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Erased

Erased is a show I had seen a long time ago. Its probably one of the few shows that I really couldn’t put down until I finished. I remember thinking about regretful the entire situation was and wondering whether I would react the same way. Or rather, if anyone I knew would have found themselves unaffected by that circumstance.

The artwork in Erased is soft and melancholic. It makes the audience open up emotional through a calm atmosphere and the pretense of childhood memories. Why, whats the worse that could happen being a kid again? No taxes, no job, just chillin with friends and not doing homework. Actually, that might still apply to us. Anyways, the emotional state it puts the audience in makes its easier for the show to develop the theme of regret. Why, there are tons of things we all regret having done or not done in our childhood. In fact, you’ve probably been reminded of those regrets at one point or another by accident. The stress we see Satoru go through as a character trying to justify his inaction is something that spreads unto us. It’s like when you’re with a group of friends. If one person laughs, you feel compelled to too. Same thing here.

That regret that the audience carries along with Satoru is then used to develop the idea that initiative is a virtue. Beyond just school work, where maybe doing homework not half an hour before class may save some grey hairs, initiative can mean just going an extra mile for people you know or don’t know. The blue butterfly in Erased is a visualization of the butterfly effect. It was because Satoru did not look to befriend that girl that the killer ran wild and eventually went after his mother. The butterfly show that audience that theres always a better outcome if you take the time to act and see it.

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Cowboy Beepityboopity

I have never watched Cowboy Bebop before but safe to say, I will be going back to watch through it all. I love the look that retro anime has and so I guess it should have been obvious that I would like this one too. However, I think what I enjoyed most about this show was how it builds every character’s identity with every given episode. From what I saw, it looks like we learn more about the guys in the first half and then explore the girl’s identity later on. It makes it very easy to pick up and enjoy. I didn’t feel out of place with what was going on with these four episodes.

I think Cowboy Bebop explores the important theme of endurance of human relationships. We see this with Spike, Jet, Faye, and Ed. Spike in the first episode has to come to terms with his past and likewise the shop lady recognized him despite his supposed death. They were pick up and go. Similarly, Jet, despite not seeing Alisa for years, was able to walk into the bar be recognized and accepted as though time had changed nothing between them. We see the timelessness of human relationships with Faye meeting an old woman she shared a high school class with in episode 24 and Ed meeting her father. They all formed parts of their back story unbeknownst to the characters and despite all the time that has past.

I think this speaks to an experience most people have had. Time doesn’t change the memories you’ve made with other people nor does it change the way you see them. Sure, maybe like Jet you wish that person hadn’t left your life. But, that doesn’t change the fact that they left their mark on you and who you are. So, whats the point in hesitating in rekindling a connection you had. Its already a part of you, embrace it. Or else, you might end up wandering the galaxy on an empty stomach.

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Parasyte Remastered

I had watched this anime a long time ago, about the same time as when the film Parasite was winning awards. So, its definitely been a while since I've revisited it. However, looking at these episodes again, I remember how insanely interesting and unique it was as an animated work.

I think the final episode best exemplifies what the show aims to show viewers: that compassion is both uniquely human as well as a learned trait. When Shinichi illustrates the contradition between humans loving the earth and humans not loving each other, he is speaking in a broader sense about hostilities between nations and the exploitation of the environment to improve an individuals security. This idea of selfishness and hostility is something represented through the parasytes, who are beings that are seemingly devoid of emotion and instead operate on the basis of their own survival. We see this in the way Migi treats his host and the way he confronts problems. However, the logic he uses to assess these things is something that the audience can follow and to some extent understand. So if anything, Migi is and the parasytes are meant to represent the part of humanity that is not as emphasized in our culture of media. In fact, usually when this type of character appears it is dispelled, like Pain in Naruto. Instead, we see Migi slowly adopt what is commonly seen as a human characteristic, compassion, and look for the good of his host rather than only himself. To that end, it shows the audience that compassion is a skill that we are born with but need to practice lest we find ourselves as a parasyte within society.

In addition to that, this idea of human compassion is emphasized not for the sole purpose of improving cross national and cross cultural relations, but for the purpose of increasing awareness regarding the state of the environment. Pressing issues caused by global warming such as the destruction of ecosystems and rising sea levels are things that, for most people, aren't seen beyond a hotter or colder day. So far, it hasn't affected our day to day lives in a way that would frighten us or even bring us to actions (in a large fashion). Compassion is a necessary trait to understand how it affects the fluffy creatures we care about and the people who more closely rely on the ecosystem to survive. This includes farmers and other primary producers. It took a parasyte for this idea to really stand out to characters in the show, is a similar evil or disruption of our daily life necessary to work for change now?

