#tropesinanime — Public Fediverse posts

Anime, at one point of time, would put you at the low-end of the social status ladder. Before being nerdy and geeky was cool, pretty much anyone who watches anime were clumped up into “the people who reek of weirdness.”

This put anime lovers into an inevitable lonely space, if there’s nobody who’s as passionate as they were. On the positive note, watching anime is becoming more and more mainstream, with old fans receiving the embrace that they deserve, and new anime fans diving into the hobby without the seclusion the older generation experienced.

Coincidentally, NEETs are among the people with the most experience with isolation. It’s true that this phenomenon is a tragic and sad one. However, I think there is a profound experience about loneliness that only NEETs experience. What is it like to be cast out, exactly? How does it feel?

It just happens that I recently finished reading a classic book, written more than a century ago, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. This book genuinely made me flabbergasted. Not only because of the tragic story, but also because of how Kafka described his protagonist, Gregor Samsa, and his despair in life.

This post might not the typical anime review or trope talk that I usually do. However, the book has many attributes that resemble the current condition of loneliness in today’s society, including what we occasionally see in anime. So, what exactly are they?

How Kafka’s The Metamorphosis And NEETs In Anime Depict Abandonment

Franz Kafka

In the early days of college, I learned about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In short, people work and put effort to attain a certain level of security in some aspects in their lives. After they achieved what they require, they move on to something else that they want.

On top of this pyramid of motivation, there’s the self-actualization state. It’s where we get to define what we are in this world. Maybe some of us are superb with instruments, and thus you define yourself as a musician. Others might be so great at sport, so they decide to dedicate their life as athletes.

However, let’s say hypothetically everyone suddenly loses their hearing, or we get paralyzed out of nowhere. Yes, everyone would suffer from it. But, the ones who would take the most harms are those who depends on these senses, not only financially, but also as a human being.

In The Metamorphosis by Kafka, this is exactly what happens. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, found himself suddenly turned into a giant bug-like creature. It means he’s no longer able to work, he’s no longer able to provide for his family, and he no longer can be the hardworking salesman for his boss. From that point, all the meaning in his life is gone, just like how most NEETs perceive their lives.

Gregor Samsa And Modern NEETs

Subaru gets isekaid

Gregor Samsa, gradually finds himself to be more and more miserable in the book. Both because of his own self-inflicted hate that he can’t bring in money for his family, and also because of his repulsing new form. Locked in his room, starved, and lonely, sounds familiar?

Yes, it’s an oddly familiar theme in isekai anime, especially where the protagonist is a NEET. The true terror that Gregor Samsa invokes doesn’t come from his bug-like appearance. But rather, it’s the abandonment that his character experience. The man who was once the sole breadwinner for his family, now he is nothing but a shame and must be hidden.

A shame and must be hidden? Well, isn’t that what a lot of recluse feel nowadays. I don’t know about you, but in this day and age, I feel like people not only become more and more drawn to their online presence. We want to be acknowledged for what we post on our Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, or on WordPress websites just like I do.

Living alone with a bunch of mangas and video games… The usual NEET life.

However, ask any older person out there who was born before Google was a thing. They’ll tell you, things were drastically different socially speaking. People in a town knew each other, we spoke to strangers in public just to say hi, we asked for directions. And, most importantly, there is no online job market, or online dating, that’s for sure.

On top of that, the common talks among my younger generation is how “rat-racey” this world feels, if that’s even a word. People compete for work against each other more intensely, we care so much about our personal branding and compare it to the next person on our social media recommendation.

So, if so happens you’re one of these NEETs, of course you’d feel the plummeting of your self-esteem. And when we reach our lowest point, we either become someone’s memory or filled with so much hatred to the world. When there’s no reason for you to love the world that seems to smack you like the bug you’re, despair and hatred becomes cultivated.

Their Similarities And Difference

Living among trash, consuming cheap alcohol and instant noodle. Bocchi The Rock gets too real in this episode.

Similarly, it’s what a lot of NEETs have to live with, both in the real 3D world and the fictional anime world. They might not turn into a literal insectoid abomination, but the isolation and the psychological torment they go through are quite reminiscence of each other.

The only difference between Gregor Samsa and NEETs protagonists is Gregor actually had a purpose before his unforeseen transformation. On the other hand, most NEETs in anime are depicted as someone who already lost their hope long before their lives even started.

Dying after living a somewhat fulfilling life feels different.

The main similarity, however, is how they eventually got abandoned by their closed ones. Even in real life, this might also be true. It may sound harsh, but have you ever thought how many people would leave you if you stop giving whatever you are providing them? Or, if you never provide them with anything of value at all? Will they still love you?

At a first glance, both the book and the whole NEET protagonist trope in anime sound like a overly complicated “would you still love me if I were a worm?” question. But, realistically, a lot of people ended up on the streets, either after they got abandoned or their family broke up. And, to end your life in such state, that must feel so horrid

The Eventual Betrayal By Loved Ones

Who knows how many NEETs ended up like Rudeus, but without an isekai to be reborn into.

Kafka’s The Metamorphosis ending is one of the most horrifying endings I’ve come across in fiction. Spoiler alert, after a few months, Gregor’s family is forced to cut corners to get by. His elderly parents have to start working again, and they have to rent out a part of their home.

Gregor’s sister becomes increasingly hostile toward him, despite the fact she was the one who took care of him after his sudden transformation. In the end, everyone let out a breath of relief when they find Gregor’s lifeless body one morning.

This ending immediately reminds me of the protagonists’ death scenes in isekai anime. How many of them do you think are mourned by their family? In a similarly morbid situation in real life, of course, people would mourn their family members, even if the deceased had nothing much going on in their lives.

Rudeus true self in “the afterlife” does anyone in his original world miss him?

However, it’s not out of the question that they’ll just be buried and forgotten. This is what happens in the book, and I suspect it’s also what happens in Mushoku Tensei to Rudeus’s previous self. It might the morbid thing we, as anime fans, overlook in anime. Still, in my humble opinion, being abandoned even after death must be one of the most morbid things that can happen to a human being.

Personally, this is the part that broke my heart the most. Having an author just bluntly telling me if a person were a bug, no one would love them. They would become a burden to their families, a shame, an abomination. When they eventually died, it would be a blessing. Is this how our current reality now?

So… What Now?

Uhh.. the world is so depressing.

This whole post might sound a bit depressing. The entire world sounds depressing to me to be honest after reading The Metamorphosis. This book brings me back to the reality that might have gone blurred because of how much fantasy and adventure anime has brought to my life.

There’s no power ups waiting for NEETs, there’s no harem of anime girls waiting in the afterlife. It’s actually astounding given that this book is from a century ago. However, should we dismiss anime and minimize it only to a mere wishful thinking? Of course not.

As naive as it sounds, if there’s anything that can we take from the wide variety in anime, it’s that we’ll come through eventually. Yes, life might suck, and it sucks even more if you’re a NEET. However, there are ways to make it better for ourselves. The power of friendship, caring families, or even sheer willpower, just like your classic shonen protagonist.

Be someone’s Nijika.

So, if it so happens that this post reaches out to people who consider themselves as NEETs, I’d say, don’t give up. It’s okay if people call us losers for now, it’s okay if there’s nothing worthwhile for now. However, at the very least, please reach out to someone who cares about you the most.

A good friend can go a long way. You know, like Nijika to Bocchi. Every person deserves a Nijika in their lives. Sometime, all we need is someone who shows us that we’re worthy for our existence, even if we haven’t done a single thing. If you’re not a NEET, then be a Nijika for someone, that could mean the whole world for them.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/04/03/despair-in-anime-neet-culture-and-kafkas-the-metamorphosis/

#Anime #AnimeBlogging #animeTropes #Book #NEET #TropesInAnime

Anime, at one point of time, would put you at the low-end of the social status ladder. Before being nerdy and geeky was cool, pretty much anyone who watches anime were clumped up into “the people who reek of weirdness.”

This put anime lovers into an inevitable lonely space, if there’s nobody who’s as passionate as they were. On the positive note, watching anime is becoming more and more mainstream, with old fans receiving the embrace that they deserve, and new anime fans diving into the hobby without the seclusion the older generation experienced.

Coincidentally, NEETs are among the people with the most experience with isolation. It’s true that this phenomenon is a tragic and sad one. However, I think there is a profound experience about loneliness that only NEETs experience. What is it like to be cast out, exactly? How does it feel?

It just happens that I recently finished reading a classic book, written more than a century ago, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. This book genuinely made me flabbergasted. Not only because of the tragic story, but also because of how Kafka described his protagonist, Gregor Samsa, and his despair in life.

