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Erased

This was my second time watching Erased. I absolutely adore this anime. I remember watching four years ago being completely shocked by who the killer was. I definitely was able to see more foreshadowing this time around. I think one of the main themes of the show is domestic violence and the deceptiveness of adults toward children.

One instance is Kayo's form of abuse. A profound thing the teacher says is that once the children find out she is being abused, she would be isolated. I think this shows one of the many effects of child abuse. Not only are the children being physically harmed but they are also being mentally and emotionally harmed. This will give the children immense trauma they could possibly pass on. This is demonstrated by Kayo's mother. She was a victim of domestic violence and as a result, she perpetuated her trauma on her daughter starting an endless cycle of intergenerational trauma. This illustrates how trauma does not end with the victim but rather continues to affect them and others in their everyday life. It shows the lasting impacts trauma can have on a person both mentally and physically.

The fact that the teacher is the killer sends a message that not all adults that are involved in children's lives or development can be trusted or have the best interest for them. A scene that really stood out to me was when Satoru and Yashiro were discussing how to approach a girl and he says something along the lines of trying to get there to "let her guard down" which implies making her defenseless rather than friendly. I think this scene really foreshadows the fact that he is the killer and highlights the hindsight of child predators. He even is exposed to having candy and while he tries to cover it up by saying it's for his smoking addiction, the audience knows that he uses candy to lure children to him. This scene projects a warning towards families to always be wary of these types of people.

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Cowboy Bebop

This was my first time watching this show despite it being recommended to me by my roommate. I found the premise of the show very interesting. It reminded me a lot of Mobile Suit Gundam because its its futuristic settings. I was worried about not starting with episode one, but the show was very easy to follow along with and did not prompt much confusion. Overall, the biggest theme that stood out to me was identity and reconciliation with the past.

The episodes we watched placed a lot of emphasis on Faye’s storyline and I think her arc represents the theme the most. Faye was frozen for 54 years and wakes up with no memory of her former life. She has no idea who she is and this prompts most of her actions. This lack of knowledge is the cause for most of her anguish and she is never truly at peace until she finds bits and pieces of her life. For instance, when Whitney sows up again, she immediately demands knowledge about who she is, and only when she decides to let him go is she growing and developing.  In episode 24, when she runs into an old high school classmate, she starts remembering remnants of her old life and goes back to that same spot later to reminisce. I think what the audience can get from her arc is that a person’s identity is extremely valuable to their character. Without an identity or semblance of self, one is lost in the world. Humans need their identity to give them a sense of purpose. Contrastingly, I can also see a theme of letting go in how Faye decided to leave Whitney.

Spike and Jet must face their past in these episodes. Spike is confronted with an old enemy and even though he survives, he dreams of waking up to his old lover. I did not watch the entire show, so my interpretation may be incorrect but I think this demonstrates how the past can haunt you if you are simply running away. In order to be free, one must reconcile with their past. Jet meets his old lover but in rather unfortunate circumstances. His ex now has a new boyfriend who has a bounty on his head, a bounty that Jet is chasing. Only after his former lover begs him to be set free, does he let go but not until after making sure her new boyfriend will protect her. This, again, illustrates the idea of letting go of one’s past. Jet finally gets closure with her after she explains herself and only then is he able to move on and let her go. Overall, facing one’s past is a prominent theme in this show.

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Parasyte

I definitely did have some bias against this anime at first because I had seen a few clips and was quite disgusted by the parasites but after having watched the episodes, I actually really enjoyed this anime. I thought it developed the conversation of what is humanity very well and provided commentary on the interaction of humans and nature and between themselves.

One of the major conflicts is the parasites killing people to feed. While the humans are absolutely shocked and disgusted the parasites reason that humans do this all the time with animals like cows or pigs so it is only natural that humans have a predator. This definitely forced the audience to be faced with the reality of what makes a human a human. I think the shows tries to end it on a positive light during the final episode where Satomi is ready to sacrifice herself to prove a point. Her captor says he is only following human nature which is to kill and that humans are “bloodthirsty” creatures. However, Satomi argues that what makes her human is the ability to not want to murder which is think is a profound statement. It makes a clear distinction between humans or other species. While, I do think she has a point, it is also not wholly true. Humans may not want to murder but they do so when it is necessary. As the show illustrates, humans are a “self serving” species. Everything we do is for us. When Shinichi is faced with the decision of whether or not he should kill Gotou he clearly states he does not want to. This sentiment proves Satomi’s statement about humanity. However, he does end up killing Gotou for his own survival demonstrating the self-serving nature of humans. We may want to put ourselves higher than other species but when faced with a situation where life or death hangs in the balance, humans are just like other creatures. The need for survival is the only thing left and there is nothing to distinguish a human from an animal.

