The Rubicon
Ru·bi·con (rōō'bĭ-kŏn')
n. A limit that when passed or exceeded permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment.
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There is something about crossing the rubicon in films, in anime, in whatever, that always gets me. There is both an overwhelming excitement for what is about to come, and also a sickening sensation upon realizing that the way things have been up to this point is now in the past.
It's when Ed and Al figure out where homunculi come from. It's when the Serenity crew learns the truth about Reavers. It's when John Silver reveals himself to be a greedy pirate. It's when Simba receives counsel from his father in the stars. It's when Barbarossa descends the staircase a whole movie after his death. It's when Lina summons the Lord of Nightmares when all hope seems lost.
In one moment, everything changes. The way the characters think about one another, or about social constructs, about facts of life and the nature of reality changes.
Not all works of film or literature have a really blatant rubicon. For example, I can't think of any event in Ouran Host Club that really changes the mood or tone of the show from that point on. Sometimes the rubicon doesn't happen until the very end, where we don't really get to see how things are after crossing it. We just know that everything is different now. For example, Aang crosses the rubicon when he fights Ozai. Billy crosses the rubicon when he inadvertently kills Penny. We get more than a glimpse of how the world, and the characters, have changed after this event, but that's all.
Sometimes that's fine. But sometimes I like to see the aftermath. Sometimes I want to know what changes and how. I want to see how people are affected, how the world changes, because of that one event.
When the Other Mother offers buttons eyes to Coraline, the world changes. The truth of her reality becomes suddenly tainted. Coraline sees the Other Mother's world for what it is, and from that point on, what was once magical and awe-inspiring is horrific and dangerous.
I like that.
Love and peace,
Aemilius
n. A limit that when passed or exceeded permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment.
---
There is something about crossing the rubicon in films, in anime, in whatever, that always gets me. There is both an overwhelming excitement for what is about to come, and also a sickening sensation upon realizing that the way things have been up to this point is now in the past.
It's when Ed and Al figure out where homunculi come from. It's when the Serenity crew learns the truth about Reavers. It's when John Silver reveals himself to be a greedy pirate. It's when Simba receives counsel from his father in the stars. It's when Barbarossa descends the staircase a whole movie after his death. It's when Lina summons the Lord of Nightmares when all hope seems lost.
In one moment, everything changes. The way the characters think about one another, or about social constructs, about facts of life and the nature of reality changes.
Not all works of film or literature have a really blatant rubicon. For example, I can't think of any event in Ouran Host Club that really changes the mood or tone of the show from that point on. Sometimes the rubicon doesn't happen until the very end, where we don't really get to see how things are after crossing it. We just know that everything is different now. For example, Aang crosses the rubicon when he fights Ozai. Billy crosses the rubicon when he inadvertently kills Penny. We get more than a glimpse of how the world, and the characters, have changed after this event, but that's all.
Sometimes that's fine. But sometimes I like to see the aftermath. Sometimes I want to know what changes and how. I want to see how people are affected, how the world changes, because of that one event.
When the Other Mother offers buttons eyes to Coraline, the world changes. The truth of her reality becomes suddenly tainted. Coraline sees the Other Mother's world for what it is, and from that point on, what was once magical and awe-inspiring is horrific and dangerous.
I like that.
Love and peace,
Aemilius