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[matheuscbsposts]

I definitely agree the the Western influence on this anime is clear and vast, especially with the old Midwest influences. I also find it interesting how the anime is clearly futuristic, but also embraces aspects of the past such as the medieval aspects you mentioned.

Cowboy Bebop

This anime was not what I was expecting for something that delves into the lives of space bounty hunters or even some space cowboy adventures. As the episodes began, I noticed the dark and moody animation with washed colors and a dark color palette which was strange for this futuristic setting. Background’s are drawn with sufficient detail but blended together so the whole thing looks a little foggy or blurred in the darker scenes. Characters are drawn with greater detail and are animated more than their surroundings are, like hair moving or clothes being ruffled or moved and so forth (which I guess is to make them the center of attention against the already somber background). Furthermore, something I noticed that is worth mentioning I feel is that this anime animated backgrounds during key scenes with incredible detail and color, way different than any other scene, likely to provide drama and heighten attention to the key points of the plot.

Of course this anime draws on Western culture to create a unique story and atmosphere; we can hear Western music playing in the background at certain points and see a lot of Western clothing in these episodes. But what I also found interesting is the comparison they made with the futuristic setting of the anime, and parts from gothic Western or “dark-age” European culture. There were opera theaters, opera music, gothic churches, dark castle steeples, and even vampire bats. The whole thing borders on being a vampire or horror movie or something in the first episode specifically whenever we see our antagonist enter the scene. Furthermore, we also occasionally see the odd reference and influence of American Westernization in the movie (the cowboy aspect) with the harmonica playing in the background, the duels with pistols, and the black and white old photo style scenes that add to the jumble of influences in this anime.

[matheuscbsposts]

Cowboy Bebop

Before I even began to watch anime, I had already heard about Cowboy Bebop and how big and good it is. Because of that, I have to admit that I was very conflicted when it was selected, being that I was excited to watch a good show, but I was going to be spoiled since I hadn't watched it yet nor had the time to watch it in full. So, after having watched the selected episodes, I am relieved to say that I wasn't spoiled too much and that I see how the show gained its popularity. Both of these takeaways are because of the show's episodic nature; although there is an overarching storyline, each episode is its own little story, which makes the show fun, and luckily for me, not too much of the story is revealed in just four episodes.

The commentary I was able to extract from Cowboy Bebop was on capitalism. Many of the show's basic moving parts prove this, including its setting and plot. First of all, the very fact that Earth became uninhabitable due to a failure in a hyperspace gateway implies that society in their reality advanced to a point where the only place where capitalistic greed could be furthered was spaceward, and so humanity set out to do that (and achieved it by the time the show takes place). Also, the fact that the main characters in the show are bounty hunters and that is such a widespread profession shows that society has moved to a stage where the need for money to maintain a sustainable lifestyle has overcome the traditional way of finding a more common job, since taking the time to do so is not viable, and therefore, people have to resort to professions like these to continue with their lives.

[matheuscbsposts]

I agree that the manga definitely did a great job of highlighting the possibility of misinformation. Whether the information is true or not, it shows how easy it is for it to become ambiguous.

Kobayashi

This was the first manga I have ever read and it was a bit disorienting because of the way the panels worked (due to Japanese being read different, I believe). I was able to take away that the main theme we are discussing in this is the idea of misinformation during our age of social media.

My personal relation to this topic is that I have been a victim of misinformation in the past. I am a pretty republican person and because of confirmation bias, I tend to believe things that are not true because I accept it as true since it will benefit my ideology. One widespread spreader of misinformation is a group called QAnon. I was talking to someone about Bill Clinton and I brought up how Bill Clinton was involved in the suicide of Jeffery Epstein because Jeffery Epstein had inside information that Clinton is a pedophile. I was so sure of this being a common knowledge thing and when I heard it wasn’t I decided to search it up. Turns out no reputable news sources were talking about anything remotely related to what I was saying. To me that was fact, but misinformation really got me there. Since then, I have been careful about what content I expose myself to.

