Mississippi Masala

This movie was definitely interesting for me.  I can definitely relate to Meena and her family in the sense that they were Indians born in Uganda, which made them Ugandan/Indians!?  And my family is, well a mix of things, but we are White on my grandpa’s side, Indian on my grandma’s side, but all of my family on my dad’s side was born in Trinidad.  I was born here so I guess I’m just all of the above.  Culturally however, my family is Trinidadian first and foremost, and then Indian.  We have a mixture of the two cultures in our family traditions and ways of thinking.

As for the other aspects of this film, I wasn’t surprised at all about the two families not being pleased with Meena and Demetrius’ relationship.  They came from two different cultures that don’t understand each other.  I do think it’s strange that Meena’s parents weren’t more understanding because they came from Uganda.  But I guess they still wanted her to marry someone who was also Indian regardless of where they lived.

This film touched on issues of race, and worked against stereotypical outcomes of what could be ‘racial’ encounters.  For example, when Demetrius accidentally hit the white guys car.  I was fully expecting a white police officer to show up and pull the ‘white power’ card on Demetrius and blame him for everything.  However, what happened instead was a black police officer showing up and dealing with the situation without looking at the two men’s race, but the situation at hand.  Another way that the director forced the audience to rethink they’re initial biases or thoughts was when Meena’s mom was forced at gun-point to get off the bus while trying to leave Uganda.  I actually didn’t fully understand what was going on in that scene.  I did think that something really bad was going to happen.  I thought she was going to be shot or degraded in some way.  However, in our class discussion Chico brought up the point that not everything is as clear cut as it seems.  The Ugandans seemed like they were being unfair, but when the Ugandan officer forced Kinnu to open her suitcase, we saw that she had many nice things.  She also had a Westernized picture of an Indian man which signified their views and wealth in Uganda.  This forced us as the audience to keep our assumptions in check.

 

The Wedding Banquet

wedding“I was never a citizen of any particular place… My parents left China to go to Taiwan. We were outsiders there. We moved to the States. Outsiders. Back to China. Now we were outsiders there, too – outsiders from America.”–Ang Lee, interview with Roger Ebert, December 11, 2005

This film explored the differences between traditional views and modern views.  The traditional views that Wai’s parents wanted for him conflicted with what he wanted.  This film seemed pretty progressed in the sense that it portrayed a gay relationship, in a Chinese family, in 1995.

I wanted to research the director of the film a little because I wanted to understand what kind of movies he usually made.  It seems that he likes to deal with difficult topics, and handle them in the best way possible.  One of the best parts of this film was the emotional content.  It was funny, tense, and real.  It wasn’t just about a gay couple, it was about all of the complications that were inevitable in a Chinese family.  Not that in America parents are always accepting of their children’s choices in this sense, but I think that in other cultures it is a lot harder for a family to accept that their child is gay.

I really enjoyed this film, and I like the happy ending even if that is not always realistic.  At least it’s hopeful.

Gran Torino

grantorinoI really enjoyed this film.  It wasn’t my first time seeing it, but it was the first time seeing it through the lense of Asian/American studies.  I think that in spite of the blatantly racist comments made by Walt, this movie wasn’t meant to be racist in the typical sense.  I think that even though on the outside Walt was blatantly and shamelessly racist, on the inside there was much more to him.  I also really appreciate the fact that in the beginning of the film there was a scene in which Walt and the Hmong old lady were both outside, and were both saying racist things about each other in their own languages.  I think it was meant to show that racism is built from ignorance of different cultures and beliefs.

One of the things that I really liked about this film is that it showed Walt, an ignorant, old, and grumpy man who was able to put aside his racist and biased feelings and open himself up to a culture that he had previously not cared to know anything about.  I also think that his decision at the end of the film wasn’t necessarily meant to be portraying the ‘white savior.’  I think that he had grown to really care about Thao and his family, and he blamed himself for what happened to Sue.  He also knew that he was going to die anyway, so he wanted to make things right.

A Beautiful Country

beautifulI found this movie to be hard to watch.  It was beautiful, but it was also terrible.  While watching the part where Tam gets sick I remember thinking how mad I would be if he died.  I was just going to get up and leave.  And then he died…and I was mad, but I didn’t leave because obviously that wouldn’t be very productive of me.  But I was still really sad and I think that set the mood for the rest of the film.  One of the other super emotional parts of the film was when Binh realized that Tam never had to die because he could’ve just taken a plane to America since his dad was a Veteran.  This part was so sad because Binh just broke down.  It was also a turning point in the film.  Binh set off with more motivation than ever to find his dad.

What I really liked about this film, however, was that even though the mood throughout most of the film was sad and hard to watch, it ended on a hopeful note.  Binh finally found his dad and realized that he was a good man.  I think it shows that with enough perseverance, some good can come out of a bad situation.

