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On December 1, 2009 President Obama made an address to the nation about and discussed about the strategy the administration has prepared for Afghanistan. President Obama first begins by reminding us why we were in a war with Afghanistan in the first place which was the 9/11 attacks which dealt with the hijacking of four planes and the deaths of 3,000 people. He continues with his explanation and brings up Al Qaeda – Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist group – as well as the Taliban – Afghanistan main ruling government before the United States took over. What caught everybody’s attention was the date that Obama presented for our troops’ withdrawal which was June 2011. Both Republicans and Democrats were outraged with this date, and I can understand why. However, I don’t think it’s unreasonable. It’s good that the president and his administration set up a date and I believe so for these three reasons: it’ll allow the Afghani people to rebuild their own country, the troops will be able to return home, and it would save the United States money.
First, if we were to remove our troops it would save our country billions of dollars. We already spent a trillion dollars for six years on the Iraq War and now sending 30,000 more soldiers to occupy Afghanistan. It costs a million dollars to send one soldier to the Middle East. That’s thirty billion dollars for the soldiers we’re sending for only a year and not to mention we have seventy-thousand soldiers that are already there, and we’ll be withdrawing in June 2011. That’s two and a half years and very costly. With that much money we could use it on education, social security, renewable energy sources and research, and healthcare. All across the U.S we’re suffering from budget cuts. In education classes are being cut and more students are forced to be in bigger classes which make it hard for teachers to help students individually. Teachers are also affected by it, especially the newer ones who receive pink slips meaning they were the ones to get fired. After all, Obama did say, “The nation I’m most interested in building is our own.”
Second, setting a withdrawal date means troops get to return home. This would give families at home a feeling of reassurance and hope. Wouldn’t you want your brother, son, daughter, etc to come back to their country? Yes, there was that unfortunate incident at Fort Hood, but it's safer for them to be here than to be surrounded by enemies. Right now our soldiers are being redeployed in Afghanistan and some are even being redeployed for the second time. Bringing them back would mean that the lives of the troops would be saved and not put them at risk of being redeployed for the third or even fourth time. I think knowing that they’ll return in two and a half years is a lot better than knowing it’ll go on for another six. Another plus is if the soldiers were to return we would have more protection for ourselves. Most of our soldiers are being sent to Afghanistan and Iraq, but how many do we have here in the U.S? Lastly, if we leave then it would give the Afghani people the opportunity to rebuild their own country. What good would it do for our troops continue to occupy their country and not give them the chance to restore their land? Besides, we’ve been there for so long now. Having soldiers who are equipped with guns and machinery in their country isn’t exactly welcoming. It’s like having your mother-in-law stay at your home. Afghanistan needs to be an independent country. This can’t be like Vietnam where we are fighting against the enemy in their case was communism and in our current situation terrorism. Most importantly with this time limit this would make Afghanistan’s government feel pressured and make lawmakers come to agreements in running a new democracy. In conclusion, I believe that the withdrawal date of American troops in 2011 isn’t bad because they safely get to return home, the Afghanis get to rebuild their country, and it would save the United States a lot of money which will allow us to restore our own.
If I could change one thing about the United States it would be our health care. The U.S’ health care system is ranked thirty-seven. We’re below Costa Rica and above Slovenia. With our current health care system health insurances deny those who have a pre-existing condition. Without health insurance treating your injuries is expensive. There are even a few disadvantages when a person has health insurance such as insurance companies finding a reason to deny a person’s treatment. Therefore, I would like to reform our health care because of the high expenses for treatment, difficulties with health insurance, and benefits that countries have with universal health care.
First, without insurance things from check-ups to treatments are expensive. The price for a simple check-up at a local doctor can vary from a mere thirty-five dollars to a hundred-fifty. If your conditions worsen you’ll end up at the hospital and it isn’t cheap there either. Like a check-up the price of a stay at a hospital ranges. It can be a couple of hundred dollars or it can be thousands. It all depends on whether you’re getting nursing care, medications, or tests. What I don’t like most is because of these prices people avoid going to the doctor. With a basic check-up they could get their injuries or sicknesses treated but when they don’t their conditions worsen and costing them more than they’d ever want it to be.
