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Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

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Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#141

Post by ordinaryradical »

gwern wrote: post #135
Tyrek wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you post more links? This has been great reading.

If you have a lot of free time, I have an anthology of mostly out-of-universe discussions by people directly or indirectly involved in Evangelion from 1994 on: https://www.gwern.net/otaku

Pretty much everything I'd point you to is all in here (thanks gwern, the fandom truly doesn't deserve you).

I highly recommend the 1996 interview with Toshio Okada for a perspective on Anno's mindset, the history of the medium, and the uniqueness of the work.

https://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/1996-animerica-conscience-ota...

Also read Azuma's interviews with Anno and especially with Krystian Wozniki--these are very illuminating and will recontextualize your views of Okada and the show as a whole.

If you can hold all of these views in mind, you'll start to understand how Evangelion absorbed so much cinematic power from its cultural moment and forebears. It's a culmination of the medium in some ways. That it did all this while remaining an intensely personal work with an auteur's sense of vision and originality makes it that much more impressive.

Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#142

Post by krapp »

deadmetheny wrote: post #82
bitwize wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing I learned about anime (from discussing it with Japanese folks) is that "anime Westerners like" and "anime Japanese like" can be way different. Something may come out in Japan that has only niche appeal, only to blow up in the West. Azumanga Daioh -- Mother of a Thousand 4chan Memes -- comes to mind. Likewise, sometimes a title takes off in Japan only to find rocky soil here. I think Evangelion was well love…

If I recall correctly, Lain was fairly popular both in the West and Japan, largely for similar reasons, although it was less big in the West since at the time it came out anime had not really become A Thing yet. To your point, Cowboy Bebop can probably be considered to be one of the biggest causes for anime to gain so much traction in the US due to being on Adult Swim and having a killer feel and soundtrack, but its…

Cowboy Bebop also has one of, if not the greatest English dubs of all time.

Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#143

Post by sirmarksalot »

Chathamization wrote: post #95
unabst wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't believe I found it, or rather, that someone uploaded just it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II9GZrKztXQ When I heard power lines, for some reason one scene from Patlabor came to mind. It's the quintessential Tokyo city view from the window, and the quintessential view inside a window from the city. Outside there are power lines. You cannot avoid them. And looking in, you see the tatami flooring and dudes in…

I just checked out Bubblegum Crisis (1987), and that also has multiple shots with crazy power lines in the background. For instance, 11:38 here: https://youtu.be/JlFGbBPQGLo?t=698

The shot has power lines in it, but they're not really the focus. It's a busy nightlife scene, and the power lines serve that effect.

In the Patlabor shot, the detailed power infrastructure is a bit more purposeful, adding to the atmosphere of an average suburban neighborhood full of average people. But again, it's not the star of the shot -- it's just one of a handful of choices that create the mood.

In Evangelion, the shots are framed to draw your attention to a wooden pole with a transformer box that was probably designed in the '60s, serving as a stark contrast with all the futuristic technology around it.

Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#144

Post by ZenoArrow »

distrill wrote: post #56
exelius wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I feel Lain is one of those underrated classics that people really only watched if they were super into anime around 2000-2004. Any later than that and the reaction was kind of "well, duh, of course that's what happens". I feel the same way about much of the societal commentary in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex -- they totally nailed the way groups like ISIS and the alt-right would spread like wildfire…

I saw lain a few years ago for the first time and I wasn't underwhelmed at all, I thought it was great.

I remember enjoying Serial Experiments Lain back in the day, good to hear it still holds up.

If you (or anyone else reading this) enjoy cyberpunk anime, I can recommend checking out the UK dub of Cyber City Oedo 808. Very different from Lain, but has a classic 90s anime feel, and has more of an adult-oriented tone without being unnecessarily graphic. The UK dub has a different soundtrack from the Japanese release, has only been released on VHS, but luckily all three episodes are easy to find on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dwBXPsetOHM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSTGjmRHps

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-NRb_7W0Ffc

Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#145

Post by ZenoArrow »

JohnBooty wrote: post #125
da02 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was thinking of that too, especially of all the personal problems the characters had in Evangelion. I had to stop watching because of the main protagonist repeatedly asking why his father doesn't show any love for him. A lot of people are into those story-lines, and I guess it partly explains Evangelion's popularity with women too.

Yeah, Shinji is not a lot of fun. Though, he's not really "supposed" to be likeable. Over the years I've warmed up to him, though. He'll never be likeable but he's definitely sympathetic and actually rather realistic, considering the hell he's put through.

