Too Abstract To Live Too Concrete To Die

“She represented all the heroines of romance — she was Desdemona one night, and Ophelia the other; if she died as Juliet, she came to life as Imogen.”

— Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891)

BABE WAKE UP NEW EURIPIDES CONTENT IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2024

I don’t think anime vs western animation are as different as people claim due to the fact they have inspired and fed off each other for decades (they’re friends!!), however I do think our environmental messages to kids are… significantly and interestingly different

whereas, say Ghibli films express a deep Shinto-based respect and reverence for nature:

fighting for it as a means of both self-preservation and expression of heroism revolving around justice

and a matter of other groups of humans (the government often) going up against the stalwart youth

This is contrasted to western animation which tends to be like…. hey! look at this funny bat! And pollution is an evil spirit you can fight like physically 

that isn’t to say the west doesn’t depict environmentalism as heroic and even involving collective action, Captain Planet is a good example of this

but individualism is still very present, the struggle is stalwart youths versus an individual or individual corporation, hell, sometimes you even get a sympathetic backstory for the corporation and weirdly cool rock song

to be clear, antagonists like Lady Eboshi in Princess Mononoke are sympathetic too, but it is… different, Lady Eboshi is trying to survive due to circumstances but it is all of Irontown that represents a system of corruption

In comparison, there is this western idea of corruption coming from individuals rather than systems as well as the fact they aren’t trying to save nature because we are part of it, but because nature itself is a person and thus worthy of respect

In Fern Gully the fairy’s represent nature, the Lorax represents nature, Captain Planet is literally just nature, all things we can talk to and relate to, where in Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa the ultimate nature spirits are something you can’t talk to and are frankly terrifying, awe-inspiring, and mighty

Western epistemology is heavily rooted in Christianity which says that man has dominion over fish of the sea, fowl of the air, and creatures of the land, ect, which leads to a utilitarian and separate view of nature– what can it do for us as separate (higher) beings, and the only way to combat this view is to say “actually nature is a person and thus worthy of protection”

Whereas Japanese Shintoism has much more emphasis on the idea that we are all part of a whole with nature, nature is the ultimate divine with nothing more important than the other, and something worthy of protection not because we can understand it, but because we can’t

“It’s a mistake to think about nature from the idea of efficiency, that forests should be preserved because they are essential to human beings”– Hayao Miyazaki

this is not to completely bash western animation, it does have other strengths such as emphasizing children’s relationship to empathy, empathy toward others in “Toy Story” and empathy toward themselves in “Inside Out” 

However, our methods of conveying environmentalism could use some updating and steering away from “goofy” and “relatable” and maybe a little more terror and awe involved with fighting the good fight

Shall we talk about Ahsoka’s Major Regret for a minute?

Her first mistake was thinking that the two of them had the luxury of another time.

She rather abruptly brushes off her excited friend, but it’s okay, because they can always talk later, when all of this is over. There’ll be another time for conversation. They part ways on good terms, but they still have a lot to talk about.

But then- Dooku is dead, Anakin is spying on the Chancellor. Okay, things are getting pretty serious. Better get Obi-Wan to relay a message.

(he won’t.)

A day or two passes. Yoda offers to deliver a message to Anakin, and Ahsoka really wants to talk to him- but maybe not through Yoda. He isn’t Obi-Wan, he doesn’t understand Anakin like they do. She can tell Anakin later.

And then less than an hour later, the galaxy changes forever. “Another time” becomes “Never”. Ahsoka will never see Anakin Skywalker again and she lives with the guilt of not being there for him for sixteen entire years.

 That vision in the temple on lothal? That’s not actually Anakin. That’s a manifestation of what Ahsoka has been subconsciously telling herself for a decade and a half.

And then- Malachor. She strikes Vader’s mask to reveal Anakin’s eye, Anakin’s voice, and she does not judge him, she does not ask him any questions, because she finally, finally has a chance to tell him-

not this time.

 “another time” is now.

— Anaïs Nin, The Diary Of Anais Nin: Volume Two (1934-1939)

my new year’s resolution is to become even more cryptic, eldritch, monstrous, blood-sucking and unholy. and maybe tidy my room.

THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (1984) dir. Neil Jordan

Rosaleen & The Huntsman/The Wolf

Spock, writing in his journal: When I was a child, I thought it was mere coincidence that my forefather, Solkar, was... intimately friendly with humans, just like my own father

Spock: I have reason to be concerned there is more to it than that

Spock: Maybe some bizarre genetic sequencing?

Spock: The point is, if the Captain rips his shirt open one more time the control I have over my few human emotions may falter

Spock: At the very least, my body will assuredly betray me

Spock: I might even take his hand in mine, unprompted

I'm dostoevski's ridiculous man

Anakin was a creative and innocent child. Even though he lived his whole life as a slave he was hopeful and brave, he had a strong will and he wasn't willing to be broken. He wanted to explore the stars and he was sure that he would have freed his people; he had dreams and he had them because he knew that he wouldn't be a slave forever because it was NOT RIGHT.

He dreamt about becoming a Jedi and going back to Tatooine for his people, he wanted to free every single slave of the galaxy because it was right and he thought that the Jedi were MEANT TO DO THIS. He had this belief about the Jedi as holders of peace and knights of justice, and when Qui Gon and Obi-Wan appeared he thought that they'd came to rescue everyone and LOOK AT HIS FACE WHEN HE REALIZES HIS MOTHER IS NOT COMING WITH HIM!! She knew they wanted him because of his powers, but she also wanted him to have a better life and with her he couldn't. Wrong choice.

With Wattoo he was forced to work, that's true, but he was aware of being a slave, plus, he was with his mother. In the Jedi Order he was all alone against lies, doubts, diffidence, they made him think he was bad, a mistake. When he says « I want more and I know that I shouldn't. » he wanted freedom. He just wanted to be free once and for all.

In ROTS we see Master Windu talking to Yoda saying that is dangerous to put Anakin and Palpatine together, and what are they doing? putting them together. Anakin's self destruction was started by the Jedi. When Yoda found out what he did to the younglings he said « the boy you trained gone he is, consumed by Darth Vader. » and that's NOT TRUE!! Yes, killing the younglings was a terrible thing, but on Mustafar Anakin was STRUGGLING and I believe he wanted to be saved. He just didn't have the courage to come back after what he did to the younglings. And, of course, Obi-Wan didn't help.