Anime convention plus content warnings
Jan. 18th, 2016 12:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppetContent warning: There will be discussion of triggers in this post, mostly in a broad sense but with a few specific examples, as I try to sort out my scattered thoughts for providing trigger/content warnings for anime shown at an anime convention. There will be some spoilers involved for specific series. Everything after this will be under a cut, so you shouldn't have to read it if you don't want to.
Like most anime conventions (as far as I'm aware of, though there may have been a trend away from this, as with consuites), the one I staff has viewing rooms, where people can go and watch anime during the convention. Not just attendees, either; for legal reasons, these rooms are also open to the general public, which means anime for everyone! Since I've seen a fair amount of anime in my day (I'm sure you're all surprised by this), I'm well aware of the content that can be found in some titles. I'm also aware that PTSD is a thing, and that some people who attend (or who want to attend) anime conventions have it.
To this end, last year I proposed including a list of trigger warnings for the various anime we'd be showing at our convention.
...I wouldn't say that my proposal was shot down; more that it died a slow and lingering death. I mostly got a go-ahead? Except then, the person who basically volunteered to come up with a list of common triggers to check our titles against didn't. And kept on not. I volunteered a couple of times to do that job instead, because coming up with a list of common triggers is not actually that hard, but she insisted.
Then again, she also seemed pretty sure that none of the anime we'd be showing could possibly have triggering material in it. I know for a fact that this isn't true.
Anyway, what with one thing and another (one thing being the aforementioned person's reluctance to actually do the job she insisted she was going to do, the other thing being me actually having a depressive episode, though I didn't realize it at the time), the list didn't get made. This year I've resolved to get it done, because it needs doing, and also a little bit to rub it in the faces of people who don't think that there could be anything triggering in any of the anime we show.
Here's my preliminary list of triggers, with notes on some of them:
- Blood
- Sexual assault*
- Domestic abuse
- Self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts
- Disordered eating**
- Incest
- Student/Teacher relationships***
- Illegal Age Difference Relationship (might need re-wording)
- Drug use
- Flashing lights (for epilepsy; I need to do a lot more research for this one)
Notes:
* Sexual assault: This is one that I definitely need to warn for, but is kinda tricky? See, there's two titles I want to discuss with this one: Fushigi Yugi and Jellyfish Princess. In both of these titles, a main character is tricked into believing that they've been raped, but no rape actually occurs. Two main characters in the case of the former, in fact, and the latter seems to be giving the would-be-rapist a redemption arc???
The problem is, I'm not entirely sure how to word things here. No rape actually occurs in either, and while it is actually attempted in Fushigi Yugi, the assaulter had no actual plans to rape in Jellyfish Princess and only wanted to roofie the victim and take incriminating pictures to blackmail him (with the end result that he perceived he was raped). The "rape didn't actually happen" reveal doesn't occur until very late in the series for Fushigi Yugi, while we see the entire roofie-ing in Jellyfish Princess and are aware the entire time that the victim is not actually raped. So sexual assault would be an accurate description for both, IMO.
On the other hand, there's more than a few anime titles with "casual" groping and the like, and I'm not sure if I need to differentiate between the two? If so, I'd consider grouping the latter under a Sexual Harassment warning, except there's also loads of verbal sexual harassment in various anime titles. *sigh* Maybe three labels: Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment (Physical), and Sexual Harassment (Verbal)? IDK, thoughts welcome.
** Disordered eating: This one is also kinda tricky. AFAIK, anime doesn't really deal with anorexia and/or bulimia as often as US and other English-language media do, and while I have witnessed a fair amount of dieting and weightloss talk, those aren't really the same thing. I can only think of one manga where a character has anything like anorexia, and I'm fairly certain it was never made into an anime.
On the other hand, there are loads of characters with ridiculous metabolisms who are shown eating literally everything in sight. While this is clearly a healthy option for these characters, and linked to hunger rather than negative feelings, I do still worry about people seeing characters gorge themselves. Will it trigger someone? Is it a common trigger? Bluh.
*** Student/Teacher relationships: This one I'm noting mostly because it's not a broad enough phrase to encapsulate everything I mean, which is relationships with an unhealthy power balance (not necessarily age related). Boss/Employee would also fit in here, as well as master/servant, etc. I just want a better phrasing for this one. Come to think of it, Dubcon Relationship(s) might work, actually, and would probably be good for any anime where bets or blackmail are involved. I'm planning to have a key to go into more detail on what I mean by all of these phrases, so that'll be explained there anyway. I think this may actually solve my dilemma, hooray! Still, any input is appreciated, and also I don't feel like deleting all of that after I just finished typing it.
