Brian's Anime Q & A: October 27, 2009

BRIAN'S ANIME Q & A

OCTOBER 27TH, 2009

In order to get some more interaction with my readers and share my knowledge of anime in general, I've decided to open a regular Q & A feature. Each Tuesday, I'll select a group of up to five questions and answer them here.

So, do you want to know more about a favorite voice actor or actress? Need advice on which anime series to show your parents, your siblings, or your girlfriend? Want to know what Neon Genesis Evangelion is really about? Send your questions to me at this address with the subject line "Anime Q & A", and I'll give it my best shot. Make sure your question is on topic, related to anime or manga only. I hope to hear from you soon!

Lois Lane Monkeys asks:

I used to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion with a buddy of mine. We both formed our own opinions about its meanings and major themes but I am interested in what you think.

Dear Lois Lane Monkeys:

Evangelion is one of the great mysteries of the anime world, to be sure. Each time a new incarnation of the series is released, it raises more questions about what it all means, and about the only constant is that series creator Hideaki Anno refuses to answer those questions! But for your sake, I'll give it my best shot. Readers, take note: this will be a long and complicated explanation!

I think that understanding Evangelion's meaning is tied to understanding its premise, which is threefold: it's a total deconstruction of the typical mecha anime, a Japanese reflection on Christianity and Western philosophy, and a sci-fi take on the Biblical apocalypse.

In terms of the Christian symbolism, Shinji is quite obviously meant as a Christ/Messiah figure, but given the unusual twist of being at best ambivalent about his role. (Eva was, of course, the first mecha anime where the protagonist wasn't an eager, hot-blooded type... Shinji reacts with fear and disgust when he's first told he has to go save the world.) Eva has Biblical references everywhere if you know what to look for: the names of the Angels, the distinctive cross-shaped explosions, the Lance of Longinus... even the seven eyes on the SEELE insignia, which are a reference to God's form in the Book of Revelation 5:6. Entire books have been written about all the Christian elements Anno co-opted in the series, so for more in-depth analysis of these, I'd suggest going to your local bookstore and seeing what you can find.

Shinji's relationship with his father Gendo has definite Freudian undertones, but that's not the only part of the series that takes influence from the famous psychologist. It's been suggested that Shinji, Rei, and Asuka represent the ego, superego, and id, respectively. In addition, the AT fields, the defensive shields that the Evas and Angels can produce, are physical manifestations of a Freudian theory which basically states that children who grow up without parents form a psychological barrier of sorts, in order to protect themselves from being hurt. Freud referred to this as "Absolute Terror"; thus, an AT field is a literal interpretation of the theory.

And Eva's versions of the Apocalypse, of course, are always the subjects of debate. For over 14 years, people have argued whether the TV series version of Instrumentality is the "real" ending, as opposed to the extremely bloody and depressing version seen in End of Evangelion. Personally, I prefer to think of the TV series ending as the "real" one... Sure, all the characters may end up dead (or not, no one's really sure on that point either), but at least it ends somewhat happily. Watching End of Eva once or twice was pretty much all I could take... it's an incredible film, to be sure, but I grew much too attached to the characters to be satisfied with the way the film ties up the story.

To confuse the matter even further, there is a series of movies being released called Rebuild of Evangelion, now in its second installment, which are essentially remaking the entire story with new scenes, animation, and special effects. The second in the Rebuild series apparently contains massive deviations from the original plotline, including a new pilot and several new Eva units (it hasn't been released in America yet, so my reports on this are based on hearsay). Supposedly, the fourth and final Rebuild film will feature an entirely new ending, and this time we've been promised a more satisfying and less confusing ending for the storyline.

Anyway, I hope my answer helped you out, and sorry for the length of it!

Cross-Culture asks:

Japanese animation/anime has "caught on" in the US.  What American movies and/or series do Japanese viewers enjoy?  Have any specific US artistic styles become popular in Japan?

Dear Cross-Culture:

Believe it or not, Japan is almost as fascinated with our culture as we are with theirs! Nowadays, Japan and the US trade thousands of hours of content back and forth, so Japanese people are essentially watching and reading the same things we do, translated for language, of course! Our action movies are almost always big hits overseas. Dramas also make for popular viewing (24 and Lost are huge hits). They of course have their own versions of our reality shows, though surprisingly there isn't a Japan Idol... maybe because they have quite enough idol singers as it is! And finally, though this fact may shock the more snobbish American fans, Western cartoons and animation flourish over there, with Spongebob Squarepants and The Simpsons being the current favorites.

J. Creepers asks:

Who started the tradition of drawing the huge eyes on anime characters' faces?  When did this style begin?

Dear J. Creepers,

Excellent question! Like so many other things in the world of anime and manga, the "large eyes" tradition can be traced back to the late, great Osamu Tezuka. Every bit as beloved in Japan's culture as Disney is in ours, Dr. Tezuka was Japan's "God of Manga", whose distinctive style has influenced 60 years of animators and manga-authors. In fact, Tezuka is pretty much singlehandedly responsible for Japan's recognition of comic books and animation as legitimate art forms... if Disney had been as respected as Tezuka was, perhaps American animation and comics wouldn't have taken so long to be recognized as more than "kid's stuff". Tezuka created some of Japan's most beloved characters, many of which have been seen here in the US in some form. Notable examples are Kimba the White Lion, which some claim inspired (or was ripped-off by) Disney's own The Lion King, and Astro Boy, who has a new, American-made animated movie that just opened last week! 

But as for where Tezuka got the "large eyes" style from, get ready for a shock. This style was directly influence by none other than the films of Mr. Walt Disney! Movies like Pinocchio and Bambi inspired Tezuka to emulate the styles of the animation he saw on the big screen. Disney characters had big eyes, so Astro and his kin had big eyes as well. And since every Japanese manga artist or animator wanted to follow the success of Tezuka, their creations had big eyes too. In time, it became simply tradition.

By the way, any artist will tell you that "anime eyes" have several distinct advantages. Namely, it's much easier to show a larger variety of expressions with bigger eyes... the number of different emotions conveyed by the eyes of the Lucky Star cast alone is astonishing. 

That's all for this week, anime fans! Remember to send your questions to me!

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