Personally, I identified heavily with Shinji when watching the anime for the first time, and binge watching the box set ended up being some form of catharsis, finding someone relatable to myself at the time. I wouldn't say that was the only reason it became one of my favourite TV shows, but it certainly helped. I can understand other people finding him annoying, just wanted to give an alternative perspective from someone who didn't.

Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#146

Post by hitekker »

cplanas wrote: post #97
coolandsmartrr wrote: post #50

Short Answer: Anno Until their depiction in Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1995, power lines were virtually non-existent in anime. After all, why draw them when they take up more time and effort during a time-packed production schedule? However, Hideaki Anno, the director of the aforementioned anime, began to implement them in backgrounds, bringing in a new kind of mechanical urban aesthetics. Anno has a certain kind of…

Oh, wow. How did you manage to interview Hideaki Anno? Despite the fact that his best works are anime TV series, I always thought Anno was one of the best filmmakers alive. His works in the 90s are absolutely amazing, particularly Evangelion and Karekano . He is a complex artist on many sides; formally he is the first (and mainly only) modern anime director: he uses the long-shot substantially less in favor of close-…

Did you see Shin Gojira which he directed?

Uneven, overburdened but still the most thrilling and authentic Godzilla film I've seen since the original.

Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#147

Post by bsder »

cplanas wrote: post #97
coolandsmartrr wrote: post #50

Short Answer: Anno Until their depiction in Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1995, power lines were virtually non-existent in anime. After all, why draw them when they take up more time and effort during a time-packed production schedule? However, Hideaki Anno, the director of the aforementioned anime, began to implement them in backgrounds, bringing in a new kind of mechanical urban aesthetics. Anno has a certain kind of…

Oh, wow. How did you manage to interview Hideaki Anno? Despite the fact that his best works are anime TV series, I always thought Anno was one of the best filmmakers alive. His works in the 90s are absolutely amazing, particularly Evangelion and Karekano . He is a complex artist on many sides; formally he is the first (and mainly only) modern anime director: he uses the long-shot substantially less in favor of close-…

> Satoshi Kon

Death has a way of putting a crimp on using your whole potential.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Kon

Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#148

Post by da02 »

chc wrote: post #128
aidenn0 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Soap Operas?

Babylon 5 was even called a "space opera."

Right. The people behind it also wanted to create a "Hill Street Blues" for scifi. They also combined "Lord of the Rings", with each episode being a chapter. This explains Garabaldi's drinking problems, the head doctor getting addicted to drugs, Z'ha'dum, the Rangers, and the ancient races going beyond the galactic rim leaving the younger races to develop.

Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#149

Post by emodendroket »

Symbiote wrote: post #124
emodendroket wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of it has to be that our infrastructure is among the oldest (presumably the same reason we use a form of power socket with relatively few safety features to prevent electrocution, still have lead pipes in places, etc.).

Are those wires really 80 years old though? [1] (just the abstract) suggests overhead wires need replacement after 50 years. In any case, towns in Europe were electrified at a similar time to America. (Rural areas probably aren't comparable, with the bigger distances in the US being the reason Europe was first for this.) [1] http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/595590/?reload=true

Probably most of them are not, but I would imagine that the upkeep has been done in a largely piecemeal basis rather than them regularly redoing everything.

Re: Why Is Anime Obsessed With Power Lines?

#150

Post by wingerlang »

GuB-42 wrote: post #25
ekianjo wrote: post #11

Because that's what Japan looks like, duh! Any place in Japan has basically power lines all over the place, even in cities like Tokyo. And also because it's easy to draw and show for 5 seconds in every anime to save on the precious animation budget because it's super static and goes everywhere. Added bonus it can be added into any decor and you would not notice it's the same pattern imported all over again in between…

It is true that it is what Japan looks like but it is still interesting to see how detailed the depiction is. Compare to the Simpsons for instance. It is set in present day American suburbs, but it doesn't look at all like a photograph. All the small details are missing unless they are relevant to the story. In the west, even if real life photographs, power lines are commonly seen as a nuisance and avoided, or even e…

> It is clearly a different approach to animation. I think we can make the parallel the way hands are drawn. 4 fingers for western animation (simplified), 5 for anime (realistic).

According to this video, a large reason for not using 4 fingers is related to a caste system in Japan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QZFQ3gbd6I

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