mumakto4++3angels
New member
Any geek knows about Cyberpunk, that genre of Anti-heroes and the futuristic streets. Truly prophetic, it predicted a world transformed by networking technology. However, it lacked the optimism about technology, showing the dark side of humanity.
But as time went on, Cyberpunk changed. No longer the criminals were the focus. Instead of Anti-heroes we got true (or at least arabiguous) Heroes. The environment because less dark, and the world became a little more hopeful.
As fast as it had appeared, Cyberpunk had been replaced by Postcyberpunk.
Most anime was filled with Postcyberpunk. Even Ghost in the Shell, were the heroes weren't necessary Lawful Good worked for the side of the government. One rarely saw the criminals in the roles of protagonists. Even rarer was the typical Cyberpunk plot, of the street thug and his priorities. Instead, the focus was serving society, and not being the underside of it.
By the late 20th/ early 21st century, Postcyberpunk Anime had turned to the most extreme end of the spectrum. It was here that Pokemon, Digimon, and Yugioh appeared. The plots still involved protagonists in strange, technological fantasylanRAB. The elements found in Cyberpunk was there: Big Corporations, mysterous plots, government conspiracies, street fighting, and high technology.
But these "punks" were lacking as anti-heroes. They weren't criminals, they weren't even evil. They were morally, upright children. They weren't after their own dark desires, they were willing to do what was right.
The elements were no longer recognizable: the Big Corporations were not all greedy and selfish. The Street fights and Cyberspaces were transformed into games or at-least family friendly battles. Even normal society was not some dark world, but something very bright and hopeful.
Still, there remain some elements of Cyberpunk in these tales. Underneath everyday society was another world. It was in this world that the trueproblems of the world dwelt. It was in this world were mundane people could do extraordinary things. Were the fate of the world could be decided.
Works like Yugioh, Megaman.exe, Digimon, and even Pokemon feature this common theme. The postcyberpunks in these works are able to ascend the mundane, and change the world.
Well, that's just my view.
But as time went on, Cyberpunk changed. No longer the criminals were the focus. Instead of Anti-heroes we got true (or at least arabiguous) Heroes. The environment because less dark, and the world became a little more hopeful.
As fast as it had appeared, Cyberpunk had been replaced by Postcyberpunk.
Most anime was filled with Postcyberpunk. Even Ghost in the Shell, were the heroes weren't necessary Lawful Good worked for the side of the government. One rarely saw the criminals in the roles of protagonists. Even rarer was the typical Cyberpunk plot, of the street thug and his priorities. Instead, the focus was serving society, and not being the underside of it.
By the late 20th/ early 21st century, Postcyberpunk Anime had turned to the most extreme end of the spectrum. It was here that Pokemon, Digimon, and Yugioh appeared. The plots still involved protagonists in strange, technological fantasylanRAB. The elements found in Cyberpunk was there: Big Corporations, mysterous plots, government conspiracies, street fighting, and high technology.
But these "punks" were lacking as anti-heroes. They weren't criminals, they weren't even evil. They were morally, upright children. They weren't after their own dark desires, they were willing to do what was right.
The elements were no longer recognizable: the Big Corporations were not all greedy and selfish. The Street fights and Cyberspaces were transformed into games or at-least family friendly battles. Even normal society was not some dark world, but something very bright and hopeful.
Still, there remain some elements of Cyberpunk in these tales. Underneath everyday society was another world. It was in this world that the trueproblems of the world dwelt. It was in this world were mundane people could do extraordinary things. Were the fate of the world could be decided.
Works like Yugioh, Megaman.exe, Digimon, and even Pokemon feature this common theme. The postcyberpunks in these works are able to ascend the mundane, and change the world.
Well, that's just my view.