the eyebrow dude I think was supposed to represent false masculinity, when he has his fake eyebrows on he's all cool and level headed, and when they are off he is full of anxiety
@@gateauxq4604 To be fair, most people treat him as a clown even with them on, his aggression and humorlessness when wearing those eyebrows really being the only thing that give him any additional power, which only adds to the patheticness of it.
The whole "Age of Consent in Japan" side-note made me INSTANTLY like this. I love Yedoye. Also yes, if you need a law to not be creeping on underage people, you're a creep, full stop.
@@NimmelTheGreat I vaguely remember a friend told me the other day that Japan gave permission for prefectures to lower the age of consent but none of them took it. Which, is good for humanity but makes the people that casually bring it up even worse. I should look it up. Rapid-fire-aside: Especially because age of consent laws USUALLY don't really work like creeps think they do and are more of a "people of similar age can consent to sex between each other" and not, say, a 30 year old soliciting a 15yo but I digress.
There is an old penal code that doesn't set an age, but sets a floor that prefectures aren't allowed to go under. It isn't a law specifically setting THIS IS THE AGE OF CONSENT. The reason it's still on the books is because almost every prefecture has set their age to 18, with 17 being the single lowest and at this point to bring the law up would open it up for discussion and legal challenge which nobody either wants to do or have the unfortunate task of playing devil's advocate. It's a case of a sketchy part not being broke and trying to fix it might break other things.
I'm so happy that there's dudes that look like me analyzing anime I grew up watching. You never get the full picture of what these shows are trying to tell you until you have the context of adulthood. Y'all do great work over here!
I'm not trying to start any shit, but i've never understood why it takes another black dude saying the same things other people have said for "our community" of anime watchers to get things. We're all nerds and that's simply the way it's been. At first it was embarrassing to admit and nowadays now everyone and their mother is a nerd, but never in the history of being a "black" anime watcher did i ever feel alienated from another anime watcher regardless of what they looked like. At what point did it matter if an animator or reviewer was black? Is there some kind of "anime from a hood perspective" or "ethnic standpoint" that i'm not getting? Legit question.
@@DigiCube4 Yes, lots of black people generally find other black people more relatable than non-black people, and they can often give a different perspective and open up interesting dialogues that non-black people may not think about. If you don’t get it, then don’t worry about it.
As a black man who grew up watching this on adult swim it feels so refreshing to see another black man share his appreciation for anime, esp a show that isn't just mindless shounen.
@@terenarosa4790 ...this is confusing. Have you watched the video where the guy talks about women's inability to accept men's feelings further perpetuates anti-feminist patriarchal beliefs and behavior via resentment and cold, emotionless stoicism? The fact that you articulated, " I dont care" just adds onto that fact. :(
Also, FLCL is so rich for an 6 episode anime. And from one black guy to another, I vibe too with this guy because hypermasculinity has been observed in my household as well as seen in other people outside my household. When I returned from WI back to the city, it was the weirdest thing to notice. Like, if you weren't the tough dude with status & resources you were seen as nobody and probably treated as if you didnt exist. It was the strangest thing and I have been having the hardest time understanding why. But this seemed perfect. It's like we're moving full circle. Gotta grow up, make our own decisions and maybe create a cycle of masculinity that isnt so forcibly reserved and stoic but instead healthy and authoritative instead of cold and authoritarian.
@@terenarosa4790 if you grew up in the 90s you'd know exactly what I'm talking about. It was a different world back then. The amount of isolation someone like me felt in those days was something you might not understand.
FLCL is fast-paced, complex, disturbing, weird and yet a perfect depiction of teenage angst. Thanks for breaking down the nuances and adding psychosocial context to this misunderstood masterpiece.
This was fire. Anytime I can learn about anime/media and how it connects to bell hooks & other Black Femme academic theory, I'm happy. Keep it up Yedoye!
it especially hits different when you hear those lyrics once you see Naota become one with Atomsk while Haruko watches that was singlehandedly the coolest thing i ever saw in anime :D
FLCL is one of my absolute favorites and I get something new out of it each time I watch it as my experiences and perspectives change other these last 20 years. Awesome video Yedoye, y’all just killing it out here.
I think you expressed yourself really well, one of the few videos on Feminism and Masculinity that didn't come off as pretentious or condescending. you explained everything very directly and made for a very enjoyable analysis.
Man, I remember watching this in middle school late nights on adult swim. It hit but I didn't know why... makes a lotta sense now tho! I love the break down and all the videos!
This is so rad. People DO need to understand what an analysis is. Looking at a work thru different lenses adds layers. It breathes life into it. Authors WANT their audience to be critical from many different perspectives, otherwise the work has a short life. This is awesome. You're awesome, such a great channel and topic.
I related so deeply with Naota when I was younger and this video really just spelled out to me why I hate my stepdad so much, and how whenever I try to "man up" in a relationship it always blows up in my face. I thought I was just bad at being a man when I was actually being toxic. Like this video fully snatched my wig basically.
