Hello JPT1311

Hetalia Axis Powers took a really unique and comedic approach to world history, portraying countries as anthropomorphized characters with exaggerated stereotypes. It was really interesting and honestly kind of reminded me of Sailor Moon. While its humor can be very fun to take in, what really struck me was how the show also offered a lot of opportunities to really think critically and deeply about history, global relations, and even modern geopolitics.

The episodes introduce us to the central "characters," (really just countries) like Italy, Germany, and Japan from the Axis Powers, and England, France, America, and Russia from the Allies. Of course, this was reminiscent of the history we learned about World War II and the different relationships these countries had with each other. To be honest, the way their interactions were portrayed as comedic skits was fun to watch, yet they subtly highlighted historical dynamics that shaped the world (e.g. like Italy’s reliance on Germany or America’s boisterous personality juxtaposed with England’s dry bitterness). For instance, Episode 1 features the Axis trio working together in the early days of World War II, exaggerating Italy's incompetence and reliance on Germany, while symbolizing the cultural and economic dynamics of that alliance.

While I think that these caricatures can sometimes feel controversial to many people today, they encourage viewers and consumers like us to really think about the quirks and relationships between nation-states and how history has since shaped modern alliances and conflicts as we know them today. It’s a really creative way to make history accessible and interesting while raising awareness about the ongoing importance of international cooperation.

While it’s by no means a substitute for actual history books and history lessons, this anime definitely has the ability to spark curiosity and interest about the past and how it shapes our present world.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is an absolutely timeless masterpiece that I can connect so many themes from 2025 to. For instance, I think we grapple now more than ever with environmental crises, technological advancements (especially with AI and LLMs), and issues of social justice. After watching it, I realized that this anime poses so many questions that are so relevant to my daily life here.

At its core, this movie offered a very interesting story about environmentalism and the delicate balance between both humans and nature. For example, the Toxic Jungle served as a big metaphor with regard to what may happen in our world if we continue to stay blind to the repercussions and consequences of environmental degradation. In 2025, as climate change continues to threaten ecosystems worldwide. This movie really spread am message that we should urgently care about the environment and take this into our senses.

The film also offered an interesting critique of how humanity may mistreat technology and exploit it for the wrong reasons. For instance, the destructive Giant Warrior weapon that was seen in this anime really gave me an important warning about the dangerous implications of all the recent technological advancements we've been having. Whether it's nuclear weapons, AI (like ChatGPT), or other innovations, we really have to be careful about who has access to them and how they're used.

As a college student in 2025 watching this now, I really reflected on how interconnected these global, modern issues we have today are to the issues seen in the anime, and how the actions we take today will most definitely shape the future, whether it's the environment or our society. It’s a story that feels more relevant with each passing year, and I'm excited to revisit it when we have even more technological advancements

Last weekend, I found myself at Swamp Con, an anime convention filled with music, costumes, chatter, and an unspoken understanding that we were all here to celebrate something we all really love. It was my first anime convention, but I quickly realized that this event definitely lived up to what I had heard about it from the upperclassmen.

I was expecting to see cosplayers, merch tables, and more cosplayers. However, what I didn't expect was to consistently bump into multiple groups of people elaborately working on setups that made me do a double take. That was my favorite part of the entire convention - it never failed to impress me. There was always someone debuting a brand-new outfit that looked *exactly* like they spent weeks, or even months, to perfect. The best moments for me actually happened in those quieter spaces. One minute, I’m wandering the crowded main hall, the next, I spot a small cluster off to the side - no big signs, no stage, just a group of friends who found a corner to sit and chat. There was one group that I decided to join in, as I saw an acquaintance in their. I was expecting to talk about what our favorite animes were, but they weren't even talking about popular anime or which merchandise to get. Instead, they were each talking about personal reasons for their love in certain series.

If I'm being honest, it was refreshing to meet so many other anime lovers. I had a great time getting to know a lot of people and even made a ton of new friends that I keep in touch with today. I feel like I found a community that was really open to new opinions and ideas, and I even started a new anime (Blue Exorcist) thanks to one of them!

p.s. the maid cafe food was sick

The End of Evangelion in 2025 was… wow. I don’t even know where to start. This movie was honestly emotionally devastating, very visually intense, and somehow deeply comforting all at once.

