Theories on Magase Ai

Jan 27, 2020 1:43 PM

Offline

Aug 2012

Since the anime´s ending didn´t explain her power, I will indulge in some speculation and philosophical theorizing.

What, exactly, is the power of Ai Magase? Alex speech while under her influence would suggest she is the devil, I mean literally Satan (but this explanation would go against the generally realistic tone of the Anime), maybe that´s the point, Ai Magase may be supposed to be just a representation of the idea of evil, you can´t kill evil and therefore, you cannot kill Magase Ai.

But, while Magase may be evil herself, what she was going for, helping Itsuki spread the Suicide Law isn´t necessarily so if you think things through, it is not as bad as one would suggest, of course, the anime´s underlying philosophy is an existentialist one, meaning, it associates life-affirming as good and life-denying as bad, so at first examination, then, the Law would be evil, but the point of Good and Evil is freedom, or rather, there cannot be Good and Evil without choice, without freewill everything would be justified because everything is predetermined by something transcendental.

If I kill a baby under the overwhelming influence of someone else, then it wouldn't be I who would´ve been evil, but the one who influences me, therefore, Good and Evil are inextricably associated with Free Will.

Under current conditions and laws, one cannot choose between the good of life or the evil of death, but if someone conditions Good and Evil, is this substratum, itself, Good or Evil? Neither.

But I'm only assuming what I´ve understood of Babylon´s philosophical message, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Magase Ai was using Itsuki and the Suicide Law so she could "kill" anyone she pleased without being suspected, I mean, if such a law existed on a world in which someone is some kind of supernatural being capable of influencing anyone to do anything, then this would be the perfect cover for this person to do whatever he wanted without repercussions, its the perfect plan and anyone who would´ve got close to the truth would be killed.

But unless there´s an improbable second season we will never know.

Another possibility would be to read to the novel to see if the author explained everything better, I feel the show was very rushed and couldn´t finish the whole narrative arc, maybe the novel can provide a better explanation.

Anyway, that´s it, give me your thoughts.

Jan 27, 2020 2:12 PM

Daniel_Naumov

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Apr 2016

4788

I kinda lost all my motivation after this inconclusive conclusion, so I will just say this - Magase Ai is whatever the author, whose name I forgot and hopefully will never remember, is trying to push as an agenda.
Magase Ai is not real, she cannot hurt you...
But the lack of proper narrative from the creator will.

Oh and apparently this adaptation is most truthful to the original source. Soooooooo... stay strong, there is nothing else to look for.

Daniel_NaumovJan 27, 2020 2:16 PM

Re:formed

Jan 27, 2020 4:22 PM

JoelSavvi

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Mar 2018

Ai Magase is literally meant to be Mystery, The Embodiment of Evil, The Whore of Babylon, The Antichrist. Alex also calls her the Snake in the Garden of Eden.

Different versions of the Bible say different things about The Whore of Babylon for obvious censorship reasons, but one thing that sticks out is this;

17:2 - "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

My understanding is that she uses temptation, sex and idolization to bend the will of men, kings and countries to her will. From what we know of the show, she exhibits all of those behaviors or abilities.

Given her many faces, I feel she may be nothing more than a complex metaphor that infects and corrupts the mind, pushing those "drunk with the wine of her fornication" to commit evil, and in this case the author uses Suicide as the 'evil' device.

Jan 27, 2020 10:01 PM

Haunt88

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Nov 2019

612

Devil? Last I checked the show isn't supernatural

Anyway, I think she's just a mutated being, that emits strong pheromones and obviously because of that she has a few screw loose

Jan 27, 2020 11:35 PM

NakolHira

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Apr 2019

1258

How tf she survived the summit hall I don’t get it

Jan 27, 2020 11:48 PM

Daniel_Naumov

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Apr 2016

4788

JoelSavvi said:
Ai Magase is literally meant to be Mystery, The Embodiment of Evil, The Whore of Babylon, The Antichrist. Alex also calls her the Snake in the Garden of Eden.

Different versions of the Bible say different things about The Whore of Babylon for obvious censorship reasons, but one thing that sticks out is this;

17:2 - "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

My understanding is that she uses temptation, sex and idolization to bend the will of men, kings and countries to her will. From what we know of the show, she exhibits all of those behaviors or abilities.

Given her many faces, I feel she may be nothing more than a complex metaphor that infects and corrupts the mind, pushing those "drunk with the wine of her fornication" to commit evil, and in this case the author uses Suicide as the 'evil' device.

