Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped: Difference between revisions

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** "[[Bruce Lee]] is the baddest mother that ever lived."

** Don't give up your new home to chase the ghost of your old home.

* ''[[Samurai Champloo]]'' uses the character Isaac to address both [[Otaku|weaboo]] idealization of Japan, as well as Japan's own tendency to gloss over the past. Isaac is a Dutch ambassador who loves Japanese culture, and as a [[~~Straight~~ ~~Gay~~]], he can practice his sexuality there, which during this time [[Bury Your Gays|would be punishable by death]] in Europe. However, Issac needs to disguise himself when out in public in Japan, as this was a period where foreigners were prohibited outside of a small "safe zone" (note the series's related discussion of the persecution of Japanese Christians during this era). Isaac ultimately comments that both Japan and the West have screwed up features, albeit in different ways.

* ''[[Samurai Champloo]]'' uses the character Isaac to address both [[Otaku|weaboo]] idealization of Japan, as well as Japan's own tendency to gloss over the past. Isaac is a Dutch ambassador who loves Japanese culture, and as a [[Invisible to Gaydar]], he can practice his sexuality there, which during this time [[Bury Your Gays|would be punishable by death]] in Europe. However, Issac needs to disguise himself when out in public in Japan, as this was a period where foreigners were prohibited outside of a small "safe zone" (note the series's related discussion of the persecution of Japanese Christians during this era). Isaac ultimately comments that both Japan and the West have screwed up features, albeit in different ways.

* ''[[Irresponsible Captain Tylor]]'': "Life is too short to live by someone else's rules. Do what you want to the way that you want to."

* Bigger than and encompassing its more famous [[Green Aesop]], ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'' has "Even if it isn't your fault and it isn't fair that you're involved in the first place, don't [[I Just Want to Be Normal|ignore]] or [[Crapsack World|write off]] the injustice that you see; take responsibility for fixing it, because no one else will."

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** Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) said to Gene Roddenberry (creator), "Star Trek is just [[An Aesop|morality tales]]" and he replied, "Shhh, [[The Not-Secret|don't tell anyone]]".

*** Hell, Nichols entire ''character'' is an Anvil That Needed To Be Dropped, since it was so uncommon at the time for both women and black people to be portrayed on television in roles with authority. Her character inspired [[Whoopi Goldberg]] and [[LeVar Burton]] into acting.

* [[M*A*S*H]] might have been a simple dark comedy/dramedy set in the Korean War if not for the fact that the show ran during the Vietnam War. Alan Alda and the other producers said that they never wanted the show to be a contemporary commentary, but they wanted it to be about all wars, how it is supposed to be a miserable experience. The Vietnam conflict only made the feelings stronger.

* [[M*A*S*H (television)]] might have been a simple dark comedy/dramedy set in the Korean War if not for the fact that the show ran during the Vietnam War. Alan Alda and the other producers said that they never wanted the show to be a contemporary commentary, but they wanted it to be about all wars, how it is supposed to be a miserable experience. The Vietnam conflict only made the feelings stronger.

** The first really ''big'' anvil came in the episode "Abysinnia, Henry": '''[[Anybody Can Die]]'''. And they didn't even rely on just the force of gravity to drop it, either.

** The Introduction of Col. Sherman Potter dropped the "it's about all wars" anvil even harder. Potter has fought through WWI, WWII, ''and'' Korea, and often reminisces about his experiences. In one episode, he mourns some old comrades:

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** "War is bad", especially in MGS 3. War turns two of the series's biggest heroes into villains mostly because of petty politics. Not to mention the part where every human being and animal you killed comes back from the dead to haunt you.

** The biggest anvil in MGS3 is dropped right at the beginning, when The Boss gives a ten minute speech about how "there is no such thing as an enemy in absolute terms." The first time most players hear it, they want to yell at her to [[Get On With It Already]], because they want to get to the part where they sneak past communists in the jungle. But as they experience the story, ''her'' story, it becomes clear how her entire life is contained in those words, and when the whole thing is repeated at the end, it carries a much bigger emotional impact. It's one of the most powerful moments in the entire series, and it would not have been nearly as effective if Kojima had been subtle about it.

** The entire storyline in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater]]'' might be one of the biggest aversions of [[Do Not Do This Cool Thing]] in video games. It's nearly impossible, even after multiple playthroughs of the game, to not feel [[Tear Jerker|incredible remorse and sorrow after pulling that trigger on the woman right in front of you.]] It also takes Naked Snake, who was originally a goofy and almost nerdy soldier, and killed him inside. In all of the games he appeared in afterwards, he was never the same.

** The entire storyline in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater]]'' might be one of the biggest aversions of [[Do Not Do This Cool Thing]] in video games. It's nearly impossible, even after multiple playthroughs of the game, to not feel [[Tear Jerker|incredible remorse and sorrow after pulling that trigger on the woman right in front of you.]] It also takes Naked Snake, who was originally a goofy and almost nerdy soldier, and killed him inside. In all of the games he appeared in afterwards, he was never the same.

* Midway's ''[[The Suffering]]'' brings up the biggest issue with capital punishment, the very real chance of killing an innocent person. This wouldn't be nearly as effective without it's over the top elements.

* ''[[Persona 3]]'': knowing you will one day die and accepting it doesn't mean you should rush towards it. It means you should make your life into something you feel is worth living.

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* ''[[Ōkami|Okami]]'' has a big one: don't be selfish with your prayers. There is also a corollary to that, which is demonstrated with each NPC encountered. While most games are content to ignore the tendency of NPCs to just give you fetch quests and not do anything themselves (or at least lampshade it), ''Okami'' turns it into part of the game's message, which is that you shouldn't wait around on mystical forces to solve all your problems. You need to take responsibility for your own life and do things yourself. Amaterasu avoids taking credit for everything not out of any sort of modesty, but to give these people the confidence it takes to start doing things on their own, so that they won't ''need'' her around to fix everything. It's a very important life lesson that, while never actually stated, is anything but subtle in its presentation.

** From its sequal ''[[Ōkamiden|Okamiden]]'', it drops the message that it dosen't matter if you are a copy of someone else, you are still a person all the same. This is represented by {{spoiler|Kurow}}, and [[Tear Jerker|boy howdy, does it ever.]]

* ''[[~~Bioshock~~]]'' is very unsubtle about its aesop: Utopianism Is Unrealistic.

* ''[[BioShock (series)]]'' is very unsubtle about its aesop: Utopianism Is Unrealistic.

** Also, from the audio diaries from Minerva's Den:

{{quote|'''Charles Milton Porter''': Sure, you hear it in Rapture. One of the business types asked me, "Why don't you [[White Like Me|splice white]]? Get ahead!" Well, that's some idiocy! I told him, "First of all, I AM ahead. Second, in Rapture, it's your WORK that's supposed to matter, not your skin!" Too bad for some folks you can't splice in common sense.}}