AniFem Round-Up
Anime Feminist’s Top Picks for 2024
It’s that time again: each member of the AniFem staff has picked their top five titles of the year and crowned the Best in Show.
Anime Feminist’s Favorite Films of 2024
No prize for guessing everyone’s favorite, but did you know other good films also came out last year?
What’s your favorite cross-cultural adaptation?
Lots to choose from a variety of angles.
Beyond AniFem
THE TEN WOMEN I’VE HAD TO BE (Deep Hell, Skeleton)
Ten videogame characters and how they construct femininity.
In those videogames, I sought out the women I could find who helped make me feel comfortable, and in that secret relationship I never told a soul how I felt. It was a lonely growing up – even as I struggled to come to terms with a masculinity that never felt like it fit. I would choose the men over and over again, sheepishly connected and trying to seem like any kind of Good Man I could while abusing a rotating train of women I failed to connect with in real life, holding in my heart words and phrases about how they would never accept me as queer.
My concept of gender is based on videogames, I can’t refute it.
It’s unlikely that I ever actively chose to be a woman in a videogame as a form of self preservation: videogames forced me to become the type of woman that their audience was receptive to. The audience for videogames is overwhelmingly teenage and adult boys in the ages of 12-30. Outside of that, the demographic falls apart: we’ll see in the upcoming sexualization revival that it’s ultimately sales that matter the most to the money holders, wether or not those wallets are lined with Rainbows or the even more hyper imagined enemy of videogames, women who cut their hair short and smoke cigarettes in a masculine way.
I was forced to be a specific idea of a woman in the Cammy’s and Lara Crofts of the last several decades of consoles and PC games: always the idea of what a woman can be often created by men, and almost always straight men who fawned over their digital creations as if they were wives and simultaneously daughters.
This Week in Anime: Viewer Discretion is Advised (Anime News Network, Christopher Farris and Coop Bicknell)
A discussion of platform censorship following news that Disney has cut a scene of sexual assault from its release of Macross Dynamite 7.
Chris: Like a cool musical mecha show brought to a screeching halt by some scenes of sexual assault, the long-awaited rollout of Macross in the USA was almost immediately interrupted by news that some of the more infamous segments from the Macross Dynamite 7 entry had been excised. Instead of happily watching the shows, discourse ensued. Even without the albatross of Harmony Gold around their necks, it seems Macross fans just can’t catch a break.
Coop: Among Macross fans, the now-excised scenes have long been a point of contention around Dynamite 7. As one of those longtime fans, I see this OVA as the highest high and the lowest low of the entire Macross 7 experience. Basara singing with the space whales is one of the greatest moments in Macross period.
However, the aforementioned scenes of sexual violence make for a huge bump in the road on the way to that moment. It’s easy to say “Just cut it out, it’s out of place anyway,” but once a work is seemingly edited for palatability (without the original version legally available), it starts raising more than a few concerning questions. Who’s doing the cutting? Why are they cutting? And will this lead to a troubling trend of erasing history? (Even if said history is hard to face.)
Chris: This was the question at the center of discussion over Macross Dynamite 7 the past week or so. It’s compoundingly troublesome since, as of this writing, we aren’t sure precisely where these edits came from, as they affect some (but not all!) of the current Japanese release options as well. On some level, I can grasp the knee-jerk reaction some fans had in favor of removing this unsavory material. I may be unfamiliar with Macross, but as a longtime anime fan, I know the feeling of having some less agreeable elements swerving into your faves.
We have spent the past couple of weeks talking about topics such as family-friendly incest and jubilant jiggle physics, but the realities of storytelling mean that sometimes the shenanigans are cruel and tragic, rather than cheeky and fun.
Coop: As someone who initially had that knee-jerk reaction, it’s important to step back and realize the further implications of an editing choice like this. Whether it’s in a work of fiction or real life, things can’t just be easily edited away after the fact. Not to mention that it’s a total insult to simply act like something horrendous never happened.
MeToo Outrage Leaves Japanese Broadcaster Without a Single Advertiser (The New York Times; Martin Fackler, Kiuko Notoya, Hisako Ueno)
Fuji TV was aware of the assault shortly after it occurred; the president of Fuji TV will reportedly resign.
On Thursday, the man at the center of the controversy, Masahiro Nakai, announced his retirement, but the episode had already turned into a moment of reckoning. An international investor has criticized the company, Tokyo-based Fuji Television, and Japan’s biggest corporate advertisers have lined up to boycott it. Some 75 companies, including Toyota, SoftBank and the local operator of McDonald’s, have pulled ads and sponsorships.
