Reflection Question 1

My magazine challenges conventions in more ways than one. Just by producing the magazine, it’s already a challenging one. What I mean by this is that anime has never really been a popular genre, many people get made fun of for watching or reading it. There were terms created just to make fun of someone who watches the genre. An example of one of these terms is a weeb. People however have recently tried to change the offensive term into something better. Not only that but more people have become open to the idea of watching anime as well. Another way it challenges different conventions are in the different sub-genres of anime. Some of those animes focus on challenging those conventions. An example of one of those animes could be Stars Align. This is because it’s not just a sports anime but it also focuses on the LGBTQ+ community.

Like I mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are specific animes that target different social groups and their issues. A really big one is with the LGBTQ+ community. There are sub-genres specifically made for some of the LGBTQ+ members. Examples of this could be BL (Boys Love) and GL (Girls Love). An example of a BL anime is the anime Given. There’s more than just that, but those are two prime examples that I know of. Sadly with these genres, there are bound to be problems as well such as fetishization and not focusing on real issues people in the LGBTQ+ community face. However, that doesn’t always apply and there are some good animes out there for them. Overall this is just one of the many heavy topics that anime does represent and send awareness to.