Anime

Anime Love & Hip-Hop with D.J. Lewis: The Present!

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When last I posted I was talking about how the subcultures of anime and Hip-Hop crossed paths and came together during the 80’s and early 90’s. Even though the relationship was starting to bloom during that era in time, it wasn’t until 1997 that both subcultures took it to the next level. Unlike Western animation that at one point in time did depict real-life situations such as discrimination, poverty, and violence (early X-Men episodes and several from Captain Planet), Japanese animation took on the fabric of said situations that have attracted the youth-driven culture of Hip-Hop. Several artist that come to mind in terms of the ‘nerdy side’ of Hip-Hop would be the late MF Doom, MegaRan, and Ghostface Killah. As a lot people might’ve noticed (if you happen to be a fan of anime and Hip-Hop) the biggest anime references have been from Dragon Ball Z and Naruto; both of which are heavy-hitter titles that have drawn inspiration from many corners of the African-American community through fashion as well as Hip-Hop.

The Akatsuki bout’ to drop a mixtape!

Several well-known rappers have made tons of references to these titles as you might’ve heard in their lyrics. Others took it a step further and re-created scenes from popular anime; such as Kanye West’s “Stronger” which was heavily inspired by Akira, the 1988 film. The connection between anime and Hip-Hop culture isn’t just in America, it’s also relevant in British Hip-Hop as well. Although you have anime-inspired rappers like Lil’ Uzi Vert and Shababii, one of the most anime-influenced rappers who even has his whole persona rooted in the subculture itself, is Scarlxrd. His sound took on an infusion of Trap music and Heavy Metal; two genres that you normally do see together let alone being fused together. Scarlxrd’s inspiration from anime comes from the popular fan-favorite title known as Tokyo Ghoul; where he even wears the zipped mask that bares heavy resemblance to Ken Kaneki.

The cultural crossover between anime and Hip-Hop has led to various other achievements in the medium; from the level of inclusion of African-American characters in anime, to titles being soundtracked by Hip-Hop through artists like RZA and the late Nujabes. (Japanese Hip-Hop artist Lotus Juice also did Death the Kid’s “So Crazy” theme from Soul Eater as well.) From my view point it seems like the relationship between anime and Hip-Hop will continue to evolve, as upcoming artists are finding their creative sides through the layers of both subcultures. If you jump on YouTube right now you’ll find soooo many Hip-Hop/Rap cyphers about anime titles and characters, that you’ll think its crazy! Who knows, maybe somewhere down the line we’ll have a record label dedicated to anime-inspired Hip-Hop. That is…if it’s not already been done. (*chuckles*)

On my next post will be the conclusion to me three-part series of post between the subcultures of anime, and Hip-Hop. Until next time, stay safe and love one another! 🙂 

Anime Love & Hip-Hop with D.J. Lewis: The Past!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, Filler Posts, Hip-Hop & Anime

When you think of anime; the first thing that comes to mind for most people (if they happen to be fans) would be pioneering shows like Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, and Cowboy Bebop. When it comes to Hip-Hop (depending on what generation you’re from); names like Tupac, Biggie Smalls, T.I., RZA, and Lil’ John to name a few. (Might as well throw Drake and Migos in there for extra credit.) If you’re a fan of these two subcultures, you’ve might have noticed that they’ve been crossing paths consistently over the last decade or so; but in actuality the relationship between the anime world and Hip-Hop culture goes back even further. I’ve covered this topic a few times over the last year or so, but there’s actually more to it that originally thought. So this time around, I’ll be breaking down the relationship and anime and Hip-Hop has in three parts; the Past, the Present, and the Future. So without further ado, here’s the Past (or How it all Started).

Samuel L. Jackson likes anime too

Back in the 1960’s anime was gaining ground in the popularity department throughout Western Culture. A couple of decades later a man by the name of Hiroshi Fujiwara made his return to Japan (after coming from the U.S.) and started playing some Old School Hip-Hop records. (This part I covered in my previous two-part post “Anime Love & Hip-Hop Part 1 and Part 2“.) This trend of course lead to the rise of Hip-Hop in Japan; or Japanese Hip-Hop, which is heavily influenced by Old School Hip-Hop beats, breakdancing, and the carefree 80’s attitude. (Grandmaster Flash comes to mind.) Also during the 80’s the influence of Hip-Hop notably made its way into the the anime world, as many anime creators during that time started incorporating more Western culture into their productions.

