A Wind Named AmnesiaIs it civilization itself that breeds conflict, or the absence of it? A Wind Named Amnesia is a science fiction anime about a global cataclysm that causes virtually everyone in the world to forget everything they knew, including speech, empathy, and morality. This reduces nearly every human being to a primal state; yet this doesn't stop one young man from instinctively intervening to save a wheelchair-bound boy named Johnny from being killed by a telekinetic brute. Johnny--whose brain was replaced with a machine--remembers everything, and opts to teach his savior everything he can to help him survive, naming him "Wataru", as he will be a wanderer in this brave new world.
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A Wind Named Amnesia begins with Wataru driving around in the ruins of San Francisco, trying to save a group of wild humans from being gunned down by an autonomous computer-driven patrol mech. As Wataru is harried by the lethal machine, an ethereal woman named Sophia speaks into his mind, and gives him instructions on how to incapacitate the hunter. Sophia and Wataru soon discover that they are a couple of the very few (to only) people who have any cognitive ability remaining, and he agrees to escort her to New York City per her request. Wataru explains that before Johnny passed away due to complications from the human experimentation done on him, the boy asked him to travel to the "four corners of the world". Johnny's hope was for Wataru to try to reach out to other people--as Johnny did for him--so that they might relearn what they lost, and so that civilization would not perish. Despite Wataru's noble mission, Sophia questions whether it is truly better for humanity to regain its memories, or to start afresh devoid of the complications that came with it. She observes that humanity appears to have been in a constantly escalating state of conflict, and suggests that this conflict came from aspects inherent to our civilization that gave rise to things like war, poverty, and so on. Wataru is placed in an interesting position in this philosophical debate; he doesn't truly remember his past--only shadows of it--so his moral compass is really a product of Johnny's education. In essence, Wataru has become nothing but a scion of the late child--a new messiah for a world that cannot understand what it has lost, spreading Johnny's gospel, not his own. Yet Wataru's perception of right and wrong is meant to mirror that of the audience for A Wind Named Amnesia. For example, he is appalled at some of the brutal and inhumane practices that have resurfaced in this retrograde world. Consider when he and Sophia intervene and save a pair of people--Sue and Little John--from a pack of cultists who intend to sacrifice Sue to their machine god. Sophia reminds Wataru that it has only been in comparatively recent human history that human sacrifice has become frowned upon. Yet the audience of A Wind Called Amnesia will no doubt sympathize with Wataru's egalitarianism, and his unwillingness to let Sue be offered up just to sate the ignorant fear of a people who have forgotten why what they're doing is wrong.
As Wataru and Sophia continue their odyssey across the former United States, the same patrolling mech from San Francisco hounds them, rebuilding itself over and over again after each confrontation. Despite humanity having forgotten its memories, computers continue to operate in accordance with their programing; essentially, they have "inherited the Earth". Even Johnny is no exception; his mind is more computer than human, so his memories are "digital" as opposed to "analog". And that relentless mech even seems to hold a grudge that Wataru has continued to evade its brand of "justice", reinforcing the idea that it "remembers". After Wataru is injured following a run in with the mech, Sophia takes him to a place called "The Eternal City", which he soon discovers is comprised of just two people: a young girl named Lisa and an elderly gentleman named Mr. Simpson. Both of these surviving citizens are well taken care of and tended to by the computers that run the city, but in turn they must act out the roles of the city's former citizens, who appear to have long since departed. Lisa--in the role of the "leader" of the city--invites Wataru to stay and live out the rest of his days in comfort; but when he refuses, the computer running the show tries to use force to compel him to stay instead, despite having criticized the use of violence by its former citizens after they were reduced to a primitive mental state. In this way, A Wind Named Amnesia subtly suggests that artificial intelligence is to be our successor, that our history is the blueprint by which this artificial life judges what is right and wrong...even when it leads to self-contradiction.