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Sensoron

Sensoron was a new experience for me. I like reading manga and visual novels, but for the most part they don’t deal with real world topics directly, usually they touch on overarching themes that can generally be applied to anything. However, Sensoron doesn’t read as a work telling a real world story, like Persepolis, and it doesn’t read like a fictional story either, like One Piece. Instead, it reads more like an essay from the author to the audience using pictures to main interest and ridicule the subject matter while making sure the text is somewhat professional.

I think the most unnerving part of this text was how convincing its discourse was. Certainly I know its not true, but the manga makes you question the objectivity of the resources we have here in databases such as the UF library or JSTOR. In fact, as I read through it I spent time trying to think about how this manga could be misleading and just trying to remember facts from my history class that run contrary to it. For example, the captions in the pictures being mislabeled, maybe thats just bad journalism. The references to specific photographers and his case against the gas terrorists, where is his verifianle proof cited in his text?

That said, it reminds me of Brandolinis Law, which is just says that its easier to create misinformation than it is to prove it. Throughout the whole text, you could probably make an expansive lists of points the author made that would require days if not weeks of work to immediately go through and disprove them. Sure, a historian could probably do it quickly, but not everybody is a historian. Furthermore, not everyone will actually go fact check it. If it fits with what they want to believe, they'll probably hold on to it.

Similarly, the way the manga makes the audience feel like victims and fools is probably a way to get them mad and believe what is being said. The words themselves sound professional and scholarly, making the audience give the author credibility. However, the artwork is intentionally exaggerated and made so that the audience feels foolish and cheated. The art motivates the emotions while the words stimulate the mind.

Connecting this to the article, I the manga communicates the same idea that the current society is based on our reliance on the written word. Work now is not based on brawn but an individual's ability to read instructions and understand codes. This is seen through the mechanics, who is rewarded for his expertise in complex machinery. High culture, which seems to be the same as our mainstream capital, is based on education that in turn controlled by a society, which determines what traits are necessary for employability. That control of what capital people are exposed to is what Kobayashi atangonizes, stating that it is brainwashing people.

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Your Name

a

Honestly this movie really challenged what I thought a movie was capable of doing. I remember watching Silent Voice and thinking it was sweet but it definitely didn’t leave me feeling so emotional afterward. Seeing the beginning, I thought it was going to rely heavily on the idea of a red string, connecting fates, and what not. And it did. But the way it did it, how real their confusion was and the reaction of their peers is, made the it feel human. In the same way people who claim to see ghost challenge our reality, this dream like sequence is a colloquial story that you kind of want to believe is real.

To begin, I want to share a personal experience I had with a dream. In this film, there is a scene in which the protagonists wake up crying for some reason but not be able to recall why or what had happened to lead up to that. This called back a memory I had forgotten of a similar dream I had. I remember waking up feeling extremely sad as if though I had lost something important but not know what it was nor what I could do to get rid of this feeling. It was a surreal experience, and it felt like the answer to it all was on the tip of my tongue. However, unlike in this film, I never looked more into what this experience was or even contemplated much on what it meant. So, if anything, the film just made me feel like I relived an experience I forgot I had.

However, beyond the personal anecdote, I want to try to connect the film to the article that accompanies it. In the discussion of power, at first I wondered about the power dynamic between the boy and girl of this film. However, I think the more interesting force to pay attention to is the god that commanded the flow of time to allow for these two to meet. This power of god, as Hurley described, serves a direct and productive role. Its the reason why the town was saved. Alternatively, this power is only allowed to exist because of the girls family. They carried on the tradition despite not really knowing why. If they hadn’t continued to do so, the town would not have been saved. It goes to show that power is given to that which we believe should wield it. At some point, the power we gave out will be used on us in a positive or negative manner.

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Hetalia Axis Powers

I have no idea how to feel about this show. Like, the personification of powers into actual people? I’ve seen a similar thing in like memes. They have like little balls that are colored the same way as the flags of different nation and they interact with one another. To see the concept made into a show is interesting. And actually watching it, maybe a good idea.

