Starting Life From Zero

Well, today is the 4th of July, my country’s 244th birthday… but between everything that’s happened here since about 2015 or so it’s been harder and harder to celebrate it. But I do think it’s important to celebrate where you come from, no matter where that may be, and even if the people currently in charge make LeLouch from Code Geass seem like a sane and responsible leader in comparison. So here are 5 things that I love about America that are as apolitical as I could possibly think of. I know everything is political nowadays, but I’ll try my best, so just… okay?

1. Huge, Interesting Cities

I’ve traveled and lived in many cities in America, and though none of them are without their problems, they are all unique and fascinating. Each one has its own unique regional culture and many of them are famous around the world. A lot of them have hokey nicknames – LA is The City of Angels, New York is The City That Never Sleeps, Albuquerque is… The City Where They Did Breaking Bad? There’s so much to see and do in all of them. Even though the cost of living is often high, a lot of them have amazing sights you’ll find nowhere else and lots of amazing people from all over the world.

2. Awe-Inspiring Natural Wonders

But as awesome as the cities are, I they don’t compare to the joy and wonder of nature. America has many different climates – evergreen forests, harshly beautiful deserts, rustic old plains, two gorgeous coasts. The natural wonders in California alone will take your breath away. It’s a big, beautiful country, and one of my favorite national pasttimes is going on a road trip to see it all.

3. Music. Just… Music

If it weren’t for Americans – specifically black Americans, because they invented pretty much every genre of pop music there is – music would pretty much suck. Black Americans combined African folk music with Appalachian folk to make country and blues, then from that they made jazz, gospel, rock and roll, Motown, soul, funk, hip-hop, house… There is so much amazing music that came from this country, from people who could turn the best and worst parts of human experience into songs that they could share all over the world. Music is one of the few things that has given me faith in the world in these troubling times (well, that and my dog Muffin…) so it makes me proud to have so much amazing music come from people who have lived or been to the same towns and cities as me.

4. (Some of) The Greatest Movies of All Time

I’ve been pretty cynical on Hollywood lately, but I used to be a pretty big film buff in college and some movies I’ve seen have legit changed my life. They open my eyes to different people’s experiences, make me feel emotions that I often feel forced to repressed, and are just a ton of fun to watch. I’m a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy, obviously, but there are also some great indie movies and cult classics I watch over and over. And I think it’s fascinating that American cinema takes influence from many different cultures, but also influences the media other countries make too. The original Star Wars was heavily inspired by the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa, but without Star Wars we probably wouldn’t have Final Fantasy or Legend of the Galactic Heroes! Movies are great, y’all.

5. The People In Power Suck, But Most Of The Regular People Are Okay

A lot of people are pretty disillusioned with humanity, and I kind of am too, but I wanted to talk about some of my IRL friends that have helped me get through all of this and made me feel less shitty about this rock we’re all stuck on.

One of my friends works in biotechnology and researches vaccines for infectious diseases (he’s also a guitar player and an amazing cook!) Another one of my friends is just starting to come out as transgender and I’ve been helping her pick out new outfits – she looks so cute and happy in her transition! Another loves magical girl anime and we’ve been spending our free weekends watching Little Witch Academia together. I have an older friend who works as a therapist for kids in poverty. There’s one girl I know who lives in LA and is an amazing singer – she’s got the swagger of Amy Winehouse and the thoughtfulness of Joni Mitchell. I firmly believe she will be famous someday.

All of these are folks I met at coffee shops, pubs, meet ups, social media. They have family from all over the world from all sorts of life. Some of them are close to me, most are far away now, but they all helped me get through a lot of shit in my life. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for them.

I don’t really care about America as a country or as a concept but I think there are parts of it that are worth protecting. There are a lot of amazing people who live here, and in other amazing places all over the world. Even though it seems like everything sucks right now, I hope that people take some time to be good to each other today and remember that we all have a lot more in common than not.

Autistic people love fiction, but there aren’t many positive representations of us in media. (I don’t look anything like Sheldon Cooper!) Anime tends to skirt around labeling people in this way, but I think there are a lot of characters who could be perceived as autistic. I know it can be problematic putting a medicalized term onto fictional people, but it’s not really meant to be taken seriously. Maybe just call this “5 Anime Characters That I, As An Autistic Person, Can Relate To?” I never know how to start these posts. Let’s just get to the cute anime pics already!

Rei Ayanami – Neon Genesis Evangelion

Eva is full of complex and tragic characters, but I think Rei Ayanami has it the hardest of all. She goes through hell throughout the series, but continues to pilot because she has nothing else. She has a hard time outwardly expressing emotions or understanding social cues, and her blunt nature causes others to see her as heartless. But behind her steely red eyes is a compassionate young girl with a rich inner world, desperate for genuine human connection.

