#anti mappa

[sonofthesaiyans]

Something I gotta say to you Eren fans...

Let's be very clear, this is NOT a channel where you're going to find any love for Eren Yeager. So let me extend something important to you guys;

If for any reason ANY of you here still have any genuine sympathy for Eren, even after all he did to betray and manipulate his friends, to warp space and time to slaughter billions of people, to betray everything the Survey Corps stood for.......

I extend you some advice. One, get some professional help IMMEDIATELY, because I have absolutely no respect for your affection towards Eren after he committed global genocide and knowingly sacrificed his own friends to see it through. I have no respect for anyone who blindly glosses over his crimes.

This shit is called ATTACK ON TITAN. NOT ATTACK ON EREN, this is NOT the same anime that hit the scene back in 2013, I will not acknowledge this bizarre shift in the story as a legitimate part of the AOT narrative, and nor should you. It is wrong to enable Hajime Isayama like that, who legit tried to frame Eren's actions as justifiable, something he WASN'T doing with Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie up to a certain point. Eren wasn't the initial villain, and if that really was Isayama's game from the beginning, I refer you to my previous post about how much Eren poisons his own saga.

And second, if you're not prepared to come to grips with that, you better keep your feelings for Eren FAR AWAY from this channel. Just, don't fucking bring that filth to my page. I don't want it. Because, GENOCIDE. Romanticizing a character guilty of that is NOT okay. This cunt from Hita, Japan trying to frame this kind of character as a tragic hero is NOT okay. Not here, I will NOT listen to it.

"Thank you Eren, you became a mass murderer to save us...." Fuck off. NO, the anime ending does not absolve Isayama of that line.

Tread carefully. It's already going to be ugly enough the next time I catch up with Bryce Papenbrook, and especially the day I finally catch up to Isayama himself.

Bottom line guys, FUCK EREN.

[manslutz]

watcher entertainment what the fuck............

[sonofthesaiyans]

I was just wondering, in regards to my earlier repost......would it have made a lot more sense to position the Tyburs as Eren's main opponent in saving Paradis and thus making them a more proactive presence, regardless of whether the Rumbling remains canon?

The Tyburs are as I said before, an utterly underwhelming factor of the story given how quickly they are killed after the truly baffling revelation that they are Eldian themselves governing Marley. And General Theo Magath hardly justifies his involvement as he too is killed off criminally early in his campaign to stop Eren and perhaps even is too quick to see the error of his ways in the pacing of the final arc. Sure him seeing how badly Marley screwed itself is a slightly better executed "arc" compared to Gabi's bullshit story where she still faced nothing for her crimes, but his impact is still middling by the time he dies with Keith at his side.

Perhaps if Willy had been leading the charge and Lara was actually built up as a warrior in her own right and not some random homemaker lady with no plot or personality to go by....or if someone else had been given the bloody Warhammer and actually executed its awesome power.....I mean it's an Eldian clan willing to wipe out their own kind up against the Eldians determined to reclaim their place in the world, I feel like the points expressed through characters like Magath or even Garbage Braun could have been better conveyed through the Tyburs going up directly against Eren rather than further distracting us with one plot that proved inconsequential and several character arcs that further distracted from the main flow of the story.

And to those of you still foaming at the mouth at Willy's iconic death in "Declaration of War", save your spazzing out for someone who gives a damn, that episode is as shit as the rest of this three year long final season. It's a stupid death when you consider how it voided such a puzzling revelation on Marley's side of the story.

Obviously I haven't worked out all the finer details so I'm sure there's some holes in my logic.....but I feel like several major points could have been salvaged with a different approach here. Something I think worth discussing.

Shout-out to @glassesntea for their original post on the topic of the Tyburs. I think if you're going to introduce this kind of information into the story, you should follow through on it. Make it come full circle. Isayama really dropped the ball on this, harder than when Gabbitch Braun was dropped on her head at birth.

[rikeijo]

Hi, I'd like to ask how fans in Japan have reacted to the movie cancellation and if you have any theories about the reasons behind the decision. I saw fans speculating that it was cancelled because of geopolitics (main character is Russian -> war, doping, anti-lgbtq laws etc.) and I think that would be really tone-deaf. A mostly finished movie doesn't get shelved without very good reasons.

Thank you so much for your translations. Hope you're okay over there!

