These are certainly eventful times for Shingeki no Kyoujin. As rumors continue to swirl that the anime will be changing studios, that anime is moving from one giant plot tremor to another – the series justifiably legendary for dragging stuff out now dumping huge events one right after the other. Major characters (at long last) dying, even more major characters almost dying, Wall Maria being retaken. And then there’s the big one, the loose thread that’s been dangling over the story almost from the very beginning.
It’s funny, then, that just when things are getting really interesting I’m at the point where I’m seriously considering dropping the series (from coverage). Part of it is my feelings about where Isayama is taking the story (you got a taste of that here, if you kept watching past the credits) but a bigger part of it is knowing what will happen to the discussion around here. Because, frankly, it’s already happened everywhere the manga is discussed. I don’t want to sink into that morass, and I know that nothing Isayama says or does will ever turn his apologists against him anyway, so there’s no real “discussion” going on in the first place. I’ve put this moment off for as long as I could, but there’s no more kicking the can down the road – we’re at a dead end.
That’s the real significance of the basement, and even knowing through what he’d written up to this point that Isayama had a distinctly fascist and nationalistic bent, nothing could prepare me for the sheer audacity he showed starting with those final two minutes of this week’s episode. That he didn’t even bother to try and hide it – that he could be so blatant – that was the part that really struck me. We see plenty of nationalism in anime (albeit generally more from LNs than manga adaptations), and in recent years a disturbing fascination with fetishizing Nazis. But both because of Isayama’s unapologetic directness and because of the sheer stature of Attack on Titan (it’s already among the five best-selling manga franchises ever by volume), this is different by an order of magnitude.
Oddly enough, all I could think of in the buildup to this episode was “Wouldn’t it be great if they finally got into that damn basement and all they found was a smelly old couch and an air hockey table?” There was some housekeeping to be done before that of course, what with Armin waking up to some extremely shocking new realities. This was all handled in surprisingly understated and dignified fashion – even by Levi, believe it or not – and it’s clear that Armin is going to be dealing with the psychic fallout of all this for quite a while.
You knew the whole basement business was going to be stretched as far as it could, of course. That business with the key not fitting – you pretty much have to laugh. I think Levi’s reaction pretty much summed up that of most readers, and he made short work of the door. As for what was inside, it looked for all the world like any pre-industrial doctor’s office – which is of course exactly how Grisha wanted it to look. It was Mikasa who found the key – or rather, where to put it. And from the moment Eren stuck the skeleton in the lock, nothing was ever going to be the same.
All I can add about what happened after the credits is “you ain’t seen nothing yet”. My initial reaction when I heard where about this development was that however queasy I was at the notion of where Isayama was headed with Shingeki no Kyoujin – and that was pretty queasy – it was far worse than even I’d imagined. And he just keeps upping the ante. You’d like to think there was an explanation for this, an ironic twist, something – but no, what you saw in the beginning of that flashback was exactly what it looked like. As I said – audacious and blatant.
And that’s where I’ll leave it for now. I honestly don’t know what my plan is with this series, and that’s not BS – I genuinely don’t know. Having waded through Trost and four seasons of Erwin and everything else I hate to give it up now – it makes me feel totally cheated. But to keep going makes me nauseous, as does the idea of having the ugliness of the manga reaction repeated here. It would probably be better to make a clean break but that’s not going to be easy to do after 55 episodes. As I said, I just don’t know at this point – but at some stage very soon I’m going to have to make that call.
Wangwang
June 10, 2019 at 9:31 pmI guess when we advocate for the freedom of art, sometimes we have to put up with thing like this.
Guardian Enzo
June 10, 2019 at 10:03 pmIndeed. Not questioning whether anyone else should have the chance to consume this material if they wish – merely wether I want to be part of the ugliness that it spawns.
Goh
June 10, 2019 at 9:49 pmSo let me get this straight. You prefer single digit, forgettable comments for mediocre shows, than live, heated discussion for one of the greatest works this medium has produced? Ok.