Holy crap this was great. This is not only a great breakdown of a very confusing series but also a well done analysis on the concept of toxic masculinity and how its portrayed in FLCL.
"This girl is underpriviliged, unintelligent, unambitious, unreliable and unhinged, but unspecial in the way..." for a long time this take by digi ex-digibro on mamimi was to me the ultimate take on my favorite character, I think I needed it to be hammered into my head that mamimi is a creep, as complexly as she's written. She was a mystery I needed to solve as I rewatched this series growing up she's so well written. I kept empathizing with this character with whom I had nothing in common. Love your take, as someone else said: you sold me on both a book and rewatching the show.
I appreciate that, by your introduction, some might not appriciate you interpretation of the shows you watch, but I certainly do. I love animation, but I can take stories to litrally on occasion and I enjoy how others view things. I really like how thoughtful and honest you are in your presentation. You rock.
the fact that the father is an otaku that sprouts anime references every sentence makes me thing that he is Gainax's jab on themselves and otaku culture
This is... just... jesus. This is so good. I'm a little floored at how many cylinders this video essay is firing on. Thank you for all this hard work!!! It's special.
I really like Yedoye's video analysis it's nicely constructed, easy to digest, and the arguments are solid. On top of that, the jokes that he slides in makes these analysis videos very entertaining!
"you did somethin i dislike more than other stuff so you deserve to less rights" careful man that ideology is a slippery slope that leads to "different is bad" (pedophiles suck definitely aint defendin that)
Tasuku was 17 when he rescued Mamimi from the fire at the old elementary school. That dude went on to have an implied sexual relationship with this child. While it is possible that Tasuku waited for Mamimi to enter middle school (eww) or high school (gross!) before doing anything sexual with her, (yikes!!) she is still a minor at the start of the show-- when Tasuku is gone. Not saying that I think what Mamimi was doing to Naota was okay (it definitely wasn't! He's 12 and she's 17!) she's clearly a survivor of sexual abuse as well. I get a vibe that she was perpetuating the cycle because she didn't know of any other type of love (and how to express it) aside from the sexual/sensual kind. It's kind of like when survivors of sexual abuse (particularly childhood sexual abuse) sometimes develop hypersexuality.
Beyond the Boy..man I really love y'all. Y'all hella go beyond being anime fans but like scholars. The ethnics studies major in me gets so excited to see a new video
@@BeyondTheBot hopefully. Wish you guys could’ve made a final goodbye video on get in the robot telling about this channel. There’s probably someone out there who misses the channel but doesn’t look at community tabs. I just love this content so much and I find till it unfortunate that it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. I would love if we got merch for the channel or maybe even a discord server.
Yedoye being self-deprecating while discussing how the patriarchal model is damaging for men further illustrates the point of how difficult it is for men to express difficult feelings comfortably.
This is a great analysis! The way you explain the concepts of feminism and patriarchy while explaining the narrative of the show and how they apply to it is really masterful.
this hurt me to watch because of how deep of a connection i feel to this anime, but i'm glad i took the time to listen to what this video had to teach me. it's helped me to understand the pain within myself that's drawn by familiarity to the pain in this story.
Hey, Yedoye. Thank you for taking the time working on this. It's a great way to demonstrate and break down a lot of the trauma people experience and help more people understand how they need to grow. Many great examples are broken down here. People I've spoken with since watching this in High School, can generally only convey that something 'feels wrong' or is 'a bit messed up' while being unable to explain WHY they feel that way. Once you know then it's no longer just on those who helped make you that way, it's on you to actively seek help and change for the better of not just yourself, but those you have relationships with on all levels.
I feel like Canti also plays somewhat into this as well. Once getting a literal blow to the head, 'he'--despite being technically genderless--takes on a largely passive caretaker role for many characters, filling in an almost maternal role in a series otherwise missing any of that. But, of course, as most narratives focused on masculinity do, this influence is low key, largely taken for granted, and mute, mostly considered in-story as the manifestation of a malfunction due to damage (a defective man), the literal signs of this Canti covers in sheepish ways, like his coat or the box he uses sometimes to hide his head wound. But hiding within, at all times, under that softness, still lies threat when sufficiently provoked, as his relevance to the action side of the plot is in his position as the channel for Atomsk to express his power. Most of this serves to describes the way 'softer' emotions and actions in men can have little voice or acceptance (or even vocabulary) in the greater Western male culture, treated by indifference and even contempt by the world's setting, even as we the audience can see these characters as the cinnamon buns that they are, but in the end getting their narrative fulfillment by ultimately channeling their more aggressive and traditionally masculine tendencies (getting major DBZ Gohan flashbacks here lol).
