Space is the Place: Studio Trigger and the Wonders of Outer Space!!

Welcome to a planet where nonsense is how we roll!!

So when I agreed to participate in the "Space is the Place" blog tour, I really didn't have a clear idea on what I wanted to write about. I just knew that it was either going to involve Kill la Kill, Space Patrol Luluco, or Darling in the Franxx...so I decided that I would just write about all of them.

I feel very differently about each of these anime, and I think that they all are trying to convey different messages to their audience. But what the three anime have in common is that they're all from Studio Trigger and the main characters end up in space at some point...but why? Why do the characters end up in space? Why couldn't these stories take place on the ground that we call earth?

I think it's because space is open to so many different kinds of stories and because there is so much that we don't understand about outer space and our universe, it means that almost anything is possible among the stars. And that potential for imagination and creativity has always fascinated me since I was a kid.

Before I got into anime, and I think before I got into superheroes and comic books, I was in love with Star Wars. No matter what anyone says, I loved The Phantom Menace as a small child and I remember being hyped up when I saw the first trailers and commercials for Attack of the Clones. Lightsabers, battle droids, clone troopers, Jedi, Sith...I was so obsessed with everything Star Wars as a kid (and still am now).

And when it came to superheroes, my absolute favorite has almost always been the Green Lantern. Blackest Night was one of the first comic book story arcs that I was reading every issue as it was coming out. Zombie superheroes...in SPACE!! Aliens of all shapes and sizes, battling it out with power rings and constructs made out of light. I still think all that is cool!

I'm starting to fanboy a lot, so let me get back to my point...space is awesome because almost anything is possible. That also means that evil and supervillains can take almost any form, no matter how goofy or outlandish. In Kill la Kill, it's life fibers, living clothing, that threaten to consume the earth and all of humanity. In Space Patrol Luluco, there is a Blackholiean that is committed to stealing valuable things...for some reason or no reason at all. And then in Darling in the Franxx, there is VIRM, a hive mind that is determined to achieve "peace" by assimilating beings into their hive.

If you know me, then you can probably figure that I don't love all of these antagonists *cough* *cough* VIRM *cough*, but I do like the challenge they give to their respective protagonists. They are seemingly omnipotent foes with abilities beyond anything that can be found on earth...and that's because they're not from earth. They can only be found out there in space.

And there is another thing that can be found out among the stars of the Trigger-verse...and that would be change. In anime like Kill la Kill, Space Patrol Luluco, and Darling in the Franxx, character undergo a dramatic transformation after a series of trials and struggles. In Kill la Kill, Ryuko unlocks the true power of herself and Senketsu. In Space Patrol Luluco, Luluco becomes Trigger-chan and saves the city of Ogikubo. And in Darling in the Franxx, Hiro saves Zero Two and she transforms into a giant bride-mecha. It is in the wonder of space, anything can happen and characters can unlock their true potential.

Now all of that goes to support my original point and that's that space is awesome, especially in anime and fiction. While all kinds of storytellers use the backdrop of outer space to tell all kinds of fascinating and unique stories, I think that the staff of Studio Trigger do a great job at going all out and telling really strange and incredible stories that are larger than life.

That's about all I have to say on the topic of Studio Trigger and outer space. Thank you to Scott from Mechanical Anime Reviews for starting the "Space is the Place" blog tour and for including me. Thank you to K from K at the Movies for creating an awesome header image of my own planet and the great "Space is the Place" banner. Be sure to check out Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime for her post on the wonders of space in Gurren Lagann. And tomorrow, be sure to check out Scott's addition to the "Space is the Place" blog tour, a post on The Irresponsible Captain Tylor.