Genealogy of Magical Girls, Part 151: 'Nanase Again' and 'X-MEN'

Following the previous entry, this time I will continue to cover the live-action NHK Shonen Drama Series 'Nanase Again'.

In my last diary entry, I wrote that 'Nanase Again' is a work that emphasizes the 'persecuted psychic' motif.
Regarding this, I received a comment from a reader. They suggested that I cover the American comic 'X-MEN' as another work featuring the same 'persecuted psychic' motif.
I will address that right away in this entry.

As I wrote last time, the origin of the 'persecuted psychic' motif in 'Nanase Again' is the science fiction novel 'Slan'. 'Slan' was first published in the United States in 1940.
'Slan' was a work that garnered a great reputation. After this, many works featuring the 'persecuted psychic' motif appeared in the English-speaking world.

For example, John Wyndham's science fiction novel 'The Chrysalids' also uses this motif. 'The Chrysalids' was published in the United Kingdom in 1955.
'The Chrysalids' is set on a future Earth, but people live like they are in early modern Europe. It is a superstitious society where primary industries like agriculture are the mainstay.
In this world, mutants are occasionally born to the people. These are individuals with physical mutations, such as having a different number of fingers or toes, or mental mutations, such as possessing telepathic abilities.
Mutants are loathed and shunned by the people.

In this society, when a birth occurs and a child is born safely, it is not immediately celebrated. The newborn child is strictly examined to see if they are a mutant. If they are identified as a mutant, the child is 'disposed of,' and it is as if that child never existed.
Only after being identified as not being a mutant is the birth joyfully celebrated.

The protagonist of 'The Chrysalids' is a boy named David. He was a mutant with telepathic abilities, but fortunately, he had no physical abnormalities, so he managed to survive by hiding his abilities even from his family.
Through his telepathic abilities, David knew that there were other mutants like him who had also survived. The mutants communicated with each other telepathically and lived by helping one another.

Then, David's younger sister, Petra, is born. Petra is also identified as not being a mutant, and her birth is celebrated. However, in reality, she is also a mutant with telepathic abilities. And a powerful one at that.
David desperately protects Petra so that her psychic powers are not discovered. However, at one point, the villagers find out, and he escapes the village with his fellow mutants.

The combination of 'siblings who are psychics, with the older brother protecting the younger sister' reminds me of 'NIGHT HEAD,' which I mentioned last time. Although in 'NIGHT HEAD,' it was brothers, with the older brother protecting the younger one.

Then, in 1963, 'X-MEN' was born in the United States. It was an American comic written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby.
As many of you may know, I will explain it briefly.

'X-MEN' stars mutants who were born with innate psychic powers. Each mutant possesses unique abilities. They use those abilities to work as a team.
The main characters include Professor X, a powerful telepath; Cyclops, who fires destructive beams from his eyes; Beast, who has astonishing physical abilities; Iceman, who controls ice; and Angel, who has wings and can fly.

The mutant protagonists of 'X-MEN' are basically good-hearted people. They use their abilities to help ordinary, non-mutant people.
Nevertheless, they tend to be feared and disliked by the general public, who worry that 'they might replace us.' They are 'persecuted psychics.'

'X-MEN' is a popular series that has continued from the 1960s to the present day in 2020. It has also been adapted into films many times.
However, 'X-MEN' was apparently not very popular at first. I hear that it gained popularity after the team was reorganized in 1975.

In this way, the mutant genre and the 'persecuted psychic' motif, which had gained a certain level of popularity in the English-speaking world, flooded into Japan in the 1970s. Sensitive people—such as science fiction writers like Yasutaka Tsutsui—had been obtaining information about it even before then.
The Japanese version of 'Slan' was released in 1977 (Showa 52). The Japanese version of 'The Chrysalids' was released in 1978 (Showa 53).

The Japanese version of 'X-MEN' was published a little later, entering the 1980s. Since there are fans of American comics in Japan, it was likely known among such people from the 1970s.

It was in this Japan of the 1970s that 'Nanase Again' appeared. It is a work that is essentially the embodiment of the 'persecuted psychic' motif.

It should be noted that in 1970s Japan, works featuring psychics were not always based on the 'persecuted psychic' motif.
In 1979 (Showa 54), the same year 'Nanase Again' was broadcast, a work that must never be forgotten in the history of Japanese anime was aired. That is 'Mobile Suit Gundam'—the so-called First Gundam.

In 'Mobile Suit Gundam,' people called Newtypes appear. The protagonist, a boy named Amuro Ray, is also a Newtype.
Newtypes can be said to be another term for psychics. Newtypes like Amuro exercise powers similar to so-called psychic abilities, such as telepathy and precognition. Because of this, they can pilot giant robot-type weapons (mobile suits) like the Gundam more freely than ordinary people.

In the world of 'Mobile Suit Gundam,' a space war using mobile suits is taking place. Excellent warriors who can pilot mobile suits are always in demand. For this reason, Newtypes are not loathed, but rather respected.

The battles between Amuro and his enemy, Char Aznable, who is also a Newtype like Amuro, were memorable. Even more so, the interaction between the superior Newtype Lalah Sune and Amuro was heart-wrenching.
As fellow Newtypes, Lalah and Amuro were able to understand each other, but they were enemies and were fated to fight.

'Mobile Suit Gundam' is a work that depicts 'psychics' (Newtypes) with a completely different vector from the 'persecuted psychic' motif.
Because this work became so popular, the number of works in subsequent Japanese anime featuring 'psychics' of this vector increased.

In 1979 (Showa 54), Japan had a somewhat diverse image of psychics. Among them, 'Nanase Again' is an example that swung to the extreme toward the 'persecuted psychic' motif.

I will end here for this time.
I will continue to cover 'Nanase Again' next time as well.