Based on a series of books by Mori Hiroshi, Mamoru Oshii’s film The Sky Crawlers tells a tale about a world that is essentially at peace, wherein wars have once again become the domain of contracted mercenary groups who fight in the name of their corporations. In order to maintain peace, “Kildren,” long-lived beings who are not quite human, are specifically created to fight in these air battles. While these dogfights provide “peace” for the rest of the world, the Kildren suffer from feelings of alienation and purposelessness that are produced by their knowledge of their inevitable short lifespan, their inability to age, and their inability to form an identity or a coherent past. We can see how these feelings of alienation and purposelessness produce patterns self-destructiveness, as we see habits of smoking, drinking, and the contemplation of suicide among the Kildren, especially within Suito Kusanagi’s actions. However, on the other hand, Yuichi Kannami, who is also a Kildren, forms a different attitude about his condition. Rather than falling into a state of complacency or self-destructiveness (with the exception of the habit of smoking), Yuichi believes that the Kildren have the potential to change their destiny by trying to defeat the “undefeatable” enemy, ‘Teacher.’
Interdependence of Communality and Struggle
Yuichi’s mentality of trying to find new meaning in one’s existence through one’s struggle against the inevitable resembles Albert Camus’ existentialist novel, The Plague. The Plague presents life as a battle between death and the preservation of life rather than the conventional moral battle between good and evil. After living life solely focused on their personal gain and without the slightest thought of their mortality, the residents of Oran are forced to acknowledge the transiency of their temporal lives when confronted with the plague. As the disease claims more victims, their individual hopes for the future dwindle and they eventually realize the futility of trying to strive for separate goals. Although the plague destroys individual meaning because of the realization it brings of the inevitability of death, it offers a collective meaning in the participation of the united struggle against its eternal reign. The irony is that the force that the narrator is so adamantly fighting against (plague/death) is necessary for acquiring what is needed to fight against it (unity) and thus necessary for what is needed to find meaning in life. We can also see the interdependence of communality and struggle in other traumatic situations like the aftermath of the 1980s Kobe earthquake in Japan, where different groups of people came together in a collective effort to rebuild.
Like Dr. Rieux in The Plague, Yuichi declares a communal call to arms in the fight against Teacher to break the cycle of the Kildren’s exploited existence. However, while The Plague reveals the interdependence of struggle and communality based on the lack of community in Oran before being infected by the plague and the enhanced sense of community after being infected by the plague, The Sky Crawlers presents the Kildren as in a state of struggle/alienation ever since the time they came into existence. Furthermore, we can see how this struggle/alienation produces increasingly self-destructive behavior in Kusanagi, and how she only starts to change when Yuichi decides to change his and his fellow Kildrens’ destiny by trying to shoot down Teacher, ultimately risking his own life. Kusanagi’s reliance on Yuichi’s act of self-sacrifice and encouragement rather than her own alienation/struggle to change, complicates the notion of what exactly elicits communality. The fact that Kusanagi’s alienation and Yuichi’s love cause Kusanagi to change towards a new sense of communal commitment, demonstrates the how both struggle and amity or this private space between two individuals produce communality.
“Communality”: Multitude vs. Subtle Potentiality
In his article, “Bathing in the Multitude,” Michael Hardt describes a type of “communality” as this type of “love” in the air at great political demonstrations. He describes this communality as a “political feeling of love” when “we recognize together what we can share in common, what power we have together, and what we can do with each other.” When we think of communality in this sense, we imagine a sense of solidarity within a multitude of people with similar cause. For example, in The Sky Crawlers, we would imagine communality as all the Kildren banding together to break the cycle that they are trapped in. However, the communality that I am referring to in this paper is more subtle and one of potentiality. It is one that can be seen in both Yuichi sacrifice and encouragement, in Kusanagi’s new hopeful attitude at the end of the film, and in this private erotic space shared between both characters.
