A Lesson in 2nd Chances from Gachiakuta

What if its not trash, but an opportunity for a second chance? A level-up on life itself?

(btw, credit of this image goes to zerochan.net!)

 

I'm a Blerd y'all, if you didn't know - and I'm proud to say it.

Recently I've had the pleasure to dive in deep into the Anime called Gachiakuta (originally a Manga), and man - it's something else. If you are an Anime head, you have to check it out if you haven't already. Its an action packed dystopian vs utopian society kind of show where some of the characters cast down into the pits are gifted with special abilities by way of items called instruments. No two powers are alike.Without spoiling the plot or anything I want to talk about a very important theme that directly ties to our lives.

Rudo: The Vengeful Protagonist - Or is He? 

Rudo is a complex protagonist that seeks revenge against the people of the Sphere that exiled him for a crime he didn't commit. Sent to die in the pits, he wakes up in a trash-filled world. Here he's forced to fend for himself against living beasts made by trash! But before all of that, here's something interesting about Rudo - he is OBSESSED about wastefulness and repairing things to preserve their usefulness. A sort of restorer of life in any given object. A person that sees potential in everything he lays eyes on, especially items that are tossed away by the 'Sphereites'. It's this mindset and the gauntlets he wears that become the source of his GIFT he's soon to discover in the pits. 

Fortunately for Rudo, he's saved by another Gifter by the name of Engine, who wants to recruit him to become a Cleaner - someone that fights off trash beasts and is sent out to recover items or persons of interest throughout the desolate land.

 

The Mystery of his Gift

There's a scene with a massive trash-beast, where Rudo's new powers of instrument manifestation seems to go wonky. After he protects one of the supporters from getting killed by one of the beasts, the weapon shatters into nothingness, leaving Rudo stunned.

The Cleaners eventually thwart the beasts and head back to HQ. There's a point in the scene where you can see Rudo feeling guilty for what happened. How he wasn't able to do a good job, putting so much pressure on himself for his instrument malfunctioning. His team tries to lighten his mood by brainstorming what could have happened and what makes his powers work the way they do, especially with him being a natural.

It's Riyo - a girl that wields scissors as her instrument, that nudges Rudo to tell him that he nor his gift are worthless. He's not necessarily a destroyer, but the opposite. She suspects that what he manifested into the fight remained durable for as long as it had a purpose to fulfill. Once that purpose was fulfilled, the object would dissipate. 

Engine goes on to say that whatever is disregarded by others is given a new life in his hands and soon gets to go out into a blaze of glory. This scene stands out to me as a lesson in permanence, resourcefulness, and purpose, which is why I paused and re-winded this scene three times to capture what mattered, so I could write this!

A Life Lesson on 2nd Chances

The scene, as well as the greater part of the show reminds me of several things. The first, being we are all afforded a natural opportunity at a second chance in life. Sure, there are those that do wrong to others. However, that person can also be or end up in a position where they CAN change and turn their life around (so long as they want to). 

Second, as Rudo detests in this fictional world, we humans have become extremely greedy and wasteful. We turn a side eye or a lip to things that aren't new and are quick to discard them, as well as other people. I too have been guilty of this, but I have been learning to slow down and appreciate what has lasted the test of time. I've learned to appreciate the flaws and the tears in the fabric of things once new because there is always a way to put it to use. 

I'm not saying I hoard everything, but you never know when something can be transmuted into something useful. An example that stands out to me is when I took an old baby crib, turned it upside down, purchased lumber from Home Depot and turned it into a work desk that I still have to this day. Going further back, I remember my 3rd Grade Halloween Party when my mother couldn't afford the cheapest Halloween outfit. She saw how sad I was, but we put our heads together and used an old discolored blanket as a cape. She scrounged up just enough funding to grab me a bear mask from Goodwill and I went to the party as Super-Bear - I was so stoked just to be there in costume with everyone else. 

From an artistic perspective, we have become accustomed to sampling, or borrowing from creations of the past to repurpose it for the future. Combined with the creative vision of so many unique minds, you can easily have hundreds upon thousands of masterpieces. So why can we not use that same alchemist spirit to treat our worn objects the same way?

We humans are not much different. As I mentioned before, we are quick to discard others that aren't like us - that don't fit into our agenda, ambitions, or what we want. We always want the most flamboyant, the most loud, the most flashy, the most sexy, the most smart. But what about those that don't fit in? Aren't they people as well? Don't they have input or character that can shine light in a way that someone flashy couldn't? Why are we so quick to dismiss someone different from who we are?

Crazy thing is, we also run into the shitty habit of dismissing our own selves - and I speak for myself! We doubt ourselves and say we aren't good enough. We say that vision or that spark is crazy we can't do that. We try something, fail at it once and we disappear saying we're better off not trying again rather than re-calibrating if it really resonates with us (catch my first blog on Quitting!) We dismiss our skills because it didn't work out this time, but what if that was the seed to do it again, yet different? What if that terrible piece of creation was the breadcrumb for something worthwhile that brings you joy to manifest?

People - these skills are indeed valuable whether we succeed or fail! Each of our skills serves a purpose in the grand scheme of life. Sometimes they continue on in life and evolve, other times its a one time thing and it no longer resonates with us. What matters is that we tried and fulfilled that purpose rather than let it pass us by.      

2nd Chances Are Part of Me 

Before I started writing this article, I chuckled realizing that the stories that I write, primarily my Novel in Progress and the short story I just finished called Red Death Robbie, each of these works not only has the Hero's Journey blueprint, but I have many characters that have the theme of redemption - the second chance to make their lives, and everyone else's a bit better.  This theme is near and dear to my heart because from birth I have been made aware of second chances. I nearly died the moment I was born. Between a crushed and deformed head to an under performing lung for my first three minutes outside my mother's womb. 

To this day I am surrounded by, and reminded of the second chances I've had in my life. Id been homeless and bounced back to tell about it Twice. I deployed to a combat zone-Twice. Fallen in and out of love plenty of times to learn SOMETHING from each of those opportunities. I've lost touch with people for years only to reconnect like no time passed, and these are people from my childhood! The place I work for now, I was passed up twice and got called back when I DIDN'T reapply. 

I guess you can say the universe favors me with getting a Yes eventually!

But as I close, take these points into consideration.

•  Don't be quick to discard something (or someone). See the beauty and the value of their presence. You never know the treasure you'll discover 
• Never underestimate your skills and talents. Though you may not hit success right away, you can certainly strike gold when you rediscover and revisit what you can do! 
• Gatchiakuta is LIT! Check out the Anime and/or the Manga! 

 

 Notes from the Field: What's your take on Second Chances? A sign from the Divine/Universe, or a fallacy waiting to happen? Has there been a moment where you gave something or someone a Second Chance at Life? How did it turn out?

For my Nerds - What Anime have you watched that have some life lesson themes to them? I'll add those to my list!

I'd love to hear from you. Big Thanks for reading this and engaging with me. Do share this to those that need it, as well as my other works. More to come soon!

I'm the Ronin That Writes, and I am a believer in Second Chances! 

#IAmRonin #CompassChecks #StillHere