#I don’t know what kind of person for example Nazuna actually is I probably never will

[boneless-mika]

Fake fan of everything I’ve ever been a fan of because I’m not good at interpreting and my memory is not great either

[hyenahunt]

Werewolf - 3

Writer: Nishioka Maiko

Season: Summer

Proofreading: 310mc (JP)

Translation: Bella & hyenahunt

Natsume: Just look at Jun-kun. You're leaning against him so much that he's starting to go sideWAYS. Poor THING.

[Location: Seisou Hall Common Room]

Hiyori: You have my utmost thanks for not voting me off! And with that, my victory is decided!

Shinobu: Hooray! Our werewolf team's come out on top~!

Eichi: My, and I thought they were harmless… They certainly pulled the wool over my eyes.

Sora: Haha~, game over! That's a win for the werewolves~♪

Rinne: Dammit… If you hadn't hung me first, we mighta had a chance of winnin'.

Yuta: Excuse me? We all thought hanging you was the safest thing to do, okay? Makes sense, since you're the absolute worst and all. Why're you even so full of yourself to begin with?

Rinne: Damn, kid, ain't it obvious! It's 'cause no one else on the villager side's got smarts and skills like me!

Yuta: Yeah, yeah. Save all that sleeptalk for when you're snug in bed, 'kay~?

Natsume: Good GRIEF… It's that kind of idiotic behavior that cost us the GAME.

I didn't think someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth would be so good at this, THOUGH. I wonder if being rich made him so wickED?

Jun: Right? Ohii-san, that didn't seem like your first time at all.

Hiyori: Heheh ♪ It was an absolute piece of cake~

All the same, it doesn't feel too great to play such a cruel game. A foul weather...

Sora: Cruel…?

Natsume: Big talk from someone who had the time of his life fooling us ALL.

Jun: Is this game really that cruel? Personally, I think it's fun and easy to understand.

Sora: What makes you think that, Dazzling-oniisan? Sora wants to know!

Hiyori: Well I mean, that's it, isn't it? Playing this game requires you to think anything and everything could be a lie. Doubting your own friends is just how you start making progress.

Make a single mistake and you'll be made an example of, and once you are, you have no choice but to be eliminated.

You doubt and deceive your own friends, and despite knowing that one word from you could decide their fate, you up and say it anyway... Isn't that rather cruel?

Natsume: Hmph, how ludiCROUS. It's just a GAME, that’s why we can take it eaSY. Confusing fiction and reality like that is just nonSENSE.

Or WHAT, do you actually think that mystery writers are murderers in real LIFE?

Hiyori: Of course I'm aware of that. That's why I said it doesn't feel too great, but the game itself is fun and all.

This game may be built upon a foundation of cynicism, but I much prefer happier things and the ideal of inherent goodness. Those make a much finer weather ♪

✦✦✦✦✦

[Location: Seisou Hall Dorm Room (Leo, Natsume, Nazuna)]

Jun: I haven't been getting any good cards for a while now~ Every pull you’ve swapped with me has wound up in your favour, huh.

Natsume: Yup, seems like I'm in luck toDAY ♪ I must've taken all of YOURS.

Jun: Seriously~? C'mon, gimme a break.

Ah, my turn's over.

Hiyori: ...Is it just me, or have the two of you been getting closer lately? Natsume-kun. Don't you snatch Jun-kun without my permission, got that?!

Jun: He’s not, though. Even if I was being snatched, why would anyone need your permission for that?

Natsume: You KNOW… You're just barging into my room and saying whatever you LIKE, Tomoe-senpai.

Jun-kun's the one who dropped by and said he wanted to play a game in the first PLACE.

I've got the game he wanted to try so badLY, so I'm just playing with HIM.

Hiyori: In that case, Jun-kun's the naughty one here!

Jun: Why.

Hiyori: It's a beautiful thing to form bonds, but it's no good to wag your tail at just about anyone. You ought to have more dignity!

Natsume: ...AnyWAYS, Tomoe-senpai. Would you please stop trying to squeeze between Jun-kun and I?

There's plenty of room elseWHERE. It's too cramped like THIS.

Hiyori: I simply feel like sitting here, you see. I'm just exercising my freedom of choice ☆

Natsume: Just look at Jun-kun. You're leaning against him so much that he's starting to go sideWAYS. Poor THING.

Jun: I can barely even see the screen since he started this.