Repetition
Repetition in The Sky Crawlers reveals the inescapable cyclical nature of the Kildrens’ condition. From the very beginning when we are introduced to Yuichi’s character, Yuichi finds certain things eerily familiar even though he is a new pilot at his corporation. He is particularly haunted by the ghost of his past, Jinroh, the pilot that he comes to replace. For example, Yuichi is pleasantly surprised to discover that his predecessor’s plane fits him like a glove, even though it is his first time riding it. Other things also trigger a sense of familiarity such as the taste of meat pies from a local restaurant. When his friend Naofumi asks him what he thought about the meat pies, Yuichi replies, “It was good. It was like I’d tasted one somewhere before” (22:37). Later in the film, Yuichi eventually realizes that he is the reincarnation of Jinroh. He sees this process of repetition and replacement for himself, when he sees how Aihara has taken the place of his former teammate, Yudagawa, after Yudagawa gets shot down. His new teammate has the identical appearance and habits as his former teammate. They both have the same white hair, the same facial features, and they even have the same way of folding their newspapers after they read it. Right after Yudagawa’s reincarnation leaves the room, we can see how this reality of the cycle that he and the other Kildren are caught in, finally sinks into his mind when the camera zooms into his face and Yuichi ‘s face has the expression of someone just having discovered something shocking (1:34:32).
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After the camera zooms in on Yuichi’s face a montage of scenes appear on the film. These scenes depict all the experiences that he had experienced before as Jinroh and in the present as Yuichi. The montage is like a flashback and realization of these cyclical memories for both Yuichi and the audience, as we realize the repetitiveness of these images throughout the film, such as the dog sniffing the broken match on the ground, Kusanagi smoking and looking out the window, Naofumi playfully greeting Yuichi, being in bed with Fuko, and the mechanic carrying the sleeping dog (1:34:43-1:35:53). This is a pivotal scene in the film because it is only after Yuichi fully realizes the extent of his entrapment that he tries to take action and break the cycle.
The undefeatable enemy, ‘Teacher,’ also demonstrates the inescapable cyclical nature of the Kildrens’ condition. Unlike the other fighters, Teacher is an adult man. This fact makes him an unmatched skilled fighter because unlike the Kildren, he is able to retain the coherence of his fighting experiences. Kusanagi explains to Yuichi how an undefeatable enemy like Teacher contributes to maintaining the exploitative ‘game’ in which the Kildren are forced to participate. She states, “Because our war is a game that is not supposed to ever end, some rules are needed. For example, there must be an enemy who cannot be defeated” (1:28:16-1:28:30). Hence, the name ‘teacher’ is ironic because he usually shoots the Kildren down and kills them, which ends up erasing their memory and experiences, rather than adding to their memory and experiences like an actual teacher. Furthermore, it is only when Kusanagi reveals to Yuichi that ‘Teacher’ is the “undefeatable enemy,” that we can see Yuichi’s first attempt to figure out a way to break the cycle. Yuichi asks Kusanagi, “If I shoot down Teacher, will something change? Something like destiny? Or limits?” and Kusanagi replies, “Maybe. But nobody can shoot him down” (87:03-87:18). Thus, the fact that Yuichi increasingly conveys a desire to take action the more he realizes the extent of his trapped condition demonstrates the potentiality of alienation.
Alienation
Although the Kildren are specifically created to fight for the corporations in these aerial dogfights, Kusanagi’s detachment throughout the film and Mitsuya’s emotional breakdown indicate their sense of alienation and suffering. Kusanagi is first shown in the film inside her office looking outside the window. The bright sunlight that comes through the window starkly contrasts with the darkness of her office. Despite the emotionless expression on her face, we can see how she yearns for Yuichi as she traces her finger across the window to his location outside by the plane. As she drops her finger and her head in a dejected manner, the camera zooms out, creating a lonesome scene as we see Kusanagi as a small lonely shadow deprived of the bright blue sky behind her. There are many other scenes throughout the film where Kusanagi is staring out the window into the bright outdoors from inside the dark building. In all these scenes, she is alone and pensive.
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The fact that she is constantly staring out the window reflects her sense of being trapped, not inside the building, but inside the repetitive cycle of her existence as a Kildren.