What a fascist and nationalist this Isayama. Making us empathize with Jewish children and showing the ugly realities of racism and discrimination smh
Guardian Enzo
June 10, 2019 at 10:02 pmAnd so it begins.
Earthlingzing
June 10, 2019 at 10:10 pmOh dear…
nazi apologist I guess
June 10, 2019 at 10:06 pmI think the reason you’re considering dropping the coverage is because you’ve slowly come to realise that you don’t have a leg to stand on with this “AoT is fascist” take that you’ve foolishly adopted based on uhhh I guess a bad tweet (that has nothing to do with the show itself) and an out of context screenshot.
Like what would you even be able to say if the next part of the manga gets adapted, where it’s just characters TALKING about how racism is bad with the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the head? Not that it’s not obvious now to anyone with a working set of eyes.
Remember, by the way, when you were blogging Joker Game like it’s not ACTUAL nazi apologia along with being horribly misogynist? I guess that author must have had pretty good tweets or something.
Guardian Enzo
June 10, 2019 at 10:43 pmRoger – troll, got it.
Danger
June 10, 2019 at 10:28 pmI’m at a loss. Being caught up with the manga, it’s hard to see how he’s at all advocating nationalism or fascism; he’s more often than not revealing the destructiveness and hypocrisy of such concepts, and a prevalent chracter’s arc as of late has been about learning how the nationalistic brainwashing they’ve been conditioned into for their entire lives has helped feed into an endless cycle of killing and revenge. I’m just confused at how people take the exact opposite interpretation. Yes, he’s constantly PORTRAYING fascist, militaristic governments (and I do understand the fetishistic argument regarding the imagery), but I don’t see how he’s saying “You see this? THIS is how we need to engage with the world! Bring back the Imperial Government!”, when textually almost nothing good comes from such a line of thinking from any party involved in this story.
I generally hold the same opinions as you – I hate nationalism, fascism, and any brand of jingoistic garbage that can be seen cropping up everywhere now due to right-wing politics that have been emboldened by recent movements and social media – but I’ve never been so at odds on an interpretation of art before.
Now, if you do truly believe that the individuals wearing those armbands are stand-ins for the Japanese, then of course, I’d agree completely with you. However, there’s just… so much that comes later in the story that works against that notion, that I legitimately just don’t see it. I agree that the obvious real-world analogue is wildly tone-deaf, and that I don’t think his storytelling chops are generally good enough to justify using such delicate imagery in his YA post-apocalyptic action manga.
That being said, when I read or watch something, it usually becomes pretty clear on where the author’s worldview and values lie. Usually an evaluation of the core cast’s character traits and how the narrative treats them is a good way to get a grasp on the values of the author. I despise nazis and their sympathizers, but I seriously don’t see that in Isayama when I consume this story. I’ve heard about the twitter controversy and the comments made by his editor, but I don’t see the TEXTUAL reality of the story backing those anecdotes up.
Guardian Enzo
June 10, 2019 at 10:46 pmOf course they’re not stand-ins for the Japanese. Do you truly not realize who they’re stand-ins for?
There are multiple problems here, starting with the fact that I can’t dive in feet-first in rebutting this argument because there are things the anime hasn’t revealed yet. But believe me, they’re coming. I won’t address it directly but think of it this way = do you remember what Trump said about the participants in the Charlottesville neo-Nazi super-rally and the counter-protesters?
Danger
June 10, 2019 at 11:10 pmOf course I know who they’re the most obvious stand-ins for.
And the “Fine people on both sides” quote? I don’t see how M is anything other than a complete evil that must be destroyed. Is your issue with the fact that there are people on the side of M that are portrayed sympathetically? I think the biggest difference between Nazi Germany and M is that the former was almost entirely comprised of a population that let fascism overtake them over the course of roughly a decade, whereas the latter has been in existence in its current regime for roughly a hundred years; most of the people fighting for M (the E-contingent, anyway) do so being brainwashed and conditioned from birth that E is evil. I don’t think there’s any vagueness though on whether M is evil – it is.
