What makes anime so appealing to young men?

[@aaronstacey9612]

"he had no choice" literally shaped the future

[@UltimateDBZJAMES]

he literally didn't

[@FDSignifire]

He didn't go back in time to tell his father to kill the royal family and get the founding Titan power? Did I miss that?

[@UltimateDBZJAMES]

@@FDSignifire Sure, sort of. He technically didn't go back in time, but I'm sure you know that and it'd just be semantics. My point was, he didn't shape the future. To me, at least, that line implies that he has way more control of his situation than he actually does. He needed the founder and manipulated past inheritors of the attack titan to get it, cool. But the question you should be asking is, why did he need the founder?

[@UltimateDBZJAMES]

@@FDSignifire I will say, I didn't read the manga, but I am caught up with the anime. So, if there is some big revelation right at the end that changes the entire perspective on this point, then I've yet to see it. So, I could be wrong here, but unless that is the case, he actually did not really have a choice. It was either rumbling or lay down and die like the royal family wanted.

[@dartheria7914]

@@FDSignifire It seems like you somehow missed the fact that Eren had future sight, and wanted a specific "ending" of this never-ending conflict while keeping his friends and loved ones as safe as possible. The actual, factual, LITERAL text of the friggin story is that Eren can see the future, and just like Dr. Strange in Infinity War, sees ONE path to an ending where his friends are safe. So he takes it. Even if he knows it makes him the villain. It's literally a God Emperor of Dune/Code Geass ending, how is this missed on you?

[@AccordingToBoring]

One time I told my therapist I really related to this character from an anime I just finished, that the characters name was Rei and asked if theyd seen Evangelion. Their response was to silently turn and point to a figurette of Rei

[@the-rookieJD]

Thats fucking legendary 😂

[@2headed]

That’s a good find!

[@AccordingToBoring]

@@2headed yeah that therapist was awesome

[@MrLFJ7]

dare I say kino

[@SerfsUp1848]

Jesus

[@psionickender]

Your video reminds me of something my mom always told me and my brothers -- "It is easy to be mean. It is much harder to be kind. In this way, kindness is almost never a weakness." It made me think of this when you talked about Beserk and how it is easy to be an edgelord.

[@maximeteppe7627]

To anyone who is interested in another manga with dark story with empathy at the core, but more in the form of a thriller in the vein of seven, I can also recommend Monster. It's less over the top than berserk (for one, there aren't monsters or even much blood) but it's still a story about facing evil and the choices we make in the face of it. It's a great read. for those who don't know, It's about a surgeon who finds out a child he saved grew up to be incredibly evil, and he has to leave everything behind to get to the bottom of it. It takes place in central europe shortly after the fall of the berlin wall, and it explores the legacy of authoritarianism, the trauma of war and manages to do so in a way that maintains hope in humanity without shying away from the worst.

[@rishabhanand4973]

@@maximeteppe7627 i had a friend recommend that to me as well. i'll probably check it out as soon as i finish yu yu hakusho

[@Thumbdumpandthebumpchump]

@@maximeteppe7627 Monster is S Tier.

[@dsbmitchell]

Really well-said. Thank you and your mom for sharing!

[@slvrshore5300]

🤡

[@Dark_Tesla]

I cried at the end of the Eren segment because I knew EXACTLY which character you were going to and I’m literally in tears. RIP Kentaro Miura

[@micahlynn6837]

For me, Shinji from Evangelion was a really important character. He embodied a lot of the parts of myself I hated, and seeing him repeatedly learn to love himself flaws-and-all was cathartic AF to see. That combined with the story of Neon Genesis Evangelion's creator Hideaki Anno genuinely helped save my life a few years back, hearing stories of people in a similar, if not worse place pull through it all and come out ok

[@bindukopparapu2795]

I watched the Evangelion Rebuild movies and I was left crying by the end of it. They broke me and made me rethink what I’m doing with my life and what direction I’m going in. Evangelion is the first media I have ever seen that truly brought me to tears and made me rethink my life. I share your experience with Shinji. I related with him on a deeply personally level because I have the same personal issues he does (running away from my problems, indulging in escapism, feeling worthless , isolating myself from other people).

[@amaihitomichan]

The fact that Hideaki Ano was dealing with a horrible depression and created Evangelion as his way to get therapy explains a lot of those messages. That's an amazing anime and I love it

[@dandelionwino]

I feel like Vinland Saga is a great alternative to Eren's message. It's also about a young boy who experiences trauma, uses it as his core motivation, and then gets his revenge on the world through violence. It's also about this same boy realizing that vengeance didn't really satisfy him, and having to grow up into a person who is actively seeking something better and healthier. It's so good, I really recommend it!

[@gaiannebel9081]

yes thats what i was thinking! I would really like to see his opinion and thoughts on vinland

[@silvertongue.242_99]

Yes I love Vinland saga really surprised on the growth of thorfin and how he looked for a positive solution to his trauma

[@konstantinriumin2657]

Chadfinn "I have no enemies" vs Virgeren "I keep moving forward until my enemies are destroyed"

[@observantwonderer7401]

Well considering Erens original message was thrown away and this psuedo code geas trash was slapped on and Vinland stuck to its own guns and original intent... yeah of course its better

[@skateplays8880]

Ye just finished season 2 and I can confirm that attack on Titan is basically just a Disney version of vinland saga lol

[@ProdigysLawyer]

I know you said sorry to the femme's in the chat but there was a huge missed opportunity to highlight how anime is one of the only genres of media that portrays men being femme, queer codded and strong without being evil.

[@clumsyninja925]

But then explicitly queer male characters are there to make the straight characters uncomfortable

[@RobertoCarbonell-e8j]

I learned a lot about my own masculinity through series like JoJo because of how it lets me view masculinity separate from societal opinions on what colors or clothes or hairstyles I wear. I am a straight cis male, but my room and wardrobe is full of pink and plush. There were lots of different factors that made me comfortable with myself, but JoJo made it COOL. (to me)

[@benjiman7259]

I’m so glad someone said it This is honestly probably one of the biggest reasons for anime’s popularity, and it isn’t discussed much online due to the weird homophobia and misogyny in the space

[@eliasmg9144]

That's true, but fd usually talks about masculinity with a very critical lens, so there's that

[@banquetoftheleviathan1404]

Helped me allot with fashion since i almost never see guys as thin as me in real life.

[@TheAsthmaticSeal]

I love the care and support you provide to men and boys, dude. It both warms my heart and encourages me specifically. I've been going through it lately, and my sense of identity has taken a beating. I'm trying to rebuild it, and this helps.

[@Freddy-rs8og]

Love your username, and your take. Hope you get better and embrace and love yourself

[@JoseBird]

Having just finished watching Attack on Titan, there's something to the idea of Eren having a choice that I think is getting overlooked. From the moment he's touched by Historia, and has the memories of previous titans awoken in him, he starts heading down this deterministic path (or rather was always on it) that reflects the author's very cynical and bitter perspective towards people in general. Eren had a choice as much as anyone in the series, that is to say, no one really has a choice. People will find ways to be shitty to one another, and cause enormous pain and suffering. That's no meant to absolve him. He's obviously the villain in the series and not some stoic loner serving a higher purpose. He's a monster, he's aware of that, and he claims he's powerless to change that. Whether that's true or not is less disturbing to me than how Eren isn't particularly special, and therefore seems like a commentary on what it means to just be an average guy in the world, and how that more broadly means humanity is generally pretty bad. This series is defined by death so starkly that, especially in the earlier parts, people are constantly trying to find value in their death. One of the first things we see is the Scouts returning from a mission, and when the leader is asked by a grieving mother if her son's death meant anything, he tells it was meaningless. From there we get millions of deaths, none of it meaning anything as humanity never learns the lesson and continues to find reasons to kill one another. Eren Yaeger is just one link on that very long chain, and even him witnessing that opening scene doesn't teach him anything. Eren is someone who is trying to be special, realizing he isn't, and then going on to commit atrocities because everyone mistakenly believed he was the special key to a better future. I get the impression that Isayama doesn't care for people. Or maybe society in general. And it's one of the more grim anime I've watched in a while. Anyway, I say all that to instead offer another alternative to Attack on Titan that has a more positive depiction of breaking free from the cycle of violence. Vinland Saga is an absolute gem, and for my tastes something preferable to Berserk. It isn't quite so depressing and moody, and deals with a lead character healing in a way that not only looks inward, but also outward.

[@novakaizr]

I very much agree with your analysis. Isayama himself had a very interesting answer to the question of whether Eren has a choice. He says that when he started writing the manga he had a plan for how it would end. As he grew older and more experienced his worldview changed, but he still felt bound to the original plan he had. He was in charge of the story, but didn't feel like he had the power to change its direction. Eren probably did have a choice, but he felt like he was on a path he couldn't turn away from, so he kept moving forward without looking back. You mention you think Isayama doesn't care for people or society, but I think that is only a partial analysis. A major theme in the story is "the world is cruel, but also beautiful", which is examplified in the two main characters of Eren and Armin. Eren is someone who sees the world as cruel and believes it is kill or be killed, whereas Armin always tries to see the best in everyone and find compromises. He is someone who can find value in simply existing. I also think that is a main message of the story, examplified in the final conversation between Armin and Zeke about how life isn't just about survival and continuing the species. It is the small meaningless moments that truly give life value

[@blgctyo632]

I actually think that Isayama has started to care a lot about people and that’s why he apologized for the (manga) ending and cried about it. The story is very much his allegory for his own personal growth and while he couldn’t change the pessimistic ending he originally decided on, the way he portrayed the journey to that ending shows an increasingly optimistic view. It also explains why it’s so messily written. I think it’s perfectly fine to criticize AoT for this messiness but to oversimplify the message as “fascist” is ignoring a lot the themes present

[@TerrenceSullivan1335]

Attack on Titan is not one of the more grim anime that exist, and reading incorrectly into a work doesn't give you carte-blanche to suddenly start conjecture about the author's psyche for which you have no real knowledge of. Cue erroneous belief of Junji Ito being some macabre or disturbed individual on the basis of his works along that same line of logic. If your takeaway from AoT was "Eren is just a normal guy and so all the bad things he does are emblematic of the author's views on how normal guys act" then you probably just glossed over all the chapters without reading the boxes with words in them, or maybe you didn't even read the manga at all and just read a Wikipedia summary. The entire ending of AoT depicts Eren as the exceptional, albeit mostly unwitting, mastermind behind the entire series, villainously pitted against the heroic band of ACTUAL everymen from various countries and backgrounds teaming up to defeat him and his ideology or mindset. Did you just stop reading at one point? Are we just going to pretend like Eren didn't lose? That entire band of protagonists is just invisible to you, that whole part where, uh, they win because they're the good guys is completely lost on you so that you can read your own delusional authorial endorsement of Eren's atrocities? The sentence "none of it meaning anything as humanity never learns the lesson and continues to find reasons to kill one another." can only be uttered by somebody who read the first 75% of AoT and decided the ending was Eren's victorious genocide. He quite literally loses to a group of humanity who DID learn the lesson and, despite HAVING reasons to kill one another, rally together to defeat Eren. The earliest chronological event in the series is Ymir being chased into the forest by a pack of angry dogs, wherein she receives her Founder powers and creates the Titans. The last chronological event in the series is a child venturing into the forest, but this time accompanied by a dog, a companion. The whole story rejects the bleakness and grim you keep ascribing to it, and calls attention to a brighter, better future through cooperation, showing that humanity can overcome even the most devastating of losses. I'm not going to speak to how well it makes this point, but it does make this point. And I will not speak to how the work embodies Isayama's mindset, that is for him and him alone to opine on, and I highly doubt you have any clue what his view on humanity is given you didn't even finish (or start?) his work. As for Vinland Saga, I find your recommendation to be very telling of your own media literacy. It's a good piece, but as soon as Thorfinn magically reaches his "enlightenment", it becomes a boring piece to the point where I am no longer sure what the message of the last 30~odd chapters has been other than a very, very drawn-out effort to demonstrate how good of a good boy Thorfinn is now. It is an idealized piece of fiction that very heavy-handedly beats you over the head with its core themes of redemption and pacifism over and over again. "Look guys, Thorfinn gets abused and he doesn't fight back, pacifism good!" is a great point, but if that is the ONLY point your message has past the timeskip then I'm not sure why the series continued beyond Thorfinn's arc as a slave. I am not surprised that you would prefer a series that quite literally beats the main character to near-death with the same played-out hamfisted message over one that has the subtlety and complexity of AoT. In any case, reading authorial support into the undeniable and defeated villain of the story is definitely one of the ways to read a work, ever. Since you read Berserk, do you think that Kentaro Miura's view of humanity mirrors Griffith's actions?

[@86fifty]

I really appreciate this take. You've explained very clearly why I couldn't keep up with AOT after a certain point, just waaaay too much pessimism and death. The combination of determinism and fatalistic pessimism and like, IRL learned helplessness. There's certain people I can't be friends with because of their refusal-to-try-anything-new pessimism, and there's some fandoms I just can't soak my brain in, otherwise I get... hm, tainted is a strong word, but like, maybe infected by it. Like a virus that I then have to fight off internally to get back to full health. Yeah, that's it. Watching super-grim and pessimisitic anime, or any media for that matter, feels like eating rotten food. It's gonna fuck me up, man.

[@86fifty]

@@novakaizr Oh dang - isn't that kind super sad, then?? The author himself couldn't get out of the fatalistic 'bad ending' he had early on decided for himself... And Eren couldn't either. Not to get too philosophical about it, but I wonder if having Eren's voice in his head, as he had to keep writing the manga, I wonder if Eren dragged down the author, and kept him from writing Eren a happier ending... AOT feels more complete as a work with that background knowledge of how the author grew over time - that he himself couldn't escape the determinism of having a pre-planned ending, and not finding the power to escape it, when it probably WAS possible, but it was too scary to try... Dang. That's impactful stuff, dude.

[@mothersbasement]

Okay, this thumbnail/title combo is the winner. Million views EZ.

