A few weeks ago Karandi from 100wordanime held a contest to celebrate the fact that she had started her Facebook page for her blog. The price for this would be a post written by her on any topic the winner would like. To my big surprise I recieved a message from her telling me that I had won the price! 😀 Now I think most of you already know her as she is I think without a doubt one of the most active bloggers of us all. Pretty much everywhere that I look she manages to give a reaction to posts by other blogs, and also writes a ton of stuff every day for her own blog. She also is one of the kindest persons amongst us, always giving a nice response and needless to say I have the utmost respect for her. It was a great honor to have won this contest, and I asked her to write a post about one of my favorite topics, the post apocalyptic genre. She has made a terrific post for it, the result of which you can find below. All words below are written by her, so if you have yet to discover her wonderful blog, please head over there and subscribe now. I certainly have enjoyed this post, and because it can’t be said enough: thank you very much Karandi for this great price.
Embracing the End of Life as we know it.
This post is for Raistlin who won the 100 Word Anime on Facebook launch competition. Thanks as always Raistlin for your support and for the great topic.
What is the appeal of post-apocalyptic stories? Really, they are set after the end of civilisation as we know it so you could almost assume that any story worth telling was already done and finished. Why not go back and talk about that mutating virus, that war, those final days before the asteroid hit or before the aliens conquered humanity and wiped out everything else?
Well, because that’s hardly the end of the story.
As Ian Malcolm put it in Jurassic Park (or at least the script writers did): life finds a way.
The end of the world is fun and all and watching people try to survive the cataclysm can certainly be good for a few laughs, tears and gasps of surprise, but the more meaningful story, or at least I’ve always found, is in what happens next. What are the next steps for those who don’t disappear in a blaze of glory or have their candle snuffed out?
As usual, anime has a plethora of examples to draw upon when thinking about any particular genre. And while I was very tempted to make this an Evangelion post when Raistlin first gave me the topic, I resisted temptation because I still haven’t actually gotten around to writing my review of that anime, and ultimately Evangelion is about an absolute refusal to embrace an unpleasant reality and about the many ways people escape or fight against a grim reality.
So where did I look instead?
I actually had to start with Trigun. While not set on Earth, the story takes place after humans for whatever reason have left Earth to colonise another planet, but due to a particular individual they end up crashing onto a desert planet where survival is quite the feat even before you throw in a certain lawless lifestyle. Despite this, and despite some clearly villainous characters, the main cast of Trigun are decidedly optimistic in their outlook on life. Sure, survival is hard, but while the overall situation can’t change, small steps can be taken each day to secure survival and to help others.
It’s really impossible to watch Trigun and not be infected by Vash’s positive outlook. He isn’t some young and naive child clinging to a dream or an illusion to escape the daily grind. He knows how bad things are and he even knows he is actually responsible for some of the issues, and yet he’ll still flash most people that cheeky smile of his and hit them with “Love and Peace”.
No. 6 is another anime where a main character lives in a world that has been essentially destroyed and the only survivors are in the numbered cities. Privileges are quite restricted and as a child, owing to his intelligence, Shion was on track for a very good life. However, one act of compassion, helping a run-away child, had both Shion and his mother face hardships.
Now, in some stories this would be where the main character became bitter and twisted and would vow revenge against the regime, but Shion is mostly accepting of the situation. He continues to act in a way that doesn’t damage his personal integrity, while finding ways to compromise within the frame of the law. Ultimately his hand is forced and he does go into hiding and finds himself at odds with the city, but even then most of his actions are to save the city rather than to see it brought low.
Both of these characters demonstrate strength and perseverance in the face of inequality and injustice. They put the lives of others before themselves and they seek, in small ways, to make their worlds just a little bit brighter for those around them.
And for me, this is what I love about post apocalyptic stories. They give the best and worst characteristics that humanity carries with them a chance to shine.
Thanks,
Karandi
100wordanime.wordpress.com
Congrats on winning the contest. I have never read that blog before, but I have seen her avatar liking posts on other sites. 100 Word Anime reviews sounds like a grand idea. Shame that I am not concise enough to pull that off.
LikeLike
Thank you very much 😊Haha, I am not kidding. I am currently a bit behind on reading posts, as I have had a bit of busy weekend, but there are so many posts that I checked today that either had a comment from her, or her avatar as a like. It made me smile. Her blog is truly wonderful, and one of the best for Anime related content that is out there. She never misses a day of posting, and usually has multiple posts out on a day all of them high quality. But totally agree, I could not pull ot off either. Already have way too little time in a day lol 😂
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is really cool! I love it when the apocalypse looms on the horizon of shows (insert my endless Evangelion here). It’s kind of about giving it all one last go before the ember waves of a sun at twilight flood the world. Congrats on winning, as Karandi sure is a special figure in this community!
LikeLiked by 1 person
And oh , I almost forgot! No.6 is one of my first and favorite anime, so I have to share my love whenever the title scarcely comes around! ^.^
LikeLike
Thanks for the kind words, and No. 6 definitely needs a bit more love. I am aware the end goes a little strange but the anime is a great watch.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you very much, and I could not agree with you more, she really is a very special figure 😊
Post apocalyptic movies have always been a personal favorite of mine (not that I would ever want the world to end mind you lol), but it’s just a fun subject and if done right can provide some very entertaining movies and anime 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome post 😊😊 Very cool. Love Karandi’s blog x x
LikeLike
Thanks, but all the credits go to her. I think she was one of the first blogs that I started following when my own blog started about a year ago. She is simply awesome 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, she is so awesome 😊😊 Haha I think that’s the case with me too, I’m sure I also started following her around the start of my blog. So funny x x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Big congrats, I raise a toast to you. And what a fascinating post too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much. It was a wonderful surprise, and she really writes absolutely terrific posts. It was an honor, truly 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too love her blog and am very happy for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congrats on winning Karandi’s contest! This is a great post and I love how she’s captured the best bits of a post-apocalypse narrative in a concise manner.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much. I was very pleasantly surprised, and it turned into one hell of a terrific post. Really enjoyed it, and it was seriously an honor to have a post written by her for me. Such a cool price 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love post apocalyptic stories too. I think it’s the appeal of watching people cope with the unknown and seeing people’s reactions in extreme situations. Trying to fight against or rebuild a new world is also a very fascinating concept 🙂
LikeLike