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14

How My Hero Academia treats it's villains

My Hero Academia is one of the most popular anime and manga series today. While the primary characters are heroes, many important characters are villains. The series creator, Kohei Horikoshi is known to subvert common troupes in the shonen genre. However, it’s how he treats his villains that is most interesting. It has been noted that characters like Bakugo and Endeavor aren’t quite as heroic as expect. They can be considered to be anti-heroes. The true villains of the series have been given arcs of their own.

Currently, the Meta Liberation Army arc is focusing on the development of the League of Villains as they come into conflict with the Liberation Army. The main antagonist, Tomura Shigaraki is given a backstory, as he and his comrades train to become stronger. Why does Horikoshi focus on villains at all? Shigaraki story mirrors Midoriya’s, how’s that different from typical shonen series? Will focusing on villains in this manner result in readers caring about them more?

  • I am literally *so* excited to read this. I really like how Horikoshi makes readers question how heroic the "heroes" really are, since they're doing it as a profession in a capitalist society (which therefore devalues people who have no quirk, like Deku, or "unheroic" quirks, like Shinsou). All Might explicitly tells Deku he can't be a hero if he doesn't have a quirk. I really hope you touch on this false dichotomy of heroic vs. villainous, good vs. bad, good quirk vs. bad quirk, etc. and how the League of Villains is essentially a band of misfits whose quirks or upbringing alienated them from a pro-hero society. A buddy of mine runs a villains-centric blog that might have some useful discussion for you: codenamesazanka on Tumblr :) – Eden 5 years ago
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  • The protagonists of My Hero Academia are in short, fairly bland and one dimensional. they have one defining trait and are mostly left to that. Horikoshi seems to put so much emphasis on the villians because those are the characters she took the time to make interesting. – Aschneider 3 years ago
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Could Manhwa become the main source for anime adaptions?

Manhwa is a Korean term for comics, generally considered to be of lower quality than a manga, manhwa is starting to gain in popularity. Recently manhwa has become a source for adaption, with Tower of God being released and the God of High School coming up July (Both by Crunchyroll/MAPPA). Research and analyze the rise of manhwa as a source for anime adaptation. Can manhwa compete with manga? Is manhwa going to become a source primarily for American companies like Crunchyroll? Does the general quality of manhwa compare to manga matter?

  • As someone who mostly watches manga-adapted anime, this is an interesting topic. It could also delve into the key differences between manga (Japanese) and manhwa (Korean) or even, manhua (Chinese), whether that be in content, art style, etc. Then further explore its adaptations and what that means for the local industries and Western companies. – Lyka Cali 4 years ago
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  • Manwha as a source of soft power would an incredible topic to explore, in addition to how it would be able to harness that soft power in the process of transculturation. – curiosibri 4 years ago
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What does Mob Psycho 100 say about individuals?

Mob Psycho 100 is a series from the creators of One Punch Man. Focusing on the title character of Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama. Mob is a esper, he learns as a child that his powers are link to his emotional state. As a result he is emotionally muted and appears with a blank expression. He has no friends (in the beginning) and is social awkward. In contrast, the character of Reigen is the opposite of Mob.

Reigen is the boss and master of Mob. He is a con man, whom, uses the power of his words to manipulate his clients into believing he is helping them with their problems. A common theme that is brought up in the series is the idea that Mob’s psychic powers are one aspect of him and he is no better than other’s. Reigen believes that his powers are really no different from someone who can sing, dance or play a sport. Basically, everyone has something special about them.

Explore the theme from the series, that we all are special in different ways. Question what the difference between being ordinary and extraordinary is. Explore how the various characters, specifically, Mob and Reigen display the theme.

  • Yes, so much yes. The idea of "being the protagonist of your own story" is a great theme to delve into, as well as the emotional lessons of the story. I would also touch on additional characters and how they negotiate having powers, i.e. being special, with their level of emotional maturity. Ristu, Serizawa, Sho, Hanazawa, and Toichiro all cope with being "special" in healthy and unhealthy ways. I'd be very excited to read a piece about this. – Eden 5 years ago
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Revenge in Anime

Vinland Saga began it’s first animated season this summer. The series focuses on Thorfinn Thorsson, as he embarks on a quest of revenge. His father, Thors is killed by Askeladd. Thorfinn joins Askeladd’s band of Vikings, waiting for the day that he’s strong enough to kill Askeladd in a duel. Revenge is a common theme in anime. Analyse how revenge is depicted, what are the effects on the main character and secondary ones.

