So my last post, highlighting some of the more obnoxious responses from Anime Nazis and other terrible people to the Brexit vote somehow managed to draw some even more obnoxious responses from other Anime Nazis and terrible people.
You can see some of them in the responses to this tweet of mine.
Naturally, the comments some of these lovely people tried to post here on WHTM were if anything even worse. Let’s take a look at some of them, shall we? We’ll start with some of the milder ones.
NOTE TO WOULD BE COMMENTERS: If you call yourself “GASTHECUCKS” and post in ALL CAPS, I probably won’t be letting your comments through.
This fellow either knows something about my sex life that even I don’t know about, or doesn’t understand what the word “literally” means.
But these comments were pretty tame compared to this weirdly sexualized example of supervillain monologuing from “Sure Whatever.”
Apparently this guy is not a big fan of Starbucks, huh?
@Handsome Jack
oh, there’s at least three or four here in the States, and I bet there’s some elsewhere, but they’re of basically no electoral significance at the moment
If anyone’s looking for a new anime to watch: I’m super getting into Flying Witch.
It’s like a slice-of-life comedy anime about a witch who moves out to the country to live with her aunt, uncle, and two cousins*, and the kids go off to have all sorts of magical adventures, including meeting lots of cool magical spirits (The Spirit of Spring and the spirit that brings the night are my favorites so far!) and other witches!
The manga is going to become localized for North America early spring next year, and I’m very much looking forward to it, because I really love it! It’s so cute! I hope they come out with some licensed merchandise for it soon too!
*In the witching world of this anime, a witch is considered “independent” at the age of 15, and can move out on their own. However, Makoto’s parents want her to finish high school, and they were worried, with her awful sense of direction, that she’d get lost if she lived on her own, so they suggested she go live with relatives at least until she graduates.
@PI
Thanks! Sounds a lot like Kiki’s Delivery Service, which is one of my favorites. It even has s black kitty in that article that reminds me of Jiji! I need to check it out.
Re censoring of the comments: I was surprised – given that it says “will not be published” on the comment submission form – that not all the email addresses were censored.
@Viscaria
Excellent point.
@Holytape
I’d echo this – except I’d change “Britain” to Leave voters (and stick an “along with all the rest of us” after “yourselves”). I predict that we’ll go the Norway route, so sure, in theory we’ll have sovereignty and be able to do what we like on any issue, but in practice we’re not going to exercise it, and we won’t now get to be involved in making the decisions we end up bound by either. The reduction in immigration they hoped for won’t happen, we won’t spend an extra £350 million a week on the NHS, and now we won’t be able to band together with the rest of Europe to stand against TTIP which really does threaten our sovereignty. And if we did end up restricting immigration, they’d still have shot themselves in the foot considering the economic benefits of migration. Plus, should the age-related voting patterns prove to be a cohort rather than an age thing, and should we decide in a few decades’ time that we’d like to re-enter, we’ll have lost the special terms we currently enjoy.
I think what we really needed was a trial period, of a few years, so everyone could see just what it would be like outside the EU and make a bit more of an informed choice. Not that I’m suggesting it’s remotely realistic to think Europe would have been prepared to offer us that, nor that it’s something that was feasible practically and logistically, but just ideally speaking. (Of course, if, as I imagine, it turned out to be worse outside, I do feel for the people who would be most hurt by that – but it would be better than the longterm or permanent exit we’re looking at now.)
@Kupo: That’s definitely what came to mind when I first heard of it, and it does have some similarities, but I think I actually like it a bit more than Kiki, as blasphemous as that might be to say. XD
I knew of Flying Witch, I still need to catch up on that. I would also recommend the Ancient Magus’ Bride. In all I read in manga, this would be the first ever series that immediately made me thing it was magical. Everything from the art to the lore to the character building, it just has that feeling of when you were a kid reading Tolkien or Redwall for the first time. Though it’s partially because I’m a sucker for manga where the relationship doesn’t seem abusive, because in shoujo, it is quite alarming how common of a trend that is.
Though in terms of my weebness that’s the furthest extent I can offer right now, can’t remember the other good stuff off the top of my head like Bodacious Space Pirates which is Anime Star Trek, or Death Parade, or films like Perfect Blue.
