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REVIEW: Witch Hunter Robin DVD

LightningCount wrote:

I rewatched the early episodes fairly recently on DVD...I don't recall her exactly sticking her nose up in the air and saying something "vain" in terms of "I think they make me look ugly." What I remember watching the early episodes was that she felt insulted and insecure, stating that she should know her own body and powers better than others. She may also not have liked the look, but she didn't want the burden and to admit she was wrong, above all else. That is a form of vanity, but I didn't personally find it to be out of character, or annoying, or excessively "emo," either. She challenges her older co-workers about all sorts of matters, correctly and incorrectly. We're talking about someone with a lot of self-confidence in her powers (justified or not), and someone who is rather young and naive in many ways. She grew up in a pretty isolated situation to begin with, and her social awkwardness shows up many a time, like when she deals with Michael early on and won't stop talking out loud. So, when her confidence gets tested, like many young people, she's going to try to process it, and may become defensive as a part of that. She's also in a new country with new people; as she's trying to adjust, she's not going to exactly be happy about finding she can't even trust her own abilities. Personally, I liked that there were such flawed characters.

It's been 15 years, but I'll do my best to remember my impressions. But that is indeed the definition of vain I'm accusing her of exhibiting. Granted, the writing was on the wall with this show, in terms of how emo/brooding it was aiming to be.

By the 4th episode, she's already endangered the mission, herself, and her team quite a few times due to her poor aim. When her partner deduces the problem, and kindly offers her the solution, she rejects his appraisal and his solution, denying the evidence right before her face, as it was plainly evident both times she held the glasses up that they improved her vision. In the episode's climax, she foolishly attempts to engage in battle with her bad vision yet again, until she's pinned down by a constant barrage of pressure and has no other choice but to rely upon them. I'll also point out that even though it's clearly established her vision is subpar in general (not just when she's using her power), for the remainder of the series she only dons them to utilize her powers, rejecting the aid they'd provide to her daily life. A stylistic choice by the animators to represent her battle look, no doubt, but it becomes a reality for the character nonetheless.

(The point is probably moot regardless, since the animation's stylistic choices don't usually depict her as peering through the glasses during battle to begin with...)

So why does she spend a good chunk of her life denying she has a vision problem? Why does she continue to reject it when Amon presents the evidence to her? Why does she wait until she has no other choice but to rely upon them? Again, my take is vanity. She doesn't want to admit that there's something about her which is subpar/deficient. Even something as run of the mill as requiring glasses. She struggles to concede that she needs to rely on assistance, especially when the suggestion comes from her partner, so she instead spends her life holding herself back, refusing to take responsibility and to take any steps in order to overcome the shortcoming. We spend 3~4 episodes wondering what's holding her back, only to find out that it's her own stubborn refusal to assess and improve herself. The sort of thing that many find obnoxious about stereotypical emo teenagers wallowing in their own self-pity in general.

There may also be a parallel in denying the truth of her vision to denying her existence and role as a witch, which again presents her as a rather weak person unable to assess and take responsibility for herself, and define who she is and wants to be. Which is a valid exploration for a sullen teenager, but...

... the problem is, the landscape of US anime at the time had us all catching up via DVD and TV (and fansubs) on shows like Evangelion, Bebop, FLCL, Lain, Haibane Renmei, Wolf's Rain, Now and Then Here and There, even stuff like X, and dozens more. Shinji was dealing with incredibly complex issues of self-worth and was struggling to define himself as a worthy individual, while being forced to get in the robot over and over. Spike had half his gaze fixated on the past, while unable to live and find meaning in the present. Naota was stuck in the turbulence between childhood and adulthood while anyone and everyone around him was trying to exert their own definitions upon him. Etc. Every other show was dealing with far weightier concepts and depicting them in such unique, novel, and exciting ways, and then there's Robin who is sulking and brooding over something as petty as acknowledging that she has to wear glasses. It's beyond trite compared to the prevailing standards of the time (even with many other B and C-tier shows), and I believe this to be a large reason why this show was quickly forgotten.

And yeah, perhaps it's my own fault for going into a show that so fully encapsulated that teen emo subculture, and the fact that I had long passed that age of my life by the time Robin hit, and was already on my way to adulthood where accepting one's limitations and promptly dealing with them becomes a necessity. I had no desire to move backwards. Whereas, for most of the shows I listed above, their subject matter and the finesse in which they were executed have no expiration date.

Regarding the glasses, I can see your issue with it, though I will say this: When you're near-sighted, you don't always wear your glasses. Long-term, it's not vanity, it's just inconvenience, because you don't need them except for very precise activities. And culturally, there was a time when glasses were a bigger stigma than they are today, so we can't say for sure where Robin's coming from. It's such a small point in the series, just emphasizing her immaturity and stubbornness coming from such a ritualized life overseas, that it doesn't really bother me.