Transgender Representation In Modern Anime

Hello everyone, long time no see! I've been at LGBT camp (great place called Brave Trails) for the past week. It was a great experience that got me thinking about modern representation in anime of Transexual, Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people. You'll be seeing a lot of these types of posts over the next couple weeks. Just know, that since school is starting, I'm probably gonna be disappearing a lot more. Anyway, on with the show!

Alright, so I did some research on what everybody else thinks about this topic. A lot of people who were not trans thought that representation in anime was complete bullshit. As a trans person, I've actually been quite pleased by my representation in media. Everyone knows about Ouran High School Host Club, the story of a Female to Male dude who goes to a high school for the rich and bored. He makes friends and explores his identity, and everyone looks like they were drawn in MS Paint by a person with half an arm. Anywho, I found it boring. If you want an intro into LGBT in anime though, this is your go to. 

Now if we want to talk about something very cerebral and powerful, Black Butler's Ciel Phantomhive is our guy. A lot of people see his romp through gender in the first few episodes as a reflection of drag, or an excuse for man-in-drag humor. Well, there's a lot more to it than that. When I was coming out to myself, I was incredibly transphobic to myself, saying that "I can't be a girl. It's not allowed". This mindset kept me from my own truth for 13 years. Ciel is very opposed to many things he defines as feminine and un-manly. When he has to infiltrate the party of a perverted count, he dresses in a frilly dress and pigtails. We can see how uncomfortable with it he is at first, squirming and complaining. Later in the series however, he comes to embrace parts of it. He wears clothes that could be considered androgynous, embraces a feminine side, and becomes quite the diva.

I like to think of the first season as a reflection of Ciel's mental state. He lives the first couple episodes blissfully, as a Cisgender male. In episode 4, he "dons an evening gown", and allows the possibility of this other sex. I remember doing this very briefly at a young age, considering being a female. To be perfectly honest? It freaked me the f*ck out. I was terrified of being who I was, so I ripped the idea from my mind. This is exactly what happens to Ciel. The only difference is that when I thought I might be female, I wasn't almost sold on the black market like Ciel.

Later in the season Ciel allows the possibility again, through subtle remarks at his butler, servants, and peers. He realizes that there are deeper levels to his psyche, and without spoiling anything, he confronts his traumatic past in a number of ways. One major piece of evidence is when the theme song changes midseason. Originally, the opening lines of the song say, "The monochrome blows  

Through our colorless encounter. I shall entrust each of my pains to you." Later in the series, the opening lines change to, "Since then, I've actually come to like the night. In a sea of dependence I forgot even to breath." If that doesn't convince you, nothing will. Ciel is a Trans woman, like it or no.

Another awesome example of a Trans female in anime is Chihiro Fujisaki of the Danganronpa franchise. This is a slightly more to the point story of Transgender psychology. Chihiro Fujisaki is one of the many students trapped in the hellish prison school of Hope's Peak. Chihiro is "the ultimate programmer", having created game changing software and programs. Chihiro is also biologically male. We don't know this until she turns up dead, and the only reasonable cause of this was someone in the Boy's locker room murdered her. Chihiro got into the locker room using her birth sex as an excuse. This is something I myself have done in the past in order get myself out of sticky situations. 

Chihiro is also known for being very socially awkward, depressed, and kind. These are all characteristics very common of teenage Trans females. I myself have fit each of these categories. Chihiro is a perfect example of a passable Trans woman flying perfectly under the radar until being looked into further. If you knew how many Trans people would kill for this, you'd realize how truly rare Chihiro is as a character. 

Chihiro notably built herself what is known in the programming world as a "Construct". For those of you unaware, a construct is a direct copy of the users brain, rewritten via computer code. "Alter Ego", as she is called, is a version of Chihiro built to protect and inform the other students. Now, if only I had an artificial intelligence to answer peoples stupid questions about being Trans! 

Of course, on the subject of Trans anime, there's enough transmisogyny to go around. Let me show you some iconic anime clips you may not have known were transphobic;

Naruto's "Sexy Transformation"? Transphobic.

Ouran High School Host Club's Over-explanatory Lines? Transphobic.