Mitsuya, another Kildren, articulates her sense of estrangement and frustration because of her condition to Yuichi. While she buries her head into her hands, she cries, “Somehow, anything and everything is a fragmentary mess to me. I’m not certain that I’ve really experienced anything! No sense of solidarity at all!” (1:42:14-142:22). The desperation in her voice and her loss of a sense of a coherent identity all exhibit her suffering and alienation because of her condition as a Kildren. The extent of both Kusanagi’s and Mitsuya’s sense of alienation lead them to taking action in hopes to some way break the cycle. Other than Kusanagi and Yuichi, Mitsuya is the only other Kildren that tries to do something outside of the norm. After her emotional confessions to Yuichi, the next scene shows Mitsuya about to shoot Kusanagi with a gun. Although she does not give a clear explanation as to why she is trying to kill Kusanagi, she tells Yuichi, “If you want to get killed, go ahead” after he successfully takes away her gun (106:14). We can infer from Mitsuya’s response that she was trying to kill Kusanagi to prevent her from killing Yuichi, like she did to his predecessor, Jinroh. In her own way, Mitsuya also tries to break the cycle by preventing the repetition of Jinroh/Yuichi’s murder. The fact that this scene happens after Mitsuya’s emotional breakdown demonstrates the potentiality of alienation. Furthermore, in the following sections, we will see how the extent of Kusanagi’s alienation also contributes to her own change of attitude from complacency to hopefulness and determination.
Complacency and Self-destruction
The Kildrens’ habits of smoking, drinking and contemplating suicide portray how these feelings of estrangement cause self-destructive patterns. We can see all the Kildren smoking constantly throughout the film. Towards the beginning and towards the middle of the film, the camera zooms in on Kusanagi’s ashtray full of cigarettes and her cigarette box and lighter (27:39, 55:49).
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The abundance of smoked cigarettes in the ashtray and the emphasis that the camera gives to these images clearly indicates the extent of Kusanagi’s habit of smoking, and thus it’s destructiveness. We can also see Kusanagi’s self-destructiveness in her excessive drinking. For example, when she and Yuichi have a conversation at a restaurant towards the end of the film, she drinks until she is unable to walk on her own. When they come out of the restaurant, Yuichi has to support Kusanagi with both hands just to keep her from falling down. The ultimate self-destructive behavior can be seen through Kusanagi’s habit of contemplating suicide. Tokino, Yuichi’s friend and teammate, warns him about how Kusanagi always carries around a gun. The first scene that zooms in on Kusanagi’s ashtray full of cigarettes that I mention also places as much emphasis on her gun, which is right next to the cigarettes. We also learn that Kusanagi was the one that killed Jinroh to grant freedom from their repetitive cycle. She also takes out her gun and points it at Yuichi’s temple after she becomes drunk and asks him, “Do you want me to kill you? Or will you do me a favor and kill me? Or else nothing will ever change for us” (1:30-1:30:15). She also tries to commit suicide towards the end of the film but Yuichi stops her from doing so.
The fact that many of these examples of self-destructive behavior are displayed in Kusanagi’s actions is not a coincidence, as she experiences more alienation than other Kildren because of her abnormally high survival rate and because of the fact that she has to deal with mothering a human child who will eventually exceed her in age. Because Kusanagi has lived longer than the other Kildren, she has had more exposure to living with the knowledge of the Kildren’s repetitive exploited existence. Her longer life span has also put her in the position of living with constant loss and having to reform relationships. Although the other Kildren also experience alienation and struggle from having to deal with these things, their shorter life spans make their feelings of estrangement brief in comparison with Kusanagi. Furthermore, Kusanagi experiences a unique struggle and alienation from mothering her human child. As Kusanagi will forever remain an adolescent and fight for her corporation, her human daughter will eventually surpass her in age and even in memories and having a history if Kusanagi dies in a battle. The inevitability of Kusanagi’s daughter exceeding her in age and the possibility of Kusanagi forgetting her daughter’s existence after dying and reincarnating, reveal how she can never have a normal relationship with her child where neither of those things would be issues. Thus, the fact that she knows that her relationship with her child can never be normal adds to her sense of alienation and struggle.