On a global relation, I feel like misinformation is one of the largest sources of “bad” in this country and the world. Many people who believe in false information tend to polarize the opinions of the population. One of the big ones was back in like 2013-2015 how many people believed climate change wasn’t real and this was due to a widespread misinformation phenomenon most probably caused indirectly or directly by companies that were majorly contributing to global warming.

I think that the manga did a good job of talking about misinformation and where it can affect various people and what the effect is. I definitely could see how watered down some of the content was because of the manga format (generally made for non-scholarly people) 

[matheuscbsposts]

Kobayashi – Sensōron and Gellner – "Short history of Mankind"

Sensoron really does an amazing job of putting the power of media into perspective. Before addressing that, though, I think that it is important to note that this manga is so extremist that it becomes impossible to analyze it without engaging in heavy political discourse. As I normally do not like to get involved even in politics I understand, it would make no sense for me to try to tackle a case I have never really read about such as this. Therefore, I decided to comment on this manga exposition of the dangerously uncontested power of media.

The main idea behind the entire manga is to present the reader with images and newspaper articles that have been used as propaganda created solely to shed the darkest light on the Japanese army. For each of these pieces of evidence, the main ground for dismissal is that the source has been altered in some way and then posted in order to appeal mostly to the emotions of the reader. Whether or not the pictures and stories have indeed been fabricated, the one incontestable truth in all of this is that hard as the evidence may seem, it is too soft. How is anyone supposed to know whether to believe in those pictures which display Japan as a nation no sane person would want to come close to or in this very manga which casts doubt on the credibility of a dozen news sources and leaves you paranoid?

Extrapolating the ideas I have brought up is easy, as I would assume that most people who read these panels would admit that at some point or another in their reading, they thought of the words “fake news.” This phenomenon is not exclusive to Japan, nor is that its origin; pinpointing such would be impossible because there will always be an earlier example of altering or stretching the truth to gain fondness or trust so long as society has existed. As I said before, I don’t know enough about this subject’s facts to know who to believe in just yet, and I will seek them as soon as I finish writing this, but the whole point of this being that I am now not sure if those facts will really be facts. I just have to trust the word of someone I don’t know and who may or may not have something to gain from twisting or sprinkling these facts just a tiny bit. And if it’s not clear, these words are not just about Sensoron and Japan and the Nanking Massacre, and doesn’t that just feel great?

Anyway, on a better note, this panel really reminded me of Attack on Titan and the Eldeans vs Marleyans plot, all of which further justify my doubts listed above (spoilers for AOT, I guess):

[matheuscbsposts]

I definitely share your feelings about the end! I really wanted them to meet but then began to think that they would never, and was finally satisfied that they at least talked, since now my imagination is in control. I like the points you bring up about the uncertain nature of Taki and Mitsuha's connection and the god's way of always making them come together because those two combined really show that they were just destined for each other.

Your Name

This movie made me cry profusely, but I was so happy with the ending! I was literally screaming at my screen when they met again. It was the perfect balance of audience suspense (in the way that we don’t know if they will meet again and/or even remember each other). I really thought they were never going to meet again.

The movie definitely incorporates a lot of themes into the storyline; we see elements of tradition, love, yearning, and more. What I thought was really profound about the movie is the concept of love being perspective-focused. The two characters, Mitsuha & Taki, have never actually met each other but still fell in love. It was not physical appearance or talking to each other that made this happen, but rather the sharing of hardships and being put directly into the other person’s shoes.

Focault’s writings regarding “The History of Sexuality '' were quite interesting to read; and in regards to its relationship with the movie - I think it mainly has to do with the concept that power is everywhere and multifarious. In the movie itself, we see the God of time as this sort of power that entwines the fates of Mitsuha & Taki; (1) in order to save the people (2) for the interesting romantic development of these characters. This God is pretty “overpowered” in the sense that they can control time and unite these character from different timelines which somehow still find themselves together.

Another theme I found in the movie was the importance of tradition. Without the traditions, Mitsuha and her town may have very well been dead forever; in a way, it was the family tradition that saved them all from the comet.