Despite their difference in seeing the wind as either a blessing or a curse, Wataru and Sophia travel together amicably. The aloof Sophia always seems to know more than she's letting on, and also possesses special powers, similar to Johnny. As their trust builds, Sophia shares that she wasn't an experiment like Johnny, but is instead an emissary from another world, sent to observe humanity. Ultimately, she confesses that her people inflicted this wind on humanity, and presumes that Wataru will hate her for her part in his suffering. Following this, there are cold moments between them, but his feelings of betrayal stem more from her concealing this detail in the first place, instead feigning ignorance as he pondered how such a wind could have been brought about in the first place. Sophia's people--according to her--perceived humanity's entrance into space as an inevitable threat, since their history appeared to be rooted in nothing but violence and destruction. Yet this "preventative measure" by Sophia's race is short-sighted and arguably more destructive than any other tragedy humanity has inflicted upon itself. It also fails to observe all of the wonders humanity has brought to the planet, through beauty, art, scientific innovation, and most importantly, love. A Wind Named Amnesia raises many questions about whether it is any people's place to impose a way of life on another, arguably answering those questions with a resounding "no".
Recommended for: Fans of a thought-provoking and eerily beautiful post-apocalyptic tale. A Wind Named Amnesia may superficially resemble a cartoon intended for younger audiences, but its complex moral themes (along with frequent violence and occasional nudity) makes this a movie best suited for adults who can appreciate the philosophical questions it asks.
As Wataru and Sophia continue their odyssey across the former United States, the same patrolling mech from San Francisco hounds them, rebuilding itself over and over again after each confrontation. Despite humanity having forgotten its memories, computers continue to operate in accordance with their programing; essentially, they have "inherited the Earth". Even Johnny is no exception; his mind is more computer than human, so his memories are "digital" as opposed to "analog". And that relentless mech even seems to hold a grudge that Wataru has continued to evade its brand of "justice", reinforcing the idea that it "remembers". After Wataru is injured following a run in with the mech, Sophia takes him to a place called "The Eternal City", which he soon discovers is comprised of just two people: a young girl named Lisa and an elderly gentleman named Mr. Simpson. Both of these surviving citizens are well taken care of and tended to by the computers that run the city, but in turn they must act out the roles of the city's former citizens, who appear to have long since departed. Lisa--in the role of the "leader" of the city--invites Wataru to stay and live out the rest of his days in comfort; but when he refuses, the computer running the show tries to use force to compel him to stay instead, despite having criticized the use of violence by its former citizens after they were reduced to a primitive mental state. In this way, A Wind Named Amnesia subtly suggests that artificial intelligence is to be our successor, that our history is the blueprint by which this artificial life judges what is right and wrong...even when it leads to self-contradiction.
Despite their difference in seeing the wind as either a blessing or a curse, Wataru and Sophia travel together amicably. The aloof Sophia always seems to know more than she's letting on, and also possesses special powers, similar to Johnny. As their trust builds, Sophia shares that she wasn't an experiment like Johnny, but is instead an emissary from another world, sent to observe humanity. Ultimately, she confesses that her people inflicted this wind on humanity, and presumes that Wataru will hate her for her part in his suffering. Following this, there are cold moments between them, but his feelings of betrayal stem more from her concealing this detail in the first place, instead feigning ignorance as he pondered how such a wind could have been brought about in the first place. Sophia's people--according to her--perceived humanity's entrance into space as an inevitable threat, since their history appeared to be rooted in nothing but violence and destruction. Yet this "preventative measure" by Sophia's race is short-sighted and arguably more destructive than any other tragedy humanity has inflicted upon itself. It also fails to observe all of the wonders humanity has brought to the planet, through beauty, art, scientific innovation, and most importantly, love. A Wind Named Amnesia raises many questions about whether it is any people's place to impose a way of life on another, arguably answering those questions with a resounding "no".
Recommended for: Fans of a thought-provoking and eerily beautiful post-apocalyptic tale. A Wind Named Amnesia may superficially resemble a cartoon intended for younger audiences, but its complex moral themes (along with frequent violence and occasional nudity) makes this a movie best suited for adults who can appreciate the philosophical questions it asks.