The most popular genre of anime is science fiction, a genre that regularly explores futuristic apocalyptic scenarios. Apocalyptic anime has been influenced by several factors, such as Japanese environmental disasters like the contamination of Minamata Bay, aesthetic elements like mono no aware, religious imagery, and economic crises. In this essay, I will be focusing on how the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 have influenced apocalyptic anime, specifically Akira and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I will be analyzing this through the questions, "How do the films Akira and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind portray the impact of the atomic bombs on Japanese culture and thought?" and "What messages are the films …show more content…
The two anime are directed by the original writers of the source manga, both of which were published in 1982. Both films were released in the mid-to-late 1980s, a time know as the "Golden Age of Anime" in which the science fiction genre was growing in both popularity and prestige. Additionally, both use visual nuclear symbolism to allude to the dropping of the atomic bombs and to convey certain messages. Akira and Nausicaa's post-apocalyptic worlds originate from the destruction caused by nuclear technology or similar weapons. In Nausicaa, the poisoning of the planet resulted from the Seven Days of Fire, a conflict fought by the giant nuclear God Warriors. Neo-Tokyo in Akira was built after the destruction of Tokyo by a psychic bomb that triggers the beginning of World War …show more content…
He states that Japanese audiences have continually had a "traumatic fascination" with images of destruction ever since the dropping of the atomic bombs (140). He proposes nuclear symbolism is so widespread in Japanese film because acting out destruction helps viewers come to terms with the trauma caused by it in reality (132). Japanese audiences want to draw near to and understand the destruction, just as how many characters in the film want to find the little boy Akira in order to have a grasp on his power (136). The repetition of acting out a historically traumatic event in media assists the audience in gaining an understanding of the actual event and its cultural impact (141). In doing so, filmmakers try to “make an incomprehensible event make sense” by working to deal with the consequences of destruction in their films (132). In Akira, director Katsuhiro Otomo uses the repetition of destruction to help strengthen the theme of the danger of playing with powerful forces because the audience witnesses the same consequences occurring again and again. The psychic bomb is a repetition of the atomic bomb, and the explosion at the end of the movie is a repetition of the psychic bomb (135). The repetition of the atomic bomb in the film brings the viewer "temporally close" to the destruction and allows them to study its effects in a more modern era,
The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a turning point in WWII. They led to the surrender of the Japanese and the victory to the Allies. The day that the Japanese surrendered will forever be remembered. However, the destruction and casualties in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki cannot be forgotten. Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced massive destruction, and it led to years of disease and misery for the Japanese people following the war. After WWII and the creation of the atomic bomb, the world lived in fear of a nuclear attack ("The Atomic Bombings"). George Orwell’s 1984 references to the atomic bomb and to the society and life after WWII. Nevertheless, one must fully know and understand the bombings and the destruction
Have you ever questioned why and how the US government decided to drop those two nuclear bombs in Japan in the World War II? It is still a universal concern while many disapproval have made toward its humanity. In a book that I’ve read recently, from the point of view of an eyewitness, Yamaoka Michiko, the author of story “Eight hundred meters from the Hypocenter”, shows how humanity was exchanged with the ambition of a nation by reviving a heartbroken experience when she witnessed her hometown was destroyed by such a terrific violence in the war.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki were calamitous airstrikes that left thousands of people perished and with brutal trauma. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, the government produced mini air strikes to induce terror into the citizen’s mind allowing the government to feed off that terror. Furthermore, the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and 1984 have segments of divergence and parallel structures.
In “A Perspective on the War Crimes,” Shigetoshi Iwamatsu argues that the tragedies at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unparalleled war crimes and unnecessary acts of cruelty. He advocates the elimination of nuclear arms and opposes nuclear energy sources. The argument for defining the use of the atomic bombs as “without parallel in world history” is largely Iwamatsu’s belief that they were an unneeded extreme, likely motivated by racism.
The filmmakers’ main ideas are that the government misled and lied to the people of the U.S. so that they would believe that the atomic bomb would have no effect on their health and security, that we should question if the government should have lied to the American people, and to make us question whether or not the citizens of the U.S. would continue to be as naive as the people of the 1950’s.
“You saw nothing in Hiroshima. Nothing.” In Hiroshima mon Amour, mise-en-scene and editing are used in conjunction with inspiration from the French New Wave Movement to express the severity and complexity of the traumas endured following the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. In this trauma narrative, mise-en-scene and disjunctive editing create a unique tone that ultimately represents the crippling struggle between past, present, and future. This “struggle” also allows for an emerging theme between personal and public tragedies, understanding the link between She (Emmanuelle Riva)’s experiences and the bombing in Hiroshima.
