AniFem Round-Up
Commentary vs. Snuff: Sex, violence, and despair in Danganronpa
While the games are largely thoughtful with how they relate sex and violence, the anime-only Danganronpa 3 throws its fan service right into sexualized violence.
Feathers and Glass: How Swan’s heroines find themselves through dance
This shoujo classic’s heroines break through the gendered expectations placed on them thanks to their friendship and rivalry with one another.
Chatty AF 211: Revolutionary Girl Utena Watchalong – Episodes 28-34
The Utena watchalong is back! ….Just in time for the newbies to hit maybe the most distressing episodes in the entire series!
Money and self-consciousness being no object.
Beyond AniFem
Bucchigiri?! Lacks Utsumi Hiroko’s Signature Style, Heart, and Soul (Anime Herald, Elif Sinem Erdem)
A post-mortem of the series in context of Utsumi’s other originals.
The most important thing to any narrative is the strength of its protagonist’s voice, whether it is a highbrow, plot-less work or anime that hews closely to shonen conventions such as Bucchigiri. Voice, to me, means possessing a unique perspective to the exterior world, and for a perspective to emerge, a character must want something and earnestly try to attain that. Hiroko Utsumi’s protagonists embody their desire, no matter how foolish or juvenile it might look at first glance; all but Arajin, who, by refusing and rejecting the plot, seems like a passenger in the story he is ostensibly meant to drive.
If the focus was really romance, this wasn’t the story to tell it with; if he really wants sex, I want to see him get it, even if that changes the genre of Bucchigiri from shonen to ecchi. I asked myself multiple times if the guitar, or even his practice of stone-carving, would return; past the second half, it doesn’t. His defining character traits are that he likes girls and doesn’t want to fight, and he remains in this static state—no additional depth, no character development, no climactic change of heart—for the whole series. And again, the guy doesn’t even get the one thing he wishes for. So what’s the story about?
And what to do about his rejection of Matakara? Where to place the climax at the end, when Arajin does fight and does become the Honki Person that Matakara saw—like Reki saw Langa, and Ash Eiji—in Episode 2? Because Arajin doesn’t want to hang out with Matakara between Episode 2 and 12, who reminds him of his childhood failure, there is not much to base their relationship on besides moments in time that happened prior to the story taking place. Making dumplings together is a rare moment of reprieve—from Arajin, that is, because he isn’t asking Matakara to leave for once. One gets the bizarre sense that, because Arajin is into girls, he can’t hang out with other guys, least of all with his taller, beefy childhood friend. It gets both in the way of plot and of a good character dynamic, something that previously marked every work by Utsumi and had powered so much of the series: voice, plot, and its emotional beats.
12 Boys Love Games to Play this Yaoi Day (Blerdy Otome, Naja)
A selection of recommendations of varying tone and spiciness levels.
Fujin Fam, rejoice, it’s that special time of the year once again! It’s Yaoi Day! For the newbies, August 1st is celebrated as Yaoi Day because when you write “801“ in Japanese, it can be read as “yaoi”. The 8 can be read as “ya” (や) in the Japanese number “8”, when read as ‘yattsu’ (八つ). The 0 can be read as the western letter “O.” And the 1 can be read as “I” (い). Together that makes Y-A-O-I!!
Well, I have a special treat for you, a list of games that you should definitely check out this Yaoi Day or anytime this year!
Girls Band Cry Anime Gets Digital English Release on August 13 (Anime News Network, Alex Mateo)
It’s not clear if the anime will be streaming or just available for digital purchase.
Toei Animation‘s official English X/Twitter account for North America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand announced on Monday that it will release its original anime Girls Band Cry in English digitally in North America on August 13. The company streamed an English-subtitled trailer.
The company had teased an announcement last Friday.
The anime premiered on April 5 and aired for 13 episodes. The anime had not previously had any official English release outside of Asia.
Indonesia’s Catchplay+ streaming service began streaming the anime on May 31 with both Indonesian and English subtitles, making it the first service anywhere in the world to have English subtitles officially available for the anime. Thai distributor Cartoon Club announced in late June it would begin streaming the anime in July, and the anime will have a Thai dub, making the stream the first announced international dub for the title.
Italian author reflects on harsh internment in Japan in WWII (The Asahi Shimbun, Kayoko Sekiguchi)
The writer has recently published a book about her experiences.
“People become sadistic when they gain absolute power over others. This isn’t limited to the military,” said Dacia Maraini, 87, at a gathering in Tokyo on June 12.
During the Asia-Pacific War, Japan forcibly sent around 1,200 civilians from Allied countries and others to roughly 60 internment camps across the country.
This was done under the pretext of preventing espionage and “protecting their identities.” Fifty of these civilians died under the harsh conditions in the camps, according to the POW Research Network Japan.
Maraini came to Japan with her parents in 1938. Her father, Fosco, was a researcher of Ainu culture at then-Hokkaido Imperial University (today’s Hokkaido University).
Fosco was later assigned to then-Kyoto Imperial University as an Italian language teacher.
However, when Italy, which was an ally of Japan, surrendered to the Allies in 1943, the lives of Maraini’s family changed drastically.
