Week 2: Apocalypses and Accepting the Past

Last week's class we discussed where Anime fits into the world and Japan.

One of the most interesting topics that we discussed was the idea that Japan is the only post-apocalyptic nation in existence. Post-apocalyptic realities is one of my favorite types of genres so it was surprising to me, that I had never considered or thought that Japan is in fact one and is really nothing like what we sometimes illustrate a PA society looking like.

However I've never been to Japan...

Also the concept of mono no aware, I find particularly interesting. We must move on from the past. We cannot let it hold us back from the future. The acceptance of change. This is something that I struggle with in my personal life, but adopting a kind of mono no aware mentality could be beneficial. Obviously because things will always be changing.

It is interesting that a country like Japan that is in fact a post-apocalyptic society has adopted a mono no aware way of thinking. They as a culture have experienced the ultimate kind of change. Two of their cities were obliterated in minutes. Not only that, but the after effects of such a caustic explosion has taken the country decades to rectify. It is most imperative for them as a culture to accept what the unfortunate events that have befallen them, pick up the pieces and move on.

This reminds me of one of the last shots of The Castle of Cagliostro. It is once Lupin and Clarisse are walking amongst the Roman city. They are walking amongst the newly discovered past and there is a shot of the castle through the archway. There is this suggested idea that there must be sense of the past in order to look to the future.