translationandbetrayals

[translationandbetrayals]

Another Megami Tensei Info Dump

So, continuing where I left my last post, Shin Megami Tensei 1 was the moment Atlus started stablishing itself as an unique company with a weird voice, in an RPG that took many design ques from western design (roleplaying in a way that affects the final outcome, the alignment system is similar to the classic DnD one, the mazes and level design are clearly inspired by Wizardry... this could be its own post, but it doesn't belong in this course), mythological and religious themes from all around the world, but mainly drinking from shintoism and christianism (which would become a recurring theme, Izanagi and Izanami are just as important to MegaTen lore as Yahwe or Lucifer), all wrapped in a package where the art, aesthetics, and writing where heavily inspired by many dark or post apocalyptic manga and anime from that time (some of the ones directly mentioned by the staff in interviews are Violent Jack, Devilman Crybaby, pretty much all Go Nagai's works, and while I don't recall if it has been directly mentioned, the Araki's influence in the art and overal work on the franchise is palpable). This disjointed combination of influences, combined with basically one of the first examples of monster catching in videogames, featuring negotiation with otherworldy and moody being to get them in your side, it ended up being a hit, not a huge one, but it definitely found an audience. Obviously this resulted in a sequel, Shin Megami Tensei 2, which isn't that different from its predecessor, but we also can see how Atlus writers and artists started adding some philosophy into the mix (like, stuff that comes from actual classical philosophers and the like).

Not content with just that, Atlus also started experimenting with spin offs, which would end up being on of the main characteristics of this franchise. From the 50+ entries in all of Megami Tensei only 5 (well, arguably six, but that's another discussion) are mainline entries, with one of its own spin offs becoming the most popular. The 90's for them where an era of experimentation, where every new entry tried a new thing. The Majin Tensei games tried to bring the formula to the SRPG genre with gameplay similar to Fire Emblem or Shining Force, Devil Summoner maintained the exact same gameplay but changed the setting to a cyberpunk futuristic city without all the law, chaos and religious stuff. Last Bible also took on a lighter tone but it tried to imitate the Dragon Quest games. 

But the most influential of its spin offs was probably SMT If..., which took all this mythological stuff but put more emphasis on the characters and translated it to a high school setting, which ended up becoming of the Persona series. 

Persona distinguished itself for being lighter than the main series, eschewing a lot of the overtly religious themes and replacing with jungian psychoanalysis. Demons where now Personas (which are just stands, someone REALLY liked Jojo's), each character represented a card from the Tarot, and the enemies represented shadows. The main concept of personas is of course completely lifted from Jung's theories on the human mind. And of course, what's the best way, the best setting for this exploration of the psyche? Well, a high school of course. But not just an high school, one using all the tropes and conventions from popular animes. By all accounts, this weird combination shouldn't have worked, it's just a messy bunch of everything the devs liked and thought. But, while the first entry has it's fair share of flaws, the games found an identity and this amalgalm of tropes and Jung resulted in a hit. While in the 90's they still weren't that popular, during the 21st century Persona kept evolving and taking more and more from anime tropes while maintaing its core concepts, resulting eventually in becoming one of the biggest names in Japanese RPGs.

Now, the 2000's where a lot more things happened, one game in particular is one of my favorite games of all time, but I don't have the time to keep this going. However, if whatever cosmic forces that handle fate and my ADHD match my energy, I should be able to save the semester and finish a short video essay about Nocturne. So, that's all from me (for now).

-Andrés Hidalgo

#Japan #Sci-Fi #submission

[translationandbetrayals]

Luffy, the face of One Piece

If i had to talk about any character from One Piece, I would have to pick Luffy.

He is such a unique MC, and the one that perfectly brings all this together. He embodies the main themes of the series. of what is freedom, and how you get it. And even if he is such a straightforward character, who sometimes can be called dumb, at least in the common sense way, we never have “thought bubbles” of him in the whole manga. And just as of recently, Oda showed that his true dream is not just becoming king of the pirates, but also something else. And we don’t even know what it is. He is the main character but he is such a mystery sometimes! Oda himself said that Luffy is a mistery to him, and that he constantly puts obstacles in his way so that he would go and fight the main villain.

But I think, one of the things that most shines in him, is his emotional intelligence, of as in almost magically knowing what the people around him feel like, and what needs to be done. Im not talking about the famous “talk no jutsu”. Nah, Luffy knows that the villains he faces that hurt people for their own selfish reasons, deserve a beating. Is more about him bluntly going straight for the solution.

I feel the perfect example would be how he helped Nami. He didn’t care about her past, nor the situation, but what she wanted and needed. He wanted her on his crew no matter what, but he waited until Nami herself allowed him to help, and all she needed was to ask, so of course he would.

  Something I also love about him and that also really makes him unique, is his blunt honesty and “selfisness”. Most of the time he says what he thinks, no matter what it means. He is blunt and infantile like a kid in that sense, but i feel it goes par with the sense of him being a “free” character. Also is a direct character trait of his that he can't lie at all. 

