emilyjanestuff

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Kakegurui: Queer Gamblers and school girl romances and mental illness

Kakegurui: Queer Gamblers and school girl romances and mental illness

Okay maybe we can just about forget about being able to stick in a consistent update schedule, I just don’t seem capable of it. My work seems to come in randoms bursts than anything else. Oh, well every writer is different. But right now I want to discuss the gambling anime Kakegurui and it’s depictions of Queer women. Be warned there are spoilers ahead. Also be warned this blog post will be…

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A Queer and Feminist Reading of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

A Queer and Feminist Reading of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

The Witches, Patriarchy and Feminism

The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (TCAOFS) is a Netflix streamed series about a teenage girl who struggles with finding her place in the world. A common thing for many young people. However, she is also the daughter of a Warlock Father and Mortal Mother. This dual nature of hers gives her an insight into both communities in a way that others lack. Sabrina…

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Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Spoiler warning: If you have not read both of these books then there are spoilers here, proceed at your own risk.

Also a content warning: For sex trafficking, abuse, and violence.

The story here concerns six central characters, a criminal, a witch, a spy, a runway, a convict and a sharpshooter. Each of their unique talents comes into play as they pull off the heist of a lifetime to rescue a…

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Bojack Horseman: How to use fiction to understand mental illness? Also, where have I been?

Bojack Horseman: How to use fiction to understand mental illness? Also, where have I been?

Okay so, I have recently not been blogging at all because I have recently been dealing with depression due to losing my job. As a result I stopped writing and moved back home with my parents. I’m doing a lot better now, so I want to talk about Depression in Media and look at some works that I find really do justice to the idea. I think that is a good way to make a come back with my blogging.

Con…

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Why do I watch Bad anime?

Why do I watch Bad anime?

The idea for this post came from My Brian is Completely Empty you can find their blog here ( https://mybrainiscompletelyempty.wordpress.com/). I would also recommend reading their pieces on ‘bad’ and ‘boring’ anime for more context. So, what do I mean by bad anime. There are any number of flaws that could make an anime (or any story for that matter) bad. It could be bad writing, problematic…

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http://iglovequotes.net/

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The Last Herald-Mage Series by Mercedes Lackey Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Promise, and Magic’s Price.

The Last Herald-Mage Series by Mercedes Lackey Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Promise, and Magic’s Price.

Okay from the very start of reading these books I knew that Vanyel was going to die in the end. The very title gives that away. He sees his own death as early as the first book. While the ending was still tragic it was also a lot happier then I thought it would be. There were also a lot of scenes that were truly heartbreaking and heroic in story. Warning for spoilers here on out. Also a trigger…

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The Last Herald-Mage Series by Mercedes Lackey Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Promise, and Magic’s Price. So, in the last review I had a look at Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey first published in 1989.

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LGBT+ representation in Anime and Manga: No: 6, Queer characters in a Dystopia story

Warning Spoilers.

               Something you’ve probably already figured out if you’ve been reading this blog for a while now is that I have a huge interest in two things Utopia/Dystopia Science Fiction and LGBT+ characters. Putting the two together in a story is garneted to engage me in the narrative. I’ve blogged a lot about From the New World so here I am going to talk about another Anime with Queer characters and a Utopia/Dystopia civilization. No:6 is the title of the anime and the name of the city which is the primary setting and focus. Rather than try to provide an over view of the entire city the anime focuses only on two boys. One Shion who is from the upper crust of the city and the other called Rat who is an escaped prisoner from the slums outside the city. What is also refreshing is that this story has both its protagonists as two young queer characters and their relationship is just as much part of the story as anything else. Since these are our main characters the strength of the story rests on the two of them and they raise to challenge with fantastic results. However, throughout the whole story there is a lack of how their society views their homosexuality, particularly a society like No:6 that punishes non-conformity.

The first of the two characters we meet is Shion. Shion has traits that can be both positive and negative depending one’s view. He is a very caring person putting the needs of others before himself. Examples include when he helps Rat after the latter breaks into his home, despite the risks and later, consequences to himself. Later on, Shion saves a baby during the clean up before the Holy Day. Shion is the type of person who is always willing to help and save other people when they need him. However, there is also a negative way of viewing this. Constantly putting others first to himself is a risk. While he has good intentions, he is also naive. This is especially true when he thinks he can simply just break down the walls of No.6. He thinks in doing will make everything will be right with the world. He also seems to think he can do everything such as invent a serum to save the lives of people of No.6, rescue his mother and Safu, break down the walls and be with Rat. Shion does not recognize he is one person with very limited power particularly on his own. This later becomes more evident when he set out to rescue Safu all by himself without asking Rat assistance. Certainly, going to get himself killed in the process.

