Quote:
Originally Posted by Shiroth
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This makes me feel nostalgic all of the sudden. Its too bad Arihiro Hase & Eiji Kanie would never live to see the launch of Macross Frontier.
The era of the mid 70s to the 80s saw the rise of a new direction in sci-fi anime, which gradually shifted from
defending the planet popularized by astro-boy, super-robot & ultramen shows, to
interacting with the universe where humanity ventured into the
final frontier. This was probably a reflection of the overwhelming optimism for Japanese economic prowess. While the United States was de-facto the number one economy of the world, that fact probably never crossed the minds of the ordinary Japanese. The country had a lot of energy and vigor. It was nonstop
go, go, go,
advance, advance,
advance without conservation. At the time, Japanese people probably thought they could conquer the world (market). Indeed, Japanese industries revolutionized how the world saw electronics, storage media and miniature accessories. Living became so materialistically excessive that it was not uncommon to pick up fully functional television sets that people did not want. Out of that excess also gave rise of many trivial and unnecessary jobs, such as
elevator ladies. Patriotism at the time was at such height that in my opinion, was comparable only to the 1930s.
Japan in the 80s was wonderland for children. Kids had the coolest toys and the most sophisticated gadgets. Of course, this enduring optimism clouded the judgments of many. A majority of the populace did not realize (or refuse to admit) that Japan was operating in a bubble economy on the verge of bursting. Thus when it did burst, most people didn't see it coming.
When I went back to Japan in the late 90s for the first time, aside from noticing everything became two sizes smaller, there was the goddess-awful, absolutely horrid exchange rate of approximately 155yen to 1 US dollar. Not that I was complaining, because at the time I was a tourist. Then everything felt slowed. Sure, during rush hours in the morning, people will still be fighting for a spot to stand on public transit, but the pioneering vigor was sapped drastically. Unemployment was at its height, and suicides were frequent. For the people living there, they had it pretty tough.
- Tak (ranting stop)