Fun Stuff > ENJOY

Anime anyone?

<< < (131/229) > >>

GarandMarine:
The DVD box set for Toradora is dropping July 1st of this year if you didn't know already

Cire27:
Wait, they dubbed Toradora?  This is so weird to me.

Okay, so I just watched the trailer and it wasn't that bad!  Ami's voice is wrong to me though and it's really weird not hearing Rie's tsundere voice coming out of Taiga.

GarandMarine:
I'm not sure I'll bother with the dub. The sub is too ingrained in my tiny simian brain.

Taekwondoin:

--- Quote from: Blue Kitty on 23 Mar 2014, 16:55 ---From tinycrown on tumblr
(click to show/hide)
--- Quote ---I try to be as fair and unbiased as possible when taking a look at controversial media (particularly media that is considered controversial for reasons related to sexism, sexual assault and rape) because it is an issue that is extremely close to me as both a victim of rape and, frankly, a person in general. When Kill la Kill was first subbed and introduced to English-speaking audiences it was received with mixed reviews. Some hailed it as a piece of revolutionary, feminist media and others criticized it for being sexist and damaging to people everywhere.
Under normal circumstances, I would wait until the entire show had aired before passing judgment but after watching some 20+ episodes of Kill la Kill I have come to a conclusion, and unfortunately it is not a positive one.
For people who are unfamiliar with the anime, I will begin with a short  summary of the plot of Kill la Kill, courtesy of Wikipedia.
“Kill la Kill is set at Honnouji Academy a fictional high school set in Japan that is dominated by its fearsome student council, led by Satsuki Kiryuin. The council members wear special uniforms called Goku Uniforms that grant them superhuman abilities, which they use to oppress the rest of the school’s students and staff. Ryuko Matoi, a student wielding half of a scissor-shaped longsword, transfers to Honnouji Academy in search of the owner of the other half of the scissor blade, the person who killed her father. Defeated by the council after interrogating Satsuki over the killer’s identity and whereabouts, Ryuko comes across a sentient sailor uniform (kamui) she names Senketsu, who puts himself on Ryuko. Using Senketsu’s special abilities, Ryuko stands up against Satsuki and her henchmen, the Elite Four, to liberate Honnouji Academy from their iron grip and solve the mystery of her father’s murder.”
For the sake of clarity and consistency in pointing out the litany of Issues that plague Kill la Kill, I will be responding to quotes from this Kotaku article (that also includes additional points made in a post on GeekBabel) on a quote-by-quote basis.
“It’s been brought up that, while the way fan service was integrated into the show’s universe is admirable, it still does not justify having these characters wear these outrageous outfits. I have to disagree with that, especially with this episode. It’s part of the character development.”
From the get go, I would like to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with any individual choosing to wear sexual/sexualized clothing provided the individual in question has chosen to wear the clothes themselves. The issue of choice is one that I will pick up again later.
In regards to fan service, Kill la Kill does not simply include it but completely oversteps the bounds fan service and rapidly moves into the arena of outright assault. On a consistent basis. Parties that continue to argue it is “only” fan service should then keep in mind that it is then “fan service” being paid to people that get sexual pleasure from rape and assault*; these are not acceptable individuals or mentalities and should not be rewarded with “fan service” that caters to their interests.
 “Once she stopped rejecting him [kamui] she was finally able to bring out his full potential and FUSE with him. The kamui became her and she became the kamui. At that point they were one and the same which is why she didn’t need to be completely covered her skin became the kamui itself.“
This particular quote almost perfectly describes one of the biggest problems with Kill la Kill as a whole. But, before I respond to it, I will include some background information. You will recall in the show’s summary that Ryuko, “comes across a sentient sailor uniform (kamui),” who “puts himself on Ryuko.” Some of you may have questioned the way the sentence was phrased—wouldn’t she be putting on the uniform, not the other way around? In this case, you would be incorrect.   
Ryuko actually discovers the uniform in question when she falls through a trap door into a hidden room. She is exhausted and hurt when she is first accosted by the kamui, who introduces himself by demanding she strip down, wear him and give him her blood. When she says no, several times, he then physically pins Ryuko to the wall and says, “All right, I’ll make you wear me by force!” The uniform then removes her clothing despite her continued protests and forces himself on her, in a blatant and disgusting sexual assault scene.
Once Ryuko has been forced into the kamui it is revealed that, by drinking her blood, the uniform transforms into a revealing and hyper-sexualized outfit that greatly increases Ryuko’s physical strength. Ryuko herself is made extremely uncomfortable by the way her clothing exposes her body, but has little choice but to wear it. The show’s characters (along with the writers and much of the fan base) don’t seem to have any regard for Ryuko’s bodily autonomy or feelings—especially her discomfort regarding being literally forced to wear extremely revealing clothing. Worse still, many of those same people choose to actively ignore her discomfort for the sole purpose of oogling her body against her will.
In the third episode, the show finally attempts to scrape together a reason for Ryuko’s skimpy new duds as the rivalry between Ryuko and Satsuki comes to a head. It is revealed that Satsuki has a kamui of her own and that, once transformed, her getup is not only more powerful but even skimpier than Ryuko’s. When it becomes clear that Ryuko will lose their extremely one-sided battle, Senketsu (the uniform) explains that, despite the fact that she was forced to give him access to her body, it won’t be enough to defeat Satsuki unless she gives up and accepts not just him, but that she will have to expose herself even further if she has any hope of winning (or at least not dying).
