#but i also i do feel akiras a lot less about the grand things & more of a focus on the more common stuff

[flovverworks]

gah thinking about postmhyk akira feeling lonely for a while about living alone, and being less bothered by busy places cuz its more remniscient of the chaos their daily life was w the wizards (guy who str8up went 'its amazing what u can get used to' about suddenly hearing a crash cuz the northern wizards fighting e/o💀). something about sharing ur life with others through living spaces & love

[somnianus]

On Eastern dramas vs Western dramas

Part 2: On Theatricality and how it transfers into Chinese/Eastern Dramas and Cinema

Part 1   Part 2

Here, I reference a fantastic article from the Asian Theatre Journal, 2008.

So to recap, the problem I’m exploring is this: Why do some East Asian dramas/movies look so over the top? Overacted? Overemotional? Why is it not more realistic?

My answer is in part 1, on the concept of mo, which is the traditional Chinese thought that emotional revelation is more important than accurate realistic depictions in art. Western audiences are more used to plot-heavy, realistic depictions of dramas, whereas traditional Chinese audiences are used to the opposite. They find the plot not so important, but focus more on the content of the work, the spirit of it, how it makes you feel.

1. How traditional Chinese drama translate into cinema/screens?

Making the jump from Beijing/Peking opera stages, or jingju, to cinema screens caused a lot of trouble.

a. Production-wise, early 1900s

It was difficult to adapt the very open, 3d stage into a “realist flat screen,” which was much more advantageous to Western eyes because the camera lens was invented based on “Renaissance principles of fixed point perspectives and foreshortening.”

b. 1950s-60s

Many still tried to adopt the Beijing opera style into film, but it was still very hard because the two mediums were so contradictory. Beijing opera relied on live, grand aesthetics along with the knowledge that the important aspect of drama was emotion and internal struggle, vs film at the time was very focused on accurate “mimesis,” or imitations of real life. One such example was critics actually laughing about the adaptations because the opera actors mimicked riding a horse in the traditional style - that is, minus the horse. Film would have them ride a prop or real horses.

Eventually, many changes were made to the style to better incorporate it into film, and it still kept a lot of its original roots (i.e. makeup/grandiosity in costume, emotions, etc). Western concepts of a limited stage, and emphasis on plot and tragedy were expounded upon. And eventually you have the modern-day dramas (1970s+).

2. Japanese Noh  能 theater - Kurosawa’s Ran

Noh is a Japanese form of theater that is a dance-based dramatic work. It tells stories of supernatural beings transformed into humans and etc. One of its major notes is its very stylized conventional use of specific gestures to portray emotions. Iconic, specific masks are used to portray the roles of the actors such as the ghosts, women, deities, and demons.

Akira Kurosawa’s Ran is lauded as one of the greatest films ever made. It’s a Japanese-French production heavily inspired by Shakespeare’s King Lear. There are many many detailed videos on YouTube about his precise filming methods and movement aesthetics. The body language can be seen as “over-acted” if you come from a Western background. Why? Because it takes from traditional Noh theatre:

Long periods of static motion and silence, followed by an abrupt, sometimes violent change in stance. Heavy ghost-like Makeup. Highly emotive gestures, sometimes repetitive to emphasize the characteristic of a character. All very unrealistic, but that’s not the point, right? Because this also displays mo, it takes the emotive expression, the revelation of fear/action/hope to the front of the stage.

3. Japanese Kabuki theatre - acting style is also larger than life

Kabuki actors also make great effort to express themselves in highly stylzed gestures (i.e. the men play women’s roles and over-act their femininity). 

One major difference between Kabuki and much of Western theatre is that kabuki actors make less of an attempt to hide the “performance” aspect of the work. They’re fully aware that they’re performing, and the audience isn’t there to get “lost in the moment.” Everything -- actors, costumes, dialogue, is larger than life. Realism is far less emphasized, the form generally favoring what is often referred to as “formalized beauty.”

One example of this is the highlight of an aragato kabuki performance: the famous mie. The mie is a dramatic pose adopted by the main (oftentimes male) character during moments of emotional intensity. (The proper phrase for this action is mie o kiru, or to "cut a mie.") Announced by the beating of wooden clappers, the actor freezes in a statuesque pose and crosses one or both eyes. Often it's preceded by a head roll. The idea is to capture the highest moments of tension into one physical gesture and to more or less hold the actor and the audience in a breathless trance. After a few seconds, the actor relaxes and the play continues. A mie can be cut in various specified positions, depending on the character and the moment. When exiting, an aragoto character may perform a roppo exit, which combines several of these poses in rapid succession, before leaving the stage.

The mie pose

This is not to say that modern Japanese dramas and works directly descend from Kabuki or Noh or other theatrical traditions. But like the Chinese beijing opera, the concept of aesthetic beauty/mo, emotional revelation, these ideas all combined with Western influence and modern Western perceptions of good story-telling/acting to make up the modern Eastern dramas of today.

4. How do all of these things combine into the supposed “cheesy/corny/over-acting” of modern Eastern dramatic works?

All of these cultural roots combined with Western depictions of a modern story (i.e. Shakespearean tragedy in five parts: Exposition, Rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement, ofc there are other ones but this is the one I learned in school), I believe make up what we see today in modern Eastern dramas. 

A. Acting Comedy: My specific examples are first, comedic examples from the famous 1986 Journey to the West

Comedy and the feeling of happiness and joy are also very important aspects of emotional revelation. Journey to the West depicts one of the most beloved comedic characters, Sun Wukong, who goes on a journey with Tan Sanzang, a Buddhist priest, to find the sacred Buddhist texts. His exploits are highly unrealistic and highly comedic. It is one of the epitomes of the “spirit” over the “form,” the internal emotional journey over the actual realism (or unrealism) of the journey. Many of the characters exhibit over-the-top facial expressions, some expressions too subdued, and the plot can be very winding and haphazard, but that’s not the point! If you’ve been reading this far, you’ll know why. It’s about how his adventures make you, the audience, the reader, feel. 

B. Acting Villainy: More modern Chinese dramas i.e. The Untamed & Word of Honor

I cannot attest to the quality of the acting nowadays, but it’s a common idea that the supporting cast of the international hit, The Untamed, was a bit weak in terms of acting. If I were to step into my Western lens, I would agree that yes, many characters over-act (i.e. Xue Yang, below):

And Wen Kexing, Word of Honor:

And Journey to the West, Underworld Lord:

However, now with all that cultural context, I can see this choice of acting in a different light. The over-acting and depiction of villainy is over-the-top because it’s meant to inspire that emotion of (this guy is whack, like really). It’s not supposed to be realistic villainy, like how a real person would look if they were these people in real life. To judge it by a completely Western lens is doing a disservice to them I think. You could say that maybe they just can’t act well, but in a Chinese/Japanese/Eastern cultural theatrical context, their acting is actually par for course. It’s even more subdued than the traditional roots of Eastern theatrical performances actually.

This goes for many other C-dramas / Eastern dramas that have these instances of highly emotive performance. It’s a product of hundreds of years of Eastern cultural theatrical/artistic production combined with Western acting styles and cinematography. 

Is it cheesy? Maybe. Is it over-acting? Could be, but what is “over-acting” vs what is “enough?” Is that not the distinction between mo and Western realistic imitation? For me, as someone who’s very used to this uniquely different style of dramatic production, I’m not too bothered by it. It, after all, makes me feel such an incredible range of emotions that the acting is just a fun, interesting perk. 

Thinking that these dramatic productions were originally seen as extensions of poetry, I can see why the exaggeration is necessary to fulfill what mo means:

If I feel some intent, I must write it - it becomes a poem.

If that’s not enough, I must sing it - it becomes a song.

If even singing isn’t enough, then I sigh, and have to express by dancing - it becomes a performance.

Part 1

[jira-chii]

I tried rewriting the Afterlost/Shoumetsu Toshi anime

Background: Madhouse made an anime from a mobile game with the best story out of any gacha game I have ever played, and fucking botched it. So I tried to see if I could do it better.

You don’t need to have seen Shoumetsu Toshi to read this post.  However I do recommend reading this article concurrently with my summary of episodes on twitter.

So, the Shoumetsu Toshi anime was announced during the game’s fifth anniversary, and aired in April 2019. It was both exciting and terrifying because Shoumetsu Toshi is a seriously underrated game with a mindblowing story, but given the track record of game-to-anime adaptations, everyone was sceptical about it. And that scepticism ended up being justified. 

In summary (my opinion): the anime itself started out half-decent, shot itself in the foot three episodes in, staggered back up for another two or three episodes, fell flat on its face directly after, and then just kept on falling from episode 8 onwards.

While watching said anime, I realised there were very minor things I could do to improve the flow, such as changing the order of episodes, or introducing certain characters later. After a while I came up with a new alternate anime structure (see tldr on twitter). This post will be the accompanying commentary explaining the decisions I made.

My aim for this exercise was to stick as close as possible to the main message and tone of the original anime. Honestly though, if I were rewriting the anime from scratch, I would have taken a different approach entirely (because I don’t agree with the message or the tone of what we got, but that’s a story for another post).

I have tried to make sure you don’t need to watch the anime to understand this post (it would be my last wish to force anyone to watch it). That said, I may make reference to the (far superior) source material, the Shoumetsu Toshi game. I have tried to keep the general commentary in the main body, with more specific detail in the side notes at the end of each episode break-down. 

Ok, here goes.

Episode 1 Lost/Lost

The role of the first episode is to establish the characters and setting. The main idea of this episode should be to introduce Lost as mysterious and frightening, and why the main characters need to go there.

As a whole, I think the original anime does do this. It starts off with an overview of the situation (courtesy of Yuki’s monologue), and then gives us some action. Characters are introduced, the mystery starts to reveal itself, and then we end on a cliffhanger. I personally don’t feel a need to change that structurally.

I do however feel the need to switch up the order and amount of introduced characters in this episode. Our brains can only hold so much information in one episode and this episode probably exceeded that capacity and then some. 

Instead of Eiji and Kikyou saving them, I suggest having Takuya take Yuki to Geek’s first. Geek can provide a simple man’s explanation of the tragedy of Lost, using his favourite idol group SPR5 as an illustrative example. 

This means we will not be met with completely new information when the much heavier exposition from Kikyou and Eiji comes later. Because instead of brand new information, most of it will be filling in the gaps from what Geek told us. And that is much less headache-inducing than the chaos of the original episode 1.

This also means the cliffhanger of the first episode becomes Yuki finding out her father is possibly alive (instead of us wondering if Takuya is still alive…). This is admittedly not as dramatic nor as shocking as the cliffhanger of the original anime. However I went with this because I don’t think an audience going in blind would have been able to handle any more new information right after what Kikyou and Eiji did to us. Also, I don’t think many people would fall for the main character dying in the very first episode...

Side notes:

The original episode 1 started with Yuki’s monologue. I liked that it invoked interest while telling a story succinctly. So I would keep it. I would also keep the scene where Takuya busts Yuki out by throwing a fire extinguisher and jumping out the window because ngl, that was badass.

I think the original anime built up too much goodwill in Takuya in the first two episodes. By episode 2, Yuki basically completely trusts him, but I think it would be more fitting if Takuya had to ‘earn’ that goodwill gradually. Note that in my version of episode 1, none of the conflicts between Takuya and Yuki are resolved. For example, in the original anime, Takuya tells Yuki even if she doesn’t trust him, she has to trust her dad. What a good-guy thing to say. That doesn’t happen in my version. The aim of that is to create a constant feeling of unease and tension. Because this early on, none of us should be sure if Yuki can really trust anyone around her. She’s just forced to follow them to find her father.

You may have noticed I’ve removed Rou (flying monk dude) entirely from my version of the anime. I’m not hating on Rou, but I really don’t think he was useful. In fact, he just made people more confused. I would much rather prefer Suzumebachi appear in both episodes, with the fight not even happening until the second. I made this decision with three reasons in mind: 1. It sets up the expectation in the audience for more action in later episodes, encouraging them to keep watching to see the resolution; 2. It makes Suzumebachi seem like a more threatening opponent, thereby upping the tension; and 3. There is one less character we have to introduce (Akira), meaning he’ll really shine and leave an impact when we do the big reveal

Honestly, I would also remove fortune teller Kazuko. That’s a cameo nobody asked for, and it felt kind of forced. Though there’s also no harm in keeping her in. 

On the other hand I have deliberately chosen to delay introducing Yumiko and Kouta. Like I said, there are already too many characters in this first episode. The result of this, though, is that my ending deviates quite a lot from the original episode 1 ending. But I think that’s fine. This is only episode 1, we don’t have to end with drama. I think it’s more important to get the main themes across (the episode is titled ‘Lost’, so let’s make that the focus until the very end ok).

Episode 2: Sacrifice/Sacrifice

Episode 1 should be somewhat dramatic and action-packed to hook our audience in. But then episode 2 should provide them with more information about the setting. I think the anime made a bad move by pulling a plot twist at the end of episode 1 and then immediately rectifying it in episode 2. It feels cheap and undermining. And a waste of time.

So I chose to avoid the whole thing with Yumiko and Kouta saving Takuya. Instead I get Eiji and Kikyou to send them straight into hiding. I think it is more fitting if, directly following from episode 1, this episode starts off focusing on Yuki’s feelings about her family. This provides some much-needed context, and makes her values clear from the beginning, as she starts thinking about whether it is worth going to Lost to find her father.

Now we can start introducing some new characters. Honestly though, in the grand scheme of things, Yumiko and Kouta serve the exact same purpose as Eiji and Kikyou in the narrative. Which is a shame, because I think just their connection to the organisation opens up a whole heap of possibilities. Therefore, if I am going to include them I should take advantage of that connection. In my version of the anime I make them privy to certain information about Lost. This would make sense because the organisation they used to work for was all about getting Taiyou to Lost to complete the Noah Plan. By making that special information only Yumiko and Kouta know, I make them important to the plot. 

I can further leverage their connection to the enemy to arouse suspicion in them, because Takuya and Yuki wound up in an ambush with Suzumebachi following their instructions. But that’s a minor conflict that can easily be resolved and is honestly not that important.

What is important, is that being ambushed by Suzumebachi means I can finally show off  tamashii Akira! The fight will basically play out like the original episode 1, only with Suzumebachi instead of Rou. After the fight, I envision the scene to play out similar to the end of the original episode 3, with Souma appearing before them.

Side notes:

In the original anime episode 2, Yuki talks to Takuya when he shares bread with her on the roof. They talk about Akira, which is fair enough. However in my version they don’t even know about Akira at this point. They have nothing in common to bond over. Also, Yuki is still distrustful of him. This more closely mirrors the game, where both of them were more closed off. But I think it makes sense to be wary of a stranger you just met, let alone one who just called you a fucking package. 

That said, we can hint at some development through symbolism. Yuki starts off thinking about her family all by herself. But then Takuya comes. And even if they get nowhere in their conversation, physically at least, Yuki is no longer alone. 

The true reason Yumiko betrays the organisation is simply that she likes Takuya. But she can’t just tell him that directly. That’s one of the reasons the anime uses Suzuna in episode 2. I have Kouta take that role here. I also wanted Yumiko’s attraction to Takuya to be more subtle than her straight up telling Suzuna she likes him. There’s a bit of dramatic irony there because Takuya would still be suspicious of her, but the audience should be able to tell her true reason for helping is actually quite pure.

Akira is actually a symbol of hope for Yuki. He is a remnant of her old life. But as is the case in the tragic storyline of Shoumetsu Toshi, whenever we see hope, we must destroy it in the most ironic way possible. Here, it is the appearance of the other person from her old life, her brother Souma.

Episode 3: Memory/Suspicion

The original anime pulled a really, really bad move here, by throwing in a monster of the week-style episode while its setting was still developing. This is confusing and distracting. But the biggest reason I chose to delay the SPR5 episode to episode 4 is because Yuki’s character development in the original episode 3 was too great, as to almost make no sense. 

Therefore, I use episode 3 instead as a stepping stone to get Yuki to learn to trust the people around her. Once she can resolve her own insecurities, then it makes more sense for her to be able to fix other people’s problems.

My version of episode 3 is more similar to the anime’s original episode 4, which introduced Ryouko. After being betrayed by her remaining family member, a traumatised Yuki is finally introduced to somebody she thinks she can actually trust. But Eiji and the others warn Yuki she must not tell Ryouko anything. That said, Ryouko proves to be a good person, who even helps with some of Yuki’s troubles.

Introducing Ryouko also introduces the investigative element of the anime, which emphasises the Lost mystery, but is also honestly a breath of fresh air from the doom and gloom on Yuki’s side. A benefit of seeing the police’s perspective is that they are just as clueless as the audience. So it is much easier to follow their train of thought (compared to the other group led by Eiji and Kikyou). 

So, with three episodes done, the audience should now have a good idea of what they are getting themselves into. We’ve got the characters, the setting, and a couple of mysteries set up. All that’s left is to deliver on them (which is easier said than done).

