My Media Diary

This was a very interesting yet confusing film. It kind of reminds me of Perfect Blue in terms of reality and fantasy getting mixed up and the animation style. I think the whole idea of our dreams being where we can see and experience our stresses and repressed thoughts is really interesting, and it was pretty cool seeing it in a movie. I often get dreams about school, something that I did not feel good about the previous day, etc., and I wonder why it happens, but I guess it is our subconscious trying to figure out and deal with all of it.

From the start of the movie, we start to see how our stresses and subconscious thoughts usually find their ways into a dreams: the detective, Konakawa, seems to be wanted by others, running away, or running after someone (a victim of one of the cases he is on at that moment - actually is his past self though). These scenes, I believe, convey his stresses with his job and a particular case. I think it could also perhaps show his underlying, more secretive attraction to a younger, child-like woman. This is pretty discomforting, but I think that this whole movie is about controversial opinions, wants, denials, and fears. Osanai also has dreams about his jealousy and insecurities, which he wants stopped. In the end, the detective's insecurity/fear was with his career choice, which he realizes was good and feels secure again, allowing him to move on. It is important we face our problems and insecurities and figure out how to get past them.

It is interesting to see how people communicate within the dreams - it is just a lot of random words and jumbling, but that is a great representation of how in our dreams we do not actually speak clearly. I think we just assume we do since we make up the plots anyway.

As briefly mentioned in the movie, I think that dreams are supposed to represent the internet. People rant about things online, say controversial stuff on social media, and think that everything we see on the internet is true. We even think that the real things are fake too. There are a lot of similarities. Then, we see Inui want dreams to not be touched by technology. I feel like this anime is critiquing the internet and technology in this way.

Another theme that might be shown is how adults are not always wise and better than the younger generation. Tokita is irresponsible and does not want to deal with adult stuff, leading to people being harmed or traumatized. This conveys how this anime is critiquing the idea that adults and the older generation should not always judge young people and think they are better than them.

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.

Disclaimer: I swear I did this post on time, I just accidentally posted it to my other tumblr account for my japanese language class. Proof below:

I have never been more confused by an anime ending in my entire life. Actually, any show's ending. So, I think Akira became a prince so that he could have power to make changes in Japan, yet I am confused because usually they do not have actual power? Does this mean he is actually going to be a Prime Minister? Or that he is just going to be a public figure to help change public opinion and use power that way? I also do not understand what he did with his phone and why he put it in the female lead's pocket. Overall, very confused. However, some things I have noticed:

I know I have mentioned this a million times in my posts, but again we see sexualization of women. Yes, Akira is seen literally naked multiple times, but it is always comedic; however, with the female lead in a small tracksuit and the blue haired woman in a bikini and heels, the women are either portrayed as evil or sexy. However, I will say there is a lot less than in other anime.

I am pretty confused by how the Eden of the East app (I think) is related to the title? Or like why it is the title?

The characters call Japan weak, why is why conspiracy theories on terrorist attacks arise. There are many people in this anime that believe Japan is too weak and not good enough on its own, reflecting the lack of hope and dependence NEETs or the younger generation have for/on Japan and its government. It was also sad to see the NEET with no pants on being great at hacking and CS, yet still not having a job. It makes you question: is it because he is not confident enough to get one? Or has society not allowed him to? Whose fault is it? We do see, though, him be able to send information to help stop the missiles, and he felt useful in the end. If all NEETs actually put their talents to use, or the government allowed them to, changes can be made.

Also, omg, the fact that Mr. Outsider might have already been dead was so crazy. It makes you wonder who and what the 12 people are doing all of this for. Obviously, they have their own agendas on how they will save Japan, but it was all started by and controlled by a dude that is now dead?

We also see the moral dilemma of who and what you sacrifice for the greater good. The bombs killing the NEETs of course meant people would die, but it also meant getting rid of those that do not contribute to society. Even the female lead said she wishes something good happened to Japan after the bombs, as if killing people is okay as long as there is some other benefit to it.

I have never been more confused by an anime ending in my entire life. Actually, any show's ending. So, I think Akira became a prince so that he could have power to make changes in Japan, yet I am confused because usually they do not have actual power? Does this mean he is actually going to be a Prime Minister? Or that he is just going to be a public figure to help change public opinion and use power that way? I also do not understand what he did with his phone and why he put it in the female lead's pocket. Overall, very confused. However, some things I have noticed:

I know I have mentioned this a million times in my posts, but again we see sexualization of women. Yes, Akira is seen literally naked multiple times, but it is always comedic; however, with the female lead in a small tracksuit and the blue haired woman in a bikini and heels, the women are either portrayed as evil or sexy. However, I will say there is a lot less than in other anime.

I am pretty confused by how the Eden of the East app (I think) is related to the title? Or like why it is the title?