And what I mean with selfishness, I mean more of that he does what he wants because he wants to. He himself has said that he is no hero, even if he has done heroic stuff. In his own words, he likes heroes but he doesn’t want one, because one shares the meat, but he wants all the meat. A trait he shares with zoro funnily enough. 

But what really means, is that all the good actions that Luffy does, generally are not because is the “right thing to do”, but because is what they want to do. And that is a common trait among the strawhats. That they help because they want to, not a moral compass that sometimes they might feel entrapped by, of what is the right thing to do. And i feel that is very in line with the concept of freedom as well.

Even his powera are related to that concept!. A body with rubber like properties, that allow him to fight any way he wants, with the only limit being his imagination!

 There are so much more things about Luffy that make him the perfect as this series main character, but also I thing the main take away that one could analize about the way he is characterized, is that he being a child-like wild imagination driven protagonist, is the perfect way to create a sense of freedom to is character. 

-Millaray Gonzalez

#Anime #Manga #submission

[translationandbetrayals]

Identity, mommy issues and slice of life: Skip to Loafer’s Shima Sousuke

Skip to Loafer is, no doubt, one of my favorite finds of this year.

It all started on Twitter of all places, where I saw a clip of the opening with the two main characters dancing to the beat of a very lively song. It was so adorable it activated my cuteness aggression, and I had to tap in as the anime was airing.

SKIP TO LOAFER OPENING — “Mellow” by Keina Suda

Skip to Loafer was only three or four episodes in by the time it came into my radar and, being on a one-week long university break and also a little wrong in the head, I spent that time binging what had already aired and then reading the manga (also reading the almost 300 chapters of Kaguya-sama wa kokurasetai, but that’s a story for another day). I think it’s obvious I was pleasantly surprised.

Skip to Loafer is going into my favorite discoveries of this year, and one of its main characters, Shima Sousuke, is becoming an all-time favorite. He scratches an itch in my brain that I didn’t even know I had, and the conflicts he presents are something that I have not seen before portrayed with so much love and honesty anywhere else.

He’s what they’d call an ikemen: attractive, easy-going and people can’t help but look at him when he walks into the room, meaning that he becomes popular almost as soon as he enters high school. However, he’s kind of indifferent to people around him even though he plays along, and he can even be rather cruel when talking to others if they push him to the edge—however, he doesn’t lose his perfectly-constructed fake smile. He’s verbally punching you in the gut with the most calm expression he can muster, and it’s kind of unsettling.

Except, of course, when it comes to the heroine of this story, Iwakura Mitsumi.

Their meeting was a chance encounter. The stars aligned, the gods made up their minds, whatever: the thing is that she was lost in the city on the first day of school and he found her, helped her get to school, and then also let her ruffle his hair like a dog for some reason. Oh, and Sousuke immediately started calling her Mitsumi-chan, by the way, and told her she could call him by her family dog’s name—which she declined, obviously, because that’s a dog.

EPISODE 2

Mitsumi kind of idolizes him at the beginning of the story, considering his maturity and level-headedness an admirable trait and she hopes she can become more like him. He’s confident, friendly and, as she saw first hand, also extremely kind. Both of them find themselves drawn to the other, and so the story begins.

And, honestly, Sousuke looks, at first glance, like your typical romcom main lead. He has that vibe. He’s tall, he’s blonde, and he’s a little aloof. One might even think he’s a spiritual cousin of Kazehaya Shouta from Kimi ni Todoke without the blonde part, of course

However, as the story progresses, it’s unveiled he has things to hide that don’t stay hidden for long—at least from Mitsumi, anyway. He opens up to her in ways he’s never done with anybody else, and she accepts him as he is—she even protects him, posing like an anteater in front of someone from his past just to keep them away from him. It’s the little things, isn’t it?

EPISODE 12

Sousuke’s aloof nature is revealed to be something more than that: it’s a complete disconnect from his own emotions and environment. He simply plays along, fulfilling the role that has been assigned to him—if he’s meant to be a status symbol, he obliges; if he’s meant to be a tool, he puts himself to good use. It’s kind of shocking when his personal reveries start to be shown to us as readers, because that’s not usually what you’d expect from a guy like him.

CHAPTER 46

Turns out he used to be a child actor who had a little bit of a fall from grace when he was in middle school—that’s one of his secrets that Mitsumi finds out about without meaning to but swears to take to her grave. So far, it’s not known why he ever started acting, but we do know why he stayed there for as long as he did: his mother.

His father was a cheater with an affair, leaving a horrible idea of romantic love on Sousuke, and his mother was kind of desperate with her marriage falling apart. So what did Sousuke do as a little kid with no control over his situation? Stick to acting. For her. He devoted himself to his job as a kid playing various roles despite not being happy with it. And when he started to let his discomfort be known, his voice fell on deaf ears—his mother thought him giving up acting was an inconvenience, and so he simply lowered his head and agreed.

