dwkcheung - Tumblr blog

[dwkcheung]

Popularity and fame seems to come with a cost. There lives are filled with stress as they try to portray an image of role model for millions to look up to. They have standards set that make it hard for them to act how they previously did before the fame. I see this as being bad for their health since it can eventually affect the work they do.

Apr. 22 - Perfect Blue

This was my first time watching Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue, and my goodness, it was really heavy. Although some scenes were disturbing, this movie is amazing in my opinion. The anime did a great job portraying the psychological side of Mima. I also love how the anime blurs what is real and not by depicting the characters filming for a show.  

Perfect Blue portrays the challenges faced by idols/actresses in Japan. As we see early on, Mima is popular and her fans give her plenty of attention. The character Me-Mania in particular, is obsessed with Mima. He constantly observes her movements, recording everything she does on “her” website. Such actions invade on Mima’s privacy. Even at her home, there are hints that Mima is being watched. In Japan, extreme fans who send death threats and harass idols/actresses do exist and some have even injured them. The stabbing of Mayu Tomita is an example. Also, when Rumi discusses about Mima being an actress with the other person (forgot his name), that person doesn’t really consider Mima’s feelings. I thought that reflected the pressure that idols/actresses in Japan face. There have been cases where idols commit suicide due to the pressure they face from their agencies.

I read online that Rumi and Me-Mania thought Mima is not who she is anymore because the rape scene and her nude shots tarnished her pure image. Thinking back now this does make sense. During the rape scene, Rumi is seen crying, even though it is just a fake performance. Furthermore, after Me-Mania tried to rape Mima but failed, he ends up dead next to Tadokoro. Because Rumi did not see Mima as herself anymore, she tries to kill her as well. This need to maintain purity exists in Japan’s acting/idol industry as well. In the idol industry for instance, there is a no-dating policy which prohibits idols from (openly) being in a relationship.

[dwkcheung]

Perfect Blue

              This film, Perfect Blue, was a heavy one to watch. The plot was amazing, but some of the scene were hard for me to watch. This was a rather realistic, at least to me, occurrence portrayed beautifully by Mima.

              As a popular idol, Mima had a large fan base that admired her for her work. Of course, stalkers could also be a part of that fan base. With the sudden shift in her career, the upset felt by her fans was something to be warranted. If her fans wholeheartedly betrayed by her and turn on her it may affect her mental health, especially with the appearance of the stalker. Mima suffered a lot with this situation and having to adjust to her new job, so much so she faces psychological problems. At times like these I know certain celebrities that choose to take a break from social media and take time to rest and recover. It allows them to recuperate and get back to a better state than they currently are.

This isn’t the only thing that has affected her as people she knows get murdered one by one. This hard and scary point in her life doesn’t end until she realizes the root of the problem was her old manager which eventually gets put in jail, putting an end to this ordeal. Afterwards, Mima manages to grow stronger and set her future back on a path she envisions.

[dwkcheung]

I definitely feel that we hold people with high status to a higher standard. Since we see them as icons and look up to them, we try to model ourselves after them. If they mess up that would quickly make them less worthy or credible in our eyes. In the case of the Japanese, this may be to a more severe degree, I am not sure.

Death Parade

I watched the first episode of death parade a few years ago and I kind of abandoned it after that because it didn’t intrigue me in the first place. And honestly this time around I couldn’t really say that my mind has completely changed. I still think one of the only things that I really enjoy about this anime is the opening because it is so damn catchy. 

However, I think the anime provides a useful commentary on society and how people are perceived. From the first two episodes alone we saw how judgement is very subjective even in a situation where it seems like Decim will always make the proper judgement. In my opinion Decim was representative of how society judges individuals, especially, those within Japanese society. The couple we saw at the beginning was the perfect example of this. Machinko clearly had good intentions in her actions. She did cheat on her husband but it was something that she obviously showed regret for. In the game she was the victor but she snapped at him in order to keep him at ease in the situation. We see that she gets judged to get her soul put into the void and her husband gets his reincarnated. Decim bases his decisions on who he thinks have led a fulfilled life. Despite Machinko’s attempt to requiem for her actions Decim(society) ignores her and still puts her at fault for them. However, for the doctor who has led a fulfilled life he provides him with reincarnation. It kind of made me think about how many idols and celebrities in Japan can fall out of the life they have achieved with just one slip up. For example, if an actor gets caught of smoking weed they have essentially sabotaged their career and I think it is representative of how Japanese society judges individuals. One mistake and your out no matter how safe you thought you were. And you always get praised and rewarded for following the status cuo and living a life that is deemed socially acceptable(and that’s one that is usually rid of any major faults).

