Why are mecha so cool? And why do girls not care for action scenes?

I'm a girl and I tend to find action scenes boring.

"Man is not able to imagine death, the beyond after life, except in the image of the past, consequently as a return to the womb. The psychoanalysis of numerous dreams and of neurotic claustrophobia explains the fear of being buried alive as the transformation into dread of the wish to return to the womb. Moreover, from the narcissistic point of view every sexual act, every sacrifice to woman, is a loss to which the offended ego may react with fear of death."[1]

Mecha are just an extension of this idea. For men, there is nothing more desirable than enclosing themselves in a warm, safe compartment within the body of a giant protector. We have known this for decades. Go Nagai has known this for decades, which is why the mechs in Mazin Saga had fluid-filled cockpits full of cables and tubes for example. We love mecha series because they present to us a hopeful future where men have finally realized that no matter how deep you thrust into a vagina, you will never be able to stuff your entire body into a woman's uterus. A future where we have turned ourselves away from the pointless act of intercourse and instead towards the construction of our glorious mechanical mothers. This is why women aren't all that impressed by mechs while men idolize them, it's because they satisfy our deepest unconscious desires. I hope this answers your question.

[1] a book I read

edited 31st Mar '11 1:16:21 PM by Bask

-blinks-

So what does that mean about those of us who hate Mecha?

^^

edited 31st Mar '11 1:26:00 PM by GlennMagusHarvey

I may be watching the wrong Mazinger shows, but I've never seen the cockpits portrayed that way. They've always been some of the most mechanical around, with levers and joysticks even in the modern versions.

I would argue mecha are a way to show man overcoming his limitations. The mecha becomes the new invulnerable body, with the pilot as the heart or the brain (hence why cockpits are either in the chest or the head).

^ Isn't there at least one show that puts them where...well, where they put the "cock" in "cockpit"?

edited 31st Mar '11 1:28:32 PM by GlennMagusHarvey

I think if you want to say there are Psych connotations involved, that it's a male desire to be a protector that cannot be defeated or harmed. To essentially be unstoppable in all endeavors regarding things they care about.

Essentially, man wants to be able to accomplish his goals and protect his charges without it being much of a fight, because that illustrates strength and masculinity.

And only one series I can think of that overtly portrays mecha as motherly symbols. Freud isn't always right, gah.

edited 31st Mar '11 1:31:46 PM by Ratix

In a way he was, it's just that instead of being a mother complex a human shaped mecha is essentially an extension of yourself, and by that it's an extension of your assertion of dominance over others, made to make one individual feel unstoppable, powerful, and dominant over all others on the battlefield.

Despite that, I still think they are rather stupid. Bipedal chassis are horrible designs for combat vehicles.

Player hater.

Cockpit of Aphrodite A in Mazin Saga (NSFW?)

[1]◊

edited 31st Mar '11 1:42:06 PM by Bask

Reminds me I need to checkout Devilman some day.

EDIT: I will also concede that Mazin Saga came out before NGE. Interesting...

edited 31st Mar '11 2:00:08 PM by Ratix

They aren't really. They do, just the type of action isn't what you think of as action.

I think it is a matter of both things.

And Go Nagai robots are the most uncool things ever. I like gundams and veritas types much better. such beautiful figurines... The EVA, while beating the SHIT out of all of those on the screen, are kinda crappy as figurines. Their spindliness is much more interesting because of their size.

If I ever become a billionaire, I'll build the first anime theme park in Africa. It will include 80m tall EVA standing up. (Or perhaps a 200m EVA laying on the ground in sniper mode, whichever is cheaper). It'll also include a lifesize replica of a ceramic robot from Laputa.

NOTE: The girls that hate mecha are the same that hate Sucker Punch and Scott Pilgrim... maybe there's a specific demographic?

edited 31st Mar '11 4:15:41 PM by Ardiente

I'd think that with Sucker Punch and FLCL and to a lesser extent Scott Pilgrim (and while not mentioned here, your favorite Gurren Lagan too)- in all cases, the presentation of female characters might have more to do with it than the action scenes.

"The girls that hate mecha are the same that hate Sucker Punch and Scott Pilgrim... maybe there's a specific demographic?"

Your generalizing came off as tedious and naive in the beginning. Now it's becoming obnoxious and offensive.

Eh. Figures that a lot of girls here on TV Tropes like that stuff. We're tropers. I was referring to the mainstream population, where women still don't buy as many videogames as men, and not as often either, and where when I suggest to a girl that she should work out and have a regular sleeping schedule instead of partying so much I get weird looks. Maybe, like I said, I just frequent a specific demographic of girls and am truly overgeneralizing. I mean I only know a couple of hundreds of them: I'm still not very social.

