Abby’s Blog

Kon- Paprika

This was a nice movie. When I knew it was made by the same director as Perfect Blue, I had a strong feeling it would be something mind-boggling, but I didn't expect to see the same reality vs dreams switching.

Now, we have only grown characters, though I noticed Paprika seemed to look more youthful than Dr. Chiba, but I guess it's a little weird to determine a dream's age.

Also, the ending was quite unexpected with Dr. Chiba "changing her last name" to Tokita. I think Paprika telling the detective Dr. Chiba to change her name might have been her way of letting him go without inviting him on. In a way, I can sort of see why she would send a note via Paprika rather than telling him in person when they are already acquainted after he kissed her when she was unconscious and without consent.

I think Paprika telling Dr. Chiba how it was the doctor who was a part of Paprika, not the other around, was an interesting idea. Unlike Perfect Blue where illusions of Mima are part of the real Mima, even if it's a delusion, it was more like Dr. Chiba wanting to become more whole by becoming Paprika. In other words, Dr. Chiba did not save the world by accepting Paprika as a part of her identity, but Paprika was the identity she was meant to become all along. Not that Dr. Chiba was the lesser half, but Paprika is simply the "other me" she has been trying to find. And when she is "reborn" like the chairman, she becomes the person she wanted to be not through Paprika, but when Paprika and Chiba fuse to become the light. It is not the darkness that consumed her but her own light that she already had that was able to consume the darkness and reset the balance between reality and the dream world. Dr. Chiba's choosing to save Tokita shows that she has become Paprika. Even Paprika herself said she didn't know what to do. Without Dr. Chiba, Paprika is just a shell. She may be a caring hero who can understand and help people, but Dr. Chiba is the smart one who can create solutions. Without the other, the two alone could not have won. I also like to think Paprika can be seen as both the standalone (given how she was able to travel freely in the fused worlds like she was familiar with them and when she would save Dr. Chiba in the real world) and a piece of Chiba (when she understood why she needed to enter the Tokita robot to be the extra spice to Chiba herself).

I also thought it was strange and sad that even at the end of the movie, we never really knew who the detective's friend looked like. I don't know who the Radio Club bartenders are, but given how they and Paprika helped the detective on the side deduce the meanings behind his dream, his friend's face is still obscure. I also admire how even when Paprika saves him during his dreams, it is when Paprika is in trouble that he can save himself from his fears. By remembering his past and saving himself by ending his nightmare his way, he was able to accept his past as the past. I like to interpret him changing his dreams as to how people change their own aspirations. It is true that he once had a filmography dream, but he "woke up" from his first dream and "went to sleep" into a new dream. But he didn't keep his dream as a dream; he made it into his own reality by working towards it and becoming a detective and a hero like his own dream. So, by entering and realizing a new dream he is both awake and asleep.

Whenever a character enters a dream, we can actually tell this time. The moment we see the inanimate parade, that is a sign that this character is experiencing a dream.

This is the first time I have seen a Monkey King character as a woman. Kind of makes sense because like Sun Wukong (Son Goku since this is a Japanese culture class), he represents humans and their holy ability to defy the social order, including the holy order between the elitist deities of Heaven and the chaotic demons, and it took pain and suffering to learn his mistakes (and a journey to the west) to not get or find enlightenment but to learn it by enlightening himself. Or maybe they just wanted to use his flying cloud as Paprika fell through the skies into a dream and gave her clothes because it's a neat reference.

-04/21/24

In episode 15, we can see Squealer and his species worry about becoming extinct and therefore try to exploit the queen. They knew they were smart and believed that they deserve some power, yet the queen had so much and ruled over them unfavorably. I feel like this represents governments/powers throughout history: the government exploits or neglects its citizens and, therefore, the citizens retaliate, protest, etc. at the power's expense. The citizens come together to build power and make changes to the government/power. Squealer and his species worked together, forming a union, and tried to negotiate, yet they ended up trapping her and still exploit her for the benefit of the colony. This is similar to when the newly formed government reduces the power of the leader, making them instead a public figure (kind of like the president or prime minister). Then we see things like war prisoners, enslavement, imperialism/colonialism in episode 21, which we see in history during an overthrow of rule as well. In the last episode, the Squealer talks about how change is necessary, which I do think is true, but that the sacrifices would have been worth it if they had won, which I disagree with: in the end, people lost their lives. War and violence are the problem (I can see why Squealer thought they needed to resort to it, especially when they tried to propose equal rights, but to continually hurt the Queen and other species? That does not seem very moral). In the end, it is quite a morally grey area when you consider all things, though.