Actually I would recommend Perfect Blue. I believe its story would seriously resonate with alot of people here. Think Black Swan but more specific to the Japanese Idol industry. It is intensely psychological and, well, alot of creepy things the fans in the movie, would be some of the people we all are all too familiar with. The movie also frames them as creepers as well.
How could I forget to mention I like Puella Magi Madoka Magica? If you haven’t watched it you should, but don’t look anything up because it’ll be spoileriffic if you do. One thing I noticed is that it had no fanservice (or maybe I missed it or something?).
On the subject of diversity in anime and manga:
They tend not to be very diverse because the country of Japan is not very diverse (neither is South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, etc). 98.5% of Japan’s population is ethnically Japanese with Chinese and Korean making up .5% each. If an anime or manga is set in Japan at any point from the past to the near future, the characters are going to all be Japanese. If there is a character who is not, it will be made very obvious by having it stated out right or having a combination of language, clothing, and naming cues. It does not matter what crazy hair color people have, they are still Japanese and NOT white. (I really hate that idea that anime and manga is filled with white people). I can see how it would suck if you wanted more diversity in the medium (I do, but I’m also worried about the other issues of fan service, terribly written female characters and plots, etc.) But there are lots of different genres to choose from and having it not set in Japan can help with diversity.
@FrickleFrackle
Oh yeah that one is an award winner in just how artful and consistent and focused that work was. Everything is masterfully crafted, artistic, almost avant garde with the environments in its visual storytelling and the writing. It sets up the tragedies perfectly, and in ways that foreshadow what can seem like the inevitable.
Speaking of artsy, I also have the Ergo Proxy anime, a hard science fiction that have all its characters grow into their own arcs and its intricate story rewards rewatching.
If you want trashy, I got Murcielago, every women is a capable badass and fighter, doesn’t go out of its way to make the fights look like a photo shoot, and has an MC that owns her sexuality.
In a similar vain of women who own their own sexuality I really would recommend Panty and Stocking and Garterbelt, the japanese show that you wouldn’t believe it wasn’t an adult swim program from the US. When it tackles mocking masculinity, it really hammers it home. There’s even an episode where one guy who acts like a player, is rejected by people, and only was able to ascend to heaven by showing he can be genuine and caring for another person instead of being a shallow tool.
Now if you want people in high places, I would recommend Shiraboko, or “how awful/crazy the production side of anime is” the anime.
Should I be concerned that the only ones I can find that don’t treat women like dolls or needy love machinations tend to be Slice of Life, drama, hard scifi, psychological, dark action or rauncy comedy? I feel the shows I’m recommending here reflect more on me than I’d like. I’m just happy to have a place where I can gush about a bunch of shows that don’t treat women with agency to end up being “you can be whatever, but in the end, the mens is kings”, and not be met with casual sexist remarks or suggestions of the status of my masculinity.
@Mizuki
Yeah, that’s pretty much what I said as well. That’s why often the shows that I know of tend to be set in places distinctly not modern japan, where people of different ethnicity can exist in the background and the foreground as pivotal characters. Funny enough though, as a Vietnamese man, I would like just once, to not have an anime depict my country as Vietnam war in perspective of american troopers.
Interesting, do tell more.
What, you mean Asian people ALSO have light colored skin, too??
Amazing.
@FrickleFrackle
Revealing outfit or not, you never, ever, EVER fuck with Faye Valentine. There is a serious case of brain operating in that head.
@OoglyBoggles
Yeah…
Vis a vis women in manga:
http://hishinunit.tumblr.com/post/100099101512/based-from-x-original-screw-writing-strong
Kingdom has one of the best women casts of any manga I’ve ever read and is also one of the most ‘masculine’ manga I’ve ever read. 2 boys become men with the dream of unifying all of China and ending the Warring States Era. It’s pretty awesome
Dammit! This fuckin keyboard is gonna kill me if the heat doesn’t do it 1st
*Yeah… Apologies from America. We made your whole country into a 50 year old cliche, didn’t we?
@Ooglyboggles:
Could you recommend any good modern Vietnamese movies/books? It’s a country and a culture I’ve always felt bad about not having much exposure to.