He's bored 'cause we're ignoring him, so he's being a pain to get back at us.

Hiyori: Never mind all that. Jun-kun, I'll have you know I'm hungry.

Jun: Geez, ignoring me the moment you don't wanna hear something, huh... Well, that's Ohii-san for you.

So? You're hungry, right? But if you eat at this hour, Ibara's gonna pitch a fit, y'know?

Hiyori: That viper's always spitting his venom everywhere, so I shall simply pay him no heed!

Natsume: Come to think of IT, it's already TEN… I was so absorbed in our game I didn't even noTICE. We've been at it for a WHILE...

Jun: In that case, shall we call it a night soon?

Hiyori: Yes, yes. Now then, Jun-kun, let's be off right away for a late night snack!

✦✦✦✦✦

[Location: Seisou Hall 1st Floor Passage]

Natsume: Then maybe I'll go to the kitchen TOO.

Hiyori: Hm? What's this? Natsume-kun, you're heading for the kitchen, too? Will you have a late snack with us?

Natsume: No WAY. I thought I'd just get something to DRINK.

—Hm?

Sora: ......

Natsume: (There're people outside… Sora and Kaminari-san? Did they just get back from WORK?

It seems like they're in some sort of deep conversaTION…?

I've almost never seen Sora look so seriOUS… It's different from when he's giving his all at WORK. What could have hapPENED…?)

Hiyori: Whatever's the matter, Natsume-kun? Don't just stand there zoning out — I'd like to hurry over to the kitchen at once!

Natsume: (I'm worried, BUT… Well, I'm sure it's FINE. It's probably not a good idea to pry too MUCH.)

I’m coMING.

✦✦✦✦✦

← prev ✦ all ✦ next →

[marshmallowgoop]

Brand New Animal...

So, the last few episodes of BNA: Brand New Animal dropped on Netflix Japan last week. I was initially really hyped for this anime—I devoted several hours of my life to translating and summarizing the Winter 2020 Otomedia interview concerning it—so I intended to write a lot more about the series, especially upon a wider release.

But having now seen every episode, this is another Kiznaiver and Darling in the Franxx for me. There’s a lot of potential, and I was incredibly invested at the start, but the narrative quickly goes directions and makes decisions that don’t sit well with me at all.

For those interested in BNA, my (mostly?) spoiler-free opinion is that it’s visually beautiful (especially in regards to its colors), but the story feels scattered, and there’s so little time devoted to positive interactions among the leads that their friendships fall flat. Further, speaking as a very character-oriented person, I finished this anime annoyed at the entire main cast. Their growth comes across as dissatisfying and undeserved.

Of course, it is more than worth noting that my understanding of Brand New Animal is indeed limited at this point; I don’t have much of a grasp on Japanese, there are no official English translations yet, and I watched with Japanese subtitles. (At least until episode 12. While there are thankfully subtitles available now, there weren’t when I watched, which is a huge disappointment in terms of accessibility.)

I recognize that my feelings may very well change if I have a better sense of everything that’s being said. But given what I do know, I—at least at the moment—have no desire to rewatch this series. I’m always open to requests to talk about BNA, but I don’t think I’ll be blogging much about it otherwise.

All that said, I do want to share some spoiler thoughts under the cut. As my sister noted, I am “very upset about this furry anime.”

First things first: I cannot stand Nazuna. I’m sorry. I think it’d probably be too much to say that she soured the whole show for me, but she definitely comes close.

Now, I got a (minor) degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, so, yes, I can’t help but wonder if my strong negative feelings are related to sexism. Would I feel so strongly if there were a man in Nazuna’s place? There’s been a lot of investigating myself these last few days, let me tell you.

Still, I can’t say I know the answers. But I do have some Thoughts that are maybe best illustrated with another anime I’ve started watching lately: My Hero Academia.

Do note that I’m only on Season 2, but there are also characters I strongly dislike so far in My Hero—characters who are arguably much worse than Nazuna, as far as their actions and behavior go. Bakugo is an angry, abusive bully, while Mineta sexually harasses women. I hate both of them, but—especially regarding Bakugo—it’s a different kind of hate than what I feel for Nazuna.

