What Makes Into the Nanten Unique
Written by the illustrious Jay Swanson
During our Google+ Hangout celebrating the launch of Into the Nanten: Fall of the Arbor King, our guest moderator Tim asked me what made Into the Nanten unique. I misunderstood, and went on to talk about the technical aspects of telling a story in real time that made it unique among its peers. What he meant was what made the narrative unique – what about the characters was different?
Uniqueness – A Disclaimer
I ascribe to the idea that there’s nothing new under the sun. In one way or another, as South Park demonstrated so famously with the Simpsons, every idea in story has been carried out ad nausium. It’s one of the great mysteries of human nature that we’re as fascinated with new stories as we tend to be considering that none of them are actually new in the finest sense of the word.
That said, I do think every story has its components that make it stand out – even if each of them has been done before. Here are a few things that I think make Into the Nanten “unique.”
What Makes Into the Nanten Unique
From the outside, I would argue that anyone looking at Marceles would think him a confident, competent, badass individual. He really is one of the best swordsmen in the world at this time, if not the best, and had a reputation for it that preceded him everywhere he went at home. Even in the Nanten, to see Marceles enter a clearing would most likely cause everyone to take a step back (if not into hiding). He’s a killer, quick and cold as the steel he carries, and he’s insanely powerful behind all of the skill.
But the Marceles we see through the words of his journal is plagued with self-doubt, unstable emotions, and conflicting desires that keep him from seeing himself with confidence any longer. He used to think of himself as the best, and he hasn’t completely lost that, but he’s starting to turn his focus outwards.
Perhaps it’s the combination of these things that makes Marceles unique. He’s worthy of all the praise and pride that he’s used to, but in a place where no one knows who he is or what he’s capable of, he’s lost his sense of owning that reputation.
We get to watch as Marceles turns from nursing his own hurt and confusion over his exile to focusing more on the plight of those around him. It takes a long time, but changes that big often do (and he’s still quicker to it than most of us). We see him go from being cocksure to crippled by doubt, then on to forgetting about himself altogether over time.
A Contradiction Based in Perspective
If you were to write Marceles into a third person narrative, the lights would appear dim every time he took the stage. He burns brilliantly. Look at the friends he keeps, and the ones who gave up their own lives to help him in his exile. Dionus is a living legend – you’ll find out more about why this season, but he’s earned the title. Balthandar was the highest ranking bodyguard to his royal family, and he left them to follow Marceles into the Nanten.
Early on, from Marceles’ perspective, we see him compare his friends to himself and find them close but wanting. As time wears on, he starts to focus more on their exploits, their skills, their strengths over his. Soon he’s seeing the better side of everyone, even the chief of the KoraKora. The more he does this, the less sure he becomes that he’s as great as he thought he was.
It’s only through that experience that he begins to grow humble, to start to focus on the challenges others face as well as the strengths they bring to the table. It’s the beginning of compassion in Marceles – something that didn’t exist before. Certainly not something the Tetrarch beat into him.
The only reason we can see this is because we’re in his head, though his actions would start to lead us to the same conclusions in time. I like writing Marceles because he’s messy. He’s self-contradictory at points, immature in love despite his many lovers, and increasingly self-aware as the scales fall off his eyes day by day. It’s always two steps forward and one step back.
As we enter season two, the mess will get a little more directed, but I doubt it’ll get all that much cleaner.
What about you? What do you think makes Into the Nanten unique?
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