Black Butler's Pronoun Butchering of Grell? Transphobic.

I hope this has informed you on the potential of Trans people in anime. I highly suggest you check out shows like Black Butler, Ouran Host Club, and Danganronpa. There's so much more on this topic I want to bring up, but will save for next time (i.e. Trans*). I'll be back next time for more queer anime articles, but in the meantime, TRANS PRIDE!!

Waifu Reviews: Hyperdimension Neptunia Producing Perfection

Hello, and welcome back to another Waifu Reviews! Today we'll be looking at the Visual Novel/Dating Sim/Stat Manager known as Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection! This game is a spinoff of the JRPG series Hyperdimension Neptunia. I just finished it, and here's what I thought!

Characters: 

The characters of the Neptunia universe are great. The story follows the four "CPUs" of a futuristic dimension, Neptune, Blanc, Vert, and Noire. They act as goddesses of their respective colonies, participating in quests for the peace and faith of their kingdoms. They also all have younger siblings, the "CPU Candidates", who manage their older sisters' activities. At the beginning of the game, you are forced to choose one of the CPUs to produce (in J-Pop Idol fashion). You manage their idol stats, increase popularity, vocals, rhythm, so on so forth. Although this is great, you don't get the opportunity to follow any of the CPU Candidates. This was a big let down, since they all had great side stories to tell.

Although the Candidates aren't featured, you can still build up a relationship with them in passing. This is obviously the same for the actual CPUs. Whenever their text-boxes appear, a small heart icon appears in the corner. This shows the relationship you have with the character. You up the relationship via outings and excursions with the idol of your choice, or encountering a Candidate. This is fun, but doesn't change anything story wise. I followed Neptune on my first play-through, and I maxed out our relationship stat before the game was halfway done. This was fine, since it was one less thing to worry about, but it was still disappointing that it didn't change anything. :(

I liked the way the characters interacted with each other, and would communicate with the player. It made it a more hearty experience, so everything felt more personal. I will visit this more in relationships, but that's about it for the characters.


Plot:

The plot takes place as a standalone story in the Hyperdimension Neptunia universe. The monsters from the main series games have formed a band that takes the world by storm. As the focus shifts from the CPUs, they hatch a plan to become idols themselves. They use their intedimensional powers to summon a producer (you) from another dimension (Earth). You must choose which idol to produce for the duration of the game. You raise their "Shares", which represent their number of fans. You get a great graph and character sheet which make stat management a breeze.

You have the option to team up with another CPU, which merges your Shares and popularity. This can be very useful if you're struggling as I was. I teamed Neptune up with Noire, which is the default for Neptune's play-through. When I teamed up, the plot went double-time and the story started to go somewhere. The game ends when you either hit 180 days, or your chosen idol/group stays in the #1 ranking for 2 or 3 weeks. Although there isn't a designated bad ending, I found myself saving more than I should have been. My ending was about as anti-climactic as Mass Effect 3's ending, and they made DLC to patch that one up. Mine consisted of Neptune refusing to send me back to Earth, and the other CPUs almost killing me in an attempt to send me home. I stay in Planeptune with Neptune, and I presumably live there till the day I die. Lame, right?

The plot is nothing to look twice at, as most of it is procedurally generated anyway. I didn't know when it was gonna end, so a lot of it was a slow crawl towards a sudden climax. There's a low grade hentai joke to be made here, but there are probably kids reading this. Just use your imagination.


Relationships:

As previously mentioned, the relationships grow with encounters and experiences. Although it wasn't advertised as a dating sim, in my professional opinion, this is nothing short of moe. I loved every second of the character driven segments, as back and forth between player and CPU is witty and cute. There are references to other games and anime, in complete Hyperdimension Neptunia fashion. Even if it doesn't fully appear canonically, it's smartly self aware, unlike many American games. It is easy to appreciate the time and work that went into dubbing every line of text. It was fun hearing Neptune call me a perv and a loser, instead of generic keywords (*Cough* *Cough* Danganronpa *Cough*).

