What Powers Do Supercommunicators Have In Anime Adaptations?

Question

Ivy · Answer

I sometimes get nostalgic for the old days when communication in anime was treated as if it were magical instead of merely based on technology, and the various methods are quite surprising to recall. First, there are the telepaths, and they speak in hushed tones. Next, there are the sensititives or empaths who absorb the negative emotions of others to heal them. And then there are the charismatics who attract followers wherever they go. Furthermore, the ways in which media and magic are combined in order to tell a story are quite unique and often get me thinking about things in a different way today.

Ethics and intimacy are two major themes that I care about. How is forced privacy used for good or for healing? Can coerced empathy actually be kind? This is a highly heal-your-icker-ianchris smirk or worried face with curiosity-themed set of situations. Can I use my powers of Supercommunication for good, or am I just a overall tinged with immoral spoiled bratty kid who runs around and makes tirades of hurt? I don’t know, but the lines between healing and tyrannical behavior are blurred in most of these situations, and I tend to lean towards the more “meh” side of things.

Jack · Answer

Supercommunicators in a series can be as mundane as you like to make them or as cosmic as you require for the story. The few that I have seen to date fall into three basic tricks: mind-to-mind communication, universal translation or hearing, and highly persuasive or even reality-changing speech.

These are often shown in quieter scenes, like a connection between species, or mending old wounds. But often there is also a darker side to supercommunicators: censorship, mass hysteria, and the temptation to change or delete memories from others. This balance between very intimate moments and the misuse of supercommunicative abilities for manipulation is often very interesting to watch, and I find myself rooting for the listeners rather than the speakers.

Simon · Answer

By supercommunicators in anime, I picture a character whose words have the effect of pebbles on a pond – you can see where the ripples will go. They typically comprise telepathy, with the character hearing and speaking directly to minds; high emotional resonance; and the skill for pure, magical rhetoric. The following scenes show rather innocent instances of supercommunication. In the above mentioned series ‘Natsume’s Book of Friends’ the main protagonist can talk to the creatures from the spirit world. Simple, sincere and calming to others.

Most of the adaptations of supercommunicators in anime nowadays are technologically flavored, like in “Serial Experiments Lain” or “Ghost in the Shell” where neural interfaces allow speakers to intercept, translate and even alter information in real time, including even altering memories. The authors of these stories explore the limitations of communication in such a case: communications require consent, attention, and even a cultural hook (a name, a song, a ritual), and their abuse has severe consequences, emotionally as well as politically. Thus, what is normally seen as a “soft” power is transformed into a weighty, even heavy responsibility, diplomacy in action, and that makes me realize just how vulnerable real life communication is.

Cecelia · Answer

A protean, halcyon portrayal of a teenager who discovers his/her ‘voice’ can transcend physical boundaries of space and time. (Many good anime pieces capture that thrill of a teenager finding their voice.) Telepathy and empathy are basic forms, but those pieces that add a few more layers to this are far more interesting: for example, sonic ‘shaping’ of physical objects by voice; linguistic ‘viruses’ that change the way one perceives reality; and, most fantastical, interdimensional ‘calling’ by voice (as in ‘Kokoro Connect’ and ‘Your Name’). The connections between body and mind are always the most intriguing to me, because they make communication so much more personal and complex.

Their role on the battlefield is often that of the coordinator, able to communicate with team members instantly, or even to ‘hack’ enemy communications and plant misleading orders. In dramatic, quiet moments they can act as a healer, drawing out traumatic memories and helping the sufferer to come to terms with them. The design of the power in action is some of the coolest stuff in anime, representing the transfer of information and the battle of wits with beautiful, swirling patterns of text and pulse-like sound waves, surrounded by glowing sigils. It’s a little creepy, but beautiful to watch in action, with so much more drama in a simple conversation than in many other anime plots.

Michael · Answer

Supercommunicators can function as magical radio stations tuning in to the mind of another to play either a gentle soothing song or a crashing, destructive wrecking ball. This communication can be invasive, with whispers translated into commands and spreading rumors like wildfire. Alternatively, it can inspire devotion with a single charismatic voice activating a crowd of followers.

It can make for a fun plot point, a character draining the secrets of a bar full of people, or even hacking the surveillance of an entire city. You can also use a telepath to broadcast an idea to every screen in the world. And the technology used to describe these powers can really show the social media fears of today and how disturing it would be to have such an influence on reality. It makes me wonder just how much of our reality is based on what we hear.