[dwkcheung]

Death Parade

              This anime makes some interesting comments on the morality of life. People live out their lives how they choose. Every day they make choices that set the path they take for their future. In the end, they can decide whether or not their life was fulfilling or not. Since every human is different the way we interpret morality differs from human to human. Thus the actions we choose to take may be opposite to how others might have acted on the matter. The idea of going to heaven or hell as a result of our actions can’t be determined by us since we don’t know what happens after death. Thus these sorts of topics seem very confusing and inconclusive to me.

              In terms of the misdeed that humans do in their life, this anime is rather different than Psycho-Pass. In Pyscho-Pass, crimes and misdeeds were prevented. The structure is that people will be judged then fixed / done away with before anything happens. In Death Parade, judgement happens after the person has done the deed. An appropriate punishment determined by Decim.

[dwkcheung]

War definitely changes a person, whether that be physically or mentally. Everyone combats these side effects in their own way as well. Even though Violet doesn’t seem to display any symptoms of PTSD at the start of the anime, as she comes to understand emotions, the symptoms come as well. They help to come to terms with her past self and to allow her to treasure life.

Violet Evergarden - 4/17/2020

               Violet Evergarden was a very sad anime. We have already seen the effects war can have on people in the anime we have watched earlier in this class, and this anime also does a good job of showing the effects of war on people who lost their loved ones due to war. Violet has become desensitized because of the war and tries to learn more about her emotions by writing letters for other people. In the special, she wrote song lyrics for a woman whose lover had died in the war despite not really knowing what love is. As we see Violet make more connections with the people, she is writing letters for, we also get to see her express more emotions and become less desensitized. In the tenth episode, she was able to empathize with the young girl whose mother was dying and shed tears for her which shows a significant improvement to how she was in episode one. By continuing to work with others and learning about their feelings, she became more sensitive to her emotions and was able to express them instead of keeping them locked up inside.

               After the war, Violet had become unsure of what to do as she was no longer needed to fight and had no one to give her orders anymore. When she starts working at the company with Hodgins, she works hard until late at night because that was what she was used to doing while she was in the military. Violet’s situation is probably similar to what many other soldiers go through after returning from war. War was something that Violet had grown accustomed to and she had difficulty reintegrating with the rest of society after her return.  She even lost her arms during the war and had to adjust to using prosthetic arms.

[dwkcheung]

Violet Evergarden

              Violet Evergarden was such an amazing series that it brought me to tears a few times. Violet is introduced to us as a young women who previously served as a soldier in the war. We see from the first episode that Violet is unable to understand what emotion is thus making it hard for her to empathize with other people. She was left with a final message from her Major, “I love you”, which in her mind holds no meaning. The series sees her interact people in many different circumstances, experience different emotions to allow her to progress her understand as to what human emotion is.

              Towards the end of the series, we truly see that she has grown a lot with her relationship with her emotions. Facing the past in her memories and the experience from her job as a Auto Doll writing letters has changed her for the better. It was in episode 10 with Violet writing 50 years worth of letters to for a now motherless daughter that left me and her in tears. It really touched my heart to see her being able to physically manifest her emotions, making her that much more human-like.

[dwkcheung]

I can relate with you statement with the resentment felt by the Chinese towards the Japanese because of past atrocities. I personally don’t let these past evetns influence me too much on how I view the Japanese though. As of present day, I love the Japanese culture and how the people are mannered which is drastically different from how people previously saw the Japanese in the past.

Sensoron 4/13/2020

I don’t read much manga, but Sensoron’s arguments and content is not something I would have expected from this type of medium. Furthermore, I did not expect this level of conservatism in Sensoron, even after hearing it would be “conservative”. The content in Sensoron seems to paint an extremely strong argument for Japan’s innocence.

