UlasanAnime.com – The common saying in the US domestic firearm ownership and regulation debate, “guns don’t kill people, people do,” largely holds true. However, the reality is far more complex than this simple statement suggests. This complexity is likely why I’ve remained engaged with Jormungand; despite its ostensibly straightforward narrative about a weapons runner and her deadly enterprise, the anime tackles the grim and realistic issues at its core with surprising nuance.
In a way, it reminds me of Patlabor. Just as a police squad piloting giant robots is outside our usual realm of realistic association, so too is an international arms dealer operating with a heavily armed mercenary gang, fending off both private and public threats through stings and assassination attempts. Of course, the illegal buying and selling of weapons is a very real-world problem, regardless of scale. But how many of us are truly familiar with the high-stakes world of selling to rogue governments, where half the merchandise is logistical, like UAVs and radar arrays? Or the fact that HCLI utilizes its own satellite network for third-party logistical support? This aspect feels very reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid, and perhaps that’s where we can draw a connection to Jormungand‘s world.
To make the narrative compelling, Jormungand, as expected, provides genuine sob stories, most notably through the character of Jonathan. We see how Koko recruited a diverse group of individuals from various armed forces, not only for their expertise and specialties but also because they joined her for their own personal reasons. The same is true for the profiles of Koko’s antagonists and allies. Jonathan, however, stands out as the anomaly. Similarly, Koko herself is an outlier, even among other arms dealers. This is where the show dedicates attention to how the lives of these two characters often teeter on the precipice of the debate surrounding war and peace, particularly concerning the role of weapons and the human condition.
Of course, all of this makes sense until Valmet is introduced. She represents the “Black Lagoon” element within Jormungand. In a sense, she embodies the action-fan service, Hollywood-style (think Rambo) otaku material, and it’s unclear how she fits into the narrative beyond rounding out the psychological profile of Koko’s gang. It’s akin to how a harem anime requires a tsundere character.
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I am also rather pleased that Jormungand did not entirely adopt the approach of Lord of War, which strikes me as disingenuous at best. Perhaps this is because, at its core, Jormungand is an otaku anime that is pro-guns and pro-conservative values, aligning with the sentiment that guns don’t kill people, people do. However, the series dedicates considerable time to showcasing the horrific actions perpetrated by people wielding guns, while simultaneously prompting viewers and characters alike to question why these individuals act as they do, and whether the world would be a better place without figures like Koko and her wares. The first season even featured arcs driven by the delusions of power held by local warlords, fueled by their ownership of these weapons. In the second season, the anime further probes what people without guns do to kill others. Thus, my inevitable conclusion is: yes, both guns and people kill people.
This, I believe, is fundamentally one of the deeply ingrained problems in post-war Japan. The nation’s pacifism, coupled with an aggressively conservative stance, can drive people to extremes. To counter this, Jormungand employs its signature manga-style humor, a blend of irony and self-deprecation. For instance, the CIA director is treating them to Five Guys. And to an impoverished, pre-teen mercenary from a war-torn Central Asian wasteland, is this their first experience with such a burger? Is it time to break out the Super Deformed style? While not outright hilarious, this humor connects the audience to the underlying issues with remarkable succinctness, avoiding grand pronouncements that might trigger our jaded sensibilities.
It certainly surpasses the narrative of Setsuna F. Seiei.