Just gonna addend this by saying I have no ill feelings towards you like a lot of others seem to have, because I would rather someone be skeptical and sensitive regarding troubling themes than someone else who laps that shit up without a second thought for the deeper social repercussions (shit like Shield Hero, Darling, etc.). I’m just pretty confident on where I stand with this one, and it seems we just believe… differently. I don’t have any qualms about dropping something well into its publication once the author reveals their ugly truth, but I just disagree on this one. I’m absolutely still open to persuasion, though, as this series does walk a fine line.
Guardian Enzo
June 10, 2019 at 11:20 pmAnd if everyone was willing (and able) to have the discussion on this level, I would have no problem continuing it. The problem is with posts of the type you see above and below you, not yours. Let me make that perfectly clear.
Again – what I want to say to rebut your argument is contingent on things that happen later in the manga, so I’m not going to do it. But believe me, I will if I stick around that long.
Danger
June 10, 2019 at 11:22 pmGot it – looking forward to it!
Xang Noi
June 10, 2019 at 10:45 pmGuardian Enzo, I really liked your blogs however since you have started to believe the show is pro fascist I am going to stop reading your reviews.
This show is one of my favorite shows of all time. The show got me back into watching Anime and as soon as I saw you started blogging season 1, it helped me keep interest. However, since you started changing and claiming the show has another twisted agenda, it is not what I watch anime for.
I get it, you feel personally attacked watching the way the narrative is going. You clearly do not like the writing and not happy with the setting and themes. Then it is simple – just stop watching it. So what if it is the most amazing anime right now and getting a lot of buzz? Never watch something if you do not like.
On that note, AOT has military themes that are not for everyone. However, I strongly disagree that the anime/manga is being apologetic to fascism, nationalism, right wing etc. The story is about three friends torn by war against another human civilisation. That is all. If you want to see something that is even more controversial, then you need to watch Now And Then Here and There and Monster.
I am signing off with a thank you for your blogs. I’m done with this dead end too.
Guardian Enzo
June 10, 2019 at 10:47 pmSee ya. Your choice, just like whether to keep covering this series is mine.
Derrick
June 10, 2019 at 11:01 pmspoiler alert.
aot seems like a gray vs gray morality.
but in reality it’s almost-black vs black forcefully painted gray by the author.
“forced to be fascist” vs “forced to be terrorist” my ass. everybody is stupid just for the sake of conflict.
Red butterfly
June 11, 2019 at 1:50 amOnce again, sorry for my bag english but…
Please don’t get offended by what is coming if you read it. It’s my honest point of view.
Your review is empty. You have an idea : ” SNK is fascist”, but you never explain how the work itself builds a fascist discourse. You don’t analyze, your ideas don’t rest on any formal element of the show (except the weak argument of the military imagery which context or usefulness seems to be out of your field of vision). With this episode, I was hoping for some solid explanation that would help me to understand how it is possible to think as you do, and still we have nothing here.
You seemed offended when in a comment I wrote that I think people deducing SNK is pro-fascist just by seeing a picture out of context are “intellectually deficient”. But, sorry, how do you want me to put it? I didn’t use any insulting word, just the standards and polite ones to express my idea. There is no other way to say that. Basically, deducing a whole author’s ideology with just one picture is the contrary of reading and understanding, it’s a total and alarming lack of reading skills. In school and college, children and adults are taught not to do what those people with their ”picture argument” did.
I chose to not be alarmed by your interpretation, but to laugh before it, that was better for my mental welfare. You chose to see SNK with preconceptions brought to you by ignorant people and you couldn’t let it go. Your words : “I don’t want to sink into that morass, and I know that nothing Isayama says or does will ever turn his apologists against him anyway, so there’s no real “discussion” going on in the first place” just make me think you know something is very off with your reading, that people won’t agree with you, but you don’t want to face it and you want to cut it before the difficulty shows up by discrediting (“apologist” is a strong word) your potential interlocutor.
