From: CONCEPCION%BABSON.BITNET@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Subject: Re: AD Police 2037
Date: 8 Nov 92 20:59:00 GMT
To: ANIME-L@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU
X-Envelope-To: ANIME-L@VTVM1.BITNET
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jwp@Panix.com (justin Bahk) writes

>Shall I dare say ....
>AD Police was more "cyberpunkish" than BGC ever was.
>. . .

>PS: I hate the word 'cyberpunk'.  This is cyberpunk, that's cyberpunk.
>    All these geek boys call anything remotely cool 'cyberpunk'.
>    I am just waiting for Danny-o to call Scooby Doe 'cyberpunk.'
>-------
>Justin Bahk                                          jwp@panix.com

        Shall we begin a good discussion (ooh, sound of flamethrowers in the
background) on just what cyberpunk is in reference to anime?  After all, it is
a legitimate genre of science fiction and one must understand what it is to be
called cyberpunk.  At least six anime titles have been labeled as such, and
one must understand what compels the media to do such, and why Scooby Doo can't
be "cyberpunk". (Al Wong & Ryan Mathews might remember an abridged note of this
on Prodigy in mid-October).

        First, a definition for all of ye who don't venture into alt.cyberpunk:
        (flamethrowers at the ready, aim. . .)

        Cyberpunk was established in the early 80s with the publishing of
William Gibson's landmark novel, _Neuromancer_.  Winning every major science
fiction prize there was to be won, _Neuromancer_, combined the caper of pulp
fiction with an embracing view of information technology and a sensual depiction
of inverted millenarianism.  The early 80s also saw the appearance of Blade
Runner the definitive cyberpunk film.  These works basically established the
ground rules of cyberpunk science fiction.  There have been amendments with new
novels but the basic ground rules have always stayed the same.
        These ground rules include: "frenetic pace, the excess of information,
the inverted millenarianism, and the concentration on computers, crime,
corporations and corporeality." (Frances Bonner, "Cyberpunk in Film and TV",
Fiction 2000).  The worlds in cyberpunk novels are on the definite decline even
if technological progress has surpassed all expectations.  One of these techno
achievements was Gibson's Matrix, a virtual reality (eight years before the
term was coined) based global network.  The Matrix and its clones is a popular
setting for several cyberpunk episodes, it is however, largely absent from anime
and/or manga.  Crime is rampant, many cyberpunk heroes are criminal anti-heroes
or lowlifes on the dark side of the law.  Corporations have the power equalling
or eclipsing that of national governments.  Finally, corporeality is the concept
that the body is a meat tool susceptible to modification by technology.  Cyborgs
are popular embodiments of this concept.

        Anime has frequently adapted or borrowed from America.  Animators
tribute the near trademark enormous eyes of anime characters to early Disney
films.  Battle armor was a Heinlein idea before Gundam.  In a similar way would
Japanese attempt to imitate cyberpunk.  Bubblegum Crisis/Crash/ADPolice have
attempted this and are one of the more prolific "cyberpunk" anime titles.  What
BGC lacks is the nihilism present in the majority of literary cyberpunk SF.
Compare Priss to Deckard, the main character of Blade Runner.  Both are tough
combatants, defiant and prone to showing a caring side.  However, Deckard is
different from Priss since he views life without optimism.  He knows that the
world is screwed beyond belief and that he can't do anything about it.  He even
views his job of hunting criminal androids with distaste.  Priss, however, looks
at her world with a reserved optimism, believing that the Knight Sabers are
making a difference in their heroic fight against Genom.  It is this optimism,
present in every anime title short of Akira that distinguishes Japanese anime
from American cyberpunk.
        Silent Mobius has been termed by some (I being among them) as Blade
Runner with ghosts instead of androids.  This only takes into account the
physical appearances of Silent Mobius Mega Tokyo.  The urban decay, the
internationalism, the nihilism is absent from the majority of Silent Mobius
manga issues, with the possible exception of the Network storyline.  Therefore
Silent Mobius can only be called cyberpunk in surface only.  Book 4, the
Lebia Maverick, Network storyline is the only exception of this since it
involves a display of some urban decay and is largely set in a Matrix clone.
        Appleseed was probably the first manga/anime title that I ever saw with
the cyberpunk label.  This contains some elements, particularly if one views
the suspicion evident in the characters as a version of psychological urban
decay.  Cyberpunk focusses on dystopia and Olympus certainly is one.  A
secondary theme within cyberpunk is that the characters rarely know whether they
stand with the good or the bad guys.  Shady motive are ubiquitous and the
machinations within Appleseed certainly show this theme.
        Admittedly, technology does not make as much of an impact on Akira as in
other cyberpunk titles, but I feel that this is the best example of cyberpunk in
anime.  The nihilism is present within Kaneda and his gang.  Urban decay is
evident right from the opening sequence.  The government's performance is
consistent with corporations of cyberpunk sci-fi.  The theme of corporeality
is shown in the employment of drugs and Tetsuo's arm.  Psionics eclipses the
role of technology, but the entire ethic is present.
        Some people call Dominion cyberpunk.  I'm not one of them.  Here's why:
Admittedly, there are cyberpunk novels with humor.  However, Dominion can only
be considered cyberpunk only if it is also considered a parody of the genre.
The round edges of the tanks, and the design of the buildings do not constitute
techno-fetishism as much as techno-satirism.  The trio of villains are a
bubblegum, Saturday morning versions of serious cyberpunk villains like the
androids of Blade Runner.  The humour within Dominion has been taken to an
extreme that any cyberpunk ethic has been eliminated in the overall mood.
        Finally, the manga title which I consider as one of the better cyberpunk
titles.  I'm talking about Battle Angel Alita.  Within the first two issues as
released by Viz, one has a grasp of the extent of urban decay, corporeality
(hell, the entire book uses corporeality as its central theme), crime and
inverted millenarianism.  It's hyper-violent and it's nihilistic.  It's great.
However, it's probably not as good an example of Akira because the urban decay/
post apocalyptic treatment has been taken to such an extreme, that the sensous
slickness present in Akira, Blade Runner and _Neuromancer_ is absent from
Alita.
        So rounds my summary of cyberpunk in anime.  Admittedly, there are other
titles that require mention, such as Midnight Eye, Megazone23, Cyber City Oedo,
and of course AD Police.  I don't know enough about these titles to render a
fair opinion so I shall refrain.  Since the term was coined in the 80s,
cyberpunk has mutated and spread to several elements of the media.  In addition,
the future as depicted by cyberpunk is so near that one need only visit today's
major metropolises to see the real-life beginnings of such settings.  This
certainly accounts for the confusion on the topic.  How can one call something
science fiction when it could be possibly be real in years or months from now?
This article was aimed at clarifying some conceptions and by no means pretends
to be a definitive examination of the entire genre and its role in society.
Such would require a book and not a text file that required 45 minutes to
compose.  Salaam and Sayonara

                                                        Chris Concepcion
                                                Concepcion@Babson.Bitnet
                                                         Prodigy:NKCR72D
                                             A rider on the digital wind

The Face: "What do you fear most for the future?"
Colin Angus: "The thing I most welcome - the apocalypse."