This show also reminded me a lot of Tokyo ghoul. Both main characters end up becoming half-non human and struggle to accept this as part of their identity. Both of them are forced to learn what it really means to be humans. In both shows the theme of survival is present and ultimately survival is what drives the characters through their journey. Both characters have to confront the fact that humans may be prey for other creatures which catalyzes their understanding of how humanity is placed within nature.

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Sensoron

I found this manga to present quite an interesting perspective. When I first started reading I was confused as to how the story had a conservative message since it was just about a guy taking too long in the bathroom but I was soon proven wrong when the main character discussed the American fabrication of the Japanese war crimes in the Tokyo War trials. 

The narrator presents a message related to nationalism. He claims the Japanese have been brainwashed by Western messages to be wrongfully ashamed to be part of a nation that committed war crimes that the narrator believes to be falsified and/or exaggerated. He pushes the idea that the individualism the Japanese youth have adopted from the West has distanced them from their parents and ancestors. Even some historical places in Japan display what the narrator considers to be “false” photos. Of course, I am no expert so whether what he says is true or not, I cannot claim but I do think his argument has some solid evidence. The use of these photos to display different events definitely shows that not all of them are real and/ or that they do not present the message the caption says. What I do not agree with him on is the possible fabrication of the Japanese war crimes involving comfort women. He claims that it is suspicious, women have only spoken out about it after some time has past after the war. I think this is not suspicious because, of course the women would want some time to heal and to have to deal with testifying against Japan right after the war would probably be extremely exhausting and traumatic for them. He shames the youth for being apologetic about Japan's past but I think they can be ashamed of the past especially if it's fur too war crimes. I think the narrator is trying to advocate for the youth of today to be more nationalistic.

Gelner discusses that nationalism arises from the acceptance into high culture and the political bond of the culture. However, if one does not meet this conditions, one must seek change through iredentist nationalistic activity or assimilate. I think both the youth and the narrator are trying to restore the nationalism of Japan. The youth want to correct Japan's wrong while the narrator wants to diminish any negative stigma towards Japan by explaining its war crimes.

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Your Name

Your Name is one of my favorite anime movies and I had been waiting all class to get to this movie. One of the many things that contribute to the impact of this movie is the animation style. It is incredibly fluid and detailed and the visuals along with the music help to give the movie its overall emotional impact. When Mitsuha and Taki are running along the carter edge, the art style really relays their emotional desperation to trying to find one another.

I think the main connection with the reading was the exercise of power. Foucalt discusses that different models of power including one based on strategy and one based on law. He suggests that is the the strategical model is what we should consider when dealing with power. This is seen with Mitsuha and her father. Based on the law, her father has the power; however, it is through the “viewpoint of objective” and the “viewpoint of tactical efficacy” that Mitsuha is able to save the town. She holds knowledge of the coming comet which gives her power and is through her clever thinking (or rather Taki’s clever plan) that she is able to save the town. At the end, where we see Mitsuha win over her father, it is a representation of how the strategical model of power s more sustainable and practical and the model based on law. The two main characters switching bodies is also an act that gives them power. They have their own unique perspectives that are brought into each other’s worlds and both of them are deemed to be more liked when they play as the other. This is what I gathered from the reading but this could also be misinterpretations.

The movie itself reflects a message of the importance of tradition, family, and time. To no end, we see Taki and Mitsuha continuously forget each other’s names which depicts how important the connections we make with others are. Taki and Mitsuha are in a race against time for more time to try and save Mitsuha. it is only at twilight are they able to see each other for the first time and really have a genuine connection. This shows how as humans, we must cherish the relationships we have with people as out time is limited. I found that this was also symbolized by the red string. To me, it seemed like a representation of fate. When Taki gives Mitsuha her ribbon back, it is almost as if Mitsuha now has more time. When the Fates cut a string, someone dies so Taki giving back Mitsuha her ribbon is kind of like an extension of Mitsuha’s own life. Tradition and family were also emphasized in this movie. It is through the traditions that the grandma carries on that Taki is able to come back in time to switch places with Mistuha and ultimately catalyze the town’s salvation. This incorporation demonstrates that we must value cultural traditions and the family.

