class and labor Tag

Filter articles by:

Category:

Tag:

“Black Should Sound Black”: The inherently racist politics of anime dubbing
There are a lot of assumptions packed into the belief that the best voice actor always gets the role. The statement alone implies that we live in a true meritocracy, which is false. FUNimation, easily the biggest producer of English anime dubs, routinely casts from an extremely small and extremely white pool of voice actors. The idea of “casting the right person for the role” is precluded by insidious biases and practices such as lazy casting, where voice directors will rely on a few go-to voice actors they prefer to work with in lieu of seeking out a wider pool of talent.

Featureby Bracy December 23, 20200 Comments
Against the World: Madoka Rebellion, saviorism, and abolitionist schooling
As somebody who has witnessed repeatedly the failure of would-be individual saviors to undo entire oppressive systems, I want to try to come to a deeper understanding than what is afforded on the surface by Rebellion’s final twist. What happens when hope is institutionalized? How do oppressive ideologies shape the worlds we can imagine? And the question that has haunted me most: if in the moment we destroyed an oppressive world we were given the full power to create a new one before we had any time to heal, would we like what we make?

Perspectivesby Tony Sun Prickett September 25, 20200 Comments
No Rest for the Wicked: Criminality and justice in Psycho-Pass
Psycho-Pass’ villains are heinous in their own right, but they exist to also criticize the larger failure of a deeply flawed justice system.

Featureby Luisa Aparisi-França September 11, 20200 Comments
Thinking Outside the Circle: Accessibility and education in Witch Hat Atelier
Using its “magical school” premise, Witch Hat Atelier explores diversity among students and argues for the importance of accessibility throughout society, but especially in education. With supportive mentors and a focus on individual accommodation, anyone really can wield their own kind of magic.

Featureby Dee August 19, 20200 Comments
“Who the Hell Do You Think We Are?” Gurren Lagann’s blunted message of liberation
A distinct antiauthoritarian spirit runs through Imaishi’s works. Yet nowhere is the director’s call for collective action more realized, but most glaringly compromised, than in the show that made him a household name: Gurren Lagann.

Featureby Stephen Hero August 14, 20200 Comments
Youth in Revolt: How the late-80s/early-90s celebrated the young rebelling against their elders
For every manga and anime from the 1980s and 1990s that promoted conformity to society and obeying the rules, there were many others that instead featured delinquents as protagonists and found popularity among readers who inherited an economy pulverized by their parents.

Historyby Anthony Gramuglia July 29, 20200 Comments
Bend the Rules, but Never Break Them: Individual growth and systemic oppression in Yu-Gi-Oh!
While the series wants to tell a story about individuals overcoming their trauma and inner darkness, its strength at depicting individual growth often conflicts with the conservative social systems it ultimately upholds.

Featureby Vrai Kaiser June 26, 20200 Comments
How Can I Connect to You? Breaking out of toxic masculinity and capitalist ideologies in SARAZANMAI
Both Kazuki and Toi emerge from similar circumstances of capitalism, oppression, and the hypermasculine coping mechanisms they’ve been given to deal with the pain of that oppression. It is only through learning to care for one another—and learning that they can care for one another—that they can both be free.

Featureby Tony Sun Prickett June 19, 20200 Comments
The Worker’s Nekopara: A call to arms against nekonomic exploitation
Yes, even the horny catgirl anime can be a lesson in real-world inequality.

Featureby Chiaki Mitama June 17, 20200 Comments
Pride, Policing, and the Conservative Politics of My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia, in its proud declarations of right and wrong, good and evil, heroism and villainy, argues how the world should be. Understanding how My Hero Academia works means understanding what this prescription is, and who gets labeled the villains.

Featureby Mo Black June 5, 20200 Comments
Beyond UNIQLO: Tips for supporting Japan’s indie fashion designers
How can Western fans of Japanese alt-fashion help keep Harajuku brands alive? Although it is at odds with the current opinion that buying second hand is far better than buying clothes new, we must keep buying clothing directly from these independent brands in order to keep their doors open.

Featureby Daz Skubich May 20, 20200 Comments
Power, Oppression, and Victimhood in The Twelve Kingdoms versus The Rising of the Shield Hero
While their first arcs run largely parallel to each other, Shield Hero’s themes of revenge and victimhood undercut any room for growth, while Twelve Kingdoms uses almost identical story elements to explore the nature of power and oppression and push its protagonist towards positive change.

Versusby Caitlin Moore February 26, 20200 Comments
Women in the Kitchen: The unequal treatment of professional chefs in anime and beyond
Despite a broad range of titles, when looking at Japanese media about cooking at large, I’ve noticed a frustrating gender imbalance between stories about professional male and female chefs. Stories about male chefs (most often in shounen manga) tend to center around their skill and on their prowess in the kitchen; while the professional lives of female chefs are downplayed in favor of focusing on a romantic storyline.

Featureby Coin Easterly November 29, 20190 Comments
No One is Born to Be a Slave: How The Twelve Kingdoms questions social systems
Fantasy is often described as escapism, but the genre has great potential to expose a reader to different perspectives on their own society while drawing them into an exciting new world. The Twelve Kingdoms novels by Fuyumi Ono truly show this. The world of the Twelve Kingdoms is a masterful example of a fully developed, politically complex, colorful and varied fantasy world.

Featureby Caitlin Donovan November 27, 20190 Comments
Cruelty or Kindness: Understanding The Promised Neverland’s Isabella
Outside of the daily standardized tests, Grace Field House looks an awful lot like a high-quality preschool. Maybe that’s why, in a strange way, I found myself relating to Isabella through my own career in early childhood education.

Perspectivesby Caitlin Moore October 30, 20190 Comments
What We Owe to Creators: Burnout in manga artists and how to prevent it
While manga artists have done a great service for international comics, we readers see an unsettling trend of writers and artists burning out.

Featureby Priya Sridhar October 23, 20190 Comments
Virtually Feminist? The pros, cons, and possibilities of virtual idols
Much like the wider idol industry, when it comes to virtual idols, the picture is mixed.

Featureby Julia Mascetti August 21, 20190 Comments
How Boruto: Naruto Next Generations demonstrates real-world problems with gender roles and work culture
What happens to shounen action heroes when they grow up? How should a hero and his friends live after getting everything they ever wanted? Boruto: Naruto Next Generations looks at the lives of its heroes as adults raising families, depicting them as falling along traditional gender lines.

Featureby Michael Coolwood December 7, 20180 Comments
Emma’s Choice: The gender-norm nightmare at the heart of The Promised Neverland
The Promised Neverland begins as a sharply crafted horror story, but it soon reveals itself to be a sophisticated critique on restrictive social practices—including the hellishly limited roles expected of girls.

Featureby Dee September 12, 20180 Comments
An Alternate Appraisal: Inclusivity and empowerment in the idol industry
If you were to ask a layperson what an idol is, they’d likely think of the scandalous stories that come out of the industry. While these scandals shouldn’t be ignored, they often form the entirety of the discussion, ignoring idol content that doesn’t conform to such negative stereotypes and all the good that idols can do. To properly improve the industry, it’s just as important to promote the positive elements as it is to criticize the harmful ones.

Featureby Alicia Haddick August 22, 20180 Comments