It’s Iimi! Making Plans

With a week to go before she leaves for the United Arab Emirates, Kismetta awakens early one morning with a premonition. Somewhat dubious about her parents’ intentions, Kismetta discusses what to do in a case of powerlessness. Especially when it seems many people are Making Plans.

 

Pre-Comic Notes:

People who think the teachers’ plotting in the following story is far-fetched should realize that the proposals are based on actual events in the news over the past few years.

Post-Comic Notes:

References to the French Revolution and 1984 were deliberately chosen based on how some educational ideologies are aimed at conditioning students and undermining family values that disagree with them. Personally, I wonder if the proponents are even aware of these parallels. However, I don’t doubt that those involved think they are the “heroes” and can’t imagine anyone thinking differently without being “bigoted.”

It’s Iimi! A Time to Reveal…

Paula has had her suspicions about Iimi for a while now, but she has kept silent out of not being sure. But when the family goes “glamping,” new events make her wonder if this is A TIME TO REVEAL…

 

Pre-Comic Notes:

It may help to review Issues 108, 156, 167, 169, and 171 to see what Paula saw that led to her conclusion.

Post-Comic Notes:

One thing that Westerners have gotten wrong about manga and anime is exactly WHEN the BL/GL genre applies. As a result, many see homosexual relationships where there are none… in stories and in real life. 

 

First, we need to understand the concept of “Class S” friendship. “Class S” friendship is a Japanese concept borrowed from the French. The name comes from Japanese grading, where a rarely given “S” grade is the highest possible mark. The idea is one of best friends who are very close, but platonic. Unfortunately, in modern times, friends who are that close are assumed to be sexual partners. 

 

Moreover, manga and anime about homosexual relationships exist. Going by various names (BL/GL, Yaoi, Shonen-ai/Shoujo-ai, Bara/Yuri), these stories subverted “Class S friendship” and are about same-sex romantic relationships, which are portrayed as morally acceptable and a matter of preference. Pornographic anime/manga of this genre exists, but porn is only a small subset of manga/anime, just as it is for movies in America. We need to avoid the fallacy of composition here.

 

Demographics may have changed, but it used to be that these manga were aimed at heterosexual teenage girls. It would be interesting to see if this content, which first appeared in America during the “anime explosion” in the United States in the early 2000s, influenced the change of attitudes among millennials on homosexuality. However, I don’t have the resources to make such a study. So I can’t say if this theory is true or a non causa pro causa fallacy.

 

This should not be confused with manga/anime that are not BL/GL in focus but have homosexual characters in them. Some are done for humor that probably wouldn’t fly in America today. Others reflect the moral views of the manga authors. Sailor Moon, for example, is not a “gay-themed” manga/anime. But it does have a lesbian couple of supporting characters, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune.

 

Further obscuring the matter, there are some manga/anime tropes where people misinterpret the relationship (usually done for humor) or non-sexual “crushes” where a younger girl admires an older one.

 

Catholics need to realize that Anime/Manga is foreign in approach and does not always line up with our values. So, custody of the senses and discernment is always needed, whether we read for ourselves or screen what our children read. 

 

It’s Iimi! …There the Vultures Will Gather

It’s been a week since Anne’s car accident left her crippled, and everyone is struggling to make sense out of it all. But conspiracies move forward as Helen Otios’ faction seeks to take advantage.

If you think that Anne’s comments about her amputation seem implausible, you should be aware that, in the recovery room, I once told the nurse on duty, “I’ve heard healthcare cost an arm and a leg, but this is ridiculous!” Sometimes, dark humor is a coping mechanism.

 

Three months is roughly how long it took me to be fitted for a prosthetic after my amputation. Comparing that to whatever “normal” might be, a Google search revealed that it can be anywhere from six to ten weeks after the wound heals.

 

Technically, visitors must wear protective clothing to prevent germs from entering where the amputation is stitched closed. But my program doesn’t have the assets I need to create that.