery I didn’t expect since the common image of sportsmanship comes from athletes finishing a game of baseball, for example. The tournament and convention in general displayed how a subculture of youth make bonds over a common love for foreign and domestic media that usually isn’t found in mainstream culture. These conventions allow them to express their interests and meet other fans in-person to form a unique cultural identity. 

[vanessasamsoe]

Conventions

Conventions, specifically those with a focus on Japanese culture, truly do foster community and expression within the one weekend it hosted. While I have never personally been to a convention before, the documentary has a detailed description and explanation into some of the events surrounding these conventions. The documentary mentions how important the internet has been for this community, which you can certainly see since the interviewees mention their own experiences with creating friends and their own community online. I think that this point is essential to the idea that conventions help the youth and even those who are older to understand that being a fan of Japanese culture is normal. For instance, it is mentioned in the documentary that when a cosplayer would go out on the street in their cosplay they would receive weird looks; however, within a convention their cosplay is celebrated. I think that since this behavior isn’t seen everyday many people in society, it’s deemed as “not acceptable”. Yet, I feel that as these people go to conventions and create an environment where there are others like them, it fosters a new sense of confidence and self-acceptance that wouldn’t have been there had they not attended. Additionally, I want to point out that in this specific documentary, the host points out that there are panels and rooms for people to learn more about specific topics regarding anime, manga, or Japanese culture. This particular piece of information was especially interesting since these conventions not only create new relationships, but also inform these people about aspects of a culture they may not know. 

Another interesting point I wanted to point out is that Dustbunny, a cosplayer in the documentary, mentioned how she felt like people who go to clubs are weird and how those who go to conventions are cool people. I think this shows the duality of belief since I think the most common perspective we see is that those who watch anime or go to conventions are weird. However, now we get to see the point of view of someone who goes to conventions and thinks clubbing, something that seems to be normalized or more popular, as weird. I think this is intriguing since it draws attention to the difference in beliefs based on your experiences in life, and how everyone has different perspectives and opinions on things. 

Conventions also contribute to youth culture in multiple ways: dating, clothing, and even their dialect. While watching the documentary, they have a specific section that focuses on the dating scene in conventions. The conventions provide an environment that can connect people with similar interests, allowing for people to connect with one another and potentially date. Additionally, conventions sell clothes ranging in genres from inspired by Japanese culture to anime characters on T-shirts to cosplay costumes. People buying these clothes at the conventions allow these conventions to influence their fashion and what they choose to wear everyday. Similarly, with the addition of panels with the focus of educating those at the conventions and conversations with others that watch anime it teaches people about Japanese words that they otherwise probably wouldn’t have come in contact with in the United States. These people tend to use Japanese terms to define themselves or within conversation, such as Otaku, which has influenced their behavior while speaking. Therefore, conventions play a large role within youth culture since they are at the forefront of introducing an audience of people to Japanese influence. 

Overall, I believe that conventions have become such an important part of life to not only those who are interested in anime and manga, but to the general public. With the increase in popularity of anime and manga, there has been an increasing amount of Japanese influence within cities all over the country. I think it’s important for others to consider that while you may not agree that cosplaying or even clubbing is cool, we can all appreciate those who do and aim less bias towards them. 

[vanessasamsoe]

Hi addi0123, I think your point about Sailor Moon’s creator not diminishing her feminine traits and using them as the basis of her powers really encourages people to allow their feminine sides out. I think the patriarchy tries to teach people not to be vulnerable and to not “act like a women”, and it had devastating implications on societies perception on female traits. Additionally, your point about Retsuko being known for her soft tone and politeness in the work place also reflects the idea that women have specific qualities that make them the ideal female. If one has more masculine traits, they will have a harder time finding success and climbing the social latter within the workplace. Also, your point on how Wandering Son bends the rules of society for what is characteristically male and female is great! I found that your connection to your personal life and this anime allowed me to better grasp the concept of uncomfortably within societies social boundaries.  

