Kamina And Lagann: Character Analysis

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Like in the great philosophical tale of the Allegory of the Cave another animated story of heroes, very similar to the man in the Allegory, but instead of one main character there are two. Both characters Kamina and Simon contain similar traits to the Allegory and the philosophers themselves. Rather than a story, it is an anime show that consist of similar ideals to the Allegory of the cave. In which these heroes, such as the man in the Allegory, venture out from their own cage to find out what is really out there in the world. Struck with curiosity such as the man in the Allegory they find out the truth of the world, but such as the truth be told there are ignorance among them.
In particular, this anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann has the …show more content…

“In Plato’s cave story, the person who breaks free and sees the surface is the philosopher, maybe Socrates, who is the Gadfly of Athens and may or may not be a fool. He pokes holes in people’s understandings of piety, virtue, justice, and other intangible values, leaving them embarrassed or pissed off. So, this would suggest that Kamina is the philosopher. Kamina is hardly the image of a wise, thoughtful person. If Kamina represents any kind of philosopher, it’s probably a postmodern deconstructive type” (Ramage 1). Just like the Allegory Kamina left the village rather pissed and baffled because they perceived him as a fool, but Kamina was right after all and there is a surface world in which they used to live in. So instead of following Kamina and his new brigade, they all stay sheltered in the ground and eventually try and seal up the ceiling. Kamina nonetheless is determined to find real things. For him, Giha Village is a farce and he is certain that something truer and greater than its false reality exists. Pointing out this episode in particular “In the hot spring episode, Kamina says to Simon, “Let’s go to the moon!” Simon then points to the moon’s reflection in the water and asks if this is what Kamina means, but Kamina emphatically denies that and points up to the actual moon. Not only is this foreshadowing events in Gurren Lagann’s second arc, but it also reveals how serious Kamina is about finding things that are true and real. Like the King Beetle, he’s not satisfied with what things seem like. He wants to see what things are, so he’s not satisfied with going to a mere reflection of the moon” (Ramage 1). Like the philosopher in the Allegory, Kamina wants to see more than a shadow on the wall, he wants to “pierce the heavens” as in

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