Side notes:

Honestly, writing up this first encounter with Suzuna and Souma was harder than I expected. The problem is that Souma is too powerful to be deterred by anyone, especially not the police. I have to come up with some reason to force him out of the picture. I decided to use Suzuna for a couple of reasons. It gives the audience a good sense of her foresight powers. But also, maybe it could indicate Suzuna has another motive? I had thought as far as using Taiyou as Suzuna’s excuse: Souma did not inform Taiyou he was going off on his own. If he does anything unnecessary he could get into trouble. This also effortlessly allows me to foreshadow the final boss.

Yuki is a very introspective character, meaning she thinks to herself a lot but rarely shows it. Which is why having a character like Ryouko spell out things for the audience can be helpful. 

Importantly, Yuki does not reveal everything to Ryouko just yet, even though she really wants to. This ups the tension, but importantly, it also means Ryouko can stick around a little longer! So we (and Yuki) get some time to get attached to her.

Ryouko’s thought process right now would be: she thinks the group is suspicious, but needs more evidence to back her gut feeling. So she does the background check, leading to Kaibara where we can hint at Takuya’s connection to Yoshiaki and start setting up the Kaitodan arc.

Episode 4: Suspicion/Memory

With the main plot finally set up, I am now comfortable to slip in the SPR5 episode. Surprisingly, I actually did not mind the episode as much as I thought I would. 

My biggest recommendation for this episode would be to drop the entire Seiji/Shoumetsu subplot altogether. It is just too confusing with all the other information in the episode. And with Seiji dying eventually, in the grand scheme of things it means nothing. The main aim of this episode should be to focus on what tamashii really are and what they can do. Dropping Seiji also means Takuya doesn’t have to disappear during Yuki’s character development (?) during her moment with Yua. I would really like to use this episode to hint more at Takuya’s regret, and do some more solid foreshadowing of the orphanage arc. This then leads in nicely to the sudden phone call from Yumiko I have inserted at the end of this episode to set up the next.

Episode 5: Affection/Affection

Just like the anime, my versions of episodes 5 and 6 focus on the Kaitodan. However, I make some pretty big changes. While I did really enjoy the execution of the original episode 5 (which was my favourite episode of the whole series), the whole ‘heist’ made no sense to me. Kaitodan didn’t even enter the building past the roof. The only real merit of the original setting is the clock tower, which is an Easter egg referencing Tsubasa and Yoshiaki’s reunion in the actual game. 

So I decided to switch up the tone entirely, by having Takuya and Yuki meet Yoshiaki in a family restaurant (family being the key word). Again, admittedly not as dramatic as the original, but this saves a lot more time.

Something I think the anime really should have done was foreshadow Tsubasa better. He has deep ties to Takuya, but episode 5 is the first time we hear about him. I opted to foreshadow him in episode 3 (through Yumiko’s memories), and episode 2 (being used by Souma). This should make it easier for the audience to piece the puzzle together with Yuki.

My drama for this scene comes in the form of an actual kidnapping. By separating Takuya and Yuki, we get a glimpse into how each thinks of the other. It’s also great that Rui canonically flirts with Yuki so I want to see that. I also really want to show the family dynamic of the Kaitodan, for three reasons. 1. As a contrast with Yuki to emphasise the loss she feels in losing her own family; 2. The irony that Yoshiaki will join this family as a result of losing his own, and to know he will be in good hands; and 3. Kaitodan’s quirky personalities are the most lovable thing about them and we need to see more of it.

Side notes:

Yoshiaki’s power reveal having a purpose to the plot would be so much cooler than him just randomly making an owl feather disappear. I decided to show said power in the midst of a dramatic car chase scene. Because why not.

I gave quite a lot of thought into how Kaitodan could secretly track down Takuya and Yuki, and it goes like this: Kana bugged Yumiko, because Kaitodan know the organisation had something to do with Tsubasa disappearing. I envision it happening the night Yumiko left the organisation. Once Yumiko escapes far enough to be safe, she would feel a sense of relief. But her guard would also lower. Kana has been tracking Yumiko ever since, waiting for a clue. This means the Kaitodan heard Yumiko’s call with Kaibara and know Tsubasa is involved. But they couldn’t make a move on Yoshiaki directly because they were aware he was being surveilled. So they followed Takuya and Yuki via Yumiko, and waited for their chance. Also, because it was Yumiko they bugged, they don’t get to know the contents of Takuya and Yuki’s meeting with Yoshiaki. This is all implied in my version of the anime, but none of it is important. It is just a check I did to make sure everything made logical sense.

I went as far as making up a scene to show some Kaitodan interaction. But including that in the episode summary is probably too much detail, so I will indulge myself in these side notes:

The Kaitodan notice Takuya chasing them. Jack tells Yuki that her “lover boy” is here. Yuki gets flustered and says he’s only coming after her because of their contract.

Rui doesn’t understand what Yuki sees in an uncouth guy like Takuya. He talks about a time Takuya used some pretty underhanded methods to catch them. They managed to escape by the skin of their necks by Jack throwing an up-close bomb. Kana laughs remembering how the bomb totally ruined Rui’s clothes. Rui then gets angry at Jack because that was a new suit. Sumire tries to break (i.e. cut) them apart with her chainsaw, causing chaos as Kana continues laughing hysterically.

Yuki looks on this with a small smile, thinking the Kaitodan aren’t such a bad bunch.

Episode 6: Parting Ways/Choice

The anime concludes the Kaitodan arc in this episode, but I’d like to keep them for a little longer. I reserve the fighting for a later episode, and instead, I make this episode quite information heavy. The aim of all this is to lead into the orphanage arc. I did not like that Takuya went off to resolve his own regrets without Yuki in the original anime. However it makes no sense to have him make Yuki tag along with him to something unrelated to their contract. My solution to this is to give Yuki more agency, and the mind to make her own decision.

I intend for a couple of truth bombs to come out here: the organisation does human experimentation; Daichi works for the organisation; the organisation has a base in Lacuna; and Yuki and Takuya will die if they go to Lost. The anime left a lot of these reveals until the end, but I don’t think they are truly that important to warrant that. Having Yuki know these things now, and make a decision despite that, helps build her character more (so we can pull all her confidence down later).

Side notes:

Having Eiji reveal the truth puts both suspicion and trust in him. If he was working for Daichi, that means he was also working for the organisation. However, if what he says is the truth, the reason he reveals this information is because of his guilty conscience. To make sure he comes off as sincere, his guilt should be foreshadowed in earlier episodes.

I wonder, if Lacuna really did end up being the final boss, would that mean Yuki would not need to go to Lost anymore? If Yuki were able to save Souma and return him to ‘normal’ would she be satisfied with never seeing her father again? Or was she hoping Souma could join them on their journey to Lost as well? Honestly, not even I know what Yuki was thinking. All I know is that the anime built up Lacuna as a fake ‘last boss’ (spoiler: it’s not), so I will too.

Episode 7: Regret/Regret

Like the anime again, I make episode 7 the orphanage arc. Unlike the anime, I also combine it with Tsubasa’s arc. The key to making this work is to progress both, but put the focus on only one of the storylines. For episode 7, the orphanage will be the focus, while I leave Tsubasa for episode 8.

The anime originally put the focus of this episode on solving the mystery and finding the link between Lacuna and the orphanage. However, because of how I set things up in episode 6, our characters’ main goal is actually to find clues to the Iink between Souma and Tsubasa. I want the focus on the orphanage side to be entirely about Takuya’s character development, and how Yuki looks over that development. The real plot actually happens on the Kaitodan side. Naturally, Takuya and Yuki will eventually join the fray but I think, for the purpose of the final message of the anime, it is important to show that things can still happen without Takuya and Yuki. 

Side notes:

I want Ayano to have more screentime, so I am making her lead them to Hinako. Ayano thus acts as a facilitator, rather than an observer. Also, I plan to make her shuumeigiku an AF (because AF were built up as some really important thing in the original but were not even used in the final battle).

Having the episode end on a cliffhanger means the main characters (and hopefully the audience too) won’t have time to ponder the shuumeigiku, nor the birdhouse for now. This is intentional.

Episode 8: Choice/Parting Ways

In the original anime, episode 8 is the Lacuna break-in episode. But it’s still too early for that. My episode 8 wraps up the Kaitodan arc.

We've had some time to get to know the Kaitodan members so I want this episode to be their moment to shine. First off, putting the Kaitodan flashback at the start of the episode, instead of in the middle of a fight (like what episode 6 of the original did) makes it feel less hasty. I also use this opportunity to insert some more Kaitodan shenanigans through flashback. This episode focuses on the bonds they have with Tsubasa, and the pain of losing that bond. So to make that emotional impact really hit, I have to utilise the flashback effectively.

Other than that, I guess the fight will progress similarly to episode 6 of the original, just in a different setting.

Side notes:

Having Yoshiaki and Tsubasa’s confrontation in the middle of what was once the lab both were experimented on as children has symbolic significance, especially because AF are the key to the battle.

I avoided the whole flashback around Tsubasa slashing Tsuki/the organisation hacking Yoshiaki’s twitter to lure Tsubasa into a trap. Because I think this episode already has more than enough flashbacks. I want to try to avoid overuse of flashbacks because they tend to ruin the immersion and pacing of an episode. If I really had to insert it somewhere though, it would be during an exposition by Souma when he calls Tsubasa weak.

I tried to make Sumire and Kana’s roles more relevant. I am not sure if it worked.

You think the title of this episode refers to Yoshiaki and Tsubasa parting ways, but did you expect Ryouko would also actually die? This is (I hope), an unexpected death, and I want the audience to feel almost just as devastated as Yuki does. Ryouko’s stuck around for a while now, so killing her off should have some sort of impact.

The ending of my version of this episode is a direct copy of the Tsuki Taiyou scene from episode 10 of the original. Placing it here is a set up for what I have planned in my version of the Lacuna break-in. But alternatively, it could also be placed at the end of my version of episode 6, because that is the episode we learn more about the heads of the organisation.

Episode 9: Fate/Fate

The original anime made this entire episode a flashback. And I hate that. Because I hate flashbacks. And using one for an entire episode just seems like lazy writing. I will address the whole thing with Daichi in my own way in a later episode, but for now I’ve got to do the break-in.

So, in a nutshell, I was very unsatisfied with how the anime handled the break-in. It was anticlimactic, and the real conflict (with Souma) happened nowhere near Lacuna. I understand the need for futility, but having nothing accomplished at all in the grand scheme of things is also doing a disservice to your audience. Because it’s wasting time if it’s not progressing the story or characters.

Essentially, I want my version of this episode to deliver the same information as the original anime episode 9 (flashback), but with about 70% more action and 99% less flashback. 

As I mentioned before, Lacuna was built up like a climactic boss battle so I am going to treat it like one. This is also a chance to foreshadow Taiyou’s powers that exhibit symptoms of Lost. and a chance for Suzuna to show off more of how formidable her powers can be.

I’ve put Tsuki as the miniboss because mate, she’s perfect. Why wouldn’t I? The anime seriously missed a golden opportunity. Tsuki is actually a really good character to fight against because she stands for a lot. She is obviously on Taiyou’s side, but in a tragic way. Despite being betrayed by him, she still stands by him, and will sacrifice herself even after he turned her into a monster. This is exactly what makes her fascinating. She brings moral greyness to an otherwise black and white fight against Taiyou. It’s also a chance to show that Akira is becoming more powerful, and Yuki feels more confident in herself. 

That said, the end of this episode is a direct test of Yuki’s character development, because she’s been put in the exact same situation she was in at the start of the anime. This is her chance to fix that regret that’s been haunting her the whole time. And now she has Akira by her side, she can be brave enough to move forward. Little does she know, what lies beyond the door is really going to test her limits…

Side notes:

Yuki being a product of two worlds was surprising, but i feel the impact is stronger if she gets told that directly by Taiyou, rather than the audience seeing it through a flashback. It adds more tension, especially as Taiyou gets away.

In my version of the anime, it is entirely possible for Takuya and Yuki to not even be aware Tsuki was once human (but the audience does know). I can play up the dramatic irony, by having Tsuki voice her thoughts. Yuki might get the feeling: this monster is completely loyal to Taiyou. Is she his pet?

On the other hand, if I choose to have Tsuki present herself as human-turned-monster, this gives an opportunity for her to explain there is good in following the Noah plan: it will save a lot of people. Going with this version should involve suggesting that Tsuki at least genuinely does want to save the people on her side. Maybe she has a child?

The Noah plan is important for understanding Taiyou’s motives. But honestly it is not that important for the audience to know all the details. Which is why I want Takuya to be the one to see it. He’ll trivialise it, because he knows what’s really important is what’s happening for him now. And really, Noah is just trivia/fan service for the audience in this anime, seeing as there is barely any moral ambiguity in Taiyou anyway.

Episode 10: Decision/Decision

This is the Souma episode. Despite the very different build up, the events in my version aren’t that different from the anime. 

I thought the lab would be an appropriate final confrontation setting. It symbolises Souma’s desire for power which ultimately led to his current downfall. But he wanted that power to protect Yuki. Which should resonate with Akira. And that is why he is also there.

Akira needed more screen time in the anime. He is not just a weapon; tamashii are not tools. He is Yuki’s protector, and his very presence as a tamashii implies his regret and desire around that.

This is simultaneously the grieving episode (original episode 10), which I’ve merged into the seaside scene. To really heighten the emotion, Yuki should have an outburst. Think about it, she’s been keeping everything bottled up inside her: her lab PTSD, the tragic fate of the orphans, and Ryouko. Losing her brother was the last straw. Showing vulnerability to Takuya is a sign she trusts him.

At the same moment Yuki loses one of the most important people in her life, Takuya gives her hope for the future. A bittersweet moment like this is really what the message of the anime should be about. Additionally the timing of this ray of hope means it is so much more important to Yuki to hold onto that image of happiness (and more impactful for the audience).

Takuya showing willingness to give up his contract is the ultimate sign this man cares for Yuki.

Side notes:

I feel like I packed a lot into this episode, but that’s because Souma’s death scene actually goes by very quickly, because neither side are putting up much of a fight? Both the original anime and my version have to rely on flashbacks to pad it out.

I foreshadowed Souma’s fate using Tsuki (both morphed into monsters).

Akira should also feel emotionally impacted by Souma’s death. Why does the anime make it seem like both Daichi and Akira show favouritism towards Yuki? Souma is also Daichi’s child, and he also saw Akira as a big brother. 

I also think the flashbacks should show more of the three interacting together, instead of solely Yuki and Souma.

Souma gets some final character development by apologising to Akira before he dies. 

At the seaside, Akira is also grieving. But he is full of guilt. He does not have the right to comfort Yuki.

Putting ourselves in Yuki’s shoes for a moment: the only two people left as a reminder of her previous ordinary life were her brother and her father. Now that Souma is gone, she is left with no choice but to go to Lost. Even if we ignore all the saving the world rhetoric, Yuki would still go just for personal reasons alone. Because what Yuki wants more than ever right now is the comfort of family. It’s an incredibly tragic situation. That’s why it is so important that Takuya shows a willingness to break his contract. He’s not just comforting her because he wants her to get over it and go to Lost so he can do his job. Knowing this allows Yuki to trust him, and show her vulnerable side.

This is the moment Yuki wishes things were different. If Takuya wasn’t here with her, she really might have reset the world like Daichi wanted her to.

Episode 11: Trust/Trust

My version of episode 11 is quite similar to the anime’s episode 11. Except I cut some NPC moments and massively extend the parallel world moment.

Suzuna and Taiyou’s scene plays out like in the anime. If possible, I’d like them to have some conversation in the sedan hinting that Taiyou has lost his way to his original altruistic goal.

I make the crux of this episode the parallel worlds within Lost. I thought that part was very cool in the original anime, but it just wasn’t impactful enough. 

I want to use this as an opportunity for Yuki to see Daichi’s memory. Essentially, I want to condense the flashback episode (episode 9) in the original anime to its bare essentials. This is probably going to be challenging, but with a combination of visuals paired with efficient narration by Daichi, I think it is possible to make things move quicker.

Basically, I want Yuki to see the whole picture, to understand her father’s perspective, and despite that make her final decision. Yuki realises her father is from a parallel world and is trying to save a lot of people from another world. But even so she is conflicted about whether what she is doing is right.

I like that this allows a clear link to happiness at the end. Yuki resonates with Daichi’s own desire for happiness, causing her to remember the happy future she painted together with Takuya. This is a much clearer way of explaining how Takuya and Yuki managed to free themselves from the effects of Lost, while also emphasising their bond.

Side note:

I’d like to believe that even with a clear image of happiness in mind, a normal human like Takuya should not be able to escape Lost unscathed. I’d like to hint that the fact he is even able to function in this space is because of his bond with Yuki, a girl intricately connected to parallel worlds and thus more immune to their effects?

Episode 12: Future/Future

The last episode’s boss battle with Taiyou plays out largely like the original anime. But I think there is scope to have a lot more satisfying pay-offs.

Lost is how the tamashii came to be, so first off I would recommend there be more of them. Even Tsubasa, who disappeared, could possibly exist as a parallel world version of himself. That’s what Lost is about, after all.