In Sailor Moon, I noticed that the creator did not try to hide or alter Tsukino’s femininity or make a statement about oppression from the patriarchy but used her femininity as literal weapons against enemies, symbolizing it as a form of empowerment. A noticeable example was when the middle school boys are manipulated from the newly constructed fortune telling parlor and become zombies. Tsukino converts to her Sailor Moon identity and defeats the monster that hypnotized the boys by unintentionally crying very loudly during the fight. Her crying is transformed into a weapon in her Sailor Moon identity that defeats the enemy. Another example of Tsukino’s girl power is seen when she converts her tiara into a boomerang. 

The show Aggretsuko parodies the conventional Japanese white-collar workplace very well. Retsuko is always seen having to keep herself from losing her temper and relieves stress after her long work hours by doing solo karaoke and singing to death metal songs. She makes great efforts to fit into her gender role by being polite, not talking back, replying in a soft tone, and passively taking in abuse from her high-ups. She represents a lot of unsatisfied and stressed women in the workplace, who also usually stay under the radar due to their lower social position as office ladies. 

Wandering Son bends the rules that society sees is appropriate regarding gender. It shows school students who do not identify with the gender associated with their assigned sex, such as Nitori who is born male but identifies as a girl. Nitori is seen wearing woman’s clothing, preferring them over men’s clothing. There is a narration by Nitori, saying that she does not feel comfortable wearing the boy’s school uniform, which I could relate to in a way since I would feel that same sense of uncomfortableness if I was forced to wear woman’s clothing since I identify as male.

[vanessasamsoe]

Sailor Moon/ Aggretsuko/ Wandering Son

In Sailor Moon, I feel like this anime strongly connects to third wave feminism ideas. For instance, Usagi makes it known that everyone knows her as a crybaby and how she is even calls herself emotional. Yet, one of her “flaws” becomes a strength when she is transformed as Sailor Moon and uses her cries as a weapon against the forces of evil. Additionally, while there are boy saviors, the real heroes of the story are women displaying a resistance to patriarchal oppression over women. 

I also wanted to point out something I saw in Aggretsuko that I thought was interesting. I thought that the anime style was extremely unique from what we have been watching in this class. I personally thought that this anime style reflects one of the strategies of resisting the patriarchy: changing the value of femininity. For example, I found that the style reflected a cuter and innocent nature which is stereotypically what women are portrayed as. However, when the any character expressed strong emotions the style of their faces became “ugly”. These “ugly” expressions allow for the viewer to understand the duality of femininity, meaning that while those who are feminine can be perceived as cute and innocent, they can also be more masculine and that is completely acceptable. Yet, within the anime, it is depicted that Retsuko’s more masculine traits of stubbornness and rage tend to lead her into trouble. In my opinion, I feel like this anime is reflecting values seen in both the second and third wave of feminism. 

Wandering Son reflects the idea that each gender has social scripts that they have to conform to. For more context, we as a society place roles and traits onto each gender based off of what society tells us to. I believe that this subliminal message allows an alarm to go off when we feel like someone isn’t following what we normalized. In the anime, the main protagonist is experimenting with becoming feminine as an assigned male at birth. However, she faces difficulty as she traverses the ridicule of others who know what she was born as and the acceptance of those who don’t. I believe that this scenario displays what Sailor Moon also does, turning the gender roles upside down. It shows that while a person who was man at birth can become feminine by reflecting feminine traits, it is also possible for a woman to do the same. Thus, reflecting third wave feminism. 

[vanessasamsoe]

I love that you discussed the transition from being a new member to being an established member. I think the hesitation that Sasahara expressed was because of the stereotype that people who are in fandoms tend to be weird and for somebody who’s already struggling to find their place within this university, I think it’s natural for him to feel the need to belong and fit in. I think the instance that you brought up about Chika being kicked out of the manga group is a perfect scenario illustrating that just because your ideas don’t align with the community that you’re currently in, doesn’t mean that you can’t find one that does. I agree with your point about how Genshiken taught you more about fan culture, because it did the same for me. So I loved hearing about your experience, watching the anime and the ideas it created. 

