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overdevelopedglasses · 6 months

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Tojoctober Day 29 - Haven

(Naa Tonight, chikai no)

Alt title is from Tonight -restart from this night-

Ichiban has a strange vision…

(Kiwami and LaD spoilers)

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Ichiban’s senses come into focus. The immediate sensation that hits him is his body swaying slightly, like he’s on a boat resting in calm waters.

As his vision fully comes into focus, he realizes he is on a boat. The hardwood deck is illuminated in a soft glow, but the string lights and lamps that dot the area are all turned off. Ichiban looks up into the clear night sky, and the source of the light reveals itself as a full moon.

Ichiban gazes back to eye level, and sees a figure standing before him, leaning against the deck railing. As he approaches, he makes out more details of this person. A white-on-black suit, white tie, loose shoulder-length black hair and eyes that reflect what Ichiban could only read as a soft regret.

“So we finally meet, Ichiban Kasuga of the Tojo’s Arakawa Family.”

Ichiban cocks an eyebrow. “You’re…?”

The man thinks for a second, before giving him a slight bow, “Akira Nishikiyama. Former patriarch of the Tojo Clan.”

“Nishikiyama…?” Ichiban shuts his eyes to think for a second. The name sounds familiar, but he can’t place when or where he heard of it.

He hears Nishikiyama chuckle, “It’s probably for the better that you haven’t heard of me, Kasuga-san.”

“How do you know me?” Ichiban opens his eyes, and starts to walk towards him.

Nishikiyama turns his back to Ichiban, resting his arms on the railing. “Let’s just say… I’ve been watching over you.”

“Okay…” Ichiban feels like questioning it, but his instinct tells him to take this at face value for once.

Nishikiyama looks over his shoulder at the dragonfish. “You’re in a haven. You’re safe here, I’ll make sure of it.”

Ichiban lets out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding. He joins Nishikiyama by the railing, leaning over it and peering into the deep blue water. His mind somewhat notes the lack of reflections in the water before turning his attention to this mysterious person.

“I haven’t just been watching you, Kasuga-san. I’ve been watching the whole of the clan, and those inextricably intertwined with it.” “The whole clan?”

“Well,” Nishikiyama muses, “parts of it. I’d see many members get sworn in as patriarchs of families. I’ve seen oath brothers aplenty take vows together. I’ve seen the clan almost crumble, and then finally falling. I’ve seen figures of Tojo legend grow, shape the future, and disappear.”

Nishikiyama’s expression turns grim. “I’ve seen some members clash with a dragon, and meet fates similar to my own.”

“Did you clash with a dragon?”

Nishikiyama looks down at the water. “For people like me, it’s inevitable for that battle to happen. But what comes from our defeat is up to us.”

He turns to face Ichiban again, “Your brother was the closest out of all of us to redemption.”

Ichiban’s heart seizes, “Young master… is he-” Ichiban’s train of thought is interrupted by Nishikiyama’s hand on his shoulder.

He gives Ichiban a soft smile. “That, I cannot tell you. Some things are best left to the wind, Kasuga-san.”

“What about you?” Ichiban asks.

“Well, compared to what happened to some other people, look at me. I’m a part of this haven as well.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, think about it. I’ve been able to watch the clan for so long. I’ve seen history repeat itself at this rate. From the looks of things, the cycle’s been delayed, at least.”

“Wait, does that mean you-”

Ichiban feels the world lurch. He blinks, and sees the moon sitting on the horizon in front of them.

“Shit. We’re out of time, Kasuga-san.”

“Huh?” Ichiban says, stumbling forward, chest slamming into the railing, and feeling very lethargic.

“Just… I probably shouldn’t ask for this, but can you do me a favor?”

“What is it?” Ichiban barely replies, as he feels everything slipping away. His vision goes white, his body starts to float, and the last thing he registers is Nishikiyama’s request:

“Take care of my brother.”

#tojoctober #yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #rgg #ichiban kasuga #akira nishikiyama #bit of a stretch for the prompt...#BUT I WENT THERE #anyway the next day is when Ichiban reunites with Kiryu... you're welcome >:)#I finally have a good direction on where to go with my ideas for tomorrow and day 31 #i'm so excited yippee

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kingofthewilderwest · 4 years

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what do you think of the ending of fmab? do you think it was well-written how ed was able to give up his gate of truth? i personally think it's a deus ex machina bc even if it WAS possible to give away your gate, it's kinda cheap that it has the same worth as Al's soul when it was established souls are invaluable. also even if ed did learn alchemy isnt all too great, i can still never see him choosing alchemy over their bodies even before he learned this lesson

I think it’s a downright *BRILLIANT* ending.

I would say it’s clearly planned from the beginning. Arakawa established the rules of equivalent exchange from the start. And one of the things she shows is that Ed could trade his leg for Al’s soul. I’m more used to hearing the FMA fandom joking about that exchange rather than Ed exchanging Al’s body and soul for the Gate of Truth, a gateway which is so powerful that entering inside of it provides you with all knowledge and understanding of the universe, not to mention the power of alchemy, which allows you to manipulate matter in magic-esque ways with ease. To me, it’s weirder to swap a leg with a soul, but I accepted the premise there (given as it’s a soul without a body, I can fly with it), so I’m more than fine accepting the exchange of Ultimate Knowledge And Power Of Everything with one human’s life.

