/lit/ - Literature

>>15418448
>Kaichiro Morikawa: Generally speaking, I see a downward spiral. Aum Shinrikyo was influenced by Genma Wars. In the 1980s, otaku dreamt of Armageddon; they fantasized about employing supernatural powers to create a new world after the end of the world. But Aum's subway attack in 1995 thoroughly shattered the post-apocalyptic otaku dream of creating a new world in which they would become heroes. After their apocalyptic fantasies collapsed, they steadily shifted to moe. Before their Armageddon obsession, there was science fiction, which provided otaku with an alternative to the actual future. In the broadest terms, moe has replaced 'future.'
>As I said before, the 1980s-era fascination with the apocalyptic was shattered by Aum. I think moe emerged as an alternative, to fill the void.
>Toshio Okada: I see. To me, Eva was all about "Since I can't do anything about changing the world, I will do something about myself." Don't you think "robot anime" is all about "trying to change the world"? Morikawa-san, you talked about the apocalyptic. One step before that is "social reform" (yo-naoshi). One of the key concepts for understanding otaku is "a child's sense of justice." The reason grown-ups are enthusiastic about Kamen Rider and the "warrior team" genre (sentai mono) is because that basic sense of justice, which we abandoned in society a long time ago, is still meaningful in the world of these TV shows. Of course, there's also the terrific monster designs and pan-chira [the fleeting display of girls' panties], but that's not enough to keep the boys interested. That basic sense of justice worked until Eva. But with Eva, it became clear that no one could save the world. And Eva complicated the whole thing, raising issues such as "Maybe I should at least save myself" and "What's wrong with me, thinking only about saving myself?" Eva marked a turning point. Whatever we discuss today, we cannot avoid Eva.
>Hiroki Azuma: Not surprisingly, Neon Genesis Evangelion, which appeared in 1995, proves important. As with Aum Shinrikyō, this work also had dual implications, straddling the Era of Fiction and the Era of Animals. This anime is a work that initially aspired to grand narrative in a very straightforward way. As the title suggests, it is an evangelical narrative of human salvation. In any event, this grand narrative broke down spectacularly in the last episode of the TV series. Moreover, what appeared at the moment of its breakdown was the world of secondary or fan production. Specifically, what appeared in the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth episodes of the TV series Evangelion was the world of secondary production as already in circulation through the Comiket (comic market) and personal computer communications. In other words, its creators made a parody of the parody in advance. And, in their rather wonderful way, they pieced together an autocritique of their impasse.

>>14335535
Then how do you explain that in the vastness of space, which is +95% empty void, most of it is in perpetual darkness since the beginning of the universe?

I Am Not Here
John is here.
John sits at a table. His posture is rigid as his eyes peer down at the ceramic mug placed before
him. The steamy vapor rising faintly from within alerts him to the fact that the coffee is still a bit
too hot to drink safely. Even so, he hesitantly draws his right hand nearer to it. The action feels
too deliberate, tan skin gliding smoothly over the satin white surface of the table.
White. John is surrounded by white noise.
“I dunno, what do you think John?”
The voice is female. It comes from John’s right. He turns, and the mug ceases to exist. An oval-face woman with lush black hair smiles at him, brilliant white shining as her eyes glitter darkly
under dim orange light. She’s dressed nicely.
“What do I think of what, Johanne?” John asks. Sandpaper against cotton white.
Johanne smiles wider, impossibly so it seems, and laughs. The sound is low, rich in timber.
“Ground control to major John, eh?”. She raises a slim glass filled with an unknown liquid to her
lips, as the rumble of laughter engulfs the rest of John’s world.
White noise.

Write what's on your mind

>>7138836
All this art is gorgeous
What's the best vns on the PC98?