Genshiken

To be honest I wasn’t expecting an anime like Genshiken to be watched but I took some interesting things away from the anime. I specifically want to point out the transition from joining the members joining the club and finally settling in.

At first, Kanji (Sasahara) was very hesitant to join the club. He knew what the general society labels these types of groups but had genuine interest in it. Especially being a freshman, it took a while for Kanji to start sharing his interest to the others inside the group. After some time, Kanji ended up fitting in and even admits it when he was in Comiket. No one is looking at him wired and he feels accepted. Another character that is important to be discussed is Chika. Chika was kicked out of the manga club because the others thought her manga was strange and fettish-like. The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture welcomed Chika to the club and weren't toxic like the manga group. Of course it was harder and longer for her to show her manga or even express herself. This doesn’t just apply to anime or manga clubs. It could be anything because the entire world won’t accept everything and there will always be stigmas. It’s just a matter of opening the doors Kanjo did and doing the initial steps. 

Overall I learned a lot about the fan culture and they're not as outspoken to the public as I thought. Like Ueno would shout famous lines in public, her friend would quit her because that's not something most people do. Everyone else simply disregarded it and continued with their day. It's a close-knit and openhanded community. Genishiken also shows how strong communities can be and how large they are. Even foreigners coming from different parts of the world are apart of the community.

[vanessasamsoe]

Genshiken Blog Post

Genshiken offers a variety of different perspectives on the idea of being a fan. I think it’s refreshing to see that the main anime and manga club is not full of people who ridicule and disrespect their fellow club members for their opinions, and for the most part it feels like each character values one another’s opinions. I feel like representation of these values shows the importance of the actual point of becoming a fan of media: finding your identity, being able to communicate your ideas, and respecting everyone’s opinions. Instead, society tends to have this idea that gatekeeping and maintaining this idea of “shadow cultural capital” is a natural way to create bonds with people of similar interests. I think this anime illustrates that idea since the protagonists in the club climb the ranks through their fan knowledge and withholding ideas from “fake fans”. Additionally, I think that the idea of rising the ranks within a club based off the amount of knowledge you know, is simultaneously making the newer fans seem less likely to want to discuss opinions and closing off the anime/ manga community for those who are just casual fans. This could be said for a lot of the fandoms out their all over the world, since people will only consider you a “real fan” if you prove with your knowledge and experience (I think of that trend where someone is wearing a Nirvana T-shirt and gets asked to name 10 songs). It creates this value in exclusivity in the fan base, that would rather widen the community of supporters, they would instead ostracize those who don’t have a lot of knowledge on the subject. However, while the anime does show the negatives of fan culture, I think it also does a great job at showing the positives. For instance, finding a place of belonging, especially for Sasahara and other freshman, allowed for them to express their opinions and ideas about the animes. I know that when we have discussions within classes, I either understand more about the topic or I gain new perspectives I would have never thought about. I think that since the anime highlights this, it displays the importance of community and expressing one’s ideas since it can deepen everyone’s knowledge and further drive curiosity in the subject. While I do believe that the negatives can sometimes get in the way for new fans to get into fan communities, I do think that spaces like these are necessary for people to foster good conversations and connections within a subject they enjoy! 

[vanessasamsoe]

I loved your point of how these characters were discriminated against for conditions that they couldn’t control. I think with the inclusion of this thought in the beginning of your blog, the rest of your post is set up with the context of that. also, I love how real you are about if somebody had a demon inside of them that you wouldn’t really talk to them. I think it shows that when connecting with someone, there are things that we may not like about them, however, to discriminate against them, their whole lives for that is wrong. I also agree with your point about discrimination, preventing people from reaching your full potential. I think that throughout the animes we see that because of this discrimination, the characters couldn’t fully do what they wanted to do with their lives. As a society, I feel that we tend to limit people to certain boundaries when we should just let everybody do what they want to do. Lastly, I loved your final statement about changing discrimination has to be through those who aren’t being discriminated against, since it allows readers to reflect and create some solutions in their own mind about this issue.

