Japanese Visual Culture Blog

This anime was insanely interesting. It’s a bit of a shame that my introduction to it came from a class assignment in peak finals season where Im too busy to dedicate to it the time it truly deserves. But at the same time I don’t think I would have found this anime otherwise. Everything about this anime was so interesting that it’s difficult to know where to start. Initially what first intrigues me was the animation. Despite the characters sometimes looking gross the use of animation to convey emotions such as anxiety, and disconnectedness were so interesting. In Particular, the scenes where Lain’s walking and there's an odd animation that doesn’t fit, or when a scene is cut with an eerie message. The psychedelic nature of some scenes is something I’ve noticed from other forms of Japanese media made from this time. Specifically, a game that was also released in 1998 called LSD: Dream Emulator. Both contain a very trippy, psychedelic, is this reality or is this a dream kind of feeling. What’s even weirder is that the graphics of the video game referenced in the anime look a lot like those from LSD. Although I’m not sure if they're somehow related, on the internet I saw some people also comparing them. Another interesting aspect was the depiction of the internet as some sort of addictive drug. Although the anime obviously depicts extremes, there are still so many commonalities between the relationship characters have with the internet that is seen today. For example I feel like people who put so much of themselves on the internet like youtubers, have the potential of their online persona become who they are. So much so that the boundary between the real you and the you that is shown to your fans gets blurred. And like what was shown in the anime, this kind of relationship with the internet can lead to isolation. You place so much value on those watching you behind a screen that you forget the people in your real life. This is another thing I’ve heard happen to some YouTubers. Albeit I think this is probably a small percentage. Another interesting scene was when a man is shown walking the streets completely decked out in computers and a VR headset. This reminded me so much of how I saw YouTubers testing out the Apple Vision pro headset, going out into cities being physically in the real world while mentally being elsewhere. Overall this anime was such an interesting look into people’s dependence on the internet and how this relationship evolves when real life has fained you. I am definitely going to rewatch this anime over the summer. Despite being made in 1998, the depiction of technology feels like the creators knew exactly what direction it was going in.

This was such an interesting movie. I loved how it made me question what was happening while using the medium of animation to its fullest extent. When I get asked why I prefer animated movies over those with real people, this is why. I love how eccentric, creative, colorful, and jampacked this movie was. I feel like there's so much to analyze that would probably require me to do another hour and a half of research. But I’ll just discuss what I was able to get from my first viewing. First of all, I found Paprika and her office alter ego so interesting. I feel like everyone can relate to the feeling of wanting to act a certain way but not being able to due to real-life responsibilities. That’s what I believe Paprika is to Atsuko. Paprika is what she would be like if she were carefree, confident, and charismatic, but because she’s an adult who lives by society's rules and morals it’s not possible to be this way all the time. I don’t think this is inherently sad, more like it’s a fact of life, that can actually be good. What was interesting was how she was how she was much more liked in her Paprika form than in her normal form. Although people like the cop and the creepy scientist, Osanai, express interest in both her forms, I feel like they still saw her more as an object, or as a side character that revolved around their narrative. The only one who truly likes her in both forms is Tokita. I’m sure there’s some psychological explanation for this that can be found on Reddit, but for now I’m just going to consider it cute opposites attract romance. Although it’s interesting that for her to like him, she needs to look beyond the surface and see who he truly is, and for him he needs to see what's on the outside and care for that as much as he does her insides. I’m phrasing it weird but it's an interesting connection. Beyond that, there’s obviously themes concerning technology and something about taking it to the extremes and the morals of a good idea vs. how it is in practice. But for me, the most captivating thing was Paprika and the dynamic she has with the other versions of herself.

