nicoles-notes-blogproject

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

Akira

This is our first class choice anime, which I personally think is a really engaging way to end the semester. Since there was no assigned article or intended module for this anime to play into, I looked at the description of the anime to understand the societal commentary that is intended to be made. The Sci-Fi Cyberpunk nature of this anime is not my personal favorite, as I tend to gravitate to more calm and neutral anime. This anime however, was very impactful and brought out a lot of emotions in me, in a way that I thought was really well designed. 

A big aspect of this anime is youth rebellion and the concept that certain populations of youth are vulnerable to alienation, which then drives them to rebel. The main characters are part of a biker gang that is extremely nihilistic in nature, which I think furthers the emphasis on the alienation of youth and the effects of that. This connected deeply with me personally because I feel as though youthful rebellion is a really important part of growing up. As you grow, you rebel and discover whether or not you truly agree with what authority has told you. This allows you to become your own person and establish your own personal values. 

Another aspect of this anime that is important to consider and connects to previous anime we have watched, is the concept of post-war anxiety. This anime is set after the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings, which affected the overall attitudes within the country. This post-war anxiety shifted societal values and Japanese culture. It is important to mention this because Akira’s bombing can be understood as a reference to the constant fear that occurred after the war within Japanese society. War changes the way people see the world around them, and that shift in perspective must be understood to understand the anime deeper. 

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

I like how you established that the manga's author seems to want to appeal to the older generations by stating that the younger generations are brainwashed and childish. I did notice this, but your drawing attention to the specific artistic choices that help further this point made it more evident. He wants to be seen as authoritative and trustworthy through his perspective on Japanese society.

Sensōron

This was a pretty wild manga, which presented a revisionist perspective on Japanese war crimes during World War II and claimed that the United States exaggerated these crimes and essentially brainwashed the Japanese people over the next 50 years. The main focus was on the United States' claims about Japan's Nanking Massacre. I honestly don't know too much about the Nanking Massacre, so I have no clue how true any of the manga's claims are, but they seem really dubious to me. While the manga attempts to point out multiple facets of propaganda that apparently exaggerates Japan's crimes, it is also obvious how the manga itself is propaganda as well, and quickly jumps to large and often absolutist claims through logical fallacies.

The associated text, A short history of mankind by Gellner, provides more context for the claims made within Sensōron by analyzing the concept of nationalism. Sensōron appears to be driven by a desire to reclaim Japanese national identity that was corrupted by American influence, which is also apparent in the later pages of the manga that switch the focus to how Japanese people have come to develop individualism as a result of the United States, rather than nationalism or unity through Japanese identity. The manga does this by framing Japan as the victim rather than the aggressor, which directly opposes the history that Japan and the rest of world have come to accept.

The biggest thing I noticed, though, was how the manga attempts to make its perspective appear more appealing by frequently depicting the "brainwashed" Japanese people as extremely childish and infantile, mainly through their dialogue. The author also claims that he used to be brainwashed too before he realized the truth, which his parents and the older generation have always believed. Through this, I feel like he attempts to establish himself as an authoritative figure through the age of the older generation in addition to his own experience and development. It can make the audience feel like they are intellectuals for siding with the author, because they were able to "see the truth."

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

Sensoron

Since we discussed how this manga is different from previous ones we had been assigned throughout the course before we had to read it, I decided to do a little bit of research on the manga before I read it. I discovered that this manga is one of most influential, but controversial, manga within Japanese culture. This manga being so popular and so debated was important for me when reading it because it allowed me to recognize the aspects that I believe make it so influential. The manga critiques postwar Japan, but it more importantly critiques postwar identity overall and emphasizes nationalism. 

The manga has been stated to emphasize nationalism, but in an exclusionary way. This means that it emphasizes the importance of supporting your country, and not focusing on the negative actions it may have taken. This is controversial as many people in Japan saw the manga as a sanitized version of what truly occurred throughout Japanese history. The manga chooses to deny various actions that Japan took within wartime, such as the Nanjing massacre, focusing only on how Japan was wronged by other countries. Many individuals believe the manga does not recognize Japan’s actions as a country within the war and that this sanitized version of history does not accurately depict what occurred. 