Hi, thank you for your ask!

Yeah, that's right! Most people assume it's because of politics. It would make sense if IceAdo problems haven't started loong before the War. Japanese fandom is very hostile to any controversies (as an example, YoI still has the reputation of being 'copyright infringement anime', because of background of that one scene that was aired almost 10 years ago), so the idea of anime that may be interpreted as praising the country, that attacked another country and in addition to that, their skaters are cheaters and were banned from competitions is just not something that sits well with a lot of otakus. Not even necessarily because they are so noble etc., but because it means that their beloved anime is an easy target for (difficult to dispute) hate from antis.

The movie, however, I'm 99% sure, was cancelled because of money. Not because of MAPPA, of course, they don't have the rights to cancel it - Otsuka CEO was whining about not having enough power in production committees in relatively recent interviews (funny how he even mentioned specifically YoI's situation, isn't it? here). The rights to YoI are owned by Avex Pictures, it's their trademark.

It's really very simple - in January of 2019, the teaser was released in Jp cinemas together with the TV series split into 3 parts. Even though they had merch with new illustration as a free gift for every person that bought the ticket, most screening were like 90% empty. VicYuu fujos celebrated that the teaser without their uke, Yuuri, flopped and feminine Victor movie will likely flop now (I'm not going to post a link to their online archive because it's cursed, but it's easy to find) - I mean literally, they celebrated. After the teaser, the production committee just stopped caring about the IP. It's possible that after that they still tired behind the scene to make it work somehow, but I've also seen rumors recently that Sayo run away from the production (with a nuance of 'she had enough and just disappeared on them').

Here you can read a Jp anime journalist's analysis of the possible reasons behind cancelling of shows like YoI, and he also points out that it's mainly just about saying goodbye to unprofitable IPs.

[xmentallydisturbedllamax]

That's the plan! So please sign the petition to help us make it happen! ❤️

I’m praying that what happened with nimona will happen with Yuri on ice. That another studio will get the rights to the movie and complete it.

[moonspirit]

Hello moon!

Just wanted to show you this tweet from a japenese fan talking about aruani from the last attack pamphlet! I’m so excited aruani was mentioned and explicitly mentioned that they are in love but I’m a little worried that people will go with the tired narrative of “see they were shoehorned at the very end! They were so random” 😞

To me, it seemed like that they were saying that they begun their little actual love affair from here rather than just feelings being had that have been brewing, what do you think?

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh omg!!!! I did not see this so thank you for showing it to me T_____T

And akkswujdbwksnwhiss any tidbit of official Aruani stuff is DELICIOUS! T____T truly gotta thank Isayama and Mappa for feeding us healthy food wkbsjaks~

As for your concern, yeah I agree with you, it's exactly what you said at the end about the intent being that Aruani get to actually begin their relationship post-rumbling. It's not about their feelings at all. I think a lot gets lost in translation especially with Japanese so it's easy to assume that this info means something else.

That said we know that it's not the case so we can always help people who are confused about it. Imo Japanese AA fans in particular are very perceptive about the ship as a whole, with lots of them seeing the potential of AA very early on and shipping them since S1. So tweets like this rarely mean otherwise. If I'm not wrong, this particular twitter user has been an AA fan for a long time too? Their username seems familiar, tho I could be wrong about that bit.

That said it's possible that antis will latch on to this bit and come to annoy us again xD rather than get into arguments, we ignore them, that's all.

Thank you so much for showing me this tho 🥹 I'm so excited and my heart is warm AAAAAAA T///////////T

[animehouse-moe]

Anti-War Manga Recommendations

Yeah, not quite on my bingo card for today, but a bit of an insane statement to find. I'd say I can't believe it, but almost every company out there can be bought, bribed, or bullied into this sort of presence, so I'll leave my thoughts at it being pathetic and dangerous.

Anyways, considering the sheer stupidity and brazenness of this entirely heartless idea, I wanted to bring attention to some manga that speak in depth towards anti-war sentiments, largely focusing on Japan's experience with WWII.

Okinawa - Susumu Higa

This is probably the most unique title on this list, in my opinion. Okinawa, as the name implies, is a manga detailing the lives and collective conscious of the Okinawa people in two parts: the first showing their lives and interactions during the storming of the Okinawa islands as Japan fights against the Americans, and the second is the post-war experiences placed against the ever present American occupation.