CHAPTER 42

We realize he’s not just someone who goes with the flow: he’s a chronic people pleaser, unable to say no when the people around him expect something of him. He smiles, nods and waves, completely removed from his own desires and ambitions to the point where he has none, and he doesn’t even question it. Quite the opposite, actually—he embraces it. He knows he’s not there to make decisions, that people have already made up their minds about the kind of person he is before they even get to know him, so he doesn’t bother nurturing traits that make him worth knowing and simply agrees with what everyone else says. He is a pawn.

He’s also severely distanced from his little brother, Keiri: a three year old boy who technically is his half-brother, because he is the son of his mother’s second husband. He doesn’t know how to act around him, so he hides from him. And his little brother shadows him from afar.

Sousuke knows he’s attractive and that, instead of giving him an ego boost, makes him even more passive—people flock to him, people orbit around him, and he does what he thinks will satisfy them without them even having to ask. Truly, too much of a people pleaser for his own good.

And that leads Sousuke to never doubt what people he admires say, and that includes Mitsumi. He has her on this pedestal, where he thinks she can do no wrong and can never be mistaken, so he treats her words as obsolete—if Mitsumi believes something to be wrong, it must be wrong; if Mitsumi thinks something isn’t working, then that must be the case. It takes him way too long and basically a peer-review of his situation for him to realize that she isn’t perfect and he never should have believed her to be. And that he has to reap what he sowed.

CHAPTER 52

CHAPTER 53

When it comes to his emotions, he has no understanding of them at all because no one ever cared enough before to ask. Not until Mitsumi showed up. So whatever thought or feeling that’s more complex than a giggle is something that he cannot comprehend—he doesn’t know where to start, how to decipher the mess that’s his head, and it’s clear that his emotional maturity is severely undeveloped when he finds himself in a conflict where he has to take a stand.

However, slowly but surely, he realizes he can’t figure out certain things alone, and that he needs to ask for guidance from the people he trusts. Because they may not have the answer to his problems, but at least they can help him walk through it, and that’s better than bottling it up and praying it goes away or gets solved on its own.

Sousuke’s imperfections are portrayed in a way that feels refreshing to me. I haven’t seen any character this emotionally incompetent due to being abandoned by his guardians written in a way that can move me this deeply—you can feel his vulnerability and your heart aches a little bit when it dawns on you the extent of his detachment and the reasons why.

The manga never tells you directly, but it leaves the hints in front of you to pick them up and put them together. Understanding Sousuke and creating the timeline of events is not something that’s given to us easily; it’s slowly revealed with the little interactions, with his thought process, with his reactions. And solving the puzzle is fascinating to me.

Basically: Shima Sousuke, you will always be famous. and you’re never beating the shoujo boy allegations

Francisca Salgado. ☆

#Anime #Manga #Japan #personalstory #essay #Sci-Fi #submission

[translationandbetrayals]

Why is Yuri!!! on Ice a little problematic

Yuri!!! on Ice is an anime that revolves around an ice skater, his road to victory and a platonic romance between Yuri Katsuki, the promising ice skater, and Victor Nikiforov, his new trainer, veteran and world champion. The series shows how Yuri has lost his confidence and he has to work hard to gain it back, with the help of Victor, he will slowly but surely get his rightful place in the podium. 

Yuri!!! on Ice, even though pretty subtle, is one of the most famous boy loves boy (or yaoi) animes out there, it was very well received by the critics, professional ice skaters and won several awards. Nonetheless, I must point out, the way the relationship between the two male protagonists could be perceived as “platonic” because of it’s need of acceptance to the general public and the critics. Contrary to a lot of straight animes, there was no explicit kiss, a lot of people could argue that “they were just playing”, “they’re just really good friends”, as there was no proven relationship. I would have liked from them to go all the way. Even though the yaoi part of the anime is pretty clear, many do not describe Yuri!!! on Ice as a “yaoi anime” but a “just sports anime”, which can makes us reflect about the amount of lgbtq anime content out there for this “sports anime” to be one, if not the most famous yaoi anime out there.

 Daniel Zepeda

#Anime #Manga #Japan #essay

[translationandbetrayals]

Matt (is/was) a cool guy

Mail Jeevas, better known as Matt, is a character from the “Death Note” series, which would make its first appearance in the chapter 83 of the manga, and in 32 of the anime, or like the fans call it “the second arch”.  He would do some espionage work for Mello, and participate as his crime partner. Before this, he was a member of the Wammy’s House- Watari’s orphanage, and is considered to be the most intelligent person after Near and Mello.

 This character had an ephemeral participation in the series, counting with only 17 panels in the manga and less than 2 minutes of screentime in the anime. But he still managed to get a fanbase, even though he is barely seen on screen. Many fans attribute this reception, because he worked as comic relief in the middle of the tension of Near and Kira’s battle. But he is more than that.