It would be fitting if Taiyou also gets taken down by these other tamashii, including the orphans. This would be an appropriate approach to highlight the contrast between Taiyou (who is alone), and Takuya and Yuki (who are not). Additionally, I bring back the shuumeigiku, which means ‘to endure’, in order to emphasise the justice that was eventually served.

I wanted there to be less spotlight on Suzuna and more on Akira. After all, he is the one with the real meaningful connection to protecting Yuki. Therefore I have him deal the final blow after evolving. On top of being epic fanservice, the fact he is the only tamashii who evolves in the entire anime means there is narrative significance to it. It is the culmination of his bond with Yuki, and it is fitting that he can finally wield that power to protect her properly.

After the fight in the original anime, Daichi shows Yuki an alternate world without tragedy, an ideal world. However, importantly, this is a world where Yuki never interacts with Takuya, Geek, or any of the other people she’s met on her journey, and I think the anime could have done better to show that. 

So my alternative is to have Yuki see those happy versions of Ryouko, Yoshiaki etc in the previous episode, while showing her own alternative life in this one. I really want to juxtapose the happiness she feels living an ordinary life with her family, against the missed opportunities to meet people like Ryouko and Takuya. This provides a lot more ambiguity to her choice, and we get to see the conflict playing out in her head in real time. By actually making it possible to follow her train of thought, the audience will be more likely to understand why she makes the decision she makes.

Finally, I choose to end my version of the anime with a monologue from Daichi as a homage to the game. But also, it seems appropriate because he is an observer, just like us. And as observers, who are we to judge the choices people make? I contrast Daichi’s message of hope to the somewhat less than ideal futures everyone leads in order to show the ambiguous ending I think the original anime was going for. Regardless of whether you end up better or worse, life moves on.

Side notes:

Yuki needs to show more emotion when she sees Daichi. Seriously.

I referenced the ending of the original anime (Yuki’s ideal house) in the ‘ideal’ world Daichi shows Yuki. I think the message the anime wanted to convey with that scene is that what we perceive to be true happiness may not really be that. And that’s kind of the vibe I’m going for in my ideal world scene, which is why I put it there instead of at the end.

Daichi should thank Akira. Holy fuck the poor guy’s been through so much with absolutely zero gratitude. He kept your daughter alive gdi

Ultimately the problem of Lost was never properly resolved? But the anime left it equally open-ended so I’m cool with that.

Finally, some overall points 

I removed Keigo and Shunpei entirely from my version of the anime. Because they weren't needed. Keigo I can put back in (because he and Yuuji serve the same narrative purpose), but I don't want Shunpei. He was an original character created purely to betray Ryouko and then die. I have no need for a character like that. He could be Ryouko's assassinator I guess, but I would rather the sniper be a tamashii cameo like Wolf or something. Or nobody at all. Because the sniper as a character is not  important at all. 

I removed all the deliberate food scenes because there was no scope to include them. It is one thing to claim you want to put more emphasis on food, but that should be second to creating an actually viable product.

And with that, this project is finally complete. 

I admit I had high hopes for the anime, and it frustrates me that it turned out the way it did when there were so many simple things they could have done to make it less confusing. 

That said, fixing something that has already been done is much easier than creating something entirely from scratch. And while everything may work on paper, translating that into practice with the actual production is a very different story. Therefore, despite how everything turned out, I still commend the production team for being able to make the anime a reality at all. 

As I've mentioned before, it is not easy to make an engaging story fit in the span of just twelve episodes, let alone one adapted from an epic game featuring time travel and parallel worlds. But I wish they could have tried just a little bit harder, to be just a little bit more risky, to deliver a product we could actually enjoy.

Some of you may like my version of the anime better, some of you may not. A lot of my personal biases definitely showed through, and it was more challenging than I thought translating my ideas into writing. If I’ve confused you about anything, feel free to drop me a message.  

If this post wasn’t long enough for you, you can read more of my analyses on the Shoumetsu Toshi anime below: 

My thoughts on the anime before it aired

My thoughts on the anime after it aired

a deeper analysis of episodes 5 and 6

[lia-nikiforov]

Winter 2018 Anime Final Review

Why yes, pretty much all the Spring premieres are done (don’t even remind me haha I’m so far behind) and this is horribly late, I had a busy couple of weeks ;---; and am still struggling to catch up, but here’s my final rundown of this long slow winter! Worst to best, as always.

Dropped

Basilisk Ouka Ninpou Chou: Although I’d said I’d keep watching for the Nobunaga twist, given the onslaught of new stuff for Spring, it’s unsustainable to keep watching something so mediocre I don’t even find anything to say about it. Also Nobunaga hasn’t been mentioned in three episodes.

DUMPSTER FIRE

Darling in the Franxx: So we’re halfway through the show and still feels nothing of importance has happened, except we learned “lesbians are not viable, what a relief” and also KOKORO REALLY WANTS TO MAKE BABIES. The whole Kokoro business is very unsavory because on the one hand the writing is a dick to Walking Fat Joke Futoshi, but on the other hand Futoshi is an entitled Nice Guy who acts like Kokoro has some obligation to return his feelings, so basically everyone sucks lmao. Btw, does anyone know what happened with episode 13? I went to watch it but what I got instead was a Deadman Wonderland episode, complete with the story of Palurdo meeting Lab Experiment-turned-Beast Waifu as children and making a promise that would subsequently be forgotten until they meet again in their teenage years. Jesus, does Womenz are Beastz: The Anime have a single original idea?

How am I supposed to measure my own disinterest and contempt

This basically means I didn’t care for these shows. I don’t hate them but I was aggressively unengaged in them and I can’t really rank them from worst to best because that would imply me having any measurable emotional reaction to them

Violet Evergarden: I don’t think I have much to add about this one that I haven’t said before. Tryhard Sad Anime Girl stories rehashing old clichés with little novelty to them,  with a bonus of a super poorly explained and thought out child super soldier tragic backstory that still has me ?????? The final episode has the addendum of trying to redeem That One Asshole in a “he treats her bad because he’s sad about his brother dying sob sob sob he’s totally not a jerk” and i was very annoyed by that.

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni: It’s complicated to talk about this show. I really liked the first episode, hated the 4-6, then was mostly bored by the rest of it. The whole romance angle was completely dropped in the latter half, but I’m not even sure if that’s a good thing given how tastelessly it was being handled in some moments, or a bad one given how bland everything else was. It felt like Akira’s crush on Kondo turned out to be insignificant in the grand scheme of things. It also felt like Akira was profoundly underdeveloped, and it bothered me because Kondo was developed properly. His character felt more fully realized than hers. Like idk, I just cared so little for the last few episodes and it didn’t feel like Akira’s emotional progression was very connected with the first half of the show. 

Fate/Extra Last Encore: I don’t even have a screenshot. Apparently the reason the show started so late into the season is that it took a long time to produce, and apparently there are two more episodes that will be released at some point in July. But really, what matters is that I have no idea of what this show was trying to accomplish. The characters were a bunch of pieces of cardboard spouting pseudo nihilistic philosophical nonsense and I don’t even know how to describe the plot. It was generic in its Boss of the Week approach but the execution was often very flat. Definitely none of the fun from Apocrypha’s cool characters was to be had in this iteration of the franchise.

Too much iyashikei

This season we had too much iyashikei and I’m burned out. Here are the ones I didn’t hate but also wasn’t super in love with.

Miira no Kaikata: I think this show would’ve worked better as 3-minute vignettes. 20 minutes of it was a bit too much and I struggled to pay attention. I also felt the dragon and MukuMuku had very tangential roles. I don’t have a whole lot to say. It’s cute, if cute is your jam this show is for you. Connie is best smol monster.

Hakumei to Mikochi: Another cute show that gains extra points for its somewhat unique setting, beautiful color palette and picture book aesthetic and because the two main girls are great characters. I particularly liked the first and last episodes. It’s a relaxing, fun little show

Sanrio Danshi: The harbinger of feminism made into a toy commercial, while not quite iyashikei, is still a slice of life that just occassionally indulged in too much melodrama. It was nonetheless a fun little thing that managed to turn cynical consumerism into a positive message for boys: it’s okay to like non-traditionally-masculine things. One of the details I liked most was that none of the boys had to give up on their previous groups of friends even after “coming out”, Kouta’s friends and Shuu’s team were supportive of them and even participated in their dumbass musical play. Some may even read this show as a not-so-subtle allegory on homosexuality and while I don’t think this was Sanrio’s intent (their intent is to broaden their market, plain and simple) the fact that it works so well with that reading is honestly great. I had very minimal expectations for this show and I’m happy it turned out better than those.

Classicaloid 2: Classicaloid isn’t quite iyashikei either but it fits in the “didn’t love it, didn’t hate it” category. I’m a huge fan of season one, but unfortunately a big part of S2 failed to capture the magic. I think most of it was restored in the second cour, specially with brilliant episodes such as the one where Dovo-chan becomes a super-realistic painting of himself, and the last three episodes really captured what made Classicaloid great. I’ve really come to love this cast, so I wouldn’t complain if we got more seasons (please do Vivaldi!!!)

Shonen is a Good Genre, Actually

Shonen as a genre/demographic is much reviled for its repetitive clichés and childish stories, but I think we live at a time in which we can have well-executed shonen anime that, although falling for the same old clichés, have enough heart and sincerity that makes them enjoyable. This part also isn’t necessarily ranked, since my favorite one will change depending on which day you ask me

Nanatsu no Taizai: Imashime no Fukkatsu: As I have mentioned before, this second season seems to be the polar opposite of the first one’s rapid pace. It’s been a while since I read the manga, but I feel like it took a lot less to get to the mid-season cutoff point there than this anime would lead you to believe, especially the training part felt excruciatingly long. NanaTai has other various flaws including its 1000% not funny harrassment jokes and the dumb introduction of quantified “power levels” (why Suzuki), but characters like Diane, King and Ban give the show a unique flavor. And I’m not even gonna pretend to be unbiased, I just love everything involving Ban, even the weird and questionable choice of bringing Elaine back. I’m excited that we’re finally approaching Escanor’s arrival.

Yowapeda Glory Road: I also forgot to grab a screenshot lmao. Yowapeda is a very particular beast, and with its episode count already in the hundreds, it’s not something I’d reccommend unless you’re super into dragged out ridiculous sports anime. This second season of Onoda’s second year has not been without its flaws either, starting with the, imho absurd persistence in making Sohoku look like underdogs even though they’re reigning champions. It’s made a lot of the first two days of the Interhigh feel a lot grimmer than this cheerful show ought to. Kaburagi is still an insufferable character, and the fact that he drags the team down doesn’t help him either, and I just wish the writers would let Best Boy Teshima win anything. I hope the second day ends on a lighter note, because the gloom and doom is making this a less enjoyable watch than it should be

Mahoutsukai no Yome: I feel a little better about this one knowing the final was anime-original, but at the same time I’m beyond livid with how it was wrapped up. I loved the second half of the series because of how well-written and emotional Chise’s growth was, and everything up to her embracing of Cartaphilus’s curse was a beautiful display of her strength and will to live. What I’m not here for is that asspull wedding whatever that makes no sense in the context of the previous events, especially because after the fact, Elias’s attempt to kill Stella is swept under the rug. This could’ve been my favorite show of the season without that bullshit ending and while I don’t regret watching it, it leaves me with a sad feeling of what could have been

Best of the season

Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens: It had a slow start, but with its endearing cast and well-developed character relationships, HTR won me over, especially the last quarter. The animation was veeery barebones, but Lin and Bamba’s charisma and their organically developed relationship carried the show to be one of the most enjoyable of the season. I also really appreciate the fact that the series includes a gay couple with an adopted daughter and that Lin’s crossdressing is never used as a joke or treated as a character flaw or a “phase”. I love stories about found families and I’d love to see more of this gang fighting crime and doing shady business in their city of assassins.

Garo: Vanishing Line: This iteration of Garo had a somewhat slow start, but boy did it pick up steam in the second half. The action was great -the final fight against King had some incredible stylistic choices, the characters’ journeys felt complete and very human and the story was interesting and different enough from other Garo to not feel repetitive, yet with enough Garoisms that made it feel connected to everything else. Like I said, I love stories about found families, so the way Sophie found a home with Gina, Luke and Sword by the end was very touching. Watching Sophie’s journey has been a treat, and I’m immensely happy that this wasn’t a Guren no Tsuki disaster, but was more in line with the excellence of Honoo no Kokuin.

Gakuen Babysitters: This was the huge surprise of the season for me, I almost expected it to be pretty dull. Instead it turned out to be super cute and extremely heartwarming. It had a couple of duds here and there, mostly the not-actually-a-pedophile joke character and the early love triangle skits, but the former disappeared and the latter was vastly improved in the second half of the show. I wish Ryuichi’s grief had been dealt with a bit more, but I think what they did show was very well executed and empathetic. And the portrayal of the kids felt very realistic, including both children’s most adorable and most obnoxious behaviors. KIRIN IS BEST GIRL

Card Captor Sakura Clear Card arc: I have expressed some complaints and dissatisfactions with this sequel all through the season. Mostly in regards to the new cards and how the old ones seem to have been forgotten (also the lazy designs of the new cards). In spite of that, Sakura hasn’t lost any of its heart in these 20 years, the characters are still the kids we grew up with. It is an overwhelmingly cheerful and positive show, from Sakura and Syaoran’s shyly developing relationship, to the hopefulness of Sakura’s magic and just the simple day to day life of Sakura and her friends. In spite of all its flaws, Sakura is still my favorite show of the season and I’m happy we get to spend one more season with these characters. Just please give me more Yue??? 

Ooooof, finally I’m done with this! PLEASE LET’S NOT TALK ABOUT THE 20+ SHOWS I’M SAMPLING FOR SPRING AHAHAHAHA. There’s too much anime. Anime must be stopped, immediately. Don’t hesitate to send me your thoughts about the winter season, even if it seems I’m losing my mind a little Dx TOO MUCH ANIME

[shidoukanae]

Ema Bessho/Ghost Girl! :)

My fave

1. Her contradictory nature

Ema is…a big ball of contradictions and honestly it’s both hard and fun to depict. She’s both blunt about how she feels and also very secretive about things, leading to a weird paradox in which Ema is very open about her feelings but it’s never quite clear what she really means. She seems to be the type of person who is a purposeful enigma in that she gets her point across, but that point comes from feelings left unsaid.

An example of this is when Ema purposely points out the fact that it was her who informed Akira’s superiors of his sister’s hospitalization and of the danger she posed to him. She calls out his decision to trust her as a bad one (thus making her point clear) but it’s never quite clear why she’s motivated to say such (to drive him away from her? To provoke him? To warn him she’s not trustworthy enough?).

On some level, I can understand her need to disguise her words and be very vague about herself, but at the same time it makes it really hard to understand her. She fluctuates between what she says and means and what she does that it’s like…good luck @ me for trying to figure her out because holy hell is it hard.

2. Her mysterious past and it’s seeming nonexistence.

Something that irritates me though, to be fair, makes total sense considering where we are in the story, is Ema’s presence in the story without a background to prop her up. There have been hints of her having a life outside what we’ve seen in the show and a life before the show. Yet, as obvious as it is that there’s more than to her than what meets the eye, it’s very interesting how the show tiptoes around it.

We’ve gotten rare hints of her past (the most notable one being: ~“Who do you mistake me for? I’m a treasure hunter who’s explored many virtual worlds”) but??? aside from those rare crumbles it’s as if Ema doesn’t have a history or tragic background of her own to share. There’s never been any need to bring it up and even less to question her history. She’s a selfish treasure-hunter who on occasion does the dirty work for Akira and SOL - what’s left to question there?

And, even her past with Akira can easily be waved off. All the show has to do is point at them and say: “Akira hired her one day and kept hiring her and they became friends” and that’s literally all that would be required to wave away the fact that she knows and is close to Akira.

Yet they don’t. They don’t talk about her relationship to Akira, don’t talk about why she’s a treasure-hunter or even her goals in life (and money honestly doesn’t cut it for me. If she actually used that money for anything, I’d agree, but since she doesn’t I don’t buy it). It’s never brought up because it’s never needed to be brought up. There’s no questions about her to the outside eye that can be asked, especially when the show doesn’t bring up any questions to ask about.

But, even still, things don’t add up about her and the show’s insistence on her relevance only in the present day is strangely deceiving. If she doesn’t have a tragic past/something to hide, why have we still not gotten a (presumably hand-waved) explanation on how she knows Akira? If she doesn’t have a past that will come to haunt her, why do we know nothing about her goals or motivations in life?

It’s all very odd, frankly, and highly suspicious. You can’t just tell me that, in a show where everyone mysterious has a deeper motivation (and I mean, Akira, Shoichi, Revolver, Spectre, Aoi, Yusaku, quite literally everyone who was ever mysterious) that the one character who is the MOST mysterious doesn’t have any deeper motivations in life whatsoever????

…I’m sorry I don’t buy it. This is literally the reason why I try to give Ema a subtle sense of reflection, a vague throwback to a past and, while my interpretation of that past fluctuates, I always keep in mind that she likely goes much deeper than just being a selfish and superficial treasure-hunter.