Moreover, you’re always saying you know that what is coming will be worse, but we don’t know what you know or imagine. In reality, you seem to discover the show. The elements you think you have are apparently out of context too. I think you don’t know what you’re talking about and the continuation of the story. And that’s getting more and more obvious.
Your error is to think SNK is an essay who’s trying to convince the readers, whereas it’s a complicated story.
Dude, please don’t think I’m being malicious or that I just want to be bad with you but… you don’t seem to realize that you are making a fool of yourself. And I hate to think people are fools. Then I’m forced to laugh at them to avoid getting angry before such nonsensical reasoning. Please. Maybe you should drop it. That would be a pity, for the story keeps becoming greater and greater. But if it’s so difficult for you, it would be better for you and for the show. Some naïve persons could believe you.
Anyway, have a nice day.
Simone
June 11, 2019 at 2:59 amWhile I get why the overall *metaphor* of AoT can feel like Japanese nationalism, once everything is explained… I kinda don’t understand how one would feel nauseous just from this episode. Unless you mean that you feel it’s tactless to take blatant Holocaust imagery, do a texture swap on the armbands and use it in your fantasy story, which yeah, I can get while it’s not the most delicate move ever, but it’s not like AoT is alone in doing something like that. Nazi imagery at least is *everywhere* (hello Star Wars!), and while not this on-the-nose, among manga and anime, Fullmetal Alchemist did a lot to evoke similar comparisons (and Conqueror of Shamballa showed Nazis and Jews outright, but then, far from me to suggest that Conqueror of Shamballa was in any way GOOD. More like Conqueror of Shambles, AMIRIGHT?).
Guardian Enzo
June 11, 2019 at 6:17 amThere is an element of “one should not frivolously use direct Holocaust imagery unless they thoroughly understand the issues involved”, and Isayama clearly doesn’t. But the main point is that I’m nauseous because I know where he’s headed with this, and it’s nauseating. I’ll talk about it when we get there (or I won’t – we’ll see), and Isayama’s defenders will continue to defend him in defiance of the evidence.
Simone
June 11, 2019 at 6:21 amWell, but you have foreknowledge. The way you write it makes it sound “it’s obvious already why this is nauseating!” and if I was an anime-only viewer I would be utterly confused (as it stands, I still think you may be overreacting, but at least I get where you’re coming from, though I won’t be able to confirm it until we can finally talk openly as the spoiler ban lifts).
Fanhunter
June 11, 2019 at 10:25 amYes, I will continue to defend him.
First of all out of a mere principle. I am a firm believer of artistic freedom, If an author wants to do something with the world he has created, he has all the right to do it.
But mainly, because after having read the whole manga many times, I am still incapable of seeing it as Alt Right, or Nationalist propaganda. I would say it is just the opposite, Isayama is not doing any apology of militarism, he is portraying a Dystopia. By that same reasoning, The Handmaiden´s Tale is an apology of sexism and male dominance, Fahrenheit 451 is a celebration of the concept of happiness in ignorance or Lolita is an exaltation of pederasty.
I admit that he is using Holocaust and Nazi imagery with the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the crotch, but that is what the whole Wolfstein design is based on, and I have never heard anyone accusing its creators of being Nazis for that.
Sorry for the Double post, But I screwed things up and replied to the wrong message.
blargnobia
June 11, 2019 at 3:35 amjeez, you weren’t kidding about the comments, Enzo. And we haven’t even seen the real horrible stuff yet.
The major issue you’re going to face is that it’s impossible to objectively prove that AoT is a WWII allegory. An allegory doesn’t need to specifically correspond with historical events. (Like The Crucible is about the Red Scare in the 1950s, even though it takes place in colonial times.) So Isayama can make obvious references to the Nazis/Jews (and, I would argue, the Nanking Massacre), all while being vague about what he’s actually arguing. This way, he can passive-aggressively tap-dance away from the implications of his own story.
It’s really insidious.
