#It's very weird being an elder millenial

[theomnicode]

OPM & Saitama: thematically bridging the gap between traditional and modern age, the millennial experience

I recently thought why Saitama does not actually have a phone and I realized that he cannot carry a phone on the field, because his powers would end up just breaking said phone because it's an electronic device.

The same thing happened to King's beeper because King was actually within the zone of Saitama's punch against elder centipede, but Saitama directing the power, it did not harm him, as it did not harm Genos when they first sparred and when Genos was also right across the punch's path.

Thematically, Saitama seems to be also breaking all of King's consoles whenever he gets upset, ergo, emotional and does not hold back his inhibitions. Since his divine power is rooted in the emotion.

Divine power as a supernatural element versus scientific elements don't thematically mix well at all. If electronics get caught in the blast zone of Saitama's actual powers, they would probably just get fried. If Saitama ever happened to have a flip phone at some point, if he thought he needed one, he probably discarded it as useless the moment it inexplicably broke down.

(The old gameboy like his old values, got broken up, so he's gonna have to seek out new technology and new values less entrenched in old and traditionalistic ones)

We will see if Saitama was ever issued a beeper like King and if it actually broke down at the gate, when we assumed he was just not given one.

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Saitama very traditionally, if an appliance breaks up, would try to give it a good smack like you'd give to an old CRT television to fix it. Something Saitama also used to own. Good ol' playstations had to be flipped upside down at times so they would actually work properly.

It's very reminiscent of how one may be used to deal with old technology when it breaks down, something we don't do with new technology because it's far more fragile.

You could say that Saitama grew up very disconnected from technological advancements, because he could not afford to have anything fancy either. Most modern technology is a costly business indeed and he only ever got the basics of a flat screen and laptop and gaming consoles down as something essential to him in today's society. They would teach how to use computers in schools for instance and transitioning from CRT to Flat screen tv is relatively simple.

So he would suffer from being able to make the modern technology leap if it was presented to him without offering him aid. He also grew up in rural community in rural age, much like average millenial, but had no ways to adopt new technology when he grew up because he was diconnected and poor.

Millenials had the weird experience of growing up from using a landline to using a smart phone.

We also take this for granted. That people are able to use modern technology.

Anybody older or in Saitama's case, growing up in more rural community, is hopelessly lost in being able to adopt this new technology.

You can see it in IT business where old people may even be afraid of using new technology like laptops and smartphones because they're afraid of breaking something and making them inoperable, but some also do not like to read manuals for very basic instructions how to charge a laptop. While younger people who took to new tech like fish to water would scoff at them and be insensitive.

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Thematically, this new arc represents a new age in technology and new culture. Like moving from rural place to bustling Tokyo and all of a sudden, being faced with technological advancements that seem positively alien experience. One may have had a gaming console at home even in a more rural place, but what in the world is that touch screen thing? How does it even work?

New technological wonders like maid robots in Tokyo must've been something else. Completely alien.

Culture shock comes to mind when I imagine someone living in a more rural japan community moving to someplace like Tokyo. Which is what Saitama moving to his new home in a very urban environment seems to represent. You're also forced to adapt very quickly if you want to cope or you'll end up flailing endlessly.

Saitama is a traditionalist in that he also uses hard cash and does not seem to have a credit card, he manually goes to the bank to check his balance and he reads newspaper instead of checking a website for news, even possible disaster news reports despite having a laptop with internet connection and his coupons are physical versions too.

Makes you wonder if the modern urban environment of HA only has large, confusing malls and not small grocery stores.

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It is thematically poignant then that Genos actually operates as a bridge in this gap, being half robotic and half human, mix of modern technology and traditional and old and new age and being younger than Saitama too. That his presence allows Saitama to adapt into this new age and technology that he has to move towards to in order to fit in modern society.

Like how Genos has a flip phone instead of smart phone like Amai-mask has, but Genos is still perfectly capable of using both like your average millenial would be, who grew up with said technology advancements. He has the freedom to choose whatever he deems practical for himself, whether it be new hairstyle, clothes or using a car or flying or running to the scene.

Ways how Genos works to bridge the gap for Saitama is for instance, making Saitama familiar with new, high end technology.

Saitama offers Genos food the first thing he does and he makes it a bloody mission to ensure Genos gets the best and tastiest food he can offer, despite not knowing much later that Genos CAN ACTUALLY EAT AND TASTE said food. But still having knowledge about Genos and asking if he could not just give HA the specs of his built and having some knowledge of cyborg existence. But when Genos presented him with the idea that he can just replace his artificial parts, Saitama only commented it was weird as he always saw Genos more as human than as cyborg like other people would see him as.

