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conorharte3 · 3 years
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Aesthetics and Art
Liberating the imagination and putting oneself in the place of others. This is something that we as humans have a hard time doing in real life. Although we may generally know what others feel and experience, we will never truly know unless we went through the same hardships that they did. This being said, we as humans can relate to others even if the emotions are not fully understood. We can take our imagination and let stories and shows turn it into real emotions that we sense and feel. This is seen with how we can relate to Kakashi’s pain in his fight with his former teammate Obito Uchiha. We see the shock that Kakashi feels when he realizes that he will have to kill someone he once loved and cared for. Throughout the show, we see Kakashi lose his father, his lover, his best friend, and his sensei. All of these deaths shape Kakashi into the shinobi that he is and we can feel his pain. With each clash of the kunai every hand sign waived, we can feel each movement tug at his heartstrings and also ours in the process. Being able to put ourselves in his shoes allows us to have some sense of what he is feeling. We have all lost loved ones at some point in time so we are able to think if they came back and we were forced to fight them. Sort of a ridiculous thought but we can relate on some level to that. And unlike the characters in this fight, we are able to detach ourselves from these horrible emotions, we have the ability to turn the show off. That is where we truly cannot relate because the hardships our heroes face are not easily escapable for them, for us it’s just one click of the remote. The lessons we can learn from negative experiences like this are real even if the situations are fiction. That is where the beauty of storytelling comes in, taking fictional characters and settings and allowing real people to learn from these mistakes and become better because of it.
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conorharte3 · 3 years
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Moral Duties
Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are two of the most famous anime of all time. Their influence in modern anime is still seen to this day in shows like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer. This was all achieved because of the legacy that Naruto left behind. The show makers made certain decisions in their show because they knew how the audience would react. In Episode 365 we see 4 of the most legendary shinobi in the same room at the same time. Our brains had only dreamed of seeing the first 4 hokage all together and now we were finally able to experience it. And it was… perfect. Each of them gave their own feel to the conversation, whether it was Tobirama’s cold and calculated nature or Hashirama’s sense of humor, each person in this room had a reason to be there. The show makers knew that by showing these legendary characters they would be fulfilling the dreams that fans have had since we first heard of the hokage. How the audience perceives a certain medium is very important for the medium’s success. You can write one of the most compelling stories of all time to you but if your audience doesn’t enjoy it then it can’t gain the success that you originally intended it to have. When making shows or movies, creative directors have to know this and sometimes put their own thoughts aside and make something that the masses want instead of what they want. Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, knew this when he crafted this episode. This took place during the biggest arc the show had ever seen and this one episode still took our breath away with how perfect it was. It was as if Kishimoto had been in our heads for all those years writing down exactly what we wanted to see. 
 link to clip
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conorharte3 · 3 years
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Structural Analysis
The shadow archetype is our suppressed feelings as humans that are basic instincts that we try to contain throughout life. Repressed feelings of weakness, desire, and shortcomings. This is seen no better than in Obito Uchiha in Naruto Shippuden. To keep a long story short, after seemingly dying while saving his friends Kakashi and Rin, he is found by Madara Uchiha, an ancient force of evil, who raises the boy to be his own personal tool without Obito realizing it. After years of training and wishing to see his friends again, Obito is given that chance when he is told of his former teammates whereabouts. As Obito ran to see Kakashi and Rin the first thing that he saw was Kakashi killing Rin, the love of his life at the end of Kakashi lightning blade. This sent Obito into a rage as he gave into his desires and animalistic instincts. As Kakashi fainted due to shock, Obito began murdering all of the ninja around him in a gruesome manner. Screaming like an animal as he watched countless numbers of people die by his hand. From this day on, Obito swore to bring back Rin, not because that is what she would have wanted but because that is what HE wanted. Obito’s selfish nature led to countless incidents for the heroes throughout the story. This ultimately led to his confrontation with Kakashi all these years later. Light vs Dark. Control vs Desire. This fight was so much more than 2 friends just clashing it out, this fight showed how each of these men lost people close to them but they each took it differently. While Kakashi stayed good and instead used these feelings to help and teach others, Obito used these desires to destroy the world for all it had done to him. As a show with a lot of deeper meanings for its characters, it was really cool to see this archetype shown throughout the expansion as Obito as a character, it made his redemption in the end that much more satisfying as we watched him finally step out of the shadow, and into the light.
