Interlude

Hello, true believers! This is Nelson, creator of The Anime Guardians. I'd like to announce that the blog will be on hiatus for a time, as I'll be pouring time into the other website I've recently co-founded, Project Otaku. I've held onto this blog for a year and a half now, and it's helped me to develop as a writer in ways unimaginable. But it's not easy blogging alone; Project Otaku is a great place for me to foster the writings of others and myself. Being part of a community is what blogging is all about, or this is what I've come to believe. Those faithfuls who have followed my writings until now should show Project Otaku some support at http://www.projectotaku.com/.

The Anime Guardians Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Google Plus pages will still be up, allowing for me to spread news of my continuing endeavors. Thanks for the love throughout these months. See you on the other side!

- Nelson Rolon
anime.guardians03@gmail.com

Regarding 009 Re:Cyborg

This film was on my radar from the moment it was announced. I've never seen or read the previous Cyborg 009 works (unless 009-1 counts), but the names "Production I.G" and "Kenji Kamiyama" were enough to catch my eye. The bizarre 3D CG animation also caught my eye, but the style grew on me as I watched the film. Should you watch 009 Re:Cyborg?

Border Crossings: On American and Japanese Comic Book Culture

*Man of Steel spoiler below!*

I saw Man of Steel 8:00PM Saturday night with a couple friends. A devout fan of anything involving Christopher Nolan (except that last Batman movie, that I could have lived without), I was expecting great things from Man of Steel. My friend Leslie, after viewing the blockbuster, felt no shame in claiming it was better than The Dark Knight; I'm still debating that myself. Later that night I told Erica, Project Otaku's site manager and co-founder, about the film. She hilariously responded with, “I don't intend to watch. Not big on Marvel heroes.” We'll forgive her for the huge faux pas, but it does raise some interesting questions about Americans who enjoy Japanese manga and anime, but cannot stomach our own home-grown superheroes.

"Thanks for Playing": Life After Immersive Video Games

So I recently finished Katawa Shojou for the first time with Emi. For those who aren't informed, Katawa Shojou's a dating sim focusing on girls with physical handicaps, e.g. amputated limbs, blindness, etc. Emi's a girl who lost her legs below the knees, but instead of crying about it all the time she sprints on metal prosthetics. I spent several hours of play time patiently working through her resistance towards emotional closeness, but I eventually succeeded in getting the happy ending I sought. I was Emi's boyfriend and we loved each other... and then the story was done.

KATAWA SHOJOU So Far...

Aside from the crude Galaxy Angel and Ganguro Girl dating sims that have been around for years on Newgrounds.com, I've never played anything close to a visual novel. I think they're unique to Japanese culture, like RPGs kinda are. When I checked up on Megatokyo.com like I periodically do, I saw a post by Fred Gallagher which included a link to Katawa Shojou, a free to play visual novel about attending a special needs school. I'd heard about it before and it sounded just as strange the first time around. Dating handicapped people? Who the hell came up with this?

How Did I Become an Art Agent?

I've dedicated the past few weeks since graduating from college to embellishing my otaku nature. For me, that involves actually learning some Japanese. I signed up with MyLanguageExchange.com, and quickly found a Japanese native who happened to be in New York and wanted help with his English. His name is Mago, and he's an accomplished artist in Japan struggling to find a little fame in the Big Apple.

Chronicles of a Down (But not Out) Otaku

I haven't posted any hard-hitting material since college graduation a few weeks ago. Truth is, life has offered me some hard-hitting disillusionment. I think I'm depressed... no, I'm sure I'm depressed. Maybe I'm a little impatient, but finding a job as an Art History grad isn't the easiest thing to do, especially since I don't wanna teach and every employer wants 2 - 5 years experience, which they (shockingly) aren't willing to offer. I hate sitting at home with all this time to think about my future and my place in the universe. Watching anime isn't even fun anymore - yes, I'm shocked to hear myself say that too. But I'm trying to be a productive otaku. Here's some of the more interesting parts of this period thus far:

Project Otaku

Working on a blog all by my lonesome isn't the easiest thing to do; the honest truth is that no one wants to blog all the time. It's fulfilling, but oh so exhausting! I've been collaborating with my friend Erica (Mrs. Blunder) on a new website, ProjectOtaku.com, where we and a few writers aim to create a genuinely friendly atmosphere for anibloggers. I'll still be blogging here at The Anime Guardians for some time, but all good things must come to an end, and Project Otaku has revitalized my interest in aniblogging for now. Check out my first post for the site, "It’s Girth, not Length, that Matters: A Celebration of Anime Shorts." 

- Nelson

Anime Power Rankings: A Little Bit of Fame

Hey everyone. Remember when I recently announced our summons by kevo of http://kevo.dasaku.net/ to participate in his weekly Anime Power Rankings? I checked the page out after submitting my weekly ratings and comments, and saw that the comments were posted onto the rankings page. 