This post might not the typical anime review or trope talk that I usually do. However, the book has many attributes that resemble the current condition of loneliness in today’s society, including what we occasionally see in anime. So, what exactly are they?

How Kafka’s The Metamorphosis And NEETs In Anime Depict Abandonment

Franz Kafka

In the early days of college, I learned about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In short, people work and put effort to attain a certain level of security in some aspects in their lives. After they achieved what they require, they move on to something else that they want.

On top of this pyramid of motivation, there’s the self-actualization state. It’s where we get to define what we are in this world. Maybe some of us are superb with instruments, and thus you define yourself as a musician. Others might be so great at sport, so they decide to dedicate their life as athletes.

However, let’s say hypothetically everyone suddenly loses their hearing, or we get paralyzed out of nowhere. Yes, everyone would suffer from it. But, the ones who would take the most harms are those who depends on these senses, not only financially, but also as a human being.

In The Metamorphosis by Kafka, this is exactly what happens. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, found himself suddenly turned into a giant bug-like creature. It means he’s no longer able to work, he’s no longer able to provide for his family, and he no longer can be the hardworking salesman for his boss. From that point, all the meaning in his life is gone, just like how most NEETs perceive their lives.

Gregor Samsa And Modern NEETs

Subaru gets isekaid

Gregor Samsa, gradually finds himself to be more and more miserable in the book. Both because of his own self-inflicted hate that he can’t bring in money for his family, and also because of his repulsing new form. Locked in his room, starved, and lonely, sounds familiar?

Yes, it’s an oddly familiar theme in isekai anime, especially where the protagonist is a NEET. The true terror that Gregor Samsa invokes doesn’t come from his bug-like appearance. But rather, it’s the abandonment that his character experience. The man who was once the sole breadwinner for his family, now he is nothing but a shame and must be hidden.

A shame and must be hidden? Well, isn’t that what a lot of recluse feel nowadays. I don’t know about you, but in this day and age, I feel like people not only become more and more drawn to their online presence. We want to be acknowledged for what we post on our Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, or on WordPress websites just like I do.

Living alone with a bunch of mangas and video games… The usual NEET life.

However, ask any older person out there who was born before Google was a thing. They’ll tell you, things were drastically different socially speaking. People in a town knew each other, we spoke to strangers in public just to say hi, we asked for directions. And, most importantly, there is no online job market, or online dating, that’s for sure.

On top of that, the common talks among my younger generation is how “rat-racey” this world feels, if that’s even a word. People compete for work against each other more intensely, we care so much about our personal branding and compare it to the next person on our social media recommendation.

So, if so happens you’re one of these NEETs, of course you’d feel the plummeting of your self-esteem. And when we reach our lowest point, we either become someone’s memory or filled with so much hatred to the world. When there’s no reason for you to love the world that seems to smack you like the bug you’re, despair and hatred becomes cultivated.

Their Similarities And Difference

Living among trash, consuming cheap alcohol and instant noodle. Bocchi The Rock gets too real in this episode.

Similarly, it’s what a lot of NEETs have to live with, both in the real 3D world and the fictional anime world. They might not turn into a literal insectoid abomination, but the isolation and the psychological torment they go through are quite reminiscence of each other.

The only difference between Gregor Samsa and NEETs protagonists is Gregor actually had a purpose before his unforeseen transformation. On the other hand, most NEETs in anime are depicted as someone who already lost their hope long before their lives even started.

Dying after living a somewhat fulfilling life feels different.

The main similarity, however, is how they eventually got abandoned by their closed ones. Even in real life, this might also be true. It may sound harsh, but have you ever thought how many people would leave you if you stop giving whatever you are providing them? Or, if you never provide them with anything of value at all? Will they still love you?

At a first glance, both the book and the whole NEET protagonist trope in anime sound like a overly complicated “would you still love me if I were a worm?” question. But, realistically, a lot of people ended up on the streets, either after they got abandoned or their family broke up. And, to end your life in such state, that must feel so horrid

The Eventual Betrayal By Loved Ones

Who knows how many NEETs ended up like Rudeus, but without an isekai to be reborn into.

Kafka’s The Metamorphosis ending is one of the most horrifying endings I’ve come across in fiction. Spoiler alert, after a few months, Gregor’s family is forced to cut corners to get by. His elderly parents have to start working again, and they have to rent out a part of their home.

Gregor’s sister becomes increasingly hostile toward him, despite the fact she was the one who took care of him after his sudden transformation. In the end, everyone let out a breath of relief when they find Gregor’s lifeless body one morning.

This ending immediately reminds me of the protagonists’ death scenes in isekai anime. How many of them do you think are mourned by their family? In a similarly morbid situation in real life, of course, people would mourn their family members, even if the deceased had nothing much going on in their lives.

Rudeus true self in “the afterlife” does anyone in his original world miss him?

However, it’s not out of the question that they’ll just be buried and forgotten. This is what happens in the book, and I suspect it’s also what happens in Mushoku Tensei to Rudeus’s previous self. It might the morbid thing we, as anime fans, overlook in anime. Still, in my humble opinion, being abandoned even after death must be one of the most morbid things that can happen to a human being.

Personally, this is the part that broke my heart the most. Having an author just bluntly telling me if a person were a bug, no one would love them. They would become a burden to their families, a shame, an abomination. When they eventually died, it would be a blessing. Is this how our current reality now?

So… What Now?

Uhh.. the world is so depressing.

This whole post might sound a bit depressing. The entire world sounds depressing to me to be honest after reading The Metamorphosis. This book brings me back to the reality that might have gone blurred because of how much fantasy and adventure anime has brought to my life.

There’s no power ups waiting for NEETs, there’s no harem of anime girls waiting in the afterlife. It’s actually astounding given that this book is from a century ago. However, should we dismiss anime and minimize it only to a mere wishful thinking? Of course not.

As naive as it sounds, if there’s anything that can we take from the wide variety in anime, it’s that we’ll come through eventually. Yes, life might suck, and it sucks even more if you’re a NEET. However, there are ways to make it better for ourselves. The power of friendship, caring families, or even sheer willpower, just like your classic shonen protagonist.

Be someone’s Nijika.

So, if it so happens that this post reaches out to people who consider themselves as NEETs, I’d say, don’t give up. It’s okay if people call us losers for now, it’s okay if there’s nothing worthwhile for now. However, at the very least, please reach out to someone who cares about you the most.

A good friend can go a long way. You know, like Nijika to Bocchi. Every person deserves a Nijika in their lives. Sometime, all we need is someone who shows us that we’re worthy for our existence, even if we haven’t done a single thing. If you’re not a NEET, then be a Nijika for someone, that could mean the whole world for them.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/04/03/despair-in-anime-neet-culture-and-kafkas-the-metamorphosis/

#Anime #AnimeBlogging #animeTropes #Book #NEET #TropesInAnime

Anime, at one point of time, would put you at the low-end of the social status ladder. Before being nerdy and geeky was cool, pretty much anyone who watches anime were clumped up into “the people who reek of weirdness.”

This put anime lovers into an inevitable lonely space, if there’s nobody who’s as passionate as they were. On the positive note, watching anime is becoming more and more mainstream, with old fans receiving the embrace that they deserve, and new anime fans diving into the hobby without the seclusion the older generation experienced.

Coincidentally, NEETs are among the people with the most experience with isolation. It’s true that this phenomenon is a tragic and sad one. However, I think there is a profound experience about loneliness that only NEETs experience. What is it like to be cast out, exactly? How does it feel?

It just happens that I recently finished reading a classic book, written more than a century ago, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. This book genuinely made me flabbergasted. Not only because of the tragic story, but also because of how Kafka described his protagonist, Gregor Samsa, and his despair in life.

This post might not the typical anime review or trope talk that I usually do. However, the book has many attributes that resemble the current condition of loneliness in today’s society, including what we occasionally see in anime. So, what exactly are they?

How Kafka’s The Metamorphosis And NEETs In Anime Depict Abandonment

Franz Kafka

In the early days of college, I learned about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In short, people work and put effort to attain a certain level of security in some aspects in their lives. After they achieved what they require, they move on to something else that they want.

On top of this pyramid of motivation, there’s the self-actualization state. It’s where we get to define what we are in this world. Maybe some of us are superb with instruments, and thus you define yourself as a musician. Others might be so great at sport, so they decide to dedicate their life as athletes.