While reading Sensoron, I couldn’t really grasp whether Kobayashi was being satirical with his writing or not. The fictional examples and stories he made lead me to believe that his arguments were satirizing Japan’s innocence and involvement in violence and war; however, Kobayashi’s repeated examples of “framed Japan” makes me think that his arguments were legitimate and it is what he truly believes. That’s not to say the Japanese didn’t commit war crimes; however, the misinformation and information manipulation obviously present in the text are morally wrong in my opinion. Everyone is at fault in some manner and I don’t have the capacity to validate any claims made within the manga or by any information I’ve received in the past.

As a Chinese-American, this text is really confusing for me. Both my Chinese background and American background tell me that Japan is terrible (my parents still don’t like the Japanese) and that we were not at fault for much during wartime. Furthermore, American schooling has always taught us that Japan became a pacifist nation and a great democracy as a result of the United States. The content of Sensoron obviously goes against all these teachings and beliefs of mine. I also read some of the responses from our classmates that have Asian backgrounds regarding Sensoron. Not surprisingly, there were some rather strong positions on the portrayal of Japan’s innocence. At this point, I personally don’t know what to think of the situation. For example, the Rape of Nanjing was obviously an atrocity on Japan’s part; however, the death toll is hotly debated. Is it 300,000+ as reported by the Chinese? Is it 60,000 as reported by Kobayashi? There is so much information that I can’t confirm; because of this, I’ve basically chosen to simply take in the information without deriving a conclusion. While the actions of the Japanese are unforgivable, the world is different now; America doesn’t hate Germany for its actions in the past, so why should Japan be any different?

I’d like to see the opinions of my classmates who have no relation to these events in the past at all. I think it would be interesting as to how everyone responds differently to the manga, and how influenced or swayed they are by Kobayashi’s arguments.

[dwkcheung]

Sensoron - Kobayashi

              Kobayashi tries to paint Japan’s innocence in the aftermath of WWII within the manga. He really displayed a rather extensive idea of Japanese conservatism. The stories he told in the manga to made the point of Japanese’s innocence very convincing. But knowing the history that actually happened discredits this author in my eyes. The crimes committed by the Axis powers in WWII can’t be forgotten or downplayed. The fact that this author and other Japanese at the end of the last century kept trying to claim Japan as being completely innocent doesn’t sit well with me.

              It is a given that with every text that is presented to us in the academic setting, that students should question it to be able to make out what its purpose is. There is always a possibility that the text isn’t giving a completely truthful representation of what it claims. Thus making text like Sensoron untrustworthy in my eyes. It’s not to say that this kind of text or others like it mayhave succeeded in deceiving those who aren’t too familiar with the particular subject at hand.

[dwkcheung]

I feel that both male and females posses qualities of masculinity and femininity. Having to express one more than the other just because it matches your gender isn’t necessary. You may be pressured by other people or societal standards, but that isn’t always what’s best. I say act how you want and express which ever side of you when you want. An individual can find a balance between the two.

Your Name 4/10/2020

Yeah…so I’m pretty sure I’ve watched Your Name around 20 times. It’s a problem. The animation and soundtrack still blow me away, and I still learn something new every time I watch it again. Most notably, I found myself focusing on the differentiation between traditional Japanese life/religion and modern Japanese society.

The main plot of Your Name revolves around having two teenagers in completely different lifestyles: one living in a traditional town (aside from the politics surrounding it) and one living in Tokyo. Shinkai juxtaposes their lifestyles several times, especially in the beginning when both are still getting accustomed to switching bodies. I think Shinkai tries to show the benefits of a traditional lifestyle through the actions of Taki and Mitsuha, as Mitsuha’s traditional religion ends up being the key to saving the town of Itomori. Additionally, the movie seems to place more emphasis on the struggles of Mitsuha trying to adapt to the Tokyo lifestyle; much of Taki’s adjustments and actions in Mitsuha’s body are projected through dialogue with other characters, such as her sister and classmates. Shinkai also seems to critique modern society through the actions of Mitsuha’s father; his shift towards politics (i.e. modernity) hurt his own family and caused a divide in his relationship with Mitsuha. His ignorance nearly killed the residents of Itomori because he could not listen to his own daughter’s warnings, instead calling her “crazy” like her mother and for still following the Miyamizu family traditions.

