#whereas popular western media obviously was

[prentissluvr]

be honest, is my theme bad? 😭 yours is very pretty, i feel like mine is very discoordinated though i don’t know

-@moose-code

hi lovely!! thanks for calling mine pretty!

i don't think it's bad at all!! i actually really adore the colors, the blue + yellow is very nice! it has nice contrast! also, everyone has different taste in what kind of theme they like! i'm also a visual arts major + graphic design minor so i spend a lot of time learning how to make things look visually pleasing which does make a difference i think?

if you want to be very picky about your theme, which you don't have to be, i think that the only thing that i personally would change is the second picture you have in your pinned (if that's something you're counting as part of your theme) solely because it is so neutral and desaturated in color, so it doesn't blend in with the other images you're using (which are generally more warm in tone). you could either find a new picture with warmer tones or you could edit the photo by upping the "warmth" setting! this should be able to be done in your photos app, ik for sure it can on apple iphone, but it's a basic photo editing setting so it should in any built in photo editing on your phone! but that's all! i really like the dividers you chose and the overall vibe + again, i love the colors i think they're nice and unique!!

[transhawks]

So, uh, just reread "chapter"all it takes is one bad day" and does Twice have pure white pupils and irises like AFO supposedly does? Like, I haven't seen any clear official art of his eyes, but in the one back cover of him they look like they're pure white?

At this point I'm just going to have to make an entire essay on how we should be reading Japanese media with an understanding of cultural and class markers. No, Jin does not have the same eyes or similar eyes to AFO. Yes, there's connections with Jin and AFO but that's another topic. 1. AFO's eye color hasn't been really confirmed aside from that one WSJ cover that implies they can be clear and white. 2. That's not what the "something about my eyes rubs people the wrong way" means. This is what I mean about the cultural context being missing from most of us Western-readers and how we just don't get reading the manga with no guide to explain small details to us. I also wish Jin was just popular so I don't feel like I'm the only one in the fandom yammering about the ridiculous amount of depth he has as a character and in his storyline. First off, Jin's eyes are sunken in, his features abnormally "chiseled" and rough for an anime character. By the time we meet him he looks like he's had a hard life but we also find out in flashbacks he always kind of looked like that.

He's unkempt - stubbled, has the sunken eyes and dark eyebags the villains are generally drawn with. He smokes, drinks, wears a wife beater, has no eyebrows, and used to ride a motorcycle. All these things are a red flag. This is where "you really need to be familiar with Japanese media before you read BNHA" comes in, Jin, while drawing from several different Western comic characters (John Constantine, Deadpool, Rorschach), is also neatly fitting into the yanki and bosuzoku (sorta) trope. Or Japanese delinquents. What throws people "off" is the lack of eyebrows. Yanki are traditionally portrayed with no eyebrows. This link here explains that at sight a delinquent can be identified with shaved eyebrows. This is why so many villainous or rough characters are eyebrowless. It's like the Japanese equivalent of giving villains twirly mustaches and goatees - something about the imagery of that already implies villain in our minds, whereas the lack of eyebrows implies delinquent/criminal in the Japanese cultural imagination (in modern day settings. Heian-era eyebrow-lessness is a different story/class marker).

He's also blonde, or "chapatsu" which is also another "Delinquent" trope in Japan - many delinquents in the 70s-90s bleached their hair to this yellow or orange color (hence "cha" which obviously means tea/chai). Japanese schools are infamously awful at allowing for self-expression to the point where naturally brown-haired students can be forced to dye their hair, and chapatsu hair was a marker of a rebellious/delinquent student. Twice isn't the only one who Horikoshi uses this trope for. Tomura, for example, really had the "up to no good" look early on even if I think he's more of a homebody.

You know who else?

Huh, interesting, given Takami's a murderous professional career thief alcoholic. Wait a minute, wasn't Jin was one of the greatest Japanese thieves until his accident, I wonder exactly what Horikoshi meant by making Thief Takami have a similarly unkempt appearance, rough rugged facial features, and barely any brows? Wait -

Something to understand is that we've gotten information from Yoco Akiyama in TUM about how the main manga's design process works and apparently the facial feature consistency is really important for the artists. Thus the fact Keigo's parents were designed with: 1. Rough, sunken features (Thief & Jin) 2. Unkempt facial fair (Thief & JIn) 3. Deep eyebags (Jin & Tomie) 4. Similarly disordered filthy homes (Takami fam & Jin) 5. Beer Bottles lying around everywhere (Takami fam & Jin) 6. Small, beady eyes with little pupils (Takami Fam & Jin) 7. Grey-Blue Eyes (Tomie & Jin) 8. Clear mental instability (Tomie & Jin) Was absolutely intentional. For all that we see Keigo's parents, Horikoshi knowingly designed them to resemble Jin. Again, Jin was Keigo's villain to save. Keigo was Jin's hero. Keigo failed because we needed a character to fail to save "their villain". Both Keigo and Jin have clear working-class background and criminal class markers. These things tie them together, these marginalized identifications make their relationship something that should have worked. If we want an in-universe reason for Keigo's focus on Jin, it's absolutely true he likely (subconciously) saw his parents superficially reflected in Jin, and decided to "save" him because he was unable to save his parents. Of course, that was not only presumptuous, it was also wrong because Jin is not a stand-in for Keigo's parents (and unlike them is a decent person). Anyway, yeah, no Jin's design/looks made him look like a "thug" to people in his community. That's why he had issues and that's what his comment meant. People's biases about people who look like Twice made him just get...away less. If someone "looks like a thug" you will try to make connections that justify that bias. That's why things like his motorcycle accident hurt him so much. He was uneducated, likely a middle-school dropout, fired from a job, had a record and had "bad vibes". Who'd hire him? Can you understand why Jin was doomed into having to survive as a criminal? Society decided he was meant to fail years before he did fail. So much of BNHA is about people falling into traps of pre-determined outcomes. Jin's tragically so.

[my-current-obsession]

Super hot take but I genuinely don't get why Forte is so appealing/popular. As someone who has played a bunch of Japanese games and watched a bunch of anime she comes off as THE MOST bland and stereotypical of the entire cast in that game.

I've seen a hundred "lady knight" characters before (Ingrid from Fire Emblem 3 Houses is just one other example, and I'd say she's much more interesting). She's portrayed as something of a tomboy who is "secretly" girly because she has the super common (in Japanese media at least) girly traits of loving sweets and being afraid of ghosts. Once again looking at 3 Houses, someone else who has those exact two traits is Lysithea, who has them for basically the same reason. Those traits exist solely to "soften" her and make her seem more feminine (and thus in theory more appealing) without really affecting her personality in any way. Also note how many other girls in that game happen to love sweets compared to guys. And how often one or two males in the Rune Factory games specifically DISLIKE sweets while girls almost never do.

A better example of those traits showing up within the Rune Factory series itself would be Rune Factory 3. There are several characters who notably love sweets, some being Shara and Monica, who are very obviously feminine anyway in terms of appearance/personality/interests, and two others are Blaise and Rusk, two guys who comfortably deny the "norm" (again, in Japanese media anyway; I don't think Western media cares so much about whether liking sweets is seen as feminine/masculine) and love sweets while ironically Colette has no strong feelings on them despite being a big food lover.

And then Raven is similarly afraid of ghosts as a more hidden "feminine" trait, but HER dislike of ghosts and things related to death actually plays into her arc in the game. She doesn't like things that make her think of death because it makes her think of what she's lost. And she's afraid of losing what she has now. Also, unlike Forte's fear of ghosts being played almost exclusively for comedy and feminine appeal, Raven also happens to be STUBBORN, meaning she reluctantly faces her fear of death and handling death-related objects head-on if it means she doesn't have to look weak or rely on others. Her insistence on carrying a skull herself despite clearly being uncomfortable with it, when Micah is repeatedly offering to do it for her, is an important, dramatic moment in the middle of her "route" that almost results in Micah getting hurt and her secret getting outed.

I just don't think Forte does anything new or interesting with 90% of her character traits. She's a basic lady knight that I've seen way too many times before, and has stock Japanese girly traits to show she's secretly more feminine despite those traits not actually being important to her personality or events and romance at all.

She has a "just gals being pals" dynamic with Margaret that is nice in theory, but in execution it feels like Margaret is way more into Forte and overtly admires her than vice versa. I can tell Forte truly cares about Margaret as a friend, but it's not nearly as balanced as the Dylas/Doug obsession with each other is when it comes to eyebrow-raising moments/lines. If anything, Forte outright downplays or dismisses Margaret's admiration of her a lot of the time while offering little in return. Outside of festivals where Forte is remarking on or expecting Margaret getting a lot of attention from others, there's not any indication that Forte finds her particularly appealing, whereas Margaret has tons of lines about how amazing and even attractive she thinks Forte is.

The one thing about her that actually is unique and that I like is her clear love and devotion, yet somewhat strained and awkward relationship with her brother. That aspect is what actually matters, and it works well. It endears me to her as a character... but it isn't enough to save her for me as a love interest when everything else either does nothing for me or outright turns me off.

[panchhi-fashion]

Boomerang Trends: How Lehenga Styles Keep Coming Back

Out of designs for your next lehenga!?

It’s time to bring the 90’s back!!

There are many traditional Indian outfits with a rich history, but none is more splendid or alluring than the lehenga-choli. It has a pivotal history that has always played a major role in Indian fashion.

The Lehenga Craze!!

Since the beginning of time, lehengas have been an integral part of Indian culture and are still in style today. While there are many options for wedding or party attire, an Indian lehenga is just unmatched in beauty.

Trendzzz….

Every industry has its share of trends. After all, it is what keeps the crowd energized, and Lehengas are obviously no exception.

The Past Rizzz….

Indians gained fame for the lehenga choli during the Mughal Empire, where the lehenga gradually evolved into a royal garment.  

Since then, everything about the lehenga has changed, including the embroidery, fabrics like silk and brocade, and the stitching patterns. Instead of being the norm for the majority of Indians, this royal attire is now a statement of fashion.  

Lehengas did not regain popularity as a trendy outfit until the 1990s. The lavish Bollywood movies with wedding scenes were the ones that would captivate fans with their vivid colors and beautiful needlework.  

And after becoming widely accepted in Bollywood films, it made an appearance on the runway during Indian Fashion Week.  

Traditional lehengas gave way to avant-garde styles like straight lehengas, a-lines, paneled lehengas, mermaid or fishtail lehengas, and many more.

Revolutionizing the Trends…..

The clothing worn today differs from that worn centuries ago in a variety of little ways.

There are also many more varieties, from the classic ones still worn in the villages of Rajasthan to the innovative, modern ones seen on fashion ramps and red carpets.  

Today the Lehengas have changed not only in terms of style but also in terms of philosophy, sociology, history, politics, and geography.  

The Current Vogue!!

Of course, there is a huge selection of intriguing lehenga cholis available on the market today. The variety is extremely wide, ranging from intricately embellished designer lehengas to vibrant festival lehengas.  

Depending on the chosen silhouette, the skirt style can change. For example, mermaid-cut skirts have a seductive fit that is close to the knees before beautifully flaring out. A-line skirts feature the standard, straight-cut appearance of Western skirts, whereas circular lehengas have a fall that is both structured and voluminous with a broad spread.

The Lehenga Cholis that are currently on the market use urban themes and techniques. Even though the Lehenga Cholis are minimalistic and visually appealing, they still show signs of cultural tradition.

Rebounding Trends…

"Retro." "Vintage." "That looks so 90s!"

Do you hear this often? Quite a lot, right?  

Have you ever wondered why the latest fashion trends have fallen out and outdated designs are taking over the market? It is the boomerang impact of trends in clothing.  

According to industry experts, this occurs once every 20 years. And that two decades is sufficient to settle the current tendencies and come to the conclusion that the earlier ones were far superior.  

The repeating trends in Lehengas are due to the fact that Indian designers have significantly broadened the scope of their businesses and designs over the past several decades. Rediscovering traditional patterns and designs is one of their main areas of interest now.  

Additionally, social media has changed the game entirely. Girls choose vivacious fashion choices to appear polished on social media. The notion of rekindling the old-fashioned sparks while clicking like or browsing Instagram or Pinterest.  

The Upcoming Sensation!!

A lot of designers are looking into various eras in the history of lehenga-cholis in an effort to uncover and revive the pride in gorgeous classic designs that have been out of style for a long time.  

They are also planning on fusing unique Western aesthetics into their designs to produce chic, fusion clothing.  

Additionally, they want to make sure the lehenga has absorbed and combined with contemporary influences and world trends.

Wrapping up (just like the trend of heavy lehengas)…

Designers from throughout the nation have given the lehenga their own unique spin, and the weavers of these lehengas have added their own innovations to a variety of fabrics.  

Now that we live in a social media age, we are more aware of many cultures and their artistic creations. Observing how the lehenga evolved from a royal garment to what it is today is quite amazing.  

House Of panchhi has been influenced by the interchange of culture and customs within communities as well as by the always-shifting geopolitical situations.

At House Of Panchhi, each of our lehengas is an homage to this iconic outfit that has stood the test of time and fashion. Browse through our sizable collection, which demonstrates the dedication and tenacity of the talented weavers in our land. Happy Clicking!