Don't get it wrong, this story is about war, but before that it's about how people live under the shadow of war. How people fear for their lives, how they leave people behind, how they demonize one another for their own survival, how tradition and culture collapse for the sake of survival. But also how a people rebuild their history, how they exist under occupation, how they fall prey to American greed. It's a story that tells of not the experience of an individual or even a community, but of a singular conscious that comprises the Okinawa islands during the era. It's a very strong and emotional story despite its relative detachment from the imagery of war.

F - Arata Imai

In the middle of Japan, a three party front breaks out into an effective war, and a British reporter appears, attempting to make a "big scoop" in the midst of the horror and tragedy.

F is a... terrible manga. Terrible in the sense that it's hard to experience because of its brutality and truth. It's a manga that paints the picture of the West's imaginary "rehabilitation" of Japan post-WWII and melds it together with their "War on Terror", placing the English lead character as the figurehead of the "good" countries.

In actuality, it is one terrible depiction of war after another, built atop the backdrop of the terrible Fukushima meltdown and Touhoku tsunami, combined with the conception of the Syrian civil war and Isis. The icing on this hellish cake being the existence of a terrorist organization, and the reporter's name being John Cantile, who then goes on to create propaganda for the organization F.

There's not really a way to explain the horror associated with this story as it brings the disaster and destruction of Japan in 2011 alongside the pathetic fantasy of an English-speaking rule over Japan. But I think the imagery of endless destruction while someone prattles on about it "being a good, positive change for the people" under occupation does a good job of illustrating Imai's desire to spit in the face of America's occupation of Japan, and their similar attempts in the Middle East.

Barefoot Gen - Keiji Nakazawa

I don't think I really need to say anything about this one. Keiji Nakazawa himself was a survivor of Hiroshima, which this manga details. An ever present part of anime and manga history, it's (in my opinion) a piece of required reading for engagement in the medium.

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms - Fumiyo Kouno

More similar to the latter parts of Okinawa and Barefoot Gen, Town of Evening Calm is a story that focuses on the aftermath of WWII. This manga from Kouno focuses on the intense poverty and struggle for survival that plagues the people of Japan that exist in the shadow of war and the atomic bomb. It may be only a single volume, but it's a very impactful read.

In This Corner of The World - Fumiyo Kouno

Complaining about the fact that Town of Evening Calm is out of print in English? Well, don't worry, In This Corner of The World has a movie that you can watch (from Mappa). Inverse to Town of Evening Calm, In This Corner of The World details the buildup to the end of WWII, and a young girl's experience with those rising tensions and dangers as she's separated from her family. An incredible series, both as the manga and the anime.

Tsubasa - Ayumu Tachihara

Yet another short, but incredibly important read. Tsubasa is a manga that focuses on Kamikaze pilot Daisuke's decision to join and offer his life, detailing his experiences and thoughts leading up to his death. Alongside F and Barefoot Gen, this manga was an emotional struggle to experience. The dissonance between Daisuke's inner monologue and the words he provides to the people around him makes for a painful experience that pleads for a reason to stop, but cannot find one amidst the situation.

And there's still a mountain more of Japanese media with anti-war sentiments that exist both as explicit and implicit commentary. Just look at Grave of The Fireflies (Ghibli adapted it from a novel), or anything Gundam related.

War is an abhorrent and brutal thing, and those that incite and encourage it do not deserve to call themselves human. Bringing the United States military into something that has absolutely no association to it (rather anime and manga have a certain animosity towards them) is a decision that I cannot fathom came from any sane or reasonable person's mind. It is deeply disgusting to see, and I hope that with all my heart that table that the Marines set up will be openly mocked and spat upon by con goers.

Lastly, for those that are willing to spare some money, a few dollars will go a very long way with recent and ongoing conflicts like the unimaginable tragedies occurring in Palestine, and the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Please, don't feel the need to donate, but I do hope that people will contribute in whatever ways possible, and spread awareness and understanding of not just these conflicts, but any of the other countless ongoing conflicts and issues around the world.