I think Shinkai also touches upon sexuality through the body-swapping of both characters. Although rather hectic at first, both characters become accepting of the bodies they have, regardless of whether they are in their actual body or that of the other gender. Additionally, the “masculine” and “feminine” behaviors of Taki and Mitsuha were also praised throughout the movie. When in each other’s bodies, both characters broke traditional gender norms which increased their popularity (e.g. Okudera liking Taki’s “feminine” side, male classmates staring at Mitsuha during basketball); this is in direct contrast to Hourou Musuko where children were punished for breaking from gender norms.

Also, go treat yourself and watch Shinkai’s new film Weathering with You. It’s almost as good as Your Name.

[dwkcheung]

Your Name - Shinkai

              A good friend actually recommended me to watch Your Name. I has seen her reading the novel version of this and it peaked my interest. I luckily got the chance to see this anime on a flight for free. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, but was confused a bit by two settings.

              This film focused on the differences between lives of people who lived traditionally out in the rural area vs the modern way in cities. The main characters themselves serve to display these features. Mitsuha is a Shinto priestess in her village. Her job is to look after the family’s shrine and to aid in their traditional ritual. Taki is a college student who holds a side job as a waiter. This environment and his situation is what is familiar to most people in today’s world. The both of them are forced to switch lives and to experience the life they could only dream of experiencing. It allows them to appreciate the different lifestyles that people can live. I feel that there should be some kind of respect and balance between these two lifestyles. People can choose to incorporate as many values and habits from either.

              I have personally witness the harmony between these two in Japan this past winter. I saw that Tokyo is very much modern with a lot of high-rise building and its booming economy. Though I also saw the numerous sites and shrines that hold historical value. Kyoto was the same, but with the traditional aspects being more prevalent than the modern one.

[dwkcheung]

I feel that many animes set up characters in a way that allows viewers to insinuate certain things. Characters may have a very close relationship and be very hands-on, allowing viewers to “ship” them together. Thus the fandom creates art that eventually gets consumedand could possibly gain traction and noteriety.

Hetalia Axis Powers 1-19

“Character-based web anime like Hetalia promote stereotypes, and yet they also propel their reimagining in new contexts.”

                                                                                      - Annett’s “World Conflict”

Hetalia Axis Powers is a series that retells history in a lighthearted way, displaying countries in a stereotypical way. Not going to lie, I enjoyed it 

Not only were their accents in the English dub, which I personally felt was a nice touch, but the way the countries were portrayed may have been stereotypical in an extreme manner. I mean Italy was too pasta obsessed to get anything done. However, despite this, the stereotypes serve to add the humor in the form of comedic exaggeration. Thus, I can see how the show may be “a conflicted locus for transnational capital and transcultural community in the twentyfirst century,” as revealed in the reading, Annett’s “World Conflict”. I mean depending on a viewer’s level of nationalism, he or she may be greatly offended by their country’s portrayal. I mean if everyone’s favorite ‘Murica Man saw the way America was portrayed they would definitely be offended, despite that in my personal opinion America is not the worst one portrayed. The same goes for any country. 

It was interesting to note that the show had deeper implications in the realm of female fan cultures, and content industry. These two realms of discussion were touched upon in the reading. In regards, to female fan cultures, the article claims that the show is geared towards fujoshi also known as “rotten women”, female fans who enjoy male relationships and works of Yaoi. I would have to say that while watching the show I was able to see how the show could appeal to fujoshi as it does set up scenes and character dynamics in a manner that could character ships and inevitably and eventually Yaoi fanworks. In regards to the content industry, the show illuminated through its web form and it “consummately consumable characters” which not only ties into the show’s transition between manga and anime platforms but the character’s potential in regards to consumption through fanworks, like the inevitable Yaoi fanworks of the fujoshi.

[dwkcheung]

Hetalia Axis Powers - Shirohata

              This anime is a satire representation of how the author viewed the time period around WWII. Its characters are representations of the countries from that of the Axis and Ally powers. Now, the anime ignores a some of the more extreme political standings of the Axis powers by not incorporating ideals / views from fascist Germany and Italy. This aligns with the mindset of many Japanese in the latter part of the 20th century. In this point of the century, the Japanese wanted to downplay their involvement in WWII even trying to omit some parts of history in their education.