This definitely reminds me of the orientalist view on culture. That there are certain axioms when it comes to characterizing them and that everything that a culture does and evolves into must fit within those boundaries. These charactures of these different powers does a similar thing. It break down different countries into its popular aspects and just puts them all together to form a single unit. Its like people trying to create the most United State-ian man: 2.3 kids, picket fence, house, and a car. Or in this case, burgers (funny scene lol).

This show made me think about what it means to break down wars and battles into fights and arguments. It could definitely work as a way to teach history to a younger audience while keeping it interesting. However, doing so also removes the intensity of what those words mean and can cause people to become desensitized to it. In comparison, reading these things in textbooks and having a serious lecture to it is able to give it the respect it deserves. In light of the war in Ukraine, theres been a world wide disapproval because people understand how bad war is. If there was a desensitivity, would the same reaction have been illicited?

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Xenoblade Chronicals 2 Cutscene (omg)

You know, when I saw that there was a playlist for the Xenoblade cut scenes I didn’t expect it to pack almost two hours of watch time. I can’t say I enjoyed watching through it, the cut scenes look really poorly made. They just reuse character animations and rotate their models. I guess it gets the job done, but like,

bruh

Anyways, the article that goes along with this viewing deals with the anthropocene. I didn’t really understand what it meant, but I know that it has to deal with humans relationship with nature. I found it interesting that there were three ways of trying to fix humans relationship with nature. We have the animal, the poet, and the artisan. The animal reverts to nature, the poet appreciates it, and the artisan does both. In Xenoblade Chronicals, we see an artisan approach to fixing humanities relationship with nature.

To begin, we see that the people in this world are still heavily reliant on natural processes. The Titans are their main way of staying alive in their current world. In fact, the “Architect,” sent them to ensure humanities survival. As they begin to die after 500 years of service, resources start to become scarce. There is a limitation of land to live on, methods of travel, and thus ways to create food and develop society. These are the same struggles that our current society is going through. Alternatively, we see peoples reliance on technology through the use of their cranes, boats, and machines. This technology continues to facilitate life and help them in their struggle against nature. Just like with our modern world, we rely on technology to continuously facilitate our day to day life.

This is where the blade come in. They are a mix of technology and nature. These can be used as tools for the purpose of fighting or alternatively could be used to facilitate other types of work. Think of them as RGB Gaming chainsaws I guess. However, these blades hold consciousness of their own, they are living beings. The question them comes to mind, to what extent do these humans have the right to force these blades to do their bidding? To what extent can they be allowed to work on their own?

This is the situation of the artisan, of the alchemist. Blending science and nature to form technology that looks to improve modern life while continuing to be environmentally conscious. I think this is slowly becoming the move in our world. With the Apple company, they are slowly moving toward using less plastics and using recycled fine materials to create their products. While it still is not completely environmentally friendly, we are getting there with them and other companies. Global Warming sucks, yeah. But like a microwave, all you have to do is press start to bring about an end.

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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Nausicaa of the Valley is the film the Eizouken club developed later in the season. This show is so imaginative in the world that it creates, the contraptions that exist, and the people that live in it. While the the film may be a little heavy in terms of what its main message is, it makes me feel the nostalgia of childhood.

While the film doesn’t have a conclusive ending for the overarching conflicts in the world, it mainly communicate humans interaction with the environment. Previously in class we have talked about how to be human is to struggle against our environment. Here, we see that struggle in a literal sense. The bugs are monstrous and potentially deadly, the water can seemingly burn you alive, and the the smallest pollen can wipe out a village. Its a struggle to live and the people within the Valley of Wind have built a life and culture around it. Even in our world, we have found a way to rise above nature is our day to day lives, harness it even.

However, rarely do we acknowledge that there are many things that we do not struggle against nature for. In the scene pictured above, we see how nature is beautiful in that it isn’t necessarily designed to get us. Just like human, the beings that constitute nature are simply trying to live peacefully. It even surprises the swordman when he sees how passive these plants are. Furthermore, it seems that in this day in age nature is the one that struggles against us humans. There are mentions that some group was responsible for the sea of despair, mentions of a past advanced civilization, and of giants that ones burned the earth. It seems oddly similar to our technologically advanced society and the danger of a nuclear war that could very much alter earth in under seven days.

