All episodes were available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.Anime "Babylon"I watched it all in one go during the New Year's holiday.
"Babylon" is a suspenseful anime series, and its 12 episodes made it just the right length.
From reading analyses and opinions online, I got the impression that this is a work that elicits quite divided opinions.
I personally enjoyed it quite a bit, so I'd like to write down my thoughts and observations about the content.
The article will likely contain mostly positive opinions.
Naturally, this article contains spoilers, so please be careful if you haven't watched it yet.
By the way, I haven't read the novel version.
Overall impression of the work
The anime "Babylon" is a suspenseful detective story about chasing a criminal, but it also incorporates themes of politics, ideology, and philosophy, which I felt encouraged viewers to think for themselves.
I enjoy works that tackle difficult issues like suicide and morality head-on, so I was able to enjoy this.
This is not a film I would recommend if you're in the mood for passive entertainment.
Because the issues it deals with are serious, the beginning of the series draws viewers in with a realistic approach reminiscent of a crime drama.
The story became much more interesting after the appearance of the mysterious woman, Magase Ai, who is involved in the suspicious deaths related to the "New Territory," and the scene where she is questioned.
Furthermore, the story accelerated with Saikai's announcement of the suicide law, and the plot continued with developments that made you want to know what would happen next.
The kidnapping operation against Saikai in episode 7 and its subsequent failure serve as the climax of the early part of the story, and the atmosphere of the work changes significantly before and after this point.
In the second half, the story's setting shifted to America.
The story continues with world leaders taking time to ponder the question of what is right and wrong regarding suicide, prompting careful consideration of these issues.
For viewers who were expecting the series to continue as a "detective story" like the episodes before episode 7, it might have felt a little boring.
If we consider this work as a crime drama, the only way to be satisfied with the ending would be if Ai Magase were arrested or killed.
However, the ending of this film is not like that.
This also suggests that "Babylon" is not a simple crime drama.
The C-part after the final ending theme also had an unsettling conclusion, and I felt that this part also needed further consideration.
Consideration
This work raises various issues.
The topic of "suicide laws" appears particularly early on as an easily digestible issue.
While I believe the question of whether suicide is right or wrong is a topic worth considering, I don't think it's the main theme of this film.
Even if the content had included questions about the "trolley problem" or the legitimacy of "organ lotteries," as discussed earlier, it could have worked if Ai Magase had the motivation to tackle them.
I believe that the topic of "suicide" was simply chosen because it is a relatively accessible theme for many people and deals with the subject of life and death.
This work is titled "Babylon".
There's no doubt that the title "Babylon" refers to the character, Ai Magase.
Below, I will explore the meaning behind the title "Babylon" in this work, as well as the themes of "good and evil" discussed within the story.
About the good and evil depicted in this work
The anime "Babylon" explores the concepts of good and evil.
The answer that President Alexander and Shozaki gave towards the end of the story was"Good is continuation, evil is ending."That's it.
Since Magase said "Well done" to the answers the two of them gave separately, I think they were more or less in line with Magase's intentions.
However, this answer is explicitly stated to be either incorrect or incomplete.
If good continues and evil comes to an end, then it would be good for Magase Ai to continue living, and evil for it to end (die).
Shosaki had acted believing that killing Magase was the right thing to do, but perhaps in the very end, he realized that he was just like Magase.
I believe that good and evil are ambiguous concepts, and that making distinctions between what is good and what is bad is meaningless.
While Shozaki Zen and Magase Ai are initially portrayed as opposing forces, they are actually two sides of the same coin, and in a sense, the same being.
Indeed, in the early stages, Shosaki judged Magase to be evil for causing the deaths of his subordinates and friends, and pursued him.
However, in the end, he attempts to kill Magase (to end her life) and declares himself to be evil.
Thus, good and evil can easily be reversed depending on the time, place, and circumstances.
The words "continue" and "end" can have completely different meanings depending on what is continuing and what is ending.
In this regard, I felt that some people held a similar view in the following articles, so I've included links for reference.
Articles I referenced
However, I don't think this work settles on the common answer that "good and evil are two sides of the same coin and cannot be defined." I felt that it goes a step further and presents a different perspective.
So, what exactly is the "evil" depicted in this work?
Paradoxically, I believe that what Magase is doing is precisely what constitutes "evil."
What Magase is doing is trying to convince people that "death is a wonderful thing."
In other words, it's about "knowing the answer."
I think the evil depicted in this work is about "knowing good and evil."
As President Alexander heads to the rooftop, he has a monologue about the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as described in the Old Testament, and this is exactly what he is talking about.
Adam and Eve learned the difference between good and evil by eating the fruit of the tree of good and evil.
And according to the Bible, the act of knowing good and evil is described as evil.
Knowing good and evil leads to humanity bearing various forms of suffering and sin.