The Hunger Games

For my final rock post, I would like to make a huge connection between the Tributes and Immigrants. So, as this quarter comes to a close, I have completely overlooked this concept. It may take a while for me to iron it out, but I think that this connection is worth the little bumps. I have realized (finally) that immigrants from Asia have come to America and had to create their own replica of a home, China Town (as we most know it in today’s society). China town usually consists of authentic Asian food, little shops with Asian trinkets or textiles, or even prostitutes, but overall China towns have some pretty neat things. Kung Fu is a really interesting Asian art to take up: it teaches self defense, confidence, and awareness. There are also animals that can represent the different types or styles of Kung Fu.

What I am trying to get at here is that all these things are now part of American pop culture. What was seen as a form of resistance, China town, wardrobe, and even fighting styles now have the spotlight. Traditional wardrobes are worn for music videos, China towns are the hide outs for gangsters in movies, and Kung Fu and animals are the ultimate pair for Kung Fu Panda.  This reminds me of the Hunger Games because people’s lives and ways are being used for entertainment. Tributes lives’ are being put on display for the Capitals entertainment. They fight out until the death, and everyone in the Capital sees it as a fun reality series.

A mockery is being made from the Tributes lives. I’m not saying that America has made a mockery of Asian history, though sometimes it can, overall, the US has turned these different aspect of Asian history and glorified them. Most of these things are just everyday Asian daily lives that were a form of resistance, but somehow made into iconic things. Katniss Everdeen defied the Capital and resisted in every way she possibly could and her symbol of the Mocking Jay has become iconic throughout all the districts.

I personally enjoy how Asian concepts are seen as really cool in the U.S. I just also find it funny how the history of it began. Everything started with resistance and now Asian culture is accepted more in the US than before. I know that this may seem a bit extreme and it’s quite a stretch, but it’s just a connection I found interesting.

Week 9: Anime & Manga

An*i*me
1.Japanese movie and television animation, often having a science fiction theme and sometimes including violent or explicitly sexual material.

Manga
1. a Japanese genre of cartoons, comic books, and animated films, typically having a science-fiction or fantasy theme and sometimes including violent or sexually explicit material.

There were a few anime/manga shows I watched as a kid, but we never called them by those names. They were just really cool cartoons. Where would our country be without categories for every aspect of life, eh?

So I thought I’d reach back and revisit some of those shows, and check out some of the newer ones that look interesting. In this post, Youtube is our friend~

Mobile Suit Gundam

“Mobile Suit Gundam is a televised anime series, produced by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes.”(Wiki)
First episode: April 7, 1979
Final episode: January 26, 1980
Program creator: Yoshiyuki Tomino

Episode 1 (subtitled)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Recently the series was revived for a video game:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Transformers (Generation 1: 1984-1993)

“The Transformers began with the 1980s Japanese toy lines Microman and Diaclone. The former utilized varying humanoid-type figures while the latter presented robots able to transform into everyday vehicles, electronic items or weapons. Hasbro, fresh from the success of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, which used the Microman technology to great success, bought the Diaclone toys, and partnered with Takara. Jim Shooter and Dennis O’Neil were hired by Hasbro to create the backstory; O’Neil also created the name “Optimus Prime.” Afterwards, Bob Budiansky created most of the Transformers characters, giving names and personalities to many unnamed Diaclone figures.” (Wiki)

Some people contend that this series shouldn’t be considered anime, while others do. Despite which camp you find yourself in, the stylistic influence is obviously rooted in the genre.

Transformers (G1) season 1, episode 2

Click here to view the embedded video.

Speed Racer

“Speed Racer, also known as Mach GoGoGo (マッハGoGoGo Mahha GōGōGō?), is a Japanese anime/manga franchise about automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha’s 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha. It was later adapted into an anime by Tatsunoko Production and it aired on Fuji TV from April 1967 to March 1968, with 52 episodes. The anime was rebroadcast on Tokyo MX from July 1, 2008 to September 25, 2008. Selected chapters of the manga were released by NOW Comics in the 1990s under the title Speed Racer Classics, later released by the DC Comics division, Wildstorm Productions under the title Speed Racer: The Original Manga. In 2008, under its Americanized title, Speed Racer, Mach GoGoGo was republished in its entirety in the United States by Digital Manga Publishing and was released as a box set to commemorate the franchise’s 40th anniversary and to serve as a tie-in with the 2008 film. It was published under the title Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go under the company’s DMP Platinum imprint. The television series itself is an early example of an anime becoming a successful franchise in the United States, spawning multiple spinoffs in both print and broadcast media.” (Wiki)

Speed Racer: The Trick Race

Click here to view the embedded video.