               In the last two episodes, however viewers get to see a very different side to Shion. Shion is confronted with the reality of No.6. He becomes increasingly pushed during the dangerous mission to rescue Safu. Shion has never done something like this before. He also becomes ruthless. When Rat is nearly killed by a guard Shion, overcome with anger, kills the guard. Shion himself is shocked that he could such a thing, only putting aside his trauma when he has to comfort Rat. Shion was a new and unpredictable environment, this went to his head. This showed just how far he is willing to go to save those he loves such as Rat and Safu even if it means abandoning his gentle nature to kill. His idealism is broken when confronted with what No:6 has done to Safu. Finally, he hates No:6 and vows to destroy it. Shion shows just how a character’s good traits can also be his flaws making him a complicated and layered person and character.

               The other main character is Rat, who is everything Shion is not. While Shion is very book smart and academic Rat is street smart. Shion is overwhelmed by the West Block, by disease and vice but Rat just shrugs it off. Shion would be lost outside the walls without Rat. But Rat would be dead without the kindness Shion should him back in episode one. Rat returns this kindness by both saving Shion from the wasp embedded in him and by being his guide as Shion adjusts to life in the West Block. Rat is the last of the forest people who in the series have been wiped out by No.6. For this reason, he hates the city and those who dwell inside it. He seeks revenge for what happened to him and his people but in doing so would become the very thing he hates. In the end however he finds a way of doing this without massacring the city himself. The parasitic wasps that emerge from the upper class bring an end to the elite. Rat for his part destroys the main the main computer feeding No:6 bringing an end to the place. Rat gets what he wants but also avoids becoming what he hates. When No: 6 walls are broken down not only is Shion’s idealism proved to be correct but so too is Rat’s dream because No:6 is finally gone. Rat is just as complex and rich a character as Shion is.

               While these are two fascinating characters in a dark setting there and their relationship was interesting the way, their sexuality is handled felt somewhat amiss to me. I could understand why these two were attracted to each other, they were different in a lot of ways that worked. Shion was an idealist that was grounded by the more cynical Rat. Rat was street smart and Shion was book smart. But the thing was amiss was that while this was a romantic relationship between two young men it is never commented on how No:6 views such a relationship. No:6 is a totalitarian society were those outside the norm are hunted, punished at best, and eliminated at worst. Even if they are children or if they have committed the crime of doubting No:6. So how is homosexuality viewed in such a city? We are never told not once. Homosexuality isn’t something that is usually tolerated in such regimes but not so much as a comment is made about Shion’s and Rat’s relationship by anyone. Not even one warning them to stay in the West Block because they would be persecuted for their sexuality in the city. Would a gay couple be accepted in the city? We don’t really know.

               This a recurring trend with depiction of LGBT+ characters in anime and manga. There will be gay, lesbian, or bisexual characters but the way the dominant heterosexual society views them will be either glossed over or not addressed at all. The same thing happened in From the New World when all the same gender relationships ended before we could really learn how they viewed by the Village. It’s the same thing here really. Rat leaves at the end of anime just before Shion is reunited with his mother and adopts a small baby of his own (the child who he saved earlier in the story). While it does seem possible that Rat will come back and they will be together it does leave off where there could have been a very happy conclusion and an answer to how their society views their relationship. I understand there are also light novels that may provide answers to some of these questions but from the anime alone these things are left lingering. That all being said if you want to watch an anime with gay characters and dystopian society this is still a very good watch.

Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this and my other posts. I started this blog so I could publish my own work because chances to get your work published are usually far and in between. Because I’m doing this on my own I don’t have anyone advertising this. So, if you are enjoying my writing please share my blog posts with people who you think will also enjoy them. It would mean a lot to me. If you enjoy my work please subscribe for more. A big thank you to anyone who does this and to people who have already been reading. It means a lot to me.

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The Last Herald-Mage Series by Mercedes Lackey Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Promise, and Magic’s Price

As someone who read an untold number of fantasy, science fiction and other speculative fiction I knew of Mercedes Lackey but had never read anything by her. That changed when I finally picked up a book of hers to read a few weeks back. While more accurately books as it is the trilogy of the Last Herald-Mage in one. From what I have read about the books online since when the books were first published in the 1980s they were very progressive. They had a gay main character, Vanyel who throughout the course of the series becomes a hero to his country and people. There are also gay supporting characters throughout the story such as Tylendel, Moondance, Starwind and Stefen. So how does a story about a gay man who becomes one most powerful Herald-Mages hold up. Has it aged well or is it a product of its time? Thankfully the answer is more the former then the latter but there are still some things that could have been handled better. Let’s start with what the series did well and then get on to what could have been better. I will be taking this book by book. If you have not read the books then I’m warning you now for spoilers. Also going to add a trigger warning for suicide and attempted suicide.

