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icameheretowinry · 6 years

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Ed for character ask, if you want! Have a nice day ❤️

If I want? If I want??? If I want?!?!?! OF COURSE I WANT TO. Ed ruined my life in the best possible way and I will ramble about him forever. LET’S. DO. THIS.

How I feel about this character:

Obviously, you guys know that Edward Elric is not only my favorite character in the fma universe, but probably my favorite character in general. He’s excellently written, deeply representative of the nature of humanity, and endures beautifully subtle development over the course of his story. I’ve done several character analyses of Ed, but I tend to ramble. Here, I really want to take my time, and talk about specific aspects of his character I think are the most worthy of note. This might get l o n g, so grab some snacks and settle in. Let’s talk about the Fullmetal Alchemist!

One of most defining and well-written characteristics of Ed is his tragic backstory. The consequences of attempting to revive their mother follow Ed and Al years after it occurs, and forms one the main backbone of their story. While the immediate aftermath tends to define a large part of Ed’s personality in the beginning, what makes him so fascinating is that he eventually learns that using his personal tragedies as an excuse for his shortcomings with get him nowhere. Instead, he learns to use his suffering as a springboard to make sure no one else ever has to feel the way he and his brother did. The awful things that happen to Nina are a major setback, but instead of collapsing further in on himself, Ed, mostly thanks to Al, realizes that not only is it ok to start by trying to save himself, but with that effort, he can become stronger, and by extension, do more to help others. So, instead of using tragedy as an excuse for his weaknesses, Ed faces them to make himself stronger, and throughout his journey, use them as markers of his progress, or as checks to his humility.

Ed is also incredibly well-written to reflect his age. Sure, your average twelve-year-old is not an alchemic prodigy serving in the military, but I’m talking about how Ed reacts to his circumstances as a boy who’s just trying to piece he and his brother’s lives back together. Ed can play up the adult facade as much as he wants, but Arakawa also wrote him to be what he is; a kid. In the early stages of his story, Ed reacts to many inconveniences with fits of frustration, triumphs with unabashed cockiness, and authority or criticism with an upturned nose. Most of these immature reactions lessen or die out as his story progresses, as it does when someone starts to grow up. I can say that after living with a younger brother at ages 12, 13, 14, etc., Arakawa did a spectacular job of not only capturing those years with deadly accuracy, but applying them to an extraordinary individual like Ed in a way that felt effortless. While on a quest that eventually would determine the fate of the world as they knew it, he also gets nervous over a crush, and deals with the ups and downs of teenage friendships. (I mean, 99.9% of people’s best friends in high school don’t give up control of their body to an immortal being but there’s a metaphor I’m getting at here.)

Another super interesting aspect of Ed’s character is his guilt complex. For someone who so acts his age, he still takes on blame for many things that legitimately weren’t his fault. He blames himself for the loss of Al’s body, though there was no way he could’ve know what Truth would’ve taken from him, or that Truth would’ve intervened at all. He chastises himself for not being useful in dire situations when Winry stepped up to deliver Dominic’s grandchild in Rush Valley. It wasn’t his area of expertise, while Winry, he acknowledges, grew up with doctors for parents and reading medical textbooks. He feels helpless, but how could he know he would find himself in such a situation? He even holds himself responsible as a culprit in Hughes’ death for getting him involved in their research of philosophers’ stones. What Hughes discovered about the nationwide transmutation circle was, ultimately, his own doing. In addition, besides blaming himself for the loss of Al’s body, a guilt that Ed carries to the end of his story was his inability to save Nina. Just because he was the first person to put all the pieces together, he thought that if he realized Shou Tucker’s true intentions that much sooner, she would still be alive. Yet, realistically, no one else had figured it out either. He was just in the wrong place at the right(?) time. Yet, all of this being said, the moments during which Ed overcomes some of his guilt are some of the most powerful in the entire story. (Learning that Al didn’t blame him for the loss of his body is a prime example.)

As I’ve mentioned in other recent character analyses, a complex personality is key to a strong and likable character, and my god, does Ed have one. Ed has many traits that make him just fascinating to watch. While his early cynicism of humanity fades away, he remains cocky, stubborn, abrasive, short-tempered, sarcastic, occasionally hostile to figures of authority, and not one above stroking his own ego. Yet, a lot of those aspects of his personality veer towards superficial. He views every human life (in all forms) as sacred, and something he is painfully reluctantly to use to further his own goals. To those who earn his respect, he is endlessly loyal, selfless, and fights for those who can’t fight for themselves. His personality also takes on a different tint (like a real person) when he interacts with different people. He fights to see the Ling within Greed, but ultimately respects Greed as a member of his team. He’s in awe, yet honest with Riza. He’s sarcastic with Roy, but when in danger, is his greatest ally. He’s level-headed, firm, and forgiving with Al. He’s uniquely gentle and compassionate to Winry. In short, he’s beautifully and painfully human.

Finally, Ed is an excellent foil to the character of Father. While the latter tried to make himself a perfect being by ridding himself of humanity’s seven deadly sins (an idea I remember someone, though I can’t remember who, likening his goal to the idea of Nietzsche’s “Übermensch,” which is basically a form of superior man who could rise above traditional Christian values to impose his own. That sounds pretty accurate to me, but I’m no expert in this corner of philosophy.), Ed actively embraced all of his flaws, guilt, and well, sins, to ultimately become a more compassionate individual who is able to ultimately triumph over evil. (As a side note, Greed’s aid in this final battle really adds extra emphasis to his earlier explanation to Ed that “everyone wants something they cannot have.” The fact that Greed sacrifices himself in this moment to assure Father’s defeat proves that point several times over, which just makes those final sequences of the battle that much cooler [and heartbreaking]). The fact that Ed, who is riddled with what Father considers the ultimate faults of humanity, still overcomes him, proves that the rejection of own’s own humanity is a greater evil than the sum of it’s parts. As a huge characterization nerd, that’s pretty freaking cool.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Edwin is easily one of my top five OTPs, and I honestly don’t see shipping Ed with anyone else. Like Roy and Riza, Ed and Winry’s relationship is built on years of trust, respect, friendship, and tragedy. While they sometimes struggle with communicating their feelings, whether its about each other or the circumstances they’re facing, they always manage to get their feelings across when the moment demands it. It seems that their respective obsessions confuse or annoy each other, yet, they each possess huge admiration for the other’s accomplishments and passions. They understand the harsh burden of losing their parents, and Winry never judges Ed for attempting to revive his mother, likely because she had the same kind of longing. In addition, each of them are deeply concerned for the safety of the other, with Ed especially going to great lengths to ensure Winry is unaffected with his involvement in the military. Sadness of one pains the other, and they’re both hellbent on making sure the other is, in the end, happy. Talk about the makings of a great relationship! Also, at the most basic level, they’re SO DAMN ADORABLE.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

