| Subject: Re: Deep thoughts at 1:35 AM |
Author:
Ari
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Date Posted: 05:34:40 12/27/03 Sat
In reply to:
Ariane
's message, "Deep thoughts at 1:35 AM" on 14:40:37 12/26/03 Fri
> It seems to me that the focus of "X" isn't moral
>decision making at all. Rather, it's about the
>characters, their relationships and how they interact
>with one another.
I would have to agree with you. It's not the point of X- I never said it was ;). If that were the case and CLAMP still short-changed the philosophical discussion, I wouldn't even bother reading it. It IS all about the characters. But I find the fact that the characters almost never sit back and wonder about the grand scheme of things a little questionable. For someone as self-absorbed as Subaru or Seishirou it makes a certain amount of sense, but for other characters... not so much. It starts to look more and more like the rest of the cast doesn't CARE about mankind or the earth, only about their own selfish wishes. Which, don't get me wrong, is an excellent theme in and of itself, but I honestly don't think that's what CLAMP was going for. With what Fuuma said in the latest issues, though... about how it's not what actually happened or is happening that's important, but what people want to believe... perhaps they are.
In which case, go Fuuma! I await mankind's crushing defeat from it's own selfish desires and lack of concern for others.
> Reaching moral conclusions doesn't drive the
>characters in "X". Emotions do. Perhaps for that
>reason, CLAMP choose 'simplify' the background a bit,
>if you will. That is, less philosphy, more character
>development (Kusanagi weeps).
If they were going to put aside philosophy for character development, fine. But quite frankly I don't consider the vast majority of the cast more than one-dimensional, let alone well-developed. The background characters are more symbols and stereotypes than real people- which is good for making a philosophical statement, not so good for telling a story about people's lives. We don't even get to know why most of the Dragons of Heaven are fighting in the first place, so how are we supposed to feel for them during the End of Times? We know why Subaru is fighting, why Kamui is fighting, and why Aoki is fighting... but Arashi? And we only heard very recently that Yuzuriha is fighting to protect the person she likes. What was she doing before that? What her grandmother told her to do?
Background shows how characters became the way they are, so the reader can choose whether or not they agree with the way the character has acted given the circumstances they were under. A character with no background can act any way the author wants and the reader can't really judge their actions without knowing the reasons behind them. It's impossible to truly judge Yuuto, for example, whereas with Seishirou we know about his family relationships, his upbringing, his career, his Wishes, his feelings toward Subaru, his own personal philosophy (the many times in TB he wasn't playing the part of the happy vet, his asides to himself, his actions after the 'Crime' story, ALL of TB 7, etc.), so we can choose to accept what he's done or condemn him for it. So, in my opinion, skimping on backgrounds in a 'character-driven' story of the end of the world was a bad idea. There ARE well-developed characters, though, like Subaru and Kamui, and I'm waiting for their stories to play out myself. But most of the rest of the cast? Without the background, I'm just not interested.
> As a result, people get
>frustrated when they can't find much discussion of
>those "philosphical" points. The description of "X" as
>a story of "two friends torn about by fate" is more
>accurate than the description that calls it "a story
>about the end of the world".
They do? I haven't met too many other people that care enough to be frustrated by it, personally. I don't think I count as 'people' all by myself ;). The vajority of the X fans I know are reading it for the reasons you pointed out about- the story of Kamui and Fuuma, the two friends torn apart by fate. Or, even more likely, Subaru and Seishirou, the two lovers torn apart by fate. The trouble is, X ISN'T just the the story of those four, it's more like 'The Story of Two Friends Torn Apart by Fate, The End of Tokyo Babylon, and Some Other People Who do Things Because of...Stuff'. If it were just the first two, I would agree that it's entirely character-driven, but as I said before, I see the many of the characters as symbols more than real people. Satsuki, for example- the most obvious- represents mankinds current obsession with machines and the detachment from other humans that goes with it. How we would rather be online than with our friends, and the like. Much the same message Lain had for its viewers. Karen is Faith, Yuzuriha is Optimism, Kusanagi is Conscience... but my complaint was that CLAMP goes next-to nowhere with such clear symbolism. At least, not yet.
Fuuma is depicted with
>angel wings, while Kamui gets demon wings. So, who is
>really the 'bad guy'?
Ah, but white wings or batwings, Fuuma is still a killer, and killing is wrong because people will be sad ;). I'm still waiting for CLAMP to twist that one on it's head, and I think I know how they'll do it, but I won't announce it for bragging rights just yet ;).
It would be
>easier to discuss the ethics of the characters rather
>than the groups they belong to (focusing on Subaru as
>a 'good' or 'bad' guy as opposed to the Dragos of
>Heaven as 'good' or 'bad' guys), because the
>characters are the point of the series.
You mean it would be easier to focus on the most complicated character in the series and his complicated set of Wishes, emotions, and loyalites? Oh, probably. But everyone else? I'd say the plot would take priority in discussions, and from the ones I've seen around most X communities and such, it does.
> Wow, I wrote a lot. o_o I wonder if that made any
>sense...
I lot of it did, yeah. But I'm not sure I agree ;). I think perhaps CLAMP went for both kinds of stories and ended up falling short of either.
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