As if it wasn’t enough for Senketsu to force himself onto Ryuko’s body, this new information is expected to ‘make it ok’ to continue and escalate the display of Ryuko’s body, again, despite her extreme discomfort.  In essence, it isn’t enough that Senketsu sexually assaulted her, she must remember that he will continue to display her body and that she must whole-heartedly accept him into her. The idea that, “Ryuuko needs to learn to be comfortable with her body and not give a shit about what other people think. She has to learn her actions speak louder than her appearance,” a piss-poor justification for the forced exposure of her body.
The idea that she has to ‘accept’ being uncomfortable and accept Senketsu falls neatly in like with some of the most heinous aspects of rape culture—that victims should just accept that their discomfort (and often, their victimhood) is unimportant, that sex crimes and sexist behavior isn’t a big deal and that above all you should just get over it. 
“…The science of how the fusion of two beings work in a fantasy setting…. Kill La Kill does fusion RIGHT! It’s a combination of the kamui and Ryuko’s body is it not? So is it strange to see parts of her exposed?”
It bears saying that Kill la Kill may take place in a fantasy universe but that does not exempt it from being a grotesque, rape apologizing, piece of garbage. I have heard people say that because Kill la Kill is not “real” it isn’t important or productive to discuss how damaging it is. Unfortunately for me—as well as fellow victims of assault and just people in general—sexism, misogyny, rape and assault do not exist in a vacuum and media of all types have a lasting effect on the way people (including victims and perpetrators) perceive and react to sex crimes.
And just as an aside, Trigger studios could have shown Senketsu and Ryuko’s “fusion” in a thousand other ways than by just shrinking her outfit.
This tumblr post points out another key issue, “You know we’re all pretty familiar with the sort of tongue-in-cheek rape jokes you see in anime, where a horny dude will try to grope or pounce on a hot girl, only to get punched in the face or kicked in the balls either right before or right after he succeeds. ” In theory, this formula should point out that a common and unacceptable behavior (like feeling up an unconscious girl!) will be met with some form of response or repercussion. Kill la Kill follows this standard formula closely, but not entirely.
Putting aside the fact that I am of the school of thought that rape jokes tend to be extremely unfunny, inappropriate and that it is often in the best interests of everyone to steer clear of telling them at all, Kill la Kill still fails to provide the key element that makes these jokes a tongue-in-cheek observation of something unacceptable—Mako’s father (and brother’s) disgusting behavior often has no repercussions at all. As a result, a “rape joke” designed to (poorly & stupidly) illustrate an unacceptable behavior now instead shows that there are no consequences for these actions and that, worse, perpetrators should feel no compunction to stop or even be ashamed.
“Fan service doesn’t have to be mindless. With some good writing, it can be used to tell some interesting things. Instead of turning a blind eye on this divisive trend in anime, Kill la Kill decided to show people how it’s done. “
No, it absolutely did not.
Despite all of these issues I continued to watch Kill la Kill, primarily for the fight scenes but also with some small hope for an improvement in the narrative. That is until I watched episode 16. Episode 16 contains imagery that is, without a doubt, the most disgusting and heinous act I have ever had the extreme misfortune of seeing in an anime (and media in general). The idea that groups of writers, animators and producers spent so much time putting it together is literally nauseating to me.
For those who either have not seen the series, or have not seen the episode in question, I will explain.  During one particular scene, Satsuki (Ryuko’s rival throughout the series) goes to a private bath in her home. I expected some standard bathhouse “fan service” but was shocked and disgusted to find out it was much, much worse. Satsuki is approached by her mother (revealed to be the true antagonist of the series), pushed back into the water of the bath and then sexually assaulted, both verbally and physically. The scene also includes strong elements of implied rape. That is correct, Trigger studios wrote, produced and lovingly animated a mother openly and disgustingly molesting (and possibly raping) her child.
Because of this scene, I am completely unable to excuse this show for its narrative, as both a rape victim and an advocate for the safety of women.  Kill la Kill is an irreconcilable show that not only includes but tacitly (and in some cases outright) endorses the assault, molestation and rape of women.
My conclusion? Kill la Kill is extremely exploitative, sexist, misogynistic and ultimately Bad For Women. There is nothing about the show that is “revolutionary”; if anything, Kill la Kill has set narratives about female characters back by normalizing rape, sexual assault and sexist behavior. If you want to see animation like Kill la Kill without enduring or perpetuating pretty heinous stuff, I strongly recommend re-watching Gurren Lagann instead.
I will wrap up this essay by saying that if you still watch Kill la Kill, no, you are not a disgusting and awful person. I know a few people that continue to watch the show because Mako and Gamagoori make a darling couple and I know a few others that continue to watch for battle scenes; If you watch it, it does not mean that I hate you. I just ask that people keep these ideas in mind, and also refrain from touting Kill la Kill as revolutionary, feminist or Good For Women by any stretch of the imagination.
*It is important to clarify that there is a difference between rape-fantasies and rape, as rape fantasies include the consent of all partners prior to the act itself. There is a huge difference between people who have rape fantasies and actively creating a fantasy catered to rapists, assaulters and downright disgusting human beings

