Kannagi - Sometimes, even gods forget who they are.

So with the Who Scarf done and nothing else pressing, I finally got to do some much-needed anime catch-up today, starting with finishing off Kannagi.

The anime was 13 episodes, and was a fun one to watch, although in my opinion, the sexual jokes/themes were a bit TOO overdone.  But overall, a good sort of harem/gag comedy.

***SPOILER WARNING***

What was especially interesting for me, though, was how the whole shinto god thing was done throughout the series.  There were some fascinating themes presented in the midst of this lighthearted anime: local deities tied to the land, the necessity of praise for gods to function, etc.  The most interesting, though, turned out to be the sort of "final conflict" which the series built to.  All through the series, Jin has been curious as to Nagi's identity and her mission.  Nagi has always brushed him off or avoided the questions, but one day, in episode 11, Jin puts his foot down and insists upon some answers.  Is Nagi really a god?  Why does she have to capture impurities?  What would happen if she didn't?  Why does she have to live at Jin's house?  Nagi runs off in a fit.  But over the course of the next episode or so, we find out a troubling truth: Nagi doesn't even know.  She's got instincts and intuition, but she doesn't really know who she is.  The resolution comes when Jin catches up to her and accepts her as she is.  Jin says something to the effect that he doesn't really know who he is yet, so the two of them can figure out who they are together.

Interesting, no?  Japan certainly has had and continues to have some issues with identity.  Individuals attempt to derive their identity from the clubs they're in, the fashions they wear, the company they work at, the family they're a part of, etc.  Young people especially seem to be searching for a source of identity, as can be seen with all the subcultures that have been cropping up lately: otaku, harajuku, goth loli, mamba, etc.  Young people in Japan are searching for who they are.  And even as a nation in the midst now of economic turmoil and with more and more culture being imported from the West, Japan as a nation seems to have lost its identity and is searching for it again.  Emblematic of this would be Nagi, a Shinto god who's forgotten who she is.  She *thinks* she's a god.  She has the instincts and some powers, but no memories, no proof of her identity.  She, like Japan, has somehow lost her identity.

What's the solution?  Let's find our identity together.  A positive, encouraging (if ultimately idealistic, and without Christ, futile) message to the youth of Japan found in the midst of a harem/gag comedy anime.  Well done, Kannagi.  Well done.