The level of “Technicality” in Anime & Manga.
Posted in Anime, Random Concepts on Mar 24th, 2008 By Runningkid
Looking down the list of series to be aired in Spring ‘08, I see some pretty interesting synopses, and in particular, Toshokan Sensou (Library Wars). By the sounds of it, the focus of the show appears to be “information management”. To me, whether this means governing the accessibility to the data, the organisation of information or even the utilisation of them, it doesn’t matter, it sounds specific and technical. With that I can’t help but wonder: Is the level of “Technicality” in anime/manga increasing?
Of course, with just one example it’s not very convincing, for me or to anyone else. But first I should explain what I mean by “technicality”. Googling the word gets me:
· The quality or condition of being technical.
· Something meaningful or relevant only to a specialist
However, if I were to say that most of the existing series are not “technical” I would be wrong. The Sci-fi genre in particular, has a lot of scientific ideas are used to explain the technologies and phenomenon within the genre, even if most of them are a little far fetched. Examples can be found everywhere; Palladium Reactor, Gravitational Beam Emitter, Neutron Jammer Canceller, GN particles, Spiral Energy and the list goes on. But when I say an increase in the level of technicality, I am referring to something a little bit more than just a weapon or piece of technology, since they really have no real significance in the show. I could say, Freedom is a superior Gundam because it has a powerful energy source. Or, Killy is dangerous because he possesses a deadly weapon.
Lets go back to Toshokan Sensou for a moment, I have not read the novels nor any of it’s adaptations, so I am not actually sure how “technical” it is, but lets assume for a second that it is true to it’s description, with information management as it’s core focus. If you take away the “information management” aspect, i.e. all the methods of managing the information, what would you be left with? I hope this illustrates what I mean by a higher level of technicality.
Spice and wolf is a series that has been promoted and advertised as a unique fantasy due to its focus on economics and business, judging by the description I think it falls under what I’ve been talking about. Despite the fact that it actually turned out to be quite economics deficient, it is certainly a lot more “technical” and close to a real life profession than what’s out there at the moment. Again, I haven’t read the novels or the manga, so I don’t know how much more economics/business ideas the original contains. But in the anime, they just throw in a few specific terms and ideas but when it comes to the actual mechanisms and operations of these ideas, the series is a bit lacking.
So why is there an, perhaps increasing, audience for this kind of series? After all we watch anime, read manga or even play games because they offer interesting and stimulating things which cannot be experienced in real life. Yet, the increasing technicality draws the series closer to what is “real” in terms of concepts and ideas, a slight irony indeed. There are a number of possible reasons for this, if indeed there is an audience for this genre.
One reason could be because although the theories and ideas which the series revolve around come from a real life profession, the rest of it is not. The surrounding, the culture, the world that has been created are not the same, and it is the application of the real life theory in these unfamiliar settings that makes the series intriguing. Of course elements of fantasy and action can always be used to act as a short break from all the technical jargon, which, for example, can take the form of a consequence of the technicality in which the series is based upon.
Another reason could be that the audience feels more intellectual watching something that has a significant relevance to the real world. Perhaps a delusion making them feel like an economist or information manager simply by watching the show, forgetting that anime is just another hobby no “smarter” than any other hobbies.
The third and final reason I am going to touch on is the level of global education. Degrees are getting more common nowadays (although not all are identical), the news inform us what’s going on globally on a day to day basis and with the internet there is a vast amount of information available to everyone. So there will be an increasing audience who understands and appreciates the technical ideas being used in these shows. Whether or not they agree with the out come or the effects of the concepts is another matter, but it should bring about discussion, which I consider a good thing since other people’s perceptions can often understand the theories better.
To bring us back to the original question I had posed “Is the level of ‘Technicality’ in anime/manga increasing?”, I think there is a definite increase in minor details in each series, such as what material or energy source a particular piece of technology uses, but will yet to be a series that truly focuses on the theme of “technicality”. Having said that, I also believe that there is an increase demand for such a series, not just because there is a growing audience as I said above, but also because we are at an age of innovation, there are bound to be new things, unconventional things which will try and differentiate themselves from the rest, the “generic” stuff. But who knows, if I do think of something perhaps I should write a book with the hope of it getting animated xD.
I bet Toshokan Sensou will be nothing remotely about information management and hence those that watch it religiously will now be the world’s best clerks and systems administrators that the world has ever seen. In the meantime, I’ll be watching anime for what it was meant for – hot babes and killer action.
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hahaha…
Very thoughtful article, my main man, RunningKid.
“Having said that, I also believe that there is an increase demand for such a series, not just because there is a growing audience as I said above, but also because we are at an age of innovation, there are bound to be new things, unconventional things which will try and differentiate themselves from the rest, the “generic” stuff.
I agree. Some anime may be “technical” in that they want to stand out from the rest. People hear about an anime like Spice and Wolf and say “Ohhhh, that anime gets detailed about economics. I want to check it out and maybe learn something.”
Technicality is just another marketing tool to grab the attention of curious fans.
Maybe.
