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Chinese Girl Wins Award For Essay Comparing Gundam SEED to Sino-Japanese Relations
posted on by Chris Nishijima
The Gundam franchise has always been one to engage its viewers in deep thought on a number of topics such as environmentalism, religious radicalism, and of course, war. One college student from China decided to make the jump and take these thoughts to a new level, comparing Gundam Seed to the current state of Sino-Japanese relations.
Yao Lijin, a student from China's National Dong Hwa University won first place for in China's "10th National Japanese Essay Contest," for an essay titled "ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) and Their Connection to Sino-Japanese Relations." She opens her essay by explaining how watching an episode of Gundam Seed at the age of 14 provoked her to think about the meaning of war.
She continues in her essay, stating that there is a misconception of the number of Chinese individuals who believe that Japan as a whole is bad. In large part, she believes that the recent popularity of Japanese anime, manga, and games in China has helped act as a sort of "cultural exchange," by which Chinese citizens can "ascertain the true form of the other country."
Yao concludes her essay by expressing her hopes for a future state of affairs between China and Japan similar to the "eternal peace at the end of Gundam Seed." While some fans argue that the end of the series can't quite be considered "eternal peace," her sentiments are conveyed clearly.
[Via Yahoo News & Hachima Kikou]