He takes an important role in Mello’s story, helping him when he hadn’t no one else to ask for help. This will change his attitude towards the rest, and he became more calm, making him think before acting, increasing the probabilities of capturing Kira. This aspect will be crucial because the capture of Light Yagami was possible because of Mello’s actions, and these actions will not be possible, if Matt wasn’t supporting him all the time, making his plan work.

The importance of having a partner is the reason why they created Matt, without him the plot would not advance. Even though he is an important side character in the story, he doesn't care that much, he just wants to play videogames, he is only giving a hand to his friend, this whole situation doesn’t really matter to him, and that's what makes him so unique. He has a dry sense of humor, even in his last moments of life.

He [redacted] in episode 35 of anime, after being chased by Takada’s bodyguards, he got cornered in the middle of the street, and eventually  he is [redacted] in cold blood by the bodyguards leaving us an iconic scene. So after all, his ephemeral presence in the story mattered… Matt really mattered.

- Diego Arce Magaña

#Anime #Manga

[translationandbetrayals]

Mononoke: a surrealistic experience

*As a disclaimer, please don’t confuse this series with Mononoke Hime, the film by Studio Ghibli, since they aren’t related more than in the similarity of their names.

This is my final post and what a better way to close this year with a good (as I believe) anime recommendation. My story with Mononoke began in the pandemic era, when I had a lot of free time and all-day access to internet. While trying to fight boredom, I started looking for anime that were like Mushishi (look, two recommendations in one post, wow), because I felt nostalgic but didn’t want to watch something very long. Then, I stumbled upon Mononoke. It immediately caught my attention, since it had a lot of ukyo-e and sumi-e aesthetics and followed a similar trope as Mushishi.

Formally, Mononoke is an original animated series and the spin-off of another anthological anime named Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, which was released a year before. This series was produced by Toei Animation, under the direction of Kenji Nakamura (who also directed Gatchaman Crowds and Karas) and it was broadcasted from July to September in 2007, concluding with 12 episodes in total. Mononoke stands for ‘vengeful spirit’, so we have our protagonist, known as Kusuriuri (which translates to The Medicine Seller) traveling across of what seems to be a feudal Japan, investigating and solving cases related to supernatural creatures and their actions over humanity. To destroy the mononoke, Kusuriuri must figure out their Form (Katachi), Truth (Makoto) and Reason (Kotowari) through the questioning of the people involved in the case.

Watching Mononoke was quite the experience. First, because of how the cases were presented, dividing the stories into ‘arcs’ that usually took 2 or 3 chapters to finish, leaving 5 cases in total and each one more difficult to resolve than the one before. Also, and its more of note aspect was the surrealistic animation that Mononoke had, playing with the patterns, colors and textures in the background, giving an overwhelming sensation of a moving ‘scroll painting’ to the scenery, accompanying the madness that the mononoke created over the people they tormented in the series. This visual surrealism was also enhanced with an esoteric soundtrack, which also added to the building of the creepy atmosphere the creators wanted to transmit to the audience.

To put it simple, Mononoke is complete work of art made anime. And I hope that, whoever reads this post, can do themselves a favor and watch it as soon as possible. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

Last year it was announced that there would be a new movie of Mononoke being released this 2023, but it seems it got delayed due to the scandals in which Kusuriuri’s voice actor, Takahiro Sakurai (who was the seiyuu for Suguru Geto in Jujutsu Kaisen, Suzaku in Code Geass and many other popular anime) was involved. So, we’ll have to wait for news about the releasing of a new story of Mononoke.

(I'll leave the link to the full opening theme so you can enjoy it, it's very catchy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urg-avD8p3Q) - Francisca Rivera C.

#Anime #personalstory #Sci-Fi #submission

[translationandbetrayals]

Chainsaw Man's anime and why it fails as an adaptation

I LOVE CHAINSAW MAN I LOVE CHAINSAW MAN I LOVE CHAINSAW MAN.