[therealslimsanji]

something I'd like to point out about One Piece fans (mostly on Twitter) who think they are more righteous for only (in large amounts might i add, just gushing over their faves in the anime by reblogging gifs, posts, fanarts many times per day every day) reblogging content from the One Piece animanga & boycotting/no longer posting about the One Piece LA just cuz of Taz's """neutrality""" & choice of wording it as "conflict" instead of "genocide" (which conflict is classified under):

They 100% ignore how their "anime that supports absolute freedom + human rights & is anti-genocide, anti-colonialist, etc"... is a product of mostly overworked, underpaid animators under slave-like conditions ie the opposite of freedom, as discussed in this highly viewed video (easy to understand for non-anime people here) : https://youtu.be/BDEIPa9b3OU?feature=shared

I fully believe that even with Netflix being shit, the Live Action staff, script writers, set designers, camerapeople, scene choreographers, actors etc. are way better compensated for their passion & hard work than anime animators forced to take multiple projects just to barely afford their rent & meals while sleeping under 5 hours every day.

Toei animation inc is part of the problem where they obstruct the Toei animators' unionization attempts, & historically is part of the reason why Japanese animators trend to be basically underpaid, worked 20+- hours a day slaves under contract (cuz they followed the Tezuka model of one new episode every week for multiple anime even until it's unfeasible in more complicated-looking modern anime).

The recent anime studio that tried to do good (Kyoto Animation) by setting humane work conditions + donating to a shooting spree tragedy's victims... ran out of money & folded, while many studios that are formerly passion-driven got turned into hellish sweatshops former employees have been rallying against (eg Mappa, which currently produce many extremely popular ongoing anime like Jujutsu Kaisen & Chainsaw Man, which mamy Twitter users reblog too). Most studios keep their animators shut with NDAs & only the ones who get fired/kicked themselves out could speak out, with many studios having dirt.

Holy shit. I had no freaking clue it was that bad! I feel so sorry for those animators, especially the ones tryna support a family on trash pay.

But even with this knowledge you'll still have people that will argue "I'm not talking about what goes on bts, only the storyline and the character Taz plays blah blah blah!" Even though I've had multiple anons point out all the moral complexities that have come up in the anime/manga.

I ventured over to Twitter for a hot second just to see what was going on, and I actually saw a few more positive Taz posts as opposed to constant negative so that's a plus!

[sonofthesaiyans]

THIS.

Everything after the time skip.....never forget all that was stolen from us after that point in the story. It all seemed devoted to one thing and one thing only: Killing off every good thing that made Attack on Titan what it was when it first came on, right down to the original story which upon closer inspection was no longer about the Titans. As I have said in the past, theirs was a compelling mystery that only got worse with every new answer revealed, answers that completely subverted everything established out the starting gate, all of it falling back to Eren Yeager.

I will never understand those who held out for three years and the constant delays between episodes to see this crap adapted to the big screen. And speak of it as it was some sort of major accomplishment on their part. I didn't see any meaningful payoff from this or the manga, so I don't know what the fans think they got out of this.

I would totally love to see the last season declared noncanon if it meant erasing the black stain that still reeks from Eren's betrayal, that baffling and unnecessary time loop, and the completely unwarranted and manipulative deaths that Isayama milked for his own sadistic pleasure, Sasha and Hange above all.

Ironic how the actual ending of this saga, if you can call it that, is a much less conclusive finish than the one we got immediately after the biggest reveal of the series.

This story ended with the ocean.

fun fact: if you stop reading snk at the ocean scene the rumbling doesn't happen, Marley doesn't exist, Eren, Sasha, Floch and Hanji don't die, Historia isn't forced to marry her childhood bully, Eren didn't kill his mama, EMA trio stays together forever, Eremin have a beach wedding and fuck you Isayama

[captivemuses]

Comfort food(s): If I'm going purely sweets then I'm going to say Thin Mints. I did Girl Scouts for a large portion of my childhood and those were and still are my absolute top tier favorite Girl Scout cookie and I'm not even kidding saying I could polish off an entire box in one sitting and regret nothing.

Comfort drink(s): Hot cup of coffee. Granted I normally drink iced coffee during the summertime for obvious reasons but hot coffee is still my favorite.

Comfort movie(s): Pirates of the Caribbean. More specifically the first three because I heavily prefer those to the fourth and fifth installments. I don't mind the fourth one and I'll willingly watch it if I'm in a mood to binge the series again but I wasn't in love with the fifth one and I just wish certain elements of the movie had happened in earlier installments instead. But I just love the cast as a whole and the soundtrack and I can have it on as the best background noise while I'm doing other things and just be happy. I also have the first three soundtracks at work to use as naptime music and my daycare kids genuinely love the music.

