Reyhan

I really enjoyed Your Name.; as I watched it, I didn’t really take any political message, but I don’t think I was really looking for one. The story and the visuals were nice, and I felt like I was taking a break from class. As I reflect on my viewing now, that feeling of taking a break is still the message that I’m getting. Maybe it’s because I’m burning out for the semester, but I genuinely felt like that was the point of the movie. The characters switch places with each other, taking breaks from their own lives and seeing new perspectives on the world, the city, and the countryside. Even after all the work they do to save the town, their memories fade like they’re getting away from it, completely unburdened by what they went through. In the end, they are even eventually reunited. I understand the points made in the lecture about gender and how the movie is very conservative. Maybe it just isn’t relevant enough of a topic in the movie for my brain to care to talk about, though, because, much like the characters in the movie, I keep forgetting what I’m looking for.

Hetalia, on the other hand, was not a good watch. I was in elementary school when this show was popular, and my sister (5 years my elder) was super into anime. When this show was popular, she was all over it. I still remember her shipping Germany x Italy, and gushing about it all the time. She’s still into anime to this day, and she is one of the reasons I took this class, even though I’ve never personally been into anime. Memory lane out of the way, when I saw Hetalia on the list of anime to watch at the beginning of the semester, a part of my soul died. After watching it, my consensus is that it obviously has some incredibly offensive tropes and stereotypes, and the show’s portrayal of a kind and cutesy World War II-era Germany is so far beyond a weird, deeply messed-up take. Honestly, though, I remember what the world was like when this show was coming out, and this was one of the less offensive pieces of media from the time. Overall, I found Hetalia to be just as weird, cringe, and offensive as I remember it from my elementary school days. I feel blessed never to have to disgrace my eyes with this show’s presence again.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was gorgeous. It felt realistic yet whimsical, and dark yet optimistic. One thing that stood out to me in the film was the idea of humankind stepping back to let nature heal itself. The depiction of how Princess Nausicaä sets about to persuade the different kingdoms to join in this cause is already very touching and beautiful, but the cause itself does ring true to life. Back in 2020, during the height of the lockdowns across the world, I remember we got to see this idea of nature healing itself play out in real time. Wild animals roamed the streets, unafraid of human contact or cars for the first time in decades. Dolphins could even be seen in the Venice canals in 2021 as the water cleared up due to less boat traffic. 

Throughout my viewing of Neon Genesis Evangelion and The End of Evangelion, my main thoughts were not about the portrayal of masculinity but rather how tired I am in this class of seeing little girls being exposed, groped, and creepily sexualised. I can barely even get through these anime anymore, and I can’t focus on what I’m supposed to learn because I feel disgusted by the things I’m watching. The most genuine portrayal of any “form” of masculinity through this show and movie is not through the male characters at all, but through the treatment of the women. 

In the lectures, Shinji is said to display traits of “queer masculinity,” meaning that he can’t fit into the status quo of “straight masculinity.” I think that what’s actually going on is that Shinji is a child who is used to being alone because his father abandoned him. Shinji lacks self-confidence and self-respect; these are not traits of masculinity; they are just traits. I was also rejected by my father at a young age, and I can tell you it does not do great things for one’s confidence. Despite all of this, Shinji still grows into toxic masculinity. In the lecture, the professor offers his take that Shinji masturbating to an unconscious 14-year-old child in a hospital is merely his attempt at performing “straight masculinity,” which he obviously fails at.

I have never been to any manga or anime convention necessarily, but I have had the pleasure of meeting other otaku and discussing our experiences together was a memorable experience for me. Personally, I believe that cosplaying in particular is a very fun thing; it reminds me of Halloween but in a much lighter sense as it has all the fun of dressing up but it is more based around one’s fandom interests and in when meeting up with other cosplayers or at events where otaku go to to meet up there’s a lot of people with similar interests. I am particularly fond of those cosplayers who use their abilities, whether that be costume making, makeup, acting, martial arts etc, in order to help out a good cause. As seen in part 2 of the documentary, some otaku preform for hospitals and other worthy causes. Cosplaying in this case becomes something more than just an individual portraying a character, it becomes as close as one can get to an interaction between a fan and the character themselves. 

Cosplaying is also a very intricate process and activity as it can require much attention to detail and preparation in order to portray the character as best as one can, yet, on the other hand, it is not necessary to be so strict with costumes and acting as one can be cosplaying just for the fun of it and to feel involved in events and such. I once had put together a costume for Halloween as I had not bought all the pieces and I was really eager to portray a certain character; putting that costume together with the clothing and even some anime character aspects like cat ears was difficult, so I can only imagine how difficult and all the attention that is required to complete a cosplaying costume. This notion, in my opinion, very well portrays the passion of otaku and cosplayers as no matter what the event or occasion, to dress up and involve oneself in such activities requires so much preparation and once more passion.

