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Week 14: The influence of Manga and Anime in the West

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read? I was really interested in the art at first, but I must say, when they showed the "Top Student" I had a good laugh. Otherwise the story was phenomenal and I had a hard time stopping. I loved how the author portrayed magic and how mysterious it was.   2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect? I was bullied a lot when I was in high school, and money struggles are always a lingering issue in my family. I was pretty emotionally affected while reading this, because her struggles are very similar to my own. Sometimes you have to grow up sooner than you should have to and you lose your childhood. Having that much responsibility put on you can be really stressful.   3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you choose; what changes would you make? I honestly would love to see a song written about t
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Week Thirteen: Manga, Anime and Japanese Cultural Values

Oishinbo was not really what I expected, and in all honestly, it didn't really peak my interest. the story and art just wasn't something I enjoyed. I will say that the art when it came to the food was spectacular. There's a Ringling professor that says "draw food like you plan on eating it". That's exactly what they did. It made me want to eat everything on the page! I also enjoyed getting to see the cooking from a cultural perspective. It's been awhile since I've seen real Japanese cuisine cooked. so this was a treat in a way!
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Week Twelve: Contemporary Manga

Yay more Arakawa! This week I read Silver Spoon! I have already watched the anime, but I love Arakawa's work so I figured i'd give the manga a shot as well. My FAVORITE part of Silver spoon is how they show the relationships farmers can have with the animals before their "time". As a vegetarian, the food industry is very tragic to me. Mass production of meat breaks my heart, and it makes watching any media that involves it hard for me. Silver Spoon does an amazing job of showing how humane farming is, and how even though their line of work is hard, it's important and essential. This piece is very important to Arakawa because of her upbringing, so I greatly enjoyed getting to see a bit more into her world.
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week 11: Horror

This week I read Tomie by Junji Ito. I'm quite a baby when it comes to horror, but I really enjoyed this one! I enjoyed it because of her ability to reform herself/reincarnate. The idea of being so beautiful that someone kills you but yo u just keep coming back is both terrifying and tragic. It's almost like she is a disease. I know Tomie is supposed to be an unsympathetic monster, but I always wondered what she was thinking and what made her this way, which I think is the beauty of Junji Ito's work. A lot of his stories feel like quick character studies about the "why" of someone's actions rather than the outcome/what happens next.
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week nine: Cyberpunk

This week I watched Akira. I had seen it before, but couldn't remember much about it. Im not a huge fan of cyberpunk but I think rewatching made me open my eyes a little. I also got reminded of the show Psycho Pass and I believe it can also be seen as cyberpunk! I love the suspense of both media and how on edge it makes me feel. The horror elements are tastefully done, and the characterization is flawless. You really care about who your watching, and the feelings each character makes you feel is so strong. I love the animation of Akira so much, the art style is so unique and they are able to make the creepy elements so uncanny it's incredible.
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Week Ten: Isekai

When thinking about Isekai, the first show that comes to mind is Sword Art Online. The whole "thrown into another universe" troupe is extremely prevalent in the plot, despite the show itself not being very good. For this week I watched The Boy and the Beast, one of my favorite movies. I love the relationship Kyuta has with Kumatetsu. Their not so father/son, more so mentor/apprentice relationship is done in a hilarious way. Both having a bit of a temper makes them butt heads quite a bit. I love the thought of a human being thrown into a world full of anthropomorphic animals, and that's exactly what the movie does. I wouldn't say Isekai is my favorite of the genres we've looked at, but I did enjoy the content quite a bit.
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Week 8: Diversity of gender and sexuality in Manga and Anime

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My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness was something that hit a little harder. While also being a queer, mentally ill woman, I heavily related to the main character. In chapter one she says "Finding somewhere warm to belong... Apparently that's going to take more than just money." And in chapter two says "I wanted them to accept me, or at least let me off the hook." These two quotes struck me because I'm a queer Asian with parents who were not very accepting of the fact that I'm gay. I really really relate to the main character and it almost made me tear up sometimes with how real and true the story was. I feel like finding somewhere to belong is something we all want, especially when you suddenly feel unwelcome in your own home. Wanting to be accepted is natural especially by your family, but wanting to fill that loneliness is hard. Wanting physical contact and love from another is something most of us crave. The way she has personified herself and ope
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