Magic’s Pawn

The first book is Magic’s Pawn published in 1989. For starters, I really do love the character of Vanyel. Considering he is our main character it is important that he is likable in some way. When the reader first meets him, he is a boy of only sixteen, the eldest son of Lord Withen and Lady Treesa. However, he does not measure up to what his father wants in an heir. Vanyel is too feminine, sensitive and prefers music to combat. However, he is more than just a stereotypical gay man. In the first scene of the book he outsmarts his arms master by adopting a different form of combat then the one he has been thought. This shows that if the arms master and his father could instead of punishing Vanyel for his differences accept them Vanyel might not just be good at combat he could excel.  Vanyel is also perceptive analysing other people’s behaviour and understanding what it means with ease. It is not the resourceful and perceptive Vanyel at fault but his father and Arm’s Master Jervis.

Vanyel’s home life with a homophobic father and a brutal arm’s master has caused him to adapt to the situation like many real-life abuse victims do. He hides his real personality behind a mask of arrogance and cockiness. Throughout the first third of the book I honestly just want to give the poor boy a hug. All that being said Vanyel is not just some perfect gifted misunderstood boy. Indeed, he is far from perfect, he is vain and snobbish. But these more negative traits only serve to make him more well-rounded, and indeed he does get enough character development out of these flaws as the books go on. So, for a protagonist Vanyel ticks just about every box that I like to see ticked. Part of the reason I would recommend these books is just to enjoy watching Vanyel grow and develop.

The other important characters in the first book include Tylendel, Savil, Gala, Yfandes and Lissa. Tylendel serves as Vanyel’s love interest and is an interesting character in his own right. Caught between his responsibilities and a feud his family is wrapped in Tylendel is impulsive and passionate. Savil after Vanyel proved to be my favourite character. Savil is snarky, experienced, and perceptive. Gala is Tylendel’s campion. Yfandes is the only campion in the book without a chosen. So far, I’ve done my best to write this without spoilers. But after the jump it won’t be possible. But as the title itself tells you this is not a happy story. In fact, the story of the Last-Herald Mage is a tragic one. But of course, any title with the word ‘last’ in it is going to be. Which bring me to my first problem with series overall and that includes the first book. Gay characters are tragic very often. It is rare to find a gay character who gets a happy ending. And our Protagonist Vanyel is doomed from the very outset by the very title of the series.

Vanyel is a tragic figure even from his childhood. He comes from a dysfunctional family that abuses him. At the start of the first book his arm is broken and his older sister, the only relative to treat him with kindness, is sent to the guards. So Vanyel is left alone. Soon after this he is shipped off to the Capital city of Valdemar, Heaven. It is here for the first time he gets a taste of real happiness. Because he falls in love with another young man, Tylendel. Their relationship is almost sickly sweet something they themselves acknowledge. The scenes leading up to their relationship were Vanyel tortures himself over how his father will react and facing up the fact that he is gay. While the idea of the self-conflicted gay is a cliché it doesn’t last long. As soon as Vanyel realizes Tylendel feels the same way about him he forgets the whole inner conflict and spends his nights with his boyfriend. He also decides he doesn’t care what his father thinks which is good for him. Up till this point the book is fine and enjoyable but remember that thing about this being a tragic story? By the last third of the book Tylendel is dead and Vanyel heartbroken.

While there is another gay couple that of Starwind and Moondance introduced soon after Tylendel’s death, it is not enough to make up for the young man’s death. How he dies is a violent and gut-wrenching suicide. Why is this a problem? After all there are plenty of fictional straight couples who go through the same thing. There are plenty of dead heterosexual fictional characters so why take issue with this? Well, because LGBT+ characters have a higher chance of death, ending up miserably or alone. There a simply far more straight character so when this does happen to them while it may be just as tragic there is still many counter examples not so much with LGBT+ characters. This wasn’t just a problem back in 1989, it continues to be one today. For example, take a look at tv tropes.com page on the Bury Your Gays Trope. There is actually a trope because of how often LGBT+ characters end up dead. Of course, counter examples do exist but social trends are not mathematical equations. A exception does not disprove the rule. In this way, the passage of time has actually helped Magic’s pawn because back in 1989 there would have been fewer LGBT+ characters and even fewer happy endings. Now there are plenty of counter examples and more happy endings.

