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Japanese science fiction
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Japanese science fiction
Science fiction is an important genre of modern Japanese literature that has strongly influenced aspects of contemporary Japanese pop culture, including anime, manga, video games, tokusatsu, and cinema. Japanese fiction has assumed a position of significance in many genres of world literature, with speculative fiction encompassing a diverse range of literary works, has a rich history deeply intertwined with the country's cultural and social contexts, It is Often characterized by its imaginative narratives, futuristic themes, and exploration of societal issues, It has gained international recognition for its unique blend of traditional storytelling elements with modern speculative concepts. Contemporary Japanese speculative fiction has themes focusing on artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and environmental degradation are prevalent, reflecting the anxieties and realities of the modern world.
Both Japan's history of technology and mythology play a role in the development of its science fiction. Some early Japanese literature, for example, contain elements of proto-science fiction. The early Japanese tale of "Urashima Tarō" involves traveling forwards in time to a distant future, and was first described in the Nihongi (720). It was about a young fisherman named Urashima Taro who visits an undersea palace and stays there for three days. After returning home to his village, he finds himself three hundred years in the future, where he is long forgotten, his house in ruins, and his family long dead. The 10th-century Japanese narrative The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter may also be considered proto-science fiction. The protagonist of the story, Kaguya-hime, is a princess from the Moon who is sent to Earth for safety during a celestial war, and is found and raised by a bamboo cutter in Japan. She is later taken back to the Moon by her real extraterrestrial family. A manuscript illustration depicts a round flying machine similar to a flying saucer.
Science fiction in the standard modern sense began with the Meiji Restoration and the importation of Western ideas. The first science fiction of any influence to be translated into Japanese were the novels of Jules Verne.[not specific enough to verify] The translation of Around the World in Eighty Days - of which part of the plot is set in Japan - was published in 1878–1880, followed by his other works with immense popularity. The word kagaku shōsetsu (科学小説) was coined as a translation of "scientific novel" as early as 1886.
Shunrō Oshikawa is generally considered as the ancestor of Japanese science fiction. His debut work Kaitei Gunkan (Undersea warship), published in 1900, described submarines and predicted a coming Russo-Japanese War.
During the period between the world wars, Japanese science fiction was more influenced by American science fiction. A popular writer of the era was Jūza Unno, sometimes called "the father of Japanese science fiction."[citation needed] Another earliest pioneer was Rampo Edogawa, a pen name of Hirai Taro, who gained prominence in the early 20th century for his psychological thrillers and surrealistic narratives. His works, such as "The Human Chair" (1925) and "The Fiend with Twenty Faces" (1936), blurred the lines between reality and fantasy, setting a precedent for future generations of Japanese speculative fiction writers. The literary standards of this era, and the previous, tended to be low. Prior to World War II, Japanese rarely if ever saw science fiction as worthwhile literature. Instead, it was considered a form of trivial literature for children.
A character considered to be the first full-fledged superhero is the Japanese Kamishibai character Ōgon Bat, who debuted in 1930, eight years before Superman. Another similar Japanese Kamishibai superhero was Prince of Gamma (ガンマ王子) , who debuted in the early 1930s, also years before Superman.
Manga artist Osamu Tezuka, who debuted in 1946, was a major influence on the later science fiction authors. Lost World (1948), Metropolis (1949), and Nextworld (1951) are known as Tezuka's early SF trilogy.
Following World War II, Japanese speculative fiction experienced a significant boom, with authors exploring themes of post-apocalyptic landscapes, technological advancements, and the repercussions of war. Notable authors during this period include Yasutaka Tsutsui, known for his satirical and thought-provoking tales, and Kobo Abe, whose existentialist novels often delved into the human condition within surreal settings. Abe, an vant-garde author, wrote works that are within science fiction genre, and he later had close relationship with SF authors. His Inter Ice Age 4 (1958–1959) is considered the first Japanese full-length science fiction novel.
