Japanese cyberpunk

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Japanese cyberpunk refers to cyberpunk fiction produced in Japan. There are two distinct subgenres of Japanese cyberpunk: live-action Japanese cyberpunk films, and cyberpunk manga and anime works.[1]

Japanese cyberpunk

Japanese cinema
and paving the way for Japanese cyberpunk.

Japanese cyberpunk also refers to a subgenre of manga and anime works with cyberpunk themes. This subgenre began in 1982 with the debut of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga series Akira, with its 1988 anime film adaptation (which Otomo directed) later popularizing the subgenre. Akira inspired a wave of Japanese cyberpunk works, including manga and anime series such as Ghost in the Shell, Battle Angel Alita, Cowboy Bebop, and Serial Experiments Lain.[4] Cyberpunk anime and manga have been influential on global popular culture, inspiring numerous works in animation, comics, film, music, television and video games.[5][6]

Japanese cyberpunk films

Style

Japanese cyberpunk generally involves the characters, especially the protagonist, going through monstrous, incomprehensible metamorphoses in an industrial setting. Many of these films have scenes that fall into the experimental film genre; they often involve purely abstract or visual sequences that may or may not relate to the characters and plot. Recurring themes include: mutation, technology, dehumanization, repression and sexual deviance.[7]

Precursors

In contrast to Western cyberpunk which has roots in

biker gang aesthetic that paved the way for Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. Ishii's next film was the frenetic Shuffle (1981), an unofficial short film adaptation of a manga comic strip by Otomo.[8] According to Paul Gravett, when Akira began to be published, cyberpunk literature had not yet been translated into Japanese, Otomo has distinct inspirations such as Mitsuteru Yokoyama's manga series Tetsujin 28-go (1956–1966) and Moebius.[9]

Ishii's most influential film was Burst City (1982).[8] Since its release, it has had a strong effect on the underground Japanese film scene.[10] It starred Shigeru Izumiya, who would, four years later, go on to direct his own cyberpunk film, Death Powder, in 1986. The early short films of Shinya Tsukamoto, such as The Adventures Of Electric Rod Boy (1987)[11] and The Phantom of Regular Size (1986)[12] (which Tetsuo was a remake of), are often credited as precursors of the movement.

Core films

Some defining films in the genre include:[13]

Peripheral films

Related films include:

Western influences

Western films inspired by Japanese cyberpunk

  • Dandy Dust (1998)
  • Ultra-Toxic (2005)
  • Zoetrope (1999)
  • Automatons (2006)
  • Hikikomori: Tokyo Plastic (2004)
  • Flesh Computer (2014)
  • Computer Hearts (2015) (with direct quote from Tetsuo: The Iron Man)
  • Difficulty Breathing (2017)

Cyberpunk manga and anime

Japanese cyberpunk also refers to a subgenre of manga and anime works with cyberpunk themes. This subgenre began in 1982 with the debut of the manga series Akira, with its 1988 anime film adaptation later popularizing the subgenre. Akira inspired a wave of Japanese cyberpunk works, including manga and anime series such as Ghost in the Shell, Battle Angel Alita, Cowboy Bebop, and Serial Experiments Lain.[4]

Cyberpunk themes are widely visible in anime and manga. In Japan, where cosplay is popular and not only teenagers display such fashion styles, cyberpunk has been accepted and its influence is widespread. William Gibson's Neuromancer, whose influence dominated the early cyberpunk movement, was also set in Chiba, one of Japan's largest industrial areas.

Cyberpunk anime and manga draw upon a futuristic vision which has elements in common with western science fiction and therefore have received wide international acceptance outside Japan. "The conceptualization involved in cyberpunk is more of forging ahead, looking at the new global culture. It is a culture that does not exist right now, so the Japanese concept of a cyberpunk future, seems just as valid as a Western one, especially as Western cyberpunk often incorporates many Japanese elements."[14] William Gibson became a frequent visitor to Japan, where he came to see that many of his visions of Japan were a reality:

Modern Japan simply was cyberpunk. The

Shibuya, when one of the young Tokyo journalists who had taken me there, his face drenched with the light of a thousand media-suns—all that towering, animated crawl of commercial information—said, "You see? You see? It is Blade Runner town." And it was. It so evidently was.[15]

List of cyberpunk manga and anime

See also: List of cyberpunk works

Influence

Eidos Montréal also paid homage to the film's poster.[30]

