- Japanese Cyberpunk
"Japanese Cyberpunk" is a genre of
underground film produced inJapan starting in the late 80s.The genre is not very closely related toCyberpunk as understood in the west - the focus is industrial and incomprehensable, not high-tech and scientific.There are no computers in "Japanese Cyberpunk". The genre is primarily defined by the movie . [http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/japanese-cyberpunk/]tyle
"Japanese Cyberpunk" generally involves the main characters going through monsterous, incomprehensiblemetamorphosis in an industrial setting. There is often not much plot beyond screaming.Many of these films have scenes that fall into the
Experimental Film genre - pure abstract visual sequenceswith no relation whatsoever to the characters or plot.Precursors
"Burst City" has been a huge inspiration on the entire underground Japanese film scene over the past 25 years. [http://twitchfilm.net/archives/007344.html] and more specificly,
Shigeru Izumiya starred in it before going on to directDeath Powder four years later."The Phantom of Regular Size" is the early short byShinya Tsukamoto that he expanded into a few years later.
*Burst City (1982)
*The Phantom of Regular Size (1986)Core Films
These are the five definitive "Japanese Cyberpunk" films: [http://www.fright.com/edge/commentary/japanese-cyber-horror/]
*Death Powder (1986)
* (1989)
*964 Pinocchio (1991)
* (1992)
*Rubber's Lover (1996)Peripheral Films
It is debatable whether or not these films are "Japanese Cyberpunk" but they are related:
*Hellevator
*Meatball Machine
*Save The Green Planet
*I.K.U.
*Electric Dragon 80.000 V Western Influences
*
Eraserhead
*Videodrome
*Blade Runner References
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