The art style was beautiful; and overall, the movie was deep, but also adorable in a sense.

[matheuscbsposts]

Shinkai  – Your Name and Foucault – “Method”

Your Name was by far the anime that I had heard the most about out of the ones we’ve watched for this class, in terms of people saying it is a masterpiece and/or the best anime movie. My anticipation for it was therefore great, and it was only fitting that it would be the last one that we talk about. To be honest, I am almost sure that I agree that it is the best anime movie, at least out of the ones for this class I think it is. The concept by itself is already an amazing idea, and although I had already seen the body-swapping plot in a very similar way in another book, I still enjoyed the thrills that come with this genre. The storytelling really sells the movie completely, both through words and images; the transition from Mitsuha and Taki figuring out they are actually living their dreams to understanding their new bodies to going on an adventure to find the other, while then adding time travel, made this movie very hard to beat. Also, at its core, Your Name is a romance, and it was a good romance in general while managing to not fall into the romance movie formula.

One big social commentary present in Your Name happens to be around gender roles and overcoming gender stereotypes. Most of the beginning of the movie is an exposition of the body-swapping and how it works, which is done by showing each of the main characters as they carry out their daily activities. The differences in lifestyle, choice of leisure activities, and mannerisms between each of the genders are clearly highlighted, but as each character lets their personality show in the body of another gender, both Taki and Mitsuha benefit. People around them compliment their new ways, mainly: Taki gains admiration due to his ability to have a more feminine side and Mitsuha earns respect by standing up to others and being more assertive. This shows how the movie argues that people only have to gain by allowing themselves to break gender norms and living how is best for them.

[matheuscbsposts]

I definitely agree with you that most elements in this show can be seen with a positive or negative eye, it just depends on how you decide to look. I personally decided not to think too much about the jokes, but I can see how they can be taken the wrong way. About the audience, I agree that attracting the one it did was very unexpected, but do see how it makes some sense.

Hetalia Axis Powers

They really set the tone well with this first scene. I thought all of these short episodes were funny. 

The contrast between Hetalia Axis Powers and the other shows on World War II is huge. Barefoot Gen and Grave of the Fireflies showed gruesome depictions of war, while Hetalia made Italy, Germany, and Japan have a campfire roasting marshmallows. This series light-hearted, comedic depiction of the war can be seen positively and negatively. It can be seen positively since the anime seems to show how Japan has moved past the war and the bombings. They are finally able to portray themselves and others in a comedic light. However, it can be seen negatively since it makes light of all of the tragedy. I personally saw both sides, but I believe it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. The stereotypes are obvious such as Germany’s blonde hair, blue eyes, and serious character and America’s consumption. The text discussed the issues with a lot of the stereotypes that fails to recognize race/colonialism correctly. I believe this criticism fails to recognize how satirical this anime is. However, I find it interesting that the homogenous depictions of the countries is related to the cultures attachment to western ideals.

After reading World Conflict, I was surprised by the audience it accumulated and the intricacy of the series. Devout female fans would not have been my guess. However, the handsome characters depicting the countries and tiny versions of themselves do seem to target a female audience. The moe elements talked about such as the curly hair strands appeals to the fujoshi audience. The ideas Galbraith argued I believe were spot on. The culture has no limit in its ability to make inanimate and ungendered things, such as countries, into intimate figures. The ability to pull from the database makes this type of creativity and fantasy possible.

[matheuscbsposts]

Shirohata – Hetalia Axis Powers (Season 1 Ep. 1-19) and Annett - "World Conflict"

Although it can be more than a little over the top, and perhaps problematic, at multiple times, Hetalia Axis Powers provides some overall fun insight into an otherwise negative topic such as global conflict. I believe that the show can be problematic for two main reasons, which are heavily interconnected, and which are the heavy stereotype-indulgence and the biased view that inevitably comes with most historical tellings about events that the country was heavily involved in.

