Japan’s Emperor Akihito abdicates after a 30-year rule, Crown Prince Naruhito to succeed him as Emperor

 

Effective April 30–I’m being mindful of the time zone difference between Boston and Japan on that note–Emperor Emeritus Akihito (above, Right) has officially abdicated the throne. His son, Emperor Naruhito (above, Left) has succeeded him as the 126th Emperor of Japan.

Akihito’s father and the previous Emperor, Hirohito was spared prosecution for war crimes committed by Japan during World War II for political reasons in short. It was sold publicly that top military officials acted without Hirohito’s knowledge or permission despite obvious evidence Hirohito was aware of everything and nothing happened without his knowing about it. In short, no one bought it but since the U.S., which Japan surrendered to was pushing the story that’s how history was written. It pissed off almost a third of the world that Hirohito basically got away with War Crimes so the US Forces occupying Japan wouldn’t have to deal with an insurrection. Hirohito ruled until his death in 1989 and was succeeded by the now Emperor Emeritus and his son, Akihito.

I’ll pause for a minute to add this. After World War II, The Imperial Royal Family was officially stripped of its power and influence in political matters. In short, the position of Emperor is nothing more than a figurehead with no real power in matters of State. This was the (steep) price paid to be spared prosecution. The REAL executive power is in the hands of the Prime Minister, the current one being Shinzo Abe.

There actually weren’t any laws on the books in Japan when Akihito expressed concern in 2016 he doesn’t think he’ll be able to fulfill his duties as Emperor for too much longer. He actually expressed his desire to abdicate in a close-door meeting with his advisors several years earlier. The Diet (Japan’s equivalent of US Congress) made a new law so The Emperor could Abdicate. It is the first peaceful transition in 200 years and second in which the existing Emperor Abdicates in the same timespan. Akihito became the first Emperor to assume the throne after World War II when his father, the previous Emperor died in 1989.

 

Take a look at this:

 

 

For clarification, Japan’s line succession goes to the first male heir of each generation. Naruhito, who is 59 has an 18 year old daughter. The second in line after him will be his brother Fumihito (aged 54) while the third in line will be Fumihito’s third child and only son Hisahito (aged 13). The marriage of Princess Mako to a commoner last year renewed debate in Japan’s Diet about changing the rules of Succession. Naruhito doesn’t have a male heir so his brother Fumiko will become the new Crown Prince on May 1.

The matter had been discussed before but was dropped after the birth of Fumihito’s son Hisahito in 2006. If the rules were changed to how it is in Great Britain, Princess Aiko would become Crown Empress and her uncle would be second in line to the throne. It could also mean changing the rules on the status of Princesses when they marry a commoner. As it stands now, Princesses automatically forfeit their status as royalty when they marry a commoner because their last name changes to that of their husband. Not just their title as a princess but imperial finances and even access to their former residences as well. Some would like to see the rules changed to allow female royalty to retain some of their status and more so since unlike in Great Britain, the Imperial Royal Family is nothing more than a figurehead anyway.

If the rules were changed, after Aiko and Fumihito the next in line would be his second daughter Princess Kako–since Princess Mako lost her status by marriage to a commoner last year–and then Prince Hisahito. One person would come before Fumihito and one person would come before Hisahito just like that. Would Fumihito mind his niece becoming Crown Empress ahead of him? Probably not. I also doubt his 13 year old son Hisahito would mind his older sister Kako–12 years his senior–jumping ahead of him in the line of succession either.

Barring the unforseeable, I do think Emperor Naruhito will eventually Abdicate like his father did. His brother is five years younger than him so his reign will likely be shorter than their father’s, who reigned for 30 years starting at age 55. Emperor Naruhito is now 59 years old. He may reign for 15 to 20 years before deciding to Abdicate. This could be done to fast-track Hisahito’s son becoming Emperor while still young. Time will tell.

By the way, only the current Emperor (and Empress) are referred to as “The Emperor” (and “The Empress”) like the current Pope is referred to as “The Pope”. The previous, living Emperor (and Empress) will now have the title Emperor Emeritus (and Empress Emerita). The Emperor’s Ascension Ceremony will take place on October 22.

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

…To date, no donations have come in since I started including this in my posts across all of my blogs. I am now asking those who have especially come to enjoy my postings no matter how long it’s been to please donate. Without going into all the details here, I need your fiancial support. If you’re able donate but want to talk to me first, you can email me at btboston1@gmail.com.

