Conformity, mob mentality, and intersectionality in Gatchaman Crowds Insight vs. Yurikuma Arashi
Spoilers for Gatchaman Crowds Insight and Yurikuma Arashi.
It’s no accident that in this world, some harmless behaviors, modes of presentation, and ways of being aren’t considered normal, and that being allowed to exist as one’s authentic self is a luxury. The societal pressures that reinforce these norms are political tools, instilled for the purpose of sowing division and concentrating power. In 2015, two new anime, Gatchaman Crowds Insight and Yurikuma Arashi, each offered their own unique takes on the institutions that attempt to stamp out individuality in the name of unity.
Both series, at the surface level, encourage their audiences to be mindful and critical of the ideas they’re asked to buy into as the price of inclusion. However, there is a stark contrast between how these series portray the underlying power dynamics, prejudices, and active malice behind these policies, as well as the particulars of their respective calls to action. This reveals a difference in priorities; where Insight offers vague hope and comfort with no clear call to action, Yurikuma actively aims to elevate marginalized voices.
The conflict of Insight, the second season of Gatchaman Crowds, is driven by the alien Gel Sadra, who sees how divided Japan and the world are and manages to become prime minister with the mission of uniting everyone. Gel gradually becomes more authoritarian, and eventually his power to manifest people’s feelings goes out of control and starts conjuring monsters called Kuu, literally “air”, who devour people for not fitting in. The story of Yurikuma, meanwhile, is set in a world where a great Wall of Severance divides the worlds of women and bears. The Wall is presided over by the patriarchal Severance Court, who enforce these divisions and play the two sides against each other to maintain their power; each side has its own power structure with a vested interest in the status quo.