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Hetalia Axis Powers

Based on the title of this anime, I was expecting a serious, somber storyline about war so I was definitely surprised when I started this and found that it was mostly a collection of satirical versions of historical events. It is clear that the characters are just parodies are countries and show a comical perspective of how Japan views the rest of the world. Of course, this can be slightly problematic but overall, this anime seems to try to be as light-hearted and comedic as possible through a historic lens.

The representation of America I thought to be more accurate than others. In episode seven, we see America come up with a plan to stop the Axis powers that only benefits the US. He even goes as far as calling himself the “hero” reflecting how Americans may view the US as the leader and ultimate power in times of conflict. In other words, in a narrative of world history, America is seen as the hero which of course is a limiting reflection of the complexities of world conflicts. It shows how the US in the 1900s had a need to be a hero. For instance, the US felt the need to intervene in the Vietnam war, mostly to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. America is also shown eating a lot of hamburgers which I found funny as it pokes fun at the obesity problem. Another prominent joke in the show is Italy’s uselessness illustrating how in World War 2, Italy was not seen as much of a help in Japan’s perspective. Annett had even pointed out how Hetalis is just a play on “hetare (useless)” and “Italia” which I found quite funny. 

Another aspect of Annett’s discussion of Hetalia is her connection to fujoshi. When I was watching the show I had not thought of people shipping-certain characters together but after reading Annett’s discussion on fujoshi culture, it became more apparent to me. My friend who saw me watching this show had even shown me fanart and fiction of various pairing from Hetalia such as Italy and Germany or Britain and France which I can say I definitely would have lived fine without knowing that. 

Annett also discusses the moe elements present in the show which is seen in Italy’s hair antennae. He is also drawn as a chibi cartoon character as well which further infantilizes him. The moe element and his babied cartoon animation give the audience a sense of wanting to protect Italy because of his cuteness. His depiction as being useless only serves to amplify the agenda that he is a baby which translates to how he is a relatively newer country and again is also an act of fan service.

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Xenoblade Chronicles

This was my first time watching video game cut scenes. I was surprised by how much storyline and plot was present. I will not lie though,I had a hard time understanding the storyline but I think I was able to pick up on a few themes.

The ending where Pyra sacrifices herself so that Rex and the rest of his crew could board the escape shuttles and fly away safely reminded me a lot of Nausicaa. Pyra is like Nausicaa who sacrifices herself trying to get a baby back to its mother to save her village. These parallels introduce the idea that in order to save the world, sacrifices must be made. Environmentally speaking, if we are to resolve are conflicts with nature and maintain a balance, it would require some sort of sacrifice on our part. Cobb discusses a similar idea. Currently, we follow “heroic science” which is just using technology to solve problems that our previous technology created. This, like Cobb states, is an “illusion”. Rather, to think that our problems with our environment could be resolved without sacrifice is not plausible and offers a false sense of security. Both Nausicaa and the Xenoblade Chronicles reiterate this fact with the life sacrifices made at the end.

Furthermore, the world of the Xenoblade chronicles reflects what our world could turn into if we continue our unsustainable ways. We see Elysium in Pyra’s memories as a beautiful meadow with endless green grass and bright blue skies. However, when they finally do reach it in the real world, it is desolated and barren. This is due to the mistakes of the creator. This artistic choice demonstrates an idea of what our world could come to if humans do not change their ways. Ultimately both Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and the Xenoblade Chronicles call for humans to be more environmentally aware and take action before it is too late to save our home.

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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

I thought this movie would be boring and I have to say I am glad this movie proved me wrong. I found it really enjoyable and I especially liked the soundtrack ( I knew I would when I saw Joe Hisaishi’s name in the opening credits).  I am not quite too knowledgeable on the historical connections to this movie as I have seen from other posts but I was able to pick up on the environmental messages.