(Now that I think about it, that's interesting that Saitama thought about Genos and his battle specs...chances are, Genos just rambled about his specs offscreen lol)

Saitama does indeed have a lot to adapt to. Robots and smart phones and free information web and credit cards instead of hard cash? Oh my. Wonder if the Hige cafe is card only and that he would have to go into a cafe for a social outing, such as how young people often meet and hang around in modern times. Or maybe he would get dragged to clubs and karaoke LOL.

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In OPM, we've only ever seen Saitama and Genos scroll some really old school websites you could find from the beginning era of internet, like forums. Nothing even remotely like modern internet with real time social networking and social media platforms. Places like Imgur does not exist for Saitama.

Smart phones like apple brand and social media do exist for other people however.

(Frankly I'd be scared for Saitama discovering imgur and looking at cat and dog photos for HOURS. )

But the case can be made that if Saitama does not adapt to this new age and technology, he will be lagging behind and unable to fit in and operate in the society that the new Hero association presents him.

Political scientist Shirley Le Penne argues that for Millennials "pursuing a sense of belonging becomes a means of achieving a sense of being needed... Millennials experience belonging by seeking to impact the world."

What is more, new arc meaning new age is not just limited to technological advacements but cultural and societal advancements and acceptance as well. In chapter 173 we got not one, but three implied people who are more or less (implied) queer. 4 if you count Amai-mask.

(5 if Flashy flash actually turns out to be trans man, this is more of a speculation at this point but if you actually look at his body type, what he wears and the one comment made to Shadow ring who notably seems to hide being a woman to escape prejudice, about his ninja village not having women in it...)

The big thing is-

Nobody said a single bad word about Genos raving about a guy besides accepting that he's very gay for sensei and that it was awfully long and a poor summary. But they still let him talk 4 hours of 90% about Saitama and being so smitten it hurts, when it was so plainly off topic.

Moving to modern age also means modern society, which includes LGBT-people becoming visible and acceptance of said people in society, instead of oppression of sexual minorities and values, which I think is a wholesome message to send.

And even in this, Genos will be the one to bridge the gap between traditional and modern, in every possible way.

Saitama will probably find himself thematically adapting to not just new technological advancements that he has no clue about, but also new community and new societal norms, in this new arc and new era for Saitama in his new place.

It is at times, confusing being a millennial, despite being accepting.

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(Watch out Saitama, the gays are onto you lmfao. Engage the harem memes!)

(ONE turned 37 years old just recently, so very much a millenial)

(There's probably a whole lot more I could dig up for the millennial experience but this is quite long already)

(Here's hoping we can say goodbye to "no-homo")

#opm #one punch man #saitama #opm meta #millenial #technology #lgbt #traditional #modern #genos #king #opm manga panels

[moonmothmama]

tbobf ep 2 spoilers ahead

ok first things first Fennec is hilarious and the banter between her and Boba is fucking golden. i was not expecting to laugh that hard but christ i fucking knew there was no Rancor in there when they dropped that mercenary in the pit, that had me hollering

also it seems the whole fandom is noticing that Boba has different tones of voice for Business and Personal and having feelings over it and i am no different guys i'm right there with you

also i am beyond gratified to the thread of going deeper into Tusken culture/fleshing them out picked up here, it was definitely a highlight in the Mandalorian and this is... way beyond anything i'd hoped for. it's fantastic and i can totally understand why it means so much to ppl. it's really satisfying to see something like colonialism addressed in star wars. with all the Problems (r a c i s m) that are baked into SW broadly, and the missteps that are STILL being made (TBB comes to mind even though i still refuse to watch it), this is a nice change of pace tbqh.

the scene where they jumped the train... was so good...

and then his whole Psychedelic Lizard Spiritual Journey... bringing back that branch and being taught how to make his own gaffi stick.... aaaaaaaaa

ok so, my relationship with the character of Boba Fett is like. when i look at him what i see most is the boy, you know? i look at him like someone i watched grow up, which might be odd for someone of my generation who was, of course, well steeped in the original SW trilogy way before the prequels came out, and didn't even have clone wars on my radar until a couple years ago. but despite the fact that i grew up with star wars, the clone wars show has very firmly become the heart of my attachment to SW in general. it made a late entrance but man, i fell hard for that show. add that to the fact that Jango and Boba were, quite frankly, the only really solid and completely satisfying storyline in the prequels imho (they were a hot mess. there were some gems there don't get me wrong but by and large the movies were. not good) and what you get is me connecting most significantly with Boba Fett in that context,

rather than his hype and status as a fan fave in the Original Trilogy Era, if you guys get what i'm saying. someone like my older brother- gen xers like him and to some extent also elder millenials like myself- from what i've noticed would far more likely be looking at Boba Fett and seeing the badass but mysterious bounty hunter first whereas i'm looking at him and seeing Jango's Son first

so like i'm now in the kinda weird position of looking at a man played by someone old enough to be my dad (he's like seven years younger than my mom) and having an emotion that amounts to basically "that's my boy!"

life's funny idk anyway

that's my boy

#tbobf #tbobf spoilers #boba fett

[kaette-kita-slayers]

Kanzaka gets some really weird questions...