Second, if a person were to sign up for health insurance they’re going to have difficulties. If you have a pre-existin
g condition you’re most likely going to get denied. Some examples of pre-existing conditions are diabetes, arthritis, bulimia, heart attack, and Down syndrome. There are even other outrageous conditions insurance companies will deny like being too thin or too fat. There was a case where a Colorado couple wasn’t able to obtain health insurance for their two-year old daughter, Aislin Bates, because their insurer said she did not meet their standards and was too small. This girl was only twenty-two pounds and two-years old. I thought that was normal for a child that age. Besides the problems getting health insurance, those who were lucky to obtain it will also have problems. For example, in the documentary film Sicko a father’s child was only given one cochlear implant instead of two because it was “experimental” for her to hear in two ears. I don’t see how that’s experimental. It works on one ear why not give the child the other one?
Lastly, our country would receive many benefits if we have universal health care. In countries like France, England, Canada, and Japan health care treatments are free. Yes they pay higher taxes but paying for your medical bills doesn’t even compare. Universal health care would make everyone equal and available for everyone regardless of income. Equal because whether a person is rich or poor they will wait the same. I’m not saying that we’re not equal here it just seems to me that the rich could get away with a lot more things than those who are middle class or are poor. Because they have the money, doctors and nurses will treat them right away. There are other benefits like the maternity care in France where for a dollar a day you could put your child in a day care while you work. In England the price of medications will always be six pounds. Whether it’s hundred pills or five hundred the price will always remain six pounds. In conclusion, I would change our country’s health care system because of the benefits our people would get, so we would no longer have difficulties getting health insurance, and would not have to deal with the expenses.
On November 10th, a day before Veterans Day, President Obama dedicates a memorial speech at Fort Hood to the loss of thirteen Americans. Obama mentions how tragic and painful it was for the Americans to have been killed within our own land. He goes on talking about families losing mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, and brothers. Obama makes further remarks about how the life duties of these Americans were to protect our country and freedom. He gives us some background on the thirteen Americans. Some like Major Libardo Eduardo Caraveo were doctors and nurses that helped treat veterans and current soldiers or were like Staff Sergeant Amy Krueger who joined the army after 9/11. There were even Americans like Private First Class Kham Xiong who had a history of military service. President Obama’s speech was both touching and commemorative speech I had a few disagreements with it. I disagreed with the way he says that our freedom is taken for granted, how he uses the term heroes, and his remark about the American’s not escaping the horror of war.First, in Obama’s memorial service address he states that thirteen men and women were not able to escape the horror of war, even in the comfort of home. I think the way he used the word war in this statement was wrong and confusing. He made it sound as if there was a war within the United States and that they – the Americans –could not avoid the misfortunes associated with it.Second, President Obama refers these Americans as heroes instead of victims. It’s true that the word hero is a more respectable or pleasant-sounding and that their families could have seen them as heroes, but I consider them to be victims. I’m not saying they weren’t heroes it’s just seems that they were there at the wrong place and at the wrong time. It was unexpected that someone who has coped with soldiers with their stress would become stressed himself and dealt with it in a violent way.
Over the years we have been seeing more and more anime being brought over here into America from Japan, but did you know that American studios cut out a lot of original scenes before broadcasting it on television? Several things that are taken out are violent scenes, cultural jokes, and fan service. Unlike the United States fan service to Japan is so common and popularized in Japan that it’s accepted. Here in America there are people like parents who are concerned with what their children view. They don’t want their children to be exposed to women in bathing suits or bras and panties. For example, in the original Dragon Ball Bulma flashes her panties to an old man in order to obtain a dragon ball but does not realize that Goku had taken off her panties while she had slept and practically shows him everything. That scene including many was taken out of the U.S’ showing, but could you imagine the reactions the parents would get if they had seen that with their children? Not a very good one.
