-"Baba O'Riley"
The Who
We have all seen shows that focus on one facet of the human experience; be it fear, hopelessness, sadness, romance, boredom... any one of the myriad of emotions or facts of life that we go through. Appropriately, those shows that have a more singular focus tend to keep one tone. A romance keeps a romantic feel. It's situations and the conversations that drive the dialogue are usually romantically flavored. A show about betrayal keeps a darker tone, one where every action and word is drenched with a kind of paranoia and suspicion.
However, most writers realize that human life is not composed of just one emotion or tone. We all experience sadness and betrayal, sure, but we also experience humor and friendship. Thus, most shows, even those with a singular focus, will tend to implement multiple themes and tones along with their main focus. This can both deepen the characters and the overall storyline, as it more accurately portrays the human experience, and allows a contrast between the darkness and the light, the sadness and the joy, the romance and the heartbreak.
There is another type of show, however. Shows that don't focus on any one facet of life or any one emotion, but rather attempt to show the entirety of human existence. They can't be said to be about betrayal, despite having betrayals, or about romance despite having romantic themes. Those stories are about showing all the experiences and emotions that we go through. Some people prefer more singular focus, some people prefer broader strokes; but most people agree that one is not inherently superior to the other. Comedies are not worse for not bringing any sadness or break from the hilarity. And epics are not worse for having both comedy and sadness in one story. They are different, but equal.
It would be wrong to say that executing one type correctly is more difficult than executing the other type. To keep a single tonal show from becoming hyper-focused and flat is just as difficult as melding all the elements together into one cohesive story-line. However, one problem that the single-focus shows usually do not run into is that of inconsistent tone. And that, in my opinion, is the biggest flaw of Kakumeiki Valvrave. It suffers from inconsistent tone and thus negatively affects both the immersion of the viewer and the communication of the themes.
One driving theme that stands out more than any other in Valverave is that of growing up. This is where the quote that begins my review comes into play. Being a teenager is hard. It is a time where hormones run wild; and serving as the separation between childhood and adulthood, it often breeds a kind of confusion and despair. What is my place in the world? What kind of man or woman will I become? Are the dreams of my younger days consistent with the reality that surrounds me? What are my responsibilities, and what are the consequences of failing to fulfill them? These kinds of questions plague almost every teenager at some point. And they are not bad questions to ask. In fact, asking them is a natural process of learning about ourselves and the questioning itself helps lead us toward satisfactory answers.
In some ways, Valverave explores these questions and themes in a mature, solid manner. The characters deal with death, isolation, responsibility, and new-found power and freedom in realistic ways, and their reactions are both informative and entertaining. In other ways, the show seems to be a farce, giving foolish answers and unrealistic portrayals. Things occur which simultaneously contradict each other, not in the manner of continuity, but in the manner of tone and message. An exploration of meeting the basic needs (food, water, shelter, etc.) of ones-self and ones companions without the help of "adults" is undertaken, but then the answer is handed to the characters with seemingly no effort or loss on their part. A death occurs which serves as a catalyst for coming together and of recognizing the importance of discipline, but the message is weakened by the fact that no other consequences seem to occur when the characters fail to follow through with their new realizations. Most importantly, in a show with heavy themes of sacrifice, there seems to be little sacrificing occurring other than the obvious: "Do you resign as a human?" question which is posed at the beginning of the show by the Valverave's.
This causes a break in both realism and tone. When I am despairing of how the teenagers will survive without money or industry, the problem is solved almost as simply as with a push of a button. When I wonder if a lack of discipline and authority will bring assaults or chaos, the resulting assaults and chaos are so weak and short as to have no real affect as plot-devices. Most surprisingly is one scene where an extraordinary act of sexual violence occurs, only to be glossed over as something that just happened. No consequences or hidden triggers are released or unveiled. The complete ease with which one main character predicts his enemies movements and plans is reflected by the complete ease with which the cast as a whole is able to survive, seemingly with no thought given to how they are surviving. Challenges that appear are neatly wrapped up with little to no lasting effect other than a lesson learned. Failures result in momentary set-backs, only to unleash a new and unforeseen power which reverses the set-back so that the failure has no consequence, but rather could be seen as a kind of success of it's own. It is fine to have such events, if they are done correctly. Characters should learn from their mistakes, they should overcome challenges. But they should also be scarred. When a character experiences no pain or loss from challenges or failures, the challenges begin to lose any emotional weight, and the character loses emotional depth.
This is not to say that the show is all bad. In fact, some parts are very well done. The aforementioned scene of sexual violence is very interestingly juxtaposed with a speech about fulfilling selfish desires, a speech that gains high approval among it's listeners. A scene where one character must watch the death of a very close family member is juxtaposed with joyous cheering from other characters over a victory achieved. These are examples of using inconsistent tone correctly. Where the existence of unrestrained joy in one area only heightens the anguish in another, or when the contrast between openly cheering the irresponsible fulfillment of selfish desires serves to heighten the horror of the form mindless self-fulfillment can sometimes take. These examples are moments of surprising flavor in an otherwise bland story. They are the exception, not the rule. If the show could keep the quality it expresses in those moments than it would certainly be a success, if a flawed one. But the quality is not kept, and those successes serve only to highlight the magnitude of the failures, rather than the other way around. Our characters become less than they should be and our story is neutered by the ease with which some essential challenges are overcome, and the lack of consequences to essential failures.
It is hard to determine exactly how to rate this show. Do the redeeming qualities outweigh the failures? Are the failures so overpowering that they lessen the value of those moments of brilliance? I can't tell whether the show is, at it's heart, bad or good. The execution is certainly flawed, but at the core the story has potential. Part of the problem with the show is how difficult it is for the viewer to pin down it's intentions. Is it simple teenage escapism? Is it a kind of self-aware parody? Is it an earnest attempt to portray the reality of growing up? If I could answer these questions, I feel like I would be much more comfortable in making a complete determination about the show's quality. Maybe I just haven't watched carefully enough. Perhaps I've missed some essential theme, and it is my own failing that I am incapable of appreciating the show. However, it is my opinion that any medium involving story-telling is primarily an art of communication. I hold, perhaps incorrectly, that it is not my failure of understanding, but theirs of being incoherent. If their goal was to tell us about "teenage wasteland" than they failed to do so in any meaningful way. They would have been better served just throwing in Who's Next and listening to Baba O'Riley.
Story: 4/10
Art: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Character: 3/10
Enjoyment: 4/10
Overall: 4/10