Before anyone asks the story could still have worked without Tylendel’s death. He could have tried killing himself only to end up in a coma. Vanyel would have gotten all his character development that way and Tylendel life would have been spared. The first third of the story could have ended happily even if the very last of it had to be tragic. Happiness is so rare for LGBT+ characters and with everything Vanyel goes through he deserved happiness. Now with all that being said would I still recommend this book? The answer is actually yes. It is a testimony to Lackey’s writing ability that she is still able to keep me engaged with good characters and a wonderful if not happy story. I would say to pick up Magic’s Pawn if you enjoy Queer characters and if you enjoy fantasy but brace yourself because it is not a happy story.

I’ll be reviewing Magic’s Promise in the next post.

Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this and my other posts. I started this blog so I could publish my own work because chances to get your work published are usually far and in between. Because I’m doing this on my own I don’t have anyone advertising this. So, if you are enjoying my writing please share my blog posts with people who you think will also enjoy them. It would mean a lot to me. If you enjoy my work please subscribe for more. A big thank you to anyone who does this and to people who have already been reading. It means a lot to me.

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The Last Herald-Mage Series by Mercedes Lackey Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Promise, and Magic’s Price

The Last Herald-Mage Series by Mercedes Lackey Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Promise, and Magic’s Price

As someone who read an untold number of fantasy, science fiction and other speculative fiction I knew of Mercedes Lackey but had never read anything by her. That changed when I finally picked up a book of hers to read a few weeks back. While more accurately books as it is the trilogy of the Last Herald-Mage in one. From what I have read about the books online since when the books were first…

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LGBT+ representation in Anime and Manga: No: 6, Queer characters in a Dystopia story Warning Spoilers.                 Something you’ve probably already figured out if you’ve been reading this blog for a while now is that I have a huge interest in two things Utopia/Dystopia Science Fiction and LGBT+ characters.

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The Man In the High Castle: Great concepts with poor execution.

This book could have been amazing the potential is there but I found it to be a very inaccessible read. The main idea is that the Axis powers won World War II and now America is divided between the Japanese and the Germans. The characters are all in the states and all of their stories are occurring simultaneously. It has only been a few weeks since I finished the book and I actually can’t remember all the character’s names. The ones that did stand out were Julia Fink, Frank Fink and Robert Childan. I know there were others but nothing about them makes them memorably to me.

Full disclosure: This is my second time reading this book but it is the first time I have actually read it to finish. The last time I read it I was still in school, transition year to be exact. I didn’t finish it. At the time I was very impatient and disliked slow books. I would power through books reading them as fast as I could. It would not be until much later did I realize the problem with that. That just because a book is slow does not mean that it is bad, sometimes amazing stories need time to build. So having learned that and having finished a college I decided to return to this book. Only to learn that it wasn’t just my approach that was the problem but that the book itself has a problem.

Many fascinating things happen in the book. For example the book within a book ‘The Grasshopper Lies Heavy’ and the sections from it were fascinating. Julia Fink’s story was be far the most interesting part of the story as she meets the authors of the book in a book. The ending where it becomes clear the characters are within a multiverse were every possibility of what could have happened did happen. Or how the I Ching that is the guiding force in the book is actually the writer of ‘The Grasshopper Lies Heavy’.

So why with all this does the book fail to be truly engaging? The main problem is that there are too many characters to be keeping track of. There about seven point of view characters and none of them big players in the scheme of things. Rather they are more like the characters from China Mountain Zhang, the common man trying to get by. While that is a route the story can take if Philip Dick wanted it to having to keep track of all these different people is confusing. Particularly when the book tends to jump around between each of these different characters.

The story would have worked better if it had told each of the characters’ stories one by one rather then trying to interwove them together in the way the book does. When you have so many characters, some of whom never meets, it creates confusion over who to focus on. Which makes the book a struggle to read. Which really is unfortunate as the book does deal with some pretty fascinating ideas but execution comes off rather clumsily.

Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this review and my other posts. I started this blog so I could publish my own work because chances to get your work published are usually far and in between. Because I’m doing this on my own I don’t have anyone advertising this. So, if you are enjoying my writing please share my blog posts with people who you think will also enjoy them. It would mean a lot to me. A big thank you to anyone who does this and to people who have already been reading. It means a lot to me.

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The Man In the High Castle: Great concepts with poor execution. This book could have been amazing the potential is there but I found it to be a very inaccessible read.

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Anime Review: From the New World Episode Eleven: Distant Thunder in Winter, English Dub.

Warning: The series I am reviewing contains depictions of child abduction, disappearance, murder, and violence in a future totalitarian society. It also depicts sexual violence. The show also contains sexual relationships between young people. That is the trigger warning.

Leave now if you wish.

Also, spoilers for the episode and the whole series. Do not read any further if you don’t want spoilers.