Comfort show(s): Yuri on Ice. I always do an annual rewatch of the show and have done so every year since the show came out in 2016. I'll probably keep doing so just because I'll always love the series even if MAPPA clearly doesn't because the suck-- /gets yanked off stage to not go on an anti MAPPA tangent again

Comfort clothing: Pajama pants. I wear those as much as I humanly can because they're stretchy and comfy, and ngl I'm extremely guilty of wearing them to work a lot only because I'm allowed to wear what I want as long as nothing's stained or ripped or having anything offensive or inappropriate for kids on it. I'm here for comfort not fashion when I clock in to take care of threenagers all day rofl.

Comfort song(s): Anything Lady Gaga. I'm not super familiar with her newest album Chromatica as I am with the previous ones but I'm still a huge fan of hers and I'd 100% go see her in concert again if the opportunity arose, she's worth every penny imo.

Comfort book(s): I don’t really have a set of comfort books to share right now. I might update this in the future with some, but the only memorable story is “You”. I prefer it over the show for sure. The exploration of a man so psychologically twisted that when he finally “settled” and had a kid, he would abandon a son, purely out of disgust, knowing that he would turn out just like him. Also, Guinevere Beck is my favourite. I just perceive her as a human character, somebody with flaws that are outlined clearly, and it was an aspect I really enjoyed. I might even reread the first book, just for her. Side note: the cage is such a cool concept, and I will be taking notes. kidding. not really.

Comfort game(s): Either anything Harvest Moon or old school Pokemon (think Johto region, that's always been my favorite). Those are old school nostalgia for me growing up and you'd have me be happy having to go restart the original Gold/Silver for the 15th time or go start a new save file on Harvest Moon (which speaking of I want to pick up the remake again once I'm out of icon hell and don't have to drag my laptop to work all the time). They're just relaxing turn my brain off games that I love.

tagged by: @iceiclehorned ty for the tag!!

tagging: @gildedsplendors @protectivemuses @reflective-muses @weltenwxndler @ofhope @galactia @crimsononiarataki and anyone else who's been good and hydrated today (and if you haven't you should so you can do this and say I tagged you!)

[neonscandal]

Hello...just want to say, so happy !! Finally my best friend who is anti-shipping in shounen (and love to make fun of me because I have ships in every shounen that I watched/read), said that he can't find any het explanation for Gojo/Geto and Bakugou/Midoriya relationships...

Especially when I showed him your posts (that is based in canon and so true). Thanks for sharing your wonderful posts....

What do you think about JJK s2 op1 and ed1? I can't believe when I reas that the op is about geto from gojo's perspective (so romantic)....

OH ANON. HAVE I GOT SOME BRAINROT FOR YOUUUU. I've also noticed some of my older Satosugu posts are attracting attention and subsequently feel like I need to just list out all the most tragic things about them that I hold dear in a separate post because you've basically prodded a festering wound within me.

Re: Your last ask (maybe the same person?), I really only tried to focus on stuff that's already been animated because I try to avoid spoiling the fun for everyone. 🥹✨

It's hilarious that Gojo/Geto and Bakugou/Midoriya are the two relationships that stick out specifically considering their creators intently make them complements of one another.

Gege Akutami cited specifically that Gojo and Geto were designed to be a duo in an interview with Mandou Koboyashi (shout out to twitter user @/soukatsu_ or @soukatsu here as the real MVP for translating and adding further context for other fans). Fans seem to recognize their yin and yang design everywhere. There are countless salt and pepper shaker videos set to Ricky Montgomery's "Mr. Loverman" on tiktok, I'm positive. This is despite being marked by their dissonance.

Kohei Horokoshi has Bakugou and Midoriya recognized as two halves of the same whole by other characters in the story, most remarkably All Might who in many ways carves the deepest chasm(s) between them. The wax and wane of their unique development as individuals being integrally related is also something to note.

But this isn't unique to these two stories. I haven't even watched Naruto but know that Naruto and Sasuke serve as the sun and the moon to one another (literally within the story, their seals and by design/disposition) and I'm sure we could find this in other shows I haven't hyperfixated on haha

There's probably nothing new I can add to the MLM shipping discourse in shonen/seinen genres that hasn't been said, especially when it's been so eloquently broken down by IG user @/ariavelz. I also think there's a fair amount of queerbaiting in mainstream media and anime alike. Five seasons of Free! comes to mind...