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conorharte3 · 3 years
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Depiction Analysis
The world of the shinobi in the world of Naruto Shippuden is built on war. Villages battled with each other in 3 great ninja wars similar to our own world wars that occurred. This brought many changes to how the younger generations were raised always with the hope that they would never have to see war first hand, but life is never ideal for believers. Their society is split into 5 major villages each with their own kage or leader if you will. During the latest shinobi war, instead of fighting each other, the villages formed a shinobi alliance and combined into one large army to fight their new enemy. This scene shows Kakashi and Obito, former teammates fighting against each other to the death in order to save what they both think is more precious. Obito fights to save the memory of his lost love Rin which Kakashi fights to stop Obito from destroying the world to get what he wants. This lesson shows us the consequences of Kakashi and Obito’s actions so far in the story because of everything that has led up to this fight. From Obito starting the war to Kakashi killing Rin on purpose sending Obito on a mission for her redemption, this fight is about consequences. This fight shows perfectly what each of these men are willing to die for. There is also an example of hegemony with Obito because he knows what he is doing is wrong but he does it anyway in order to fulfill his goal. He sees himself as doing good for the world without realizing all the pain and death he has caused so far. The responsibilities shown in this fight are of wants and needs. Obito wants to bring Rin back from the dead and needs this war to happen in order to do so but Kakashi needs to save his friends by winning this fight. This fight shows that we need to put others ahead of ourselves when it comes to major issues because sometimes we can be too selfish in our own lives.
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conorharte3 · 3 years
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Media Response #6
Camera movement and editing, just like audio, are tools that people can use to display different emotions and tones in their shots. This is prevalent in none other than the Kakashi and Obito fight in episode 375 of Naruto Shippuden. The meaning of this fight is to show 2 former comrades fight each other to the death over the safety of their friends and family. We start with two jump cuts to Kakashi and Obito making direct eye contact with the camera which we can tell is them looking at each other. This signifies the concentration that each of these men has during this encounter. We then cut to a wide shot in the sky that shows each of them running towards each other. This turns into a downward pan that turns into a medium shot of the action. This high angle and downward swooping pan give the fight a sense of god-like proportions which makes sense as both of these shinobi are in their respective primes giving it their all to best the other. The shot also rotates around the two giving a sense of now knowing who is winning and who is losing the fight, almost like a tug of war. The next shot cuts to Kakashi in a medium then zooms into his eye for a closeup transition. The shot then cuts to Kakashi and Obito fighting as children which shows the history that these two have with each other. That of former comrades turned enemies by the horrors of war. These seamless transitions between past and present are beautifully executed with how they carry the continuity of the fight. Towards the end of the fight we see Kakashi outsmart Obito with a lightning clone and this leads to a shot of him beating Obito as a child. We see Kakashi use the same kick to transition into a shot of him telling Obito to yield when they were younger. This shows that although the times have changed, history will repeat itself, or so we think.
Link to the fight
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conorharte3 · 3 years
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Media Response #5
Naruto Shippuden is an anime that is full of amazing fights and heartbreaking moments. In the Kakashi vs Obito fight, we see both of this displayed perfectly. Episode 375, titled ‘Kakashi vs Obito’ is an episode in which we see two former teammates fight each other to the death. The fight starts with each of them making eye contact and then charging at each other. We hear a sound when they open their eyes at each other that lets us know that this fight is different. We get a sense of the tone just in the first minute of the fight due to the audio and lack of music at some points. We see each of them giving it their all and trying to outperform the other like they did in their youth. With each punch and kick we hear the air move and the force behind every strike. Not only do we feel the physicality of this fight but we also feel each strike as a string on our heart being tugged as we are forced to watch these former comrades fight each other. As the fight continues, orchestral music slowly comes in. The strings used in the song perfectly match up with what is being shown on screen. The animators that drew this fight put so much detail into the facial expressions of Kakashi and Obito due to the lack of dialogue for most of the fight. Whenever we do hear dialogue, it is Obito arrogantly thinking he has outsmarted his opponent and we see this with the tone in his voice. The voice acting, although short in this clip, carries so much weight with it as we are unsure who to root for. All of these little choices with the animation and audio add up to give as a spectacle to view and for the hardcore fans, this fight is as big as they come.
Wiki description of fight
Youtube link
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conorharte3 · 3 years
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Media Response #4
Rhythm-based gaming has been around for almost as long as video games have existed. It was truly popularized in the early 2000s with the Guitar-Hero franchise but fell out of popularity as the genre became over-saturated. Jump to 2018 when virtual reality gaming is the craze and a new game comes to the market. Beat Saber houses the same concept as previous rhythm-based games but introduces the factor that YOU are the instrument.
The reviews of this game are all opinionated but also highlight the pros and cons of VR-gaming as a whole. This gives each review a feeling of truth because of how the reviews are written. Audiences have overall reviewed this game as fantastic. Most of them praised the game for its lack of violence and sense of inclusiveness. While some games alienate certain generations and ages, Beat Saber is built for all ages to love and enjoy. The audiences of this game observed the fact that this is a good game for exercise as well as fun. Flailing your arms around for hours on end ensures you burn some calories and this adds to the dimensions this game already possesses. A few users spoke about how the game can be difficult at times but the fact that there are difficulties for each level ranging from easy to expert allows people of all skill levels to enjoy the game at their own pace. The reviews that this game has have been left by people of all ages ranging from 7 years old to people in their 40’s. One of the reviews reads, “Been a Vr user for about a year now. Beat Saber is a must-have for any family. It's full of fun songs, addictive gameplay, and a concept that is easy to play, but difficult to master. The game is very movement-based, so it is a fantastic way to stay active in some way.” A lot of these reviews by both parents and kids talk about how this is a game that the whole family can enjoy. It almost reminds me of the Wii and how the ease of controls allowed families to play games together while also moving around and getting some exercise. 