I have to go with Al here. (Also apparently this got too long to add more gifs so rip to that idea…) These two have been through so much together, balance the weight of their varying personalities, and as a result, are the ultimate allies. Besides the deep care these brothers share, the most interesting aspect about them is how their personalities contrast and support one another. Ed is typically hot-headed and impulsive. Al is calmer and leans more towards logic. Ed has a big ego and is sarcastic. While Al has his moments, he’s unflinchingly kindhearted. However, their mutual passion for alchemy, humanity, and completing their quest are unmatched. The story is about brotherhood, and these two are the ultimate protagonists. Al’s superior battle sense, levelheadedness, and gentle personality are the perfect balance to Ed. He brings him back down to earth, yet encourages him to race to the ends of it. They joke and argue, but you know they would sacrifice everything for the other.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

*sigh* The Ed being really short joke did eventually get old…

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

As is the case with many fma characters in my book, I want to see more! Knowing Ed, there’s no way this kid would peak at 18. I want to see his adventures after the promised day. I want to see him with Winry and his kids, being a great father, but I also want to see him traveling, discovering, and maybe getting himself into a bit of trouble here and there! At the end of years of struggling and hardship, I want to see the next crazy step in his journey. There’s no way he’d sit still for long. The sky’s barely the limit for Ed, and i want to see how far he flies.

Send me a character, if you dare.

#edward elric #fma #fma brotherhood #character analysis #nikki speaks #good lord was this fun!!#lmao i wrote an essay;;;;;;

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lazuliblade · 7 years

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Victor’s High-quality Lifestyle

Simply put - yes, he could support himself with figure skating, although not purely by competing. The majority of his earnings would come from sponsorships, endorsements, ice shows, contracts, and royalties.

Victor is definitely the highest paid skater of his time. Besides the big sponsorships that can cover a portion of costs, he’ll have magazine shoots and interviews, be invited to ice shows, and have endorsements in various fields (such as sportswear, jewelry, and food).

Training Cost

This post does a great job of explaining the cost to compete, and mentions how skaters need some way to support themselves - whether that be ice shows, a job, or a bit of funding from skating federations in certain countries. It’s not just coaching fees and equipment (boots and blades), but ice time, travel costs, choreography fees (although Victor does his own choreo), music composition fees, costumes, physical therapy, consulting a nutritionist, dance instruction, day-to-day expenses....

It’s only the very top athletes or the very promising ones that companies are interested in sponsoring. For those top athletes in countries that care for figure skating, they'll likely get good contracts at some point.

Lucrative sponsorships help to cover a chunk of training and travel costs. ANA covers Yuzu’s travel costs, is his biggest sponsor, and is listed as his skating club. Mizuno and Lotte are also large sponsors -- you’ll see him wearing Mizuno’s athletic clothing and sporting Lotte’s logo on his official Japan jacket. Amino Vital is the sports drink you see Yuzu with at the boards.

I'm not exactly sure how the Russian federation works when it comes to letting their skaters sign deals (another thing I've been attempting to hunt down with little luck) but there shouldn't be a cap to the number of sponsorships a skater can accept as long as the skater works things out between the companies and it doesn’t affect their skating. I don’t follow any Russian skaters super closely and wasn’t around in the days when Plushenko and Yagudin were the stars, so if someone follows/ed their daily life, feel free to reblog and add info, or send an ask/message. I believe the JSF allows only 5 TV commercial contracts per year, but they don't have a cap on the number of magazine shoots, interviews, or endorsements.

Making Money Through Skating

Victor would be contracted for ice show tours during the off-season. He’s popular enough where he’ll receive multiple tour offers and decide: 1.which offers he’ll take, 2.if he’ll show up for just one city in the tour, or 3.simply not accept any offers for performances. He can afford to decline in order to recover from the strain of the past season and focus on training for the next one. Most skaters love doing ice shows because of the fun and fulfilling atmosphere, and for the chance to interact with fans who support them, so there’s a good chance that popular/successful skaters will perform in at least a few shows over the off-season.

To reference a few real-life skaters, when Daisuke Takahashi or Mao Asada were listed on programs for a show, stadiums would fill up and tickets would sell out FAST if there wasn’t a lottery already in place. Yuzuru will get multiple offers every summer and decide what works best with his training schedule. He loves ice shows, but knows to let his body heal and not strain it too much prior to the start of another season. Plushenko would do all sorts of ice shows during the off-season -- even to the point of ignoring his federation. There are one-time shows that appear in a city for a couple of performances, and long-standing tours that go around the country for a few weeks, so popular skaters have some flexibility here. Japan in particular is a favorite country for many skaters because of the enthusiastic, informed audience and good contracts. I have no doubt that popular tours such as Stars on Ice (Canada, U.S., Japan), Fantasy on Ice (Japan), as well as others throughout Japan, North America, and Europe would sell out with Victor’s name on the program.

With his talent, Victor might even offer his services by choreographing some younger skaters’ programs or doing some coaching for camps and classes. Misha Ge did a little of both while competing.

Of course, every time a skater wants to participate in an exhibition or other such event, it has to be approved by their country’s skating federation. However, regulations in the ISU general handbook ensure that skaters are not unduly constricted from participation and no more than 10% of their earnings are to be taken by their federation.