[@FDSignifire]

It better cause I got like 4 more in the holster lol

[@cuddlerofdog]

2nd this statement. I saw the other and said: maybe next month. Certified masterpiece video, in my book, that I should have clicked sooner.

[@serversurfer6169]

@@FDSignifire It's not your thumbnails, bro. It's your racism. 💔🤷‍♂💔

[@WithoutFear804]

​@@serversurfer6169 your irrelevant

[@gilgamesh_interdimentional238]

@@serversurfer6169 what? what do you mean?

[@Secondhelix]

Too many people conflate protagonist with hero, and cannot separate the two, especially when there's a transition where they begin as a hero. Eren is a good character, but a monsterous person

[@arnigeir1597]

You don't see as many people praise his brother, and I suspect that's because fascists don't like having their own logic turned on themselves.

[@icantpursuewhatimtrulypass7335]

That’s what makes Zeke such an amazing counterpart of Eren

[@rishabhanand4973]

i feel like there's a huge overlap between people who root for eren and people who root for walter white

[@pyrosianheir]

THANK you. I was reading AoT as it came out and the number of people in the comments of the chapter where he heel-turned that couldn't grasp that he was the villain while also the protagonist was so incredibly frustrating.

[@DMHR100]

Eren is a tragic villain. I'm pretty sure we shouldn't root for him. Too bad Isayama made Marleyans so despicable that it feels justified.

[@SelectBard133]

Alternate title: We desperately need a good Berserk anime adaptation.

[@Hawkatana]

The 90's OVA was good. Just a shame it adapted so little.

[@feikesterk598]

​@@Gamfluentyou even read the manga, what nonsense are you spouting?

[@Hawkatana]

@@Gamfluent Lol no.

[@Hawkatana]

@@Gamfluent It's all I need. I don't need to explain the intricacies of why someone who says the sky is purple & made of baguettes is full of shit, do I?

[@SelectBard133]

@@Gamfluent You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about; spouting actual nonsense. I'm genuinely not sure if you're just rage-baiting, but if not you clearly only know what you've been told by other people who don't understand Berserk. Go read it. If you already have, read it again, you missed something.

[@ceru5675]

"Eren is basically sneako" is the craziest sentence I've ever heard but the most true.

[@skyty0]

"What is means to be a person who is a man, rather than a man first." That line made me cry. It's such a simple concept, but it's really hard to contextualize when you live in a world that constantly wants you to be _the_ guy. Thank you for making these videos, FD.

[@maxwortel8986]

With alphabet people being a thing that thought process has truly lost all meaning and value due to people valuing the title of man more than the people whom were born In to It

[@Westile]

@@maxwortel8986 Alphabet people? LGBT? Those people have broke down and defined what it means to "be a man" more than any straight dude ever has.

[@jessy1982]

​@@Westile For sure, historically. Though at the moment it's in a transition period where there's a bit of the opposite happening - transgender and non-binary people being overly focused on in a way that confirms gender boxes. There's still people going "you can be a guy in a pink skirt or a girl with a bald head and still be a guy/girl", but there are also so many girls that use the non-binary label to try and escape female stereotypes instead of being themselves as girls, or trans women who relate to feminine things more than physically being a woman undergoing hormone and surgery. So LGBT people can be both helpful and harmful at the same time in different ways, I guess.

[@melephs_cap]

​​​​​​@@jessy1982 (edited for conciseness) There's a problem in those situations, but queer/trans people ain't it, chief. It's prescriptiveness, lack of support for others who are considering changing their gender expression or pronouns-either to something new or something they've already tried. Those social pressures are what you want to target. When they're reduced, there'll be even fewer people transitioning due to social pressure than there already are. (Likewise with detransitioning due to social pressure.)

[@GreysonParker]

Id like to add onto this the Elrics from FMA. Both are young boys that experienced trauma and yet the whole way through their motivation is to make up for the mistakes they made and to do right by each other. Never once do they seek power for powers sake. In fact, not only are they blatantly offered near limitless power several times that they refuse, but Eds ultimate answer for how to fix what he did to Al is to reject his individual power entirely and instead admit that his greatest strength is the people that he cares about and that care about him.

[@mhawang8204]

It’s interesting that the mangaka is a woman but created so many male characters with depth. It’s rare to see good female characters in shonen unfortunately.

[@tariqthomas9090]

Ed and Al are two of my favorite characters in fiction for this reason. Like they are just genuinely good people who try their best and I love them for it.

[@Sunaki1000]

I enjoy seeing them openly express emotional vulnerability. Its beeing written by a Woman was only to there Benifit.

[@KayleLang]

@@mhawang8204 This is why I actively seek series with male protagonists written by a female writers. I find women write male characters I find more interesting and more relatable than yet another power fantasy.

[@beastiebro]

Women often write men with trauma better than most male writers do. Another great example is Banana Fish (however I dislike the ending)

[@saradube2173]

I fell in love with Berserk as a woman who has gone through trauma because I felt the spirit of the silenced Caska as the person that I was and felt the rage and desperation of Guts as the process of trying to save myself from myself. The scenes where Guts devours himself and the people around him as the berserker deeply resonated with the part of me that was unwilling to process.

[@Paologuitare]

Her name is Casca…you are not a real fan.

[@madiea8074]

@@Paologuitare idk how u haven’t heard that language is a thing & it fluctuates

[@uexkeru]

@@Paologuitare You "true fan" elitists probably don't even understand our boy Gatsu

[@EpioN]

Berserk was trash in my opinion. Edgy boy shit trying to understand what being a man is about. 2/10 wouldn’t recommend.

[@Paologuitare]

@@madiea8074proper nouns aka names do not fluctuate…her name was and has always been spelled Casca and if the OP was familiar with anything other than dubbed crap they would know that, but god forbid you ask a woman to read subtitles or a manga…LOL

[@wesleyguthrie5560]

This was a cathartic watch. So much discussion is happening right now about exactly what you discuss in this and I couldn't help but feel as though I was going nuts before seeing this. So many people are saying "Eren had no choice" or "what would you suggest he have done differently?" or "he had to do it to save his friends". No? Like genuinely, no. The fact that anyone could look at attempted omnicide and think that was the correct option is just really troubling. It's really scary. Thanks for making this one, you rock F.D.

[@lawrencehan463]

It’s that simple because you are embarrassingly wrong.

[@lawrencehan463]

@@BobWillis-tw3nx Bruh. Your comment is genocide or be genocided like the world is a video game that giving a prompt with only those two choices. I will take asisine any day over genodical apologia. There were plenty of alternatives to genocide - mutual aid, building up their own community. Even in AoT, the King who built the walls in isolation is a better strategy than killing 80% of the population and dooming the world to war that doesn't even protect his friends. Like whut.

[@ralonnetaph6450]

At 11 minutes in and, to "What are all these young boys and men looking for when they end up choosing anime?" The answer is they're looking for Yu Yu Hakusho, a story about a young boy growing despite the world not wanting to give him a chance and overcoming a man who despite being a villain was the epitome of everything the main character wanted and looked up to by realizing that the strength to never be pushed around is meaningless if he becomes incapable of loving the friends around him. It's a shame that we've become so oversaturated with harem isekai and similar such shows that it's become the thing they'll find instead.

[@adikurniawan1816]

Nah... You just see it as consumer out in the west or outside of Japan, Japan entertainment media was always filled with numerous example of average mediocre works since the beginning. You just don't see it often because only the best of the works in Japan would break through the global reach sensation before the internet era, leaving you with the feeling oh man we use to have it good! Japan only produce masterpieces, but now what.

[@chukyuniqul]

@@adikurniawan1816 That was literally only true in the previous millennium. It's been a good couple of decades since you could know everything coming out in JP and a solid decade since you could easily access it. Don't get me wrong, there is such a thing as quality bias, where people go "things were SOOO much better back then, look at *cites extremely influential bit of media that has survived due to being really good in a sea of average tosh like we deal with nowadays*", and to some degree the same thing is true of anime. But the filtering happens by every anime watcher, not just the japanese ones. That being said, your comment has nothing to do with OP. OP cited one such anime that strongly influenced people in a positive manner, and would push people to keep watching anime. Because they look in anime for something that western media doesn't often provide.

[@frustratedsquirrel]

they're looking for Gurren Lagann.

[@kingace6186]

Yu Yu Hakusho was beautiful. I think Yusuke's positive character arc is the perfect mirror reflection of Gon's negative character arc.

[@ralonnetaph6450]

@@frustratedsquirrel “Young boy attaining self worth and learning to love and be loved in order to punch a villain in the face really fuckin hard” fans solidarity.

[@ultimateme3049]

i've always loved Eren....as a character, the moment that boy started commiting war crimes i knew i couldn't root for him no more, but it was cool to witness his descent into madness

[@Meloncholiac]

@@leahholley7982 Did anybody? Even Jesse was a better person than he was.

[@teslashark]

Interestingly in CHina his fans are the other kind of redpilled, they believe that Eren has showed them the only way forward is revenge against everyone on a contry-sized scale. Yep, They see fatherland China as Eren.

[@hardslam6474]

@@Meloncholiaca lot of people not only love him as a character (which I do too) but a crap ton of people think hes morally correct

[@NA-vz9ko]

@@hardslam6474truly this cycle of hatred will never end, so long as humans live.

[@petym9827]

​@@NA-vz9koi mean can't think of a better way of ending the cycle than completely annihilating the other side (don't spoil manga pls)

[@theomcinturff1213]

Got my roommate into anime and she asked me "Is there any that doesn't have objectification or rape?" Rewatching my own recommendations to filter them for her was eye opening. There's a lot of anime where sexual harassment or even assault is indulgently shown, or treated like a joke. In shows for teens. Now I ask myself her question any time I watch a new show.

[@Pokemonleafmon]

Becoming an adult and eventually being forced to reexamine the shows I enjoyed as a horny teenager was a really eye opening experience. There's so many shows I loved that I just can't justify anymore and don't reflect my current tastes in the slightest.

[@pharniel]

I used to be able to keep it in my head, but these days I have a spreadsheet of "So you want to get into anime?" that I can use and it's got a shit ton of "Shitty things in this anime you might forget about" so I can filter based on whoever's asking.

[@tiaan7183]

Tell her to watch Silver Spoon, the show is about a city boy going to an agriculture highschool, it feels very grounded and the characters are all likeable with their own personalities and motivations. The creator of Fullmetal Alchemist made this, need I say more? (DISCLAIMER: It has come to my attention that some of these shows may still have some sort of pervasive content or content that might make your friend uncomfortable, so please look into these anime at your own transgression. ) Also, regardless of genre or tone, here are some other sexual harassment-free anime as far as I recall: Kino's Journey 2003 (Let's not talk about the mediocre remake. The 2003 version is full of ambiguity about philosophy and morals, even the main character looks androgynous) Girls' Last Tour (Comfy post-apocalyptic anime with an underlying existential theme) Ascendance of a bookworm (Probably one of the few isekai anime without sexual harassment, it feels like a shoujo show but it's isekai and the mc is super cool) Monster (Great gritty suspense drama about a doctor hunting down a past patient.) Odd Taxi (Great storytelling and writing, characters are all animals and every character's story intertwines with mc.) Trigun Stampede (Recent 3d adaptation of the original story, both are great, original is slightly pervy) Basically any Studio Ghibli movie, my favourites are Porco Rosso and Howl's Moving Castle. Some things by Shinichiro Watanabe. Spy x Family (Spy with an assassin wife and a daughter with mind reading abilities.) Humanity Has Declined (Cute vibey lowkey trippy) Yuru Camp (Wholesome camping girls) Hakumei to Mikochi (Wholesome little forest girls) If they like shounen, then Hunter x Hunter, Jujustsu Kaisen, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Attack on Titan, Assasination Classroom, Dr. Stone, Jojo's Bizarre Adventures etc.) I have edited this list based on replies and fell like most anime I initially included with sexual themes have been removed. Just remember I'm just a guy trying to give some suggestions guys haha, feel free to give your opinions in the replies though.

[@Leap623]

@@tiaan7183 Some good suggestions but I would honestly caution against recommending Made in Abyss. I like the show overall but it has some extremely questionable depictions of the (underage) main female character that I found pretty icky, and definitely holds me back from recommending it to the sorts of people who would be sensitive to sexualization/objectification in anime.

[@tiaan7183]

@@Leap623 I guess that's fair, I honestly don't even remember anything like that, that said I watched it years ago and haven't watched the movie yet so I'll trust your judgement on the matter.

[@thatgenericguy3649]

You know that line in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie where Rocket declared "Everyone's got dead people!" to call out Drax who, I remind you, is similarly traumatized? That's the anti-Eren moment that's lived in my head for years

[@feshpince7181]

@Joe-gw9wh Eren's plight was never actually about his mother's death. The final act of the series confirms and solidifies this. It was about his desire for true freedom, and the depths he'd allow himself to plunge into to get it. Mixed with the fact that, his future was decided from the moment he was born, it's no wonder he went mad and became genocidal. He was never free. He was just part of a path that was determined for him. It was he himself who sent that titan to eat his own mother, from the future, so that he'd harbor the burning hatred necessary to get him to the point he'd eventually end up at, with control over the Founder and a desire to trample the world outside the walls.

[@feshpince7181]

@Joe-gw9wh That's not an opinion. That's just a fact of the story. The AoT universe is deterministic, not variable, like in most other media.

[@feshpince7181]

@Joe-gw9wh And yes, you certainly have an opinion. An opinion based upon a complete misunderstanding of the story, and the way the AoT world works. And you can have that opinion. I'm just letting you know you've formed that opinion because you don't get what's actually going on. That's very evident.

[@synthiandrakon]

One thing I've noticed is a lot of media in this area will prevent a cruel world that is inherently unfair and have a protagonist be victim to it, but then the story makes them like the strongest person ever and the protagonist no longer has any problem with how cruel and unfair the world still is. It's inherently sending the message that the problem was not that the world is cruel but that the protagonist wasn't at the top of the food chain

[@casperaaron5530]

Oooh that’s a smart take. I’ve always had beef with those type of shows and that’s such a good point about them. You made me smarter today

[@worldofcyn]

*prevent to present

[@JohnSmith-mc2zz]

In life you do have to try if you want to be more than an object blowing in the wind. That's just accurate, at least from my point of view. Granted, I know there are a lot of young adults and women who think this stuff is too toxic to enjoy.

