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Antiutopia, cacotopia, dystopia, synonyms from the ancient Greek 'dystopos' (difficult/bad place) that describe and/or represent a mentally conceived place, time or state in which one lives in the face of complete chaos, be it social, ethical, political, economic.

Widely used in the literary field, its importance is given by the self-critical character they have. Dystopias awaken the human being to a deep reflection on the way in which society walks.

With this in mind, the Japanese classic Akira (1988) tells us about a Japan that, after being destroyed by an explosion, saw its reconstruction happen in front of a dystopian cyberpunk scenario.

In 1988, Japan is the victim ... of a disaster caused by a mysterious explosion that would culminate in the Third World War. The film takes us to accompany the remnant of Japanese society, dated in the year 2019, under the aegis of a capitalist, democratic and brutally technological society, which resides in the megalopolis built from the rubble of the explosion: Neo Tokyo.

Neo Tokyo is this city that will reach the height of economic and technological advancement. However, it was plunged into social chaos. Dispute between biker gangs, terrorist attacks as a form of protest against government actions, religious sects disseminating their ideas, corrupt political institutions. All of this culminated in a civilization that was collapsing by leaps and bounds.

In the midst of this scenario, the story takes us back to the main character, Tetsuo, and his best friend, Kaneda. Both belong to a biker gang. Tetsuo would eventually be taken by the army to be a guinea pig for scientific experiments.

These secret experiments were performed on esper children to improve their psychic powers in order to find the Akira Pattern, a factor of technological development. This factor would be found in the protagonist Tetsuo.

The current text aims to comment on the main ideas addressed in the animation. For this reason, I refrain from major spoilers or detailed scenes.

Among so many postmodern theories found in history, Akira, quite emphatically, exemplifies Deleuze's accelerationism.

Accelerationism is the philosophical theory in which government entities must intensify capitalist actions and precepts, as well as certain socio-technological processes, so that, by having these factors expanded, the deterioration of society would be accelerated. As these socio-technological changes are intensified by the advance of capitalism, society experiences a degradation process called deterritorialization.

According to this theory by Deleuze-Guattari, deterritorialization is the process by which the social relations called 'territory' suffer some kind of alteration, or even destruction, from some external factor.

Delleuze and Guattari understand the social individual as a being who undergoes alterations based on concepts of Freud's psyche, such as libido and polymorphous perversity. According to this idea, the individual has a strong tendency to succumb to these strong desires, thus being subject to changes in what they call the "materialistic psyche".

Deleuze understands capitalism as the fundamental factor to accelerate this process of change, deterritorialization. He identifies capitalism as this movement that elevates the individual to the extremes of his immoral desires, thus influencing the social environment, taking actions that alter, segregate and destroy society.

For the theory, it is necessary to "raise to the extremes" since, reaching the apex of mass deterritorialization, based on the tensions of the psyche, individuals can find a new process of reterritorialization. That is, a new orderly social relationship. This process is called Anti-Oedipus.

In Akira this is well observed, as social tensions are at their height. Extremist protests reaching the point of committing constant terrorist attacks, disputes between gangs that want to maintain their territorial domination power, armed conflicts between an anti-reformist population and the police force. Amidst this chaotic and degraded scenario, a new social relationship would emerge.

This new order comes at the expense of technological advancement.

History takes us to follow a new race of human beings with psychic powers that reached a new stage in the evolutionary scale.

Espers children are taken as guinea pigs for experiments by a government that seeks to reach the apex of technological evolution.

This representation of Deleuze's ideas, such as the concept of bodies without organs, is what directs the process of technological evolution beyond the constrictive horizon of capital as the new form of reterritorialization.

Akira was an esper child who had his technological factor standards raised beyond what he could handle. The boy loses control of his powers and causes the explosion that destroys Japan at the beginning of the story.

While Tetsuo emerges, after this process of destruction of the territory, as the new being capable of having his evolutionary patterns altered. So that the young person would stop being a mere human and become a transhumanist technological singularity.

The show manages to represent very faithfully the ideas of accelerationism once the evolutionary process is taken to the end of its instances.

The story ends with a Tetsuo becoming the technological singularity, that is, an unbridled evolutionary standard pattern, which would manage to rebuild the universe, as a kind of reterritorialization of social relations.

The illustrious final sentence "I am Tetsuo" refers to the figure of this new being that appears as a unique, singular point. As the maximum, the apex of the evolutionary scale.

The Planned Obsolescence of Accelerationism

Planned obsolescence is the deliberate decision by producers to manufacture and sell consumer products in such a way that they become obsolete, thus forcing the consumer to continue to buy new generations of a given product.

Likewise, many postmodern philosophical theories are based on the hypothesis of programmed human obsolescence. That is, in the idea that socio-technological advances will culminate in a necessary moral degradation, due to the passions of the individual, to obtain a new social order.

In contrast, the Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, develops his idea in what he called Logotherapy: an approach that aims to seek a meaning behind all things.

His approach consists of reflections he had when he was a victim of Nazi concentration camps.

Even living in the midst of the chaos and despair that a concentration camp provided, Frankl imagined that there was a possibility for a person to find meaning in the face of that suffering.

Early in his captivity, while having the opportunity to flee the Nazis, Frankl remembered the teachings he received about 'honoring father and mother'. This gave him meaning to life, since he did not succumb to despair. These teachings were a driving force for him to take care of his family and those close to him.

By avoiding falling into despair he avoided the various vices of the human condition.

This natural idea of ​​giving in to passions conditioned by the human psyche found in postmodern theories couldn't be more wrong.

Human beings are endowed with reason and it is precisely the existence of this "logos" that enables them to find meaning in virtues and not succumb to the vices of a degraded life.

Akira manages to tackle such complex topics perfectly. No wonder it became this symbol.

Whether for plot or historical relevance, Akira is indisputably a masterpiece to behold.

A girl who moves from grandiose and bustling Tokyo to a quiet and simple village in the countryside. With the contrast between mega-buildings in the capital and the hills and trees in a city far from everything, between overcrowded stations and intersections and signs signaling the crossing of cows on the road.

This is the life of Houtaro, a child who undergoes a sudden change due to his father's workplace transfer: from megalopolis Tokyo to rural Asahigaoka.

Non Non Biyori appears to be just another typical slice of life anime with cute girls doing cute things, and maybe it really is. However, there is a beauty behind ... the show.

I have a deep appreciation for slice of life shows. It is relatively easy to win over viewers with fantasy shows, full of superpowers, with a vast world of adventure, and all these things that permeate the popular imagination. Who has never dreamed of something like that at some point in life?

However, there is an extreme difficulty in representing the grandeur behind everyday life, in making everyday life something attractive. And this is precisely the beauty behind iyashikei works.

The difficulty in portraying the grandiosity that the natural possesses goes beyond the flashy supernatural, the pyrotechnic, the megalomaniac, the fantastic.

With the advent of technological advances and their most diverse and varied means of entertainment, human beings have lost the ability to contemplate the beauty of simplicity.