As a fan of anime, I really enjoy meeting other anime fans and otaku because whenever I do there is always a sense of belonging and community in that interaction. No matter what interests one person, it all always comes back to anime and that is something that I believe all otaku can appreciate. Anime and manga fans share a passion for their interests like no one else, and when I have gotten to talk to others about anime, they always respond back to me with the same high and happy energy that I give to them in the first place. I like feeling relatable to others, and as a fan, I feel that this feeling can be achieved not just through the characters I love to watch but also through my fellow audience who immerse themselves in the world of anime and manga and cosplay too. The social interactions that occur when talking with otaku are so lively and they make being a fan that much more special and fun. These interactions also are a part of identity formation for many otaku and fans including myself as it heightens the sense of community and togetherness one may feel with others who also appreciate many aspects of Japanese culture. It can even bring many people from opposite sides of the country together, and highlight key similarities that unite them. I think it’s beautiful that all cultures can come together and appreciate the Japanese culture which has so much to offer and share just like any other culture. 

**Just to preface, I've had a migraine for going on like a week now, so I'm sorry if my post is not the most coherent.**

I enjoyed watching Sailor Moon. The show started airing in the 1990s, but it remains relevant and iconic today, globally. I wouldn’t say that Sailor Moon changed any major gender norms or anything like that, but the show addressed serious social pressures that women faced (and still face) that are pressed on us from a young age. Sailor Moon follows a 14-year-old girl as she figures out life and tries to understand herself. The show empowered young girls to not feel less than for “feminine” qualities, but rather to embrace them. In a world of toxic “boys will be boys,” Sailor Moon was a positive “girls can be powerful.”

Aggrestsuko was a fun watch, as well. The most important message I got from the show is the pressure put on women to perform these perceived gender roles despite not wanting to. It is frustrating watching Retsuko hold in her rage at her boss just to buckle and make him tea, but we see that when she tries to take a stand and report him, her boss retaliates. She is belittled for being a woman. This goes beyond gender performance and gender roles. It doesn’t matter if you decide to participate in gender performativity or not; other people will still project their ideas onto you. It’s an issue to only focus on the concept of gender and how it is a social construct because people discriminate based on sex and sexuality, too. To get into the bigger picture, this is why things like DEI are so important. Because even given two of the same exact resume, verbatim, with the only difference being one resume says male and the other says female, the man will get the job every time.

Genshikin aims to portray the facets and quirks of Otaku culture. The show touches on comic fests, manga and anime clubs, and fan obsession. For the most part, I was uninterested in the show; it was a slice-of-life show with not much to offer. However, one theme in Genshiken kept me interested and upset: the portrayal of sexual deviancy in Otaku culture. It seems like the show tries to normalize a lot of the sexual deviancy it depicts, but some moments go too far. 

The male characters in the show are eager to view sexually explicit drawings of anime girls and attempt to look up the skirts of anime girl statues; these things are not particularly harmful on their own, but adding to this that they play sexually explicit games where they do things like rape a high schooler changes things. Considering many depictions of anime girls are “lolita” and the girls are meant to appear underage or dress to appear childlike, the fact that grown men are sexually looking at these drawings is disturbing, whether in private or not. It does not matter if this is a true portrayal of their sexual identity or if it is a portrayal of something they would do in real life; the concept itself is disturbing.

Going beyond the men’s behavior in the show, the women’s sexual deviancy is also a problematic facet of Otaku culture that is portrayed. Chika Ogiue fantasizes about her real-life friends in a sexually explicit manner. This might be okay to do with fictional characters from a book or a TV show, but real people can’t consent to being depicted in precarious sexual situations with whoever is in your head. Beyond just fantasizing, she also draws her fantasies without the consent of those she draws. In a society that is not accepting of LGBTQ+, what could have happened if any physical portrayal of the fantasies she had about her friends were seen by someone else? Again, it does not matter if this behavior is a true reflection of her sexual preferences or her behaviors; having those thoughts is problematic on its own. 

Angela is yet another portrayal of sexual deviance in the show. Within the first minute of her appearance in the show, she presses her chest onto a man she does not know, who is clearly uncomfortable; she even acknowledges that her behavior is not normal when she mentions that Japanese people must not greet each other by hugging like she was. She then makes him read manga with her, grabs his hand (knowing he does not understand the language she is speaking to him in), and comes onto him. Throughout the rest of her episode, she fully unclothes herself in front of a man. Angela blatantly sexually assaults and harasses male characters throughout the episode in which she appears, and she faces no consequence. No one even blinks an eye.

I think that these animes did an incredibly good job of focusing on kids who feel or who are different. There were very different experiences across the different animes, but it was a very prominent feature of them all. I think that bullying and discrimination are 100% global concerns. There is no perfect society, no utopia, no ideal gemeinschaft. It doesn’t really matter what part of the globe you are from; these issues just change per society on what the exact discrimination is. Perhaps it is based on race, religion, sex or gender, sexual orientation, physical characteristics, etc. Some may be modifiable or easier to hide while others not as much.  

In the movie Wolf Children while I see and recognize the polarity of the nature of the children, I actually identified more with the mother. Perhaps because I have 2 kids of my own, I saw the sacrifices Hana experienced and at the end ultimately ended up alone. I found it to be very heartbreaking; however, it’s also almost the expectation. We make sacrifices for our children and want to raise them to be independent. Which in turn means they must “fly the nest”.  