Now the MUSIC!? In JJK? Bestie.

S1 already had me gagged with this brain worm. But, the fact that the song playing during Yuta and Rika's final moment in the fight vs. Geto and subsequently during the final moments Gojo and Geto share in that alley in JJK 0 was called "This is Pure Love"??? That's when I knew there were some Satosugu's on staff at Mappa. I don't think we need to dig into the parallels of how Yuta's fondness for Rika being the catalyst for her becoming a curse was the same way Gojo's fondness subsequently led to Geto's "comeback". Gojo, based on his experience at the time, said "love is the most twisted curse of them all" and time showed him just how twisted it really could be in season 2.

NOW THE OP!? It's just so lonely. Their cursed techniques being at odds with one another is so tragic, in a sense, and ultimately creates this divergence from one another. Geto, a genius of diligence, nobly consumes and sullies himself with the curses he has to imbibe like a martyr. Gojo, a genius of happenstance, is pristine. Born into privilege and untouched by the need to work hard or literally touch curses which Geto later grows to resent.

Meanwhile, Gojo's largely a product of isolation as imposed by his status and cursed technique and "Ao no Sumika" or "Where Our Blue Is" by Tatsuya Akitani waxes on about how, despite his best efforts, he could never reach Geto. The irony. As the story continues, we do, in fact, see that Gojo's never changed in the canonically affectionate way he regarded Geto. I think about this dissonance a lot. Literally, how did your Six Eyes miss that?

We could have shared everything. // Little by little since that day, // The curse of me being different from you grew thicker. The sorrow behind your smile, // All the way, I’ve regretted missing it. // To you, who bloomed and fell away as a fruitless flower, // Farewell. Our blue still lives, // Our blue is still clear. // No prayer or word could ever reach you, // No matter how close they could get to you. // In such a color as if it were a silent love, // Or as if it were a summer rolling down a cheek. // I’ve got a curse word for you stuck in the back of my throat. It is the unvoiced voice that says, // “We’ll see each other again, won’t we?” // Like star grains in an infinitely expanding galaxy, // Spilling through the gaps between my fingers

Now, I initially assumed the EP was from Gojo's perspective because Geto only seemed to smile in his presence (who's blushing face are we trying to see, afterall?). However, it is said to be from Geto's perspective and that, too, makes sense. Two viewpoints acting as bookends of the history between them.

I think what's sad about it is the way in which Gojo's POV is centered wholly on Geto, regardless of who or what he became; whereas Geto's perspective is more broadly applied to Gojo in part but also his own turmoil and moral dilemma.

Part of why Geto is thrown into such chaos is because of his inherently principled existence and yet, he is still the moon to Gojo's sun (Naruto, what are you doing heree?). Where Gojo always held a place for Geto, I think Geto assumed that his radicalization and subsequent defection marked a departure from Gojo because he was never really one to exist in shades of grey. Even if his impetus for this new society was ultimately to protect Gojo (and others like him) in the only way he felt he could.

Before my goodwill crumbles away, // I should have told you everything. // In a life descending and dissolving into the night, // Fuzzy emotions, a flickering light. With nothing to search for, love sways. // Living while concealing, // Hence, the moon is dark, head in flight. // Today, unable to go anywhere. // Sleeping, sleeping towards a brand new morning, // Loneliness under crying Though I understand a wounded heart // Why do I end up hurting and leaving the same scars? // Labeling it as ego, grouping it all together, // The true essence of you and me, burning transparently. Longing for change, but the feelings stay the same, // Only the form crumbles away, // Holding onto the hand of hope, your ghost Realizing that something seemingly everywhere // Exists only here, // In the trivial silence of the night. // Only I, residing in memories, awaken It exists only here. // I want to touch you, // Even with trivial conversations. // Show me your blushing face once more...

Pardon me, anon, while I burst into flames after reflecting on all this. 🫠

Edit: just adding this visual for everyone because SAME. 🥹

[gear-project]

I don't know if people asked you this question on your blog, but do you think that Slayer may have influenced Sol's combat style? I have noticed in their GGXX intro clashes that some of their moves are similar, and Slayer's new cinematic Overdrive (which looks like a Tyrant Rave) makes me wonder if he either taught Sol the basics of combat or if Sol may have just picked up on a few things from their battles over the past 17 decades. Also, am I the only one who thinks that his younger self resembles Frederick as much as it does Anji?

