#but the implicit association of the samurai aesthetics with Japanism/Japanese hyper nationalism persists in spite of those works

[eroguron0nsense]

Absolutely love it when mangaka and anime directors do Japanese Period Pieces or fantasy lands and draw heavy inspiration from them but explicitly make them leftist/anti-nationalist/anti-authoritarian instead of leaning into certain connotations and in Shinichiro Watanabe's case, make a point to try and spotlight marginalized and Indigenous narratives. Also, the fact that the Wano arc takes the barebones concept of the Chushingura story (surviving vassals of an unjustly executed lord) and dispenses with all the ludicrous historically politicized notions of seppuku and ultimate submission to authority–also notably a story that was adapted to WWII nationalist/fascist cinema–and immediately says "isolationism bad", "death to feudalism/crony capitalism/war profiteering/environmental destruction", "open up the country". It's not a perfect projection of my personal politics by any means, nor do I expect it to be by any means or intend to interpret it as such, but it's so good