Akana ga Kiru: Love Makes the World Go Round

Well, my dear readers, Akane ga Kiru happens to be the latest manga to capture my imagination.  However, the villains are downright fiends.  Some of the atrocities they commit make it easier to think of them as demons or monsters than human beings.  The violence often reaches the level of Hellsing (and the artwork of Akame ga Kiru is incredibly reminiscent of that work) and occasionally the level of the Berserk manga (don’t read that for Pete’s sake!); so, I only recommend it to the thickest skinned of my readers.  I find myself skipping pages and examining each page for foreshadowing of the gruesome so that I can avoid scenes reminiscent of the worst passages of Terry Goodkind’s novels.

Then, why read Akame ga Kiru?  Any lover of dark stories will tell you that one reads dark stories for the light contained therein.  The surrounding darkness makes the light seem that much more precious and lovable.  If dark stories contain no light, they fall to the level of trash or poison—the product of a diabolical or melancholy imagination.

Speaking of diabolical, the attitude of treating people as cattle is pretty much rampant among the upper class of this society,

The point of light which seems most precious because it shines most precariously is romantic love in Esdese, our heroes’ greatest opponent.  Objectively speaking, she’s a vile sadist, but I cannot help but be fascinated by her–nay, she’s actually my favorite character right now.  Her desire to fall in love separates her from the majority of the villains.  And who else should she fall for but the hero?  During a tournament instigated by her to find the sixth member of her Jaeger team, Tatsumi steals her heart, and she drags him from the field in a manner reminiscent of a caveman claiming a bride.  They pass the night debating philosophy–Aristotle vs. Nietzsche, you might say.  Like Thrasymachus of Plato’s Republic, she claims that Tatsumi’s notion of justice derives from weak people: the strong only need to act to their own advantage.  All the while, Tatsumi tries to convince her to defect from the Empire and join the Rebel side without admitting that he has already joined the Empire’s most infamous enemy: Night Raid.

Esdese seems pretty cute until you get to know her.

During a hunting exercise, he escapes her grasp.  She tells the Jaegers that they do not need to offer Tatsumi mercy should they meet him in combat; yet, she still pines for him.  She even refuses the evil Prime Minister’s offer to find a similar man for her.

Why should this be significant?  Even bad people love others.  That’s natural, isn’t it?  But, love is intimately bound with happiness, the chief end of human beings.  If love were not so bound with happiness, the family would not be the chief unit of society.  The most effective governments try to foster the health of the family through fostering peace and justice.  Essentially, Esdese, by desiring love, also wishes for the flourishing of peace and justice unless she wants a sham love–the mere indulgence of her feelings.  If she opts for true love, she must become the enemy of her current employers.  (Oh, what a beautiful moment that would be!)  The rampant cruelty and injustice infecting the country hardly fosters the creation of happy households.

But, many things war against her defection: her vicious character first and foremost.  Her subordinates are incredibly loyal to her because she shows them affection; however, her show of affection is motivated by the desire to make them good subordinates, i. e. tools.  Aristotle claimed that the wicked can only have friendships of utility, and all of Esdese’s relationships belong to that category.  Her relationship with Tatsumi stands as the sole exception, but if she begins to view her relationship with Tatsumi according to usefulness or pleasure, that will shatter her ability to find real love, where the beloved is loved for his own sake.  Then again, the heroines have taken a shine to Tatsumi, and he could easily break Esdese’s heart by choosing one of them over her.  At which point, Esdese might forsake love altogether.  Thirdly, the Japanese concept of karma would certainly deny Esdese the right to real happiness.  The manga takes a grimly realistic view of humanity.  I’d have to say that Dostoyevsky’s underground man had a greater chance at salvation than Esdese.

In the meantime, I shall follow with rapt attention Esdese’s standing on the fence.  Shall she fall on the side she naturally leans towards and snuff out the little bit of light in her soul?  Or shall amor, with all its demands, sacrifices, and true joys, truly omnia vincit?