This would have made sense if the suicide was not committed by everyone left and right. Alex Woods found the answer to the "what is good" question, and instantly "snapped" and decided to jump, while clearly saying that he knows what he is doing is wrong. This is an extremely questionable narrative, and the metaphor here makes no sense reality-wise.

Re:formed

Jan 27, 2020 11:59 PM

Azazin

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Aug 2016

121

Just a side note: The whore of Babylon is not actually a person, it's the name early Christians used to describe Rome or the Roman Empire.

AzazinJan 28, 2020 12:03 AM

Ego = 1 / Knowledge | "More the Knowledge Lesser the Ego, Lesser the Knowledge More the Ego." Albert Einstein
My ratings:

Jan 28, 2020 10:53 AM

Madrox

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Aug 2012

YggdraSEED said:
Devil? Last I checked the show isn't supernatural

Anyway, I think she's just a mutated being, that emits strong pheromones and obviously because of that she has a few screw loose

Oh yes, she can even use those pheromones THROUGH telephone.
Yep, not magic at all.

Jan 28, 2020 10:59 AM

cenabet

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Jan 2020

It looks like everyone is focusing on her hypnosis powers and forget her ability to change her appearance at will. She also seem to have some kind of teleportation ability seeing how she can move fast and freely and suddenly appearing in unexpected places. I'd say she is definitely a supernatural being.

Jan 28, 2020 12:19 PM

#10

Romshy

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Dec 2018

Okay that's just something silly that came into my mind but maybe someone thought the same thing or kinda gets what I try to say (sorry for bad grammar and/or spelling, English isn't my first language ).

Maybe she is something like a phantom? She can change her apperance, be everywhere and nowhere, do some weird things with your mind,

and can "controle" people to the point of them killing themselves. No normal human being can do that and with Babylons "realistic" setting it would be kinda weird if a supertatural element would exist in this story (but maybe, how knows).
She symbolises the bad side, a being that actually just exists in the minds of people that drives them crazy with the apperance of a corrupted woman with thousend faces. She is the face of "the bad" and the contrast to Zen, who is the "the good" (tho it can be argued if he really is "good").

And/Or maybe she is just a puppet, a blank space so that the author/brain behinde this story can have something/someone to represent "the bad" with. In an interesting way, in which the viewers may interpret their own story and thoughts about her character into it.

I know my little "theory" has quite a lot of holes (that I myselfe am aware of) and idk if the things I say are even plausible to anyone, and maybe I also forgetting some crucial points here and there, but that's what I gathered after 12 episodes of Babylon.

Jan 28, 2020 5:29 PM

#11

Haunt88

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Nov 2019

612

Madrox said:

Oh yes, she can even use those pheromones THROUGH telephone.
Yep, not magic at all.

I mean, she's in there the summit, for all we know well we know how crazy the president is, so it wouldn't hurt to assume he got convinced to talk alone when he suddenly left his chair

Mar 12, 2020 10:56 PM

#12

YossaRedMage

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Oct 2017

1556

I just finished the show. The more I think about it, I think she is not really a character so much as a metaphor for evil. I think there's lots of ways to interpret how she fits in the story in a physical sense and a metaphorical sense. Either way, and this is probably why so many autistic people have been sent in to such a rage over this show, I definitely don't think she is meant to be logical character.

It's a shame so many people can't appreciate this fantastic show for what it is: Highly symbolic, non-logical, and clearly made to be thought about and interpreted, rather than "understood".

“In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Aggregate scoring is bad for the anime fandom

Dec 29, 2020 4:14 PM

#13

smoledman

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May 2017

355

YossaRedMage said:
I just finished the show. The more I think about it, I think she is not really a character so much as a metaphor for evil. I think there's lots of ways to interpret how she fits in the story in a physical sense and a metaphorical sense. Either way, and this is probably why so many autistic people have been sent in to such a rage over this show, I definitely don't think she is meant to be logical character.

It's a shame so many people can't appreciate this fantastic show for what it is: Highly symbolic, non-logical, and clearly made to be thought about and interpreted, rather than "understood".

Yeah I think of the show more in terms of ideas rather than plot. Magase represents the modern 'whore of Babylon' that is social media Contagion.

Jan 5, 2021 4:20 AM

#14

Sonson7

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May 2020

275

Noisrev said:
Devil? Last I checked the show isn't supernatural

Anyway, I think she's just a mutated being, that emits strong pheromones and obviously because of that she has a few screw loose

Well its actually more of a somewhat realistic take on how people will deal with some unfathomable being that causes men to commit suicide. Its somewhat more akin to Death Note, which deals with the the idea of what if their was this death note and hwhat will people do if they have it.

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