Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: christianity, melancholy, nerds, sehnsucht, the trap, time, timewasters
Revised: 13.10.2009.
Upon returning to this here blog, I discovered a link I had put in an otherwise blank draft post entitled “On Escapism.” (The link was to the curious essay “The Rabbit Hole: Anime and Escapism” from the on-hiatus or defunct Tachikomatic Days.) It was apparently part of an ongoing discussion, one which I intend to extricate from solely anime-watching and assorted nerdery.
No, what I wish to discuss today is the concept I call “cocooning,” or the deliberate and repeated self-withdrawal into private worlds of either one’s own or someone else’s devising.1 I’m no stranger to it, and I doubt you are either. In our current postmodern cultural climate, where everything seems to be subject to change and pop culture rewards us with endless variations on the same themes, cocooning could be considered an almost sensible response. But I digress…
As both a Christian and a person who cares about what’s real and what’s not, the brief but profound isolation from reality that is escapism causes at least titters of worry on my part. At one point, I maintained a full-blown obsession about it, if you can believe that. In any case, we all have our little cocoons of ephemera to amuse us and belief to sustain us, so in one way it’s unavoidable. Part of it, I suppose, is the old dividing line between what makes a hobby a hobby and an obsession an obsession. Like food or drink, it might be up to us to use such things responsibly. I’ve seen some even suggest that, especially among consumers of more creative cultural products, the obsession in question may provide a good mirror of their own lives and conduct and a worthy tool of reflection. I for one have always used concepts, the written word, and other inanimate personages to learn more about myself.
I suppose I’m saying all this because I maintain a healthy (in size, not in actual health) cocoon around myself these days. I feel more aware of those around me than I used to, however.
God willing, we won’t end up as the dessicated husks with a telepresence depicted in every major sci-fi dystopia from The Matrix to Surrogates.
Gentle reader, I yield the floor to you: what’s your opinion on this matter?
1Good gracious, that’s a convoluted definition. What am I, Samuel Johnson?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: enemies of the state, freedom, politics, the trap
It is obvious that reporters and average Joes blame anarchism in ignorance; they know no better. But it is as obvious that the rioting punks try to free-ride on a thoroughly misunderstood and propagandized label. They don’t riot and destroy because they have read and understood anarchism as described by the great anarchist thinkers; they riot under the name of anarchism because they understand it the way it is used by statists trying to make people fear level organization and non-hierarchy. In using anarchism as a reason for destruction, they are playing the statists’ game and reinforcing the myth of freedom as a threat rather than a promise.
Proudhon, just as any other great anarchist thinker, was clear on anarchism being order. But it is an order based on equality, freedom, and mutual individual respect; in this sense it is, indeed, the opposite of the current state of society. In anarchy, no individual can be sacrificed for a greater good and no individual is persecuted for his beliefs or choices. No individual’s right is greater than any other individual’s; the very foundation of anarchy is every individual’s equal right to life and liberty.
–Per Bylund, “Blame Anarchism?”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: anime, madness, magic, melancholy, reviews, satire, surreal, the trap
Anime >> Abenobashi Magical Shopping Arcade (Vol. 3)
ARUMI: Yeah, but that outfit is totally dumb…
SASSHI: STOP SAYIN’ THAT! Now listen carefully: this is an excellent costume based on geomancy and mystical physics! Its first awesome feature is the number of paper dolls you can carry with ya at all times–50! That’s an amazing 1.5 times the amount of previous costumes…. What’s more, you get the Demon’s Gate and Rear Demon’s Gate at your disposal, plus this all-directional gyroscope comes standard. Not only that, the size is adjustable, and extra urethane makes this baby completely airtight! Wait, hold the phone… it’s even reversible! [Awkward Pause] ARUMI, WAKE UP!!!
ARUMI: Alright, alright, I get it. So now you’re an honest-to-God Omryou mystic, right? Well how about shakin’ a leg and gettin’ us back to our own world?!
SASSHI: Well, uh, I could, but…
–No Sale in Abenobashi
Volume 3 sees Abenobashi Magical Shopping Arcade1 hit its stride once more, not only in comedy, but in heartbreaking tragedy as well. **SPOILER:** Yes, Grandpa Masa is actually dead from his fall in Volume 1. **SPOILER:** Ms. Munemune (whom Sasshi crassly refers to as “that boobalicious babe”) is, in reality, his grandmother. If there was ever a time to use my “THE TRAP” tag, it would be now.
Look, without getting into specifics, Eutus is in fact the original Mr. Abeno, a powerful 10th-century expert in the purported science of “Omryou mysticism” and the space-time architect of the Abenobashi Shopping Arcade. Since Omryou mystics are in the business of diverting horrific fates, we learn that the entire reason the shopping arcade was built on these grounds (and the only reason all this gobbledygook continues to happen) is to avoid past-Masa from killing himself and past-Munemune once he finds out the affair she and past-Abeno have attempted. Thus, when the shopping arcade was built in like the 1950s or something, Abeno, Masa, and Munemune were reincarnated around its construction. Thus, the events of Episode 7 are explained. Got all that?
Apparently, this all justifies why various friends and relatives of Sasshi keep on showing up in the young lad’s wacky dreamworlds: as an Omryou mystic lite, he has been attempting to deny the impending fates of both Arumi moving away to Hokkaido2 and Masa’s tragic fall to his death. With all the cast and characters assembled by Abeno for his original purpose, Sasshi has plenty of material to work with as he inadvertently warps reality into various shopping arcade “worlds.”