Not that it’s a bad thing though… If it works, it works. And just as likely, other animes/works may be technical because the author truly fascinated by details and just want to present their ideas and share their knowledge about their interests. Full Metal Panic comes into mind. While something like the Lambda Driver is a bit far-fetched, the author of the FMP novel really gets into the mechanics and physics of guns and weapons, which is pretty cool. While reading it, you can’t help but infer that the author is a weapons maniac and genuinely likes military stuff. Otherwise, he won’t bother to get the specs of different equipment, right?
Perhaps I’m thinking too much.
To be honest, I pretty much watch anime for teats and lulz. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Excellent article! In addition to all your reasons, I’d add that the technical aspects are a good way for an author/artist to help channel the creativity. By giving oneself hard limits that have some technical specs, even if made up, it forces creative solutions to the plot and character interactions. Also, the technical aspects help give a grounding for both the author/artist and the consumer because they lay down consistent rules for what can and cannot happen. The cheesiest anime/manga are when these rules are set up, then broken - we call this Deus Ex Machina for good reason.
Overall, I think the technical aspects are good for anime and manga. When done well, it puts down a consistent set of rules that help make the plot and characters flow.
I’d also add that this is why so many stories are set in the modern day. It greatly simplifies the author/artists’ need to think up new technology and new rules. When the storytellers want to do the impossible with reality, they add a bit of “magic” to cheat their way out of real plot work. It’s a form of cheating, and I think it’s why Key and KyoAni aren’t liked by some (not that any harem show is going to be realistic, but having super-active childhoods along with magical encounters doesn’t help). On the other hand, “gritty reality” can be just as dull and pointless as a show with Deus Ex Machina.
At least anime/manga are exploring new areas. Sadly, I can’t say the same for the US market these days. It’s the 3Rs - Remakes, Reruns, and Reality TV. Imagination not required. Thank goodness for Anime/Manga!
I think that the technicality is basically another hook to draw another group of audience to tune in to the anime. Perhaps for the first few episodes, it’s presence will be rather apparent, but it’ll probably die down after the series runs for some time. Look at Spice and Wolf, I’m thinking that all the economics talk now has been reduced by a whole lot as compared to when it began.
@ kyokii, for teats and lulz?! I think I know what you are getting at. All the technicality, take your FMP example, helps differentiate the series from what is typically seen as “cartoon for kids”, and by adding that small bit of realism to it brings in a new flavour to the series.
@ kdp, some very interesting points you’ve made there and if I haven’t misinterpret what you are trying to say, I think you are absolutely right. It’s about having the right balance between elements of realism and fantasy. It’s always disapointing to see non-logical things happening, like how Kira survives in GundamSeed after being blown up so many times, what’s worse, waking up on PLANT about a million miles away. As you’ve simply put it, Deus ex Machina.
While on the other hand if it’s too realistic, which thankfully I have yet to see a series like that, it will be boring. If watching a series does make u a professional, no doubt that series will be dull and you might as well read a text book.
Well put ;).
@ Double, if I were to say the more technicality a series has the less “childish” it is, I don’t think I will be far off in terms of what people think. Not saying that is true but I do believe that thought exists amongst a percentage of the audience. And this specific group will be the group to be interested in technical anime series, as you said it will appeal to them and draw them in.
“Killy is dangerous because he possesses a deadly weapon.”
For unseriousness. KILLY IS DANGEROUS NO MATTER WHAT!
Now for seriousness. This caught my eye
“Spice and wolf is a series that has been promoted and advertised as a unique fantasy due to its focus on economics and business, judging by the description I think it falls under what I’ve been talking about. Despite the fact that it actually turned out to be quite economics deficient, it is certainly a lot more “technical” and close to a real life profession than what’s out there at the moment”
and then this
“But in the anime, they just throw in a few specific terms and ideas but when it comes to the actual mechanisms and operations of these ideas, the series is a bit lacking.”
It’s funny. Because that’s exactly what i’ve been thinking about for Spice and Wolf. Now I don’t know what the original light novel Spice and Wolf is popular for. But When the anime is focused so much on the economics aspect I find it hard to enjoy the series when it’s going on tangent of the subject.
But I guess when technicality is put to a minor level it’s really good. That way the viewer can feel more intellectual and really enjoy the series for what it’s really about
(I’ll use Blame! as a an example like you did.)
In Blame! there is talk fo genetics and energy. But that is really minor in the scheme of things. However it does succeed in making the story have alot more depth to it without going “I’M A TOTALLY COOL CYBERPUNK STORY” without scaring off the viewer.
By the way. this is the first first post I’ve read on your blog (it’s a nice well though out post).
@ Avisch, I think your point ties in with kdp’s point about it’s effect if it’s over realistic or unrealistic. A good balance between the two will result in something awesome.
What you said about Blame! is absolutely right. Rather than having a “core focus”, I think Blame! is unique to a certain extent since … how should i put it? the focus of the series is that the story is very loose, there are chapters without a single speech bubble and it is left to the reader’s imagination to fill in the “gaps”.
So in a sense, all the sci-fi talk in Blame made it interesting and “clever” and at the same time it provided a good balance between realism and fantasy.
P.S - you read the new oneshot manga by the Blame authour? It’s called Winged Armour Suzumega, it’s worth checking out. Definitely has the Blame! style to it.
In the long run, we watch anime for what it primarily is: entertainment. Technicality has nothing much to do with the matter. It’s just fun.