“One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing “
— Plato(The Apology)
While I can’t claim to be as much of a know-nothing as Socrates , these are indeed the ramblings of a wannabe student of the social sciences. Some of this is original others derivative ; a few academic and most of them criticism. The only commonality between these often disparate works will be that they are the outcomes of my wandering mind. Just as Peter Augustine Lawler argued that we wonder as we wander our separate paths : I invite my fellow-travellers to share their wonder along with me in this journey.
The British Film Institute says so, but a peak at their own data makes me disagree. I wonder why this happens. If this not over-representation, I do not know what is
I must begin by emphasizing that I am not a student of formal philosophy, but some extracts from Hannah Arendt’s The Human Condition seem to have stuck with me when I was thinking about the public/private dichotomy constructed by liberalism of yore and criticized by feminists like Squires and how that could help us think about celebrity.
The Black Swan
For Arendt, antiquity was characterized by a dichotomy between the polis (the public) and the oikos (the household). The public sphere was the realm of politics, where excellence was displayed and immortalised through becoming the best of the best. The private realm on the other hand was the realm which provided a refuge for the citizen with both nourishment and care. Since entering the life of the polis meant exposing yourself to competition under the public gaze, this border-crossing was an act of courage.
To leave the household, originally in order to embark upon
some adventure and glorious enterprise and later simply to devote
one’s life to the affairs of the city, demanded courage because only
in the household was one primarily concerned with one’s own life
and survival.
The Human Condition, p.36
Is choosing the life of a celebrity, then an act of courage ? I would contend that is true in a world where there is a chasm between the public and private which required a deliberate crossing of borders, being a celebrity was courageous. Thus, Kangana Ranaut’s rejoinder to Aravind Swamy has more than a ring of truth to it.
Ranaut in and as Thalaivi
What then of today where there is an emergence of the social which blurs the line between the private and public ? I would argue that there would still have to be a distinction to be drawn between inadvertent fame and notoriety which is not courageous and those who deliberately make themselves famous. But with the fractionalization of the public sphere, can this ever be equivalent to the courage of the polis of old as conceived by Arendt ? To that I have no answers.
A rather hilarious comedy which doesn’t take it self too seriously, this anime basically takes the lucky newbie trope to the next level with constant reconstructions of Yamato. When Tylor enlists in the military, nobody would have forseen his indomitable rise to Lt Commander of the Soyokaze (barring Admirals Mifune and Fuji who got him there) except Lady Luck who seems to be his mistress. Along his way to the captain’s cabin he manages to bring along the by-the-book Lt. Cdr. Yurio Starr as well as soon to be ensigns Fumi and Yumi Hanner when he accidently saves Admiral Hanner from Raalgonian subversives.
Sisters Hanner
However, the Soyokaze is far from a plum posting; staffed by an unruly marine crew , woman-hating ace pilot Lt. Kojiro and drunk unnamed doctor (Yamato reference) this old ship is considered to be a punishment posting. Despite these hurdles, Tylor manages to continue his lazy ways despite numerous Raalgon attacks where triumphs through either uncanny genius (his recognition of the talents of Ensigns Hanner come to mind despite the disproval of Kojiro) or unnatural luck. In the process he attracts the attention of Captain Dom , confident of the Arab-Chinese Holy Raalgon Empire kicking start a rivalry for the ages.
While Yuriko Star is sometimes annoying but not very competent, her fellow Lt Kim is both attractive as well as competent in her job which is an inversion of the trope of hyper-competent domineering type in some anime. The brass of both the UN as well as the Raalgon are depicted as both evil and stupid within the same breath (Wang and the admirals come to mind).
Spoilers Ahead
The strength of Captain Tylor comes from its ability to switch tone from racy scenes involving the female characters and slapstick comedy to the scenes of poignant grief at Hanner’s funeral as well as of Tylor wandering aimlessly under the weight of what appears to be depression is impressive. One of the best comedies I have seen.
This anime is another one of those isekai which broke the would. When a class of teenagers gets reincarnated after theirs deaths in a blast during school, Wakaba is cursed to be reincarnated as a measly spider, while the others (minus former Feirune top bitch whose reincarnated as a baby dragon) are reincarnated in human form. But her monstrous nature allows her to level up quickly as she soon finds out, setting her off an adventure to survive and thrive.