Naruto/Wolf Children/A Silent Voice Thoughts!!!!!!

Words can’t begin to describe how I felt after watching Naruto, Wolf Children, and A Silent Voice. All three had similar themes of discrimination against people who have conditions completely out of their control. I hate discrimination. Each had a unique scenario of this type of discrimination and different outcomes.

Starting with Naruto, what a lovely and brief series. Naruto has that demon fox inside him, causing him to be isolated from the rest of the villagers. To be fair, if I knew someone with a demon inside of them, I’d avoid them. Discrimination is still bad. Anyway, because of this isolation, Naruto strives to one day be recognized by the village as a hero, which motivates Naruto to always improve. By the end of the 175th episode of the sequel series, Naruto becomes the hero he wanted to be for the Hidden Leaf Village after Nagato sacrifices himself. Naruto’s solution to discrimination, hard work, becoming someone the villagers would see for his deeds rather than his circumstances. In reality, it can be hard for someone under the oppression of discrimination to outgrow said discrimination through amazing feats. Discrimination is usually set up to prevent those being oppressed from accomplishing anything. There are exceptions,  but discrimination prevents many from reaching their full potential.

Next was Wolf Children, a lovely and brief movie. It is a story of a single mother with two peculiar children who have trouble fitting in with conventional human society. Now I’ve never been a single mother, but I know it is hard raising children. Yuki and Ame can be representative of people who are born with certain conditions. What struck me was how both Yuki and Ame ended up taking completely different paths. Yuki pursued school and integrated into society, while Ame completely embraced his wolf side and went to the forest. I’d argue neither of these outcomes is very great. Rather than being able to embrace both parts of themselves fully, they end up having to emphasize one side. Either you conform yourself to society or go live in the woods for the rest of your life.

Last was A Silent Voice, a lovely and brief movie. A happy and upbeat story about the power of friendship, forgiveness, and why suicide is bad. The story follows Shoko, a deaf girl, bullied by her classmates, and Shoya, a neurodivergent boy who relentlessly bullied Shoko, who eventually gets bullied back by his classmates. Bullying is bad. When I was in high school, a lot of bullying would be passed off as harmless fun. Even though at times it really was just harmless fun, almost always it would ramp up into actual bullying, and it would continue because of this facade of how it isn’t hurting anyone. Another element seen through Shoya is that someone’s past can isolate them from their peers. Unlike Shoko, Shoya’s isolation is created entirely by his actions. Connecting back to Naruto, Shoya overcomes this through a great feat, saving Shoko from death. In the end, changing discrimination has to happen through those not being discriminated against to help those who are.

[vanessasamsoe]

Naruto/ Wolf Children/ A Silent Voice

The concept of gaining social recognition is prevalent within Naruto, but the idea of discrimination is an underlying theme. Personally, I saw that all of the antagonists all tried to use Naruto’s hunger for social recognition against him in battle. While I do understand that this was a mental strategy to sike him out, there is a deeper meaning behind it. For instance, Naruto’s drive to be someone who is social accepted stems from the issue of never feeling fully supported and understood by his community. Naruto’s actions throughout the series drives this home since he does things to get people’s attentions, no matter how crazy or dangerous they are, however the onlookers seem to continually cast him aside due to the chaos he causes. Due to this, it’s a cycle of Naruto trying to positively gain people’s attention and then him ultimately being left out of society and made to feel different because of his actions and past. 