Examples of Earning Off-ice

To bring real examples of what a skater as popular as Victor might do for TV programs and commercial deals:

skating on an iceberg (Shizuka Arakawa),

laying down on a custom mattress, (Yuzuru Hanyu with Tokyo Nishikawa’s &Free)

skating in collaboration with a major film (Daisuke Takahashi with Studio Ghibli’s “Omoidase no Marnie”/”When Marnie was There”)

All you have to do is look at Plushenko licking lolly pops, Patrick Chan and his ice wine, and dental fairy Yuzuru to see the varied forms that endorsements can take on.

I’d imagine Victor gets asked to feature in occasional photoshoots for Russia’s equivalent of An-an or Men’s Non-no (fashion magazines targeted to the 20-30s demographic). With his striking looks, high-end brands may ask him to model their seasonal lines for a couple of magazines.

“This year’s [Tommy Hilfiger/Banana Republic/Prada] winter fashion!” model: Victor Nikiforov “Our new line of jewelry for that special someone this holiday season” model: Victor Nikiforov

In addition to advertisements, he’ll also have had interviews and articles in various magazines, and been the subject of multiple short documentaries for local TV stations. I would venture that Victor has a few photobooks, an autobiography/biography, and at least one documentary DVD of his own-- all of which bring in royalties.

“A Young Hope Blooms Forth,” “Road to the Olympics,” “Spirit of the Legend” “Platinum and Gold” ...I can come up with a dozen likely titles for programs that TV stations could have aired over the years of his career. Furthermore, it seems he’s been to the Olympics two or three times, and Olympic fever always means more interviews, offers, and special collaborations.

A Few Extra Real-life Notes

I want to point out a skater who’s known for his high-end fashion: Johnny Weir. His family was humble, he doesn’t have Victor’s legendary record of golds, and he wasn’t the highest paid skater when he was competing (that would be Plushenko, Yuna, and Mao). However, he was such an icon and the media latched on for better or worse. Where Victor has a penchant for choreography, Johnny has one for costuming and fashion. He’s a middle-of-nowhere-small-town boy who loves pretty things and grew up to be fabulous on and off the ice. It’s not like the stuff he wears is cheap, but he’s a conscientious spender. Now that he’s turned pro and does commentary for nbc, it seems he’s relatively well-off.

It was mentioned in an interview* that fans would send Johnny expensive gifts in the mail -- like Chanel handbags -- because they knew he couldn’t afford them at the time. This isn’t limited to him. Denis Ten once received dog toys for his pet, and Yuzuru has received clothing. If a skater is well-loved, the fan base might send stuff that a skater wants but can't afford to splurge on or justify buying.

(*Caution that the interview, especially the second part, has traces of homophobia.)

Many skaters are from affluent families - the sport is one of the most expensive in the world - but there are plenty of skaters who start from poorer conditions and make it to the top through a combination of support, sacrifice, hard work, and grasping at opportunities. For a more drastic example, all it takes is a look at Plushenko’s life story to see that starting out with near nothing money-wise doesn’t mean a skater can’t rise to the top.

Tying It All Together

Victor doesn’t have much of a life outside of skating and Makkachin, so after the usual costs that come with competing and daily life, he’s likely saved quite a sum over the years. Perhaps Victor only splurges when it’s worthwhile. A condo and designer furniture are purchases that last for a long time-- and the times he’ll need a good suit are infrequent enough where he would be able to keep their condition for at least a year. He might buy several coats and a collection of suits which last him years. Good clothes, good personal products, and a few good books every now-and-then for his expansive library…

One must remember that he’s been competing internationally since he was at least 13 years old, and likely starting to earn enough himself to cover most costs from the time he was winning Euros at 18. Ten more years of success, with five of those being literal golden years, and he’s at the point where he can ship half of his stuff across the world without worrying too much about his bank account. He seems in touch with economics enough to know how to spend and save money (“if only the euro was down~”), and while we see him furnishing a room at the start of his stay in Yutopia, we have little comparison for spending practices during the rest of his time in Hasetsu, have no comparison for prior years, and this year is the first he feels like he’s living. Of course he’ll go all-out to start this new and exciting chapter.

For all that YOI tells us that he’s a Living Legend and shows us the kind of media attention he receives, Victor’s lofty image is deconstructed throughout the season so we see him as a lovable person rather than an icon. Watching his personal life while focused around Yuuri’s journey means we don’t see exactly how much of the face of figure skating he is, and as a result it’s easy to forget all that it entails.

#yuri on ice #yoimeta #informational post #victor nikiforov #yoi #yuri!!! on ice #ask response #roseofenglandstuff

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eliselowingwrites · 6 years

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Manga and Anime: Movement of Art

Lately, I’ve been very interested in manga and anime. Just something about the aesthetic of the art really catches my attention. Not to mention, I love drawing in that art style. While I prefer to have a simplistic look to my drawings, while also adding a bit of detail to make it come alive, I’ve also seen works that are very realistic and detailed.

But that’s another story for another time.

However, this editorial isn’t really about the different art styles that manga/anime can do, but more about a debate that I’ve been seeing lately. That debate being whether manga/anime is only considered as such if it comes directly from Japan. Or, because of the influence it has had on western shows like “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “Steven’s Universe”, is it becoming a universal movement. And whether or not animations and illustrations with a Japanese influence can be considered manga/anime, even if they were created by people and studios outside of Japan.

To clarify, this is more of an editorial piece to discuss my points of view on what I think manga and anime have become. I will bring up a few facts in this, but this is mostly meant to open up discussion among the community.

I guess I should start with the reason as to why I decided to write this editorial in the first place.

Going back to what I said before, I have become interested in the medium, and I feel like it is a very unique and interesting way of storytelling. For someone who loves crafting stories from words and pen strokes, this is definitely something that grabbed my interest.

My first exposure to this medium was back when I was a little girl. My experience with Japanese animation was Hayao Miyazaki’s, “Kiki’s Delivery Service”. I had seen a lot of animated movies from Disney and Universal Studios, but I knew that there was something unique about this kind of movie. Just something about the atmosphere and animation set it apart from other family movies that I had seen.

Then one Saturday morning, I discovered “Digimon Tamers”. At the time, I couldn’t quite explain it, but there was something different about the animation and the way the episodes flowed. It was like they were all connected together by a single narrative thread that the other Saturday Morning cartoons like “Kim Possible”, “Recess”, and “Doug” didn’t really have. At least, not as predominately as “Digimon Tamers” had.