On rainy afternoons, the concern with the quality of the WiFi or Cable TV signal took the place of the moments that once enjoyed the drops falling from the sky, the earth being washed, the smell of rain, the sounds of the storm, the arch forming iris.

The noises of the city took the place of the morning sounds. Always busy stations, overcrowded trains, the concern to find a comfortable place to be able to, then, put on the headphones and be distracted on the journey on the way to work robbed the glory that the morning has.

When was the last time we got up early, with no worries, no rush, just to see the sunrise? To contemplate the care of the sun's rays appearing at just the right moment to lift the veil that separates day and night?

Or the bucolic climate that is characteristic of the evening, followed by a sunset that paints the cities with shades of red.

Or the mysterious icy aspect that the nights have, with the moonlight that clears without revealing more than necessary. Or as a nocturnal aspect, it inspires the reflective, nostalgic, melancholy moments that life has.

Non Non Biyori presents us with the story of four girls living in a peaceful village, so peaceful to the point of having peculiarities such as the human population being smaller than the number of cows existing there, or the fact that there are only five students in the only school in the village. city, each in a different series.

"But how can that be attractive?" It's a common question to ask.

The story takes us to follow the daily life of these girls, from games and ways to have fun in a place away from big technologies, as well as the relationships built by them and how that makes them grow.

When I watched Non Non Biyori two things awakened in me.

The first was nostalgia for my childhood. Consuming the work with this bias brought up many nostalgic memories that I had lost a long time ago.

Memories of things that today's kids don't do anymore. Plays that they don't even imagine that one day existed. Memories of a simpler life, when my only concern was getting to school, or the hours I would spend in the library.

Non Non Biyori aroused at times this kind of reflection on the inevitable passage of time. About what I've become and the paths I've walked here.

The second way I consumed the work was from the perspective of an adult, full of worries, responsibilities and duties. Perhaps the main responsibility is to build a better world for children who are experiencing childhood.

As in the moments when Dagashiya, the sweets shop saleswoman, found herself in this transition between adolescence and adult life.

It is worth mentioning the moments of interaction between the character and Renge. As an adult who still bears the responsibility of leading a child's growth, taking care to be an example to be followed, inspiring good actions that can be replicated and correcting those that should not be committed.

It is quite common for the spectator to consume the work from one of these two perspectives.

The show throws us into natural landscapes with a tone of verisimilitude to that of real life. The great scenarios awaken this synesthesia that results in a somewhat satisfying immersion.

In several moments it makes us feel in the real Asahigaoka.

Furthermore, the plot does not have a moral reflection on human existence, nor a script with wild twists.

The show just shows us the beauty that exists in the little things in life. In aspects that are so intertwined with the human condition as to go unnoticed.

Few series manage to portray well the innocence and curiosity of childhood, as well as the moments of discovery of the world around them and the emotion that exists in the simplicity of everything.

Whether for its nostalgic or contemplative character, with a light and relaxing narrative, the show invites us to admire the wonders that only simplicity has.

In the words of one of my favorite composers I sum it all up:

"I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself: What a wonderful world!"

Ergo Proxy, the sci-fi anime that has been hailed as a cutting-edge classic, takes place in a dystopian future where Earth has been hit by a climate catastrophe that has left the planet with unfeasible conditions for the existence of life as the human species has seen. forced to live in small domes, each functioning as an independent city.

These small domes were responsible for simulating human society in conditions similar to the previous one. Counting on the help of machines, each citizen of the dome has an AutoReiv, a kind of automated droid, to carry out, from more basic activities, such as household chores, to ... performing essential functions, such as locomotion and public safety.

The story follows Re-l Mayer, a police agent responsible for investigating a series of murders supposedly related to the emergence of a new virus that affected automatons (cogito virus). By contracting the virus, these anthropomorphic droids developed a kind of individual consciousness that resulted in rebellions against their masters.

As he progresses in the investigation, Re-l was faced with the presence of a humanoid creature, with a bizarre, horrendous, reckless appearance, and who had superhuman abilities, which would become known as Proxy. The plot takes us on the journey of Re-l, who was fascinated by these creatures, to discover what these Proxys are and their relationship to planetary devastation.

This review aims to comment on the main symbols contained in the plot. Therefore, there will be minor spoilers. Be forewarned.

The core of Ergo Proxy revolves around a reflection on the creation of synthetic life for the survival of the species and the individuality that each being has, as well as its reason for existence.

The course of the episodes reveals the great plan of the human race, called Project Proxy, for the restoration of the planet after the cataclysm that consisted in the creation of 300 biologically modified creatures, the Proxys, to adapt to the high rates of methane present on Earth. These creatures were responsible for creating a new human race that would live contained in vaulted cities to restore Earth while the original humans took refuge on another planet.

This new race of synthetic humans created from the cells of the Proxys had a series of limitations, such as the inability to reproduce, which is why they had the help of the Autoreivs, cyborg automatons of a personal nature.

The plan consisted of storing detailed information about the genetic mapping in these Proxys for the restoration of acceptable biological conditions. Once this restoration took place, the second phase, called the Pulsar of Awakening, began. Once the methane levels were reduced, the sun's rays could penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and life could thrive, the original humans would return to the planet and rule over the new race. As for the Proxys, they would cease to exist because they do not have protection mechanisms against the sun's rays.

With this in mind, the plot follows attempts at reflection about the reason for existing.

Raison d'entre, or reason for living, refers to the idea that every human being is born with a pre-established objective, with a plan or a reason that will guide their motivations for each step taken in their lives.

The existentialist philosophy arises to the detriment of this thought. Relativism and the instigation of a dualistic world imply questioning this "raison".

René Descartes considered thought as the only absolute truth and this thought was only achieved by questioning all things that exist. "Why are we here?", "What's the point of existing?", questions like these permeate the existentialist philosophy.

Inspired by the questions of the French philosopher, Kierkgaard, the main exponent of existentialist thought, saw in humanity an unbridled search for a purpose of being. This incessant search for a meaning in life would always result in questions without clear answers, which culminated in a harrowing life.

Ergo Proxy bombards us with such questions. While the new human race, genetically perfect, walked towards the same mistakes as the original humans, the Proxys, imperfect beings, walked towards their pre-established destiny.

Born knowing that his only meaning was to lay down his life for a decaying race and yet to work hard to create conditions conducive to that race was every Proxy's raison d'entre. Questioning the meaning of this caused the decline of these creatures.

Many of the Proxys considered this original plan absurd and turned against the humans themselves. Other Proxys decided to surrender to the anguish of their existence and passively watched the further decay of the human race until the end of their Domes. While others succumbed to madness because they could not bear to live with such affliction.

The same can be observed with AutoReivs. The Cogito Virus, inspired by the "cogito ergo sum" of Cartesian philosophy, pondered the emergence of the "I". From the moment that the droids contracted the "cogito" virus, and conquered their own ability to think, they inevitably turned against this subservient idea of ​​having a reason for living.