Consider comparing and contrasting how the theme is presented in anime. You could focus on popular series like Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan, Kill La Kill, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Goblin Slayer. Some of these series are more violent than others. How does this effect the depiction of revenge? What happened that warrants revenge? Are the characters justified? Do they attempt revenge in different ways? Do they succeed? Are they all sympathetic figures? Finally, how does the pursuit of vengeance change them.

  • When it comes to the topic of revenge in anime, it often leads to characters going through radical changes in their demeanor and motivation (take Sasuke from Naruto or Eren Jaeger in Attack on Titan). When analyzing this topic, it's important to compare and contrast the differences these characters have when they perform an action that was based on their vengeful behavior. – CAngeloCruz 5 years ago
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  • A classic revenge story with hands down the most cultural impact is Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. There's an an anime adaption of it called Gankutsuou and it does a wonderful job of reinterpreting Edmund Dantes' story of retribution amidst a futuristic setting where it's planet Earth vs. an encroaching alien empire. It definitely contributes a different perspective to how revenge is portrayed in anime and I think it shouldn't be ignored in an analysis of said topic. – darthzia 4 years ago
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  • Naruto... – OkaNaimo0819 4 years ago
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How does Made in Abyss's art style contrast with it's dark story

Made in Abyss is a new anime series, adapted from the manga of the same name. The series focuses on an orphan girl named Riko. Her goal is to explore the massive hole in the earth called the Abyss, like her mother did. The Abyss have a plethora of artifacts and remnants. To pursue these treasures hunters must brave terrible conditions and brutal nature. One aspect of the series that is the most jarring is the stark contrast between the art style and it’s story.

Made in Abyss features beautiful animation, with bright colors and lush environments. The main characters are small, cute, children, however, they face the horrors presented by Abyss. Particularly, the damage that happens to the human body, losing control over body fluids, hemorrhaging, broken limbs, amputation, etc . . . As each layer is reached the effects get worst. Explore how the anime’s style contrasts with it’s content and how that might effect the story and viewers.

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    Can Mass Effect Andromeda redeem the franchise?

    The Mass Effect series was first released in 2007. The first two games in the series received critical acclaim and were considered to be a new standard for video-game story telling. While the third game in the series was mostly well-received, its ending was not. Many fans felt deceived by an ending that felt inconsequential. It left many fans so upset that they complained to the FTC, and formed an internet campaign called "Retake Mass Effect" that generated $80,000 in a couple weeks. Bioware also released a new ending that expanded the epilogue.

    Regardless, these events affected the series negatively.The next game in the series, Mass Effect Andromeda, will exist in the same universe as the previous games, but will not reference them. The game will be open world, already has gorgeous graphics, and will continue to use dialogue trees, choices, and romantic relationships. What does the series’ next chapter need to do to repair the negativity created by the ending? Will being "open world" massively improve the series? What should be added to the series? From what has been revealed so far, do you think that Mass Effect Andromeda will be better than its predecessors? Why?

    • I forgot to write that I edited your topic. Hopefully that's helpful. – Tigey 8 years ago
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    • I think if anything, the ending that felt inconsequential will have to literally be inconsequential to a sequel game that promises not to reference it which might just be salt in the wound. To many fans, Commander Shepard is their access point to the franchise and to be successful, the protagonist of Andromeda will have to be just as endearing and yet not a carbon copy of what worked before. I feel that it will be the difference in Andromeda - the setting, the tone, and fresh faces - that will make or break the game. – scrook 8 years ago
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    Can Resident Evil 7 restore the series to its roots?

    At this years, E3 Capcom reveal a trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil 7. They also released a demo for the game. The Resident Evil series has been criticized for seemingly abandoning it’s horror aspect. Resident Evil 4 was hailed as a masterpiece for changing the third-person shooter genre. The change is centered on the introduction of "offset camera angles that fail to obscure the action."

    However, by adding these aspects to the game, Capcom appeared to ruin the "survivor horror" series. One reason for this seems to be the abandonment of zombies all together. Replacing them with a cult called "Los Illuminados." The cult members were infected with a parasite, and so were "mindless." They cool use tools unlike zombies, like guns, axes and/or vehicles.

