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Monogatari Series

It's always nice to see these two together

Why would they put Persona spoilers in the middle of the article? 🫠

People should really read Patrick W. Galbraith. I've been reading his publications on moe (The Moe Manifesto) and it's really insightful. Related to this article would be Lolicon: The reality of 'virtual child pornography' in Japan which explains the complexity of the issue. Skip to the sections "Risk and pre-emptive discipline", "Juridification of the imagination", "Moral panic", and "The reality of fiction" (or read the entire thing!).

Excerpt from the conclusion:

Because there is no actual crime committed, it ultimately ends up an issue of how one interprets images, of a person’s private thoughts, and this is not something that can or should be regulated. All forms of imagination, regardless of how repugnant some may find them, are legal up to and until they present a real danger to self or others. The evidence suggests that those producing and consuming lolicon images pose no such danger. They have a nuanced understanding of the relationship between fiction and reality, and desire shōjo characters precisely because they are unreal.

Sexual violence against women and children is an unfortunate social reality, and censoring fictional depictions does not reduce it (Shigematsu 1999: 147). It does, however, make it taboo to even imagine sexual violence and denies a space to represent and respond to it. It positions women and children as “pure,” objectifying them every bit as much as the “Lolita effect” (Durham 2009: 12). [...] To the fear that images of sexualized children, even fictional ones, naturalize “cognitive distortions,” the response must be that learning is a social process. This is precisely why the lifeworlds of fans, including lolicon fans, should not be “juridified” out of existence (McLelland forthcoming). It is in these communities, in interaction with one another, that meanings are negotiated. Universal standards will not prevent someone, somewhere from getting the wrong idea, and limiting public interaction may in even encourage it.

It goes much deeper than this though, so I recommend just reading through it.

But I have to clarify that ani.social does have a policy on this which has similar wording, but I personally would not ban or remove discourse surrounding the topic.

Isshiki actually turned out to be a great character (easily my favorite in the entire series)

Yeah, she's also my favorite. She's really cute lol

(I can't find the ping pong gif)

I always thought Oregairu had a misleading title because much of the comedy ended in Season 1 and Season 2+3 felt quite serious for the most part.

I'm so close to finishing Angel Beats. I find it more comedic than dramatic but I actually teared up from one of the scenes in episode __*. Only two episodes left and I'm not sure how it's going to end. I have some free time between my classes tomorrow so maybe I'll watch the last two episodes in the library or something.

::: spoiler * SPOILER
Episode 10, when Yui disappears.
:::

Well that's another similarity, at least based on what other people have said so about it lol

I spent an entire morning a few days ago reading Prison School. I don't know why I had a sudden urge to read it. I finished up to Chapter ~90 at which point most people say it goes down hill.

It's a fun read so far though. Not a life-changing experience obviously but it's ridiculously entertaining. I probably looked stupid giggling under my sheets that day. Also, the art style is incredible. For some reason, this inspired me to study drawing poses again. Too bad it's not something I can read while out in public.

I'd categorize this one with Domestic Girlfriend as "Stupid But Very Entertaining Manga With Great Art".

I mean, that’s a choice if you want to hate life for a while.

Now I'm really curious. I'm going in completely blind then. I think I'll start the first episode tomorrow morning.

Stay safe!

I didn't really get to watch anything last week as I've been studying for exams. I'm thinking of watching Angel Beats for this week though because my friend said it was the only anime that made him cry.

Previous Thread

@[email protected] seems busy tonight (or today depending on your timezone) so I'll be filling in for today! :P

Hot takes, recommendations, questions, cautionary tales, all of it is welcome here.

As always, remember to be mindful of spoilers. If you want to know more about how to handle spoilers in this community, check the guide here (also linked in the sidebar).

I finished The Tatami Galaxy last week. It's timely as I'm graduating next year and I have some regrets with my university life. Tatami Galaxy is a great show to cope with that. Masaaki Yuasa's style is incredible by the way. Maybe at some point I'll watch all of his works. If anyone here is a fan of DAN DA DAN, you should watch Yuasa.

Interestingly, NHK ni Youkoso is about moe, or at least it's a major point of the show (otaku and moe). I hope you enjoy it. It's one of my favorite anime.

I've caught up with the English translation of Asako.

I really like it. The first few pages might deter a lot of people but I think the author handles the age gap relationship quite well and the other themes in the book like sexuality, preadolescence, memories, adulthood, etc. I expected the entire story to revolve around the relationship of the two but it extends far past that.

Depending on how it goes from here, it might be up there with my other all time favorites like Flowers of Evil and Three Days of Happiness.

Maybe I'll put up a post comparing it with "My Boy" some day as they're both similar situations but handled differently.