[hjellacott]

Agreed that the performative activism displayed when it came to Ukraine was unreal and now people are not paying even a third of the attention to the fucking tragedy going on in both Turkey and Syria. People aren't even mentioning the fact that at least Ukraine's enemy came from outside, whereas in Turkey and Syria, the enemy is inside. And I don't mean the earthquake (can't help earthquakes really), I mean the politicians. In Turkey, years ago the politicians supposedly made a fund to financially aid victims in case a disaster like this happened. And now the money has VANISHED. Not just that, but the buildings that came down? Politicians had made laws that supposedly would make buildings safer in the case of earthquakes, and then they gave the contracts to their buddies, and then this shit happened. So now, Turkey really needs outside help, because they're not going to get it from inside. Not nearly enough. And in the case of Syria, we forget very rapidly that they're in a war. That entire zones of Syria are under the control of violent terrorists who surely won't move a finger to rescue their own people. So we really need to find some way to access, some way to rescue them, and because it's a war zone, it has to come from organised response from countries and forces like the UN's peace operations. And Turkey is also involved in Syria's war.

But I will make a small tiny note just to point out that the attention on Ukraine wasn't because they're more western or because they're more white.

It's in Spanish, but like, up north is Ukraine, then Turkey and bottom right is Syria. As you can see, geographically, is one big zone of absolute fucking disaster. Now Turkey's been one of the popular passages for "illegal" (undocumented) immigrants to enter Europe, so you have to add to Turkey's disaster that they had many, many, hundreds of undocumented immigrants in the streets, in immigration camps, completely vulnerable to the earthquake.

Now I can't speak about the other continents because I don't know so much, but in Europe, out of the three, Turkey's the most "important", sort of, because they've been aiming to join the European Union even before Turkey. So the reason Ukraine became so "popular" is mostly that they were attacked by Russia, which in the world, specially to the US, is like the all too powerful baddie, and so anything they do is perceived as fifteen times as worse than if anyone else did it. Not like what they did wasn't bad, it's horrible obviously, but like, you haven't heard so much about what other countries have been doing in Syria or Yemen, have you? And there is also the fact that Ukraine's president is a former actor, a highly charismatic guy who hasn't allowed anyone to forget his country, going to the media, to plenty of countries, and so on. So if it had been Putin who attacked Turkey and Syria, it'd be all over the news constantly. Or if Erdogan was actually doing more for his country. But it isn't the case.

It was a "boring" earthquake. It doesn't satisfy people's morbidity as much. Which means YOU have to do the work of researching, of actively trying to stay informed, and actively seeking for ways to support, because they won't come to you like it happened with Ukraine.

it is incredibly frustrating to see the non-response from westerners to what is arguably the worst natural disaster in recent memory. when the ukraine-russia war broke out, it was on everyone's blogs. everyone--at least on my dash--was trying to spread awareness of the humanitarian crisis. but now?

fucking crickets.

absolutely nothing.

this earthquake has already claimed 20k confirmed lives. it has only been 5 days. most wrecks have not been excavated yet.

we need all the help we can get, but not a single fucking person is doing anything to help spread the message. people who proudly put the ukrainian flag in their display names or in their bios are nowhere to be seen now. the influencers youtubers and tiktok micro-celebrities who shared donation posts and ukrainian refugee testimonials daily are dead silent now. why? why do you only care when the people dying are somewhat like you? do we need to be whiter to deserve your attention? or more christian? do we not deserve your energy as is? are we, turks and syrians, not humans?

im so fucking sorry if donation posts don't fit your blog's aesthetic or if the news are just so fucking draining for you. every single one of you motherfuckers living in the west should be ashamed of yourselves for how differently you are treating us versus how you treated ukrainians when the war broke out.

if this happened in any western country you'd all be making infographics on how to donate or help.

right now the only reason why people on my dash are devastated is because the rhythm guitarist from my chemical romance had a haircut.

all of you need to be doing better.

do better.

[moonlit-sunflower-books]

writing south indian characters

[@/moonlit_sunflower_books on ig]

The primary Indian story that is told through modern literature and media is a very North-Indian focused narrative, and while there's nothing wrong with that, there's a massive lack of south Indian representation. Often we're sort of ostracised from other Indians as well, so i thought i'd make a post outlining how to write South Indian characters talking about the differences between our cultures :)

If you have anything to add or things to point out, please go ahead! This is all based on my own personal experience and knowledge.

how do you define "south indian"

"South Indian" is used as a very broad term and is also highly relative. Generally, it encompasses people from the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The problem with grouping all these characters under one massive umbrella is that our cultures are all vastly different, the same way that someone from Assam and Punjab would have entirely different. I'm going to elaborate on this further as we go!

food

South Indian food, contrary to popular belief, does not consist of idli and dosa.

Some examples of more food are bisi bele bath, pongal and vathakuzhambu (i promise it's not that hard to pronounce), sambhar shadam (a type of rice and curry), rasam, coconut-based kormas, tamarind rice, chakkarai pongal (which is sweet), vadai (yes we pronounce it differently from North Indians), mysore pak, lime rice, our famous filter coffee (or "kaapi"), and so much more.

South Indian food is more rice-heavy than grain-heavy, and we don't really have a roti equivalent. There's also a lot of non-vegetarian food, but since I'm vegetarian, I don't know a whole lot about it :)

There's also obvious language differences: for example, in a Tamilian household, we would call curd rice "thayir shadam", which means the same thing. Which brings me to my next point...

languages

There is a reason that there's a debate as to whether or not Hindi should be the national language. Spoiler alert: it should not.

South India is home to so many languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malyalam. Very often someone from North India will make the assumption that Indian people speak Hindi, whereas this is completely untrue - South Indians should not be expected to speak Hindi any more than North Indians should be expected to speak Tamil.

If you're writing about a South Indian character, make sure that they speak their native language and NOT Hindi at home! And if it's a South Indian character who lives in a different part of the country, like I do, they'll likely know the language of the part of the country they live in as well as their native language. (But this also depends - if a Telugu person has grown up in Delhi, they're likely to speak Hindi better than Telugu.)

Even characters that live abroad will have some connection to their language. As someone who spent many years outside India, I learnt quite a bit of random vocabulary in the form of food and short phrases like "look here", "what do you want", "what happened", and things like that.

fashion

The South Indian version of a lehenga is called a pavada or pavadai, and it's often what younger girls wear at any formal or festive event. Older women will often wear saris. Traditionally, Brahmins used to wear 9 yard saris that were tied differently, but in an attempt to eradicate the caste system, this largely isn't worn anymore.

Men wear veshtis, which is a type of cloth tied around the waist. Traditionally, this would have been worn without a shirt, but today it's not uncommon to see people walking around with a veshti and formal shirt.

Keep in mind, though, India has become really westernised, so many people will also jeans and shirts and things like that. Fusing ethnic and western wear, like jeans with kurta tops, is not uncommon.

It also varies a lot from region to region - in Chennai you're much more likely to see someone walking around casually in a sari than you are in Bangalore, simply because of the culture that surrounds the two cities.

physically

South Indians stereotypically have much thicker, curlier hair and darker skin than North Indians. (But this obviously varies from person to person.)

names

Within South Indian names, it's fairly easy to tell where someone is from - and this is true of any micro-region, state, or culture within India.

Some examples of Tamil names could include "Srinivasan", "Iyer", or "Pillai". (Iyer and Iyengar are actually two sub-sects of Tamilian Brahmins who worship Shiva and Vishnu respectively, but I won't get into that.) Telugu surnames could include "Komati" or "Nayak".

But traditionally, South Indians never had surnames. There would be 2-3 initials that stood for one's village name and father's name, followed by your name. So, for example, C. V. Raman was his full name! Some people still use this system, but because it becomes difficult during documentation etc, most people have switched to the westernised version of the system.

general culture

Two of my personal favourite parts of South Indian culture are Carnatic Music and Bharatnatyam, both of which I have learnt. Carnatic music is a form of classical music where one sings varnams and shlokas and padams in different raagas and taalams. Bharatnatyam is a classical dance form from Tamilnadu with two main styles - Thanjavur and Kalakshetra.

Of course, there are millions of little aspects to South Indian culture, but I couldn't possibly fit them all here :)

being south indian

Being South Indian in other parts of India means that you're subject to a whole lot of racism.

I've had people say "how can you call yourself a real indian" and, like I said earlier, use words like "dosa" and "pongal" instead of my name. There's also language-based discrimination like I mentioned, because many people assume Hindi should be spoken across the country.

The caste system is also very prominent, and there are multiple movements to eradicate it across South India.

[girlactionfigure]

Israelis, and Jews More Broadly, Are Not Appropriating Anything

Good old Israeli hummus

With the “debate” over Israel’s legitimacy permeating Western campuses and media, Israeli culture has periodically oscillated in and out of the limelight. In particular, disputes over what aspects of Israeli culture – especially Israeli cuisine – are “authentically” Israeli (hint: if it’s Middle Eastern, then it’s “obviously not Israeli”) have become one of the most contentious frontiers of the entire anti-Zionist war on Jewish rights.

Attendant to the narrative that Zionist returnees in Israel/Palestine are “settler colonists” who “stole” Arab land, anti-Semites similarly charge Israelis and diaspora Jews alike with “stealing” Arab culture in the hope of weaving a convincing tale of Jewish indigeneity out of whole cloth. It is a fictive that aims to dispossess Jews of their own cultural heritage, identity, peoplehood and, eventually, their land.

However, the fact remains that most – if not all – of what Palestinian Arabs accuse us of “appropriating” are not really “Palestinian” at all. In fact, they have been a part of Jewish culture since Biblical times, long predating the Arab conquest of the Levant – and thus any Palestinian claim to exclusive ownership thereof. Since these allegations tend to fall exclusively on Ashkenazi Israelis – who are erroneously defamed as “white European settlers” – I will not focus on the Mizrahi claim to these items, but instead on the broader Jewish one.

Hummus and Pita – Hummus is a popular chickpea-spread that is eaten all over the Levant, whereas pitas are a type of flatbread — made from unleavened or slightly leavened bread — that is often used to make wraps/sandwiches. Both are mentioned in the Torah, a Jewish text that was written in the 6th century BCE and is thus far older than the Arab occupation of Israel.

A direct translation of Ruth 2:14 into English gives us this “And Boaz told her when it came time to eat, ‘come forward and eat the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar'”

Of particular note here are the words used for vinegar (hamitz, or hometz) and piece of bread (pat/pittek). The Hebrew term “hometz/hamitz” sounds virtually identical to the modern Arabic term “hummus”, and to the modern Hebrew term “himtza” which means “chickpeas”. It is unlikely that hamitz or hometz actually meant “vinegar”, since vinegar is not a dip. It is an acid that is often used in cooking, but is not served on its own. Hummus, on the other hand, is a dip. The Arabic term “hummus” is most likely just a bastardized form of the Hebrew word for chickpeas.

A delicious pita sandwich

Moreover, chickpea cultivation in the Levant goes all the way back to the Bronze Age, and chickpeas were considered a main source of protein in ancient Israel. They’ve been found at Iron Age Israelite sites as well.

The Hebrew term “pat” or “pittek” essentially means “a piece of bread”. In Aramaic, a language that is extremely close to Hebrew (and was even spoken by most Jews in late antiquity), “pat” means “pita”. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food written by Gil Marks also mentions pita-like flatbread that was both eaten and used for cooking in ancient Israel.

In other words, it is clear from these texts that the Jews were familiar enough with hummus and pita in Biblical times to have a written record of them. That means these foods cannot possibly be of Palestinian Arab origin, since these events occurred at least 1,000 years before the Arab conquest of the Levant. It should also go without saying that the idea that no one in Israel ate chickpeas or flatbread before the Arabs showed up is flat out ridiculous.

Lentil soup – Or “Nezid”/”Meraq Adashim” in Hebrew. As the name suggests, it is a soup made with lentil. Other common ingredients include beans, peas, and sometimes meat. As with hummus and pita, lentil soup is mentioned in the Torah, specifically in Genesis 25:29-34.

Nezid aka lentil soup

“And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please pour me some of this red stuff’……..And Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil soup”

Likewise, archaeologists and non-Biblical historians have confirmed the existence of lentil soups and porridges in ancient Israel.

Halva – Although the precise origins of halva are still a matter of debate, there is sufficient evidence that Jews have been eating Levantine halva since Biblical times. This version is made from tahini, a type of ground sesame paste that was allegedly introduced to Israel by the ancient Persians either during or shortly after the Babylonian Exile, although sesame and honey (the main ingredients for halva) have existed in Israel since the Natufian period. The Babylonian Exile predates the Arab conquest by more than 1,000 years, whereas the Natufian period predates the Arab invasions by 9-10,000 years, so halva is obviously not an Arab food. According to archaeologists, sesame in a “cake-like form” (halva) was eaten by Jews in ancient Israel. Some scholars have even theorized that Levantine halva may, in fact, be the fabled manna mentioned in the Torah. Other optional ingredients (e.g. pistachios) may be included also.