Another important commentary within this manga is that the creator seems to believe that modern Japanese society has become selfish due to the postwar attitudes towards the country. The manga displays Japanese society as losing their collectivism after the war, and losing their nationalism due to shame in their countries actions. The manga however, comments on this by advocating for a return in national pride and more emphasis on a powerful national identity. This manga is controversial, but allows perspective onto certain beliefs regarding postwar identity.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

I really appreciate how you commented on the artistic style of the anime. This anime is beautiful and the visual elements are very pleasing to the eye. I also really appreciate how you commented on the fact that there is a shift within the gender conformity in the characters that can even be seen through various visual elements.

Your Name

This was a really beautiful piece of art to watch. The animation and the story was really beautiful. It reminded me that we are all connected, past and present. I also loved that they showcased gender expression when they would switch bodies. For instance, when Taki would switch into Mitsuha’s body, he would squeeze her breasts and when Mitsuha would switch into Taki’s body, she would act more feminine and initially used feminine pronouns when referring to herself as well as use emojis throughout her notes. I think keeping the person’s personality and actions the same even when they switched bodies made the characters feel more humanistic. Also, it was interesting to see a portrayal of how Mitsuha was pushed into becoming a shrine maiden because of her family. Since she comes from a long line of shrine maidens and priestesses, she has to keep the tradition going, even if she gets ridiculed by younger folks who do not follow Shintoism. This reminds me of people who are forced into a religion because their parents practice it. Specifically in Catholicism, growing up in it often leads to something called “Catholic guilt,” which is a sort of an exaggerated or irrational sense of guilt that’s typically felt by practitioners. Anyway, I am glad that she follows and honors her family’s traditions. Even though there are times when she hates it, e.g. after performing a ritual to make kuchikamisake in front of her classmates, she still honors and practices tradition and even makes the trek to the Shrine of the Body with her grandmother on her back to offer up the kuchikamisake that she made. Overall, it was a really beautiful anime to watch, and gave me hope that I will meet someone that I may have known in another life.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

Your Name

This anime is very entertaining and in a sense, visually pleasing. The visual aspects of the anime were softer than previous ones we had watched and I really enjoyed the artistic style within the anime. This anime however, does not have a soft message. It has a very complex and deep meaning that is fairly evident, even to someone like me who is inexperienced with Japanese culture. To begin, the anime depicts two characters consistently swapping bodies. This is symbolic of how the characters are searching for more from their lives, each wishing for the other's lives and getting to experience it through the swap. It allows each of the main characters to recognize the good within their own lives, and what was missing that they wish to find. They also discover a lot about themselves through being in the other person’s body, which I think is really socially relevant today. People often find themselves not appreciating the good in their own lives, but that does not mean you cannot want more for yourself than what you have.

Another interesting connection that I found was the connection to fate and the idea of a higher power. There are clear references to how there is a destiny that your life is bound to follow through the fact that there is a religious depiction of the two main characters switching bodies. The main characters are said to be destined by the gods to switch bodies, in order to save their homes. This anime references fate a significant amount and plays on the concept of determining how much an individual has control on their outcomes. I really appreciated the commentary on the fact that fate may have a significant impact on your life, but that fate can also be challenged or even changed.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

I really appreciate reading your post because I had never heard about this anime before. It was nice getting to know that the anime is actually very popular. I also thought it was interesting to see that you believed the anime was too sanitized. Although I do believe the historical context of the anime is extremely important and should be kept accurate, the anime is meant to be for entertainment and not education so I saw it in a different perspective.

Hetalia Axis Powers Ep1-19 -- General Thoughts + Analysis

I think if you've been on the internet long enough, you've heard of Hetalia. So this was my push to finally take a gander into what the grand internet phenomenon of this show is. I think I have some pretty mixed opinions; it was pretty funny at some points, but I think I got a bit of a headache from how rapid fire the bits were. Probably a show best consumed periodically, not so much all at once.