[@ihavenojawandimustscream4681]

​​@@JohnSmith-mc2zzhere is something self-destructive if you find yourself enslaved and you first thought is "i need to be the top slave so i don't get beaten up" instead of trying to flee the system

[@JohnSmith-mc2zz]

@@ihavenojawandimustscream4681 I think young people just want to thrive and older adults want to be free of their demons. I think the whole sigma thing is not meant to be taken literally. There are definitely lost people out there who hate themselves because of their appearance or think they need "black air force energy" to succeed and I hope this content creator is able to reach some of those people.

[@sulaimanm10]

Vinland Saga is definitely one of the best depictions of masculinity in the medium. FD should definitely give it a go.

[@igorheerdtigor4823]

So true

[@jamesg507]

Vinland is absolutely worth it and has a pretty great anime adaptation. It matches berserk in stellar character growth and self reflection but avoids berserks earlier pitfalls and rough edges. Berserk is still my favorite in just what it meant to me and the imagery and world building but I absolutely admit Vinland Saga (and Vagabond) depict masculinity even better.

[@thisguyducky]

Spoilers but when starting the manga, I was not expecting the true villian to be toxic masculinity.

[@paullingamfelter9866]

VS is one of the best depictions of masculinity in ANY medium. S2 is jaw-dropping.

[@igiem368]

100% I was shocked he didn't bring up the "I have no enemies" line as it is one of the most poignant examples.

[@BlobbyHill]

I know it's not Shonen, but Fruits Basket is legitimately one of the best representations of masculinity in the Anime space. Even though the boys and men aren't the primary character, the space that these boys and men are given to go through intense social and interpersonal problems is incredible to watch. And because the arcs take the whole series, the audience gets to sit with their discomfort in relating to the deficiencies and experience the satisfaction of watching them grow. And with a fairly large sized cast, there are plenty of guys to identify with.

[@frozzytango9927]

Anime is Femboyism. ITs not Masculinity.

[@lostandfond2163]

I love fruits basket ❤️

[@critanddam9031]

No it isn’t

[@thesevenkingswelove9554]

@@critanddam9031 why not?

[@HeyyItsDaleVODS]

​@@critanddam9031oh, yes, exquisite rebuttal. I now know exactly why Fruits Basket is not a great example of masculinity through your wonderful use of metaphors and comparisons. Please, do tell me more about this trash heap dumpster fire in less words this time. I too wish to feel so enlightened, free from burden of thought, unbound from the need of using words to convey thoughts and arguments.

[@Orphen059]

"He was too weak not to do it, in reality he was a weak man who happens to get control of immense power". I think this is a perfect summation, and hopefully what the authors true intentions were. When I read the last chapter, this is the conclusion I walked away with. I was in a slightly different boat reading the last arc. I was off put by his actions but I was sort of waiting for the twist where this is all a ruse and he's gonna do something heroic and save the day. Then I read the last chapter and realize... oh snap, there is no real twist. Yeah he has "Reasons" in his own mind but they are weak and so is he. That's when it solidified for me he was the actual villain and had been the villain the whole time. Narratively, I've found this really interesting and warrants discussion. I like stories that aren't wrapped in a nice bow and confront themes and even highlight "bad" (as in bad guys win) endings. But I have to agree with you, watching people some how empathize and justify Eren is the wrong talking point. It's really the same kind of folks who idolize the joker. Eren and the Joker aren't to be pitied.... they are pitiful.

[@utquesedatis8466]

Could you explain how Eren's decision was weak, or could you explain how following the path given was weak minded of him??

[@fixthefernback8030]

​@@utquesedatis8466he could've not committed genocide for his own insecurities

[@bummerfriend]

@@utquesedatis8466bro what😭

[@Lastofthefreenames]

​@fixthefernback8030 so its ok for his people to be killed and tortured and used? To be treated as sub-human? I havent seen a good answer for any of that

[@alexvaughan1013]

This aged well with the new line in the anime. "It's because I'm an idiot. A garden-variety idiot who got his hands on power."

[@TsubataLately]

Unfortunately the landscape for shojo (girls') anime in Japan is rapidly deteriorating. Gone are the days when you could reliably expect 3 or 4 highly anticipated, well-funded, widely viewed shojo series in a season. Now each season is seeing fewer and fewer shojo releases, and those that are released have lower budgets and resources behind them. The ratio has firmly tipped in favor of shonen anime. Even the romance genre is dominated by seinen (young men's) series like Horimiya. As someone who has not watched and isn't really interested in watching most of the shonen series mentioned in this video, I feel abandoned as an anime fan. And as someone who paid for fansubbed VHS tapes back in the mid-90s, it really hurts. There was always something unique and fabulous about shojo anime, and it feels like it's being lost, bit by bit.

[@theCommentDevil]

My guess is one possible reason might be the massive amount of Isekai is drowning out other genres

[@immortaledge8830]

This as well as the constant objectifying women as fan service in anime and the pdf file propaganda japan puts out made me stop watching japanese anime for chinese. At least chinese anime is unique, and doesnt put panty shots or lolis in the anime.

[@TsubataLately]

@@theCommentDevil Fushigi Yuugi was a shojo isekai series. It's been done many times before, but not anymore, it seems.

[@TsubataLately]

@@immortaledge8830 Unfortunately I am heavily invested in the "Japanese" aspects of anime after living here for many years, but I have heard that Korea and China have been picking up a lot of slack when it comes to series for women and girls. I may have to bite the bullet one of these days.

[@Oboro86]

A lot of seinen stories, like Horimiya and Bloom Into You, are actually shojo stories that categorize themselves as seinen because it's more profitable for the authors that way. the shojo label may be dying, but shojo stories arguably have a larger audience now.

[@rowanatkinson3594]

There was a gaming video essayist youtuber that goes by KBash who speculated that the reason teenage boys are drawn to kind of edgelord protagonists defined by pain is because being a teenager is rough and it's considered weakness to ask for help, so they're drawn to characters that naturally draw sympathy without appearing weak, and that's an observation that's always stuck with me

[@incognitosecret2377]

KBash made some quality shit

[@Channel-23s]

Another view would be that those characters are chosen because they are strong or take the pain without taking much Ls or deal with conflict in a manner that seems appealing like being drawn to a role model or inspiration to see that the climb isn’t as difficult

[@painunending4610]

Actually maybe it's just because edgelord characters are cool

[@dickthebirthdayboy2132]

@@painunending4610 Oh nice a prime example of an emotionally stunted man baby that OP was talking about.

[@painunending4610]

@@dickthebirthdayboy2132 hell yes dude 😎

[@ResponsibleToTheRealm]

FD Signifier telling those manchildren that they don't in fact look like Eren but instead look like Patrick Bateman might be the greatest compliment they've ever received, in their eyes.

[@JohnSmith-mc2zz]

After how bad Eren got roasted I would rather be Bateman.

[@PublicDudeBaby]

Was thinking the same thing lmao

[@fartcriminals9623]

I mean from a pure physical perspective I’d actually love to look like Patrick Bateman

[@michaelstagar4254]

FD and Jeff Thew = the greatest tag team in the history of KZbin. Even the Road Warriors would do a job for them.

[@ScorpionViper1001]

Yeah, way too many edgelords toss out even the pretense of righteousness and just idolize Bateman.

[@drscience_xo]

eren is a character who never healed nor ever changed he is the first anti stoic character the anti naruto

[@theclocktower3258]

Dude watching a silent voice destroyed me! That scene where all of the Xs fall off the faces of the strangers around him, and he finally sees them as real people. I cried like a baby xc

[@FDSignifire]

😭😭😭

[@lunali7209]

trash anime

[@MarmaladeMagnolia]

One of the most impactful scene that I’ve ever watched on a film

[@ReyneDownFire]

Haikyu is an anime I would encourage ANYONE - but especially boys - to watch. The messages there are positive, challenging, and encourages expression of emotions that is refreshing to see. Plus the sports-stakes are high but at the end of the day, every character is just a teen or a man, just another person, who has their own story and struggles.

[@nabilahalshari7880]

ugh, trust haikyu the only sports anime to make me cry.

[@royalfun1031]

​@@nabilahalshari7880Im not even into sports and I liked it

[@chukyuniqul]

Honestly watching it was a delight because it reminded me of when I was in a rugby team. Best two years of my life, even with less-than-ideal teammates. One of my biggest regrets is needing to drop out when I got into highschool because I moved too far away.

[@miss_chelles1338]

Yes!

[@apinchofdisappointment]

Haikyu is one of my top comfort shows

[@Dharmondraws]

I'm NB, but as a "girl" who grew up watching anime with two older brothers, I appreciate your take regarding women's representation in anime. It was super weird seeing this literally play out in real time with my brothers, but not really having the language for it... and not being taken seriously when I brought it up. I remember complaining about fan-service as a teen and my concerns were contributed to my being insecure and met with many an eye-roll lol. will def share the video with all dudes in my circle.

[@jonnjones8263]

It's not often taken seriously because viewing it as a "problem" is entirely a choice. Guys instinctively understand not to take that stuff seriously because it's just an anime and brush it off to just enjoy the story the writer is trying to tell.

[@Kadaspala]

@@jonnjones8263 Guys don't "instinctively know" and viewing it as a problem isn't a "choice" -- it's a literal problem that alienates part of the audience at best and reinforces objectification of women and other misogynistic concepts and expectations within men at worst. It's like saying white people "instinctively know" that casual racism in a show in no big deal because being bothered by it is a "choice". Like wtf, you don't instinctively know, you're just unaffected and don't give a shit. Also dunno why so many people can't comprehend simultaneously liking a piece of media overall while still being critical of certain aspects. It's not that hardm And one shouldn't have to "not take seriously" an aspect literally written into the media to "focus on the story they're trying to tell." How about he writer doesn't put that shit in in the first place if they're so concerned about the story they're trying to tell? Jfc I can't believe it's the year 2023 and people are still using these fucking absurd thought terminating clichès to justify misogyny.

[@sabsain2399]

​​@@jonnjones8263you didn't even try lmao. It doesn't bother men because it's not their representation and bodies being objectified and sexualised to hell and back - nor is it serious, real life events that affect them being ridiculed and made fun of in the shows. To them it's like having a side dish they can enjoy with the main course. So of course, they "choose" not to have a problem with it

[@sabsain2399]

​@@Kadaspala if male shonen fans at large have to acknowledge all these issues in anime it'd make them feel guilty for liking these things and they'd have to admit that yes, representation of women and young girls in anime is very fxcked and rooted in misogyny. So they need to deny and delude themselves

[@jonnjones8263]

@@Kadaspala Of course they do. Otherwise I wouldn't hear so many people complaining about the fact that men don't care about these "issues". It's only an issue if you make it one. It only alienates them because these are a group of people that have decided that cartoon sexuality should be treated as some sort of attack on real women. Which in my opinion is silly. I mean we don't treat cartoon murder(which is an objectively worse crime) as if it were actual murder. Why do the same thing with anything sex related? It's pointless. Theres any number of real crimes depicted in media. Yet we don't go scrutinizing every little thing and treating it like some big issue. Except when it comes to fanservice or sex scenes.

[@jordanetherington1922]

Guts is like the anti-Eren. He starts out looking super-edgy and nihilistic and just keeps becoming cooler as he becomes less edgy and nihilistic

[@MrDragonkarp]

The thing is people never get past the edgy nihilistic part to see where guts ends up so they judge Berserk in its early stages anime doesn't help either 😂😂

[@minimoon1372]

We love guts

[@insertnamehere259]

Lol guts was cool when he was edgy but yes he’s definitely cooler now

[@normandy2501]

I feel like Musashi's depiction in Vagabond fits that more. Guts isn't as outwardly edgy by the time we get to where we are now in the story, but he's still just waiting for something to go wrong, and it definitely did, lol. We'll see if he rubber bands any time soon.

[@whathell6t]

But Guts the Black Swordsman isn’t an edgy character. He is a Serrated character.

[@totokekedile]

If I can touch on the brief aside about the treatment of women, a lot of people say "those are just jokes, you're taking it too seriously". But manga legitimately formed how I saw sexual harassment growing up. Yes the characters react negatively to those who sexually harass, but it's treated as being on the level of bad manners. Manga sex pests still get to hang out with everyone, get continued access to their victims, and are still treated as part of the found family. I thought it was no big deal, since that's how it's treated in the media I read. Thank god someone set me straight before I hurt someone.

[@auxin903]

(EDIT: I think somehow my phone got my reply posted to soneone else's comment. Sorry for any confusion mate!)

[@mrreyes5004]

Agreed. It's for that same reason that I absolutely cannot stand the portrayal of characters like Mineta from My Hero Academia. The guy literally gropes several women onscreen, yet all the adults in the show just treat it like an annoyance instead of punishing him with expulsion/arrest. There is no way that a continued repeat sex offender can seriously be allowed into a school for heroes.

[@pulsarhappy7514]

This is so real

[@chukyuniqul]

@@mrreyes5004 Momo literally Clockwork Orange'd him, I think the girls are perfectly safe thank you very much.

[@chukyuniqul]

idk mate, that sounds like a you problem. Or, to put it in a more civil manner, I think that's something that is not a problem for many people. Hell, at the peak of the "is into anime" and "is socially daft" graph, 12 years old in my case, I felt bad for accidentally brushing the back of my hand over a friend's cousin's arse because she was coming besides me when I turned around to leave a dock. Let me reiterate: I felt bad for a mistake that she probably didn't even notice, despite at that very fucking time being HUGE into soul eater. And if you know the show, you'd know how horny it is. And if you don't, then realize it's penned by the Fire Force mangaka and now realize how horny it is, and gropey and stuff. Hell, one of the first things that happen in the story is that one of the main characters gropes his partners' breasts in frustration that they're differently-sized and iirc he's not even smacked for it AND is portrayed as really cool.

