Project Otaku

Working on a blog all by my lonesome isn't the easiest thing to do; the honest truth is that no one wants to blog all the time. It's fulfilling, but oh so exhausting! I've been collaborating with my friend Erica (Mrs. Blunder) on a new website, ProjectOtaku.com, where we and a few writers aim to create a genuinely friendly atmosphere for anibloggers. I'll still be blogging here at The Anime Guardians for some time, but all good things must come to an end, and Project Otaku has revitalized my interest in aniblogging for now. Check out my first post for the site, "It’s Girth, not Length, that Matters: A Celebration of Anime Shorts." 

- Nelson

Anime Power Rankings: A Little Bit of Fame

Hey everyone. Remember when I recently announced our summons by kevo of http://kevo.dasaku.net/ to participate in his weekly Anime Power Rankings? I checked the page out after submitting my weekly ratings and comments, and saw that the comments were posted onto the rankings page. 

For those without the microscopic vision to read what I posted, here's what it says:

Attack on Titan and Oreimo were honestly tied for me, but I had to choose one. They’re two completely different shows and fulfill different parts of my anime nutritional needs. That said, Titan had the bigger WTF factor by introducing the Titan Killing Titan (it’s probably Eren, guys). Still, Kyosuke in Oriemo was hilarious, what with his very realistic concerns as a new boyfriend. When is the best time to touch a girl’s boobs? I don’t know, Kyosuke. Just don’t get arrested on molestation charges for being too eager…

I think we're getting a little, dare I say it, famous? I think that's a fair assessment. But at the end of the day, I enjoy getting to communicate with the anime blogosphere. We have an extended family out there, bonded by the common love of Japanese popular culture. That is so cool.

- Nelson

Post-humanism in Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Innocence (2004)

After two years of blood, sweat and anime, I've finished my senior thesis, "Establishing a Post-human Identity through Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell and Innocence Films." It's about fifty pages long, plus some screencaps, sources and an acknowledgment page. In the paper, I argue that Mamoru Oshii harbors a complex view on humanity: we are both bodies and minds, and we use one aspect of that duality or both to identify ourselves in a technologically saturated post-human realm. Ultimately, we find meaning in the relationships we have with all entities as only humans can. I'll admit, the paper is a little humanistic in that I'm suggesting humans are important at all, but hierarchy shouldn't be the implied rhetoric here. I doubt I solved any of life's mysteries with my writing. In any case, this paper has been a labor of love, and I hope readers enjoy it. It is downloadable as a PDF.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/141883612/Establishing-a-Post-Human-Identity-Through-Mamoru-Oshiis-Ghost-in-the-Shell-and-Innocence-Films


Nelson Rolon
Creator of anime-guardians.com
anime.guardians03@gmail.com