Unlike many anime MCs, Kumo is a very funny character who combines both breaking the fourth wall , sarcasm and cuteness in the same vein. While the other characters are tame, Kumo steals the show. In addition to this, her fights with various monsters are the height of anime fights since Naruto became OPman deux. Defibiylet worth a watch.
Spoilers
The monkey fights were savage. In addition I liked the deconstruction of the “rustic elf” trope. What ebttwe cover for a mad scientist than to live among the trees and preach environmentalism and then pummel everybody with mechs. The Word of God religion is also very funny
Saiki K is a deliciously hilarious anime which manages to utilize the possibilities of narrative to their limits while maintaining a static plot. But most impressive is how the narrative never seems contrived, even with the massive cast of characters assembled.The English and Japanese VAs are also amazing. A masterpiece
Saiki is a seemingly regular teenager who hides a terrible secret; he is a psychic capable of destroying the world involuntarily. His life however is not as easy as it could be; plagued as he is by his dumb as fuck bestie Nendo and his delusional friend Kaido. But not to be bested we have perfect pretty girl Teruhashi after his love. It is this hilarious cast that makes Saiki K an excellent anime.
Spoilers
One of the most challnegubg things Saiki K has managed to do is to even “punch low” without attracting too much negative attendance. I was sick and tired of the “poor girl archetype” and lo and behold this anime skewered this trope with Mera.
One of the most interesting themes Saiki K deals with through the comedic device of exaggeration is that performance becomes reality. Take Kaido who is as far from being courageous as one could be. But when faced with bullies harrasing the girls at the beach,his desire to be heroic forces him to standup for them, thus being a hero. Saiki noted this tendency in Teruhasi wherein she acts graceful even in the face of disgusting food that if she is willing to got to all that trouble to be a perfect pretty girl,then she probably is one.
Fate/Zero is one of those dark low fantasy anime that make do with an intriguing plot and some movements of excellent narrative quality. However the male leads Kiritisugu and Kirei make for a really bland pair of rivals, though the homoeroticism is pretty strong with them. While the fights are impressive,the lopsided screentime given to this emotionless pair was a real downer. Add the poor dialogue and the poor voice casting for Kotomine and you’ll find the series as a could have been masterpiece.
When the beginning of the Fourth Holy Grail War brings together various mages in search of the wish-fulfilling Holy Grail, Emiya Kiritsugu and his wife leave his young daughter Illya in their quest to put an end to all suffering (another grain of wisdom I didn’t want). He is joined by other including Kariya Matou who wants to prevent his friend’s fuaghter form being victimized at the hands of his mad scientist father. This sets up a series of mind-boggling battles and bloodstained intrigues including battles with the King of Heroes Gilgamesh.
Spoilers Ahead
I especially liked the madness of Caster and his master, as well as the dynamic between Weaver and his Rider Alexander. There are also some very excellently executed arcs like Rin’s adventures and Emiya’s flashbacks . Other moments of narrative excellence include Diarmuid’s death and his curse upon the Grail, as well as the three-way discourse on kingship between Arthur, Alexander and Gilgamesh.
Alexander’s repudiation of the king as saint seem to remind me of Nietzchean desire to overcome slave morality in favor of a heroic king. Kariya’s final fantasy about being Din and Sakura’s father was also excellently executed. Devin worth a watch but probably better with dubbed audio
I came into this seriess expecting the standard isekai fare: excellent animation, but with a rather cast of harem members. But this anime ripped apart my expectations with a flourish. Though there were some hard edges(the animation is kind of underwhelming while the male lead Yuusuke is cringy AF), the interesting plot and well crafted narrative more than make up for it.
When misanthrope Yotsuya finds himself alone in a classroom with queen bee Shindo and shy Hozaki, he doesn’t expect to be transported to a video-game like universe. But even more suprisng for this avid gamer he is consistentely alloted civilians roles like farmer and chef while the inept girls are assigned awesome roles ysch as warrior and mage. But unlike most isekai, the queen bee is actually very capable of holding her own. Even more surprisingly Hozaki actually improves over time.
