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.
Writers are opposite of athletes, they get better with age
I am married to the theater, and the films are only my mistress.
I paint the way someone bites his fingernails; for me, painting is a bad habit because I don't know nor can I do anything else.
I had to say to myself, 'I haven't written enough about blackness, yet it's part of my consciousness and my lived experience.' I had to get over that anxiety of 'I haven't done this before.'
I just wrote one song at a time. Kinda like an alcoholic. One day at a time.
I get thousands of letters, and they give me a feeling of how each book is perceived. Often I think I have written about a certain theme, but by reading the letters or reviews, I realise that everybody sees the book differently.
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