Israeli halva with pistachios

It is commonly assumed, based on the etymology of the term “halva” (Arabic for “sweet”) and the fact that the earliest recorded mention of halva is in a 13th century Egyptian cookbook, that halva is an Arab food. This view is flawed for a number of reasons. One, ground sesame (tahini) forms the basis of the Israeli halva. Although sesame is native to the Levant and Mesopotamia, it does not grow in the Arabian Peninsula (as the environment there is too arid to support such a crop). Furthermore, ground sesame is mentioned in ancient Mesopotamian texts going back at least 3,000 years (at a time when Israel and Mesopotamia were closely linked), so the concept certainly did not arise in Arabia. As with hummus and pita, the idea that no one in the Levant ate tahini before the Arabs arrived is ludicrous.

Second, Levant style halva is apparently old enough that it had been eaten by Ashkenazi Jews in Europe for well over 1,000 years, even in areas that had never been touched by the Arabs or the Ottomans. Third, and most importantly, it was customary of Arab colonists to attach Arabic names to foods, clothing items, instruments, and even cities taken from indigenous peoples. The fact that halva is an Arabic term is by no means conclusive proof, or even evidence, of Arab origin. If anything, it is consistent with the pattern of Arab colonialism and appropriation of indigenous cultures.

The most likely explanation is that Levantine halva is an indigenous (albeit Persian-influenced) southern Levantine food that had been eaten by Jews since antiquity, but had an Arabic name grafted onto it either during or after the Arab conquests.

Za’atar and other Middle Eastern spices – Za’atar is the Arabic term for “Ezob”, an indigenous herb of Israel. Ezob is Hebrew for “hyssop” and is mentioned in both the Torah and the Mishnah, wherein it is described as a condiment and a ritual purification agent. This herb is frequently mixed with sesame (which, again, does not grow in the Arabian Peninsula), sumac (which comes from southern Europe), and salt (which could easily be obtained from the Dead Sea). Other popular Middle Eastern spices like saffron, coriander, myrrh, ginger, pepper, and thyme are known to have been used in ancient Israel as well, although some of these were imported from Arabia, Egypt, Africa, Greece, India, and China.

Za’atar

Turbans and robes – Turbans are mentioned at least 11 times in the Old Testament as miznefet (i.e. “to wrap”), mainly in Exodus, Leviticus (Latin for “Levi”), and Ezekiel. They were worn by both ordinary people and by priests, although the turbans worn by priests were different from those worn by commoners. The high priest of Israel wore a turban that was much larger than that of other priests, winding to make a broad, flat-topped shape resembling the blossom of a flower. The priestly crown (Hebrew “tzitz”, meaning “blossom” or “flower”) was attached to the turban by means of two sets of blue cords: one going over the top of the head and the other around the sides of the head at the ear level.

Yes, I know they are Samaritans, but I couldn’t find anything else that wasn’t copyrighted. And I figure it’s close enough anyway.

Moreover, Jews in medieval Europe (e.g. the 13th/14th century Ashkenazi rabbi Gersonides) are known to have worn turbans. At least until they were outlawed under Europe’s Sumptuary laws.

Robes are also mentioned in the Torah, and are referred to as “adderet”. They are seen as a symbol of glory or wealth, and were also commonly worn by priests. In many cases, they still are.

Ashkenazi Jewish musician Idan Raichel (on the right) wearing a turban and dreadlocks (more on that below)

Abaya – In Hebrew, it is called the sudara or sudra. It is a large square piece of woolen cloth folded diagonally in half into a triangle. It is known to have been worn by Jews in pre-colonial (read: pre-Roman and pre-Arab) Israel.

Read More: Here

Dani Ishai Behan

H/T scartale-an-undertale-au

[pumpkinpaix]

Hello! Feel free not to answer this question if it is in any way too much, but I've been wondering about something concerning the "western" mdzs fandom. Lately, i have seen multiple pieces of fanart that use what is clearly Christian symbolism and sometimes downright iconography in depicting the characters. I'm a european fan, but it still makes me vaguely uneasy. I know that these things are rarely easy to judge. I'm definitely not qualified to do so and was wondering if you have an opinion

Hi there! thank you for your patience and for the interesting question! I’ve been thinking about this since i received this ask because it?? idk, it’s difficult to answer, but it also touches on a a few things that I find really interesting.

the short answer: it’s complicated, and I also don’t know what I feel!

the longer answer:

i think that this question is particularly difficult to answer because of how deeply christianity is tied to the western art and literary canon. so much of what is considered great european art is christian art! If you just take a quick glance at wiki’s page on european art, you can see how inextricable christianity is, and how integral christian iconography has been in the history of european art. If you study western art history, you must study christian imagery and christian canon because it’s just impossible to engage with a lot of the work in a meaningful way without it. that’s just the reality of it.

Christianity, of course, also has a strong presence in european colonial and imperialist history and has been used as a tool of oppression against many peoples and nations, including China. I would be lying if I said I had a good relationship with Christianity--I have always faced it with a deep suspicion because I think it did some very, very real damage, not just to chinese people, but to many cultures and peoples around the world, and that’s not a trauma that can be easily brushed aside or reconciled with.

here is what is also true: my maternal grandmother was devoutly christian. my aunt is devoutly christian. my uncle’s family is devoutly christian. my favorite cousin is devoutly christian. when I attended my cousin’s wedding, he had both a traditional chinese ceremony (tea-serving, bride-fetching, ABSURDLY long reception), and also a christian ceremony in a church. christianity is a really important part of his life, just as it’s important to my uncle’s family, and as it was important to my grandmother. I don’t think it’s my right or place to label them as simply victims of a colonialist past--they’re real people with real agency and choice and beliefs. I think it would be disrespectful to act otherwise.

that doesn’t negate the harm that christianity has done--but it does complicate things. is it inherently a bad thing that they’re christian, due to the political history of the religion and their heritage? that’s... not a question I’m really interested in debating. the fact remains that they are christian, that they are chinese, and that they chose their religion.

so! now here we are with mdzs, a chinese piece of media that is clearly Not christian, but is quickly gaining popularity in euroamerican spaces. people are making fanart! people are making A LOT of fanart! and art is, by nature, intertextual. a lot of the most interesting art (imo) makes deliberate use of that! for example (cyan art nerdery time let’s go), Nikolai Ge’s What is Truth?

I love this painting! it’s notable for its unusual depiction of christ: shabby, unkempt, slouched, in shadow. if you look for other paintings of this scene, christ is usually dignified, elegant, beautiful, melancholy -- there’s something very humanizing and humbling about this depiction, specifically because of the way it contrasts the standard. it’s powerful because we as the audience are expected to be familiar with the iconography of this scene, the story behind it, and its place in the christian canon.

you can make similar comments about Gentileschi’s Judith vs Caravaggio’s, or Manet’s Olympia vs Ingres’ Grande Odalisque -- all of these paintings exist in relation to one another and also to the larger canon (i’m simplifying: you can’t just compare one to another directly in isolation etc etc.) Gauguin’s Jacob Wrestling the Angel is also especially interesting because of how its portrayal of its content contrasts to its predecessors!

or! because i’m really In It now, one of my favorite paintings in the world, Joan of Arc by Bastien-Lepage:

I just!!! gosh, idk, what’s most interesting to me in this painting is the way it seems to hover between movements: the hyperrealistic, neoclassical-esque take on the figure, but the impressionistic brushstrokes of the background AAA gosh i love it so much. it’s really beautiful if you ever get a chance to see it in person at the Met. i’m putting this here both because i personally just really like it and also as an example of how intertextuality isn’t just about content, but also about visual elements.

anyways, sorry most of this is 19thc, that was what i studied the most lol.

(a final note: if you want to read about a really interesting painting that sits in the midst of just a Lot of different works, check out the wiki page on Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa, specifically under “Interpretation and Legacy”)

this is all a really long-winded way of getting to this point: if you want to make allusory fanart of mdzs with regards to western art canon, you kind of have to go out of your way to avoid christian imagery/iconography, especially when that’s the lens through which a lot of really intensely emotional art was created. many of my favorite paintings are christian: Vrubel’s Demon, Seated, Perov’s Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, Ge’s Conscience, Judas, Bastien-Lepage’s Joan of Arc, as shown above. that’s not to say there ISN’T plenty of non-christian art -- but christian art is very prominent and impossible to ignore.

so here are a few pieces of fanwork that I’ve seen that are very clearly making allusions to christian imagery:

1. this beautiful pietà nielan by tinynarwhals on twitter

2. a lovely jiang yanli as our lady of tears by @satuwilhelmiina

3. my second gif in this set here, which I will also show below:

i’m only going to talk about mine in depth because well, i know exactly what i was thinking when I put this gif together while I can’t speak for anyone else.

first: the two lines of the song that I wanted to use for lan xichen were “baby, I’m a fighter//in the robes of a saint” because i felt that they fit him very well. of course, just the word “saint” evokes catholicism, even if it’s become so entwined in the english language that it’s taken on a secular meaning as well.

second: when I saw this scene, my immediate thought was just “PIETÀ!!” because LOOK at that composition! lan xichen’s lap! nie mingjue lying perpendicular to it! the light blue/white/silver of lan xichen in contrast to the darker robes of both nie mingjue and meng yao! not just that, but the very cool triangular structure of the image is intensely striking, and Yes, i Do love that it simultaneously ALSO evokes deposition of christ vibes. (baxia as the cross.... god..... is that not the Tightest Shit) does this make meng yao joseph of arimathea? does it make him john the evangelist? both options are equally interesting, I think when viewed in relation to his roles in the story: as a spy in qishan and as nmj’s deputy. maybe he’s both.

anyways, did I do this intentionally? yes, though a lot of it is happy accident/discovered after the fact since I’m relying on CQL to have provided the image. i wanted to draw attention to all of that by superimposing that line over that image! (to be clear: I didn’t expect it to all come through because like. that’s ridiculous. the layers you’d have to go through to get from “pretty lxc gifset” --> “if we cast nie mingjue as a christ figure, what is the interesting commentary we could do on meng yao by casting him as either joseph of arimathea or john the evangelist” are like. ok ur gonna need to work a little harder than slapping a song lyric over an image to achieve an effect like that.)

the point of this is: yes, it’s intentionally christian, yes I did this, yes I am casting these very much non-christian characters into christian roles for this specific visual work -- is this okay?

I obviously thought it was because I made it. but would I feel the same about a work that was written doing something similar? probably not. I think that would make me quite uncomfortable in most situations. but there’s something about visual art that makes it slightly different that I have trouble articulating -- something about how the visual often seeks to illustrate parallels or ideas, whereas writing characters as a different religion can fundamentally change who those characters are, the world they inhabit, etc. in a more... invasive?? way. that’s still not quite right, but I genuinely am not sure how to explain what i mean! I hope the general idea comes across. ><

something else to think about is like, what are pieces I find acceptable and why?

what makes the pieces above that reference christian imagery different than this stunning nieyao piece by @cyandemise after klimt’s kiss? (warnings for like, dead bodies and vague body horror) like i ADORE this piece (PLEASE click for fullview it’s worth it for the quality). it’s incredibly beautiful and evocative and very obviously references a piece of european art. I have no problem with it. why? because it isn’t explicitly christian? it’s still deeply entrenched in western canon. klimt certainly made other pieces that were explicit christian references.

another piece I’d like to invite you all to consider is this incredible naruto fanart of sakura and ino beheading sasuke after caravaggio’s judith. (warnings for beheading, blood, etc. you know.) i also adore this piece! i think it’s very good both technically and conceptually. the reference that it makes has a real power when viewed in relation to the roles of the characters in their original story -- seeing the women that sasuke fucked over and treated so disrespectfully collaborating in his demise Says Something. this is also!! an explicitly christian reference made with non-christian japanese characters. is this okay? does it evoke the same discomfort as seeing mdzs characters being drawn with christian iconography? why or why not?

the point is, I don’t think there’s a neat answer, but I do think there are a lot of interesting issues surrounding cultural erasure/hegemony that are raised by this question. i don’t think there are easy resolutions to any of them either, but I think that it’s a good opportunity to reexamine our own discomfort and try and see where it comes from. all emotions are valid but not all are justified etc. so I try to ask, is it fair? do i apply my criticisms and standards equally? why or why not? does it do real harm, or do i just not like it? what makes one work okay and another not?

i’ve felt that there’s a real danger with the kind of like, deep moral scrutiny of recent years in quashing interesting work in the name of fear. this morality tends to be expressed in black and white, good and bad dichotomies that i really do think stymies meaningful conversation and progress. you’ll often see angry takes that boil down to things like, “POC good, queer people good, white people bad, christianity bad” etc. without a serious critical examination of the actual issues at hand. I feel that these are extraordinarily harmful simplifications that can lead to an increased insularity that isn’t necessarily good for anyone. there’s a fine line between asking people to stay in their lane and cultural gatekeeping sometimes, and I think that it’s something we should be mindful of when we’re engaging in conversations about cultural erasure, appropriation etc.

