"Who are you, mister?" "I wonder? Peter Pan, maybe?"
SHORT ESSAY with lots of pictures on how I’m taking Jomy post-series. There are spoilers everywhere.
So, Terra e is sort of an action-adventure sci-fi space opera bildungsroman, with an epic focus on Jomy. Because he’s the main character, Jomy goes through a few different stages, going from an energetic teenage brat-with-a-heart-of-gold trufax, someone calls him hyperactive in the manga to That Leader Guy Who Makes Dramatic Speeches. There are some character traits that are constant: among other things, Jomy has a lot of empathy, he’s incredibly loving, he’s idealistic, he doesn’t give up, and he cares a lot about everyone around him, even strangers he’s just met. Some early character traits seem to disappear: yeah, Jomy at the end of the series wouldn’t punch out a referee or kiss an elevator wall. In the last part of the series, Jomy is incredibly focused and determined, to the point of driving the Nazca kids pretty hard for the sake of the Mu.
I think Jomy’s moment of seriousing the hell up comes after the attack on Nazca in bother the anime and manga (or maybe the edge of the galaxy in the manga), which is the point where he realizes that the Mu can’t run from Universal Control: they’ll have to fight for peace and destroy the Superior Domination System. And once Jomy reaches that conclusion, he gives everything he’s got to it. Backing down isn’t an option, for the sake of all the Mu who died and all the Mu Jomy wants to take to Terra.
But… just because Jomy is serious when he’s fighting a life-or-death battle for the sake of all humanity doesn’t mean that a) he WANTS to be acting super-serious and fighting a life-or-death battle for the sake of humanity or b) that’s what he’d be acting like under other circumstances. Without a doubt, his childish personality still shines through the determination.
It’s really clear in the manga, where we get these scenes during the Mu push to Terra. (No, the manga isn’t scanlated. I took some raws and pasted Vertical’s translations on them.)
Terra e’s manga is actually ridiculously tightly crafted. There are a few things to take out of this clip. 1) The dreaming self-image as a child. This is no surprise, Terra e is all about not growing up. 2) “That hasn’t changed!” Along the same lines as not growing up, the repeat of a scene from volume one reinforces Jomy’s continuing childlike attributes. 3) lolol the pouting. 4) On the next page, we actually find out that Jomy asked Leo to see if his parents were around (they weren’t). Childish preoccupations, still there!
Then there’s this:
I’m not typing it up; the gist is “I can make fetuses out of thin air but I’m going to fight for Jomy’s ideals!” Oh Tony. Shine on, you crazy diamond. Anyway, more imagery of Jomy as a child.
The real kicker is the epilogue in both the anime and the manga, which are variations on the same theme: reincarnation and showcasing Jomy as a child post-series.
Some caps from the anime epilogue:
The translation:
Jomy: [A SOCCER BALL GOES SOMEWHERE] Where are you kicking that to?!
Jomy: [THE SOCCER BALL SMACKS KEITH AND KNOCKS THE BOOK OUT OF HIS HAND. Jomy picks it up] I’m sorry… I’m really sorry! [THEY BOTH START CRYING]
Jomy: … why are you crying?
Keith: Why are you…?
Jomy: You’re right, why am I crying?
Keith: But it feels like we’re meeting again.
Jomy: I feel that way, too.
Keith: Strange, isn’t it?
Keith: Maybe we were friends long ago [in another life]?
Jomy: [grinning] Or maybe we were enemies.
Keith: But we did get to see each other again.
Offscreen: What are you doing?!
Jomy: Sorry, I’m coming! [RUNS OFF]
Jomy: Oi! You should join us, too!
Keith: O-okay!
Jomy: Let’s go! [KICKS A SOCCER BALL THAT… BECOMES THE EARTH, IDK.]
… I actually like the “Or maybe we were enemies” A LOT. It’s… I don’t know, it’s just a confirmation that a bit of cheekiness that shows up through the series - “Jomy, do you have a goodbye to share with the class?” “That shot was definitely not off-sides”; “I’ve caught you :3”; etc. - is still there EVEN THROUGH REINCARNATION. Rad.
In the manga, it goes differently and less gayly.
I typed up the translation once, but didn’t save it. The gist of it is that Jomy and Physis meet each other again. Their conversation goes something like “Holy crap you have my memories!” “I’ll never leave you again!” More imagery of Jomy kicking a soccer ball planet.