One of those productions in particular was Afro Samurai. In fact the creator of the series himself Takashi Okazaki stated that he used to draw African-American characters in Kleenex boxes when he was in his teens; due to his love for Hip-Hop and Soul music. During the creation process the creator incorporated elements of samurai into Afro’s design, which appears to be based off of the Black samurai known as Yasuke during the Sengoku Period of Japan. Throughout the 90’s anime titles even incorporated elements of Hip-Hop into their openings; like Samurai Champloo for example, thanks to the late Nujabes. Thanks to anime’s rise in popularity among Western audiences, the relationship between the medium and the subculture of Hip-Hop grew along with its popularity; which eventually lead to the rise of Nerdcore between the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Back when I was growing up in the 90’s I loved hip-Hop (and still do), but during that time I never really thought about the parallels that Hip-Hop culture has with anime. The topics and plots found in anime are quite parallel with that found in African-American communities; such as racism and poverty. The thought that these two subcultures were so connected on many levels never crossed my mind until 2017, but during the time I’ve had this blog with my buddy of 18 years (A. Goldman), I’ve learned a lot of things about the relationship of these two subcultures. Anime and Hip-Hop may appear different on paper, but they’re actually more connected than you’d think! 😉

D&A Breakdown: The (Brief) History Of “Best Girl”!

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In the anime community, there are many terms and words that describe the characters and titles that we’ve come to know. For as long as we’ve been a part of this nerdy community, we’ve heard everything from ‘waifu’ to ‘Rule 34′ (whatever that means, but that’s something for another post on another day). For younger anime fans who are just stepping into the community for the first time, some of the words and terms may be a little confusing to you. Don’t fret, cuz’ D&A’s got you covered on the words of the otaku culture! In this post we’ll be breaking down the (brief) history of the term heard most often in various anime titles surrounding female characters; Best Girl.

Kirito found his Best Girl! 😉

For many anime fans; the term ‘Best Girl’ pretty much means that they’ve selected a fan-favorite female character in a series. The qualifications can include but not limited to; their interaction/relationship with a male lead or side character, how they treat other characters in the series, and when the MC needs it most – how that female character shows up and shows out! Based on our research the term ‘Best Girl’ has also gone hand in hand with the term ‘waifu’; with the first instance of the term was used in January of 2009. Much like the ‘Waifu Wars’ many fans of harem/ecchi and fantasy titles like High School DXD and Re:Zero find themselves rooting for a specific character of the show; pretty much reinforcing the term ‘best girl’.

The best way we can describe the concept of ‘best girl’ is treating it like it’s a fandom game – because it kinda is. Fans apply the ‘best girl’ rules to whatever show they find themselves watching, and whatever cast of characters they find appealing. As for what the overall rules are in who qualifies for ‘best girl’ (or ‘best boy’ in some cases), that’s pretty much up to you as the viewer. We’re not ones to pick favorites when it comes to this term, but we’d be lying through out teeth if we didn’t have best girls of our own. (A. Goldman’s is Hestia from Danmachi, and D.J. Lewis’ is Stocking from Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt.) So however you view the term ‘best girl’, there’s probably going to be a lot of fans of the series who agree with your choice, and some…not so much. Nevertheless ‘best girl’ to us means the best female anime character of the series, and no matter how you slice it, we all have our favorites! 😉

So, who’s your best girl? Feel free to tell us in the comments below!

Whatz Happening This Week: Super Bowl LV Edition!

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While most of the world will have their eyes glued to the battle between The Kansas City Chiefs and The Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV, we’ll be working on bringing you guys some awesome content for the week. Although things have been a little slow on our end, we’ll never stop fighting to give you guys some of the best nerdy content you can find! So as the title says; here’s whatz happening this week on D&A…

Anime Love & Hip-Hop Returns!

