The Chuuni Corner

April 7, 2015

Yuri Kuma Arashi and the Effects of Symbolism, Part 1

What is symbolism?

An Introduction

Winter 2015 brought us the typical anime offerings of harems, slice-of-lives, and comedies. But among the rough, there shined a rather peculiar diamond: Yuri Kuma Arashi. Sadly, many people had foregone the show for a variety of reasons. One, it defines the phrase “completely insane.” Its premise is just too crazy for many people to swallow. Two, is the show’s use of lesbianism. Again, some people refuse to accept such a development. And three – by far the largest reason for people ignoring the anime – is the use of symbolism. Each of these will be addressed in my later review, but my analysis here will be focusing on the third.

What follows is my attempt at accomplishing three goals: explaining the idea of symbolism and its uses, conveying and interpreting Yuri Kuma Arashi’s symbols, and how they connect to the messages, ideas, and motifs it presents. Hopefully by the end of my entire piece, you’ll not only have a greater understanding of the variety and effectiveness of symbols – which you can use throughout your own anime-watching career – but also a greater appreciation of “Lesbian Bear Storm” and everything it has to offer.

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April 5, 2015

Review/discussion about: Log Horizon 2nd Season

No amount of glasses pushing would help here

Something that Log Horizon 2nd Season does that is somewhat strange is bring us into another world. Not just a new world in the sense that the anime represents such a fiction, but a world within another. The people of Elder Tales experience this world and discover what anyone would: that perhaps their place among it isn’t right. This feeling of not belonging is something that is found not only within our own lives but within the anime as well. Indeed, in more ways than one.

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April 3, 2015

Review/discussion about: GARO THE ANIMATION

Their destiny is written in the “stars” themselves

When you think about what you want most in life — be it a nice job, a wonderful family, or simply that shiny new smart phone — it’s often not an easy task to acquire whatever it is. Normally, it requires sacrifice, the loss of something to gain something else. This isn’t sacrificial in the sense of people; it may be giving up going to a party in order to focus on work to get that job or choosing to reduce food spending to save up for that next piece of technology. Sometimes, what we sacrifice is more ethereal: our time, our well-being, and our goals can be what are discarded. And as GARO THE ANIMATION shows, regardless of what it may be, such sacrifice almost always brings with it something greater.

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April 3, 2015

Review/discussion about: KanColle

Half ship, half girl, all cuteness

In an anime like KanColle, with all of its ships, all of its “moe,” and all of its torpedoes, there actually exists something that the audience can relate to. And that is the idea of support. Everyone needs help, from the student looking to get tutored for the next exam to the adult wanting to learn how to use the computer. We almost can’t get through our daily lives without someone, in some form, providing some kind of aid in our direction. And receiving such support can often times be both a rewarding and eye-opening experience.

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April 2, 2015

Review/discussion about: Tokyo Ghoul Root A

This ghoul is total garbage

Something that is inherent in all people is the need to protect the things you love. Doing whatever it takes to keep the stuff around you safe. Either by fighting or sacrificing, as long as what truly matters to you is unharmed, the rest doesn’t matter. It might be family, friends, or your dearest of objects; it’s not so much what it is but the act of protecting it that matters. But there are those times when, despite how hard one tries, such protection just isn’t possible. Such is the idea that Tokyo Ghoul Root A works with. But without being kept safe itself, it merely implodes.

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April 1, 2015

Review/discussion about: Shirobako

One big, happy family

There exist two kinds of dreams. There are dreams that one has had and those that one has. The former are often nonsensical in nature. The latter are slightly more corporeal; it’s a “thing” that one wants above all else. It might be a state of being or simply a set of objects. But whatever the dream might pertain to, it’s important to not only strive for that dream but to also know what that dream is. For while they may be the most difficult part of your life to obtain, they’re also the most rewarding. And as Shirobako demonstrates, sometimes those dreams have been around you all along.

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March 31, 2015

Review/discussion about: Cross Ange

Gold in a few different ways

Think about something that you did within the past few minutes. Maybe it was clicking a link to read this review or making a phone call to a friend of yours. Now, why did you perform this action? Was it a preordained happenstance that you had no control over? Or did you feel compelled in some way to act accordingly? The long and short of it is, did you make such a decision of your own free will? The idea of will, that you make the choices that govern your life, is something that has been endlessly debated about for centuries. Cross Ange dabbles into this very topic. And while it might not be completely resonating, it has as much fun with the notion as it possibly can.

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March 30, 2015

Review/discussion about: Aldnoah.Zero 2nd Season

Lots of orange and lots of bad

Something that everyone struggles with are “blocks.” Maybe it’s procrastination for that next exam. Or maybe it’s the comfort of bed instead of the treadmill. Whether it is mental or physical, there are those times where one just doesn’t want to do whatever it is that needs doing. In other words, there is a lack of motivation. So maybe it’s the joy your parents would feel by seeing a good grade, or the elation you would have at obtaining that tone body, that motivates you to accomplish that ever elusive goal. Motivation, like those “blocks,” is always present; you just need that initial push to really get going. And Aldnoah.Zero 2nd Season is a prime example for when such motivation is sorely lacking.

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March 29, 2015

Review/discussion about: Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata

“Blessing Software,” more harem than company

Creating content is an interesting notion. Someone sets aside time to mold, craft, or piece together objects in an attempt to have their cohesion bring about a finalized product. And these objects take on a variety of forms. For instance, this very review is content, where the objects are words and the product is a review. Architects work with wood, chefs work with ingredients, and painters work with paints. Visual novels, too, are a type of content. They require a plot, artwork, music, and coding, all working in unison, to make a game that is worthy of being played. But as Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata shows, sometimes it isn’t the objects that are difficult to work with but the people behind them that are.

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March 27, 2015

Review/discussion about: Parasyte — The Maxim

Two wrongs don’t make a right…hand

What’s the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word “animal?” Is it a lion roaming the plains of Africa? Perhaps it’s a shark swimming menacingly throughout the deep, dark ocean? Or maybe it’s even a cardinal resting on a tree branch, contrasting starkly with a snow-laden field? Whatever the answer may be, something people often forget is that they, too, are an animal. And not just in the definition of the word; our actions can sometimes be rather animalistic in nature. Which leads to an even better question: are we really so different from the species around us? This is the philosophical inquiry Parasyte — The Maxim brings forth. But sadly, it falters quite tremendously.

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