Deconstructing Dilandau Part 2

...I sure hope you've seen through Episode 26 if you're reading this...
(if not, Turn back! Turn back! - or it's your loss)

Things start to fall apart for the Zaibach Empire in the last several episodes of the series. For Dilandau, however, things fall apart after Episode 14, when it becomes clear just how emotionally fragile he really is, and how much he depended on the DragonSlayers.

Dilandau is never the same after the loss of his personally-chosen "surrogate family" and support system. This is something even Isaac/Dornkirk's Madoushi (sorcerer-scientists) cannot "fix". (It's really sad to watch - he's a shadow of his former self, spending his time drunk and/or dazed, and only coming sort of "alive" in battle. He's in serious manic-depressive mode - especially the depressive part.) But, the writers of the series are not done with Dilandau. His tortured past comes back to haunt him...

In one heck of an ingenious plot twist, Dilandau is (was, will be) actually a blue-eyed girl. He/she is Allen Schezar's long-lost sister.

Celena Schezar, the younger sister of Allen (by 6 years), was abducted from her family about 10 Earth years before the start of the series (at approximately the Terran age of 5), and used as one of the test subjects in early "fate alteration" experiments.

Why experiments on kidnapped children? Folken, a former Madoushi, claims he was not involved (I suppose we oughta believe him, since he had only just joined Zaibach about that time), but he says that Dornkirk and other Madoushi apparently conducted these tests in order to more fully understand "the destiny of men" and how to control it.

Why Celena Schezar? The series does not answer this, but the most likely explanation is Dornkirk's anger against her father, Leon Schezar, for denying him even in death the secret of the Atlantean's Mystic Valley (the missing key pages from Leon's journal, Episode 17...) Perhaps Dornkirk could no longer get revenge against Leon, but retaliation against the Schezar family probably gave him a twisted sort of satisfaction.

No information is given as to the fate (ha ha) of other test subjects, but apparently the experiments on Celena were a huge success. Her "destiny was altered" to the point of physically transforming her into a boy, who then acquired the name of Dilandau Albatou. One can only guess what the rest of Celena/Dilandau's childhood must have been like, being "raised" by the (possibly pedophilic and certainly sadistic) Madoushi (or, probably, whoever they chose for that job - not Jajuka!) to become a military expert and a ruthless killer. It likely wasn't pretty.

OBSERVATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS and SPECULATION ON CELENA'S FUTURE
all MHO, of course...
(Sorry if this gets technical, even though I rewrote it to be "more accessible" after my preteen DragonSlayer daughter complained.)
Jan/02, CerenaX

Celena must have been a strong-willed child to start with, to survive such treatment as well as she/he did. Despite Allen's flashbacks of the adorable little girl with a bouquet of flowers, I think she may also have been a headstrong child who was just as capable of throwing one heck of a tantrum if she didn't get her way. (I happen to have a small daughter just like that, as a matter of fact: - sweet, loving and gentle, but also fierce, independent and thoroughly bone-headed.) This kid is a survivor. I doubt the Madoushi could done such a successful "fate alteration" on her personality without Celena already having latent potential for becoming the "psycho-boy" we all know and love. (It would take a horrible upbringing too, of course.)

Physically changing Celena into a boy clearly did not follow usual Earth transgender methods, since she can spontaneously revert (Episodes 22, 24, 26). However, Dilandau's psychological state is perfectly explainable as a case of Dissociative Identity Disorder (or "DID" - see below). His/her problem accessing memories between Dilandau and Celena is also typical of DID, or perhaps the Madoushi even used some form of memory suppression drugs. (In Episode 22, Celena seems to have been pushed into a mental state more appropriate to a 2-year-old; 5-year-olds do not try to eat garden snails!)

At the end of the 'Escaflowne' TV series, Dilandau has physically changed back to Celena again, possibly permanently. Celena's memory suppression/DID seems still to be in effect, however. She appears bewildered at finding herself on a battlefield in Dilandau's uniform, she clings to her brother Allen, and she acts as if she's never seen Escaflowne before ("A white dragon!"-). What little we see of her after that still seems bland, empty and childlike, indicating that the 15-year-old may still have very little memory of her life beyond age 5.

Barring evidence to the contrary, it looks like the creators of the TV show intended a simple, satisfactory, "Band-Aid" ending: "Dilandau turns back into a sweet, gentle girl, is now going to stay that way, Happily Ever After, The End". That whole wonderful personality which made Dilandau so interesting is just erased. :-(

From a psychologist's standpoint, Celena (or even Dilandau) cannot be a complete person unless the full complement of her memories are recovered (which would cause her anguish, but hey...) This means her two identities would have to be REINTEGRATED into one. The current 'Celena' identity has the self-control, conscience and compassion that Dilandau lacked, but she's missing her willpower, drive and charisma (as well as her obstinacy and other "Dilandau" traits - which would give her real depth and personality.) Locked somewhere within her brain, Celena still has Dilandau's memories, likes and dislikes, brashness and other personality quirks, and all of Dilandau's fighting skills. Those are not someone else's, those are hers. Even though he seems to be one, Dilandau is not a separate person.

Celena fanfiction, of course, takes off in all sorts of directions both realistic and magical (not inappropriate, since the "science" of Gaea seems already well-integrated with magic.) The most common scenarios (and mix 'n match between 'em) that I can recall offhand are:

Now, I'm NOT out to knock the fanfiction here. I enjoy reading many kinds of well-crafted (that's a key term) fanfic (including all of the above), even if I might not always agree with their premises. Why shouldn't there be at least as many "tribute" versions of fictional characters as there are fans writing fiction? These characters ought to have many alternate universes - they're too much fun.