Oh my fucking god, you dont understand, all of these topics and points that you bring up in this video have been at the forefront of my mind recently, and I came to them independently with no major external influence to learn from or discuss with and to see you discuss them and bring them to light outside of my own head makes me so genuinely happy. These points were purely conjured up inside of me from just straight non-stop introspection and contemplation and because of this I felt so alone that I didn't really see this being discussed or brought up anywhere outside of my own personal convictions. And then here you come walking in like a badass just slamming down and bringing notice to the truths that have been at the forefront of my anxious consciousness the whole time, all while just being a cool-ass person the whole time. Thank you. For real.
FLCL is, if not, my favorite show, and I stumbled upon this video by chance. Honestly, I have loved your way of talking about the show, and the way you express yourself has been wonderful to me. Plus, as a Spanish speaker, it has been very easy for me to understand you. I will definitely watch more of your content. Greetings and excellent work.
I know you joked about "listening to a man talk about feminism" but like, I am SO GLAD that you contextualized and talked about masculinity within feminism. I think it's crazy important for men to get into the conversation about the patriarchy and how it hurts them, too. And then you used FLCL to express those thoughts?? Gold star. A+++. RU-vid Valedictorian.
I absolutely love how unapologetic you are!! This was extremely well said and explained and made the show make so much more sense to me. Thanks for doing what you do!!!
Thank you for this! Rewatched FLCL recently and it's amazing but I never knew how to describe it and now I doooooooo! I really hope ya'll do FLCL Progressive and Alternative too.
This analysis made me see FLCL in a different light. Ive watched this series around 6 times in the last 10 years and theres always something new. Smacked tf outta that SUB
This is still my favorite video you have done, and my favorite essay on FLCL and the only one who actually analysis the relationships involved within. When I watched this show when I was a young boy I would cry and this is such a good illustration of why
I know This video is old but I love coming back to it because It really hits home for me and it makes me think critically about myself and my own flawed perception of manhood. It also really reminds me of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and how Noato is looking for someone to bring him out of the life he is trapped in. He relies on initially on the maturity of Mamimi abut replaces her with Haruko who shows him the world but it has to be according to Haruko never Naoto.
Oh man, As a black Brazilian FLCL AND Paulo Freire fan I am absolutely mesmerized by your essay and everything you just said bro, not to mention how funny and well edited your video is. I watched this so many times since I was 15 and didn't even see how it passed all these messages beyond all the "coming of age" stuff we all know the show is about. And to link it to Hooks' and Freire's teachings at the end was just *chef's kiss*. Keep doing this awesome work man, that's the kind of video we don't see around everyday (Fun fact Amarao comes from Amaral, that is a name taken from a half Brazilian dude that played soccer on Japan if I recall correctly)
This was just... Incredible, I'm bewildered by the message, sources and opinion. I love FLCL which I actually just watched a few months back, and it made think if seeing his back when I was a teenager would have helped in any way... Thank you, great content and editing.
Dude, this take on FLCL was so damn good. You’ve easily got a like and subscribe from me. Took me like 6 viewing to comprehend flcl to a fictional level when I was a kid. It’s dope to see an in-depth breakdown using masculinity and feminism as a lens.
This is my favorite show, period, and I've seen it easily more than fifty times in my lifetime, and I don't know how I never put two-and-two together that, more than just an attempt at being cool and aloof, Naota dismissing doing homework at home as "not cool" was his excuse for trying to avoid being home. You'd think that would be obvious after as many times as I've seen it, but honestly this show is the gift that keeps on giving. So much you can get from it if you pay attention. Only four minutes in and I'm sure to have some more realizations as I go.
this was such a fantastic analysis. so many concepts that I never read or heard anything about. I can’t explain how much of what I felt when I watched the show last just kind of clicked from this video
I know this is months old, but your writing immediately inspired me to get bell hooks' book and really examine myself in ways I never have before which is saying a lot for someone who has always focused so much on self discovery. revisiting this vid within the context of reading The Will to Change is further reinforcing some messaging for me and I'll probably rewatch FLCL for the first time since I watched it during its initial run. I say all that to say thanks man, this shit came at the time when I needed it most
YES!!! YES!! this is the first video of yours i've ever seen, finally the recommended algorithm did something right. i was clapping and yelling by the end, stellar analysis!!
Word to the editor: “bell hooks” should not be capitalized. She does not capitalize her name because she wants the focus to be on her work, not the importance of her name
you earned a sub in the first 2 minutes, and the rest of the video fully backed up my decision. Great analysis, great editing, and your brand of humor is on point!
The first 18 minutes of the video are some of the greatest I've seen in a while! I think they rushed it a bit at the end, but I loved seeing an analysis of FLCL from a new and well reasoned perspective
This was so, so good. Definitely make sure to submit this video when awards season comes around - particularly the Hugos, this would totally be the voters' cuppa tea (Lindsay Ellis won a few years ago for one of her video essays).
🤯 mind blow and I've been watched FLCL years ago like early 2001. And it one of my personal all time favorite series. Great in-depth look into writing & direction of the episodes. Big ups you got a new subscriber
