The Animated World Blog

Perfect Blue was a film that I’ve heard many good things about, and it really delivered. As my first Satoshi Kon work, Perfect Blue weaves together a narrative of reality and fantasy perfectly with Mima’s ordeal following her career change. Despite taking place in the early days of the internet, one of the things that I think Perfect Blue does amazingly is how it portrays Mima’s online and public identity being dissociated with the real Mima. 

In Death Parade, the recently deceased play a game to be judged for their spiritual permanence. They can either be sent to reincarnation or to the void. One of the biggest talking points is whether someone deserves to be reincarnated. For example, in the first two episodes we see a couple fall apart as they interrogate each other on their biggest fears. Takashi believes that Machiko had been cheating on him. This simple premise had built up a bitter grudge between the two of them and had been the cause of their untimely demise. Meanwhile Machiko states that she had never loved Takashi and only had done so for the money. Its this statement that sends Takashi to be reincarnated and Machiko to the void. Their destinations seem very clear cut, and while its questioned whether they deserved it, the show brushes past it and states the reasoning is novice.

Violet Evergarden is about how words are permanent. So long as words are remembered, their impact will remain. We see that throughout the show as Violet writes letters with deep meaning for her clients.Every word has deep emotional meaning and must be regarded with care. Words of love are enough to bring people to tears. This is seen in the OVA when the client is desperately searching for the words that express her true feelings for her beloved. She can not accept any substitutes because she wants her emotions to become permanent, something she can never forget.

It may mean a lot for someone to say to their beloved, I love you, but by having on paper, it can last until the ink fades. This form of permanence is utilized by Ann’s mother to make fifty years of letters to her daughter. Enough letters to give reminders of her love and to give her tips to survive out in the world, but brief enough to allow her to form her own memories and bonds.

While I found the discussion of doctored and misattributed photos to be interesting, the author discredited himself in my eyes with the first 10 or so pages of the work.  His perception of his peers transcends cynicism and enters the realm of conspiracy, while all the while sounding rather pretentious.  This work can be described as a combination of grand generalizations and internal inconsistencies.

The author criticizes other Japanese for pursuing individualism, and expresses that he believes this is the fault of foreign/global propaganda.  While it is well known that America had a large influence over post-WW2 Japan as a result of their extended occupation and influence on the new constitution, he reduces the Japanese public to these unthinking masses, describing them as brainwashed.  While it’s somewhat insulting to suggest that there is no personal desire, or that these people have no autonomy, it’s also somewhat laughable that we’re supposed to believe that his characterization is completely accurate and fair.  For someone who obsesses over the details of individual photographs, he certainly doesn’t attempt to substantiate this portrayal beyond “this is how it is” phrasing.  It also reminded me of the academic article we read that was critical of generalizing Japan as collectivist, and more generally the application of constraining terminology onto complex societies.  The way in which the author describes individualism and the loss of collectivism, it’s as if he buys into that very same narrative.  

“Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world; she took the midnight train, going anywhere.” 

-Journey 

     Shinkai’s Your Name is a piece that has gained recognition since it’s release in 2016. Although some of the non-linear scenes may be confusing to some viewers initially, they become clear as the film progresses, giving it a unique viewing quality. Furthermore, I appreciate that the film, through visuals, character expressions, body language, and dialogue, is able to show the viewer what is happening. A personal pet peeve of mine is when anime tends to fall into a trap of relying on narrating their plot points to clarify, and Your Name masterfully avoids this. 

     A prevalent moral of the piece was the importance of tradition, of holding the knowledge and responsibility of where one comes from. Mitsuha’s grandmother raises her grandchildren into their particularly religious household, and without this perpetuation of tradition, Taki may not have understood the cycle of what was happening. Listening to Mitsuha’s grandmother was what made him realize that the comet and the bodyswitching were events that had happened before, and thus enabled him and Mitsuha to save the people of the town. Mitsuha’s somewhat distant father presents the opposite of this, only concerned with his immediate life, and not the bigger picture of what has occurred over the course of thousands of years that allow him to live his aforementioned life. Furthermore, Mitsuha’s classmates gossiped about her creation of kuchikamisake, despite the fact they were also present at the ceremony. These characteristics kept her father and classmates too worldly, and if not for the more ascendant Mitsuha and Taki, they would have perished without warning. 