              Looking at this from both an entertainment point of view and an analytical point of view, the audiences have mixed feelings. Today, the popularity of the anime is rooting in the products of doujin that arose from character pairings. A enormous amount of money is gained from the selling of products relating to them. Other people find that this anime is inaccurate with its representation of history thus not appreciating the anime as much. I personally feel that the author’s intent for this satire was towards a more Japanese audience, but since it has grown internationally its less appropriate.

[dwkcheung]

The final message you made is something everyone should be considering. If we continue along with current societal views there will be no hope in rescuing this planet. Bringing awareness to everyone about chagne and providing a plan for that change will better fix our future.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

 I was very much surprised by this piece of media. Yes, the animation was very rugged and was not really aesthetically appealing but I got used to it. The plot really drove me along and it felt like I really got a feel for the entire series. I also think the overall environmental message was extremely important and related heavily to “The Drama of the Anthropocene” article that we needed to read.

The series seemed well thought out and what made it even cooler was that it was a video game. It seems even in this alternate world, human nature didn’t change. Even with the recreation of life all the way from the beginning, human beings didn’t change. I think this is a message from the series in itself. That human ambition,greed,courage, and love will continue as that is the human condition. The article, however, ponders where this places us in the world. Are we above nature? Or are we a part of it? This is the drama of the anthropocene.

As the article says, there is no way to stop our slow demise without first examining our position in relation to nature. Xenoblade chronicles provided a similar scenario to our own except in a setting divorced from history or political ideals. It is set in a world that is decaying just like ours. We see that it is the mixture of technology, human ambition, and the belief that we are external to nature that has led to the fall of the old world in the animation. This is a strong message of the bad connotation of these elements.

The main character, Rex, in the show comes up with a solution, to find Elysium. This place is the embodiment of nature. When he finally reaches the place where Elysium was said to be, it is riddled with the “hubris of humanity.” It seems that technology was the root of this new world but also would be its demise in the form of Malos. The solution that this animation is to destroy our old view of science and progress being synonymous. This idea is symbolized by the destruction of the world tree along with both Malos and Pyra, the tools that were used to create this world. Only this way are they truly able to find elysium.

This message is in accordance with the articles. We must completely question and change our system of knowing. We have to change society’s view so that it is heroic to be a part of and preserve nature. Only then will the destruction of civilization be averted.

[dwkcheung]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Apparently the world of this game is completely artificial. It was created by The Architect, Klaus, in an effort to fix the damage that was done by humans. Of course, his plans don’t turn out how he had imagined in the new world as a result of humans. Humans in comparison to other life forms on Earth, have incredibly high levels of intelligence and advanced technology. It is with this that the planet is more vulnerable to destruction at the hands of humans than any other life forms. Thus it’s not hard to believe that the world was destroy once by humans in Xenoblade and a second time being imminent.

              The overall commentary the game tries to get people to understand is that humanity must be active in the process of fixing the environment. With the strain and damage humanity has put on the planet, there will come a point in time where the damage is irreversible. To prevent that from coming to pass, humans as a collective should limit harmful actions (i.e. CO2 emissions, pollution, habitat destructions, etc.) while also making an effort to restore nature.

[dwkcheung]

Your claim about two parties not working together to solve an overarching problem is the same issue we currently have in regards to the environment. We know the problem that is the deteriorating environment is caused by humans. But nothing impactful is being done by humanity as a collective to combat the issue.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

I quite liked this anime and the themes it carried. In this world, the pollution of the world has gone too far, resulting in the formation of the Sea of Decay and large bugs to protect this. To combat this, the countries of the world’s make plans to destroy the Sea of Decay, but instead of working with each other despite having nearly the same plans, the two antagonistic countries work to destroy each other. They take over smaller countries and take their resources under the guise of a grand narrative of destroying the Sea of Decay for the good of mankind. However, like always, wars solve nothing. Almost everyone in the world focuses on trying to stop the spread of the decay, but not the cause of it nor a solution. Their plan to burn the decay was told many times to be destined to backfire and instead, the forces of nature, the Ohms, would rain upon the humans. Because, at the core, the Sea of Decay isn’t bad, instead it’s just the cover for the trees purifying the water that allow the humans to continue to live. They would have just solved the surface issue, which isn’t enough. We also seem them constantly wanting to depend on a force other than themselves, the Great Warrior, which ultimately fails as it isn’t strong enough for the human’s needs. Instead they have to change their practices that causes the issue in order to truly solve the issue. The only way to calm nature and help solve the problem of pollution is to sacrifice parts of our lives that encourage pointless pollution.