Given as every character has a gateway, and it’s tied up into your identity, it seems just as plausible to me that someone could give up your gateway, just as you can a soul, or a leg, or your eyesight.

And it’s to note that... Truth has a say in the exchange. Ed is still the person offering his gate; Truth is the being accepting it. Truth approves of Ed’s loophole. Truth is the arbiter who takes things away when someone commits the taboo of Human Transmutation, and Truth intentionally takes away body parts that are representative of the person’s flaw. Truth knew about Ed’s arrogance from the beginning; Truth knows about what Ed learns now.

And what is it that Ed has learned?

As far as Ed and lessons, I believe that Ed giving up his ability to do alchemy is the entire demonstration of Ed learning a lesson. It’s the culmination of his character growth arc, in a way.

Ed started as an arrogant character, one who believed alchemy was the ultimate way in which he could solve challenges - in some ways, rise above humanity's struggles. Alchemy will provide a solution to saving their bodies, too, he believes. Throughout the series, Ed and Al realize that they're only human. Moments like being unable to save Nina, or witnessing the birth in Rush Valley, or going through all the near-deaths they have in their adventures... make them see that what's truly great about humanity is its... humanity. Ed becomes humbled in understanding what he can and can't do, and at the same time, comes to find where the greatest value in his experiences are: his friends and family and the people around him.

FMA lets us know humanity's abilities are limited. We can't do everything. We can't raise the dead. We can't create life from nothing. This is all interconnected into the scholarship of Amestrian alchemy, especially as taught by Izumi: all living things are small in the grand scheme of the universe, but they’re interconnected into something incredible. We are one part of All is One and One is All. BUT. Humanity is also beautiful in what it can do: unite together, help one another, live together, fight for what's right. And as the FMA manga and FMAB shows, humanity is a beautiful thing, and all of human life should be cherished. It doesn't matter if you're a chimera, or a soul bound to armor, or Ishvalan, or Amestrian, or Xingese: your life is profoundly beautiful and worth being saved.

It’s to note that the reason the good guys win against Father is because of FMAB’s theme of how humanity unified is the ultimate best thing of humanity. It’s this bonding strength of humanity that allows them to defeat Father. It’s the Dwarf in the Flask’s downfall to underestimate the power of working together over brute power and alchemical doings.

Likewise, the solution to getting Al’s body back isn’t alchemy: it’s the bond of the human spirit.

Ed giving up alchemy isn't a throwaway last minute deus ex machina, I’d say, because it’s integrated into the biggest themes of the story and the plot developments and Ed’s character development and more. By the end of the series, Ed has become humbler and wiser in acknowledging the limits of alchemy and the strength of humanity. It’s Ed having learned his lesson that alchemy is not all-powerful, to the point that it’s fine to give it up... to sacrifice it, in the ultimate act of solidarity to be with his brother.

The way I read you describing Ed’s exchange, you’re suggesting Ed never learned alchemy isn’t too great, or that Ed wouldn’t prioritize alchemy over physical bodies. Yet I think that Ed giving up alchemy is the culmination of an entire series of Ed learning better about alchemy’s strengths and weaknesses, and Ed growing into appreciating the strength of human character. Ed isn’t just trading clappy science for bodies here. Ed is making a trade to get what he finds most important: a promise to his brother kept, and a sacrifice to make his brother and him move forward in their personal lives. What Ed finds the more important thing isn’t the power of alchemy... but what he can do as a human with his brother.

ALL of Al is now trapped behind the gate... without this exchange, Ed would never be with his brother again. And that bond Ed has forged with Al was always powerful from the start of the series, and inseparable, and deeper than his love for alchemy. And Ed, with an even greater appreciation for the human spirit at the end of the journey, is more than prepared to drop alchemy for a human bond.

Ed giving up alchemy is fine because he's human, and will be able to experience the great things of human life without alchemy. He'll be able to be with his brother again. He'll be able to live a life with Winry. Alchemy isn't needed for that. Alchemy can't save everything, anyway - they couldn't save Nina with it. Ed's much less arrogant than before, and is willing to give up alchemy for something he understands is much more beautiful and important.

I’m sorry that this is a skimpy (for me) response, because I’m writing off the top of my head rather than pulling open the text and posting in manga graphics demonstrating my points. It would be fun to talk about this in more depth. Analyzing specific quotes and scenes throughout the manga and anime. Looking in depth at that final conversation with Truth. That stuff. But. I also recognize I have significantly less time in my life than I have in eras past. So I hope this answer suffices! In short, I feel like Arakawa had this ending planned from the start, interwove it with many important concepts that she developed through the series, and came up with a CLEVER AS FUCK loophole as to how Ed and Al can exit Truth’s presence whole - the brothers, who have shown to be intertwined in their beings throughout the series, can now walk together out one door.