Recap: This episode opens with Saki and Maria in school. They end up talking about Ryou, a boy from group two who has had his eye on Saki for a while despite being in a different group. Actually, he switched over from group two to group one because group one had so few members. How had group one ended up with so few people? No one knows why. Also, Saki doesn’t know why none of them has questioned it. But she does smell a rat. Maria kisses Saki embarrassing her. Maria says Saki wants someone else to kiss her. Ryou then approaches them saying they seem close. This exchange follows.

Maria: ‘of course we are Ryou, as a matter a fact we’re in love, jealous?’

Ryou says: ‘Yes, a little’.

Maria: ‘of who?’

Ryou: ‘both of you’.

Maira: ‘you little liar’.

Ryou: ‘Saki do you think I could have a word with you?’

Maria leaves but not before Ryou mentions that Mamoru has had his eye on her and that she is number one in the polls. Older Saki now starts narrating. Older Saki now explains what is going on. Which set of students now has to form male and female pairs for school work but in reality, this is them choosing who they have romantic feelings for. Ryou wants to talk near the courtyard entrance but Saki asks instead for them to go outside. Once outside Ryou tells her he wants to pick her. Saki is confused asking why would he pick her.

Ryou becomes frustrated saying he has been watching her ever since he moved over to group one. She asks when he began to feel like that. He says he started feeling that way during the camping trip. Saki doesn’t remember this. She tries to remember but the boy’s face is edited out. Saki is not the only one who is confused. Satoru had seen her and Ryou together and his look had been one of complete confusion. There is a cut away to Saki standing in front of a grave. A dog is with her. She hears a voice of boy. The boy from her memories. The boy she cannot remember. After being buried his face and name were destroyed. Saki next sees a grave with a mirror-but it isn’t her grave. Turning she looks into the mirror. A flash of light comes from the mirror. She wakes up in bed. Crying. Another flashback of her in her families’ store room. She finds a mirror there with hidden writing on it.

The next day in school she asks Ryou to talk again. She asks him the following questions.

‘What advice did you give me when we went canyoning at night?’

‘Why did you break up with Satoru?’

‘How did the Monk Rejin die?’

Ryou is unable to answer any of these. Saki decided not to pick him. Saki runs into Satoru on her way back to class. Satoru for his part can’t remember why he liked Ryou so much. Saki says ‘(Ryou) doesn’t fit the part…. He isn’t not the person we fell in love with’. Satoru smiles at that. Saki pairs with Satoru, Maria with Mamoru and Ryou with some other girl. The scene cuts to Saki and Satoru telling Maria and Mamoru about how Ryou wasn’t with them camping. Maria is doubtful of this. Satoru says he has memories of going out with Ryou but he can’t shake the feeling that it was someone else. Ryou is not Satoru’s type. Maria agrees saying his type is more like Ray. But she still has doubts. But more that members of group one think about it the less it makes sense. Slowly they start putting two and two together. Their memories have been tampered with. They decide to seek out this other boy’s house. They call him X for simplicities sake. They end up back in Pinewood. But they don’t remember it. They end up at a massive crater in the in ground. They slip past a barrier. A recent one by the looks of it. They reach a large lake. Mamoru says X can’t exist. But Maria has doubts. It is here finally that not only do they realize there was X but someone else as well. An image of Reiko flashes across the screen. Mamoru becomes more upset saying if they keep digging up stuff something will happen. Saki says they’ll get rid of them. Mamoru breaks down and Maria rushes to comfort him. She tells them to stop talking. Mamoru is sent home on a boat. The scene changes.

Saki shows Maria and Satoru the mirror with the hidden writing. It belonged to Saki’s sister. Saki believes the school got rid of her sister. The writing is a bit crooked. Maria asks Saki not to bring this up again but Saki is angered by this. Maria explains herself saying she is more worried about the friends she still has. Not Saki because Saki is the strong one but Mamoru who needs to trust the world he is in. Who is too fragile to survive without that trust. Saki is more sensitive than most but she is able to live with pain and suffering. Something the rest of them can’t do. Saki promises not to bring this up around Mamoru anymore. The two girls embrace and kiss. Satoru also hugs them. Just as they are about to go home they are approached by two adults who asks to talk to them. Satoru asks if they are with the education committee. But they say they’re not but in fact work for Satoru’s grandmother the chair of the ethics committee. The scene cuts to them in a waiting room. Saki and Maria demand answers from Satoru. Maria says he must have been rating them out. But Satoru doesn’t know any more than they do. Saying that neither of them knew either because the members of the ethics committee is kept a secret. This information is not public. They are brought one by one to the chair’s office. Her name is Tomiko. Saki is told there is no need to be nerves but she is in face scared. The episode closes to credits.