But then we got to the episodes when the bio-merging introduced, my mom saw what happened during those sequences, and turned off the TV, and that was that.

Although I didn’t know it then, that was my first glimpse at the difference between American and Japanese culture when it came to that side of things. It wouldn’t be until I was in high school that I was able to see the rest of the Tamers season. By then, I knew why my mom turned off the TV.

But I digress.

Over time, thanks to YouTube, I discovered other shows that shared similarities to the series I saw before. Shows like “Sailor Moon”, “Naruto”, “Tokyo Mew Mew”, and the rest of the Digimon Seasons, just to name a few.

I learned that the term for these kinds of shows were called “animes”, which meant “Japanese Animations”.

However, as the years went by, shows like “W.I.T.C.H.”, “Avatar: the Last Airbender”, and “Legend of Korra” came out. All of which have different country origins and art styles, but still had a few things in common to anime. Such as having limited lip movements, greater attention to character and setting detail, complex camera movements that would normally be seen in live-action films, more realistic looking characters than what you would see in typical American cartoons, and having long-running stories that were strung together by several episodes, as opposed to simply having self-contained stories in every episode.

Not to say that all American cartoons were just made up of self-contained stories. I’m using broad strokes here.

When I seriously got into anime, I soon discovered manga, or Japanese comics. Just like with anime, I loved the art styles and aesthetics of the medium. I got many different kinds of manga drawing books that I could get my hands on, and practiced the style as best I could. I soon integrated that into my own drawing style because it resonated with me so much. I watched and read more of this intriguing medium, and soon became familiar with the community. I even got a Funimation account to watch dubbed shows legally.

Yes, I watch dubbed shows instead of subbed. Not all the time, I’ve watched “Hibike! Euphonium” (a show that is not dubbed in English) and enjoyed it. I’ve also watched episodes from shows that are both subbed and dubbed in their Japanese version, and enjoyed them, too. Or if nothing else, it was at least interesting to make comparisons between the two languages.

I only mention this because of the debates I see with subs versus dubs. For me, my personal preference is just to watch a show in a language I can understand. Because I find that having to speed-read subtitles to understand what’s going on to be frustrating, and pausing the video is just tedious to me. But with an English dub, I can enjoy the show while also consuming it a whole lot easier than if I had to constantly read subtitles. Even if there are changes from the Japanese version in terms of translation, I still find it enjoyable.

I also find that with English voices, I have a much better time in determining which characters are talking without having to look at the screen. With Japanese voice, more often than not, I find that voices start to blend together, and I can’t really tell who’s talking anymore unless I can see them on screen.

Granted, that’s probably because I’m not Japanese, and I have not grown up with the Japanese culture. So that’s probably why it’s hard for me to distinguish Japanese voices most of the time.

Which leads me to my next statement.

I want to create a manga series, but I am not Japanese. I have no Asian background whatsoever. I am an American with a Swedish and Irish background. And for a lot of hardcore manga/anime fans, any story using the manga style, but is created by people outside of Japan, it is not considered as “authentic” manga/anime. As a result, they tend to dismiss these series as simply imitations.

This caused me some concern. Would my series be taken as a manga, despite its American origin? Or would it be just taken an American comic series with manga elements? Don’t me wrong, I have nothing against American comics. I have enjoyed a few from time to time. However, I didn’t want my series to not be considered a manga simply because it is created by an American woman who happens to draw in that kind of style.

This then got me thinking about something. Something I’ve been noticing over the course of my time with manga/anime.

What defines manga and anime today?

When I stopped and thought about it, there are lots of examples of manga/anime styles that are created outside of Japan nowadays. Just look around on DeviantArt. There are lots of artists from different countries who draw art work with this kind of influence in their art style.

On top of that, Japanese animation and comics were inspired from American works such as superhero comics and Disney animated movies. While the manga/anime style originated in Japan, it’s roots can be traced back to places in America. And great Japanese directors like Hayao Miyazaki, Naoko Yamada, and Shoji Kawamori drew inspirations for their series from Western media. In fact, many of Studio Ghibli’s movies take place in European-styled settings. “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, “Castle in the Sky”, “Howl’s Moving Castle”, “Tales of Earthsea”, and “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, just to name a few.

And not just Studio Ghibli either. This also extends to anime shows. Two major shows I can think of are Fullmetal Alchemist and D.Gray-man. Both series take place in a fictional setting of Europe, with protagonists who have European backgrounds.

Note that both series were created by Japanese mangakas: Hiromu Arakawa, and Katsura Hoshino.

Upon realizing all of this, it got me thinking about what defines the medium today. Is it an art form that is just limited to Japan? Or has its meaning and influence changed?

To refer back to “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, there’s a quote from Master Piandao in the episode, “Sokka’s Master”:

“The way of the sword doesn’t belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all.”

After remembering that, I remembered something else. When I was in university, I took a course that discussed the different kinds of ways of how the English language came to be; how it has evolved over time, how it changed over time in America, and how it has changed within different regions of America. Not to mention, certain words and phrases have changed meanings throughout the years, and are continuing to change.

While I don’t claim to be a linguist (I even have trouble with my native language most of the time), I’m sure that other languages have evolved over time as well.

Like language, art has also evolved over time. We have the Renaissance, which was a movement in the arts, developing a lot of techniques that many artists still use today. And art has continued to develop over time, with many artists finding inspiration from cultures outside of their own.

Animation came along and showed that 2D drawings could be used to express movement through a series of still frames. Walt Disney took it a step further when he created “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, showing that animation can do so much more than just silly slap-stick cartoons. Animation can capture the hearts of its audience, and make people laugh, smile, or even cry. It can evoke emotions just as much as live action films could, and maybe even a little more so.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. We now have the technology to do movies that are completely CG. Artists can put their art on the screen with the use of tablets and intuos pens to draw directly onto their computers, and enhance their art work that couldn’t have done before.

Heck, I do that all the time with my own art, and I’m just an amateur.

And thanks to the internet, the growth of social media, and aerial travel, industries have been able to find artistic talent from around the globe, and can collaborate with other countries to create a product.