[dwkcheung]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki

              The film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind being made in the 1980s have clear influences from events preceding the film. A lot happened in the latter half of the 20th century with the end of World War Two and the Cold War. These are probably where the film drew its inspiration from.

              The world in the film seems ravaged from the aftermaths of a catastrophe. Humans were to blame for this. I believe that humans are the only animals on this planets that is currently capable of recreating such a setting. This was even more possible in the time of the Cold War. With the presence of nuclear weapons, it was definitely possible to lay waste on any one country or even the entire planet. I’m sure if these weapons were used, it could realize the Toxic Jungle that was shown in the film.

              The film also insinuates that humans should refrain from doing anything that could worsen the environment as it can heal itself so long as nothing interferes with its processes. I feel that this approach can be effective, but can be sped up with help from humans. If everyone is on the same page of fixing the environment, it can lead to faster and more positive effects.

[dwkcheung]

Culture is always evolving as time progresses. The community and the ways people experience it follows suit. There are never-ending new ways to enjoy and become expose to this type of culture and it can only grow in popularity.

Swampcon Used Substitute: Otakumentary Appears

This Otakumentary was very interesting to watch. The first thing this documentary sets out to do is to define the meaning of otaku. In Japanese culture, the word otaku is associated with negative aspects of fan culture because of Miyazaki murders. There was a sense of shame around being an otaku, but recently the stigma has drastically decreased. In Japan, otaku has evolved from being dedicated anime fans to now a word used to describe nerd culture. In the west, most people use otaku as a label for liking anime, manga and Japanese culture. Another fairly common explanation for describing otaku was it being associated with negative weeabo and hikikomori stereotypes. I think Lauren described it best by stating that otaku has a different meaning to everyone. 

Like Lauren, my roommate and I have also interviewed many people attending conventions. All of these people had fascinating stories about why they started going and eventually cosplaying. Similar to the documentary, the people we encountered were a very diverse group. Even almost a decade later, the otaku community continues to spread across many generations and consists of many different subgroups. 

Another aspect of this documentary was it’s focus on cosplay. Experiencing or participating in cosplay is an essential part of conventions. At every convention I have attended, cosplayers are always prominent. I have never cosplayed myself, but I love taking photos of everyone’s outfits. At the main convention I attend, cosplay contests are a lot more informal. This may be because it is also a smaller convention. Cosplayers participating in the contest would strut and pose across the stage, similar to a fashion show. Then, judges would choose the best for each category. The documentary provided valuable insight on how more professional cosplay contests work. It was amazing to see how dedicated Dustbunny was to her character through her cosplay. 

On another note, it is amazing to see how much fandom culture has changed since the documentary was made in 2012. The internet has played an influential role in regards to the rise of modern fandom culture. Websites like Tumblr and Twitter have fostered a constant line of communication between content and its consumers. Stan culture is now a main aspect of Twitter fandom. In addition, people are no longer limited to in real life meetings as communication has evolved. Discord servers are one of the main ways people in a fandom connect. Research for cosplay is more accessible than ever before. YouTube is a prime example of how the shadow cultural capital of fandoms is slowly transitioning into cultural capital. I know it’s outside of otaku culture, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe is huge contributor to nerd culture being accepted and apart of the mainstream. Fandom culture is still rapidly evolving today.

 As this was originally meant to talk about our experience at Swampcon, I want to share my personal experiences with attending cons. I am fortunate enough to live a fifteen minute drive from a Japanese museum and garden that puts on a convention every year in April. If it wasn’t cancelled because of Covid-19 it would have been this upcoming weekend. I love going to cons and interacting with other anime fans. I have a hard time convincing myself to spend money on merchandise outside of keychain, but I usually cave in for a plushy. I mentioned previously that I really enjoy taking photos of cosplayers. One instance that stood out to me was taking photos of a Love Live! Cosplay group as they performed to the show’s songs. It always fun talking with strangers who like the same anime as I do. Another fun thing I get to do is try Japanese food that I normally don’t have access to. One year I even got my grandparents to come along with my family. Overall, this documentary made me wish Swampcon wasn’t cancelled this year because I was so excited to go.