I felt that A Silent Voice and Naruto very much addressed issues of bullying. I think a lot of us can probably identify with someone in those viewings. I know that for me, particularly middle school, it was a very difficult time. I remember feeling very isolated, alone and like there wasn’t really a point to it all. Watching first, Ishida struggle with his social isolation to where he felt he didn’t deserve any friends and wanting to end his life. To later seeing Nishimiya standing on the edge of the balcony, with someone who cared for her right behind her, but she couldn’t hear his screams. I feel like this did a really good job in showing the damage that is done with bullying and how people may be just one step from the edge. For me it was also a reminder that a small kindness may carry a lot of weight, we don’t know what others struggles might be.  

As a child, I was different from my peers. I didn’t know what it was, but there was something that so clearly set me apart from every other child my age. My differences caused me to struggle in a lot of the social, academic, and behavioral aspects of my life, but no one ever bothered to help me. I was left to the wayside of life, and I was worse off for it. My struggles became worse: my grades slipped even more, I acquired bizarre social habits, and my behavior became strange and unpredictable. I was cast away so as not to “taint” my “normal” peers. It wasn’t until I got to high school and transferred schools that I was finally given a chance and looked at like a human being. My grades improved vastly, I started making friends for the first time in my life, and I understood that I was never the problem; people were just scared of me. My story relates to two major groups portrayed in Shin Sekai Yori: those who were cast out from society for being deemed too aggressive, powerless, or generally posing any potential threat to the community, and the Queerats who were purposefully mutilated by the humans’ ancestors as a method of deeply disturbing eugenics. 

In Shin Sekai Yori, people are monitored during their formative years for any signs of aggression, antisocial personality traits, or anything that could make them a risk to society. If deemed a threat, or if they never receive their telepathy at all, they are sent to die. This ideology is based on historical instances of violent people able to use their cantus while bypassing the death feedback. In essence, a hidden few in society have made the decision to get rid of children who have done nothing wrong just because they could possibly have the potential to do something bad, and this group keeps this secret from society. It seems to me that killing a bunch of children who have committed no crimes is just as monstrous as the “fiends” they fear so much. Never did it occur to anyone to teach accountability, respect, kindness, forgiveness, gratitude, teamwork, inclusion, or anything, instead of just prodding children in stressful circumstances with the sole purpose of seeing if they crack under pressure. With their logic, it’s incredible that there aren’t more violent people on their hands.

Another major facet of the show is that of the Queerat race and their revolt against the humans. The Queerats are revealed to be human beings whose genetic makeup was modified using DNA from naked mole rats long ago. The reasoning behind this: these humans did not have the same telepathic powers as the rest of the human race. This is a disgusting display of eugenics. The Queerats are treated as a second-class race and as slaves by the humans. By no means do I agree with abhorrent violence, which they chose to use in their revolt against the humans without so much as talking first, but their demands to be treated as equals are most certainly understandable and reasonable. The main character Saki is no stranger to the superiority complex the humans display in the show. She does not bat an eye at being referred to as a god from a species she deems as less than; she hopes to save the fiend by showing her that she is a human killing her own kind, not a Queerat fighting for her people; and even after discovering the truth about the Queerats’ speciation, she is still able to kill Squealer without facing the consequences of the death feedback (one could speculate this is because she deems him as subhuman for the atrocities he committed, but she did feel the death feedback as a result of indirectly killing the fiend, who committed atrocities as well). Saki is better than her predecessor, but she is no saint. So it goes with generational trauma. I was given a chance despite so many people in my life treating me as subhuman, but the same cannot be said for the characters of Shin Sekai Yori. This show has no heroes.

Psycho Pass definitely had a darker theme than some of the other animes I have previously watched. I think it really highlighted some of the disadvantages of a high-tech society, particularly when the tech is focused on people. In our modern world where so many advancements are made, almost daily, it’s a good reminder that not all advancements are advantageous.  

I feel that many of us can relate to the feeling of being judged without being able to do anything about it. Most commonly we are judged on our appearances; however, there are many different factors that can come into play. A good example would be social media; most people don’t post every aspect of their lives. Social media often serves as a highlight reel, where we pick and choose what we want to highlight. A big part of the decision-making process on what to post comes from what you feel others will think about it. Will this reflect poorly on you in some way?  

I think the assigned readings were very pertinent to Psycho Pass. The reading on Machine Bias with it’s prejudice was very similar to that of the prejudice seen in the anime. One of the key points in the anime was people who were judged to have a higher propensity for crime, and who would be punished. Why not perpetuate the crime when you will be punished for it anyway? This is not a foreign concept in our society. If you are going to be punished for an offense, it’s not uncommon to go ahead and add to it. For example if you’re going to get a write up at work, why not call out, it’s just another offense to stack. Or in school if you’re going to get detention because the teacher thinks you talk too much, perhaps you might mouth off to the teacher, because you’re already going to get punished. This is part of why society has tried to move away from a pounitive approach and more towards a rewards system. Get rewarded for doing things the “right” way. Benthams’s concept of panopticon is perfectly shown in Psycho Pass. Society is under perpetual supervision without any break in the visibility of the supervision; therefore, they are constantly under guard.