September 2014

Q: In the world of sorcery, are they mainly types that hole up in a research lab, or types like Lina who prefer practical experience? Also, it looks like the Sorcerer's Guild tends to recruit travelling sorcerers when there's some kind of major incident, so is it normal for the practical experience types to travel around?

K: They're mostly pure researchers. When the guild hires travelling sorcerers in an emergency, it's usually because the members there aren't strong enough in a fight. It's not that combat-oriented sorcerers are particularly likely to be travelling.

Q: How did Zel have his heart broken by his first love when he was human? And no saying that the girl who was his first love fell for Rezo.

K: I think it's kind of odd to start with the premise that his first love broke his heart... He did live an ordinary life with his parents before he joined Rezo, so I think that he had vague feelings for some girl, and then they naturally faded without him ever getting the opportunity to tell her.

Q: Zephilia, Lina's homeland, has both Lina's big sister, Luna, the Knight of Ceipheed, and the Eternal Queen, with the consciousness of the Aqualord. Why do the Mazoku leave them alone? It might be that the Mazoku are poorly-informed about what's happening in the human world. If they did know about them, I think that the Mazoku would be cautious of them, on a level with the Claire Bible, which Xelloss was working to dispose of. I think they would want to destroy and carefully take them apart before the Demon Lord revives. As I picture it, no one short of one of the retainers or Beast Priest Xelloss, who beat up Dragon Priest Raltaak with a smile on his face, could defeat Luna. Depending on what Luna had on hand to use, there's the risk that she could defeat even a retainer, so as long as she doesn't make a move, they won't either. Or maybe the Eternal Queen, as the ruler, cast a barrier around the entire country so that the Mazoku can't invade/will have their power limited if they do invade, making it an extremely difficult place for them to fight, so as long as she doesn't make a move, they won't either.

K: As you imagined, the Mazoku leave them alone because they don't do anything.

October 2014

Q: You said before that the story of Lina's mother was the series' biggest secret, one that would rock the world of Slayers. I won't ask what it is, because I know perfectly well that even if I asked you to tell me now, it wouldn't be that easy. To be blunt, soon we'll both be old enough that we could pass on anytime, so could you at least write it down in your will? It's not the kind of secret you'd take to the grave, so please?! (WTF?! Kanzaka's only in his fifties, and that's weird even for a joke...)

K: Uhh, I don't remember ever saying that anything about Lina's mother would "rock the world of Slayers" ...? (Was this maybe from copy written by an editor on some interview?) Frankly, I've hardly even thought up any background for Lina's mother.

Q: If the "Demon Lord with a body" kept his body, would he get sick or age?

K: Even the Demon Lord couldn't resist all disease and infirmity, so he would get sick. But at the same time, he would be more robust than ordinary humans, with a far longer lifespan.

Q: When did the Demon Lord of the North give Xelloss the Demon's Blood Talismans? In the afterword, you said that he only recently had, but it seems to me that unless he deliberately took them off after he awakened, they would have been sealed away along with him...

K: He did give them to [Xelloss] after being sealed away, but it wasn't like [Shabranigdu] handed him something that he kept on his person. [Shabranigdu] created them by summoning a part of the power of the Demon Lords of other worlds, plus his own power, and fixing it in place.

November 2014

Q: Are there any other species in the Slayers world that humans can reproduce with?

K: There are a number of other species, like elves and dwarves, but the probability that they would be able to have children is very low.

Q: Apparently even Mazoku can have in-laws. Do they think of themselves as youthful or aged based on how many years they've been alive(?)? For instance, would they treat Mazoku created after the Demon War like millenials?

K: It's more about power than age, but since no powerful Mazoku have been created in recent years, it does kind of work out like having elders and youths, in that sense.

Q: Is Ruby Eye Blade a spell that Luke created, or is it a spell that's been around a long time, but without many users?

K: I think there's a spell out there that it was based on, but Luke did create this one himself.

Notes

There's no December interview, so this finishes out the year.

#slayers #interview #hajime kanzaka