Furthermore, the idea of discrimination is elaborated with the anime Wolf Children. The narrators father, the hidden wolf man, was told as a boy to never tell anyone about his true identity. Seeing as he was the last of his kind, I assume that his ancestors were killed off, leaving only him and his parents left. I think because of this his parents were afraid of the repercussions their family would receive had they revealed what they were, since they would be discriminated against due to being a wolf. This point is expanded on when the narrator states that her dad later went to live with relatives, who wouldn’t have accepted him if they knew what he was. Throughout the movie, the anime plays at this idea that humanity sees true identity as dangerous, yet it is not. In the case of this anime, the wolf family is made to feel shame by society pressures for this side of themselves that shows individuality. However, as humans I feel we only celebrate individuality when it is socially acceptable, yet being part wolf doesn’t seem to follow this trend. So, instead, they are ostracized from society thus showing this trend of discrimination within society. I will say that this anime does show the negative side of discrimination, it is important to note that it also shows a brighter light at the end of the tunnel: that being someone who sees you for who you are and enjoys your presence. 

Lastly, the anime A Silent Voice shows a probable scenario of discrimination. The protagonist is getting bullied and made fun of by her classmates for her disability. Instead of being put in a class that can adequately help her learn with her disability, she is thrown into a class with regular students and left to sink or swim. I feel like while, a popular thing for people to think is that they don’t wanna be treated differently if they had a disability; however, when someone is not given the support they need and being bullied, there’s an issue. this anime shows that while some people try not to give advantages to people just because they have a disability, you can end up, hurting them in the long run since society discriminates against them. 

[vanessasamsoe]

While reading your blog, I love your view on how we fear ourselves, since I never really picked up much on that aspect! I agree that as humans, we hate uncertainty, and that is I think after the Shonen A incident we tried to find ways to make kids more understandable so we could avoid unpredictable situations. Similarly, I agree with the example of limiting what children are exposed to within society, while I mentioned it in my blog, I feel like you better explained it. Yet, I do think that the society within the anime does tend to take it a bit too far, and while in the lecture it says that the end is hinting towards a less surveyed future, I feel as a society we have strayed away from that idea. Instead, we placed more limits on what kids are overall allowed to be exposed to, that I feel like surveillance is more prevalent within our society, which I interpreted your blog was about! 

Shin Sekai Yori: Module 5

The anime Shin Sekai Yori shows the darker side of surveillance and how we fear ourselves. The connection from the readings of the wild child to Shin Sekai Yori help illustrate how we humans fear not understanding why atrocities happen, causing us to go out of our way to prevent and or regulate ourselves. The anime presents the echoing fear of both Japan and the world, the fear of the unpredictable nature of children. The intense regulation of products and actions deemed harmful and or dangerous in society is ever growing but most especially for children. Children are restricted from media, activities, actions, and or places because of their safety but also out of fear of what could happen as a result of their exposure to something deemed not appropriate for children. The idea of movies being rated certain degrees to restrict what children can consume is also similar to this fear presented in Shin Sekai Yori, the ‘what if’ scenarios that could occur in children. The effect of the reading of “The Wild Child” is seen in the anime Shin Sekai Yori where children are constantly going missing because they’re disposed of because of the fear of another shonen A appearing, or a shonen K as shown in the anime. The fiends and or karma demons are the representation of a shonen A that had gone under the radar and has not been disposed of. Additionally, the intense discipline of the children and the anime 

The surveillance and discipline of the children in Shin Sekai Yori is similar to how it is in my own personal experience. Yes the surveillance of children is more relaxed than it is in Shin Sekai Yori but it is similar circumstances. A teacher must always be present in the room, certain items are not allowed, censorship of education, and discipline for misconduct. These are normalized in our daily society but are taken to an extreme in Shin Sekai Yori to show us the other side of what is seemingly normal regulation and discipline to us.

