AniFem Round-Up
Discordant Tones: Oversimplifying Music as Resistance in Carole & Tuesday
Lizzie connects Watanabe Shinichiro’s latest series back to music’s importance in activism, and the places where the series fails to live up to that legacy.
No Rest for the Wicked: Criminality and justice in Psycho-Pass
Luisa Aparisi-França lays out the Urobuchi series’ critique of law enforcement and how the Sibyl System’s laws serve only to create ongoing cycles of oppression.
Chatty AF 124: Glass Mask Watchalong – Episodes 18-23
Vrai, Marion Bea, and Megan D. reach the finale and talk about the history of disability drag in acting, the (still running) manga, and their feelings on the series overall.
What’s your favorite bonus/post-series OVA?
Different from standalone OVAs, but sometimes good in their own right.
Beyond AniFem
Interview: The Secrets of Deca-dence (Anime News Network, Kim Morrissy and Lynzee Loveridge)
Interview with the show’s director and two of the show’s visual designers.
How did you try to convey the feeling of dystopia through the design?
[Hiromatsu Shu]: For me, dystopia isn’t just about lifeless colors or a standard of living that shows no development. The Tankers have liveliness and are allowed (albeit limited) freedom and individuality. From the human perspective, their world has a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, through which the “Deca-Dence” of the world is portrayed.
In comparison, the world of the cyborgs, who say things like, “The world must be rid of bugs.” is closer to the 1984-style of dystopia. For the cyborgs, the world of “Deca-Dence” is a world they escape from their reality to as a form of entertainment. That, too, is close to the dystopia of Brave New World. When the privileged class rules in perpetuity without even touching any other world, that, to me, is dystopia. I wanted to convey such things through the Deca-Dence Core, the surrealist mechanisms (the muscle light fibers, the muscle tissue section in the gun breeches, etc.), and the gap between the control tower and the tank city.
Short, Sharp, and Simple: I’m Tired of White Fragility in Fandom (Stitch’s Media Mix)
On the frustrations of the continued centering of whiteness in fandom spaces.
Like can we please talk about the way that transformative fandom has become even more of a hostile space for fans of color who don’t bend the knee to white womanhood… and how white fragility (and some shade of supremacy) exists at the heart of it?
Like can we please finally fracture this fragility?
In last month’s Feeling Fragile, I introduced the unaware to Robin DiAngelo’s “white fragility. In that piece, I did mention that anyone can find themselves feeling fragile in fandom and tried to gear my thoughts in a more open-ended way. It was stern but attempted to be gentle.
This isn’t that kind of post.
Ocean Pearls: Kissed by the Sea Demo Review – Do You Wanna Marry a Merman~ (Blerdy Otome)
Short review of the otome demo and its merits.
As a Black woman and a gamer, I find that I turn to indie visual novels whenever I am hankering for more diverse gaming options and always, visual novels deliver. Over the years I have discovered quite a few gems and I’ve even had the opportunity to chat with a few developers of color, like Jellyfish Parade founder, Jessinia. I am no stranger to her games, having fallen head over heels for her sci-fi romance game PAIRS—which follows two couples as they navigate the ups and downs of their relationship against the backdrop of an ongoing war between Earth and an invading alien race. But, what drew me to the game was the fact that both of its female leads have distinctly Black features (something that was WHOLLY intentional), while not being defined by the color of their skin—something that isn’t as common as it should be in media. So, when I saw that Jelly Parade was working on a new (longer) romance game featuring a Black female lead and a diverse set of love interests… let’s just say I was closely following the project!
Japanese welcome Osaka forcing discussion on racism (The Asahi Shimbun)
Osaka’s win and visible support of BLM has provoked reactions on social media.
Osaka’s strident views on social media have made her an icon for many young Japanese.
“I am very happy that Naomi, who is an influential person, said ‘Black Lives Matter’ in a public place,” said 16-year-old Mari Maeda.
“I am happy that her message was received not only in the U.S. but also the world, including Japan.”
A report in Japanese newspaper Mainichi on Friday cited unnamed sources at one of her sponsors as criticizing her BLM stance, saying they would prefer her to concentrate on tennis.
How Erica Lindbeck, Voice Of Final Fantasy VII Remake‘s Jessie, Got Her Break (Kotaku, Michael Pasquariello)
Video interview with the anime and game voice actor.
Less than a decade into her career, voice actor Erica Lindbeck has over 150 credits to her name. From her start as random background characters, she’s gone on to voice everyone from Barbie to Cassie Cage, Black Cat to Futaba Sakura. If you play video games, you’ve probably heard her voice.
In our fourth episode of “Behind The Voice,” we talk to Erica about how she came to voice acting and how she juggles so many roles. She tells us how this frantic pace has taken a physical toll on her, but she’s found a way to turn even that into a positive.
Kumamoto city starts trial run of women-only streetcars (The Asahi Shimbun, Watanabe Nanami)
The new cars are meant to address issues of harassment and groping on trains.
None of the 32 tram line operators in the country have implemented women-only tram cars on a full-scale basis on their lines, according to the transport ministry’s Railway Bureau.
The bureau operates 45 trams in total. Of these, eight low-floor, two-car trams have been equipped with the women-only cars. Signs that read “women-only” are attached to the windows, doors and joint sections of the cars.
Boys of elementary school age or younger, and people with disabilities and their caregivers, can also use the women-only cars, regardless of their gender.
Eight trams equipped with the cars are running on all lines operated by the bureau on weekdays at rush hour, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
The trial runs until the end of December.
VIDEO: About navigating personal ethics in buying media from companies known to perpetuate harassment.
VIDEO: Short interview with Spencer Wan, creator of Studio Grackle.
THREAD: Comparison of the use of pronouns in the old vs new translation of Wish.
THREAD: List of Black anime voice actors and their roles.
THREAD: The distinction of “weebs” being embarrassing because of their behavior, not their interests.
AniFem Community
OVAs are often less accessible and packaged as bonuses, but the good ones are enduring.
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