PERHAPS IT IS OBVIOUS that I have no idea where that line falls LMAO since after all that rambling I have given you basically nothing. but! I hope that you found it interesting at least, and that it gives you a bit more material to think on while you figure out where you stand ahaha.

was this just an excuse to show off cool (fan)art i like? maybe ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(ko-fi)

[charliejrogers]

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

In 2006, Borat was one of those great cultural touchstones that transcended the big screen. There was no aspect of pop culture after its release that wasn’t in some way affected. It perfectly coincided with the rising popularity of YouTube, such that those who hadn’t seen it (or couldn’t because they were too young to get into the rated R movie) could at least see many of its famous clips.  Everyone knew Borat in 2006. Everyone. You couldn’t go two fucking steps without someone going “very nice!” or “my wife!” It was such a wonderfully smart movie. It combined the best aspects of a Jackass movie, i.e. the trolling of innocent and unsuspecting bystanders, with a noble cause, to expose to the world the ignorant side of America. It was a novel and insightful look at our country.

In 2020… there is no insight in telling us that much of the country is ignorant of the truth, racist, or sexist. As Borat himself points out in this film, in the years between when he filmed the first movie (2005) and the new movie 2019-2020, America has become transfixed by their new “magical abacuses”, i.e. cellphones. Phones, the internet, social media, all of them expose us everyday to how the other half lives in their little social bubbles. We don’t have to wonder “do people really think this?” Just type whatever terrible or stupid theory you can think of into Google, and you’re guaranteed to find at least one person who endorses whatever heinous thing you just wrote. Again, this is portrayed within the film when Borat, confronted by the fact that maybe some of his core beliefs are lies, finds websites that say that (much to his anti-Semitic disappointment) the Holocaust was not real. So, one is left wondering… what can Borat bring to the table in 2020 that is fresh?

Unfortunately, the answer is… not a whole lot. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm feels mostly like a retread of 2006 with the only additions aiming more for “shock factor” than real comedy aimed to grab headlines (which it succeeded in doing). This is not to say this is not a funny movie. It is. The film’s opening where Borat describes the typical (fictionalized) Kazakh’s view of American politics is hysterical. In sum, America went to shit with the election of Obama, paving the way for other Africans to take power of the West (cue the photo of Justin Trudeau in Black face). Now with Trump in power, Borat is sent on a mission to curry Trump’s favor so that Kazakhstan and its leader will be viewed with the same favor that Trump has bestowed upon other “tough guys and tough guy countries” like Russia/Putin, the Philippines/Duerte, North Korea/Kim Jong Un, Brazil/Bolsonaro, etc. The gift is supposed to be an overly sexually aggressive chimp for Vice Pussy Hound (i.e. Vice President) Pence. However, Borat’s daughter Tutar sneaks into the crate with the chimp, and after a chain of events Borat has no choice but to gift his daughter over to Pence, and eventually Rudy Giuliani, instead.

It’s a simple enough plot but I think the movie gets a little too caught up in it. No one is asking for a plot line for this movie. If this were just a string of sketches with a vague whiff of a plot to transition between the sketches no one would fault it. In fact, that sounds like the first Borat. We are just here for the sketches. Yet the movie is looking to do a little bit more than the first movie. It’s not content to just say, “Hey, look at yourself, America! You’re fucked up! Let’s all laugh at you.” This movie has specific targets that dominate its focus: Trump and Trumpland.

This is, I think, an unfortunate choice not because I don’t approve of bashing Trump and Trumpland, but because whereas the first movie felt like comedy was king with the sociopolitical insights as a dominant undercurrent, here the story and the humiliation of Trump and his base is the end goal. This still makes for funny scenes, but when I think back to the first Borat (and as I re-watched clips of the first movie after finishing this movie), some of the greatest parts of Borat had nothing to do with politics or sensitive subjects. Much of the humor was just based around the ballsiness of Sacha Baron Cohen. This is a guy who when invited into a person’s home for dinner makes openly sexually complimentary remarks about two of the female guests, but explicitly states that the host’s wife is ugly. Never mind the fact that at that same dinner party, Borat hand-delivers his shit in a bag to a guest, claiming to not know how Western toilets work. It’s hilarious, it’s daring, and has nothing to do with politics.

In essence, the first Borat was such a success because Cohen played the character with such a believable naivete and loose grasp of English idioms, that he was a factory of malapropisms, a genius of comedic-timing, and a troll that could annoy the ever-living daylights out of anyone. There are as many scenes of him trolling nice, innocent people (like the driving instructor, the man who teaches him jokes, the group of feminists, or really any time he goes on the news) as there are scenes of him trolling people so that Cohen can make a political point or social observation (like the singing the wrong national anthem at the rodeo or his innate criticism of a Pentecostal Chruch’s weirdness). And in the end, the “point” of that plot at least had nothing to do with politics. You can watch this movie, get your laughs, remark at America’s racism, and still get your laughs.

Here, there really isn’t any scene I can think of that wasn’t done to make some sort of observation or political point. The closest I can think of are the bits towards the beginning before the plot kicks into high gear. There’s a recurring bit I love of him communication with the Premier of Kazakhstan via fax machine at a local UPS Store. The genius isn’t contained in the sentence I just wrote, but that he requires the aging worker of the UPS Store to hand-write all of his faxes for him and read any and all replies. Similarly, there’s a quick bit of genius at the beginning where Borat goes to a cellphone store and cannot understand FaceTime at all. He assumes the person on the phone must be the brother of the phone store worker he sees in front of him; they cannot be the same. Similarly he somehow enlists the help of a delivery person to re-seal the crate in which his daughter came to America in.

But otherwise, the jokes are there either to say, “Woah! Aren’t these Americans terrible?!” (whether he’s talking about QAnon’s theorists, anti-abortionists, or anti-maskers). Or there’s gross out humor, mostly about vaginas and periods, (or moon blood, as Borat calls it). As I said, these aren’t all unfunny. Probably my favorite sequence in the film sees Borat and his daughter at a pregnancy crisis center because Tutar has accidentally swallowed a little baby doll that was on top of a cupcake her father had “given” to her as a “treat” that was just supposed to be “their little secret” because women in Kazakhstan aren’t supposed to have sweets. So she ate the cupcake behind a dumpster. I’ll let you guess what happens when you enter a Christian pregnancy crisis center asking for them to take out the dumpster baby your Dad wasn’t supposed to be giving you… but it’s hilarious to see the worker sorta squirm his away around addressing the reality of incest.

But mostly, I felt kinda fatigued knowing that Cohen and co. were mostly trying to show me the “underside” of QAnon and anti-maskers… but as I said, in 2020, I am unfortunately well aware of both these groups, their psychologies, and their world. So merely highlighting that these ideas exist and that the people who endorse these ideas don’t really have a lot of great ideas otherwise, isn’t that novel as it might have been back in 2006.

Probably the more “interesting” side of the film is it’s focus on feminism. The film uses Tutar (played perfectly by previously unknown Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova and deserves all the praise she gets) to really expose how America, despite being a “feminist” nation, still shares many aspects with the fictionalized version of Kazakhastan where women are considered equivalent to livestock. The movie hopes to shed light on the far reaching effects of the patriarchy. The movie ends at the top of the pyramid with politicians who feel like it is their right to use their power to sleep with whomever they want (Trump’s obviously the true target of this criticism and I will say, the final Giuliani scene feels a little bit like entrapment… that said, I think it’s fair to say not every man would be so willing to fall into that trap). But leading up to that we see aspects of America designed to fit perfectly with the patriarchy’s demands. We hear from a shallow, vapid Instagram influencer that to get by women need to be docile and pretty, and we see a frankly horrifying discussion from a plastic surgeon talking about all the things wrong with Tutar that he would fix with surgery so that men would want her… despite the fact that she’s a beautiful woman and has nothing wrong with her! We live in a society that recognizes the horror of a patriarchical society, but still so clearly buys into it.

But in the end… you’re not watching Borat Subsequent Moviefilm to get an education on feminism and the problems with the patriarchy. That should be the extra cherry on top of a main course of hearty laughter. In focuses on the politics, Cohen and co. find plenty of laughs and memorable moments, but fail (perhaps inevitably) to recreate the signature naivete and bumbling oafishness of his titular interviewer, in the process losing some of the film’s humor and paradoxically its ability to leave a lasting message.

**/ (Two and a half stars out of four)

[ichihime]

Hello! Sorry for the intrusion I just want to confirm something like I know IH has been receiving a lot of hate in this part of the ocean but also I think I read somewhere that Japanese fans were actually quite happy and supportive of the canon pairings, can you confirm something about that matter?

No bother at all! As a general disclaimer, I don’t speak Japanese and my participation in the JPN side of fandom is minimal if not, nonexistent beyond purchasing doujins & reblogging/rting fanart. That said, what information I do know is solely secondhand, so take it with a grain of salt.

From my understanding, the only JPN fans who ended up being used as examples of the entire fanbase’s apparent hatred for the endgame ships, only ended up being a couple of extreme outliers (who gained attention because they were posting pics of them burning their Bleach merch, and it became popularised on social media, etc). JPN fans, while a dedicated shipping base is among them (not unlike their Western fandom counterpart), seem generally more interested in the story opposed to the shipping, and additionally seemed to accept the IH ending because it makes sense for both characters. I’ve read this from multiple sources, whereas the rumors that the JPN fandom hates Orihime/IH have been sourced almost exclusively from the Western IR fandom since the beginning of the manga - who pretty obviously have a bias against Orihime/IH. They also like to pull up character/ship popularity polls from 2004 on fansites that have nothing to do with canon... and have done this for over 10 years, so... do with that what you will, lmao.

A couple other things:

While Bleach is by no means as beloved a series in JPN as (for example’s sake,) Naruto or DBZ, it still maintains its loyal following of readers who were invested in the story and characters, and accepted the romance.

JPN fans in particular have consistently rallied behind Rukia as their favorite character in general. The WDKALY novel depicting her marriage to Renji, as well as Ichigo and Orihime pining after one another during the ceremony, was the #1 Bestseller of its genre on Amazon JP for a couple weeks, if I remember correctly.

Several JPN Bleach fans actually created a forum in which they mocked Western IR fans’ public meltdowns over the ending (such as, that one Rukia cosplayer burning a pic of IchiHime, or Western IR fans destroying/burning their merch and posting pics to tumblr).

It seems to me it really is less about the shipping, and more about the story. Obviously there are dedicated shipping fandoms that exist in the JPN side of fandom, but in general, and as far as I know, they don’t collectively hate IH as much as the Western IRs love to say they do, and definitely seem to be at the very least passively supportive of the IH ending. 

If anyone with better information would like to add to this, please feel free!

[randomnameless]

Do we know about the jp reception of the treehouse lolcalisation?

I thought some people there thought Nopes was marketed and produced for """the western fandom""" because of Billy's treatment, and how apparently """the west""" dislikes avatars which impacted Billy's popularity.

Rhea being swapped by Rhage though... even if you don't look at the lines, the VA's direction can transpire from Leigh's dubs, especially in FEH lol

I hope this controversy will not end up with JP companies returning to the "JP exclusive" games like what happened for FE12, but given how FE16 did 50% of its sales in the US, it'd be a financial suicide so either they tighten their grip or return to different release dates, to make sure the localised version isn't full of lols (like Pat's direction) and western players have the same (as much as localising a game allows it!) experience as jp players - or they go with low cost solution to keep the worldwide release date : everything is released at the same time, but with compulsory dual audio for every release !

Granted, it doesn't change the main issue : FE16 is the first FE game to have dual audio after it was nuked from FE14 and FE15, idk if it was a reaction to FE14's lolcalisation, but if it was, Treehouse didn't give a fuck and still lolcalised to their heart's content and apparently it worked, because, again, 50% of the sales were realised in the US.

So even if Treehouse botchers and "disrespect" or "appropriates" FE16, this version still sold like hot cakes - is IS really going to cut its profit to "respect" the spirit of a game? Of course not!

Hell, even subsequent releases have to account for the "Treehouse version of FE16", (seen FE17's localised version who removes the "live in harmony regardless of the races" to swap it by "regardless of the background" because FE Treehouse tried its hardest to remove Supreme Leader's racism against Nabateans) - whereas the gacha game - who was released during the "no dual audio" era, basically endorses and sells - to the "global" market - Fire Emblem Treehouse, and, again, it still makes a lot of money.

So, even if I hate it, to me, it feels like IS knows what kind of bullshit happens with the lolcalisation, but accepts it because Treehouse sells.

Even if it means having, sort of, basically, a 4Kids version of Fodlan for """the West""" and an og!FE16 for the home market.

A redditer once told me Rhage was but a "valid interpretation" of Rhea, but while I think it can be, for a fan, I refuse to consider it for a localisation POV - aka the compulsory lens a fan has to look through to get a peak at a character/game/media.

Take Lolita, fans can think whatever they want after reading it, who's the hero from who's definitely not at all the hero - but if my french localisation (editor?edition?) localises Humbert as the hero and Lolita as obviously scheming and "forcing" Humbert to find her attractive... it's also an interpretation of the original source (albeit a shitty one), but why, as a french reader, must I suffer through this "interpretation" to get an access to the book, and not build my own interpretation, without the french localisation/edition steering me in their interpretation?

If I were to write an academic paper on Lolita, of course I'd read it english (or learn english to read the direct source), but as a random reader who just wants to enjoy something... I'm forced to read a story where Humbert is the protagonist and the hero of the story? Really???