If you think, then you exist. If it exists, then doubt. This harrowing quest for doubt breaks the paradigms of existence. This is the evil of the "cogito virus".

But if there is no clear reason to live then why exist? If there is no meaning, why would there be life?

Faced with this absurd search for a non-existent meaning, existentialist philosophy points to a possible path: suicide. Kierkegaard rejects this idea as the most viable and directs people to live in this constant anguish until they find a new meaning for living.

The ending of the anime reflects this thought well. When Proxy One, the first to be created, discovers the plan of the humans, he questions his reason for living, creates Ergo Proxy to put an end to the human race, to Proxy One himself and leaves towards suicide. However, Vincent Law rejects this idea as the only solution and prefers to stay on Earth with Re-L until he finds a new reason for his existence, since he is no longer of use to humans.

If it exists, it has form.

But how to survive until you find a new reason to exist? How to find answers if they don't exist?

Existentialism sees Existence as prior to Essence. So, the human being is the one who molds his own existence, through thought, creating his own values ​​that will determine the meaning of his life. And this is the great error of Descartes, Kierkegaard and all others who follow this philosophical line.

For Aristotle, Form is everything that makes a being what it is. It is the shape that differentiates a tree from a chair, even though they have the same physical substance (wood).
A tree is what it is because it has its shape: Roots, trunk, branches, leaves, fruits. And the human being recognizes them by knowing their form.

Even if some of these elements are missing (like the leaves), anyone would still be able to recognize that being as a tree.

Everything that exists is delimited by its Form (Essence) and, consequently, acquires a substance (Existence).

The substance does not define what it is. Wood does not choose to be a tree, table or chair. She needs a way to decide this perfectly and happily. Such is human existence.

Aristotle's Hylemorphism is the essential union of substance with its form.

It is precisely because the being has a certain form (essence) that it is constituted by elements that determine its perfect existence.

The essence is immaterial and therefore it determines existence. A triangle can be small, large, blue, red, isosceles, scalene, equilateral. But no matter how it exists, its essence is unchanging: a three-sided polygon.

It is precisely the essence that ensures the unity of being. In other words, your identity. Impure, gross matter, alone, is formless. Rather, it needs a form to make it comprehensible.

If something exists, it has form.

Therefore, it is necessary that the human being embraces the essence to then find the reason for existence.

If doubt shapes a harrowing quest in existentialist philosophy, for Aristotle the virtue of form is the perfect form that will guide human beings.

Ergo Proxy, the modern classic, raises these important questions, even as it points to the wrong answers.

I have been asked a lot by people close to me to write about Lain. However, I persistently resisted due to the fact that the anime had some flaws. Therefore, I took the liberty of writing paying attention only to the symbols presented and, the central idea, than the story of the anime itself.

Serial Experiments Lain, usually abbreviated to SEL, or Lain, is a 1998 cyberpunk anime produced by Ryutaro Nakamura (director), Chiaki Konaka (script), Yasuyuki Ueda (producer) and Yoshitoshi Abe (design).

The show focuses on Iwakura Lain, a shy, naive girl, with a total lack of interest in technological devices but who lives, like every ... work set in cyberpunk settings, in a society submerged in these technological advances. The story begins with the suicide of one of Lain's classmates and the emergence of supposedly mysterious emails sent by this girl, after her death, to several other students in her class.

Upon arriving home, and drunk with curiosity, after hearing the rumor of the alleged emails, Lain decides to find out on her previously ignored Navi (a state-of-the-art technological device) if she was also one of the recipients.

After reading the intriguing content of the email, Lain is even more confused. Chisa, the girl who committed suicide, said she didn't die. Before, he had abandoned his physical body and left for a strange place, called Wired, where he had found god.

From then on, a series of experiments follow, caused by strange events, which will make Lain question his true existence, what is real or not, as well as the concrete existence of the barrier that separates Wired and reality.

SEL is one of the typical animes that gained status due to the mental confusion caused by its plot, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mawaru Peguindrum, Paranoia Agent. However, SEL has a particularity in relation to the cited works.

Unlike most of these "mindfucks" works, which start relatively "normal" and progress towards the weird, Serial Experiments already starts by diving into the weirdness.

The first five episodes serve to build the anime's world, introducing the main characters, such as Lain, her family and close friends, as well as emblematic figures, such as the Knights group.

Without many spoilers, I aim to discuss the main symbols presented in this show.

The show has a reputation for being prophetic about the influence of technology and the internet on everyday life. Mixing some scientific hypotheses and philosophical theories, the plot raises the possible relationships that the internet would have with the future of humanity.

Approaches such as the well-known Millennium Bug are often inserted there.

Existentialism and Gnosticism are figures that are very present in the symbology of the show.

The fact that 3 Lains are presented throughout the show points to such questions. What is the real Lain? What's the first to come up? Which one overlaps? The Lain that exists in the real world, the Lain that exists in Wired but is capable of spreading rumors affecting people in the real world, the Evil Lain that is only seen by people under hallucinations in Cyberia?

According to Kierkegaard, the main exponent of existentialist theories, essence comes after existence. For him, the individual must refrain from abstractions and stick to the practicality of what is palpable. In addition to investigating human subjectivity from the anguish of the individual before life.

This subjectivity giving rise to different ideas culminates in different realities experienced by the individual. As is the case with the questioning about which Lain is the real one, since each one experiences their own reality, based on their own choices.

In the show, dissociation between the real and the virtual is provided by responses. However, this same dissociation takes shape when real and virtual coexist.

An example of this coexistence are the colored shadows presented throughout the episodes. They represent the existence of wired in the real world, being observed only by shadows.

Still on the experience observed in the anime, Yasuyuki Ueda commented, in an interview for Otakon, when asked about the smoke coming out of Lain's fingers:

"If you want to know about the meaning, the smoke coming out is a reality observed by her, but for everyone around her they cannot be seen, it is not part of their reality. So in that sense, everyone has their own reality that other people can't see it, it's kind of a play between realities for each individual".

At the same time, this dissociation between real and virtual, represented in the figure of Wired, brings up this Gnostic vision. Being this same Wired the representation of the Pleromal World of SEL.

The problem of dissociation from reality

Currently, there is a great confusion caused by the separation of the real and virtual worlds. Not being satisfied, technological advances intensified the escape from reality in search of emulated experiences in the virtual environment.

It is common to find people who live different lives, simulating different types of personalities to suit the communities they frequent.

In many cases, they are popular people for the achievements acquired as game players, digital media influencers, but who have never experienced the real world.

These are people who know the map of a level in a game like the back of their hand but don't know the city where they live. People known to many online, but who are unable to hold a conversation with someone over a meal.

For Aristotle, there is only one world: the real one. The world experienced by everyone. For the philosopher, the act of contemplating the foundations of the real world is what leads the individual to the practice of philosophizing. For this reason, only the experience lived by reality is capable of understanding the questions conditioned to human existence.