However, let’s say hypothetically everyone suddenly loses their hearing, or we get paralyzed out of nowhere. Yes, everyone would suffer from it. But, the ones who would take the most harms are those who depends on these senses, not only financially, but also as a human being.

In The Metamorphosis by Kafka, this is exactly what happens. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, found himself suddenly turned into a giant bug-like creature. It means he’s no longer able to work, he’s no longer able to provide for his family, and he no longer can be the hardworking salesman for his boss. From that point, all the meaning in his life is gone, just like how most NEETs perceive their lives.

Gregor Samsa And Modern NEETs

Subaru gets isekaid

Gregor Samsa, gradually finds himself to be more and more miserable in the book. Both because of his own self-inflicted hate that he can’t bring in money for his family, and also because of his repulsing new form. Locked in his room, starved, and lonely, sounds familiar?

Yes, it’s an oddly familiar theme in isekai anime, especially where the protagonist is a NEET. The true terror that Gregor Samsa invokes doesn’t come from his bug-like appearance. But rather, it’s the abandonment that his character experience. The man who was once the sole breadwinner for his family, now he is nothing but a shame and must be hidden.

A shame and must be hidden? Well, isn’t that what a lot of recluse feel nowadays. I don’t know about you, but in this day and age, I feel like people not only become more and more drawn to their online presence. We want to be acknowledged for what we post on our Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, or on WordPress websites just like I do.

Living alone with a bunch of mangas and video games… The usual NEET life.

However, ask any older person out there who was born before Google was a thing. They’ll tell you, things were drastically different socially speaking. People in a town knew each other, we spoke to strangers in public just to say hi, we asked for directions. And, most importantly, there is no online job market, or online dating, that’s for sure.

On top of that, the common talks among my younger generation is how “rat-racey” this world feels, if that’s even a word. People compete for work against each other more intensely, we care so much about our personal branding and compare it to the next person on our social media recommendation.

So, if so happens you’re one of these NEETs, of course you’d feel the plummeting of your self-esteem. And when we reach our lowest point, we either become someone’s memory or filled with so much hatred to the world. When there’s no reason for you to love the world that seems to smack you like the bug you’re, despair and hatred becomes cultivated.

Their Similarities And Difference

Living among trash, consuming cheap alcohol and instant noodle. Bocchi The Rock gets too real in this episode.

Similarly, it’s what a lot of NEETs have to live with, both in the real 3D world and the fictional anime world. They might not turn into a literal insectoid abomination, but the isolation and the psychological torment they go through are quite reminiscence of each other.

The only difference between Gregor Samsa and NEETs protagonists is Gregor actually had a purpose before his unforeseen transformation. On the other hand, most NEETs in anime are depicted as someone who already lost their hope long before their lives even started.

Dying after living a somewhat fulfilling life feels different.

The main similarity, however, is how they eventually got abandoned by their closed ones. Even in real life, this might also be true. It may sound harsh, but have you ever thought how many people would leave you if you stop giving whatever you are providing them? Or, if you never provide them with anything of value at all? Will they still love you?

At a first glance, both the book and the whole NEET protagonist trope in anime sound like a overly complicated “would you still love me if I were a worm?” question. But, realistically, a lot of people ended up on the streets, either after they got abandoned or their family broke up. And, to end your life in such state, that must feel so horrid

The Eventual Betrayal By Loved Ones

Who knows how many NEETs ended up like Rudeus, but without an isekai to be reborn into.

Kafka’s The Metamorphosis ending is one of the most horrifying endings I’ve come across in fiction. Spoiler alert, after a few months, Gregor’s family is forced to cut corners to get by. His elderly parents have to start working again, and they have to rent out a part of their home.

Gregor’s sister becomes increasingly hostile toward him, despite the fact she was the one who took care of him after his sudden transformation. In the end, everyone let out a breath of relief when they find Gregor’s lifeless body one morning.

This ending immediately reminds me of the protagonists’ death scenes in isekai anime. How many of them do you think are mourned by their family? In a similarly morbid situation in real life, of course, people would mourn their family members, even if the deceased had nothing much going on in their lives.

Rudeus true self in “the afterlife” does anyone in his original world miss him?

However, it’s not out of the question that they’ll just be buried and forgotten. This is what happens in the book, and I suspect it’s also what happens in Mushoku Tensei to Rudeus’s previous self. It might the morbid thing we, as anime fans, overlook in anime. Still, in my humble opinion, being abandoned even after death must be one of the most morbid things that can happen to a human being.

Personally, this is the part that broke my heart the most. Having an author just bluntly telling me if a person were a bug, no one would love them. They would become a burden to their families, a shame, an abomination. When they eventually died, it would be a blessing. Is this how our current reality now?

So… What Now?

Uhh.. the world is so depressing.

This whole post might sound a bit depressing. The entire world sounds depressing to me to be honest after reading The Metamorphosis. This book brings me back to the reality that might have gone blurred because of how much fantasy and adventure anime has brought to my life.

There’s no power ups waiting for NEETs, there’s no harem of anime girls waiting in the afterlife. It’s actually astounding given that this book is from a century ago. However, should we dismiss anime and minimize it only to a mere wishful thinking? Of course not.

As naive as it sounds, if there’s anything that can we take from the wide variety in anime, it’s that we’ll come through eventually. Yes, life might suck, and it sucks even more if you’re a NEET. However, there are ways to make it better for ourselves. The power of friendship, caring families, or even sheer willpower, just like your classic shonen protagonist.

Be someone’s Nijika.

So, if it so happens that this post reaches out to people who consider themselves as NEETs, I’d say, don’t give up. It’s okay if people call us losers for now, it’s okay if there’s nothing worthwhile for now. However, at the very least, please reach out to someone who cares about you the most.

A good friend can go a long way. You know, like Nijika to Bocchi. Every person deserves a Nijika in their lives. Sometime, all we need is someone who shows us that we’re worthy for our existence, even if we haven’t done a single thing. If you’re not a NEET, then be a Nijika for someone, that could mean the whole world for them.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/04/03/despair-in-anime-neet-culture-and-kafkas-the-metamorphosis/

#Anime #AnimeBlogging #animeTropes #Book #NEET #TropesInAnime

Anime, at one point of time, would put you at the low-end of the social status ladder. Before being nerdy and geeky was cool, pretty much anyone who watches anime were clumped up into “the people who reek of weirdness.”

This put anime lovers into an inevitable lonely space, if there’s nobody who’s as passionate as they were. On the positive note, watching anime is becoming more and more mainstream, with old fans receiving the embrace that they deserve, and new anime fans diving into the hobby without the seclusion the older generation experienced.

Coincidentally, NEETs are among the people with the most experience with isolation. It’s true that this phenomenon is a tragic and sad one. However, I think there is a profound experience about loneliness that only NEETs experience. What is it like to be cast out, exactly? How does it feel?

It just happens that I recently finished reading a classic book, written more than a century ago, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. This book genuinely made me flabbergasted. Not only because of the tragic story, but also because of how Kafka described his protagonist, Gregor Samsa, and his despair in life.

This post might not the typical anime review or trope talk that I usually do. However, the book has many attributes that resemble the current condition of loneliness in today’s society, including what we occasionally see in anime. So, what exactly are they?

How Kafka’s The Metamorphosis And NEETs In Anime Depict Abandonment

Franz Kafka

In the early days of college, I learned about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In short, people work and put effort to attain a certain level of security in some aspects in their lives. After they achieved what they require, they move on to something else that they want.

On top of this pyramid of motivation, there’s the self-actualization state. It’s where we get to define what we are in this world. Maybe some of us are superb with instruments, and thus you define yourself as a musician. Others might be so great at sport, so they decide to dedicate their life as athletes.

However, let’s say hypothetically everyone suddenly loses their hearing, or we get paralyzed out of nowhere. Yes, everyone would suffer from it. But, the ones who would take the most harms are those who depends on these senses, not only financially, but also as a human being.

In The Metamorphosis by Kafka, this is exactly what happens. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, found himself suddenly turned into a giant bug-like creature. It means he’s no longer able to work, he’s no longer able to provide for his family, and he no longer can be the hardworking salesman for his boss. From that point, all the meaning in his life is gone, just like how most NEETs perceive their lives.

Gregor Samsa And Modern NEETs

Subaru gets isekaid

Gregor Samsa, gradually finds himself to be more and more miserable in the book. Both because of his own self-inflicted hate that he can’t bring in money for his family, and also because of his repulsing new form. Locked in his room, starved, and lonely, sounds familiar?

