Superflat

“Earth at my Window” from Takashi Murikami’s “Little Boy”
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9VahGwIokRiSFZ5UjBjWUxRZHFkYkRDNWtNcVYzQQ

Takashi Murikami’s  “Superflat Monogram”,
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C84FLwm3DA

     Superflat is a term that refers to the two dimensionality of not just anime and anime characters, but also how Japanese pop culture and fine arts are compressed and the shallowness of consumer culture.  It is interesting to see how Japan's culture and way of thinking was influenced by the dropping of the two atomic bombs, one at Hiroshima and the other at Nagasaki.  The article also discusses how certain tropes have turned up again and again: how a certain character will behave based on their appearance, how they behave, and the expectations the audience have towards a given character/story.  Also it is a reflection on consuermerism and the culture towards anime and manga.