The analysis presented in the article is of two fictional animated Japanese adolescents and their relationships with authority and gender roles in a modern Japanese setting. Upon reading this article, I found some of the author's observations to be very insightful, while others felt as if they were a stretch for the sake of locating metaphors and symbolism.
An example of the latter is the author's contention that perhaps the crater of Old Tokyo (in which Tetsuo has his first run in with a psychic child and awakens his own latent powers) is a feminine symbol. My observation is that the interaction occurs on a long straight highway going off into darkness and from my perspective, there is an increased emphasis on that potentially masculine symbol. While sexuality plays a poweful role in the human creative subconscious, I don't believe Old Tokyo in Akira is an example of that. I also disagree that the ending of the film in any way indicates powerlessness or nihilism, or represents an inability to influence change. The end of the film depicts Tetsuo affirming himself with the utterance "I am Tetsuo" which shows his sense of ownership over himself, his fate, and his new Godlike power.
Tetsuo's primary conflict exists between his new found power and his dependence on others. The more powerful he finds himself becoming, the more unstable and dependent he is. His submissive upbringing has not provided him with the tools necessary to handle such power, leaving him requiring guidance and comfort. His personality and mental state deteriorate drastically throughout the film, as he becomes both increasingly childish and desperately dependent. This physically manifests itself in the film's climax in which Tetsuo loses control of his power and psychically manifests himself into a monstrous baby shaped mass of pulsing body tissue. He begs for help from his friends, killing one in the process, until finally, with the help of others, and only after he has changed realities, is he able to come to terms with himself.
In Ranma 1/2, the title character alternates from his native state as a boy, into a girl whenever he is touched by cold water. A social commentary in the narrative is the way Ranma's transformation into a girl is considered more troubling to him than the transformations of other characters, who transform into creatures such as a Panda Bear or a Pig. As a piece of pop entertainment, Ranma 1/2 plays off the insecurity adolescents feel with their genders and the roles and responsibilities that society assigns to those genders.
5 comments:
I think both of these stories deal very effectively with the angst most adolescents experience while growing into themselves. They are in a constant struggle with the authorities in their life, their peers, and most of all themselves. I think that these feels have become popular in America as well as Japan because the young adults of both cultures generally share the same problems and it is a way of confronting the issues in a way likely to reach out to people of that age group.
"As a piece of pop entertainment, Ranma 1/2 plays off the insecurity adolescents feel with their genders and the roles and responsibilities that society assigns to those genders."
I think that the statement you made on "Akira and Ranma 1/2" sums it up well. Gender roles and pre-conceived notions affect how we think and feel. I believe Nikki mentioned the struggles and pressures that our friends and parents put on us to fit into these gender roles as well. Adolescence is a time to grow into the person that we want to be and it can be very stressful on a young mind. I think that fact comes to life in "Akira and Ranma 1/2."
Although for whatever reason I can't get into anime, I have plenty of friends who are more than aquainted with it & I've always appreciated the whimsical, imaginative ways they found to illustrate common human traits & touchstones. As with any form of fantastic storytelling, it is easy to be both timely & still entertaining. I just wonder why these two, of all possibilities were chosen - a friend of mine was telling me about this swan girl thing that seemed a little less silly (though they are often silly) that was not only symbolic of adolecence but also politically relevent. As with any art form, the messages you can send are innumerable.
In terms of the popularity of anime productions in the West, I agree with Nikki when she says it illustrates shared issues (that adolescents of all cultures can relate to). Its characters represent less obvious aspects of culture that deal with identity and self-representation (such as difference and isolation) that Western mediums tend to shy away from. American productions generally focus on the more overt, general aspects of the individual within culture. People even outside of Japanese culture can relate to some of the Japanese cultural themes displayed within these productions, while still being amazed by the interesting, detailed style of anime.
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