Guardian Enzo
June 11, 2019 at 6:19 amYes, that’s definitely a part of the issue and that’s a good way of summing up that part of the problem. Believe me I know it’s going to get worse both on-screen and off, and that makes me hesitant to stick around.
blargnobia
June 11, 2019 at 9:53 amWas this directed at me, or were you responding to someone else?
Because I didn’t say you weren’t allowed to defend AoT (no one said that, actually. But hey, fight the power or whatever.)
Fanhunter
June 11, 2019 at 10:00 amI screwed up
I wanted to respond to this
There is an element of “one should not frivolously use direct Holocaust imagery unless they thoroughly understand the issues involved”, and Isayama clearly doesn’t. But the main point is that I’m nauseous because I know where he’s headed with this, and it’s nauseating. I’ll talk about it when we get there (or I won’t – we’ll see), and Isayama’s defenders will continue to defend him in defiance of the evidence.
TheYepMan
June 11, 2019 at 9:01 amOkay, I have little to nowhere else to talk about this so might as well.
I, too, heard about AoT being “problematic” first by people running tumblr blogs, then content creators replying to the bigger anime coverage venues, and finally, by Dan Olson. Now, I fell out of love first with Tumblr and its userbase long ago. I no longer follow those content creators that pivoted their content to community drama away from what they used to talk about. And as for Dan Olson and his YouTube friends, I used to enjoy watching their content but recent events have made them fall from my grace definitely.
But all of them were right about Attack on Titan.
The problem with people defending Attack on Titan and Isayama is that most of their backlash is based around a notion that people are saying this work is problematic *from a Western standpoint*. And there’s been a massive recruitment effort (you can’t call it anything else really) in the anime and gaming community towards further-right ideology, so even if AoT defenders are a mixture of
– people who have a strong emotional connection with this show
– people who think AoT detractors are being overly “woke performative” and are too distracted with saying you can’t really analyze AoT with a Westernized reading
– Actual Alt-Right Shitheads blending into the crowd
…you can’t help but think that it’s too tiring and counter-productive to try to properly identify each case, if it’s a fruitless endeavor anyway.
Attack on Titan is problematic from a *Japanese* standpoint; its not an alt-right franchise, it’s an uyoku dantai franchise. And as others said above, the author doesn’t engage with the narrative in a way you can clearly say “it’s an allegory for WW2” or anything like that, but it’s more a story written in a way that can take uyoku dantai ideas and both justify them and put them in a nicer light, make them more digestible for the reader.
The other hand is that it’s very easy for AoT defenders (who might even know the manga and thus have the context, to boot) to attack points made about *the anime* in articles where spoilers are discouraged, because trying to counter the AoT defense involves spoilers. One can only say this: If you’re an anime-only watcher and you think that up to this point it’s not been as scandalous as people like Olson or Enzo make it out to be… well, brace yourselves. Just do us all a favor and don’t try to make excuses for the work – dare to be disappointed by it. It deserves it, and you’ll soon see why we think so.
Fanhunter
June 11, 2019 at 9:35 amI don´t really get it, I am neither of those 3 alternatives that you provide, but I have the opposite interpretation of the whole thing
Attack on Titan is a dystopia in which the central trope is War is Hell, there is no romanticism nor glorification of it, it shows that war is awful all around, there are no glorified deaths, innocent dies on both sides, and the cycle continues, It also shows how those in power use secrets skew perceptions and force the world into hell just to keep more power and how at the end of the day, there are good people on both sides, forced to do horrible things because they don´t have any choice whereas those who send them to fight to stay in their silver towers
So care to explain to me how can be extrapolated from this work that its author support Japan’s war crimes in World War II and consider imperialism something beneficial?
Hell, what I extrapolate from this work it is that he is very much anti-government, anti-imperialism and deeply pro-civil liberties and discourse.