"Revolutionnary imperialist slay qween fights against evil lizards overlord who controls the world and did y'know Church BaD" sold like hot cakes so it became its own thing and got its staying power - granted, it also benefits from FE16's general "but IdEaLs uwu" and the lack of commitment to anything to make sure Supreme alts sell in FEH - but I wonder, if FE16 had bombed, would IS still had to make sure the Treehouse version would still be referenced in Engage and Heroes, or Dimitri, even if the localised!FE17, would have been able to talk about "different races" and even if it wouldn't make sense for a Treehouse player ?

As I see it, IS is in a pinch :

If they keep a tighter grasp on the localisation, lolcalisers can argue saying the "our version made half of the sales of your best selling game, if you annoy us too much, we won't make your game sell here and say bye-bye to half of your sales" and that's something a company doesn't want.

If they let the lolcalisers run wild - the home market is very unhappy about it and we know JP companies can't completely shit on their home market (DBS showed it!) - so they accept to have "two versions" of the same game, and we return to the 2000s - with the added twist that in 2024, people know they're being fed the Treehouse version, and some of them aren't happy about this.

What could happen next ?

I guess the worst could be the 2000s policy Bamco (or Bandai and Namco didn't fusion yet?) had : release a global version that sells very well (TOS), but release another one shortly after, with QOL and more goodies/shinies for the home market (TOS again, the PS2 version was in every aspect, better than the GC one! tfw when the upgraded PS2 port was released in japan before the GC version in the EU T-T).

It really really really sucks and I would hate it if, for a worldwide release, the JP version had more stuff/access to DLC/ than the other releases - but it would make everyone happy?

Lolcalisers could still swap the message of the game by their own - like what they tried to do with FE16 as you noted - while giving more content to the game for the ones who play it, and not the lolcalised one, aka the jp market.

The outcry with Nopes imo - even if it's uncalled as I feel like Nopes is the Bad Ending game so it obviously has shitty ends even if, just like Tru Piss, the devs hide it by addind catchy OSTs and quirky quips here'n'there between the characters - was mostly fueled by the feeling JP players/fanbase got the feeling they were playing the Treehouse version of the game, which is, obviously, not their FE16.

Which is hilarious, in a way, because to them, FE Treehouse is the "Bad Ending" of FE16 - talk about changing the message of the game lol

2 thoughts:

Number one, Emblem Byleth is supposed to be a post-Houses Byleth and has the Sword of the Creator. It's not really confirming which route he is from, but if you think about it it can hint which the route the Emblem isn't from. In order for the Sword of the Creator to work, it needs it's Crest Stone however it's Crest Stone can't be inserted into the sword because it's in Byleth's chest. So for a post-war Byleth to be able to use the SotC, they'd still need that rock and said rock disappears in Flower. Their solo ending says he continues to wield his legendary sword, but that ending says Byleth loses his power due to an injury, an injury we don't see them taking. The Crest Stone just disappears, with the only explanation coming from the Japanese text that it has "shattered" aka you broke Sothis's heart. We also see Byleth use the Sword of Seiros in the Jeritza ending, pointing to Byleth's solo ending just being propaganda by the empire less people think Edelgard doesn't have the approval of the Goddess.

So if Emblem Byleth is meant to adhere to any form of canon, then he can't be from Flower.

And two, I know the localization controversy is a pretty complicated matter but from what I'm hearing, there's a lot of backlash in Japan over it. Otaku are calling for the localizers to lose their jobs, as they feel what they're doing is both disrespectful and appropriation. But the thing that was really sticking out with me is going back to when Hopes launched we had players in Asia accusing the game of being made to pander to the Western fanbase. In the past, I've seen some fans reverse-engineering the translation, and they appear to know the direction given for Rhea. While people argue that Fates shouldn't be used as a bad translation due to it's age, I can't help but wonder if over there they're using Houses as an example of localizers running wild. Because, let's say it, Treehouse didn't just change lines it tried to change the message of the game itself.

[theliterateape]

The Double-Edge of Propagandistic Journalism

by Don Hall

When I worked at Chicago Public Radio (2007-2017) one of the ongoing challenges the station faced was the rush to broadcast in the face of an increasingly Twitter-lead race. 

With the rapid ascension of digital quasi-journalism came the dilemma of either getting the news out first or getting the news out right. For the most part within my decade there, the goal was to get it right so, often, the station was broadcasting news that had already hit for a day or so but provided that essential NPR context and nuance required for listeners not lead by the nose by the Twitterverse.

Given that the business model behind NPR relies heavily on public donations (at the time comprising a full 60% of the funding for WBEZ) the fact that many of their audience were also getting their news from Twitter became more of an issue to confront.

The media world has been shifting ever since. The result?

The United States ranks last in media trust — at 29% — among 92,000 news consumers surveyed in 46 countries, a report released Wednesday found. That’s worse than Poland, worse than the Philippines, worse than Peru. (Finland leads at 65%.)

In a recent conversation with a strident Trump-hater and hater of anyone who may have voted for him ("70 million racist idiots who can't comprehend the difference between fact and fiction...") it occurred that with so many distrusting our media outlets (including NPR) and the resulting rise in independent news substacks and mailers as well as the constant flow of mis- and disinformation readily available in social media platforms, we may very well be fucked.

There's a kind of moralistic paternalism at play here. One side of the partisan divide looks at the other and determines that they are either too morally bankrupt or too stupid to parse out what is truth versus what is propaganda. Like the antiracist phrasing around poor, young blacks who are too burdened with systemic racism to comprehend the criminality of taking a gun and shooting it at a rival, this bizarre infantilism of whole sections of society smacks more of the Church than anything else.

"Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." becomes "Condemn them, Father, for they know not what is true."

This brings us to the rumors that the NYT has been taken over by Woke post-college Zoomers and that NPR has become more propaganda than neutral news source.

Of course, there is a response from NPR:

Outrage As A Business Model: How Ben Shapiro Is Using Facebook To Build An Empire

An NPR analysis of social media data found that over the past year, stories published by the site Shapiro founded, The Daily Wire, received more likes, shares and comments on Facebook than any other news publisher by a wide margin.

Even legacy news organizations that have broken major stories or produced groundbreaking investigative work don't come anywhere close.

The article notes that “other conservative outlets such as The Blaze, Breitbart News and The Western Journal” that “publish aggregated and opinion content” have also “generally been more successful… than legacy news outlets over the past year, according to NPR's analysis.”

Is the argument presented that Shapiro publishes lies? No. 

“The articles The Daily Wire publishes don't normally include falsehoods.”

Is he Trump-y? Nope.

Shapiro “publicly denounced the alt-right and other people in Trump's orbit,” and “the conspiracy theory that Trump is the rightful winner of the 2020 election.”

The NPR piece can't even claim that The Daily Wire is a news organization as they are quite clear on the Shapiro's website that "the site declares, "The Daily Wire does not claim to be without bias," and goes on to say, "We're opinionated, we're noisy, and we're having a good time."

So, aside from being more successful in attracting eyeballs that NPR, what's the beef?

By only covering specific stories that bolster the conservative agenda (such as… polarizing ones about race and sexuality issues)… readers still come away from The Daily Wire's content with the impression that Republican politicians can do little wrong and cancel culture is among the nation's greatest threats.

Ah! This because NPR doesn't cover specific stories that bolster the progressive agenda (such as polarizing ones about race and sexuality issues), right?

Hypocrisy, thy name is Moralistic Propaganda.

What Does It Mean To Be Latino? The 'Light-Skinned Privilege' Edition Maria Garcia and Maria Hinojosa are both Mexican American, both mestiza, and both relatively light-skinned. But Maria Hinojosa strongly identifies as a woman of color, whereas Maria Garcia has stopped doing so.

The Racial Reckoning That Wasn't In the wake of several high-profile police killings last summer, support for Black Lives Matter skyrocketed among white Americans. Their new concerns about racism pushed books about race to the top of the bestseller lists, while corporations pledged billions of dollars to address injustice. A year later, though, polls show that white support for the movement has not only waned, but is lower than it was before.

Black TikTok Creators Are On Strike To Protest A Lack Of Credit For Their Work Tired of not receiving credit for their creativity and original work — all while watching white influencers rewarded with millions of views performing dances they didn't create — many Black creators on TikTok joined a widespread strike last week, refusing to create any new dances until credit is given where it's due.

New Zealand Weightlifter Will Be The First Openly Trans Competitor At The Olympics

She Struggled To Reclaim Her Indigenous Name. She Hopes Others Have It Easier

Monuments And Teams Have Changed Names As America Reckons With Racism. Birds Are Next

There is absolutely nothing wrong about the heavy-left lean from NPR. I personally still prefer them to almost any other news source. That said, it is anything but hypocritical to then level the accusation at Shapiro's obviously and fully transparent biased website that it is biased while exhibiting the exact same bias on the other side of the fence.

Is their any such thing as objective journalism? I don't believe so but there needs to be the attempt or the whole fourth estate is nothing more than a pack of moralists lecturing those they disagree with on how they should believe and behave and that isn't what journalism is supposed to be. That's what a nosy neighbor, an angry nun, or ideology-spewing lunatic does.

I don't care much for Shapiro or The Daily Caller but the stance of "Do as we say not as we do" is too pervasive in this instance. I expect better from NPR but the pressures of reach, finance, and facing the reality that half of the country finds the brand of scolding progressivism to be so offensive that they scatter to the type of click-bait infotainment on the right of the spectrum is daunting.

Stick to your guns, NPR. Don't buy into the post-modernist belief that objectivity cannot exist. Suffer the slings of neutrality and if the population ignores you, it wasn't like you were killing it in the ratings in the first place.

Like the reporters and producers I worked with years ago, get it right not popular.

[otome--gokoro]

tbh i wish i could be this productive with my homework

@sunyounqs

I have to start by saying that no matter how much you like them, how good you think they are, or how many notes they have, Tumblr posts are not reliable sources, because they can be written by literally anybody. I could probably find multiple posts saying ‘RACISM AGAINST WHITE PEOPLE IS A THING’. Would you believe me because of that? Obviously not. Newspaper articles are also kind of iffy because they don’t cite and they’re not obliged to be objective, whereas academic sources (usually) have to be reviewed and vetted by multiple academics in the field before they can be published. Opinion pieces in magazines are not good sources, because they’re opinions. Opinions are biased. You need to be objective.

I called you out for being racist to white people. You countered by saying reverse racism is not a thing, and you failed to acknowledge that what you said was still prejudiced and offensive. I then asked you this:

And yet, when I asked if you were intending to apologize or acknowledge you were wrong to say that, you avoided the subject and told me that it’s okay for you to group white people from any country together because you’re talking about racism. The appropriate thing to do when you say something offensive, whether it’s meant to be or not, is apologize.

By the way, if you had said that you did not think it was offensive, I would have stopped responding to you altogether.

Nevertheless, the inability to acknowledge that you were wrong to do this proves to me that you’re not really up for discussion - you’re up for people agreeing with you. I don’t agree with you and I can’t agree with you, which is why this is going to be my last response to you.

Kpop in Japan

Kpop consumption in Japan is gendered. You may not have read this source that I originally suggested.

“Where are the men? There are, of course, male fans of South Korean popular culture, but kandora and K-pop have remained largely the province of women. A predictable corollary is the predominantly male constitution of the anti-Korean Wave movement. The discourse of Ken-Kanryū spans a range of criticisms, from the lack of originality of South Korean drama or music and the artificial character of South Korean stars (as evidenced by the prevalent use of plastic surgery) to the political criticism of the South Korean state and big business and the generalized dislike of Korean people and things Korean. The most visible political action so far has been a series of demonstrations in front of Fuji TV Station, which has been closely associated with kandora (see Furuya Tsunehira 2012). A common refrain is that most Japanese are not interested in watching kandora and that the Korean Wave is manufactured by South Korean political and business interests as well as by Japanese promoters bent on profit (Bessatsu Takarajima Henshūbu 2012). The discourse manifests a mixture of chauvinism (“Japanese culture is superior”) and xenophobia (“I don’t want foreign shows on Japanese TV”). Hollywood movies have been shown on prime-time TV, though it should be noted that they are almost always dubbed in Japanese. What underlies a visceral dislike on the part of many Japanese men is a baffling reality that “their” women—mothers, sisters, and friends—have been smitten by South Koreans, threatening at once their patriarchal and patriotic longings. Usually lumped together with other voices of the netto uyoku (the Internet-based right wing), anti-Korean Wave men tend to seek family-like solidarity with other xenophobic forces to counter the threat to the purity—and their ownership—of the family and the nation (Yasuda 2012, 320–325).

