Ask John: Why Does the Drill Appear so Often in Anime?

Question:
Okay, first of all, I see a lot of drills in Japanese anime/games. Examples are Gurren Laggan, Drill Dozer (for GBA), and the Kurogane’s drill on its bow from SRWOG. Don’t get me wrong, drills can be awesome, but what’s the trend?

Answer:
I’ve never encountered an analysis of why the drill is such an iconic image symbol in Japanese pop culture, so I’ll have to speculate a bit. Even though a drill arm isn’t exceptionally common among anime robots, it has become an archetypical giant robot appendage, probably due to early giant robots like Getter-2 from 1974’s Getter Robo, and Batarak from 1977’s Chojin Sentai Baratack. This traditional association of drills and giant robots also appears in contemporary examples like Dorothy-1 from The Big O, Koutetsu Shin Jeeg, and Gurren Lagann. The drill theme extends beyond just giant robots in the 1999 D4 Princess anime television series which told the story of “drill princess” Doris Ruridou, and the mid 2000’s “net idol” character “L-tan,” a cute little girl dressed in black and red who carried a large hand drill. The drill also appears in video games such as Dig Dug, Mr. Driller, Screw Breaker (known in America as “Drill Dozer”), and Gurumin. And the drill appears in live action Japanese films in special effects fantasies including the Mogera mecha from Chikyu Boeigun (1957) and the Gotengo submarine from Kaitei Gunkan (1963), and in art house, alternative Japanese cinema like Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo (1989).

Considering that many of the earliest examples of drills appearing in Japanese fantasy film came in titles targeted at children, it may be safe to presume that the drill was meant to recollect construction equipment. Children, especially small boys, tend to be fascinated by heavy construction machinery including bulldozers, cranes, and forklifts. The implementation of the giant drill may have been natural because it serves as a weapon that children can relate to and enjoy seeing.

The drill as a weapon may also have a resonant impact because it serves as a transition from the weapons of traditional Japan into the modern era. The powered drill is a thrusting weapon similar to a sword or spear, but it’s also electrical powered, unlike a traditional sword or spear. In effect, the drill can symbolize a combination of ancient and modern technology.

The unforgettable “penis drill” of Shinya Tsukamoto’s subversive art film Tetsuo, however, forces some further consideration. The use of drill imagery in order to appeal to children cannot be reconciled with this example, so there must be more to the explanation than just an attempt to appeal to children. In Tetsuo, as well as in the current Gurren Lagann anime, the drill represents an explosive breakthrough – a violent bursting out from oppression into freedom and honesty to the self.

In virtually every case in which it appears, the drill imagery represents self determination and even self-actualization. The drill is a means by which someone bores ahead toward a goal.