I think there is also commentary on patriarchy. The Robber Fly colony thinks that the queen's only job should be childbirth, while the "smart" ones should have the power. The queens are stuck inside (domestic duties, trapped in the house) while the men (I think) are free to roam and rule. This also reminds me of Japanese history. There were queens with power an extremely long time ago in Japan, like Queen Himiko, that people at first accepted as ruler; however, men soon believed they deserved the power, labeling women that ruled as evil (people believed that Queen Himiko had magical powers that she used for evil purposes as well), resulting in men ruling Japan. Then, they use violence, blaming the Goat Moths for shooting an arrow when they used violence first. This represents the common opinion that men often resort to violence more compared to women, like starting something as small as fights or as big as war.

Now, something that I find quite disturbing is how kids ended up having a child?! Like I think they are 14? Definitely an interesting plot by the storywriter - I wonder what the idea was behind that?

I think that overall, this anime is a commentary on power, whether its a ruler, and man and woman, magical powers, or the responsibility that comes with it.

Not gonna lie, I didn’t really enjoy Shin Sekai Yori. I don’t think it was a bad anime, I just think I personally don’t have the brain capacity for it. So much information is thrown at you and I made the mistake of trying to fold laundry and watch the show at the same time, LOL. From what I gathered, we follow the young Saki Watanabe as she finally gains her powers and moves on to an academy meant for people who possess psychic abilities. She joins group 1, with the members being Reiko, Satoru, Maria, Mamoru, and Shun. 

I think the episode that stuck out most to me was episode 4. They encounter a thing called the Minoshiro, which reveals the answer to any question they ask. It ends up being a fake Minoshiro, in which a guy comes to destroy for them. However, they learn a lot of useful and saddening information from them. They learn about society from the Dark Ages and their own society, and the creation of Ogres and Karmic beings. They also learn information on the population of those with PK, such as only 0.3% of the population obtain PK and there were movements to eradicate them, some even leading to war. It made me feel sorry for these kids, they are absorbing so much information at such a young age, and given a lot of responsibility for holding this type of power. A lot is to be said about the development and destruction of certain societies and eras. It went from embracing PK powers to suppressing anyone who has them, leading to what they called the Dark Ages. Then it progresses back into acceptance or practice of PK powers into the present time in this anime. Episode 4 contained a big chunk of the history of this universe, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I feel like this show tried to implement many themes but I could not really catch myself developing any of my own thoughts. I think our next round of episodes will help me get a clearer idea of the message of this anime, but right now I feel like my mind is convoluted with the huge information dumps, especially in episode 4. One thing I did notice is the question of what it means to be human and to be treated as human. This goes for the rat people, Queerats, and all other beings in this universe. Even the existence as humans obtaining PK is called into question. So what makes one human, and what is the ethics of treating one as one? 

I found the ending of this anime to be satisfying and answered several questions. NEETs aren't the cause of all of our suffering! It may seem that way because NEETs are portrayed to be lazy and worthless, but it's important to take a step back and realize why NEETs are the way that they are. Who created the system for them to end up like this? Do they not want to get a job, or are they incapable? Itazu was a very talented hacker and helped Akira out a whole lot with his skills, but he is a NEET so he must be useless still, right? The problems that this anime commented on all come from billionaires, the government, and a conformist society who doesn't want to step on anyone's toes for the sake of the "greater good". However, while outsiders often see Japan's society as extremely respectful, disciplined, and efficient, their current overall society lacks the willpower to stand up to an unhelpful, restrictive, and ultimately exploitative government.