Onto the analysis -- the most obvious aspect of Hetalia is that it's a big satire. Countries are embodied into these little characters, and in turn these characters are all walking stereotypes. The show pokes fun at every nation: Italy is a coward who loves pasta, America is egotistical and always eating unhealthy foods, Britain has bad food, China is an expansionist, Germany is cold and serious, etc. Most of the show is a series of bits centralized around world history/conflict. I think there's something to be said within the satire -- the countries constantly sit around bickering or training but nothing ever really gets done. The axis powers sit around a fire on a beach for several episodes, the allied powers argue over plans in a board room, and there's even an ongoing thing where the episodes keep teasing "America cleaning out the closet", and yet its just the same thing over and over. There's obvious satire here about the fact that the world is constantly a stage for countries fighting or forming alliances, but no progress is ever made. I think the stereotypes lend a hand in this, in the way each country performs how others view them, and its these stereotypes that prevent things from happening.

Fascinatingly enough, I found at some points it was a little educational. There were tidbits snuck in within jokes about actual historical fun facts and war history. There seems to be more of these informational bits for other countries, not so much Japan, which I suppose makes sense for the intended Japanese crowd watching.

My only criticism really was that I definitely feel the show is a very sanitized telling of the history it's trying to present. I suppose you kind of have to if you're doing a comedy show; the actual history of WWII is pretty upsetting. Unlike the other wars mentioned in the show, the set-up and major aspects of WWII (which is arguably even more important since its the backdrop of the show) are kept very vague.

Ironically enough, I think my favorite character was America. Maybe I just love trope characters that are "American stereotypes", I'm not sure why.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

Hetalia: Axis Powers

The first thing about this anime that I really want to touch on is the fact that the episodes are extremely short. I really enjoyed the fact that each episode was only about 4 minutes long because it allowed me to stay captivated the entire episode and not lose focus, which is normally my main issue. I also thought it was interesting how there is not really a major plot, but just minor subplots under an overall theme within each episode. The episodes each had their own issue they focused on, but all of the episodes focused on major political issues across the globe. The issues they focus on are both historical and current, which I also thought was interesting. The anime also gives brief recaps on historical moments that they reference. I thought this was extremely beneficial to ensure that viewers are aware of what the characters are speaking about. The depiction of the countries across the globe as people, and the formation of narratives about historical concepts helps me a lot to understand what is happening within the political context of the anime. I thought it was really interesting to hear narratives of conflict within history in a more unserious way than we usually do. 

To connect the anime to the article that we had to read, the anime is a visual display of conflicts across the globe. However, it also depicts how these conflicts are dealt with and how each country is perceived by Japanese society. When closely analyzing the anime, you can recognize that each country is perceived by Japanese society as dealing with conflicts in extremely different ways. The article describes how conflict is always going to happen, but the way it is handled changes with the current political climate within the world around us all.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

Xenoblade Chronicles

The cutscenes of Xenoblade Chronicles were extremely different from many of the animes we have had to watch throughout this course. Many of the animes we have watched have focused on big societal concepts, and this anime focuses more on the natural world. Specifically, it focuses on human interactions with the natural world. Although I do not think the main message of the anime is pollution, I think it is an important aspect of the anime to consider. It shows how society can damage the natural elements around it and cause depletion of the resources the world provides us as a society.

The scenes we watched specifically analyze the loss of landmass, which is the central plot of the anime. This loss of landmass is a visual depiction of the world slowly collapsing into a more unnatural state. The anime shows the implication of industrial processes on society and how industrial advancements change society. There are a lot of scenes that show how industrial means destroy the stability of the natural environments, showing how much pressure society places on the natural environments that surround them. This anime takes place within a game world like previous anime we have watched, and it analyzes social processes as a whole. 

