Not having a particular interest or background in giant robot anime, I would probably be the last person you’d expect to see at this panel. However, a panel I attended last year at Otakon provided some insight into the creation, production, and subtext of oft-ignored credit sequences, so I decided to see what there was to be said about this specific evolution. Starting with Astro Boy and ending with something pre-1984, the panel consisted of one un-subbed opening sequence after another (roughly 42 by my count) without the benefit of any explanations, explorations, or even names. After one of the presenters hit play on the laptop, the audience was left to marvel at one- to two-minute clips in rapid and seemingly infinite succession for almost the entire hour.
Despite being irked at the lack of introduction and discussion, I initially fell into a state of humored awe. There’s just so much giant robot anime out there ... and the panel didn’t even reach its end! No wonder there wasn’t any time for intros (as frustrating as that was). After 10 or so openings, however, I felt a wearing tedium akin to being accosted by a friend whose notion of in-person entertainment is the sharing of endless Internet memes. While thorough in their acquisition of material, the panelists could’ve made a go of being more selective by grouping openings into trends and showing one example per group per time period and then discussing possible reasons for the noticeable differences.
After coming to terms that there would be no explanations, I sat back and tried as adeptly as possible to discern the evolutionary path myself. There was more than enough on which to comment, but among the things I found fascinating was the gradual swing in focus from violence to teamwork as saving grace. Within even this over-simplified observation there is much to expand upon: operator interaction with singular robots in the various recurring violent and teamwork eras, focus on detailed technological aspects of the robots themselves, form, weaponry, setting, fictitious and real word historical framing, etc. Alas, with but a minute or two of fury to note so many aspects, I simply put down my pen and enjoyed the relentless onslaught of visuals with the rest of the lip-syncing, bouncing crowd. And for the first panel on opening day of the con, maybe that’s all I needed.
Credit goes to yosefu2 for posting all the above clips to YouTube.
Click here for more of our Zenkaikon 2011 coverage
March 18-20, 2011 Valley Forge Convention Center King of Prussia, PA, USA
Zenkaikon, the follow-up to Zenkaikon 2009, escaped the previously exclusive and cramped confines of the Radisson Hotel in King of Prussia and took over the entire* Valley Forge Convention Center. The extra space, more than adequate to accommodate the 3,168 paying people who attended (not to mention guests, vendors, artists, staff, and press), was definitely worth the extra four-month wait caused by rescheduling that consequently eliminated the chance for a Zenkaikon 2010. Floor space allowed for generous registration and autograph queues; two Artist Alleys, the main one incorporated into the Dealer’s Room and a small hallway that bordered the upstairs panel rooms; and navigation that was fast and easy compared to last con’s experience of swimming through Con Funk-flavored JELL-O Pudding. The Dealer’s Room, also benefiting from increased breathing room, was capacious and easily navigable, while the sole Main Events room was capable of hosting a riotous crowd.
The abundance of space in the Main Events room, however, also seemed an overbearing presence at times with regards to some of the scheduled panels and acts. On Friday, the Ancient Greek-themed Opening Ceremonies at 1pm brought in a decent crowd, but one that only occupied 1/5 of the room; Uncle Yo’s standup around 5 pm almost filled the main section of the same space but saw sparsely populated wings; and Gelatine’s concert at 7 pm catered to roughly 17 people total (some of whom unfortunately and very noticeably left during the performance). Though I didn’t attend them, events such as the Sakura Cosplay Ball Dance, its after-party, the masquerade, as well as anything involving guests Vic Mignogna and Todd Haberkorn most likely saw much better attendance due to scheduling (at least).
Thankfully, the echoes of footsteps audible on Friday were stifled by Saturday’s deluge of congoers. The main parking lot was mostly full as of 10 am, registration lines snaked with eager attendees, and the aisles between rows of dealer tables bustled with patrons. Almost every panel I attended seemed to bring in a decent size audience that either almost or completely filled generously sized rooms. Some panels even turned people away due to being over capacity. Sadly, I left early on Sunday and did not get a chance to gauge attendance. I hope the trend continued; the last panel I saw, Charles “Anime Anthropologist” Dunbar’s Miyazaki presentation, was pretty full.
As with the previous Zenkaikon, events scheduling was a bit awkward. Some of the troubles could be pinned on the fact that other groups had reserved certain rooms in the convention center during the con and Zenkaikon had to work around such obstacles, but the programming coordination, set to 15 minute intervals, led to awkward overlaps that often forced attendees to decide whether to leave early or arrive late if seeing consecutive panels in separate rooms. With that said, room proximity and general utilization of the convention center’s layout made for effortless transitions between events.