Yes, it’s an oddly familiar theme in isekai anime, especially where the protagonist is a NEET. The true terror that Gregor Samsa invokes doesn’t come from his bug-like appearance. But rather, it’s the abandonment that his character experience. The man who was once the sole breadwinner for his family, now he is nothing but a shame and must be hidden.

A shame and must be hidden? Well, isn’t that what a lot of recluse feel nowadays. I don’t know about you, but in this day and age, I feel like people not only become more and more drawn to their online presence. We want to be acknowledged for what we post on our Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, or on WordPress websites just like I do.

Living alone with a bunch of mangas and video games… The usual NEET life.

However, ask any older person out there who was born before Google was a thing. They’ll tell you, things were drastically different socially speaking. People in a town knew each other, we spoke to strangers in public just to say hi, we asked for directions. And, most importantly, there is no online job market, or online dating, that’s for sure.

On top of that, the common talks among my younger generation is how “rat-racey” this world feels, if that’s even a word. People compete for work against each other more intensely, we care so much about our personal branding and compare it to the next person on our social media recommendation.

So, if so happens you’re one of these NEETs, of course you’d feel the plummeting of your self-esteem. And when we reach our lowest point, we either become someone’s memory or filled with so much hatred to the world. When there’s no reason for you to love the world that seems to smack you like the bug you’re, despair and hatred becomes cultivated.

Their Similarities And Difference

Living among trash, consuming cheap alcohol and instant noodle. Bocchi The Rock gets too real in this episode.

Similarly, it’s what a lot of NEETs have to live with, both in the real 3D world and the fictional anime world. They might not turn into a literal insectoid abomination, but the isolation and the psychological torment they go through are quite reminiscence of each other.

The only difference between Gregor Samsa and NEETs protagonists is Gregor actually had a purpose before his unforeseen transformation. On the other hand, most NEETs in anime are depicted as someone who already lost their hope long before their lives even started.

Dying after living a somewhat fulfilling life feels different.

The main similarity, however, is how they eventually got abandoned by their closed ones. Even in real life, this might also be true. It may sound harsh, but have you ever thought how many people would leave you if you stop giving whatever you are providing them? Or, if you never provide them with anything of value at all? Will they still love you?

At a first glance, both the book and the whole NEET protagonist trope in anime sound like a overly complicated “would you still love me if I were a worm?” question. But, realistically, a lot of people ended up on the streets, either after they got abandoned or their family broke up. And, to end your life in such state, that must feel so horrid

The Eventual Betrayal By Loved Ones

Who knows how many NEETs ended up like Rudeus, but without an isekai to be reborn into.

Kafka’s The Metamorphosis ending is one of the most horrifying endings I’ve come across in fiction. Spoiler alert, after a few months, Gregor’s family is forced to cut corners to get by. His elderly parents have to start working again, and they have to rent out a part of their home.

Gregor’s sister becomes increasingly hostile toward him, despite the fact she was the one who took care of him after his sudden transformation. In the end, everyone let out a breath of relief when they find Gregor’s lifeless body one morning.

This ending immediately reminds me of the protagonists’ death scenes in isekai anime. How many of them do you think are mourned by their family? In a similarly morbid situation in real life, of course, people would mourn their family members, even if the deceased had nothing much going on in their lives.

Rudeus true self in “the afterlife” does anyone in his original world miss him?

However, it’s not out of the question that they’ll just be buried and forgotten. This is what happens in the book, and I suspect it’s also what happens in Mushoku Tensei to Rudeus’s previous self. It might the morbid thing we, as anime fans, overlook in anime. Still, in my humble opinion, being abandoned even after death must be one of the most morbid things that can happen to a human being.

Personally, this is the part that broke my heart the most. Having an author just bluntly telling me if a person were a bug, no one would love them. They would become a burden to their families, a shame, an abomination. When they eventually died, it would be a blessing. Is this how our current reality now?

So… What Now?

Uhh.. the world is so depressing.

This whole post might sound a bit depressing. The entire world sounds depressing to me to be honest after reading The Metamorphosis. This book brings me back to the reality that might have gone blurred because of how much fantasy and adventure anime has brought to my life.

There’s no power ups waiting for NEETs, there’s no harem of anime girls waiting in the afterlife. It’s actually astounding given that this book is from a century ago. However, should we dismiss anime and minimize it only to a mere wishful thinking? Of course not.

As naive as it sounds, if there’s anything that can we take from the wide variety in anime, it’s that we’ll come through eventually. Yes, life might suck, and it sucks even more if you’re a NEET. However, there are ways to make it better for ourselves. The power of friendship, caring families, or even sheer willpower, just like your classic shonen protagonist.

Be someone’s Nijika.

So, if it so happens that this post reaches out to people who consider themselves as NEETs, I’d say, don’t give up. It’s okay if people call us losers for now, it’s okay if there’s nothing worthwhile for now. However, at the very least, please reach out to someone who cares about you the most.

A good friend can go a long way. You know, like Nijika to Bocchi. Every person deserves a Nijika in their lives. Sometime, all we need is someone who shows us that we’re worthy for our existence, even if we haven’t done a single thing. If you’re not a NEET, then be a Nijika for someone, that could mean the whole world for them.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/04/03/despair-in-anime-neet-culture-and-kafkas-the-metamorphosis/

#Anime #AnimeBlogging #animeTropes #Book #NEET #TropesInAnime

Anime, at one point of time, would put you at the low-end of the social status ladder. Before being nerdy and geeky was cool, pretty much anyone who watches anime were clumped up into “the people who reek of weirdness.”

This put anime lovers into an inevitable lonely space, if there’s nobody who’s as passionate as they were. On the positive note, watching anime is becoming more and more mainstream, with old fans receiving the embrace that they deserve, and new anime fans diving into the hobby without the seclusion the older generation experienced.

Coincidentally, NEETs are among the people with the most experience with isolation. It’s true that this phenomenon is a tragic and sad one. However, I think there is a profound experience about loneliness that only NEETs experience. What is it like to be cast out, exactly? How does it feel?

It just happens that I recently finished reading a classic book, written more than a century ago, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. This book genuinely made me flabbergasted. Not only because of the tragic story, but also because of how Kafka described his protagonist, Gregor Samsa, and his despair in life.

This post might not the typical anime review or trope talk that I usually do. However, the book has many attributes that resemble the current condition of loneliness in today’s society, including what we occasionally see in anime. So, what exactly are they?

How Kafka’s The Metamorphosis And NEETs In Anime Depict Abandonment

Franz Kafka

In the early days of college, I learned about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In short, people work and put effort to attain a certain level of security in some aspects in their lives. After they achieved what they require, they move on to something else that they want.

On top of this pyramid of motivation, there’s the self-actualization state. It’s where we get to define what we are in this world. Maybe some of us are superb with instruments, and thus you define yourself as a musician. Others might be so great at sport, so they decide to dedicate their life as athletes.

However, let’s say hypothetically everyone suddenly loses their hearing, or we get paralyzed out of nowhere. Yes, everyone would suffer from it. But, the ones who would take the most harms are those who depends on these senses, not only financially, but also as a human being.

In The Metamorphosis by Kafka, this is exactly what happens. Gregor Samsa, the protagonist, found himself suddenly turned into a giant bug-like creature. It means he’s no longer able to work, he’s no longer able to provide for his family, and he no longer can be the hardworking salesman for his boss. From that point, all the meaning in his life is gone, just like how most NEETs perceive their lives.

Gregor Samsa And Modern NEETs

Subaru gets isekaid

Gregor Samsa, gradually finds himself to be more and more miserable in the book. Both because of his own self-inflicted hate that he can’t bring in money for his family, and also because of his repulsing new form. Locked in his room, starved, and lonely, sounds familiar?

Yes, it’s an oddly familiar theme in isekai anime, especially where the protagonist is a NEET. The true terror that Gregor Samsa invokes doesn’t come from his bug-like appearance. But rather, it’s the abandonment that his character experience. The man who was once the sole breadwinner for his family, now he is nothing but a shame and must be hidden.

A shame and must be hidden? Well, isn’t that what a lot of recluse feel nowadays. I don’t know about you, but in this day and age, I feel like people not only become more and more drawn to their online presence. We want to be acknowledged for what we post on our Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, or on WordPress websites just like I do.

Living alone with a bunch of mangas and video games… The usual NEET life.

However, ask any older person out there who was born before Google was a thing. They’ll tell you, things were drastically different socially speaking. People in a town knew each other, we spoke to strangers in public just to say hi, we asked for directions. And, most importantly, there is no online job market, or online dating, that’s for sure.