Aside Frederick's namesake of "Sol" which Slayer coined, there's no real evidence to state that Slayer taught Sol Badguy how to fight.

They did encounter one another, and they did have interactions, but beyond that, Sol's history didn't really become public until he became a fully-fledged Bounty Hunter around the time he saved Kliff Undersn as a child around 2099.

Prior to joining the Sacred Order around 2172, Sol kept to himself privately and hunted down Gears and Gear Research and was pretty infamous for acting in secret according to American Authorities.

Apparently a lot of people became "fans" of Sol's "anti-establishment" activities (hence the t-shirt we've seen).

Beyond those, Slayer's "All Dead" / "Dead on Time" / "Pile Bunker" / "Undertow" / "Mach Punch" (Mappa Hunch) etc weren't something Sol learned how to use.

(By the way, when they release a Starter Guide for Slayer, you can expect me to cover his move-list history in-depth later.)

Frederick when he was younger didn't have very long hair, by the way, at least not in the style Slayer uses for his hairstyle. Anji's hairstyle is a bit closer to that style (and Anji wears Pince-nez similar to Slayer's Monocle).

Regardless of all this, Slayer's primary design is based on Alberto of Impact from the Giant Robo animation film/series.

Still, Sol seems to indicate that Slayer is NOT the only Vampire he has previously encountered (based on his interactions with Nagoriyuki), so it's going to be enlightening to discover how much history Sol has with Vampires.

[sonofthesaiyans]

SASHA BRAUS DESERVES BETTER.

This is what we lost to Isayama, people. To that brat, Gabi Braun. We lost THIS:

If you're not outraged about this, then seriously, rethink yourself a little the next time you say Attack on Titan had such excellent story and character growth.......More accurately, it was far too eager to waste both when Isayama's shallow ends demanded it.

There's a special place in hell for that man.

still miss ya...

[animefeminist]

What we can learn about labor organization from Akiba Maid War

Content warning: gun violence, organized and anti-labor crime

Spoilers for Episode 4 of Akiba Maid War.

Living in late stage capitalism is a bizarre paradox of being expected to work harder and more skilfully than ever before, but receiving so little compensation that even a semblance of fiscal sustainability and job security are considered blessings. Supposedly stable jobs in the much-lauded tech sector fail to live up to the respect they demand from the public, with layoffs among tech giants kicking off 2023. Creatively fulfilling jobs, especially those related to anime production, are notorious for abusing young people while paying them next to nothing. Even gesturing at possibly improving these working conditions is suppressed by companies, as seen in MAPPA’s Chainsaw Man anime removing a thematically relevant reference to labor unions.

With this as the status quo for working and enjoying art in the world today, I was absolutely floored when Episode 4 of Akiba Maid War aired with a plotline that it is capital-a About organizing workers to resist corporate manipulation and exploitation.

Directed by Masui Sōichi and written by Hiki Yoshihiro, Akiba Maid War was the surprise hit of the Fall 2022 season, and is a lovably imperfect piece of feminist media. Episode 4, “The Inside Story! A Drillmaster For the Swine!!” sees the maids of the Oinky Doink Cafe fight against their parent company’s efforts to turn their pig sty into a cash cow. While not comprehensive, the episode perfectly captures many of the tactics corporations use to suppress their workers. Of course, the challenging relationship these characters already have with labor organizations as sensationalized mobsters further complicates the themes of this episode, but the pro-union sentiment of this zany plotline deserves analysis. 

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[sonofthesaiyans]

Who else here......

Is absolutely not going to watch the AOT finale?

I would sooner throw myself in the path of a speeding car. The ending is still a horrendous finish that doesn't begin to make up for so many plot holes and half assed resolutions that carried over from the manga ending.

You cannot hide its failings with Mappa's overblown, still rather ugly animation and self aggrandizing music.

Also fuck you Isayama, my girls Sasha and Hange should NEVER have been subjected to that kind of finish. Everyone deserves better.

Hell's got your reservation, pal.

[psychewritesbs]

Thanks so much for sharing your metas @theanimepsychologist , I learn a lot of things from you...