    To counter this the series shifted to become more action oriented. The horror element gave way to the action. This continued for Resident Evil 5 and 6, although there were other complaints. Resident Evil 7 promises to return to what made the series a great survivor horror series. Capcom’s reveal of Resident Evil 7 demo was meet with mix reviews. The demo doesn’t play like the last 3 games or the original games. It played more like the Silent Hill series. It was first person and featured less action.

    The demo however will not be part of the "main series," according to director Koushi Nakanishi. He stated that it was more of a "tonal preview." He stated that the demo was designed to show the "fear/horror," elements and the "exploration of an environment." Some of the gameplay elements were left out of the demo. Koushi clarified that "puzzle solving, resource management, and combat," will return to the series as well.

    Overall, the demo has sent the message that the series horror aspects are returning. Can this entry revive the series? Can Capcom find a balance between action and horror, while satisfying new and old fans? What do you think made Resident Evil 4 – 6 "abandoned" the horror. What would you like to see in the series of the future?

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      Can Final Fantasy 15 resurrect the series?

      Determine whether the Final Fantasy series can return to prominence. With the new chapter "Final fantasy 15" expected to be released in September this year. Final Fantasy 15 was originally called Versus 13. There have been internal disputes within Square Enix, causing the game to be delayed for years.

      Final Fantasy 15 is a completely different game than Versus 13 was. However, while the demo was generally well received, many fans have decried the simple and often uninteresting story. There are also complaints regarding the change in combat. The game will also be "open world." Does this help? What must FF15 do to continue the series success?

      • This is definitely a hot topic and the answer seems to be polarized. Many think the FF series should die (or be "final"), therefore XV doesn't stand a chance. That aside, many also dislike the new look, calling XV nothing but a "sausage-fest" full of emo-looking boy band members--and, oh yeah, the turn-based style is gone. Others, however, have high hopes because it is so different from the traditional FF game. I think it would also be worth noting how similar it is in style and gameplay to Kingdom Hearts. Why is it that some gamers were okay with KH not being turn-based, but aren't okay with XV not being turn-based? KH played well, didn't it? So why can't XV, too? If you can't tell, I'm on the "I have high hopes" side of the fence for XV. Ha. – Christina Legler 8 years ago
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      One Piece: The World Government and Justice

      The World Government in One Piece is considered the primary antagonist of the series. Monkey D. Luffy is proud to proclaim that he wants to become the Pirate King and we applaud him as he tries. We consider pirates to be the heroes. Why? One Piece has managed to confuse the idea of justice and who delivers it. Is the World Government too harsh? Are they corrupt? Who are true wielders of justice? Have the lines between who is or isn’t just been blurred too much to declare who’s good? Why do we believe that the world government are the bad guy and are we right when we do so?

      • I like the angle you're approaching the narrative in One Piece. There is a lot of room to talk about a lot of things here. Like , we as the readers view Luffy and his crew as the heroes, the protagonists fighting against the Navy and other Pirates as antagonists. But time and time again, the main characters, often Luffy, proclaim that they aren't heroes. They're pirates. But time and time again he and his crew do heroic things. They have saved countries from civil war, stopped arms dealers, and trashed the laboratories of people doing experiments on children. If he was a Marine these acts would have him lauded as a hero, but since he's a pirate we are conflicted and unsure what to call him. He also often clashes with the Marines, who in our experiences are the bad guys trying to stop Luffy from advancing forward and doing basically whatever he feels like. But when you examine the way marines are spoken of and treated outside of the pirates perspective they are often well respected and their presence is a comfort to common people. Now there are exceptions on both sides of the coin, the Blackbeard pirates on the one hand and the CP9 on the other. To understand what this means for our heroes, we need to look at the motivations of the characters to do what they do. Akianu the leader of the Marines is driven by his desire to uphold the law, he has a twisted sense of what justice is and enforces it with an iron fist. On the other hand most pirates want to be Pirate King, meaning they want to find One Piece, Roger's treasure. We have met multiple pirates with different reasons for wanting this. Buggy wants money, Crocodile wants power, Donflamingo wanted revenge, and Luffy wants freedom. He wants to be able to do whatever he wants whenever he wants. He wants to be Pirate King because that is the most free person in the world. Luckily for most people who encounter him, what Luffy wants is to eat, sleep, eat and sleep, and help his Nakama (friends). Almost all of the heroic things he's done is because of his sense of morals. Whether a Nakama asked him to help them or someone did something that pissed him off, all of the good things he wanted to do were simply because he felt he was free to stop them. Regardless of if they were Marines, Pirates, or the Shichibukai. He has stood up to them all because he wanted to. We gravitate towards Luffy for the same reason that the characters in the manga/anime do. He is capable of doing what he wants and often what he wants to do is what we want him to do. – joncarlos3rd 8 years ago
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      War depiction in Anime