#analysis #my analysis #FMA #FMAB #Fullmetal Alchemist #Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood #Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood #non-dragons #ask #ask me #awesome anonymous friend #anonymous #Elric brothers #Elric family #Edward Elric #Alphonse Elric #Truth #Father #Anonymous

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cloneslugs · 3 years

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7 thoughts dump -__- disclaimer that it's one of the games i will need a 2nd playthrough for so any negativity is kind of shaky

climax + everything unfolding in ch12 (-ch13) kind of weird pacing esp ch12 but it's whatever the weird jump suddenly helping the tojo clan (w majima + saejima + kiryu (+ daigo)) was not to my taste between solving polit drama, ik it's all intertwined and it throws arakawa back on the good guys team ~☆just like he was always meant to be☆~ but whatever.. at a certain point i think the story would feel stronger w/o shoehorning past characters which imo is what made JE so strong as a standalone/new chapter/new story but it's not like seeing them ruined anything and they are my friends (:

double coin locker baby is actually surpassing rubber bullets saejima for "i know theres a twist coming up but this was the last thing i expected" i figured arakawa just lied about maybe having twins or something, and tangent off of that but (and idk masato's reasonin for things yet, but Ichi asking why he's so afraid to fail stuck w me) but idk if i would prefer he knew if Ichi was his bio son or not bc i feel like if he did know than like masato's whole issue (that i think he has?) w his dad favoring Ichi is kind of :/ i always figured it was something since they're both born new years (eve) so it's whatever i kind of wish it was less stupid but ik that's asking for a lot </3

I actually really like Masato + Sawashiro as characters they are honestly some of my favorite antagonists <3 i liked Sawashiro more before he started like tattling on himself and feeling guilty bc like once he explained everything it was kind of :/ like i would rather him be calculating evil than like . coward who cant even really own up to his shit + the subsequent trying to make you feel sorry for him -__-, Masato i just really love + there's stuff i wish he hadn't done so i could like really give him my heart but hes a giant asshole so he just gets </3 i really like his relationship w Sawashiro and how it reflects on his relationship w Arakawa but </3

Arakawa i shifted between liking to disliking to liking to disliking his final scene before dying was actually really </3 he's one of the few rgg dads i can almost get behind bc he actually feels guilty for using Ichi as a pawn rather than person + im glad that he addresses how fucked up he was, and then Ichi's blind loyalty + forgiveness is really</3 i still think he was a pos dad though -__-

overall rn i think the story jumps to a lot of diff focuses from the omi v tojo to gov drama to tojo vs gov + etc etc etc it reminds me of k2 or maybe even 6 or 4 in the sense i need to really double down for a clearer look at all the parts working together

#text tag #7 spoilers #mostly ch12 + ch13 -__- too jumbled to focus on prior stuff rn

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elizabeththetroublemaker · 5 years

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30 DAYS OF FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST CHALLENGE

• Day 7 - Favorite Ship

Royai

I don't even now where to start. I just think this is the most iconical ship I've ever seen. There's something about the two of them that makes me want to root for their love. And the fact that Arakawa sensei let us know them so well, only added fuel to the fire: their intertwined past, their mutual trust, their fellowship in war crimes... There are things about love I only understood by watching the two of them. And one of these is that love is not always happiness. Love is not always about cuddling and kissing and make each other happy. Love is help keeping it together. Love is promise to be there even when things are a mess. Love is sacrifice feelings in order to accomplish your dreams. Love is forgiving. Love is accepting. Love is looking over someone when this is the only thing you can do for them.

There are dark sides on both Roy and Riza's character, but the thing is, they are the only person who can decide to accept these sides. Their destiny is intertwined from the very start, and they are each other keys to freedom.

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beneaththetangles · 4 years

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Otaku Reader’s Corner: Love Me, Love Me Not, Kuma Kuma, Kuma, Bear and The Way of the Househusband

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Vol. 1) (light novel)

When a shut-in girl gets isekai’d to the world of her favorite MMORPG, she’s given a set of bear pajamas that are both embarrassing and ridiculously overpowered. This title is definitely panda-ing to fans of fluffy slice-of-life isekai with low stakes and easily-solved conflicts, which might put off some grizzled fans, but if that is your cup of honey tea, then this is a fine read. That said, the actual writing feels a bit too simplistic. I normally like to read light novels as opposed to anime or manga because the extra words allow for more insight into the thoughts of the characters, but here it just goes from one event to the next, while bearly giving Yuna a chance to reflect on what’s going on around her. As such, this is one case where I feel like either a manga adaptation or the upcoming anime adaptation would be more bearable. – stardf29

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Vol. 1) is available through Amazon (light novel).

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Vol. 1) (manga)

Thankfully, there is a manga adaptation that has also been released, and I liked it a lot. While it only covers about half of the first novel’s story, it is full of the unbearable cuteness of Yuna in her bear costume, and naturally allows for the constant flow of events to work in its favor. Maybe it’s a polarizing opinion to say that the adaptation is better than the source but I did like the manga more than the light novel in this case (though I still liked the novel enough that I plan to continue with it). Either way, this is a sweet, cuddly series worth bearing in mind if you’re up for something lighthearted. – stardf29

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Vol. 1) is available through Amazon (manga).

