A Spell Called Mystery

“The greatest legends are all shrouded in ambiguity. It seems the imagination is more captivated by the unknown. People are simply more inclined to build up in their own minds that which they cannot see or that which have multiple incarnations. Look at how they fear the Devil and revere God. With mystery comes colossal power.”

~ Suzuka, Yu Yu Hakusho episode 50

In the context of the episode, this quote is really more of a joke since it’s being delivered by a ridiculous clown who considers himself the world’s best artistic masterpiece. It was pretty amusing and I love how eloquent it is, but anyways…

While I do believe that mysteries have a kind of power that can enchant us and captivate the imagination, I think perhaps it’s not quite the kind of power Suzuka had in mind. Mysteries can make us curious and drive us to seek out answers or draw up new ideas, but it seems to me like great legends are shrouded in mystery because we want them to be. Sometimes, people don’t always want to know the real truth because the dreams are just so much more interesting. And rather than being fascinated by legends because of their mysteries, I think perhaps the legends become shrouded in mystery because we want them to be mysterious. I guess in that case, the clown would have things the wrong way round.
I’ve also noticed that, at least from an audience’s perspective, too much mystery in a story can really cripple one’s sense of interest. Great, shadowy bad guys who practically don’t seem to exist because they’re so “mysterious” are really more boring than anything. It’s hard to get excited about something when you really don’t know anything—and have no desire to find out enough to want to know more. I wonder if that’s why, when I’m at the library, it feels like every other book I randomly pull off the adult shelves is a murder mystery. It’s the quickest way to create a mystery where people actually want to know more, like the identity of the killer and maybe why they did it. It’s kind of sad really.

Don’t get me wrong though. I love mystery stories. It’s just always, like everything else, a matter of balance.