3. Her complicated relationship with the Zaizens.

This one is pretty obvious since I fixate on it a lot but I really do love the dynamics of Ema’s relationship to Akira and Aoi. She really does seem to care for them and shows this in many subtle ways such as giving Aoi a talk or calling Akira’s taxi driver after Aoi awakes so he can race to his sister’s side.

That said, it’s really hard to say why she cares for both Akira and Aoi. She seems really close to Akira, enough to be on a first-name basis with him, and she even seems to trust him despite the issues she appears to have with him. That fondness she has for Akira also seems to extend to his sister, Aoi, and it’s very evident in the way Ema cares for her. Still, despite her seeming kindness towards the Zaizens, she also seems very withdrawn and unable to properly support them. With Akira, we see this through the passive-aggressive comments she makes and the odd see-sawing of their relationship, the ups and downs of “I want to help you, Akira” and “why should I help you?”. With Aoi, though there’s only ever been one interaction to judge, Ema’s blunt nature both is meant as a means of provoking and helping Aoi.

To me, Ema’s relationship with the Zaizens is an odd one. She clearly likes them and clearly wants to help but, at the same time, she tends to push them away or seem to like to provoke them. It’s not really clear if this is intentional, unintentional or if she’s only playing amusing, selfish mind-games with them, but it’s very obvious that she cares.

4. Isolated

Perhaps one of the most obvious factors of Ema’s character, she is very isolated and independent. A loner, if you will. We don’t see her every talking to anyone outside of Akira and Aoi in the real world but even when she talks to people in Link VRAINS she is very unattached about it. With Playmaker, she is merely touched by his willingness to save her and not willing to pursue a relationship (platonic or otherwise) with him. With Revolver, we see her angry and her pride wounded but whether that results in a personal grudge seems rather dubious. As her real world self, she seems closest to the Zaizens but, if that’s considered “close” then oh boy does she have a long way to go.

Aside from the Zaizens, however, Ema doesn’t…really seem to have any other connections? Like, yeah, she talks to SOL’s Chess Pieces but when it comes to personal and not business connections…they really don’t seem to exist yet? Like, I don’t believe that Ema doesn’t have some other form of connections with people (no rivals in the treasure hunting industry? No outside allies?) but until we see said allies, it’s really apparent that Ema is a distant and detached person. She lacks a lot of personal connections and doesn’t seem willing to make any new ones. Therefore, I feel like she’s really isolated from society and, while I don’t quite understand the reason why she’s like that, I know it’s an important piece to her character.

5. Self-confidence

One of my favorite things to note about Ema is the admirable self-confidence she carries. Though I don’t think I touch on this enough, it’s honestly quite dazzling to see how Ema never loses her faith in herself. She’s very aware of her beauty, her intelligence, and her skills and never seems to lose faith in her own abilities to fulfill a task. She’s very capable of doing stuff and she knows this never letting a crack in her grand plans deter her. Not only that, but she’s always very meticulous about her plans and she knows that, if one part fails or something unexpected happens, there are ways to work around that barrier (like in the data bank arc).

Her belief in her own capabilities as well as her confidence in planning strategies ahead of time is honestly quite admiring. That said, I don’t think her self-confidence is without flaws, either, and this self-confidence might also come with a few insecurities that she still tucks away (*coughsatep3and8*). Therefore, while I feel like self-confidence makes a big part of who she is, I also suspect that, while she is faithful to trusting in her own abilities, there are still some things that perhaps she has issues with.

[bahamutgames]

Afterthoughts S: Definitive Edition

Game: DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition (September 27, 2019)

Console: Xbox One (Via Xbox Game Pass)

Hey, it’s me again! It feels like it’s been forever since I last beat a big game with a lot of stuff to talk about. But the last time was actually only a month ago with New Super Lucky’s Tale. In the mean time I’ve been playing a couple of smaller games, tiny indie titles, a few fighting games. But nothing that I couldn’t summarize in a small twitter thread (which you can follow my twitter here if you want to see my art or just support me shilling my other accounts.)

Anyway! Just got done with another major RPG! After Nier Automata, I knew this was a game I really wanted to play before my Game Pass subscription expired. And after toiling away at it for the past month, I’m finally ready to give you all my thoughts on Dragon Quest 11!  As always, this isn’t meant to be review. But just a general throw up of my thoughts and feelings after beating the game, because I love talking so much. As such, this shouldn’t be taken as a serious critique of the game, and shouldn’t be expected to be well written or thought out. Please do check out the game if it interests you at all!

SPOIL WARNING FOR DRAGON QUEST 11 AHEAD! GONNA TALK ABOUT THE WHOLE PACKAGE HERE, AS A FAIR WARNING

Opening

Prior to this, the only Dragon Quest game I had played was DQ 8: Journey of the Cursed King on Nintendo 3DS. I liked it, and thought it was pretty good. But wasn’t perfect and felt a little unnecessarily tedious to get through. But when 11 came out, I saw a ton of people saying it was an amazing RPG. People I followed who weren’t really into RPGs (as far as I knew) were raving about it. So I was really interested to give it a shot myself, but didn’t have the chance until I got game pass.

Stuff I liked

Where to begin? This is a 60 hour game so there’s a lot to talk about. I think first and foremost I just wanna gush about how pretty this game is! The graphics are amazing, I love how the environments are realistic but super brightly colored and saturated, making for ton of gorgeous areas that I couldn’t stop myself from taking pictures of. And Akira Toriyama’s just being placed in these beautiful worlds look so good and amazing. Without a doubt, especially considering its more on the realistic side, this is one of the nicest looking RPGs I’ve played.

Speaking of which, I really loved the character designs. Toriyama does fantastic work that I really like with pretty much everything, but his work on RPGs always tend to be my favorites. The designs for all the main teammates looked super good and all the monsters were really cool looking too. He really knows how to design cool looking dragons, this guy just gets it. On the same not of characters, the characters are fantastic. I really love everyone on the main team (my favorite was probably Serena.) They’re all super fun and I love the way they interact and really seem like a group of good friends. It was great to see how they all interact and work together. A scene that particularly sticks out is when they all forge a new sword of light together, which was fantastic.

I also thought the story and world was cool. Similar to my thoughts on DQ8, the story is pretty simple and easy to follow, but that doesn’t take away from it. It kind of feels like a fairy tale told on a grand scale. I love the idea of the Luminary, and Serenica being reborn into twins is awesome, Erdwin’s Lantern was a cool idea. And of course, Yggdrasil being a huge ass tree flying in the sky is absolutely the best thing ever, that’s so cool. ALSO, I have to give special shoutouts to Mordegon’s Sword of Darkness, coolest thing on the entire planet, I love swords with freaky giant eyes frantically looking around on them.

Lastly, I really liked the gameplay and combat of this game. I thought the way battles are set up as still being traditional turnbased combat but with the ability to freely walk around the field and look at the arenas was awesome. And getting to walk up to teammates to see their thoughts mid battle is super cool. Of course I loved all the different spells you can learn, and all the abilities you get through level ups. A new feature in this one (at least it’s new to me) is the Pep Up state, which is also cool. Particularly because it allows for Crossover Attacks between teammates, which is always the best thing an RPG can include, but most RPGs just choose not to. But DQ11 has it in spades and it ROCKS, there’s so much cool and genuinely useful crossover moves I didn’t even get to see all of them. And a final cool piece of the battle system was the ability to actually change equipment and teammates mid battle. I’m unsure if I’ve ever played a game that allowed for this (though I know they exist) but I thought it really made it feel like you could make use of your whole team and all your equipment. Being able to change teammates and what weapons they use for appropriate strategies was super fun.

Stuff I didn’t like

And, I did really like DQ11. I think I might even like it more than 8. There’s a ton of improvements. I feel like it’s less stingy with EXP, I feel like it was all around just easier to navigate and handle. But I still had a fair amount of issues with the game. Particularly in the- say it with me if you know what’s coming- post Yggdrasil content!! Prior to Yggdrasil, the game was buttery smooth. I flew through the whole thing and loved every second of it with minimal roadblocks (as opposed to DQ8 which roadblocked me at every boss.) And by the time I reached Yggdrasil, I realized I had been playing for 30 hours and didn’t even realize it! That’s awesome and pretty impressive considering I’ve played shorter games that felt like double that.

So, the game starts to crawl a little bit before Yggdrasil in my opinion. Once you have to start looking for the orbs, the game just kinda teeters for a bit there randomly. Like, the orbs are meant to be kind of a big deal, and yet the purple and whichever one you find in the bird dungeon thing (lol) basically get no fanfare. It felt like they were forgotten about and just had to be thrown in at the last second. Now, you could argue that the whole mural thing and the bird boss were those orbs’ fanfare. But it still felt so odd to me. Then, Yggdrasil falls.

I liked the post Yggdrasil stuff, I really did. I thought it was all pretty great from a story and character point of view. And getting to see the world that was so beautiful be corrupted and filled with powerful monsters was neat. I loved Sylvando’s whole parade thing, and every one else’s was cool too. But that’s kinda it. The whole section just drags along as you play with most of your team just gone and it goes so slow. And a lot of it really felt like it could have been condensed down a bit, I mean they don’t even show you what happened to Serena. Which I guess was because of what happened to Veronica but, still?

Again, it’s good story content and I don’t necessarily want any of it removed. But damn man, it really grinds to halt. And I also felt like it got really brutal during this part for no reason, kind of out of nowhere. The skeleton spectral sentinel, Gloomivore, and Booga were MASSIVE hurdles for me to get over randomly. And it got so bad I genuinely considered dropping the game because I just didn’t have the patience. It felt like an NES game again out of nowhere. Now, I do want to blame this on maybe not use the character builder right, or something. But still it was just so annoying out of nowhere. Thankfully I found the perfect strategy of Oomphle on Hendrick, Sap on the enemy, then have Hendrick spam Unbridled Blade, which was foolproof and beat every boss after that.

Thankfully once Serena joins your team again, and everyone is there (minus one aha) the game really picks up steam again. Everything after that was a breeze and went by without any issues. I think I hit one roadblock afterwards and it was pretty easy to just grind past. So I don’t know what happened there. The only other part I have a problem with is I do feel like the game ends rather abruptly. Like, not majorly. But I wouldn’t have minded seeing more about what happens between Eleven and Gemma or something. But that’s what the post game content is for I guess!

Some other nitpicks are that, I didn’t care about the music again. I think I liked more music in this one than DQ8, but still I’d be hard pressed to actually remember any songs from this game. I’m listening to the OST as we speak and other than the battle theme, I feel like I don’t remember what they sound like at all. And that’s probably cause I hate the composer but hey what can you do? I also wish it was easier to find Metal Slimes. I know they’re meant to be rare but I would’ve appreciated some appearing in the overworld just anywhere outside of the dragon chase scene? Weird to me you have randomly encounter them on the side of other enemeis.

Outside of that, uh. I think the Tockles were SUPER tick-tocked onto the game? It seemed like they were going to be massively important, but they just weren’t? I felt like you could’ve removed them and it would have made no change. I also thought there was gonna be WAY more time travel stuff. The scenes where you see the past are some of the best imo. Meeting Chalky from the past, playing as Rab in his kingdom, helping Eleven’s dad pass on. But these don’t feel enough to name the game “Echoes of an Illusive Age” if that makes sense? It just felt like there was supposed to be way more stuff with the Tockles and Time Travel stuff that just didn’t happen. 

Now that I’m remembering it, it felt like there was TONS of stuff built up that just didn’t really go anywhere. Another big one is the whole deal with Erdwin’s lanter? Who was the guy who cut it in half? What was the deal with the lantern? Why did it fall? What was up with the dark Tockle? Wanna give any information on that? No? Okay. But if I had to guess, these all are explored heavily in the post game content, which is cool but sadly I did not have the time to play it. Maybe one day I’ll pick up a copy of the game and play through it fully.

Final Thoughts

Yeah it was good.

I am a huge fan of RPGs, but Dragon Quest just hadn’t fully clicked with me. I played 8 and liked it, but wasn’t blown away. I wouldn’t say I was blown away by this one either, but I am certainly very impressed and am eagerly anticipating whatever Dragon Quest 12 ends up being. This series is super founded in tradition (even if that tradition is detrimental to the gameplay imo?) but this game felt like a true evolution of that tradition while still holding onto it in the right ways. Are there ways to improve the game? Oh yeah, tons! But this is already a good step in the right direction. I will certainly be visiting the series more eventually (particularly 3, 4, and 5 are ones I’m curious about.) But I will probably emulate them to cheat when I run into roadblocks again.

After playing this, I also went back to play as Hero in Smash. They are still one of the best, if not my favorite character in the game. I think they are so fun and I love the randomness element that comes with them. Their stage is great too!

Also, seeing this gorgeous RPG with Akira Toriyama art in it made me REALLY want a new Blue Dragon. Like, REALLY bad. Please Microsoft if you’re listening PLEASE give us a new Blue Dragon. I don’t care what genre of RPG it is just give us a new one please I’m begging. Make it look like DQ11 and it will be the best game of all time.

Okay but enough of that. Thanks for skimming through or just letting me talk for a bit. For some reason the longer I held this one off, the less and less I felt like talking about it? Which is strange cause it’s a big game and I felt like I had tons to say during it. The only reason I even finished this and decided to post it was cause I already started it. Basically what I’m saying is that don’t be surprised if I just start making REALLY teeny tiny posts here instead of big rambles like this one.

But until then, I have work to do. I played through the Ty 2 HD remake on Switch recently and loved it all over again. I will maybe talk about that later. At the moment I’m playing Tales of Vesperia. Thanks again for putting up with me ramble about games, see you next time! Play something you love that puts you in an adventurous mood!

[scrawnydutchman]

‘Isle of Dogs’ Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

Isle of Dogs is the second animated stop motion film of Wes Anderson, who is famous for his stylized mainstream arthouse flicks such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom and this first animated stop motion film, an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel of the same name, Fantastic Mr. Fox. Being such a fan of Fantastic Mr. Fox in particular, Isle of Dogs has been on my most anticipated list of 2018 film releases for some time (basically ever since production was first announced). I was given the honour of attending an advanced screening in Calgary by my good friend Vinson Chan who managed to get me an extra ticket, so big shout out to him and his brother Simon (go check out Banana Planet Films at: https://www.facebook.com/bananaplanetfilms/, they are amazing). I can confidently say I was not too disappointed. The film has a great distinct feel, awesome cinematography done in that signature Wes Anderson style, appealing animation and a killer soundtrack. But does it compare to Fantastic Mr. Fox? And are all the decisions made for the movie necessary? Let’s approach this one point at a time, starting with story.

Story: 

Synopsis: In a futuristic setting of Japan, domesticated house dogs are outlawed due to a spreading dog flu virus that allegedly has potential to eventually spread to humans. The remaining dog population is deported to a neighboring Island known as “Trash Island” where they are forced to subsist off of Garbage just to barely survive (why they didn’t just pass a bill for mandatory euthanasia is beyond me as it’d be more cost effective and full proof, but whatever, just go with it). The story follows a group of dogs sticking together in a gang, all named after some sort of authoritative society figure (Boss, King, Duke, Rex and Chief) who decide to help  a little Japanese boy named Atari who one day came to Trash Island to look for his lost dog Spots. Will they be able to find this boys long lost dog?

I’m just gonna tell you right now without spoiling anything . . . the trailers are misleading. The trailers give off the impression that the film is going to give each dog of this pack their own unique characters and personalities and they’re all going to have their own kind of special moments . . . but it isn’t that kind of movie at all. If you’ve seen previews floating around the internet, you might have figured out that the only dog that really matters is Chief (played by Bryan Cranston). He’s the odd one out; the tough stray of the pack who never takes orders from anyone. He’s the only dog with a driving conflict and a character arc. Every other dog is just sort of there for the ride. They give their backstory in a single sentence and than they just sort of help, but they are otherwise inconsequential and that becomes VERY apparent in the second half especially. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the plot itself is still engaging and original and the bits between Chief and Atari are genuinely heartfelt. It just disappointed me because the movie seemed to be banking off of character interaction between the dogs in the trailer and then the focus was never really that after all. Not to mention the immense acting talent Wes got for the film (we’ll get to that in a bit). That said, the story really is engaging like I said before. The world that Wes managed to create from this concept feels real and immersive, which is further sold by the movies astounding art direction and soundtrack. While Fantastic Mr. Fox was like an urban folktale that explored themes of innate animalistic nature and accepting who you really are, Isle of Dogs is more like a simple road trip movie where the theming never really goes much deeper than “dogs are great” (hence the title of the film is a pun on the phrase “I love dogs”), so it isn’t as complex or as thought provoking as Fantastic Mr. Fox but to be fair it doesn’t need to be. It’s just a fun little sentimental ride between a boy and his dog that ends up devolving into a greater happy ending.

