Otaku Ryōhō - Geek Therapy - Page 2 of 4

Anime: The Gender Blender

July 29, 2020 · Discuss on the Geek Therapy Forum

Gian starts a discussion about the diverse representation of gender identities in anime. Special Guest Link Keller joins us to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly about the way anime has represented gender through the ages. We discuss Gender Nonconformance, Transgender, Non-binary identity and much more. Anime has featured characters of diverse gender identities years before western animation has caught on to the idea of gender diversity.

Talking Points: Gender Identity, Gender norms, Biological Sex, Transgender, Non-Binary.

Anime Mentioned: Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ouran Highschool Hosts club, Fruits Basket, Evangelion, Kino’s Journey, A Silent Voice, Ranma 1/2, Steins:Gate, Tokyo Ghoul, Wandering Son, My Hero Academia.

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Humor: Coping… The Humorous Kind…

July 15, 2020 · Discuss on the Geek Therapy Forum

Josue brings up the topic of humor and how it is a mature defense mechanism that helps us cope with difficult times or ideas. Gian and Josue attempt to bring up anime that illustrates the use of humor in order to deal with difficult topics. Gian brings up Honey and Clover and how it illustrates the struggles of youth and young love in art school. He mentions Aggretsuko and the way this anime illustrates the issues that working women face with humor. Gian ends with mentioning Fruits basket and how the relationship between two brothers is heavily influenced by their coping mechanisms and how they interact.

Josué then shows Assassination Classroom as a great illustrator of the struggles of high school youth. He talks about Gintama and how he’s wanted to watch that anime for some time. He talks about the clever ways that Hetalia tackles history, which can often be overwhelming, in a comical package. Then he talks about the adaptation of Attack on Titan, a dark… dark… dark… anime, to the high school setting in Attack on Titan: Junior High, and how the humor reinvents the way the original story beats are taken. Finally, Josue talks about gender in Ouran High School Host Club and the struggles of the working class in The Devil is a Part-Timer.

Talking Points: Humor as a coping mechanism, the struggles of a working woman, schooling, random humor, education through humor, humorous remakes, Gender, working-class problems, dark humor

Anime Mentioned: Honey and Clover, Aggretsukko, Fruits Basket, Assassination Classroom, Gintama, Hetalia, Attack on Titan, Attack on Titan: Junior High, Ouran Highschool Host Club, The Devil is a Part-Timer

Reference Links:

Contact Us:

Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord

Follow Gian Ramos on twitter @Psychogonically

Follow Josue Cardona on twitter @JosueACardona

Follow the Geek Therapy Network on twitter @Geektherapy

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Biological Urges: Conflicts with Biology

July 1, 2020 · Discuss on the Geek Therapy Forum

Gian chooses to talk about a difficult topic near and dear to his heart, the timeless conflict between biology and behavior. Josue and Gian both dissect Beastars in an attempt to see how the series could be used to talk about race, gender and drug addiction. Gian talks about naturalistic bias when talking about male behavior in the context of the gender binary and dissects the idea that what is natural is not always ethical. Josue talks about the hopeless state of feeling out of control drawing parallels between Legoshi and drug addiction. Gian and Josue debate on their conflicting views on the amount of volition or choices available to people enduring drug addiction, spurring a long exploration on what it means to “have a choice” and the environmental and societal factors that influence said choice.

Talking Points: Sexual urges, Hunger, Carnivore vs Herbivore, Binary Gender norms, Naturalistic bias, Biological Determinism, Drug addiction, Volition, Environmental factors, Societal factors, Opioid addiction, Alcohol addiction, Control, Interventions, Depression, Suicide

Anime Mentioned: Beastars, Demon Slayer, Dragon Ball

Contact Us:

Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord

Follow Gian Ramos on twitter @Psychogonically

Follow Josue Cardona on twitter @JosueACardona

Follow the Geek Therapy Network on twitter @Geektherapy

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Fan Service and it’s many faces

June 17, 2020 · Discuss on the Geek Therapy Forum

Josue starts a conversation about Fan Service. We give our personal definitions of what the term “fan service” entails and give examples of our favorite types of fan service. We also talk about the specific form of fanservice that involves sexual gratification and our discomfort and experience with this ever-present concept in the overall world of anime. Gian talks about formative anime that on reinspection as an adult had problematic representations of women and forms of fan service. They then talk about Motivation and anime’s skillful manipulation of our emotional states to keep us invested in a series.

Talking Points: Fan service, Sexual gratification, fans, Cameos, Character arch, Strength narratives, Violence and gore,

Anime Mentioned: Dragon Ball, Food Wars, Love Hina, Chobits, Fruits Basket, Beastars, Cells at Work, Weathering with You, Your Name

Non-Anime Mentions: Avenger’s Endgame

“Get in the Robot” Youtube page

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcU3qwLQ4E4t1AeCCkZg5dw

Contact Us:

Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord

Follow Gian Ramos on twitter @Psychogonically

Follow Josue Cardona on twitter @JosueACardona

Follow the Geek Therapy Network on twitter @Geektherapy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS | More

Education Anime: Knowledge is Power

June 3, 2020 · Discuss on the Geek Therapy Forum

Gian starts the conversation talking about his academic development from childhood and how media nurtured his love for academia growing up. They begin by raving about Cells at Work and the effective ways it mixes Medical Theory with the energy and explosiveness of a shonen anime. Then we talk about how Anime contributed to our religious education as children raised in Catholic households. Josue then talks about Food Wars and how it blends culinary art and science in a way that is fun and engaging. We then talk about other anime that spark our love for specific academic fields. Josue ends with a mention of Hentai and informal sexual education.

Talking Points: Medicine, Education, Religious Education

Anime Mentioned: Cells At Work, Comical Psychosomatic Medicine, Superbook, The Flying House, Food Wars, Dr. Stone, Aggretsuko

Non-Anime Mentions: The Magic School Bus, The Cluefinders game series, Carmen Sandiego, Rami, Blackish, Fresh off the Boat.

Contact Us:

Join us in the Geek Therapy Discord

Follow Gian Ramos on twitter @Psychogonically

Follow Josue Cardona on twitter @JosueACardona

Follow the Geek Therapy Network on twitter @Geektherapy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS | More

“Historical” Anime or “Historical” Fan Fiction?

May 20, 2020 · Discuss on the Geek Therapy Forum

Talking Points: History, Who writes history?, Speculative Historical fiction, Historians and historical accounts, The inherent fiction of history, bias.

Anime Mentioned: Rurouni Kenshin, Grave of the Fireflies, The Wind Rises, Hyoge Mono, Vinland Saga, Rose of Versailles, Samurai Champloo.

Non-Anime Mentions: Bill Wurtz’s “history of japan” youtube video, “5 Most Historically Accurate Anime Of All Time (& The 5 Most Inaccurate)” – Cody McIntosh, Shakespeare, The Canterbury Tales.

Reference Links:
history of japan – Bill Wurtz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh5LY4Mz15o

5 Most Historically Accurate Anime Of All Time (& The 5 Most Inaccurate) – Cody McIntosh