When the Machines Stop: Fantasy, Reality, and Terminal Identity in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Serial Experiments Lain

by Susan J. Napier

This article examines two major works in recent Japanese anime, the science-fiction series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (1997) and "Serial Experiments Lain" (1999) in terms of their exploration of the human subject vis-à-vis an apocalyptic vision of technology and the real at the end of the twentieth century.
While they are both groundbreaking works, they are also analyzed in relation to key issues in contemporary Japanese culture, in particular its own increasingly problematic relationship with the real.

Genres: Manga

7 pages, Unknown Binding

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Susan Jolliffe Napier is a Professor of the Japanese Program at Tufts University.