[WEEKLY Anime Megathread] 17th-23rd August 2020

Awoo [she/her] · edit-2 4 years ago

[WEEKLY Anime Megathread] 17th-23rd August 2020

Awoo [she/her] · edit-2 4 years ago

I watched Steamboy tonight and it just got added to my list of recommended leftist movies. It was absolutely excellent, displays industrial class struggle brilliantly, and was the kind of wild adventure I have not had in a long long time.

Extremely enjoyable. Strongly recommend if anyone wants a fusion of steampunk and leftist anti capitalism mixed with very conscious depictions of the industrial proletariat vs the bourgeoisie. It doesn't fly the red flag, but it doesn't have to. Just a fun movie all round.

Absolutely underrated. Ignore MAL's 7/10 rating and watch it. Leftists will absolutely love it.

Steamboy won the 2004 Best Animated Feature Film at the Catalonian International Film Festival.

There's a very clear reason the Catalonian Film Festival (being a location with such a strong left-bias) loved it significantly more than anyone else and that's the messages and politics it very unambiguously depicts for anyone that understands it.

notthenameiwant [he/him] · 4 years ago

I watched it when I was way younger, and honestly didn't pick up on any of that. The only thing that was going through my mind at the time was 'this isn't Akira'. I really need to be more conscious about how I enjoy things. Maybe I should give it another shot, since I liked Otomo's other side projects. I remember it's very pretty though.

ProgressiveKnife [none/use name] · 4 years ago

I'm wondering what the venn diagram of people who say "its symbolism was ham-fisted" and people who are abject liberals is, because it really seems like people just don't like political statements in anime. Although I have my own criticisms of the film, the negativity with which people talk about to the point where they seem to dissuade people from viewing it is bizarre. It's like one of the biggest anime films ever in terms of animation, spectacle, technology, etc. and would be worth watching for just that, but people get hung up by a lot in it. It's not even that out there or unique to be causing such a reaction.

Awoo [she/her] · 4 years ago

I don't think it's hamfisted about its depictions, I felt it was just very much made for a left audience. At one point I expected grandpa to pull out a red flag and start waving it around but alas it was not to be.

I think liberals just like to be political ignorant. It has been drummed into them that "politics" in anything at all is somehow rude or to be seen negatively... Especially politics that so very clearly advocate the problem with capitalists.

I also think that for some (the politically ignorant) it has a rather unsatisfying ending because

spoiler

literally none of the capitalists get any come uppance and the events of the movie prevent none of the cogs of history from turning. The point is "but that didn't stop the capitalists and it never will"

People like their good vs bad and bad guy loses endings. These people who will be completely ignorant to the political messages being sent by the movie will still be unhappy about the way it goes. Never mind though, great movie for anyone actually switched-on.