      Explore how war has been depicted in anime. Series like Gundam, Attack on Titan, Evangelion, Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece have all depicted wars. Explain how these series explore war. Are the wars realistic, do they take the wars seriously. How does animation take away from or add to the depiction of war? Can anime like One Piece accurately depict war, due to its humorous nature? Does the humor make the depiction of war easier to watch? Compare how more serious series like Attack on Titan tackle this topic. Are they more successful? Overall, focus on how the most popular anime portray war. What are common themes and reasons for war in these series?

      • It may be helpful to explore the concept of what a "successful" portrayal of war would even constitute. Morever, what kind of wars--international? civil? How do these series explore the socioeconomic and psychological causes or ramifications of war? (Magi would be a good series for the latter question, it's basically Economics 101 as of late!) – Tiffany 8 years ago
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      Can Nintendo maintain it's place as one of the three main console makers?

      Nintendo’s place in the history of the video games industry is undeniable. However, this gaming generation they have stumbled. The Wii U has failed to successfully succeed it’s predecessor the Wii. The quality of it’s games have never wavered. This remains Nintendo’s saving grace. They have always maintain that they are a game company and hardware is secondary. Nintendo has received much criticism for their business strategies, many suggesting they abandoned their hardware altogether.

      Many have defended Nintendo’s strategy, as being paramount to maintaining the quality of their games. Is the coupling of their games with hardware essential? Would Nintendo be better served by becoming a software maker only? Some have argued that the handheld gaming market has been taken over by mobile games. At first Nintendo felt no need to go mobile. However, they have changed course and have already begun releasing mobile games. Nintendo will not be porting their most popular games, but will utilize their vast roster of characters. Is it too late? How will this change affect their dominance in the handheld market?

      Recently Nintendo has released software development kits for the NX, their next console. Rumors have been circulating that it’s a hybrid of a home console and handheld. Would this solve the issue? Another rumor out on the internet is that Nintendo has finally embraced focusing on power. Can this change in strategy finally get the elusive third parties on board? Overall, Nintendo has failed to recapture the success of the Wii. Their games have continued to sell and receive critical acclaim. However, this alone cannot help them return to the top of the gaming industry they help save in the 80’s. Will their next console pick up where the Wii left off? Is the gaming industry overreacting to the underwhelming reaction to the Wii U?

      • Even if Nintendo is struggling after the failure of the Wii-U they still will always be in the top 3 consoles. The console war between Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft I believe will always hold the top sections unless Steam or another company can get a large enough audience to begin putting their foot into the arena. Nintendo has had its ups and downs but I believe with their next line up of titles (Zelda Wii-U especially) will help drive sales. If the rumors and a few other topics I have seen are true about the NX and its power and place in the next generation of consoles I expect great things from Nintendo and the new foothold they will have and what they will be able to work with if they have a powerhouse of a system. – GiovanniZeko 8 years ago
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      • Great topic! I think it will always be in the big 3. I think what is most notable about them is that they pioneer new ways to play. Systems tend to follow suit. Nintendo has a consistent recipe that they don't let go of, which may make it feel like a stagnant console, with party games and well known repeated characters and titles. However, GameBoy and Wii changed the game and systems followed in that direction. I believe Pokemon Go will be a huge victory for them based on the buzz on the internet about it. It's basically a re-imagination of Pokemon Snap, so I believe Nintendo learns from it's mistakes and then does infinitely better. To only wait 3-4 years to announce the next console, it sounds as though something good is coming to replace a weaker investment. As whole Nintendo may be safe. – Aurianna Mansell 8 years ago
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      • Although it is still making its way in the market, I would say that Nintendo is failing at capturing audiences like it used to. It seems like most games are for parties and kids, which is fun and all but it falls short when it comes to older gamers that are looking for addicting story-lines and-game play. I know many people who sold their Wii because they got board with it. That saying Nintendo can't hold its place if it can't sustain its legendary image. – LaRose 8 years ago
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