Developing Story: Vic Mignogna Sues Funimation

 

…Everyone’s getting lawyered up!

Anime News Network broke the news this afternoon. When news spreads during Anime Boston this weekend, things should be real interesting.  I commented on ANN’s facebook post about it and this has clearly split people into two camps: Those who support Vic and those who don’t. I do remember reading a separate ANN article last month in which most of the cast of the new Broly movie pulled out a scheduled convention appearance at the last minute because of him.

The defendants named in the lawsuit apparently knew it was coming and clearly have been preparing. Funimation is owned by Sony, which conducted an independent investigation in the alligations. Though they could find no evidence of wrongdoing–it was basically “who do you want to believe?” from what I understand–Mignogna was fired by Funimation is January. Funimation took it a step further and has actually begun redubbing characters he voiced in recent years. That pissed off and shocked longtime fans of his as you can probably guess.

The fact that Vic Magnogna picked Good Friday to file the lawsuit speaks to his professed Christian faith. The irony. Like I said in my comments on Facebook, it’s his lawsuit to lose. It doesn’t matter if you support him or not, he WILL lose this lawsuit. He’s asking for $1 Million in damages for defamation, wrongful termination and slander. According to what I’ve been reading in a few places, more people and entities including Anime News Network, which first broke the story about Vic’s inappropriate physical contact allegations in January will be added to the lawsuit. See my blog post for the cliffnotes and the link to that article here.

I wanna make two things clear before I continue:

1. I don’t support Vic Mignogna for the reasons I explained in the other post. I would be far more skeptical if it was just Monica Rial (by the way she voices Bulma in Dragonball Z and Dragonball Super) but given at least two dozen people–some fellow voice actors–have come forward with alligations of inappropriate physical contact with him, I can’t give him the benefit of the doubt. Yes I know he apologized and that’s great but there is clearly more than we know at play here.
2. Funimation had to fire him at the end of the day. Why? Because their bottom line was being threatened that’s why. If they didn’t, they risked not just Monica Rial but many other VAs refusing to work with him or just leaving Funimation and signing with another company like Viz Media or Sentai Filmworks. Sony would view them as incompetent and worst case, shut down Funimation. Is protecting one guy who is strongly distrusted by his colleagues worth losing money over? Absolutely not and more so given other companies he’s worked with in Anime or Video Games will be following this case very closely.

At the end of the day, Vic has the most to lose. He must know this, too.

I mentioned before Funimation has started redubbing characters he voiced. They knew in advance he was going to sue so I’m assuming the redubbing is intended to deny him money from royalties and his presence in existing work. I can’t think of any other reason they’d go that route and naturally, redubs in general are not cheap even for one character. Vic Mignogna is most known as the voice of Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.

Like I said a the top, Vic’s situation has fans split. Most who support him do for one of two reasons. Either they’re longtime fans of his work or they think he can actually win the lawsuit. The first group I have no problem with. After all, I still consider myself a fan of Michael Jackson (GASP!). The second…LOL. Those who don’t suppprt him are also split into two groups. Either they know he has no chance of winning in court–I’m in this group obviously–or they feel Vic thinks he’s better than everyone else aka “lives in his own world” (I don’t think he really thinks like that personally).

At the end of the day, this is still a question of “Who do you want to believe?” and that’s what sucks about the whole thing. There are no clear winners in this. Regardless of outcome, I will continue to support Funimation and English Voice Actors. I’ll just put it like that. I attached a poll below for those who want to weigh in.

 

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

The latest episode of The Rising of the Shield Hero reminds many why Raphtalia is considered “Best Girl”

…I damn-near cried during Rahptalia’s flashbacks in her title episode this week. Not just because it reminded me of my own emotional trauma but because of the outstanding storytelling.

For those who you who may not be following The Rising of The Shield Hero too closely, she is first introduced early on in the series. After Naofumi is screwed over by the King of Melromarc for the first time, he meets the Demihuman Raphtalia and buys her from a Slave Merchant. Since she’s a Demihuman, Raphtalia matures and grows quickly–I mean literally. She has the body of a young woman the third episode after she’s introduced to give you an idea. Bits of her past is revealed but it’s shoved aside to focus on the main plot and other things. When the King of Melromarc conspires to force Naofumi and Raphtalia apart, The Shield Hero falls into despair. That’s when Raphtalia lets him know she will stay with him no matter what even if the world conspires against them.