Being a modern-history buff, but having grown up in a country that is mostly detached from the most recent major historical events, such as the wars detailed in Hetalia, these implicit biases become apparent fairly quickly (I know they aren‘t hard to spot as an American either, though). I mention this, however, because I had already experienced this with World War 2 propaganda from an American point of view, so now a Japanese one is not only different, but completely opposite.

With relation to Hetalia specifically, the main biases I am referring to when I say what I do above are those against Italy, first and foremost, and the US. Very simply summarized, Italy is a good for nothing crybaby, and the US, although bearing a few redeeming qualities, is a hollow-head hero wannabe. These depictions make a lot of sense when thinking of the historical facts that influence the show, and Japan‘s positioning in relation to them: the United States is the main ally and takes the most credit for the Allied Forces even when it is arguably not deserving of such titles, while Italy is who, at least in Shirohata‘s views, should take the blame for the Axis Power‘s loss during the war, making Japan dislike them for that. These two countries are also the ones that receive the most stereotypes, too, especially with Italy‘s excessive love for pasta and America‘s for burgers, but that‘s just a funny touch.

[matheuscbsposts]

I definitely agree that there are many parallels between the humanity within the game and real humanity, especially when considering the points brought up by Cobb, as you described.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

I feel like I have heard of the Xenoblade Chronicles before but I have never actually looked into the story or played the game. The story became increasingly interesting as it progressed from something simple to a much more expansive universe. I was surprised to find myself drawn in by its narrative on the shortcomings and hubris of humans in a world where they only exist by the merciful whim of a higher being. Similar to what Cobb was saying about the Anthropocene Xenoblade Chronicles depicts humanity essentially taking for granted the life they have been given. Humans constantly seek to improve their status, whether through technology, power, or control.

I found it ironic that the introduction of the game makes the world seem almost peaceful. The clouds are very picturesque with a sort of cozy little one-man town on the back of some kind of pokemon with a parental relationship to its inhabitant. However, this quickly changes when Rex is literally backstabbed on a mission that was supposed to make him rich and the enemy quickly becomes nihilistic. Humans are constantly shown as being ungrateful in the story. Humanity never seems to be satisfied with its role in the world, and so they seek to improve it by any means necessary. This can be seen by the technology and war they make to gain status of some sort. Moreover, humanity fears what may take away its status. Seen in how they were never going to be able to live with blades' position of power, despite blades being their salvation. Rather than being satisfied participants in nature, they decide to be observers and change the world around them for their interests. As a result, humanity ends up destroying itself in its hubris, as seen in the series. I find this to relate to what Cobb argues, that humanity is unable to ever be satisfied and so in pursuit of insatiable desire they destroy themselves. I think this can be seen reflected in the success of Apple and several other industries like the automotive. People always want the most recent, flashy iPhone despite the functionality of their current phone. This produces immense waste which pollutes the environment, but at least consumerism can be propelled although unsustainably. The same goes for the automotive industry. It all seems ironic that in the pursuit of success people only really find downfall.

[matheuscbsposts]

Kojima – Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Cobb – “Drama of the Anthropocene”

The storyline in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 managed to be touching and feel complete even from just watching the cut scenes. The parallels it creates between its fictional world and ours, which serve as a critique of humanity's treatment of nature, are accompanied by an extremely rich array of personal connections among many of the main characters, and especially between Rex and Pyra/Mythra.

I believe that the main critique in the game can be appreciated once we start to view the blades as an in-world representation of our nature. The blades are essentially timeless creatures as is nature (considering it as a singular entity rather than multiple organisms), which constitute the most important life cycle in their world, and are now fighting back against humans due to their reckless treatment of them.

When viewing the story through these lenses, further connections can be drawn between the characters' actions to make up for humanity's wrongdoings and the philosophies outlined by Schimelpfenig and summarized by Cobb in "Death of the Anthropocene." All three of the main philosophies can be seen in the game's story. Deep ecology is explored due to the fact that humanity, although harmful to the blades, still interacts with them as drivers, and tries to fix it through those interactions. Romanticism is mainly explored through the characters (mostly Rex and Pyra) view of Elysium. And finally, the Renaissance science philosophy is shown mostly through the Architect and his experiment or attempt at fixing humanity through technology, after all, he was a scientist.