Anime Love & Hip-Hop: The Past, The Present, and The Future (with D.J. Lewis)

This is one of our most favorite posts that highlights the relationship between the anime world and Hip-Hop culture. Although we’ve done several posts on this topic, we’ve decided to retell it in three different posts from three different timelines; the past, the present, and the future. Join D&A’s D.J. Lewis as we journey down the road to how the anime and Hip-Hop worlds collide, and what was the result of the relationship.

We already know she’s someone’s Best Girl

D&A Breakdown: The (Brief) History Behind “Best Girl”!

No matter what title you’ve watched up to this point, every anime seems to have a female character who does something in the series that earn her the title; Best Girl. With us being the curious little nerds that we are, we’ll be breaking down the history of where the term came from, and what qualifies certain female anime characters as ‘Best Girl’.

That’s whatz happening this week, so until next post stay safe guys! 😉

A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis: American Influence in Anime!

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It’s no secret that anime has become one of the most popular mediums in the world. From music to conventions and cosplay culture, anime has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals from all walks of life; and all nationalities regardless of their country. Everybody knows somebody who’s into anime, but how did something that was once laughed at by the adversaries of the people who embraced it, now a part of mainstream culture?

We dunno, but we’re sure you’re gonna tell us.

To figure this one out we’ll have to travel back 60 years into the past; when titles like Astro Boy and Speed Racer were one of the few titles to make their way into America. Back during this time those shows in particular gained popularity with American audiences; for many millennial anime fans (like myself), our parents may have been fans of those shows growing up. (Plus my mama loves Speed Racer!)

From the 1960’s to the 1980’s a lot of the anime titles that were imported from Japan ended up being heavily altered and localized (even to the point of changing the name of the titles themselves). So if you’re familiar with the show Robotech, it’s real name and title was actually Macross. We all know about Transformers and all of the series and spin-offs that came from its original, but the basis of the ‘Robots in Disguise’ came from two series called Diaclone and Microman. Here’s a lil’ fun fact; the first (and I mean FIRST) anime meetup group was called the Cartoon Fantasy Organization (C.F.O.) which was created in 1977 in Los Angeles, California. Yep, L.A. In fact the very first English-dubbed anime distribution company was Streamline Pictures; way before we had BangZoom, Viz Media, Aniplex, Funimation, and Sentai Filmworks.

Once the 90’s kicked in, the overall popularity of anime was at an all-time high. Being a 90’s kid myself you guys already know all of the heavy hitter titles; Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Inuyasha, Gundam Wing, Evangalion, and Cowboy Bebop! The level of popularity began to give birth to a subculture of people who identify themselves as “Anime Fans”, and is still growing to this very day. America’s influence on anime has even translated into more recent cartoon titles from Cartoon Network; like Steven Universe or The Amazing World of Gumball.

Right now it looks like due to anime’s overwhelming popularity throughout 60% of broadcast anime throughout the world, American animation companies are adjusting their productions and animations styles as a ‘reverse-influence’ competitive strategy. If you’ve seen shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Boondocks, and the 2003 Teen Titans, you’ll notice what I’m talking about right away!

All-in-all; America’s influence on anime has opened the minds and the imaginations of the individuals who invest in the medium. It’s given us anime conventions, cosplay culture, anime hip-hop and nerdcore, and new ways to tell stories. Thanks to America’s influence anime has also become more diverse in its story telling; with some anime titles being produced, directed, and even dubbed by people of color. (D’ART Shtajio comes to mind.) The influence of anime can be seen in many other countries such as Brazil and The UK, so American anime fans are not the only ones connected to the medium.

For me personally; I think this is awesome! Having something that you can connect with as you go through life can really boost your overall morale and quality of life. Toonami’s done that with so many people, and there have been stories where anime has saved the lives of the ones who watched it. Although we’re not sure what the future will hold for this once-niche medium (that still is in some parts of the world), we already know that as long as there are anime fans and the demand is high, there will always be anime! 🙂

 

Anime Error 404: What’s Happening Next Week

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Guys, writer’s block is REAL! If you’re a blogger, then we’re pretty sure that you’ve come up against this lil’ demon from time to time. So now that it has chosen us as its target for this week, we’ll be rolling over or posts and content for next week. Here’s what’s on the books for the blog next week:

“Got you!!”

