(Update – 15 Dec 2002) I’ve recently discovered Xavier Amet’s site for Avalon, though unfortunately it’s entirely in French. He has an analysis page in the very similar vein to this page. He also has a theory about the movie that certainly seems a very credible interpretation. It goes likes this…
He discusses the film in terms of three worlds, the first is the Avalon war game, the second life outside the first, and the third is Class Real. The first is clearly within the game, and I think that’s beyond anyone’s doubt. Class Real is also within the game – the disappearence of Murphy’s body confirms it. That leaves us considering the second. There are many anomalies in the second, and careful use of colour to carry suggestions. Xavier concludes that this second world is also within Avalon – a sort of lounge away from the war zone. I won’t summarise his whole justification, but will just echo four of his points.
First, the blank keyboards, and the empty pages in the books. Xavier reasons that if we are still in game at this point then they do not need any detail. From a game player’s perspective all you need to is “use keyboard” or “read book” – it’s not important whether you see the key legends or the individual words to accomplish the action and advance the gameplay.
Second, the Ghost at the hospital. Xavier reasons that this is Avalon either having a little fun with Ash by inserting the Ghost there, or I would add the alterative idea that it’s all part of Bishop’s plan to have Stunner get Ash hooked on Class SA – with Bishop knowing Stunner would send Ash to the hospital, the Ghost’s appearance could have been planned.
Third, the disappearing dog. Xavier notes that the noises of the dog are exactly the same as the previous time when Ash returns to her apartment the time that the dog is about to disappear. He concludes therefore that Ash’s growing interest in Class SA simply causes the dog to slip out of her interest in the game.
Finally, there’s the repetitive nature of the outside world… always the same tramcar, the same people, people and sky unmoving… Xavier makes the point that they do not move because Ash is not showing any interest in them but then takes the idea further suggesting that the game has only a limited simulation of the outside world, and with the meat of the game in the war game, and Class Real in development there’s no reason to make it any better.
Having developed these theories, Xavier is then able to put forward a theory about the statues seen in the final flashback which leads to his take on the film’s ending. When we first see the fighting cherubs, there is a clear victor for only one has its head. He reasons that this represent’s the game’s control over its players. In Class Real we see two heads, which he suggests is now symbolising that in Class Real there is a second source of power in rivalling the game. He considers that this is Ash after her epiphany of realising that Class Real truly is still part of the game, for all its vivid colours and ambient life, and that at this point she knows she inside the game and can make the choice to leave it or remain in Class Real.
There is no completion of Class Real as such… if Ash stayed there she would access the war game from the terminal in her ‘apartment’ (like Bishop) retiring to Class Real to rest instead of the older lounge level of the game. However, Ash realises it is a game now, and can choose to exit Class Real and return to normal life.
Even with this interpretation, the final ‘Welcome to Avalon’ is open to debate. In Xavier’s hypothesis it’s one more twist on levels of reality as Ash leaves the game and enters a level she left a long time ago… or perhaps cannot return to having long since become an Unreturned – with this interpretation Ash has been in VR for the whole film. If we assume that Ash does leave the game, this looks like Oshii having one more shot at making us question just how real is the world that we are leaving Avalon (the film) and going back to.
If your French is up to it, Xavier’s analysis page (and indeed the rest of his site) is welll worth a visit.