The Titans represent the world and the cloud sea may not represent pollution in a typical sense. Still, it illustrates how society can place strain on the natural environments around them. The destruction of the natural environment can lead to instability within society. The anime represents how important the balance between society and the natural elements is. If this balance is out of place, society will be unbalanced which can cause destruction and a variety of issues. The anime shows the desperation of citizens to restore the balance, but their inability to know how. 

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Studio Ghibli has yet again created an extraordinary film. This anime is not like other Studio Ghibli films due to its loud and dramatic nature, but it is highly emotional, which is a characteristic trait of the studio. I enjoyed watching this anime and seeing Nausicaa encourage peace throughout the valley. I thought it was exceptionally inspiring to see a young girl who has faced so much trauma, still choose to be good and work through peaceful resolutions. There is a sense of obedience that Nausicaa faces at the beginning of the film when her valley is overruled. Still, she slowly realizes the importance of understanding to create peaceful resolutions. She holds true to herself throughout the film, attempting to be the best leader she can be and doing what is best for her people. Her actions show a deep respect for those around her, including the nature that surrounds their valley. 

A theme that I thought was pretty important within this anime is the concept that nature has a deep influence on the world and that there must be a natural balance between society and the natural world. Nature and people can coexist, but people must recognize the power that nature holds. Nausicaa feels a deep connection to the insects and the jungle, which allows her to respect the natural elements around her and have a sense of power from nature. She is saved at the end of the film by the insects, while those who have disrespected them are viewed as villains. Her respect for the insects saves her life and her valley, which illustrates the importance of respect for the natural world around you. Her choice to seek understanding allows her to make peaceful resolutions, which is also important to note as it contrasts with how angry the insects were when they were simply being shot at.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

I really enjoyed reading your post because it gave me a term for what I thought the meaning of the movie was. I reflected on the concept of escapism in the same way you did, but I was unsure what to call it. I am glad I have a word to describe what I believe was a really big and important theme within the anime.

The End of Evangelion

Unlike most anime that we have watched, The End of Evangelion is extraordinarily special. This is because it was created to be an expanded or alternate ending to the original ending. This is extremely fascinating because the creator stated the original was the true ending, yet this got made due to the insistence of fans. That being said, it doesn't have to be watched in order to understand all of Evangelion. This is because it is merely an expansion or another take of the last two episodes of the original series.

I feel like an extremely important note to cover upon the themes of this film is the aspects of choice and meaning. What I mean by this is that while a lot of what we have discussed about Evangelion has been about masculinity, this end movie of the series brings about a different theme which could be connected. The idea of choice and free will. I feel like it was sometimes easy to lose the idea of free will when watching the pieces we did of the original series, as the path Shinji is following is very absolute, and the choices he is given feel very one-sided. What I mean by this is the fact that because of the negative actions which would take place if the other idea was chosen, the idea of free will kind of was lost. Because it is easy to forget that there is always a choice. Even if the choice is death, that is still an action which can be taken. This is really important to note and I feel like really comes across throughout the movie, because I feel as though you take deeper note of the different actions of the characters. It also helps that it dissuades the ascribed meaning to which felt like it existed previously to do with the show.

With the discussion of meaning comes the idea of escapism, which is seen throughout the show and can be brought back to the topic of masculinity. This can be done via the idea that he had to confront his emotions and problems instead of leaving them stewing. This is seen on many different levels within the show, but due to the ideas presented in the movie it feels a lot more prominent.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie fine, but I preferred the original ending for a variety of reasons. Most notably, it is what I grew up on and I do feel like the ending existed, even if it wasn't exactly what people wanted it to be.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

The End of Evangelion

The end of Evangelion was created after the conclusion of the original series due to a variety of questions posed by viewers. As I discussed in my previous post, the creator of the anime was struggling with his mental health and circumstances. When analyzed, you can see many of those personal struggles reflected in the anime, especially toward the end. An important theme that I think the movie specifically reflects that is less present in the original anime is the idea of hope. The end of Evangelion depicts Shinji returning to the real world and discovering to believe that there is hope for a better future, even within his lifetime. Shinji initially accepts the Human Instrumentalist Project, abandoning his personal identity, but later chooses to reject the Project. Shinji, as a character, is extremely complex, and you can see many of the personal battles that the creator of the anime faces reflected in this character’s personal identity. 