The experiences lived by individuals are not dissociated from reality, nor are they conditioned to experiences relativized by personal subjectivism. One cannot separate the real from the intelligible, nor ignore it, as in existentialist philosophy.

Every reader, when reading a book, is fully capable of understanding any event in history, as well as the motivations of each character, even without having experienced similar situations. These sensitive cognitive experiences arise from interaction with intelligible foundations present in the real world.

Therefore, Serial Experiments Lain emerges as an avant-garde classic, but it was only relevant because of the period in which it was created. The crisis generated by the great depression of millenniums, the uncertainties of the new century, the myth of new technology, were factors that helped to popularize Serial Experiments, long before classics like The Matrix. As a great zeitgeist, Lain tries to keep itself alive by the great efforts of its fans.

However, unlike works like Ghost In The Shell, SEL was not intended to be what it became. The script was not premeditated, existing flaws prove this. However, the show is not, and probably never was, intended to point to a big story. Serial Experiments actually was the real experiment. Abe and Ueda themselves have already said that they didn't have great intentions with the anime, rather they wanted to observe the reactions of each viewer.

Hated by some, loved by others. The fact is that Serial Experiments Lain is the true experiment in anime form, a figure of postmodern expressionism.

The discussions of the 21st century have been increasingly marked by the search for the insertion of technology in human life. The 1995 classic Ghost in the shell approaches this discussion from a philosophical point of view, using a lot of heavy fiction.

"GITS" takes place in the year 2029, in a dystopian scenario, whose technological advancement can be seen from all sides. Humanity has achieved the ability to merge with technology through a system of neural networks, using cybernetic implants called "ghosts", making even the use of organic limbs dispensable.

Human existence and virtual connectivity have reached the apex of their pairing. People are ... usually able to connect their minds to software capable of appropriating their memories, thus dispensing with their original bodies. Which makes them "ghosts" living in cybernetic "shells".

Thus, the imminent emergence of dangers through crimes caused by neural control is inevitable. It has become common practice for cyber-terrorists capable of hacking into the minds of ordinary people through their "ghost" devices, tampering with their memories.

In the midst of this frightening threat, there was a need for the emergence of a task force capable of identifying and combating this type of virtual crime with drastic consequences in the real world. Session 9, led by Kusanagi Motoko, works hard to fight these cyber-terrorists.

The feature film was the key point for the emergence of the cyberpunk genre in audiovisual media, dictating norms from the construction of the world to the theme used in the plot, influencing Hollywood classics such as The Matrix.

However, the purpose of this analysis is to try to synthesize the philosophical questions addressed by Mamoru Oshii.

At first, GITS bombards us with questions about individuality and existence with the thoughts of the villain Puppet Master and Major Motoko's deep doubts.

To begin with, the question is what "to be" really means. Whether it is necessary to have an organic "shell" for this.

Motoko, who can barely remember her old memories after her constant technological implants, embarks on a deep search for her existence.

Scenes, such as his dive in the waters, reveal his anguish for no longer "feeling himself existing". The absence of their own organs took away from them basic biological sensations, such as pain, and with them, the instincts that compete with the human being.

With this in mind, our protagonist often leaves in search of emotions, in an attempt to reaffirm her humanity.

The fact of diving and not knowing if he will be able to drown or not, thus causing the feeling of fear and despair, culminating in the affliction that awakens the survival instinct is one of his many attempts to reproduce his humanity.

Contrary to Major's attitudes, we have the Puppets Master, who "gave up his humanity", abandoning his own body, immersing himself in the net, becoming one with technology.
In this we see transhumanism in its ideological fullness.

For the villain, his humanity is unnecessary in the face of individuality. Not even other people's conception of your existence matters. As long as he recognizes his own individuality, he validates his own existence.

Identity x Existence

Many authors have addressed this issue.

As is the case with the Swamp Man hypothesis.

Suppose a man goes for a walk in a forest near a swamp on a rainy day when lightning strikes him, disintegrating him. Simultaneously, lightning strikes the swamp and, coincidentally, causes a cluster of molecules to rearrange itself in a way that accurately replicates the man who was disintegrated a few moments ago. This “Swamp Man” has an exact copy of the brain, memories and behavior patterns of the man who disappeared. When this new being returns home, he starts to interact as usual with the people close to the deceased.

Is this being that emerged from the swamp, although exactly the same, the same person that the disintegrated subject once was?

For Donald Davidson, philosopher and author of the hypothesis, no. Although physically identical, and no one notices the difference, they do not share a personal history and therefore cannot be the same. Even if the swamp man remembers the friends of the disintegrated man, in reality he has never seen them before, but only in memories.
The swamp man would not be able to recognize anything that he was not aware of.

We see the need for real experience.

Personal identity refers to the conditions that a being needs to be the same person at different times. The modern philosophy of mind assesses a set of conditions necessary for a person's identity to be maintained over time.

With this, new questions arise, such as the mind-body problem.

The mind-body discussion concerns the relationship of the mind and its mental processes with the body and the state it is in.

Still on the philosophy of mind, property dualism argues that, although the world is made up of physical substances, there are two types of properties: physical and mental.

In other words, it is the idea that non-physical properties, such as desires, emotions, beliefs, values, inhere in physical properties.

With this, it is understood that the mind, although it depends on the brain, goes beyond it. So that mental processes, although they depend on the brain for their occurrence, transcend its basic functioning. As is the case with imagination. Even if the practice of imagining depends on the brain, the individual can go further and create situations that are completely different from their observed reality.

Aristotle understands the mind going beyond the brain as the hielomorphic soul of the human being. A form of existence supervening on physical substance.

Here, then, are the dangers and the problem of transhumanism with its flight from reality.

Oshii leads throughout the plot, with reflective dialogues between Motoko and the Puppet Master, a questioning about the relationship between individuality and existence.

Ghost in the shell is not the story that serves to "illuminate my thoughts". But, with a very philosophical tone, it raises discussions that are very pertinent to human beings.

Whether for its plot, animation or soundtrack, which are spectacular, GITS has made itself an artistic expression in animation format of the highest level.

Try to define the idea of ​​“time” and “moment”. The period called "now", how long can it last? When can he change? How can we make him stay?

Think back to a period of your life 10 years ago. Think of the friendships you had, the loved ones around you. Where are they today?

Think about the places you used to go, the things you used to do. Do these places and things still exist? How distant, physically and emotionally, are you from them?

It is these reflections that drive the general idea of ​​what Aria is.

Our day-to-day, the places we go, the dear companions, the comfortable routine, ... are aspects that we take for granted. These are the particularities that form our “now”.

However, when we stop to think, we realize how much everything has changed. How many things are left behind, how many people we no longer see, how many places no longer exist...

This is the inexplicable antithesis of life.

How long does it take for "now" to become "was"?

If reflecting on it causes you a certain “pain”, a feeling of “melancholy”, it is common. The Japanese call this philosophy Mono no Aware. This is the pathos of things. Sensitivity to what is ephemeral.