Ghost in the Shell (1989) influenced a number of prominent filmmakers. The Wachowskis, creators of The Matrix (1999) and its sequels, showed the 1995 anime film adaptation of Ghost in the Shell to producer Joel Silver, saying, "We wanna do that for real."[31] The Matrix series took several concepts from the film, including the Matrix digital rain, which was inspired by the opening credits of Ghost in the Shell, and the way characters access the Matrix through holes in the back of their necks.[32] Other parallels have been drawn to James Cameron's Avatar, Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Jonathan Mostow's Surrogates;[32] Cameron cited Ghost in the Shell as an influence on Avatar.[33] Ghost in the Shell also influenced video games such as the Metal Gear Solid series,[34] Deus Ex,[35] Oni,[36][37][38] and Cyberpunk 2077.[39][40]

The

The Inhumans.[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Where to begin with Japanese cyberpunk". British Film Institute. 1 April 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. ^ Dazed (2020-05-08). "A guide to Japanese cyberpunk cinema with three of its visionary directors". Dazed. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  3. ^ "Extreme Japanese Cyberpunk". Archived from the original on 2008-09-01. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  4. ^ a b c "What is cyberpunk?". Polygon. August 30, 2018. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "How 'Akira' Has Influenced All Your Favourite TV, Film and Music". VICE. September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "'Akira' Is Frequently Cited as Influential. Why Is That?". Film School Rejects. April 3, 2017. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  7. ^ Player, Mark. "Post-Human Nightmares: The World of Japanese Cyberpunk Cinema". Midnight Eye. Archived from the original on 2011-11-06. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  8. ^ a b Player, Mark (13 May 2011). "Post-Human Nightmares – The World of Japanese Cyberpunk Cinema". Midnight Eye. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Katsuhiro Otomo | PAUL GRAVETT". www.paulgravett.com. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  10. ^ Brown, Todd. "Burst City / Electric Dragon 80000V Review". TwitchFilm. Archived from the original on 2009-07-10. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  11. ^ Tsukamoto, Shin'ya (2008-08-30), Denchû kozô no bôken (Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi), Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, N. Senba, Tomorô Taguchi, Kaijyu Theater, archived from the original on 2021-01-24, retrieved 2021-01-03
  12. ^ Tsukamoto, Shin'ya, Futsû saizu no kaijin (Short, Horror, Sci-Fi), Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Tomorô Taguchi, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Kaijyu Theater, archived from the original on 2019-06-02, retrieved 2021-01-03
  13. ^ "JAPANESE CYBER-HORROR". fright.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  14. ^ Ruh, Brian (2000), "Liberating Cels: Forms of the Female in Japanese Cyberpunk Animation Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine." AnimeResearch.com December 2000.
  15. ^ Gibson, William (30 April 2001). "The Future Perfect". Time. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
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  19. ^ Woerner, Meredith (2 February 2012). "Chronicle captures every teen's fantasy of fighting back, say film's creators". io9. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  20. ^ "Rian Johnson Talks Working with Joseph Gordon-Levitt on LOOPER, Hollywood's Lack of Originality, Future Projects and More". Collider. 25 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  21. ^ Inside ‘Stranger Things’: The Duffer Bros. on How They Made the TV Hit of the Summer Archived 2017-05-06 at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Beast, August 7, 2016
  22. ^ Hopper, Ben (February 20, 2001). "Great Games Snatcher". GameCritics.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-21. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
  23. ^ "Half-Life tiene varias referencias a Akira". MeriStation (in Spanish). Diario AS. August 29, 2018. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
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  25. ^ "FEATURE: "Life is Strange" Interview and Hands-on Impressions". Crunchyroll. January 28, 2015. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  26. ^ "THE CINEMA BEHIND STAR WARS: AKIRA". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  27. ^ "Lupe Fiasco's 'Tetsuo & Youth' Avoiding Politics – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  28. ^ Francisco, Eric. "'Ready Player One' Anime Easter Eggs Include Gundam, Voltron and Much More". inverse.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
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  30. ^ "Here's Some Spiffy Unused Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Art, Inspired by Akira". Kotaku. July 17, 2017. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  31. ^ Joel Silver, interviewed in "Making The Matrix" featurette on The Matrix DVD.
  32. ^ a b Rose, Steve (19 October 2009). "Hollywood is haunted by Ghost in the Shell". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  33. ^ Schrodt, Paul (1 April 2017). "How the original 'Ghost in the Shell' changed sci-fi and the way we think about the future". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
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  38. ^ Al-Shakarchi, Harry. "Interview with concept artist Alex Okita". Bungie.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  39. ^ "Cyberpunk 2077 Devs Looked at Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell for Inspiration". GamingBolt. 13 January 2019. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  40. ^ Conditt, Jessica (1 August 2012). "CD Projekt Red's 'Cyberpunk' inspired by System Shock, Blade Runner [Update]". Engadget. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018.
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