As I sit in the final class:

I do have to say I really enjoyed this class as a whole, I never had this much prior knowledge to Manga nor Anime but I feel this class has expanded my horizons, and because of it I am very grateful. Thank you Mr. Steiling for facilitating a very enticing class!

Week Fourteen: Manga and Anime in the west

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
A: My first reaction reading this text gave me this eerie sense of uncertainty. There is talk of this magician man that lived over in the abandoned fair grounds. It ends up catching the attention of Yun Ai. At first I thought that this was going to take the form of a horror story, where our main character would end up perishing early. I was wrong, and as I continued to read I began to realize that its a story of this poverty stricken, and ill fortuned girl who ends up finding her solutions through magic.


2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?

A: I don't specifically know what this question is suppose to insinuate specifically, but I guess I can relate her inner dialogue. She was always lost in her thoughts and she would end up becoming more introverted due to this. This I found the most relatable out of her situation, but I could feel pity for her and the situations she would be placed in. And as she was able to progress in the story, and find help in the magician I found myself rooting for her.  

3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you choose; what changes would you make?

A: If there was a way to translate this manga to another medium I have to say I would just take it into an animated platform. I believe with the use of animation, it could really push the story forward and add an element of life to the text that couldn't be done with a print based or solid image format. Although, I do have to say, I loved the use of variety in media and the use of photography that was integrated in the web comic. I feel it made it different than most I have read. 

4. In what ways does this story seem more adapted to an online environment?

A: This story really utilizes its online environment by working with the layout. Like Bridgette mentioned within the class setting, the ability to scroll adds an element to the story that wouldn't be available by looking at it as a static image. The first example that I can think of within the story that really captivated me was the moment where the magician made money appear, and as you scrolled you could see the money falling to the ground. It was quite ~magical~ to say the least. 

Hope you enjoyed my answers :)

Week Thirteen: Manga, Anime, and Japanese Culture

Although a tad bit late, during this week I had the opportunity to present the manga that inspired to take this class. Attack on Titan is an anime that made a lot of traction westward back in 2016.

In this manga, we are placed within a post apocalyptic manga series where humanity lives within territories that are surrounded by enormous walls that protect them from humanoid creatures. These creatures or the Titans intent are to attack the humans, and consume the human population for substance. The story follows Eren Jaeger, who lives within wall Mark.

After the death of Eren's mom, he joins the training corps with the intention to become a scout, and kill all the titans.Throughout his journey, he discovers that he has the ability to become the one thing he despised the most, a Titan. Throughout the series he uses this to his advantage to help the humans and to obtain his long desired goal.

I love many things about this anime, whether it be the story, the art style, or the dynamic camera angles that show the main characters soaring through the environment. Although this anime/ manga is quite mainstream in nature, it holds a special place in my heart. If it wasn't for this anime, I wouldn't be in this class inquiring on a variety of other manga and animes.

Week 11: Horror

So for this week we are going over the theme of Horror, and how its incorporated in Manga. I would like to start off my stating that I have no prior knowledge reading any horror manga. So when I began to read this weeks manga I went in completely blind.

So for starters, I read the first chapter of Tomie, an anime which goes over the death of a student Tomie that was murdered and slaughtered. At first the story starts off in the present, showcasing the somber nature of the teachers and students grieving over Tomie's death. We are then placed into the past and see the reason as to how Tomie died. I found the secret teacher relationship and Yamamoto's keen interest towards Tomie to be the most interesting aspect of the story. What I found to be the most disturbing aspect of at least the first chapter was the eagerness in the students to help the teacher disassemble Tomie,  and cut her into pieces. It made it for quite a twist that she was still alive and they proceeded to kill her anyways. I found this story's art style to match the dramatic and harsh nature of the plot.

I proceeded to continue to skim over the additional chapters of Tomie, and I began to realize that Tomie is this inhuman entity that always results getting dismembered. Each story there is some sort of male interested or entranced by Tomie which then they come to realize she isn't as  human as she comes off to be. Overall, this was a good first impression into the genre of horror and I was interested to see what other things were in store.

I then I attempted to read a few of the recommended horror manga from the Itou Junji Horror Comic Collection. I normally wouldn't even write that I attempted to read this, but I genuinely tried a variety of stories to read and I couldn't find the actual pages anywhere.

So in term, I was really intrigued by the horror manga, Tomie. It definitely helped me understand the type of story arch these types of manga follow, and like many other weeks I will be reading more for weeks to come!

Week 10: Isekai

As we go into Week 10, we explored the world of Isekai. Isekai is a popular genre of manga where the main protagonist suffers but will end up being transported from one world into another.

As a class we analyzed both a Manga and Anime to explore the world of Isekai. As a Manga we read The Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime. Within chapter one we are introduced to our main character, Satoru Mikami who ends up dying within the first few pages after being stabbed by an attacker. Satoru ends up dying, and being transformed into a slime-like life form. He then is challenged to figure out what his capabilities are in this new state. During this time he also encounters various monsters including a giant dragon that he can communicate with his mind.

This was my first time hearing and reading this manga so when I first began reading it I was intrigued right from the moment our main protagonist gets killed. The only thing I knew from the title was that our main protagonist became a slime at some point. Once I, the reader, then was exposed to the brand new world that Satoru was brought to my curiosity peaked. I will continue to read the rest of the chapters throughout the week due to its enticing nature.

We also analyzed the Anime The Boy and The Beast by Mamoru Hosota. In this we are introduced to Ren who comes into contact with Kumatetsu, a bear-like creature who is a skilled fighter looking for an apprentice. This tale reminded me a little of prior movies i've watched with the teacher/student archetype like Rocky or the Sorcerers Apprentice. This was my first time watching this movie, and I gotta say I really enjoyed the art! I know that the movie archetype is cliche, but it was still enticing!