[@padawansound6423]

During the Eren section, I couldn't help but think of the immortal Buffy quote (taken from the episode, "Lie To Me", where she's trying to dissuade a terminally ill friend from committing mass murder for a chance at immortality) - "You have a choice. You don't have a good choice, but you have a choice". The Passion of the Nerd does a really great breakdown of that episode and the underpinning philosophy behind it. Great video as always!

[@superzooperhaze6597]

OH my gosh i have to go find taht that's a personal favorite buffy moment for me

[@trytoo5167]

Sick I'm gonna go watch that nerds video. Never watched Buffy but message sounds great.

[@machiavelli8119]

I'm suprised you perceived the rumbling to be portrayed as cool I had the complete opposite impression: it showed the horrors and the tragedy with innocent civilians like the refugee Ramzi and his little brother being trampled to death. Adding to this the background music that evoked the feeling of absolute tragedy (not that this was necessary at this sight)

[@tzkbb]

the entirety of season 4 i think is like that, it's intensely depressive, the first three seasons are supposed to follow as propagandising the AUDIENCE to root for someone who the fourth season reveals in no unclear terms is a genocidal fascist. by the time eren unleashes the rumbling, he should be dead to the audience, and the cliffhanger allows the sheer weight of the tragedy he's brought about to really sit with them.

[@akumamakima2280]

I had the same idea. It was horrific. Also as someone who remembers season one, people actually made fun of eren for crying. I never got the impression that people thought he was cool until the time skip. To me it was always Mikasa and Levi who were the cool ones.

[@eleonarcrimson858]

then explain to me what the show was trying to say in that last "good bye" scene. @@tzkbb

[@iantaakalla8180]

The Rumbling is cool to those that like Eren in that way because that is Eren when “realized”, Eren as an active character, Eren being a mastermind who does the impossible and assemble everything needed for the Rumbling to happen. That is it. He looks like that cool, detached sigma character some people laud. Furthermore, for all the Rumbling is an apocalyptic event, it is still both an event that is awe-inspiring, and the outcome of of what was then understood to be a sigma character as the ultimate mastermind, even so far back as Eren Kruger’s second conversation with Grisha Yeager.

[@Loverboy-td8zi]

FD, this was such a great and insightful video. I’m a 22 year old guy who recently stopped being a brain broken conservative. Anime is strangely enough one of the things that got me out of it. Watching cool stories like death note and AOT made me really check myself and make sure i wasn’t rooting for the bad guy. What do you know, turns out I can be the bad guy too. Thanks for providing insightful commentary that more or less backs up my experiences as a man and hesitant-to-admit anime enjoyer.

[@SuperBadadan]

You just fell into a different cult you easily manipulated fool.

[@tennicksalvarez9079]

Nice

[@theCommentDevil]

Anime can give fresh perspectives you've never seen in America media. It often makes you ask questions of yourself. It's what got me into it in the first place

[@doomdimensiondweller5627]

Cool thing is that There are basically no White people in anime. If you wish there was more diversity in entertainment watch anime. (Also when I say White I mean European.)

[@hjhj-zt6jb]

Light isn’t nearly as bad as eren. He was shown as a narcissistic villain the whole show but his goals were good. Pedos, r4pists , war is a real problem and he got rid of it all by the end of the show, it’s shown that he stopped all wars in the world and saved how many million families who live in countries like that. Light was a good guy to me, and no human can get a godlike power like light did and not become an asshole. I really liked light‘s character

[@saverna1]

I am also an elder anime fan, before KZbin I was one of the burners who converted fansubs from the internet to DVD and VHS to distrubute at cons. I loved contributing to the community in that way! I'm glad you made this video!

[@ItsBAndBees]

Thank you for you time!!

[@AccordingToBoring]

in the streaming age, you are a forgotten treasure !! thankyou for your contribution to the community !

[@80s_graffiti]

a true veteran

[@t8ntpliscan468]

Thanks to folks like you, I was able to view these stories all the way back in the 80s. I'm 40 and I still watch all the seasonal anime, but they're is nothing that will compare to the OVA boom and the great and complex shows and specifically movies that helped shape my interest in art and other cultures, and lead to my love of auteur directors that shaped the best cinema of all time.

[@mophead_xu]

also thank you for mentioning shoujo specifically and made it clear that in this video, "anime" mostly is just used to refer to "shounen". a lot of people dont even bother to make the distinction or acknowledge that the shoujo demographic exist, and then complain why "anime" is only the popular/favourable demographic of shounen. 😭 most shoujo nowadays unfortunately got adapted only into dramas instead of anime, which tends to not have as much of an overlap of audience with manga readers. and as always, one of the biggest thing why shoujo is so often overlooked, or relegated into just one genre or trope, or dismissed altogether, is-can you guess it-misogy...? ny!! thats correct!! good job! 🥰

[@lyndonwesthaven6623]

I was so happy that Kuragehime and Chihayafuru got a shout out! Also, with isekai as a concept, there's a whole 'nother conversation to be had about how differently that same push towards being self-consciously trope savvy and dealing in wish fulfillment manifests in shoujo isekai

[@XiaoIsMyHusbandBTW]

i also feel that Shonen is too wide of a genre while shoujo seems to have to fit into a certain box

[@mophead_xu]

@@XiaoIsMyHusbandBTW thats because neither is a genre; theyre a demographic. theyre as much of a genre as a "kid's book" or "adult novel". it says nothing of the genre, which can be anything, and only who its main target audience is. the only reason shoujo seems to fit a certain box is because it's made by women and for girls, so ~obviously~ it cant be as wide in selection and as varied as stuff for boys and men, since all that we're interested in are romance and pretty things. (sarcasm) in all seriousness though, legitimately shoujo "fit into certain box" bc outside its own audience so little people are willing to give it a chance and explore the demographic. so it gets judged by whats mainstream and popular and gets assumed that bc X or Y is shoujo then thats just what the whole demographic is.

[@XiaoIsMyHusbandBTW]

@@mophead_xu exactly

[@stormysoup1083]

I was waiting for some acknowledgement that anime is more than just shonen(even tho I like a lot of them), it is frustrating to see people’s complaints with Dragon Ball or Attack On Titan be used as critiques of all anime

[@g.j.9515]

what gets me the most about Eren is his first coherent, impactful idea was that everyone deserves to live free because they were born into this world. he felt so strongly about that, it was his own imprisonment that inspired the rage but he knew he had as much right as anyone else therefore this radically humanist idea made home in his heart. then he had to be booted up by the Plot Force and lose his character so that. idk itd look cool if he pulled a mysterious joker genocide ig

[@nirgunawish]

would it tho

[@g.j.9515]

@@nirgunawish not to me but there are masses open to that sort of messaging i guess seeing how hes hailed for being a cool shonen protag

[@kevintanza6968]

The general idea of a freedom-loving kid because a genocidal maniac is quite interesting. The problem is not Isayama writing a story but rather people thinking Eren is right. It's the same as people thinking Light was right. I think Lelouch from Code Geass worked better than them because he had a stronger moral compass, human bonds he cared about (mainly his sister) and was facing a greater evil. And never attempted genocide.

[@g.j.9515]

@@kevintanza6968 im gonna disagree on that. "freedom loving kid to genocidal maniac" is already a weak premise, its a problem if it reflects real life Genocides that happened or are still happening (with all of its political, cultural, components) and its a problem if it doesnt (instead staying in a comfortable fictional bubble). it needs to be executed well either way. and isayama just simply wasnt equipped to write that story. without even involving his alleged politics (things he shared online about ww2) its clear he just didnt approach it with the nuance it requires. the story is in shambles when you ignore the genocide part too, character arcs that are muddy as shit, laid down themes that reach nowhere, relationships blurry and shallow. its a hype monster through and through, what keeps you watching is the already established consumer mindset where youre looking for a short break to turn your mind off because thr second you sit down and try to engage with the material you cant grasp any value other than shock value.

[@apinchofdisappointment]

⁠@@g.j.9515what is your opinion on the anime adapted ending

[@DreamMorpheus42]

Levi exists in the same story, even more traumatized than Erin, and he's dealt with it in a much better way.

[@matthewaddai5336]

This argument would hold weight up until the point where Eren see's the memories of his dad and the future of what he is about to do. Plus Levi has age and experience on his side. So i'm sorry but this is a B.S. viewpoint. Also you're not factoring the trauma Eren has to deal with being the only person on Paradis Island who can transform into the very monsters his people have been plagued by outside the other shifters who are enemies (with the exception of dark skinned Ymir), only to realise those same monsters ARE in fact his people, in conjunction with the memories of his father before coming to Paradis Island.

[@JulianDanzerHAL9001]

@@matthewaddai5336 thats also indirectly caused BY himself and symbolic for how his own spiraling conviction dooms him - and the editing in dawn of humanity seems to make it very clear which moment turned him towards hate

[@ALotOfCancer]

@@matthewaddai5336 The author himself would disagree with you, I've watched literally every interview he's ever done, he hated himself as a person up until the end of the series (right when he got married) and he used Erin as a way to express himself. Erin is not justified in his feelings, he is literally a representation of the author and his desire to see individuals "rise up" against oppression. For some reason, he doesn't like *people working together* to dismantle oppressive systems. *He specifically said he like seeing INDIVIDUALS rise up* The author said in his own words, "I've become a bit of an adult now, huh?" when he was writing Levi's backstory.

[@jaccl4539]

better for who ? the cycle benefits those in the gap of peace. We dont like his choice doesn't mean it was a bad one.

[@841Takis]

Okay so there is a theory going around that might change your view or not. It gos like this Eren is in a time loop which is proven by 121 and 138 which is shown that he has been through this before and has seen multiple outcomes but decide not go with them because it ends up with his friends suffering and him dying. So he chose this outcome of the story because he wanted to let his friends live happy lives, I doubt he cared about the rest of the island and cared more about Ramzi and the eldians living outside the wall. He probably didn’t care about wether it was right or wrong.

[@dotrichmusic]

Man, your ability to give language to my (and I imagine quite a few others ) internal experiences is like a superpower. I want so badly to talk about these things in the same emotionally and intellectually intelligent way, but I just have to sit and listen. Maybe after I sit at your feet for a few more years. You are my god damn hero.

[@parisbower6939]

It honestly goes back to the beginning of the video, through anime western men are seeking the one thing that appears to be missing…community. I get what you mean but that’s also why I’m happy there people in my life and on the internet I can share my feelings about this subject with. It doesn’t need to be the most intelligent discussion, because most of the time you just wanna be heard and understood. Sorry if I’m generalizing hard but I feel your sentiment brodie

[@MahoroAndou]

Great Teacher Onizuka was the one that inspired me to be a teacher. I came from a rough background and hated school, and honestly when I started teaching in an inner ring suburb, I was the only teacher that came from an emotionally and physically abusive home. Every other teacher came from healthy two parent homes. I connected with a lot of the "bad kids" simply because I knew what it was like. But the story of GTO who probably couldn't give two shits about what he taught, but how the students felt really hit home for me. And not surprisingly, one of the ways I connected with a lot of them was through anime. When you lack real life positive role models, you look to fiction and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[@Icynova]

GTO is an incredible example. Loved that show so much.

[@abysschef5078]

Beautiful example

[@SadBirbHours]

It has that 90s anime disease of sexualising literal children which really hampered my enjoyment of it. Which is a shame because it has a lot of greatness to it.

[@MahoroAndou]

@@SadBirbHours oh for sure. Super problematic, but I'm also great at compartmentalizing. The underlying message and theme of the anime far overshadowed the problematic stuff.

[@theradionicrevival8068]

This is me but with sonic and Spider-Man. Real male role model was awful, so I sorta just looked to them and internalized and copied they’re behaviors because to me, they were what a good person was actually like and someone i should try to strive to be to the point where the persona became inseparable from me. My biggest beef now is just being jealous that al my friends got to have this spiderman like figure around to help them when they’re down and vibe with when I didn’t. It’s crazy the impact these characters can have on kids

[@MrVecheater]

I didn't read the manga, but I think AoT pointed out clearly enough that Eren was wrong. Every character around him told him he was wrong. Armin (maybe that was Anime only) told him that Eren keeps looking so far into the future that he can't see what's right in front of him. This implies that Eren did have better options but refused to see them. Another key scene is the commander's speech during the rumbling. He talked about how it was society that created Eren as he is in the first place. During his speech, Reiner's mother realized that she was wrong for using her trauma as an excuse, too. It was mostly Eren and some soldiers who continued at that point. The problem is not the show. It's the people who don't want to understand it.

[@Itchy__]

I agree, I think it's fair to view Eren negatively. But I dont think he's trash, or that he became trash in the final season. His choice to genocide the world is horrific and unforgiviable, but I dont see a whiny "weak" manchild doing that in the story, I see someone else. Someone who gave up on healing both himself and the world, rather than someone who is purely driven by his own truama and despair. Honestly, the sneako/tate comparison was miles off imo. The only real connection I see there is that Eren might be somewhat antisocial

[@Less-thanthree]

​​@@Itchy__about the antisocial part, in Attack on School Castes it shows Eren is canonically the quiet kid in a world without titans😭

[@GeminiDre26]

It is only Eren who could see the future not you. If your country is being attacked for no reason, what would you do.. nothing? I don’t agree with Erens ultimate choice, but I also don’t know the choices that he was able to see. People who are saying that Eren is wrong never give their opinion on what should have been the action and the outcome from that action. Just sideline politicking.

[@niles2467]

@@GeminiDre26I think it’s safe to say that mass murdering 80% of the world is wrong on all accounts.

[@GeminiDre26]

@@niles2467 no context to your statement and also no alternative or solution you presented of course lol. Arm chair general. You act as if Eren wasn’t literally being attacked with planes flying above pardis head before the rumbling started. I have a possible alternative that would have been more feasible but you and the KZbinr have no common sense or analysis/solution of your own that Eren could have done. Read my first comment. You of course never gave your opinion. I assume you would agree with Zeke s plan or agree with just being bombed while Marley kills 100% of your people for no reason.

[@aidankeogh9994]

"He had no choice" is the perfect non-argument in both fiction and real life to completely wash someone's hands of responsibility.

