Cat Bus from "My Neighbour Toroto."
© Ghibli Studios
No Cars Go
By: Nadia OxfordDate: Wednesday, May 23, 2007
When the people of the world share their myths and culture, it builds a bridge across cultural gaps and stereotypes. That's part of the fun of writing about anime and manga for Mania; I've learned a number of things about Japanese culture, and I hope others have learned as well.
Unfortunately, some people fail at grasping their own culture. For example, yesterday was Victoria Day in Canada, which is a day for drinking and fireworks (often in that order, which results in a lot of careless burns). I know we live in confusing times, but one thing should be made clear: It is not a day to smash in my car window. Yeah, the celebration of Queen Victoria's Birthday and the act of Grand Theft Auto are right next to each other, but let's make more of an effort to differentiate next time.
At the very least, the whole ordeal has given me reason to think about humankind's dependence on cars. With environmental awareness on the rise, we've become painfully aware of how much of a strain these over-priced horseless carriages put on the Planet. Anime, on the other hand, provides unorthodox means of transportations for its heroes and villains. Not only are most of these options pollution-free, they're safe from vandalism, too.
Heck On Wheels
Akira is a good example of a "starter" anime for many fans. What's one of the main reasons people are drawn to the stylishly dark film? Akira's cool bike, of course. Not only does it look sweet, its battery-powered generator makes it environmentally friendly, too. Shattering the myth of "glorified Power Wheels"--or whatever colourful term works for hybrid vehicles--the bike can accelerate from zero to one hundred kilometres per hour in less than ten seconds. It also includes an auto-navigation system, a CD player and a glove compartment. Can't forget the glove compartment.
As for security, well, would you lay a hand on Akira's bike without permission? Thought not.
Of course, anime is also famous for its Mechs; giant killer robots piloted by humans. Some sentai anime involves smaller robots who combine into a fierce ass-stomper (Voltron, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers) and some mech anime stars skinny boy-pilots who are often bonded by to their machines by their souls (Neon Genesis Evangeleon, Escaflowne). Some are just awesome through their mere existence and their pilots are equally awesome (The Big O).
These "vehicles" normally don't emit pollutants by themselves, but admittedly all it takes is a close encounter with a nuclear power plant to make the Planet very sad.
Security, however, speaks for itself. It's not proper to mention Mechs without a passing word for Transformers. Transformers would make delightful rat traps for thieves, so to speak. If you bash in a car window and said car begins to grow arms and legs, it's probably time to run. Fast.
Four Legs Good
Although some nomadic tribes of humans still rely on camels or reindeer to carry their cargo across desert and frozen wastelands respectively, mankind's bond with domesticated beasts of burden diminished rapidly with the advent of the automobile. In the world of anime and manga, however, the four-legged ones still rule supreme.
Dragons will forever be a popular fantasy mount. Given their power and mysticism, it's no surprise. Sen flying on the back of dragon Haku in Spirited Away is an unforgettable scene, but the ancient reptiles are more commonly used as fighting animals. Charizard and Dragonite from Pokemon can carry protagonist Ash anywhere, and they double as effective security systems when nasty Team Rocket tries to boost his Pikachu yet again.
Some manga, such as Scrapped Princess, goes back to the basics and carts its characters around with horses and carriages. Honest to goodness regular horses. They don't talk or use magic or anything. Wow. Not very effective protection against horse thieves, unfortunately.
Heroes who are not scared to risk a little Bird Flu can find poultry-based mounts with the PecoPecos of Ragnarok or the yellow-feathered Chocobos of Final Fantasy. Chocobos in particular have established themselves in popular culture (and, unfortunately, in Tifa fanart by hentai artists). Final Fantasy VII went a long way in making the big birds popular thanks to a mini game that allowed players to "breed" different coloured Chocobos with a wide variety of terrain-crossing abilities.
These Boots Are Made for Walking
Mounts are fun, unless you're against the subjugation of animals. Then again, it's very difficult to classify an alternative mode of transportation like the Cat Bus from My Neighbour Toroto. Is it cat? Is it a vehicle? It has about ten legs in lieu of wheels, either way, and an enormous smile. Its mousey "tail lights" alone validate its existence, but it's also kind of creepy. Creepy enough that no one's going to try hotwiring it.
Animals and robots aside, there are still some anime characters who bravely move about on their own power. Goku made good use of his magical flying nimbus cloud in Dragon Ball, and then he learned to fly of his own power in Dragon Ball Z. If any hero deserves an award for conservation, it's Goku.