Although it may not be the intended focus of watching this anime, I want to touch on how the creation of anime can be a massive form of self-expression. In a sense, the creator of this anime used the anime as a form of therapy to deal with the issues that he was facing in his own life. This connects to how many viewers use anime as a form of escape from their personal issues. Anime is often overlooked as a form of expression and escape, but it is often a way for people to deal with the real-world issues that they are facing. Whether those issues be personal mental problems or major historical events that impacted their life, like some of the animes we have discussed previously within this class, there are often issues that can be seen within the anime that reflect various issues within society or the creators' lives.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

SwampCon 2025: Your Cup of Tea

Swampcon 2025: Your Cup of Tea was an experience for me. I am not a massive anime fan, and honestly, admittedly, I chose to take this class because it seemed like the most entertaining option. I made the decision to go for a few hours and bring my boyfriend, who is actually much more into anime than I am and has really enjoyed watching new animes with me for this class. We went and observed. We wandered around for the first hour, seeing everyone in their costumes and exploring the various vendors that displayed their artwork. I really enjoyed seeing the artwork and the vendors because each of the vendors had a very specific style or interest that you could see reflected. Each vendor had an obvious personal interest that they chose to make artwork based on and they are an obvious reflection of culture capital. The artists are specifically a reflection of shadow culture capital exchange, but the artists are a reflection of official culture capital exchange in which consumerism is also reflected. To conclude my discussion on the artists and vendors at the convention, there is also an impact of simulacra that can be recognized. Many of the artists choose to display artwork that is original but inspired and, in a sense, pieced together from other animes. This is a further reflection on how the anime that a person is interested in their artistic style and the characters they chose to create as well. 

I ended up coming back to the convention a few hours later with a friend from my sorority, who I view as really open-minded and who is always really interested in discovering new things. She really enjoys interacting with people who are different from her and learning from them in a way. I helped her make a TikTok about the various majors of those in attendance at the convention, in an attempt to show how the convention brought people together as a community with shared interests. Shared interests and shared values are an important part of societies, creating natural communities beyond geographical ones. 

Recognizing how anime facilitates the formation of niche interest groups or communities, it is important to acknowledge the impact that anime has on certain individuals in terms of mental health. Many people use anime as a form of escape from their daily lives in a variety of ways. Certain individuals, such as my boyfriend, use it simply as a form of entertainment. However, others find themselves immersed in the fandom of an anime to a point where they find refuge in that community. They often find themselves isolated before finding a community within their fandom, but access to that community grants them access to social interaction as well. This increased social interaction often promotes positive mental health within the individual and can allow them to form genuine connections based on shared interests.

To be honest, I was critical of having to attend this convention at first. However, walking around and seeing the various principles regarding fandom, culture capital, and others that have been discussed as a part of this class reflected in a real-life setting was quite eye-opening. I have been aware of the universality of the themes and concepts we discuss, but I have not had an opportunity to see it reflected for myself until attending the convention. I also was given a moment to reflect on my fandoms, and how they do not differ that much from the ones I was slightly critical of. This reflection caused me to analyze how I have allowed my personal biases based on my Western experience to cloud my judgment, which was a really important part of this experience for me.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

I really appreciated how you referenced the personal reflection that you were sent on as a result of watching this anime. This anime is extremely complex and meant to inspire self reflection in the individuals that watch it as the characters follow their own self reflection. That is how I chose to interpret it and I am glad someone else noticed something fairly similar to my perspective.