Why? Well, I won’t deny the possibility that sexism plays a role, but there’s also a profound difference in how these characters are treated by their stories. Bakugo initially gets away with his bad attitude, but upon coming to high school, he’s a pariah. He’s called out for being a jerk, time and time again. Mineta, similarly, is not adored for his actions. These aren’t nice dudes, and the narrative makes this point clear. Regarding Bakugo, I hate him, but it’s not exactly a bad kind of hate. Because I hate him, I’m rooting even harder for Deku to prove him wrong.

But what about Nazuna? She pretends to be another culture’s god, but much of BNA seems dedicated to treating her as a poor victim who was manipulated into manipulating others and needs to be rescued. While Nazuna’s situation is indeed a frightening one that I don’t at all intend to make light of, episode 6 makes abundantly clear that this girl adores masquerading as a goddess and fails to see any moral problem in tricking thousands of people into believing that she’s their savior.

And that, to me, is absolutely horrendous. Nazuna is not in kindergarten. She is not a small child still in the preoperational stage of development. She is an older teenager. I find it disconcerting to paint her as someone in a rough place who was simply desperate for love when she pointedly relishes her false godhood because it makes her feel like an idol. That is so unbelievably gross and disrespectful.

Of course, Nazuna truly doesn’t see what she’s doing as wrong, and I recognize that she is young. In the end, as I hope the Bakugo example highlights, my issues are really less about Nazuna herself and more about how she’s written and depicted. Just as there’s nothing inherently despicable about portraying a smug, selfish teenage boy in a cartoon, there’s nothing inherently despicable about portraying a smug, selfish teenage girl in another cartoon. But while Deku and Bakugo were also past friends just as Michiru and Nazuna, Deku never defends Bakugo’s awful behavior as Michiru does for Nazuna.

And that bothers me. Michiru—our protagonist and so the person viewers are pushed to empathize most with—never really seems to grasp just how disgusting Nazuna’s actions are. More importantly, neither does Nazuna herself. She’s instantly forgiven, and her dream comes true seemingly without any apology or understanding of wrong whatsoever.

Brand New Animal is filled to the brim with social commentary, but one message that stood out to me actually has nothing to do with the human/animal-human conflict. It’s instead that this cute girl never has to face the consequences of her actions because she’s cute.

I know, I know. This is some pretty over-the-top negativity. But I was so excited for this series. Especially considering the ending conflict around being “mixed” and “purebred,” I felt like BNA was an opportunity for writer Kazuki Nakashima to more thoroughly explore concepts he wanted to examine in Kill la Kill but didn’t because a talking outfit just ain’t gonna garner the same amount of sympathy as cute animal-humans. With my recent(ish) Wolf Children posting in mind, I also love that Brand New Animal ultimately pushes for diversity instead of away from it as I feel that film does, even if there are some... unfortunate implications along the way (that I don’t know if I’m personally capable of analyzing).

But 12 episodes simply couldn’t do this show justice. I’m supposed to care for a girl who calls being an animal-human a “disease” and never seems to really reconcile with how messed up that is? I’m supposed to care for a man who dismembers others in the name of “honor” and never seems to really reconcile with how messed up that is? I’m supposed to hope that two friends/lovers get back together when one is rude and dismissive towards the other for the majority of the show, and the other idolizes her and overlooks her truly terrible misdeeds?

Maybe I just don’t get it. Maybe I missed something (or a lot of things). But there is so much here that gets resolved too quickly or never receives the full exploration it deserves. As I said in the start, characters fall flat, their friendships fall flatter, and any good themes or messages that I do recognize in the series hardly impact me because the rushed development of the players soured my positive feelings for them.

I would have loved to see Michiru acknowledge that she’s in love with someone who does bad things. I would have loved a heart-to-heart where she admits this to Shirou, where he then admits that in his long life, there have been times when he’s been in the same boat. I would have loved to see Nazuna truly question her actions, where her declaration that she’s Nazuna instead of a cult leader actually means something because she’s recognized that she’s been wrong and is ready to be loved for herself, not someone she’s not. I would have loved to see a moment where Michiru expresses to Shirou that he shouldn’t control his violent tendencies for her approval but because it’s simply the right thing to do. The list goes on and on.

At the end of the day, I can admit my own garbage tastes. Bakugo is apparently the most popular My Hero character, and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else express such a harsh opinion regarding Nazuna’s portrayal in BNA. Episode 5 of the show (with the baseball) seems to be its most adored entry, but I thought little of it. My favorite things in anime—and what I’m specifically looking forward to in Studio Trigger anime—are maybe anomalies.

But, gosh. I really wanted to love this.