You mean representing them as mysterious oversexualized badasses? How is this different from a genderflipped {{300}} (which most girls I know adore, and are rather unashamed in explaining why)?

What should I do about it? I don't want random people to feel offended, it's not like I'm trolling or anything, but if you aren't a little more helpful in your criticism I won't see how to avoid doing that. Think of it as Privielge Blindness: I'm insensitive and it's my fault and it's not your responsibility to show me what I'm doing wrong.

edited 31st Mar '11 8:17:31 PM by Ardiente

How would action scenes be boring? Not being an idiot, just curious.

(in b4 "is there a difference").

I'd say in all those works, female characters exist to varying extents to fulfill male interests/fantasies and provide fanservice. Don't get me wrong, I really like Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, but I can see it fitting those categories. I'd say that most of the shows you've listed can be and probably are enjoyable by both genders, but I kind of wonder about you showing something like Panty and Stocking or Sucker Punch to female acquaintances and wondering why they aren't in love with it.

Can't speak to your female acquaintance loving 300. Doesn't really seem the obvious choice, cine it's also really a male-centered work, eye candy notwithstanding.

I'd guess if they went on for two long (see Rings, Lord of), but in general, I like action scenes and would think most people do/don't have any objection to them in general.

edited 31st Mar '11 8:21:06 PM by Jordan

Drunkscriblerian and I went out to see True Grit for Valentine's. And the date before that, we saw The Expendables. Both were my choice.

"What should I do about it? I don't want random people to feel offended, it's not like I'm trolling or anything, but if you aren't a little more helpful in your criticism I won't see how to avoid doing that. Think of it as Privielge Blindness: I'm insensitive and it's my fault and it's not your responsibility to show me what I'm doing wrong."

I've already given you my criticism: stop assuming that there's a gender causation at work here when your only premise is that a few girls you know didn't like a few frankly inane, plotless works of media. The problem isn't that X, Y, and Z shows/movies aren't interesting to the whatever percent of the female population, the problem is you assuming that you're welcome to generalize grotesquely about both sexes on the basis of extreme myopia.

If you don't agree with me that this is the real problem, take a look around this thread and ask yourself why you're continuing your argument despite a large number of female tropers explaining that they do like action scenes.

I've explained why I dislike Suckerpunch despite being a huge action and mecha fan alot of times. It all boils down to the fact the brothel plot was HORRIBLE and that the action fights had zero meaning since they were just in her head.

But thats not for here.

Also Go Nagai mecha ARE cool! :<

Also can't I just like mecha because I think they look amazing and awesome and are cooler looking than humans? Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, or however that goes.

RAW RAW FIGHT THE POWAH

But aren't the boys in Gurren Lagann also eye candy and existing to fulfill female fantasies? Or only male fantasies about themselves? I see them as a rowdy version of the Blue Prince.

Saying that Panty And Stocking, Haruhara Haruko, Ramona Flowers or the girs from Sucker Punch exist as a sexual/romantic fantasy-fulfillment is like saying Evangelions fulfills the power fantasies normal mecha do. They don't. They aren't. They are twisted, brutal deconstructions of the very idea. Not that they don't get a Misaimed Fandom, since they are designed pretty, but they are Completely Missing The Point. I think the girls who hate them for that are making the same mistake.

As for Yoko and Nia, they are somewhat straight fantasy-fulfillment types, but, on-screen, one goes to the other guy and the other dies, they fall painfully short of fulfilling them. That, and they have personalities and characterization powerful, charismatic and memorable enough that they can't possibly be reduced to Fanservice and Moe respectively.

I guess it must be Zee Rust, because I never got to love those designs as a kid, and as an adult they just pale in front of the more modern sort.

edited 31st Mar '11 8:35:31 PM by IAMSPARTACUS

Is this Raw Power posting? What's the point in the two usernames? I'd probably answer that while a female viewer might get eye candy out of those works, they are a Periphery Demographic and the works are squarely aimed at male viewers.

I'm not saying that those works are only male wish fulfillment with no other depth/redeeming value (although from the reviews of it I've read, that sounds like an accurate-enough description of Sucker Punch...), just that all of them are primary male-geared.

edited 31st Mar '11 8:39:33 PM by Jordan

RAW RAW FIGHT THE POWER

I'm just humoring the mods. Humor me while I humor them so I can humor them while you humor me.

And you are depressingly right. I'd like to see more works that are unisex AND aren't full of yaoi undertones (looking at you Code Geass) AND aren't aimed for kids (Avatar The Last Airbender and Wakfu come to mind).

Also, I am still ahving trouble getting over the fact people may not have strong emotional reactions to EVA.

edited 31st Mar '11 8:40:55 PM by IAMSPARTACUS