And with that said, I hate the Chainsaw Man anime,

It's nothing to do with the artstyle, far from it, I think the still images look BEAUTIFUL, I LOVE THE MUSIC, all the tracks hit hard and help with the "feel" of the story, and I also really like all the different endings per episode they made, it's one of the first times Mappa used freelancers in a big way for their anime, they'd go on to implement this in great lengths for the Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 adaptation which is making numbers right now, I see Chainsaw Man as kind of a test for a lot of things, and that's got a lot of value, but it's also exactly where my praise ends. See, Chainsaw Man is kind of a movie, even in the manga you can tell Fujimoto's love for cinema, the panels are framed in such a way you can tell he was thinking of a movie scene, the tons of references throughout also scream for his love of the medium (I mean, Chainsaw Man's opening is like FULL of references, here's a video recounting all of them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow0eoZJ1QvA), so naturally the adaptation took this as well, but maybe they went overboard with the fidelity, they don't really innovate at all on the original manga, apart from 3 scenes which I can remember, they don't add anything to the story, but weirdly enough they took some scenes out for some reason? Like the muscle devil in the original manga, which was a really weird thing to do in my opinion since it was a valid scene that showed Denji's character, the scene goes like so in the manga, right after Makima finds Denji and picks him up, they get into the car and go buy some food cuz Denji is hungry AS HELL, when they get to the food place a bloodied man comes out of nowhere and says a devil took his daughter into the forest, Makima says they can help cuz they're devil hunters, Makima tells Denji to go hunt the devil for her cuz otherwise her udon (food) is gonna get cold, she also says she's heard that dogs who aren't useful get euthanized, scared, Denji runs into the forest looking for the devil, and sees a little girl who tells him her dad hits her and that this devil saved her, the devil reminds Denji of Pochita when he first found him, remembering that Pochita is practically dead now, he doesn't want to kill the devil anymore, but he also doesn't wanna get EUTHANIZED so he tells them both to run separate ways, then the devil reveals she's taken control of the girl (cuz he's the muscle devil and can control any muscle he touches) and is gonna do bad things to her when he gets rid of Denji, so Denji goes modo diablo and cuts the devil up into pieces, and says he'll sleep tight tonight knowing he killed a piece of shit like him, so he does, the girl is freed, and Makima tells Denji he's a dog she can use, Denji replies with a woof (same), and almost faints into Makima again, saying he got a bit anemic from the blood loss turning into a devil consumes, he also tries to explain how he got turned into a chainsaw man to Makima (even though she knows perfectly how and who Pochita is, but she's deceiving Denji by playing dumb), Makima also tells us she can tell Pochita is inside him, and that her nose is "really good", Denji gets happy when he hears this.

Makima points out how funny it is he calls soggy udon delicious, being completely oblivious to Denji's ABSOLUTE TRASH life until this point (orphan and broke), after this the chapter plays out exactly like in the anime. Pretty much everything stays the same except for the muscle devil, which is why it's a big head scratcher as to why they removed it, it showed Denji's willingness to follow Makima's orders for one reason or another, in the anime she just says "Useless dogs get euthanized" and Denji just gets scared, here we see him running headfirst into danger over getting his potential new life taken away, we also see him getting tricked by the girl, showing how easily tricked he is (which is important many times in the story as he constantly gets tricked) and we also see just how little Makima cares about him unless he does as he's told, here we see PERCECTLY the master - pet relationship they have for the rest of the story, we get none of this in the anime, and while it doesn't hurt it too much, it's a really weird decision apart from the argument that MAYBE the time was already too tight with only 12 episodes, but the decisions they keep making throughout the anime makes this hard to believe. So they take out this scene right? In change, what do they give us, what do they do with this free space they now have, well pretty much nothing, Chainsaw Man's pace when a fight isn't going on is pretty slow, like a movie, at times it's dialogue heavy and really shows off a lot of random things going on, specially in the earlier parts of the story, but we also gotta remember, watching an anime is a way different experience than reading a manga, the pacings are different, WAY different, and most adaptations adapt to this by adding scenes or removing scenes to favor moments happening or not happening, like Jujutsu Kaisen, that changed the entire place of an arc, the hidden inventory one, to adapt it better and make it more understandable, they also add scenes to make the characters feel deeper and emphasize all the tragic moments, in Chainsaw Man, they try to give us a little slice of life moment, but it's too little too late, in the manga we don't feel like the characters don't interact that much due to how fast the days and events happen, in the anime, they kind of drag out, making it all feel slow and heavy with not much happening, this is fixed in my opinion with the last 3 chapters, but that's like, 3 thirds of the anime poorly executed. In the end, I don't think it's a truly BAD adaptation, but GODDAMN it could've been better, there's so much in the manga to adapt that'd look so cool, yet they give us this perfectly serviceable but not great 12 episode anime, I know why this is, Mappa has been overworked to hell for the past like 2 years, but a part of me wishes they had given this more love, hey at least Jujutsu Kaisen is getting all the sweet juicy love and ideas they didn't put into Chainsaw Man. TLDR:The Chainsaw Man adaptation doesn't adapt it just copies and pastes, go read the Chainsaw Man manga instead bro it's peak.

-Javier Salinas

#Anime

[translationandbetrayals]

End of Year 2023 and December

[translationandbetrayals]

A weird recommendation if you like conspiracy theories!

In 2017 an anime called Vatican Kiseki Chousakan (Vatican Miracle examinator) aired, and it was a wild ride.

Do you believe in miracles? The main character of this series was an excellent science university student that decided to become a priest and investigate miracles in the hopes of them being real. He was assigned to a special group that was tasked to investigate miracles and corroborate if they were real or not, because in the case they were, the Vatican had to protect and give a special status to the place and people involved in it.

Cases involving a demonic possession, a virgin giving birth and weird urban legends, even one of them having ties with a descendant of Hitler and Nazis being involved. It certainly was a wild ride but was really interesting.

