Sunday, Jul 24, 2005
What is truth?
"Etc.", episode 9 of Paranoia Agent, helps clarify this (or further distort, depending on the way you look at it.)
So far, to the audience, Lil' Slugger's identity and purpose is an enigma (thanks to contradictory and/or new evidence presented each episode.) Like the audience, the group of gossipers is also speculating as to what Lil' Slugger is up to. Ironically enough though...it is the very idea of the gossiping in the episode that appears to hold a major piece of the puzzle in solving this totally "whacked" mystery.
Every story told in "Etc." deviated completely from the way Lil' Slugger would normally slug someone. This is not to say that they *all* went on wild tangents (most of them did), but there was always something distinct in each of the stories that had an aura of absurdity to it in comparison to the way the Lil' Slugger stories were told in the first 7 episodes (save episode 5, which was like watching a metaphor within a metaphor.)
I'm also guesstimating that when the writer's wife said, "But that's a famous..." (only to be subsequently cut off by the other women), I think she was trying to say that the incident was taken from a famous novel or movie. I don't just say this because it seems like the best fit; I say it mainly because the way the story was presented seemed slightly melodramatic for real life (or rather, anime life.) If this is true, then this would also probably contribute to the "Maromi being popular and acting as a medium" idea somehow.
Another thing that I noticed in this episode was the recurrence of the number 4. First, if you look at how the gossiping women wave their hands, it looks like (to me anyway) that they tuck their thumbs in (hence presenting 4 fingers.) Second, the wall of the nervous student has the number 4 on it. And lastly, the number 4 is heard is when the boxer reaches the 3rd plate of food. Perhaps even more importantly, it is the 4th time he stops that he sees Lil' Slugger with the whole buffet.
What does this mean?
Well...episode 4 was when Kozuka was captured. It's also when Hirukawa DIDN'T get rendered unconscious. To me, episodes 4 and 7 are pivotal turning points. In episodes 1-4, we had standard procedure: people being whacked into unconscious-ness. In episodes 5 and 6, there was a bit of a limbo-like period. In episode 6, specifically, we found out that Lil' Slugger still existed despite Kozuka's arrest. But then, in episode 7, a major turning point: Lil' Slugger kills. And since episode 7, that's what he's been doing.
One could also make the case that Lil' Slugger's power has been increasing every episode, considering the fact that in episode 6, Hirukawa's daughter got amnesia. It's really quite ambiguous at this point as to how Lil' Slugger's power is being altered, increased, distorted, etc. so I'm not going to jump to any conclusions just yet.
Probably the most interesting thing I noticed though, in "Etc." was the abundance of the circle. Yes, the shape. Or at least, a circular-like shape. To be specific: the gossipers' circle, the room that the student was taking the test in, the mother's womb, the baseball players huddling around the pitcher (plus the baseball stadium itself), and finally, the island in the middle of nowhere with the palm tree on it. What is the significance of this? Well...
Two takes on it:
1. Entrapment
and
2. Letting something go on and on so much, that it simply turns into something near-ridiculous.
Perhaps Lil' Slugger is a complete fabrication altogether.
We know that the Old Man's equation beared the number 1 in it. So perhaps Lil' Slugger was just a figment of Tsukiko Sagi's imagination, a stand alone complex (a la Ghost in the Shell) if you will. Tsukiko saw Kozuka somewhere before and imagined that he attacked her(?) Kozuka himself then got wind of Lil' Slugger and began to mimic him via the holy warrior image. Next, thanks to *Kozuka's* influence, the rumor of Lil' Slugger spread even moreso. Finally, with Maniwa playing the role of the messenger, the rumor of Lil' Slugger is spread everywhere. Hence, people began to believe that Lil' Slugger was the person who was attacking people instead of the people themselves. What I wouldn't understand under this theory is how Lil' Slugger's power "increased." Perhaps the more people knew about Lil' Slugger, the more harm they inflicted upon themselves? And if my theory is true, how can the virus that is Lil' Slugger be stopped? Does it have something to do with Maromi, the *other* popular culture item?
It all sounds a bit convoluted, I know, but I think the important thing to remember is that somehow, Lil' Slugger has SOMETHING to do with the idea of 1, and that truth is a very subjective term.
That's my two cents for now.
All in a all, another fantabulous episode with very insightful things to present. I can't wait to see what happens next!