Surprisingly I enjoyed the later half of this show more than the first half. Visually it was pretty funny watching this mole rat talk about creating a revolution, questioning the current hierarchy of power, and wanting to find a messiah to usher in a new era. It felt like a very purposeful parody of Marxism, which was funny to see through the mouth of weird mutated rats. But despite being visually silly what they were saying did have some truth to it. Although they are allowed to be sovereign it’s all at the discretion of the humans and this is echoed by the other creature that covered himself in bat excrement. So I can definitely understand the sentiment of wanting to prosper more. But at the end of the day, rather than equality they actually want to be the head of society. So in that manner, they are just like them despite trying to differentiate themselves from humans. Despite believing that they can do better, they are just perpetuating the same system of violence and oppression that was forced upon them. Beyond this, the usage of the human as a messiah was also an interesting choice. Through this plot point, the show seems to be saying that the only thing that can defeat a domineering power is itself. Rather than through the sheer force of the majority, it has to be someone from within.  Another interesting aspect of this section of the show was the theme of self-identity and how strong it is. It's the reason why the messiah can attack humans, and despite being shown her reflection she still holds onto the belief that she’s a molerat. And later on, after Saki learns of the mole rats' true genealogy she still can not see them as true people. This dynamic demonstrates how ingrained the behavior of categorization and separation is within people.

This anime was surprisingly interesting. Initially from the first episode, I thought it would be somewhat of a creepy and eerie magic-themed anime. And while on some levels it is, I was surprised by how deep the world of this anime is and how truly dark it. There are some hints initially, especially with the main character's mother saying she doesn’t want to lose any more kids, that clue the audience into how dystopian this world is. Initially while watching I didn’t really see any significance in the show. Although I more of less understood the plot and overall thought it was interesting. I just failed to really get into it and see what was meaningful about it. But after reading the Wild Child article about the fear of uncertainty that children hold, I began to understand the anime more in what it was trying to say. Before I just saw the world as a creepy society with a lot of secrets, but afterward I noticed how so much of its efforts were specifically directed towards weeding out what children are/ are not appropriate for society. It’s interesting how the adults of this world seem to accept the crazy way things are for the sake of protecting society. But overall this dynamic demonstrates the power of fear. At the end of the day, this weird world is built on people’s fear of the unknown that is within children. In the real world, I feel like a similar sentiment was also present after instances of school shootings. But obviously killing those who cheat at dodgeball is a bit severe, rather it seems like society has gone the route of promoting therapy. Schools have also promoted the policy of “see something, say something” which encourages people to point out suspicious behavior. Although these policies are born out of fear and prevention, they still don’t go to the extent that they try to tame pretty normal behavior seen in adolescents, like cheating in a game or creating minimal disturbances. Overall I’m excited to see where this show goes and hopefully, I’m able to understand the real purpose of the show from this point forward.

I legitimately have lost track of the plot. It feels like it comes in one ear and out the other but I’ll try to form some coherent thoughts about it. A plot point I thought was interesting was how the male lead tried to give the neets purpose by having them help evacuate people from the missiles. A seemingly nice deed gets contorted into being something far more sinister by others when in reality it really was just a nice thing that was done. I’ve seen similar things occur online where a YouTuber might donate an exorbitant amount of money to a cause, cure blindness, and feed the needy, but there will still be people who believe they are evil. In the case of this anime, it shows how easily people come to conclusions without proper evidence, another common behavior on the internet. Despite the anime being over 10 years old, made in a time when social media had yet to take over communication styles like it has today, its interesting it was able to portray behaviors that have only gotten worse since then. In the case of the neets, it shows how easy society is to reject others. Considering how this was probably the first time these people contributed to society being met with hostility, it definitely demonstrates how tainted people have become. Rather than a love thy neighbor mentality, or people feeling united by shared characteristics or beliefs, it seems like everyone is disconnected. There’s a lack of unity that has led to people viewing people outside of their group as an “other” or a “them” within an us vs. them mentality. Overall I like how this show highlights several issues people face within society, but dislike how the plot creates more questions than it answers.