This anime is based off a novel of the same name, that is actually still on publication and has around 20 volumes, but the anime is only a 12 episode show. Sadly, the novels are not translated, and the fandom is pretty dead, but if you are bored and like stories that merge science and weird conspiracy stuff (with a bit of culture of different places), you maybe would like this anime.

-SBMC

#Anime

[translationandbetrayals]

YOU HAVE NO ENEMIES

Vinland Saga tells the story of Thorfinn, son of Thors, a Viking warrior who lived over 1000 years ago and became an Icelandic legend. Thorfinn witnessed his father Thors die before his eyes, betrayed in a duel by another Viking named Askeladd. From this point in the story, Thorfinn swears to avenge his father and murder Askeladd with his own hands. To achieve this, Thorfinn joins the group of Vikings led by the same assassin who killed his father, keeping him under supervision and planning to challenge him to a duel someday to take his life. After many years with this group of Vikings, who were responsible for raiding and murdering various villages, our protagonist never stopped unsuccessfully attempting numerous death duels. However, he never had luck, even Askeladd himself helped him and gave advice to improve so that he could win one day. Nevertheless, some time later, Askeladd is murdered by another Viking in front of Thorfinn's eyes, thus robbing Thorfinn of the only purpose and meaning of life he had at that moment. Due to this event, our protagonist falls into deep depression, and due to an attack by Thorfinn on Askeladd's killer, who turns out to be the king of a city, he is sent as a slave to another country.

Thorfinn spends years performing slave activities, while still haunted by the depression and anguish of having lost the opportunity to achieve his cherished revenge. However, after so many years fighting alongside Askeladd, it had an impact on our protagonist's heart. During these slave labors, he meets a great friend, also a slave, named Einar, who approaches Thorfinn and helps him heal his wounds and reflect on what happened in his life. Here is where our protagonist remembers a phrase his father told him moments before being murdered, 'You must understand this... You have no enemies, not even one. There is no person who is right to hurt... There never was.' This always resonated within Thorfinn, as being a Viking warrior accustomed to war and death, it made no sense. But now, in his current situation as a slave, having a precious slave friend, witnessing the atrocities of the world, and being able to forgive, in a way, the killer of his father with whom he spent many years and memories, this phrase finally made sense to him.

-Diego Aguilera

[translationandbetrayals]

Watch Koe no Katachi!!

Koe no Katachi is a story written by Yoshitoki Ōima then adapted into an anime film made by Kyoto Animation studio released in 2016 that teaches us perfectly what it means to be a bully and mature in a school environment, becoming someone introverted, withdrawn, unable to even look people in the face, sorry for the acts you committed in the past.

Ishida Shouya is the protagonist of this anime, a young man of 18 years (although we are first introduced as a 13 year old boy), who is still in school and seeks to redeem himself before one of the girls he bullied. That girl is Nishimiya Shouko, who is deaf. Throughout the anime we can see how their relationship develops, how they form a bond, the good things but also the bad, being the worst of them the one that comes in the climax of the anime, where we realize that despite everything we appear as people, behind we can be hiding many things, repressed feelings and emotions, desires, sadness, silence.

I think it is a film from which we have a lot to learn, I think children should see it to learn more about empathy and the consequences of their actions, it is a film that is not only entertainment, it goes beyond, it really leaves a teaching that is worth transmitting to young people. The story really has nothing to envy to any other anime movie and this is what anime studios should aim at. 10/10

~Benjamín Pino Parra

#personalstory #Anime #essay #Manga #Japan #Sci-Fi #submission

[translationandbetrayals]

"Soul Eater" is this rad anime and manga created by Atsushi Ōkubo. It's like this crazy mix of action, dark humor, and some seriously cool characters. The story revolves around students at the Death Weapon Meister Academy—basically, a school for kids with weapon partners that can transform into humans. The main characters, like Maka Albarn and her scythe partner Soul Eater, are out there hunting down evil souls.

What's super cool about Soul Eater is its unique, kinda dark art style. The characters have this edgy design, and the whole vibe is both creepy and awesome at the same time. Plus, the fight scenes are just downright epic. Maka and her pals take on these wicked creatures and evil witches, and the animation is so on point.

But it's not just about the action. There's this cool balance with humor and a bit of quirkiness. The characters have their quirks, and the dialogue is snappy and fun. You can't help but laugh at some of the antics they get up to, even when they're dealing with serious stuff.

What sets Soul Eater apart is its mix of a kickass storyline with these funky characters and a dash of dark humor. It's like a wild rollercoaster that keeps you hooked from the first episode. Whether you're into crazy fight scenes, cool character designs, or just a good dose of dark humor, Soul Eater's got it all. It's not your typical anime, and that's what makes it so darn awesome.