"Etc.", episode 9 of Paranoia Agent, helps clarify this (or further distort, depending on the way you look at it.)
So far, to the audience, Lil' Slugger's identity and purpose is an enigma (thanks to contradictory and/or new evidence presented each episode.) Like the audience, the group of gossipers is also speculating as to what Lil' Slugger is up to. Ironically enough though...it is the very idea of the gossiping in the episode that appears to hold a major piece of the puzzle in solving this totally "whacked" mystery.
Every story told in "Etc." deviated completely from the way Lil' Slugger would normally slug someone. This is not to say that they *all* went on wild tangents (most of them did), but there was always something distinct in each of the stories that had an aura of absurdity to it in comparison to the way the Lil' Slugger stories were told in the first 7 episodes (save episode 5, which was like watching a metaphor within a metaphor.)
I'm also guesstimating that when the writer's wife said, "But that's a famous..." (only to be subsequently cut off by the other women), I think she was trying to say that the incident was taken from a famous novel or movie. I don't just say this because it seems like the best fit; I say it mainly because the way the story was presented seemed slightly melodramatic for real life (or rather, anime life.) If this is true, then this would also probably contribute to the "Maromi being popular and acting as a medium" idea somehow.
Another thing that I noticed in this episode was the recurrence of the number 4. First, if you look at how the gossiping women wave their hands, it looks like (to me anyway) that they tuck their thumbs in (hence presenting 4 fingers.) Second, the wall of the nervous student has the number 4 on it. And lastly, the number 4 is heard is when the boxer reaches the 3rd plate of food. Perhaps even more importantly, it is the 4th time he stops that he sees Lil' Slugger with the whole buffet.
What does this mean?
Well...episode 4 was when Kozuka was captured. It's also when Hirukawa DIDN'T get rendered unconscious. To me, episodes 4 and 7 are pivotal turning points. In episodes 1-4, we had standard procedure: people being whacked into unconscious-ness. In episodes 5 and 6, there was a bit of a limbo-like period. In episode 6, specifically, we found out that Lil' Slugger still existed despite Kozuka's arrest. But then, in episode 7, a major turning point: Lil' Slugger kills. And since episode 7, that's what he's been doing.
One could also make the case that Lil' Slugger's power has been increasing every episode, considering the fact that in episode 6, Hirukawa's daughter got amnesia. It's really quite ambiguous at this point as to how Lil' Slugger's power is being altered, increased, distorted, etc. so I'm not going to jump to any conclusions just yet.
Probably the most interesting thing I noticed though, in "Etc." was the abundance of the circle. Yes, the shape. Or at least, a circular-like shape. To be specific: the gossipers' circle, the room that the student was taking the test in, the mother's womb, the baseball players huddling around the pitcher (plus the baseball stadium itself), and finally, the island in the middle of nowhere with the palm tree on it. What is the significance of this? Well...
Two takes on it:
1. Entrapment
and
2. Letting something go on and on so much, that it simply turns into something near-ridiculous.
Perhaps Lil' Slugger is a complete fabrication altogether.
We know that the Old Man's equation beared the number 1 in it. So perhaps Lil' Slugger was just a figment of Tsukiko Sagi's imagination, a stand alone complex (a la Ghost in the Shell) if you will. Tsukiko saw Kozuka somewhere before and imagined that he attacked her(?) Kozuka himself then got wind of Lil' Slugger and began to mimic him via the holy warrior image. Next, thanks to *Kozuka's* influence, the rumor of Lil' Slugger spread even moreso. Finally, with Maniwa playing the role of the messenger, the rumor of Lil' Slugger is spread everywhere. Hence, people began to believe that Lil' Slugger was the person who was attacking people instead of the people themselves. What I wouldn't understand under this theory is how Lil' Slugger's power "increased." Perhaps the more people knew about Lil' Slugger, the more harm they inflicted upon themselves? And if my theory is true, how can the virus that is Lil' Slugger be stopped? Does it have something to do with Maromi, the *other* popular culture item?
It all sounds a bit convoluted, I know, but I think the important thing to remember is that somehow, Lil' Slugger has SOMETHING to do with the idea of 1, and that truth is a very subjective term.
That's my two cents for now.
All in a all, another fantabulous episode with very insightful things to present. I can't wait to see what happens next!
