From its opening moments, Gachiakuta is steeped in resentment. In a world divided between, essentially, the haves and the have-nots, the former category treats the latter with nothing but disdain. In Gachiakuta , this version of classism is taken into very visually metaphorical territory. The have-nots live in a land where the wealthy literally discard whatever they deem to be trash, even if it's still a perfectly good item. The poor commune among it, surviving on the fumes of it that they manage not to choke on. But in this city, one that is treated as the equivalent of a garbage dump, not all is harmonious. As such, Gachiakuta becomes a series about anger itself and the many forms it takes, righteous or otherwise. RELATED: Gachiakuta Episode 1 Recap, “The Sphere” The main character of Gachiakuta is Rudo, a boy with little to rely on but his adopted father, Regto, and the friendship of a few “tribesfolk," like his friend Chiwa. Rudo spends his time fixing broken items that he’s stolen from the trash heaps of the rich, but his ingenuity does not endear him to his peers. Eager for some kind of handhold to grab onto that will, at least mentally, lift them from their dire circumstances, they tease and bully Rudo for his appearance and his hobby (and the punishment that might occur because of it). It is frequently insensitive, but it’s also the product of desperate conditions. The wealthy who live above these slums have the ability to cast the blame on the tribesfolk. It is their privilege to say that “all of our problems would go away if we just didn’t have to deal with them .” The tribesfolk have no such benefit. The indignation cast their way forces them to eat one another if they want to feel powerful. Their misguided anger is the result of a systemic barrier. It doesn’t make it any easier for Rudo that his father was a criminal formerly cast into the Pit, a place where criminals are discarded and left to rot amongst the garbage below. These moral failures of the past are ascribed onto Rudo, with his special gloves (given to him by Regto to ease the pain of a grievous injury) serving as another visual signal. He literally cannot touch the outside world. He cannot fit in it. And when Regto is murdered by a mysterious assassin and the blame is instantly laid on Rudo, the Sphereites and tribesfolk treat this transgression as an inevitability. It’s a disdain that we rarely lay upon the rich or the famous. Their troubles are a stain rather than a pattern. The poor, though? Whatever they get is, according to those above them, likely deserved. RELATED: Gachiakuta Quiz: What Kind of Vital Instrument Would You Have? Before he’s tossed into the Pit as punishment, Rudo scorns both the Sphereite rich and the tribesfolk for doing this to him. Though it would be typically sympathetic to write Rudo with more understanding for those suffering under a rulebook that’s been rigged against him since his birth, he can’t muster it. And in a way, it’s more natural to let the bubbling anger overflow rather than have Rudo present just one more example of his “making good from nothing” nobility. He’s a kid who spends his life in a Robin Hood-esque quest to steal from the rich and provide for the needy. But Robin Hood became a folk hero for his efforts. Rudo remained a pariah. What realistic choice does he have but to lash out? Rudo’s anger is, arguably, directly responsible for his survival, and oddly enough, he finds the most appreciation down in the Pit, aka “The Ground.” There, free from the classism (and class anxiety) that runs so rampant in the Sphere above, his gifts reveal themselves in full fantastical form. He is a “Giver,” able to infuse life into inanimate objects. In a way, being dropped into this hell is actually Rudo’s “chosen one” moment, the turning point where he learns that the things that people previously made fun of him for are actually a source of power. But Rudo refuses to drop his animosity toward those who abandoned him. His revelation is no tempered moral reflection. Instead, he still dreams of revenge. This is all balanced by a society that actually shows emotional openness. As he meets more Cleaners, he becomes accustomed to gestures like apologizing, support among friends, and self-sacrifice. How much of this is totally genuine and how this will impact Rudo’s desire to get even with those in the Sphere is yet to be seen. But we’ve seen his anger evolve before, and I imagine it will again. Gachiakuta is a series defined by rage, how it’s bred in singular people and among other groups. However, with the exception of the rich Sphereites (who still have layers yet to be revealed), it does not lay total blame for the anger on a sole individual. Instead, it’s more complicated than that, which leaves it up to the reader to justify that anger or condemn it. Are all forms of anger worth dropping in the Pit, or are they a part of us that we must come to terms with and dissect on our own? According to Gachiakuta , that choice is up to you.