I mention all of this because it made me realize something. Art as a concept is something that does not belong to one country. Styles can have roots and origins in a specific country, but art itself is universal. It’s used to express, communicate, and evoke emotions and ideas.

So, for myself, I came to the conclusion that manga/anime originated in Japan. For a while, it was exclusive to Japan. But today, thanks to the global access that countries all over the world now have, it has become a universal art form.

Now, going back to my original question.

What defines manga and anime?

Well, that’s actually hard to answer. Because manga/anime itself has many different styles depending on the creators, even within Japan.

Just look at series like “Naruto,” “One Piece”, “Bleach”, “Fullmetal Alchemist”, “D-Gray.man”, and “Fairy Tail” (just to name a few). All of them are long-running shonen series, but their styles are all vastly different. Really, just put one page from each series side-by-side, and the differences in art style are apparent. Same with their anime adaptations. Take a screen shot of the main characters of their series, and I guarantee the differences will show themselves right off the bat.

Not to mention, the way they tell their stories are varied as well. “Naruto” is inspired by ninjas, “Bleach” was influenced by samurais, “One Piece” is about pirates and adventure, “Fullmetal Alchemist” is about alchemists fighting in a war, “D-Gray Man” is about exorcists fighting evil, and “Fairy Tail” was about wizards and magic.

Again, I’m using broad strokes.

As for shojo series, look at “Salior Moon”, “Tokyo Mew Mew”, and “Magic Knight Rayearth”. Again, stories about a team of magical girls saving the world, but the way each series was drawn, and the stories they told were different. Although for “Magic Knight Rayearth”, I would say it falls more into the shonen category than it does with the shojo category in terms of how it’s plot and premise are executed.

I mention all of this because these are examples on how the same medium is used in different styles and methods of storytelling. This can give series a distinct feel and look so that when you see them, you know what series they are from. At the same time, this makes manga and anime hard to define, as it is not just one specific style.

Yet, when you look at them, you automatically can come to the conclusion that they are indeed that kind of art form. While they all have different styles and methods, they all have that distinct feeling that when you look at them, you know what kind of art form they are.

So, what defines this art form?

Is it country origin alone? Or is it something more?

Because with the accessibility to stream anime on sights like Crunchyroll, Funimation, Amazon, and Netflix; and with manga and anime being translated into different languages and sold in local stores; I think it’s safe to say that the medium isn’t just restricted to Japan anymore.

So, what is it that defines it?

Is it the way they are drawn? How characters are designed and portrayed? Simplified lip-flaps, but with great attention to details on characters and single shots? How the camera moves like a live-action camera would, despite not being in a real-life setting?

Is it how the storytelling is different from western media? Willing to go into darker themes that western cartoons and animations wouldn’t go into? Having more mature content that wouldn’t be appropriate for kids in a western audience, despite some series being for a younger audience in Japan? Portraying philosophical themes in an artistic setting?

I’d say yes to all of these, but I think it’s something else, too. And this is the best way that I can describe it.

Manga and Anime are yet another example of how expressive and diverse art can be. The mediums are essentially 2D art that are treated like live action.

These two mediums have shown that art itself, much like our imaginations, has no limitations. There is so much you can do with just a pencil and some paper. You can create new worlds, more varied character designs, fantastic adventures, and much more. These two art forms have taken the concept of comics and animation, and have raised them to a whole new level.

Whether that’s good or bad is a subjective issue depending on what your critiquing and what your standards are, but that is what the medium has done. And with manga artists from different countries all over the world starting to create their own series, Japanese anime becoming dubbed in other languages like English, American animated shows starting to implement a Japanese way of storytelling into their works, and with Japanese works being influenced by Western culture, I think it’s safe to say that this is no longer just a form of entertainment that is restricted to Japan alone.

It has become a universal art form that is continuing to grow to this day.

At least, that’s what I believe.

What are your thoughts?

Do you think manga and anime have become universal art forms? Do you think it’s become a movement?

Feel free to share your comments.

Have a Good Day!

#manga #anime #editorial #art form #movement of art

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todayisafridaynight · 9 months

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I wanted to write in about my thoughts on Jo as a CSA survivor separately for a couple of reasons:

I already more or less have what I have to say on the topic in order thanks to talks with @starssystem and another friend [<3]

This is a massive tonal shift from anything else I could be discussing

This Is Massive In General For The Love Of God PLEASE Help Me

Obvious CSA CW for anyone else reading; I only discuss statistics, psychology, and the aftereffects seen in survivors here, but it's worth a warning.

With the disclaimers out of the way… I'd mentioned before I've only ever added one thing to Jo's background, and you were right: this is it! To me, there's so much thematic overlap in Jo's narrative with the experience of surviving CSA it's worth it to examine his character through the lens of that being the case. Of course, there are clearly-stated reasons for it all that Aren't That, but…

It's the pervasive guilt and shame, the lifelong secret that becomes too unbearable not to tell, the faulty coping mechanisms aimed at burying the trauma without having to face it, the reluctance to be sincere [vulnerable] and the lies and half-truths used to maintain the facade of invulnerability, the pursuit of power and control and the knee-jerk anger response when it's threatened, the pursuit of mastery over his body and the indifference to what happens to it. And the way a lot of it really does stem from a deeply traumatic childhood sexual experience from before either he or Ikumi understood what they were getting into, from before they could give informed consent.

Statistically, the further below the average age someone is for their first time, the likelihood of [at best] having been introduced to sex inappropriately and [at worst] having been abused at the time or earlier rises exponentially. Jo was 15 when Masato was conceived--possibly 14, since he was saying he "met" Arakawa at 15, and by then Masato was already born. To put this into perspective, since what ages register as concerning is largely cultural, the average age in the US and UK is 16-18. But in Japan, it's over 19.

To a Westerner [or even a heavily Westernized non-Westerner], having a kid at 15 is unfortunate, but not untenable; you've seen it on TV, you might know people like that, you might even be that kid or that parent. But in Jo's case, with him being 4 or 5 years younger than average, it's like if someone told you they had their first time--had a /kid/--at 13 or under. That's the equivalent discrepancy. That /is/ concerning, to me.

