●12517   3 6/01 lance0904    □ [討論] Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Visual Pl …
文章代碼(AID): #1DvHVJJY

作者: lance0904 ( 草田八) 看板: C_Chat
標題: [討論] Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Visual Pleasure
時間: Wed Jun  1 00:31:10 2011

之前在板上有po過一篇關於福音戰士的賞析文，是我從原本用英文寫的paper翻譯了大概

百分之七十的內容，並且張貼上來跟大家分享。後來有板友跟我要原文全部，但是考慮到

要先讓教授打完分數，所以遲遲沒有張貼。

Lance Huang
Topics in Cultural Studies: Gender, Identity, Discourse
Professor 伍(為了避免侵權，就不打我教授全名了)
7/8/2010


                 Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Visual Pleasure


    Neon Genesis Evangelion was an anime TV series first broadcasted in 1995
in Japan, and it remains popular long after its original run until now. In
Susan J. Napier’s book, Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle, this
anime was introduced with Princess Mononoke, and the two is said to promote
the identification of anime as a “cultural product genuinely worthy of
intellectual study.”(18) They were phenomenal achievements by the standards
of the anime industry of the 1990s, for they did not bring only tremendous
popularity but also “intellectually challenging themes and ideas.”(18)

    Neon Genesis Evangelion can be categorized to giant/mecha-suit anime genre
for containing this genre’s elements. According to Sharalyn Orbaugh’s essay
“Frankenstein and the Cyborg Metropolis” in the book, Cinema Anime, she
introduces that in this anime genre, “giant robots were primarily ways for
humans to extend their capacities—into areas they otherwise could not enter,
moving faster then the body can go, or giving them powerful weapons, usually
for defense against enemies attacking from outer space.”(90-91) In a similar
pattern of this anime genre, the protagonist of this anime, Shinji, was
summoned by his father, highest ranking commander in the government
organization NERV, to pilot a giant robot, Evangelion (abbreviated as EVA),
for competing with Shito (literally meaning “apostles” or “angels”) whose
purpose it is to bring about the total annihilation of the human race (though
the purpose of which is never fully explained, if at all). Superficially,
this anime conforms to the traditional pattern of giant/mecha-shuit anime.
However, this story is too tragic and pessimistic to be a giant/mecha-suit.

    In a giant/mecha-suit anime, the protagonists’gradual mental maturation,
growing adeptness in piloting skills, and developing comradeship as seen
within the progress of the plot could imply an optimistic outcome in the end.
All enemies will be wiped out, and the protagonists will finally live in a
good state with their friends. And these supporting elements for optimism are
essential factors, besides the fantasy part that giant machine brought, in
this anime genre to entertain its audience. If compared with other anime
works belonging to this genre with Hollywood’s modernism movie style, we can
discover the similarities between them. According to the essay, “Postmodern
Cinema and Hollywood Culture in an Age of Corporate Colonization”, the two
writers, Carl Buggs and Tom Pollard, has mentions some of the qualities, like
the assumption of “progress” and the optimistic spirit. And these features
coincide with the prevalent sentiment of traditional giant/mecha-suit anime—
Optimism. As a member of this genre, Neon Genesis Evangelion should have
followed the steps; however, it did not. The protagonist, Shinji, has become
mature and the comradeship between him and the other cast appears firmly
established as well, too, but the outcome was a total tragedy—the human race
was extinguished because of Shinji.

    The pessimistic elements in this anime seems to satisfy the features of
so-called postmodern cinema, which is introduced in Carl Buggs and
Tom Pollard's essay, too,“Postmodern cinema is characterized by disjointed
narratives, a dark view of the human condition, images of chaos and random
violence, death of the hero, emphasis on technique over content, and dystopic
views of the future…”(159) Apparently, Neon Genesis Evangelion can be
categorized as a postmodern cinema according to Carl Buggs and Tom Pollard’s
definition. And because of these features of postmodern cinema, this anime
piece stands quite apart from other giant/mecha-suit anime works. However,
this uniqueness can not satisfy the explanation of how this anime pleases its
audience. Therefore I intend to explain the function of the “character
identification” that possibly is an important factor in making the audience
interested in this anime. Moreover, I also want to discuss how this anime
arouses in its audiences “fear”, which may be another important factor
behind the inducement of pleasure in its spectators.


Character Identification

    In Laura Mulvey’s essay—Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, it
introduced two gazes, ego libido and object libido, from spectators and arouse
their pleasure in watching films. If applying Mulvey’s theory to Neon Genesis
Evangelion’s entertaining strategy, we also can discover one of the two gazes
—ego libido, and its direct connection with the function of “character
identification”.