And now, to discuss some of the anime that I know our convention has shown (or I could definitely see our convention showing) that has some of the above triggers! For most titles, we only show the first four episodes at most, but for some of them we'll show a movie/OVA , or we'll start at the second half of the series if they divide neatly (Fushigi Yugi, Magic Knight Rayearth). That said, even then we won't necessarily get into the triggering bits with what's shown, so the question becomes: Do we provide warnings for what's down the line, so people know what's coming up if they decide to purchase the series in the Dealer's Room? Or should we let them do their own research? (I'm in favor of the former, and then maybe bolding the stuff to worry about at the convention and leaving the stuff that happens/we learn about later unbolded. Or something similar.) Anyway, back to me providing examples.
* Fushigi Yugi - I mentioned the sexual assault bits already. I don't recall everything, but I certainly wouldn't put lotsa blood past the title, especially with all of the character deaths. I do know that the convention has shown several episodes starting at the second half of the series, which is definitely a lot darker than the first half/has a lot more major character deaths/etc.
* Risky Safety - Suicidal thoughts/suicide attempt/possible self-harm. I actually don't know all the details on this one, since I lost interest in watching it pretty quick (see warning), but considering that the catalyst for the plot is the main character attempting/considering suicide, I can safely say that it's in the first four episodes. And I know for a fact that we've shown it before, because the convention borrowed my copy of the first DVD. (...I am loath to give up any anime that I have, because I remember how much that shit used to cost, and am aware how hard it is to find some titles.)
* Cardcaptor Sakura - Perhaps my favorite title of all time, and jam-packed with triggering relationships - though none of them actually occur/are revealed in the first four episodes, IIRC. There's incest (Syaoran's arranged marriage to his cousin Meilin, Tomoyo's crush on Sakura, and Sonomi (Tomoyo's mother)'s crush on Nadesiko (Sakura's mother)), student/teacher relationship(s) (Past Touya/Mizuki-sensei, and Rika/Terada-sensei (though this one seems to be only hinted at in the anime?)), and massive age difference relationships (Eriol/Mizuki-sensei, Rika/Terada-sensei). I love a lot of things about CLAMP and a lot of things about this series, but yeah. Definitely issues.
* Fullmetal Alchemist - Original animated series mostly, I think? IIRC, Rose was revealed to have been raped in the original animated series, but not in the manga or in Brotherhood. Either way, there's definitely a gore issue in the first run of the series, and probably also in the second (human transmutation).
* Cowboy Bebop - Drug use in the first episode. Alas, I haven't seen more than that, or even really much of that episode, because anime is expensive and I had other titles I wanted. Pretty damn sure we've shown this, though, and I wouldn't put us past showing it again.
* Chibi Vampire/Karin - Not sure if we've ever shown this, but I wouldn't be surprised if we ever have or did. For those unfamiliar, it's the story of a reverse-vampire (make-blood-monster instead of drink-blood-monster), and she has some incredibly epic nosebleeds when her blood increases early in the series. Blood. Definitely blood. All the blood. Looks-like-a-murder-scene blood. In a dramady.
I'm not actually sure I'm aware of an anime with domestic abuse in it, though it certainly wouldn't surprise me if one existed. Bleach comes to mind, but I'm pretty sure that the anime never got into Orihime's parents being abusive, so.
Those are all of my thoughts for the moment. Any input is greatly appreciated, including major triggers you think I missed. I am definitely thinking of adding "guns" to the list, for one thing. Anyway, yes. Tell me things!
Like most anime conventions (as far as I'm aware of, though there may have been a trend away from this, as with consuites), the one I staff has viewing rooms, where people can go and watch anime during the convention. Not just attendees, either; for legal reasons, these rooms are also open to the general public, which means anime for everyone! Since I've seen a fair amount of anime in my day (I'm sure you're all surprised by this), I'm well aware of the content that can be found in some titles. I'm also aware that PTSD is a thing, and that some people who attend (or who want to attend) anime conventions have it.
To this end, last year I proposed including a list of trigger warnings for the various anime we'd be showing at our convention.
...I wouldn't say that my proposal was shot down; more that it died a slow and lingering death. I mostly got a go-ahead? Except then, the person who basically volunteered to come up with a list of common triggers to check our titles against didn't. And kept on not. I volunteered a couple of times to do that job instead, because coming up with a list of common triggers is not actually that hard, but she insisted.
Then again, she also seemed pretty sure that none of the anime we'd be showing could possibly have triggering material in it. I know for a fact that this isn't true.
Anyway, what with one thing and another (one thing being the aforementioned person's reluctance to actually do the job she insisted she was going to do, the other thing being me actually having a depressive episode, though I didn't realize it at the time), the list didn't get made. This year I've resolved to get it done, because it needs doing, and also a little bit to rub it in the faces of people who don't think that there could be anything triggering in any of the anime we show.