There were myriad points of interest, enough to cause internal conflict within even the most focused con-goer. Regarding live music, NYC’s Gelatine put on a fun, energy-filled show – I regret not being able to see them for their second concert on Sunday, and Tokyo’s own Rose Noire gave their U.S. concert debut to the applause of many decked out in goth/lolita fashion. Of course there was no shortage of good panels. Some of my favorites included “Iron Artist,” “Feminism and the Ladies of Final Fantasy,” and Charles Dunbar’s Modern Mythology and Miyazaki sessions. Zenkaikon also hosted karaoke, electronic and tabletop gaming, as well as a con-long LARP (Live Action Role Play) event. All this was supplemented by video rooms showing a decent range of anime and live action series and movies.
Panels and guests weren’t the only focus of this heartfelt convention. Held just one week after Japan was subject to an earthquake as well as the resulting tsunami and nuclear plant crises, Zenkaikon put sympathy front and center. $3,750 in donations were collected throughout the venue, supplemented by some dealers and artists passing on all or a portion of their profits towards specific charities of their choice. Perhaps the most heartwarming sight was that none of said donation stations were ever empty, illustrating the love and concern shared by all attendees for the nation and people whose culture and art have given us so much.
Thanks to a very dedicated staff (I overheard members on many occasions offering to forsake breaks in order to help out wherever needed), Zenkaikon was efficiently run and easy to enjoy. The availability of a Press Ops room was also a welcome addition for productivity as well as actual and proverbial battery recharging, and the Scanticon Hotel’s bar certainly didn’t hurt either. At its current rate of expansion (there were 1,988 attendees in 2009), I have no doubt that Zenkaikon will fill those spacious rooms without any problem and for very good reasons. Looking forward to 2012!
* minus select rooms dedicated to other organizations** **what other organizations? THERE IS ONLY ZENKAIKON!!! Click here for more of our Zenkaikon 2011 coverage
Kathryn Hemmann, presenter of “Feminism and the Ladies of Final Fantasy,” is a graduate student in the East Asian Languages and Civilizations Department at the University of Pennsylvania. Self-described as being involved with the semi-professional study of literature and cinema, Hemmann was spurred into questioning the presence and presentation of feminist ideology in the Final Fantasy (FF) series by comments made on fan sites that lauded the fact that there was “finally” a feminist incarnation of the game (XIII).
Until those types of statements caught her attention, Hemmann operated under two assumptions: that female characters can kick ass and take names as well as the male characters, and that “while the female characters are very, very pretty, so too are the male characters.” She didn’t think FF characters were portrayed as misogynistic or contributed to the propagation of any sort of misogyny, nor did the characters seem sexist or subject to sexism. However, Hemmann’s panel, focusing on the evolution of FF from phallocentric to gender-neutral, shows just how far the series has come in terms of granting its male and female characters equal opportunities despite inherent and universal physiological differences ... you know, feminism.
Along with its belief that no one should be judged or discriminated against based on their sex/gender, feminism maintains that boys and girls are constantly subjected to sexist social messages throughout their development. Case in point: the hundreds of hours spent playing RPGs (Role Playing Games) such as FF. The more players let themselves get absorbed into the fantastical worlds presented in such games, the more those same players are subject to messages conveyed intentionally via the game’s plot as well as unintentionally by the characters’ designs, roles, and dialogue. This is why Hemmann believes it is important to have strong female characters, free from vilification, who can serve as equally strong role models to those at the controller. Her panel explores three characters who uniquely exemplify, though traits and their contrast with history, the evolution of feminism in FF: Rydia (IV), Aerith (VII), and Fran (XII).
To provide a sense of history against which feminist progress in FF can be argued, Hemmann pointed out that early incarnations of the game had male directors; were intended for male audiences; and, with the exception of X-2, XIII, and VI, made the player’s character and primary hero male. This phallocentrism propagated the dominance of the heterosexual male economy of desire, where men are sexual subjects and women are sexual objects (boy gets the sword, boy gets girl, not vice-versa). FF becomes less phallocentric with each successive installment starting with IV, which introduces an extensive cast of characters with unique personalities, capabilities, and back-stories.
One of said characters is Rydia, who is endowed with a strong back-story, is responsible for saving Cecil, and brings value to her party with summon spells and what is portrayed as lethal black magic. This combination of these traits makes her a strong playable character worthy of player investment. Hemmann points out, however, that Rydia is never more than a supporting character in terms of strength because of the game’s MP limitations and negative connotations dealing with magic (innate, female) vs. brute force (skilled, male). Rydia also falls short in being portrayed as three-dimensional due to her sexualized outfit and almost total lack of interiority, the combination of which makes her a blank slate onto which male players can project their desires concerning this mysterious femininity.