I think the purpose of this interaction with nature is to show the audience that like people, the natural world can get angry and unlike people there isn’t a way to reason with it. You can’t convince the clouds to hold less lightning, the water to be potable, or the air to not kill you. Those things only happen through persistent effort to care and understand it. This messaging is seen through the princess care for the baby Ohm, both the one in her flashback and the one used as bait in the film, as well as the through the way the soldiers in the film hesitate to shoot the defenseless. Care preserves. That is true for humans as it is for nature.

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Swampcon - Remastered

No waaaaaay, they turned pikachu into a real thing???

Welcome to my Swampcon post! This last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend and volunteer at the first Swampcon since 2019. So many cool cosplay, a lot of dangerously tempting merch, and amazing artwork! Not to mention the fascinating panels, performances, and contests. Honestly can’t wait for next year!

I think the biggest interaction I had with a fandom was seeing one of the vendors cosplaying at the convention. In the vendor hall, one of the ladies had a stand selling keychains and marketing herself as a custom cosplay designer. Not only did she have costume components of other characters, she was also cosplaying as Big Mom from One Piece. I had seen her walk into the hall previously and just assumed she was another attendee. She had her sword, the cloud, and the costume to go along with it. Despite what she had on her stand, the thing that stood apart was her presentation of these One Piece stickers. It didn’t fit in with the rest of her items on display, but seeing her cosplay, I’m assuming she really likes the series. Honestly, I can’t blame her, One Piece is my main pull into anime. Seeing her cosplay and be so open about what fandom she prefers was pretty cool and made me kinda wish I had cosplayed as something too. On top of that, I overheard a lot of people in the hall just talking about the series. People were popping in and out of this one conversation despite them being strangers. Seeing how a fandom is able to form such a close community without these people ever knowing each other was a amazing. Similarly, I saw people, and I was people, asking to take pictures with cosplayers that I thought were either the most well-made or of characters I really loved. Its just an overall appreciation for art that people want to reproduce and share through cosplay and discussion.

But apart from the cosplayers and actual people in the convention, the idea of Fandom was also prevalent in the actual products being sold. The most apparent of these were the art vendors. All of the artists there had impressive skills and reproduced depiction of the things they most loved. The people who loved the same series / characters bought their items. It was just like in Eizouken, when the students were buying fan made products. I for one got some stickers and a etching of a cat. Its through these physical artistic means that the elements of a series are reproduced and a fandom begins to appropriate these characters into a culture outside of the original authors canon. It helps expand a community and strengthens it at the same time. Though, when it came to the vendors, I had an interesting converstation with a figurine seller. The man talked about the figure brands and how different ones produce different figures that can range in quality. He was a real connoisseur when it came to this stuff and reminded me of the idea of cultural capital. Outside of these conventions, fandom, and their communities, that type of knowledge isn’t really useful in the sense of producing an income. Its because these fandoms exists that he can use that knowledge to make a living for himself, outside of the mainstream capital.

When it comes to the formation of youth culture, I think the most interesting experience I had was seeing someone wearing a My Little Pony outfit. I didn’t know that series was still something people thought about or liked in the present. Similarly, I saw a girl cosplaying as Amy from the Sonic series. Apart from them, most of the people there were part a series that could be identified throughout the entire con. The idea of a series losing popularity, a fandom dying, and a culture disappearing hadn’t really occurred to me. What happens then? I think modern youth culture is great in that things that were old or past their prime can become mainstream again. Repping the cosplay for these old series is a way to find others who still love it and, like Grave of the Fireflies, commemorate that fandom.

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Eizouken

I think its becoming a common trend of me starting to watch a show thinking I won’t like it to then feeling compelled to binge watch it. Eizouken is no different. The bright minimalist art style, the varied character designs, and great animation makes the show an all around entertaining 10/10 in my book.

I think the biggest thing that Eizouken speaks about is that of the actual production of anime. I’ve read up on the industry before out of my own curiousity and found that subcontracting is very common and that most animator make almost no money. For example, most scenes take around an hour or two to complete and most subcontracting is done per scene. In the end, they usually need to make 12 of these scenes to afford a bowl of ramen. Animation is an art that is extremely time consuming and intricate. Eizouken shows this depth and makes the audience appreciate everything they see on the screen that much more.

On a similar note, I think Eizouken shows how under valued art is in general. I think a lot of people do not give artists enough credit and don’t pay them enough for their work. In a consumer based society, where mass production has reduced the price of goods, original art is the odd one out. People are almost conditioned to expect everything to be cheap and disposable. However, art is not meant to be that way. Art is something that lasts and leaves an impression. Every show you have loved to watch has left a lasting impression on you. How much is that impression worth? At what point do you begin to think the artists deserve more for their work? Where there be a point that art becomes so undervalued that people simply stop making it? These are questions that I think Eizouken highlights in our consumeristic world.

