Love Conquers All
I watched some Tenchi Muyo! this morning. It's one of my favorite anime series, second only to Record of Lodoss War. One of the things it got me thinking about is the whole love-conquers-all-theme that is omnipresent in Japanese Anime. If any anime series runs long enough, it will have an episode where a character's love will save the day or at the very least give the hero the strength to save the day. For crying out loud! In Robotech/Macross, an anime generally aimed at guys, Lynn Minmei saves the earth and defeats an entirely alien armada with the power of a love song. Some series, like Tenchi and Ranma, come back to this theme constantly and have it built into the premise. Other series like Lodoss, may be harder to catch but the romance between Ashram and Pirotesse is an extremely important part of Lodoss War that many people overlook and it's a love that allows them both to cheat death a few times and makes Ashram become a better man. You know what? I'm a sucker for this. It's one of the reasons I like anime. In fact, in one of the games I ran over the weekend, Carla used this to her advantage in one of the games I ran (Dreaming City), resurrecting a dead character with a kiss. It may sound cheesy, but in a magical city run by this GM, it can work. There was even a part of me that cheered in The Matrix when Trinity, in the midst of all the chaos, helps Neo with her kiss. I eat that shit up. I don't know if that's so unusual for guys. We're able to love to and anyone who has ever truly loved, believes it. Love really can conquer all.

It never occured to me until recently how much Japanese Anime and American Romance Fiction had in common. My comp teacher handed out an article recently for us to look at it and discuss. It argued in it that romance novels appeal to women because it is a "woman's myth." Look at most classic faerie tales and there is a theme. The men and boys in faerie tales go off on a quests and are proactive. They teach young boys that they must seek what they want in this world and let nothing hold them back. Men who are not always trying to climb that beanstalk, don't become heroes in stories. Meanwhile, classic faerie tale heroines wait to be swept up by prince charming. Snow White gets everything she ever wants because she looks good while she's sleeping. Sleeping Beauty gets everything because she looks good while she's sleeping. Cinderella gets what she wants because she has a small foot. What did they all want? Prince Charming to come and sweep them away.

This article went on to argue that romance fiction sells so well because it gives women what they want, proactive women that win for themselves the love that they want and through their love the hero and heroine makes it through whatever challenges them.

So, why do the Japanese have this subplot in almost all of their anime? Why is this plot missing from so much of American entertaiment?

Many American movies and stories seem to say that you succeed through violence and that through fighting your way through countless faceless minions you'll win the heart of the girl you desire How many "non-girly" movies have the hero open up his heart to the woman? How many non-romance Hollywood movies end with the heroine speaking of her love to the master-villian and so moving his heart that he changes his way and let's Prince Charming go?

Do women want to know why guys have such a hard time talking about our feelings or exressing our love? It all goes back to the stories, the myths we grow up on. The guy's hero never gets anywhere talking about his feelings. In fact, most guy's heroes don't even stick with the same girl from movie to movie. The girl is just the prize, not the story and Prince Charming still has to fight his way through a forest of monsters to get to the Sleeping Beauty.

I'm sure someone's done a poll at sometime. I wonder if Japanese guys are more in touch with their emotions. I mean, even though it's usually the girl doing all the loving in these animes, the love plot is there in every almost every anime, wether its for guys or girls, and it says it's OK to love. Someday, your love may save the world.

((Note- I just thought of Akira, my favorite anime movie. It's an extremely violent movie and even though there isn't much of a love story, Kaneda helps his friend Tetsuo move on to the next stage in the end by talking to him and being his friend. Sure, like a hollywood movie, Akira ends with explosions and Neo-Toyo being turned to rubble but it also reminds us the power of another kind of love: friendship.))