For those without the microscopic vision to read what I posted, here's what it says:

Attack on Titan and Oreimo were honestly tied for me, but I had to choose one. They’re two completely different shows and fulfill different parts of my anime nutritional needs. That said, Titan had the bigger WTF factor by introducing the Titan Killing Titan (it’s probably Eren, guys). Still, Kyosuke in Oriemo was hilarious, what with his very realistic concerns as a new boyfriend. When is the best time to touch a girl’s boobs? I don’t know, Kyosuke. Just don’t get arrested on molestation charges for being too eager…

I think we're getting a little, dare I say it, famous? I think that's a fair assessment. But at the end of the day, I enjoy getting to communicate with the anime blogosphere. We have an extended family out there, bonded by the common love of Japanese popular culture. That is so cool.

- Nelson

Post-humanism in Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Innocence (2004)

After two years of blood, sweat and anime, I've finished my senior thesis, "Establishing a Post-human Identity through Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell and Innocence Films." It's about fifty pages long, plus some screencaps, sources and an acknowledgment page. In the paper, I argue that Mamoru Oshii harbors a complex view on humanity: we are both bodies and minds, and we use one aspect of that duality or both to identify ourselves in a technologically saturated post-human realm. Ultimately, we find meaning in the relationships we have with all entities as only humans can. I'll admit, the paper is a little humanistic in that I'm suggesting humans are important at all, but hierarchy shouldn't be the implied rhetoric here. I doubt I solved any of life's mysteries with my writing. In any case, this paper has been a labor of love, and I hope readers enjoy it. It is downloadable as a PDF.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/141883612/Establishing-a-Post-Human-Identity-Through-Mamoru-Oshiis-Ghost-in-the-Shell-and-Innocence-Films


Nelson Rolon
Creator of anime-guardians.com
anime.guardians03@gmail.com

This Season So Far

Things are dying down for me at college. This will be my last week as an undergraduate (WOOHOO!), and I'll soon move into the world of 9 to 5 work days and innumerable bills to pay. I'm trying to binge on as much anime as possible before those tragedies of adult life ensue. With a rare moment of solace at my disposal, I recently began keeping up with a few of the shows airing this spring season.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: After Episodes 1 - 4

While working on my senior thesis on anime cyborgs, I watched Mamoru Oshii's Patlabor OVAs and read a lot of opinions on how revolutionary his approach was. While most giant robot shows like Gundam emphasize a sense of beauteous warfare and sleek robot designs meant to catch the eye, Patlabor was not nearly as flashy, and instead focused on the human relationships that form within an increasingly technological world. Patlabor was very much about its humans, not the robots. Neon Genesis Evangelion came to mind as another show that revitalized the giant robot genre, or this is what I've heard for years now. I set out to see what those reasons were, and began watching the original Evangelion series that broke the mould. (And in case anyone notices, we already have a review on Evangelion previously written by ABC. This latest inquiry is being carried out by Nelson).

ANIME POWER RANKINGS

I was invited by kevo of Desu ex Machina to participate in his website's weekly Anime Power Rankings, where numerous anibloggers rate their favorite shows for the week and give summaries as to why. I've known about kevo's site for a long time now, so to be invited to participate is a pretty big deal for my little Anime Guardians blog. I'll be posting those rankings to this website as well, so look out for them. We're making progress slowly but surely, guys! Thanks for your support throughout the past year.

In other news, I've nearly completed my two year journey into anime cyberpunk and post-humanism, Man, Mutt and Machine. The paper's looking to be over 50 pages long, circulating around the 1995 Ghost in the Shell film and its 2004 sequel, Innocence. I'll post it for everyone to read in a couple weeks.

Finally, I've begun watching Neon Genesis Evangelion after realizing how revolutionary it was for the giant robot genre when compared to the usual Gundam fare. I'll be logging my opinions on the series in the next few days.

As college draws to a close for me, I fancy I'll have a lot more time for The Anime Guardians than I've had in a long time. Thanks for your patience, everyone.

- Nelson

Life

Spring is almost here. The trees are blossoming, groundhogs are coming out to play, and I've started riding my bike regularly. With the advent of the new season comes some expected changes, like the end of the school year. In my case, it marks my graduation from college, which I jumped into right after high school. Beyond the borders of my little school is the adult world - I don't really think of myself as being an adult yet. Age isn't all that goes into maturity; being an adult involves a rite of passage that varies for different cultures. As I watched episode 10 of Clannad: After Story, I sympathized with Tomoya's difficulty entering the adult realm.

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!

The Chicken or the Egg?

