Summer Wars: Inter-Generational Anime
Abstract
This article analyses the motive of generational conflict as a part of the broader opposition of Japanese tradition and modernity in anime film by Mamoru Hosoda. The director presents a multi-generational, Japanese extended family whose doyenne is about to celebrate her 90th birthday. The preparations for the celebration are interrupted by an attack on the virtual social platform Oz. The effects of the attack are also perceptible in the real world. In the face of danger, the family unites and together they fight the virtual enemy. In his film, Mamoru Hosoda confronted two worlds: Japanese tradition, which is slowly fading away, and the contemporary world merged with cyberspace. To visualize the virtual world, the director used elements from Superflat – the Japanese art movement. He also presents in detail the structure of the traditional Japanese extended family, composed of the main line and collateral branches, tangled in mutual
relations. Hosoda’s film proves that even in the digitalized contemporary world there
is still room for traditional values and inter-generational solidarity.
Keywords:
anime, Superflat, virtual world, Artificial Intelligence, Japanese traditionSupporting Agencies
References
Murakami, Takashi. 2000. SUPER FLAT. Tokyo: Madra Publishing.
Potocka, Elżbieta. 2004. Japonia – przemiany wewnętrzne w ostatnim dziesięcioleciu XX wieku. Od społeczeństwa grupowego do zagubionej jednostki. W: Potocka, Elżbieta, i Pietrasik, Małgorzata (red.). Współczesna Japonia – mocarstwo na rozdrożu, Łódź: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, s. 154–172.
Sugimoto, Yoshio. 2003. An Introduction to Japanese Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Netografia
Lubow, Arthur. 3.04.2005. The Murakami Method. [Online]. The New York Times. Dostęp: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/magazine/the-murakami-method.html?mcubz=1 [10.02.2018].
Schilling, Mark. 7.08.2009. ‘Summer Wars’ The Future King of Japanese Animation May be With Us. [Online]. Japan Times. Dostęp: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2009/08/07/films/film-reviews/summer-wars/#.WZTOfvlJbIV [11.02.2018].
Sevakis, Justin. 2009. Interview with Mamoru Hosoda. [Online]. Anime News Network. Dostęp: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2009-12-22/interview-mamoru-hosoda?ann-edition=-uk [15.02.2018].
Filmografia
Summer Wars (Samā Wōzu, 2009), reż. Mamoru Hosoda