Contemporary right-wing nationalism in Japan is noteworthy for its appeal to young men, but its salient feature is its almost completely male constitution. The postbubble economy (the entire span of the conscious life of many young Japanese men) has been a relentless mixture of longing for the good old days of rapid economic growth and bemoaning that the future may be stationary or possibly stagnant. Almost no one believes in the post–World War II social order—sometimes called the 1955 system after the year in which the Liberal Democratic Party became consolidated, and coinciding with the beginning of rapid economic growth after the Korean War—in which many men could look forward to lifetime employment with steadily rising standards of living. It was also the time when the nuclear family became the indisputable norm, consolidating the gender divide between working husband-fathers and housewife mothers. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, few could trust their faith in the postwar 1955 system. Many young men, especially those unable to attend college, now find the future uncertain and economically unstable. As the mass media constantly pontificate on the rise of furītā (the contraction of the English “freelance” and the German “arbeiter” [worker]) and nīto (NEET, as in “not in education, employment, or training”), these men seem to lack any obvious place or prospect in Japanese economy and society (Honda 2007). In turn, some of their mothers (and wives) seek to explore, if only in the realm of fantasy, other possible lives beyond the confines of domesticity.  The Korean Wave, in this sense, is an interloper for some young men just as it is an escape for some women. The unusually passionate hatred for South Korean popular culture expresses, if only in part, the collapse of the postwar order of male superiority and domestic stability.” (19-20)

Lie, John. 2014. “Why Didn’t “Gangnam Style” Go Viral in Japan?: Gender Divide and Subcultural Heterogeneity in Contemporary Japan.” Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review 3(1): 6-31. doi:10.1353/ach.2014.0005

That is not to say that there are no male Kpop fans. Of course there are. It is just statistically not very likely. 

Let’s look at the Big Bang tour numbers you posted. Unfortunately, I think YG might have inflated those numbers. Based on the tour information they provided (18 concerts across 4 venues), it is impossible to have had 911k attendees. I am assuming here that they did not have any stage extensions that required the removal of seats and that they sold out every concert.

Tokyo Dome max. seating capacity: 55k x 6 nights = 330k Kyocera Dome max. seating capacity: 36,477 x  6 nights = 218,862 Fukuoka Dome max. seating capacity: 42k x 4 nights = 168k Nagoya Dome max. seating capacity: 40.5k x 2 nights = 81k Total: max seating capacity for 18 nights = 797862

That is a significant difference. It might be possible if they were violating fire safety regulations and adding extra seats…? Maybe they were counting people who stood outside (but even so, a 111k difference?) But that’s on YG, not you. Just thought you should know.

By the way - ‘the first foreign artist who has held dome tour for three years in a row in Japan’ is really not that big a deal.

1) Popular Western artists don’t usually do tours in Japan. More often than not, Japan is just one stop on a world tour, or an appearance at a festival. Most artistes just play in Tokyo, maybe Osaka, and that’s it.

2) Most popular Western artists work in the cycle of album production, album release, album promotion (world) tour, rinse and repeat. That cycle is usually more than a year long - Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour took a little over 7 months to complete, and another 7 months to prepare for, not including rehearsals. It is highly unlikely for them to be able to tour in Japan every year. Heck, most of them don’t even tour in their own countries yearly.

The way you compare Taylor Swift’s and Big Bang’s tour numbers directly (2.3 million in 83 shows vs ‘911k’ in 18 shows) is not fair. Her tour includes many smaller venues (10~15k) in America, while Big Bang’s is a dome tour, and their smallest venue is 36k. Of course Big Bang has a higher average number of attendees per concert. Both of Taylor Swift’s shows in Tokyo Dome sold out. Her entire world tour sold out. Did Big Bang’s Japan tour sell out? I have no idea. I should hope so, given those inflated numbers. But they didn’t specify that it was, which is odd.

The question still remains why you chose Kpop over Jpop. You say it’s okay for you to suggest Kpop because you think it’s popular in Japan. However, it’s not okay for white people to suggest Western music (that is also popular in Japan.) It’s not okay for white people to suggest Western music just because they don’t know Jpop, but in the same situation, it’s okay for you to suggest Kpop because you’re Asian/not white? How is it that they’re obliged to go and do research on Youtube while you don’t have to?

Are you saying that it’s inappropriate for white people to suggest music that they know because they are white?

“I don’t think it was unreasonable for me to say Japanese people listen to more Japanese music than Western music.”

Yes, and nobody said that. I said it was less likely for Japanese people to be listening to Kpop than to Western music. Oricon’s monthly chart for non-Japanese music has more Western artistes than Korean. You seem unwilling to concede. All right.

“they see the characters through the lens of a white person”

I am really curious about this one because I literally have no idea what you mean. Do you mean that people are viewing characters through their perspective as a white/Asian/whatever person? Because I don’t feel that that is something you can get rid of. Even if you try to learn about someone else’s culture, it’s still secondary to you. You are approaching it from an outside perspective, your own perspective, whether you’re white, Asian, or a freaking rainbow.

Tbh it sounds to me like you are saying, white people shouldn’t participate in fan activity because they’re white and must therefore demonstrate their cultural sensitivity to you before they can contribute, whereas you get a free pass to do whatever you want because you’re Asian?

“Here, a fallacy fallacy, which is when you presume that just because a claim has been poorly argued, or a fallacy has been made, that it is necessarily wrong.”

I did not say you were necessarily wrong. I said your argument was automatically suspect. If you give me an example that is inaccurate, I will doubt the rest of your information. I will not assume it is 100% wrong. But I will be skeptical. I will look more closely at the rest of what you say because it might also be wrong.

Here’s an example.

Your argument: Big Bang is more popular in Japan than Taylor Swift.

Your proof: Big Bang had ‘911k attendees’ in 18 shows, while Taylor Swift had nearly 2.3 million in 83 shows.

What you did not mention/know: Big Bang’s numbers might have been artificially inflated, plus theirs was a Japan dome tour while Taylor Swift’s was a world tour that included a lot of small venues.

And thus the validity of your argument is called into question, because your proof did not hold up. Are you automatically wrong? No. But I’m going to regard your original statement with a great deal more skepticism.

Race

“I bring it up because the voices of POC are often dismissed and spoken over especially on race-related issues. “

I am a POC. @slbp-owns-ayame is a POC. I personally don’t feel like my opinions are being dismissed or spoken over by white people, Asian people, or really any people at all, based on my ethnicity. If you have something to say, it is my responsibility, as a person, to listen to you. I don’t see why you feel that white people are especially obliged to listen to the voices of the POC (to be specific, you), while you are not required to listen to the opinions of other POC? Because you are also a POC? So you’re allowed to step all over the opinions of other POC because you are also one? 

I really don’t understand why you think it’s okay to sling mud at all white people. Do you not realize that European Caucasians are culturally different from American Caucasians? You say that you are not implying that French culture is not the same as German culture and therefore it’s okay. But to me, you are erasing the differences between European Caucasians, American Caucasians, and Caucasians that live in non-white majority countries. You saying that ‘all white people this’, ‘all white people that’, that’s like saying all Chinese people eat dog meat. All Chinese people let their children pee on the street. This is clearly not true. Would you be insulted if someone said that to you? When you say ‘all __ people do this’, ‘all ____ people do that’, no matter what word falls in that blank, it is going to be an overgeneralization, a stereotype, which is problematic. You seem to think that ‘all white people are racist’ is acceptable. Replace ‘white’ with any other word and you will see that it is not.

By the way, how do you even know for sure that all these people you’re angry about are white? Did you ask them? Are you assuming?

I pointed out to you that your words were inappropriate. Your response was that reverse racism does not exist. You neatly sidestepped the issue of whether your words were offensive or not. You did not acknowledge it. You did not apologize.

You say that reverse racism doesn’t exist. Fine. I can’t find an academic definition of it tbh so I’m inclined to agree with you. I can’t know whether something exists or not if I don’t know for sure what it is.

You insist that you are not racist towards white people because it’s impossible to do so, because they are a majority. Fine. By your definition of racism, that is accurate. By my definition of racism, which you have probably seen seeing as you have gone through my anon responses, you are absolutely being racist.

If you insist it is not racism, then so be it. I can’t change your mind. But it is definitely racial prejudice. You have acknowledged that your words were offensive. You know that you were not right here. And yet, instead of acknowledging your mistake like a decent human being, your defense is that you are allowed to sling shit at white people because they’re a majority and therefore are not allowed to get offended??

It does not damage your credibility or stance if you admit that you are wrong. If anything, that shows that you are a reasonable person who is willing to acknowledge your mistakes. Unfortunately, that is not the behavior you are exhibiting.

You certainly don’t seem like you know Japanese history well. But I can give you the benefit of the doubt. You just need to know this - if you’re going to yell at people about how inaccurate they’re being, your knowledge better be on point.

You are guilty. Not of ‘seeing characters through the lens of a white person’, whatever that means - I note that it’s conveniently impossible for, you, an Asian, to be guilty of this simply by the virtue of not being white. I accused you of pushing your personal experiences onto Japanese characters. You used your own experiences to suggest music, did you not? You said that you aren’t familiar with Jpop, but you did not go on youtube and look it up like you are suggesting other people do. If you so strongly believe that this is how things should be done, why didn’t you do it yourself? Were you lazy? Did you just pick songs that you already know and like?

I’m not attacking you for doing that. Everyone does that. It’s just that it’s hypocritical when you say that other people aren’t allowed to do that, but you are, because you’re not white.

And while we’re talking about race, what is this whole ‘Asians vs white people’ thing you have going on? It’s not a war. When you align yourself against an entire group of people like that, it’s othering. It’s a harmful attitude that helps no one. You keep talking about your opinion ‘as an Asian’. I’m also Asian. So what? Have you considered that maybe the ‘white people’ you seem to love hating on don’t want to interact with you about their supposed wrongdoings because it feels like anything they say will be dismissed with, ‘well you’re white and I’m Asian and therefore I’m right and your opinion is invalid’?

Women

I did not say that women don’t face discrimination. It’s hard to measure empowerment because there are so many factors involved. I did not say that POC women do not face more discrimination than white women. I fully acknowledge that all these issues exist, and need to be addressed.

I think you are coming from a very macro-level viewpoint. There are empowered women who are not white, as well as non-empowered women who are white. Therefore, your sweeping statement, to me, sounds like erasure of these people, which is funny because that’s what you complain about. Erasure.

Fan Content

Admittedly, I don’t follow that many people, and I don’t consume that much fan content. I certainly had never heard of that Glee AU until you talked about it. I honestly thought you were talking about something else until someone sent me a link. It feels like you are deliberately seeking out content that offends you.

Japanese people can exist in Ohio. Japanese people can be born anywhere in the world. Japanese people born overseas are allowed to speak another language as their first language. By insisting that Japanese people in America must behave in accordance with your idea of how Japanese people should, you are erasing the existence and experiences of these people.

I have never thought that fan content creators in the SLBP fandom were being disrespectful of the source material. If anything, I feel uncomfortable about how people sometimes exoticize Japan. If we’re talking about being inaccurate with Japan and its culture and history, I urge you to first consider that these characters we love are tall and pale with multi-colored hair, in the 1500s.

“In the context of making music headcanons, if anyone feels that they don’t have the time to do extensive research on Japanese music, or can’t be bothered to, then alright. How about, “I think Character A would enjoy singing pop songs a lot. Character B would love to slow dance with his partner, soft jazz playing in the background.” It’s as simple as that. It hurts exactly zero people, and doesn’t take much effort.”

That’s not what you did, though. I agree, this is a good idea. But have you considered that maybe, if you said this from the beginning instead of being all WHITE PEOPLE ARE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH AND I’M OFFENDED, people might have listened to you, instead of getting annoyed with you?

Your Attitude

It does not take away the validity of your argument, even if I don’t understand exactly what the point you are trying to make is. But it makes you unlikeable, and people don’t want to listen to someone that they don’t like. If people are offended by you, they’re not going to want to listen to you, even if your point is 100% valid. I am saying that the way you approach things is just not great. I’m sorry if you feel that this is unfair to you.

The SLBP fandom has a history of anon hate, so people have the tendency to disregard what anons say. If you go on anon, it seems like you are trying to hide your identity, and if you’re proud of what you’re doing, why hide? You certainly seem to take pride in what you’re doing. Why go on anon then? Are you scared of being identified? From this point on, people might look at any anon message that references whitewashing and think, ‘maybe that’s sunyounqs again.’ Furthermore, the anon ask character limit is really short and nowhere near enough to explain your point. A message that says ‘you’re whitewashing and you’re wrong and I’m offended and you need to change’ is not convincing without an explanation. There is absolutely no conceivable reason why people should believe you right off the bat. 

You send your anon message, and when you get a response you don’t like, you continue stalking that person’s blog, and then run back to your own to make that snarky post that I originally replied to. That’s not the behavior of a mature person who’s ready for a calm discussion. I mean, you were literally acting out that one Spongebob meme.

Actually, I really don’t understand why you didn’t just message these people directly, and make your point in a polite manner without being condescending. Wouldn’t that have been more productive? I mean, I don’t know how many followers you have, but I’m assuming that these people you throw shade at don’t follow you. How do you even know that your posts will be seen by them? It’s like you’re yelling into a void.

These tags are clearly aimed at @koudaiin. You didn’t take the initiative to message her directly. You wrote a vague post that was about her (which you seem to have deleted?) and then you posted this after she announced a social media hiatus which was unrelated to you. You didn’t even have proof that it was linked to your post. Why did you assume that her hiatus was because of you? ‘The audacity’? The audacious one here is you for assuming that you, a stranger to her, wrote a post that you don’t even know if she read, and that it was enough to make her take a break.

