Uchuu Kyoudai 2: Drudgery and Toil

STRAIGHTEN YOUR FUCKING POSTURE

Sometimes, following your dreams means taking a lot of really, really mundane exams.

Uchuu Kyoudai: Episode 1

What a charming, bizarre OP! Love it.

First of all, Happy April Fools day to anyone who really thought Hibiki Ganaha was my favourite character in The iDOLM@STER. Hibiki is a fucking joke.

Second of all, I’ve decided to start doing some episodic blogging in order to keep myself motivated and productive. I will be selecting two to three of my favourite shows every season to blog. I will continue to write editorials as issues come to mind, but I hope that my episodic posts will be more meaningful than the usual plethora of screenshots and plot summary which seems to be so ubiquitous these days. In any case, please support me on this new endeavour.

Right, down to business. Uchuu Kyoudai. Space Brothers. About as far from moe as one can get without being Rainbow. Stylistically, I find it quite similar to anime in the late 90s or early 00s. Actually, come to think of it, 90s revivals seem to be somewhat of a recent trend. Hopefully, one of my readers can substantiate or deny these claims?

An Ode to Hibiki Ganaha

The world's luckiest dog.

Hibiki Ganaha— energetic, wild, untameable. Here’s to you.

Everlasting Summer

"You can't be seventeen forever, ufufufu."

I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.

―Banksy

Class and Christianity in Anime

Japanese girls frolicking around in Western buildings! High-class gap moe!

“Missionary schools” are a common trope in gakuen anime. You’ve seen them before— St. Someone-or-other Academy, old and hallowed, filled with the sons and daughters of the wealthy. There’s always a chapel, perhaps a few nuns or priests, and if you’re lucky, a lesbian or two. Ironically, what missionary schools do not have are devout Christians. This is unsurprising— Christianity itself carries no significance. It derives its symbolic significance from its ties to Western civilization.

17 Years Ago

Today marks the 17th anniversary of the Tokyo Sarin attacks. My life was changed profoundly by the events of that day. Seventeen years ago, I was three. I do not remember March 20th, 1995, nor did I realize its significance until much later.

Xun Zi on Nisemonogatari

Kagenui tries to school Araragi in Confucian philosophy. Too bad she's a little misguided.

I was pleasantly surprised by Nishio Ishin’s clever introduction of Confucian philosophy towards the end of Nisemonogatari 11. Using Xun Zi’s ideas on human nature to explain some of the main themes of Nisemonogatari makes sense to me. Though Kagenui’s explanation of Xunzian ideas of human nature (and perhaps, Nishio Ishin’s understanding thereof) are based upon rather lazy translations of the original, I would like to elucidate upon her final monologue and use my own understanding of Xunzian ideas to tie the series together. This is probably something which is interesting to only a few people in the anisphere (read: myself), but hopefully I can use Nisemonogatari to give a brief introduction to one of the most fascinating (and under-appreciated) philosophers in the Confucian tradition. NB: Spoilers to Nisemonogatari 11.

Embracing Impotence in Nisemonogatari

"Maybe we should cut your crotch off." Perhaps the most overt reference to impotence in Nisemonogatari.

Nisemonogatari is disorienting. Whereas Bakemonogatari was a straightforward romance between Araragi and Senjogahara, Nisemonogatari seems to be a little more complex. Araragi’s character is twisted— he transforms into an incestuous pervert, a far cry from the chivalrous, heroic protagonist of Bakemonogatari. Indeed, Araragi Koyomi has become unmanly. His impotency strikes viewers as one of the most distinguishing traits of Nisemonogatari. We begin to understand the Araragi Koyomi is, in fact, no protagonist at all. NB: Spoilers to Nisemonogatari 10.

Exploring Typography in Nisemonogatari

Sure, you could read this, but that'd defeat the purpose. Plus, it's only there for a second. It's not meant to be read.

Typography is one of the most important visual elements in the *monogatari franchise. In both Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari, Shinbo uses typography to create textures, accentuate emotions and reveal extra layers of meaning. Ultimately, typography is used to build a more abstracted visual feel for the series. From the built environment to characters’ emotions, typography is used to distance the world of Nisemonogatari from our own world. Let’s now go on a light-hearted romp through Nisemonogatari‘s typographic world.

NB: In this post, I am writing from the perspective of someone who is very comfortable reading standard Japanese. My hope is that this post will shed some light on Shinbo’s typographic techniques and their relevance to audiences who are unable to read Japanese. Of course, if you do read Japanese, I would love to hear your thoughts on Shinbo’s use of typography in Nisemonogatari. 

Decolonizing the Anisphere

Okay, not THAT kind of decolonization.

My good friend a_libellule wrote an article about the transformative nature of Twitter over at Altair & Vega. Twitter, in his reckoning, has made the anisphere a more interactive, collaborative place. With Twitter being the site of informal banter and impromptu discussions, one has to wonder— what’s the role of the blog in today’s anisphere?