Being Human

In the last episode of Shin Sekai Yori  (From the New World), the antagonist Squeara faces a public trial for his crimes against the psy-powered humans. Squeara is a Monster Rat, a race of creatures created hundreds of years ago after splicing the human genome with naked mole rats. The public, unaware of these human origins, laughs when Squeara shouts that the Monster Rats are humans too, who deserve equal standing among the psy-humans they once considered gods. It is unclear whether or not Squeara knew the truth about the Monster Rats, but his punishment for attempting to annihilate his oppressors begs the question, "What is it that keeps our fragile understanding of 'humanity' together?"

AnimeShinbun.com

No, this isn't a review. Just letting everyone know that AnimeShinbun.com, which aggregates anime news sources from around the internet, is currently featuring our PSYCHO-PASS "Perfect World" review as its Hottest News piece. To all the Anime Guardians readers lurking around the dark recesses of the net, thanks for your support!

Perfect World

What is a system? What place do people have within systems? And can people escape the systems they find themselves part of? The answer to that, according to PSYCHO-PASS, is "no."

Man, Mutt and Machine

** Update: As of May 2013 my senior project is completed and titled "Establishing a Post-human Identity through Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell and Innocence Films." It can be found on the Post-humanity tab above, and is available in PDF format.

 

Wow. Nearly a month and a half since I posted last, and I feel rather rotten for waiting so long. But Nelson's been a busy boy, and I have some work to show for it. My senior project has evolved into a beautifully complex essay on the significance of non-humans (animals, objects, nature) in shaping social events. I didn't expect my paper - originally focused on anime cyborgs - to have as much potential as it does now. 

That's enough of me talking. Below is a mess of an introduction from yours truly, far from the organized paper I hope to churn out in several weeks. There's lots of loose ends for me to tie up, so consider this a log of where my mind has been rather than a solid thesis. I've hyperlinked the more academic terms and references so that curious readers can understand what I'm writing about. Enjoy!