To me it seems, however, that much as many fans like Celena, they really want to keep Dilandau at arm's length. (OK, so he was a dangerous person, but still!) Do we have to settle for a non-threatening, super-uke, sweetie-pie, Hitomi-like Celena? Is it really so hard to conceive of a Celena identity reintegrated with Dilandau's, and in her own body? Gender matters less than many people think. (And why should only boys get to have the fun?) Why can't she have one complete and integrated personality, the "Celena-type" impulses tempering and keeping the "Dilandau-type" impulses in line? (Gods know, *some of us* live like that every day...)

There is plenty of precedent for strong, "tomboyish", attitude-y female characters who may even really like combat, but still have compassion and a conscience (anyone else seen 'Xena, Warrior Princess'? Celena could seriously "out-Xena" Xena.) They may not be the average woman in our world (and maybe even less so on patriarchal Gaea), but trust me, they DO exist. And if anyone's a good candidate, Celena/Dilandau is. The world already has enough Hitomis.

I also highly doubt that spending two-thirds of her life and all those formative years behaving as a boy in Zaibach can be dismissed so lightly - "All that we were raised to be is part of who we are"(1).

With the above in mind, I think a reintegrated Celena seems to have excellent potential for a future career as a tormented, rebellious, distrustful and independent anti-hero (look it up: this term does NOT mean "bad guy".) Especially if she can get out from under the oppressive thumb of her overprotective, controlling brother Allen. If even the amiable, love-struck Hitomi had a problem with his behavior, I really doubt Celena would stand for it once she "regains her senses" - and I doubt Allen could stop her. Besides, IMHO, it would be a real shame to let her hard-won martial arts skills (which she would not have acquired in a typical Asturian gentlewoman's upbringing) go to waste.

(Hmm, if you're wondering whether I've been working on fanfiction along these lines, the answer is "yes"... and I'd like to see other writers address it too.)

(Yes, I know I'm biased, but I think finding out that "Mr. Control Freak" Allen Schezar ("I'll never let you out of my sight again!") is your big brother would be a Fate Worse Than Death for Dilandau... ;-) )

(In the "Mess With Your Mind" department: If Dilandau does indeed have a "yaoi-type" interest in his DragonSlayers, how do we now qualify his/her sexual identity? Gay? Het? Bi? This definitely falls under the category of "Does Gender Really Matter?"...)

(And all this said, this is probably more intellectual effort than should be devoted to an animé, which exists, after all, for entertainment purposes. "Hey, self, what's with the rant on realism? It's a TV show! It's only a fantasy!" Ah, well ;-) ...)

DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER
with italics as it may relate to Celena/Dilandau
...for the scholarly types among you...
(I didn't write this. Much of it was condensed from a few rather wordy brochures, and is used here for reference purposes only. Yes, I did spend too much time in my parents' library ;-) )

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder) is a fairly common effect of severe trauma at a sensitive developmental stage of childhood (usually before the age of nine). In our culture the most frequent causes of DID are extreme physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse, but survivors of other kinds of childhood trauma (such as natural disasters, invasive medical procedures, war, and torture) have also reacted by developing DID. There is also evidence that people with trauma disorders have higher rates of alcoholism and abusiveness. (Dilandau drinks and hits people frequently, doesn't he?)

When faced with repeated, overwhelming, "hopeless" circumstances from which there is no physical escape, a child may resort to "going away" (dissociating) in his or her head (which may result in a "memory gap"-). It is an extremely effective defense against acute physical and emotional pain, or anticipation of that pain. Thoughts, feelings, memories, and perceptions of the traumatic experiences can be "separated off", allowing the child to function as if the trauma had not occurred.

DID is often referred to as a highly creative survival technique. Over time, however, defensive dissociation can become reinforced and conditioned. Because the escape is so effective, children who are very practiced at it may automatically use it whenever they feel threatened or anxious. Repeated dissociation may result in a series of separate entities, or mental states, which may eventually take on identities of their own. These entities may become the internal "personality states," of a DID system. (Of course, it is unusual for most people to physically change gender along with personality state ;-) )

People with DID can hold highly responsible jobs. To those with whom they interact daily, they appear to function normally.

People with DID may experience any of the following: depression, mood swings, suicidal tendencies, sleep disorders (insomnia, night terrors, sleep walking), panic attacks and phobias (flashbacks, reactions to stimuli or "triggers"), alcohol and drug abuse, obsessive behavior, psychotic-like symptoms (including auditory and visual hallucinations), and eating disorders. In addition, individuals with DID may experience headaches, amnesia, time loss, trances, and "out of body experiences." Some people with DID have a tendency toward self-sabotage or even violence (self-inflicted and/or outwardly directed).

Yes and no. A person diagnosed with DID has within herself two or more entities, or alternate personality states, each with its own independent way of relating, perceiving, thinking and remembering about herself and her life. Although these alternate personality states may appear to be very different, they are all manifestations of a single person.

Yes. Dissociative disorders are quite responsive to "talk therapy" as well as other treatments including medication, hypnotherapy, etc. In fact, among comparably severe psychiatric disorders, DID may be the condition that carries the best prognosis, if proper treatment is undertaken and completed. The course of treatment is intensive and painful, as it generally involves remembering and reclaiming the dissociated traumatic experiences.

(1) "No matter when it happens, it's always a surprise
To look to you for love and see old shadows in your eyes.
I never tried to hurt you, but that matters not a damn
If you cannot see the who of me behind the thing I am.

The pattern of the injury is written in the scar
All that we were raised to be is part of who we are."

From "Part of Who We Are", lyrics ©1999 by Catherine Faber of "Echo's Children" www.echoschildren.org
(I doubt Cat had Celena/Dilandau in mind when she wrote this, but it sure fits)

DECONSTRUCTING DILANDAU, PART 2 - THE SPOILER SECTION