Dreaming of Girls with Guns

During National Blog Posting Month, I listed many different articles which I wanted to write, and barely scratched the surface of them.  One of the projected articles concerned Koichi Mashimo’s Girls with Guns Trilogy–Noir, Madlax, and El Cazador de la Bruja.  At last, I have turned my attention to writing this article, which describes why I loved these series so much–at least the first two.  El Cazador de la Bruja doesn’t pack as much of a punch.

First, do not let the nickname “Girls with Guns” mislead you into thinking that these shows provide vapid entertainment.  These series stand as some of anime’s most intellectual.  Its plots are shrouded with mystery and stick to the technique of gradual revelation.  Authors like Hemingway and Dostoyevsky are alluded to in Noir.  (For the life of me, I can’t remember if Madlax contained any similar allusions.)  The first and best, Noir, presents the story of two assassins.  One of them, Kirika, enlists the aid of another assassin named Mireille in order to discover her identity.  During their missions they discover the existence of Les Soldats, a mysterious organization which wants to use Kirika’s talents for their own ends.  The second, both chronologically and in greatness, Madlax, covers the relationship between its titular assassin and a young girl with whom she is mysteriously connected.  The last, El Cazador de la Bruja, stands higher than most of what’s being produced currently, but I managed to get sidetracked from it.  I blame the blogosphere for making me focus on what’s currently popular. 🙂

The first thing which strikes the viewer about these shows is the quality of the music.  I could listen to Coppelia’s Casket and Nowhere all day.  They are very addictive!  During the episodes, Mashimo relies heavily on music to set the mood of the scenes, which is a weakness in some directors; but the quality of the music means no complaints will be forthcoming from me.  Few series excel so well at immersing the viewer in the countries where the action take place, and the musical score along with the detail of the backgrounds allows for this complete sense of immersion.

Also refreshing is how rich in character the heroines are.  Contemporary anime, perhaps more than other mediums, employ stock characters to a disturbingly high degree.  This was one of the things which made me–someone who cares more about original characters than plots–for the most part quit watching new shows from 2009 – 2012.  (My longtime followers might remember this article, which marks the beginning of me becoming interested once again in contemporary works.)  In Noir and Madlax, men play the scantest roles.  (The thing they do best is getting shot.)  This makes having dynamic, multifaceted female characters necessary.  Many people dislike Mireille, but I find her a charming bluestocking with a zest for life.  (It also happens to be very easy for me to like leggy French blondes with blue eyes.)  She loves fine food and wine and quotes Hemingway in the second episode of the series, a series which, with its laconic dialogue and strict adherence to show don’t tell, is very Hemingwayan itself.

Might as well admit that I pretty much fell for Mireille.

Kirika, despite being as blue the the titular character of Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, provides the viewers with some awesome gunfights.  Who can forget the popcorn scene in particular?  She, along with Mireille and Madlax, have a tendecy to take out their targets with one shot; though, Kirika is more than willing to use more–as you’re supposed to.  Amusingly, Mireille even calls Kirika vulgar once for the way she offs a certain villain.

Kirika’s easily the most dangerous assassin in any of these stories. That’s a henchman’s tie she’s hanging from, by the way.

Though, if any character in the series raises assassination to an art form, it would be Madlax.  She occasionally wears an evening gown as she takes down her enemies.  The scene where she downs people in moving vehicles with a pistol at over 100 years takes the biscuit as one of the most outrageous anime gunfights ever.  But, Madlax is perhaps the most lovable character in any of these series.  She combines the best traits of Kirika and Mireille: Madlax has Kirika’s efficiency and quietude and Mireille’s aesthetic sensibility and beauty.

I must confess that I also fell for Madlax–and Vanessa and Limelda for that matter.

From what I have seen of El Cazador de la Bruja, it stands as the weakest show, though I find the main characters very amusing to watch.  Imagine Kirika with a sense of humor and a quick tempered and less suave Mireille, and you’ll have a good picture of the two main characters.  I also liked the change from assassins to bounty hunters as the profession of the main characters.

Anyway, Koichi Mashimo directed two original classic series and one rather enjoyable picaresque romp.  Be sure to put the first two under your anime watching belt at least!