On the subject of oafish Brexiteers, some of the more self aware ones are worried that UK Govt Online Petitions has one calling for a repeat poll as allowed for under the rules. Turnout was under 75% and the majority under 60%. These are the rules for calling for a second vote. Even if it doesn’t work, at least I’ve done something by signing the petition and encouraging my associates to do the same. I had to do something about holding up two fingers to Brexiteer oafishness. (Note to Americans, the British ‘two finger’ salute is the fist with the backs of the first two fingers raised in a ‘V’ shape. Roughly cultural equivalent to ‘flipping the bird.’ Sorry if this seems patronizing, just trying to be informative.)
So I got into your twitter thread and wound up in a twitter fight with Jack Barnes AND Dean Esmay.
What sad little men they are.
@Ooglyboggles
Yeah, I just wanted to back your statements up and add my own. This is an area I care a fair bit about since I’m a pretty big fan of anime and manga. They are like any other medium in that there are plenty of problems with representation of the non-majority group and issues with how it treats women. I am tired of trying to read romantic manga and having the main character suffer an attempted rape or be sexually assaulted so I feel you with your desire to see your own country properly represented.
@Handsome “These Pretzels Suck” Jack (formerly Pandapool)
Oh no! All Asians have yellow skin, tiny eyes, and black hair! That means that all the anime characters who don’t look like that are really white! As we all know, white people are the only group who naturally have purple hair, eyes that take up a significant part of the face, and perfect skin.
/s in case anyone thinks otherwise
Thanks for reminding me about Cowboy Bebop. I think I’ll rewatch the “Toys in the Attic” episode to cheer myself up. But you can’t discuss Cowboy Bebop without mentioning the music! I think Yoko Kanno did a lot for the show, and I was impressed by her command of different musical styles (I watched the show before I was familar with her other work).
I fail to see why Hitler would be delighted with the Brexit vote.
He wanted a United Europe with Germantpy at the centre, and would have wanted Britain as part of the deal. Silly, silly Nazi fans.
Image fail. 🙁
Yes, but remember the assumptions of the reactionary right:
Cooperation with other countries is globalism.
Globalism is promoted by Cultural Marxists (read: “Jews”) in order to destroy the white race.
Therefore, the Brexit is a strike against those wily Jews and their ceaseless attempts to sap and impurify our Precious Bodily Fluids, and Hitler would approve.
@ Kevin
Do you want to do the Agincourt story?
Be of good cheer, for Chuck Tingle has been inspired by Brexit:
https://www.amazon.com/Pounded-Pound-Socioeconomic-Implications-European-ebook/dp/B01HJXVP8G/
Speaking of, how’s Trump doing in the polls? 5.9 points down? Losing in all of the swing states? Cool.
Sorry for the late reply, got caught up in things.
@Axecalibur
Eh don’t worry, we still got other things going for us, like tourism, a competetive industry to China and a rapidly growing market thanks to the US and Japan. Vietnam will one day be a first world country that people will repect in my lifetime.
@EJ
Unfortunately I can’t really say. The majority of films produced in the early days of Vietnamese cinema were propaganda pieces and like in Japan a majority of the work is only in Vietnamese. However I would recommend looking up films in the Wikipedia article about it, these films are ridiculously low budget, about 2 million in us dollars was the most expensive production to date, and mainly focus on things such as capitalism introduced to Vietnam and the changing of hands in Vietnam being part of the french colonies.
In novels, I got the author Nguyễn Nhật Ánh, he writes YA novels but contains elements of older times.
Vang Bóng Một Thời contains short stories of vietnamese life during the french colonial times. Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký is about the adventures of a cricket, apparently some people online recommend it for adults as well, and I like what I read so far.
In terms of satire I got Dumb Luck, a novel set late french colonial times where it saturizes the middle class Vietnamese, was banned by the northern communist party.
And there’s No Man’s Land, from a contreversial writer speaking of the horrors of post war vietnam trhough the perspective of the wife as the communist party forces her to live with her former fiance in his destitute poverty. Love triangle, examinations of war and peace and society. The author herself was an ardent advocate for humanism and democracy and her works are banned from the Vietnamese communist party.
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/36946.T_c_ph_m_v_n_xu_i_Vi_t_hay_nh_t_Best_Vietnamese_Fiction_
Here’s a list of other novels I haven’t mentioned yet.
@Mizuki
One of these days I will see media give Vietnam the Bollywood treatment. Or have something other than Paris by Night and Lee’s Sandwiches as their first thoughts non war related. Or gambling, all black, and greed to a lesser extent if ever.