This movie serves as an alternate ending that’s honestly 100 times crazier than the original anime. It picks up right where the series falls apart emotionally and narratively, and then dives even deeper into all the existential dread, isolation, and longing for connection that the show originally hinted at (especially in the last episode).

What really hit me though is how weirdly relevant the themes are to a lot of global issues we have today. For instance, Shinji’s whole dilemma - whether he should merge with everyone else or stay as a unique individual, even if it means being in pain - is literally a question that many teens and adults alike face all the time in the big 2025. All of us are more connected now than ever but at the same time all of us tend to feel more alone? For example, we're living on Discord and FaceTime and Twitter (and even Tumblr) but still feel very detached. The film doesn’t give easy answers either, which honestly makes it more real.

The visuals were also symbolic. Some of the scenes are beautiful in a dreamlike way and others are intense and scary, just like something that'd give me a nightmare. There’s especially one part where Rei and Lilith merge and it’s very haunting but at the same time it's also poetic. Like a metaphor for what happens when we chase perfection and lose our humanity in the process.

Once I finished this anime movie I just sat on my bed afterwards simply thinking. About my own relationships, fears, the way I show up in the world. I really hope we have more sticking anime like this to watch in the future.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of those anime that has always been there in my mind but I haven't actually gotten around to watching it. The episodes 8, 16, 24, and 26 are packed with themes and ideas that are just as relevant today in our modern world as they were when the show first aired. Now, as I watch it in 2025, I can't help but draw connections and ideas between the specific discussions we have today in our world and certain themes that are seen in the anime.

Episode 8 introduced us to Asuka Langley Soryu, a character that is "fiery" but confident - a new pilot who brings a whole new vibe and feeling to the series. Her introduction into the anime was significant - it brought up ideas of competition, self-worth, but also identity as she had to clash with Shinji while trying her best to assert dominance and confidence as a pilot. This episode really reminded me of how young people of our world today often feel a lot of pressure when it comes to to proving themselves in a very competitive world - whether that be in school, professionally, or even for trivial things like likes on social media. However, Asuka’s sense of confidence really hides her insecurities, which felt extremely relatable in a modern world where many teens and adults alike try their best to act confidence while still struggling internally.

The last episode, Episode 26, was the infamous conclusion to the series’ psychological analysis. It really left behind and avoided traditional storytelling that we often see in many anime and media just to instead go deep into the characters’ mental states, particularly Shinji’s. This was really interesting to me, as anime often just ties up plots and stories with a regular conclusion. However, this conclusion really made the anime stick out to me.

Sailor Moon was very interesting to watch from an analytical viewpoint. Episode 1 introduces us to Usagi Tsukino, a girl who we know becomes Sailor Moon. Surrounding her story, the anime really focuses on self-discovery and self-empowerment - it was very inspiring, and I found it especially relevant to today's world where women's rights and self-empowerment are at the forefront of almost every discussion. Usagi's transformation into Sailor Moon was like a big metaphor for finding your inner strength and, rather than using it to conduct harmful or useless acts, using it to truly make a difference in the world and help society.

The next episode, episode 2, really expanded on Usagi's new role as Sailor Moon in all aspects of life - it underscores the true importance of friendship and teamwork in making big results. I found that the way that she and Ami Mizuno, or Sailor Mercury, work together to defeat the enemy really brings out the importance of the power of collaboration in solving global challenges that we have today. For instance, in 2025, society sees a larger and larger emphasis on international cooperation from all countries in the world to take on and attack challenges such as climate change or pandemics, as we saw in 2020 with COVID-19.

Episode 4 introduces Makoto Kino (Sailor Jupiter), who brings out themes of identity and belonging, which, in my opinion, is particularly relevant to the diversity and inclusion discussions that society has today. At the same time, Makoto's confidence and independence serve as a role model for young viewers who may find this anime interesting.

Episode 8 tied the entire group together and really explored/exposed what the emotional side of being a hero is like. It is shown how Usagi may struggle with balancing both her life as Sailor Moon and her personal relationships with the people who are close to her. This is a common dilemma for many people in society today.

