Dystopian themes are particularly common in Japanese anime, as are the plots of the destruction of Tokyo, and the combination of these two settings is that the 2007 theatrical version of the anime "2077 Japan Lockdown" (ベクシル 2077 Japan 鎖国) can be seen.
As the name suggests, 2077 takes place in 2077. At the beginning of the 21st century, Japan's biotechnology was highly developed, which effectively extended human lifespan, but the United Nations said that this monopolized technology had great harm and wanted to implement strict monitoring. At this time, it was not the government that dominated Japan, but the giant company Yamato Heavy Steel. Yamato Shigestetsu refused to obey the UN decision, so in 2067 japan unilaterally announced Japan's withdrawal from the UN, following the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period.
In the next 10 years, because Japan used high-tech means to build a high-density magnetic field wall that surrounded all the Japanese archipelagos, shielding all external signals, including military satellites in space, they could not monitor what was happening here. Outsiders could not enter, and their own citizens could not leave, and Japan became the most mysterious country in the world at this time. The U.S. government has received intelligence that Japan will build a new weapon of mass destruction. Anxious to understand the current situation in Japan, the United States sent a special force, WORD, to secretly infiltrate Japan.
Special forces members VEXILLE and Lyon were among the participants in the operation. Lyon is also a lover of VEXILLE, who was originally seconded to the Public Security Bureau in Japan 10 years ago, but was forced to withdraw after being shut down in Japan, because he was worried about a person and had always hoped to return to Japan. The invasion of Japan was not very smooth, and VEXILLE sneaked into Tokyo alone to find that Japan was not at all as advanced as expected, except for a small area near the sea in Tokyo, almost the whole of Japan was in ruins. What's even stranger is that through the detection instrument, at this time, only VEXILLE is the only one in Tokyo with human vital signs, so what happened to these "people" in front of him...
The reason why "2077 Japan Lockdown" is considered to be an anime with an interesting story is in the setting of several worldviews.
Japan, as the technological leader, has instead opted for a lockdown policy.
The supreme power of the state is concentrated in the hands of a giant enterprise.
In order to achieve a radical technological leap, humans can be sacrificed as experimental objects.
Individual humans will lose their personal will and gain eternal life as machines.
Supervisor Fumihiko Tsang said in an interview that the so-called "lock country" is derived from the Japanese people's real "personal lock country", the convenience brought by mobile phones and the Internet makes it easier for people to connect, and interpersonal relations are connected by information, but once this connection is cut off, it is "personal lock country". "2077 Japan Lockdown" extends this cut-off to the national level, and technological progress has various benefits, but when the balance is broken, there is danger.
Before talking about the production team of "2077 Japan Lockdown", I must first mention "Apple Nuclear War". After the animation of the masterpiece "Ghost in the Shell", another work of Japanese SF manga master Masamune Shiro, "Apple Nuclear War", was also adapted into a theatrical version of the anime in 2004. "Apple Nuclear War" is not a traditional 2D hand-drawn animation, but is produced with the technology of "3D Live Anime". For 3D animation technology is not very understanding, not nonsense, here is a reference to wikipedia explanation: "3D Live Anime technology is a 3DCG transformation of traditional animation style of cartoon rendering (Toon rendering) technology, and character action with Motion capture technology of Japanese animation combined with 3DCG words. More realistic and freely expressive photographic techniques than previous animations. In terms of traditional Japanese animation performance, it is easier to invest in emotions. ”
In terms of 3D animation technology, "Apple Nuclear War" can be used as a very representative Japanese animation, and its producer is "2077 Japan Lock country" supervisor Zeng Li Fumihiko, Zeng Li Wenyan himself is a CG background, he studied in the University of Southern California film department in the United States, once participated in Cameron's masterpiece "Tedanik" in the CG animation production. Coupled with the fact that the scripts of the two animations are Haruka Handa, the publicity of "2077 Japan Lockdown" is also leaning in the direction of "the original team of "Apple Nuclear War"".
Many people who like Japanese 2D animation are not used to Japanese 3D animation, and they do not watch such works with a fierce rejection reaction, so they may miss a lot of good works. At least "2077 Japan Lockdown" can be a work that makes people change their minds, so let's try to open the door to another world.