Characters:

So like I said before, this film’s marketing plays up like the five dogs all get their own special characters and moments, but that’s not what happens at all. Duke, Boss, King and Rex .  . . they’re all basically the same character. They all spout dialogue about their past as a former housepet (albeit their origins are all slightly different but it’s the same basic outcome nonetheless; they are housepets and Chief is not). They all sneeze sometimes in random places. They all spout exposition about the lore and worldbuilding of the setting this film takes place in in the form of “rumors”. Like “Hey, I heard this one rumor that this place has this thing happen in it.” Kind of a reoccurring plot device that frankly felt like a writing crutch if I’m honest. But the focus of the movie isn’t on them anyway. The focus is clearly on Chief and his relationship with Atari . . for half the movie anyway. While this definitely could have used more screentime in my honest opinion, it’s definitely the strongest part. I LOVED watching the loner stray Chief slowly but surely own up to the idea to accepting affection from a human master. I LOVED watching the boy grow a genuine attachment to a new best friend after he lost his former one so long ago. It was genuinely heartwarming to see these two’s bond grow. The other half of the film is dedicated to the, I guess you could call, “political thriller” in the city where the human characters get some of the spotlight. Most of the human characters speak Japanese with no subtitles; just the occasional verbal translation by a nearby English translator. I actually prefer it this way. It gives a real sense of authenticity and immersion to the world Wes is creating, which is a worthy accomplishment in an American produced film adapting a foreign culture. Besides that there is also the English speaking foreign exchange student Tracy Walker (played by Greta Gerwig). She’s a feisty, no nonsense conspiracy buff who is determined to do what’s right against the anti-dog prejudice. She’s pretty damn funny and captivating, particularly in one scene near the climax. I love how in your face she gets whenever she’s on screen and she’s never afraid to stand up for herself. There’s also the female showdog Nutmeg, played by Scarlett Johansson, who I guess acts as a love interest to Chief. I say “I guess” because she’s in like . . . two scenes . . . in the whole movie. Yeeeah, this movie maybe could have benefited from keeping the story less complicated than it ended up being. The best stuff was always whenever it focused on Chief and Atari, and while nothing else is bad or even boring they DO end up taking away from it. I think this could have been a much nicer experience in a way if it acted like the first half of Wall-E, where there’s nothing to see outside of character interaction between Chief and Atari as they journey through a trash wasteland looking for his dog. This actually holds the record for longest running feature length stop motion film ever, beating Coraline by just two minutes, and . . . honestly, nothing in what it portrays warrants that milestone. It really would have benefit from trimming the fat.

Acting:

So one of the most noticeable aspects of Wes Anderson films is how he’s always able to reel in an all star cast of some of the most beloved acting talent in Hollywood. This film is no different. Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban and Scarlett Johansson are all in the movie. These are all HUGE names. Not to mention the extensive Japanese talent they got for this film like Koyu Rankin and Akira Takayama. Wes always goes all out with his star power and, truthfully EVERYONE in this film does a spectacular job doing what they do. Bryan Cranston in particular gives an intimidating yet heartwarming performance as Chief; I actually wouldn’t mind if he was given an award for best actor for this film. But I have to ask . . . why have ALL this star power and have most of the people here do next to nothing??? Don’t get me wrong, it’s super charming to hear Norton, Goldblum, Murray and Balaban give deadpan comedic delivery in this movie, one would argue these men are the KINGS of deadpan . . . but beyond that they pretty much serve as exposition dump. Again, Scarlett gets like two scenes in this movie. By far the most random addition to the cast is Yoko Ono. She plays a scientist assistant and has one scene . . ONE SCENE . . . of barely any dialogue where Greta Gerwig is the center of attention. Like . . . why?? Why was it so important to have Yoko Ono of all people in your movie? What would have been different if it was just some random Japanese actress trying to get a breakthrough role in the industry? The marketing, again, treats Yoko like she’s a major centerpiece for the cast and . . . . no. She does nothing of significance. She’s shear star power for the hell of it and that’s all. That’s truthfully what most of this cast comes down to unfortunately, though to a lesser extent than Yoko. To compare, Fantastic Mr. Fox ALSO had a great all star cast including George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray again, Jason Schwartzman and Willem Dafoe. But they did SO much more with their cast in much less time than Isle of Dogs. More characters get great lines, they have distinct personalities from each other and Foxy isn’t the only one who has a character arc and changes for the better by the end of it. Fantastic Mr. Fox in general just did so much more with it’s resources and a more complicated plot with less time to do it in. Again, I ENJOYED a lot of what was in Isle of Dogs, but so much of it just felt unnecessary in the long run.

Visuals (Cinematography, Animation, Composition, etc.)

I don’t know what it is about Wes, but he’s always had a great knack for animation direction from the get go. The nature of stop motion just beautifully coincides his storybook style frame composition and tendency to hold still shots. Not to mention the fact that animating multiple characters in real time, even minor details, while doing shots involving panning around a set has to be extremely difficult. You can definitely tell this is the same guy that worked on Fantastic Mr. Fox, but the film also bears a healthy amount of it’s own visual identity as well. Particularly in the art direction. The sets for both the trash island and the Japanese city are GORGEOUS. I love the way the film uses limited colour palettes for every scene. It makes contrast and depth all the more apparent. Plus the nature of the sets like ongoing trains or shifting skylines naturally fits with Wes’ style of directing. The film also has an assortment of clever visual gags. every fight scene happens in the form of a cartoony cloud with peoples legs sticking out a-la Hanna Barbera style and the smoke effects in the film are seemingly done with cotton (could be wrong though). The editing is used to sell a lot of gags too, my favorite in the whole movie being in the very first introduction of the dogs (you’ll know what I mean when you see it). The film also has a tendency to be really up close on facial expressions; much more so than Fantastic Mr. Fox. the stop motion molds on the faces are quite expressive given they don’t cycle through as many assets as anything Laika produces. But that ALSO shows in the limited nature of how they express; particularly in how every characters eyes just gets drenched in water.

The visuals of the film are damn near close to perfect . . . with only one minor discrepancy, and unfortunately it’s another area in which Fantastic Mr. Fox does better. As mentioned before, Wes likes to do a lot of shots in which the camera pans left to right on a set. This technique makes an appearance in Isle of Dogs, and while sometimes it’s executed to typically excellent effect . . . other times not so much. There are some moments in this film where it actually hurts my eyes to try and keep up with all the action that was happening as the camera was moving. I attribute this to there being no center focus as it happens (again, in the times where it’s a problem). In the times it’s done right, there’s a single asset in the shot moving along in the same direction and pace as the camera, making it the center of attention the viewer focuses on that makes the effect work. A great example of this is from the opening of Fantastic Mr. Fox where Mr. and Mrs. Fox are running through a farm trying to not get caught to the sound of “Heroes and Villains” by the Beach Boys. What they’re doing is always the focus. Isle of Dogs tries to do this thing where it cycles through with multiple things going on at once and it simply isn’t as effective. Now it’s very possible I may just have to view the film again to clarify as this review IS based on my first impressions, and it isn’t prominent enough to hold against the overall score anyhow, so I won’t count it for the time being. It was just something I personally noticed. Beyond that, the movie is visually astounding.

Sound (Soundtrack, Sound Design, etc.)

This is usually the category in which I don’t have a whole lot to say, because even the worst hollywood or major studio produced movies usually have serviceable sound design. Wes Anderson always makes it easier to comment on though. For one thing, this films soundtrack was done by Academy Award winning composer Alexandre Desplat . . . who I ABSOLUTELY LOVE. He’s always the kind of composer who creates music that makes me think “I have GOT to get that on Spotify”. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Shape of Water and Isle of Dogs all have spectacular soundtracks because of him. Also, the Japanese drumming compositions done by Kaoru Watanabe are great as well. Wes also usually has great use of sound effects that not only stand out as unique given his method of storytelling, but actually contributes to the narrative in some way, Such as Atari and Chief whistling to find each other. His use of sound always stands out as really giving a much needed “uumph” to the comedic deliverance of his outlandish humor.

Conclusion:

Isle of Dogs is wildly entertaining, creative and cleverly made in a fashion you would expect from the mind of Wes Anderson. It’s just a shame it often gets too complicated for it’s own good. This film would have been better with a shorter running time, more focus on the relationship between Chief and Atari done in relative silence and less focus given to ultimately ineffectual celebrity cameos (ESPECIALLY Yoko Ono). It’s definitely not better than Fantastic Mr. Fox as that generally does more with less, but it’s still a very exceptional animated film that I would love to see again. Matter of fact, given how many minor details are sprinkled throughout in both visuals and dialogue, this definitely seems like the kind of film that gets better with every viewing. For the time being though, this is my rating.

Story: 1.5/2 - Above average

Characters: 1.5/2 - Above Average

Acting: 2/2 - Exceptional

Visuals: 2/2 - Exceptional

Sound Design: 2/2 - Exceptional

9 out of 10 - Great, but would have been better if made simpler.

{BONUS NOTE: This movie has been a subject to controversy regarding appropriation of Japanese culture, not dissimilar to the controversy that was surrounding Kubo and the Two String in 2016. My opinion on the matter hasn’t changed. Cultural Appropriation is a real occurrence, yes, but it isn’t inherently bad. In fact, so much of cultures around the world have appropriated something from somewhere else and is better off as a result of it. Hair buns are a product of Japanese culture, pajama bottoms are a product of Arab culture, lots of different rings are a product of Irish culture, etc etc. Cultural appropriation CAN be harmful when it comes to serving a means aside from actually providing any appreciation of the culture you are taking from (and actually defaming it in some way) such as aboriginal Halloween costumes, but that just goes to show there is a right and wrong way to do it. Isle of Dogs may be an American-German co produced film, but it very clearly is done with respect to Japanese history and artwork. It’s the whole films appeal in fact. The soundtrack is made to be authentically Japanese, even going as far as bringing in a Japanese co-composer. A great deal of the cast is Japanese and the plot of the film itself is closely tied to Shinto folklore. Point is, Wes didn’t just pull haphazardly from a culture with no regard for what any of it meant. He actually did his homework. The same thing can be said for Kubo and the Two Strings. The film was made with close ties to actual Japanese mythology and little bits of Japanese cultural items can be found in every setting of the film. So much of our greatest art is built on this principle.The Breadwinner is an interpretation of Afghan culture done by an Irish studio and is one of my favorite films ever. Japan usually nails it with it’s adaptation of Western culture in such animes asCowboy Bebop. I could keep going with examples, but my point is that the issue of cultural appropriation is a lot more intricate than just “this culture should only do this thing”. It’s a matter of how well educated you are and how respectful you are of people all over the world, and I for one believe that allowing media to explore themes and tropes foreign to us encourages us to understand them more, not less.}

[divdevdump]

In 2001, Sarah Silverman told a joke on Late Night With Conan O'Brien that incurred the wrath of Asian American activists and, in a perverse way, also became her breakout moment. The bit involved trying to get out of jury duty, with Silverman recounting a friend's suggestion that she write something "really inappropriate" on the form — something like "I hate chinks." But, Silverman said, she didn't want to cast herself in such an ugly light, so she opted to instead write "I love chinks. Who doesn't?"

The network that aired the show, NBC, apologized for the slur a few days later. But Silverman refused to, opting instead to fight it out with Guy Aoki, the cofounder of Media Action Network for Asian Americans, on Politically Incorrect. The comedian, who in more recent years has shifted her perspective on — and moved away from — the sort of meta-bigot comedy that marked her rise, insisted at the time that Aoki was a humorless scold who'd missed the point: "It’s not a racist joke," she said on Politically Incorrect, "it’s a joke about racism."

She never seemed to hear Aoki's own point that a slur is still a slur, and that the reason Silverman settled on the one she did was because it was seen as permissible and more acceptable as the stuff of humor. Looking back at this particular sorry-not-sorry moment, and how little the conversation has progressed since, what really rankles is not just the implication that racism against Asians is less serious and less real. It's the familiar proprietary ease of it all, the sense that it could be gotten away with because Asianness is colonizable enough as an identity that anyone can gain in-group joke privileges. Silverman didn't intend her chipper punchline (“Who doesn’t?”) to also work as an orientalist slogan, but it did, and still does — a handy summation of the fact that a lot of anti-Asian racism gets presented through a lens of warped, acquisitive affection, and then denied or defended on the basis of it. When Edward Said wrote the book Orientalism in 1978, he focused on the long arc of Europe's paternalistic conceptions of the Middle East. The term has since been expanded in scope into a broadly useful one for the West's selective seeing of the East — especially, for the purposes of this piece of writing, East Asia — with many sins included under its umbrella: exotification, condescension, appropriation, othering, and general treatment of Asianness as a cultural buffet from which people feel welcome to help themselves to whatever they're inclined to take and reject what they aren't interested in. Orientalism surfaces in the New Age commodification of Eastern spirituality, in the predilection to glom separate cultures into a blurry whole, in the freedom that still seems to be felt in making open declarations about having a fetish for Asian women or dismissing the sexuality of Asian men. And orientalism shows up onscreen — in films, on television, in music videos — with so much more regularity than good faith representations do that pushing back against it has been a steady drumbeat in Asian American activism for decades now. It's a thread that runs through the history of American movies, especially, from the early studio days when trailblazing star Anna May Wong’s career was curtailed by stereotypes up through the present, when the likes of Wes Anderson, Jared Leto, Anna Wintour, and Scarlett Johansson are still providing plenty to fight about. On one level, the fact that this regular stream of distorted images persists speaks to how unaware creators seem to be about what they're doing, but on another, it shows how little they seem to care. It's not news that orientalism exists, but it still seems like news to many that there's anything wrong with it, or that there is, indeed, a difference between, say, objectifying homage and legitimate cultural exchange. Which might be why it's been so hard to push back. When racism — in the minds of many — still means open hatred, the idea that it can also come couched in the guise of fandom or fondness is a reality people really don't want to acknowledge. Orientalism is ultimately about power, which may be why it has taken the rise of international markets, and of China in particular, to force Hollywood to try to see the continent through something other than a scrim of Western assumptions. 

The most telling thing about the conversations that have followed the release of Wes Anderson's latest film, Isle of Dogs — a movie that, whatever you think of it, is inarguably about Western assumptions about Japan — is the gap between the thoughtful and measured criticism (much of it from Asian American writers) and the outraged, outsized response to that criticism online. It's as if the very implication of racial insensitivity is worse than any offense itself could ever be. These commenters were an odd alliance of Anderson devotees and the usual internet complainers who love to call out "identity politics" and "snowflakes," but most, judging from their Twitter avatars, were white men or sentient anime characters.   

But Anderson himself, a filmmaker who has always been clumsy with anything to do with race, has functionally described his own feature as orientalist. At the film’s debut at the Berlin Film Festival in February, he explained that he and his regular collaborators Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman had wanted to make a movie about a pack of dogs, and also "something in Japan," and the two ideas were then just combined: "The story could've taken place anywhere, but it came together when we realized it should take place in a fantasy version of Japan." And it does, in a near-future Japan that's also decidedly analog, and home to a dual-species adventure that takes some of its cues from the work of Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki. Most of the acting talent is from the US — the dogs, voiced by the likes of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, and Scarlett Johansson, speak English, while the humans speak Japanese, which frequently goes untranslated. Most of Anderson's movies take place in overtly imaginary renditions of actual places, from the outsider's dream of New York (as drawn from J.D. Salinger and back issues of the New Yorker) in The Royal Tenenbaums to the invented Eastern Europe republic of The Grand Budapest Hotel, a Stefan Zweig–inspired wonderland where real historical horrors lurk behind whimsical imagery. In that sense, the similarly fictional city of Megasaki in Isle of Dogs, along with its adjoining trash- and canine-dump island, is no different. What is different is the real-world cultural context: the tradition of Western othering of Japan that Anderson seems blithely indifferent toward, even as he participates in it. Because it's stop-motion, the film uses scaled-down puppets to represent its characters onscreen, but it also diminishes them in more figurative ways, with a gaze that's detached and dispassionate when it comes to most of the humans, aside from 12-year-old Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin) and foreign exchange student Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig). Tracy, who leads the resistance against Megasaki's oppressive anti-dog leadership, is the human who gets the bulk of the English-language lines and, with them, the big shows of emotion. She's the American girl brave enough to take initiative when no native Japanese resident dares — a regrettable foil for stereotypes about Asian compliance. There's no overt malicious intent to Isle of Dogs' cultural tourism, but it's marked by a hodgepodge of references that an American like Anderson might cough up if pressed to free associate about Japan — taiko drummers, anime, Hokusai, sumo, kabuki, haiku, cherry blossoms, and a mushroom cloud (!). There's a plot development in which poisoned wasabi is hidden away in sushi, and a scientist character named Yoko-ono, who is voiced by Yoko Ono. This all has more to do with the (no doubt intricately designed and decorated) insides of Anderson's brain than it does any actual place. It’s Japan purely as an aesthetic — and another piece of art that treats the East not as a living, breathing half of the planet but as a mirror for the Western imagination. Keep reading

[linkspooky]

It's interesting to see how some former CCG investigators, who once had a great sense of justice based on their ideals or a grand goal, now feel empty and are devoting more time to protecting or bringing back people that they care about. I mean, Amon, Seidou and Ui. Not only the investigators and their ideals, are collapsing, but the CCG too, which seems to be a good thing for me, I always saw CCG or Aogiri as two extremist sides.