Next, violent scenes in Japanese animation are a lot more brutal than it seems. In the movie Kill Bill there was a specific animated scene where O-Ren Ishii’s mother is stabbed on top of the bed and blood was scattered on it. Japanese society is more tolerant with violence where as in the United States it’s different because parents are more worried about their children imitating what they see on television. They also fear that their children will grow up violent as well.
Lastly, cultural jokes are either taken out, or rewritten over here and if no
t they are often misunderstood by the viewers. Nosebleeds for example portray someone being aroused. In Naruto Iruka, Naruto’s homeroom teacher, gets a nosebleed after Naruto’s technique of turning into a nude woman censored by clouds. People here in 
the U.S who aren’t used to seeing anime would not understand this concept. Another cultural joke is the way the Japanese depict other countries. For example, Americans can be seen as loud people who constantly eat hamburgers. Also men in drag are cultural and are often found in animes. It hints how it must be casually seen in Japan or how comfortable they are with sexuality. In other words, since Japan is a whole distinct culture it’s difficult for us to understand their views. Their education is different so we sometimes don’t get the reference of the students having to go to cram school or entrance exams to colleges. In conclusion, cultural jokes, violence, and fan service are often taken out for many reasons whether it’s exposing the young to adult-scenes or imitate violence or simply because it’s something we can’t relate to.
The Anime Expo (AX) is an anime convention that’s held every year in the summer in Southern California and lasts for four days. It’s open to all anime, manga, video games, and others who don't fall under those categories. I’ve only been to AX once and for one day, but I’m planning to stay longer next year to get a more fun experience out of it. From that one day though there were three things I enjoyed which were the cosplayers, various events, and booths. First, the convention center had a variety of booths that sold items such as video games, DVDs, magazines, figurines, costumes, and even artwork. Not all of them were for selling purposes. The convention had companies like Sony, TOKYOPOP, and Nexon that advertised. The best thing about them was the free items that they’d hand out.
Second, the cosplaye
rs were amazing because they were better to see in person and not in photos or videos. Many of the attendees and staff at the convention cosplayed where they did a really good job with their costumes and resembled the characters. There were those who also dressed up for fun and those who competed for recognition. For instance, cosplay groups entered the masquerade where cosplayers performed skits (usually parodies) and people watched. Besides enjoying cosplayers acting out skits, I also liked how cosplayers interacted with guests such as allowing them to take photos of their costumes. Another example was how cosplayers would invite characters of the same anime to take a large group photo.
Lastly, there were many entertaining events that the convention held each day. They had panels and seminars with guests of honors like voice actors, Japanese musicians, animators, and ma
nga artists. The day I had went they had David Hayter who is a voice actor, actor, and screenplay writer and is most famous for voicing Snake and Big Boss in the Metal Gear video game series. Besides the seminars and panels they also had events like: masquerade, karaoke contest, AX Idol, anime music video contest, and late-night dances. There were even rooms where you could read manga, watch a movie, or even learn origami. Next year I would gladly go again to see new cosplay and dress up myself. I'd also want to attend more events along with getting more free items and buying merchandise. Overall, I was pleased with the Anime Expo.
Have you ever wondered if there was ever an anime that impacted others? Well that's what Love Hina did. Love Hina was the first anime to popularize the harem genre, stereotypes, and fan service. Fan service is material that is designed to amuse the audience with sexual content and that happens to be what Love Hina is all about. There’s not a single episode that doesn’t contain fan service. An example is the hot springs which the girls use on a daily basis and usually involve scenes that show the girls’ cleavages. Another service is the costumes that are worn such as bikinis, wedding dresses, and maid outfits. The biggest fan service that Love Hina provides is the multiple scenes of Keitaro, the main character, accidentally doing something perverted to the female residents of the Hinata Inn. Keitaro is usually involved in grabbing or staring at breasts, landing on top of someone, and landing between someone’s legs.
Second, Love Hina famously introduced the harem genre and inspired others to develop animes and mangas of that genre. Harem is when a single male is surrounded by women or the other way around and often deals with one or more of the supporting characters being romantically interested with the male or female character. In this case, most of the girls are attracted to Keitaro in some way. Whether if it’s Shinobu, a thirteen-year old girl school girl, with her innocent crush on Keitaro or Motoko Aoyama, a fifteen-year old school girl, who denies her feelings towards Keitaro and has a violent relationship with him.