Analysis: This episode began as something of a breather from everything that happened in the last episode but very soon it changed into setup for the next episode. For when the audience meets Tomiko head of the ethic’s committee. Answers are coming. The anime has now really hit its stride. The animation, music and characters are all coming together to create this story. It is with Shun’s death that this anime really kicks off in terms of story. An explanation as to why people in particular children has been around since the first episode, children who are weak, aggressive or appear to be are killed by Impure Cats. But here it’s explain why no one ever reacts to that. Memories are erased. People are removed not just physical from society but also from their friend’s and family’s hearts and minds.

The education committee is ruthless in doing this. Maybe Saki’s sister was still learning to control her powers? Had poor control over them like Reiko? Or she might just have had bad eye sight? But the education committee is so afraid of Karmic Demons and as we later learn Orgies or Fiends that they killed her at the first sign of trouble. Is it justified? That’s another question I’ll deal with further down the road once I’m finished with this anime. Other small details give more answers though and raise more questions. For starters why is the Ethics committee so secretive that even their family members do not know about their jobs? Satoru behavior shows he was just as clueless as the girls. One small detail I really liked was when at first called his grandmother ‘granny’ but then called her Tomiko. He’s realized that this woman was not who she appeared to be.  Another subject is how far did the mind wiping of Shun go? How many people had to have their memories erased? Why is it only group one who are putting two and two together? This is talked about further down the road as well.

Another thing this episode is that even though they have been paired with two boys now Saki’s and Maria’s romantic relationship has not ended with them kissing in this episode. I’ve said before that I doubted these character’s relationships are intended to be monogamous. Maria’s and Saki’s continued intimacy here provides the strongest evidence for that. However not much more comes of it in terms of conflict for the story but it would have been interesting to see what may have happened if Maria stayed in the village. (fanfic anyone?). Similarly, so it is further evidence that despite having both other sex relationships and same sex relationships none of these characters are expressing jealousy. Maria is not upset at the idea of Saki being paired with Ryou in fact she teases Saki about it. Another thing about this episode is that it shows just how analytical this group is. They figure out very fast that someone has been playing with their memories.  Saki shows in particular how aware she is of something being wrong in how she deals with the situation with Ryou. She is soon able to detect he is not the boy she spent that summer camp with nor is he the boy she developed those feelings for.

Another great scene in this episode was when Saki and Satoru talk about how Ryou is not the boy they both had feelings for. Saki even puts their Shun as the same saying ‘He’s not the person we fell in love with’. However, Shun is not gone entirely from the story. From now on it looks like he will be Saki’s spiritual advisory. Which is a pretty cool touch. Finally, one thing this series does that I haven’t mentioned but is done just as well as the creating an atmosphere and foreshadowing are the cliff hangers. This episode ends with a really well-crafted one finishing just as the audience meets Tomiko. Leaving a huge desire for us to learn more about her and the only way to do so is to watch the next episode.

Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this review and my other posts. I started this blog so I could publish my own work because chances to get your work published are usually far and in between. Because I’m doing this on my own I don’t have anyone advertising this. So, if you are enjoying my writing please share my blog posts with people who you think will also enjoy them. It would mean a lot to me. A big thank you to anyone who does this and to people who have already been reading. It means a lot to me.

[emilyjanestuff]

China Mountain Zhang and the concept of Passing

Trigger warning: The book I’m reviewing contains depictions of sex, rape, suicide, racism, and homophobia. The book also contains persecution of sexual minorities. Proceed with caution if any of that is triggering for you.

Also, spoilers. Lots of Spoilers.

               Welcome to my first non-anime review and my first book review on this blog. Today I’ll be looking at the book China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh, published in 1992. This story takes place in a possible future where America has gone through a Second Great Depression and thus a communist revolution has taken place. The U.S.A is now a second world country with China being the first world (‘everyone wants to go to China they think’). The Chinese and those of Chinese ancestry are here the privileged racial category in society. The protagonist of the story is a gay man who is a mix of Chinese and Hispanic heritage. His Chinese name is Zhang Zhong Shan and his Spanish name is Rafael. Living in this alternative world he passes both as both Chinese and as heterosexual. Some chapters are told from the point of view of characters he meets. Such as San Xiang an ugly girl he is briefly coerced into dating. There is also Angel a kite rider, future sport that is dangerous often resulting in death. Finally, there is a Martian couple of Alexi and Martine. This is not a narrative about people who change the world but about people who are trying to find a way to live in it. Each of these characters struggle with this but for different reasons and they have different methods of doing so. One of these methods is passing but that method brings about its own problems.