Every day thousands of situations happen that seem to have no order and/or connection. The world seems to be tangled up in absolute chaos. Things that are out of our control, situations that go against our expectations. But, in fact, doesn't this chaos follow a greater order? Something hitherto unreachable by our understanding?

Heraclitus of Ephesus believed that there was order in the world around us. A universal law not hidden from our eyes, perceptible in every action of everyday life.

Like the fact that we can't dive twice into the same river because neither the river nor we stay the same. All things flow. Fast, slow, but flow.

Aria is set in a future where space exploration has become possible. The human race sailed to Mars to colonize it, thus calling it Neo Venezia.

The pioneers suffered great difficulties with the oceanification process, but the fruit of their labor was the creation of a natural paradise. Neo Venezia has become a top tourist destination with its gondola rides through towns surrounded by water.

The core of the plot revolves around the reminiscence of the past in relation to the present moment. Leaving us this reflection on time.

“Mysterious things. When you're a kid, you're sure they exist. But when you least expect it, that certainty turns into a wish for them to exist. Why? When did you stop believing in them?”

When Akari says these words, we can perceive not only the inevitable passage of time, but also all the situations modified by it. It is the flow of the "flow of life".

"When I was a kid, I believed that Neverland was a real place. But when I grew up, I understood it was a fantasy. When did that happen?"

On the other hand, with extreme wisdom, Alice refers us to important reflections that can only be acquired with maturity.

Alice warns the girls, making them understand how sad it would be to live a life where the preciousness of now is lost at the expense of having only the fun moments of "yesterday" in mind.

This is Mono no Aware. The sweet melancholy that one feels with the transitory.

“Time has a way of changing things. Sometimes kindly, sometimes cruelly.”

And there is a certain beauty in this feeling. the perenniality of impermanence is what makes our memories precious.

Changes are inevitable and that doesn't mean they aren't welcome.

Returning to Heraclitus, the philosopher believed in combat being the father of all things. Changes exist as a result of the tension of opposing forces. Like honey that is both sweet and bitter at the same time.

It is precisely this tension at the center of everything that sets everything in constant motion. This is the order that is only achieved through chaos. As in walking, it takes a constant movement that unbalances and rebalances us to take us somewhere.

Aria invites us to savor each experience lived, as well as to live the "now" to the same extent.

"The world looks wonderful when reflected in the eyes of a wonderful person."

I particularly admire stories that have some narrative richness and/or literary depth. However, I detest the exaggerated, and often incoherent, cult of anything taken as complex.

With that in mind, I decided to write about
Boogiepop Series, with a greater focus on its 2019 adaptation, but making some comparison to its first adapted anime.

In general terms, the story refers to several strange events, sometimes given their mysterious nature, sometimes their supernatural nature, which occur in a certain city. The appearance of a strange and flashy beam of light in the sky of that city, the sudden disappearance of students, a new drug, a serial killer, in addition ... to an alleged supernatural apparition, according to popular rumors, of a shinigami: a reaper, a messenger of death, involved in every alleged murder. Added to that, a young girl acting as a vigilante of justice, trying to fight the hidden mysteries of that place.

At first glance, Boogiepop Series distills complexity, which is therefore confirmed in its first episodes, out of chronological order, and its constant non-linear writing.

But, unlike other works of this follow-up, such as Serial Experiments and Paranoia Agent, Boogiepop Series did not reach as much popularity as these pillars of the genre. In my view, much of the erroneous cult of the complex by parts of people who probably didn't even understand about its plots.

Without many spoilers that compromise the experience of those who haven't watched it yet, Boogiepop, whether in its initial adaptation (Phantom) or in its most recent adaptation (Wa Warawanai), has something very passionate: how much it instigates the listener in the smallest details.

The story, in so many moments following a non-linear order, tells us the events from the point of view of different characters. The fact of not being tied to a single protagonist gives us an overview, far from any philosophical-ideological bias, about the functioning of the world and society.

Boogiepop, who is more of an observer than a shinigami, a killer of people who reach the height of their beauty (as described in his urban legend). It is a supernatural apparition that manifests itself in Miyashita Touka's body to protect the world from the Enemies of Humanity.

A dual personality? A strong desire coming from Touka to do something for someone? A strong sense of impunity? We don't know for sure what made this supernatural being choose the young student.

Contrary to what one might imagine, these enemies of humanity are not just other evil apparitions, with a thirst for world domination, or driven by a strong desire for revenge, as they are in many cliché works that approach the supernatural. Such enemies are any and all beings that, moved by their bad feelings, take attitudes that cause harm to others, including human beings.

The human element is what really influences the supernatural aspect. As in Boogiepop Phantom, feelings take physical form through strange insects, in Warawanai, in the arc of the Ghoul of fear, although the doctor is human, she becomes one of humanity's enemies due to her committed attitudes.

The opposite of this is also valid, when non-humans can be considered defenders and not enemies of humanity.

First the Scarecrow who, although he actively contributed to the propagation of the drug that led humans to their evolution, had his moment of redemption, through Boogiepop. Showing us that, even if submerged in such remorse, even in the midst of negative thinking about personal change, if there is a sincere desire, there will be hope.

As well as Echos, even though he was an apparition with the potential to be one of humanity's enemies, he comes to choose to defend others with the good he received.

"Please remember that Suema. There's a difference between missing the old days and being stuck in the past. Just as the city has to change over time, it's important for people to move forward. with their lives. I know you understand.''
It is in Boogiepop's words that we perceive the evident character of personal choice.

In both the Panuru arc and the King of Distortion, the central figure is personal feelings. A heart full of reversed feelings is capable of causing distortion on the outside of the person. That's why there are those who sincerely try to be better for those around them, even though they make decisions contrary to what they want. This is the distortion caused by these feelings.

"If your feelings aren't gold yet, I'm sure nothing else in this world can shine."

Likewise, we have the influence of feelings being addressed in the Panuru arc. Misuzu, although always being positive about life, carried a burden of sorrows and regrets in her heart, always making up these feelings in search of a false positivity, where everything in the world appears to be beautiful.

This way of looking at life couldn't be more wrong. Closing your eyes and accepting everything as a way of overcoming is abominable. In this way, the person hides the pain and does not allow himself to feel what is needed. When you don't put the sufferings out, at some point this feeling will explode and make you go crazy. In other words, this wonderful world of Panuru is an illusion. A distortion.

This is Boogiepop Series. Difficult, complex. But not only that... It is an enigmatic journey into what human nature is and what could be. A story with a serious plot, addressing topics such as regrets, envy, hatred, suicide.

Man is not man's own wolf. Man is not corrupted by society. If this should come to pass, and this man should be lost, it was his choice. He corrupts it himself.

And you? Are you an ally or an enemy of society? Ally or enemy of yourself?

"A world that cannot be dreamed of or thought of in the future... Such a world is wrong. But unfortunately, I am not the one who will fight it. That responsibility is yours."

Boogiepop.