One of the options at the start of every day is to relax, which will initiate a random date-like event where you take your chosen CPU on a short excursion. This is a great way to up the relationship stat between you and the CPU. Although a lot of the dates are short, they are almost essential to the experience. After you've played a handful of dates, it stops showing you the actual experience and just a loading screen. This takes the fun out, but the dates you actually do play are so worth the experience. For instance, how could I forget the time Neptune told me to reach up her skirt and take a bee off her leg. Then knocked me out.


Verdict:

This is overall one of the most fun Japanese games I've ever played. It has a great formula, perfect tempo, and flawless execution. I could play this game over and over and never get bored. The characters are so sweet and relatable. The world is fun to explore. The plot, well the plot wasn't amazing. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GAME.

Rosario + Vampire Stole My Heart (Even Though It Sucks)

For those of you too smart too fall for the bishie trap that is Rosario + Vampire, it is a manga/anime following a human who goes to an all-monster school and falls in love with a vampire. I mistakenly read the lablel as Vampire Knight, a series I have always loved. I don't know how I had forgotten that not a single Vampire Knight volume has a bright neon yellow cover. Anyway, I read/watched it, and tripped face first into a ridiculous fandom.

So, Rosario + Vampire features a very good cast of characters, even if the anime was basically the Birdman of panty shots. The main kid, Tsukune (I thought it was pronounced sookoonay but it's actually skoonay), is hilarious. The leading lady, Moka Akashiya, is incredibly lovable and evolves over time in a great way. There's a polyamorous bisexual tween witch, a troll, a werewolf, and so forth.

When I first picked up the first volume, I was completely surprised. When I saw "Rosario" in large text, I couldn't help but think of Will and Grace's Rosario. This tripped me up, as I was not presented with a story featuring a vampiric housekeeper working for Megan Mullally and married to a gay man.

Rosario + Vampire's episodic formula gets so predictable, you can read the situation before the opening credits roll. I'll give you a quick summary:

• Tsukune pals around with his friends while a new character is introduced
• While the gang is palling around we see glimpses of the monster of the week
• One of the characters is singled out by the monster of the week
• Targeted character increases affection (or lack there of) for the rest of the group
• Monster of the week reveals it's true form to targeted character, meanwhile the group discovers the issue at hand
• They go find the targeted character before the death blow
• Tsukune takes a bullet for no damn reason, and pulls of Moka's restraining rosary
• Moka murders the monster of the week
• Everyone's happy together

That's about the gist of the series. I could have sworn they reused a few panels/shots more than once. I still love it, so don't get me wrong. It appears to have a great cult following that I can really get behind and enjoy. It may be obscure, but Rosario + Vampire is a must see.

I loved the way it played with the shojou genre in a way I haven't seen in a while, mostly since it is qualified as a shounen. I could watch this over and over again without getting bored, and I suggest it for any otaku looking for a change of scenery.

Some Brief Thoughts On Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Tonight I'll be talking the tiniest bit about the game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, a game of which I have been addicted to for the past two weeks. I just finished it last night during some down time on a Fourth of July road trip. Nothing screams american freedom like an obscure Japanese murder mystery, am I right? Anyway, I loved it. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved the overall tone. I'd play it over and over again if I didn't have this weird little thing people call a life. I will try not to spoil too much, but I am a little on the over-zealious side of this fandom. Bare with me on this one (I say that a lot, don't I?).

For those of you saying I'm not a true fan having only played the first installment, I'm fairly sure the Monokuma pin I forked twenty american dollars over for at anime expo that is now sitting on my Iwatobi back pack would beg to differ. That's right. Read those last sentences over as many times as you need too.

I loved the characters so damn much. My favorite one of this lovable cast by far was Toko Fukawa. I liked her partially because of her relatable social awkwardness, and partially because of her hilarious relationship with Byakuya Togami (I ship it). I just couldn't get enough. If you want to read more of me ranting on video game characters, be sure check out my last Danganrona article.

I loved the villain(s). I loved the evil robot teddy bear, I loved the psychotic fashionista, and I loved the goddamn militaristic high school student posing as a psychotic fashionista. They were all great, and I am still reeling from the end twist. The villian(s) and their progression really made the whole game for me, and added about an extra fifteen minutes to my fetal huddling after the final twist. Great work Danganronpa, now I'm scared of teddy bears and fashion designers. You've done your job all too well, you dastardly simulation of despair.