               The concept of passing is something that is central to Zhang’s story. Before he was even conceived his parents used gene-splicing to make him look as Chinese as possible. He feels that he and his mother most be more like cousins then parent and child because he only has so many of her genes. He knows this is irrational though and logically knows that she is his mother. This something that haunts ‘my face is a lie’ he thinks. However, appearing to be an ABC (American Born Chinese) is not always a good thing when one is not especially when one is also a gay man (Intersectionality anyone). At the start of the novel Zhang works for Foremen Quin as a construction-tech. Foremen Quin sets Zhang up with his daughter San Xiang. Zhang goes along with this because he does not want to lose his job but knows it is a problem because of his homosexuality. As the situation escalates Zhang eventually reveals that he is in face not ABC, that his mother is Hispanic. This ends his faux-relationship with San Xiang and loses him his job along with his apartment. While passing as ABC and as straight clearly gives Zhang certain privileges it also complicates his life and creates obstacles he would not face otherwise.

But of course, he and his parents are not the only ones using technology to pass as something he is not (or at least something he is wholly not). San Xiang is considered ugly both by herself and everyone she meets. Her face is described like that of a chipmunk with eyes too big and no chin. She seeks to correct this and later does by changing her face to fit into her society of beauty standards. However once San Xiang is considered a pretty girl she then starts to receive attention from men she is not used to. This leads to horrific results when she is the victim of date rape. San Xiang begins to miss her old ugly face because it allowed her to be invisible. Both characters pass as something they are not to gain perceived benefits of belonging a more privileged group of people. However, both also discover that passing brings it’s changes and complications with it that can be deadly.

               The idea of passing as a racial group you’re not is not something that belongs just to sci fi. Take for example how some biracial Americans have passed as only white to gain access to education, employment and to survive. What is new here is how this concept has been altered in this science fiction tale. Instead of having characters passing as white, there is a character with Hispanic Ancestry passing as an American Born Chinese to gain work, education and to survive. But as the books shows it is not that simply. While I did enjoy this twist on the idea of racial passing I was less impressed with San Xiang’s story. The idea of a girl using technology to make herself fit into beauty standards is not new and is everywhere. Try googling plastic surgery. A critical look at this has a lot of potential to draw some interesting conclusions. But instead the idea is that being ugly protected San Xiang from predatory men. But as a naïve pretty girl she becomes the victim of date rape. The problem with this depiction is very simple: being ugly does not protect you from predatory rapists. The idea that men like Bobby would never tried to take advantage of San Xiang because she was too ugly is ridiculous. For more on that go here (https://rapecrisis.org.uk/mythsvsrealities.php). I won’t say anything more about it because that link does a better job of it then I can.

               So, with that out of the way I’ll move on to the other types of passing in this story. That of passing as straight and as passing as another gender. I’ll start with passing as straight as I’ve already briefly touched on it and it is much more prominent in the story. Zhang is not open about his homosexuality while in New York except with some gay friends and his mother. Later when he goes to China he must actively hide it because his sexuality is illegal. He becomes lovers with his tutor Haitao and through him meets Liu Wen another gay man. These men pass as straight and live with the constant fear of being found out. The scene that best demonstrates this is when Zhang, Haitao and Liu Wen visit a secret gay bar one night. While at the bar they experience as sense of community but they know they are under threat. This threat later becomes a reality when the bar is raided. Resulting in a desperate scramble to escape. While Zhang and Haitao escape they are scarred and further tragedy awaits them. The idea of gendered passing however only appears in once during the story. In the gay bar when Zhang admires a pretty girl only to realize she is a boy. He is not aroused nor disgusted by this act of cross dressing (as he calls it) only interested in this display of femaleness he has not seen before. He takes note of her body language and style of dress. Fascinated by this woman/boy. It is more of an odd to gendered passing than anything else. But even though it Is only brief this nod to gender passing shows another way many Queer people pass and the tremendous effort they often put into doing so.

The concept of passing of course is not the only subject explored in China Mountain Zhang. Themes such as migration, history, politics, race, and more are all woven into the narrative. So why did I focus so much on the idea of passing? Because it is something I have a lot of personal experience except for passing as a different race (I’m white). As bisexual, transgender, and a woman with (invisible) disabilities and health conditions I’ve passed as many different things. So, I found a novel that spent it’s time dealing in depth with characters who passed as so many different things fascinating. The only part of the book I really disliked was San Xiang’s sub plot but I won’t repeat myself. If you like alternative history, soft science fiction, queer characters and stories about the average joe or jane check this book out but take San Xiang’s subplot with some salt.

