I may had asked this before and it isn't limited to only Gainax but I had noticed that a lot of anime/manga use a lot of absurdism. I asked this in other forums but does anyone notice the absurdist elements present in most Gainax, SHAFT, Studio Trigger, etc.? They seem to use not so much to be sily but to prove a point or present its themes in an interesting manner. It isn't limited to Gainax but I notice a lot of anime use absurd, fantastical elements to display their themes. Does anyone know about this? I see Absurdist elements in their works.

It's animation. Literally anything the brain can imagine can be brought to life with just pencil and paper.

Why waste that potential?

To quote a blogger I know, it's because animation has "a subsection of humanity’s most uniquely talented and dysfunctional."

TMBounty_Hunter wrote:It's animation. Literally anything the brain can imagine can be brought to life with just pencil and paper.

Pretty much this i guess.

I don't know much about absurd-ism as a philosophy (if that's what you're referring to), but as a viewer of animation, I have a certain respect for the fantastical qualities of Japanese 'cartoons'.

I don't think Gainax and anime in general, mock the foundation of logic in the 'real' world by depicting chaotic, fantastical, sometimes non-sensical worlds. Written works of a personal nature can proclaim this type of philosophical treatise much more clearly and effectively. Anime sets out to tell engrossing stories, frame-by-frame.

Actually, now that I think about it, most of the anime I've seen deals with pretty solid narratives, coming-of-age stories about triumphing over evil, etc. Mysteries introduced in the story eventually get solved. Personal backstories are eventually fleshed out. In other words, anime stories are typically adventures wherein the protagonist journeys to make sense of the chaos of the world he/she lives in.

But I'm intrigued by your view! Please tell me why you say Gainax's anime has absurdist themes, and how these themes affect your interpretation of their stories (in particular the EVA universe).

C.A.P. wrote:To quote a blogger I know, it's because animation has "a subsection of humanity’s most uniquely talented and dysfunctional."

Also, Japan.

gatotsu911 wrote:Also, Japan.

The culture of kawaii -- which leads to what seem crazy juxtapositions of the srs bzns and the apparently frivolous, where cute characters are placed in grim situations like the InternetExplorer-tan video of a few months back, or the adventures of cute patisserie animals in post-apocalyptic Japan (you'd never have ponies digging up empty lots to try planting crops only to find working guns -- and have mishaps with same -- and the skeletons of their former owners).

I think there's a larger discussion about Japanese pop culture, abstraction, surrealism and postmodernism, but it's difficult to have without coming across as tokenizing. Especially with my limited knowledge and reference pool.

gatotsu911 wrote:I think there's a larger discussion about Japanese pop culture, abstraction, surrealism and postmodernism, but it's difficult to have without coming across as tokenizing. Especially with my limited knowledge and reference pool.

I share this view as well although that it why I wanted to ask around if people can tell me more about it.