The first time I saw Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, I didn't know what to think. Saying that I hated it seems too strong, but that's the best word I can summon. I thought it was another example of Mamoru Oshii being dense, slow and boring. Now that I'm several years wiser, I'm of the exact opposite opinion: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is an insanely pleasurable movie. Yes, pleasurable, as in I fell madly in love with it and had inappropriate thoughts about fornicating with the myriad gynoids. Innocence requires an entirely different set of sensibilities than most anime demands, and Oshii's uncompromisingly brutal methodology ensures that those who actually sit through the film will either adore or despise him. Trying to please everyone is impossible; Oshii doesn't even try. 

Updates

** 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.

Hey everybody, Nelson speaking. Time to let everyone know what's going on as of late, and why posting has been hilariously erratic on The Anime Guardians.

I've finally done it, and by "it" I mean reached my final semester of college. I've got my senior project and graduation to think about before finally beginning the rest of my life. Yeah, my impending adulthood feels more like a journey into a dark tunnel with an ominous light at the end. I've no idea what awaits. Perhaps I'll work in a museum, which seems the likely course so long as I go with the flow. Maybe I'll become a fighter pilot, a childhood dream of mine. Maybe I'll publish a book. Who knows. Everything's up in the air.

Although I've been watching plenty of anime, I haven't written much as of late. I'm gonna stick to writing entries about the cyberpunk shows I've been studying. Mardock Scramble's second film was released this year, so I gotta snag a DVD copy. I'll be focusing on anime from the beginning of 2000 from now on instead of reaching far back into the 1980s and 1990s.

I'll still be posting, just at random times. I'm still fighting the good fight.


Nelson Rolon
Editor in Chief at The Anime Guardians
anime.guardians03@gmail.com

Your Flesh is Irrelevant, Because it's the Data that Counts

In the book How We Became Posthuman, author Katherine Hayles devotes some of chapter two to analyzing William Gibson's Neuromancer, particularly where protagonist Case claims busy Ninsei Street  resembles "a field of data... the dance of biz, information interacting, data made flesh in the mazes of the black market." From this paragraph, Hayles draws several conclusions about Neuromancer and cyborg literature in general:

"Pattern tends to overwhelm presence, leading to a construction of immateriality that depends not on spirituality or even consciousness but only on information... Information is the putative origin, physicality the derivative manifestation... If flesh is data incarnate, why not go back to the source and leave the perils of physicality behind?" (Pgs 35, 37).

PSYCHO-PASS. © Production I.G.

The world of PSYCHO-PASS has taken these conclusions and made them concrete rules that society must abide by. The software program known as the Sybil System governs almost all of one's activities, relying on calculated assessments and aptitude tests to maintain order, dictating matters ranging from what career one would be suited to, to determining if a latent criminal should be paralyzed and apprehended or blown to pieces. In the case of PSYCHO-PASS, the "pattern that overwhelms presence" is found within the Psycho-Pass chip inside one's body, which relays stress levels and other biological readings via cymatic scan to Sybil.

Anime Sushi: Television by Otaku, For Otaku!

* Here's an interview I recently published on GoBoiano. Enjoy, and support the cause!

Last week at Anime Los Angeles a certain Kickstarter project held auditions for their upcoming television series. Cosplayers and convention goers appeared in droves to display their television hosting skills and proudly show off their meticulously designed wardrobes. The name of the series is Anime Sushi, a program dedicated to discussing anime, gaming and other topics that make otaku giddy. The charm with this show is that there will be a heavy emphasis on audience generated content, so fans will play a large part in what gets aired. 

Interested in the project, I reached out to producer Karl Laundy to find out more. As it turns out, he's as much of an otaku as the rest of us, introduced to anime through Speed Racer and Gigantor, and then starting a career cutting broadcast versions of works such as Wicked City, Silent Moebius, Neo Tokyo and Akira. Below is a preview of the series, followed by my interview with Laundy. Enjoy!

First Impressions: MAOYUU

One of 2013's newest shows, Maoyuu bridges grave politics and romantic humor through the clumsy, adorable interactions of its characters, the male Hero and female Demon King. The various preview images of the show caught my attention because the Demon King's horns reminded me of the main character in the esoteric Ico and Shadow of the Colossus games. Thankfully Maoyuu has more going for it than just the horns - they turn out to be fake.

NEKOMONOGATARI: KURO

For those unfortunate souls who aren't already informed, the Monogatari anime franchise from SHAFT is largely an exercise in "Tarantino-esque dialogue, surreal avant-garde imagery, and clever deconstruction of harem tropes." When I caught a glimpse of Bakemonogatari half a year ago, I was floored by the show's cleverness, and I'd argue that there are few anime that can match the incisive wit of the Monogatari series. With great excitement I began Nekomonogatari: Kuro, a four-episode installment showing Araragi's encounter with the oddity cat that possessed his poor buxom buddy Hanekawa.