It's also something that's linked to negative outcomes in adulthood, partly because of the likelihood of forming bonds with poorly-adjusted peers. Jo specifically states he and Ikumi were only together because others who came from backgrounds like his own were all he had back then. [As an aside, it's interesting to see him instinctively seek out a relationship where his pain would be understood without having to say anything--or one where he could assume it would, at any rate.]

When it comes to his relationship with Ikumi, I've always felt there was this "adult dynamic" between them--in the sense it feels like one that'd be more fitting for adults to get into than a couple of teens. It was, based on his wording, a primarily physical relationship neither of them expected to last even if they were living together. To me, it's one thing if you're fully convinced you're in love or you're experimenting or whatever and that results in an unplanned pregnancy, but it's another thing entirely to have such a bleak yet objective outlook on your relationship so young.

And it didn't have to be that way. He could've been just like Arakawa, head-over-heels in love with this girl who was The Only Good Thing He Had Going, or something like that. But the sheer contrast between how Arakawa was crazy about Akane and never forgot about her for the rest of his life, while Jo more-or-less-clearly didn't have feelings for Ikumi and can't bring himself to remember her name after living with her for at least a year and experiencing life-changing events with her…

It's notable to me that Arakawa maintains an interest in women while nearly every in-character interpretation I've seen makes Jo averse to women. Obviously, we don't really know that; it's probably just based on his general attitudes, his contrast with Arakawa, and maybe his immunity to Charm. But I think there's a reason a lot of people pick up on it and tie it to trauma rather than/in addition to a lack of interest in women.

I've talked about this through the lens of comphet already [and Jo being gay or ace or both would present other difficulties], but I can't overstate how notable it is on its own. We see Jo's response to traumatic events, and it's to become preoccupied with them, to investigate further if he has any leads. That's why he remembers every minute detail of the night Masato was born and the time he saw Arakawa attempt to comfort Masato when he was crying and hitting himself. I think it's also why he gets as far as he does when looking into Arakawa's death, and why he entrusts the search to Ichi. He never seems to manage to block them out, even if that's what he'd rather do--even if that's what he thinks he's doing.

So if he "[doesn't] even remember" the name of the mother of his child, I get the feeling there's something more going on. Like I've [probably] said in the past, Jo genuinely sounds traumatized by the relationship as a whole. More than anything else he's been through, and he's been through a lot. It's often the case that CSA survivors who are also survivors of other trauma view it as worse than anything else that happened to them.

And that's not to implicate Ikumi at all, I don't think it's a case of COCSA--everything I've said holds just as true for her, and she had to suffer the additional trauma of an unwanted pregnancy and childbirth, at that. Rather, I think it would make sense for something like CSA, which often incontrovertibly reconfigures one's relationship with sex and love, to be a factor in why they rushed into a something physical before they were mature enough to handle it.

Some victims end up having perfectly healthy experiences, some victims end up avoiding them, some victims end up re-victimized, and some victims end up with a mixed bag--there's a lot of variation. But some victims do end up having relationships like this and making mistakes like this, because that's all they know, or because they want to heal but don't [or don't know how to] go about it in a healthy way, at a healthy pace. And I definitely think if you recognize that's what the basis of your relationship was, that it all comes back to something you'd rather forget, it'd make sense to want to forget the relationship as a whole.

To that end, it's possible to come away from a relationship traumatized even if no one did anything wrong. I've [probably] talked about how the way Jo comforts her at the station feels like he's doing it for her sake and pushing his own feelings down, but neither of them is really buying it. If that's a pattern in their relationship, perhaps he wouldn't have been able to communicate if maybe what they were doing was dredging up bad memories, if he wanted to stop but didn't think she did. So to go through with it, then get the news months later…

Either way, the fact Ikumi couldn't bring herself to tell him she was pregnant until nothing could be done would, for Jo, invariably cement the feeling he has no control over what happens around him. I think the sense of powerlessness he felt is why he blew up at her when she told him, because it's really the only time we see him lash out like that at her. At the park, he objects to going back for Masato, sure, but he's passive. And I think that unbroken pattern of powerlessness in his life [which CSA would only compound on] is why he's so reactionary, why he's so emotionally dysregulated, why he expresses his rage through what basically amounts to power-tripping.

But I do think Jo does have a great deal of awareness. A lot of his wording when he's telling Ichi about it borders on poetic, or at the very least candid and effective. That requires both prior reflection and a command of language. I think there's a lot he understands deep down, at least after sitting with it for long enough, but he isn't capable of voicing--or doesn't know how to voice--what's on his mind, most of the time.

So when he joins the Arakawa Family, when he rises the ranks and has that control back, his control has to be near-absolute. If it's undermined in any way--such as, for example, a certain someone failing to answer a call within two rings--he loses it. On the other side of the coin, I do feel a lot of why his devotion and gratitude towards Arakawa goes to the extent it does, why he's so comfortable with him, is because Arakawa gave him the safety of the Arakawa Family, gave him back his autonomy, gave him the environment--and treated him with enough humanity to give him the reason--to learn to regulate himself, to better himself.

And Arakawa /gets/ trauma. He really does. Aside from his own abusive background, literally the only time the word trauma comes out of any character's mouth in this series, it's Arakawa's. It comes back to Jo saying others who came from backgrounds like his own were all he had; that never changed, did it?

Lastly, For Funsies [<- LIE. COMPLETE LIE. TURN BACK NOW] I wanted to go through the items on this [CSA] Survivors' Aftereffects Checklist I could check off with near-certainty. 19/34, by the way, give or take. Now, as I said at the beginning, there are existing concrete reasons for why he has many of these experiences… but it's like the trans allegory with Masato, To Me… If I can check off over half the list based on a very limited backstory and an hour of screen time total, that's indicative of a notable overlap… TO ME…

Note that the book this list is from was published in 1990 and focuses on women's experiences. It was a huge step forward in giving survivors a voice back when a lot of existing research indicated CSA had neutral or even positive effects on children, but it's definitely a product of its time. With that out of the way…

Wearing a lot of clothing, even in summer […]

To be fair, most male characters in RGG are fully-covered and have near-unchanging designs, and it's winter in both 2000/2001 and presumably 2019, but… when it comes to Jo, it feels a little different.

