DEFINE CYBERPUNK

SHAMIN CHOWDHURY - Writer, 3rd Year, Physics and Math

"Andrew, I need more time (and maybe space)"

Originally published on Sept. 6, 2018

Ghost in the Shell. Ergo Proxy. Psycho-Pass. Neon Genesis Evangelion. If you’ve heard the term “cyberpunk,” these are anime you’ve probably heard associated with the term. Defining a genre isn’t very black and white. People might have some core idea of what a genre is when a term is first coined, but then other works might have similar traits without exactly following that core idea. This leads to discussion and debate on a matter that’s honestly rather trivial. Whether I call a work cyberpunk or not, that shouldn’t change the quality of the work in itself (it’s a good show because ___ or it’s a bad show because ___). It might change the lens through which a viewer judges the work (as a cyberpunk show, ___ or as a show in general, ____, but you can still consider it in however way you approach anime in general. Nevertheless, I am a bit keen about stuff like definitions, so I was interested to look into what identifies this genre. With that being said, here are a few of my thoughts on what I understand is encompassed by the cyberpunk genre.

The term originates from a literature movement that came about in the late 20th century starting around the 60s or 70s. Writers observed the drastic changes of drug culture and technology while avoiding the utopian story aspects of earlier decades. What was common in their works was the nearfuture high technology dystopian setting we’re familiar with in cyberpunk (the “cyber” part) and some character who’d break from the societal order using this technology (the “punk” part). These stories would often take on a police detective story, so this aspect is often associated with the genre (though it’s not necessary as we can see in works like Serial Experiments Lain). Basically, “near-future high-tech dystopia” is a general quality pretty much everyone agrees upon, and we can use it as a good start. However, it’s important to note that the dystopia has to be a result of the new technology because it’s this kind of dystopia that gives rise to the “punk” characters of the genre.

Let’s talk a little about a series that’s somewhat debated as being cyberpunk: Neon Genesis Evangelion. It’s near future (starts in 2015). It could be high-tech because of the Evas, but while Angel attacks occur in their lives, typical people like Shinji’s classmates aren’t affected by technology like people in a cyberpunk dystopia are. Furthermore, there isn’t really so much of a “punk” character. Shinji is coerced into piloting Unit01, Rei just follows orders, and Asuka does it for attention. Across the course of the series, these characters go through character development in their views of themselves, but they’re still more or less subject to the whims of the system. While, Neon Genesis Evangelion might have some cyberpunk elements, I don’t think it can really be called cyberpunk.

¹ Your approach might change depending on the genre, but usually, cyberpunk shows will fall within broader genres like “detective” or “dystopia,” and you’d have some sense of judging those kinds of shows.

² See the Cyberpunk Wikipedia article, the website Neon Dystopia’s article “What is Cyberpunk,” and a couple videos from the YouTube channel Extra Credits for more details

³ See NGE if you haven’t already!