Finally, Love Hina uses many stereotypes that are now commonly seen in animes today. There's Motoko who is stereotyped to the kendo girl who constantly practices her martial arts and is popular with others. There's also Sarah McDougal, a nine-year old American from California, who is stereotyped to be loud-mouthed, nosy, and rude. It may seem mean how the creator of Love Hina portrays Americans but it’s not something that should be taken offense of but should be seen as something comical. These stereotypes make the characters seem much more intriguing. Besides, don’t we stereotype ourselves as well? For example, people stereotype Texans as cowboys and cowgirls who wear “ten gallon” while Californians are associated with surfers. In conclusion, that is why Love Hina has become so widely-known and an impact on animes today with stereotypical characters, fan service that entices men and maybe even women, and the beginning of the harem genre.
My argument will be based on Kiriska's review on Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha. The gender of this person is unknown so I'll be referring Kiriska as a female. Most of Kiriska's responses were positive, but there were subjects that I couldn't agree with. For instance, the reviewer mentions how Darker than Black doesn't give straight answers and explanation which she found frustrating. I didn't have this problem because I was able to figure out what was going on when I continued to watch the episodes. If I had I would have tried to come up with my own theories or to make things more clear I could have read the manga since it contains more details than the anime just like how a book is with a movie.
Another thing that Kiriska mentions is how unclear it was to determine Hei's, who is the main character, real personality. She didn't know if it was Hei or Li Shun Sheng, his facade as a foreign exchange student from China. I was sure that Li wasn't his true personality but a disguise to fool those around him and avoid being caught. For instance, in episode eighteen Kirihara Misaki, the Section-Chief of Foreign Affairs who is particularly interested in a contractor who goes by the code name BK201, is at a department store with a fellow colleague and sees a man with his back turned. She suspects him to be BK201 but discovers that it was only Li. Kirihara never figured out that Li was the contractor she was looking for because of his convincing charade. When I thought about what Kiriska said over again, I realized that she had a point. Li could have been his real personality. It was even mentioned later in the series how contractors are able to experience emotions and how Hei was also told by other characters that he was considered more human than a merciless contractor.
Lastly, there was a minor subject that I disagreed with the critic and that was her opinion on some of the characters. Kiriska said, "The rest of the characters aren't nearly as interesting, but together they make a great supporting cast. Mao and Huang are both fun in their own way, though I do wish they had explored the former's past more." I thought all the characters were interesting, but I did I agree with the fact that the anime did not explore too much on the supporting cast's past. For example, with Mao it's only known that he's able to possess animal bodies and that his original body was lost. It wasn't explained why he lost his body, how he received his ability, or his background before that. However, Huang's and Yin's past were clearly accounted for. Overall, I liked Kiriska's opinion in the end since it sounded like she enjoyed the anime as much as I did.
Instead of evaluating another anime this week, I decided to write about cosplay which is a short for "costume roleplay." Cosplay is the act of dressing up as a character to express one's fandom or for one's enjoyment. Many people draw their characters from manga, anime, video games, and musicians. There are those who even create their own characters or come up with a new costume for an existing character. The overall point is that I find cosplay fascinating. Fascinating because people can freely dress the way they want, regardless of gender. A great example is Damon Evans also known as Man-Faye. He’s most famous for crossplaying as Faye Valentine, a female character from the Japanese anime series Cowboy Bebop. Many people may find this disturbing, hilarious, or shocking, but in Japan, this is normal. I'm not saying every guy in the country crossdresses as a woman but rather than that so many people do it that it's become less surprising. In fact, a profuse amount of women cosplay as men.