This fits into the larger context of painting the Mu in general -- and Jomy in particular! -- as perpetual children. The Mu are people who failed their "adulthood examination" or didn't make it through the ceremony that makes them an adult and gives them a place in society. Their leaders are always young. They stand in contrast and opposition to the adulthood of the "Mother Network." The anime has four episodes of relentless Peter Pan imagery, the most smack-you-over-the-head moment of which is Shiroe constantly referring to Jomy as Peter Pan. But yeah, the Mu are a band of Lost Boys and Physis is their Wendy. Jomy's boyish moments are part of a larger theme.
***
Alright, so I’ve established my thoughts on Jomy’s continuing childlikeness. Despite being thirty-something mentally, he’s not really a thirty-year-old. He refused to grow up and fought to not grow up. He’s still a boy hero, with the memories of a Pleasantville-like, very normal childhood and the experience of leading an entire people to war.
And the thing is, post series and on an awesome Terra, Jomy isn’t stuck in that righteous blazing determination mode. He’s taken the Mu to Terra, destroyed the SD System, protected the Earth, fulfilled Blue’s wish. It’s all good (except that barrier which he would like to take down, but seriously, I’m not going to play “Jomy smashes into the barrier” every day. Assume he does it a different way on a regular basis).
In light of that, my characterization is drawn really heavily from the Nazca arc. It’s a good parallel to camp: a nice but not ideal situation, a small group of people trying to make a living. The enthusiasm, love, playfulness, doofiness (“SOLDIER WHY DIDN’T YOU NAME THE PET YOU HAD FOR TEN YEARS” “… I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT, GUYS”), mediator-ness, dedication, occasional bits of anger (“YOUR MIND IS LIKE A MACHINE ADHS;KFAHSDF WHY DUDE WHY,” alternately “STOP MAKING ME LEARN HISTORY GEEZ >(”), and protectiveness he shows in those chapters/episodes I think is a good baseline for a Jomy who’s learned to be a leader, but isn’t trying to lead the Mu through a crisis. However! I’m also pulling from earlier in the timeline a little bit (in threads that are very “normal life”) and from later in the timeline a bit more.
tl;dr I am playing less serious business than at the end of the series. When Jomy isn’t in a crisis, more non-crisis personality will show. Also, I hope to express the underlying childlike aspect that the manga shows explicitly during the trip to Terra, and that both the anime and manga demonstrate via the epilogues. I… actually think the juxtaposition between “normal fourteen-year-old with a classic childhood” and “super psychic rebel leader” is really cool. So I will play with it.
The end.
So, Terra e is sort of an action-adventure sci-fi space opera bildungsroman, with an epic focus on Jomy. Because he’s the main character, Jomy goes through a few different stages, going from an energetic teenage brat-with-a-heart-of-gold trufax, someone calls him hyperactive in the manga to That Leader Guy Who Makes Dramatic Speeches. There are some character traits that are constant: among other things, Jomy has a lot of empathy, he’s incredibly loving, he’s idealistic, he doesn’t give up, and he cares a lot about everyone around him, even strangers he’s just met. Some early character traits seem to disappear: yeah, Jomy at the end of the series wouldn’t punch out a referee or kiss an elevator wall. In the last part of the series, Jomy is incredibly focused and determined, to the point of driving the Nazca kids pretty hard for the sake of the Mu.
I think Jomy’s moment of seriousing the hell up comes after the attack on Nazca in bother the anime and manga (or maybe the edge of the galaxy in the manga), which is the point where he realizes that the Mu can’t run from Universal Control: they’ll have to fight for peace and destroy the Superior Domination System. And once Jomy reaches that conclusion, he gives everything he’s got to it. Backing down isn’t an option, for the sake of all the Mu who died and all the Mu Jomy wants to take to Terra.
But… just because Jomy is serious when he’s fighting a life-or-death battle for the sake of all humanity doesn’t mean that a) he WANTS to be acting super-serious and fighting a life-or-death battle for the sake of humanity or b) that’s what he’d be acting like under other circumstances. Without a doubt, his childish personality still shines through the determination.
It’s really clear in the manga, where we get these scenes during the Mu push to Terra. (No, the manga isn’t scanlated. I took some raws and pasted Vertical’s translations on them.)
Terra e’s manga is actually ridiculously tightly crafted. There are a few things to take out of this clip. 1) The dreaming self-image as a child. This is no surprise, Terra e is all about not growing up. 2) “That hasn’t changed!” Along the same lines as not growing up, the repeat of a scene from volume one reinforces Jomy’s continuing childlike attributes. 3) lolol the pouting. 4) On the next page, we actually find out that Jomy asked Leo to see if his parents were around (they weren’t). Childish preoccupations, still there!