Here's my preliminary list of triggers, with notes on some of them:
- Blood
- Sexual assault*
- Domestic abuse
- Self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts
- Disordered eating**
- Incest
- Student/Teacher relationships***
- Illegal Age Difference Relationship (might need re-wording)
- Drug use
- Flashing lights (for epilepsy; I need to do a lot more research for this one)
Notes:
* Sexual assault: This is one that I definitely need to warn for, but is kinda tricky? See, there's two titles I want to discuss with this one: Fushigi Yugi and Jellyfish Princess. In both of these titles, a main character is tricked into believing that they've been raped, but no rape actually occurs. Two main characters in the case of the former, in fact, and the latter seems to be giving the would-be-rapist a redemption arc???
The problem is, I'm not entirely sure how to word things here. No rape actually occurs in either, and while it is actually attempted in Fushigi Yugi, the assaulter had no actual plans to rape in Jellyfish Princess and only wanted to roofie the victim and take incriminating pictures to blackmail him (with the end result that he perceived he was raped). The "rape didn't actually happen" reveal doesn't occur until very late in the series for Fushigi Yugi, while we see the entire roofie-ing in Jellyfish Princess and are aware the entire time that the victim is not actually raped. So sexual assault would be an accurate description for both, IMO.
On the other hand, there's more than a few anime titles with "casual" groping and the like, and I'm not sure if I need to differentiate between the two? If so, I'd consider grouping the latter under a Sexual Harassment warning, except there's also loads of verbal sexual harassment in various anime titles. *sigh* Maybe three labels: Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment (Physical), and Sexual Harassment (Verbal)? IDK, thoughts welcome.
** Disordered eating: This one is also kinda tricky. AFAIK, anime doesn't really deal with anorexia and/or bulimia as often as US and other English-language media do, and while I have witnessed a fair amount of dieting and weightloss talk, those aren't really the same thing. I can only think of one manga where a character has anything like anorexia, and I'm fairly certain it was never made into an anime.
On the other hand, there are loads of characters with ridiculous metabolisms who are shown eating literally everything in sight. While this is clearly a healthy option for these characters, and linked to hunger rather than negative feelings, I do still worry about people seeing characters gorge themselves. Will it trigger someone? Is it a common trigger? Bluh.
*** Student/Teacher relationships: This one I'm noting mostly because it's not a broad enough phrase to encapsulate everything I mean, which is relationships with an unhealthy power balance (not necessarily age related). Boss/Employee would also fit in here, as well as master/servant, etc. I just want a better phrasing for this one. Come to think of it, Dubcon Relationship(s) might work, actually, and would probably be good for any anime where bets or blackmail are involved. I'm planning to have a key to go into more detail on what I mean by all of these phrases, so that'll be explained there anyway. I think this may actually solve my dilemma, hooray! Still, any input is appreciated, and also I don't feel like deleting all of that after I just finished typing it.
And now, to discuss some of the anime that I know our convention has shown (or I could definitely see our convention showing) that has some of the above triggers! For most titles, we only show the first four episodes at most, but for some of them we'll show a movie/OVA , or we'll start at the second half of the series if they divide neatly (Fushigi Yugi, Magic Knight Rayearth). That said, even then we won't necessarily get into the triggering bits with what's shown, so the question becomes: Do we provide warnings for what's down the line, so people know what's coming up if they decide to purchase the series in the Dealer's Room? Or should we let them do their own research? (I'm in favor of the former, and then maybe bolding the stuff to worry about at the convention and leaving the stuff that happens/we learn about later unbolded. Or something similar.) Anyway, back to me providing examples.
* Fushigi Yugi - I mentioned the sexual assault bits already. I don't recall everything, but I certainly wouldn't put lotsa blood past the title, especially with all of the character deaths. I do know that the convention has shown several episodes starting at the second half of the series, which is definitely a lot darker than the first half/has a lot more major character deaths/etc.
* Risky Safety - Suicidal thoughts/suicide attempt/possible self-harm. I actually don't know all the details on this one, since I lost interest in watching it pretty quick (see warning), but considering that the catalyst for the plot is the main character attempting/considering suicide, I can safely say that it's in the first four episodes. And I know for a fact that we've shown it before, because the convention borrowed my copy of the first DVD. (...I am loath to give up any anime that I have, because I remember how much that shit used to cost, and am aware how hard it is to find some titles.)
* Cardcaptor Sakura - Perhaps my favorite title of all time, and jam-packed with triggering relationships - though none of them actually occur/are revealed in the first four episodes, IIRC. There's incest (Syaoran's arranged marriage to his cousin Meilin, Tomoyo's crush on Sakura, and Sonomi (Tomoyo's mother)'s crush on Nadesiko (Sakura's mother)), student/teacher relationship(s) (Past Touya/Mizuki-sensei, and Rika/Terada-sensei (though this one seems to be only hinted at in the anime?)), and massive age difference relationships (Eriol/Mizuki-sensei, Rika/Terada-sensei). I love a lot of things about CLAMP and a lot of things about this series, but yeah. Definitely issues.