Thankfully, however, the Mayor presumably issues a warning to evacuate, as all of the citizens are saved. Despite his past actions in largely leaving his daughters (to be fair, while he was grieving for his wife), he realizes the most fundamental element of tradition, that of family. One’s family is one of the most important means of how tradition is perpetuated, and the Mayor decides in the end, to follow his family, Mitsuha. 

One of my favorite things about this film was the way the characters were animated. We are able to tell when Mitsuha was in Taki’s body and vice versa, because of how the characters were animated. This didn’t necessarily go so far as harmful gender roles, but rather subconscious actions that most people aren’t even aware of. Taki’s body takes on a more feminine gait when Mitsuha is occupying it, and Taki doesn’t know how to replicate Mitsuha’s detailed hairstyle. 

Another small but significant detail was that of the comet, Tiamat. A quick Google search tells me that in ancient Babylonian mythology, Tiamat was a goddess of creation and chaos. These conflicting attributes hone in to the deity of this piece, which places an emphasis on the connection of things that don’t seem related, like the country girl in a small town and the budding architect of Tokyo. 

“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. 

I think it’s pretty cool that the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 cutscenes are part of our readings in this class. This is the first time I’ve heard of this game, and I’m really impressed already just from the cutscenes.

First off, I thought the issues faced by people living in Alrest is similar to our world. In the first few scenes, we learn that human civilizations are built on the back of titans. These people face the pressing issue of having less living space as more titans begin to die. Rex recognizes this problem, which is why he tries to reach Elysium, a “natural” place that can provide more space. In our world, we are always faced with the issue of scarcity as well. From the past until the present, humans have sought ways to cope with scarcity, usually at the cost of nature. Destruction of aquatic habitats for water dams and deforestation for wood are good examples of this. But then when Rex finally reach Elysium on the world tree, he finds it barren and learns that Elysium is the result of previous human civilizations. Elysium is a representation of our future. As we continue to look for resources from nature, we are only worsening nature’s condition, and we might not be able turn to nature for resources anymore at some point. This relates to Cobb’s “Drama of the Anthropocene,” because in his writing, Cobb points out our current way of living and our methods to cope with scarcity at the expense of nature isn’t sustainable but creates more problems. The solution in the game seems to be the restructuring of the world and system itself, which I thought is similar to Cobb’s proposal of changing our way of living entirely.

True Otaku: The Documentary: Takes place in Baltimore where we see a convention for Japanese popular culture. Fans of this category of media are called otaku. Thus the name of the convention that this documentary focuses on is called Otakon. Since 2010 there are more than 29,000 fans that come to this event.

What is an Otaku? The word fan comes from the word fanatic. However, an Otaku is a fan of specifically Japanese Pop Culture, in the U.S. at least. In Japan, the word otaku is not used in a kind matter as many people in Japanese society look down on otakus, it is a derogatory term. This outlook is also widely caused by the Otaku Murder of Young Girls caused by Tsutomu Miyazaki. This has caused the general population to believe that otakus can be obsessive or even a detriment to society. However, Miyazaki is an outlier of the norm. 

Many otakus have a good understanding of diverting reality and the fiction and no matter how much otakus consume, they are multiple oriented and do not usually become maniacs. There is a difference from a fan of pop culture vs. a maniac who becomes so obsessed they lose themselves in their passion.

Cosplay is when otakus are allowed to play or act their character to feel part of the fictional world they are passionate about. However, again this is the same as actors who do it whether out of obligation or passion for the work they are performing. 