Overall this show seems interesting, at times the plot feels convoluted as it slowly explains the situation that led to the main guy's memory loss, his role as a “fixer of society”, and overall the state of society. With all these moving parts it felt difficult to keep up with the plot. But the first thing I noticed about the show was how accurately it portrayed America. Unlike Banana Fish, which felt more like a caricature of New York, Eden of the East’s portrayal of Washington DC felt very realistic. Although I didn’t like the portrayal of the police which I felt for the sake of plot progression made them stupid. Like the scene where despite having photo evidence of the male and female lead being suspicious, the cop just immediately believes they must not be the same people after seeing the MC naked. Beyond that, I thought it was interesting how the female lead pointed out how Japan lacks the ability to do anything on its own, which is true considering it relies on the US heavily for protection and is consistently trying to strengthen ties with it and other countries to improve its position on the international stage. In terms of the state of society, the anime makes it seem like the people traditionally in charge have failed the people by failing to create real solutions. The article that was paired with his anime echoes this sentiment as it shows a variety of problems being faced, that in real life fail to be addressed in a meaningful way. In Eden of the East, at least there are people trying to make a change albeit in strange morally grey ways. But overall I would say this dynamic shows how all people are flawed in one way or another, and because of that there will probably be no perfect solution as it is also made by imperfect people.

After seeing the show develop more I think I can firmly say that the show recognizes the fault of the Japanese government for WW2.  This is seen by how the main characters confront those who strongly hold the Empire of Japan’s beliefs. The saved pilot tries to convince the Japanese strategist to leave behind his extreme views and fight for a future of peace rather than domination. But ultimately he doesn’t do this, which I think demonstrates that some are simply guided by feeling better than others. The strategist connects his self-worth to Japan’s successes. In a similar vein, Japan’s motivations for the war were to demonstrate her superiority to other Asian countries. And it was interesting how it was this ego that led both parties to their demise, as the strategist was fooled into believing only he could lead a certain campaign. Another interesting scene was when the rescued pilot explained his plan of forging a new Japan called Zipang. I thought this was pretty unrealistic. Although the whole show is unrealistic, this idea in particular is pretty far off. He didn’t explain how but he seems so sure he’ll be able to convince the government to completely change their policy. And this is brought up later as a character whose name I’ve forgotten points out how the government's fixation on warfare means the only way for Japan to become the peaceful country we consider it today is by losing. Although I agree its still a shame that due to the unwillingness to accept reality, many many people need to die needlessly. But for something to have a profound influence into the future, it needs to create a big impact and WW2 did just that. And although the majority of the population has never experienced a world war, through media like this show,  movies, and books, the lessons learned from the war are able to be shared throughout time.

I think the concept of this anime is really cool. I tend to like things that involve going back in time so this was was right up my alley. But initially, it confused me as to which side it is on in terms of the war. As of now, it seems sort of 50/50. There are moments like with the scene between the main character and his father, where he asks who really was the bad guy in the war. In response to this seemingly obvious question, the dad responds along the lines of “hmm I wonder”. I don’t understand this, obviously the Japanese government that convinced its people their spirit rather than physical strength was going to win against the Allies.  But on the other hand, the Main character along with most of the sailors emphasized that they operated on current Japan’s philosophy on war, rather than changing their views to match 1940’s Japan. So in that regard, I’m interested to see how the anime will develop this issue as it progresses. Another interesting part was when the Mirai rescued the pilot who should have been killed in battle. I found this sort of strange since they preach that they shouldn’t change the past. But it was unexpected how he was actually open to accepting, at least on the surface, the philosophy of the Mirai. I think this shows how some people are just a product of their time, in the sense that if they had been born in our era they would have the same beliefs as us. The ideas and beliefs that happened to proliferate during an era naturally impacted the way they saw the world, but if things were different, maybe these people wouldn’t have beliefs that today are found reprehensible. Having access to different views is something we take for granted today, and I think this intersection where these two Japanese soldiers from two different times demonstrates how much people can change just from new interactions.