 Astro Boy

“Astro Boy (鉄腕アトム Tetsuwan Atomu?, “Mighty Atom”, lit. “Iron Arm Atom”) is a Japanese television series that premiered Fuji TV on New Year’s Day and is the first popular animated Japanese television series that embodied the aesthetic that later became familiar worldwide as anime. It originated as a manga of the same name in 1952 by Osamu Tezuka, revered in Japan as the “God of Manga.” After enjoying success both in Japan and abroad as the first anime to be broadcast overseas, Astro Boy was remade in the 1980s under the same name(s), and in 2003 as Astro Boy: Mighty Atom. It lasted for four seasons, with a total of 193 episodes, the final episode presented on New Year’s Eve 1966. At its height it was watched by 40% of the Japanese population who had access to a TV. In 1964, there was a feature-length animated movie called Mighty Atom, the Brave in Space (鉄腕アトム 宇宙の勇者 Tetsuwan Atomu: Uchū no yūsha?) released in Japan. It was an anthology of three episodes; The Robot Spaceship, Last Day on Earth and Earth Defense Squadron. The latter two were filmed in color.” (Wiki)

Mighty Atom vs. Astro Boy (1963)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Astro Boy –1980s (subtitles)

Click here to view the embedded video.

 Kimba the White Lion

Before there was Disney’s The Lion King, there was Kimba the White Lion. Watch the two side-by-side and decide for yourself where Disney got its inspiration for their blockbuster film.

“Jungle Emperor (ジャングル大帝 Jungle Taitei?), titled in English as Kimba the White Lion, is an anime series from the 1960s. Created by Osamu Tezuka and based on his manga of the same title which began publication in 1950, it was the first color animated television series created in Japan. The manga was first published in serialized form in Manga Shōnen magazine. The anime was produced by Mushi Production. The later series was produced by Tezuka Productions.

This anime series has enjoyed popularity worldwide — including in the United States, Australia, Europe (where it has been translated into several languages such as French, Italian, Catalan, Spanish, German, Dutch etc.) and the Middle East.

A new TV special premiered September 5, 2009 on Fuji TV. Produced in commemoration of Fuji TV’s 50th anniversary, it was directed by Gorō Taniguchi, written by noted novelist and drama writer Osamu Suzuki, and featuring character designs from noted illustrator Yoshitaka Amano.” (Wiki)

Kimba the White Lion Ep.1, “Go, White Lion!”

Click here to view the embedded video.

DMC (Detroit Metal City)

Here is something a little more current– and more intense. Of course, anything that takes its name from one of my all-time favorite bands, KISS, is worth investigating~

Detroit Metal City (デトロイト・メタル・シティ Detoroito Metaru Shiti?) is a vulgar comedy manga series by Kiminori Wakasugi, serialized in Young Animal from 2005 to 2010. An anime OVA series, twelve episodes of approximately 13 minutes each, was released starting on August 8, 2008. A live film adaptation directed by Toshio Lee appeared in Japanese theaters on August 23, 2008. The series takes its name from the KISS single “Detroit Rock City”. (Wiki)

DMC Ep.1 (subtitled)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rocky End of the Road Overview

This is the last rock post for this blog. What I’ve covered are related to video games and Asian Americans, although I’ll admit I was disappointed to find little to no information on Asian American video game developers. Most Asian game developers are based in Japan or Korea and the ones that I found are just a small community that started awhile back, but has not been active recently. Aside from that, here is the overview of what I covered this quarter.

First thing I went over, that was not me trying to figure out what to base my Rock posts on, was on the focus of video games. Besides giving a definition, I also covered some famous mascots that are related to video games and their influence. Sure there are American and Asian game mascots such as Mario of the Nintendo franchise or Master Chief from the Halo series, but is there any Asian American-created mascots? None at the moment that are really memorable and largely known by the public, but maybe someday there might be if they can pull it off.

Next thing I covered was if there was any Asian Americans high up in the video game industry, only to come across the living “meme” known as Reggie Fils-Aime. He is of Haitian descent and the only one I know that is not in a lower position. I don’t think the other companies had a head of their company that wasn’t Caucasian, but I could be wrong if they recently rotated a new person in. Anyways, Reggie is the only one I know because of how “popular” he became regarding his quote, “my body is ready,” and that I’ve probably been playing Nintendo made games longer than any other brands.

The last thing I covered was the depictions of Asian characters in American-made video games. From Mortal Kombat to Def Jam: Fight for NY, the portrayals of Asians has not changed much. Sure they don’t have those particular “accents and dialects” or the stereotypical bucktooth appearance, but some things don’t go away so easily. As I pointed out, Shang Tsung from the Mortal Kombat series possesses the qualities that resemble Fu Manchu, including the facial hair in some of his incarnations throughout the series. Aside from that, he possesses the ability to manipulate others through his skill of pretending to be other people and the fact that he can use telekinetic magic as well. That does not mean this applies to all portrayals of Asian characters in American video games. Some were hardly there like Faith from Mirror’s Edge, who you can only tell is Asian if you looked at the reflection on some windows. Another one a fellow classmate brought up was the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, which was Huang Lee, song of a Triad boss.