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conorharte3 · 3 years
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The Communication Process
Steam is a globally used video game distribution service created by Valve in 2003. Steam has been in the news recently for its latest announcement, a China-specific version of the platform. You see, in the China of today, everything from movies and books to video games has to be government approved or the creators can risk the media being banned and face federal offenses for their actions. Steam has been available in China for many years now in sort of a legal grey area but now with the Chinese Steam public beta that rolled out last month, people are expected to migrate their accounts over. Rebekah Valentine shows the depth of this by detailing the specifics of how people already using Steam in China would be able to migrate their accounts to the new government-approved platform. By using an article published on IGN, a very well-known gaming news platform, the author intends to inform the people that are already fans of gaming. IGN is not a news source that people not looking for technology or gaming news would be clicking on and the author knows this. She caters to the type of audience that would be interested in reading about a platform that they themselves use. Gaming in China has been a hot topic in the past few years with games such as Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege getting its own China port and taking the gaming world by storm. The author writing this article not only informs readers about the Chinese government's involvement in gaming but with its people. This article showcases how the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) restricts the freedom of its own citizens by restricting what they can watch and play. With Steam’s response of catering to that way of life by creating a special government-approved Steam, they garner distaste from fans watching these events unfold live. By knowing her audience, the author uses this prior knowledge of hot takes on China’s gaming market as a way to get people to click on her article and become more informed in the gaming world.
Chinese Steam Article
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conorharte3 · 3 years
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Role of the Media Critic
In the article titled “Super Bowl Halftime Shows Ranked: From Worst to Best” we see Rob Sheffield ranking every halftime show to date. With each ranking he gives a little description of what the show entailed and his take on what was displayed during the performances. The Super Bowl halftime show is something that some people look forward to more than the game itself. It crosses the two worlds of people who watch sporting events and the world of music by allowing both to clash in one huge multi-hour long event. Throughout the article, we see the author giving us his takes on each of the events that transpired during each half-time show. We are able to see the author’s use of bridge-building by informing the audience who some of these people are. He helps connect the dots between people that knew what they were watching and didn’t know. I know plenty of people that have no idea who they are watching perform during the halftime show but it introduces them to someone or something that they normally would not have listened to in the first place. Another thing that this author does is show us images and clips of the performances so that we, the reader, can visualize what he is talking about as we read. These auditory and visual inclusions add to this article’s entertainment. This article is meant to convince and entertain, not educate and inform. This gives the entire article a very casual feel and makes for a quick and easy read. By allowing this to be a very laid back feeling article, it entices people to keep reading, after reading just the first 2 descriptions of previous halftime shows I was convinced to continue reading more and more. Before I knew it, I had finished reading them all and felt satisfied with what I had viewed. This goes to show that the author knew what he was doing when he wrote this article, he had to put on a show of his own.
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conorharte3 · 3 years
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Scott Pilgrim VS. the World
Transitions are a way of fusing two or more shots together to create a sequence. Some directors simply use this in its most basic form but Edgar Wright finds a way to use them differently. In his 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Wright uses the basic concepts of media to an extent that is so impressive to the trained eye. In the video essay titled “Scott Pilgrim: Make Your Transitions Count” by NerdWriter1, we see these transitions and the explanations behind them. NerdWriter1 argues that films are about persuasions and making an engaging argument and transitions connect these ideas throughout a film. In this video essay, you can see NerdWriter1’s deep understanding of how you can use transitions effectively as it is something that he applies to his videos. This prior knowledge of knowing how transitions can be applied in such a simple yet graceful way allows him to understand what lengths Edgar Wright went through while making Scott Pilgrim vs the World. During a breakdown of one of the shot sequences in this video essay, NerdWriter1 talks about Edgar Wright breaking a cinema filming rule. Wright breaks the 180-degree rule to give his shots a sense of immersion where they blend the sequence into feeling like one-shot taking place over many different settings and transitions. This is an example of doing something wrong but for the right reasons. He knew this would anger and confuse some people but it added to his worldbuilding that he built in just this one film. Edgar Wright knew he was making this movie for people who had read the comics and played the video game so he built his movie and transitions around that. NerdWriter1 describes it elegantly as he says, “the transition is disorienting in the best way, and because what’s happening isn’t possible, you’re encouraged to sort of put the film together and interactivity that’s appropriate in a movie about gaming, what’s important is that the filmgoer is involved.” This level of inclusion to the audience allows us to become a more involved viewer and forces us to think while watching the movie.
Video Essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pij5lihbC6k&t=32s
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