This theme of the environment is first introduced with the introduction of the Sea of Decay, a wasteland created through human pollution. This idea itself of the Sea of Decay is a commentary on how humans are currently treating the environment. This is showing us a possible future if we continue our wasteful ways. I think this is also related to the River Spirit from Spirited Away. The River Spirit was all disgusting and filled with human pollution again demonstrating how badly humans treat nature. 

There was also a message of pacifism using the environment in war. Amidst the perils of war, Nausicaa only has two thoughts, saving her people and saving the insects. Multiple times throughout the film she demonstrates her ability to calm them down and make peace with them, foreshadowing her ultimate purpose and fate (this was also foreshadowed by the prophecy). Nausicaa sacrifices herself to bring the baby insect back to its mother and save her village from ultimate destruction, illustrating the idea that to make peace with nature, sacrifices have to be made. Humans have to give up their destructive and environmentally harmful ways in order to rebuild a better relationship with nature. Nausicaa is almost like Elsa, from Frozen in this way. They both serve as the bridge between humans and nature and both use their abilities to reconcile humans’ wrongdoings with nature and save their homes. Relating back to the theme of pacifism, Miyazaki shows that when humans try to engage in a war they will only bring themselves destruction through the environment. The two kingdoms engage in political warfare which ultimately provokes the insects which is what poses the biggest threat to both kingdoms. In order to stop their self-destruction, they must stop the war, yet due to either sides’ selfishness, they are unable to see this. Only Nausicaa who has grown in nature and can understand the insects sees the solution. Overall, Nausicaa illustrates that reconciliation with nature is a necessary step humans need to take towards our own survival in the future. 

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SwampCon - 3/27

Yesterday was my first time attending Swampcon and I had a really fun time. I attended a few different things including the J-club performance, artists/vendors areas, Idol fest, Genesis’s random dance play, and the dance contest. Despite being a fan of Kpop and anime I had never been to a convention before so attending yesterday, I was really able to see how our class discussions related to the environment of the convention.

One of the things we discussed was that otakus will use cosplay as a way to possess their objects of desire. That is actually something my friend and I participated in. We did a closet cosplay as Howl and Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle. Someone had even asked to take a picture with us. We noticed more elaborate cosplays as well at Swampcon such as someone dressed in a blow-up Pikachu costume. My friend had taken a picture with someone who had a really good Bakugo costume too. In the Idolfest, we saw groups of people dressed up as anime characters performing the theme songs of those animes. I was able to connect it back to our class discussion about possession. For fans of anime, since anime is fictional, doing things such as cosplay and performing anime songs lets them get closer to their object of desire. 

I was especially surprised with the artists and vendors section. It reminded me a lot of the dojinshi convention from Genshiken. I saw many cute fan-made merchandises and even bought a few things myself. This goes back to our discussion of how shadow cultural capital can lead to economic capital. The artists put a lot of time into perfecting their crafts, earning them a high level of prestige within the fandom community. Through their artistic production, they are able to earn economic capital. I saw a variety of things including perfumes, drawings, dice, keychains, jewelry, clothing, and even computer keys that were either handcrafted or customized to suit a variety of fandoms.

During the Idolfest, random dance play, and dance contest, everyone was hyping each other up during all the performances. I think this says a lot about fandom communities. There is a strong sense of camaraderie and support within the fandom community and this is due to the shared experiences we share. For instance, as Kpop dancers, my club knows how intimidating it can be to perform nonmainstream songs in public so we really tried to hype all the dancers that attended the random dance play and dance contest. 

My favorite part of SwampCon was definitely the random dance play that my club had hosted. Although I have been dancing to Kpop for quite a bit now, I never had the opportunity to attend this type of event before. I had a really good time and the atmosphere was so enjoyable. Even if you were the only one who knew the dance (and even if you only partly knew it), everyone still clapped and cheered. I think this says a lot about fandom culture and identity. The culture promotes an incredibly supportive atmosphere when it comes to aspects such as art, cosplay, or performances and it helps to strengthen one’s connection to their cultural identity. I have definitely become less involved in both anime and Kpop culture over the last few years, but yesterday I was able to immerse myself more, and attending the random dance play gave me a stronger sense of a connection to the Kpop culture. 