This shows how in line with Schimelpfenig's philosophies in general, however, I believe that the game also explores two other philosophies that Schimelpfenig refutes, those being Religion in the fact that the Architect can be closely related and compared to a god, and Indigenous Wisdom in the fact that the Titans become one with the land at the end of the story.

[matheuscbsposts]

SwampCon

Before describing any of my experiences at the event specifically, I think that it is nice to say that if I had to summarize the entire event in one word, and I should, it would be "fun." Although I have been a fan of multiples genres of video games and TV for which there have been many conventions where I lived, I had never attended any before, let alone any anime ones. That is all to say that, looking back, it is a pity I did not, since the SwampCon was a great experience in terms of having fun and learning more about niche fandoms and subcultures.

First of all, I feel like the most obvious experience, which was maybe the coolest to see in person for the first time, was the cosplaying. As I said, I have always been a fan of many series, but never thought of doing that myself or seen someone do it in person, and seeing this outwardly expressed love for your favorite shows and characters is so cool in my opinion. The experience also refuted some assumptions I had made over the years about cosplaying, especially about the preparation that goes into it. I had always thought that most of cosplaying was just really liking a character, going online, and shopping for a costume of them so you could show your love. Just seeing the highly detailed costumes in the convention was already enough to prove me wrong in this assumption, but the convention also had a panel about cosplaying and costume making that showed me about all of the art and preparation that goes into making the perfect costume so you can look as good as possible. There was even a costume contest in the convention that shows that such effort is appreciated because just buying a pre-made costume off the internet would be too generic to win over any home made one, and the fact that there is a "best craftsmanship" award takes it even further. The casual cosplay workshop panel was also a really interesting experience, because even though I did not bring my own costume in order to participate, I was able to watch from the outside and I really appreciate all of the cosplayers dedication and devotion.

Another really cool panel in my opinion was the one about cartooning. I am a really bad drawer, and watching the ease at which the technique comes to some people really makes me extremely intrigued, but also appreciative of their work. The character and world art is arguably the most important part of anime and manga, so I am glad that there are people who can work their pencils this well in order to make the whole thing possible.

Finally, I was able to volunteer at the event, and although I was only sitting in the information desk, I am really help that I was able to contribute the tiniest amount to the convention. It is not like I helped make the convention happen or be great, but given that it was free and still awesome, I thought that it was only fair that I pay back with some of my time, since the convention really opened the door to a new world for me, as I was familiar with anime but not this side of it (except for the times it showed up in the class viewings, such as in Genshiken. The information desk was also really cool, though, since it was located right outside of the Grand Ballroom, and I was able to listen in to the Vocaloid Concert, even if I was not visually present.

[matheuscbsposts]

What I found interesting about Mizusaki‘s parents wanting her to become an actor is that the article about South Korea‘s new anime empire showcases how, in a way, animators are becoming more like actors as they stop only producing what they are told and start creating spontaneously, which is also exactly what Mizusaki herself is doing during the show.

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken 3/22

While watching this anime, there were a few major themes that I noticed that were present throughout the show. The first one that I noticed was the fact that the characters throughout the show used anime and tv shows to not only experience what one cannot in the real world, but also as a form to escape reality. By creating whatever they wanted to through animation and drawings, they were able to create entire worlds and objects that do not exist in the real world and as we see depicted in the show, they like to imagine that they are in these environments. Another thing that we see throughout the show is the difference between social classes which we see with the contrast between Asakusa and Mizusaki. One example of this is when Asakusa was telling Mizusaki her how her bag was a “big ticket item” for her so, Mizusaki assumed that it was worth over 100,000 yen since she used all of her new years money on it, but it was actually only worth 21,000 since that’s all her family can afford since they are “working class folks”. Mizusaki after finding this out seems to be a little shocked and as we see later in the show when they get the 30,000 yen from the video of Asakusa falling she states “I guess 30,000 is a lot of money? That’s about as much as I got for allowance when I was in third grade.” I think that this really shows the divide in social status between the characters, but as we see, they are all still able to become good friends. Another thing that is shown is a parents aspirations for their children, but that their children may not want to follow that path. This again is shown with Mizusaki and how her parents want her to become an actor when she grows up, but instead she wants to become an animator. This is something that we see a lot of today in the real world with parents wanting their child/children to go into a specific field or “follow in their footsteps”, but this is not always the best option and what I think that having that freedom of choice is quite important.