[@CtisGaming]

It's a shorthand for explaining that there was no peaceful outcome for the scenario that was put forward in this series and Eren, as a character, was never going to let his people get killed off or just die out. Every arc gave us his answer to those solutions/ outcomes. So when what are basically the Axis powers gave him a "kill or be killed" ultimatum, we know what he's going to choose. Especially since his ability gives him 100% accurate predictions of the future's outcome. Anyone who watches AoT can clearly see it's not about morality and neither is its pessimistic world. And while it's certainly a more entertaining story & unique for it, I don't know why we're pretending that anyone is using it as a moral parable. The WWII aesthetics aren't just for show here. Hilter is literally the leader of Marley and going to wipe them out. But in this case, there are no Allied nations. This story and world bent over backwards to make a peaceful outcome impossible for the Eldians w/out the titan powers and even those were actively trying to kill them. Why is no one addressing what the actually scenario was that led up to the Rumbling?

[@jasonrobinson401]

​@@CtisGamingbruh, isn't he the one who decided eldians shouldn't continue to exist? He had no choice but to take the potential futures of all his "friends"? Eren was mentally ill, and coped by going as far down the rabbit hole as he could, while calling everyone else deluded because they couldn't understand why they all "need" to die. We ALWAYS have a choice, we could commit an atrocity, or we could just, not? what gives him the right to decide that for everybody else anyway? The king was wrong for locking everyone up without their consent, but Eren is right for the rumbling because "he had no choice! He had to!"? This is exactly what the video is about, Eren just keeps getting more angry and bitter, but refuses to reconsider anything about his beliefs, despite how miserable they make not only him, but also the people he keeps insisting he cares about. Eren is a very flawed, damaged, warped person by the end, not a particularly good person, but a very interesting and well written character.

[@TommyNicoletti]

@@jasonrobinson401 no that was ZEKE ZEKE wanted them to go extinct Eren goes along with it so he can use the rumbling

[@TommyNicoletti]

@@jasonrobinson401 no one is saying Eren is Right, people just understand WHY and HOW he got to that point; again he is seeing past present and future all at the same time. No matter how he walks the path it ends the same. Eren and the author state is numerous times

[@jasonrobinson401]

@@TommyNicoletti unless that gets expounded on in the next season, it's a major, MAJOR writing cop out. "No guys! You just can't see the future and past like Eren could! There was a reason he "had to", we're just not privy to it, because Eren doesn't think it matters wether or not others know!"? The only reason it was "preordained" is because he's too damn stubborn to even reflect on the repercussions of his own actions, unless he can view it all as a big scary bad dream, wherein EVEN HE doesn't know why he did it all. Eren: I have to kill all the titans! His friends: but Eren! You've become the titans! Eren: huh, guess I've gotta kill all of you now too, isn't that whacky and uncharacteristic? I'm doing it for a really really good and real reason though, but I won't tell you what it is, because I think you all shouldn't be involved with this decision, despite your lives literally hinging on this action I'm taking of my own volition. Maybe not everyone thinks he was right, but I know for fact that some do, because I've had arguments over the subject, arguments that might as well have been with wall rose, because they always end with "but Eren had no choice!" As though he lacked any semblance of free will or something, which I might actually be willing to believe, based on how little he considers things in his life, dude lives by the motto "doesn't matter, move forward (wherever the hell that's supposed to be), put everything behind you". I wanna see adult Eren meet kid Eren, maybe in some sort of nightmare sequence, because that kid that just started out in the scouts, would titan shift and kill fascist Eren without a second thought, specifically for threatening his friends and family, they're barely the same person anymore, like some twisted version of Thorfinn from Vinland, only he got WORSE instead of better.

[@TheAnimeTea]

I’m very late to this video but as a woman who watches and talks about anime I respect the way he centered aspects of Shonen and Seinen series in a way that is both positive and worthy of criticism and the effect it has on young boys and men. There is not nearly enough conversations from this angle about it from a male perspective.

[@juniperrodley9843]

On the other hand, I've seen effectively zero consideration across the entire internet for shounen from a non-male perspective. It's not so much that male perspectives aren't taken, as it is that they're taken without any of the speakers acknowledging that they're male. It's always just treated as matter-of-fact, default.

[@JohnRapheal7]

​@@juniperrodley9843i mean Shonen literally means young man so.... That would make sense

[@juniperrodley9843]

@@JohnRapheal7 Believe it or not, other people read the genre

[@anaveragegamer359]

Believe it or not they arent the target audience no need to appeal to them @@juniperrodley9843

[@Lastofthefreenames]

​@@juniperrodley9843but it's still targeted towards young boys. There's boys that like barbies but Mattel doesn't generally cater to them

[@KhaotiKlan]

I think anime like Jojo’s Bizarre adventures really gave me courage as a NB person to feel epic in my more gender non-conforming/femme clothing. Rock Lee from Naruto did the same for me, and I think if you grew up with any level of disability, seeing Rock Lee fight like hell in the Chunin exams was a transformative experience. I had to work way harder in school and face bullying because of a really bad stutter I had, but watching Rock Lee prove himself while also being quite genderless was incredibly inspiring and made me want to, unironically, keep moving forward.

[@ayafan3876]

Shit. Also grew up with a disability and I loved Rock Lee's chunin exams fight to pieces. Never put it together before but I completely relate to what you said

[@trashketchum9782]

i’ve always said that the main theme of Naruto was overcoming trauma by finding strength in your purpose as well as your bonds with others

[@beastiebro]

First manga to have foreigners be the entire cast and one of the first in shonen to have black representation, strong female characters (Lisa Lisa’s role was still held back by editors), a leading female cast, and a plethora of LGBTQ representation! Araki has always been a pioneer and it’s no surprise that his unique style was featured in the Louvre! Dude is beyond amazing (and is probably a vampire)

[@SamTheGumMan117]

​@beastiebro Agreed and most definitely he's immortal like Kono Dio Da

[@2_ratsplz]

Crazy cool intro

[@colemix1852]

Seeing MB and Super Eyepatch Wolf in this videos intro let me know I'm in for a real treat

[@colemix1852]

OMFG THE A RANDOM RO APPEARANCE? I AM LIVING

[@TheTsugnawmi2010]

Eren could have EASILY just… asked for help. The second he saw the future, he should have turned to his friends and team to outline EVERY detail he saw. That’s all he had to do. Ask for help.

[@Alacaelum]

EXACTLY. People act like he couldnt just... ask for the help of the people that loved him, more so when many of those people had great talent in... planning. People act like Eren became some tactical genius because of his little "peek" into the future, like we don't have many fiction stories exploring the determinism of "predicting" the future, I mean... not like there one of the pillars of modern science fiction deals with it, "cough"Foundation"cough"... but sure, killing billions because that is "the only option" is really easy when you don't see yourself as one of those dying.

[@jase276]

You don't get it.... Eren did let his friends come up with plans. NONE OF THEM WORKED. Armin lead the diplomacy plan, didn't work. Politicians said Paradis Eldians should be culled. Mikasa lead the military plan, didn't work. They needed 50 years to catch up with the rest of the planet. The Survey Corp/Government was let to have a plan. Their grand plan was to turn Historia and her children into a breeding ground for future titans like Fritz did to Ymir for 50 years while they caught up. And Historia would let them because that's how fucked up her head is after the life she's had. They wanted her children to eat their own children to ensure Paradis had protection. Are you reading this? Eren didn't tell them about his plan for two reasons. 1.They wouldn't understand or believe him and 2. It needed to be convincing. If he had told them to kill him they would've hesitated. That's why he tried so hard to get Armin and Mikasa to hate him in that meeting they had. Armin literally catches on immediately after and tell us, the audience, that maybe Eren wants them to hate him. Like, catch up, dude. Sure, he could have said something but he needed Zeke to believe that he believed in his neutering plan and the Yaegerists allowed Eren to move freely on Paradis while doing so. Y'all forget that Eren literally did nothing to nobody and Marley still convinced the planet to combine military forces to go to Paradis and kill everyone. THAT'S when he posted up to become a martyr. Also, one huge thing no one noticed. He did ask for help. He asked Mikasa what he meant to her. That was him literally asking her to run away with him but she cowered out and said she only saw him as family not romantically.

[@dystervarg5257]

I think you assume Eren was, somehow, healthy enough, emotionally speaking. When trauma hits you, can do plenty of damage that can affect you even in thing you didn't consider an issue, that's why a person can go down the downward spiral, apparently, for no reason. I have "anecdotal evidence" of it, outside the anime characters discussion, a whie ago in my inner circle of friends I got an acquaintance who really was cool guy, doing great in job, about to get married, not a showing off dude despite he got many things of himself to brag about, and suddenly, he "finished" himself, but not only ended himself, he did it in the worse possible way, truly was a shock that destroyed his family and traumatized very bad his fiance (sorry if it is the bad term, I'm not native speaker). I mean he never show signs of any serious problem, I repeat, his girlfriend soon to be wife when to a breakdown because nothing remotely turn on any alarm. His parents broke up, and uncles, nephews fought over the money and properties he left. The only thing he has to do was to ask for help, but he didn't, why? we never know.

[@MrRenanHappy]

@@dystervarg5257 Almost the entirety of Season 3 is Eren asking help. He learned to do it in Seasons 1 and 2, but he gave up on it to follow his ruinous destructive path.

[@D3xterJettster]

Talking about the future changes the future

[@brandonm9024]

The Eren to Gutts comparison was just amazing and I never thought to put them together like this. Thank you!

[@ScorpionViper1001]

I also realized an even better ending example than Eren vs. Bateman would be: "You may think you look like this: [Donning Shirt With the Power of Abs.] But you probably look like this: [Snake Baron.]"

[@jawvees2585]

our great sage FD has done it again, great video man

[@benjiman7259]

Damn Geoff is lookin pretty good these days There was a point where the whole “Mothers Basement” persona looked like it was takin a tole on him, so I’m glad he looks better all these years later

[@An_Urban_Nerd]

I lead a black male community of freshmen and sophomores at the University of Connecticut. I would love for you to be a guest if not virtually for my class. Many of the topics you texted me ended up talking about from emotional IQ to nihilism. It's so much to unpack for boys transitioning into adulthood but your videos have been a great tool to share with my student!

[@ocek2744]

Listening to this, I think FD signifier should watch Vinland Saga, I think the manga indirectly deconstructs and dismantles the typical anime tropes pretty effectively.

[@BlackJustice2637]

Oh absolutely. Before I watched it, I never thought the phrase "You have no enemies" could give me chills. Not sure if I can wait for the next season before I read the rest

[@tommygallegos2230]

Yeah it’s the anti Attack on Titan. So good.

[@wolfpytlak2786]

And also Tokyo Ghoul (the manga, not the anime) this 3 series really go from "full on edgy" (with diferent flavours of power and pain) to "I've learned how to heal and grow to be better" in such a way that has had such a deep impact on most people that have read them. They really make me glad of finding out about anime and manga as a teenager, I feel like i've grown up alongside those characters in ways I couldn't imagine before, fuck, i'm so fucking grateful to the authors that crafted those stories.

[@discoinferno701]

it really is an examination of the highs and lows of masculinity the toxic side of it and the truly positives it can bring one character at the end of the farmland arc states he wishes he can one day be as kind and strong as thorfinn like what a real man should be.

[@joelman1989]

Hell yeah! I was thinking the same thing

[@muticere]

When I was young I was a big Vegeta fan. I was socially awkward and thought of myself as dark and brooding, so an angry, edgy character like Vegeta joining the good guys appealed to me. Now I’m an adult and I’ve mellowed out and now I just find Goku’s pure enthusiasm for the things he loves to be much more appealing and emulatable. He’s just a big dumb guy who loves to train and loves his family and friends. And he achieves greatness and the ability to protect the ones he loves through his own hard work and passion.

[@cannedcan9788]

Also you realize that Vegeta is basically using that behavior to cope with and ignore his insecurities

[@iantaakalla8180]

It is so obvious come early Buu saga that Vegeta thinks he needs to be an evil person to be a realized, powerful person because under Frieza’s command he was either a cruel, realized warrior or he was dead.

[@DeadbeatShadows]

This video teally made me think of what the fighting game community, and my local scene has done to help me move past what had been the worst couple years of my life. I still struggle daily, but I have a community with a shared interest that is focused on self improvement as well as lifting up others in the search for true competition. Competing in my weekly local bracket in Street Fighter and Guilty Gear makes me motivated to be better each time, even if I know for a fact right now I'm one of the worst players to consistently show up. Every time I land that anti air and get the punish, every time I pull off that swag combo or bait out the reversal I feel like I'm improving myself. I might beat myself up sometimes when I'm feeling at my worst and I can't perform, but it's hard to be sad when everyone is getting hype and cheering you on. If you have a local fighting game scene, I encourage you to get involved. It's the best hobby I've found, and I'm in a lot better place in life. It's helped me think about who I am as a man and to really get that self motivation back in motion after some devastating setbacks.

[@Smokescale]

Fun fact: your description of Isekai almost perfectly fits "The Owl House" which has me howling with the "all the girls want to have sex with them" line because Lumity.

[@Bighomie39]

I hate the fact that you're 100% right. I had already considered that TOH is an isekai, but I didn't realize that Luz herself is technically a perfect fit for the standard protagonist role, except for her having a somewhat interesting personality and being a girl.

[@pharniel]

@@Bighomie39 (Not So) Fun Fact - Isekai until the early 2000's was primarily a Shojo genre. Innuyasha, Magic Knight Rayearth, Escaflowne. Even El-Hazard was more focused on the relationships between the male characters than the Kewl Powerz. IT was still selling a Power Fantasy, but a very different kind. Then again "Trapped In Another World with My Overpowered Abilities That Makes Me Awsome" is literally John Carter of Mars and a huge chunk of 19th century Boys Own Adventures, so Isekai is a super-old genre.

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

How to make Isekai for dummies: - Dark haired protagonist (no facial hair!) - Mainly female companions (busty elf girl, loli girl, beast girl) - Main character is OP (either due to magic power too good or because too fast)

[@b_delta9725]

On the same note, Star vs the forces of evil started like the trope of magical being living secretly on earth, but at a certain point became an isekai.

