anime – The Western Howl

Written by: Liberty Miller | Lifestyle Editor

Anime is a long debated and frequently frowned upon part of society. The dislike of anime stems from certain aspects that are rooted in misogynistic and objectification culture, as well as language barriers and the perception of animated shows being aimed towards younger audiences.

However, there is a fast-growing population of anime consumers, especially within recent years, that have initiated anime’s mainstream media appearance through viral videos, media and demand. While many shows such as Demon Slayer, Naruto and My Hero Academia have garnered high amounts of publicity and box office appearances, the star of the show is none other than Jujutsu Kaisen — more specifically, Satoru Gojo.

Jujutsu Kaisen is a shonen anime depicting the journey of Yuuji Itadori — a high school boy who is thrown into the world of curses and jujutsu sorcerers. The series introduces a massive amount of extremely overpowered characters with a wide array of techniques, allegiances and goals.

One of the biggest talking points of the show is the lack of male fan service. It’s typical for there to be many sexualized female characters in anime series that are aimed to attract male attention. There is a noticeable lack of fan service for female characters, but a new phenomenon has taken place — female fan service. A majority of Jujutsu Kaisen fans are familiar with the superb animation and voice acting of the male characters, namely Kento Nanami, Fushiguro Toji, Ryomen Sukuna and the ever-so-famous Gojo Satoru.

From figurines and posters to Gojo shrines, drinks and businesses, the blue-eyed, white haired jujutsu sorcerer has captured the hearts of the masses. Gojo Satoru is known in Jujutsu Kaisen as “the strongest” in the anime verse, easily defeating some of the most challenging villains and curses in the first few episodes. He is at the top of the power rankings with a power called the “six-eyes,” a hereditary power that enables him to control and wield cursed energy much better than others. He developed skills such as the reverse cursed technique, which allows him to heal mortal wounds, and “limitless,” which allows him to control space to an extent to which no one can touch him.

While his powers are unique and the strongest in the series, his looks and personality granted Gojo favoritism and unending support from his fans. With pure white hair, shocking blue eyes and a slight build, as well as a glib, cocky and charismatic demeanor, Gojo Satoru has won the hearts of his fans. Most recently, superstar performer Usher has been selected to perform at the Superbowl. Usher’s hit Hey Daddy — Daddy’s Home — which has reached 123,096,622 streams on Spotify, has been used as a homage to Gojo Satoru within the fanbase.

A petition on Change.org has collected 36,181 signatures for Usher to perform “Daddy’s Home” in honor of Satoru Gojo, and many fans have taken to TikTok and Instagram comments to appeal to Usher directly. On Jan. 15, Usher posted a Gojo cosplay and earned 9.8 million views as well as 1.4 million likes, his sixth most popular video onTikTok.

Anime has been discussed before by celebrities such as Michael B. Jordan and Megan Thee Stallion, but Gojo Satoru may have the chance to gain recognition on the NFL stage, making a clear break into mainstream media as a singular character, which would be a notable feat.

Gojo Satoru has an ever-expanding fanbase that has gained the attention of millions of fans, including celebrities and international figures that will continue to shatter stereotypes and stigma around anime.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

The Western Howl

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Watching anime can inspire, embolden and transform

Written by: Liberty Miller | Lifestyle Editor

Anime. Such a peculiar hill to die on. I think so too. I also think we all have some innate urge to share what is close to us, especially if it has a great impact on who we are as a person or changes the way we think.

Consumption of inspiring media, such as sports or shonen anime, can be of great benefit for personal growth. Many of my personal tales are centered around, and can partially be attributed to, beliefs and values I determined for myself while watching anime.

In my senior year of high school, I read Haikyuu — a manga about high school volleyball players. I decided I wanted to play professionally — like the main character. “He who climbs the ladder must begin at the bottom” — Ittetsu Takeda.

I played in community college for two years as the starting libero. I became an All-American. I was one of the top junior college liberos in the country — among other accolades. I flew to Nebraska to demonstrate in front of Division One coaches for a national conference. It was there that I met the Team USA Olympic Coach, Karch Kiraly. I walked up to him and told him, “I play at community college, I am going to transfer to university and then I am going pro.”

