Fafner
March 16th 2008 21:42
Category: Videos, Television
Director: Nobuyoshi Habara.
Screenplay by: Kazuki Yamanobe & Tow Ubkata.
Producers: Nakanishi Gou, Chino Takatoshi & Noto Ryuu.
Starring: Makoto Ishii (Kazuki), Marika Matsumoto (Maya), Kohei Kiyasu (Soushi), Masayuki (Makabe Fumikho) Minoru Shiraishi (Kenji), Sanae Kobayashi (Canon Memphis), Megumi Toyoguchi (Makabe Akane), Hideyuki Hori (Michio), Mitsuki Saiga (Mamoru), Takaya Hashi (Mizoguchi) & Yoko Soumi (Yukie Kariya).
Produced by: Xebec.
Released by: Madman Entertainment.
Running Time: 625 minutes. Rating: M.
Combining elements of Norse mythology with alien invaders intent on destruction, giant mecha, a mysterious island capable of independent movement, tragedy and nascent romance as well as intrigue and betrayal on a grand scale Fafner is truly a fantastic series. It’s also a series of many names, it’s known in Japanese as Soukyuu no Fafner and in English as Fafner of the Azure: Dead Aggressor or just plain Fafner, regardless of this multiplicity of nomenclature the series is a finely produced work that delivers a truly impressive saga. I have to admit as soon as I started watching this show I was literally hooked and almost had to physically drag myself away from my computer; trying to watch all twenty six episodes in one night wouldn’t have done me any good in spite of the enjoyment, a case of too much of a good thing being bad. As a result I spread out my watching over a few nights all the better to savour things, after all sometimes a good show is like a good meal its better to savour rather than take it all in one gulp.
The setting for most of the drama that occurs in Fafner is Tatsumiya Island, a relatively peaceful island out in the Pacific Ocean that as far as anyone can tell is as ordinary as you can get. At least that’s how it all looks on the surface and as they say you can never judge a book by its cover, the same is very true of Tatsumiya Island and the society that dwells on it. This is what could be described as a post apocalyptic society, though only the adults are aware of this, as far as the children who live on the island are concerned the outside world still exists and there are those amongst them who wish to leave the island and live in Japan. What they don’t know is that Japan and a large portion of the rest of the world no longer exists, not in anything approaching normal society, not as the children would conceive of it. Only ruins exist outside of Tatsumiya Island, the ruins of the human society that once was but this knowledge is kept from the children, as far as they know everything is going on in the outside world just fine.
It helps being isolated, on a remote island, through which such a myth can easily be perpetuated. Unfortunately things begin to unravel when the forces that destroyed and devastated the bulk of the world suddenly discover this remote island paradise. You see an alien race known as the Festum are the ones responsible for destroying much of human civilization, capable of mind reading as well as simply manifesting from nothing the Festum are an implacable foe whose single objective seems to be the complete and total annihilation of the human race, for what reasons is never actually specified, the Festum seem simply bent on a campaign of elimination in much the same way a pest exterminator views the vermin and bugs in a person’s house, their things to be killed not living beings who have some kind of worth in the great cycle that is life. In fact in the case of the Festum they are totally unaware of the concept of the great cycle that is existence.
Thus being in a kind of idealistic ignorance the inhabitants of Tatsumiya Island continue in their blissful and parochial existence convinced that life is proceeding to plan. The main protagonists of the story Kazuki, Maya, Shouko, Kenji, Mamoru and Sakura feel that there is something strange about life but are not completely aware of the actual facts, of what the outside world is like and precisely what has been happening. That world view is shattered with two key events, the return of one of their own number from the outside world and then hard on the heels of this the attack of the island by a Festum. Suddenly everything changes, the world, themselves and their purpose within the society in which they have been raised.
Even though this story has an ensemble cast, Kazuki Makabe is the primary protagonist within this ensemble, it is he around which a large portion of the drama revolves, primarily as a result of his abilities and his connections to various other key figures within the story; namely his mother and father. It seems that Kazuki, in spite of his relative ignorance about things becomes the prime candidate to pilot Fafner, a giant mecha, which is used to defend the island in the event of an attack by Festums. The previous candidate is killed during an attack and Kazuki has had no training or experience in piloting yet he needs to be mobilised as the Festum that is attacking will likely destroy the entire island. Heedless of any danger to himself and thinking more of his comrades and fellow citizens Kazuki takes up this burden, he becomes the pilot of Fafner and is launched into conflict with the invading Festum, a Sphinx type entity according to the island defence system.