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Wandering Son

I really enjoyed this show and wish I had seen it sooner. I think that the conversation regarding gender is way to generalized in the sense that it is discussed from the outside looking in. Even if I may not be questioning what gender I identify with doesn’t mean someone shouldn’t either. People have problems, and its not up to you to decide which they should worry about.

The characteristic that stands out the most in this show is the art style. The use of soft colors and high volume lighting makes the story feel young and juvenile. If this show were done with a steampunk aesthetic, it would lose the feelings of innocence, the unknown, and ambiguity. In a show that looks to explore the barriers placed in trying to determine ones gender identity, the art style provide an ambience where such soul searching is allowed, and more than that, encouraged. There are no wrong answers and no reason to hide. To have any other art style would be to introduce feelings that don’t contribute to this self reflection. What role would the grit of steampunk have in something like this? It’d just influence my thinking to that of the industrial age. If I had super bright colors like a musical/food anime, it would push my thinking toward the idea that there is a “right or obvious,” solution or goal.

This ambiguity in the art style is key, just as it is for the Third Wave of feminism. Assigning certain traits, likes, and responsibilities to a certain gender restricts the way in which you can find yourself. Having an art style that is soft and light creates the impression that there is space, space to move, space to search, space to make for whatever you want. It provides the canvas you need to find yourself outside of the traditional gender structure. Thus, reflect this wave of feminism through the art style.

Just as the art style creates this impression of a safe space, the supporting characters in this show do the same. The first to point out is Shishui’s friend. She pushes her to embraces that side of herself. If it weren’t for her, she might not have spent those days walking around the city wearing her dress and wig and gotten that chance to feel normal or at least figure out if this is really who she is. Another characters that does this is Maho. While she is annoyed that Shishui wishes to be a girl, she doesn’t harbor any sort of hate or disgust. This is highlighted by the fried shrimp scene. I was personally relating to Maho just because that is the way I am when I am in disagreement in someone. Yes I mad, but I always try to express to them through small things that I do still care for them. Its a support that makes you feel accompanied though not necessarily encouraged.

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Aggretsuko

I remember seeing this show on Netflix ages ago, reading the premise, and just casting it aside. I have always looked passed this show just because I though an accountant by day metal singer by night would be boring. It wasn’t until recently that I head people mention it having FOUR SEASONS and that they were entertaining. So, watching it now, I can see why people enjoy it so. Its funny, awkward, weird, and above all else: relatable.

As I was watching this show, I was think about how the characters designed characters to make their gender be obvious despite their anthropomorphic appearance. From what I saw, it seems they had to rely primarily on the voice acting, clothing/makeup, and demeanor. If I were to take those attributes away, and we had just this animal, it’d be very difficult. If I saw Retsuko doing her metal face I’d be like: yeah, thats a dude. Seeing the Amai cooking the food at the stand, without his clothes, I’d probably have been like: yeah, that's a gal. If we had two raccoons together, it’d be pretty hard to tell by their minimalist art style.

I say that keeping in mind our present gender stereotypes. In the article, Butler explains that gender is a performative act. It is by the way we present ourselves and a very long line of “monkey see monkey do,” that we have a categorization of what masculine and feminine traits are. This is most apparent with the designing of these anthropomorphic characters. Their performance is the way their gender is made evident to the audience.

In addition to that, I think this gender ambiguity is also reflected by the problems faced by the characters. Both Retsuko and Amai feel the pressures of being overworked. It looks like they both use music as an outlet for their frustrations. Although I’d say based on stereotypes that metal is a more masculine genre due to its aggression, I don’t find it odd that she favors that genre. Similarly, I think the pop music that Amai listens too would be the more feminine of the two. In both cases, it seemed to me like they didn’t want to show their cooworkers or anyone else that this is something that interested them. Why? Restuko doesn’t say. But judging from the need for the president to put up a front to seem strong, it may be because she knows it doesn’t conform to what society expects of her. This idea is further highlighted by Tom. In contrast, Amai sends these aggressive messages by email and hides from real world confrontation. I would think that, you know, a masculine approach would be yelling, fighting, dabbling in a fierce game of mario kart. Amai has what we would call a less than masculine demeanor and knowing what society expects of him, he tries to ignore that part of himself. Thus, their problems and ways to cope with them are normal, there is nothing wrong with it, but their feel of revealing their cope mechanism because it runs contrary to society shows that their outward gender appearance is merely performative.