On top of that, the common talks among my younger generation is how “rat-racey” this world feels, if that’s even a word. People compete for work against each other more intensely, we care so much about our personal branding and compare it to the next person on our social media recommendation.

So, if so happens you’re one of these NEETs, of course you’d feel the plummeting of your self-esteem. And when we reach our lowest point, we either become someone’s memory or filled with so much hatred to the world. When there’s no reason for you to love the world that seems to smack you like the bug you’re, despair and hatred becomes cultivated.

Their Similarities And Difference

Living among trash, consuming cheap alcohol and instant noodle. Bocchi The Rock gets too real in this episode.

Similarly, it’s what a lot of NEETs have to live with, both in the real 3D world and the fictional anime world. They might not turn into a literal insectoid abomination, but the isolation and the psychological torment they go through are quite reminiscence of each other.

The only difference between Gregor Samsa and NEETs protagonists is Gregor actually had a purpose before his unforeseen transformation. On the other hand, most NEETs in anime are depicted as someone who already lost their hope long before their lives even started.

Dying after living a somewhat fulfilling life feels different.

The main similarity, however, is how they eventually got abandoned by their closed ones. Even in real life, this might also be true. It may sound harsh, but have you ever thought how many people would leave you if you stop giving whatever you are providing them? Or, if you never provide them with anything of value at all? Will they still love you?

At a first glance, both the book and the whole NEET protagonist trope in anime sound like a overly complicated “would you still love me if I were a worm?” question. But, realistically, a lot of people ended up on the streets, either after they got abandoned or their family broke up. And, to end your life in such state, that must feel so horrid

The Eventual Betrayal By Loved Ones

Who knows how many NEETs ended up like Rudeus, but without an isekai to be reborn into.

Kafka’s The Metamorphosis ending is one of the most horrifying endings I’ve come across in fiction. Spoiler alert, after a few months, Gregor’s family is forced to cut corners to get by. His elderly parents have to start working again, and they have to rent out a part of their home.

Gregor’s sister becomes increasingly hostile toward him, despite the fact she was the one who took care of him after his sudden transformation. In the end, everyone let out a breath of relief when they find Gregor’s lifeless body one morning.

This ending immediately reminds me of the protagonists’ death scenes in isekai anime. How many of them do you think are mourned by their family? In a similarly morbid situation in real life, of course, people would mourn their family members, even if the deceased had nothing much going on in their lives.

Rudeus true self in “the afterlife” does anyone in his original world miss him?

However, it’s not out of the question that they’ll just be buried and forgotten. This is what happens in the book, and I suspect it’s also what happens in Mushoku Tensei to Rudeus’s previous self. It might the morbid thing we, as anime fans, overlook in anime. Still, in my humble opinion, being abandoned even after death must be one of the most morbid things that can happen to a human being.

Personally, this is the part that broke my heart the most. Having an author just bluntly telling me if a person were a bug, no one would love them. They would become a burden to their families, a shame, an abomination. When they eventually died, it would be a blessing. Is this how our current reality now?

So… What Now?

Uhh.. the world is so depressing.

This whole post might sound a bit depressing. The entire world sounds depressing to me to be honest after reading The Metamorphosis. This book brings me back to the reality that might have gone blurred because of how much fantasy and adventure anime has brought to my life.

There’s no power ups waiting for NEETs, there’s no harem of anime girls waiting in the afterlife. It’s actually astounding given that this book is from a century ago. However, should we dismiss anime and minimize it only to a mere wishful thinking? Of course not.

As naive as it sounds, if there’s anything that can we take from the wide variety in anime, it’s that we’ll come through eventually. Yes, life might suck, and it sucks even more if you’re a NEET. However, there are ways to make it better for ourselves. The power of friendship, caring families, or even sheer willpower, just like your classic shonen protagonist.

Be someone’s Nijika.

So, if it so happens that this post reaches out to people who consider themselves as NEETs, I’d say, don’t give up. It’s okay if people call us losers for now, it’s okay if there’s nothing worthwhile for now. However, at the very least, please reach out to someone who cares about you the most.

A good friend can go a long way. You know, like Nijika to Bocchi. Every person deserves a Nijika in their lives. Sometime, all we need is someone who shows us that we’re worthy for our existence, even if we haven’t done a single thing. If you’re not a NEET, then be a Nijika for someone, that could mean the whole world for them.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/04/03/despair-in-anime-neet-culture-and-kafkas-the-metamorphosis/

#Anime #AnimeBlogging #animeTropes #Book #NEET #TropesInAnime

Recently, I’ve been catching up on Dungeon Meshi, and I’ve been entertained by how Marcille reacts to Laios’ dietary ideas in the dungeon. Her panicky and rather frantic personality is so opposite of Frieren. As if it’s not apparent enough, each of them has their own quirks.

Frieren loves weird magic spells, procrastinate almost everything for months, and enjoy her own company. So much so, she was oblivious to Himmel’s attention years ago when they were in an adventuring party together. However, Frieren is still at least more sociable than Elda from Otaku Elf.

If we think about it, the elves in recent anime are far from the typical fantasy elves. Elves, in these past few seasons, have been receiving a new-found love in the community. Where the usual elves of fantasy world are often mystical, sacred, or even evilish in nature, what we’ve gotten so far are some of the quirkiest elves ever.

In anime and western media, they do have a bit of difference. I think anime elves are more playful compared to the other. This is true even in older anime. I finished watching Record of Lodoss War (the 1990 one) a few weeks ago, and in that anime there is the best anime elf so far, Deedlit. To me, she shows the best of a character with a charming personality blended in the typical elven myths and stories.

How Elves Are Usually Depicted Anyway?

Deedlit by Yutaka Izubuchi

Elves have been associated to mystical tropes since the earliest of its depiction in literature. As I was doing the research for this, what tickled me is that elves were thought to be the possible cause of a sudden twitching in an old English medical text.

The elves like we know today might be closer to those in Norse mythology. They even have terms for two contrasting type of elves, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) and Ljósálfar (Light Elves). Just like in Record of Lodoss War with Deedlit who is a high elf, and Pirotess who is a dark elf.

Of course, modern media like anime takes inspiration from myths and folklore. But, some are more faithful to the olden legends, so to speak. For example, Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in LOTR pretty much exudes the expected sacredness and beauty a traditional elf would have.

Tsundere Elf from Isekai Ojisan

However, anime is more playful with their idea of elves. There are no shortage of elves with the typical anime tropes like the tsundere. Take Elga from Isekai Ojisan for instance. She’s a tsundere, but with her full name Suzailgiererzegalnelvzegilreagranzelga Elga, there is a bit of “classic mythical elf” trope in her.

Plus, she wields ancient artifact armor and weapon. Still, when it comes to today’s elves, they’re just so different from those who preceded them. Let me explain for a bit.

Today’s Elves Are Way More Relatable

Now this is “literally me!”

Now, elves feel more like a group of people we could stumble upon anywhere, in random bars, perhaps. If anything, they are more relatable than ever. We might admire elves like Deedlit and Galadriel, but I see less way we can say, “she’s just like me” in them.

Some people are picky eaters, some are introverts who enjoy their figurines. Some would just hyperfixate on their hobby and by the time they “wake up” they’re already sixty, so are our elves in these anime I’ve mentioned.

Marcille from Dungeon Meshi

Frieren, Marcille, and Elda are much more relatable. If we had to eat monster meat, of course, we would have the same reactions as Marcille’s. If we have lived for a thousand years, of course, we’d think of time differently, like Frieren. And for some people, spending the day the way Elda does, staying inside and not meeting anyone, sound like heaven.

What does raising their relatability do to elves? Does it simply make them more captivating to the audience? Are we taking advantage from the parasocial fans who get overly attached to the characters? Not really, in my humble opinion, making these elves more relatable means highlighting very human stories.

Humanizing The Long Ears Folk

Twelve more hours, please.

The big thing with relatability is what kind of audience the anime is trying to bring in. We don’t live in a fantasy world, so of course, all the relatable problems will be humans problem.

Frieren touches themes of grief, death, and regret. Something heavy, yet every one of us will or have experienced them at one point in our lives. Despite that, this anime lightheartedly shows the usual daily life of hers. It adds to the relatability, after all.

By showing her not able to wake up early, fumbling the best man to ever lived, really makes her feels very human. After all, those are common issues that we have as regular people. Even if she’s supposed to be a thousand years old great mage, there is an imperfect side of her that we can all see, relate, and empathize.

Losing The Mythical Aura

If you tell people who don’t watch anime that this stuck-in-a-mimic-elf is the world’s savior, they’ll look at you weird.