The Way of the Househusband (Vol. 3)

The whole routine of a yakuza turned househusband has got to get old, right? Right? After three full volumes, the answer is nope, at least not yet. The thing about Way of the Househusband is that the attentive reader knows what the gag will be, knows it’s coming, and even knows that it revolves entirely around a former yakuza acting and speaking like a yakuza still but acting as a great househusband instead, and yet the jokes consistently hit, chapter after chapter. And because the laughs keep coming, if you read the volume through it feels as if there’s a rise in the comedy. By the time I’m 2/3 through and seeing Tatsu’s former boss calling his newly dressed pup a “widdle cutie,” I’ve busted a gut. Can we hurry up and get our anime adaptation? – Twwk

Way of the Househusband (Vol. 3) is available through Viz.

My Dress-Up Darling (Vol. 1)

My Dress-Up Darling is a manga series I would never have picked up on my own. However, I won the first volume in a Twitter contest from Manga Mogura, so had to check it out! It was…very fan service-y. Yet, even so, I felt myself drawn to the character driven story between Wakana Gojo and Marin Kitagawa. He’s a hina doll dress maker, she’s an aspiring cosplayer. The two just seem to match up in an interesting way. I can see the series progressing where Marin continues to help bring Wakana out of his shell. The series is rated mature and Marin’s first cosplay is for an eroge with…very adult themes, so I would definitely not recommend it for younger readers. That said, I enjoyed volume 1 and am interested in checking out volume 2 when it drops in August. – MDMRN

My Dress-Up Darling (Vol 1) is available through Square-Enix.

Love Me, Love Me Not (Vol. 1)

It’s been a long time since I’ve jumped into shoujo, but I had to try Love Me, Love Me Not (Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare), which has become beloved among fans of the genre in this generation. The results? Well, if volume one is any indication, I might just have fallen into the shoujo trap once again. The opening chapters carefully delineate the differences between Yuna, who has a “one true love” mentality toward romance, and Akari, who is more willing to date and less head-in-the-clouds. But there’s an underlying tension there, between the girls who become friends, and the boys intertwined in their lives, that creates a welcome discomfort in the midst of all the doki doki. I will definitely be continuing this series! – Twwk

Love Me, Love Me Not (Vol. 1) is available through Viz.

Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha! (Chap.1-3)

I have never used Shonen Jump app before, so after getting access to it recently I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I’m not a big manga reader, as I prefer watching anime, but manga often have these one-shots that are interesting. This one based on Dragon Ball was pretty funny. It deals with a Japanese student while walking with a friend, wants to check out a girl who has a short skirt. He slips whlie running down some stairs, dies, and is reincarnated as Yamcha! After realizing this sudden change of life, he decides to train hard so he isn’t defeated by the Saibaman in the Vegeta/Nappa battle. I won’t ruin the plot, but it’s a fun and short read for DBZ fans and it pokes fun at some of the plot of the series. I hope I can find more of these stories from other series in Shonen Jump! – samuru

Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha! is available through Shonen Jump.

Your Lie in April (Vol. 7)

Kodansha’s late May Humble Bundle included ALL of Your Lie in April. As I had been reading it pre-pandemic from the library, I had to jump on it. Let me tell you, it’s an emotional roller coaster. However, you probably already knew that from how often we’ve discussed the anime here. With each successive volume, the artwork continues to be gorgeous. I can’t get over what Arakawa can present on the page and the emotions they evoke through the artwork. Reading this while I’m also doing a re-watch of the anime has been interesting as I witness the subtle differences between the two. It’s been good and I’m so glad I’m finally able to continue my journey through this series. – MDMRN

Your Lie in April (Vol. 7) is available through Amazon.

#Manga #Light Novels #Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear #The Way of the House Husband #Love Me Love Me Not #My Dress Up Darling #Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha!#Your Lie in April #Dragon Ball Gaiden: Tensei shitara Yamcha Datta Ken #Gokushufudou #Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru #Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso #Articles #Author: stardf29 #Author: TWWK #Author: MDMRN #Author: Samuru

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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OPINION: Mamoru Oshii's Haunting Dystopias Were More Prescient Than You Remember

Mamoru Oshii, best known for his film adaptations of Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell, is a legendary figure within the anime kingdom. Like many millennial anime fans, I first watched a few of his movies as a kid. I always enjoyed the stunning animation and cyberpunk aesthetics, but the cerebral jargon and excessive dialogue went over my head. The philosophical and ruminative nature of Oshii’s sci-fi anime often felt inaccessible for me mentally.

Thankfully, in my adult years, I’ve finally discovered — and actually understand — some of the rich thematic qualities of Oshii’s movies. One such quality is his uncanny ability to envision dystopian futures that strikingly mirror actual social and political realities of our current era. In celebration of his birthday, I’ll be exploring three of his films — Patlabor 2, Ghost in the Shell, and Jin-Roh — to uncover the ways Oshii has made predictions and philosophical inquiries that are shockingly relevant to today. Let’s dive in!

Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993)

Patlabor 2: The Movie centers on a former JGSDF (Japan Ground-Self Defense Force) officer named Tsuge who wreaks havoc on Japan in an attempt to start a bitter war, in retaliation for the bureaucratic heartlessness that caused the deaths of the soldiers he once commanded. The movie thematically departs from the bulk of the series it stems from. Even differing from Oshii’s previous Patlabor film, Patlabor 2 delves into heavy questions still relevant now about what constitutes true peace for a nation, and whether a false peace is preferable to a truthful war.