According to this anime, the Japanese government exploits workers and makes life after education a nightmare, as we've seen. Japanese workers often commit suicide or end up leaving Japan, which is by no coincidence. I guess becoming a NEET is one way to escape the Japanese working hellscape and express yourself more confidently online and engage in hobbies that would otherwise be looked down upon or seen as useless. I don't see a point in being an active, productive member of society through the eyes of others if we're just backing an exploitative government. The problems in Japan still existed while the 20,00. NEETs were still kidnapped, so clearly the problem isn't them. In fact, you could probably argue that kidnapping all of those NEETs prevented progress, since Itazu was ultimately the trump card for our main characters.

Eden of the East was an interesting watch. It was kind of bizarre to hear people speaking non-broken English in anime and even more bizarre that the Americans understood Japanese with no issue (but weirdly wholesome). I’m actually glad that they laid out the rules of the game played by the Selecao in one of the first episodes because it probably would’ve taken me a while to figure it out had they not explained it in a straightforward way. For some reason, I can’t take this anime too seriously because it feels a bit unrealistic. Morimi just trusts a stranger who flashed her, the police view their jobs as a joke, people aren’t taking any big measures to investigate or stop the Selecao, and the Selecao are so far above the law in every way possible with no meaningful backlash or regulation.

Regarding “Work Culture” by Mouer, it was disappointing yet not surprising to learn that postwar conservatives dismissed leftist activists, who demanded a raise in minimum wage and guaranteed human rights, as foreign individualists who did not belong in a collectivist Japan. Honestly, that is really one of the weakest excuses that can be thought of, and what makes it crazier is that the conservatives said this AFTER the war and AFTER everyone realized the dangers that collective, blind faith in their government’s right-wing propaganda could bring. I don’t know how anyone would actually believe them, especially in regards to something as important as giving people decent lives. It’s clear that their motive was to save money on both distributing reasonable salaries and implementing safety guidelines/enforcement, which are notoriously expensive to implement in many cases. What exactly was their argument? “Because we’re a group, you must be honored to earn less money (and effectively save us money but ignore that part) and be prepared to risk your life at all times!” Who would fall for this, genuinely?

Even after watching this second round of episodes I can't decide if this anime is pro or anti-war. Especially in episode 25 when the general who comes on behalf of the people he commands. He's telling the mirai crew member that no matter what Japan can't win this war because history has seen the fall of countries that have had victories in war while the losers have always had some sort of revival a few years later. I find this confusing because he doesn't want the mirai crew from the future to get involved but then at the same time he's saying the war is needed for Japan's future.

Obviously it makes sense that Kusaka is trying to turn the war effort in Japan's favor so he previously stood in contrast to the mirai crew but now this general seems to also oppose Kusaka within his own timeline. Also though we see in these set of episodes Kusaka giving up his military sword so he seems less pro-war than he previously was. Yet in episode 13 when Kusaka sneaks into the smaller plane to make contact with the mirai crew the comment is made by them when asked if they support America's side that the blood of all people is the same according to the mirai. This yet again seemingly suggests that there is no right or wrong nor bad guys, just war.

Overall the tone I was getting from these four episodes was echoing a lot of similar rhetoric to what we've read in the past about how there's a common thing for events in Japanese history to be treated as unavoidable or meant to happen. Which often is used as a bit of an excuse for actions on the America side or a lack of accepting a loss on the Japanese side. Though I haven't seen the last episode obviously, I get the impression that the timeline is gonna be reset and history will resume its course by the end.

ZIPANG!

This show was really interesting. I really liked the intro and the outro too.

Can I just say that the premise of this show resembles an episode of The Twilight Zone? The entire time I was watching the first and third episodes, I was thinking "Rod Sterling would probably write a premise like this". It feels like the kind of story you'd find in a novel or a short story rather than an anime, and I find that intriguing.

The show allows modern Japanese soldiers to confront their past in a literal sense, both personally through the lieutenant and also by being transported to the Showa era in the middle of the war. While we've already seen many works that deal with World War 2, this one feels so much more direct. It feels like it's not only putting Japan's nationalistic, totalitarian past on full display, but it's connecting it directly to the modern audience through modern soldiers who struggle to reconcile their motivations with that past.