If Eto had an intention, it was definitely to wage the CCG’s tactics back on itself so the two could destroy each other. I’ve said this before, but both Arima, Eto and Furuta’s tactics all smack of a symbolic double suicide. 

Eto burned Aogiri after all and claimed that this was it’s purpose all along, to make room for the king. 

You are right on your observation of most previous investigators though, Urie wants to fight for the Quinx, Mutsuki for Sasaki, Aura for his aunt. Amon himself suddenly becomes interested in supporting Akira again.

I’m not sure whether to read this as a realization of true priorities, or just an overcompensation, an opposite swing of the pendulum if you would. Amon spent his entire life refusing to be a person, and seeking some cause to justify his existence instead. However, both he and his justice were wrong. Not only that but it stood in the way of any personal connection that could make his life meaningful.

There is such a thing as overcompensating however, that is to say thinking you were mistaken and instead moving too far in the opposite direction in an attempt to fix what you thought was wrong. Akira thinks she was depending too much on Haise so she just leaves him barely a warning, is one example. 

Amon is the example I am using right now, but really it applies to all of these major CCG players. Seidou, Amon, Ui, all of these characters at one point believed and fought entirely for the system. Except, all of that effort came to naught.

Ui is perhaps the most pronounced demonstration of this, because he knows that the CCG’s are numbered, and not only that but not only is the organization he fought for going downhill, but all of the people he did are already lost to him.

So what do they do? They switch entirely to personal connections, throwing all the rest out the window as if it never mattered all along. Which is why I always question Akira’s own claims that she’s ‘empty’ now. 

It seems much more akin to Ui’s own flip. To pretend that these things never mattered to him. To deliberately choose instead to focus entirely on one aspect of his previous life because the failure becomes easier to manage that way. Akira is filled with a lot of things, mostly regret, and sadness at loss, but she does not want to feel any of those things so she represses them. That repression is the source of her emptiness, not some existentialist doubt.

Then there’s Ui, who turns around as if nothing he fought for before this point ever mattered to him but Hairu. The obvious counterpoint though is that Hairu is not the only thing Ui lost. Perhaps the first and most significant thing, but not the only. The other two things, Haise and Take are still alive, and it would be far easier for Ui to try to understand them then to revive someone from the dead, but you see him take the impossible course and focus on Hairu instead. 

The question is why? As Ui never really treated Hairu as if she was his most important thing while she was around, only after losing her, and even then only recognizing that grief after losing the entire CCG. It’s because Hairu is symbolic of something greater to him, something he needs more desperately than his own brand of ethics... a personal reason to fight.

This was a line associated with Ui 17 chapters before he was even tempted with Hairu. All three of these men however, as Matsuri can be included among the list of people who dropped ambition for personal love instead, are people who choose to obsessively love someone who cannot in their current state return their feelings.

Furuta -> Rize, Ui-> Hairu, and Matsuri -> Urie. Urie does not understand or even care for Matsuri’s feelings, Hairu is dead, and Rize is unconscious and maintained that way by Furuta, but all three men use their objects of affection as excuses to continue acting, especially after losing everything they had been working for to begin with. 

As Nico said, those who don’t have something beautiful to live for, or live beautifully themselves go mad and die. That’s what their afraid of the most, not losing someone, but rather losing themselves and their own reasons for living. Thus they exaggerate the feelings they have for one person because that person serves as a convenient reason to keep trying.

The reason for the switch to personal relationships is because the CCG members themselves feel lost, and now that they no longer have a system to fight for they look for a person to fight for instead. It’s however, the same reason all along, they’re much more concerned with their internal motivation than what’s really better for the sake of the world. That’s generally human behavior.

So we return to Amon, perhaps the main character if there was one of all the CCG castaways currently. He states it quite plainly, his only purpose now is to fight for his former comrades and save them. However, Amon’s own actions in that regard is filled with holes. He says he followed Seidou and Kurona for three years waiting for the perfect oppurtunity to save them, but after he does, he doesn’t even bother to talk to them again?

Is he content with simply saving them? After Akira has found her life’s purpose, will he leave too? That’s the question, just like my examples listed above it seems less about the actual genuine well being of the person in his sanctuary (after all Houji was dead and Amon simply watched it happen), but rather giving Amon himself a motive to continue fighting. 

He says it plainly to Seidou, even though he knows nothing he’ll still fight. AMon needs a purpose to fight for, and he needs to continue fighting, otherwise he too will succumb to that same emptiness. Which is why we see him switch so suddenly. Seidou and Kurona no longer need him, so he switches instead to the person who needs him now. Amon’s not really confronting himself, he’s just giving himself a purpose to live vicariously through Akira’s own possible fulfillment. 

Seidou’s not much better in that regard either, clinging to life and saying he’ll continue to live normally while also declaring him and his namesake dead and only going by owl. At the end of the day though, it’s impossible to live entirely through others. Seidou is never going to be content simply watching Amon and Akira from afar because he is not them. He is Seidou. The only way he’ll be satisfied is living as Seidou.

Which is probably when all of these characters will stop spinning around so blind, when they finally confront themselves. Not the CCG, not their loved ones, not the Washuu, but rather themselves. If there is a motivation to live, it’s going to come from inside them, and not from someone else, or some other voice. 

[sparda3g]

Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 148 Review

As the protagonist is sleeping until 3 days has passed, it’s up for the guy’s best friend to handle the situation. It’s great to see Hide again and I do mean by his normal appearance…mostly. The chapter continues to dive in the turmoil of characters and how the preparation is slowly developing before the next awakening arrives.

The one character that I wanted to see the reaction was Suzuya because after his conflict with Kaneki, there has to be a reaction towards his transformation. The chapter granted me that wish in the very beginning, with the outbreak of Kaneki’s kagune demolishing his comrades. Suzuya was helped by his close comrade Mizurou; interesting because he has been pushed by Ishida since the novel. Hm… Either way, that was a nice save. The sight of Suzuya planning to fight off the kagune from hanging was disturbingly creepy.

The part that got me is when Suzuya announced his next confrontation will be Kaneki’s last or in other words, he will slay the Dragon. It’s not because he thought of killing him that struck me; it’s what transpired to that thought and remembering him as Sasaki is emotional. It does make me rethink about their previous fight and the fact Kaneki was really set to be “captured” does paint him as “still comrade at heart.” Now, he is going to recover and this time, he will finish him off. This really sucks.

The discussion thread within CCG is amusing and stimulating. At first, I thought it was Dr. Ogura that Hide wanted to meet as a specialist, but as predicted, it is Kanou. It’s just that Ogura has a connection with him more or less. It’s pretty neat that Hide has a voice device to allow him to speak; there goes Elizabeth 2.0. It’s a smart way of Ishida to narrow down the possibility of his look, because now we can confirm that his mid-to-upper region of his head is fine and well, but the lower mid-to-neck region interpreted to be “disfigured.” It’s only matter of time that we will see his full display.

I was very engaged with Kanou and his backstory; never thought I would say that. Anyway, like many, he was a good innocent kid; that is until his mother has passed away. It is said that his mother’s death is what motivated him to choose the path that we are witnessing today: sick, scum, and the worst piece of shit. I recalled him looking rather “changed” when he first arrived to the university in that short flashback, so he already shifted his attitude.

The only part that is confusing to me is if that’s the case why not joining CCG in the first place? Did he change that drastically when he decided to use Ghoul for his benefit? In matter of fact, is the idea of using Ghoul research has to do with his mother? It is interpreted that he deeply loved his mother to the very end. So would that mean he is trying to find a way to revive her, even if it will change her to a Ghoul as already stated by Furuta, let alone what we have seen already? Is there more to it? Keep in mind, he once strongly hinted his goal with the ideology of birdcage. It is possible that her mother’s death motivated him, but his goal became diverse.

It does make the research rather stunning though, because you can actually see the progress report that does suggest his mother’s benefit beyond the grave. Would transfer a Ghoul’s organ work on a Human? Yes. Would transfer a different Ghoul’s organ (Owl) work as well? Yes. Would Quinx research increase the success rate and somehow revive a Human? Yes. Would using Noro and probably the recent outbreak research work to revive a Human in separated body parts? That remains to be unanswered, but if he is heading to the graveyard, it could suggest one way or another.

The long waited question has finally been answered: Amon and Akira made it to the scene with Hide no less. This is also interesting as well, because it does drop some clues to Hide’s status from before and perhaps now. I didn’t expect him to be under the radar by Washuu. He has been digging some dirt on everything, so it’s probably why he was deemed as a threat. I wonder if that would mean V Organization got their eyes on him as well.

What’s also intriguing is his explanation as Scarecrow in the past. The Aunction Raid Arc is self-explanatory; finding someone to save him, who ended up being Hinami. The Rue Island confuses me because he insisted to have insurance though still unconfirmed. Who is that “insurance” then? Should I be wondering on the candidate?

The sweet tender scene is with Hide proclaiming that he wants to save Kaneki, even after he failed to save him from transforming to Dragon. Even so, he wants to make up for it, which sounds like it’s going to one emotional reunion if everything goes well… hopefully. While Amon and Akira have a plan, it leaves Hide in question on why doing all of this. The answer is simple: he loves him. Aww…Now, some seems to be thinking romantic and while it can be either way, the most important thing is that he is his best friend to the very end. That’s good enough for me.

The scene with Ghouls is pretty engaging because it wasn’t what I predicted in terms of reaction yet it is believable and perhaps realistic. For starters, Itori saves Yomo; it won’t excuse that bitchy personality underneath. Granted, she is hot, but still. Anyway, I’m surprised how open they are to be with Clowns to Touka and others, but I guess they are being on the neutral act or something. That would still mean that they can toy around with people and what happens next is exactly why I maintain my opinion.

The words Itori uses really have a lot of impacts in them because how she can look calm but deep down she is as manipulative as she was in part 1. She tried to put more guilt towards Touka since Kaneki went on a rampage because of her technically. The people got the most effect from her words because instead of being afraid of Dragon, they begin to praise him as a savior. While CCG is in a panic state, Ghouls are feeling triumphant and that would only paint them as ignorant and disgusting.

This is close to home because I could imagine when something major happens to a third world country, instead of a specific territory, people in one area would heavily praise the action taken place because they feel the need for fairness. I know Ghouls were getting wiped out left and right, but two wrongs don’t make it right. People can be easily manipulated when they lost so much; it’s a scary nature.

Thankfully, the last pages end on a literal high note with Shuu shouting shut up; it’s basically his trademark. I have to admit, I thought it was Touka that burst out screaming; that would be a new sight with that reaction. Joking aside, it’s uplifting to see him to pull the stop on them. He is loyal to Kaneki’s goal, so it’s possible that he will back up his claim in mind. It also fits in to his struggle from the last chapter, so think of this as his new development rather than falling into the same trap.

The artwork is very solid with its character designs and expressions. It’s all clean and sometimes feels impactful. It’s really good to see more old characters coming back in play for one grand attempt to save Kaneki or some sort. Hide, without a smile, still awestruck me with his passionate friendship for Kaneki; proves that artwork without the obvious can be as effective if not more. Shuu does his famous expression, though it left me feeling good to see him standing up and hopefully talk senses out of them.

The calm before storm chapter is here and it’s pretty captivating. It leaves more insightful detail of the characters and more emotional display from them, especially Hide. While there are some saddening reflections, there are also welcoming uplifting scenes to make the scenery calming and tendering. It’s only matter of time when the next strike will bring the storm at its worst.

[akirakurusuimagines]

Rain - Akira Kurusu x Fem!Reader

On a rainy day, Akira tilted his head towards the window, admiring the gentle splatters of water upon the school window, drowning out the sounds of the lecture as he closed his dark eyes to the sound of rain, a wave of serenity rushing over his body as the calm atmosphere drew a veil over his eyes, the stress of school, the Metaverse, and his probation all fading away in this moment of peace. He couldn’t care less about anything at this point in time, relishing in the few minutes of peace within his mind as he listened to the white noise that cluttered inside his head. His hand held his head up as he stared outside the window, gently playing with his ebony locks. His other hand had the dull pencil in its grasp, the tip gently skating across his notes in patterns that he remembered from the metaverse and the grand palaces that he and the Phantom Thieves had come across during their time in the alternate dimension. The corner of Akira’s lips perked up in a soft smile, his face relaxed as his mind wandered to what he thought of the world and all of it’s imperfections and corruptions: where he and his confidants would change the selfish cognitions of others to make the world a better place, even if that is only miniscule compared to the massive amounts of corruption that the world held.

He let a breath of air escape from his mouth as his phone buzzed in his pocket, reaching for it to check who had sent a text. Akira’s mind instantly flipped to Ryuji, the ‘bonehead’ of the group who made it a bad habit to text during class. ‘That’s probably also a reason that everyone thinks he’s a delinquent…’, though he was pleasantly surprised to see it was an old friend of his from his hometown, the single thing he missed about that hell of a place. Akira’s glasses began to slide off his nose and he swiftly put them on the desk as his eyes scanned the message he had gotten. Remembering that she had come with the school on a trip to Tokyo, she seemed to be stuck indoors due to the rain, though compared to him, extremely bored. A common side effect when stuck with people you don’t care about and with nothing to do. ‘Dude, entertain me before I die of boredom!’ Akira fought back a chuckle at his friend’s text lest he get caught by the irritable teacher that yapped on and on about something or other.

‘If you’re so bored, why don’t you act like a good student and do you work while you’re free now?’ Akira’s finger’s flew on the screen, typing the snarky words his companion surely expected, as his quiet demeanor shook and fell to his cocky and arrogant one only for a few people; the ones that come inside the Metaverse with him, and her.

Akira bit his lip as the next message came quickly. ‘Like you’re one to talk! Er… text. Anyways, don’t act so cocky and just tell me how your life has been. Gotten into any trouble recently? I hope not. You’re still on probation! If you go to jail I will personally kick your ass into oblivion.’

Akira looked up from his phone and shifted his gaze to the teacher who had his back towards the students. He saw the combined alphabets as the teacher droned on and on about the different expressions in language, a topic they had covered before where Akira had figured out the meaning behind “wunderkind”. He turned back to his phone, seeing his cat companion asleep inside his desk, probably from the rain, and texted back as discreetly as he could. ‘I’d rather meet up and talk than have you “kick my ass into oblivion”, especially since you’re here for a weekend.’

‘Oh, so now you want me to act like a bad student and leave the class trip? Sounds fun. Where do we meet up?’ Her text was like a taunt, but he could almost feel the smile from the other side of the monitor. ‘And let me know when you want to go so I can sneak out.’

Akira scrolled through his notes and copied the address of the cafe he currently resides at, pasting it into their chat. ‘I have lunch in about three minutes. I’ll skip afternoon classes. Meet me there asap.’

He watched as the chat bubble indicating she were typing paused for a moment before reappearing as a text speech. ‘I’ll be there. Don’t be an ass and make me wait long; I don’t have an umbrella.’

-

The lunch bell rang loudly, cutting the teacher’s words short as students scrambled to leave with their lunches and immediately grouping with their friends. Akira stood up quickly, shoving an irritated Morgana into his bag, waved to Ann - a fellow Phantom Thief, and rushed out of the classroom to make his way outside of the school with the back entrance that he knows with the help of his third eye that no teacher was monitoring.

Morgana meowed lowly, poking his head out from inside the bag. “Where are we going? Are you going to skip class?” He asked with obvious annoyance.

Akira nodded, pushing the cat’s head back into his bag. “I’m meeting a friend. She won’t be here long.” He explained, sneaking into the subway station whilst hiding the uniform he wore as best he could to be discreet among the crowd.

The ride along the subway was not as crowded as it usually is when he is headed to school or back from it. Akira stood anxiously by the door, dashing out as they slid open for people to exit, not letting anyone have a chance to stop him if that was their plan. He couldn’t get caught; it would cause too much of a pain on everyone’s shoulders.

It continued to rain as Akira dashed through the empty streets next to his current residence, eyes frantically peering through his rain-streaked glasses, trying to spot the familiar hair and body of his friend. He ran under the many covers the shops had, thankful that they blocked a lot of the rain from getting to Morgana at least. He had forgotten his classic black umbrella at the cafe, leaving him partially soaked, even with the double layer of clothing and the covers he ran under. The water seemed to have soaked through his uniform jacket and onto the white long sleeve turtleneck underneath, chilling his skin uncomfortably.

Akira frowned as he stood in front of Cafe Leblanc, mindful not to let his guardian Sojiro see him. Otherwise, Akira might literally die. He peered in the window and saw the glowing figure of his friend under the fluorescent lighting, the same rain that stuck to her school uniform and accentuated her curves made her hair glitter in the light and his eyes wander over her as if she were a goddess that came to save him from the hell of his life.

Reluctantly, Akira tore his gaze away from his old friend, setting his bag down and gently taking Morgana out of his bag. “Stay here. Sojiro likes you. Just meow and he’ll come for you.” He instructed and left no room for the cat to object before he took his phone out and dialed his dear friend. ‘Come outside and make sure he doesn’t suspect you. I’ll take you somewhere nice.’ Akira slid away from the cafe, standing next to the alleyway with his arms crossed and a foot on the wall he leaned on, acting very intimidating yet mysteriously charming, a tip he had picked up from a book he finished while on the train.