One scene in particular explicates this theme in depth. A protagonist named Gotoh ruminates on the words spoken to him by a character named Arakawa. Arakawa mentions the many global wars that exist and says "economic prosperity is based on demand created by those countless wars. Its hands are made of blood. That’s the stuff our peace is made of. An unabashed lust for peace based on an unmitigated terror of war. An unjust peace where we avert our eyes from the foreign wars in which others pay the price for that peace."

Although Arakawa turns out to be an antagonist in the film, his speech still describes a very prescient truth: the robust capitalist economies of many first-world nations at least partially come from corporations that create products for warfare. Often, these wars take place in developing nations that suffer greatly from the warfare, while other countries reap the profits and enjoy the comfort of relative safety. The presence of this sort of false peace — a peace based on the suffering of others — is exactly what leads to Tsuge’s vengeful actions, a plot meant to highlight the hypocrisy and violence that undergirds many modern-day comforts.

Profiting off of warfare is certainly not a recent world development, but it also isn’t getting any better. Oshii is a master of subtlety and, true to his style, allows audiences to come to their own conclusions about the strikingly pertinent political and social themes explored in Patlabor 2.

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

While Patlabor 2 dealt with the reality that many nations maintain peace based on warfare elsewhere in the globe, Oshii’s acclaimed Ghost in the Shell adaptation makes hauntingly accurate predictions about our individual dependence on technological advancements. These predictions correlate surprisingly well with our relationships with smartphones, social media, and our own identities.

In one scene, the central protagonist Motoko Kusanagi tells her partner Batou that they’d both be free to resign from Section 9 — their employer — if they wished. However, they’d have to return their cybernetic bodies, along with their memories. Motoko then elaborates on how humans are composed of many different elements and characteristics that make up their whole "self." Modern technological advancements have not reached the heights seen in Ghost in the Shell, and there aren’t a myriad of cybernetically-enhanced people (as far as I know) with cyborg bodies on loan from a corporation. Still, this scene makes a very prophetic statement about how our dependence on technology grows with each new advancement.

This sequence highlights how in a profit-centric world, businesses and organizations — or Section 9, in the case of the film — are often the entities who ultimately own these ubiquitous technological products, which naturally increases our reliance on the services they provide to our daily lives. In terms of a 2020 example, any of us could choose to stop using our smartphones, just as Motoko could quit Section 9. But this isn’t as easy as it seems when you consider the consequences, one being that many people today rely on these devices for work. Food app delivery workers and Uber drivers are just a couple examples of occupations that not only heavily rely on, but actually require, the use of smartphones for employment.

Motoko’s rumination about our reliance on technology is also reflected in our relationship with smartphones and social media. At least in certain countries, social media usage and smartphones are heavily intertwined. Social media platforms are also where we fashion our identity in view of others, where we are influenced by others, and where the spectacle and sheen of our daily life gets reconfigured to tell the tale of who we "are." Especially in the age of COVID-19, digital social interaction is more important and ubiquitous than ever. So letting go of smartphones and social media accounts in turn would entail more than a simple abandonment of a technological object; for anyone who doesn’t also own a laptop or another internet-accessible device, it would mean the erasure of social connection and the bulk of one’s interpersonal contact.

Finally, GitS explores identity further as it connects to memory itself. Knowing that false memories can be implanted in a cybernetic body like hers, Motoko wonders if her memories are true and if she's real at all. This ties back to our modern era by way of social networking. Most people used to get actual physical photos developed, but one glance at Facebook "memories" shows that is rarely the case in 2020. Today we digitally upload photos to Instagram or Facebook, and both mediums are digital archives ultimately owned by larger businesses whose lasting stability is questionable. I used MySpace all the time years ago, where I had life experiences in the form of photos, posts, and conversations that I can no longer access due to the company’s decline and acquisition. If someone's primary way of documenting those past memories — and in turn, their very identity — were strictly on MySpace, what would that mean now? How truly real are memories I can never revisit, having relied on an online platform that I presumed would always exist? These are the sorts of questions Oshii’s masterful Ghost in the Shell urges us to consider about our current world.

Jin-Roh (1999)

Jin-Roh is perhaps Oshii’s bleakest sci-fi excursion. The film centers around a soldier named Fuse who fails to shoot a "terrorist" delivering a bomb and takes place in an alternate Tokyo where — as the description reads — “a totalitarian government rules with an iron fist.” Whereas Patlabor 2 explored warfare and Ghost in the Shell analyzed technological ties with identity, Jin-Roh tackles poverty’s connection to social unrest and the increased militarization of the police within many nations.

The opening minutes of the film says that after Japan lost the war, massive social unrest and economic hardships became common for much of the country. This in turn led to rampant unemployment and urban migration that led to violent crime, anti-government retaliation, and large portions of cities turning into slums. Though Jin-Roh is set within an alternate universe, Oshii keenly shows the very real connection between poverty and violence, and how social disenfranchisement and the inability to fulfill basic needs often leads people to take extreme measures outside the law. This is a reality that undeniably exists today.