Sorry for just realizing it now, that you are the writer of one of my favorite 'Soul Eater' meta ever from a few years ago (love it so much).

Now I found your blog again through your JJK metas (new fan here, just got to JJK fandom last year)....

Can I ask something, do you think SatoSugu is queerbaiting? What do you think about Gojo and Geto's relationship as romantic subtext?

(Sorry if you don't ship them, it's just, I want to know objective pov like you that neither love nor hate Gojo and Geto as characters).

If I ask these questions to SatoSugu shipper or anti SatoSugu (Gojo/Geto hater) both of those groups are subjective to their likes and dislikes...

But if you don't want to talk about it, I understand, sorry if I ask too much.

Also, just want to tell you, one of the main reason why I entered the fandom, is because of stsg. The fan arts and fan fictions for SatoSugu are amazing....But I love JJK more and understand more about the story & characters are thanks to you @theanimepsychologist (Sorry again if my main reason for entering JJK fandom is because of shipping).

Well this is awkward... I've since changed my username and perplexed moots and followers alike because of it.

Anyways, is stsg queerbaiting???? HMMMMM let's taco'bout it under the cut.

I think the ship in the manga walks a very fine line between queerbaiting and whatever the opposite is, but imo, it is ultimately not queerbaiting. More about this in a little bit.

If I'm honest though, if we go by the strict definition of queerbaiting as a "marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but do not depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation," the anime feels by contrast queerbaity.

I say this because MAPPA seems to be very aware it is catering to a very specific target audience...

Like... did they have to go this hard with Nanami?

Similarly, they took creative decisions that were very openly supportive of stsg as a ship while still remaining somewhat ambiguous to all of the people who do not see the romantic undertones.

In other words, MAPPA goes out of their way to make certain aspects of the story more obvious, which can feel like it is very intentionally speaking to an audience that would enjoy such changes.

Honestly tho, I LOVED the creative liberties that the anime took in general.

ANYWAYS.

My thoughts on stsg... I've actually talked about how I do like this ship before. I used to be on camp "they're just friends" and came around because I saw the vision and now I can't unsee it. But the fact that I had to be shown the vision in order to "get it" makes me feel like you have to see the ship through a certain lens in order to appreciate it romantically.

Thing is that I personally find it dissatisfying that a ship is presented to me in little "hints" and "clues" rather than through the dynamic itself. Which is where the queerbaiting allegations come in.

HOWEVER, to me, knowing how Gege writes by subverting tropes, the "queerbaiting" hints are very intentionally placed in the manga to say "these two were lovers" as opposed to doing it for "marketing purposes".

Personally, I much prefer Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle's kurofai because the clues are hidden in the dynamic and their emotional behavior to one another.

Compared to stsg, I can only read romantic subtext in two or three canon stsg panels, but I'm also not sure if it's because of Gege's skill level, lesser focus on emotional intimacy, idk...

That's how I see it at least. And I honestly respect anyone who doesn't think of them as lovers because, again, the ship is somewhat hidden in clues, not in the dynamic. And say a stsg fan reads this, they could very well think "is she blind?!"

And this is where we get into post-modernism and jjk's main theme: no one owns the objective truth. You are reading jjk through your very own unique lens, and any meaning you make out of jjk is always filtered through that lens. Trying to say your truth is absolute is basically power scaling.

At one point or another someone has to agree to disagree.

So yeah, you'll hear me say this bit about not owning the ultimate truth a lot.

Anon, thank you so much for the kind comments 🥲. I am so happy to hear you loved my Soul Eater write up and that you've ran into my jjk rambles too.

Honestly, I love writing about my favorite ships and nothing makes me sadder than the state of shipping in jjk fandom because people won't just mind their own business about who should be shipped with whom.

As a side note, I've been brainrotting about atsumei recently. Might actually write about the breadcrumbs because these two move me the way some of my absolute favorite ships, soma, asucaga, and kurofai move me.

Anyways I'VE RAMBLED WHY DID NO ONE STOP ME?, it looks like you are feeling worried about my thoughts on you starting to read jjk because of stsg. I say it is a wonderful thing that you started reading it and found enjoyment in it.

Thanks for reaching out, and as per usual I apologize on taking forever to answer asks... I have like 50 and I do try to answer most of them.