[emilyjanestuff]

Anime Review: From the New World Episode Nine: More Than Darkness, English Dub.

Warning: The series I am reviewing contains depictions of child abduction, disappearance, murder, and violence in a future totalitarian society. It also depicts sexual violence. The show also contains sexual relationships between young people. That is the trigger warning.

Leave now if you wish.

Also, spoilers for the episode and the whole series. Do not read any further if you don’t want spoilers.

Recap: This episodes opens were the last one left off. Saki facing the Impure Cat. The cat tries to attack her by biting her neck but the necklace protects her from its teeth. Next the creatures jumps at her again but this time is not only stopped mid air but is killed. The collar falls from around her neck and to the ground. Broken. Saki visible shaken is now her kneels looking out on the horizon. The scene cuts to her in what looks like a lake with trees and vines growing out of it. The setting is surreal and confused. Animals are mutating at a startling speed with one example being a fish turning into an insect as it leaves the water. Saki walks on. Eventually she stumbles and falls. Shuns voice can be heard as he tells the story of the Karmic demon again. She asks Shun where he is and he responds scared that she is here. He tells her to stay back, to keep away, to leave. Saki demands answers. Saki struggles again to tell Shun what he means to her. She then says she was nearly killed by the cat. Shun appears before her wearing a mask. He allows her to stay for ten minutes only. They enter a small crooked house. Shun restrains himself by focusing all his psychokinesis on crystal balls.

Shun tells Saki many things. No one is fully in control of their minds and by extension their psychokinesis. Society tries to control human’s power but something always leaks out from the subconscious mind. Psychokinesis is altering the world around them. That is why spiritual barriers exist to protect humans from the monsters they create from their own unknown nightmares. Spiritual barriers send this power outside of the villages and created all the weird animals in the series. Saki pleads with him to just tell her what happened to him. That’s all she wants to know. Shun’s dog comes in. He too has been mutated by his master’s mind. Transforming into a strange and grotesque creature. Shun’s powers are out of his control constantly changing and distorting everything around him. Shun has become a Karmic Demon. Saki’s mother has given Shun books on the Karmic Demons. Everything they know about them. Shun has been keeping notes before he dies.

Saki pleads saying there must be a way t save him. But the lid is broken on Shun’s power. There is no way to help him. Saki says she must have caused this when she broke Rejin’s seal on his powers, she might have damaged him. Shun tells her not to blame herself and begs her to leave. His parents died trying to stay with him. He yells for her to leave. Saki asks if there is anything she can do even if she can’t save him. The second Impure Cat arrives then. Shun’s dog attacks the cat and he is killed. Shun out of grief kills the cat. Shun says even his dog wanted to save him. Shun says he tried to leave his dog behind but the dog always followed him and Shun wanted him to. Shun says he has already tried to poison his body already. Shun’s power spirals out of control again. Saki flies into the  sky. The mask melts away from Shun’s face. His last words are ‘Saki I’ve always loved you. Goodbye’. Saki flies above him watching the destruction, tears falling from her eyes. She screams out Shun’s name. She decides she needs to live and flies away. The last image is of Shun’s mask breaking apart.

Analysis: This episode was such a kick to the stomach. All the foreshadowing of what would happen to Shun has finally happened. It was his death that finally said to me that yes this was the type of story that had the nerve to kill off a character in a way that it would really hurt. And by god did it hurt. So many questions are also answered here. Now we know what a Karmic Demon is. Now we know those old legends read in class have at least some truth to them. We understand more about how this society works and why it does what it does. Why the Impure Cats are used and who has control over them.

The animation in this episode is really something else. The scenery changes according to Shun’s inner thought capture both his torment and his confusion. Showcasing both his suffering and confusion over what has happened to him. The music again is used to reinforce everything else. The dialogue is between Shun and Saki is enough to make a person cry. The last scene where he tells her he love her is so full of sadness. So too was the nice touch with Shun’s dog. That dog was always following him and Shun was always trying to ditch him. This shows why. This episode shows this series two greatest strengths-creating both a compelling atmosphere and foreshadowing what is to come using them to great effect.

But we also see Saki’s determination to keep on going when she says ‘I need to live’. This will become a plot point later so I will save it for then. Just to point it out for now.

Another great scene was when Saki faced the Impure Cat and we learn why Shun gave her that collar. But it does leave me with one question though. The cats are clearly not immune to power as Shun later shows when he kills one. Also why haven’t more people come up with Charms to try and fend them off? Maybe this will be explained down the line and I’ve just forgotten the explanation but why don’t the people the cats target just kill the cats? If anyone reading this has any idea feel free to leave a comment below.