In response to the crime and anti-totalitarian demonstrations, the government creates a special unit of militarized soldiers called the Special Unit. The added violence created by this Special Unit only leads to the further radicalization of a guerilla group named the Sect and creates what the film describes as "urban war zones." Very similar to now, the widespread societal dissatisfaction mirrors the wave of protests spreading across the world against police brutality and the murders of Black people. Oshii’s futuristic vision proves itself accurate once again, as the militarized Special Unit very closely resembles the increase in militarized police weaponry, gear, and presence seen in many countries within recent years.

In all of his sci-fi films, Mamoru Oshii provides trenchant and at times, creepily accurate predictions about political, technological, and societal relations of the future. Perhaps it’s now more than ever that we should be revisiting his thought-provoking works.

What's your favorite dystopian work by Mamoru Oshii? Which theme sticks out most to you in his films? Let me know in the comments below!

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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animeindoblog-blog · 6 years

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UQ HOLDER! ~Mahou Sensei Negima! 2~ – An Impossible Task, Done Fine-ish

New Post has been published on https://animeindo.org/blog/2017/12/24/uq-holder-mahou-sensei-negima-2-an-impossible-task-done-fine-ish/

UQ HOLDER! ~Mahou Sensei Negima! 2~ – An Impossible Task, Done Fine-ish

A rare battle scene where no one’s naked.

Akamatsu Ken manga are notoriously difficult to adapt. Unlike, say, Arakawa Hiromu, whose manga can damn near be used as storyboards, Akamatsu-sensei takes too many diversions, adds too many characters, takes too long getting to the point, and adds in too many chapters that seem like (and occasionally are) just silly fluff. The end result as a manga is delightful—his action is stirring, his comedy is hilarious, and he can deftly switch between world-ending drama and goofy romcom hijinks in the middle of a scene—but too much of it depends on the particular eccentricities of manga, which don’t always translate comfortably to anime. (Ex: he’s a master of slipping extra side comments into a panel that are super hilarious, but which would eat up too much time in an anime.) His stories amble toward their ultimate conclusions, but the entire trip really is important. Without it, you’re getting a shell of a story. The only real way to adapt an Akamatsu Ken manga properly is to adapt every single chapter, even the ones that don’t seem important, because they are. But no one greenlights 100+ episodes for a fantasy action ecchi romcom epic battle anime. Not anymore.

So UQ HOLDER! ~Mahou Sensei Negima! 2~ was saddled with an impossible task. A task I had a feeling was impossible even before I read the manga, and now that I’ve caught up on it, I realize how right I was. How much I undersold the herculean task, if anything. With the heavy lore/characters of Negima intertwining with the new UQ Holder additions—not to mention it needing to serve not only as a sequel to Negima, but to in some ways make up for and finish Negima’s original story, which was cut short—this is a bear of a manga to adapt.

So. How’d they do?

Fine. It didn’t end up being a good anime, but given the task the anime team did a decent job. For non-manga readers, this adaptation covered (loosely) 134 chapters of manga, which—I mean, how were they going to do that well? Other than trying to do far less, which would have been my pitch, even if the stopping point they were trying to get to was a good one. Like I said, Akamatsu Ken stories tend to meander, and this one does it even more so than Negima or Love Hina. (Okay, actually less than Love Hina, but that was so much lighter on plot that you could stop almost anywhere.)

There are certain decisions that I find unforgivable, chief among them the absence of Santa. For non-manga readers, I’ll only say that leaving out Santa is like leaving out Kotarou in the original Negima anime, and was likely done for similar reasons—but it can’t all be haremettes. I mean, it can be if that’s the plan, but c’mon! Santa, as Kotarou was before him, is vital to the plot! Did you notice how Albireo Imma (Ku:nel Sanders) was conspicuously absent from the final fight? That’s because Santa wasn’t there to fight him, and without Santa, Albiereo would have wrecked havoc on the others and Team Negi-Ialda would have easily won. Leaving him out is especially unforgivable because it was so easy to fix—even if you’re not doing his arc, just have him be part of UQ Holder from the beginning, like Ikku was. It wouldn’t be the same, but at least he’d be there.

Other deleted characters had huge impacts on the story, Dana chief among them. Though it really comes down to what always happens when you try to condense 134 chapters into 12 episodes: all context is lost. The connections are lost. Nothing makes sense, because all the connective tissue that makes this (admittedly convoluted) plot work in stretched-out manga form was completely absent here. Does an anime-only viewer know why Touta is so important, other than the clone thing? Because that alone isn’t the reason. It’s what that means that is important. But we never hear about it. Without that, their plan to beat Negi-Ialda doesn’t make sense, because they don’t really have one. Which makes sense, since the battle comes so quickly after other events that it’s not like they had time to grapple with the danger upon them.

Other problems are easier to fix, such as the piss-poor animation. It doesn’t look like UQ Holder got much in the way of budget, and it shows. Then there was the pacing, which is very difficult to get right. I think Akamatsu anime need a gifted comedy director at the helm, because one of Akamatsu-sensei’s greatest strengths is that he lays out scenes and uses the pacing of a hijinks-filled romcom, even if he’s writing a bunch of action—which is to say, UQ Holder needs the energy of a romcom for the story to work. This anime never had that. Which is somewhat surprising since Suzuki Youhei has some good credits to his name, but maybe it wasn’t enough to make up for the everliving rush, or the lack of budget hurt him here too.