In the end, I think this show taught me how useful animal characters can be in developing ideas of identity and the self. Furthermore, it help me visualize Butlers writing.

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Sailor Moon, more like, Sailor Moon

Yeah, you read that title right. Its not a typo. There is no punch line. Move along.

I did not think I would end up enjoying this as much as I did. Like, there are plenty of things that annoy me about this show. But the art style? I love how goofy it is. I remember seeing those super like puffy characters in Genshiken and being like: whats the appeal? But like, the faces this cat makes are such a mood. Just seeing the faces they make the cat and sailor moon make causes me to laugh.

Watching the show, I can see how they take advantage of the transformations and attacks to save money on animation. They take up at least a minute or so each episode. Thats a full like 20th of an episode. I think that adds up pretty quick. Similarly, the catch sound track makes you almost excited to see it go. It wouldn’t have been surpising to see kids act this out throughout Japan when this aired. Its extremely light hearted with the themes being laughably juvenile. Oh no! Bad guy! Time to use my special move: dance battle.

To tie this into this weeks article, I can see how Sailor Moon sort of restrains itself to patriarachle ideas of what a girl should be. Like, the premise of the show seems to be poised in empowering girls. You have a girl that saves the day and going through very human problems: school and a love life. Like, that basically what Spiderman did for superheroes. He showed a human side to them. At least in this sense, Sailor Moon deviates from the traditional heroine that looks to heal others and be self sacrificial. For example, she was more focused on that mercury girl helping her study than what the cat was saying about her being dangerous or something. Furthermore, whenever you see the half time commercial transition, you hear the boys go “sailor moon!” as if they were calling for help. When they come back, the girls are the ones saying it and Sailor Moon later proceeds to defeat the enemy. Its like the girls were the ones that empowered her to do so.

Either way, really light hearted show. Might just mess around and go finish it.

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Genshiken Season 2

Honestly, this show is kinda of growing on me. Like, yeah, I may be feeling wildly uncomfortable watching this, not even in a common room, by myself, but not a lot of shows make me feel that strongly to begin with. So I guess, its stopped being uncomfortable and just grown to be more funny to me.

I think this new season does a good job of introducing some more eccentric characters than the last. In the first genshiken, it seems that the focus was to acclimate the viewer to otaku culture. Thus, our characters were more reserved, awkward, and just goofy to watch. Above all else though, they were relatable to a very broad audience. Everyone has had a moment where they waaaay overthought a particular situation. Everyone has had a moment where they had to share a part of themselves that they usually don’t. We all have our own obsessions. But, the characters in the second season touch on things that are bit more out there. For example, I’ve never really seen a cross dresser presented as a main character in a show. In the rare occasions that I’ve seen them in media, its as a side character. So, seeing a character like this just helps expand that idea that these interests are normal: just part of a niche different than ours.

I remember a saying going something like, “laughing is the best way to say you get someone.” It makes sense too. If I laugh at your joke its because I get your humor. If we laugh at something together its because we share a humor. Thus, when you look at this show and find yourself giggly and the little quirks that these characters have, its because you’re starting to understand them. The freakouts they have. Their waves of depression. Their sparks of anger. Laughing means you get them. Likewise, it also makes you like them. And eventually, you can tell how these characters are going to react before the camera even pans to them.

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Genshiken Pt 2: Electric Boogaloo

This set of episodes really did hit different. I was still kind of uncomfortable with how many sexual references there are in the show, but like, hey, I’m just I didn’t watch this out in the common room.

In Genshiken part 2 I noticed that the idea of fictionalization is reflected in it. The idea that the otaku is looking to make a fiction their own, adapting it, and sharing it with others. A lot of the mannarisms that the characters have in this show follow a trope or characteristic that is really only seen in anime. For example, the guy karate chopping that girl in the gif above seemed to overreact, raise his arm up high like he was trying to make himself be big and scary, then straight up hit someone. If we’re going to be meta, this type of behavior is really only seen or even acceptable in an anime as its for jokes. However, if this show is trying to present otakus as people like any other, it shows an otaku translating mannerisms from the medium into their real life. Fiction being adopted into their own way of being. This isn’t a bad thing in that case I guess, since it serves almost like an inside joke (And I’m sure someone doing this in real life wouldn’t actually hurt another person for this type of joke). We see a similar (though untintentional) adaption of fiction into real life by the red head girl. She cosplays as the president and accidently acts like her by getting rid of some pervert in the crowd. The crowd then cheers her on for putting on a performance.