I believe that the snake's act of teaching humanity that fruit is delicious, that is, teaching them what is good and evil, is naturally depicted as evil.
Even in the image of President Alexander, the snake that offered the apple is depicted as Magase.
While the serpent in the Bible is a different entity from Babylon, I believe the title "Babylon" is used because it symbolizes a woman who tempts and corrupts people.
In this work, the answer that Magase gave to people was that "death is a sweet thing."
That's something I wouldn't have known if Magase hadn't told me the answer.
Once you know about it, you'll want to try it, which is precisely why knowing about it was a bad thing.
The girl who was visiting the hospice, whom Shozaki and his friends were unable to stop, also chose to commit suicide, citing the reason that "an important person told them to."
If a high-ranking person like a president had committed suicide, girls like this might have appeared all over the world.
While reading through various people's analyses, I was a little happy to find that some people had arrived at the same conclusion as me.
I've included a link to that article for your reference.
Was Shozaki's death not a suicide? Thoughts and analysis on episode 12, "The End," of "Babylon"
I believe that what Shosaki said—"Keep thinking about what is right, and don't stop thinking even after you've arrived at the answer"—is good in the sense that it is the opposite of evil.
Instead of jumping to conclusions like Magase's "death is a wonderful thing," wouldn't it be better to keep thinking for yourself whether that's really true?
In that sense, it could be said that Shosaki and the President, who stopped moving forward after finding their answer, were not in the right in the final scene.
About Magase Ai
Ai Magase possesses several special abilities.
This special ability is like a stage prop; you don't need to worry too much about the mechanism behind why it's possible.
Like John Paul's "grammar of genocide" in "Genocidal Organ," the specific mechanism is not revealed to the reader, but if you understand it as something that produces such results, I think it won't be a problem when exploring the theme of Babylon.
If we consider this film purely as a crime drama, then it's understandable that it could be criticized for lacking realism.
There are several scenes in the story where Magase herself is mentioned.
This occurred when Shosaki went to speak with Magase's uncle, and when President Alexander spoke with a suicide victim.
The mark on Magase's abdomen in the medical chart that Shosaki is looking at on the bullet train suggests that she has had previous experience with pregnancy and childbirth.
From this, it can be inferred that the story told by the suicidal person who spoke with the president was probably about Ai Magase herself.
Even if it were the true circumstances of the person contemplating suicide, it would likely be not so different from the circumstances of Magase.
If you reconsider the questioning scene in episode 2, keeping in mind that it concerns Magase herself, several things will start to make sense.
Among the questions asked of Shozaki were those about the pros and cons of contraception and whether killing a child is wrong.
Hearing responses such as "having and raising children is something to be praised" and "we should accept differences in various values," Magase wore a satisfied expression.
I think this was a way of assessing whether Shōzaki was a suitable person to be given the task of figuring out what good and evil are.
I remember the expression on Shosaki's face when Magase said, "Killing someone is the worst thing you can do, the most horrible thing."
I imagine Masazaki was surprised to find that Magase's thoughts were the same as his own.
(As a side note, the direction of the interrogation scene in episode 2 and the scene of Hima's murder in episode 7 was superb.)
The interrogation scene is static and motionless, but it effectively conveys the feeling of being drawn into the woman named Magase like an antlion's trap.
Episode 7 leaves a powerful impression with its intensely dramatic direction, linking gruesome and grotesque scenes with everyday moments.
Another crucial point when discussing Magase Ai is the conversation she has with Shosaki in episode 7, while tearing Hima apart.
The following is an excerpt of some of the dialogue.
"The only difference between people who like doing good and people who like doing bad is that, just that."
"I want Mr. Shosaki to think about why he's doing this."
And I want you to understand.
I don't want you to think that it's something only bad people do.
I don't want you to think that it has no meaning, or that it's something that no normal person could ever understand.
Evil has a purpose.
"Don't worry, you'll understand. There's absolutely no way you won't understand."
Because we're all human beings, after all.
Mr. Shosaki, you understand too.
I'm sure you'll understand! (From "Babylon Episode 7: The Worst")
Because it's such a shocking scene, it's hard to fully grasp what she's saying, but I think this is an important clue to understanding her.
The only difference between Shosaki and Magase, he says, is whether they like good things or bad things.
I think Magase is checking to see if the conclusion that Shosaki, who grew up surrounded by good things, reached will be the same as the answer that Magase (who likely grew up surrounded by bad things) came up with.
Since Masazaki has caught Magase's eye, she probably doesn't give him the answer, but instead encourages him to think for himself.
By making the characters think and ultimately leading them to commit the heinous act of murder, perhaps the film is demonstrating that the distinction between good and evil itself is not that significant.
Magase herself may be constantly trying to confirm whether her own conclusions about good and evil are truly correct.
