My Take on Sexualization in Anime

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[Update as of 5/17/2023: lol I wrote this and I don’t agree with most it. At the very least there are some things I could have phrased better. Also, talk about dating myself – half of these videos don’t even play and the YouTubers in question are like a time capsule of content I consumed in high school before outgrowing them. Good fucking lord. Anyway, if you’ve stumbled upon this post, I’ve got more recent posts that express my views on these issues… better? Kinda? Look I’m a cis male, my credibility on these topics is already dodgy at best.]

Anime is often accused of having way too much sexualization to truly take the medium seriously. So what do I think, having been invested in this medium for so long? Well, I take to this topic the same stance I have on most discussions about representation and content in media. Sexualization itself is not the problem. The problem, if you feel there is one, is in the execution and frequency of said sexualization.

I’m of the mind that sex appeal is a necessary part of media because sex and the wide array of emotions tied to it make it a great emotional appeal in a narrative. Of course, it has other, more obvious uses as well, but I don’t think we should be afraid of sex in media, we should be afraid of not having enough variety in our media to balance out that sex.
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Genocidal Organ and Project Itoh

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On July 12th and 13th, Genocidal Organ by Geno Studios will be in US theaters by Funimation Films for a limited time. It is based on the 2007 novel of the same name, written by the late Satoshi Itoh, who went by the name Project Itoh. This will be the third and final film adapted from Itoh’s novels and released in the US.

This man’s work is incredibly special to me and his story is one I believe should be shared. In preparation for the release of Genocidal Organ, I wanted to do my part to spread the word about the film as it is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Simultaneously, I want to tell you all a bit more about Itoh and his other works. I hope you all fall in love with his works like I have. Continue reading →

A Review of Attack on Titan, Season Two

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After four years, several fake sequel announcements, 5 OVA’s, a weird middle school spin off and two crappy live action films, Studio WIT has finally delivered us the long awaited sequel to one of the most internationally successful Anime of the last decade. Is it burdened by having only 12 episodes this season? No. Does it answer the questions we were left with at the end of season one? Kinda. Does it improve upon the first season’s flaws? Absolutely. Continue reading →

A Four Year Late Review of Attack on Titan, Season One

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With Attack on Titan’s second season now completed, it is the perfect time to look back on the first season and give it a formal review before giving its sequel the same treatment later this week. Attack on Titan holds a special place in my heart as it was the Anime that made me fall in love with Anime back in January of 2014, thus kickstarting a three and a half year obsession that has introduced me to entirely new facets of entertainment I never knew I wanted. I’m surprised I haven’t given this show a formal review before, so without further ado, here is my review of Attack on Titan.

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A Review of Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Season One

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A period piece drama about an obscure Japanese performing art, aimed at adults, is not what people have come to expect from anime. It certainly was a change of pace from what I’m used to. Even Anime I consider to be aimed at older audiences are usually action shows, science fiction, or character based deconstructions, but there is a certain class about Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju that I don’t see from a lot of Anime.

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A Quick Post About Future Posts

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I haven’t been updating the blog as frequently as I’d like to. This is partly because my finals were last week and also because I’ve got a lot work this week but FEAR NOT!! I intend to post a lot this summer. I’ve got plenty of time to watch Anime, just as much time to write about it, and NO EXCUSES not to… until I come up with one.

Why All the Hate? – Funimation and Crunchyroll

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I have been overjoyed recently, seeing Anime become even more popular here in the west and I believe the main reason for this is the involvement of two companies. Firstly, Funimation, the Houston-based Distributer that licenses, dubs and distributes Anime while also providing a streaming service. Secondly, Crunchyroll, a primarily streaming platform giving people access to hundreds of Anime, Manga and Japanese drama. The unification of these two companies has made the power of these two companies even stronger. Just recently Crunchyroll got all 64 episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood onto their site as one of the benefits of this deal and there has been a promise that this partnership will help get more Blu-ray releases for even more anime.

But for some reason when I talk to a lot of friends about Crunchyroll and Funimation, there seems to be a lot of hate surrounding the two that I simply do not understand. So I figured I’d give my two cents on why I think the hate is a bit ridiculous and suggest what we SHOULD be complaining about instead.

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Sequels to Watch Out For

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This season alone we have received the long awaited sequel to Attack on Titan and the sequel to one of the best shows of 2016, My Hero Academia. This has gotten me thinking about what other sequels are coming soon. After all, there are so many new and great shows each season, but every once in awhile, we get a sequel to an acclaimed series, an old classic or even an obscure gem. In the spirit of sequels, here are a few sequels I am interested in or would like to see in the future. I highly encourage you to check out each of the shows I will be addressing and to share them with others. Enjoy!

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A Matter of Presentation; How I’ve Come to Love Attack on Titan Again

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After finishing season one of Attack on Titan in January of 2014, I began my descent into the rabbit hole that is Japanese culture and animation. It’s been a long journey and now that I’m well into my fourth year of being an anime fan, Studio WIT just so happens to have released the long awaited sequel to Attack on Titan. It has been four long years though, in which my taste in anime have changed and while I still remember season one fondly as the Anime that got me into Anime, I won’t pretend my excitement didn’t decline as the wait grew longer. Eight episodes into season 2 however, and I can see that it was worth the wait.

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A Review of Blood Blockade Battlefront (Originally Posted January 17th, 2017)

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Kekkai Sensen 3Kekkai Sensen hooked me right from the very beginning with our main character narrating a letter to his sister, as we are treated to a stunning montage of what is clear to be the climax of this 12 episode series. A wide array of colorful and sleek characters are seen dismembering ghoul after ghoul across a vast and expansive metropolis under the night sky, all the while our hero scales a tall staircase approaching what he hopes to be direction needed to stop the chaos and save the day. The main title flashes on the screen with dazzling effect and we are brought back to the beginning of the story.

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