So apart from the names of various mecha, places and things within the story how does the Norse mythology fit into the overall story? It fits in on a very subtle level, as I said there are the obvious connections between various names Walkure’s Cave/Cave of the Valkyrie, the Brunhilde system, the Siegfried system, Fafner Mark Elf, Alvis, Alberich, Grendel, Urd etc but there are other connections. Kazuki’s sudden recruitment as a Fafner pilot has parallels with the beginning of the career of the hero Sigurd in the Volsung saga, in that Norse legend Sigurd is convinced by a strange visitor to his home with a single eye (the god Odin) to pull forth a sword that has been stuck in the tree that is at the centre of his father’s hall, he is to take up the sword and go forth to do great deeds in the name of himself and his family. Kazuki is also urged by a one eyed individual, his long time friend Soushi to take up the mantel of a Fafner pilot and defend the island, the only home he has ever known. In each case a hero is asked to take on a weapon of destiny in order to fulfil a certain cause and or prophecy by an individual with one eye.
This isn’t the only parallel between mecha anime drama and Norse myths, the entire concept of the conflict between Festums and Humanity acquires the whole Twilight of the Gods feel, Humanity are thus cast in the role of the Nordic deities whilst the Festum are their Giant opponents, elemental forces who have for many years been held at bay yet have devastated the world and are soon to bring about the end. Thus the opening episode becomes the clarion call to the final battle, the sounding of Heimdall’s horn that will herald the end. Other parallels are of course the one eye Soushi who resembles an Odin figure not only in his physical scar but also in the fact that he is the director of the pilots, he guides from the Siegfried system, a kind of computerise version of Odin’s all seeing chair and which allows Soushi to link with the various Fafner pilots on a mental and physical level, providing guidance and acting in some cases as an override in case a situation gets critical.
Soushi is also in the beginning of the series an aloof figure, in much the way that Odin is himself in Norse mythology; he knows what the outside world is like and knows something of the enemy. And it almost seems that as Odin in ancient legends and sagas sought to discover ways of preventing the Twilight of the Gods so to does Soushi seem to be seeking to find the means and ways to prevent the destruction of his island home. The difference in the two figures is that Soushi is still young and does not have the wisdom of age, he does have a broader perspective than his compatriots but this only makes him initially aloof from them rather than enabling him to more efficiently aid them and guide them.
Still out of the various Fafner pilots only Kazuki and Maya actually sense this and of those two only Maya realises that both Kazuki and Soushi need to come to some kind of accommodation with each other, to talk to each other and not drift apart. Thus friendship is a major focus in the ongoing story, particularly the friendship between Kazuki and Soushi along with a nascent ongoing friendship/romance between Kazuki and Maya although the later denies its anything like that and Kazuki seems totally unaware that this is a possibility. Of course its not all a bed of roses and the series has its truly tragic moments which would make even the most curmudgeonly viewer weep, as well as moments of humour that a truly inspired; in particular Mamoru’s insistence of wearing the mask of his favourite manga character (and it looks suspiciously like something from the Gundam Seed manga/anime) called Goubain. Whenever he wears this mask he insists on being called Goubain (much to the consternation of Soushi and his fellow pilots) and actually becomes something of a truly skilled and nigh fearless combatant, almost as by association he suddenly channels the power of his hero.
As I said at the very start, as soon as I started watching this series I was hooked, this is a masterpiece anime and its creators, production team and stars are to be praised for bringing into being such a wonderful show. If you can get your hands on a copy of this series, it actually comes as a box set that contains the entire series; you will be treated to a spectacular anime viewing experience.
Screenplay by: Kazuki Yamanobe & Tow Ubkata.
Producers: Nakanishi Gou, Chino Takatoshi & Noto Ryuu.
Starring: Makoto Ishii (Kazuki), Marika Matsumoto (Maya), Kohei Kiyasu (Soushi), Masayuki (Makabe Fumikho) Minoru Shiraishi (Kenji), Sanae Kobayashi (Canon Memphis), Megumi Toyoguchi (Makabe Akane), Hideyuki Hori (Michio), Mitsuki Saiga (Mamoru), Takaya Hashi (Mizoguchi) & Yoko Soumi (Yukie Kariya).
Produced by: Xebec.
Released by: Madman Entertainment.
Running Time: 625 minutes. Rating: M.
Combining elements of Norse mythology with alien invaders intent on destruction, giant mecha, a mysterious island capable of independent movement, tragedy and nascent romance as well as intrigue and betrayal on a grand scale Fafner is truly a fantastic series. It’s also a series of many names, it’s known in Japanese as Soukyuu no Fafner and in English as Fafner of the Azure: Dead Aggressor or just plain Fafner, regardless of this multiplicity of nomenclature the series is a finely produced work that delivers a truly impressive saga. I have to admit as soon as I started watching this show I was literally hooked and almost had to physically drag myself away from my computer; trying to watch all twenty six episodes in one night wouldn’t have done me any good in spite of the enjoyment, a case of too much of a good thing being bad. As a result I spread out my watching over a few nights all the better to savour things, after all sometimes a good show is like a good meal its better to savour rather than take it all in one gulp.
