UlasanAnime.com – Since I started “blogging fer reals,” I’ve been writing and, more importantly, reading what others blog about concerning similar interest topics. It’s striking how closely my interesting reads align with the writer’s demonstrated media literacy skills. While some anime bloggers possess academic backgrounds in the humanities, it’s often more apparent when a writer lacks such a foundation.
Regardless of one’s background, the ability to deeply engage with and analyze the media one consumes, and crucially, to understand its impact on one’s worldview, is paramount. I recently discussed Lessig’s free culture concept with a friend who was unfamiliar with “Copyleft.” Essentially, Copyleft legally illustrates how human culture has evolved from oral traditions to mass commercialism. If we view copyright law as the set of rules governing the commercial exchange of human culture beyond the folk and oral traditions that have existed since the dawn of history, the importance of the free culture movement becomes clear. This is because nearly everything a young person reads today originates from some form of mass media. This cultural substance defines us as groups, as humans, and as individuals. Therefore, it’s vital that we understand what we are consuming.
However, this is a realization that far too many people do not have.
Assuming an anime otaku watches a considerable amount of anime—a significant assumption in some regions—then media literacy is arguably a prerequisite. Understanding tropes is merely introductory. The depth goes much further. I often find myself enjoying even “crap-tier” anime precisely because they become fascinating when deconstructed. Examples from this year include Oreshura and Oregairu, the classic Genshiken Second Season, Girls und Panzer and Arpeggio, Outbreak Company, Log Horizon, and even Love Lab. While many of these shows are superficially entertaining, not all are. Yet, both types appeal to me because they are constructed on frameworks I can readily analyze.
You might also be interested in : Year In Review 2013: Small Packages
This analytical capability serves as the core element that makes engaging with post-modern media content enjoyable. It’s a guiding light amidst the overwhelming deluge of unfiltered otaku content.
Conversely, it’s peculiar to delve into discussions about why some individuals desire their Kuroyukihime figures to be uncensored and “castoff-able.” The figure is already quite revealing. A poor girl, indeed. If one identifies as a lolicon-moe-sick, “kimoi” otaku, the least one could do is maximize their sub-class and gain something useful. Media literacy is one such valuable skill. If you intend to compare or contrast Kill la Kill with Utena, rest assured that doing so will not make you appear any less intelligent than those fixated on making characters more naked.
Year in Review 2013 Index:
- Introduction
- Shorts
- Literacy
- Figures
- New World Disorder
- Love Lab
- iM@S
- N-list
- Signs from a Mermaid
Baca Juga:
- Here are a few paraphrased English titles for “Kimi no Riajuu”, keeping the original meaning, avoiding excessive clickbait, maintaining a similar length, and not adding new entities/numbers/years: Your Real Life The Real You Your Everyday Life
- Consumption with Monetary Costs
- Love is Bubble Bubble Trouble
