eye see what you mean
Throughout the story we "see" a common element of describing characters' eyes in great detail, the purpose of this being that the eyes are used in this novel to describe the characters' nature, overall role as a human, and their sense of humanity. Each of these descriptions contributes to the character's role in the themes of the novels respectively.
Our protagonist Banagher Links' eyes are described as "unnaturally determined" yet still "warm" and "kind" which relates to his character being kindhearted enough to care for others but still filled with an everlasting will to fight for what he believes in; the future for everyone Laplace's Box can hold. Not to mention he frequently stares off into the distance as a result of his disjointedness at the beginning of his development. Interestingly, he is said to have the exact same eyes as his father, Cardeas. Marida's are described by their "emptiness" and "emotionless" on multiple occasions, sometimes going as far as referring to them as caves or holes in front of where her eyes should be. This directly connects to her description as an emotionless soldier with no other meaning; the embodiment of the dehumanization of war. | (Well this is a pretty straight forward description as you can expect) The girl with the jade green eyes' eyes are commonly referred to throughout the course of these novels. They are said to be "incredibly bright" and "burning with a light from another world" which is conveniently simple considering her character's role as Banagher's initial connection to the other world outside his own simple life. Captain Zinnerman's eyes are described as "bitter and sharp" yet still hold "softness and pride" which relates directly to his role as the Ralph in this story who is affected by war yet still wasn't turned into a savage by it. |
Although not pictured above, the novels describe other things besides specific characters by their eyes.
- Banagher views all the other eyes of the general public and peer group as "blank", further developing his perspective on the conformity of society and his reasons for isolating himself from others.
- The eyes of the men in the ECOAS task force are described as "cold and inorganic" and their glances as "like being held at knife-point" further developing their role as inhuman soldier dehumanized by war and therein enhancing their profile as gears in a machine that have lost all individuality and humanity.
- Surprisingly, even the eyes of the Unicorn Gundam are given a personified description. There are said to be strikingly human like and filled with a burning intensity continuing its role as a symbol for the inner human spirit.
fun stuff
Here are some videos I collected relating to the first two books.
- First off is a mix of some scenes from the first movie set to the song "Open Wounds" by Linkin Park. From this video we can see examples of the brutal conflict of war that still exists despite being waged with giant robots as well as the destruction it inflicts upon the innocent (keep in mind most of this conflict takes place in a cylindrical colony where all stray shots hit some part of the city)
- Next is an official video made for the purpose of serving as an introduction clip for the novels prior to the release of the animated adaptation. From this we see images of some very recognizable scenes from the novel such as the tapestry, the saving of the jade eyed girl, and the unicorn's awakening.
- The last video I have for this section is a trailer for the first movie of the animated adaptation. Here we can see important scenes such as the conversation between Cardeas and Banagher when receiving of the Unicorn and the destruction of Industrial 7.
*Be sure to go to 00:30 to skip the intro* | *I apologize for the poor quality* |
*Be sure to turn on the English subtitles*
spoiler warning!
The videos below involve scenes and dialogue from the animated adaptation that takes place after the first two novels but still involve the same themes of the previous events.
- The first video is a collection of significant quotes spoken throughout the duration of the series. Although most are from events outside our part of the story, they still continue to relate to themes most notably war's dehumanizing effect on humanity as for this video.
- The second video in combination with the lyrics to the song "This is War" shows the novel's views on war and their effects on not only the soldiers fighting, but every single other member of society that is involved in war's destructive effects.
- And the concluding two relate to the jade eyed girl (name later revealed to be Audrey Burne) and Marida Cruz and their roles in the story as well as their interactions with other characters, most commonly Banagher Links. (Further character development can be seen, most prominently in Marida)
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