After some time postponing I decided to write about this story that is one of my favorites among all the animes I've watched. Maybe if I had written minutes after the anime ended, this review would have had more visibility. However, that's not the focus. I'm just here to highlight the beauty behind Fruits Basket.

The difficulty to write about the work is precisely because I choose words that are enough to express well what I feel through this story that helped to form the character of many, including mine.

Fruits Basket, or simply Furuba, tells the story of Honda Tohru, a young student who, ... after losing her parents, finds herself without a home, family, hope or any expectation, living in a tent next to an isolated plot of land. After discovering that the land belongs to the Souma Family, a rich and traditional family, with many secrets, Tohru is invited to live in the Souma's house, thus being involved in the life and secrets of this mysterious family.

The Souma Family's secret involves an ancient Chinese horoscope legend. The horoscope god decided to have a feast to show his benevolence. After having his invitation refused by humans, the god invited animals in his place and, moved by enormous gratitude, both decided to make a promise that they would be together forever, thus giving rise to the spirits of the animals of the zodiac.

The Souma Family was chosen to share this bond, being possessed by the spirits of animals, solely to keep the promise in perpetuity. Souma Akito, leader of the family, believes he has a special bond with the other members of the zodiac and will do everything to maintain this bond, even if he has to oppress them, limit their freedoms, impose fear, punishment, or even resort to violence.

This whole supernatural issue is just an allegory used by the author to develop her main idea, which is that of people overcoming their traumas.

Fruits Basket shows stories of people who were victims of all kinds of abuse and suffering from the people who should protect them the most: the family.

The zodiac itself represents a kind of destiny. Each animal represents a "type" of person with peculiar characteristics, a kind of destiny imposed from birth.

The use of the zodiac curse is the author's way of saying that through the change and growth of the characters, we can also achieve the same. Even if it means fighting the idea of ​​predestination.

The plot revolves around emotional intelligence. Furuba presents us with tales of different characters loaded with traumatic situations that seem impossible to deal with.

In Furuba we can meet, for example, Momiji, a naive boy who had his memories erased from his own mother's mind; we know Hanajima who is constantly excluded from friendship circles by some kind of prejudice, even suffering all kinds of physical aggression as a child; Kyo who saw his own mother commit suicide and was treated by everyone in the family circle as the culprit for such an act, being considered a kind of monster to be hated.

Try for a moment to imagine yourself in any of these situations.

In fact, this is one of the reasons why Fruits Basket is one of the best stories in the industry. The ability to assign reality to each character is impressive. We constantly see ourselves in one of the characters because the situations dealt with are similar to our personal history.

The character core in Furuba is one of the best. Each one has its moment and importance to the story.

Souma Akito, with his completely disturbed personality, is undoubtedly one of the highlights. You can hardly not hate Akito.

But it makes us understand how people who hurt others are the ones who need help the most.

Akito hurts, attacks, injures, in an attempt to hide shes own fear of loneliness. And, even if it is through psychological torture, she tries to fill shes void with a "special relationship", even if in a superficial way.

How many people have not, at some point, done something similar? How many times do we subject ourselves to all kinds of humiliating situations just to escape the vain reality of an empty life? Abusive relationships, false friendships, addictions in general...

Akito represents well this self-sabotage, which at some point we were victims, to simulate a false happiness.

Fortunately, for every moment of sadness there is a moment of encounter with Honda Tohru.

Tohru is the typical "airhead" character. In many moments naive, in others simply innocent. But make no mistake. Tohru is not just any character, she represents the kindness that is able to free us from the vicious cycle of suffering. It is the author's message to society that benevolence is capable of freeing the individual from traumatic captivity.

Tohru decides to free the Soumas from the curse after meeting each of them. She was the first one capable of loving those people. Troubled people, suffocated by so much hate and rejection, submerged in constant darkness, knowing only prejudice, carrying the weight of a cursed fate, who hated the day of their own birth, could see a ray of light at the end of the tunnel when they received love. . . .

Tohru's importance to the story is immeasurable.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage emotions, both our own and those around us. It starts from a principle of knowing and understanding emotions and then managing your reactions.

The family experience Tohru received during her childhood was instrumental in our main character developing an effective foundation of emotional intelligence.
However, every human being needs to be saved. It would be no different with our lovely Tohru.

Since the beginning of the series Tohru has shown signs of exhaustion. Quite frankly! Who could bear to lose their parents and have to live in a tent, alone, reconciling work and school to survive?

As Tohru rescues each of the other characters, she is also saved by them. Receiving love and support from her best friends, trust and protection from Yuki and the other Soumas, and her relationship with Kyo. She received from kyo perhaps the most important thing: a reason to keep going.

It is evident that the desire to free the zodiacs from the curse is not due to pure and simple kindness. Deep down, Tohru's wish was to free Kyo, her lover.

But who said a little selfishness is bad?!

For a story that addresses a lot about all kinds of love, sentimental love could not be missing.

The series builds its couples very well, and even if that's not the focus, Fruits Basket has the best romance in the Japanese animation industry.

One of the key moments in the story is precisely the redemption of Akito. This moment portrays one of the most beautiful and most important things that human beings can witness throughout history: forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the ultimate representation of love. In forgiveness we find not only love for our neighbor but also love for ourselves. It takes strength and determination to forgive, as well as being an attitude of intelligence.

Forgiveness is the key to freedom.

When Tohru forgives Akito she managed to free not only the antagonist, Tohru freed herself as well as the other Soumas. She freed them from much more than a curse, Tohru freed them from the past, the present and gave them the possibility to write their own future.

The story deals very well with the aspect of autonomy of choices, making us understand that we are the only ones responsible for our life and we decide how to live it.

Other points worth mentioning are the animation, which is beautiful, with great scenarios, along with the sound.

Furuba's OST is magnificent! Whether for the soundtrack used in the scenes, which cause a lot of impact, or for its Openings, Endings and Insert Song's.

Each of Furuba's songs is better than the other and portrays the characters' involvement in their lyrics well.

Talking about Fruit Basket is remembering very difficult moments that I lived at some point but that I managed to overcome. So this is one of the stories I love the most.

There remains only joy, sadness and longing for one of the most remarkable works I have been able to know.

The goodbye lonely us, but it opens new beginnings. Nothing lasts forever. Goodbyes will come whether we like it or not.

For everything, Arigato, Sayonara, Furuba!


Review em português


Depois de algum tempo postergando decidi escrever sobre esta história que é uma das minhas favoritas dentre todos os animes que já assisti. Talvez se tivesse escrito minutos após o anime terminar esta review tivesse mais visibilidade. Contudo, o foco não é esse. Venho tão somente ressaltar a beleza por trás de Fruits Basket.

A dificuldade para escrever sobre a obra se dá justamente por escolher palavras que sejam suficientes para espressar bem o que se sente através desta história que ajudou a formar o caráter de muitos, inclusive o meu.

