This post, as did the other Aldnoah.Zero post, contains spoilers.
Inaho Kaizuku, the main character, is established early in the series as a
stoic yet dominant presence, though seeing him standing in his pajamas in
episode one of the show may not reveal that.The viewer’s first introduction
into his behavior is watching Inaho cook eggs. This task is rote but at the
same time it reveals how emotionless and indifferent Inaho seems at first. His sister
Yuki Kaizuka stumbles in half asleep and he offers her food in a monotone
voice. Yuki is a solider at a base in Shin-Awara. Then he tells her how to
reach her work exactly on time, an action that both suggests logic and
something beyond it. Inaho on the other
hand makes it to the bus with ease. Our first introduction to Inko Amifuma
comes from the bus ride: Inko makes sure to clearly declare her confidence that
she can beat Inaho on the midterm tests, reflecting her determination. Despite this confidence, Inko is quite fond of Inaho (as shown below). Both
Inko and Yuki are thus quite important to Inaho, even though he is notoriously
unemotional.
Figure 1. Inko hugging Inaho in Aldnoah.Zero, though he does not hug her back.
Following the end of episode
twelve, the season finale, Inaho is mortally wounded and left to bleed to
death. Inko, upon making this unfortunate discovery (as shown below), lets out a bloodcurdling
scream that fills the room – growing dismayed, she crouches to the ground with
hands touching the floor. Yuki, having heard the commotion, rushes over. Being
overcome with emotion, Inko tries to explain what happened but she stutters;
the situation before them is, however, quite apparent. A role reversal of gender
occurs when Yuki and Inko save Inaho’s life.Though rationality is traditionally
prized in such sitauations, this reversal reveals the power of an overtly
emotional response in a tense situation.
Inko and Yuki carry Inaho to Dr. Yagarai, who they
beseech for help (as shown to the left). This action
constitutes a full role reversal because in media often the male saves the
female, not the other way around. Such a mythic view embodies the assumption
that women are weaker than men and require saving in a linear, one-way fashion.
Men, at least in the codified gender description, do not need saving. But, quite logically one might add, Inaho is
incapable of any such actions at the moment. A complicating factor is the
danger present on any true battlefield, where an enemy combatant could attack
them, which makes saving Inaho brave. Though the idea is simple, Inko and Yuki’s
act of courage suggest the strength of human beings – not men or women – in saving
other human beings. The doctor is
shocked (presumably because Inaho is such a great tactician). Yuki calmly but
in a serious tone further mentions that Inaho sustained damage to the left
temporal (think: eye) region of his skull, a fact that requires careful
consideration of the situation. The doctor then states that he requires immediate
surgery and a blood transfusion.
Inko lets his worry
flash more visibly on her face (as shown to the right), however. She begs the doctor to save Inaho in a
voice revealing her status as on-the-verge-of-tears. Now that Inaho is in the
doctor’s capable hands, she can process the emotions – well, more fully –
instead of worrying about how to proceed. Though a strictly rational response
to communicate and clarify problems and their solutions, the emotional
response, though perhaps delayed until a safe time of expression, plays a very important
role in preventing the accumulation of hurt feelings. Here the role reversal
seems to have paved the way merely for a return to standard gendered expression
– a girl worried and on the verge of tears – the scene implies something more
powerful. Though such conventions are indeed met, Inko’s actions reflect an
outpouring of emotion that allows her to make sense of the situation and cope. Consider
the opposite: stoically tying oneself to logic and concealing strong emotions
as far as possible. Such an act may sustain one through the event but is
ultimately unsustainable; a release of emotion, a catharsis functions to save
oneself from undue emotional burden, so forgoing it brings negative
consequences. Emotional catharsis also fundamentally constitutes expression, an
essential part of any individual. Now, stoicism is not terrible and should not
be viewed in such a monochromatic manner; but being stoutly stoic even in the
face of great turmoil is unfeasible and undesirable. 
In an act that reflects the growing distress painted
on her face, Inko drops onto her knees and cries loudly in a room-filling
manner (as shown to the left). Such crying is not a simple release of tears due to sadness but a full-blown
response to something truly undesired and lachrymose. Transcendence of
crying-into-a-pillow maximally. Works of art often opt to depict crying as an
act of weakness, something not performed by the often male protagonists. But crying, when reflecting a dire emotion
truly, is very powerful and taps into the viewer’s feelings, despite diffusing
across a screen. Similar examples where a scene is made beautiful in the
release of emotion come from both The
Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Rewrite
to name a few instances. In the latter, Kotori Kanbe – or rather Chiwa Saitou,
her voice actor – cries out intensely in grave distress for over a minute,
after coming to the conclusion that her entire life may have been for naught. Such
instances of crying in media reveal its power, though the action is often
subdued, framed as ineffective and womanly, or quite simply not present. 
Now Yuki, who had been fighting back intense
emotions regarding her brother’s violent wounds, lowers her head and begins
crying before raising her head again (as shown to the right). Immediately prior, the strip with words
of encouragement aimed at Inaho is revealed to still be in his belt, albeit
with blood (as shown below). Likely this revelation served as a tipping point. Similar to Inko,
Yuki is clearly coping with her emotion through crying – through emotional
release. This scene is made powerful and beautiful as a result of seeing both
Inko and Yuki, following their rescue of Inaho, break down into tears and try
to accept the situation, while showing their affection for Inaho. Likewise,
Kotori’s route was made especially compelling in the aforementioned scene. Thus, crying and the more broad category of “overtly
emotional response” reflect the characters’ feelings and desires and carry them
to the viewer very effectively. 
Figure 2. A note Yuki gave Inaho prior to the battle that reads "Nao, do your best!" The note is now partially bloodstained. Nao is the nickname Yuki has given her brother.
Aldnoah.Zero. Dir. Ei Aoki. Perf. Natsuki Hanae, Mikako Amatsu, and Sayaka Ohara. A-1 Pictures + TROYCA. 2014-2015. Anime.
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