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'Those Wrinkles are What Allow Us to Think'

posted 12 years ago by denny7777
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When that one army girl jokingly says "Maybe it could iron the wrinkles out of people's brains so they aren't so stupid" or something like that, and then Commander Amarao replies by saying something like "Those wrinkles in our brain are what allow us to think", this is true if looked at simply from a physiological perspective,

but -- is there a deeper metaphor here?

My first thought was that the "wrinkles" are actually a metaphor for problems and imperfections in life. The purpose of 'thinking', the reason the phenomenon of 'thought' exists, is for solving problems and overcoming obstacles in life.

If there were no uncertainty, no improbability, then our brain would have nothing to think about, nothing to work towards... We would be thoughtless machines.

What do you guys think? Did any of you think this too? Perhaps someone who has watched this series more than me could give more insight into other parts of the show that hint towards an underlying philosophical theme (I've heard a lot of people say the 'theme' of the series is about growing up and acting your age, but I think there's more than just that).

Push the envelope, watch it bend

[–] !!!deleted!!! (4524359) 11 years ago

She could have just been completely literal about it. It would still hold true in a sense if that's the case. Wrinkles refering to the cerebral cortex. It is full of folds and "wrinkles". It is what enables us to be as intelligent as we are. It DRASTICALLY increases the surface area.

[–] robot_rollcall 11 years ago

Something like that, I think. We iron out our clothes to get rid of the wrinkles because we want to look professional (like an adult), but children's clothes tend to be more wrinkly because they're going outside and playing and don't have to look good to hold up a job or anything. So if you look at it that way, ironing out the wrinkles represents a transition into adulthood.

But here's another point. Naota believes that being an adult means being cool and aloof, but all the adults around him appear to be more childish than he is (most of the time). Naota wants to get rid of his wrinkles, but the adults all want their wrinkles back because they miss being kids. Or something like that.

Naota does a lot of adult things while still being a kid. He saves the world by "swinging the bat" (overcoming his fears), he leaves home to go on the run with Haruko, he confesses his love, and by choosing Haruko over Amarao, he shows that he can make his own decisions, think for himself, and stand up to the consequences of his actions. All while keeping his wrinkles. So, in the end, Naota realizes that adulthood is what you make of it. I think.

Just repeat to yourself "It's just a show, I should really just relax."

[–] celavie77 11 years ago

Actually, on the commentary for the dvd, the, I think it was the director, said something similar, that those wrinkles are what make us unique and part of the show is kind of about how wonderful it is to be yourself, to be whacky like Haruko, or for Naoto to accept that he's a kid, and all that, and that we shouldn't iron out our wrinkles, and all try to be adults too early like Naoto and Hinomori were trying to at first.

But he also said that that wasn't their original intention, that the massive iron was just supposed to be a cool design and that idea only came in later and ended up working really well. I think the main point is that it's all implicit and it can mean whatever you want it to, but I like your interpretation.