Fruits Basket, ou simplesmente Furuba, conta a história de Honda Tohru, uma jovem estudante que, depois de perder seus pais se vê sem casa, família, esperança ou expectativa qualquer, passando morar em uma tenda próximo a um terreno isolado. Após descobrir que o terreno faz parte da propriedade da Família Souma, uma família rica e tradicional, possuidora de muitos segredos, Tohru é convidada a morar na casa dos Souma sendo envolvida, assim, na vida e nos segredos desta misteriosa família.

O segredo da Família Souma envolvem uma antiga lenda do horóscopo chinês. O deus do horóscopo decidiu fazer um banquete para mostrar sua benevolência. Após ter seu convite recusado pelos humanos o deus convidou animais em seu lugar e, movidos por enorme gratidão, ambos decidiram fazer uma promessa de que estariam juntos para todo o sempre, dando origem, assim, aos espíritos dos animais do zodíaco.

A Família Souma foi escolhida para compartilhar deste vínculo, sendo possuídos pelos espíritos dos animais, unicamente para manterem a perpetuidade da promessa. Souma Akito, líder da família, acredita ter uma ligação especial com os outros membros do zodíaco e fará de tudo para manter esta ligação, ainda que para isto tenha que oprimi-los, delimitar suas liberdades, impor medo, punições, ou mesmo recorrer a violência.

Toda essa questão sobrenatural é apenas uma alegoria usada pela autora para desenvolver sua ideia principal, que é a de pessoas superando seus traumas.

Fruits Basket mostra histórias de pessoas que foram vítimas todo tipo de abusos e sofrimentos das pessoas que mais deveriam lhes proteger: a família

O zodíaco em si representa um espécie de destino. Cada animal representa um "tipo" de pessoa com características peculiares, uma espécie destino imposto desde o nascimento.

A utilização da maldição do zodíaco é uma forma da autora dizer que, através da mudança e crescimento dos personagens, também podemos conseguir o mesmo. Ainda que isso signifique lutar contra a ideia de predestinação.

O enredo gira em torno da inteligência emocional. Furuba nos apresenta pequenas histórias de diferentes personagens carregadas de situações traumáticas que parecem impossíveis de lidar.

Em Furuba podemos conhecer, por exemplo, Momiji, um ingênuo rapaz que teve suas memórias apagadas da mente de sua própria mãe; conhecemos Hanajima que é constantemente excluída das rodas de amizades por algum tipo de preconceito chegando mesmo a sofrer todos os tipos de agressões físicas ainda criança; Kyo que viu sua própria mãe cometer suicídio e passou a ser tratado por todos do círculo familiar como o culpado por tal ato, sendo considerado uma espécie de monstro a ser odiado.

Tente por um momento se imaginar em alguma dessas situações.

Aliás, este é um dos motivos pelo qual Fruits Basket é uma das melhores histórias da indústria. A capacidade de atribuir realidade a cada personagem é impressionante. Constantemente nos enxergamos em algum dos personagens por causa das situações tratadas serem semelhantes a nossa história pessoal.

O núcleo de personagens em Furuba é um dos melhores. Cada um tem o seu momento e importância para a história.

Souma Akito, com sua personalidade completamente perturbada, é sem dúvidas um dos destaques. Dificilmente você não odiará Akito.

Mas isto nos faz entender como pessoas que machucam os outros são as que mais precisam de ajuda.

Akito machuca, agride, fere, na tentativa de esconder o próprio medo da solidão. E, mesmo que seja através de tortura psicológica, tenta preencher seu vazio com uma "relação especial", ainda que de forma superficial.

Quantas pessoas não fizeram, em algum momento, algo semelhante? Quantas vezes não nos sujeitamos a todo tipo de situações humilhantes apenas para fugir da vã realidade de uma vida vazia? Relacionamentos abusivos, falsas amizades, vícios em geral...

Akito representa bem essa autossabotagem, que em algum momento fomos vítimas, para simular uma falsa felicidade.

Felizmente, para todo momento de tristeza existe um momento de encontro com Honda Tohru.

Tohru é o típico personagem "cabeça de vento". Em muitos momentos ingênua, em outros simplesmente inocente. Mas não se engane. Tohru não é somente um personagem caricato qualquer, ela representa a gentileza que é capaz de nos libertar do ciclo vicioso de sofrimento. Ela é o recado da autora para sociedade de que a benevolência é capaz de libertar o indivíduo do cativeiro traumático.

Tohru decide libertar os Soumas da maldição após conhecer cada um deles. Ela foi a primeira capaz de amar aquelas pessoas. Pessoas problemáticas, sufocadas por tanto ódio e rejeição, submersas em constante trevas, conhecendo somente o preconceito, carregando o peso de um destino amaldiçoado, que odiavam o dia do próprio nascimento, puderam ver um resquício de luz no fim do túnel ao receberem amor.

A importância de Tohru para a história é imensurável.

Inteligência emocional é a capacidade de compreender e administrar emoções, tanto nossas quanto de pessoas ao redor. Parte do um princípio de conhecer e compreender as emoções para então administrar suas reações.

A vivência familiar que Tohru recebeu durante a infância foi fundamental para que a nossa personagem principal desenvolvesse uma base eficaz de inteligência emocional.
No entanto, todo ser humano necessita ser salvo. Não seria diferente com a nossa amável Tohru.

Desde o início da série Tohru mostrava seus sinais de esgotamento. Pudera! Quem suportaria perder os pais e se ver tendo que morar em uma barraca, só, conciliando trabalho e escola para sua sobrevivência?

Ao mesmo tempo que Tohru resgata cada um dos outros personagens ela também é salva por eles. Receber amor e suporte das suas melhores amigas, confiança e proteção de Yuki e os outros Soumas, além da sua relação com Kyo. Ela recebeu de kyo, talvez, o mais importante: um motivo para seguir em frente.

É evidente que o desejo de libertar os zodíacos da maldição não se dá por pura e simples gentileza. No fundo, o desejo de Tohru era libertar Kyo, o seu amado.

Mas quem disse que um pouco de egoísmo é ruim?!

Para uma história que aborda bastante sobre todo tipo de amor não poderia faltar o amor sentimento.

A série constrói muito bem seus casais, e mesmo que não seja esse o foco, Fruits Basket é tem o melhor romance da indústria de animações nipônicas.

Um dos momentos chaves da história é justamente a redenção de Akito. Este momento retrata uma das coisas mais lindas e mais importantes que o ser humano pode presenciar ao longo da história: o perdão.

O perdão é a representação máxima de amor. No perdão encontramos não somente o amor pelo próximo como também o amor próprio. É necessário força e determinação para perdoar, além de ser uma atitude de inteligência.

O perdão é a chave para a liberdade.

Quando Tohru perdoa Akito ela conseguiu libertar não somente a antagonista. Tohru libertou a si própria bem como os outros Soumas. Ela os libertou de muito mais que uma maldição, Tohru os libertou do passado, do presente e deu a eles a possibilidade de escreverem o próprio futuro.