One thing I learned from yesterday was how similar the anime and Kpop fandom culture was. For instance, I thought dressing up in stage outfits and dancing to idol songs was mostly a Kpop thing but at Idolfest, we saw people do the same thing but with anime characters and anime songs/ Jpop songs. The artists and vendors themselves sold a variety of merchandise relating to both anime and Kpop and other fandoms. Even though in Kpop, the object of desire is an idol and that is real, unlike anime, as fans there is a clear space between idol and fan. Thus, in order to feel closer to a said idol, people participate in textual productivity, art, crafts, and replicating performances much like how anime fans do the exact same things. Overall, I had a lot of fun at this Swamp Con and look forward to doing it again.

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Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken

I really liked the way this anime portrayed well .. making anime. I found that I was able to recognize the techniques  such as the 3D panels and different cells that we discussed in the beginning of the year. One thing Kim discusses is the existence of the brain vs. the hand. The cerebral element, they call it, is the ability to be creative and make original ideas for stories. We see that the girls in the aime try focusing on a storyline as well when they first start making the anime. However, moving forward they realized they did not have the means to do so which hurt their pride a bit much like how animators in real life are attached to their art as discussed by Kim. Moving towards using technology has been an issue for fear of hurting the pride of the animators. Again this is demonstrated when the girls reluctantly have to start using technology to get through their frames faster.

They also discussed having limited animation and not liking how they weren't able to fully draw some of the action scenes. This reminded me a lot of the anime Yuri on Ice. The anime has many scenes depicting ice skaters performing yet due to perhaps limited time, budget, or technology many of the frames still looked choppy. I find that the girls could relate to this since they were still able to pick out mistakes in the animation after they premiered it.

I also wanted to comment on how they were able to go into the main girl's world everytime she described a concept idea. It shows how stories are supposed to be escapes from reality and this is why many people (or rather fans) enjoy anime because they value the fictional reality over the actual reality. The main girl constantly spaces out describing huge adventures showing her emotional attachment to her concepts and ideas.

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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.

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Aggretsuko

I was very surprised by this anime as I have never watched an anime in this art style before. It was quite entertaining and was very cute in how if demonstrated its message. As Butler discussed, gender is a just a collection of performative acts and this is demonstrated by Retsuko. At the office, she portrays herself as a polite, “mild mannered” worker but in reality she holds a lot of rage and is into music such as heavy metal which shows interests that would not be expected of her gender. It illustrates how gender is just an act. Also, during the office drinking party, both Ton and Retsuk put on an act. Retsuko is only talking with Ton over beer as a way to amend her relationship with him and Ton is only drinking to find out who snitched on him. On the surface, they act as how society would expect them to, but underneath they have their own true self serving reasons further showing the fact that gender is a collection of performances.

Something that left a bad taste in my mouth was how Retsuko only wanted to do yoga to get married. It reminded me a lot of episode 4 of sailor moon where the girls only worked out to keep their bodies appealing to men. 

I also found a message of inequality of unfair treatment surrounding the work place specifically caused by Director Ton. He makes his workers clean his space and bring him tea but this treatment was only really relevant towards the women as he also made snarky remarks towards them. He said something along the lines of “incompetent women are less annoying than competent woman”. This illustrates how men, especially ones with authority, will manipulate those beneath them to get what they want knowing their subordinates either do not know any better or are unable to get help. It also demonstrates the unfair treatment of women in the workforce. Ton also ways gives Retsuko extra work but her male counterparts are never seen being handed extra work further illustrating the mistreatment that women experience. 

I also found some commentary on Japanese work culture as well. During the office part, Ton recalls how he had a lot of work when he was a lower level worker but never complained and now workers complain that they are overworked. This depicts the idea that the older generation views the younger generation as lazy for not wanting to work as hard as they did in their youth.

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Sailor Moon

I think the anime was quite enjoyable although I was a bit annoyed by how much usage cried during each episode. I was definitely able to pick up on the "girl power" message behind this anime.

As stated by Newsom, Usagi is overtly feminine and expressed this towards the audience. As the audience we see that this "traditionally feminine" character as also a hero who must resolve her inner conflicting identities. She cries a lot, is stressed over boys, her looks, and school - anything that a normal girl would do. Yet, she also is the lost powerful sailor scout. It demonstrates that femininity can be powerful without alienating the two as separate ideals. I appreciate this message especially since this show is targeted toward younger female audiences.