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Japanese science fiction
Science fiction is an important genre of modern Japanese literature that has strongly influenced aspects of contemporary Japanese pop culture, including anime, manga, video games, tokusatsu, and cinema. Japanese fiction has assumed a position of significance in many genres of world literature, with speculative fiction encompassing a diverse range of literary works, has a rich history deeply intertwined with the country's cultural and social contexts, It is Often characterized by its imaginative narratives, futuristic themes, and exploration of societal issues, It has gained international recognition for its unique blend of traditional storytelling elements with modern speculative concepts. Contemporary Japanese speculative fiction has themes focusing on artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and environmental degradation are prevalent, reflecting the anxieties and realities of the modern world.
Both Japan's history of technology and mythology play a role in the development of its science fiction. Some early Japanese literature, for example, contain elements of proto-science fiction. The early Japanese tale of "Urashima Tarō" involves traveling forwards in time to a distant future, and was first described in the Nihongi (720). It was about a young fisherman named Urashima Taro who visits an undersea palace and stays there for three days. After returning home to his village, he finds himself three hundred years in the future, where he is long forgotten, his house in ruins, and his family long dead. The 10th-century Japanese narrative The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter may also be considered proto-science fiction. The protagonist of the story, Kaguya-hime, is a princess from the Moon who is sent to Earth for safety during a celestial war, and is found and raised by a bamboo cutter in Japan. She is later taken back to the Moon by her real extraterrestrial family. A manuscript illustration depicts a round flying machine similar to a flying saucer.
Science fiction in the standard modern sense began with the Meiji Restoration and the importation of Western ideas. The first science fiction of any influence to be translated into Japanese were the novels of Jules Verne.[not specific enough to verify] The translation of Around the World in Eighty Days - of which part of the plot is set in Japan - was published in 1878–1880, followed by his other works with immense popularity. The word kagaku shōsetsu (科学小説) was coined as a translation of "scientific novel" as early as 1886.
Shunrō Oshikawa is generally considered as the ancestor of Japanese science fiction. His debut work Kaitei Gunkan (Undersea warship), published in 1900, described submarines and predicted a coming Russo-Japanese War.
During the period between the world wars, Japanese science fiction was more influenced by American science fiction. A popular writer of the era was Jūza Unno, sometimes called "the father of Japanese science fiction."[citation needed] Another earliest pioneer was Rampo Edogawa, a pen name of Hirai Taro, who gained prominence in the early 20th century for his psychological thrillers and surrealistic narratives. His works, such as "The Human Chair" (1925) and "The Fiend with Twenty Faces" (1936), blurred the lines between reality and fantasy, setting a precedent for future generations of Japanese speculative fiction writers. The literary standards of this era, and the previous, tended to be low. Prior to World War II, Japanese rarely if ever saw science fiction as worthwhile literature. Instead, it was considered a form of trivial literature for children.
A character considered to be the first full-fledged superhero is the Japanese Kamishibai character Ōgon Bat, who debuted in 1930, eight years before Superman. Another similar Japanese Kamishibai superhero was Prince of Gamma (ガンマ王子) , who debuted in the early 1930s, also years before Superman.
Manga artist Osamu Tezuka, who debuted in 1946, was a major influence on the later science fiction authors. Lost World (1948), Metropolis (1949), and Nextworld (1951) are known as Tezuka's early SF trilogy.
Following World War II, Japanese speculative fiction experienced a significant boom, with authors exploring themes of post-apocalyptic landscapes, technological advancements, and the repercussions of war. Notable authors during this period include Yasutaka Tsutsui, known for his satirical and thought-provoking tales, and Kobo Abe, whose existentialist novels often delved into the human condition within surreal settings. Abe, an vant-garde author, wrote works that are within science fiction genre, and he later had close relationship with SF authors. His Inter Ice Age 4 (1958–1959) is considered the first Japanese full-length science fiction novel.