I didn’t have any commitments or any prospects at the time.

Regardless, he invited me to go to the national open program, so I flew to Colorado Springs to play with the top volleyball players in the nation. Then I flew to Connecticut to sign with Southern Connecticut State; only to be contacted by the coach shortly after canceling my recruitment.

I felt that I had failed. I had no options. I laid in bed for a week. I watched Naruto. “A hero is not the one who never falls. He is the one who gets up, again and again, never losing sight of his dreams” — Rock Lee. I got out of bed. I sent emails. I received emails back. I ended up here, at Western.

When I got here, I was overwhelmed with the intensity and difficulty of the program. I watched Demon Slayer. “If you are feeling disheartened, that you are somehow not enough, set your heart ablaze” — Kyojuro Rengoku.

Last Tuesday, I was asked to share my quote for the week. I chose this: “It is only those brave enough… those bold enough… to follow the difficult, demanding path of competition, who have the right to reap the wealth of experience and memories it can bring. For today, you happen to be the defeated. But what will you become tomorrow?” — Haikyuu.

Anime is not just for laughs, and it isn’t pure entertainment. It can constitute the way of life one chooses to take, as well as the decisions one makes. It certainly did for me.

Contact the author at howllifestyler@wou.edu

The Western Howl

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27 animes to procrastinate with

As midterms roll around, ignore responsibilities and immerse in fantasy

Stephanie Moschella |‌ ‌Digital Media Manager

In the midst of studying and being jam packed with homework, it’s nice to take a break, sit back and start a new show. Popular streaming services such as Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Hulu and even Netflix have adapted themselves to be more diverse in genre. With the availability of all different genres, the anime industry has prospered rapidly internationally.

Originating as animated works from Japan, anime is a visual medium that garners a great deal of attention. Though originally voiced in Japanese, many of these shows have both subtitles in multiple different languages as well as English dubs, depending on the watcher’s preferences.

Being stuck at home in this pandemic leaves a lot of people craving something fresh in order to distract themselves from daily stresses.

In the list below, there are shows that have come out within the last two decades, a wide variety of classic and modern. No matter if the viewer enjoys old school or recent media, anime has historically never been bigger with the various affordable options.

In no particular order, have some fun watching or rewatching these anime shows to ignore the anxiety of the piling assignments and impending due dates.

“Black Clover” (2017) (Crunchyroll)

“Blue Exorcist” (2011) (Crunchyroll)

“Bungo Stray Dogs” (2016) (Crunchyroll)

“Death Note” (2006) (Crunchyroll)

“Death Parade” (2015) (Crunchyroll)

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (2019) (Netflix)

“Durarara!!” (2016) (Netflix)

“Erased” (2016) (Netflix)

“Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma” (2015) (Crunchyroll)

“Fruits Basket” (2019) (Crunchyroll)

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009) (Crunchyroll)

“Great Pretender” (2020) (Netflix)

“Haikyuu!!” (2014) (Crunchyroll)

“Horimiya” (2021) (Hulu)

“Hunter x Hunter” (2013) (Netflix)

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” (2012) (Netflix)

“Jujutsu Kaisen” (2020) (Crunchyroll)

“Little Witch Academia” (2017) (Netflix)

“Mob Psycho 100” (2016) (Crunchyroll)

“My Hero Academia” (2016) (Crunchyroll)

“Psycho Pass” (2012) (Hulu)

“Seven Deadly Sins” (2014) (Netflix)

“SK8 the Infinity” (2021) (Funimation)

“The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.” (2018) (Netflix)

“The Promised Neverland” (2019) (Netflix)

“Tokyo Ghoul” (2014) (Crunchyroll)

“Your Name” (2016) (Amazon Prime)

Contact the author at howldigitalmediamanager@mail.wou.edu

Domain expansion, Gojo’s international fame

Watching anime can inspire, embolden and transform

27 animes to procrastinate with

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