Not a single commercial now appears on the station’s programming; ad spots are now filled with unpaid public service announcements. Tens of millions of dollars in revenue is at stake as indignant C.E.O.s have called on Fuji TV to address the issue.
“We will cease placing advertisements with the company until a thorough investigation is conducted, the facts are clarified, and appropriate action is taken,” Takeshi Minakata, president of the drink maker Kirin, said in a statement, which added that the company was acting “based on our human rights policy.”
Experts say the anger reveals a new intolerance for sexual misconduct set in motion by an earlier scandal. Two years ago, it emerged that a top Japanese talent agency’s founder, Johnny Kitagawa, had sexually abused young men for decades. He died in 2019 without ever facing any charges, and corporate sponsors were accused of having ignored the wrongdoing at the agency, Johnny & Associates.
This time, big corporations are eager to show that things have changed.
“The Johnny scandal marked a turning point,” said Ryu Honma, who has written extensively about the advertising and media industries. “The sponsors were blamed for complicity due to their inaction.”
Petition filed in Osaka rape case against former top prosecutor (The Asahi Shimbun, Hikaru Yokoyama)
The accused has backtracked on an admittance of guilt in favor of a not-guilty plea with a side of victim-blaming.
The alleged victim also criticized the slow progress of a separate case where she has accused a deputy prosecutor at the Osaka office of leaking investigative information to Kitagawa in an attempt to help him evade indictment.
She attributed the lack of progress in the case to a conflict of interest among Osaka’s prosecution authorities.
“I know some in the prosecution are annoyed with my speaking out, but this is a whistleblower’s statement against them acting improperly,” she said.
In response to the petition, prosecution officials suggested that it would not immediately affect the progress of the ongoing trial.
“Concerning cases under prosecution or investigation, we will take appropriate action based on the law and evidence,” read a statement from the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office and Osaka High Prosecutors Office.
Kitagawa’s defense team also released a statement, asserting that judgment should be determined through the trial.
Behind the Games Interview – Chatting with JAST Blue about Masquerade Hell Academy (Blerdy Otome, Naja)
Interview with the English team about the process of bringing over a 00s horror BL game.
I have noticed that many of the titles JAST Blue localizes tend to lean more towards angsty and/or traumatic. Is this more a preference for JAST Blue and the localization team or indicative of current trends in BL in Japan?
Mary: I think that’s just the way BL tends to be. We certainly don’t do it intentionally! Even a title like DRAMAtical Murder, which has a very bright pop-art graphics style, has a lot of very very dark content in the plot. I think the same is true for a significant portion of the otome genre.
GH: I’d argue this is just a tendency among Japanese BL games in general since about the mid 00s when the genre really peaked (in terms of release numbers). The genre is incredibly niche now—just a handful of games get released every year, if that—so I think the small, but dedicated player base (in Japan) is typically looking to BL games for stories that are, let’s say, uniquely adult.
Otome games kind of ended up edging out BL in the all ages space which is where a lot of the lighter titles thrived in the past, and with live service mobile games eating up a lot of the audience for visual novels in general it’s difficult for developers to justify developing in that space. I think it’s also just that the surviving brands just have that tone as part of their identity. For example most of Nitro+’s non-BL titles have a very similar general vibe, and I could say the same of most other developers that also produce male-targeted eroge under a different brand.
A Chat with Lena Atanassova, Editor-in-Chief of TOKYOPOP (Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman)
A wide-ranging chat about the company, though it feels incomplete without a specific mention of scam artist Stu Levy, his continued financial profits from TOKYOPOP and business connections with the United Arab Emirates (speaking from the other side, it is possible that such questions were proposed but rejected; no note is made on the subject in the article text).
Alongside the LoveLove line, TOKYOPOP has a few other imprints dedicated to specific groups, like Comics That Matter and International Women of Manga. Can you tell us a bit about those imprints and where you’d like to see them go in the future?
ATANASSOVA: As TOKYOPOP has grown and we continue to listen to what readers and fan communities want, the company has necessarily gone through some changes. One of these was a realization that International Women of Manga, which was founded out of a sincere desire to uplift women creators (especially those making manga outside of Japan), was actually a bit more limiting in concept than where the goals of the company have landed now. As of this writing, there are no plans to continue publishing under the IWOM imprint. This does not mean our commitment to supporting women and other marginalized creators has lessened in any way, only that, as an imprint, IWOM has been reimagined.