Kusaka feels like he will become a driving force in the narrative. His presence alone, just like the soldier said when he first boarded, changes everything. He is what anchors them to the era; Him and all his nationalistic pride, strictness, and hope for Japan's future power. It's why he's on the cover too. He's the symbol of Japan in that era.

When they finally arrive to Singapore and they're at the party/ball(?) Kusaka says that the wants to change the 21st century (something that is already happening, as he points out later). This is after he learns of the future peace in Japan and its lack of military power and whatnot. He wants Japan to be a militaristic superpower like the empire dreams of rather than the relatively peaceful country it eventually becomes. Obviously, the modern soldiers have a contrary opinion.

I actually really enjoyed watching Welcome to the NHK and might watch more of it this summer. The comedy of this show landed for me, though I will agree that a lot of it is pretty distasteful and fan-service heavy. It’s not for everyone, especially if you don’t feel a connection with the characters. Speaking of which, while I mostly pitied the hikikomori characters such as Satou and Yamazaki, I did find some aspects of their lives to be somewhat relatable, such as occasionally having intrusive paranoia or comparing the quality of my life with that of others (minus the degeneracy, though). Also, in my opinion, while the show definitely contains themes of mental struggles, it never takes itself too seriously. Case in point: they made the scene of a (prevented) group suicide really funny.

Something that resonated with me in particular was when Satou questioned whether creating and releasing a digital game counts toward escaping his life as a hikikomori. As a Computer Science major who has an interest in game development, I have impostor syndrome as well, where I sometimes doubt whether my abilities are up to snuff or whether I’m doing any “real work” that matters at all to anyone. It’s easy to compare your routine to that of others, especially when you’re doing things digitally and don’t have anything that can be physically presented. I think a lot of people nowadays go through that to some extent, though.

I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to actually learn about the conspiracy that Satou and Hitomi brought up, unless I happened to miss something. They kind of just mention it at different times to justify their actions. It would be nice to receive more lore regarding the NHK and their motives.

This is a show I've been meaning to watch for a long while, since high school actually, so I'm glad I got the ability to do so. For starters, I had not realized how old the original manga, with its original run going from 1985-1994, which only makes the gang aspects feel more contemporary for that era, especially in areas of New York. This backdrop perfectly sets up the discussion of trauma and resilience that is integrated into Banana Fish with the inciting incident of Griffin Callenreese becoming mentally crippled in Iraq and effectively handicapped, which causes ripple effects for central characters like Ash and Max with how that lingering guilt and grief affects their personalities in the present day. This show handles more dark topics than I was expecting, covering issues of human trafficking, drug addiction, and exploitation all being frequently discussed and shown in horrific detail, a thing that I was not expecting coming into despite hearing it being part of the "gang" subgenre of anime. The anime is set in New York, an interesting change of pace from the often seen Japanese setting accompanying our readings and viewings. While watching this, it immediately made me realize this is how the Japanese must view America from a pop culture lens, as we have Eiji, our Japanese main character being introduced to the Big Apple and being unable to find his bearing or sense of belonging amongst the culturally diverse and distinct gangs, a sentiment that likely would have been shared by the Japanese population when trying to understand the ongoings of American culture. This becomes even more interesting with how this series serves as a vessel for the social commentary of homosexuality in anime, with it being never explicitly stated but CLEARLY implied that Eiji and Ash have a thing that goes a little beyond friendship, an aspect that I have never truly seen in an anime until this one. This commentary extends beyond this LGBTQ+ aspect but how sexual abuse and struggles placed upon marginalized communities in this world are continually perpetuated by the corrupt systems that make up it, most obviously being represented by the Mafia Don Papa Dino. Banana Fish handles these topics with remarkable class at times but through watching it, they tend to make distasteful jokes, especially with knowing Ash's background it leaves an even worse taste in my mouth. However these are nitpicks and it doesn't stop me from enjoying this emotionally charged, revenge-filled gang anime that I can't wait to finish by the end of this week.

This episode I found particularly compelling with Ash and Eiji's relationship which I felt was desperately needed more fleshing out for me to truly connect and care about the attachment, (especially after a recent big character death).