I am not trying to attack your character. I’m trying to suggest that you need to change your behavior if you want people to pay attention to what you say. Re: your age - I mention your age because I remember a time when I was 18 and convinced that I was right about everything. I was not. There are plenty of older people here in the fandom who feel the same way I do. It’s clear to us that you see things in black and white (hahaha unintended pun), when nothing is that simple.

Judging from these tags, you seem to think that people are not responding to you because they aren’t seeing your posts. But I’ve had multiple people tell me that they are not responding to you because judging by the way you write and the content of your tags, you don’t seem like someone who is willing to have an open, reasonable discussion. I had people tell me not to bother interacting with you because of that impression. From the way you have spoken about this issue so far, you seem to be portraying yourself as some sort of savior that has come to enlighten the ignorant masses on their wrongdoing. That attitude helps no one.

You have a valid concern about whitewashing. You seem to be convinced that whitewashing in this fandom is rampant. In that case, I suggest you find another example, because this one has been driven into the ground already. If you want to convince people that you are right, I suggest that you take some time to think about what you want to say, and be careful to phrase yourself in a way that does not offend people. Take a break, concentrate on your exams, wait for people to (hopefully) forget how offensive you have been. In the meantime, at least try to hide the ‘white people need to stop’, ‘everything white people do that I don’t like is bad’ attitude that you have going on. It’s not endearing you to the group that you need to be convincing, and if you want to make a positive impact for your cause, then you need them to be willing to listen to you.

Good luck to you. You’re going to need it.

[femmesfollesnebraska]

Blog at 40, Liza Lou at 40

This is the fourth blog post I’ve written on what (feminist and/or women) artists have done/created during their 40th year during my 40th year. First 3:

1) Judy Chicago

2) Carolee Schneemann

3) Wanda Ewing

I include artworks by myself inspired by and/or in tribute to the artists at end of each post as well.

Today I write about Liza Lou, (born 1969), American visual artist best known for her large scale sculptures using glass beads.  Though not currently an artist on the top of my inspiration list, as much of her work leans primarily on the more conceptual side of the spectrum--though not entirely, to be sure--I came across her work the other day as I was researching what contemporary artists are doing in response to the pandemic for an upcoming presentation, and found her Apartogether project.

Screenshot of an Instagram post by Liza Lou announcing the start of Apartogether in response to Covid-19, 2020.

Apartogether is a community art project founded by Liza Lou at the onset of the COVID19 pandemic to foster connection and creativity during a time of social distancing and isolation.  Lou encourages IG followers to make work from familiar materials around the house and to tag it with the Instagram handle @apartogether_art and she archives it on her website. What started as an exercise in combatting long-term isolation has grown into a global community of makers eager to share. She also hosts art talks, a “sew-in” and sessions on Zoom to facilitate conversation among the participants.  As an accessible, open art project, I completely love this - anyone can participate, and everyone can view and appreciate this project. It’s warm, intimate, personal while also being enormous, inspirational and broadly impactful. I can’t help compare to Judy Chicago’s Honor Quilt from The Dinner Party, a crowdsourced quilt made from patches from people worldwide dedicated to women past to present, famous to non, that traveled with the famous work throughout its international tour in the 1980s, but I digress.

Speaking of Chicago, while doing my current research, I found an Op-ed for the New York Times she wrote about the significance of work with content; she articulated everything about her and feminist art that I love now and always have:

Does art matter when we are facing a global crisis such as the current Covid-19 pandemic?

Obviously, there is a great deal of art that doesn’t matter. This includes the work issuing from those university art programs that every year pump out thousands of graduates, taught only to speak in tongues about formal, conceptual and theoretical issues few people care about or can comprehend. Then there is the art created for a global market that has convinced too many people that a piece’s selling price is more important than the content it conveys.

But when art is meaningful and substantive, viewers can become enlightened, inspired and empowered. And this can lead to change, which we urgently need. 

...One might ask what this has to do with the global pandemic afflicting us. The answer lies in art’s power to shed light on the problems we are confronted with at this difficult time.  

...Art that raises awareness of the state of our planet can be especially important in today’s world. One example of this is the work of the contemporary artist and illustrator Sue Coe, whose pieces on animal mistreatment have been ignored or, at best, marginalized by an art community that seems to privilege meaninglessness over consequential work...

(I can’t express how much I love Judy Chicago’s adamant voice. It is so assertively, unapologetically and refreshingly personal and feminist. I highlly recommend reading her books and autobiographies - a new combined edition is actually coming out next year. Also, I currently have her book, New Views, which I’m stoked about starting and reviewing...but I digress, again!)

The point in my bringing this quote up around Liza Lou is that her work created during her 40th year, 2009, Book of Days, leans conceptual.

Liza Lou. Book of Days, Paper and glass beads.

I say “leans,” because, to make an obvious (and unfair) comparison: viewing Book of Days, without context, versus viewing this Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, a monumental work with 39 place-settings dedicated to women in Western art history (which Chicago debuted her 40th year, read my blog post here), there is clear content beyond the media with the latter, where the former emphasizes the media. Of course, Dinner Party’s media is very important, and Book of Days does have content beyond the media; its just immediate objective response in comparison is content vs. media. Which, is what Chicago was referring to in her editorial.

My preference typically leans towards feminist art with immediate content impact; as evidenced in my posts on Carolee Schneemann and Wanda Ewing. I haven’t thought about Liza Lou in years; in fact, Ewing was the one to introduce me to her work when I made a series of self portraits using beads (see below). Notably Lou is known for this work, which I love, Kitchen:

Liza Lou: Kitchen, 1994 (c) Liza Lou

Kitchen is a full-scaled kitchen Lou covered, over a five year period, with glistening beads. Lou created this piece after researching the lives of 19th women and kitchen design; the made plans, crafted objects out of paper mâché, painted them, and applied the beads in a mosaic of surface pattern. This work, in Lou’s words, “argues for the dignity of labor”—a labor that here manifests as process and subject, and is linked to gender, since crafts and kitchen work are traditionally female domains.  Some of the popular branded kitchen products depicted also might  comment on American life. Of course I can make a comparison to Chicago’s The Dinner Party, too, using the dinner table/traditional feminine media (ceramics/quilting) to honor these typically deemed inferior media. Or pop art, of course. Lou’s stands on its own--less reverential --more playful, inviting, fun and even personal (Lou did it all herself whereas Chicago had 400+ volunteers; Lou dedicates this to the all-encompassing woman; Chicago to specific though broad reaching women); both with extremely detailed thought, research and planning. 

I didn’t mean for this to be a comparison of Chicago to Lou - but, it is how I’ve been thinking these last couple days--because, to bring it back to Lou’s Book of Days, this work can be viewed as more akin to minimalist work--one can guess what it means--a tall, stack of beaded forms depicting paper--beautiful, white, simple--maybe you think of other such minimalist works that make you aware of your environment such as Mary Corse’ White Inner Bands (2000) made of glass microspheres inside acrylic canvas. I imagine as you move around Lou’s stack of beaded objects, the beads sparkler or shimmer, femininizing the perhaps stale environment. Or perhaps think of the intense linework of Edwina Leapman. Like the laborous line-making of Leapman, so is the intricate beadwork of Lou.

As such, Book of Days, like Kitchen, points to labor, containment, and womanhood in a beautiful, perhaps more subtle way. To be sure, Book of Days includes 365 beaded sheets - the days in a year, completed her 40th year. Making literal cognitive and/or physical aging, perhaps? Perhaps....

Back to viewing it as an object - no context on the wall, no intent known. Is such work, sans clear feminist intent, feminist? Or would it just be meaningless work such as that Chicago points to in her article, lacking educational value?  It is, in fact, feminist regardless. A woman making work, taking up space, is, in itself, political and a feminist statement. As women have been left off the walls, books and pages of history the majority of time and still are underrepresented (minorities even more), anything a woman (broadly defined) makes and is on view, is feminist in itself, clearly evoking social justice intent, or not.

To be sure - I don’t know, but I think Chicago would agree. To note as well, much of her work has minimalist aesthetics, as her training was such.

Here are a few of my older works, made with beads, inspired by Liza Lou:

Sally Brown Deskins: Babylove, beads and yarn on silk, 2007

Sally Brown Deskins: Self portrait with beads, pastel on black paper, 2008

Sally Brown Deskins: Heidi Clock - beads and yarn on a clock (I wish I had a better photo of this - it was donated and sold at an auction at the Bemis Center in 2008 or 2009; the purchaser told me she thought it was the “most authentic clock in the room” (all of the art was clocks)

-Sally Brown Deskins

IG @sallery_art

~

Les Femmes Folles is a volunteer organization founded in 2011 with the mission to support and promote women in all forms, styles and levels of art from around the world with the online journal, print annuals, exhibitions and events; originally inspired by artist Wanda Ewing and her curated exhibit by the name Les Femmes Folles (Wild Women). LFF was created and is curated by Sally Brown Deskins.  LFF Books is a micro-feminist press that publishes 1-2 books per year by the creators of Les Femmes Folles including the award-winning Intimates & Fools (Laura Madeline Wiseman, 2014) , The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters: Ten Tales (Laura Madeline Wiseman/Lauren Rinaldi, 2015 and Mes Predices (catalog of art/writing by Marie Peter Toltz, 2017). Other titles include Les Femmes Folles: The Women 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 available on blurb.com, including art, poetry and interview excerpts from women artists. A portion of the proceeds from LFF books and products benefit the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Wanda Ewing Scholarship Fund.

Submissions always open!

https://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/callforart-writing

[everyoneneedsalisteningear]

Dear friend, wanted to share with you something I've deliberated upon.

as a person who was an avid kpop fan 2010-2013 (fan of SHINee) , then a casual follower up til start of 2020 where I am now a fan of MAMAMOO, it got me interested how BTS managed to achieve the kind of international success they did.

after some research (and yes I do like a couple of their songs but I'm not a hardcore fan), I concluded that it's really all a team effort.

yes the members (abilities, personalities, being involved in their music etc) do play a huge part, but I'm more amazed at the whole marketing aspect. simply because there's also many other talented, funny and genuine kpop artists out there who have never achieved their kind of unparalled success.

There are many many people behind the scenes, thinking of concepts, ways to promote, directors of MVs, song arrangement, social media platforms... there's bound to be alot of strategic planning going on. I would say that BTS's company also plays a huge part in their success. from what I read online from their fans, it's very clear that however promotions are being done, everything about BTS (at least what makes them likeable) is being churned out very regularly and delivered very easily with great accessibility to the the public. because the fans feel like they connect with the members individually on a personal level, they feel like they're being appreciated, they feel like the members are somewhat saints? they truly feel it. and we know from the power of the Internet that with social media, videos, interviews and all that, that kind of connection is very very possible when the correct content is delivered. as someone who has been and currently am a fan of kpop groups, I can say I've felt it before. as if you knew the person like a friend. but I know now it's an illusion. all the content makes you feel that way, but in the end you don't know them irl, and all they can be to you, is a source of good music, solace, warmth and positive vibes/funny content.

the way I was obsessed about SHINee when I was 14ish is different from the way I like MAMAMOO now. yes I do watch fan-created compilations of my favourite moments and squeal and whatnot, but back then, I was obsessed with their personalities and who they were as a person, in addition to their talent itself. there's this personal link that when I look back on it, is quite laughable? we only know them briefly from what we see on screen. back then I used to scour through all the videos I could ever find of them, watching ALL the content I could find, branding myself as a shawol with badges and stickers and doodles.

whereas now I'm trying to move away from that. I do really appreciate mamamoo, their talents and music, and some things they do (fan service type stuff) are very exciting and they are complete crackheads at times which is extremely amusing. but what impresses me most is their performances and their music, and I believe that should be the core of everything.

I think that's something Western music has over kpop, is because they don't have variety and reality shows for mini celebrities or the idol culture, that whoever makes music, literally just makes music. and whatever else they do is just a side thing that comes up as gossip sometimes. whereas in kpop groups there's this whole need to share yourself and build your brand and whatnot which is just slightly... manufactured.

anyway I missed my point.

so why is BTS so successful? team effort. the members themselves have the abilities and personalities and music to make it out there, and the company truly believes and invests in them in a very successful manner, being creative and churning out promotional content like no other, and targeting American audiences from the start, with twitter as well. also I think another thing is that BTS's producer or CEO etc is actually a songwriter and produces many of their songs. this kind of consistent and harmonious relationship is what makes good songs that the artists feel and are able to deliver as well. it's the same for mamamoo, whom their CEO is their main producer and songwriter, and frequently works very closely with the members to create songs and concepts.

but I think BTS's team really took it to the next level. thing is though, I guess, is also finding the main appeal of whichever audience. I can understand BTS's appeal to international audiences and mamamoo's appeal more to Asian audiences (esp at the start, but with HIP it feels more international-appealy), but I can't exactly pinpoint it. it's just their vibe I guess. a more laid back, individualistic, creative and hipster vibe? *somehow BTS found a road of their own, and their company were extremely successful in showing their unique road. * I believe it has alot to do with very accurate marketing analysis and strategy (looking at what's different in the market, what appeals, how to utilise social media efficiently etc etc), as well as the members having alot of say in what they do (think about it, teenagers will know best what appeals to teenagers🤷‍♀️), in addition to their abilities that are obviously of standard.

don't even get me started on groups that have great popularity WITHOUT abilities, that kinda pisses me off. in that case, their songwriters/choreographers should be getting so much more credit than they themselves 😤

but yeah. that's just my take on it.

coz as a fan, let's say I don't have MMMTV, which is behind the scenes footage of mamamoo during various promotional activities, or Vlive broadcasts, then I will feel significantly less attached to them. having inside jokes and all these getting to know personally is part and parcel of the whole kpop idol package, as yucky as it is, that we judge music not only by the music and performances, but also by visuals, concepts, personalities, humour level and range + timing of promotional videos released on various Internet platforms.

isn't that a feat and a half.