The funny thing is that this adaptation is a classic case of hitting a lot of the memorable moments/images, but neutering them by not understanding or conveying the connections that made them so memorable originally. It’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice thinking—just get Batman in that metal suit and the fanboys will go wild, it doesn’t matter if none of it makes sense!—where as long as you hit the right scenes then it should all work out. Which is extra crazy, since Akamatsu-sensei himself did series composition for this anime! So maybe he knew too much, or more likely, there was just no way to put all the connections in. Not with twelve episodes and a shit budget. This anime was doomed as soon as they decided to adapt up to ch134 in a single cour. Everything else was just deciding on the particular flavor of failure—though prioritizing contextless action and harem hijinks probably didn’t help. Once again: RIP Santa. You were missed.

But in the end, this was probably 80% of as good of an adaptation as this anime was ever going to get, once they made that initial (fatal) decision to adapt so much. That’s not exactly praise, it’s just a hard assessment of the truth. They were screwed from that decision, so the fact that they more or less kept the wheels on—and some changes even kind of worked, as long as you don’t think too much about the gaping plotholes they left—is impressive in a way. Things threatened to fall apart in the last two episodes though, and that weird 3-A dream sequence in the middle of the last battle was pretty pointless.

I wouldn’t recommend the UQ Holder anime to anyone, but the manga is still good. Take the time to read it if you haven’t yet. It’s time well spent. I just wish the anime team had taken more time, so they could luxuriate in those early chapters, rather than speeding toward failure.

Now, I’m going to end on some comments about the manga, mostly from chapters that take place after this adaptation ends (so ch135+). If you haven’t caught up on the manga, don’t click on the tag below. Seriously, don’t do it. Go read the manga, THEN click on it. Or just read the manga. It’s good stuff.

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Holy hell, Chisame as end girl!? Who’da thunk it. I mean, it makes sense within the context of UQ Holder—Chisame winning the Negi Bowl sets up Kirie as the chief contender for Touta’s heart, along with Yukihime, who not coincidentally ends up with Nagi in the Good End world, further solidifing her as the other contender—but if I were guessing who’d end up with Negi at the end of Negima itself, I’da probably guessed Yue. Nodoka is another strong candidate too, or even Asuna—she’s always been my favorite, though in the end she never got past the big sister vibe. Or a bunch of other girls! Still, Chisame does feel right, the more I think about it. And I’ve been thinking of it a lot, as I remember that wedding picture and smile. D’aaaawwww! Also, kudos to Akamatsu-sensei for having the cojones to actually pick an end girl, even if he did it in the sequel years later.

Speaking of, I’m glad that the Good End world still exists. Originally when I started reading UQ Holder, I was assuming this was that world, and that Negi had lived his life and died peacefully, only for shit to get wonky after that—but then Negi reappeared, and we learned that he very much did not get a happy ending, and that was news I didn’t like so much. Seeing that the Good End world is still out there—where Asuna got to live out her life with her friends, where Nagi was saved, where Negi and Eva and everyone else got to be happy in the end—just makes me smile. They deserve that happy end, especially now that we finally got to see how they earned it.

As for UQ Holder, I was originally on the Kuromaru ship, but I’ve since gone over to the Kirie side, though I’d be happy with a Yukihime ending too. It’s just hard to not like Kirie, especially after the time freeze chapters—which the anime didn’t do, by the way, so Kirie falling for Touta in the anime makes zero sense. And she also doesn’t have her time freeze powers, so Cutlass is totally pointless in the anime BUT I DIGRESS!

I also have mixed feelings about how much the manga has turned into Negima: The Ending I Didn’t Get To Do Before: The Manga, especially in these latest releases, where there were multiple extra-long chapters where often ZERO UQ Holder characters actually appeared. I wanted to see those chapters, I’ve wanted to know what went down with all of that for a long time, but it was also hard to see all the actual UQ Holder characters sidelined for so long. I like mixing in the Negima mythology, but I still want UQ Holder to be its own thing. Mixed feelings.

Either way, UQ Holder manga still rocks. Glad I finally caught up on it, even if I didn’t get a whole lot out of the anime in the end. Such is life, at least where Akamatsu Ken anime adaptations are concerned.

My SECOND novel, Freelance Heroics, is available now! (Now in print!) (Also available: Firesign #1 Wage Slave Rebellion.) Sign up for my email list for updates. At stephenwgee.com, the latest post: The Last Jedi SUPER SPOILERY Review.

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todayisafridaynight · 10 months

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NOOOO RIGHT 'CAUSE LIKE... the way the Arakawa Family specialize in faking deaths already, I'm sure Jo was so on top of everything. And who better to walk Masato through it right... flight's the perfect time to get started if it's gonna take like fourteen hours...