He does have Some Heavage in his twenties [although the necklace takes the attention off of his actual chest], but as time goes on, he shows less and less skin and adds more and more layers. When he has the gloves on, it leaves no skin exposed at all, and there's this direct symbolic correlation with secrecy that isn't there for other characters. And if you're wearing three layers of leather [or even one], you can neither feel what you're touching nor feel anything touch you.

Pure Speculation, but I just can't really see him underdressed for any occasion… That's why his fit in Day with the Sun is funny as hell but also… yeah…

As a behavior, if it's rooted in anything, it's probably rooted in having to hide signs of physical abuse, of course--but then he kind of already had an excuse, with how he was constantly getting into fights. I guess it depends on the specifics, but I think it's interesting to consider this as one way CSA victims attempt to regain control of their bodies, avoiding emotional discomfort at the cost of physical discomfort.

Self-destructiveness

It's nothing super overt, but I see this most clearly represented in his second boss fight in particular; his willingness to wield a blade bare-handed while using enough force he could very well render his hand useless. I think it's potentially also evident in how he has severe cataracts he chooses to ignore and allow to worsen, despite having the reasons and resources to undergo surgery to restore his vision. In doing so, he literally and figuratively blinds himself to so much.

I also kind of think the assassination of Hoshino/the anonymous call and The Eye Scene are examples of self-sabotage. I mean, he literally was sabotaging himself in the former, but it's also the specific way he feels the need to be physically taken down in order to be stopped--possibly a holdover from RGGJo, who's only too happy to be beaten into a coma.

I don't know… It's hard to pinpoint, but I feel like he would be averse to most of the more "obvious" self-destructive behaviors--especially when he has people in his life who might notice and worry, like Ikumi and Arakawa. That and because many of them are addictive. He's seen what that's done to his father, and he's also developed this incredibly rigid sense of discipline he can't maintain if he doesn't have a clear head.

From how he talks about himself [as having lost his humanity and lived a half-assed life], I definitely think he's at the very least unkind to himself, but I also think he does externalize it by provoking others to harm him [in the case of physical fights] and reject him. Like he needs some kind of proxy perpetrator. For some abuse victims, this specific manifestation of self-destructive behavior is a way to regain control--whether or not you "deserved it" back then, you do now, as a direct, logical result of your actions.

Need to be invisible, perfect, or perfectly bad

I think each of these needs manifests in different ways for Jo. The need to be invisible can be seen with authority figures (mainly Aoki, but also Arakawa in The Yubitsume Scene, a little; how drastically he pulls back and tries to act "normal")--this relates to what you were talking about with being reluctant to intrude or take up space. If you fall under the radar, maybe you won't get hurt.

The need to be perfect can be seen in his seemingly "impossible" standards, I would say. Of course, because we see things from Ichiban's perspective, we tend to see them as unfair and often arbitrary demands. But they aren't arbitrary to Jo, are they? They're standards he holds himself to through and through. If you're good, maybe you won't get hurt.

The need to be perfectly bad can be seen in and relates to much of what I discussed under self-destructiveness [The Eye Scene and the way he antagonizes Ichiban specifically by making himself out to be worse than he is]. If you must get hurt, it can at least "make sense"--be "deserved."

Suicidal thoughts, attempts, obsession (including "passive suicide")

Obviously he's not like… Mine Levels Of Overtly And Consistently Suicidal, and he doesn't attempt suicide himself, but at the same time, I have to note his total ambivalence towards Aoki seeing him as a "bullet" (a kind of hitman sent on suicide missions). He agreed to what he himself viewed as a suicide mission and he didn't care what would happen to him afterward, as he says to Joon-gi, Zhao, and Adachi.

Aside from that, I certainly feel he's at least had passive thoughts like wanting to disappear or wishing he'd never been born. Y'know. Nothing concrete, but reflective of his mental state, and just as detrimental to dwell on long-term.

I think there's a sort of childishness [for lack of a better word] to thoughts like these [in that they're impossible], but also a level of maturity in that it probably doesn't escalate to something more actionable because he understands he has responsibilities he can't abandon. I think if he was ever seriously suicidal, it would be at the points of his life where he really didn't have any responsibility to anyone, like between Ikumi leaving and him joining the family, or after he was arrested.

Depression (sometimes paralyzing) […]

I'm trying not to over explain going forward because I Have BEEN Overexplaining It Is SUCH A Disaster… he's depressed If You Have Eyes And/Or Ears… I'll leave it at that…

Anger issues; inability to recognize, own, or express anger; constant anger […]

Lol

Rigid control of one's thought process; humorlessness or extreme solemnity

Relates back to what I was saying about how disciplined he is [and expects everyone else to be], but in general, he's incredibly, incredibly serious and focused. I don't think he's /entirely/ humorless [but then again, very few people are]; I just think his specific sense of humor is. Like. What Is Your Problem [I Know What Your Problem Is I Have Been Discussing It In EXCRUCIATING Detail But What The Fuck Is Your Problem]

Trust issues; inability to trust (trust is not safe); total trust; trusting indiscriminately

That's why he was planning on taking his secret to the grave, isn't it? It was only when faced with the realization it would soon be too late to say anything that he was able to tell Ichiban. He could've trusted Arakawa, should've been able to, but… in his mind he never could.

This book [and this checklist] is about "incest" actually, but it redefines "incest" to mean any instance of CSA perpetrated by any individual the victim trusts or has an expectation of being able to implicitly trust. Which… is most CSA as we understand it today, so I've edited some parts to just say that.

Anyway, I've never given much thought to the specifics of what Jo might've experienced--who did it, what happened, how long it went on, etc.--so there's no conclusion I can draw here [and elsewhere, I'm sure]… but even without that, to grow up unable to trust the one person who should be in his corner, his father, and to have his trust betrayed by Ikumi, it's no surprise Jo ended up like this either way. So… I'm happy he had the courage to tell Ichi, in the end.

High risk taking ("daring the fates"); inability to take risks

I think these are supposed to be mutually exclusive, but to me, Hoshino's assassination and Arakawa's assassination represent both sides of the coin, although they're not the only examples. There are risks Jo won't think twice about taking and risks that paralyze him.

