>> Thursday, May 22, 2008 ; 2:24 AM
Revisiting Gatekeepers
If there is one anime that I would consider "perfect," it has to be Gatekeepers. It's just my taste. A little bit of action, romance, friendship, comedy and sci-fi rolled into one. This summer, even if I'm already towards the end of it, since school starts on the 26th, I was able to watch the whole series again, and I can say that it still casts that same "spell" on me... just like when I first watched in when I was 10 years old.
Now, most people will call this thing a "review," but I would rather call it a reflection or a realization, whichever you prefer. Back when I was 10 years old, I regarded Gatekeepers as an anime with a group of youth in 1969 Japan who protects the world from invaders. Fast forward today, I am already 17, and I see past this theme of a group of people who protect something just because. Now, I am about the same age as the protagonists, a bit older and wiser, and despite Gatekeepers being a work of fiction, it reminds me of our current situation in life.
If I sum up Gatekeepers, it would be something like this: Life as we know it, withers and fades, but despite these things, we should concentrate on the "now", and hope for the best in the future. Sometimes, we only think of our own good, but there is that little voice in us that says that we should do what we can so that people in the future will benefit... Oh, I'm sorry if I'm too serious right now. Not my usual self, huh? Oh well... Sometimes, kailangan talaga magmuni-muni ng tao...
I'm thinking... kung dito sa 'Pinas (oh sige, kahit na pang-world na ang level), kaya ba natin maging ganito kaoptimistic for the future, even if it is possible that there are greater challenges ahead? When will people do things for the greater good, instead of merely fulfilling our selfish desires?
And... since it's summer, I was able to continue my Gatekeepers marathon by watching it's OVA, Gatekeepers 21. Many people say it's "darker" and more violent than the original Gatekeepers, and some prefer the former more, but I must say that it was Gatekeepers 21 that pierced my heart to the point that I even cried. It still retained that "Life as we know it, withers and fades..." thing, but it also dwelled on another theme I love a lot, friendship, family and forgiveness. I'm such a sucker for this things, am I not? hohoho. The OVA, in my terminology, is some up as: We dream of things that we wish we were, but we couldn't be. It is trough other people, those that we refer to as 'friends', that we become who we want to be... We at times, hate our parents for being 'incomplete'. They just don't seem to do the right things when we want them to, do they? But despite these imperfections they have, we will, even if we grow old and wrinkly, continue to treasure the memories they left behind because it is through their experiences (and even irritating sermons) that we learn and strive to become better people."
I am such a "life" person. Oh well. Can't be helped. ^^ Hopefully, my so-called "words of wisdom" *hoho* is of some help/inspiration/reflection for you. Till then! And, I do hope it's a "lighter" post next time! =P
Labels: anime, life, reflections