Then there’s this:
I’m not typing it up; the gist is “I can make fetuses out of thin air but I’m going to fight for Jomy’s ideals!” Oh Tony. Shine on, you crazy diamond. Anyway, more imagery of Jomy as a child.
The real kicker is the epilogue in both the anime and the manga, which are variations on the same theme: reincarnation and showcasing Jomy as a child post-series.
Some caps from the anime epilogue:
The translation:
Jomy: [A SOCCER BALL GOES SOMEWHERE] Where are you kicking that to?!
Jomy: [THE SOCCER BALL SMACKS KEITH AND KNOCKS THE BOOK OUT OF HIS HAND. Jomy picks it up] I’m sorry… I’m really sorry! [THEY BOTH START CRYING]
Jomy: … why are you crying?
Keith: Why are you…?
Jomy: You’re right, why am I crying?
Keith: But it feels like we’re meeting again.
Jomy: I feel that way, too.
Keith: Strange, isn’t it?
Keith: Maybe we were friends long ago [in another life]?
Jomy: [grinning] Or maybe we were enemies.
Keith: But we did get to see each other again.
Offscreen: What are you doing?!
Jomy: Sorry, I’m coming! [RUNS OFF]
Jomy: Oi! You should join us, too!
Keith: O-okay!
Jomy: Let’s go! [KICKS A SOCCER BALL THAT… BECOMES THE EARTH, IDK.]
… I actually like the “Or maybe we were enemies” A LOT. It’s… I don’t know, it’s just a confirmation that a bit of cheekiness that shows up through the series - “Jomy, do you have a goodbye to share with the class?” “That shot was definitely not off-sides”; “I’ve caught you :3”; etc. - is still there EVEN THROUGH REINCARNATION. Rad.
In the manga, it goes differently and less gayly.
I typed up the translation once, but didn’t save it. The gist of it is that Jomy and Physis meet each other again. Their conversation goes something like “Holy crap you have my memories!” “I’ll never leave you again!” More imagery of Jomy kicking a soccer ball planet.
This fits into the larger context of painting the Mu in general -- and Jomy in particular! -- as perpetual children. The Mu are people who failed their "adulthood examination" or didn't make it through the ceremony that makes them an adult and gives them a place in society. Their leaders are always young. They stand in contrast and opposition to the adulthood of the "Mother Network." The anime has four episodes of relentless Peter Pan imagery, the most smack-you-over-the-head moment of which is Shiroe constantly referring to Jomy as Peter Pan. But yeah, the Mu are a band of Lost Boys and Physis is their Wendy. Jomy's boyish moments are part of a larger theme.
***
Alright, so I’ve established my thoughts on Jomy’s continuing childlikeness. Despite being thirty-something mentally, he’s not really a thirty-year-old. He refused to grow up and fought to not grow up. He’s still a boy hero, with the memories of a Pleasantville-like, very normal childhood and the experience of leading an entire people to war.
And the thing is, post series and on an awesome Terra, Jomy isn’t stuck in that righteous blazing determination mode. He’s taken the Mu to Terra, destroyed the SD System, protected the Earth, fulfilled Blue’s wish. It’s all good (except that barrier which he would like to take down, but seriously, I’m not going to play “Jomy smashes into the barrier” every day. Assume he does it a different way on a regular basis).
In light of that, my characterization is drawn really heavily from the Nazca arc. It’s a good parallel to camp: a nice but not ideal situation, a small group of people trying to make a living. The enthusiasm, love, playfulness, doofiness (“SOLDIER WHY DIDN’T YOU NAME THE PET YOU HAD FOR TEN YEARS” “… I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT, GUYS”), mediator-ness, dedication, occasional bits of anger (“YOUR MIND IS LIKE A MACHINE ADHS;KFAHSDF WHY DUDE WHY,” alternately “STOP MAKING ME LEARN HISTORY GEEZ >(”), and protectiveness he shows in those chapters/episodes I think is a good baseline for a Jomy who’s learned to be a leader, but isn’t trying to lead the Mu through a crisis. However! I’m also pulling from earlier in the timeline a little bit (in threads that are very “normal life”) and from later in the timeline a bit more.
tl;dr I am playing less serious business than at the end of the series. When Jomy isn’t in a crisis, more non-crisis personality will show. Also, I hope to express the underlying childlike aspect that the manga shows explicitly during the trip to Terra, and that both the anime and manga demonstrate via the epilogues. I… actually think the juxtaposition between “normal fourteen-year-old with a classic childhood” and “super psychic rebel leader” is really cool. So I will play with it.
The end.