(I also wanted to talk about Kensuke, the military otaku, but he’s basically an irrelevant character after Episode 4. Sorry bud!)

Shigeo Kageyama (Mob) – Mob Psycho 100

Mob’s greatest weapon is not his incredible psychic powers, but his strong morals and empathy. His autistic quirks, such as not knowing when someone is lying and difficulty “reading the room”, make it easy for others to bully and manipulate him. When it gets too much, he melts down, completely losing control of himself and his powers. But he always tries to solve problems without violence and see the best in people, which inspires others to see the good in themselves and change their lives for the better.

Riko – Made in Abyss

A cheerful, impulsive girl like Riko might not fit the stereotypical definition of autism, but I actually relate to her a lot! She’s exceptionally curious about the nature of the Abyss (you might even say she has a special interest in it…) and she’s the youngest person to explore the Abyss on her own. She’s physically frail, and often gets into trouble for not understanding others. But her resourcefulness, booksmarts, and ability to keep a cool head under pressure make her invaluable, and her charming personality makes it easy to empathize with her despite her differences.

Mafuyu Sato – Given

Not all autistic people are into computers or card counting! For many of us, music is a way to express ourselves in ways that words can’t. Mafuyu is a young singer and guitarist, who is often seen as an oddball because of his quiet nature and monotone speech. It often seems like he is on a different wavelength from everyone else, but inside his mind is a whirlwind of emotions. When Mafuyu gets on stage – or during his adorably blunt love confession – you can see how much of a kind, sensitive soul he truly is.

Violet – Violet Evergarden

I watched Violet Evergarden when it came out back in 2018, and by the end of the first episode I was already in tears. So much of what she struggles with in the early parts of the series, like her difficulty understanding social norms or other people’s emotions, are things I’ve struggled with for my entire life. Because of her differences, she’s unfairly held back at school, almost loses her job as a letter writer, and feels crippingly isolated from the rest of the world. But she thrives through the support of her friends, who believe that her kindness and ability to reach people who are suffering more than makes up for any of her disabilities.

Conclusion

I don’t think any of these are meant to be perfect (or even canon) representations, or that you should watch them if you really want to understand autism (well, maybe Violet would help). I just really like all of these characters and relate to them for their wonderful quirks. They helped me understand a bit more about myself and connect better with other people. And really, isn’t that the most important thing?

It’s hard to talk about LGBTQ identities in anime without mentioning Revolutionary Girl Utena. Created by production staff from both Sailor Moon and Evangelion, this series uses the trappings of shoujo manga, fairy tales, Greek theatre, and avant-garde cinema to create a wildly subversive story about two queer girls trying to find their own path in a heteronormative world. It was way ahead of its time when it came out in 1998, and feels even more relevant today.

The show immediately sets itself apart from other shoujo anime through its titular protagonist, Utena Tenjou. While many shoujo heroines tend to be ultra-feminine and demure, Utena is bold, hot-tempered, loves sports, and wears a boy’s school uniform. When she sees an older student violently bully her classmate, Anthy Himemiya, Utena immediately rushes in to save her, like a fairy tale prince rescuing a distressed damsel. But she soon finds herself in an endless series of duels to protect her new bride, who has the power to “revolutionize the world”.

Utena is a highly symbolic work. Pretty much everything is open to interpretation. But I think its central theme is about identity, specifically about Utena and Anthy’s struggle to break free of confining and arbitrary gender roles to discover their own truth and meaning in life.

Society forces male and female gender roles on everyone, and it affects nearly every aspect of our lives. Being labeled as a boy or a girl dictates the clothes we wear, the food we eat, our work and social lives, and even how we see ourselves. We internalize these ideas at a young age, as they’re enforced by our parents, teachers, peers, and popular media. The fairy tales we learn as kids are a prime example of this: they almost always involve a princess being captured by an evil witch or stepmother, and a heroic prince saving her at the end.

But Utena deconstructs the fairy tale romance by showing how these gender roles can be toxic and oppressive. The “damsel in distress” trope makes its female characters helpless and weak, unable to do anything except wait for a man to save them. It puts unfair pressure on men to succeed, which can make them bitter and resentful. And it doesn’t make room for anyone outside the norm – dashing women, beautiful men, or anyone who doesn’t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. As Utena is told throughout the series: “You can’t be a prince, because you’re a girl.”

Societal gender norms are also enforced in the setting, the gilded cage that is Ohtori Academy. High school settings in anime are cliché nowadays, but there’s a reason they’re so common: our teenage years are when we try to figure out who we really are. We define our personality, appearance, career path, political and religious beliefs – and, of course, our sexual and gender identity.