During 1941 through 1945 a war had occurred in the Pacific between the Americans and the Japanese this war was called The Pacific Theater. This war was also being fought during the duration of another World War against Germany and Japan but on May 8, 1945 Germany surrendered to the allied powers leaving Japan to still be dealt with. However Japan would not surrender even after the major battles between the Americans and Japanese in Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The Americans then came to conclusion to try and get to a new military weapon which then started the ManHattan Project. The Manhattan Project established a new powerful military weapon known as the Atomic Bomb. This new entirely militarized weapon was designed to force Japan into surrendering because Japan was still willing to fight even though they were on a brink of defeat and they were
Mr. Tanimoto consciously repeated to himself “‘These are human beings’”(Hersey 1946), as he attempted to save paralyzed, dying men and women, in the book “Hiroshima” by John Hersey. This nonfiction book was published on August 31 1946, a year after the atomic bombing fell on Hiroshima, Japan. This publication was raw, uncensored, and truthful. John Hersey unapologetically revealed the gruesome damages done by the bombing, while also silencing those who believed that the atomic bomb was a justified attack. Hersey’s brilliant journalism and ability to write this story without bias, is why this book was selected. The author did not want those who died to be remembered as casualties, but as mothers, fathers and children. Hersey wrote this book about the the physical, and psychological impact this bomb had on both survivors and victims of the atomic bomb. There were many historical events that contributed to the cause and effect of the atomic attack; historical events such as industrialization, the trench wars, and militarism. This was not just a simple bomb, but a complex attack on humanity.
Intense moral justification was needed in order to make the decision to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki however, President Truman was ultimately the man who made the final decision to launch ‘Little Boy’ and destroy Hiroshima, Nagasaki and their civilians, thus forcing an end to the war. Although there were many alternatives presented to President Truman, it is unknown as to whether they would have actually succeeded in ending the war or producing less casualties. Truman made the decision to drop these bombs in the heat of war but his justification of having a military target appeared extremely unrealistic, as both cities were full of innocent civilians. The morality of the bombs have been debated over the years, however the publication of the actual damage to civilian life caused a strong voice opposed to the usage in the 60 years following the action.
Thank God for the Atomic Bomb by Paul Fussel is a provocative essay about the opposing views on the two atomic bombs that America dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan ending World War 2, the most defecating event to happen in history. Over a few million-innocent people died that day, and thousands of the survivors and their offspring have suffered or died since of the result of the chemicals used in the bomb. Fussel was a purple hearted second lieutenant military man frontline in the war. He writes about the difference of opinion of using the atomic bomb from two views: those with firsthand combat with the Japanese and those without firsthand combat experience with the Japanese. Paul Fussel’s essay has the primary aim of persuading the reader that the Atomic bomb was the best choice as a means to end the war and he uses the primary mode of evaluation to persuade. His secondary aim is referential, to inform and explain to those who had no firsthand experience in that war and he uses the secondary mode of description to do this, citing from those against the bomb and those with their hands in the daily blood.
The crises to which this work responds was the total annihilation of Hiroshima and the aftershock experienced by those left
World War II was considered as one of the deadliest war in the history. Many innocent civilians died due to the aggressiveness of the Axis powers because of this actions the Allies wanted to overthrow the Axis powers in response to its aggression and to establish a peaceful post-war. The United States decided to join the war along with the Allies after Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which destroyed a lot of United States battleships. President Truman should have dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of Japan’s bombing attack of United States naval base on Pearl Harbor which resulted in the United States to declare war on Japan, to end the inhumane actions of the Japanese soldiers to its
Hiroshima is an outstanding recreation of the complete annihilation and devastation of during the aftermath and the year following the United States’ dropping of the atomic bomb. As the war in the east carried on, many thought this desolated war might last a lifetime, all the while hoping for an end and praying it not mean their own end. To end the war, Americans had to pick a target that would leave the Japanese government with nowhere to retreat, allowing for a crippling effect that would essentially cause their collapse and surrender. In his writings, John Hersey proclaims that Hiroshima was a “… inviting target - mainly because it had been one of the most important military command and communications centres in Japan …” (HERSEY, P. 107). In the minds of American strategists, this must have seemed a flawless method to force the Japanese military into a corner, not allowing withdrawal without laying down of arms. There was surely no doubt that dropping this bomb of god-like destructive power would, at a minimum, tear into the souls of Japanese, causing catastrophic devastation.
Some regard the atomic bomb as “the thank God for the atom bomb”. This places God on the U.S. side and regards the bombs as our saving grace. This bomb forced the Japanese to surrender which in turn proved the U.S. to be the heroes who saved the American’s lives.1 The Americans intended on ending the war but did not expect to end it with such a large number of casualties. The results of the atomic bomb and how it effected the Japanese people both emotionally and physically will be addressed. “The bombs marked both an end and a beginning—the end of an appalling global conflagration in which more than 50 million people were killed and the beginning of the nuclear arms race and a new world in which
This fear was evident in the science fiction films made in that decade. The Japanese, who had already suffered the most from the atomic fallout, were foremost in delivering this terror on film. Godzilla was the result of the American atomic ability. Godzilla wreaked havoc on Tokyo and Japanese citizens. Godzilla can be seen as a metaphor for the horrors the Japanese people endured and was a way to face their fears in the safety of a movie theater.