Motivation
In contrast to Kusanagi and Mitsuya, Yuichi does not openly exhibit feelings of suffering or alienation. He even displays signs of happiness in the film. For example, we can see the contrast in Kusanagi and Yuichi’s approach to looking out the window. Rather than staring out the window pensively from the inside, Yuichi opens the window and sticks his head outside, smiling, enjoying the breeze (9:23). Although Yuichi seems oblivious to feelings of estrangement, both Kusanagi and Mitsuya are strangely drawn to him. Both girls, although relatively appearing detached towards the rest of the public, open up to Yuichi and share their pain and confusion. Mitsuya even admits that Yuichi is the only one that she feels she can trust. When both girls open up to Yuichi, he does not seem too affected by the things that they tell him. Even when Mitsuya directly reveals to him his status as the reincarnation of Jinroh and the inescapable cyclical exploitation of their kind, Yuichi merely thanks her for the “interesting chat” and asks how her coffee was (1:43:55-1:44:07). His detachment in the conversation could possibly be the outcome of his own sense of alienation as he realizes the state of his condition when he how Aihara replaces Yudagawa right before his eyes. However, right after his conversation with Mitsuya, Yuichi displays a sense of hope as he stops Kusanagi from killing herself and commands her, “You have to live. Until you can find a way to change things” (1:47:05-1:47:09). When Yuichi starts embracing Kusanagi, we can see her usual tough and detached exterior crumbling as she begins to cry and embrace him back (1:47:30-1:47:41).
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The intensity of her features and crying reveals her own breaking point and foreshadows her own desire to change things for the Kildren and herself and Yuichi. This scene also clearly demonstrates the extent of their deeply personal connection. We can connect this scene with other scenes that hint at their romantic relationship, such as when Kusanagi goes in Yuichi’s room (Jinroh’s old room) and rests her head on his bed and smells it longingly (28:36-28:43). Their romantic attachment is important to acknowledge because of the significant part it plays in both Kusanagi’s transformation from an attitude of detachment to one of communality and Yuichi’s motivation towards breaking the exploitative cycle.
After their emotional interaction, Yuichi sacrifices his life to shoot down Teacher to try to break the exploitative cycle. In the mean time, the scene back at the plane base shows Kusanagi stopping herself from smoking. After she puts the cigarette in her mouth and keeps it there for a few seconds, Kusanagi takes it out and her widened eyes and slight lifting of the head shows us that she has came to her own realization of a need to break the cycle (1:54:20-1:54:41).
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By refusing to smoke, Kusanagi exhibits her own change of attitude, her new sense of hope, and a sign of commitment to a new communal fight against the exploitation of her fellow Kildren, as Yuichi did. Furthermore, in the final scene after the credits when the new reincarnation of Yuichi comes into Kusanagi’s office, we see a different Kusanagi as she takes off her glasses and reveals a new brightness in her eyes and a slight smile in her mouth. Her expression reveals a new welcoming demeanor than her previous state of aloofness while she states in a determined manner, “I’ve been waiting for you” (2:00:45-2:00:53). Oshii’s decision to put this particular scene at the very end after the credits raises some interesting questions. If seen together with the fighting scene before the opening credits begin, is it possible to assume that Oshii is creating another space by using the credits as a set of boundaries? And if so, does this mean that he is trying to show us how the repetitive cycle can be broken by creating this other space?
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Conclusion
The fact that Kusanagi is detachment from the rest of the Kildren change only after Yuichi’s encouragement and act of self-sacrifice complicates the idea of the interdependence of communality and struggle. Furthermore, the unique erotic aspect of their relationship also adds another dimension to what elicits communality. However, like the instances of the interdependence of communality and struggle in Camus’ The Plague, we can still see the potentiality of struggle in The Sky Crawlers, as alienation incites subversive action in Yuichi and Misuya, and a change of attitude from complacency to determination in Kusanagi.
WORKS CITED
Camus, Albert. The Plague. Trans. Stuart Gilbert. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.
Hardt, Michael. “Bathing in the Multitude”. Crowds. Ed. Jeffery T. Schnapp and Matthew Tiews. Stanford: Stanford UP, 2006.
Karatani, Kojin, “How Catastrophe Heralds a New Japan”. Counter Punch. Ed. Alexander Cockburn and Jeffery St.Claire. March 24, 2011. http://www.counterpunch.org/karatani03 242011.html
The Sky Crawlers. Screenplay by Chihiro Ito. Dir. Mamoru Oshii. Perf. Ryo Kase, Rinko Kikuchi. Warner Bros. Japan, 2008. Film.
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