Week 1 Anime Notes

• Neon Genesis Evangelion

We didn't really have a lot to say about this one, honestly. Mostly we outlined the production and gave a brief history of Gainax. Because the first episode is tied in heavily with the second episode, we saved most of the commentary for next time.

• Berserk

Because the first episode takes place in a different time period than the rest of the show, a lot of what was shown isn't relevant, especially because we're only showing thirteen episodes. But a lot of the themes and symbols presented are extremely relevant.The first big thing is the concept of weak versus strong and mortal versus immortal that becomes apparent over the course of the show. In episode one we see the Snake Guy's goons pushing around the people in the tavern, which exemplifies the heirarchy of the Berserk world: weak at the bottom, strong at the top. The people at the very top, the Apostles, have supreme power. Promises mean nothing to them, nor does human life. But they are never characterized as evil -- after all, if you have that much power, why shouldn't you be allowed to use it? And similarly, if Guts has the power to beat these demons, how different from them can he really be? This is stuff that the show doesn't cover too much, but the weak versus strong dichotomy is definitely important later on.The second thing I mentioned was the concept of the Apostles having two faces. This represents that they have both an inner, human side and an outer, demonic side. The Apostles have human desires to dominate others, and they also have a human fear of death -- the Snake Guy begs for his life when Guts has him on the ropes. The demonic side, on the other hand, has no restrictions, hence the bloodthirsty, animalistic qualities of the Apostles. We don't see much more of the Apostles in the scope of the show, other than Zodd, but the same distinction between animal and man is something that Guts struggles with a lot as well -- he's just as bloodthirsty as the Snake Guy, and delights in torturing him.

• Lupin III

The first episode of Lupin is pretty representative of the series as a whole. Lupin enters a race that he knows is a trap, switches out driving duties with Jigen halfway through to go save Fujiko, and then switches back out with Jigen at the end just to win the race. We mostly addressed how the show is relevant even though it was made in the 70s. It features violence and sex when American cartoons of the time were still really tame (America was still showing stuff like Scooby Doo and Loony Tunes). We also talked about how influential this show has been, specifically to Cowboy Bebop. The four main characters of the two shows are almost direct analogs, especially Lupin (Spike), Jigen (Jet), and Fujiko (Faye). Spike is the wild guy who always runs off to do crazy things, with Jet playing the consummate straight man to balance him out. Lupin and Jigen have a similar relationship. Faye is obviously inspired by Fujiko. Both ladies often screw over their supposed "compatriots" for their own profit, but the boys always welcome her back.

• Gurren Lagaan

The show is kind of pedestrian, but there are a ton of symbols to address. Most obviously, the face-centric structure of the mechas reflects a very Japanese idea of battle. Simon is a coward, but once he gets in his mecha, no one can see his cowardice. This is a common theme in many giant robot shows, but GL takes it a step further by actually making the face of the suit its chief characteristic. Kamina often speaks of facing your enemies face to face, but what he really means is that you should meet your enemies head on with the hope of intimidating them. You don't talk to you enemy in the same way that you talk at the dinner table; you have to project a warrior's persona. This also ties into the face idea.The other big thing is the phallic symbolism: Simon's drill, Kamina's sword, even Yoko's gun. Simon has to use his big drill-penis to break out of his home town into the world above, which symbolizes his coming of age as a man. In addition, the whole concept reflects traditional Japanese samurai values, and the male-centric view they take of conflicts. It isn't necessarily sexist, because Yoko seems to be just as savvy as Kamina and Simon, if not moreso, but she has to have her big old penis-shaped gun to fight with.