This article reflected on the relationship between post-war Japan and annihilation fantasy entertainment. I agree that the popularity of apocalyptic fantasies is partly due to Japan’s long history of destruction and the effect of the atomic bombs. Firstly, perhaps due to the number of natural or man-made disasters Japan has endured or simply because of the nature of Japanese people, they are very resilient. Even after being occupied by the US in the post-war period, they managed to rebuild the country. No doubt that their strength against disasters is a reason they could enjoy such genre. Secondly, the new weapon has not only shocked Japan, but also the world, the Soviet Union especially. The mysteriousness of the bomb and its effects are a very good topic to explore by scriptwriters. Napier mentioned the change from ‘secure horror’ to ‘open-ended nihilism’. It is merely a change in the taste of the public on genres and directors. After long periods of peace, it is only reasonable for people to ponder the many ‘what if’s in disasters. Perhaps after the economic recession, rather than sugar-coated happy endings, people want something that may mirror their situation, something still exciting but not a dead end, but an uncertain future that they can wish for a glimmer of hope.
WONG Wing Yan Audrey 3035667297
Fantastically summarised and well-articulated on Tsutsui’s argument. Well done.