Instead, the Comics That Matter collection is a term we’re using to highlight stories we think have a broader significance in what they’re saying about society. This isn’t an official imprint as of this writing, but rather an initiative (intended to be more inclusive and flexible) that allows for increased visibility of these books on our webpage and marketing materials. Examples of books within this collection are the nonfiction manga Why I Adopted My Husband: The true story of a gay couple seeking legal recognition in Japan and At 30, I Realized I Had No Gender. There are also fiction books in this collection, including A Smart and Courageous Child, which examines the fears and hopes of an expectant mother, and PEREMOHA: Victory for Ukraine, an anthology is a collection created by Ukrainian artists during the first weeks of the Russian invasion.
My hope is that the future of Comics That Matter sees this collection evolving to contain more timely stories by a wider variety of artists and writers. I would especially like to publish more nonfiction manga or comicalized accounts of real events. Manga and comics offer readers a way to explore complex and thought-provoking content in a generally more accessible and engaging format. Nonfiction books, in particular, are often seen as dry or less enjoyable, especially for readers who typically prefer fiction. By using manga to present nonfiction or tackle challenging real-world topics, we aim to provide a way for readers to connect with the material they might not otherwise engage with if it were presented in a traditional format.
At one point, TOKYOPOP‘s reputation with readers wasn’t particularly good. What would you say to those readers who still remember the end of the previous era? How is TOKYOPOP working to maintain reader trust?
ATANASSOVA: To those readers, I will honestly say: I was a big TOKYOPOP fan growing up, and I remember the rocky ending of the previous era. As editor-in-chief of ‘TOKYOPOP 2.0,’ I’m doing my best to come from a place of understanding as a manga fan myself. I hope that my own background and passion for manga – and storytelling in media in general – will be some reassurance that our team cares very deeply about the stories we publish, and we value readers’ opinions, suggestions, and respect and understand their past frustration. I want to make our readers feel heard. During panels and interviews, I always ask for fan feedback and suggestions, and I can sincerely say these suggestions are examined and considered by the team. For example, we’ve heard feedback from our fan community that we need to focus on improving our communication with readers, and the company is taking significant steps toward tackling that problem in the new year.
A majority of the TOKYOPOP team are fans who have grown up reading manga and comics, watching anime, and participating in fan communities. My goal is to continue growing the company in this same way: with a focus on heart and passion, and a commitment to diversifying our team as well as the stories we publish. I’d also like to reassure readers that we will not be licensing any series we aren’t 100% committed to seeing through to the end. While I can’t see the future (I wish!) or make sweeping guarantees that nothing will ever go wrong, I want to say that I’m absolutely committed to publishing the series we represent with integrity and dedication to the very best of our ability.
VIDEO: Alex guest on a podcast discussion of hobby anime.
VIDEO: Manga demographics, misinformation around them, and their lingering importance.
VIDEO: Ongoing reaction series about Wandering Son as an egg-cracking experience.
SKEET: Recommendation for Murata Sayaka’s short story “A Clean Marriage.”
AniFem Community
Some of these collaborations have become bedrock classics.
![I know I'm being basic by saying this. But it's definitely Castlevania. Both the first Castlevania series and Nocturne. They exceeded every expectation I could have possibly had and then some. As a Castlevania fan I am happy with what they did with the lore and characters. While the Castlevania games have a lot of lore they don't have a lot of story. So seeing a adaptation of the games that manages to do the games justice is a feat in itself. Also it has Alucard in it and he is my favorite Castlevania character so that is always a win for me. Next I want to talk about the Black representation in Castlevania. In a world were Trump and his fascist followers are working their hardest to make the world a worse place. Diversity in media is more important than ever. Nocturne did several thing that I have been wanting to see for a along time with the representation of Black people. One they included many aspects of the Yoruba religion in the story. The way pop culture depicts African culture, religion and spirituality is often inaccurate at best insulting at worse. For example vodou is almost always portrayed as witch craft or devil worship, when it is neither. So seeing a Black character that not only practices the Yoruba religion but uses it as the source of their power is really amazing. It's rare to see African religion as being portrayed as witchcraft. Another thing I really liked was the shows acknowledgement of Black resistance. Most shows that discuss Black history and slavery tend to ignore how frequently and fervently Black people have fought oppression. A lot of pop culture only portrays Black people as passive victims and never as active resistors fighting our oppression. So the way Castlevania Nocturne not depicts the Black struggle for liberation and parallels it to other struggles against oppression is quite beautiful.](https://i0.wp.com/www.animefeminist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1-3.jpg?resize=810%2C486&ssl=1)
![I am watching the Anne of Green Gables anime right now and loving it so much. Definitely my answer for the first question, even though I also love Future Boy Conan. As for the second question, it has to be Oldboy for me.](https://i0.wp.com/www.animefeminist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2-3.jpg?resize=810%2C135&ssl=1)
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