The defining trait of masculinity is release.
It isn’t just the release that comes from ejaculation, it’s any sort of instantaneous and fleeting outburst. The act of hitting or shooting someone is a form of release, as one’s anger is physically released and spilled upon someone else. They tend to speak up more in public, spewing out their words regardless of whether anyone wants to hear them. We like to solve problems, because the idea of something lingering that could be completed grates on us on a spiritual level. We seek justice and retribution because it’s a release of our ethical frustrations.
We seek that moment of completion, most likely because only in those moments do we feel complete. The work to reach that moment is agonizing, and the aftermath is depressing because that sensation is fleeting. It’s only in that moment where we’re completely devoid of purpose– between beginnings and endings– that men feel truly human.
That may make love the opposite of what the masculine side of things truly seeks.
Love isn’t the moments of release, but the valuing of all the other moments before and after. Love isn’t the act of saying “I love you,” yet another moment of emotional release. Love is valuing the time you aren’t expressing those feelings, because it’s those moments of longing and denial of release that prove you love someone. That person makes you want that moment of release more than anyone else, and gives purpose to those moments where you aren’t whole.
That’s why Ryo’s wrong in saying the devils can’t experience love. They may be beasts of the flesh and consumed with desires for violence and consumption, but they’re also beasts who find purpose in those moments where that hunger dominates. Silene found purpose in her longing for Amon, and Kaim found purpose in aiding Silene despite her rejections. They find shared release when they combine their power to battle Devilman, but that moment only has meaning because of the longing and despair that leads to that release.
SHIN MECHA GUIGNOL 