[matheuscbsposts]

Yuasa - Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken (eps 1,2,3,4) and Kim - South Korea and the Sub-Empire of Anime

I really enjoyed Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken. I have to admit that with regards to a few of the other anime in this class, I appreciated them for what they are, but did not really feel excited about them; I actually enjoyed Eizouken, though. I believe that this feeling mostly comes down to the fact that it provides a very informative experience while also being fun. I am very much animation-studio-production ignorant, and this anime thought me about the industry at a level that is more in line with documentaries than anime, and all that without having to listen to a monotone narrator for 100 minutes. These episodes vaguely reminded of Genshiken, but with the main difference being that Eizouken is much more focused on the technical aspects of anime creation, while Genshiken just uses the creation of Doujinshi to touch on other aspects of the characters' lives.

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken does a great job of showcasing multiple aspects of animation, including in-media such as the use of back and foreground to aid in the story, and how an illusion of movement can be created and its importance, as well as the actual technical side of it, showing how a camera is used to create these aspects I mentioned and how computer software is also used as an aid. Reading South Korea and the Sub-Empire of Anime by Kim after watching this show was really interesting because the anime clearly reflects what is discussed in the article. Mizusaki's use of a sword to create real-life movements that she can later animate is a great example of such. The article also really focuses on the "brain vs hand" conflict in animation, and this can be seen through Kanamori's character a lot. While Asakusa and Mizusaki try really hard to implement all of their ideas on the anime they are creating, Kanamori is there to aid in the logistical side of the business, and to remind the other two that they need to compromise in their creation if they want to arrive at a finished product.

[matheuscbsposts]

I definitely did find myself having trouble differentiating most characters' genders from appearance alone as you mentioned, and I think that it is an amazing and very fitting detail. I agree that the double standard about the cross-dressing from female to male versus male to female was very apparent, and definitely one of the main critiques of the anime.

Wandering Son

This anime art style was definitely different compared to others we have watched. I found that the art style made it difficult to distinguish whether characters, especially Takatsuki, were girls or boys making me have to rely on their uniforms. All their body types were very similar to each other and did not show anything that could be considered identification of being male or female. This art style forces the audience to re-evaluate what traits define being a boy or girl. When Nitori is dressed as a girl, besides his voice, you cannot tell. Even when Takatsuki dresses in her casual clothes, her short hair makes her look like a boy.

Another factor that I found interesting was how they presented Yuki, a transgender woman on the show. No one is able to tell that she was once a man and that adds to the idea that the sex of a person does not matter but rather how they choose to express themselves. 

Something else that caught my attention was the different reactions towards different characters cross dressing. When Sarashina and Takatsuki dress in the men’s uniform the most backlash they get is from their teachers. Otherwise they are praised and considered “cool” by their classmates. However, when Nitori dresses as a girl to go to school for the first time, he gets pulled aside, taken home and subsequently becomes a target for bullying. The different reactions towards the girls expressing the masculinity and Nitori expressing his femininity illustrate how society is more “okay” with girls expressing masculinity compared to the opposite. It demonstrates that expressing femininity in a nontraditional way is seen as obscure and different.

Both Nitori’s and Takatsuki’s experience with their gender identity depicts examples of what transgender people go through. Nitori gets called “sick” by his sister showing how society views transgender people as having something wrong with them. His mom even blames his sister for dressing him up as a girl and being a bad influence refusing to understand her child’s wishes. Overall, the show tries to start a conservation about issues experienced by people with nontraditional gender expressions and depicts how these people are normal through the art style. As a girl, Nitori is called pretty by many of their friends showing the “normality” in their look.

