Category: Awareness
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Oshakashama by Radwimps: A Reflection on Hypocrisy and Society
Read more: Oshakashama by Radwimps: A Reflection on Hypocrisy and SocietyI was introduced to the song “Oshakashama” by Radwimps by yet another drummer friend. As a bass player, I have often sympathized quickly with drummers—the rhythm section of a band needing to play in sync to create the foundation on which the other instruments and vocals can work freely. The better the foundation, the better…
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Rediscovering Life Through Lost in Translation and the Power of Reflection
Read more: Rediscovering Life Through Lost in Translation and the Power of ReflectionI’ve watched Lost in Translation several times. The first time I saw it, I was told about a movie set in Japan starring Bill Murray. At the time, I was still learning Japanese at university. Watching it again after living in Japan for a while, my perception of the film had naturally shifted; living in…
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Lessons from Kimba the White Lion: A Call for Mutual Understanding and Global Citizenship
Read more: Lessons from Kimba the White Lion: A Call for Mutual Understanding and Global CitizenshipI watched the anime version of Kimba the White Lion on French TV as a child. The manga, written by Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy and Black Jack, dates back to the early 1950s. Though Disney has never officially confirmed it, many striking similarities exist between Kimba the White Lion and their iconic…
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Uplift Spice’s “Justice”: A Dark Reflection on Society and Inequality
Read more: Uplift Spice’s “Justice”: A Dark Reflection on Society and InequalityI first discovered Uplift Spice through their song Kanojo, introduced by the now-defunct French television channel, NoLife TV. Despite not being as famous as the major hits dominating the Japanese music scene, their music left a lasting impression. I was surprised when a drummer friend of mine turned out to be a big fan of…
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Green Book and the Power of Cultural Understanding
Read more: Green Book and the Power of Cultural UnderstandingWhen I watched Green Book for the first time, I was shocked by how Viggo Mortensen transformed himself for the role. While I hadn’t seen many of his movies before, his portrayal of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings still holds a special place in my memory. The 2018 film, directed by Peter Farrelly,…
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From the Rose of Versailles to a Vision for Global Equality
Read more: From the Rose of Versailles to a Vision for Global EqualityThe Rose of Versailles is a classic shojo manga written by Riyoko Ikeda, which I first encountered as the anime adaptation, Lady Oscar, on French TV during my childhood. As a boy, enjoying a show targeted toward girls meant keeping it somewhat secret. The weight of peer and societal pressure was astonishing, even as a…
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Lessons from Starcraft: Balance, Unity, and the Power of Shared Values
Read more: Lessons from Starcraft: Balance, Unity, and the Power of Shared ValuesI first played the game Starcraft while visiting my family on Reunion Island. A cousin, who shared my love for games, introduced me to it. Back then, the Internet was still emerging, and we used old Windows operating systems like Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Millennium. Thinking about that time feels nostalgic. If you’re fortunate…
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Lessons from The Last Samurai: Addiction, Redemption, and Cultural Unity
Read more: Lessons from The Last Samurai: Addiction, Redemption, and Cultural UnityThe Last Samurai by Edward Zwick stars Tom Cruise alongside renowned Japanese actors such as Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada. The movie brings together American and Japanese cultures, and while it includes some inevitable clichés, it does so thoughtfully, adding authenticity by casting Japanese actors. (Unlike many productions that cast non-Japanese Asian actors for Japanese…
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The Impact of Media on Children: Why We Must Rethink Screen Time
Read more: The Impact of Media on Children: Why We Must Rethink Screen TimeI first heard of Kinnikuman, written by Yudetamago, from my brother. We were reminiscing about the anime we watched on French TV as kids in the late 80s and 90s, and he brought up one called Muscleman in French (Kinniku meaning “muscle”). He recounted a particularly traumatizing scene where a character, after winning a battle,…
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Building Empathy: Lessons from “Another Day in Paradise”
Read more: Building Empathy: Lessons from “Another Day in Paradise”A French friend I met in Japan once sang Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins during a karaoke session. While I knew Phil Collins as the drummer of Genesis (yes, I’m not that young, though it’s still not my generation), I hadn’t heard this particular song before. The beauty of karaoke, especially when you…