While Yusuke and Hozaki are rather annoying, Shindo is an awesome female lead while Tokitake’s magical girl transformation was impressive. While the world lacks the depth of KonoSuba, the enduring mystery surrounding thier entry as well as the non-linearity of the narrative makes this an excellent watch
If I were to write a treatise on mecha anime, I would have to classify Gurren Lagann as an alter-mecha combining the sci-fi elements immanent in mech with fantasy. Influenced clearly by both the Gundam franchise as well as the Power Rangers zords, Lagann treads the border between the real and surreal.
In the distant future where human beings are forced to eke out a subterranean existence, eccentric Kamina tries to drill a path to the surface with the aid of his trusted friend Shimon. Shimon’s discovery of a glowing drillbit ends up exposing the surface of the cave bringing with it a mecha and an action girl. The quest to rid the surface of these monsters (Gunmen) piloted by Beastment begins with the hope of renewing the hope of human civilization on the surface.
While the first half of the anime embodies the medium at its best combining a visual spectacle with a frenetic pace,the second is a big letdown. While the plot is consistently solid, the narrative faulters with most of the impressive character development in the first half especially in Shimon.
Themes and Other Spoilers
One of the most touching exchanges in the anime is when Yoko accuses Nia of being inconsiderate in asking Shimon to move on. Nia’s response filled to the brim with double entendre is executed par excellent. Simon’s period of mourning is also portrayed in touching manner which was a pleasant surprise considering the over-the-top shonen elements that anime embodies so well.
The emphasis on irrationalism and the will to surmount adversities fits well into the will to power rhetoric of both Kamina and Simon. However I feel that the love triangle between Yoko, Shimon and Kamina could have been played out for a linger while. The conflict between the old l and new guard in the new government as well as Viral’s turn from villain into duetaragonist also suffers from being rushed. As somebody modertaley trained in political theory, it also seems preposterous that the Beastmen and humans are so easily reconciled as evidenced by Kamina City after their intercinine warfare. But
While I am not a fan of the rom-com anime genre in general, this anime about two alphas trying force each other to confess their love to one another at an “elite school” in Japan just blew me away. Unlike the lacksaidsal pace that most comedies take the plot moves forward quite logically with narrative restraint on the introduction of new characters.
An excellent watch which relies on the right mix between character-based and situation a comedy with hints of more to come. Shirohane is your run of the mill virile upwardly mobile genius while Shinomiya is the brilliant heiress reenacting a romance as old as maybe time itself. One lustful and the other proud, the first fears her disdain while the latter wants to win at this war they call love after they are appointed President and VP of the Student’s Council
Racy stuff
The narrative slowly introduces us to the rest of the main cast the airheaded Fujiwara and perpetually suicidal You Ishigami. While it is starts rooted in the confines of the council room, it soon gives us glimpses of the homes of the cast.
Kawai embodied: Fujiwara
Most impressive though is that the director manages to make a pretty average looking Shinomiya (by anime standards anyways) act as a very sexually attrative woman through her posture and her gesture.
After a mysterious beam turns all hunans into stone; uber-scientist Ishigami Senku awakens after 3000 years attempting to reignite civilization using the power of “Science” (TM). But before he can do that, he has to revive his bestie Taiju whose leg-grease should be a substitute for oil in this uncivilized world.
While his science skills are second to none, a series of inopportune circumstances culminate in the revival of the Taiju’s flame Yuzuriha, they end up reviving wrestler Tsukasa . While there is one annoying arc , the plot and narrative make for a fine experience. Also surprisingly, Yuzuriha is quite skilled as opposed to the dumb bimbo archetype done to the death by shonen. An exciting show, which combines science, comedy and good old shonen in n extraordinary fashion
Spoilers
Tsukasa is an interesting combination of fairly high intelligence but lacking strategic capacity. With the manpower he had, it is surprising that the Empire did not raid the Kingdom frequently enough to bleed them out, nor did they engage in a prolonged siege. That being said, Tsukasa seems to be echoing Rousseau in a way which anime needs to get right more often. While Ruri is pretty useless,Kohaku seems to be another action girl. Most impressive was the way in which Yumehara isn’t depicted as totally useless.
Reason and The Passions 