Anime Boredom - Anime: Where We Are and Where We've Been anime/manga article

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Anime: Where We Are and Where We've Been

I first got turned on to anime, as many Americans did, by viewing "Robotech", "Voltron" and "Transformers" as a child. "Giant robots dueling each other for the sake of humanity. What could be more original?" Well that's what I thought at the time. Little did I know how old this could get, and that ledme to other anime exploits as more and more of this animated art form began to seep into American culture.

I believe this was paralleled in Japan as the storylines turned away from space and focused on the human spirit. Here we get "DragonBall Z" at the end of the 80's, which is clearly a mix between kung-fu classics and space. The main character, Goku, isn't exactly human, but that isn't the point. It is the human spirit that is the focus of the series, the fight to survive. This could be also seen in the earlier and dreaded/mocked "Fist of the North Star", and old classic that took the human struggle for survival a little out of range – that is I don't think having people explode after punching them is normal. This deviation from "the norm" is also evident in "GI Joe", where have of the villains aren't humans, but all of the protagonists are.

One thing to keep in mind is that pre-existing manga is often the source for many films in the early anime. Thus any conclusions about notions in a particular time period may be off ten or so years. Still the transitions, with minor obscurities, can be examined with some certainty. And while in science fiction as a whole the push for a mentioned theme might precede that in anime by decades, its still interesting to note what drove the changes.

After battling it out with other humans, one has to wonder what a human really is right? I mean the field of battle is dominated by aliens fighting with impossible forces from other worlds (DBZ) to protect Earth. We also have government-funded organizations fighting for our freedom (GI Joe). Where did all the humans go? We even have a cat-like race of people exiled after their homeworld was destroyed that must deal with the evil Mummy, "Mum-Ra" (Thundercatz). And even though these are American and Japanese productions, the themes for the time they were produced reach the same conclusion. There is a gap that must be filled, a question that no amount of shallow robot battles or mythology can answer. What is a human? What makes us, drives us, constitutes our existence and experience?

This takes us back to almost where we started, to the idea of a machine as the extension of Man. But there is a crucial difference between the anime at the turn of the decade from earlier series. In the late 80's, the notion of a machine is blurred extensively with that of the human body. And while "Transformers" did touch many of the later aspects, never before was it done so extensively or on such a scale. Here we still have the spirit behind the machine driving the plot, but on a much smaller scale. Take the movie "Eight Man After" (1992) for example. The character is a cybernetic man that fights a syndicate of cybernetic crimelords. But most of the plot is a detective story with a human element (even the main character rarely shows his mechanistic side). This is the same as in "AppleSeed", a series dealing with a crime-fighting force employing cybernetic heroes. These aren't action movies/series by any means. They deal with cybernetic Man as a benefit to his race, but at the same time as an outcast to society.

While "DragonBall Z" (the Japanese SuperMan) was somewhat shallow, to some degree it authenticated later series that chose to deal with the human element while hiding beneath a facade of an action series. In many ways Sailor Moon is the feminine equivalent to DBZ. These are shows that present some moral lesson, degenerate to some base action scene, then leave the episode with a cliff-hanger. Perhaps the irony is that this lack of enlightenment has helped the series transcend time (but then again, I like to kick back and watch Popeye sometimes too).

In the late 80's we see the birth or rebirth of magic in place of technology as a device to drive the plot. In many of these series there is a secret struggle going on, between mythological creatures and secret organizations. Here we have "Devil Man" (1987) and "Wicked City" (1987), both dealing with worlds of Demons. "Vampire Hunter D" really stands out as not just another cult classics but one with a futuristic touch (perhaps a relic from the early eighties). But notice the difference between D's situation and the cyborg sagas. Yes, he's an outcast. Yes, he's a dark, twisted non-human that must deal with his own inner demons. But now we've stepped into the realm of magic. I actually found this refreshing, since at the time I had began reading any mythology I could lay my hands on. This was later iterated in several great series: "Vampire Princess Miyu" (1997), "Mayonaka No Tantei Night Walker", and "Ah! My Goddess" (1993). "Record of Lodoss War" appeared in 1990 as an epic battle between the forces of good and evil, but with subplots involving romantic relationships, and force of will (love) overcoming dark magics.

With the paths laid, many artists began smaller cycles of horror and mechanistic futures throughout the early 90's. The film "X" seems to be at the height of the artistic approach to humans with mystical powers (though lacking for time and story). You could say this period in anime mimics the Noir movement in film. There's the prevalent notion of the anti-hero, the protagonist that fights for himself rather than some idealistic notion of justice or what is right.

"Neon Genesis Evangelion" (1995) appeared as an evolved "Robotech", with mechs that are both mechanical and biological. Although an alien technology, human children must pilot the vehicles of death to preserve the Earth. Even more in this direction we have "Gundam Wing", which draws less from the more common defense of the earth from alien forces and more to the realistic conclusion that we, humans, are often monsters in our own right (especially when piloting a 300ft mech). Again there is the theme of mechs, but there is more of a political element.

This brings us to the early twenty-first century.

As the average citizen became more involved with the personal computer, there became a drive to create adventures that would appeal to Internet users. "Serial Experiment Lain" (1998) is a strange ethereal series that deals with lofty notions, such as the interpersonal connection between humans over the Internet. Suddenly reality isn't what we make of it. This was touched upon in "Ghost in the Shell" (1995), as a movie dealing with the connection between Man and Machine in a futuristic setting. This is the precursor to "The Matrix", which generated a call to create "The AniMatrix" as an animated feature.

Amidst the shows that dominate the times there are still later cycles of older themes, such as Trigun, Inuyasha, and Big O. "Trigun" deals with a repentant gunfighter exile on a futuristic Earth. "Inuyasha", to some small degree, mimics "Vampire Hunter D." After all, what better savior of mankind from monsters than another monster right (and here we return to the noir - French for "dark" - approach to the anti-hero)? "Big O" takes a clever approach to the giant robot theme as it blends the theme with "Winds of Amnesia", a movie about a future where one day everyone lost their memories.

Personally I really enjoyed the anime of the 90's. Sadly it seems that corporations have seen the genre as an advertising medium. Apart from the obvious "Transformers" and "GI Joe" as marketing ploys (for action figures), now we have a new generation of productions. Whereas in "Transformers" there was an elaborate and complicated plotline (and this makes sense to fabricate a great plotline to go with what is essentially a doll), now there are series such as "Pokemon", "Yu Gi Oh", and "Duel Masters". These apparently offer plots driven directly from the card games that drive them, a reversal of the past. While I, myself, enjoy anime card/video games, I find the flat, linear, plots revolting. Of course this is being created for the masses of children that are the target audience of the games. I believe this is just a cycle and, as before, producers will realize that it is great plots that drive both Americans and Japanese alike.