... dreamflower, 12/11/03, 3:53 PMh
sometimes when i read manga, i forget that despite its fictional aspect, the story, its events, the characters.. are 'real' in the way imagination breathes life into thought, the way the act of writing it down creates a tangible world no less real than our own..
in such a world, characters interact, events happen, lives are led, lives are (sometimes) lost. when that happens, suddenly you realise--death exists even in the fictional world.
if it's a story, a work of fiction, characters have the right to live forever--they do not age and they, certainly, do not have to die. fiction's illusory nature is maintained and all is well.
but with each death, illusion and contented fantasy is shattered and it is extremely sobering. it's truly amazing how one or two lines can affect a change in perspective.
this was tonight's (rude and unwanted) epiphany. (quoted from aestheticism.com's section on Saiyuki Gaiden. taken from Minekura Kazuya's afterword to Gaiden and translated from the original japanese by the site)
"and those of you who have read the main series will know this as well. What awaits Konzen, Kenren, and Tenpou is Death. What awaits Gokuu is Separation."
every drop of the "woah-they-are-reincarnated-gods" coolness factor evaporated in the time it took for me to reach "Death", melancholia and depression had set in by the time i got to "Separation". big sigh
and it's not just with saiyuki. it was the same with the masterpiece that is Lotr, Ursula LeGuin's manificent Earthsea Trilogy, Elizabeth Knox's "The Vinter's Luck"...
..right, i can't remember any others at the moment, but yes, angst, angst, angst, melancholia, carthartic, emotive, moving.. whether they are elves or angels, dwarfs or magicians, dragons or humans, it doesn't matter. all that matters is how the authors or mangaka capture what really is important, what really matters in life--friendship, companionship, loyalty, truth, determination and courage..
..and that is why, mere words on paper can make me weep.