OVA 1 was a fun episode that focused more on the club's dynamics and their adventures at Comiket. It was a great example of how shared interests can bring various parts of society together, even when they're each from a different part and background in life. This definitely felt relevant and even relatable to today's world, where chatting apps like Discord and forums like Reddit and Tumblr bring together online communities are becoming more important than ever. The episode also highlighted the commercial side of fandoms, which has been a big topic recently. There are a lot of influencers who have been on the rise and pushing out influencer culture, leading to blurred lines between fans and consumers of media.

The fifth episode in Season 2 introduces us to Angela, an American exchange student who joins the club. It was very interesting to me how the authors and producers included her perspective as an outsider looking in and joining in on Japanese otaku culture. To me, it raised questions about cultural exchange and how different societies and communities may view fandom. This particularly felt very close to the globalized world we have to day, where cultural influences are constantly crossing borders and traditions and culture are being morphed every day.

In my opinion, Episode 10 was an extremely pivotal moment in the entire series. It explored the various aspects and changing qualities of relationships within the club, particularly between Madarame and the other girls. This episode specifically touched on themes of unrequited love yet didn't fail to leave out the awkwardness of social interactions that come with love and friendships. This was very relatable to today's world - especially with the rise of dating apps. It reminded me that even in a world where social media makes it easier to connect, face-to-face relationships can be very hard and tricky to navigate for many people.

Genshiken seems like a light-hearted anime about college life, but in my opinion it actually touched on some pretty relevant themes for our world today.

Episodes 1, 2, and 3 expose us to a "Genshiken club", a group of college students extremely passionate about Japanese anime, manga, and video games. I initially thought it'd just be a fun exploration of otaku culture in an anime, but I soon noticed that it also began to expose us to themes of identity and belonging throughout each character. For example, the characters collectively struggle to find each of their own places in college and balance their interests with societal and "normal" expectations. This felt relatable to the world we have today, where people are constantly juggling multiple identities both online and offline in order to conform to societal expectations.

However, I thought that episode 9 was particularly interesting because it explored the tension between being part of a very niche group of people yet still feeling like an "outsider" in broader society around other people. This reflected the current debates we have today about themes of inclusivity and diversity, where people all around the world are truly searching to find spaces/groups where they can just be themselves without any judgment from society. This episode specifically touched on the commercialization of fandom, which is still a big issue in 2025 with the rise of influencer culture. Every year, the lines between fans and consumers blur as people strive to reach online fame.

Overall, Genshiken might seem like a niche anime at first glance to some, but in my opinion, it has a lot to say about many themes, whether it be identity, community, or just finding your place in a world of judgment. These themes are just as relevant today as they were when the show first aired, and may honestly be timeless.

On page 28 of the PDF, Azuma introduces the concept of "database consumption." This was especially interesting to me - it's stated that database consumption is where consumers, especially within "otaku culture", engage with media by selecting and appreciating individual components. For example, individual components may include characters, tropes, or settings. Focusing deeply on these specific factors rather than immersing themselves in a broader view of a grand, cohesive narrative may come with consequences, as Azuma states. However, it was interesting to me that this approach in "otaku culture" is a lot different from earlier consumption patterns, where the general story is more emphasized. Azuma suggests that today, in the postmodern era, the overall general story as an entire narrative isn't as emphasized, which leads to a broken-up consumption style where certain elements are appreciated individually instead of as a whole.

This made me think about how we can expand this concept to global situations today, where we observe very similar patterns in the many aspects of today's culture. For instance, when it comes to social situations in social media, content, especially short-form content, is often, if not mostly, consumed in bite-sized pieces. For example, tweets, image-based memes, short videos, and "stories" are all very small compared to larger contexts such as entire narratives. This smaller form of micro-consumptions can and has led to the spread of misinformation, as nuanced approaches and discussions are severely reduced and simplified to easily digestible content.

This entire idea really reminded me of the rise of fast fashion. In my opinion, the entire fast fashion trend really exemplifies database consumption in the consumer industry globally. In fast fashion, consumers/buyers often purchase clothing items based on trending aesthetics or specific design elements that are currently on the rise. However, they fail to consider the broader implications of these items, such as ethical workplaces or environmental impacts. This focus on the isolated attributes contributes to a cycle of rapid consumption and disposal. While anime might be different, it's similar to how "consumers" in both senses decide to focus on individual components rather than larger narratives.