Postby eva-boy7985 » Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:27 pm
Here's something to think about guys regarding anime, and really any artform (music, cinema, visual art, etc.). It's the idea of personability, in other words the ability to make something your own or have it mean something significant or "special" to yourself. You'll find that alot of anime series that end as you would say "abruptly" or without "closure" do that somewhat intentionally. When the creators do this, it enables the viewer to make their own "judgment call" as to what the potential possibilities are regarding the ending. In WHR for example, the viewer is given the freedom to decide, "Hey Robin and Amon perished together in order to symbolize both their finally realized feelings for one another also to exemplify Robin's ultimate sacrifice of herself for her kindred that had been persecuted for so many years." This conclusion or "theory" is one possible one that the viewer could come away with, melancholy as it may be, in order to give themselves a form of closure or finality on the story. Another possible theory is "Hey you know what? Dojima implied when talking to Kurasam at the end that something miraculous had happened that she couldn't explain, but she felt more comfortable just "fooling" herself into thinking they were gone so the incredulousness of what she had experienced wouldn't burden her mind; maybe it was something that would entail their return to the "world above" at a later time. This theory also could have possible footing in that at the very very end after the credits, you see the gatekeeper reading the same horoscope that he was reading the day Robin entered everone's lives. Maybe this is another hint that they're really ok. Michael also metions that Dojima's opinion on things can't always be trusted or fully believed, thus possibly implying that when she had perhaps told everyone else that they didn't make it, she was in essence lying." The point I'm making is is that stuff, especially anime, that is somewhat abstract in nature or ends like I said without a defined closure to it is actually what often makes it something of good quality. Let's take the Lord of the Rings films for example: while there are really obvious messages of courage, loyaly, self-sacrifice, etc. in those films, people can still get stuff out of them, and the books, that's unique for them. I cried at parts in those films that you could say weren't meant to instill that kind of emotion, but I did it becuase those particular scenes connected with something personal to me about my own life. Basically, when an artform has certain elements about it that are "open to interpretation" that is sometimes its strength; when the viewer/listener/reader can make certain things special to themselves, thus possibly impacting them on a much deeper level, I believe it could be said that that piece of art has a high quality to it and strength. Without getting into details (as it's a "blacklist" title), Evangelion has many things in it that are confusing or "open-ended"; thus people have all kinds of interpretation and meanings to different elements in that series, but that's what makes it special to them; it hit them in a way that perhaps was unique to only them or to a limited crowd. If I were to narrow it down, in terms of certain pieces of art/entertainment, the ability for an artform to be relativisitic is at times its greatest or one of its greatest strengths because then each person partaking in it can have somewhat of a unique experience! I'm sorry this is so long, and i'm not trying to come across as condescending at all. WHR just happens to be one of my faves, but due to the subject of this thread, I felt that this particular issue was one worth sharing my opinion about and "digging into". Let me know what you think! Have an awesome day all!
"Hey Shinji! Lookie lookie!!! Backwards Roll!"
-Asuka Langley Sohryu
"If you're going to think then think in German!!!"
"So we fix our eyes not on
what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal" 1 Cor. 4:18