[vanessasamsoe]

Shin Sekai Yori-- Blog Post

From the New World, is an anime that I wouldn't expect to have a deeper meaning enveloped within the story. However, this anime showed some direct consequences of being monitored as a child and the lengths adults will go to know the children are understood and their behavior does not raise concerns. In episode two, when the team one and two are playing against each other, the viewer can see that even though there is a teacher to ensure that students follow the rules, team two managed to use these rules to their advantage and cheat their way to a tie. I feel like this ultimately displays that while the students are always being watched, especially within these scenarios, some students will try to deceive the mind of the guardian to make them have a better chance at success. Which teaches these students that even though they’re teachers or parents present to ensure the safety and rules are being followed, that they will not catch everything, and sometimes this bad behavior can slip through the cracks if not caught. Yet, later we find out that the kids from team two are not heard from again and no one ever questioned where they had gone, which alerted me that team two showed signs of violence and was weeded out of society. Additionally, the kids go off on their camping trip and find this creature that can provide information to them, however they find out that they need to be a verified adult to access the information. This is yet another way that passive surveillance on children can sometimes hinder their development throughout life. With the other example, from the kids perspective, it seems as if bad behavior is awarded and given equality to those who actually work hard. In this example, keeping information from the youth, can certainly protect them from finding out mature information, but it is just another way to ensure that the children know exactly what the adults want them. Therefore, the children are always being monitored even if they’re no adults present. The act of withholding knowledge from the children allows for the peace of mind of the adults is also a symbol of being surveyed. Additionally, it allows adults to catch signs of aggression or other negative traits that could cause them to become the “wild child” as referred to in the readings. 

This anime directly relates to the “Wild Child” by Andrea Arai. In the reading The Shonen A incident that happened in Japan changed many people’s minds about if they knew what children were going to experience; because of this story, children were seen as “unknowable” and adults felt they needed to have control again. The anime comments on this incident, since the children and their abilities are all monitored in a strict manner. They aren’t permitted to use their abilities without permission, certain information is withheld, and they are allowed to rise to their next grade only if the teachers deem them ready: these are all signs of surveillance in order to ensure that the children are “known”. What they are capable of, what knowledge they have, and that they aren’t treats to society. Meaning that the children and their lives are recorded as data to better understand how to prevent “wild children”, and continue to make them knowable.

[vanessasamsoe]

The mention on how easily the citizens of Psycho Pass accept SIBYL’s judgment, is something I noticed too! I also wanted to point out that, at least in the first episode, the rookie character seemed to be the only one to question the system after a hostages score was revealed as “dangerous”. However, like you said, the rookie almost became numb to the judgements and followed blindly since everyone else did so, also known as mob mentality. 

It was mentioned within the lecture that these systems create the very things they are designed to reduce, which you reflected on as well. Overall, your understanding of the anime comes across extremely clear and I enjoyed how you made some different points about how society can internalize discipline. 

Psycho-Pass Blog

Watching Psycho-Pass��was a gripping and unsettling experience for me. What struck me most was how the anime explores the tension between safety and freedom in a society where the Sibyl System monitors and controls nearly every aspect of life. The show’s world feels chillingly plausible, especially as technology advances in our own lives. Seeing characters accept Sibyl’s judgments without question made me reflect on how easily people can become numb to surveillance and control when it’s justified as being for the greater good.

Personally, I found myself relating this to the ways we’re already scored and sorted in real life—whether it’s through credit ratings, social media algorithms, or even job application filters. The idea that a system could decide your opportunities or even your worth based on data, rather than your actual character, is both familiar and disturbing. It made me question how much of my own behavior is influenced by the possibility of being watched or judged, even if it’s just by algorithms.

Connecting this to the lecture material, I see how Psycho-Pass is a powerful illustration of Michel Foucault’s concept of panopticism. The Sibyl System is essentially a digital panopticon: it creates a society where people internalize discipline because they know they’re always being observed, even if they can’t see their observers. The lectures discussed how Foucault believed this kind of surveillance leads people to police themselves, making external punishment almost unnecessary. In the anime, this is taken to an extreme—Sibyl not only watches but also predicts and preempts crime, stripping people of agency and authentic selfhood. The show demonstrates how a system designed with utopian intentions can actually create a dystopia by removing individuality, freedom, and the capacity for resistance.

For me, Psycho-Pass isn’t just a warning about technology or government overreach—it’s a challenge to think critically about the systems we accept in our own lives, and whether they truly serve us or simply make us easier to manage.