Let's highlight the social background of this Japanese animation that appeared around the end of the 20th century.

[The despair of the 90’s, and Eva] (1)

Let’s begin with the story of people working themselves to death. This issue began surfacing in Japan starting from the 1980’s.

 

Looking through Japanese texts, there are already records of female workers committing suicide by throwing themselves into lakes after suffering through 12-13 hours of labor at a spinning factory in the 1920s. Japan is peculiar in that it is common for people to  work themselves fully knowing that they will die from it, and continue working in a psychological state close to a form of suicide.

In any event, Japan was in an incredibly powerful condition. The wounds of war had already been overcome, and problematic issues of poverty and ideology had become greatly weakened to the point of them being the object of romantic thought. It’s easy to see why Takahata Isao and Miyazaki Hayao released Grave of the Fireflies and Totoro. It was so that the Japanese could look back on the things they had forgotten during their insane growth. Are all of you aware of the foundation beneath this prosperity and glow?

The 1945 defeat of the Japanese was something that went beyond just the political defeat in a war. At the time, Japan was a nation based on a system centered on the emperor. For this, Japan did not hesitate to go to war, and its military collapsed for it. They even had two nuclear bombs dropped on them by America. They went this far to protect it, with hundreds of thousands burning to death in Hiroshima and tens of thousands committing suicide in Okinawa…but the emperor makes a human declaration one morning. There is a picture of the emperor and MacArthur, a shogun from abroad. MacArthur is standing lazily leaning on one leg, but the emperor is standing awkwardly. How would you feel seeing this picture? It’s telling someone that has been laying their lives for a god that “I am not a god”. [Democracy and Patriotism] describes this situation in the beginning of the book.

[Ruined Ideology] It’s the ruin as in ruination.

As the U.S military fills this gigantic vacuum, many American things flowed in. In addition, are strong opinions that the alternative of socialism should be chosen. The U.S military selects a variety of policies. Most of them are to ensure that Japan can never rise once again. The part that isn’t well known in Korea is the White Purge-terrorism against the political right as well as the Red Purge-Akagari-the hunting of communists.

As war breaks out during the great postwar chaos, the stage for Japan’s economic growth is provided as is well known. Alarmed by the surprisingly powerful North Korean Communist army, the U.S. takes a step back from making Japan unable to make a comeback. A police reserve is created, and this is the foundation of Japan's Self-Defense Forces. (1950) This was basically the allowing of rearmament. Force was needed to prevent Japan from becoming communist.

This carries many meanings. It is impossible to recreate Japan itself into a totally different country from before the war. In effect, the system is left intact, and a different motto is created.

Excluding ideology, its to return to their war-torn lives to what is was before the war, and to escape from the tearing poverty of starvation. It’s economic growth.

It’s commonly said that the most dangerous moment for depression patients is the moment recovery begins.

To escape destruction, hopeless poverty and pain, the Japanese frantically devoted themselves to economic growth. It would not have been so different from the way they rushed into war in their madness, except it was just the theme that would have changed to restoration. The factories that produced bullets and fighter jets had changed to producing rice pots and bicycles.

At any rate, the growth was tremendous. People gradually escaped death and poverty, the madness of war and painful despair.

(Continued)