Boundary issues; control, power, territoriality issues; fear of losing control; obsessive/compulsive behaviors (attempts to control things that don't matter, just to control something)

Lol…

Guilt, shame; low self-esteem, feeling worthless; high appreciation of small favors by others

Lmao Even…

Feeling demand to "produce and be loved"; instinctively knowing and doing what the other person needs or wants; relationships mean big tradeoffs (love was taken, not given)

I actually think this encapsulates a lot of what I've been saying about his work ethic, his ideas of discipline, and his relationship with Ikumi, but I also think it's why Masato took a liking to him. His attentiveness. It ties back into wanting to be perfect; when you're abused--especially long-term--you become attuned to observing and responding to any shifts in mood or tone. This is another area where I can't draw any conclusions relevant to my point, but it does certainly relate to his father's abuse, at any rate.

Abandonment issues

Kind of contentious… The anticipation of being abandoned by or losing someone he cares about appears to be worse than the actual experience. He's fine with Ikumi leaving him, and he's… not Fine With, but able to come to terms with Arakawa's death and Aoki's abandonment of him. At the same time, he really does try to make Ikumi's stay in his life comfortable, and he spends almost forty years doing his damnedest to keep his family together, whatever the cost. If I were to extrapolate from RGGJo, though, /he/ does have an obsessive, unhealthy attachment to Arakawa.

Blocking out some period of early years (especially 1–12); or a specific person or place

Ikumiiiiii that's what I'm SAYINGGGG

Feeling of carrying an awful secret; urge to tell, fear of its being revealed; certainty no one will listen; being generally secretive […]

Rofl Perhaps…

Denial; […] repression of memories; pretending; minimizing ("it wasn't that bad") […]

He admits to it himself. Not much else to say. Though I don't think he necessarily minimizes what he's been through by dismissing how bad it was; rather, he tends to overestimate his ability to move past it.

Pattern of ambivalent or intensely conflictive relationships (intimacy is a problem; also focus shifted from [CSA] issues)

Also kind of contentious… we don't see a pattern of romantic relationships, as I assume the author meant here, but at the same time, the romantic relationship and non-romantic relationships we do see fit this pattern. I guess I'd say I definitely think intimacy /would/ be a problem, and he /wouldn't/ be ready to address his issues.

Limited tolerance for happiness; active withdrawal from happiness, reluctance to trust happiness ("ice=thin")

The quote that prompted this ask in the first place. It's sort of connected to the point about humorlessness and extreme solemnity; if that was the "what," this is the "why." He doesn't know how to relax ["holidays don't exist" and all], he doesn't have much to be happy about, but even rarer is the occasion where he doesn't feel too conflicted in the moment to be able to enjoy himself. That's just how I see him.

[…] verbal hypervigilance (careful monitoring of one's words); quiet-voiced, especially when needing to be heard

EXACTLY what I was talking about in this ask, so I'm leaving that one up to past me…

......

... That's It That's The Essay I'm going to hibernate until Infinite Wealth comes out and somehow refutes my points but UNTIL THEN. Farewell, take care, and once more, don't worry too much about matching my energy… Like I Said if I were the one receiving this ask I'd just delete my blog, so… I'll just be happy to know you read it :] If That lmao

ok i read it :) 👁️👁️ READMYTAGSTHERESMORETHEREIPROMISE

#long post #cw csa #doublin up to add cw warnins in the tags just in case <3 lemme know if i should throw more tags down here..... im bad at cw tags....#i forget my bookmark tag for asks from you i stg if i cant find this ask in the future im kmsing (in minecraft) immediately #snap chats #THE SNORT I MADE AT THE DEADPAN 'LOL'☠️ maybe i SHOULDVE put text In The Main Text i have A Lot of Thoughts..#im leavin the main text empty since. ngl i was just gonna compare/contrast to myself again... and say a lot of what weve said b4..#UNFORTUNATELY a lot of the things listed here uhmmmm Hm <3 Uh Oh <3 i do understand. Dare I Say personally. just a bit #I DO HAVE TO DISCLAIM ive never been a survivor of THOSE circumstances or really. any abuse tbh- brain just sucks and im a baby #and i cant say no BUT ANYWAY I HAVE REASONS FOR BEIN AN EGOTIST I SWEAR its cause I Somewhat had those exps/i understand them #i can REAAAALLLYY easily see where your points are coming from.... very easily even... like very in-depth..#even if i didnt cry bout spilled milk every other day it IS clear to see the signs of abuse in sawashiro once you know them #i've def talked bout those aspects of him whether in tag rambles or in streams or have Attempted to express it via fics #so really the bits to chew on for me esp this time round is the more CSA aspects #tbh when it comes to bein unable to see him intimate or 'underdressed' i agree: incredibly hard for me to imagine #the thing with 'symptoms' of abuse is that they kinda overlap i guess ??#in that regard it can either be a need to impress or protect himself/needing to be seen less #when it comes to doing certain things because of CSA i could see it as a result of another abuse too. if that makes sense #THOUGH THAT ISNT TO DISCREDIT THE IDEA nono cause there still exists the Now That I Think About It circumstances of masato #even if we look at it through Western Norms(TM) two- essentially homeless- kids having. A Kid is still bizarre #cause again teen pregnancies generally happen as a result of Bein Irresponsible With A Schoolmate- not that other situations cant exist #but thats the most common innit so. def an aspect to consider. All Things Considered. esp jo's self-separation from ikumi #BUT YEAH i feel like if i try to respond im just gonna end up typing up a textbook bout abuse since. UNFORTUNATELY #childhood psychology is my field of interest. and aint no one readin THAT phat thing. esp when ill prob repeat myself or you ☠️#tbh remindin meself of when i said id write psyche papers on mine and/or jo.... oops 👀💋👀 savin this to steal notes from LOL #i hope yo know i WAS thoroughly intrigued reading this. As Ive Said childhood psyche is Literally My Field and this is v thorough and good #so im always interested in readin bout How X Caused Y in Z... very interesting many MANY things to think about.. ty...#forever cursed to be an idiot cause i really wish i could talk better and say somethin of substance.. ik you said its fine but still..#im always open to chat bout this more if youd like PLEASE dont think my lack of Main Text is disinterest Im Just Stupid. But We Know That

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