BUT YES. YEAH. Like The Day Of he's just paralyzed with worry and caught between wanting to do something and not wanting to go against Aoki... maybe at most he chances calling Arakawa telling him to be careful, because that's not too conspicuous given his role in the dissolution, but Arakawa just gives him the old I'll Be Fine Worry About Yourself... and, you know, why shouldn't he; they've always had their enemies and he's Arakawa the Assassin, he can handle himself... he can let himself have that fleeting hope, but deep down... and THEN he finds out and has to act like he didn't mean anything to him and has to go back to his duties like nothing happened... OUGH

Can I just say. Literally such an insane fucking series of scenes in Coin Locker Baby. Because you get Jo's despondence when he's saying he might have killed Arakawa--he's being a bitch to provoke Ichiban into a fight, but it's also an admission his inaction played a part, isn't it... and then you get him expressing that he's familiar with Ichiban's need to protect Arakawa... and then you get the sheer desperation and insistence in his voice when he says he could never kill him... and then you get--I'm not totally sure how clear it is in English--but you get him actively saying his feelings go deeper than Ichiban's without really explaining how... and then you get the tinge of fondness when he's thinking back on the old days when Arakawa lived up to his name... Like. Why Did They Do That. Any Of That.

ALSO. GOD. I've gotten so much shit the past couple days because I said I want to lock Jo, Kume, and Tendo in a room for five minutes For My Entertainment. Reading those tags felt like coming home honestly 😭 Like, even Ichi was ready to kill someone over Arakawa, and Jo was out here threatening to disembowel people [in the dub]. And I Think They Should Be Allowed To. As A Treat. So FOR REAL the biggest "I'm so glad we get to talk" 😭😭😭

On that note genuinely so funny that I took an extra ten minutes re-rendering the video because I forgot to put the "flashback" part in Arakawa's subtitles at first but then nobody read it 😭

But it's also something I've been mulling over because I'm delusional. Getting actors as high-profile as Nakai and Takei back for just A Flashback is kinda crazy to me because Arakawa and Jo's screen-time took up a full four percent of the entire game [over ten percent of the cutscenes] originally. But then if it's multiple flashbacks equivalent to that... what exactly is going on here that the past is so intertwined...

And Because My Brain Is Evil there is the fact that technically speaking, Yokoyama only said that line was from a flashback, and specified Arakawa wouldn't be appearing in the main story. Now of course a normal person would interpret that as him reassuring the audience he won't appear in any present-day scenes, but part of me was like. Oh So A Side Story Is On The Table [<- it's not it's fucking not it will not be in a million years]

JUST. WHAT ARE YOU GUYS COOKING WHY IS THE KITCHEN DOOR CLOSED WHY ARE THE WINDOWS BLACKED OUT

ANYWAYS that's enough from me for today I am [as always] glad you enjoyed One Missed Call and Kyouen, ABSOLUTE bangers

YAYA THATS WHAT IM SAYIN YOU GET IT. UNSURPRISINGLY BUT YOU GET IT ಥ▽ಥ

no but thats what i MEAN like i already was jokin with myself like 'jo and arakawa probably had A Thing right lmao' BUT THEN THE WAY JO TALKED BOUT ARAKAWA AND OBVI THE GENERAL FACT HE COULDNT KILL HIM REALLY JUST MADE ME (。・∀・??) AND REAALLLY LOOK AT EM CLOSER THE SECOND TIME AROUND like genuinely for what. it will fuck me up until i'm dead and gone SOOO unnecessary and yet they did it..

wack that people wouldnt want to see kume and tendo stuck in a room with jo like. from what i know everyone is a part of the We Hate Kume gang so. cmon. kume will be shredded into candy floss within five minutes. it'll be fun (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)

OK BUT NAKAI AND TSUTSUMI'S STATUS WAS A BIG REASON WHY I DIDNT THINK ARAKAWA NOR JO WOULD BE BACK FOR LAD8 THAT'S SO VALID TO CONSIDER THAT its that idea that just has me especially wondering what the plan is. im not expecting them to have MAJOR parts (or in arakawa's case too many flashback segments) but they MUST have a SUBSTANTIAL amount to warrant bringing them back right..

#long post #snap chats #when it comes to Famous Persons Coming Back i was also just like 'theres no way they could get george takei back right'#LISTEN i know the eng dub is not to be spoken of but it exists and it cant be denied takei's REALLY prolific in the states yeah #so i HAD to ask it was WORTH asking myself. unless they decide to swap arakawa's eng VA but w/e its not overly important #moving on. its ok most people dont read anyway no worries about missing a subtitle </3 a painful reality but. we take W's where we can.#OH BUT TO END /MY/ NIGHT THO i LOVED One Missed Call UGH such a good horror movie #i wanna watch it with my dad so bad he loves horror/suspenseful movies and we used to watch em whenever id visit him #KYOUEN'S A DARLING OF A SHOW SO FAR I THINK IVE SAID THAT ENOUGH but yeah......... BIG love........#i'm almost done with it. if i said i finished it earlier i think i lied i cant remember POINT IS I JUST HAVE THREE EPS #i plan on watching them before stream time tomorrow so that'll be cute :]#buuuut speaking of finishing watching things i Just finished watching the first We Make Antiques movie and UGH #love. love love love it was so silly but also really fascinating to watch... team of forgers thats WILD and i loved it..#i wish i had access to the sequels tho like PLEAASE i wanna watch these two be losers more....#they became domestic with each other so quickly like goddamn.. money can do anything #it can make two dudes trying to con each other work together.. its beautiful.....#ok now thats all from ME for tonight. id talk more on the jo and aoki bits but theres a good chance ill do that during stream #or. ill draw it during stream. me drawing is the same as me talking now innit Let My Bullshit Speak For Me etc etc #ok thats all from me fr this time BYE

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