    In her essay, Mulvey argues the whole filmic viewing experience as a look
problem. For building her theory of look pleasure she mentioned, she took
Jacques Lacan’s theory of “Mirror Stage” as a metaphor of this pleasure.
To Lacan, a child in the “Mirror Stage” constructs their own identity
according to others’ reflection and expectation. However, these reflection
and expectation in fact are responsive to the ideal and superior ones of the
child and he/she can not figure out it. He/She recognize these not-real self
as example for becoming it. Mulvey took this misrecognition as one possibility
bringing the pleasure. When the spectators see a film, they will easily iders, who are similar to audience, and intend to project themselves
on these superior identifications. It is called ego libido.

    The protagonist of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shinji, plays the role of this
superior identification. In the anime, Shinji is a junior high adolescent who
grew up in an unhealthy family that provided no protection and affection from
mother and the father, as his mother died before his eyes when he was at
young age, and his father had not taken care of him since his mother’s death
and showed absolute indifference to Shinji. Moreover, in the anime, Shinji
usually confesses he is a cowardly, selfish person; during his soliloquies,
he often engages in dialogues with an imaginary projection of Ayanami, a
prominent female character appealing Shinji, or his childhood self about his
fear to come into contact with others. Besides, his appearance was not
masculine and suggested gender ambiguity. All these factors make spectators
become compassionate toward this vulnerable boy.

    After the arousal of compassion, the spectators discover the same weakness
they share with the boy, and compassion becomes identification. Because
Shinji is a character that owns too many tragic features and frailties, he is
an ambivalent composite of adverse characteristics. In this anime he is the
superior identification in of the negative side. Thus the ego libido works on
the audience and causes the effect of character identification.

    Besides, not only Shinji, numerous characters in the anime also possess
pessimistic qualities. For example, Shinji’s beautiful guardian in NERV,
Misato, has her own traumas, too. In the anime, Misato is superficially a
sanguine and brave person; however, her father’s death is an eternal and
concealed wound she hides from all, save for her lover, Kaji, and Shinji, who
is a symbolic son to her. Moreover, Shinji’s energetic comrade, Asuka, was
nearly strangled by her mother when she was a child. With these victims, the
spectators also share compassionate emotions, and in turn exercise
identification with the characters.

    Obviously, the world in Neon Genesis Evangelion is a pessimistic
environment for the characters in this anime. People who lived in this world
usually meet obstacles and the sufferings seem to have no end. It is via this
unpleasant world that the audience comes to easily sympathize with these
victims, moreover identify with them.


The Panic Factors

    To discuss the panic factors, which arouse fear in the audience, the
introduction of Mulvey’s second gaze theory is needed. In her essay, Mulvey
introduces Freud’s description of “voyeuristic fantasy” and compares it
with the pleasure of watching the screen. To Mulvey, the enclosed world of
the film is indifferent to the audience and provides the possibility for said
audience to enjoy a voyeuristic-like pleasure through looking. And she
describes Freud’s specific example, “children’s curiosity about other
people’s genital and bodily functions, about the presence or absence of the
penis.”(16) Apparently, this scopophilia is more than the instinct of ego
libido, and is called object libido.

    Employing this gaze theory, Barbara Creed suggests how the horror movie,
whose topic evidently is the panic factors, pleases its audience. In her
essay Alien and Monster Feminine, it is said, “Strategies of identification
are temporarily broken, as the spectator is constructed in the place of
horror, the place where the sight’s site can no longer be endured, the place
where pleasure in looking is transformed into pain and the spectator is
punished for his/her voyeuristic desires” (137) In the other words, the
pleasure the horror film can provide to its spectators is a masochistic
pleasure.

    When it comes to Neon Genesis Evangelion, the most obvious panic is
revealed by its apocalyptic context. In its story setting, characters in this
anime live in the period between 2000-2015AD. In this period, human’s enemy,
Shito, comes to attack and intend to destroy humanbeings. To viewers who have
watched this TV anime series when it was first broadcasted in 1995, this
setting could allow them to easily immerse in the fantasy story to the
possibility of the coming crisis. It perhaps makes the audience aware of the
dangers and possibility of an Armageddon and subsequently arouses their fear.

    Moreover, the other panic was presented by the behavior and appearance of
EVA, the giant robot that was produced to defend human race. From EVA’s
exterior design, it is hard to combine it with the image of normal cold
machine; it is more like an organic being. In episode one, when Shinji was
brought to meet this grotesque giant machine at first time, he was totally
shocked by EVA’s big face mask. Its face mask is ghost-like showing its
dangerous and unimaginable power. In the ensuing battle with Shito, EVA’s
attack manner is animal-like; even it will be out of control and bloodily
devour its enemy. And once, EVA regenerated its broken arm after its
devouring in episode nineteen. All of these presentations of EVA are
unpredictable to the scientists who research EVA’s possibilities, and its
dangerous and brutal actions overwhelmed the witnesses in the film. In
episode seven, people doubted if progressive science can suppress this
monstrous machine. Actually, by analyzing EVA’s features, this grotesque
machine could be the presentation of Archaic Mother.