There is one downside in twisting the usual elf trope. In old stories, we mostly see them shrouded in a mythical aura. Take Skyrim for example, the high elves are the most attuned with magic, thus the Thalmor often see themselves to be superior to others. The dunmer, or dark elves, have to live with a curse after the event of Oblivion. And, the wood elves are a tribe of ritualistic cannibalism lorewise. There is so much lore to discover behind the elves of Tamriel.

There is something creepy yet enticing in each type of elves in Skyrim. The feeling that I get from them is like when I first learned about the lore of Predator and the blooding ritual, especially when it comes to the wood elves. It’s something that lacks or even outright nonexistent with the relatable elves.

Maybe, this is an inevitable trade-off. When we strip the myth out of fantasy characters, they’ll appear as the human who wrote them. If there is an anime that showcases the daily life of a mythical elf, the elf would have extremely different lifestyle and culture, rendering them to sound out of touch from humanities.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/02/17/the-elves-in-todays-anime/

#Anime #animeTropes #Deedlit #DungeonMeshi #Elf #fantasy #Frieren #OtakuElf #RecordOfLodossWar #TropesInAnime

Recently, I’ve been catching up on Dungeon Meshi, and I’ve been entertained by how Marcille reacts to Laios’ dietary ideas in the dungeon. Her panicky and rather frantic personality is so opposite of Frieren. As if it’s not apparent enough, each of them has their own quirks.

Frieren loves weird magic spells, procrastinate almost everything for months, and enjoy her own company. So much so, she was oblivious to Himmel’s attention years ago when they were in an adventuring party together. However, Frieren is still at least more sociable than Elda from Otaku Elf.

If we think about it, the elves in recent anime are far from the typical fantasy elves. Elves, in these past few seasons, have been receiving a new-found love in the community. Where the usual elves of fantasy world are often mystical, sacred, or even evilish in nature, what we’ve gotten so far are some of the quirkiest elves ever.

In anime and western media, they do have a bit of difference. I think anime elves are more playful compared to the other. This is true even in older anime. I finished watching Record of Lodoss War (the 1990 one) a few weeks ago, and in that anime there is the best anime elf so far, Deedlit. To me, she shows the best of a character with a charming personality blended in the typical elven myths and stories.

How Elves Are Usually Depicted Anyway?

Deedlit by Yutaka Izubuchi

Elves have been associated to mystical tropes since the earliest of its depiction in literature. As I was doing the research for this, what tickled me is that elves were thought to be the possible cause of a sudden twitching in an old English medical text.

The elves like we know today might be closer to those in Norse mythology. They even have terms for two contrasting type of elves, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) and Ljósálfar (Light Elves). Just like in Record of Lodoss War with Deedlit who is a high elf, and Pirotess who is a dark elf.

Of course, modern media like anime takes inspiration from myths and folklore. But, some are more faithful to the olden legends, so to speak. For example, Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in LOTR pretty much exudes the expected sacredness and beauty a traditional elf would have.

Tsundere Elf from Isekai Ojisan

However, anime is more playful with their idea of elves. There are no shortage of elves with the typical anime tropes like the tsundere. Take Elga from Isekai Ojisan for instance. She’s a tsundere, but with her full name Suzailgiererzegalnelvzegilreagranzelga Elga, there is a bit of “classic mythical elf” trope in her.

Plus, she wields ancient artifact armor and weapon. Still, when it comes to today’s elves, they’re just so different from those who preceded them. Let me explain for a bit.

Today’s Elves Are Way More Relatable

Now this is “literally me!”

Now, elves feel more like a group of people we could stumble upon anywhere, in random bars, perhaps. If anything, they are more relatable than ever. We might admire elves like Deedlit and Galadriel, but I see less way we can say, “she’s just like me” in them.

Some people are picky eaters, some are introverts who enjoy their figurines. Some would just hyperfixate on their hobby and by the time they “wake up” they’re already sixty, so are our elves in these anime I’ve mentioned.

Marcille from Dungeon Meshi

Frieren, Marcille, and Elda are much more relatable. If we had to eat monster meat, of course, we would have the same reactions as Marcille’s. If we have lived for a thousand years, of course, we’d think of time differently, like Frieren. And for some people, spending the day the way Elda does, staying inside and not meeting anyone, sound like heaven.

What does raising their relatability do to elves? Does it simply make them more captivating to the audience? Are we taking advantage from the parasocial fans who get overly attached to the characters? Not really, in my humble opinion, making these elves more relatable means highlighting very human stories.

Humanizing The Long Ears Folk

Twelve more hours, please.

The big thing with relatability is what kind of audience the anime is trying to bring in. We don’t live in a fantasy world, so of course, all the relatable problems will be humans problem.

Frieren touches themes of grief, death, and regret. Something heavy, yet every one of us will or have experienced them at one point in our lives. Despite that, this anime lightheartedly shows the usual daily life of hers. It adds to the relatability, after all.

By showing her not able to wake up early, fumbling the best man to ever lived, really makes her feels very human. After all, those are common issues that we have as regular people. Even if she’s supposed to be a thousand years old great mage, there is an imperfect side of her that we can all see, relate, and empathize.

Losing The Mythical Aura

If you tell people who don’t watch anime that this stuck-in-a-mimic-elf is the world’s savior, they’ll look at you weird.

There is one downside in twisting the usual elf trope. In old stories, we mostly see them shrouded in a mythical aura. Take Skyrim for example, the high elves are the most attuned with magic, thus the Thalmor often see themselves to be superior to others. The dunmer, or dark elves, have to live with a curse after the event of Oblivion. And, the wood elves are a tribe of ritualistic cannibalism lorewise. There is so much lore to discover behind the elves of Tamriel.

There is something creepy yet enticing in each type of elves in Skyrim. The feeling that I get from them is like when I first learned about the lore of Predator and the blooding ritual, especially when it comes to the wood elves. It’s something that lacks or even outright nonexistent with the relatable elves.

Maybe, this is an inevitable trade-off. When we strip the myth out of fantasy characters, they’ll appear as the human who wrote them. If there is an anime that showcases the daily life of a mythical elf, the elf would have extremely different lifestyle and culture, rendering them to sound out of touch from humanities.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/02/17/the-elves-in-todays-anime/

#Anime #Frieren #TropesInAnime #animeTropes #fantasy #Elf #OtakuElf #DungeonMeshi #Deedlit #RecordOfLodossWar

Recently, I’ve been catching up on Dungeon Meshi, and I’ve been entertained by how Marcille reacts to Laios’ dietary ideas in the dungeon. Her panicky and rather frantic personality is so opposite of Frieren. As if it’s not apparent enough, each of them has their own quirks.

Frieren loves weird magic spells, procrastinate almost everything for months, and enjoy her own company. So much so, she was oblivious to Himmel’s attention years ago when they were in an adventuring party together. However, Frieren is still at least more sociable than Elda from Otaku Elf.

If we think about it, the elves in recent anime are far from the typical fantasy elves. Elves, in these past few seasons, have been receiving a new-found love in the community. Where the usual elves of fantasy world are often mystical, sacred, or even evilish in nature, what we’ve gotten so far are some of the quirkiest elves ever.

In anime and western media, they do have a bit of difference. I think anime elves are more playful compared to the other. This is true even in older anime. I finished watching Record of Lodoss War (the 1990 one) a few weeks ago, and in that anime there is the best anime elf so far, Deedlit. To me, she shows the best of a character with a charming personality blended in the typical elven myths and stories.

How Elves Are Usually Depicted Anyway?

Deedlit by Yutaka Izubuchi

Elves have been associated to mystical tropes since the earliest of its depiction in literature. As I was doing the research for this, what tickled me is that elves were thought to be the possible cause of a sudden twitching in an old English medical text.

The elves like we know today might be closer to those in Norse mythology. They even have terms for two contrasting type of elves, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) and Ljósálfar (Light Elves). Just like in Record of Lodoss War with Deedlit who is a high elf, and Pirotess who is a dark elf.

Of course, modern media like anime takes inspiration from myths and folklore. But, some are more faithful to the olden legends, so to speak. For example, Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in LOTR pretty much exudes the expected sacredness and beauty a traditional elf would have.

Tsundere Elf from Isekai Ojisan

However, anime is more playful with their idea of elves. There are no shortage of elves with the typical anime tropes like the tsundere. Take Elga from Isekai Ojisan for instance. She’s a tsundere, but with her full name Suzailgiererzegalnelvzegilreagranzelga Elga, there is a bit of “classic mythical elf” trope in her.

