I read AnimeNation's "
Ask John" column on occasion, and sometimes I use this space to reply. (This is because I hate signing up for accounts on things, such an AN's WordPress blog.)
Anyway. I think that he overlooks one important, or at least vaguely amusing, point in his
discussion of the evolution of ninja anime -- the relationship between ninja and psychic anime (or manga.)
See, the essential thing about the portrayal of ninja in these works is that they have nearly superhuman powers -- sometimes almost, but not quite, magical. At a certain point during the '80s, ninja manga went somewhat out of style and were replaced by series that featured protagonists whose powers were, essentially, magic.
X and
Akira are particularly good examples of the genre.
Many years ago, I read a piece that attributed this transition to the element of training and hard work to be found in the ninja manga. -- the ninja labors and struggles to achieve his power, sometimes at great cost. These struggles are at the core of the work, obsessively detailed, and once he's gained his techniques he can use them to triumph (for a while.)
The psychic, on the other hand, gets the power through fate, or luck, or genetics, and then has to deal with the consequences (which are usually pretty dire.) Which one was popular at any given time centered on whether people were focusing on the orderly or capricious element -- whether the world seemed to make sense or not, perhaps.
I have very little evidence for any of this, of course, beyond a half-remembered article and a tissue of speculation. But it's something to think about. Probably not right, but wouldn't the world be more interesting if it were?
words from chris, 2009-04-08 00:36:11, los angeles