Mónica Castro V

#Anime

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The existentialism of Getter Robo Armageddon

The indifferent cruelty of the universe versus the indomitable human spirit. AND THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS INSIDE A COCKPIT PILOTING A GIANT WAR MACHINE

Getter Robo Armageddon, published throughout 1998 and 1999 as an OVA by studio Brain’s Base and Studio OX, is a loose interpretation of the original manga run, clearly posing as an original story with borrowed designs and concepts. Like half of all Mecha stories, we are introduced to a great war between enigmatic invading aliens and a “ultimate technology” army of mechas acting as the last stand of mankind. You have seen this stuff before. The story never greatly evolves from that, but there are some interesting themes that I think are interestingly developed. Most of it is also directly lifted from the manga, so the weird messy switching of directors mid production didn’t affect it much. Obvious spoilers here on out so if you want to watch Armageddon go do it now! It is PEAK, its animation goes RAW AF and is currently completely free and uploaded on youtube so go watch it now before it gets nuked.

So, if you’re still here and are one of the rebels that didn’t go watch GRA, let me explain some stuff real quick. The biggest plot device of the entire show is a type of energy called Getter Rays. GRays are your typical sci-fi magic juice capable of doing anything. Their discovery by humankind was the biggest revolution of all time. It is a type of super energy, the only source able to power up the iconic Getter robo itself. Throughout the show we learn, first, that GRays are a natural phenomenon beaming naturally across the universe, but it gets increasingly complex from that. GRays main effect on reality is that of forced evolution, anything that gets beamed with them evolving and mutating uncontrollably. It is alluded that not only do the GRays have some form of consciousness, deliberately seeking and choosing living beings to possess, but they are some form of weird divinity as well. If Getter Robo had a god, it would be it. The real twist comes when the invading aliens reveal to our protagonists that not only did humanity become a civilization thanks to early hominid exposure from stray GRays, but that the aliens themselves are also a product of rampant GRay induced evolution, accusing humanity of being as monstrous and animalistic as they themselves are and too arrogant to admit it. Humans and Invaders are the same exact lifeforms after all. And then something incredible happens.

The protagonists, in all their dramatic screaming, exclaim that although everything they said was true, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter what GRays were, it didn’t matter that they were fighting what is basically the next step in evolution. Because humans have free will, and is by that free will that each and everyone has unshackled themselves from the whim of destiny. The anime literally ending in the protagonists travelling to the infinite future to fight forever against the invaders, as just the sheer will of humanity immortalized us and gave us a chance to exist. I found this to be mind-blowing, especially after simply enjoying the funny robot kill alien show up to that point. And it makes sense with the rest of the series too! By rewatching it one notices that one of the main themes is moral relativism. The MC is a literal criminal, without a “redeomption arc” and equally brutal and brutish in all episodes, yet he is still portrayed as a hero until the end. Multiple characters DO go from good to bad and then to good as well. GRays as a protrayal of god, specifically an ambivalent god that doesn’t judge and discriminate against anyone or any conduct, makes perfect sense then. The story screams in your face that GRays are not a moral force, both villains and heros utilize them to great effect, instead it is ones will that shapes what you do with them. The meaning of your life and all the reasons you have to do what you are doing, are no one else’s but yourself, and that is all your need, for that is enough to have a great existence in a world that is otherwise without meaning.

CHANGE GETTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

-Sergio Valtierra

#Anime #essay #submission

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Elfen Lied's Philosophy

"Elfen Lied," Lynn Okamoto's 2004 anime, transcends typical genres, delving into the complexities of humanity, discrimination, and empathy. The narrative orbits the Diclonius, a mutant species facing human prejudice due to their telekinetic abilities. The series bravely tackles societal discrimination, prompting viewers to question the destructive nature of fear-driven hatred.

At its heart, "Elfen Lied" challenges preconceptions through the character Lucy. Initially portrayed as cold and ruthless, Lucy's evolution unravels vulnerability and emotional scars, encouraging viewers to empathize with a character who defies traditional notions of good and evil.

The anime delves into psychological trauma, examining the lasting effects of abuse on individuals. Lucy's dual personalities reflect the impact of her traumatic experiences, adding depth to the narrative and prompting reflection on the importance of understanding psychological wounds.

Elfen Lied employs graphic violence not for shock value but as a narrative tool, emphasizing the harsh realities faced by its characters. This discomfort forces viewers to confront the consequences of unchecked cruelty, making the series a compelling exploration of uncomfortable truths about humanity. Ultimately, Elfen Lied invites reflection on prejudices, the power of empathy, and the potential for redemption in the face of profound darkness.

- Vicente Bobadilla

#Anime #essay #submission

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My favorite characters of anime

Hi everyone, today im going to talk about my favorite anime characters, hope you like it!₍ᐢ.  ̫.ᐢ₎✦Ryuko matoi: Definitely one of my favorite characters, for her strength, her determination and her perseverance to achieve her goals, in this case, revenge. As for his personality, I realize that I like characters with strong characters but who are deep down very noble people with many wounds behind them that make them hide behind a mask of seriousness and emphasis on their goals or objectives. In this case, Ryuko is a character who, in much of the beginning and development of the anime, is seen as a sullen person, although she finally ends up opening up to her vulnerability and feelings in order to create crucial bonds in her life like Mako and her family.