[@WiseSonAC]

Thank you for the anime club memories at that school on the Eastside! I'm so happy for your success. I'm a teacher now and I hope to be as cool of a teacher as you were!

[@joobcave]

I loved anime as a girl because it’s just so unselfconsciously sincere. It’s like watching someone’s daydreams. This is what makes the anime I love transcendent and the anime I don’t (admittedly shonen) seem “cringe”.

[@commissarkitty3553]

Calling anime weird is cringe, generalizations like that are ridiculous, especially coming from someone that hates being stereotyped. Not to say there are not really weird animes out there.

[@AHOPOAH]

Here in Brazil, a lot of young men were arrested for sharing cp and stuff like that on Discord, and one particular figure prepared a whole Eren look for the time he got arrested and appeared in the news, he straightened his hair, wore a sweater with the fictional country symbol on and was straight up emulating Eren's mannerisms during the arrest, giving a look of disdain and an air of superiority Details are more complex, but basically he knew he would get caught, so he set up all his contacts from that Discord server and acted like he had a masterplan to get them arrested and come out as a hero, like he was playing some 4D chess game Also lots of young women were commenting on social media how "good" he looks, I'll just leave that

[@tribaljukebox1773]

Whats the name of the case?

[@bread5049]

Ok that's brazil but still what the fuck

[@Goatmacdonald]

Eu acho que Eu lembro disso foi aquele cara que agiu como um protagonista de anime e tinha um Tom zombador quando sendo entrevistado (i think i remenber this that guy who was acting like a anime protag and using a mocking tone while being interviewed

[@madjack420]

qual o nome desse cara isso e ridiculo

[@Goatmacdonald]

@@madjack420 não mostra o nome mais pesquisa preso pelos piores crimes ele ri das vítimas

[@brendann9223]

“If you watch anime you need to put a condom on your brain”. Insanely accurate lol

[@rosegiogio9255]

How nobody understands Eren character? Eren is meant to be a hypocrite and a monster. Isayama used Eren as a morality check for the fanbase, and he succeeded, just look how divided the fanbase is. The problem is that people believe he is a chad, but no, he is a fragile man. Again, he is a hypocrite and a monster, he refuses to heals, he refuses to listen, and engulfs in the trauma. But that’s the reason why I like Eren, we don’t have a character like this in the manga Industry

[@HiBuddyyyyyy]

That’s definitely why a lot of people probably didn’t like the ending, Eren shows that he isn’t a cool emotionales Chad and he never was. Also that happens with a load of characters. People seriously think they are the good guy when the actual media is like ‘no they are not’. :(

[@ogungou9]

@ @rosegiogio9255: Since the beginning. In French we called that "a va-t-en-guerre" ... In french we have: Conscientious objector status, since joining the army was compulsory...

[@rosegiogio9255]

@@HiBuddyyyyyy for real, people lack reading comprehension, they digest the power fantasy that he holds as cool

[@uncletruth4529]

The fact that attack on titan was written in such a way that made genocide somewhat understandable is problematic. However, given the choices Eren was presented with idk how you can blame him for what he did when the only other option was watching his entire race be eliminated 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@jamietate2854]

​@@HiBuddyyyyyypersonally I dislike the ending because of how it treated Reiner

[@EndorphinSauce]

I respect your opinion and I agree that Berserk is peak, but I have to apologize and hope you understand what I mean when I say that I hate it and that I don’t think anyone needs to replace eren with anyone because I think it’s essentially running away from the issue. It’s great that eren sucks. Confront it. Learn from it. Let eren’s story put things into perspective. I agree that eren’s fake machismo inspiring young men is BS, but for me that doesn’t mean that it’s a waste. If anything it opens the door to discussions that need to be had if you are to become a goddamned adult that understands people so that you can live with yourself when life confronts you with how hypocritical the foundations of society are and the contracts we make everyday in order to exist in it.

[@jyotirani8187]

I get you. It's like you are saying that people should see this series, watch this character Eren Yeager and tell their children, "See that guy? Don't be like him. He's a failure." Because eren did fail. He failed to understand life and change his character. He failed to understand the world from the view his mother Carla used to see.

[@EndorphinSauce]

@@jyotirani8187 yes, as much as it’s great to learn from examples of where being optimistic the correct outlook, eren serves as a perfect reminder to reflect and act accordingly so that our nature doesn’t dominate our daily life and rob us of choice. Not that we should be absent an identity, far from it, but to indulge so as to forgo reason or even the wishes of our loved ones is an extreme and we need the example of what not to do. Eren’s flaws are a greater lesson than the virtues of more positive examples for young men. But I agree with signifier that the worst takeaway from this is anyone who took away the wrong message from eren and saw his behavior as a positive.

[@jyotirani8187]

@EndorphinSauce agreed. Before the start of season 4, I used to think of eren as a character similar to thorfinn from vinland Saga. A guy who eventually lets go of his hatred and lust for revenge and decides to have an optimistic view of life. He changed dramatically during season 4, but not for the better. The problem is that he is the main character. His portrayal till season 3, at the very least, was a portrayal of a typical Shonen protagonist. But people fail to understand that he became a villain in the final part. A villain from whom you should be disgusted. People fail to understand that just because he is a main character.

[@nabilahalshari7880]

Yeah it gives "every piece of media needs male protagonists to be role models" which gets lobbed at female heroines too, which, no.

[@CleverNameTBD]

Berserk, Vinland Saga and Vagabond have been some of the best manga I've read over the last couple years showing immense growth in angry, traumatized boys/men

[@Laidback_616]

I'm gonna checkout Vagabond if you mentioned it anywhere near Beserk and Vinland. Got about 5 eps left on Vinland, show made tear up a few times. Hopefully Vagabond don't pull that hard on the heart strings. 😆

[@Shadirich11]

Chainsaw man is another one.

[@johngibson4874]

​@@Laidback_616You are in for a treat. Vagabond is absolutely excellent. It is philosophical in a way that Vinland Saga is

[@spiraljumper74]

@@Laidback_616Chalk up another recommendation for Vagabond from someone who’s obsessed with Berserk and used it to process trauma in their own life.

[@pyroguy1104]

@@Shadirich11 was gonna say, Chainsaw Man is well on its way to becoming another one of the all-time greats in its exploration of trauma and boyhood.

[@Chazzmatazz]

I saw Akira on the big screen, while attending the Univ. of Colo, in the Spring of '89, a year before it being officially released in the US, at a campus 'International Film Festival '. To say my mind was blown is a severe understatement.

[@wurst1284]

I don't think eren is supposed to be a role model. He has been depicted in an uncanny light from season 1, we just didn't notice because anime clichees. Something has always been wrong with him and unlike guts, he doesn't get better. He's kinda like gon from hxh.

[@Jen_meja]

He’s not supposed to be at the end. But the author did a bad job of making this clear for the audience. Wether you wanna debate that’s the fault of the reader or not is a different story tho.

[@insideroutside]

I like gon idk about eren i never cared much for him cause he seemed like an asshole

[@TKUltra971]

Exactly, Gon is like a serial killer in the making. I like how one video who analyzed him that said with his mind set he would have joined the phantom troupe if they found him first before Kilua and Lorezeo. He goes along with whatever seems right to him at the moment and then when the world doesn't respond in that way he breaks to pieces when that thought process is challenged. The whole Kyte thing.

[@Itchy__]

I think this roast on Eren doesnt really work. He brought up some good points. But it feels more like soemone roasting who Eren is inside the mind of an edgy teen making memes dunking on social justice movements, than actually criticizing Eren. Eren is indeed horrible, but he's not the same horrible as Tate, and I doubt he would be best buds with that actual manchild.

[@EndorphinSauce]

I love that you had eyepatchwolf in this video

[@Jetsetlemming]

The point Geoff makes in his intro really got me thinking. Western toxic masculinity seems so very isolating, because every man is in competition with every other man and the ideal is to be an "island" or "peak of the pyramid". Anime masculinity tends to focus a lot more on comradery, portraying other men as not always rivals but sometimes allies who help you improve, or cover your weaknesses. Anime guys can even get emotional and show weakness around their male friends sometimes, and that's super discouraged in western masculinity. And defeated opponents are sometimes not discarded trash or subjugated wimps, but future allies, where you work out your differences and become peers, and that just feels so wholesome (which is why Golden Kamuy is the most wholesome anime, in between the war flashbacks and people getting their faces ripped off by bears)

[@Jetsetlemming]

Basically western irl masculinity is the tournament arc and anime masculinity is the power rangers.

[@undeniablySomeGuy]

in parts that's really about the collectivist vs individualist differences between western and eastern philosophy. there's a lot of give and take to both focuses, but realizing the importance of both is, in my opinion, key to becoming a more wholistic, better person

[@RblastonYT]

@@JetsetlemmingAyo?!👀 You’re onto something.

[@j2theb498]

That’s really interesting to note. I just finished a anime called Rainbow and it highlighted the aspects that you described with male camaraderie since these boys had been thrown into a correctional facility and had to survive off that said camaraderie. Haven’t seen something like it but it sticks with me especially in the later half when the same boys have to find their life path after leaving the facility. Just beautiful writing and characters

[@SamTheGumMan117]

I won't say Golden Kamuy isn't wholesome at times, but it's definitely wacky, nutty, and funny af too

[@paxtenebrae]

The "I don't care" thing is SO TRUE. I remember back in my mid-twenties self-reflecting on my life up to that point and realizing that when I'd say "I don't care" either to others or just to myself while ruminating about something, it always meant that I cared a lot actually, but that care was too painful to process for one reason or another, usually shame. And if you don't process those feelings, they rot inside you. That rot is what is inside the "black pill", right? It's a fatal dose of unprocessed pain a person was too ashamed to ever bring themselves to process and resolve. After that, I stopped saying it and did my best to tell people and myself why I found it so painful, even though it scared the SHIT out of me when I first started doing it. People were a lot more receptive to that. This was paired eventually with learning how to say "I don't know/understand" and, scariest of all, actually asking other people for help if I need it. Things got better, life got less painful and I felt compelled to say "I don't care" less. Never not at all...but less. And we take those.

[@thesevenkingswelove9554]

No offense but is bottling up emotions really that harmful? Ik it can come out in really bad ways but people say it helps in controlling yourself. Does bottling up emotions make you feel fake or feel some type of "void" and nothingness inside?

[@paxtenebrae]

@@thesevenkingswelove9554 Yes, not finding ways to safely express what you feel is bad for you, collectively. This does not give a person permisson to just unload in the moment. If you're crushed by something its usually a good idea to wait and talk about it after you had time and distance so you don't end up speaking from within your pain. But not expressing that stuff at all on a long enough timeline will poison a person.

[@U1TR4F0RCE]

I think it's mostly correct, but from experience with work in my mid-twenties there's some stuff where I don't explicitly say I don't care, but I imply it and the reason is I don't care. There are specializations and skills for work that I want to work on/are something I want to improve throughout my career, and there are somewhere I actively would like to avoid because it's not a field of interest. "I don't care"

[@crabdragon243]

@@thesevenkingswelove9554Yes it absolutely is, particularly with a lot of men who are taught not to show emotions and that being emotional, especially around other men, is wrong. Of course women are affected too, but a lot of men in particular (like the commenter and myself) are often considered weak and put down by others for showing emotions, and bottle them up for literal years and even decades until they explode because they have no where else to go. Doesn’t just hurt men of course, this generational cycle of older men putting pressure on younger men to be like robots is a big portion of why so many guys are socialized and expect to treat their partners like a therapist and looking for a romantic interest to “fix them”

[@aidenperez1809]

​@thesevenkingswelove9554 Definitely unhealthy, I numbed my emotions for years as a teenager (with the hope of achieving greater self-control) to the point where I didn't feel anything for a long time, except anger or sadness in bursts. It has taken a fair amount of therapy and self-reflection to learn how to properly feel and process emotions as an adult.

[@sorenjuro]

Being 39, Married with a child I have found, being vulnerable, emotionally open and consistently willing to work on my communication, far more valuable than any of the tough guy stereotypes I was raised with. Like all things I think there’s a balance that needs to be found because my wife is not looking for a partner who’s going to crumble at the drop of a hat. But the biggest moments of growth that I’ve ever happened to me to better my life and my relationship have come from those attributes listed above.

[@frozzytango9927]

Anime is Femboyism. ITs not Masculinity.

[@Jornandreja]

Always good to hear wisdom like this in men. I'm glad your child has a positive role model. The tough guy caricature (it's a caricature at best, because it's not a real, complete person) is meant to control people. It's fear, control, selfishness, it's based on a sense of victimization, and it lacks empathy. It's not psychologically healthy for the man or anyone around him, and it very often proves that such a man has little insight into his own emotions and insecurities. But the work you are doing on yourself is about living WITH people and because you actually care about other people. And it involves much harder work than the oversimplified ideas of masculinity, which mostly serve to run away from getting a real look at oneself.

[@theradionicrevival8068]

My parents were terribly role models for a lot of what’s talked about here and across all of FD’s vids. So even as a kid, I understood this and internally just idolized fictional characters mainly sonic and Spider-Man, (but later goku, deku, kamina, naruto, reigen etc) to the point where I become so self sufficient and outspoken, I became my own cheerleader, role model big brother figure. While it definitely benefitted my later relationships a ton, if I ever have a kid, they’re definitely gonna have a luxury of growing up with a guys who’s actually willing to grow, change and being emotionally honest enough to communicate with others and show humility.... However as I age, I grow more and more envious that everyone else gets finds that role model or friend in me, that I never got to have myself because I’ve always been stuck alone being the main and often only person rooting for myself to make it. So i kinda worry, since I’m still in that toxic black familial environment, how long will it be til I’m actually able to sleep comfortably at night and live a life like you guys? Sometimes I wonder if spiderman’s influence is wholly positive, with how I’ve also seem to inherit his tendencies of cutting off everyone to protect, and constant dredging through tough environments and situations on his own, because results only end well when it’s just me doing all the work. It’s helpful sure, but one person just can’t rely on themselves forever. I’m at a point where I keep trying to pick who I put trust in carefully (and will never stop doing so) but it only ever seems to blow up in my face. Like I literally can never fully trust anything good that comes into my life and just always expect something bad to happen right around the corner, and I’m rarely wrong about it. I guess I just envy people like you and while I’ll keep working for things to get better, I wonder when I’ll actually find the peace of mind to have what you have. Because if all my life is just going to be this, it’s not healthy and I’m better off opting out tbh.