Fast forward to last week’s episode. With the crown princess Melty now with them, the group decides to go see the Queen. Along the way, their pursuers catch up to them and Ralphtalia comes face to face with Idol, the man who brutally tortured her and her friends not that long ago. Overcome with rage and anger–and rightfully so–she draws her sword, intending to put him down. Naofumi, Melty and Filo manage to talk her out of it. A short time later, Raphtalia leads the group into the dungeon where her former tormentor kept Demihumans locked away beneath his mansion. You know things were about to get super emotional when her PTSD started to kick in.

The group does find a few Demihumans still alive and frees them, one of which Raphtalia recognizes from her village. The childhood friend named Rifana that she shared a cell with before she was bought by the Slave Merchant was very sick the last time they saw each other. Rushing to the cell, she is overcome with grief to see only Rifana’s remains. If not for the friends she made since leaving, the pain and deespair she started to feel from Survivor’s Guilt–that’s a real thing by the way–probably would’ve broken her.

 

 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this–by the way, these images are from an earlier episode.

She may have the body of a full grown woman but her maturity level is still that of a child or teenager in some regards. Technically, she’s over 18 now and not just because of the RPG mechanics. She ages faster simply being a Demihuman. She does crush on Naofumi but is smart enough to keep her feelings to herself…for now. Several episodes later, she learned Filo isn’t a love rival after all though they do compete for his affection. She has resolved to get him to see her as a woman though.

Before I forget. Naofumi can’t use any weapons other than the Shield because he is The Shield Hero. Because of this, he needed someone to form a party with who can fight. After being screwed over by the royal family for the first time, Naofumi meets the Slave Merchant. We now know the tme between when she was in the dungeon and met Naofumi probably wasn’t that long since she got sick while she was in the dungeon. Naofumi buys Raphtalia, gives her medicine and starts training her to fight. After the second incident involving the royal family, Naofumi buys a monster Egg and Filo is born not long afterward.

While it is true Raphtalia and Filo both have a Slave Crest, he’s only invoked it once with each of them. He used Raphtalia’s once when she was still a child while training her to fight and once with Filo because the group was being chased and they couldn’t find her otherwise. It definitely was a real head-scratcher when Raphtalia asked to have her Slave Crest re-applied after it was removed. That’s love for you I guess.

 

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

…To date, no donations have come in since I started including this in my posts across all of my blogs. I am now asking those who have especially come to enjoy my postings no matter how long it’s been to please donate. Without going into all the details here, I need your fiancial support. If you’re able donate but want to talk to me first, you can email me at btboston1@gmail.com.

I just finished binge-watching The Promised Neverland on Crunchyroll

 

…Whew.

Toonami picked a GOOD one to carry the English Dub of. More so given there WILL be a Season 2 ^_^

There is so much going on in every episode, you really have to pay attention. Here’s information on 5 key characters and and a 6th who may be an important character if there is a time skip in the second season:

 

• Emma: One of the 3 main protagonists. She and Norman stumble upon the truth about the world they know: The children are all actually food for demons. Together with Norman and Ray, they plan their escape from the Home while also trying to outwit their “Mom”. By the time Season 1 ends, Emma succeeds where Sister Krone and Mom failed many years earlier in leading a third of the children on a daring escape set in motion two months earlier.
• Norman: One of the 3 main protagonists. Where Emma is couragous and Ray is cunning, Norman is calculating. When he figures out Ray is actually a Double Agent, rather than cut him out of their plan he turns him into their “Ace”. When Norman sees the large chasm on the other side of the wall, he return seemingly indicates he’s given up. Despite willingly going along with being “Shipped Out”, in the end Norman’s intel ensures their plan to escape happens successfully.
• Ray: One of the 3 main protagonists and a Double Agent. It’s revealed to viewers in the season finale Ray is actually Mom Isabella’s biological son. When you think about it, that’s the only possible reason she would “reward” him with the items he used to build a jamming device. How their arrangement worked was in exchange for stalling his shipment, he would keep tabs on children planning to escape and report to her. His being her son was leverage in and of itself so…yeah.
• Isabella: Known as “Mom”, she is the main Antagonist. The season finale reveals her backstory and confirms some of what Krone reveals about her own. About 20 years earlier, Isabella was planning to escape herself and saw the same thing Norman did from the top of the wall beyond the Home. That’s the real reason she wasn’t concerned about the kids actually escaping: The only known way out–the gate–is heavily guarded so…yeah. In exchange for giving up on escaping, she accepts a deal to become a Mom herself. She becomes pregnant (presumably via Artifician Insemenation) as part of her training to become a Mom. Seeing her son do what she could not…she couldn’t help but feel proud.
• Krone: A “Sister” to Isabella for about half the first season. After Norman and Emma learn the truth, Isabella requests another adult to brought in as “Insurance”. That other adult is the scheming and mentally unstable Krone. When Isabella tells her some of the children learned the truth but is ignoring protocol, she seizes at the opportunity to cooperate with them for her own ends. Having figured out what she’s really up to, Isabella arranges for Krone to be removed–permanently. Before her exit, Krone leaves behind a “parting gift” for the kids to use for their escape.
• Phil: One of the four year old kids. It’s revealed in the season finale Norman and Emma decided to tell all the kids aged 5 and up the truth and in turn, gained the manpower necessary to flawlessly execute their escape plan on short notice. This proved vital when Emma and Ray stopped talking during the two months after Norman’s departure. It allowed the preparations to continue while Mom kept tabs on the two of them. One more person was also involved: Four year old Phil. Assuming their escape plan succeeded, Phil and the other young kids would be safe for at least another two years. Despite his young age, Phil quickly grasps the situation and helps buy Emma and the others time to escape.

