Hetalia

I actually remember seeing this in middle school. I remember not really liking it then, but everyone else was laughing at it, so why would I say anything about it? It wouldn’t really fly for me today. It’s interesting to see dark and graphic moments from history turned into lighthearted conflicts between characters but I’m not sure I can get behind using one character to generalize an entire country. And in a mocking way, utilizing the most basic of stereotypes and turning them into over used jokes (very sorry for Italy; I read a breakdown of the name making fun of Italy as well as the character being one of the most pathetic in the series). I understand that people stereotype and make assumptions before being confronted with anything different, but why should we exacerbate the fire with something like this? It was definitely interesting to listen to the in-class debate that arose from this, not that I wasn’t expecting it. I don’t know, I like seeing the aspect of Japanese culture that is ‘kawaii’ but I don’t think Hetalia is where I want to get it from.

CLAMP

What could be better than an all-women group of creators? I haven’t actually read any of their media but I did get into reading about the creators and their history, and I’m glad I did. The group started in the 80’s with eleven members, to quickly be reduced to seven, to further be reduced to the four that are still currently a part of the group today. What is better than an all-women group of creators? An all-women group of creators that disregards sex and gender and incorporates as many different types of characters as they can. Alongside that, love is a part of a lot of their stories but it is never the central theme of the story, which is refreshing every once in awhile.

Aside from the gender and sex bit, the group also incorporates an interesting characteristic into their manga that is referred to as Osamu Tezuka’s Star System. This is a system where the creators use the same characters in other stories with similar but different roles. These characters’ personalities might differ but their motivations and purposes are similar.

Made in Abyss

The art for this is so, so cute. But the contrast between the art and the bloody scene I saw in class was so strange, I couldn’t look away. Based on what I first saw I would never have guessed that the content would be as so. Anyway, very interesting concept; an abyss with layers and the deeper you go, the less chance you have of survival. In relation to life; the further/harder you have to reach for something, the bigger the risk. The only problem I encountered with the manga as opposed to what I saw of the anime (could be an issue there too, I’m not sure) was the embrace of sexualizing children. Weird. I want to compare this to Of the Valley of the Wind in how deep the creation of a new world unknown to us can be through the mind of one or several people. The imagery of the setting, whether it be the happy, sunshine-y above ground hiding the secrets below, or the dark and gritty layers of the abyss is so well done and pleasing to look at. The characters are entirely too cute for their own good. And then you mash everything up with dark content and graphic instances and the contrast is perfect, keeping me interested. This is another I would enjoy continuing on with.