When I first read of this fictionalization, I thought it was a bit weird since I find myself a little uncomfortable when people try to transalte these mannerisms to real life with me. But, it made me think about how I as a kid acted like Spiderman, iron Man, and even Harry Potter. When I think of myself back then, it makes me uncomfortable because its a little embarassing thinking about how people reacted to me being like that. But, applying that to this, I see that these Otaku mannerisms are “normal,” in the sense that I did the same thing too rather with a different medium. However, unlike with my medium, those mannerisms seem to be supported within each fandom and thus are accepted and maybe even encouraged as part of that culture. So, while I admittedly thought that this part of Otaku culture was weird, after watching this show and reading this article, it really did change my mind.

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Genshiken Pt. 1

Before watching this show, I wasn’t all that psyched about it since the description I read just didn’t seem to fit my vibe. I get uncomfortable when I see non-comedic tropes in slice of life, or really in visual media in general, just because it ruins the immersion for me. However, the way Genshiken implements it serves to move the plot and message forward and thus helps maintain my focus on their fictional world.

The best way to show this would have to be in episode three, when we see the students going shopping. The couple in the normal department stores and the club at some sort of convention. We have the camera cut back and forth between their methods of buying / critiquing and come to see that they are pretty much the same outside of the content that they are consuming. As Fisk says in the cultural economy, modes of discrimination can developed through social factors. These social factors can pit group against one another as well as cause divisions within the groups themselves. I think that during the time this was aired, audiences in Japan likely had the same views on Otakus as Kasukabe. Thus, the cutting between the back and forth helps develop the message that their isn’t a real reason to seperate yourselves from this group of people because you are one in the same. Humanization, at least to me, is probably the most important part in making sure a story is able to absorb a viewer.

One thing I found a little odd was the focus on sexuality in the show. As your typical shonen reader/watcher, I’m used to seeing character being depicted as perverts (AHEM Naruto). But this show spends a good amount of time on it, in fact, too much time for it to be some sort of gag. I think the reason why is because sexuality is not really a open / public topic. It’s uncomfortable to express to another person that you got the hots for, I don’t know, Donkey Kong. Likewise, our character Sasahara was also embarassed to really confront that he does enjoy Otaku culture, even when he was caught red handed looking for smut. This discomfort is also seen as he tries to calmly buy smut in the convention. I think this tie between sexuality and the otaku, or at least its focus in this show, is supposed to have the audience understand that this identity is something that might be embarrassing for people to express to others. However, as we see Sasahara become acclimated to this type of thing, it tells the audience that there really isn’t a need to be embarassed about what you like. Everyone has their own interests, their just happens to be anime and manga. Likewise, everyone has the hots for something, and yours just happens to be the USS Missouri BB-63.

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Azume - Database Animals

This article is so detailed that I felt as if I had to stop every few sentences to understand what was going on. Unlike Naruto, there was hardly any filler in this book. I think this is because I keep getting lost on whether Azume is talking about the real world, the world of fiction, or the creation of a theoretical world outside of ours. In fact, the most difficult part for me to wrap my head around was that of the “Tree” model and the “database” model.

From what I could understand, the tree model presents world image in which a reader uses smaller narratives to interact with a deeper overarching narrative.. In contrast, the database model presents a world image in which a reader uses these smaller narratives to construct / reveal a unique deeper narrative.

I think the art of story telling is really cool. Examples could be folk stories, colloquial beliefs and sayings, as well as legends. So to me, this model seems to relate more the idea of stories like these. The previous model of story telling had some moral or meaning that was the original idea for its creation and was later wrapped in layers that made the message more digestible and repeatable. This is what the tree model seems to be getting at. However, now, it seems to me like story telling has strayed away from the author trying to convince you of a firm answer, to rather the author trying to develop a theme that they eventually present and answer and which you end up either agreeing or forming an opinion similar to it. This seems to be what the database model represents since the open endedness (is that a word) of the problem presented as a theme, like love and war in Naruto, could place you on a spectrum of what the author wanted you see / learn / believe.