--- End quote ---

--- End quote ---

But doesn't this whole piece hinge on the idea that
(click to show/hide)Senketsu has his own sexualised ideas? I know he's sentient, but at no point has he had any kind of sexual idea's or thoughts, it's only his appearance when transformed that is sexualised, and even that comes down to the will of a third party, Isshin.

As for episode 16, yes it was a rape scene, it was intended as such. There's also a rape scene in The Proposition, is that excused because it's a live action western movie? There are also rape scenes in hundreds of books, I've just read one in A Dance with Dragons that was portrayed as everything other than disgusting.
I don't think that Kill la Kill is particularly good for women at all, neither do I think that TTGL was good for men. I watch it because I enjoy it, whether it is fanservice or not is irrelevant to me in that I stopped viewing it that way at about episode 4, but yes it is there, it doesn't take away from the show, or give anything to it. I find it hypocritical that someone can be so disgusted by the show and say "I watch it for the fight scenes", that just reeks of a shallowness that she clearly doesn't have as exampled in that blog post, though she makes a habit of confusing her opinion with fact...

GarandMarine:
Going back into the oversexualization inherent in KLK, especially the transformations, and forgive me if I'm the guy pointing out the joke/point here, but the entire idea is skewering and turning up to 11, the common tropes inherent to a magical girl anime. What Madoka did by deconstruction and nightmare fuel KLK is is doing via Trigger's trademark hot blooded OTT and comedy. There's a lot going on in KLK over all, lots of themes being poked at and explored, but the over powered student council, the "fighting" high school, every trope they're getting in to is being exploded for a reason. It's not great for women or for men, but does everything have to be?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page