[matheuscbsposts]

Aoki – Wandering Son (Eps. 1, 7, 9, 10)

Wandering Son is one of the multiple anime in this class which I believe I would not have been exposed to just exploring on my own, but I am very glad I was. I find these slice of life anime we have been watching extremely interesting because they expose me not only to new points of view on prevalent social issues, but they do that while also showing how those views differ from culture to culture. Wandering Son combines most elements of the main themes we've been discussing recently, those being gender, sexuality, and discrimination.

Out of these three main themes, however, the main one in this show is gender identity, and, more specifically, the double standard that exists with assuming a different identity than you were born with; the difference between going from a male to a female identity or doing the opposite. While some of the girls who decide to dress as boys are met with some faint hostility and gather some weird looks, they don't really face much backlash for their choices. Meanwhile, when Nitori decides to go to school as a girl for the first time, she is met with widespread bullying from multiple classmates in words and actions to the point where some of them decide to not even let her into the classroom, and she spends the day at the nurse's office.

Either way, it is nice to watch Nitori's identity become more consolidated after each episode. While at the start she looks very doubtful of her choices (which is normal considering she was still figuring herself out), as the episodes progress, she realizes that she actually identifies as a girl and embraces it fully. I believe that this leaves off a very positive note to transgender people, since Nitori's identity is not shaken by the heavy opposition, and it may have even been made stronger.

[matheuscbsposts]

I agree that this a great anime, especially how it emphasizes that the girls can be protagonists of action anime too and are therefore empowered, all while not losing their feminine side.

Sailor Moon

Sailor moon is a great anime in my opinion. It is a beautiful method of empowering women and showing that women can be strong too. The entire show is one of the first places where women were portrayed as the heroes and the strongest characters. This had a major impact on the anime and manga community because it allowed female viewers to feel like they were just as strong as these characters. Each of the different characters within the show allowed girls to feel a personal connection to any of the characters as they all have their own distinct identities. This broad-spectrum made it easy for girls to relate to the characters. I feel this gave girls who previously lacked a powerful role model, to have someone to aspire to be. Beyond that, the show highlights that their femininity is what gives them their power and how embracing themselves is the key to success over their adversaries. The connection of this to the article is quite apparent and highlights the importance of the feminist movement. This movement has only boomed and has prevailed in establishing women as being strong and independent instead of just the damsel in distress like in many other shows and films. Another show that also provides this sense of strength is the power puff girls where these young girls are powerful yet in touch with their feminine side. I appreciated the effort that this show made to help young women feel like they mattered and can make an impact in our society.

[matheuscbsposts]

Sato – Sailor Moon (ep. 1,2,4,8) and Newsom – “Girl Power"

The essence of Sailor Moon can be summarized very briefly by simply describing its premise: it is an extremely action-packed show that uses girls as its main characters in a way that it becomes apparent that the writers intentions were to show that can be as powerful as the boys in Shonen anime, but without losing their femininity. The show does a great job of showing that although the girls are more powerful than males and somewhat act like them, they are not supposed to be interpreted as girls trying to be boys. The article Girl Power by Newsom puts this idea perfectly when it describes Sailor Moon as "tough, feminine, and sexualized." The Sailor Guardians' duality as guardians of the Earth regular teenage girls creates this scenario in which the girls are extremely powerful at one time, but fragile and not treated with seriousness and respect in their everyday life. While they are able to enjoy the power usually awarded to boy protagonists of anime when fighting off evil, they also experience all of the most common teenage fears. They can exert control over their conflicts against villains, but not their own bodies and lives, due to how society is structured with regards to the treatment of girls - especially young ones. They are challenged both by their super hero life and their societal engagement. The distinction between these powerful girls and the common male protagonists comes only when these girls show the aforementioned control over their enemies when performing their hero duties and common femininity when acting as the normal school girl. In a way their conflicts with extreme difficulty when facing villains is masked by their normal girl lives, while the opposite also happens: their marginalization as girls in society is masked by their power as Sailor Guardians.