Let’s start with the basics. I’ve talked previously about how the role of the protagonist can warp things: with the way that we construct stories, it’s very easy for people to sympathize with and focus on the actions of a protagonist and realign their understanding of right and wrong – at least within the context of a story – to the protagonist.
Read MoreThe root of this, I believe, lies in the privileging of “realism” over other modes of expression in aesthetics. By this, I mean the idea that art is supposed to be a mimetic reproduction of things that would “really happen”. Leaving aside, of course, the number of really-occurring events that get you treated as insane if you acknowledge.
Read MoreNotice: this piece includes spoilers for an anime series that’s nearly 25 years old, but is only experiencing a broader pop-cultural moment now due to its release on a streaming service (Netflix). If you are the sort of person who thinks that spoilers ruin a series, you are warned now.
It also includes discussion of depression and adolescent sexual development, because it’s Evangelion and that’s what the whole show is about.
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