A história aborda muito bem o aspecto da autonomia de escolhas, nos fazendo entender que somos os únicos responsáveis por nossa vida e decidimos como vivê-la.

Outros pontos que valem ser ressaltados são a animação, que é belíssima, com ótimos cenários, juntamente com a parte sonora.

A OST de Furuba é magnífica! Seja pela trilha sonora usada nas cenas, que causam bastante impacto, seja por suas Openings, Endings e Insert Song's.

Cada uma das músicas de Furuba é melhor que a outra e retratam bem o envolvimento dos personagens em suas letras.

Falar de Fruits Basket é relembrar de momentos bastante difíceis que vivi em algum momento mas que consegui vencer. Por isso, essa é uma das histórias que mais amo.

Resta apenas alegria, tristeza e saudade de uma das obras mais marcantes que pude conhecer.

O adeus nos deixa solitários, porém nos abre novos começos. Nada dura para sempre. As despedidas virão, quer queiramos ou não.

Por tudo, Arigato, Sayonara, Furuba!

“Kept as distant, inferior and abnormal beings. They were very different beings from the fauna and flora we were used to. They were, in fact, a group of grotesque beings more fearsome than you since the days of yore. Unnoticed common sense recognized him as 'mushi'”.

This is an excerpt from the work that explains about the Mushis (which can be translated as 'insect'), supernatural beings that inhabit the natural plane, although they can only be seen by people with special abilities. Mushis are extremely basic life forms, and several species can be found representing the near-mythical forces of nature. Few people have the ability ... to see them; those who have them are called Mushi-shi.

The role of Mushi-shi is fundamental because people are generally unaware of the existence of mushrooms, which ends up leaving them vulnerable. These creatures aren't, in essence, good or bad, but sharing space with humans can have incredible or terrifying consequences, and they can live like parasites. A Mushi-shi's job is to attend to and investigate abnormal events, protecting people from the effects of mushrooms.

Each has its own style. There are those who consider the best solution to hunt and kill Mushi, those who live in villages as doctors or counselors, those who consider Mushi a naturalist, there are no pre-determined rules.

In the anime we follow several events, many of them very sad and tragic. Almost no episode ends well, reinforcing the idea of ​​a real world without mercy, where everything happens in a very natural and believable way. Mushis are entities that are part of human daily life and their presence is fatal most of the time.

But make no mistake! These beings are not essentially good or bad. Just as nature is not good or bad, rather, it is simply "natural", but which, by being greatly influenced by human actions, repays them in the same way. That's how the Mushis are, a mere reflection of the different daily tragedies: illnesses, old age, loss of loved ones, disputes, wars, revenge, hunger, pests, impossible loves, failed marriages, destroyed families, natural disasters, failure, frustration...

Mushi-shi is not an action-packed adventure, but an invitation to contemplation through the protagonist's journey. Fantastically and melancholy, the plot calls us to walk in Ginko's footsteps in different places. Always as an impartial and rational observer, but possessing a strong sense of compassion. The way Ginko sees the world, helping whoever needs it, whether it's an animal, person or mushi, is in keeping with the bucolic atmosphere.

Mushi-shi is not a simple story to follow. Through tragic events we are led to reflection through points necessary for human growth. The melancholy provided by difficult and painful situations, which are beyond our reach, with the constant feeling of tied hands; The sadness left by losses, sufferings, failures, disasters, when seeing itself "walking" towards its own "destruction"; And the acceptance when we see that there is a natural order in each action, that there is a cycle of reconstruction and life follows its flow, where some lose and others win, but that there is beauty in small things, culminating in happiness.

Each being is the same in nature but different in essence. Understanding the particular essence of everyone around us is what makes us human.

Mushi-shi should be appreciated, always looking to contemplate the reflection left in each episode.

"What is considered to be beyond our world are creatures totally different from the ordinary and grotesque ones we are used to seeing. As time went by, people began to fear and respect these creatures, they began to call them Mushi."

Kageki Shoujo, the anime that most surprised and won me over this season.

This show is not just the everyday life of girls craving stardom at a theater arts school. It's about dreams, overcomings, disappointments, traumas, and hopes.

The anime shows a very realistic vision, with several foundations, and cruel life, and often brutal, that a young woman can have when searching for fame and success.

Yes, brutal. Kageki addresses topics such as sexual abuse and persecutors, eating disorders, resentments left by hurt and hatred, problems in a destabilized family nucleus, family abandonment, ideals imposed on him by others...

They are girls fighting for a ... desire. Not an idealistic dream, or a desire for megalomaniac greatness, but a passion. They are girls who, when going through all kinds of traumatic situations, overcome them by their own strength to pursue the passion of their lives.

Kageki Shoujo is full of charismatic and exuberant characters, both in sympathy and personality, as well as in willpower. Having dreams is quite common, but who, in their right mind, would shout it to the four corners of an extremely competitive and toxic environment, where every attitude can be subject to reprisals? It sounds stupid but it's not if you're Watanabe Sarasa. The blonde-haired girl's sincerity and willpower captivate every minute on stage.


Escaping from the Kabuki environment, Sarasa finds her place at Kouka College, especially because she meets Narata Ai, the girl who would become her best friend.

There, without a doubt, he is among the characters who achieved the most personal growth throughout history. From Ex Idol, raised in a hostile and neglected family environment, being a victim of attempted sexual abuse as a child, the girl who has androphobia becomes a young girl with no prospects for the future, despite having fame and success.

Naracchi, as she is called, little by little, manages to change when she realizes her real state. Cultivating excellent relationships of friendship and companionship, Ai finds his new goal in Sarasa. To be a friend capable of protecting and possessing enough strength to support your precious mate's dreams.


The anime cast is fantastic. Yamada Ayako, the shy and demure girl, owner of many passions during her adolescence but who doesn't have the main one: her own. Her lack of confidence and self-respect make her an easy target for other girls in the class who are driven by envy, thus culminating in her strong nutritional bulimia. Ayako begins to change when she meets Sugimoto Sawa, a strong and determined girl, willing to fight for everything she wants, even if it means fighting against talent or destiny.

The friendship cultivated between the two is just as important as that of the main pair. Ayako realizes, through Sawa, that the main person to fall in love with is ourselves.
Subtlety and strength. Shyness and boldness. The balance between them is enviable.


While with sisters Sawado, Chika and Chiaki, the story is different. Owners of an unparalleled tune, typical of twins, but distant in their hearts. The pair teach us how dangerous it is to cultivate emotions that are harmful to the heart, such as envy, jealousy, hurt and resentment.


It is worth highlighting the Kouka School and the importance of the Educational Center when the family environment does not meet the needs of growth. Its excellent teachers, both in artistic skills but, above all, in their love for teaching (see the desire to accompany the growth of their students) is, at so many times, the foundation for the maturation of the girls in the Hundredth Class.


How many don't give up at the first sign of difficulties? Kageki Shoujo portrays the opposite of this.
Girls who won't give up, whatever the cost.