Another pivotal character in the evolution of feminism in FF is Aerith, whose booklet description comes dangerously close to forcing upon her the tropes that define a Mary Sue. This character can never be a true Sue, however, because she does not serve as writer or reader stand-in. That role is for Cloud Strife, who is set up to have Aerith as his love interest. Thus her characteristics don’t make her someone every player wants to “be,” but be “with.” As with Rydia, Aerith’s traits are designed to bolster the egos and libidos of male players. However, female players have claimed the same traits to be empowering because of the effect they had on the male protagonist.
In contrast to Aerith, stands Tifa: a woman who “kicks ass, runs her own bar, and has hundreds upon hundreds of lines of dialogue.” Hemman said she enjoyed looking up at Tifa despite the graphicness of looking up her skirt as she posed for her victory stretch at the end of every battle. As revealing as it is, Hemmann says, Tifa’s pose is not sexist but empowering in the eyes of female players. That female gaze brings an antidote to the objectifying gaze of males.
What character better emphasizes objectified desire than FFXII’s Fran, right? She's tall and beautiful, has bunny ears, and wears a skimpy outfit comprised of black leather bondage gear. But Hemmann makes the point that while Fran’s exotic character design seems to be drawn for pure male sexual viewing pleasure, the characterization is not sexual in any way and is instead meant to signify her standing within her race in the context of the game. Older and more mature than other characters, Fran is involved in a relationship to a male partner that is characterized as friendly yet professional. Fran comes pre-equipped with a bow, but can be made into a “dual-handed weapon-wielding tank of a melee fighter” if so desired as leveling up is determined by equipped items rather than gender.
Initially in Final Fantasy, female characters were nothing more than static supporting characters for the dynamic male heroes. As the series continued, women in these games developed personality, inner thought, and strength. No more were female characters defined by who loved them. Instead, appropriate and realistic motivations were derived from who they wanted to be and what they wanted to accomplish as based on intricate back-stories. While female empowerment has been slow, it has been steady. Evidence as keenly picked out and analyzed by Hemmann smartly illustrates subtle and blunt changes within the context of both game and ideology, identifying female gamers and their gaze as a controlling force in an ever-evolving world. Click here for more of our Zenkaikon 2011 coverage
I’m looking forward to returning to Zenkaikon this year (March 18-20 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA). Its last incarnation was cramped but chuck full o’ goodness. This time around, I’m told accommodations are more spacious, and the schedule looks to be rather impressive to boot. After the break, you’ll find the hourly breakdown of events I plan on attending. If anything is doubled or overlaps, I still haven't quite made up my mind. And as a reminder: if you see a pile of walking chess pieces pass by, say hi!
Ink’s (super-tentative) Zenkaikon Schedule:
Friday:
11:30 am -12:30 pm - Giant Robot Openings from 1963 to 1984
1:00-2:00 pm - Opening Ceremonies
3:00-5:00 pm - Birdy the Mighty: Decode
5:00-6:00 pm - Uncle Yo – Stand-up for Geeks
6:00-7:00 pm - Living as Otaku in Japan
7:00-8:00 pm - Gelatine Concert
8:15-9:15 pm - Show and Tell with Todd Haberkorn
9:30-11:45 pm - Anime Parliment
12:00-2:00 am - Robogeisha
Saturday:
10:00-11:00 - Iron Artist
12:30-2:00 pm - Modern Mythology
2:00-2:45 pm - 10 Things I Hate About Webcomics
3:00-3:30 pm - AMV Contest
3:30-4:30 pm - Sacred Symbols and Giant Robots
4:30-5:15 pm - Losing Should Be Fun
6:00-8:00 pm - Masquerade
9:00-9:30 pm - Rose Noire Concert
9:30-10:30 pm - Where’s Our Flying Cars and Hoverboards
9:30-10:30 pm - The Great Debates
10:45-11:45 pm - Anime One Night Stands
11:00 pm -12:00 am - Guests Uncensored
Sunday
9:00-10:00 am - Superheroes of the Silver Screen
10:15-11:15 am - Castles, Forests, and Bath Houses
12:30-1:30 pm - Anime Press Your Luck
2:30-3:30 pm - Closing Ceremonies
Click here for more of our Zenkaikon 2011 coverage
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