The characters call Japan weak, why is why conspiracy theories on terrorist attacks arise. There are many people in this anime that believe Japan is too weak and not good enough on its own, reflecting the lack of hope and dependence NEETs or the younger generation have for/on Japan and its government. It was also sad to see the NEET with no pants on being great at hacking and CS, yet still not having a job. It makes you question: is it because he is not confident enough to get one? Or has society not allowed him to? Whose fault is it? We do see, though, him be able to send information to help stop the missiles, and he felt useful in the end. If all NEETs actually put their talents to use, or the government allowed them to, changes can be made.

Also, omg, the fact that Mr. Outsider might have already been dead was so crazy. It makes you wonder who and what the 12 people are doing all of this for. Obviously, they have their own agendas on how they will save Japan, but it was all started by and controlled by a dude that is now dead?

We also see the moral dilemma of who and what you sacrifice for the greater good. The bombs killing the NEETs of course meant people would die, but it also meant getting rid of those that do not contribute to society. Even the female lead said she wishes something good happened to Japan after the bombs, as if killing people is okay as long as there is some other benefit to it.

My thoughts throughout the anime since I am confused what the overall theme and purpose are:

The mood of this drama was so discomforting. The way the background is drawn so differently from the simply animated characters, and the way she is speaking Japanese while the others are speaking English. All of the sudden, there is a naked man?? They are also speaking abnormally slow. He tells the girl throwing a coin at the White House is weird yet he is naked, and she just randomly trusts him?! Oh my goodness, it is like a fever dream. It was really funny, but so confusing.

It is interesting how she believes the Capital is the center of the world. I feel like it is a reference to how the government is the reason for so many problems, and how the US has caused many problems for Japan.

We also see the topics of NEETs. The main girl's friend (I am awful with names in anime) tells her that our generation is mostly comprised of NEETs by nature, and we do believe society does not accept us. During the interview, the interviewer told the girl that society is for the youngsters, but then she says that it seems like the youngters live for the comfort of the older, employed people. There are a lot of statements about the lack of hope and opportunities for the younger generation in today's day and age, and they seem to just accept this. Akira tells the main girl that she should not have to force herself to work and to just stay with him, and he kisses her to try and solve her romantic problems. Since he is part of the 12 people that are supposedly changing the world, I think that this represents how NEETs want a savior that might fix their problems quickly and easily. I may have interpreted that completely wrong though. I think that with the reading discussing a lot of the problems now with the work culture, I can see why viewers want there to be changes and some savior to fix everything.

At the beginning of episode 13, we see what we have seen in the past with World War II. Kusaka threatens the past US soldiers, saying he will take one of the past soldier's food and then use a missile to blow up their supplies. The past soldiers think that it is a bluff, yet in the end a rocket missile is sent, and another threat is made that he will shell the US marines. This alludes to what happened during World War II, since the US government threatened Japan, the government refused to surrender, and the US really did drop the atomic bomb afterwards. It is interesting because this time, it is reversed: a Japanese soldier is the one dropping shells and the American soldiers are the ones receiving it. One of the soldiers also mentions how Kusaka's weapons are much worse than what they have and so new, just like the atomic bomb was.

The whole pro or anti war message of this anime is very confusing to me. In episode 13, there is a whole discussion by Kusaka with the other soldiers. Another soldier tells them that all humans bleed the same color, so war and destruction is not the answer, but Kusaka tells him those thoughts are ideals for times of peace, not war. Therefore, he wants to proceed with the violence. However, after all of this, I think we see a more neutral stance? He does not believe in Imperialist Japan, but he does not believe in the future Japan. Instead, he believes in a Japan that is independent yet still powerful, called Zipang.

Im also not sure if the episodes do not line up for me, or if we were only supposed to watch the second to last episode, but I am still very confused what the message overall is because I do not know the ending. Anyway, I think that overall the anime wants us to understand all sides of this war. Those that just want their country to be protected, those that want their country to be powerful, those that do not want violence, those that want to save as many people as possible, and those that want to survive. It opens your mind to many different perspectives.

At the start of the episode, the scene where the battle ships were shown seemed really cool and beautiful. Magnificent music was playing in the background, and it was colorful. It showed how those that were not actually fighting in the war might see weapons as cool, when in reality, we learn that they are traumatizing and just evil. It was also interesting how in the first episode, they announced the weapons being released, but then the weapons were not shown or heard. It is like this is a time when the impact of war and the weapons were just not fully understood. Also in the first episode, Yasuke asks his father if war is bad and who were the bad guys, but the answer is unknown at the start. In the end, everyone was trying to save themselves and families. The force that goes into the past experiences this firsthand in episode 6, when one of them has to kill other Japanese soldiers just to save himself and his peer. Since everyone has the common goal of just protecting themselves and others, war should not happen in the first place.

The animation style I feel fits perfectly with the era that the anime takes place in. It reminds me of the older cartoons I used to watch as a kid in the early 2000s, like scooby-doo, which is around the time this anime was made. The old style also better conveys the old war era, making everything fit together better.

One thing that I liked about this anime was how it had a woman in the force from the future. Back in the day, there would not be a woman fighting along side the men, yet this portrays how later changes are made. She is not sexualized, she wears the same uniform as everyone else, and in my opinion, the way she talks and holds herself is of proper status, dominance, and power.