    In Barbara Creed’s essay, she has mentioned Archaic Mother features of the
outer space creature in the horror movie, Alien, and she also explained what
Archaic Mother is. Basically, Archaic Mother is the female who can conduct
monogenesis; she is “the sole parent” of her offspring. From Creed’s
introduction, one of the panic factors Archaic Mother can bring is “the
horrifying sight of the mother’s genitals—proof that castration can occur.”
 (136) Therefore, it is said “the archaic mother is presented in all horror
films as the blackness of extinction-death.” (136) However, if one refers to
Foucault’s theory, the other explanation for Archaic Mother’s panic factor
is its application of the failure to control the reproductive forces. In
patriarchal society, women’s fertility is a big energy that is needed to be
constrained and handled. Thus the existence of the Archaic Mother, who can do
asexual production, is a tremendous threat to patriarchy’s power structure.

    When comes to this anime, like Susan J. Napier mentioned, “Many critics
have noted that the construction of the EVA has a feminine aspect, in that it
encloses Shinji in a liquid-filled womblike space.” (98) In the latter
plots, it is said the EVA Shinji piloted was constructed by his mother’s
body component. When Shinji’s mother was alive, she was one of the
scientists who invented EVA. Nevertheless, during the process of the
experiment, Shinji’s mother transfused into and became one with EVA. And it
is the main reason why Shinji was chose to pilot EVA, because he was
biologically recognized by this organic machine. However, besides its
motherhood identity to Shinji, EVA is more like a monstrous feminine to
others. EVA is a black hole that can devour every being as the Archaic Mother
in horror films. Even Shinji himself dislike EVA; the main reason he promised
to pilot it is for his crave to be acknowledged by his father.


Conclusion

    According to Carl Boggs and Tom Pollard’s definition of postmodern cinema,
Neon Genesis Evangelion simply satisfies it. And the features of postmodern
cinema make it distinguished in the giant/mecha-suit anime genre, for most of
anime in this genre belongs to the modernism cinema, which has different
characteristics to postmodern cinema. However, the identity as postmodern
cinema can not explain Neon Genesis Evangelion’s tremendous popularity.
Kellner, Boggs and Pollard, as they have introduced in their paper, argues
that the production of the postmodern cinema in Hollywood movies industry as
a marketable representative form “means that the products of the culture
industries must resonate to social experience, must attract large audiences,
and must thus offer attractive products which may shock, break with
conventions, contain social critique, or articulate current ideas that may be
the product of progressive social movement” (171) From Kellner’s point of
view, the content on social issues and realistic life experiences in films is
the main reason facilitating the appearance of postmodern cinema and bringing
the business profit to the movie industry.

    Likewise, in Neon Genesis Evangelion, there should be some critical factors
make it overwhelmingly successful in the history of anime. The possible
elements of social issues that Kellner had mentioned should be one of them;
however, in a fantasy world of giant/mecha-suit anime, this factor is hard to
be discovered and not strong enough to be a supporting evidence. I have
argued that the most evident critical factors are the function of “character
identification” and the panic elements scaring the audience.

    The “character identification” function works for this anime and can
arouse audience’ compassion by its tragic elements, and then, the audience can
further discover they share the same weakness with the characters in the
anime. The panic elements are another reason attract people watch this anime.
And these scaring elements can bring audience a masochism pleasure like
Barbara Creed introduced. Furthermore, I think these function and elements
can be generalized as catharsis and is in accordance to what Aristotle said,
which is “a remarkable fact that many tragic representations of suffering
and defeat leave an audience feeling not depressed, but relieved, or even
exalted.”(Abrams 331) In Neon Genesis Evangelion, the function of “
character identification” is brought by the negative superior identification
of the pessimistic characters in the anime, and with the panic factors in the
anime, for example, the Apocalypse story setting and the threaten from the
archaic-mother-like EVA, all of these elements cause audience feel the
catharsis effect.







                                   Citation

Susan J. Napier. Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle, this anime was
    introduced with Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese
    Anime. December 2005

Sharalyn Orbaugh. Frankenstein and the Cyborg Metropolis. Cinema Anime.
    Edited by Steven T. Brown. 2006

Carl Buggs & Tom Pollard. Postmodern Cinema and Hollywood Culture in an Age
    of Corporate Colonization. Democracy & Nature. Vol. 7, No. 1, 2001.

Laura Mulvey. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Screen. 1975

Barbara Creed. Alien and the Monstrous-Feminine. The Monstrous-Feminine:
    Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis. 1993.

M. H. Abrams. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 2005.

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