While there is a message of empowerment, such episodes such as four illustrate stsereotypical boundaries of women. Newsom discusses Usagi's struggle in her body image as a common teenage struggle showing the relatability of her character. They further discuss that Usagi takes control of her own body through her actions and it is a "masquerade" hiding her abilities. While this is meant to show the reclamation of a female body, Usagi's own fears about becoming "fat" and the girls' insistence on dieting and going to the gym projects a negative message about body image toward the intended audience in my opinion. I think this is really similar to Disney Princesses. They all have traditionally feminine bodies and traits yet also posses masxuline qualities as well. For instance Mulan is extremely caring and values family but is also a soldier. This juxtaposition again sends the message that girls can be whatever they want while being "girly".

I did notice that the show consisted of very typical moe elements such as a school uniform sailor scout outfits, young girls with mature bodies, etc. It demonstrates how there is a "male gaze" present in the show as said by Newsom. I do find it a but uncomfortable how sexualized the girls' bodies are and I think it attracts the wrong audience towards this show.

One interesting thing I noticed was that Sailor Mercury who is considered a genius has short boyish hair which is not as "attractive" as long hair. One thing discussed by Newson was that less feminine appearances takes away the "nonthreatening" aura of women so in my interpretation since Sailor Mercury is smart (I guess a masculine trait) she is depicted as more boyish because her attractiveness to the male audience is already less than that of a feminine character like sailor moon. The effect of her being actually threatening is already taken away by the fact that her character is smart so short boyish hair complements that trait. There is also then less of a contrast between her two identities.

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Genshiken Second Season

In this second season, the main themes seem to be focused around a new character, Hato. They are a man cross-dressing as a woman in order to be able to openly enjoy BL without judgment from other otakus. Something I found refreshing was how accepting the other girls were in the club. I think this helps decrease the controversy surrounding the idea of cross-dressing and typical gender stereotypes in general. The other girls easily switched between using he/him and she/her pronouns as well which shows the ease of respecting someone’s pronouns. There was one girl, however, that refused to see Hato as a girl and adamantly asked them to dress as a boy. She represents the traditional views people have of how people should dress and act based on their gender. 

This also connects with our readings from the previous week. Otakus are stereotyped to be sexually perverse and different while in reality, they may be more sexually conservative. Hato represents this idea very well. They are very into BL and much like Chika, have fantasies of a BL romance with Madarame. (I have to admit, the scenes where his alter ego was presented as outside his body when they were in Madarame’s apartment made me very uncomfortable). However, in real life, Hato claims he is heterosexual and is not gay. This demonstrates how what he enjoys sexually in fiction is not a reflection of his real-life sexuality. This again illustrates the line between fiction and reality that otakus are aware of and establish.

I also was able to connect to Madarame’s character at the beginning of this season. He is told by others to grow up and that he is going to be an otaku for the rest of his life. Madarame, himself feels like he has grown apart from his interest due to being an adult. As a result, he spends a lot of time in the club room to make up for time spent away from his interests. In my life, I feel the same way. I feel that school has gotten in the way of my interests and hobbies and I tend to spend more time trying to catch up on my interests.

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Genshiken Pt 2

I thought the first set of episodes would be the most sexually nuanced but after watching the second set of episodes, I stand corrected. The amount of sexual content, especially in episode 5 made me very uncomfortable. 

One thing that Saito discusses that I thought had a strong connection with the show was the sexuality of Otaku. He mentions that outsiders have a strong dislike towards otakus because of this. Men have a perversion towards the “lolita complex” and women stereotypically like yaoi. This is shown in the show through the fan made mangas the boys like. They have girls on the covers that have stereotypical features that make them desirable and doll like. For the girls, Chika represents Otakus who do like yaoi. At first, she openly rejects the notion of liking it which is an indicator that she was scared of judgement because of outsiders hating on it. However, it is revealed she does enjoy it. Moreover, Saito discusses the high affinity of otakus for fiction. This translates to the show through Chika’s fantasies of Madarame and Sasahara being together. I think this touches on the topic of otakus being able to differentiate reality from fiction. Chika fantasizes about a supposed relationship, and but repeatedly snaps outside of her fantasy and tries to put a distinction between reality and her fiction.

This connects to Saito’s discussion on the problem of possession within Otakus. Chika “possess” her object of attachment (yaoi) through the fictionalization of this attachment (again this being her fantasies of her real life club members).