NGE eps. 8, 16, 24, 26

I was sad they killed off Kaworu immediately. Anyway, that episode was really interesting to see, just because I noticed Shinji blushing a lot when Kaworu had any interaction with him. I felt like I saw him interact with many girls, e.g. Ms. Misato, Rei, Asuka, etc., but I feel like he did not blush as much or as often with them. It was also interesting to see how drawn-out that one scene was where Shinji was in the EVA and he had to kill Kaworu for the sake of humanity. It was just playing classical music for quite some time before Shinji proceeded to kill Kaworu, and I just thought about how Kaworu and Shinji had their first interaction talking about how music entices the soul or something like that. Even though there was music playing during that scene, that scene was still very quiet and silent. You could really feel the contemplation that Shinji was going through before going through with the act. Also the last episode was really introspective and made me start thinking about myself. I wonder what versions of myself are possible, and I wonder what life would have been like if I was not who I am right now. I wonder how life would have been had I interpreted some other things differently. What do people think about me? What makes me, me? Who am I? Imma go sleep on these questions now.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

Neon Gen Part 2

Neon Genesis Evangelion has a variety of themes and messages that are presented throughout the show. This anime changes significantly throughout the course of it, and I personally think that the end of the show is much deeper than the beginning. The plot progresses as Shinji establishes his personal identity, but there are also themes of masculinity and masculine presentations that should be acknowledged. There are many themes of identity, specifically identity within gender presentations. Honestly, if it were not for this course, I am not sure I would have acknowledged these themes of masculinity, but given the scope of the course and our previous lecture, I recognized it. Shinji attempts to destroy the enforcement of hegemonic masculinity, establishing the importance of his queer identity. There are many moments in which hegemonic masculinity is questioned and critiqued throughout the anime, and there is importance placed on Shinji’s identity as a queer individual. 

I also wanted to comment on how the creator of this anime had a variety of personal identity struggles that can be seen throughout the anime as well. I think many of these personal struggles being reflected in the anime do, in a sense, give it depth, but it loses the original plots and messages that are noticeable in the beginning. To comment on that further, the plot does get lost from the beginning to the end of the anime. Although there is a clear progression, I feel as though there are more side plots towards the end of the anime that cause viewers to get confused. This is a common critique of the anime as many viewers comment that towards the end, there is less emphasis on the original storyline and a more narrow focus on individual character identities. This anime is commonly critiqued but also commonly favored.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

I really appreciated how the readings show a clear focus on masculine identity, but you applied those themes to feminine identities as well. There is often a disconnect between feminine and masculine identity and I liked how you chose to connect those within the readings. I also really appreciated how you commented on specific behaviors within the anime that reflect the themes.

Neon Genesis (ep. 1,2,4,5)

I love this series so much. Despite how confusing and all-over-the-place it feels, Neon Gen holds a very special place in my heart. Something about the animation style, character dynamics, and broad storyline makes this weirdly fun to watch. Now, watching this show alongside Connell and Heasley’s works, it definitely feels like there is a “more meaningful” development within this story.

Starting off, Connell and Heasley both discuss masculinity as a diverse topic, rather than as a fixed trait. I feel like the foundation of these two works are very important within the topic of gender studies. After all, it always seems like there is a larger fixation on conversations surrounding women and LGBTQ+ as a whole, but much less about men or concepts of masculinity. I find this especially interesting because, as discussed by both Connell and Heasley, varying forms of masculinity seem to be extremely notable in everyday life.

Considering the many different characters within Neon Gen, I would say that Shinji and Gendo represent the most recognizable forms of masculinity. Following Connell’s model, Gendo is very clearly an example of Hegemonic Masculinity. Gendo is very emotionally reserved, even toward his son, and his priority is always work and being a dominant figure. On the other hand, Shinji seems to exemplify more subordinate or queer masculinity. Shinji is fearful, wants to avoid fighting/violence, and seeks to escape the position he has been placed into. It is so interesting to watch as Shinji, whose entire world is now centered around protecting everyone from angels, wants nothing more than to be set free from this burden. I feel like this is a stark contrast to typical male protagonists, who tend to be more battle-ready and hard headed.

