Anime Feminist Recommendations of Fall 2017
We’ll be taking a look back at our favorite shows of the entire year in a couple days, but before that, we wanted to pop in and give some accolades to the fall shows that really (ah-hem) rocked
All Articles
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Does Anime Believe Women? Three depictions of sexual harassment in fiction
Conversations like #MeToo are emphasizing an important point: we need to believe survivors. As part of this social shift, it’s worthwhile to take stock of whether the fiction we consume promotes trust and respect for survivors.
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Achieving Whiteness Through Social Mobility in Gankutsuou
Unlike previous adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo, which overwhelmingly cast white actors, Gankutsuou makes a point of depicting the main characters as people of color. This is more accurate to the original, and allows the anime to explore the racial elements of Dumas’s story that are often overlooked.
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[Links] 20-26 December 2017
Women in politics, ATLUS’s bad track record, and your anime faves.
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Chatty AF 36: Fushigi Yugi Watchalong – Episodes 47-52 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Part 8 of the multi-part watchalong of Fushigi Yugi with Caitlin, Vrai, and Dee! As gods rise, characters fall, and the TV series comes to an explosive conclusion, the team discusses the highs and lows and argues for the show’s place in the anime canon.
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Escapism and Healing in Recovery of an MMO Junkie
Looking at this romantic comedy by name and genre alone, we might expect it be about its geeky protagonist “recovering” from online games and becoming a “normal” adult. Instead, MMO Junkie gives us a story about finding happiness and fulfillment through online games, using their safe zone of community and anonymity as a foothold to regain emotional confidence.
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Higashimura Akiko and the art of shoujo manga writing
Akiko Higashimura is in many ways an exceptional mangaka. You can catch a glimpse of it from her recent success with Princess Jellyfish and Tokyo Tarareba Girls, but there’s so much more to be told about this hitmaker.
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[Links] 13-19 December 2017
The healing power of MMO Junkie, gender-variant characters, and looking back on 2017.
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Chatty AF 35: Fushigi Yugi Watchalong – Episodes 41-46 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Part 7 of the multi-part Fushigi Yugi watchalong with Dee, Vrai, and Caitlin! With the badlands safely behind them, the team returns to the show’s usual mixed bag of big adventure and even bigger emotions as the series heads into its action-packed home stretch. Yui phones home. Keisuke makes the Best Boy shortlist. Miaka’s thirst intensifies.
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Land of the Lustrous, singular “they,” and the politics of subtitles
Land of the Lustrous made minor waves by deciding to refer to almost the entire cast with neutral “they/them” pronouns. In an industry that has historically chosen binary pronouns for characters who aren’t gendered or are gendered ambiguously in the original text, this marks a small but important—and most crucially, conscious—shift.
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REAL and Portrayals of Disability
In REAL, Takehiko Inoue uses three similarly aged young men to portray different aspects of physical disability. By looking at these characters and their interplay, we can delve further into some of the ways REAL succeeds and fails at portraying disability.
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[Links] 6-12 December 2017
Marriage equality, Alita’s big eyes, and the apparent horror of women doing things alone.
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Chatty AF 34: Tokyo Godfathers Retrospective (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Just in time for the holidays, Vrai, Dee, and Peter take a look back at Satoshi Kon’s penultimate feature film, Tokyo Godfathers!
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How Yuri!!! On ICE helped me understand myself
Last year, Yuri!!! On ICE took the anime community by storm. Whether it was from the passionate portrayal of figure skating, the queer romance, or the sincere way it cared for its characters, it resonated with many. I’m no exception.
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Manga artist Tanemura Arina discusses her career, interests, and shoujo through the years
Since her debut over 20 years ago with I.O.N., Arina Tanemura’s name has been synonymous with shojo manga. AniFem staffer Caitlin Moore sat down with her at AnimeFest to talk about her past and current projects.
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[Links] 29 November – 5 December 2017
Women leading the industry, gift guides, and trans rights violations.