[@jordanetherington1922]

@@theradionicrevival8068 I think that if you really were *that* toxic, you wouldn't actually care enough to ask.

[@Jornandreja]

@@theradionicrevival8068 This world is better with people like you in it. And all that you give will come back to you in some way. It will be recognized if you persist. Trust me. There are people who already see it, but they just haven't told you. You may also be underestimating how easy it is for other people or how comfortable other people are. In fact, I find that the most caring people often don't sleep soundly because they are the ones that feel it all, take in everyone else's troubles, and are upset by how poorly many other people act. They are the ones who think about all the things that less thoughtful people just ignore. It's important for you to recognize the importance of your positive intentions and actions even when other people don't. Where I found a lot of my self worth was in service to other people. In times that I feel really down, pessimistic, even depressed, I find that the best thing for me is to look for a way I can help someone. And you don't have to sacrifice yourself. Even the simplest service can surprise other people and help you see that you are a powerful agent of positive change, and that it makes a difference. And the more we all do that, the more we help create an environment that is supportive to us too. We need you, don't give up.

[@xavcast007]

The amount of people that didnt understand attack on titan history and characters is incredible

[@SulMatul]

Hey F.D. ! This is a really well constructed video and I’m really glad you made it As a femme who is into femme-focused anime, I wanted to say thanks for pausing around 45 mins in to talk about non-Shonen anime You mentioned really liking Madoka Magica - if you did, may I recommend Revolutionary Girl Utena? It’s an old anime from 1997 but it’s one of the best anime series I’ve ever seen

[@scaryhallway]

utena is the best! especially if you enjoy gender studies and gender theory, the best!!!!

[@alexwebb7020]

I kept thinking through this video, "Fique needs to watch Utena something fierce"

[@LauraLovesHugs]

utena is absolutely incredible and for its time had SO MUCH to say about so much of this, just from the other side. it's also one of the best lesbian romances out there.

[@locojake11]

For anyone looking for more good examples of emotional growth in anime, Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion deal with self pity and aimlessness, and Devilman Crybaby has a strong message about dealing with uncontrollable forces larger than yourself and still being able to give a damn when things are at their worst.

[@dangerxbadger2300]

Devilman Crybaby is fuckin AMAZEBALLS.

[@dangerxbadger2300]

Nge and Bebop are also so freaking good. Definitely some solid recommendations

[@aidanchilders9043]

An empathetic portrayal of masculinity is a big reason why Chainsaw Man has been such a massive hit in the States. Denji might be the most and most empathetic portrayals of a realistically flawed teenage boy I've ever seen in ANY medium. Denji is far from perfect- he's an incorrigible horndog, he's incredibly crass and obnoxious, and he's realistically homophobic as you would expect an abused lower class teenager in the 1990s to be - but he's also an incredibly sweet, kind-hearted and gentle spirit, he NEVER pervs on women for cheap fanservice or tries to spy on them naked or any of that awful shit anime usually does, and he makes a point very early on that he doesn't want to have sex if it's not with someone he really has an emotional connection with. (I should also mention that the female characters in CSM are fucking unparalleled in shonen, they get depth, complexity, and realistic sleaziness-of-moral-character that is usually reserved exclusively for the boys in shonen.) Moreover, his goals are far more simplistic and mundane than basically any male shonen lead- he doesn't want to be a hero, he just wants to live a normal life with a girl who loves him as much as he loves her - and yet the story never looks down on him for his lack of ambition beyond wanting a girlfriend who respects his emotional needs. He's the anti-"Alpha Male" without being an uwu Tumblr fangirl "softboi". I'm not surprised that so many teenage boys love that series, it's one of the few I can think of that genuinely respects teenage boys for their wants and needs and treats them as neither rapists-in-training, Homer Simpson cavemen, or a worse version of girls. (Also, the romance subplot that's happening right now between him and the female protagonist of part 2 is the cutest fucking thing ever and I continue to pray to Fujimoto every day to please let them have a happy ending.)

[@thesevenkingswelove9554]

Tbh I was scared of watching Chainsaw man because I thought it was s_xist from the b00b grabbing scene... I may give it a try

[@lilmupp875]

@@thesevenkingswelove9554 lol do you even know the context behind that scene?

[@Rad-Dude63andathird]

​@@lilmupp875 Reread the comment, it answers your question lol.

[@lilmupp875]

@@Rad-Dude63andathird yea it’s a rhetoric question I only said it because it’s wild to judge a show off of one clip if you don’t even know why it exists in the first place.

[@Snormite]

All good, but hey, Chainsaw Man's female characters aren't "unparalleled" in shounen, the ones from Fullmetal Alchemist are just as good, and in One Piece, they have morals and depth too... Chainsaw Man doesn't really does anything new with the female characters, it could be argued that it simply refines them.

[@pelayosaavedra3937]

Isn't the problem here media literacy and the inability to engage with subtext more than the writing in and of itself? To that extent I'd agree actually, I like that the anime ending was less subtle and provided more context as opposed to the manga because I don't want a legion of fascist 13 year olds, but implying that these kids detract from the story is like saying Andrew Tate made the Matrix into a worse movie

[@FenShen-us9tv]

"Media Literacy" Oh my god just because you learn a word doesn't mean you use it every time.

[@pelayosaavedra3937]

@@FenShen-us9tv ?

[@FenShen-us9tv]

@@pelayosaavedra3937 Quit using buzzwords

[@LuisSierra42]

YES!! This is the real problem

[@alovesupreme76]

exactly. if people can't engage with the level of nuance and complexity of the writing that has been present throughout the whole series, why should that detract from the story itself? I think the story very clearly portrays eren's actions negatively, and if your only recourse is "he looks so cool doing it" then you dont have an argument. The story doesn't shy away from showing the horror and gruesome nature of eren's decisions, if someone comes away from the story thinking "eren is such a chad," that's on them. I'm sorry but if you have literally every other main character in the story shouting at the reader "this is bullshit" every other page and you still manage to miss the point, that's not the author's fault

[@joaodelgado6696]

Edward Elric I think is also a great example of a character who engages with his pain and grows frmo it, intially going on a search for power through alchemy but ultimately giving it up for his loved ones (literally)

[@alejandrocarralero2826]

I'm currently watching anime for the first time, starting with death note, and I really love how it shows what would actually happen if a narcissistic, insecure young man randomly got an overwhelming amount of power.

[@OVERDOSE7002]

Might wanna check out Code Geass next!

[@JaeDooks]

He’s a bit a tragic, idealized narcissist edgelord. I also second watching Code Geass it’s cool to compare the two

[@Ash_Wen-li]

Sad part is that like Eren, many confused him with being the good guy

[@benjaminoosterwolde9018]

@@Ash_Wen-liyou guys always seem to miss how eren, light, sasuke and lelouch are victims. Victims that have a godly amount of world changing power of course they are going to do what they are going to do and that is to live out there personal fable. Its kinda weird to compare shonen to seinen its written for different audiences. Its not that simple as saying they are rooting for the evil guy we are just following the protagonist story.

[@Ash_Wen-li]

@@benjaminoosterwolde9018 Being a victim doesn't absolve you of your bad actions. You can understand why they made the choices they did and still say those choices were evil. Light was not in anyway a victim. He was privileged in every sense of the word

[@towelociraptor]

Wow the points about healing from trauma near the end hit HARD. Even in more "conventional" media, healing is typically skipped or oversimplified, and because you rarely get to see organic growth as it might happen in reality, viewers will think it's not attainable

[@user-ms1ob8nj5e]

01:07:52 the ironic twist of fate, as his determination to acquire freedom turned him on a pre-determined path, thereby losing any freedom at all as he gaslit himself to think that this is the only way, seemed to me like a cautionary tale on single-minded pursuit of 'ideals' (for lack of a better word). Or like a divine punishment.

[@Diego-zz1df]

IMHO I'd say this eventually deserves a part 2. There's lots of stuff in Anime worth reflecting, stuff about society, culture, politics, hierarchies, even faith, both good and bad, and also yes, the absolutely terrible trash. And it all says something about people. I dunno if FD looks at these comments, but I'd recommend him the 1st episode of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, which aired yesterday. There's something about corporate culture that's expressed amazingly, but also a very explicit statement about why apocalyptic fantasies are appealing.

[@Pa_blito]

Man, I cried so much with that part about Godot's speech to Guts, i learned so much for that interaction it's unreal how media can help us grow and heal

[@MarcellusMaize]

I saw in real time how anime went from being relatively niche and nerdy to one of the biggest mediums of entertainment in the west and it was honestly great. Being a relatively popular black kid in a predominantly white school also gave me another layer of perspective because it wasn’t hard to notice how people thought it was cool or interesting whenever I said I watched anime and read manga, yet it was weird and dorky when other kids did it 😂.

[@helio7249]

I used to be the weird dorky anime fan in My school and I feel the same. It's great that the medium got so popular, it makes me happy

[@thrillhouse4151]

I used to hide it from everyone when I went to school, I envy that hahaha.

[@TurtleChad1]

​@@thrillhouse4151Being a h3ntai fan is even *harder*

[@IBBMS]

How old are y'all, because unless you're like mid 30s or up, I don't think this is really true. It may be your experience, specifically, but its not *the* experience.

[@nosirrahx]

Anime has been fearlessly creating good guys that do bad things and bad guys that make good points for a long time and this makes for far more compelling stories. It was inevitable for people to get bored with traditional tropes and gravitate towards fantasy that somehow actually feels more real.

[@haley_th]

I know this is an old video but I gotta poke my head in: I took an art history course for my degree called “Manga: History and Method” and your comment about Astro boy’s heart made me remember something from that course ( 16:12 ) which was taught by a Japanese professor. A LOT of classic manga was made to discuss the effects nuclear weapons had on Japan, as well as finding cultural identity after the war. There’s so much more I could say about this but I’d have to find my old college notebooks to make any sense.

[@wh8787]

I mean, for those saying "Erin had no choice" first up, he's a fictional character written that way, so the author clearly had a choice to write him that way or not. Secondly, within the story, his various friends choose not to support him and directly act against him when presented with exactly the same "problem". To them, committing an act of mass genocide isn't an acceptable solution to the threat they face, regardless of how shittily the world has treated their people.

[@charliekowittmusic]

I’m not sure what the point of this argument is. First of all, Erin didn’t have a choice. That’s literally the entire point of this story, regarding time travel and determinism. Secondly, as you yourself already said, the *protagonists of the show turn against him* because genocide is obviously wrong. The fallen hero is a common trope in fiction that goes back at least centuries. Walter White is another such character. ‘Protagonist turns bad guy’. What’s the problem here? That some immature reactionaries on the internet will look up to him? Okay. And..? Immature reactionaries also look up to Patrick Bateman, and every other aesthetically attractive bad guy. I see the same themes and morals in AoT as you get in Naruto, and thousands of other stories. Namely that violence begets violence, which begets more violence. It doesn’t make Erin Yeager right. It doesn’t make Pain (Nagato) right. In fact, it makes them flat out wrong, which is stated explicitly. It’s a real-life issue that happens and needs to be grappled with. That’s the sign of a good story.

[@Master-vh2wm]

Eden did nothin wrong 🥱

[@Jownbrownisekai]

Man the true reality of the situation is that final part of the manga wasn’t written that well. That’s it and people don’t want to admit it. “Eren had no choice” well and how about that whole 50 year plan or something? Get the coordinate powers, destroy the world alliance military, go no further than that and work to rebuild Paradis and try to make positive relations with the other countries. They give NO SATISFYING ANWSER TO WHY THAT WOULDN’T WORK. Oh it’s because Eren didn’t want to sacrifice Historia? SO MAKE IT FUCKING CLEAR, WE KNOW ALMOST NOTHING TO WHY EREN DID THE THINGS THE WAY HE DID. And there is no subtext bullshit explanation to all that, it’s just bad storytelling.

[@charliekowittmusic]

@@Jownbrownisekai It’s clearly explained that they live in a deterministic timeline. This means Eren can see the future, but is powerless to do anything to stop it. Secondly, the genocide serves a CRITICAL role in the story-telling! The show is all about the cycle of hatred bred from war. Reiner and Berthold’s attack on Shiganshina turned Eren into a monster. Us, the audience thought it was noble when he was killing Titans. Then we’re forced to reflect, rather harshly, when that same wrath is unleashed on people. We realize Eren, and ourselves, were wrong all along. Or right, for the wrong reasons, etc. Now, when you go back and watch Seasons 1-3 you kind of get uncomfortable with Eren’s savage “I’ll kill them all. Every last one of them” speeches. That is masterful writing in and of itself. Caveat: I agree. I wouldn’t have written the end quite like that. But I’m never going to take points off “because bad fashies on Twitter/KZbin think Eren is good actually.” That’s absurdly childish.

[@Cheemsonabike]

Eren did nothing wrong

[@tecpaocelotl]

Funny part I was speaking about this a few weeks ago with my gf. I had a college roommate who was African American who loved anime. People thought he was a stereotypical "tough African American" bc he was big and tall and was quiet. He was quiet bc he was shy. He hooked up my anime fix. I missed a Dragon Ball episode or movie? He got me covered. I missed the latest episode of South Park, he got me covered. I couldn't find a new rom, yeap, he got me covered. We played Halo and Counterstrike when we had LAN parties. When i invited girls to our parties, women went towards him, but once he spoke, girls found out he was a nerd and went away. I have no idea what happened to him.

[@viridianacortes9642]

I bet he’s fine. Anime is normal now. So I’m sure he found someone who accepted his nerdy personality.

