How Martians Think of Us. Or Is It Jovians?
It’s a common notion in science fiction that if we ever stumble upon extraterrestrials, they would possess far superior technological prowess and be able to do things humans cannot. When in reality this is probably not likely to be the case (odds are we’ll just find some bacteria first or something like that, if/when it happens), it never stopped anyone.
That is the feeling reading this article invoked in me. The analysis is sound and well-grounded, I really can’t fault it besides just, well, it’s out of touch with what’s really happening.
It feels like some guy is just taking some samples of this “anime” and analyze it as if it’s for a science class. Or literary analysis class. What have you. There’s a blatant disregard for context, and you can see it on several levels. Let’s take the Akito Tenkawa point for example–sure, the analysis is sound for how he relates to Gai, and it is spot on in terms of the mocking of childhood ideals &c. But why not take the next major step and talk about the Jovians? (I mean, why write this article when you can just watch the series? It practically says the entire thing, and much more. Considering most 2-cour TV anime takes about 2 years from planning to finishing its broadcast run, what does that say about the post-Evangelion scene? I’d say “it has been brewing for quite some time.”)
But before I get distracted by my own infatuation with Nadesico, I quote, “In[] Nadesico[] the appeal of those heroic ideals now lies in their value as nostalgia rather than as something relevant to modern society”– LOL WRONG. Actually the SCARY thing is exactly how these nostalgic but mocked values are still ever relevant, ever-fed to our children as easy answers to life’s tough questions. (Dennou Coil, I’m looking at you.) That is the whole “dark side” to Jiro Yamada and what’s really the whole point implicated by the opposing views of Gekigangar. But hey, his point about 3G or whatever is still good.
Anyways, you should read the post. (And the blog in general.) It’s a good read, and not just because it’s well-written. While the meaning of what it is a hero is stretched microns thin with it, there might be something you find worth taking home. When I said there are more than a few out-of-context points, I really mean it and I don’t think I can even pick them all out. What I have here is just the beginning. But I have faith that YOU can finish it. And that’s what it matters in this post-”G3 otaku” world. Maybe a blank of threeseven years is measured by the distance traveled by the speed of light and not by just what some scholars have to say about culture. When I was just a freshman in undergrad, one of my profs said that when it’s starting to be taught in colleges, any cultural movement can be fairly certain to be considered dead. I’m inclined to agree; and the autopsy, even a warm, lively incision as such, smells of staleness of what passed away.
For some reason, I’m never able to comment on thos blogspot sites — the Captcha never appears in my browser.
I’m going to differ with you both, regarding Nadesico’s use of the nostalgia for heroism: it’s not only relevant for the many presents (the “present” seen by the characters of the series, the “present” in which the series was aired, and possibly even our current present), but that it is relevant in two ways: Akito is inspired by the idealism of that nostalgic heroism; the Evil Jovians use (or, rather, attempt to use) that nostaligic heroism, promulgated by propaganda, as a means of maintaining a hierarchical and controlled society.
I don’t see how this is actually different than what I’m proposing. I think it’s complementary. But in this case, we’re just sugar-wrapping idealism with a coating of otaku memories, as it would be relevant to the viewer, and fantastically amusing for the Jovians.
Thanks for referring me to the post. I think it’s a great read as well. I commented there re: the negative attitude against self-referencing (I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing).
I don’t know about mocked, but I do agree about the current relevance. Courage irrelevant? How can this be ever true? In any case I’m watching Nadesico presently and am enjoying it very much.
They’re mocked in the sense that Nadesico frequently takes an ironic tone with the nostalgic values (Gai is usually played for laughs), along with all the times when people look down on Gai/Akito for their obsession with them. Of course, at the same time the show also shows how seductive they can be.
(Also, something is probably dead before it even gets there. One prof I was talking with in grad school lamented about how a lot of what he wrote about in his most recent book ended up eventually being wrong in the 3-4 year time lag between when he started his research and when the book was finally published.)