D&A’s Top 5 Anime Villains of 2020

Many of us never want to see or hear the word “2020” again; but in spite of it being one of the craziest years humanity has ever faced, it still brought us some arguably good anime titles to watch. Not only that; it also gave us some anime villains who are now newly favored by fans, while many still rave about their cult classics as well. Next week we’ll be counting down our Top 5 favorite anime villains of 2020!

A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis

A Founder’s Thought’s with D.J. Lewis: America’s Influence on Anime

We got another “A Founder’s Thought’s” post on America’s Influence on Anime. D&A’s D.J. Lewis talks about America’s influence on many titles to come out of Japan. From Baccano to Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, many titles have drawn their inspiration from America in some form or fashion, but how much of America’s influence is in the anime titles that we watch? D.J. Lewis digs deep to find out!

D&A’s Official Upcoming Podcast

Nerdz of the Decade Podcast Update!

After selecting our name for our official podcast, we’ll be filling you guys in on what we plan to do next regarding when we’ll launch our first episode and so on. We know you’ve been waiting quite a while, but the wait is almost over!

See you guys next week for some awesome new posts and content! 🙂

D&A Anime Blog: What Shows To Watch For In 2021!

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As we get closer and closer to the end of the ‘anything-can-happen’ 2020 year, the collection of shows and anime titles that have come about can be described in a number of ways. Although there wasn’t anything that would make you jump out of your seat, there are a few titles that are worth taking a shot at. The two that come to mind for us would be Tower of God, as well as The Misfit of Demon Academy. Both of which are great titles that are well worth taking a shot at if you haven’t seen them already, and later down the line we may be doing a review on them.

With COVID-19 still running amok worldwide, several studios have been doing everything they can to release more episodes and content of their shows; and have adjusted pretty well. This year hasn’t been an easy one to say the least, but with sneak peeks and trailers coming out for shows and movies already on the horizon, anime studios and creators are already setting their sights on the 2021 season. With that in mind, here are just a couple trailers that we’ve stumbled upon…

SAO…is back!

Many of us have already seen the first season of Sword Art Online, however when it comes to the Light Novel (SAO: Progressive) the anime left a lot of details in the story out of the picture. Progressive dives deeper into the story through the POV of Asuna and Kirito, as they travel floor-by-floor defeating monsters and bosses while bringing some much needed character development – that was seemingly transparent in the original anime series. SAO: Progressive comes out 2021!

Things get serious…

If you’ve seen the first season of Cells at Work that teaches how the cells in your body handle viruses and deceases, then the second season takes a much darker turn. We’re not ones to tell how others should live their lives, but after seeing this trailer, it might change your lifestyle.

Although we don’t know too much about this series, we know that it started out as a video game on the Nintendo DS; that’s now an animated series!

The story of the Sins continues…

A lot of Sin’s fans weren’t too happy about how last season ended; especially in terms of the quality. Hopefully a redemption story is made this season as the saga of the Sins continues!

2020 has its fair share of hits and misses this season, but as we look ahead to what 2021 will bring, the overall mood and morale of the anime community from our view is filled with excitement and curiosity. We can hardly wait for the day when we can return to the nerdy sanctuaries called “Anime Conventions”, but until that day, stay safe and watch more anime! 😉

Here’s What’s Up For Thanksgiving Week!

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Hey guys! Before we start we just want to give our thoughts and prayers to the Morrow family; as we discovered that Kirby Morrow who you may know as the Ocean Dub DBZ’s Goku, has passed away. He was also heard in the original Inuyasha and was set to reprise his role in Yashahime. It’s a big loss in the anime and voice acting community, but we remember him as being awesome to his friends, his fans, and his family. May he Rest in Piece.

This year has been crazy, and although many of us won’t be able to gather together this Thanksgiving (unless your family members don’t live very far from you), be sure to give em’ a call or chat with them on Zoom. As for us we’ll not only be serving our family’s great food n’ good turkey, but we’ve got some more content comin’ your way!

Take the Saiyan Prince for example…

Best Frienemies: D&A’s Top 5 Anime Villains Who Became Good Guys!

