Forum - View topicGlobal domination and playing God-an overrated anime cliche?
|
|
| Author | Message | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ktimene's Lover
 Posts: 2242 Location: Glendale, AZ (Proudly living in the desert) |
|
|||||||||
|
If you look at it closely, a good number of anime deals with destroying the world and recreating it. I understand that this also occurs even in animation that isn't anime. But is there any cultural or historical or philosophical significance of this? Or is it the Japanese just like doing a common theme in various media: Playing God after destroying the world? To be honest, the whole global domination scheme seems overrated.
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Exaar
 Posts: 279 Location: Delaware |
|
|||||||||
|
It's not just a theme in anime, it's a theme in all literature/storytelling, religion, etc etc.
Think about Christianity: the whole reason for Satan's rebellion was that he wanted to take God's place, and re-make the world in his image. What about Lord of the Rings? In the ancient times, Morgoth, and later Sauron, are fighting in order to 'cover all the world in darkness', to re-make what the creator made the way they like it. Many other Western book series I can think of follow the same scheme: the evil power or character wants to re-make reality the way they want it to be. It's the classic conflict of good vs. evil. If you think about it, what other motivation would evil forces really have? They want to be rich? Maybe that works in some cases, but for big epic stories, it's too shallow and non-threatening. They want power? Well, why do they want that power? To rule the world as they see fit, of course. I don't think the 'evil power wanting to re-make the world and rule as god' thing is over-done or over-rated in anime any more than any other medium of storytelling. It's basically a staple of the entire fiction genre, at least fantasy/sci-fi fiction. It's possible to do effective stories without it, such as ones that focus more on personal conflict than global, but really, if you're having a big, epic struggle, it's practically the only thing that makes sense for the evil to want to do. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
guet
 Posts: 492 Location: Sparta |
|
|||||||||
|
In some cases it's not just the "bad" side that is attempting to re-create the world, in several series both sides are struggling to see who will earn the right to choose the form the new world takes. Example: Evangelion.
Another aspect that should be given some thought on this subject, is that a lot of times whoever is attempting to play God, makes the point that the current world is too far gone for repair. Given the current state of things like the environment, global relations, economic issues, war, oppression, etc it's pretty easy to see why creators might think that it's a probable motivation. As far as the question of over-rated or not goes, I don't really think so. It's a conflict with many possible outcomes. [EDIT: In a decidedly rare move, spoiler tags removed from "Example: Evangelion." There's no way for readers to know from context whether or not they should read a spoiler like that, and describing the general premise of a series doesn't constitute an enjoyment-ruining revelation. Please reserve spoiler tags for specific plot elements that could ruin someone's enjoyment of a series if known in advance, such as "In Evangelion spoiler[a bunch of people die and the world ends.]"~Zalis] |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
blind_assassin
 Posts: 755 |
|
|||||||||
|
When it's Captain Planet villain style "Lets destroy the Earth for absolutely no reason at all! MWUAHAHAHAHAHA!" the idea of world domination and the villain's motive become quite stupid. If the villain actually even has any sort of plans for after he wins then it takes the goal out of the realm of what is basically the equivalent of having gravity as a motive for moving and places it into the field of something that is stock but ultimately sensible in every aspect.
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
UmbreTanuki
 Posts: 3 Location: San Diego, California |
|
|||||||||
I would definitley have to agree with you. The topic of creating a whole new utopia or whatever is overated. Including in the anime Deathnote, it carries that same concept but, the way that they make the series interesting is how that concept is built upon. ps.this is only my second post!!! 
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
abynormal
 Posts: 427 Location: Louisiana |
|
|||||||||
|
"Everybody wants to rule the world" - Tears for Fears
It may be used a lot, but that's because it's an easy way to set up the bad guys and good guys, give the characters an excuse to travel to exotic locations, establish the central conflict, and make room for lots and lots of action. I'm not so much opposed to the idea as I am concerned with how the writer uses it. If they can keep the characters fresh and the conflict interesting, then an otherwise overused plot device will remain interesting. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
|
|||||||||
Very true, and the related idea of men meddling in things they were not meant to (mad scientists raising the dead to life; creating potions to unlock the secrets of the id; exploring the ruins of civilisations that were themselves destroyed by hubris) is as common.
Actually, that's not quite right. The Bible is remarkably sparse with information about the Rebellion of the Angels, but Isaiah XIV:12-15 is pretty specific that Satan wanted to be as great as God, not necessarily to take his place. Considering that there is ample evidence that early Judaism was henotheistic, with YHWH the primary god of a pantheon including Asherah, Baal and El, this would seem to indicate that Satan's goal was simply to make himself part of this pantheon. In real-world terms, the Rebellion of Angels may be a Biblical remnant of a theological/political struggle between priestly groups within this early henotheistic pantheon's clergy.