If that's the case, then it means that Shosaki and Magase are indeed the same person.
Furthermore, Magase frequently talks about games and clearly states her own motivations.
"In a world ruled by the Demon King, the hero, accompanied by only a few companions, and sometimes alone, faces off against the Demon King's army."
"Even if no one helps me, even if no one understands me, I want to become a hero who saves the world, simply for the happiness of humanity."
Magase said the following:
If Magase lost her child in the past, she might have needed to believe that death was a wonderful thing for that child in order to maintain her sanity.
Following that idea, he may have ultimately wanted to gain the support of Sai, who advocated for the implementation of a suicide law, and spread the idea that death is a wonderful thing.
Even if no one understands, I will continue to preach about good and evil for the sake of what I believe to be human happiness.
I think the name "Kyose Ai" (meaning "a twisted (distorted) love for the world") perfectly describes her nature.
About the ending
Now, there seems to be some discussion about the depiction of the ending, so I'd like to write about that as well.
The content could have ended in Part B without any problems, so I can't help but feel that saying anything more would be uncouth.
The last gunshot was probably the sound of Shosaki being shot by someone on the American side.
I rewatched it to confirm, and the gunshot is clearly different from the one when Shozaki shot the president.
Magase does not have a gun, and it is revealed in the post-credits scene that Magase is still alive.
The fact that the gunshots were different rules out the possibility that Shosaki committed suicide, and it's also unlikely that Magase fired the shot.
If someone was shot, it's only natural to assume it was Shozaki.
From the perspective of the media cameras aboard the helicopter, Magase, who was just barely inside the building, was not visible, so from an outsider's point of view, it's understandable that Shosaki would be seen as the murderer who killed the president.
Either the U.S. shot and killed Shozaki on their own, or someone manipulated by Magase beforehand pulled the trigger.
Now, in Part C, Magase attempts to make contact with Shosaki's son.
The reason for contacting him was likely the same as for Shosaki: to question good and evil.
Since she is the child of Shozaki, it's possible that Magase was also expected to be able to come up with a satisfactory answer.
It seems that Magase will continue to question humanity about the nature of good and evil, to tempt them, and repeat the same actions over and over again.
The pros and cons of the suicide law
From this point onward, I don't think it's directly related to the main theme of "Babylon," but I'd like to write my personal opinion on the pros and cons of "suicide laws."
This content isn't really related to anime, so if you're not interested, you might want to skip it.
To put it simply, I am conditionally in favor of a suicide law.
Because my professor in my student seminar specialized in areas related to the end of life, I myself chose a research topic related to suicide.
This is something I heard from my professor,I believe there are two types of suicide: suicide that is chosen consciously and suicide that is chosen impulsively.
The former, like the writer Yukio Mishima, is someone who chooses suicide because they are convinced that their ideology is correct.
The latter refers to a state where external factors such as health problems, bullying, or excessive stress make it difficult to see alternatives to suicide.
Regarding the former, suicide, I believe that if it's a choice made after careful consideration, then it's the person's freedom.
A practical issue is whether or not it is appropriate for the government to assist people who wish to commit suicide, but let's set that aside for now.
However, I believe that suicide, the latter type of death, should not be readily accepted.
The reason for the latter is that people who commit suicide are not truly doing so because they want to, but rather because they are in a situation that leaves them with no other choice.
If someone chooses suicide for health reasons due to an incurable disease, that may be something that should be accepted.
The suicide chosen here is not so much a choice of how to live, but rather a choice of how to die, a matter of self-determination at the end of life.
(This point relates to the topic of euthanasia, so I won't go into any more detail.)
However, when considering suicides caused by bullying, harassment, or economic reasons, I believe we should consider whether the person still chose suicide even after all those problems had been resolved.
In fact, it is said that in the stage before choosing suicide, most people are in a state similar to depression, known as "pre-suicide syndrome," and are not in a mental state where they can freely choose.
If that's the case, I think we should first create a society that can eliminate such external factors before we can legalize suicide.
In summary, my opinion on the suicide law is as follows:
Suicide that is chosen with careful consideration and conviction should be permitted (including in the case of incurable illness).
In cases where impulsive suicide is suspected to be caused by bullying, overwork, stress, or financial problems, the government may allow assisted suicide only after diagnosing the suicide with pre-suicide syndrome and confirming the absence of external contributing factors.
In conclusion
I wrote various thoughts and analyses about the anime "Babylon".
I don't know if these initial observations are correct.
Even if it's an answer you've arrived at after much thought, it might be a good thing to keep questioning whether it's truly correct.
This work, "Babylon," often fails to clearly address the questions raised within the story.
However, perhaps this means that the answer is not something that is given to you, but something that you can obtain by continuing to think for yourself.
I think I enjoyed a lot of the anime I watched in 2020.