However, on the other side of the world in the United States, the otaku term is used in endearment. Otakus of America all share their passion for anime, manga and Japanese pop culture

Walt Disney toons had a huge impact on the global market as the soft power of these cartoons became widely popular and influenced the idea of anime in the first place. When World War Two had finished, Japan was recovering, and with influence from American cartoons, manga and anime was born.

Many fans of Japanese pop culture have formed online communities in many facets, such as games, new titles, fashion, etc. The internet has allowed for the otaku community to grow.

There are also many subsets in the community such as in anime there are mech, martial arts, romance, etc fans. There are also such subsets in fashion: cosplay, crossplay, furries, etc.

Fantasy is a mental response to an ungratified need. We experience fantasy every day whether it is daydreaming, or even just planning goals because before they become reality they are just fantasy. The fandom of otaku is a place to express your passion and love for the fantasy born out of anime, manga, and video games. The fandom is a healthy opportunity for otakus and fans to express this passion and to find belonging or acceptance. 

The otaku culture is multigenerational and it grows bigger. The otaku community in the U.S.A. is very open to anyone who joins or is part of the community because of the common interest they all share.

One aspect of otaku culture that is big in Japan that has not transferred overseas is the writing and creation of Dōjinshi which are basically parodies or original works influenced by manga and anime. I think this is due that despite the large passion for Japanese pop culture, American fans do not have the same interest in owning the work itself, instead, they simulate and enjoy the experience of this fiction. Though perhaps this outlet comes through fan fiction, that is a discussion for a different day.

Kawaii ambassadors are Japanese who come around the world to deepen the understanding of Japan among people globally and build bridges between cultures and societies.

Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a beautiful Masterpiece about the dangers of war, and a lack of care for the earth. A thousand years after the Seven Days of Fire insinuated by the end of the movie to have been a nuclear holocaust, the toxic jungle has taken over a large portion of the world. Nausicaa princess the Valley of the Wind is shown to be a competent explorer and scientist as she explores the world in search of a cure for the toxins produced by the jungle in order to save her father and people. Nausicaa discovers that this toxic jungle is not toxic because of the plants or the insects, but as a matter of fact due to the jungle trying to remove the toxins and thus becoming toxic themselves. Similarly, the insects are actually attempting to defend the jungle and protect the earth from further destruction. 

This is where the first part of the movie’s message becomes clear. The environment only fights back when provoked. It protects itself in order to survive, but would much rather ignore the fighting of man. 

Mankind on the other hand. does not care much for the struggles of nature. Humans are responsible for the destruction of the earth due to their creations, the bio mechanical warriors. These massive beings of destructive power can scorch and destroy the Earth, but can only last for so long before the earth claims them as skeletons. The humans desire for war and conquest leads to destruction of the Earth and the creation of the ever growing toxic jungle. We can see humanity’s inherent warlike nature between the two rival factions constantly bickering and fighting over control of the last surviving Warrior. We can even see the normally passive members of the Valley of the wind be roused to fighting because of the warrior’s presence, a symbol for humanity’s violent nature. 

Human nature continues to be seen throughout the film when they utilize one of the baby ohm, guardians of the forest to lead the rest of the ohm on a stampede to wipe out not only the valley but the warrior as well. Both sides desire control of the warrior so they can clear the jungle, but they are either oblivious to the fact that they are the ones responsible or choose to ignore it because they would rather survive then think about the future of the earth. 

It is only through Nausicaa, what the movie desires humans to aspire to that the warring ends. It is only because she’s desires not to fight and uses a weapon as a last resort that she is able to become a mediator between the factions of man and the jungle. This is possible because she is willing to think about the consequences of one’s actions. She stops to think about why things exist rather than seek to destroy inconveniences or threats. As the credits roll, the movie displays instances of mankind and the jungle being able to coexist. While it does not offer any solutions to the current warring at hand, it does suggest that instead of fighting one another and carelessly ruining the earth, we think about the consequences of our actions.