Another reason why I'm interested in cosplay is because it's artistic. People will come with the most intriguing costumes and even their props are captivating; it never ceases to amaze me. Most of all, I admire those who make create their costumes by hand. We can all find anime costumes online or in stores, though it's rare, and purchase them. When someone actually goes to the store to buy the materials to sew his or her apparel, now that's an effort. It may or may not be as good as the ones you can purchase, but a lot of people applaud cosplayers who attempt to make their own outfit. Plus you get a better response when you tell an admirer you made it instead of buying it on the web. If you're wondering where you can see cosplay for yourself, there are plenty of conventions that are held in California where plenty of people dress up.
Out of all the new anime series that released this fall, I like Kobato the best. I think the story is just one-of-a-kind. It reflects upon a young girl named Kobato Hanato who is new to the world and is aiming to collect scarred hearts in order to go to a certain place. The first episode focuses on Kobato's ability to complete the tests that are authorized by Ioryogi, Kobato's dog plushie companion, and gain a bottle that she could use to accumulate the hearts. The first episode is always significant because it's the bait that lures viewers to watch more, and the anime certainly does the job. I had a lot of laughs just from that one showing. Like when Kobato had to make Nabe, a Japanese pot dish, for the customers. Knowing that she had no experience with cooking whatsoever, she made the attempt anyways and placed odd ingredients such as chocolate which just terrified the poor customers. 
In addition, the main character's personality is very amusing. She's a naive, ditsy, and cheery kind of person. Naive because in a test where she had to throw away the trash, she opens the bag to feed the crows that were eying it and causes Kobato and Ioryogi the trouble of having to run while the crows peck at them. Although she is callow, she is willing to help anyone in need. For example, when an old woman's grandson is constantly crying, Kobato tries to lull the child to sleep with her singing and succeeds doing so. If you'd like to see a hilarious and heartwarming show, then Kobato is for you.
My first review will be on the newly released anime Kämpfer. Since it just came out this month, there has only been one episode released so far. The story begins with Natsuru Seno, an ordinary high school student and the main protagonist, who one day wakes up only to find a bracelet on his wrist and his transformation as a girl. Harakiri Tora, a messenger that takes the form of a stuffed tiger, greets Natsuru and tells him that his purpose is to fight as a “Kämpfer” who are only female. The main character then awakens once more and 
this time in his original body, but he realizes that what happened wasn’t a dream; the bracelet still remains on his wrist. From then on Natsuru begins to face troublesome encounters such as running into a battle with Akane Mishima, another kämpfer and later discovered to be a student at Natsuru’s high school. After watching the first episode I was eager to see more. I thought the storyline was very intriguing; a boy turning into a girl is something that I haven’t seen since Ranma, which is another anime that uses similar circumstances. What I liked most were the comical moments within the episode. For example, there’s a scene where Natsuru, who by then changed into a female, had to use the restroom. It’s funny because he had no idea what to do. I also enjoyed the types of abilities the kämpfers possessed such as Akane's "Gewehr" type which means she uses automated hand guns. 
Generally there weren’t necessarily any flaws in the anime except when there wasn't an explanation on why the kämpfers had to fight against one another; Akane’s messenger, the Black Seppuku Bunny, didn’t even know the reason. I can only presume that they'll answer it later on in the series, but I guess it just makes the storyline far interesting that way. Other than that, I found the show entertaining enough to where I’ll be looking forward to future episodes.
Just what is anime? Anime is animation that originates in Japan, but before it becomes an anime, it starts off as a manga or a Japanese comic; if it gets well-known enough, it will get produced by an anime studio along with a production enterprise. You might have seen an anime before. Here are some examples: Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Digimon, etc. There are also recently shown shows like Naruto and Bleach. If you're still unaware of what anime is then I'm here to help you understand. Now the world of anime provides a vast amount of imagination to many, many people. It has a wide-range of genres that contain storylines that appeal not only to younger age groups but to people of all ages; that is one of the reasons why I believe anime is becoming more popular these days as well as why I chose this topic. Therefore, for this semester I will be evaluating animes. I’ll be sharing my opinions, and telling you things such as the highlights of that particular anime along with the flaws. That's not all though. I will also be discussing about other related topics like costume play, anime art, manga, and so on. I'll be even sharing my own experiences with anime and how it has affected me. I hope you’ll all be looking forward to it.