[semicolonthefifth]

Fans won't like this, or, Death Note 2017

“Death Note” is a story that I got into at the height of its popularity, when the anime and its English Dub was being spread across media, and when fan support was at its most public. I saw it around the time when the “Death Note” aesthetic was growing in stores like Hot Topic, and when schools were banning products similar to the titular notebook from their classrooms. Although I was spoiled on several of the critical plot points surrounding the series, I still enjoyed it from beginning to end. Aside from the animation and story, which followed the dramatic battle of the minds between a teenager who wished to use the death note as a means to combating the world’s ills and the mysterious detective bent on putting this self-appointed god down, it was the themes and intrigue that truly grabbed me. Each episode was another new method in out-thinking your opponents, in a world where death could be brought down by simply writing a person’s name in a book. Light Yagami was cold and calculating, always thinking 2 steps ahead as he slowly went insane from an ever-growing god-complex and disillusion of moral superiority; the detective L, although a socially-awkward golem, proved to be Light’s intellectual equal, and was getting closer and closer to learning Light’s identity as Kira, an omniscient figure who killed those who committed bad deeds. There’s a lot of themes to pull from the story, even to this day, but it worked thanks to a series that approached it all through the genre of a detective piece, with multiple characters making the mystery all the more complicated. It’s understandable then that an American film adaptation would draw in a lot of concern and hate, especially due to the controversial name and race change. Unlike some anime where race is somewhat questionable due to fictional locations, “Death Note” is undoubtedly Japanese in both location and culture. It would be controversial to make all but one of the characters non-Japanese, in addition to changing the main character’s name to fit the western location (the now often-mocked Light Turner). In addition, with all western film adaptations of anime, the story is heavily condensed to fit the typical running time for a movie, and so a lot of the characters and story that would have been present in the original manga and anime is cut out to fit the new story. Obviously “Death Note” isn’t a good adaptation, enough so that you wonder why it wasn’t its own movie. Dwelling on that thought though, there’s an observation I have to make. Could it be that, were this film not an exact adaptation of the “Death Note” story, and at best a side-story to the universe, that the film is actually pretty good? What I’m saying may come across as blasphemy to fans, but let me explain through this review. STORY: Netflix’s “Death Note” follows Light Turner, a bright kid in high school who (after a run in with some bullies) discovers the strange death note. In his time at detention he reads the rules of the book and soon discovers the presence of Ryuk, a death god who has chosen Light as the keeper of the notebook. When an individual writes a name into the book, while thinking about that person, the named victim will die, whether by the writer’s choosing or through some form of fate. Light, testing the book, uses it on one of his bullies, and witnesses the books effect almost immediately. With the book, Light decides to take up the mantle of Kira, and uses the death note to kill criminals, terrorists, and evil people. He does this with the help of a high school friend turned lover named Mia Sutton, who helps in picking the names for the book. However his actions soon takes the notice of the world, and with it its greatest detective, L, who quickly theorizes the location of Kira being where Light lives. Now Light must hide from L’s investigation, all the while Misa grows reckless, his sanity starting to slip, and Ryuk watching it all with a sick sense of glee. DEATH NOTE THE ADAPTATION: I’m going to devote a section of this review to pointing out the differences between the film and the original anime/manga. While the film does its best to match the general story, there’s a lot of changes between the source material and the adaptation, enough so that the film feels like its own story. Light Turner is vastly different from Light Yagami. While Light Yagami is mostly cool-headed and places himself at a moral high-ground, Light Turner is prone to emotional outbreak and often questions his use of the death note. Yagami is more intellectual in his actions and behaviors, to the point that you can believe he has truly thought out the use of the book, its strategic value, and the value in his way of thinking; Yagami is also charismatic, and he does a fine job in hiding his identity from everyone around him. Light Turner, on the other hand, is in way over his head, and constantly runs into issues regarding how he uses the book through much of the film. Although bright enough to dodge suspicion, he lacks the charisma to really convince people of his involvement to Kira, to the point that it’s easy to suspect he has some sort of ties. In a battle of wits, Yagami overpowers Turner very easily. The same could be said between the American L and the Japanese L. Both L’s are socially awkward, and prove to be competent in their investigation, however that is where the similarities end. Anime L is awkward, but it more shows that he’s absolutely focused on the case, and that there are attempts to softening his act when he needs to get close to people; L is also as intellectual as Light Yagami in how he acts, and very rarely does he go into emotional outbursts. Film L, meanwhile, is very awkward, trusts very few people, doesn’t attempt to connect with people, and is very prone to letting his emotions get in the way. Whereas Anime L can be seen as an investigator who is barely a person, Film L is a gifted youth who can be ruthless in his attempts to finding Kira, and loses as much sanity in this case as Light does. More so than Light, the film L is very different from his anime counterpart. Other characters are different as well, with Light’s Dad being more gritty and as father than an investigator as compared to the anime, and Film Watari barely having a presence. Misa Amane, the second Death note user and an obsessive love interest to Light, makes an appearance as Mia Sutton, Light’s partner and potential lover who quickly becomes obsessed with the death note and Kira. On Mia versus Misa: Misa was characterizes as being bubbly and in love with Kira, and having a tragic backstory that led to her ownership of a death note. Mia, meanwhile, becomes a partner to Light when he shows her the death note’s power, and helps him along in hiding from L while slowly wanting to power of the book herself. Lastly there is Ryuk, who is the most like his original character than all the others. Still, the film Ryuk is actually more evil and gleeful in how he acts, in contrast to the anime Ryuk who, while gleeful, is treated more as an entertaining spectator to Light’s actions. One can almost see the film Ryuk as a villain in how he’s portrayed, however that would be getting ahead of myself. Aside from the character differences, the stories are vastly different. Missing from the anime is the friendship between L and Light, as well the in-depth investigation to finding Kira, as well much of the characters that were present in finding him (like all the agents who helped Light’s father). Rem is not present, nor is she mentioned, as well as any other Shinigami (the death gods aside from Ryuk). The second half of the anime is cut out, so we also don’t meet Near and Mello either. Instead we have a story that’s all about L trying to find Light; Light’s relationship to Mia; and the fears towards Ryuk and what he plans to do with the death note once Light’s done with it (if it even goes that far). If you are a fan of the original “Death Note”, there’s a good chance you’ll be pissed by all these changes. The story doesn’t match the source material, and its understandable to be frustrated by it. Of course it’s also quite expected, as it would’ve been impossible to adapt such a long and complicated series without cutting so much out to fit a single film. All of this sounds like it makes for a bad film… …right? Well, here’s where I think I may lose some people. While this film is a bad adaptation, strangely enough it’s a pretty good film. Not necessarily a great one, as there are issues, but it’s actually good. Allow me to explain. STORY (SPOILERS) AND ACTING: I want you to first change how you think about this film. Let’s pretend that this isn’t a movie about the story from Death Note. When approaching this film, let’s think about the story in a different way. If we were to see this movie as a side-story to the Death Note universe at best, which followed another user of the book who was influenced by Ryuk (or any other Shinigami) who was also hounded down by another detective (perhaps even change all the characters’ names so they don’t match the source at all) you would get a film that is actually quite interesting. Instead of the story surrounding a battle of wits between two intellectuals, you’d instead get a horror story surrounding a naive youth who comes across the death note, whose problems grow more and more as he’s hounded by an obsessed detective. Both sides are quickly losing their sanity, all to the entertainment of a sadistic death god who simply had to toss a book their way to bring out an insane world-changing phenomenon. What the film lacks in intrigue, it almost makes up for in madness. Almost. Light Turner is alright, but he comes across as foolish for a lot of the film. You sympathize with him not for his beliefs and the idea that he could fix the world, bust instead because he’s very pathetic, and you feel sorry for him for getting caught in this mess. The actor’s performance is great, and there’s nothing bad that comes to mind about it. L is cast almost as a secondary villain, especially in how he jumps to outbursts towards Light. He’s less of an investigative character, and more so an obsessed detective who is letting this particular case become more personal as time goes by. Another fine performance, almost better than Light in how he uses his emotions within the story. Another villain is Mia, as she progresses to this mad individual who keeps trying to influence Light to go deeper into his Kira persona. She’s very different from her anime counterpart, but in a way that she becomes her own character. Like the others, her performance is actually quite good. I’d say that everyone does a fine job, but nobody gets on Ryuk’s level, thanks to the voice acting done by Willem Dafoe. Dagoe’s Ryuk is amazing, although it does get into Spiderman’s Green Goblin at times. He’s very sadistic in how he acts, taking delight in Light’s suffering and always making joyous threats to what he’ll do with the book when he passes it on. The way he comments on Light’s situation is always entertaining, and the way the film raises him to a full-on antagonist is amazing (specifically for the film, of course). The story is simple where it needs to be, with the investigative intrigue being present at the middle and end of the film. There’s less of a mystery and more of a horror/drama, with Light being in panic over what he’s gotten himself into, and the actions he commits to trying to fix everything. The first third of the film is a hard sit; the attempts at comedy can be dull, and Light is pretty dumb in a lot of the moments at the beginning. In addition the beginning feels a lot like a typical horror movie, with bully characters, death scenes and scares. However, after Light takes the alias of Kira and L is introduced does the film become a lot better. The way Light tries to avoid capture is great, and L’s obsession raises the stakes well enough. I’d say that the film gets better and better as it goes, with the ending making up for the beginning. The gore tones down along with the dumb moments, and the film actually starts being smart in how Light uses the death note. It’s at the end where it feels like a real “Death Note” film, with a closing scene that is the best in the film with how it leaves on an ambiguous (albeit frustrating) end. Honestly a lot of the fault lies in the beginning up until L comes in. The way characters act is dumb and very typical, with Light’s father being a gruff cop who scolds Light for getting in trouble, and Light being this typical teen who has some angst. Once the actual crime drama comes in does it finally get better. As great as the anime/manga though? Not close at all. The original anime/manga is a lot smarter, and has the advantage of being a series, whereas the film is short and relies more on the drama/action side of things. Still, it’s quite entertaining, and there are moments that does serve as a smart film. VISUALS AND MUSIC: The visuals and cinematography is great, and a lot of the artistic editing/shots are fantastic. The film does a great job in adapting a lot of the wild angles and shots that were present in the anime, and I’d say that’s well worth some praise. Some shots are really dark though, especially whenever Ryuk is present, however the coloring and lights is great when the darkness isn’t too strong. Once more the beginning feels a lot like a typical modern horror movie with its use of blues, but (again) the tone improves once L enters the picture. There’s a careful use of CGI, mostly in Ryuk and in other scenes. It’s not too obvious, although Ryuk (while as incredible as he is) does feel like a puppet when he talks. He’s certainly better when seen either from behind or away from direct view. The music though… is more miss than hit. I think it was a mistake to use a lot of songs from bands, rather than its own original soundtrack. They try to be quiet for a lot of the film, with a soft orchestral soundtrack in a lot of the scenes. However in the final third the music tracks come right after the other in attempt to make certain scenes feel more powerful. It can be laughable at certain times, but in others it’s just extremely noticeable and gets in the way of seeing the film. It’s a terrible mistake, and one I wish wasn’t in the film as much in the end. CONCLUSION: This is going to be difficult. If this film were its own story, or was treated as a side-story with characters completely separate from those in the original, it would be an entertaining film that has some flaws, but could be considered a good watch. Not something you could recommend to see, but a good film to pass the time. However, as an adaptation it is extremely unfaithful, and fans will hate this film a lot for what it did with the story and characters. The film-makers had to make the film about Light Turner and a detective named L, and for that it suffers for making so many changes. Were it about a teenager (not named Light) who was stalked by a code-named government agent, with the teen finding a death note that looks eerily similar to a case happening in Japan (thereby being a story running parallel, rather directly from it) this movie would be seen as an interesting mini-drama that could perhaps expand the world more. Instead it chose to be a adaptation, and it’s difficult to ignore that, even for me. So do I ask you to see it? Perhaps to not see it? I can’t say. If it is impossible to ignore this film as an adaptation, than I’d say don’t watch it. Go watch the anime, or maybe the Japanese film adaptation in 2006. You won’t find the anime or manga in this Netflix film. Fans will hate it, this I promise. However, if you can treat this as a side-story, or something completely cut from Death note, it’s a good popcorn film to see with friends. Nothing worth remembering, but entertaining nonetheless. I wouldn’t say it’s worth recommendation, but if you have any free time and you’re browsing Netflix, I don’t think you’ll regret putting it on.