 

…Unsurprisingly, this is based on the Manga of the same name. There aren’t a lot of action scenes throughout but it will keep you on your toes from start to finish. This is also one Anime I would love to see a Live Action adaptation of, too.

It has a very Matrix-like feel to it if you need a comparison in terms of the plot: How would you feel if you found out everything you thought to be true was a lie and the reality was far worse? Would you choose freedom or would you choose the fantasy? The inspiration is way too obvious.

Season 2 is sure to be interesting and might have a time skip. I presume it will pick up where the first season left off.

A few things of note:

• What will become of Isabella? The mysterious “Grandmother” didn’t seem bothered by the intel Krone gave her. I realized during the finale the current Grandmother was Isabella’s Mom when she was a child and that’s why she had Krone killed. If she felt the situation was beyond what Isabella could handle then she would’ve stepped in at that point. My guess is Grandmother had her son Ray placed in her care on purpose as “insurance”. Isabella likely realized this and used him to keep tabs on the other kids. The escape clearly changes things.
• When Krone revealed the transmitting device implanted in all Mothers and Sisters, I knew Isabella probably knew Ray was lying to her when he told her Norman and Emma were planning to kill her. If they did actually try to kill her, they would’ve been harvested right away and with Ray being her actual son, she would’ve had a problem with that. That was also likely when she realized Krone was leaking information to Emma and Norman and so she had to be dealt with. She likely set things in motion for Norman to be Harvested at the same time.
• Isabella broke Emma’s leg in front of Norman and the others on purpose to show all of them how far she was willing to go to keep them from escaping. With Norman’s departure, she wrongfully believed she had removed the biggest threat to her interests and focused on breaking Emma’s iron will. What she mistook as Ray being dispaired was actually his just biding his time. What she had no way of knowing by that point was almost half the kids were in on it.
• What did Norman see? Isabella asked him to wait in another room past the gate but we’re intentionally not shown what made him gasp in surprise. He didn’t seem scared by whatever he was looking at either. My guess is maybe boys are offered a deal, too.

 

…Ray mentioned something called Infantile Amnesia. Basically, the older you get the harder it is to remember things from early in life. This is actually normal and very common. What isn’t normal is when it doesn’t happen. There are believed to be less than 200 people alive right now worldwide who can recall every single moment of the entire lives.

Ray and Norman both claim to have memories from before they were born and given their ages, that’s not entirely unbelievable. Ray could recall the melody Isabella used to hum when she was pregnant with him (and this is how she figured out he was her actual son). Case studies done on young children have proven they can recall memories from when they were 1 year old. Most experts caution against claims of adults who claim to remember from age 2 or earlier but don’t outright say such claims should be dismissed. After all, there are legit exceptions but I won’t digress further.

Anywho, there will be a Season 2. My guess is it will come in the next year or two. Stay tuned!

 

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

…To date, no donations have come in since I started including this in my posts across all of my blogs. I am now asking those who have especially come to enjoy my postings no matter how long it’s been to please donate. Without going into all the details here, I need your fiancial support. If you’re able donate but want to talk to me first, you can email me at btboston1@gmail.com.