He waited less than a minute, though the stray sprinkles of water did not keep him very good company, before he saw her emerge from the small cafe. Her eyes seemed to spot him immediately and she skipped over to him, careful to dodge the water that dropped from the heavens. She was completely soaked, Akira could tell, from the way her hair clung to her face and neck and the sleek gray that shimmed with water. He watched as she ran towards him, flinging herself onto the male and getting him even wetter than he was previously. “[Name]-” He objected, hands on her arms to try and pull her off him. “You’re soaked.”

“It’s revenge for making me wait, you jerk!” She exclaimed, slapping his arm with a glare that he knew was only half-serious. She paused for a minute, cheeks a dull pink as she stood under the cover of the alley, next to him. Akira smiled, watching her silently. He noticed the faint traces of makeup around her eyes, likely waterproof, that somehow made her shining eyes even more vibrant. He noticed that in the long months of having little contact with his childhood friend, how greatly he came to appreciate her, from her jokes to the appearance that made him sway in his shoes.

Akira pushed his dripping raven hair back and took his glasses off for a moment before deeming that he couldn’t wipe his glasses on his own wet clothes. He turned to [Name] who looked at him with a questioning gaze before pulling on the bottom of her shirt and wiping his glasses off, much to her discontent. “Thanks,” He said, pushing his thick-rimmed glasses onto his nose, finally relieved from the irritating drops of water that would blur his vision.

“Anyways,” [Name] cleared her throat, fixing her school shirt with an obvious blush that did not escape the eye of Akira. “Where are we goin-?” She asked, stomach interrupting at the last minute and rumbling loudly against the constant pattering of rain.

Akira sighed softly as [Name] hid her flushed face within her palms, embarrassed at being caught hungry. “Food, I guess. Seems like we both haven’t had lunch.”

“I’ll pay for it!” [Name] immediately declared with her mouth agape, stopping Akira from saying anything. He was well aware of her hard-headed nature and her stubbornness after years of arguments and debates, so he didn’t even bother to say anything in retaliation, lest they attract the attention of stray passersby that would likely notice their young age and uniforms and get them into trouble.

-

The timid persona Akira put on when not in the Metaverse was slightly swayed as [Name] and he walked side by side, hips practically glued together, just like old times. Akira’s arm was around [Name]’s shoulders, despite her on-and-off complaints of embarrassment, he felt her lean against him, especially as the wolfish gazes of deprived men on break from tedious office work bore into the soaked students. They soon arrived in front of the nearly empty ramen shop, thankful that the rush hour for lunch was over.

Akira lead them inside and they sat at the far corner of the counter, soft spoken and discreet as to not rile up any staggering customers from their lunch. [Name] looked at the menu with a frown, her pale fingers tapping the plastic covered menu and abruptly stopped when the old cook smiled their way and asked for their order. Akira was first to reply, having a house special he always gets. [Name] stuttered a bit but requested the same, still having not made up her mind by that point and didn’t wish to bother the old cook by taking up more time.

“Just like old times, huh?” Akira mused with a small smile, happy the memories he made with her in his hometown were good, unlike the ones with his neglectful parents (who are the absolute worst™).

[Name] took a sip from her cold glass of water, shaking her head. “Not really,” She replied with a hum before flashing Akira a devious smile. “You would always follow my lead back then.” She leaned back in the high chair, admiring Akira’s profile with a side glance. He reminded her of someone on television recently, and she could feel it on the tip of her tongue; but who?

The gentle rain was good company as Akira and [Name] silently ate their matching bowls of ramen, [Name] glanced up at the news playing on the television attached to the wall. It talked about the controversy behind the Phantom Thieves and whether their actions should be considered criminal or not. [Name] paused herself from eating, staring at the screen and seeing a blurry photo of the leader of the thieves, hardly recognizable by any standards, though [Name]’s heart seemed to pull inwards at the sight of Phantom.

“Did you take an interest in the Phantom Thieves?” Akira asked, drawing [Name]’s attention back to him. “They’ve become really popular lately; I admire them.”

[Name] stared at Akira, her brain slowly connecting the dots. “Yeah..” She mumbled, returning back to her meal while pushing that thought behind her for now, leading a nice conversation that caught their lives up with each other - most of it, at least.

-

Leaving the ramen shop a good thirty minutes later, the air damp and cold but only light drizzles falling from the sky, Chikai leaned against Akira for support as she scrolled through on her iPhone, something he couldn’t see with his angle of vision, as they walked through the now crowded streets. By this time, school was out, so there was no need to worry about Sojiro getting upset about Akira being home early, and they mutually agreed to go back to Akira’s place and chill there until it was time for [Name] to go back to the hotel.

“You alright?” Akira mumbled, his concerned eyes peering down at [Name]’s troubled face.

[Name] shook her head and gave Akira a smile, putting her phone away. “I’m fine. We’re almost there, right?”

“Yeah,” Akira confirmed, his grip on her faltering. “If Sojiro asks anything, don’t tell him about me cutting class. Otherwise I might be homeless for a good year.” He asked, hand rubbing [Name]’s head and messing up her damp hair.

[Name] rolled her eyes and huffed, fixing her hair the best she could. “Of course. I can’t have you being alone in Tokyo.”

-

Akira opened the door for [Name], as she slipped inside, greeted with Sojiro’s amusement at the sight of a previous customer and the one who was staying with him. “You two know each other?” The middle aged man asked, leaning against the counter. “Nice to see you again, though. I’m not going to question why you two are together, but don’t disrupt my customers.”

[Name] nodded, bowing her head politely to Sojiro. “We’ll be in his room. Thank you, though.”

Sojiro seemed surprised at the bold declaration. He turned towards Akira with a stern gaze. Before he could open his mouth Akira stepped in to save his own ears.

“She’s a childhood friend that came to visit. Nothing weird.” He explained, telling the truth. Even so, Akira did not wait for the man’s reply and simply ushered [Name] up the steps to his room where Morgana nearly attacked both Akira and [Name], his claws out and a deathly glare in his eyes.

Morgana calmed down quickly though, seeing [Name]. He moved his head from [Name] to Akira and back to [Name]. “Did you skip school to pick up a chick?” Akira sighed, shaking his head.

[Name] kneeled down and gently pet Morgana’s head, not knowing he was quite different than the normal cat. “He’s very handsome. When’d you get him? No, actually, why didn’t you tell me you had a cat?” [Name] said, a threatening tone underneath the gentle touches to Morgana’s head.

Akira rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging. “Forgot,”

“Mmhmm, sure.” [Name] sang, standing back up and throwing Akira a knowing glance. He placed a white, fluffy towel on her head and handed her a large shirt and some sweat pants. “Oh, uh..”

“You’ll get sick if you stay wet. I’ll go to the bathroom. Let me know when you’re done.” Akira said, walking out of the room. [Name] followed close behind and locked the door, looking at Morgana.

“Could you..” [Name] mumbled, hoping the cat would understand. By some miracle, it seemed he did, and turned around, tail swishing side to side. “Thanks.” She said, replacing her wet clothes with the warm baggy ones that luckily had strings on them to make it fit on her waist. “Akiraaaaaaaa,” [Name] said, unlocking the door to suddenly meet extremely close to the teen, noses practically touching. Her face burst into an array of red as she stumbled back, nervously laughing. She couldn’t deny the fact that Akira was very pretty and perhaps the fact that they’ve known each other for years added onto the small tiny crush that she had.

“Woah, don’t fall!” Akira said, hand reaching out to steady [Name]. “You didn’t get sick already, did you?” He asked with a teasing tone laced in his words. “Or.. are you that happy to see me?” He asked, flirtatious nature appearing again.

[Name] slapped Akira’s arm and glared at him. She was well aware that Akira was the kind of person that could go from being considerate to extremely flirtatious, no matter the gender or appearance. “Save that for your girlfriend.” [Name] said, walking over and hopping on a chair in front of the television, desperately ignoring the sting in her chest from the words that rolled off her tongue.

Akira stared at [Name] for a moment as she said that but quickly shook it off of him. He sat in the other chair, bringing out a controller and offering it to [Name], who refused and said she would rather watch Akira get beat up by the AIs. “Don’t feel like it.” Akira replied, setting the controller back. “What do you want to do then? We have a few hours before the day is over.”

“Just put in a DVD or something.” [Name] said, leaning back in the chair and continued to pet the cozy Morgana who was clearly enjoying the affection. “Can we move the couch over here? These chairs aren’t the most comfortable.”

Both Akria and [Name] got up (while [Name] placed Morgana on the chair and gently moved it, with Akira ignoring the complaints that Morgana spilled that [Name] couldn’t understand aside from the low meows that boosted the irritation. [Name] giggled softly, seeing the exchange of glares between Akira and Morgana. “Hey, I’ll start getting jealous if you keep glaring at your cat like that.” She said, grabbing one side of the couch and grunting, pulling it as hard as she could.

Akira joined [Name] after watching her struggle for a minute, his strength adding to the swiftness of pulling the heavy couch. The floor creaked with despair as the weight of the couch shifted, but it wasn’t anything serious so they ignored the dying creak. Akira was the first to sit down, stretching his arms out and letting a yawn fall off his lips. [Name] subsequently jumped on top of him, knocking the breath out of his chest as she scooted to lay her head on his lap.

“I remember when you were always the one cuddling up to me,” [Name] mumbled, looking at the television that began playing a lighthearted movie. “I miss being able to do this.” She admitted.

“It’s only been a few months,” Akira said, his hand naturally going to her hair and gently stroking it.

[Name] looked up at Akira and frowned. “And a lot has changed.” She paused, opening her mouth for a moment before closing it and shifting her gaze as her smile faltered. “Were you ever going to tell me you were the leader of the Phantom Thieves?” [Name] asked softly, looking up at Akira with serious eyes.

His hand reflexively moved over and covered her mouth, a flash of panic in his eyes before he realized she hadn’t said it loud enough for anyone but him and Morgana (whose hearing surpassed humans) to understand. Akira hissed softly as [Name] licked his hand, a method she adopted after Akira covered her mouth on multiple occasions in their young life. He slowly removed his hands from her mouth and wiped his hands on the shirt he gave her. “What was I supposed to say? Besides, I couldn’t tell you over the phone; if the police suspected me they could use that and you and evidence in the court. I wasn’t expecting you to find out anyways. I didn’t want to drag you into my mess.”

[Name] shifted her eyes, sighing softly as she pinched Akira’s nose out of annoyance and her heavy heart. “I know, I know.” She sighed, putting her hands on her face. “I don’t know. I’m… I just…” [Name] let the breath she held go. “I guess I’m a mess of a bunch of feelings. I’m upset and jealous and angry and happy and proud and-” [Name]’s lips quivered as she sat up, engulfing Akira in a tight hug. “Scared. If something happens to you I..”

Akira’s arms wrapped around [Name] as he laughed softly. “You’re still a worry-wart.” He smiled, letting his forehead fall onto [Name]’s hair.

“Don’t ruin this for me, jerkwad.” The female grumbled. “Let me just hang out with you, as my cherished... best friend.” [Name] shuddered, shaking her head. “That sounded way too cheesy and I want to barf.”

Akira playfully pushed [Name] away. “Please don’t barf on me.”

“You’re the only person that should be barfed on, Mister Oh-So-Great Phantom Thief!” 

-

[Name] frowned as she looked at the building across the street where her class trip was. Her dried uniform was back on her body and her appearance much nicer than it was when she broke down in her best friend’s room. She sighed softly and shook her head. “Over already, huh.” She looked over at the casually-dressed Akira, smiling sadly. “I won’t see you for another few months, it seems like.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back for you. Maybe then you could join us.” Akira said, pushing his dark glasses up his nose.

[Name] laughed and nodded. “I hope that’s a promise,” She said, nudging Akira. “Hey, I wanted to give you something before I go.” [Name] said, rummaging through her purse and pulling out a keychain that Akira gave her when they were very young.

“Is that-?’

“Yeah. I want you to have it. Not forever, of course. As a good luck charm. You have to bring it back to me though. That way you can’t break your promise.”

Akira accepted the token and carefully attached it to his belt hoop, amazed at how nice it looked even after all these years. “Alright, alright, I get it.” He said. “You should get going before you get in even more trouble.” He said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

[Name] nodded and stepped in front of Akira. “One more thing before you decide not to call or text me for another seven months,” She said, forcefully pulling Akira down to her smaller heigh by his shirt collar and pressing her lips to his only for a moment before pulling away when she felt his hands move to her body. She ran across the street, turning around only to holler at him to not do anything stupid and that she was waiting for her keychain back before running and climbing into the window to her room with her few friends at school.

-

Akira stared for a few moments to the spot where [Name] had fled to in a fit of embarrassment. His fingers ghosted over his lips, the shocked expression shifting to a smirk not unlike those his Joker persona would wear. “That was a nice good luck charm,” He mumbled to himself, his legs dragging him back home before Sojiro killed him.

He dropped onto his bed, phone in front of his face as he looked at the chatroom with his best friend that they started in the morning. His fingers flew on the touchscreen and typed out a simple phrase before shutting it off and placing it to charge on his bedside. Morgana glanced at Akira and hopped on his bed, resting on his chest and pawing at his chin. “Hey, so, that friend of yours… are you sure we can trust her?”

“I’d trust her with my life. And if I know her like I do, she’ll probably encourage others in our hometown to support us and to help out each other.” He said, closing his eyes.

“Alright then Joker, but, don’t forget our mission here.”

“I won’t forget. We’re a team.”

“Good, now go to sleep.” Morgana ordered, curling up on Akira, forcing him to stay down.

-

“Where did you go?” One of [Name]’s roommates asked, tilting her head as she sat on the foot of the traditional futon, peering directly at the flustered girl.

[Name] laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. “Akira lives here now, so I saw him.”

“Really?” A few girls gasped, jaws agape as they pressured [Name] for more detail as to how he was and such, raving for new gossip.

“Guys, I’m getting tired, and the teachers are going to check in on us soon.” [Name] exclaimed, calming the excited girls with a lie. “So goodnight!” [Name] said, pulling the covers over her head and attempting to calm her beating heart as the other girls in the room slowly calmed down and one by one fell asleep.

[Name] lazily scrolled through her phone, unable to sleep after she did such a thing to Akira, her head buzzing with thoughts and screams of her idiocy until a notification popped up, alerting her to the new message. She held her breath and opened it, expecting the worst, but only seeing a strange message from Akira.

‘Check your bag. Sleep well.’

[Name] shifted in her futon, reaching over to her small purse and rummaging through the contents in there, not finding anything out of the ordinary. Floss, a few pens, lip gloss, some normal sanitary products. Her fingers opened up the zipper on the side, expecting to find nothing like the other pockets but to her surprise, a blindingly red card stood out against the dull jean-colored purse.

She took the card out, admiring the business-like texture and the professional quality of the signature logo of the phantom thieves, a brand that had been popping up to an ungodly amount on the news and other media. [Name] flipped the card around, using her phone as a light to read the card.

I’ll steal your heart before the end of the year, and that’s a promise.

The distinct change in style from the calling cards of the Phantom Thieves’ previous victims are blatantly clear in this red card, as it seemed to be made specifically by Akira. A blush returned to [Name]’s cheeks as she stuffed the card inside a pocket very well hidden inside the bag, shaking her head at his cheesiness that nearly rivalled hers. Unable to control the butterflies in her stomach, [Name] furiously texted teen back before falling asleep to memories and dreams.

‘Don’t keep me waiting, idiot.’

[njawaidofficial]

“Isle Of Dogs,” Jared Leto, And Our Problem With Talking About Orientalism

https://styleveryday.com/2018/04/04/isle-of-dogs-jared-leto-and-our-problem-with-talking-about-orientalism/

“Isle Of Dogs,” Jared Leto, And Our Problem With Talking About Orientalism

Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin) in Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

In 2001, Sarah Silverman told a joke on Late Night With Conan O’Brien that incurred the wrath of Asian American activists and, in a perverse way, also became her breakout moment. The bit involved trying to get out of jury duty, with Silverman recounting a friend’s suggestion that she write something “really inappropriate” on the form — something like “I hate chinks.” But, Silverman said, she didn’t want to cast herself in such an ugly light, so she opted to instead write “I love chinks. Who doesn’t?”

The network that aired the show, NBC, apologized for the slur a few days later. But Silverman refused to, opting instead to fight it out with Guy Aoki, the cofounder of Media Action Network for Asian Americans, on Politically Incorrect. The comedian, who in more recent years has shifted her perspective on — and moved away from — the sort of meta-bigot comedy that marked her rise, insisted at the time that Aoki was a humorless scold who’d missed the point: “It’s not a racist joke,” she said on Politically Incorrect, “it’s a joke about racism.”