We also see Kasuka, the Navy soldier that was saved, saying that he was going to swim himself no matter how far, and if he did not make it, he would die like the other soldiers. This idea of honorable death that we talked about earlier in the semester is shown.

In terms of the reading by Saito, I definitely agree that we should be make generalizations and profile all otakus as perverts; however, the author seems to try to differentiate otakus from perverts. I think that the ones that are perverts are not non-otakus - they are are still otakus, just some of them.

I also agree with many of the points that Gauntlet makes: the audience interpreting media in their own way with their own reactions depending on their lifestyles, the ignorance of the positive effects that media can have (like for me, Spongebob actually taught me so much), and the effect that producers have on media.

Wow, he is in a serious delulu state, and now I feel like I am too. To be completely honest, I am not sure what the message is. This anime is about an otaku who keeps coming up with excuses to not do the things he needs to do and blames everything/everyone other than himself for his problems. Sato, as well as some of the characters, try to escape their problems by escaping reality, which is really sad but also does not solve anything. He seems to always be spiraling. He creates this whole scenario as to why he is the main character of a conspiracy theory, he comes up with a crazy excuse to see the girl, and he invents this whole life and career to make himself look good in front of her. At first, I liked him because he seemed a little relatable, but then I soon started disliking him. He has perverted posters on his walls, lies a lot, and sexualizes a minor. Yikes. We also seem him get kind of exploited by the people around him. His neighbor gets him to buy a ton of anime-related merchandise, Misaki uses Sato to reach her goal of fixing a hikkikamori, and Hitomi wants him to die with her since perhaps she does not want to escape alone or just wants someone else to be on the same page as her. If this anime taught me anything, it is that you should make good friends that love you for you, and do not spiral about your thoughts or troubles because it will only lead to insanity.

AGAIN, there was sexualization of women in this anime. Also, this woman looks like a child, so it was quite discomforting. Her in the nun outfit, naked, a lot of other things that I do not want to mention in this post - it is just so gross. Even the camera angles were disgusting - the camera pointing from behind her butt, pointing towards her chest, etc. I understand that it was portraying the perspective of Sato, who obviously oversexualizes the women in his life, but I think that creators need to understand the impact this can have on the audience.

HUH?! I thought this was a BL anime but apparently it isn't? Everyone on every social media platform said this was BL but it seems that it just has implications of these boys liking each other romantically, but not actually. I feel like a lot of animes do this - a guy admires another guy, seemingly romantically but not. I think this is due to the more conservative side of Japan, but I do not want to generalize. I guess a lot of people kind of forced this idea about these characters, or it just seems like the way they talk about each other seems like a love story.

One thing I do not like about this anime is the amount of perversion. It is good that the perverts were portrayed in a disgusting light, and I think that it raises awareness towards how people pervert and eroticize homosexuality and how wrong it is. However, there was also a lot of sexualization of the characters by the artists/animators when it was not necessary. For example, they way they were dressed, the skin exposed at times, their positions, etc. I think that while the anime was trying to convey how immoral perversion is, the characters were still sexualized. This is another thing that I often see in anime: the creators trying to take a stance against something but then indirectly doing what they were against. Actually, I should not just direct this to anime because a lot of different kinds of media does this. I wrote about this in my essay for Zom 100, because the animators, I believe, took a stance against sexualization of women; however, the camera angles and clothing choices made by the animators/artists/creators say otherwise. I think that there needs to be more care and consideration put into delivering messages and the way that they are done so.

Also, I am pretty confused as to what Ash's and Eiji's relationship was though. Like how did they meet and why did they hit it off? I think that the first episode probably established that but I do not want to have to look it up. Anyway, it was interesting how Ash saved Eiji and not his best friend - like how valuable is Eiji to Ash? I also do not really understand the relationship between Ash and that old man that owned him but then saved him in the end? Perhaps I got the characters confused? If someone reblogs this, please explain!

Anyway, I knew that Banana Fish was sad, because people often talk about how they cry because of this anime, but wow, that was quite a depressing ending. I had already cried from watching Grey's and One Tree Hill today, so this was just the cherry on top. The intro to the last episode almost foreshadowed what was going to happen. It seemed like a lot of memories that Ash had flashes across the screen, specifically his relationships, just like how your memories replay in your mind when you die, so I could tell just from the intro that Ash would pass away. In episode 9 or 11 (I cannot remember which), someone also called Eiji Ash's achilles heel, conveying how Ash (or someone) would die. I cannot believe Eiji does not even know about his death, expecting to see him again. As sad as it is that Eiji and Ash could not be together, I am glad that Ash died in that library (I mean, it is traumatizing for whoever finds his dead body), because that was where he was away from all the violence and the killing (the aspect of himself that he disliked). He got to be the person he wanted to be when he died - peaceful and loved.

In the end, I like the message about how people can be so different, yet when you really think about it, we are all the same. No matter what race, gender, career, etc., although we may have different experiences of cultures, we are all human beings that want to be loved, to love, and to be happy.