Although the readings focused on masculinity, I also wanted to briefly mention the types of femininity we see in these episodes. Most notably, our main female characters are Rei and Misato. Despite how different their characters are, they seem to have relatively similar “versions” of femininity. Both of these women follow a more submissive role and work for the dominating Gendo. We see how both characters, specifically Rei, are focused on following orders and obeying the guidelines that have been laid before them. Anyways, I just found that kind of interesting.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

I appreciated how you talked about the improbable structures in the anime. Although it represents a variety of themes often present within our society, it is still a fictional storyline. Not everything must match perfectly to how it would in everyday society, but there are enough similarities to be a critique of society through the anime.

Wandering Son

Wandering Son discusses the concepts of identity, belonging, and self-esteem when characters who struggle with processing these conflicting emotions need to learn how to handle them in a conservative society where it is not socially accepted as the "norm". Doi's supportive attitude towards Nitori's choice to act feminine in private contradicts his antagonistic verbal statements targeted towards Nitori when they're surrounded by others in the same room. I personally view this as a visual representation of internalized insecurity regarding fragile masculinity. Even though Doi may feel like Nitori should embrace what makes them truly comfortable in their own skin, Doi may only have the confidence to think so in private to himself. In the context where he is in a public setting, the pressure of fitting in with the rest of society or unwillingness to be a potential outcast overshadows his eagerness to help Nitori. Doi and Nitori's situation might be a theme that the author was trying to convey, where if nobody has to confidence to step up and stand for their beliefs, then a change will never happen. We see this often and consider it as the "bystander effect", where everyone waits for another person to initiate a reform. The reason why this bystander effect is so common is because the person who assumes that leadership position is also assuming the most responsibility for stepping out of the "norm". That responsibility is intimidating for most people, where the burden of irresponsibility comes at the cost of ostracization. It was interesting to see the attitudes people had of Nitori's femininity compared to their reactions to Takatsuki wishing to be more masculine. We see this commonly reflected in real life as well, where girls who act masculine are labeled as "tomboys" and treat it like a phase. It feels belittling and, in a way, very superficial where girls who genuinely feel more comfortable in their masculinity are not taken seriously and often objectified and labeled by their masculinity as well. Men who act feminine are shunned on a deeper level, and they are called weak, disgusting, and perverted. They are treated as subhuman, and not even worthy of being acknowledged. This is deeply rooted in generational patriarchal mindsets that have become the norm where the head of the family (almost always a male head), must be strong, reliable, and intelligent to be able to provide for the entire family. Throughout history, these have been traits that described primarily men, (only boys had the privilege of going to school, expected to be leaders, etc.), and this structure is improbable at the hands of a man who has traits of a woman. I think Wandering Son provides important insight on how we see these dynamics that pose an issue even in social circles as young as middle schoolers.

[nicoles-notes-blogproject]

Neon Genesis Evangelion Pt. 1

Out of the animes that we have been assigned to watch in this course, this is one of the ones I have heard of a variety of times before. It has become a big part of popular culture due to its universal themes that are recognizable within our society. These universal themes are evident within both Japanese and Western culture, which I think is highly important to note because it shows that there are themes within society that are persistent throughout cultures. This anime specifically focuses on the themes of alienation and loneliness, as well as the human condition as a whole. One of the main characters becomes isolated and struggles with mental health issues. Alongside these mental health issues, he is forced to search within himself and undergo a path of self-discovery. He must reflect on himself to discover who he wants to be and what progress to make towards that idealized self. 

Alongside the themes of self-discovery and isolation, there are also themes of finding hope within a world that seems to be filled with despair. The anime focuses heavily on finding hope within your current circumstances, which is important to me personally because I believe I often struggle with that concept. I also think it is important to briefly note the religious symbolism that can be seen within the anime. I may have drawn more attention to this than others due to my religious background, but there are many themes of redemption for one’s past actions and humanity as a whole that can be connected to Christianity. Although this may not be intentional, it made me feel a more significant connection to the anime and the character’s struggles. Overall, the anime represents how discrimination and personal differences can contribute to personal struggles, but hope is an important aspect when considering the world.