Thus being in a kind of idealistic ignorance the inhabitants of Tatsumiya Island continue in their blissful and parochial existence convinced that life is proceeding to plan. The main protagonists of the story Kazuki, Maya, Shouko, Kenji, Mamoru and Sakura feel that there is something strange about life but are not completely aware of the actual facts, of what the outside world is like and precisely what has been happening. That world view is shattered with two key events, the return of one of their own number from the outside world and then hard on the heels of this the attack of the island by a Festum. Suddenly everything changes, the world, themselves and their purpose within the society in which they have been raised.
Even though this story has an ensemble cast, Kazuki Makabe is the primary protagonist within this ensemble, it is he around which a large portion of the drama revolves, primarily as a result of his abilities and his connections to various other key figures within the story; namely his mother and father. It seems that Kazuki, in spite of his relative ignorance about things becomes the prime candidate to pilot Fafner, a giant mecha, which is used to defend the island in the event of an attack by Festums. The previous candidate is killed during an attack and Kazuki has had no training or experience in piloting yet he needs to be mobilised as the Festum that is attacking will likely destroy the entire island. Heedless of any danger to himself and thinking more of his comrades and fellow citizens Kazuki takes up this burden, he becomes the pilot of Fafner and is launched into conflict with the invading Festum, a Sphinx type entity according to the island defence system.
So apart from the names of various mecha, places and things within the story how does the Norse mythology fit into the overall story? It fits in on a very subtle level, as I said there are the obvious connections between various names Walkure’s Cave/Cave of the Valkyrie, the Brunhilde system, the Siegfried system, Fafner Mark Elf, Alvis, Alberich, Grendel, Urd etc but there are other connections. Kazuki’s sudden recruitment as a Fafner pilot has parallels with the beginning of the career of the hero Sigurd in the Volsung saga, in that Norse legend Sigurd is convinced by a strange visitor to his home with a single eye (the god Odin) to pull forth a sword that has been stuck in the tree that is at the centre of his father’s hall, he is to take up the sword and go forth to do great deeds in the name of himself and his family. Kazuki is also urged by a one eyed individual, his long time friend Soushi to take up the mantel of a Fafner pilot and defend the island, the only home he has ever known. In each case a hero is asked to take on a weapon of destiny in order to fulfil a certain cause and or prophecy by an individual with one eye.
This isn’t the only parallel between mecha anime drama and Norse myths, the entire concept of the conflict between Festums and Humanity acquires the whole Twilight of the Gods feel, Humanity are thus cast in the role of the Nordic deities whilst the Festum are their Giant opponents, elemental forces who have for many years been held at bay yet have devastated the world and are soon to bring about the end. Thus the opening episode becomes the clarion call to the final battle, the sounding of Heimdall’s horn that will herald the end. Other parallels are of course the one eye Soushi who resembles an Odin figure not only in his physical scar but also in the fact that he is the director of the pilots, he guides from the Siegfried system, a kind of computerise version of Odin’s all seeing chair and which allows Soushi to link with the various Fafner pilots on a mental and physical level, providing guidance and acting in some cases as an override in case a situation gets critical.
Soushi is also in the beginning of the series an aloof figure, in much the way that Odin is himself in Norse mythology; he knows what the outside world is like and knows something of the enemy. And it almost seems that as Odin in ancient legends and sagas sought to discover ways of preventing the Twilight of the Gods so to does Soushi seem to be seeking to find the means and ways to prevent the destruction of his island home. The difference in the two figures is that Soushi is still young and does not have the wisdom of age, he does have a broader perspective than his compatriots but this only makes him initially aloof from them rather than enabling him to more efficiently aid them and guide them.
Still out of the various Fafner pilots only Kazuki and Maya actually sense this and of those two only Maya realises that both Kazuki and Soushi need to come to some kind of accommodation with each other, to talk to each other and not drift apart. Thus friendship is a major focus in the ongoing story, particularly the friendship between Kazuki and Soushi along with a nascent ongoing friendship/romance between Kazuki and Maya although the later denies its anything like that and Kazuki seems totally unaware that this is a possibility. Of course its not all a bed of roses and the series has its truly tragic moments which would make even the most curmudgeonly viewer weep, as well as moments of humour that a truly inspired; in particular Mamoru’s insistence of wearing the mask of his favourite manga character (and it looks suspiciously like something from the Gundam Seed manga/anime) called Goubain. Whenever he wears this mask he insists on being called Goubain (much to the consternation of Soushi and his fellow pilots) and actually becomes something of a truly skilled and nigh fearless combatant, almost as by association he suddenly channels the power of his hero.
As I said at the very start, as soon as I started watching this series I was hooked, this is a masterpiece anime and its creators, production team and stars are to be praised for bringing into being such a wonderful show. If you can get your hands on a copy of this series, it actually comes as a box set that contains the entire series; you will be treated to a spectacular anime viewing experience.
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