She never seemed to hear Aoki’s own point that a slur is still a slur, and that the reason Silverman settled on the one she did was because it was seen as permissible and more acceptable as the stuff of humor. Looking back at this particular sorry-not-sorry moment, and how little the conversation has progressed since, what really rankles is not just the implication that racism against Asians is less serious and less real. It’s the familiar proprietary ease of it all, the sense that it could be gotten away with because Asianness is colonizable enough as an identity that anyone can gain in-group joke privileges. Silverman didn’t intend her chipper punchline (“Who doesn’t?”) to also work as an orientalist slogan, but it did, and still does — a handy summation of the fact that a lot of anti-Asian racism gets presented through a lens of warped, acquisitive affection, and then denied or defended on the basis of it.

It’s not news that orientalism exists, but it still seems like news to many that there’s anything wrong with it.

When Edward Said wrote the book Orientalism in 1978, he focused on the long arc of Europe’s paternalistic conceptions of the Middle East. The term has since been expanded in scope into a broadly useful one for the West’s selective seeing of the East — especially, for the purposes of this piece of writing, East Asia — with many sins included under its umbrella: exotification, condescension, appropriation, othering, and general treatment of Asianness as a cultural buffet from which people feel welcome to help themselves to whatever they’re inclined to take and reject what they aren’t interested in.

Orientalism surfaces in the New Age commodification of Eastern spirituality, in the predilection to glom separate cultures into a blurry whole, in the freedom that still seems to be felt in making open declarations about having a fetish for Asian women or dismissing the sexuality of Asian men. And orientalism shows up onscreen — in films, on television, in music videos — with so much more regularity than good faith representations do that pushing back against it has been a steady drumbeat in Asian American activism for decades now. It’s a thread that runs through the history of American movies, especially, from the early studio days when trailblazing star Anna May Wong’s career was curtailed by stereotypes up through the present, when the likes of Wes Anderson, Jared Leto, Anna Wintour, and Scarlett Johansson are still providing plenty to fight about.

On one level, the fact that this regular stream of distorted images persists speaks to how unaware creators seem to be about what they’re doing, but on another, it shows how little they seem to care. It’s not news that orientalism exists, but it still seems like news to many that there’s anything wrong with it, or that there is, indeed, a difference between, say, objectifying homage and legitimate cultural exchange. Which might be why it’s been so hard to push back.

When racism — in the minds of many — still means open hatred, the idea that it can also come couched in the guise of fandom or fondness is a reality people really don’t want to acknowledge. Orientalism is ultimately about power, which may be why it has taken the rise of international markets, and of China in particular, to force Hollywood to try to see the continent through something other than a scrim of Western assumptions.

Boss (Bill Murray) in Isle of Dogs.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

The most telling thing about the conversations that have followed the release of Wes Anderson’s latest film, Isle of Dogs — a movie that, whatever you think of it, is inarguably about Western assumptions about Japan — is the gap between the thoughtful and measured criticism (much of it from Asian American writers) and the outraged, outsized response to that criticism online. It’s as if the very implication of racial insensitivity is worse than any offense itself could ever be. These commenters were an odd alliance of Anderson devotees and the usual internet complainers who love to call out “identity politics” and “snowflakes,” but most, judging from their Twitter avatars, were white men or sentient anime characters.

But Anderson himself, a filmmaker who has always been clumsy with anything to do with race, has functionally described his own feature as orientalist. At the film’s debut at the Berlin Film Festival in February, he explained that he and his regular collaborators Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman had wanted to make a movie about a pack of dogs, and also “something in Japan,” and the two ideas were then just combined: “The story could’ve taken place anywhere, but it came together when we realized it should take place in a fantasy version of Japan.”

And it does, in a near-future Japan that’s also decidedly analog, and home to a dual-species adventure that takes some of its cues from the work of Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki. Most of the acting talent is from the US — the dogs, voiced by the likes of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, and Scarlett Johansson, speak English, while the humans speak Japanese, which frequently goes untranslated. Most of Anderson’s movies take place in overtly imaginary renditions of actual places, from the outsider’s dream of New York (as drawn from J.D. Salinger and back issues of the New Yorker) in The Royal Tenenbaums to the invented Eastern Europe republic of The Grand Budapest Hotel, a Stefan Zweig–inspired wonderland where real historical horrors lurk behind whimsical imagery. In that sense, the similarly fictional city of Megasaki in Isle of Dogs, along with its adjoining trash- and canine-dump island, is no different.

Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig) in Isle of Dogs.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

What is different is the real-world cultural context: the tradition of Western othering of Japan that Anderson seems blithely indifferent toward, even as he participates in it. Because it’s stop-motion, the film uses scaled-down puppets to represent its characters onscreen, but it also diminishes them in more figurative ways, with a gaze that’s detached and dispassionate when it comes to most of the humans, aside from 12-year-old Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin) and foreign exchange student Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig). Tracy, who leads the resistance against Megasaki’s oppressive anti-dog leadership, is the human who gets the bulk of the English-language lines and, with them, the big shows of emotion. She’s the American girl brave enough to take initiative when no native Japanese resident dares — a regrettable foil for stereotypes about Asian compliance.

There’s no overt malicious intent to Isle of Dogs‘ cultural tourism, but it’s marked by a hodgepodge of references that an American like Anderson might cough up if pressed to free associate about Japan — taiko drummers, anime, Hokusai, sumo, kabuki, haiku, cherry blossoms, and a mushroom cloud (!). There’s a plot development in which poisoned wasabi is hidden away in sushi, and a scientist character named Yoko-ono, who is voiced by Yoko Ono. This all has more to do with the (no doubt intricately designed and decorated) insides of Anderson’s brain than it does any actual place. It’s Japan purely as an aesthetic — and another piece of art that treats the East not as a living, breathing half of the planet but as a mirror for the Western imagination.

It’s not the idea of creating a fantasy Japan that’s Anderson’s problem — it’s the underlying sense that he wouldn’t be able to conceive of a real one.

In the wake of Isle of Dogs‘ opening weekend, there were multiple headlines wondering whether the film was an act of appropriation or homage. But the question is rhetorical — the two aren’t mutually exclusive, and the former is not automatically off the table just because the creator’s intent was the latter. More importantly, it’s possible for Isle of Dogs to be both a charming story about humanity’s rapport with canines (try saying the title out loud) and an act of erasure; it can showcase both what its director has traditionally done well and how he’s opted to lean directly into one of his most evident blind spots.

The online reaction to criticism of the film has been filled with blind spots, too, with people unfairly painting the discussion as a call for cultural purity, insisting that “actual Asians” aren’t bothered by any of this, and brandishing cowriter Kunichi Nomura — whom Anderson brought on to advise on cultural specifics as well as provide the voice of his villain — as some kind of human shield against this entire topic. In the space between these two sides of the conversation, you can see how threatening some people find the suggestion that their intent might not matter as much as the reaction of those seeing themselves onscreen. It’s not the idea of creating a fantasy Japan that’s Anderson’s problem — it’s the underlying sense that he wouldn’t be able to conceive of a real one.

Jared Leto in the Netflix movie The Outsider.

Netflix

Of course, it’s very possible for a film to be imbued with fantasy even when it attempts to put a real version of Japan onscreen. The new period drama The Outsider, in which Jared Leto plays an American GI who joins the yakuza in post–World War II Japan, received less attention than Isle of Dogs when it premiered on Netflix earlier in March, but is even more entrenched in the idea of the ownable East. Over years in development, The Outsider tumbled from a potential prestige project — with a Black-Listed script, a perch at Warner Bros., and Michael Fassbender and Tom Hardy bandied around as possible stars — to streaming’s equivalent of direct-to-video. You could interpret that as Hollywood reluctantly waking up to what, exactly, they would be peddling. But that didn’t stop the movie from getting made, with slick production values and an Oscar-winning star.

The relative lack of coverage of The Outsider is partially a function of it being a Netflix original, but it also hints at exhaustion that films like this still get made without any deeper consideration. The premise is one that stretches from Lawrence of Arabia to Avatar: A white man gets dropped into a community alien to him, becomes a part of it, then becomes a better embodiment of the culture than those born into it. It’s an assertion of supremacy The Outsider makes no move to subvert or diverge from as it fits the yakuza genre around its foreign expat, who’s welcomed into an Osaka clan after coming to the aid of a high-ranking member (played by Tadanobu Asano) while they’re both behind bars. Everything else goes pretty much exactly as you’d guess, especially if you’ve seen and remember the beats of The Last Samurai, right up to an ending that affirms Nick as a truer manifestation of yakuza honor than the resentful rival who’s been a lifelong part of the family.

Projects like The Outsider tend to get labeled as acts of whitewashing, but the term doesn’t quite fit; whitewashing is meant to describe white actors getting cast to play nonwhite characters or in place of characters originally written as nonwhite. There was never an Asian lead at the center of The Outsider — it was always, as the title affirms, about a foreigner, and that foreigner was always (given the reported casting efforts) white.

The Outsider would be better described as the latest iteration of an unabashed orientalist fantasy that’s not just about trying on a particular idea of Asianness like an outfit, but establishing dominance over it as well (filmmaker Aaron Stewart-Ahn claimed that in an earlier version of the script he read, “Page 2 actually mentions Caucasians having bigger penises”). Maybe that’s why Leto plays Nick with uncharacteristic reserve, as if he’s not a character so much as the audience’s avatar. It is not the Japanese characters the film expects its audience to relate to, but Leto, a beautiful blank onto which viewers can project themselves.

Rihanna, in a gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei, arrives at the Met Gala benefit in honor of the exhibit “China: Through the Looking Glass” in May 2015.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images

[shidoukanae]

Who are the People of the Data Storm? (theory)

Okay going over episode one again because there’s so much information packed full into there and since everyone’s combed through the obvious information I’m gonna comb through the “doesn’t-seem-too-important-but-I’m-gonna-scream-over-it-anyways” information. Namely, about the special group of people Kusanagi talks about when bringing up the infamous Data Storm of the VRAINS.

Alright, so, Kusanagi mentions that a “certain” group of people did Speed Duels, introducing to us the fact that Speed Duels (and therefore probably Data Storms too, since he’s on the topic of it) are not new to VRAINS. Alright, okay, cool. On one hand, this is an obvious in-show explanation to familiarize the audience with the concept of Data Storms and their importance to the show (namely, Playmaker’s skill and his ability to draw new cards to help him in battle). On the other hand though, it’s also a means to bring up some questions.

For example, this special group of people...do they still exist? Who are they and where are they now? Supposedly, they were well-known and (possibly) well-liked as Kusanagi seems to imply. I mean, if they were notorious for the concept and perhaps the creation of Speed Duels, now that Speed Duels have been reinvented, where are they? Past this point, there has been nothing mentioned about them or even referenced about them. Yet, obviously, they had some huge impact on the VRAINS world. 

In the current day of the show, we see that the re-emergence of Speed Duels and Data Storms had created quite a stir with the real world. People are fascinated by it, trying it out for themselves and overall making a huge fuss about it. Kusanagi is the only one who seems to have a decent recollection of what a Data Storm (and what Speed Duels) are while Akira is hinted to at least recognize them in some vague fashion. Other than that, it seems like both Speed Duels and Data Storms have become a sort of “myth”. 

In episode two, the audience watching Playmaker’s duel seems to have heard of it but none of them actually seem to recognize the Data Stream that has appeared before them. And, what’s more, in episode 3, people seemed initially unaware of the dangers of riding the Data Stream, with two surfers tackling the mysterious ‘wind’ head-on with the intention of looking cool in front of the cameras. They were more fascinated with internet fame than wary about the potential harm that could occur from surfing on such a strange thing. It’s unknown whether anyone has actually died in the past from a Speed Duel but it’s been implied that, yes, it has, because Akira himself was well aware of the consequences enough to be certain about it in front of his sister. 

...But, back to the point. I feel like this “certain group” of duelists holds high importance to the plot. They may be the “true” antagonists we’ve been thinking of, the so-called “Dark Signers” or “Barians” of this series. Their evident lack of existence so far in the series is suspicious. 

Despite only ever being mentioned once, the show wouldn’t have reason to talk about them if they didn’t have a place in the plot. We already know episode one is chock full of “gonna be important later” facts (we have yet to see the other five AI’s, SOL’s desperation to find Ignis, Cyverse, Yusaku’s seeming connection to Ignis/the VRAINS) so it’s not out of the question that this “certain group of people” will have relevance too. 

Another possibility is that we already know these special people. Or, at least, some of them. From what little we know, it was likely they were active five years prior to current day. Likely, they were kids or young adults as those two groups are the only ones who seem interested (as of now) in Speed Duels. But, if it’s five years later, those “certain people” of the Data Storm are likely adults.

Like...Kusanagi. Or Ema. Or Akira. Or, even, Revolver’s dad. 

Consider this. All the adults we’ve been shown so far seem to be hiding something. Kusanagi, though more a background and supporting character to Yusaku than anything else, seems to know a lot more than he’s tell us. The mere fact that he seems brings up Speed Duels randomly to Yusaku hints of both plot explanation AND of plot importance. Kusanagi doesn’t only mention Data Storms and groups of people we’ve yet to know, but of “monsters in the wind” and a “paradise” that sounds eerily significant for something to occur down the road. 

Kusanagi seems to be more knowledgeable than he lets on and, perhaps, the reason why he is the only one (so far) who has referenced this notorious ‘group’ is because he was one of them. He’s aware of Speed Duels when most of the public has forgotten about them, speaking that Speed Duels (and, by extension, Data Storms, which are needed for Speed Duelst to exist) must have had some sort of relevance with him for him to have not only remembered what they were but what they looked like as well. 

I definitely feel like it’s suspicious that he’s able to recognize them while Naoki, someone who is a fan of the VRAINS enough to keep up-to-date with the latest in technology and the trendy idols, seems clueless as hell about what Data Storms are aside from basic rumors (which means we can infer that images of Speed Duels are apparently unavailable as otherwise how can you NOT recognize such a weird and obviously Speed Duel-related phenomenon if you’re such a fan of the VRAINS??? This makes it even more suspicious that Kusanagi is able to recognize just exactly what a Data Storm looks like) which is just plain odd.

It’s possible that Ema (and yes, I AM bring her up again because, like I’ve mentioned before, her potential can go in so MANY directions that it’s hard just to place in one certain direction and automatically assume I’m right) was once a part of this "people of the Data Storm” group too. There’s nothing to point her in this direction necessarily but her baring some similarities to Kusanagi makes me wonder. Both seem to keep to themselves, seem to be loners (aside from Yusaku, in the latter’s case) and, if Kusanagi is suspicious of knowing more than we know than so is Ema. She’s just as secretive as Kusanagi is, with few connections and just as lacking in motivation as the hot dog man is. 

Well, anyways, episode 8 will hopefully be more indicative of whether or not she has more major influence than we realize. Personally, I wonder if she has some history with Kusanagi. The fact that the writers are keeping her from interacting with anyone but Akira (who seems to be, as of now, a business-related contact only) makes me a bit suspicious. Every other character introduced has had their time to shine so far in almost every episode (and I’m including the times whenever Aoi appears as her Blue Angel persona) and yet Ema is the only character to have shown up for a grand total of like maybe a minute throughout the duration of 7 episodes. I realize she’s been off-screen investigating into Playmaker but with all the on-screen appearances other characters have made (even Specter, of all people, has had more screen-time than her) you’d think she’d be shining a little more brighter. Yet, the fact that they tuck her away makes me think they do so for a reason (And hopefully not just because she’s a YGO female). If she knows other members of the cast like Kusanagi, it is better to keep her from interacting with them so as to maintain her mystery and as well as to hide from us just how much she really knows. The less we see her the less we know about her and her connections and how she plays into anything at all like being in this ‘special group of people’.

Now, Revolver’s “father” and Akira Zaizen can also potential members of this perplexing band of hidden individuals but I actually believe they don’t really have any relevance. This is merely because Revolver’s dad looks a bit too old to have partaken in such shenanigans (and how would being the ~potential~ leader of the Knights of Hanoi have tied in with him being a member of this group, anyways? It doesn’t seem like the two factions are in any way related to one another from what he know so far) and, had Akira been a member, his sister would have known and used that against him. Akira being a notorious duelist (unless he kept his identity a definite secret from even her, I guess) of the Data Storm would have given Blue Angel fuel to fight against her brother when he chided her for partaking in such dangerous duels. Not only that, but if he knew of the consequences of the Data Storm firsthand (as I’m sure this group of people were super attuned to that fact) then he would’ve been more pushy and insistent to the point of probably locking her out of her account instead of just letting it slide when she went against his wishes. It might also explain why Ema and Akira are on familiar-ish terms to each other and why Akira seems to trust her when we’ve learned beforehand that she’s just as likely to help someone as she is to harm them (apparently. Again, waiting for episode 8 before anything concrete can be assumed about her).

Tl;dr: Kusanagi mentions a certain group of people in episode one and I believe they hold a lot of importance to the plot and what little we know about it so far. I also believe that Kusanagi might have been one of their members (due to recognizing the Data Storm immediately in episode 2 while others in the audience only knew it by name and rumors) and that it’s possible the other relevant adults - namely, Ema, Akira, and Revolver’s father - were also members of this special Speed-Dueling team. Whoever this certain organization was could also be villains or could be relevant to the plot in some other way.