Why Japan, anyway?

There are so many times people ask the same question: "Why Japan? What do you see in that country?"

It's a valid and good question. Instinct, knowledge, ideas, projections of the future, all play a role, and then there's the fun factor. I could answer with references to a hybrid traditional/practically posthuman culture... Although my abilities in both are limited, I could discuss the endless nuances and beauty of the language, which not unlike my mother tongue, Urdu, has this special way of describing human feelings, experiences and has a unique flavour. I could discuss the communication style of the people, how having the subject at the end of a sentence actually makes people listen to one another... I could discuss the technological and environmental babble that we all seem to notice at first...

But those of you who've sat down with me and enjoyed any one of the animated works of Makoto Shinkai will know. Those of us who understand the meaning of that vision will get it. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same pair of eyes, some of us aren't really interested in "Anime"... As an artform, a storytelling medium, a space for social commentary and of course, just plain wacky humour, no superior visual medium exists. The reason it's not a big deal, though, is because art imitates life. Moreover, life sometimes imitates art.

Such is the case of chobi, a Vimeo user who goes by mockmoon. His visions are like a real-life motion capture of Shinkai's seemingly "None of this can possibly be real" animation. What most people don't know that quality animation is more often than not based on photoreference, and can reflect aspects of nature and reality. I invite you to observe Constant Shatter, and share how it makes you feel...


Nature Time Lapse 2 from mockmoon on Vimeo.

As more of us grow to appreciate this vision... This understanding of our position with respect to our surroundings... Perhaps then we can speak of change.