Plus, she wields ancient artifact armor and weapon. Still, when it comes to today’s elves, they’re just so different from those who preceded them. Let me explain for a bit.

Today’s Elves Are Way More Relatable

Now this is “literally me!”

Now, elves feel more like a group of people we could stumble upon anywhere, in random bars, perhaps. If anything, they are more relatable than ever. We might admire elves like Deedlit and Galadriel, but I see less way we can say, “she’s just like me” in them.

Some people are picky eaters, some are introverts who enjoy their figurines. Some would just hyperfixate on their hobby and by the time they “wake up” they’re already sixty, so are our elves in these anime I’ve mentioned.

Marcille from Dungeon Meshi

Frieren, Marcille, and Elda are much more relatable. If we had to eat monster meat, of course, we would have the same reactions as Marcille’s. If we have lived for a thousand years, of course, we’d think of time differently, like Frieren. And for some people, spending the day the way Elda does, staying inside and not meeting anyone, sound like heaven.

What does raising their relatability do to elves? Does it simply make them more captivating to the audience? Are we taking advantage from the parasocial fans who get overly attached to the characters? Not really, in my humble opinion, making these elves more relatable means highlighting very human stories.

Humanizing The Long Ears Folk

Twelve more hours, please.

The big thing with relatability is what kind of audience the anime is trying to bring in. We don’t live in a fantasy world, so of course, all the relatable problems will be humans problem.

Frieren touches themes of grief, death, and regret. Something heavy, yet every one of us will or have experienced them at one point in our lives. Despite that, this anime lightheartedly shows the usual daily life of hers. It adds to the relatability, after all.

By showing her not able to wake up early, fumbling the best man to ever lived, really makes her feels very human. After all, those are common issues that we have as regular people. Even if she’s supposed to be a thousand years old great mage, there is an imperfect side of her that we can all see, relate, and empathize.

Losing The Mythical Aura

If you tell people who don’t watch anime that this stuck-in-a-mimic-elf is the world’s savior, they’ll look at you weird.

There is one downside in twisting the usual elf trope. In old stories, we mostly see them shrouded in a mythical aura. Take Skyrim for example, the high elves are the most attuned with magic, thus the Thalmor often see themselves to be superior to others. The dunmer, or dark elves, have to live with a curse after the event of Oblivion. And, the wood elves are a tribe of ritualistic cannibalism lorewise. There is so much lore to discover behind the elves of Tamriel.

There is something creepy yet enticing in each type of elves in Skyrim. The feeling that I get from them is like when I first learned about the lore of Predator and the blooding ritual, especially when it comes to the wood elves. It’s something that lacks or even outright nonexistent with the relatable elves.

Maybe, this is an inevitable trade-off. When we strip the myth out of fantasy characters, they’ll appear as the human who wrote them. If there is an anime that showcases the daily life of a mythical elf, the elf would have extremely different lifestyle and culture, rendering them to sound out of touch from humanities.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/02/17/the-elves-in-todays-anime/

#Anime #animeTropes #Deedlit #DungeonMeshi #Elf #fantasy #Frieren #OtakuElf #RecordOfLodossWar #TropesInAnime

Recently, I’ve been catching up on Dungeon Meshi, and I’ve been entertained by how Marcille reacts to Laios’ dietary ideas in the dungeon. Her panicky and rather frantic personality is so opposite of Frieren. As if it’s not apparent enough, each of them has their own quirks.

Frieren loves weird magic spells, procrastinate almost everything for months, and enjoy her own company. So much so, she was oblivious to Himmel’s attention years ago when they were in an adventuring party together. However, Frieren is still at least more sociable than Elda from Otaku Elf.

If we think about it, the elves in recent anime are far from the typical fantasy elves. Elves, in these past few seasons, have been receiving a new-found love in the community. Where the usual elves of fantasy world are often mystical, sacred, or even evilish in nature, what we’ve gotten so far are some of the quirkiest elves ever.

In anime and western media, they do have a bit of difference. I think anime elves are more playful compared to the other. This is true even in older anime. I finished watching Record of Lodoss War (the 1990 one) a few weeks ago, and in that anime there is the best anime elf so far, Deedlit. To me, she shows the best of a character with a charming personality blended in the typical elven myths and stories.

How Elves Are Usually Depicted Anyway?

Deedlit by Yutaka Izubuchi

Elves have been associated to mystical tropes since the earliest of its depiction in literature. As I was doing the research for this, what tickled me is that elves were thought to be the possible cause of a sudden twitching in an old English medical text.

The elves like we know today might be closer to those in Norse mythology. They even have terms for two contrasting type of elves, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) and Ljósálfar (Light Elves). Just like in Record of Lodoss War with Deedlit who is a high elf, and Pirotess who is a dark elf.

Of course, modern media like anime takes inspiration from myths and folklore. But, some are more faithful to the olden legends, so to speak. For example, Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in LOTR pretty much exudes the expected sacredness and beauty a traditional elf would have.

Tsundere Elf from Isekai Ojisan

However, anime is more playful with their idea of elves. There are no shortage of elves with the typical anime tropes like the tsundere. Take Elga from Isekai Ojisan for instance. She’s a tsundere, but with her full name Suzailgiererzegalnelvzegilreagranzelga Elga, there is a bit of “classic mythical elf” trope in her.

Plus, she wields ancient artifact armor and weapon. Still, when it comes to today’s elves, they’re just so different from those who preceded them. Let me explain for a bit.

Today’s Elves Are Way More Relatable

Now this is “literally me!”

Now, elves feel more like a group of people we could stumble upon anywhere, in random bars, perhaps. If anything, they are more relatable than ever. We might admire elves like Deedlit and Galadriel, but I see less way we can say, “she’s just like me” in them.

Some people are picky eaters, some are introverts who enjoy their figurines. Some would just hyperfixate on their hobby and by the time they “wake up” they’re already sixty, so are our elves in these anime I’ve mentioned.

Marcille from Dungeon Meshi

Frieren, Marcille, and Elda are much more relatable. If we had to eat monster meat, of course, we would have the same reactions as Marcille’s. If we have lived for a thousand years, of course, we’d think of time differently, like Frieren. And for some people, spending the day the way Elda does, staying inside and not meeting anyone, sound like heaven.

What does raising their relatability do to elves? Does it simply make them more captivating to the audience? Are we taking advantage from the parasocial fans who get overly attached to the characters? Not really, in my humble opinion, making these elves more relatable means highlighting very human stories.

Humanizing The Long Ears Folk

Twelve more hours, please.

The big thing with relatability is what kind of audience the anime is trying to bring in. We don’t live in a fantasy world, so of course, all the relatable problems will be humans problem.

Frieren touches themes of grief, death, and regret. Something heavy, yet every one of us will or have experienced them at one point in our lives. Despite that, this anime lightheartedly shows the usual daily life of hers. It adds to the relatability, after all.

By showing her not able to wake up early, fumbling the best man to ever lived, really makes her feels very human. After all, those are common issues that we have as regular people. Even if she’s supposed to be a thousand years old great mage, there is an imperfect side of her that we can all see, relate, and empathize.

Losing The Mythical Aura

If you tell people who don’t watch anime that this stuck-in-a-mimic-elf is the world’s savior, they’ll look at you weird.

There is one downside in twisting the usual elf trope. In old stories, we mostly see them shrouded in a mythical aura. Take Skyrim for example, the high elves are the most attuned with magic, thus the Thalmor often see themselves to be superior to others. The dunmer, or dark elves, have to live with a curse after the event of Oblivion. And, the wood elves are a tribe of ritualistic cannibalism lorewise. There is so much lore to discover behind the elves of Tamriel.

There is something creepy yet enticing in each type of elves in Skyrim. The feeling that I get from them is like when I first learned about the lore of Predator and the blooding ritual, especially when it comes to the wood elves. It’s something that lacks or even outright nonexistent with the relatable elves.

Maybe, this is an inevitable trade-off. When we strip the myth out of fantasy characters, they’ll appear as the human who wrote them. If there is an anime that showcases the daily life of a mythical elf, the elf would have extremely different lifestyle and culture, rendering them to sound out of touch from humanities.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/02/17/the-elves-in-todays-anime/

#Anime #animeTropes #Deedlit #DungeonMeshi #Elf #fantasy #Frieren #OtakuElf #RecordOfLodossWar #TropesInAnime

Let’s talk again about isekai. One of the most booming anime genre of all times. Aside from being a power fantasy and a further exploration of the parallel universe theme, this genre also introduced a particularly morbid trope. Yes, it’s the isekai truck.