Phew!
Anyway, that’s basically what happens before they converge with wacky satire once more in Episode 10, a conventional parody of the easily lampooned “magical girl” genre.3 Whoops, almost forgot about Episode 8, this gloriously bizarre send-up of not only dating sims, but a classic revelation of Arumi’s jealousy of Sasshi and her pervasive hatred of the worlds that are inevitably for only his pleasure and no one else’s… High drama fer shure, I know. Some have sniped at what they view as an overwrought mythology behind the series, but hey, I like my dark drama and high comedy mixed together as closely as possible. In sum, this critical mass definitely qualifies as grounds for an A+. Congratulations, Abenobashi: you just accrued an Epic Win.
Final Grade: A+.
2Apparently they haven’t discovered e-mail yet.
3“Where’d you get this flimsy outfit?” “At a thrift store! But that’s not important now!”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: failure, manga, reviews, sexuality, surreal, the trap
Manga >> Ken Akamatsu’s Love Hina and Negima!: Magister Negi Magi
“What? Keitarou, you want to see my panties?!”
–A Caricature of a Thirteen-Year-Old in Love Hina
To be honest, I’m really only reviewing the first volumes of Hina and Negi, with a nervous peek at Volume II of the former. This was a powerful lesson to me: the first ten pages do NOT necessarily set the tone for the rest of the work… also, always order online if you can. That way, you can get Love Hina in a paper box tied with string to cover your shame. Seriously, everything I had heard heretofore about this series had been nothing but how life-affirming, yet raunchy, yet precious it was. It entranced female readers, and caused male ones to clap their hands with joy at the glory of it all!
Boy, was that ever crock of s**t.
Here’s the plot–no doubt you’ve heard it before if you are familiar at all with the ignoble harem plot. There’s this kid, Keitarou, who’s basically an unbelievably sad sack of a man. He’s not very bright, not very athletic, not incredibly cute2, nor is he assertive… and guess what, he’s not good with women either. When his parents kick him out of the house, he discovers his grandmother has decided to bequeath ownership of the bizarrely secluded Hinata Inn to… him. So he’s the landlord of an all-girls dorm!3 And you know what… that girl who promised him in kindergarten that they’d go to college together and get married and live happily ever after? She’s living there too! How can hijinks not ensue?!
Unfortunately, the much-lauded formula of Keitarou continually barging in on the girls in various stages of undress, falling on top of them, or having them fall on top of him gets repetitive to say the least. After a beat or so, the girls would punch him in the face or otherwise beat the snot out of him so he wouldn’t do it again. But, try as he might, he just can’t shake his bad luck… and thus it continues for fourteen volumes or twenty-four episodes, depending on which medium you prefer. Everyone has notoriously short memories (and tempers), so this cycle of love and loathing occurs quite often. Also, when he gets within a few feet of junior high students, he makes them weep with his propensity for sexually suggestive accidents.
But there is a modicum of sweetness, in a dystheistic sort of way: they’re just a bunch of people thrown into this crazy world, watched over by that malevolent Demiurge, Akamatsu Ken.
…You know, that actually makes me kind of sad now to remember that.
As for Negima!, for the last time: it’s not Harry Potter. Nor is it even a pervy Harry Potter. Nope, it’s about a ten-year-old boy who teaches English to fourteen-year-olds. But there’s only one problem… whenever he sneezes, it causes their clothing to fly off! And it only works on girls, apparently!4 Hobotaku gives a pithy value judgment on this less-talented sibling of the Love Hina franchise:
…Be forewarned, do not read this in a store. The last thing most people want is to stumble over someone in a Dragonball Z shirt that’s looking at middle school girls’ underwear. Trust me, it’s creepy, and you’ll end up dying alone.
Final Grade: D-. Revised: C-.
3Many of whom are underage! Are you giddy with joy yet?!
4If it worked both ways, that would just be gay (and sexually egalitarian).
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: art, christianity, free speech, freedom, libertarianism, sexuality, the trap, writing
Why start with this?
Well, firstly, it’s my half-assed attempt at a disclaimer, and secondly…
Why not?
I suppose what really spurred this commentary is the fact that, as a producer of fine (literary) art, the subjects of what I produce are often conflated with my own personal mores. For example, I’ve discussed with my aunt whether or not a work can be considered Christian and have, let’s say, a curse word or two. Or someone getting hurt. Or a reference to human sexuality. Furthermore, can one still be a Christian person and write such things?
Naturally, I came down on the side that any variety of things may be depicted in an artwork by a Christian–scribbling something on a piece of paper coming out of a character’s mouth doesn’t mean that you wholeheartedly approve of it. Once I mentioned that the Bible itself (which both I and her believe is true, mind you) contains a fair amount of deviant sexuality, gruesome violence and virulent imprecations, she pondered this for a moment and then responded: “Well, it’s still a catharsis of some sort.”
Do tell! 0_0
But seriously… the clothes don’t make the man, and neither should the parts absolutely define the whole. And now, with that said, I am hereby no longer responsible for corrupting your minds with whatever oddities I find and discuss in this weird and wacky world of ours. I promise to be fair, bal… make that opinionated, and somewhat entertaining. Now that you know what you’re in for… enjoy! ^^
