I liked this format the last time I did it, so here’s another one.
So in my paper, I’ve somehow moved into the territory of analyzing Re:Zero, which I think is a landmark anime in shounen, a genre of anime with its own distinct tropes. When I saw the show, I couldn’t help but think of a Nerdwriter video from a little while after Logan came out:
Quick note: the video contains a few spoilers and some (very) violent imagery.
The key notes that he makes, citing John G. Cawelti, “Chinatown and Generic Transformation in Recent American Films”, are listed here:
- Humorous burlesque
- Evocation of nostalgia
- Demythologization
- Reaffirmation of the myth
For more details, I refer you to the video. It’s a fun watch, as are most Nerdwriter videos.
Re:Zero definitely follows this path along the track of its first season. In the first several episodes, the premise of the show is set up. A boy named Subaru Natsuki is transported mysteriously into another world. He’s caught up in some intrigue surrounding a girl named Emilia, who he decides is going to be the one he dedicates everything to while he’s there. He discovers a newfound and mysterious ability he has that allows him to return to a fixed point in his life after dying, which he names “Return by Death,” and proceeds to use this ability to try and prevent disasters that happen in later episodes.
The plot device where characters return to a point in their lives after dying is a fairly popular one in anime, by the way. I first saw it in Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray, and thought that the film would be immensely popular among Buddhists. Just a quick thought bubble, heh.
Anyways, Subaru spends the first third of the show doing normal shounen things: kind of useless, talks a lot (probably too much), charismatic and full of energy, and the occasional stroke of genius when conflicts appear and need to be solved. But once the second third begins, and he and Emilia reach the capital, he finds himself immersed in a world that is far bigger than he is, that has been around far longer than he has, and is filled with people who are far more powerful than he ever will be. And in this place, he tries to force his role in the same way that he forced his role in the earlier episodes, but this time he is utterly and completely out of his depth. His traits begin to work against him – his energetic, self-absorbed big talk has no meaning other than to embarrass himself and those associated with him; his idiocy and honesty are no longer able to charm the people around him, and serve only to hurt his cause; his stubbornness and indomitable spirit, combined with his ability to ‘Return by Death’ only lead him further into despair. And of course, his [biggest] flaw, the utter lack of any power whatsoever, is accentuated even more when he is shown repeatedly to be unable to do anything about the circumstances that unfold around him.
It is at this point that Subaru is forced to come to terms with himself, and when he does, he describes himself in ways that seem to target the shounen audience very directly; after all, he is one of them – rather, he is the myth of the shounen, and they are his disciples. His flaws are their flaws, and as he says of himself in episode 18, [俺が大嫌い!!], “I hate myself!!” It’s a painful scene to watch. The way his face looks and the gestures he makes, he looks like he’s lost it, in a lot of ways.
Throughout the scene, which spans for almost the entire episode, he has a long dialogue with another character, Rem, whom he saved in a previous episode. While he complains about himself and his own flaws, Rem counters him with everything she loves about him, and with a proclamation of faith and love.
To this day, the anime fandom rings Rem as a strong contender for best girl. I don’t disagree.
Anyways, from there, the show finds its way to redeem Subaru. Once again, the traits that define him and his character archetype are boons – the unaware, idiotically bold, charismatic, energetic, stubborn, and loud Subaru helps to bring back the troops who have lost all hope in their battle against the white whale, ultimately defining him as necessary to bring hope to a world drowning in despair.
I probably spent too much time on this segment, but I need a rough draft of it anyways.
As for other projects – I’m gonna try and start reading tonight, if I still feel like it after I run through my kanji list. I gotta get my other two posts done, and I should be good. I still need something for the follow-up on my Re:Zero analysis, which I think is too long in its current iteration.