Truck-kun is a classic choice for authors to send their protagonists to the afterlife. Seemingly, a random pick for vehicular manslaughter, isn’t it? You know, there are so many other vehicles that can make us face mortality. But yet, the truck stands tall as the superior.

So, some questions popped up in my mind. First, why a truck? Second, why do we need the event of the crash itself? Third, what’s supposed to happen after the truck?

What The Truck Represents

Trucks everywhere.

There are some traits about a truck that might make it the stereotypical gateway for an isekai protagonist. A truck is a relatively heavy land vehicle. The brakes, more often than not, should’ve been better than they are. After all, it requires more power to stop the heavier momentum a truck has. So, we need to understand it’s actually difficult, and rather near impossible, to stop a truck in a heartbeat.

Also, with how crowded and noisy the roads can be. We might pass off a truck just as another vehicle. There’s nothing uncommon about it. Every day, the road is full of people in their sedans, big SUVs, and also, trucks. Yet, it’s the biggest mistake we can make. We brushed them off as a part of the ordinary. So much so, we ignore the potential danger that could happen.

The truck, sometimes, is inevitable.

However, why is it so sudden? Why now? The isekai truck always comes when the protagonist least expects. But, when we pan around his life, maybe it’s the right time for a change. I’ve talked about NEETs in isekai previously. It’s arguably the lowest point someone can have in their life. So, in a way, the truck represents an involuntary change that will happen, sooner or later.

In short, the isekai truck represents an unstoppable turning point that happens out of nowhere. We can call it fate or coincidence. Nevertheless, there is something about the isekai truck that symbolizes an impactful force we can’t prevent.

You’ve Gone To Another World, But You Leave Another Behind

So long…

Weirdly enough, I actually have a personal experience on this. Back in high school, I had a friend who died because of an accident involving a truck. He was going home after school, it was just another ordinary day for him. But, out of nowhere, a truck appeared from a junction, and the next thing we knew was there’s a funeral to attend.

I learned about it the next day, the whole school was cut short. Almost everybody packed up their things, and went straight to the funeral.

Personally, I was shocked. Not just because of the sheer disbelief of what just happened, but also what we saw when we arrived. My friend’s body was mangled, twisted limbs, and all sorts of gory stuff we might expect from a horror movie. A truck did all this?

I left his funeral crying so bad. I didn’t get the chance to be closer to this guy, but I particularly cared about him. He was the typical quiet, non-social guy.

Girls would avoid him, other guys would mock him for being slightly messier than others. I gave him some pointers but, in retrospect, I could’ve said it less harshly. The only thing that I regret is that I didn’t get any chance to apologize.

Whether in fiction or real-life, death is consequential. We sometimes take someone’s life for granted. If anything, the looming possibility of someone’s demise almost never cross our minds.

When it comes suddenly like this, everything becomes clearer. What we’ve done to that person, what we think about them. So, the crash itself, both in fiction and real-life, is a wake-up call for every single of us. Sadly, a wake-up call that costs more than we thought.

The World Moves On, But We Must Deal With Loss

Most isekai are about the adventure.

In isekai anime, we mostly follow his journey in the parallel world. It’s rare to see what’s going on in his original world. It’s certainly not the focus of the genre, but the reality only makes this trope more morbid.

After someone’s death, we typically spend some times to mourn. However, that mourning period doesn’t last forever. Life continues whether we like it or not. It’s not that we don’t care anymore about the loss of someone. There’s simply nothing we can do about it.

They should show us funerals more often. But, it’s the protagonist’s.

In anime, it’s fun to see the protagonist’s new adventure. At first glance, they seem to instantly accept their new life and move on. However, if only the anime spare a bit of screen time to the family they left, it’s probably a bit more bleak and realistic. Coping with the death of loved ones is, and will always be, challenging.

By ignoring this crucial aftermath, the isekai genre is missing a chance to showcase the severity of grief and loss seen from the people who love the protagonist. Suffice to say, behind all the fun adventure an isekai protagonist experiences, there is a very dark theme running down this trope.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/01/24/the-isekai-truck-is-an-especially-morbid-trope/

#Anime #animeTropes #Fiction #Isekai #TropesInAnime #Truck

Let’s talk again about isekai. One of the most booming anime genre of all times. Aside from being a power fantasy and a further exploration of the parallel universe theme, this genre also introduced a particularly morbid trope. Yes, it’s the isekai truck.

Truck-kun is a classic choice for authors to send their protagonists to the afterlife. Seemingly, a random pick for vehicular manslaughter, isn’t it? You know, there are so many other vehicles that can make us face mortality. But yet, the truck stands tall as the superior.

So, some questions popped up in my mind. First, why a truck? Second, why do we need the event of the crash itself? Third, what’s supposed to happen after the truck?

What The Truck Represents

Trucks everywhere.

There are some traits about a truck that might make it the stereotypical gateway for an isekai protagonist. A truck is a relatively heavy land vehicle. The brakes, more often than not, should’ve been better than they are. After all, it requires more power to stop the heavier momentum a truck has. So, we need to understand it’s actually difficult, and rather near impossible, to stop a truck in a heartbeat.

Also, with how crowded and noisy the roads can be. We might pass off a truck just as another vehicle. There’s nothing uncommon about it. Every day, the road is full of people in their sedans, big SUVs, and also, trucks. Yet, it’s the biggest mistake we can make. We brushed them off as a part of the ordinary. So much so, we ignore the potential danger that could happen.

The truck, sometimes, is inevitable.

However, why is it so sudden? Why now? The isekai truck always comes when the protagonist least expects. But, when we pan around his life, maybe it’s the right time for a change. I’ve talked about NEETs in isekai previously. It’s arguably the lowest point someone can have in their life. So, in a way, the truck represents an involuntary change that will happen, sooner or later.

In short, the isekai truck represents an unstoppable turning point that happens out of nowhere. We can call it fate or coincidence. Nevertheless, there is something about the isekai truck that symbolizes an impactful force we can’t prevent.

You’ve Gone To Another World, But You Leave Another Behind

So long…

Weirdly enough, I actually have a personal experience on this. Back in high school, I had a friend who died because of an accident involving a truck. He was going home after school, it was just another ordinary day for him. But, out of nowhere, a truck appeared from a junction, and the next thing we knew was there’s a funeral to attend.

I learned about it the next day, the whole school was cut short. Almost everybody packed up their things, and went straight to the funeral.

Personally, I was shocked. Not just because of the sheer disbelief of what just happened, but also what we saw when we arrived. My friend’s body was mangled, twisted limbs, and all sorts of gory stuff we might expect from a horror movie. A truck did all this?

I left his funeral crying so bad. I didn’t get the chance to be closer to this guy, but I particularly cared about him. He was the typical quiet, non-social guy.

Girls would avoid him, other guys would mock him for being slightly messier than others. I gave him some pointers but, in retrospect, I could’ve said it less harshly. The only thing that I regret is that I didn’t get any chance to apologize.

Whether in fiction or real-life, death is consequential. We sometimes take someone’s life for granted. If anything, the looming possibility of someone’s demise almost never cross our minds.

When it comes suddenly like this, everything becomes clearer. What we’ve done to that person, what we think about them. So, the crash itself, both in fiction and real-life, is a wake-up call for every single of us. Sadly, a wake-up call that costs more than we thought.

The World Moves On, But We Must Deal With Loss

Most isekai are about the adventure.

In isekai anime, we mostly follow his journey in the parallel world. It’s rare to see what’s going on in his original world. It’s certainly not the focus of the genre, but the reality only makes this trope more morbid.

After someone’s death, we typically spend some times to mourn. However, that mourning period doesn’t last forever. Life continues whether we like it or not. It’s not that we don’t care anymore about the loss of someone. There’s simply nothing we can do about it.

They should show us funerals more often. But, it’s the protagonist’s.

In anime, it’s fun to see the protagonist’s new adventure. At first glance, they seem to instantly accept their new life and move on. However, if only the anime spare a bit of screen time to the family they left, it’s probably a bit more bleak and realistic. Coping with the death of loved ones is, and will always be, challenging.

By ignoring this crucial aftermath, the isekai genre is missing a chance to showcase the severity of grief and loss seen from the people who love the protagonist. Suffice to say, behind all the fun adventure an isekai protagonist experiences, there is a very dark theme running down this trope.

https://seinenrider.com/2024/01/24/the-isekai-truck-is-an-especially-morbid-trope/

#Anime #animeTropes #Fiction #Isekai #TropesInAnime #Truck