So last time I talked about my first two years of Winter Term at my school, and ended with how much Japan has inspired my ideas and overall outlook on life. Before I talk about my last and final experience with Winter Term, I'd like to discuss the downside of being inspired by the Japanese.
First off, since Japan is phenomenal at the fantasy genre it is very easy to be swept away into this other world that is created. In no way do I find this to be a bad thing, but I notice that most people are less inclined to look at the messages and themes behind it: like doing a close reading on a short story or poem. The reason I say this is because no one is going to take a look at Mobile Suit Gundam Seed and think they could potentially learn something from it:
"Gundam's only cool because it's heavy on the mecha and fighting."
"Gundam involves war: war is bad and is caused by human conflict. That theme and motif is seen throughout many forms of media. What else is new?"
What else is new? The fact that the series dives into the eugenics of human biology and questions the integrity of being able to alter one's genes (whether it's for health or aesthetics), the fact that the characters are so complex that it makes every complaint-inducing detail worth it, the fact that the first season is basically the tragic and heart-breaking story of two best friends that are forced to fight each other. I could go on and on, and it's so hard not to get emotionally caught up in the series. So I stand by what I said about Japan being a pro when it comes to evoking emotion within the audience. It's such a shame that anime and video-games are labeled as being for "nerds" or "geeks." To me, they're a form of narrative, especially video games--those force the reader (player) to be interactive and more involved in the story. By the way, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny didn't do quite so well in the States (but thrived in Japan, obviously), for reasons that, while I understand, are just people who don't want to think when they're watching something. And a reason to complain.
For the same reasons, many people aren't going to look at Final Fantasy X and think they could learn a thing or two about life and the human condition. They're going to be too focused on the beautiful graphics (which I admit that I do as well), or too focused at how whiny the protagonist is, or how awkward the laughing scene was. The list could go on! But very few people, such as myself, can understand and make note of the important moments of the game--and not just because they move the story along. Like when Yuna finds out the false-hope that the Final Summoning provides, or when Tidus finds out that Yuna will die at the end of her pilgrimage, or the horrible moment when the Al-Bhed's Home is destroyed, there are reasons why people get "shot in the feels" during those emotional moments. There is a reason why some gamers cried at the end when Tidus says good-bye to Yuna before jumping the ship to join his dad (he doesn't actually die, he just dissolves). It's not just because of our emotional attachment to the characters; admits all those fantasy elements, all the magic, and all of the fighting, there is a grain of truth about life. The same thing can be applied to Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, and all other forms of Japanese media. Call me cheesy, but that's just the way I see it.
Like I said, the downside of the fantasy element is that many people are going to see it as just a form of entertainment, and not something that can provide them comfort and/or some form of enlightenment. The flip side is that some people take it too seriously and may try to enact events in real life that can only happen in the fantasy world. Discussions of why violent shooting video games are a bad influence on children come to mind, which is why I'm against the games that have the goal of "shoot'em all." Granted, some of those games have okay plots, but to a kid, they're not interested in the story. They're only interest in shooting/killing. Those games wouldn't be quite as bad if kids knew and understood why they had to shoot the bad guys (and not because they're "bad" guys), and/or know the difference between reality and fantasy. I know it's a lot for a kid to take in, but in my defense, I was watching ER when I was about 5 years old and understood that while some of those medical emergencies happen in real life, they don't exactly go the way they're portrayed on TV.
Anyway, I promise to talk about my experience at the World Bird Sanctuary--that'll be in the unplanned part 3! I can't wait to talk about BIRDS OF PREY! Did you know that the barred owl call sounds like it's saying "Who-cooks-for-you"? Now you know how to identify one! :-D
Part 3 is now up! Sorry for taking so long.
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