It was interesting to read about the discussion of possession because being in the Kpop fandom, this is also seen to an extreme between fans and idols. Like anime, there is fiction about idols as a way for fans to posses idols. However, because idols are real people, unlike anime, this has real life consequences. Fans become delusional and idols are forced to not date as a way to remain loyal to fans. This again is another way possession can be problematic. I think this crosses over the line into obsession and maniac because these fans are not able to distinguish fiction from reality resulting in the idols suffering the consequences of obsessive fan behavior.

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Genshiken Eps 1-3, and 9

The readings from last Friday, this weekend, and this anime really explored the culture of otakus. An important aspect to discuss is the the social aspect of otakus. The club is founded upon shared interests including anime and manga that is considered to be looked down upon by the “normal” culture. For instance, Saki is immediately horrified by the members’ interests in pornographic manga but the members quickly relate their interests to those of normal people. They argue that even normal people have an interest for porn, they just consume it in a different medium. This illustrates that otakus are not as “different” as what normal society makes them out to be. What differentiates these otakus is the intensity of their interest. We see this with Madarame’s insistence on shopping even with a broken wrist. This “obsession” is considered to be a defining characteristic between otakus and the cultural norm. Another thing, I thought of was based on Database Animal where the author discussed that social aspects can be lost in Otakus in this postmodern world due to the declining need to socialize for otakus to find pleasure in their interests. In episode nine, we see this idea explored. Madarame spends the entirety of the episode awkwardly trying to socialize with Saki but only sees a successful conversation as them discussing anime/manga.

Furthermore, it was very interesting to read Fiske’s take on what makes the fandom culture. He discusses the participation of fans with their respective object of fandom. He talk about how fans will produce their own commodities centered around the object of the fandom, including art, figures, memorabilia, text, etc. This is displayed in the scene where they go shopping at the big convention. All the mangas they buy are produced by the fans for the fun culture. Fiske goes on to discuss that the value of commodities is seen in the quantity of items. Again, in the same episode we see Sasahara buy an enormous quantity of mangas displaying Fiske’s idea of value in quantity.

I liked how Fiske discussed that “knowledge is power” amongst fandoms. Being in the Kpop fandom, I have seen this quite a bit. Many fans will often scrutinize you if you are not able to list however many facts about a certain group of person. Gaining the associated knowledge with your respective fandom allows you to enter it and pass its “exclusivity”. Many fans that are more involved will only see you as a casual fan if you don’t meet their standards for what is considered some a part of the fandom.

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Database Animals

This reading was actually very interesting and even though it was confusing at times, there was a lot of interesting ideas present. What I found was interesting was Azuma's discussion of the loss of the need for a "grand narrative". This was explored through his example of Digiko and its popularization. Through its growth a narrative was established through its own anime and novel. The anime and novel were created after the creation of the original Digiko so those worlds can be considered simulacra since it's original was not existent. An example of this in America that I had thought of was the character of Barbie. She was originally created as a doll and grew in popularity to develop distinct characteristics such as blonde hair, pouty lips, large chest, tiny waist and blue eyes. While these do not exactly fit the definition of "moe" characteristics they create feelings of desire in the general public. Furthermore, many movies and shows have been made about Barbie due to her popularity similar to Digiko. Barbie, however, did not have a true real story built besides very basic facts based on the girl she was inspired by. In this way, the Barbie world can be considered a simulacra as it was created without a real original.

Moreover, Azuma discusses the "animalization" of consumers. These consumers have moved away from the "grand narrative" and to the "database" looking for works that only have their most desirable elements or "moe" elements within them. I found this explanation interesting because it reminded me a lot of readers of fiction. In the last year, there has been a popularization of "BookTok", a side of Tik Tok dedicated to fiction books and their audience. A group of these readers of these types of books are no longer looking based on a grand narrative but based on tropes (such as "enemies to lovers", vampires, werewolves, etc) present throughout a series or book that they may like. They look more to see these type of elements (another version of moe elements) in a book to decide whether to read it rather than for the narrative of the book. 

Another factor, he discusses is that in those postmodernist, there is no larger emphasis on socialization among otakus. I was able to relate to this because even though, igs fun to talk about anime or other pop culture things with people, it's very hard to find people who are interested in the same tropes or elements as you are so there is more individual satisfaction in enjoying media on your own.