Fanhunter
June 11, 2019 at 9:58 amI wanted to respond Enzo in this statement, but I kind of screwed up
There is an element of “one should not frivolously use direct Holocaust imagery unless they thoroughly understand the issues involved”, and Isayama clearly doesn’t. But the main point is that I’m nauseous because I know where he’s headed with this, and it’s nauseating. I’ll talk about it when we get there (or I won’t – we’ll see), and Isayama’s defenders will continue to defend him in defiance of the evidence.
leongsh
June 11, 2019 at 10:03 amAt least, onr of my concerns about the basement and what it holds did not turn as a MacGuffin but does hold answers to the wider world that the series lives in. Eren’s father comes from a world/nation that is very advanced technologically than the nation we’ve seen this very bombastic story play out. It even slaps us with bat that that world is alike WW2 Germany and the Warsaw Ghettos. Based on the comments so far… the series looks to play up this lookalike.
FYI, anime-only viewer here. Not surprised at the strong views being put out here. Some have gone to great lengths to rail against any view that is not the same as theirs with respect to this, in my view, very bombastic series. I will still be watching where it goes. Even if it becomes a major wreck, will probably still watch just for the spectacle of it.
Animeviewer
June 11, 2019 at 10:16 amHi Enzo. As an anime only viewer (have not read the manga, or have any knowledge of the upcoming events), I hope you at least stick around for whatever the upcoming event that polarizes the audience into two sides. Because I’m not entirely sure I would know when it happens.
Guardian Enzo
June 11, 2019 at 11:14 amWell, the start of it just happened, I can safely say that much. This is when the manga readership exploded into rancor and fury on all sides. And it only gets worse from here (in both senses).
Rider X
June 11, 2019 at 12:49 pmMy view on it is that I genuinely don’t get it. I’m up-to-date on the manga, and I don’t even Isayama is the greatest at writing or anything. I just really don’t the him pushing some sort of Fascist agenda. It’s hard to get into specifics, but I don’t see after having the entire story in front of me. I can understand the imagery being uncomfortable or if don’t read further you can get that vibe and there is criticism to be had, but I just see that as the message.
ZillaGrrl
June 12, 2019 at 1:01 amWow, if this is what the comments section will devolve into, I can completely understand why you wouldn’t want to invite that nastiness in to your own “home”.
Guardian Enzo
June 12, 2019 at 6:22 amThat’s the crux of the issue to be sure. Not all of it, but a big part of it.
Yana
June 12, 2019 at 6:30 amI dropped this anime a long time ago, but I now feel compelled to say: do what you think is best for YOU, Enzo. And that’s it. This is your blog, you own and run things here — therefore, you should do what you think is right, and if that includes prioritising your peace of mind by preventing an inevitable shitstorm, then do that. Don’t think about your readers’ opinions or preferences when it comes to keeping your own webspace safe from unnecessary vitriol, goodness knows there’s an overabuncance of it in comment sections all throughout the internet. You certainly shouldn’t feel pressured to continue covering material that comes pre-packaged with idiocy-induced headaches. You review things because the analysis and construction that go into those reviews bring you a measure of enjoyment. If reviewing something turns into a stagnant or potentially painful experience, it’s a sign it might no longer be worth reviewing.
Guardian Enzo
June 12, 2019 at 6:42 amThanks, I do appreciate the thought. I’m still torn about it – nothing about this is simple or straightforward.
Stöt
June 13, 2019 at 8:29 pmI decided to spoil myself to keep up with the conversation. Here’s a really good take on the manga from 2017 (I suppose that is only a few chapters beyond the anime) that really explains the problem with this series, if anyone in the comment sections wants to have a read through of it.
https://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2017/06/going-attack-on-titan/
Guardian Enzo
June 13, 2019 at 9:28 pmWhile I obviously won’t delve into the specifics of that post (and will delete any comment that does) I will say that in broad terms, her issues with the plot twist are fairly well-aligned with mine.
Simone
June 14, 2019 at 1:24 amI really don’t see any rationale for anything that post says. The right-wing reading I can see for the reveal and successive events is one centred on Japanese political. The antisemitic angle to me seems completely made up, it really doesn’t hold water or isn’t consistent with the narrative in any way, outside of the superficial aspect of borrowed imagery.