✦Jotaro Kujo: I love his serene and reserved countenance, I really like that he is such a powerful character and that he does not abuse this power except to fulfill his personal and collective objectives. He is loyal and unconditional and although it may not be noticeable, these virtues are thanks to his big heart, even though he does not show his affection in everyday life. When he definitely became one of my favorite characters was when he defeated Dio Brando, and he even remained in my top when other iconic characters appeared later such as Giorno Giovanna, Josuke Higashikata and Jolyne Kujo.

✦Najimi Osama: This is one of my favorite characters par excellence, first for her explosive personality, for being so outgoing and for her incredible ability to make so many friends. I love his tenderness and kindness, I feel very reflected in this character and especially the fact that his gender is very ambiguous, maybe even gender fluid, although there have been many discussions around this and it is actually one of the characteristics What makes this character so curious.

✦Spike Spiegel: What about the main character of Cowboy Bebop caught my attention was his lazy, indifferent and sarcastic attitude in duality with his extreme skill in martial arts and how this contrast was emphasized in the development of the anime. He is a very entertaining character for me since he does not usually intervene much in the anime on a daily level, but his skills stand out in play with his personality to make the fights alongside the jazz in the background notable scenes within the series. However, sometimes I feel like the character loses his focus because I feel like quite a few filler chapters are a bit removed from the main plot.

These are just some of my favorite characters, and by making this post I realized that even though they are all very different, they are united by kindness in their hearts, nobility, perseverance and determination in the face of any difficulty in life.Thank you!!₍^.  ̫.^₎

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Constanza Aroca

#Anime #Manga #personalstory #essay #Sci-Fi #submission

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The shonen protagonist: idealism and escapism

If we look at the typical shonen protagonist we can get a good idea of the personality traits that characterize him. From Goku, through Luffy and Naruto, to more current examples like Asta. They are brave and kind, but more importantly (for this post at least), they are honest and carefree.

You know. Eat a lot; they speak very loudly, almost shouting (god, especially you Asta); They talk easily with strangers and immediately become friends; They are extremely sincere, they say what they think openly. They are irresponsible; They sleep as if there were no tomorrow; and in general they do not respect the rules.

All of the above is diametrically different from what you (generally) find in Japanese society in reality. Emotional hermeticism, very rigid social norms, coldness, disconnection and inability to form real bonds with others. Although all these things are not unique to Japan (to a greater or lesser extent you can find them in all societies, even more so in developed ones) it is in this country where you find some of their greatest expressions. That is why it is so interesting that the profile of the “Japanese hero” is like this. Almost as if he embodied that desire to destroy this entire ultra-rigid social structure. Like a disenchanted office worker wishing for the zombie apocalypse. Like a young man in denial who wants to exploit the memory of his dying mother. Through fiction, and in a spectacular way, the heroes carry in their fists not only ideals of justice, but also the disenchantment of a society with itself.

In this society where these feelings reach young people (there is a reason they are expressed in shonen demographics), the classic protagonist seems to be a form of escapism in the face of such reality. However, more than escapism in the face of resignation, it can be a way to keep hope alive, the ideals to which even today, we secretly aspire as a society.

Raimundo Gumucio

#Anime #Japan

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Why Porco Rosso is my favorite Ghibli movie

There are many Ghibli movies that are very popular among the critics and the anime viewers, maybe that is because of the crisp and smooth animation, or maybe it is due to the topics that are covered in their films. I believe that the key to success of Miyazaki’s movies is the ability to captivate both adults and children. The iconic and pretty animation of Ghibli’s movies is usually liked by children without regard to its content. But if you add to this an exciting and mature topic, you can also reach an adult public. That is why Porco Rosso is my favorite movie from Studio Ghibli. The animation and art design are very charming, from the mediterranean landscapes to the politic neutral bar. Some scenes of the Gina’s Disco and the platonic love between Marco and Gina remind me a little of a movie that I love, Casablanca. Another reason that makes me like this movie is the political component that goes along the entire movie, showing the economic crisis triggered by the 1929 Great Depression, the rise of fascism in Italy, and the Great War flashbacks. These are very complex and sometimes cruel topics that the film addresses in a way that is able for every person to watch and enjoy. Also, it has the classic metamorphosis of Ghibli’s movies, as a resource to emphasize the character development throughout the story, being in this case the curse that torments Marco by adopting the shape of a pig because of the disappointment he feels towards humanity after witnessing in his own flesh the horrors of the war and almost dying in combat. I think that the selection of a pig in Marco´s transformation is due to the reputation of this animal, popularly known for being dirty, and occasionally a disgusting specie. The only moments when Marco returns to his human form is when he no longer feels a disappointment towards humanity for a moment, which happens two times in the movie. To end this blog, I would like to cite the most remarkable reminder form Marco Pagot: “Better a pig than a Fascist”.

-Aquiles Rojas

#Anime #Japan