If any anthropology or sociology enthusiasts got ahold of dragon striker I’d be so excited to see what their takes are.
The only time I’ve really seen anyone tackle this kind of stuff in a cartoon is in Xenoethnography by Therrea (but that’s from the transformers fandom so it’s not exactly relevant). I feel like the society in Mestras is similar yet different enough from ours that someone could write a meaty essay analyzing it.
Take gorotama, for instance. Most people treat the sport with reverence and anyone with a tama is dying to join in. This isn’t out of nowhere, kids are bombarded with it since childhood. If I wanted to get really conspiracy theorist over it I’d compare it to wartime propaganda. Ofc this doesn’t take place during a war, but it seems like the institutions in power are really pushing for young people to join in. To get drafted. Reminds me of ww1 and 2 where kids were so pumped to go to war they lied about their age to enlist. Obviously not the same as in dragon striker, but it’s similar enough to make me wonder about the implications.
Another instance is how authority is abused at Kal Asterock. If the school worked properly, the goyens would’ve been fired ages ago for their behavior. Ragno (and probably the dragons) would’ve been arrested for attempted murder. Hell, Mara and Surya should be in prison for attempting to strangle a child and telling his students to murder someone (and then attacking him), respectively. But with how everything works at this school, I don’t even think they’re gonna get a slap on the wrist. I think this is a regular occurrence.
I think this is intentional. This is a society that, do a degree, glorifies violence. It glorifies it in a regulated way, where kids are encouraged to beat each other half to death in an arena. They’re not allowed to use their tama outside of this sport, but somehow the adults in this setting are actively encouraging (and participating) in violence. This can’t come from nowhere. I know this is a kids show so the adults are shown as inept on purpose to give the kids a chance to shine, but there’s gotta be a reason for this. The world building is too solid for it to come out of a vacuum.
If I had to compare it to anything I’d compare it to the American school system, which is notorious for failing the kids it’s meant to educate. It encourages kids to join contact sports like rugby or football where the risk of serious injury is high. And who often contacts these kids around graduation? The military.
I don’t think Kal Asterock trains kids for the military, nor do I think the government sends people over to encourage kids to enlist. But I think the culture around gorotama and fighting in general is pointing towards something. Is it a critique on how western culture views sports? How media like shonen anime glorifies violence (not that I’m complaining I love shonen as much as the rest of us but it does raise a point)? On how popular soccer/football is worldwide and how it drives the economy? Or am I thinking that calling the curtains blue means something besides calling them blue? Hell, maybe this was written because some guy wanted to put dragons in rugby and set stuff on fire. For funsies.
I’d love to read a deep dive into this. As someone who’s only taken two anthropology classes I’m probably not the one qualified to do it. But if someone chooses to write their thesis on this please send it my way I’d love to read it.