[@tecpaocelotl]

@viridianacortes9642 he got a number from a girl by saying, "Hi," and "Can I have your number?" With his deep voice. Sadly girl ignored his calls (now called ghosting) bc he was a dork. I only knew bc this girl was friends to my friend. I didn't have the heart to tell him. I hope the best for him.

[@viridianacortes9642]

@@tecpaocelotl Man. That sucks. I hope he’s okay too.

[@dee5tank]

(From my own, 2nd generation Japanese-American cis male view) From a Western perspective, I think people would expect Japanese parents expect their own children to mature quickly, especially in behavior and emotions. For example, Japanese children, especially in the cities, are expected to learn the route between school and home in their kindergarten or 1st grade, including how to navigate a complex public transit system of trains, subways, and public buses. Parents might spend the first day to first week, and then children have to navigate their own daily world. To me, Shonen anime specifically reflects a cultural expectation that when Japanese children experience their day-to-day life, they should learn how to process their thoughts, emotions, and behavior. At the most granular, there's a lot of socialization of children (especially boys in particular) to self-determine, self-soothe (in the face of micro-hardships and traumas), and self-correct. No matter the type of media, Japanese media pointed at this age group of boys reinforces these traits, without any expectation of how parents should also approach the check-in, especially in providing a check on the development of fantasy and reality.

[@tvbuu]

dope video man

[@Soulkinthehuman]

I find it so funny that Attack on Titan tries so hard to paint Eren as a hypocritical and terrible man, but a large portion of the fanbase still thinks that he is in the right...

[@bradlast7839]

Is it funny Or is it the entire point of the show? Haha Youre trained to percieve shonen guy as hero Questioning and undermining that is the whole point so it makes sense people are mixed up about it

[@fluidthought42]

Similar thing happened in Death Note, although admittedly the anime didn't help with it's different framing.

[@tygerchickchibi]

Eren knows that he's shit

[@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024]

I’ve never watched it, but from what I’m hearing, he IS right. 😭

[@bradlast7839]

@@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024 he wants to wipe humanity off the earth aside from his village Idk if that can be right in any context haha

[@Rhekon]

The "I'll kill you" scene has lived rent free in my mind since like 1997. I'm in my early 30s now and that's still one of the funniest weird things I've ever seen.

[@oakuvalentine7734]

Nah fr that shit is peak

[@joelman1989]

That unlocked a memory for me I had completely forgot about lol.

[@Laidback_616]

@@joelman1989 Nah deadass. I went back and watched Wing as an adult about 2010, show hit totally different.

[@Lo0serx3]

what's it from?

[@hi.365]

@@Lo0serx3gundam wing!

[@kharithagoddess6591]

I think what’s scary about Eren is how he’s essentially a gaslighter. He was so efficient at it that even fans with the full context of that series world fell for it

[@ITzLDA]

😂😂😂 this comment is gaslighting

[@socialistbatman1211]

I dont care. If the world is set on wiping my ppl out, Im siding with a guy that has the power and conviction to end the world.

[@shjilz]

​@@ITzLDAyou are gaslighting

[@ogungou9]

@kharithagoddess6591: They didn't fell for it. You're too optimistic. I think that it is their sensibility. They like it like that, this is what is scarier. Don bullshit yourself. There is no gaslighting there. It is self-gaslighting ...

[@john2g1]

​@@ogungou9I have to agree... I was going to ask the OP to explain but I think you hit the nail on the head. I didn't read the AoT manga and I don't know anything about the author. As such I was willing to listen to FD in his AoT referenced videos. But then he said he didn't watch Season 4 Part 1, and Season 4 Part 2 has not been released yet. That's what leaves me scratching my head... Did Eren Jaeger make Jargerists or was he the front man for the belief system they had all along? FD was in the military just like myself. For me (I actually watched the 4th season part 1) the themes like the futility of vengeance, there is no good war, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, etcetera were unmistakable. The show is literally doing the opposite of gaslighting or creating a red herring, because there is always a character that interjects with an exposition dumping question. All of that makes me wonder how FD can keep taking the position that he does AND it makes it obvious that the real life Jaegerists held those beliefs to begin with.

[@CinemalecularFilms]

Late to the party but this was such an amazing educational production and I can't rave about it enough. The way you thread the needle between Anime good vs Anime bad is absolutely incredible and I really can't say enough at how much you've taught me about how to view the world in a more nuanced way is fantastic. I'm a girl-dad so I may have already been deprogrammed quite a bit, but videos of men, like you, teaching boys how to be men, like you, gives me incredible hope for girls, like mine...which if you want to ever indulge in some serious "power fantasy" struggles, dream some of the nightmares of being a girl-dad in this age. The thought of unleashing absolute rage just thinking about what could happen to my girls would probably put up some serious character arcs in these stories...no lie. Your content has been incredibly important in my own growth of trying to navigate the scary world of the not-insignificant minority of the patriarchy-preservation class. Something much needed to suppress my own toxic tendencies. Thank you for helping to spread your message of love for humanity.

[@86fifty]

Your username reminded me of the channel CinemaTherapy - they're two white guys, but with the therapy angle, they're a great resource for showing off how men can talk about emotions, give them names and proper contexts and stuff. Maybe you would like them? :)

[@just_gut]

I wish that I had this type of media literacy and language to describe my experiences when I was a teen. I would have loved to have been able to talk about and get help processing what I was going through. Maybe it wouldn't have taken until my late 30's to get therapy, or my early 40's to get an autism diagnosis.

[@leonardoandrade471]

Awesome video! My only """problem""" with it is the lack of FMA Brotherhood! I think Mustang's arc is another great example of healing and working toward better things, and the show has some of th best character writing I've ever seen in the medium

[@acmnin2146]

FMA Brotherhood would be perfect if they just added more episodes to the beginning that were covered in the original anime.

[@mst3kharris]

The point in Mustang’s arc I remember best (Spoilers for it) When he kills Envy because on the one hand you understand his anger and it’s so cathartic but on the other hand it’s so horrifying because Roy treads so close to unleashing the worst parts of himself.

[@prettynpetty8342]

Almost every man I know who even remotely likes anime names Full Metal Alchemist as their favorite anime. It's consistant. Each time I ask why, they say "It's just so good." But, the more I think about it the more I see that there's postive male role models in that anime combined with philosophical, political, and scientific topics. I can why many men love it. And occaisionally, there's explosions but I'm sure that hasn nothing to do with it.

[@Sh1ranu1]

I say it is the best of what anime has to offer, and a good reflection of what anime will show you. From the art style, the music, the action, the themes, the characterization, and the plot. These are all masterfully done and when watching other animes, they should reach the same level in at least one of these aspects. And then it shows the gags, the gore, the sexualization, the strangeness, and the hyperbolic dialogue that you *will* see in other animes but to a degree where a newcomer can decide whether or not they accept these oddities before diving into other animes.

[@DG-gx8pn]

FMAB is probably as perfect of an anime as you’ll get but it’s so boring to say it’s your favorite imo, it’s the equivalent to saying your favorite movie is Citizen Kane or The Godfather. Idk it’s just an easy answer.

[@londobellace]

I don't know how accurate FMA being THE favorite anime of men is anymore. That kinda sounds like just the people around you or internet people you interacted with. I know My Anime List has FMAB at #1, but thats because of review bombing. The fandom is a lot. That being said, FMAB imo is amazing because it is written by a woman. She and other female manga writers create more interesting male characters that hit different. Sometimes an outsider's perspective combined with a love of cool stuff can create stuff like FMAB. Also because the writer of the story doesn't share the exact same desires and power fantasies as most male writers do. They don't have to create imaginary ideals to represent the people they wish they were. To me, that's the biggest issue with the majority of poorly written anime. Another manga/anime written by a woman that is highly regarded is Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic. It not quite FMAB cuz it doesn't quite stick the landing with how it ends. Plus the anime adaption stopped before the best, most ambitious part of the story. But the anime is 100% absolutely worth your time.

[@anonisnoone6125]

I highly doubt that every man actually believes this cos AOT is genuinely mile better in characters and story. A lot of people say FMAB is their fav cos it' been 1 on MAL for over a decade cos of toxic fans.

[@Crowald]

I don't know if I'd call Brotherhood my favorite anime anymore, but the Elric brothers remain two of my favorite characters in the shounen genre for a lot of reasons. It changed who I am, and it goes without saying that Hiromu Arakawa is a masterful storyteller, but I don't think people praise it for the right reasons anymore. I think they just ride the never-ending wave of love for the series without interrogating what makes it the classic that it's always been. It also helps that its dub is one of the best examples of how to make dialogue sound not cringe when dubbing an anime adaptation in English. There is a lot of effort and talent put into the English voice acting.

[@HCSAgirl99]

this was really insightful. i am so happy this channel was recommended to me

[@kryogenic4457]

I always tell my wife that when I was growing up I had to wait for Dragoball Z to come on and begrudgingly started tuning in to Sailor Moon towards the end of its run-time so I didnt miss any DBZ. Eventually Srarted tuning into SM and vibing with Tuxedo Mask as hard as Goku. It was then that I realized that girls liked a man more in touch with his feelings. Of course my friends never knew how invested I was in SM, and regretably I did trash on it with them in a public setting despite actually enjoying it. Now I have a beautiful marriage dynamic, and am so grateful to my exposure to Sailor Moon. My wife has even gushed about how she likens me to Tuxedo Mask (even if it is a stretch in my eyes lol). Obviously it isnt owing to SM in every sense, but that is my context relating to this discussion.

[@TRaWi]

The most invested fans of SM I ever met were grown men and not just because of "tall girls in miniskirts". One of them was my bf for 2 years. They really remembered long lists of characters and battles and situations and questioned things a lot.

[@arrowwhiskers]

I can't speak to the male experience, but I was a weeb in high school and it's actually really interesting to me to reflect on what anime fandom meant to me (and to many others, I'm sure). I often almost felt like I didn't know how to relate to people who didn't like anime, while among fellow fans there was an immediate friendship bond. The thing is, anime/otaku subculture is more than just knowing characters and stories and liking art. For many young people, it is a much deeper cultural framework of tropes, cliches, and other shared social understandings and norms. I had no self awareness of this at the time, but as a teen I felt at ease around other anime fans because they immediately typecast me into the "shy nerd girl" archetype that features prominently in many anime shows. And people treated me accordingly, even having just met me. I liked being treated that way--I could avoid having to do the messy and vulnerable work of properly expressing myself as an individual, since others could seamlessly pick up on my "role" in the group and facilitate me playing it. Ironically, as I started to grow up and value the formation of friendships based on who I actually am, I started to feel a rift with anime fandom and eventually renounced it completely. Reflecting on this years later, I came to the realization that the typecasting, which was such a powerful social crutch for me when I was younger, was no longer promoting desirable interactions with others in that community. I think this phenomenon may also contribute to why nerdy, shy, or awkward boys and men gravitate towards anime--it can help you understand how to navigate social interactions, as it simplifies and trope-ifies them. When everyone is functioning within that same framework, there is some predictability to how people will engage socially with certain behavior. I don't think what I'm describing is necessarily a good or bad thing, but it's definitely a weird quirk of anime subculture. And unfortunately it may lead to a difficult transition for some, as people in their anime friend group naturally start to age out of previously established social dynamics.

[@Scarfgirl]

Wow, this was a great explanation.

[@Lunar_Atronach]

Damn! That's some cold motherfuckin bars! But seriously tho, I totally get this and it expands out to stuff like Mean Girls and stuff. Mean Girls is kinda treated like gospel (at least it is in my high school) for similar reasons, due to a complete ignoring of the satire element of it. A lot of people love to refer to the archtypes or scenes in it and use them to critique other people, playing into the type casting the movie condemns because they see the problem with the people rather than the culture

[@Gojirilla]

Gut's story actually resonated a lot with me growing up as someone who was a victim of some of the same things he was. He was definitely a character I latched onto in my younger years as inspiration for moving forward and pushing through seemingly hopeless situations and most importantly working towards healing. I'm glad he gets a mention here. I also really don't like characters like Kirito, Meliodas and especially Eren, so there were parts of this video that were extremely cathartic hahaha

[@Deode-d4h]

I was disappointed that the idea of Eren being a slave to his desire for freedom was never brought up at all. I would've expected that point to at least come up as a way to signify that Eren messed up and he was in the wrong. He never reached that goal, he only achieved this delusional point where he thought he attained freedom.

[@RedOtter100]

Oooh…I second this right here!

[@iantaakalla8180]

Actually, that is a good point. Eren always pursued his childish version of freedom, intermixing it with the legitimate plight of the Eldians and the urgency of the Marleyans imposing genocide on the Paradisians. The reason this was never figured out is because the plight of the Paradisians, Eldians, and then the Paradisians’ genocide obscure the ugliness of Eren, to make it look like he really had to do what was necessary.

[@aragoonn]

My hot take; anyone who thinks Eren did nothing wrong, or stan his actions (you can appreciate a villianous character without justifying or supporting what they do) has never actually experienced a trauma event as impactful as Eren has. Many studies show that adults who have experienced trauma display higher levels of empathy. Annecdotally, I witnessed the death of my partner due to medical neglicence. Of course, I was angry and wanted accountability/justice. But never did I want to go scortched earth. And now I struggle not to cry at the slightest depiction of harm (I'm probably overly empathetic now ahaha).

[@anthea6669]

I think you can't know how someone will deal with trauma, everyone's situation is unique and even trends have exceptions

[@Rob17kLiebermann]

As said above, it depends on the person. And also what kind of traumatic event it was. For example, a child who is exposed to a very abusive and unstable home for a long time may develop sociopathy.

[@Eirkyr]

Sociopaths are the exact kind of people who respond to trauma by denuding themselves of empathy for others.

[@appalachiabrauchfrau]

@@Eirkyr my husband has ASPD and he doesn't "denounce" empathy, he just never developed it because of abuse. Empathy finishes developing in the late teens for boys. It's frustrating for him not having it, I'd bet a large chunk of people on the sociopathic end of the ASPD spectrum would say the same.

[@Eirkyr]

@@appalachiabrauchfrauWho said "denounce"?