Every action or fantasy anime title ever made has this one particular troupe! The main character beats the s%@! out of the main villain of a story arc, and a couple arcs later they become allies and even friends. Well, we pick our Top 5 anime villains who have done this and are now fighting for justice and peace alongside the hero whom they tried to kill!

What’s out there…?

What New / Re-Newed Shows To Watch For In 2021!

You’ve probably seen several promos for new anime titles and re-newed shows making their way to the Winter 2020/2021 season. We’ll poke around the internet to discover what will be coming to your favorite anime streaming services early next year!

Step into a New Dimension!

Our New Podcast Name Revealed!!

We’ve been wrecking our brains trying to find a good name for a podcast, and after putting out several polls on our social media pages, we may have an idea on what to call our new podcast name! Next week we do the grand unveiling of our new podcast!

That’s all we’ve got for now, see you guys next week! 🙂

Anime REvisited Returns With Season One of Danmachi Next Month!

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What was though to be just a one-season series has now turned into somewhat of a franchise. Danmachi or Is It Wrong To Try And Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon now has three (and soon to be four) seasons, a spin-off series, a movie, and a couple of video and mobile games. This is one of our favorite series as many of you guys might have noticed and even seen our Hestia plushie in many of our Instagram videos, as well as on all of our other social media. Next month we revisit the first season of the franchise as we review it episode-by-episode; as we take you through the journey of how the Hestia Familia got started! We know this was kinda short but that’s our announcement for today. As always stay safe and stay nerdy! 😉

The first season of when Hestia became the Bestia! 😉

Shimoneta: Japan’s History of Censorship!

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There comes a time in every teenager’s life where they stumble across something that arouses their interest. Depending what kind of parents they have or how they react to the thing that they’re aroused by, it’ll cause them to do one of two things; ask them about it, or explore on their own. When it comes to anime every fan has their favorite titles that they love to indulge in, however once those fans reach a “certain age” they may have stumbled across the endless fanservice pool that is the Harem/Ecchi genre.

with these type of shows pushing the envelope every day, there’s one of them that takes the envelope and sets it on fire. We’ve seen a lot of crazy over-the-top shows, but next to Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, this is one that we’re pretty sure a large percentage of the anime community has seen.

We’re talking about Shimoneta!

That’s one way to get a ‘head’ in life…XP

This is one of those anime titles that takes the history of something and kinda drops it on its head. The whole show is centered on Japan’s strict censorship through their government, and how a group of ‘rag-tag’ degenerates pretty much give em’ the finger to their laws and restrictions about what they can and cannot say, dress, or do. (Remember how the FCC used to be 20 years ago?)

Seeing that this series takes place in 2030 (about ten years from now), Japan’s strict rules on censorship go back waaaay further than that! Article 175 or the Criminal Code of Japan, covers the censorship of pornography and how it is restricted in Japan through its sales as well as digitally. This means that if you were caught in Japan selling pornographic pictures or digital content, you’d be in jail for up to two years and have to pay a fine of 2,500,000 yen (which we think is about $24,000). This also applied to the one(s) who bought the material as well.

Japan was (and still is) no joke when it came to skin flicks and booty mags. In fact the first ever film to get the wrath of the censorship police after WWII was 1965’s Black Snow (sound familiar?). The film’s director Tetsuji Takechi and Nikkatsu distributor Satoru Murakami were indeed charged with violation of Article 175 for their film depicting prostitutes in a U.S. military base near Tokyo. The film itself was ruled out as “not obscure” in 1966, but several things happened later that threw Nikkatsu and Takechi out of the frying pan and back into the fire.

The first hentai case happened in 2004; when Yuji Suwa, Motonori Kishi, and Koichi Takada were prosecuted for producing and selling off the hentai manga anthology Misshitsu. Nine years later another case involving three people from Core Magazine happened, and those three people pleaded guilty in December of 2013. Needless to say; Japan don’t play!

How does all of this tie-in to Shimoneta? If you’re able to grasp the concept of the story (somewhat), you find various fragments and elements of Japan’s history of censorship as well as its references to its movies such as Black Snow (Blue Snow). Even though this show has its fans, it also has a little history behind its conservative nature when it comes to the lewd, the dirty, and the pornographic.

That”ll do it for our lil’ history lesson for today, and as always; love one another! 😉