But as anyone who was “the weird kid” in school knows, society hates people who are different and will do anything it can to make them conform. Utena’s independent spirit puts her at odds with her teacher, who constantly belittles her for wearing boy’s clothes, and the other duelists, who literally fight to prevent Utena and Anthy from being together. This gets more disturbing as the series goes on, and you see how much abuse Utena and especially Anthy endure just for being themselves.

Utena isn’t the only person trying to define her own identity in a world that’s stacked against her. Anthy Himemiya also struggles with this in a different way. As the Rose Bride, Anthy is the epitome of a fairy tale princess – demure, deferential, with seemingly no agency or motivation of her own. But behind her kind smile is a soul full of pain. Anthy is trapped in a cycle of abuse, with no escape and no freedom. Even Utena “saving” her doesn’t give her the independence she really wants. Anthy needs to save herself, to use Utena’s inspiration to break the cycle and become her own person.

I only watched Revolutionary Girl Utena for the first time this year, but it’s quickly become one of my all-time favorite anime. It can be cryptic and confusing, but if you enjoy shows like Evangelion and Madoka Magica, you’ll find a lot to love here. The characters are full of depth and intrigue, the story is packed with twists and reveals, and the themes of female and queer empowerment are as relevant today as they were when it came out over 20 years ago. It’s an inspiring show despite its dark moments, and well worth a watch this Pride Month.

Media representation of LGBTQ+ characters is important, but it’s often hard to find characters that represent our community accurately without harmful tropes or stereotypes. Queer characters are often villainous or the butt of jokes, and so many of them are killed off that TVTropes had to separate its “Bury Your Gays” page into different sections! Even movies and shows meant specifically for queer audiences tend to be highly sexualized, or full of drama and misery. Almost everyone enjoys romantic stories, but it can be hard for us gays to find realistic, heartwarming romances that we can relate to.

Which is why when the Internet went nuts over Yuri!! on Ice back in 2017, it was such a breath of fresh air for fans of yaoi, or boys’ love, anime. As the first mainstream sports anime to feature an openly gay couple, Yuri puts the spotlight on Yuri and Victor’s healthy and loving relationship, without relying on the more questionable tropes that can turn audiences off BL.

Every sports show needs an underdog hero, so our hero Yuri Katsuki starts out pretty down on his luck. After blowing the Grand Prix Final last year, he’s sunk into depression and gotten too out of shape to skate. But he decides to give it another shot when Victor Nikiforov, a Russian skater and Yuri’s idol, agrees to coach Yuri for his last season. Homosexuality ensues.

Most sports anime focus on teammates working together to win against their opponents. But Yuri skates alone, and his rivals, outside of the charmingly Bakugo-like Yurio, are all pretty chill. Yuri’s struggle is not against any one person; it’s against his own guilt and insecurity. And Victor brings Yuri out of his shell by awakening his sexuality and encouraging him every step of the way.

The two argue and bicker, like any couple would, but every episode shows more of how much they genuinely love each other. Yuri on Ice makes a bold statement not only by showing an openly gay couple both from countries where gay marriage is still illegal, but by showing sensitive men who wear their hearts on their sleeves. Guys don’t need to be tough and “manly” all the time to be great as they are.

But if figure skating isn’t your thing, Given is another fantastic anime about boys’ love in a rock band. Ritsuka Uenoyama, a hot shot guitarist, meets Mafuyu Sato, a shy boy with a beautiful guitar he has no idea how to play. When Ritsuka hears Mafuyu’s amazing singing voice, he immediately asks him to join his band and learn guitar from Ritsuka. You can probably tell where this is going already.

As a musician and music nerd, Given hooked me almost immediately. There are tons of clever references to British indie bands like Radiohead and the Arctic Monkeys, and watching Ritsuka teaching Mafuyu gave me warm memories of when I was first learning to play.

The romance is a slow burn, since they are so young and Ritsuka is initially afraid to come out. He goes through an adorable tsundere denial phase, even though everyone can see the boys’ obvious attraction for each other. It finally takes his bandmates to set him straight and tell him what I always wanted someone to tell me when I was that age: there’s nothing wrong with being who you are and loving who you want to love.

Queer characters and relationships have been around in anime and manga for a long time, but it’s only recently that anime specifically about LGBTQ+ relationships has started to become mainstream. Yuri on Ice and Given both feature healthy, heartwarming same-sex relationships, which can help queer audiences relate to the characters and help straight audiences empathize us. Even if you’re not queer, you can still enjoy these anime as great love stories, or for the amazing figure skating and music respectively. Hopefully, the success of these shows will inspire more anime about openly queer characters, in all the wonderfully diverse forms and genres of the medium.