Despite all this, I’m content with the information I learned from the readings, lectures, movies, and the information I sought out for myself to create these Rock posts. I’ve learned more about Asian American culture ever since my first class here in Evergreen, which focused on Japanese Americans during World War II. I also got to learn some stuff about my own culture, the Filipinos and Filipinas and how the stuff they portrayed has actually happened in my lifetime. Unfortunately, my study on Asian studies is about to come to a grinding halt due to the lack of classes focusing on the general topic next quarter, causing me to take classes that have little to no interest to me. It’s just to get the max credits needed for me to be out of here as soon as possible. Maybe next year there will be more classes that will study Asian or Asian American culture, but until then I must bide my time bite the bullet.

THE END

Robotech Turns 29 Today

Since our class is spending the week watching anime, I found this to be an appropriate news flash~

The classic series Robotech made its North American TV debut this day in 1985

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This was a very popular anime series that lead to several spin-offs

… in a nutshell:

ROBOTECH is a sweeping science-fiction anime epic of humans defending their homeworld against alien domination. The saga is told through the eyes of characters caught up in a series of wars that erupts when a mysterious spacecraft crash-lands on Earth at the turn of the millenium. The secrets of alien knowledge aboard this vessel were unlocked, leading to the development of “Robotechnology” and the creation of a vast arsenal of robotic “mecha” to defend the Earth against the alien threats that would eventually strike to lay claim to the mysterious power source known as “protoculture.”

ROBOTECH has often been called a “space opera” because it is not just action-packed entertainment, but also an engaging drama.

Robotech Ep 2, 720HD:

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

Chibi Chibi Con Aftermath

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What can I say? I had a blast. Though parts of it was really stressful.

I didn’t totally finish my costume, actually I had an emotional breakdown the morning of because of not finishing everything I wanted to.  I stressed myself out, made myself sick. And I cried. For a good 10 minutes, I cried. My friends were so confused and didn’t know how to react. I was miserable because no ones costume was finished and everyone was so stressed. I just wanted to dress up and have fun with my friends. I got so caught up that I forgot why I cosplay in the first place.

I walked to the convention. Eyes red, mother on the phone trying to cheer me up, heart in my stomach feeling like things were just going to get worse. Some of the volunteers actually saw how miserable I was, I explained the situation and they understood wholeheartedly. They’d all been there before. 

About an hour went by and the con was in full swing. And people started recognizing who I was cosplaying as. I was met with smiles and sweet comments on quite a few occasions. Though there were multiple times throughout the convention that parts of my costume broke….

Then the most memorable moment of my cosplay career happened. I was about to leave the con, to go and get ready for my performance in the Vagina Monologues, when one of the volunteers caught my attention. They told me that someone had been looking for me, talking about me a lot. It caught me off guard, I already ran into everyone I knew. Who else would be looking for me? With further explanation, it became clear. They were looking for me because they were a fan of RWBY, the series that the character I was cosplaying as was from. I agreed to come along, figuring they just want a picture or they were just going to be let down because of some self deprecating reason. To my surprise, when I entered the room I was met with a boy who was sitting on the floor, his hands on his face, a huge smile appeared, his eyes lit up with joy, the purest expression of awe. He exclaimed that he was so happy that he got to see me, I was the first Ruby cosplayer he’d seen. He was overjoyed (and of course asked for a picture, which I was ok with). I couldn’t believe it. He said he wanted to cosplay another character but wasn’t able to make the costume in time, didn’t have the money for it. I understood and decided to make him a promise.

“How about I cosplay Ruby again next year? That way you can make Jaune, and we can take a picture together.”

He was ecstatic, agreeing to it in a heartbeat. I smiled, nodded, then told him to not forget and have a good rest of con. I quickly used the hot glue gun and left. I just kept running the scenario over and over again in my head. I still couldn’t believe it. It didn’t matter that I was black, it didn’t matter that my costume wasn’t complete, just seeing that I cosplayed that character made him that happy. I felt like crying tears of joy (but of course I couldn’t, wearing makeup and all that jazz), for years I had gotten backlash for cosplaying characters that weren’t my skin tone or my body type. But this boy didn’t care about any of that.  I was dressed like her, acted like her, and that’s all that matter. And you know what? I had fun.

That’s what I had forgotten earlier that day. I cosplay to have fun, to bring joy to other fans, to pay homage to the series. I don’t do it to be accurate, I don’t do it to please elitist. I will try my best to never forget this again. And if I do, I will look back to this post.

4632 people showed up, but one person made my entire day.