This is correct, but remember that Tolkien was a devout Catholic. LOTR and its "sister", the Narnia Chronicles, represent a modern Christian approach to this subject, even though Tolkien couched his work in mythological terms.
I hesitate to say this, but wanting to remake the world to your liking is not necessarily "evil". In a sense, this is what we all dream of, when we are young. Change, in a way that we can approve of.
Or, for good to want to do. Suppose the force that rules the world is evil, and the ones who want to change the world are the good guys. That is the case, for instance, in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. - abunai |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Exaar
Posts: 279 Location: Delaware |
|
|||||||||
|
Yes, I agree, it is possible for the good guys in a story to be the ones wanting to re-make the world, although if so they usually don't claim they are going to 'rule it as god' afterwards.
 (His Dark Materials was a very good trilogy, by the way).
Wanting to re-make the world is not necessarily an evil thing, but /usually/ in stories it is the evil people who are the ones who want to do it. Especially the 'ruling like a god' part. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
JacobC
ANN Past Staff
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
|
|||||||||
|
It is a common theme, but there's another big reason why it's overused in anime in general.
Because anime is animation, no duh. Good anime creators, even if they're not telling a fantasy, should take full control over the power of the medium they employ. Animation has a lot of perks, and destroying the world for cheap is a biggie. Total apocalypse and rampant superpowered evil takeover is just suited to animation. If it's not animated, it's really expensive. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
sogekihei-neko
 Posts: 128 |
|
|||||||||
I have trouble arguing against that one. 
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
abunai
Old Regular
Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
|
|||||||||
I would be willing to bet that Ed Wood could have filmed the Apocalypse on a competitive budget. But yes, animation allows for films that are limited only by the imagination. Live-action SFX are always, somehow, less convincing within their medium. - abunai |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
G-mofactor
 Posts: 797 Location: Atlantis to Interzone |
|
|||||||||
|
Okay. Sure, taking over the world is evil, destroying the world is evil, and what boils down to it is remaking the world.
There could or there should be a motive in doing this, but I disagree that all reference to a Global domination or 'Playing God' is based on Good vs. Evil. A lot of it has a reference to religion. In Christianity, God made the world, and we establish that. The concept of going against the present world that one lives in, and tries to change it is evil? I don't think that is always true. What if remaking the world was for the better, and that change was good. When two sides of good are in conflict due to minor disagreements. ~One: wants change ~Two: the other prefers to stay the same. Think of it as a question that has two answers or multiple answers, but there are no wrong answers. Although, they are answers of different variations proposing the same single goal. People may think that one person who tries to control the world around him by means of destruction is evil, but that person just chose a decision that thinks is suitable. To the mind is a good way to do it, but to some it can be disagreeable. i.e. Blue Submarine No. 6 Zorndike eliminated countless civilians and have others suffer in order to create a better a world for the new. However, I sympathize for the guy as his madness was not all that illogical. How about recreating the world, without any casualties to the populous. A method used to create one's image of how he/she perceives the world. Yet, the same, to the mind it is for the good of mankind, but people may disagree with it. i.e. Like the the brain washing method and illusions used in Read or Die TV. The only series that at end, were things were put together in one sense, I didn't know which side would be an appropriate choice to better the world. Sure, Sure, it is still bad to try to mold the world. Say, 'power' is the key to change ,and perhaps even to change the world. Think of it as different levels of power. For example: the low level power can be used by those who would like to make a difference in the world like stop global warming. Then people use middle class/level power to change the world like an atomic bomb. Although, such example is in WWII, the change was just partial to a global scale but with tremendous effect. Now, to achieve world domination or playing as God, acquires enormous power with bigger sacrifices than any. Why do I go though the examples? To give a sense that everyone has power, and to use it is based on the decision that is made to reach a goal. That is why, we can watch characters rise up to same level as their opponent with determination, sacrifices, or motivation. Perhaps, playing-god is not all that difficult when world domination (in many stories) can be accomplished with effort. It could just be as simple as a reset button or a click to just change world, when all is that one character is doing is just playing like a god. Anime like, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
ShellBullet
 Posts: 1051 Location: I hit things, with my fist. |
|
|||||||||
It seems there's two somewhat different concept that you're referring to. The first is this concept of "destroying the world" which is a standard enough motif throughout fantasy. In real life, no conflict that we might be involved in has such universal consequences; so perhaps it is only natural that with the constraints of reality removed the conflict often grows to ultimate proportions. The second idea is that of "recreating" the world. Good story writing demands that you give your villain a good motive. Not good in a moral sense (though if you can work it, all the better); but good in as much as it adequately explains why your villain would go to all the effort of destroying the world in the first place. A weak motive will only make for a weak story. Although it's certainly not just villains who desire to remake the world, the wolves of Wolf's Rain also wish to remake the world, except in their case they have nothing to do with its inevitable destruction. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group