For children of my generation, anime was an escape from Japan's loser complex following World War II. Anime wasn't foreign. It was our own.
Interpretation
The quote highlights how anime served as a cultural refuge for a generation of Japanese children post-World War II, reclaiming their identity.
Takashi Murakami reflects on the impact of anime on his generation, emphasizing how it allowed them to escape the societal shame associated with Japan's post-war identity. Rather than seeing anime as an external influence, he views it as an integral part of their own cultural expression, showcasing the power of art in shaping and redefining national identity.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a panel discussion on the impact of pop culture in post-war societies.
We want to see the newest things. That is because we want to see the future, even if only momentarily. It is the moment in which, even if we don't completely understand what we have glimpsed, we are nonetheless touched by it. This is what we have come to call art.
The novel is a territory where one does not make assertions; it is a territory of play and of hypotheses.
Only stilted pedants can conceive the idea that there are absolute norms to tell what is beautiful and what is not. They try to derive from the works of the past a code of rules with which, as they fancy, the writers and artists of the future should comply. But the genius does not cooperate with the pundit.
When I'm in certain moods, a conversation will start up in my head, and suddenly I'll realize that the language has reached a very high and interesting level, and then lines and stanzas will just kind of appear, full-blown.
Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish
Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits.
A book has got smell. A new book smells great. An old book smells even better. An old book smells like ancient Egypt.
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