* Fullmetal Alchemist - Original animated series mostly, I think? IIRC, Rose was revealed to have been raped in the original animated series, but not in the manga or in Brotherhood. Either way, there's definitely a gore issue in the first run of the series, and probably also in the second (human transmutation).
* Cowboy Bebop - Drug use in the first episode. Alas, I haven't seen more than that, or even really much of that episode, because anime is expensive and I had other titles I wanted. Pretty damn sure we've shown this, though, and I wouldn't put us past showing it again.
* Chibi Vampire/Karin - Not sure if we've ever shown this, but I wouldn't be surprised if we ever have or did. For those unfamiliar, it's the story of a reverse-vampire (make-blood-monster instead of drink-blood-monster), and she has some incredibly epic nosebleeds when her blood increases early in the series. Blood. Definitely blood. All the blood. Looks-like-a-murder-scene blood. In a dramady.
I'm not actually sure I'm aware of an anime with domestic abuse in it, though it certainly wouldn't surprise me if one existed. Bleach comes to mind, but I'm pretty sure that the anime never got into Orihime's parents being abusive, so.
Those are all of my thoughts for the moment. Any input is greatly appreciated, including major triggers you think I missed. I am definitely thinking of adding "guns" to the list, for one thing. Anyway, yes. Tell me things!
no subject
Date: 2016-01-18 09:43 pm (UTC)Esp with regard to the sexual assault/harassment issue... this is a big one, obviously. I think it matters less what actually happens in the narrative of the anime than what the discussion about it is going to bring to the mind of the person who might be triggered by it, so whether or not a rape actually occurs in the end is somewhat immaterial. If the person in question suffered a sexual assault, the suggestion or understanding could be enough to trigger them. I have known people who have not suffered a sexual assault on their person and still had PTSD-related symptoms about issues surrounding sexual assault because of how female-bodied people in our culture are essentially terrorized with it all the time (I mean let's be honest, that what it comes down to). So, in their case, the rape didn't need to happen to them, it certainly doesn't need to ACTUALLY happen on the screen to be an issue of significant discomfort. You're not censoring the content itself, because in the end it's not a matter of the specific content, it's a matter of letting people know in advance what kind of issues might be discussed/presented in that content so that they could either go in prepared, or know that they wouldn't enjoy it. In my opinion, simplicity would probably serve communication. Sexual violence, suggested sexual violence. Likewise with the harassment, you can probably just call a spade a spade there, whether it's handsy or verbal. Ultimately, this effort exists to support people in making their own decisions about the content they wish to consume, and they know their comfort zone better than anybody else could ever hope to. If the prospective viewer is very sensitive to certain issues, then they will be able to make the choice of whether or not potential exposure in a public setting is going to be okay for them or not, or if it would be better to look further into something before committing to sit down and watch it.
I'm unclear on the 'illegal age difference' because the only thing that comes to mind here is statutory rape/sexual abuse or solicitation of a minor, even if it's presented as a relationship. If extreme age differences (where both parties are still adults) are something that cause people difficulties, maybe that would be better phrasing? Extreme/major rather than illegal.
Anyway, I definitely think it's a valiant effort and trigger warnings can be a tricky thing. I think the best guiding principle is to think less about the specific details of the content and more about its potential impact, regardless of intent or ultimate resolution (is the rape still real if I only watch the first half of the series and do not see the reveal? At that point, theoretically, I have felt the emotional impact of this on the character, however it was used in the story, right?).
no subject
Date: 2016-01-18 10:27 pm (UTC)It'll almost certainly come up when I recruit the other staffers to help me find triggering content in the anime we'll be showing, since I find it unlikely that I'll have the time (let alone the interest) to watch - hang on, lemme math this - Hrm, a minimum of 208 hours of anime between the time all of the titles are announced and when the schedule goes to print. More than six hours of TV a day and I can practically feel my brain atrophy.
As for illegal age differences: CLAMP, one of my favorite author/artist groups, does tend to write age differences that qualify for statutory, whether or not any sex happens between the characters. Cardcaptor Sakura? Rika is eleven; Terada-sensei is her elementary school teacher, so probably mid to late twenties at least. It's not explicit that they're in a relationship in the anime, but it is in the manga, though I'm pretty sure we're supposed to believe that no sex is happening until ...much later, I hope to god. In any case, I'll probably end up lumping Illegal Age Differences together with Dubcon Relationships.