Guardian Enzo
June 14, 2019 at 6:43 amI totally disagree and I could tell you the specific points she makes that are most relevant, but as I said, not going to do that at this point in time.
El Dude
June 14, 2019 at 3:52 pmHey Enzo, perhaps you are missing the point (as I see it).
Think about the show Breaking Bad. The point was not to make Walter White a hero, but show his slow descent as a person. Viewers were suppossed to watch appallingly at his fall from his humble, moral, if troubled life into arrogance, brutality and nihilism. The point was not “look at this misunderstood thing,” the point was “look what happens when we stop caring, when we stop worrying about our morality. It all goes to sh*t.”
Similarly, Eren’s character change is a spectacle; it’s a kin to watching a slow motion car crash where you can pinpoint the mistakes, mistakes made without respect to the greater consequences, that led to this preventable tragedy, but you can’t change it. You can only watch in horror as people do selfish, destructive things for their own emotional, greedy, and stupid reasons.
If you’re alarmed, that’s the point itself; needless, wanton, destruction. Fighting fire with fire and burning everything to the ground. If that’s not something you can watch, I can respect that, I couldn’t finish Breaking Bad myself. For the remainder of AoT, you’re not suppossed to like anyone or anything. I just feel that you should understand that it’s not an endorsement of nationalism, but a tradegy, a warning; an explainer of how nationalism emotionally begins and then corrupts.
Have a happy, sun shiny day! 😀
Guardian Enzo
June 14, 2019 at 4:06 pmThanks for the non-troll comment, it’s appreciated. However… I think you’re missing the point of my objections more than anything, but I will say this – even if I stipulated to your argument about Isayama’s intentions (which to be clear, I certainly do not) he could have made the point without using the holocaust as a parallel. And drawing a moral equivalency between the Jews and the Nazis.
Simone
June 14, 2019 at 6:33 pmBut I really don’t see how that parallel is ever drawn. All he does is borrow imagery which has become very standard in our collective memory for ‘oppressed ethnicity’. It’s like making the villains look and act like Nazis, except in reverse, for their victims. You may argue it’s insensitive but that’s really where it ends, there is no other parallel to be drawn. If the ethnicity-that-shall-not-be-named lives in ghettos and wears armbands like Jews in the 1930s… but other than that has a completely different past and history and completely different reasons for being in the situation it is, etc., isn’t it more natural to just think it was never *meant* to be a parallel with Jews to begin with? Otherwise it’s like saying that if I ever see a story in which there is a North vs. South civil war in a country over some issue that only makes sense in-world, and the South are the good guys, that means the story is endorsing slavery. It’s a superficial analogue, but there is nothing that goes beyond that appearance.
Besides, from the manga, it’s pretty clear that a) we’re not supposed to think any faction is ‘the good guys’, they’re all caught in reciprocal resentment and hate (or in some cases, self loathing) and can’t break out of it, and b) overcoming this cycle and the legacy of the past is supposed to be the BEST outcome, though it’s still unclear if it’s an achievable one, and the story may end up being a tragedy instead. Just in the latest chapter a character has had a major breakdown over basically “I was such a fucking racist and made things worse for everyone” by realising exactly this.
Simone
June 14, 2019 at 6:35 pm(and in addition to all this: if it was really antisemitic right wing propaganda, how shitty at its job is it, since so many people are instead taking a message about the futility of war and the horrible consequences of hate from it?)
Guardian Enzo
June 14, 2019 at 7:13 pmWorst rebuttal ever.
I’m going to cut this off now, because I’m trying to argue without using spoilers and the people arguing against me are showing no inclination to do the same. It’s pointless and frustrating as hell, but I will say this much – anyone who tries to reduce this to a black and white of “it’s either pro-nazi anti-semitic propaganda or it’s 100% fine” is totally MISSING THE FUCKING POINT.