Sep 2, 2024
When I first discovered this series, I was actually looking for series similar to "BLAME!" and I kept the definitions to sci fi since I dislike fantasy in general for its uncreatively along with native isekai. Im sure this was mentioned before, this series is often compared to blame! with its expanding organic-mechanical infrastructure, enclosed spaces, and a lone explorer traveling long and wide in search for some one.
however once I had actually gotten to read this, although the similarities seem good at a first glance. I would say that it stops here at the synopsis and some of the architecture.
you see, yokohama-eki
...
SF actually has a lot more similarities to "the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy" series than it does to blame!.
not only are all of the characters very talkative unlike blame!. there is a small subtle sarcastic wit with the situations at hand.
any of the events that happen in this manga(or novel I should say for more detail) are actually an allegory to real life japanese society. whilst series like Akumetsu has the subtlety of being hit by a hammer, and shin sekai yori tells a cautionary tale in the style of brave new world or 1984. yokohama-eki SF uses clever allegories and in universe mechanics as a nod to problems in our modern every day life often taken to its logical conclusion through the ideas they present.
with mind numbing bureaucratic processes, to mindless consumerism. society itself is imagined as a nightmarish combined state of modern "hustle culture" along with apathetic consumers, all constantly concerned about making bag unable to make connections to people, complacency, overreliance on the so called station along with the uncaringness of authorities outside of giving themselves a pat on the back for making up work to keep people busy, and the class issues of those within and outside of the mega structure and other forms of discriminations.
the protagonist is almost like an allegory in it self,
for the massive immigration from rural villages to urbanized cities which happened in japan from the 70s to now, and the way that he sees the world and how he's treated is an interesting perspective, like some one who has to suddenly explore an unknown landscape, people who follow completely alien rules (to him) and navigating this place both physical and mentally seems almost like exploring an alien world. In this aspect it is not unlike Blame! except instead of fighting groups of safeguards with guns like killy,
he is fighting the bureaucratic system of japan itself.
until the end where he becomes part of the system in a sense, like the station consuming all around them, in the end he gets consumed, by japans representation of modern zanzabar (from stand on zanzabar)
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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