Fosco and his wife refused to pledge allegiance to the puppet Republic of Salo, established by Nazi Germany in Northern Italy to oppose the Allies.
Therefore, Maraini and her family were deemed “enemy aliens” in Japan and interned in a camp in Aichi Prefecture for about two years.
The camp was rife with violence from the authorities.
Activists protest Hiroshima’s invitation to Israel to A-bomb ceremony (The Mainichi)
The event commemorated the 79th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb.
Masae Yuasa, a 61-year-old member of Hiroshima Palestine Vigil Community hosting the event, said they have been demonstrating by the Atomic Bomb Dome every day since Oct. 13.
“Hiroshima is known for advocating for lasting world peace and nuclear nonproliferation, and its citizens have sought that ideal,” she said. “I believe that the invitation was a betrayal of that struggle.”
Among the roughly 100 participants of the event, 73-year-old Mitsuko Yamaguchi, a Hiroshima native, said, “Inviting Israel to Hiroshima was disgraceful. It’s as if we’re accepting what’s happening in Gaza.”
The event came after Israel attended the morning ceremony following an invitation from the Hiroshima city government. The western Japan city said it did not invite Palestine on the grounds it is not a state recognized by the Japanese government or a member of the United Nations.
But the decision drew backlash as a double standard, with many pointing out Russia and Belarus had not received an invitation for a third straight year amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Hiroshima officials later said they plan to review the invitation rules for next year.
In contrast, the Nagasaki city government, which will hold its own ceremony on Friday marking the 1945 atomic bombing of the city, did not invite Israel but invited Palestine to its annual event.
Two Gen Z women take up mantle for anti-nuclear efforts (The Asahi Shimbun, Masato Tainaka)
The two women have focused their efforts on trying to spread knowledge about the effects of the bombs to the younger generations.
This is not her first experience with activism. Nakamura is a third-generation hibakusha whose family is from Nagasaki.
In high school, she served as a peace ambassador to the United Nations’ European headquarters where she delivered signatures calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Nakamura admits the Know Nukes project is also a partial result of her frustration. After telling them about her peace-related efforts, peers would simply reply, “Wow, you are doing a great job.”
This was encouraging, but she was disappointed they did not feel a call to action.
The group is not Nakamura’s only anti-nuclear project. She also founded the free magazine “Ripples,” which launched in April.
This was born from taking part in a program for cultivating entrepreneurs where her presentation garnered financial interest from business owners in their 30s and 40s.
Nakamura hopes to start a business of her own after graduation themed around peace.
“If entrepreneurs are connected with it, we may be able to create an ‘ecosystem’ for a sustainable peace movement,” she said.
The magazine’s debut was accompanied by a pop-up event at a cafe in Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa district.
The inaugural issue is split into two parts that were put together by Nakamura and Waseda University student Nonoka Koga, 23, who also plans on taking part in peace-themed efforts after graduating.
“What to eat in Nagasaki” makes up the lighthearted first half. The sightseeing guide is followed by more solemn articles that include the story of a woman who survived the atomic bombing.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Creators, Voice Actors Share Favorite Game Moments at Otakon (Anime News Network, Jeremy Tauber)
Panel highlights of the FFVII Rebirth cast from Otakon.
Cid’s English VA, J. Michael Tatum, added to the mix. “I’m not sure what I’m doing here,” he said. “I’m just waiting for someone to pinch me.” Speaking of his role as Cid, he recalled getting inspiration from an unlikely place: his own father. “I remember calling my father the night before the audition so I could get it down. I called him because he had that special West Texas accent down. When my brother listened to Cid’s voice, he asked, ‘Are you paying Dad’s royalties?'” The audience laughed at that.
But the most memorable moment came from Barrett’s English voice actor, John Eric Bentley. When discussing the more emotional scenes with Barrett’s adoptive daughter Marlene and his old friend-turned-rival Dyne, he mentioned that it showcases a side of Barrett that nobody ever gets to see. To do that, “I think of my sons and how much they mean to me,” Bentley said. “But then people also ask, ‘How did you do the scene with Dyne?’ There are many different methods, but I had to go by memory. And because I played the original game, I understand the relationship that Barrett had with Dyne. They were best friends.”
This is where Bentley started to get emotional and raw. “So I thought about how I lost my Dad in 2017.” Bentley teared up at the mention of this. “My dad passed in my arms, and that’s who became Dyne for me. I didn’t want Barrett to be a caricature. I wanted him to be real and not be a polygon that shook his fist when he got angry. I wanted to do justice to what was my very first RPG. I wanted to do it right.” An overwhelming standing ovation ensued.
VIDEO: The difference between “relatability” and “representation.”
VIDEO: A tribute to the late Nobumoto Keiko.
VIDEO: Podcast discussion of the BL convention scene.
AniFem Community
So many cool but layered costumes, so many conventions in the heat of summer.
me and Sam are in the same boat in terms of series but for me it's Orihime. same issues though, i'm in no way confident in my body type atm and…yeah
— Shana_Reviewer (@shana23.bsky.social) Aug 6, 2024 at 1:52 AM
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