The action and exploration was to die for. In fact, I thought that living in a prison like school and solving mysteries would get boring, but I was proven wrong! Do you know how many times I writhed in frustration after missing a piece of evidence or incorrect statement? Enough for me to fall off the top bunk in which I was playing.

You should definitely check out this game for a combination of thrills, chills, and traumatization. I hope you enjoyed my nocturnal ranting, and I encourage you to check back in next time!

Danganronpa's Sayaka Maizono Is A Paradox

So I've been playing this little PSP/PS Vita game called Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. The story is basically that you are Makoto Naegi, a soon to be high school student. He wins an enrollment  lottery and is accepted to Hope's Peak Academy. Hope's Peak Academy is a school for high schoolers who are the ultimate in their field. When he gets to school, he is knocked out and brought into a demented prison like version of the school. He meets the headmaster of the school, an evil robot bear named Monokuma. Monokuma informs them that they will live here till the day they die, unless they murder another student to leave.

This is where the game kind of stabs the element of choice in the throat. You are immediately BFFs with the Ultimate Pop Sensation, Sayaka Maizono. Let me tell you, she is the absolute least interesting character of the bunch. She clings to you 24/7 (literally), she complains, and she had at least four panic attacks in the first fifteen minutes. You are forced to hate the character, even though your in-game character doesn't. Ugh.

She turns up at your door one night asking to switch dorm rooms, then spazzes out on your bed. You take the key to her room, and go to bed there. You wake up, and go into your room. Guess what? She's dead in the shower with a knife sticking out of her. "Oh goody," I exclaimed, noticing that the game had finally started. Sadly, my character felt differently. Before I could use the double sticks to make Makoto prance through the halls, he fainted for no damn reason.

He wakes up, and everyone asks what happened. You say you don't know, so you go investigate the crime scene. Anyway, once you've finished investigating, Monokuma tells everyone to come to the school courtroom (because obviously). This is the part of the game called the Class Trial. It puts you in a first person shooter mode where you must shoot down incorrect statements with bullets representing the evidence. It's honestly rather fun, and I enjoyed it. One of the more mysterious characters, Kyoko, tells you something that supposedly changes everything. Sayaka was trying to frame you, and it backfired.

Now your character is filled with hate and despair (by the way, the baseball player was the killer). I was not surprised, since Sayaka was such a bitch. This is where things get really interesting. Apparently, you were supposed to suspect something from the beginning. This would mean that YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HATE HER TWICE.

This is the first time I've ever seen this. But why, you ask. Well I'll tell you. Sayaka was meant to be your gateway into this surprisingly cerebral game. She reminds you that anyone and everyone is out to get you, and death is most likely imminent. You have no friends now, and you must win a deadly game of kill or be killed while holding onto a shred of your obsolete humanity. How wonderful.

Sayaka Maizono is the strangest character you ever will find in a game like this. She seems bubbly, but explodes for no reason. When she dies, you don't care. When she double crosses you, you still don't care. It's dumb, but it's another terrifying glimpse into Japanese game development. Thank you, Danganronpa, thank you.

E3 2015 And JRPGs

E3 2015 is upon us. Through all of the predictable nonsense, there were some nuggets of Japanese gold that were undeniable. Nintendo brought their a-game this year, in their eternal quest to make the Wii U and New 3DS JRPG friendly. Here's what they brought us so far:

• Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)
• Yo-Kai Watch (3DS)
• Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem (Wii U)
• Fire Emblem Fates (3DS)

Yo-Kai Watch will be an americanized version of the Japanese Pokemon clone/youth sensation for the 3DS. I find this to be exciting, since this is a very Japanese experience. I am positive however, that the reception will be nothing short of fantastic. It uses the mechanic of using the bottom screen as a magical watch, and the top screen for everything else that needs displaying.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is going to be a spinoff of the original game for Wii, and it's predecessor/port for 3DS. The new game is nothing to look at to closely, since Square Enix did the same thing over the last couple years. The graphics are great for a Nintendo game, so I have high(ish) hopes.

Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem is going to be an Atlus run JRPG adventure game, following this bizarre crossover of series. The graphics seem amazing, and so does the battle system (demoed in Nintendo Treehouse Live @ E3). Although no significant Fire Emblem components have been demonstrated, they're shoving the Persona/Shin Megami Tensei elements so far down our throats, that  you can practically hear the d-list J-Pop emanating from your now radiated organs.

Fire Emblem Fates for 3DS. It's just Fire Emblem Awakening. Same color pallet, same style, same gameplay. There goes my hype.

The next company to have a great JRPG lineup would be the aforementioned god have JRPGs, Square Enix. Square Enix announced in their press conference two new Final Fantasy games:

• World of Final Fantasy (PS Vita, Playstation 4)
• Final Fantasy VII Remake (Playstation 4, ???)

They released a very basic trailer for the FF7 Remake, but nothing to go off of. They appear to be using the same graphics engine as Final Fantasy XV, which will most likely never hit shelves. World of Final Fantasy is going to be something of a family game (or so they say). It will be a chibi stylized adventure using a conjoined Final Fantasy universe. That's about all we can pull from these, but you can expect more info as time progresses.

The soonest these games will be released is around September and early 2016. We should definitely hope for the best, and prepare for the worst with these games.

I Can't Believe I Read "Shugo Chara" (And Liked It)

Shugo Chara! The unholy child of Shojo and Lolicon anime! I had been hearing about this franchise for quite some time. They had the whole series at Barnes and Noble (obviously), Crunchyroll said it was right up my alley, and it was in the recommended for fans of Sailor Moon.

Anyway, I found myself at the capital of all trashy washed up manga (a.k.a. that huge Barnes and Noble on the 3rd street promenade), looking for some colorful story to get invested in. There it was. Staring it me with those beady little eyes that only Shugo Chara can pull off. I was too curious. I could feel the twenty dollar bill in my back jean pocket begin to unfold. I needed to put this mystery to rest, even if I got burned in the process. I grabbed the damn thing and got out of there before I bought the next few volumes as well.

When I got home, I realized that this was not your typical high school Shojo. In fact, it wasn't even a high school Shojo. IT WAS ABOUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLERS. As I read the first page, in which the main heroine saves a boy from being bullied, I realized something was off. That's when the little boy cried out, "She's the coolest kid at Seiyo Elementary". I quickly looked at the back of the paperback copy, only to be greeted by the same daunting phrase. ELEMENTARY. No, I thought to myself, I am many things, but a pedophile is not one of them. I put down the book, and left the room. The next night, I found it waiting for me. Like a vengeful spirit, those same beady eyes from the bookstore were nestled in my bedsheets. The dark pedophiliac grimoire that is Shugo Chara was sitting in front of me, and there was no escape. I let out a grunt of frustration, and grabbed the book. Who knows? Maybe it would turn out to be good.

"Dear god", I exclaimed. It was midnight, and I had finished Shugo Chara Vol. 1. I don't know which was more shocking, the feeling of liking this necronomicon of Lolicon, or realizing that I had stayed up until midnight reading a manga from Barnes and Noble. For those of you who don't know, Shugo Chara is about elementary schoolers who use their ambition straight out of a self help book to combat evil. That's it. A lot of scantly clad children though, which I'm not sure how I feel about.

The first volume left on a huge cliffhanger. I don't mean mysterious, I mean a character was mid-sentence. "Well I can't just stop there", I said, realizing that it had used it's dark magics on me. The next thing I knew, I was at Barnes and Noble. I felt my hand reach out and grab the book clearly labeled, "Shugo Chara! Vol. 2". I took it to the cashier, and got the hell out of there.

The second volume was just as uneventful. It was just some J-Pop, some beach scenes (you guessed it, fourth graders with insane cleavage), and some stupid fights. This is where I put my foot down. "I cannot continue this," I said to myself. "I will be insane or dead or both within the next forty eight hours." That's when I decided to write this. At the very least, I liked it. It was a cute story, with relatively interesting characters, but horribly inappropriate artwork. I would recommend reading the first couple volumes, but everything after that is just dumb. I read the next few volumes, and was not impressed. Just read it to be able to say that you read it.