Theo · Answer

To offer a concrete view of what makes a supercommunicator in anime, I shall list and provide examples for four categories of supercommunication powers in anime. The first category of supercommunication powers is that of perception alteration, or interception, filtering and amplification of sensory information. This includes characters that read minds, feel the emotions of others, see people’s memories, etc. The second category is that of persuasion and compulsion, including issuing commands, instilling ideas in people’s minds and even altering the will of others. A classic example of the latter is Code Geass, in which one mind controls another via supernatural command.

Thirdly, supercommunicator powers are depicted as a network of communication, be it a shared mind space or even an entire society connected in such a manner. ‘Serial Experiments Lain’ is a classic example of the net as a sort of psychic medium. A fourth group of powers are the info-hackers who manage to intercept broadcasts, influence technical devices and in general create all sorts of impressions which everyone sees for themselves in a way determined by the writer. Lastly, there are the powers that switch between healing and harming others through means of empathy, such as intensifying or alleviating the emotional pain of another. For the adaptations of such anime I try to ponder the many ethical questions pertaining to influence, consent and responsibility that they raise. Many scenes are then re-run to look at the power dynamics at play in that scene.

Violet · Answer

Supercommunicators in anime are just so weird and wonderful. Typically, the telepaths are able to hear or even project the thoughts of others directly. But then there are the really weird adaptations that put their own unique twist on things. Like the example of supercommunication that allows for direct mind-to-mind speech, or for the telepath to give the user compulsive commands (as seen in ‘Code Geass’), or for the telepath to feel the emotions of others around them, even in a crowded room.

In many instances, anime uses super-communication in order to illustrate control of information. For example, characters can spread ideas across the world like a virus in order to influence, Serial Experiments Lain style, hack into information systems, or even alter language in order to better communicate with an alien species. Some characters even translate completely foreign languages instantaneously while others plant their preferred perspective into various forms of media with the intention of swaying public opinion.

I see how writers use these powers to explore issues of consent, propaganda, loneliness and intimacy. One person with such abilities can be a savior, dictator or even a therapist – and that is precisely what makes the most interesting stories about such individuals. The deepest insights into the implications of such powers come from contemplating the fragility of privacy and trust – an uncomfortable but also rather comforting fact.

Tessa · Answer

First I think of a scenario, then I label the power. So, someone is spreading false information to the whole subway full of people when they wake up? That’s mass persuasion. Someone opens up a channel and now everyone can understand each other even though there are language barriers between them, even though there are years of hatred between them? That’s supercommunicator anime. The former is a way of using information as a weapon, the latter is a way of healing through understanding information.

There are many more subtle and powerful tools of mass persuasion such as memory grafting, dream-walking (ala Paprika), sopor-wifting (dampening) or even emotional-panic-suppressing; and super-powerful sensing devices that grant their users the ability to read and sense whether the people around them are telling the truth or not. I am most interested in exploring the many consequences of action on a large scale such as quelling a protest or bringing people together to form new and stronger relationships and to even uncover long hidden secrets. The coolest adapations are those that most fully explore the consequences of action as well as the action itself, and I find that I most root for characters who use their super-power(s) with humility.

Oliver · Answer

As for the different flavors of supercommunicator powers, I have to admit that I find most of them quite fascinating. For example, some supercommunicators are living translators. They can speak and understand any language, animal communication and even ancient runes. There are others who use their speech as literal physical forces.

This is also really interesting in terms of scope in anime. One whisper can soothe a beast, while a broadcast can sway the entire city. This means that there is lots of room for storytelling and that a writer can take a situation that begins with whispers and negotiate quietly and escalate to a global crisis without ever changing the fundamental nature of the story. The gray area that this kind of ability creates is also really fascinating, particularly in terms of issues of consent and the potential for propaganda. There’s also the issue of taking away pain by writing memories out of existence, and these are some of the reasons that I keep coming back to a whole host of different anime in which communication is used both as a weapon and as a cure.

What Powers Do Supercommunicators Have In Anime Adaptations?

9 Answers

Related Books

Supreme Emperor of Swords

No. 1 Supreme Warrior

Conversations from the Other World

Everyone's Superpowered…Except the One Powering Them

THE SUPERS

Reborn: Outplaying the Mind-Reading Translator

Topic

Related Questions

Is there an anime adaptation of the asipe novels?

Are boundaryless best friends common in anime?

Who is Shoko in JJK and what are her powers?

Does 'Armipotent' have a manhwa or anime adaptation?

Does The Climber manga have an anime adaptation?

What is NTRS in manga and anime?

Are there anime adaptations of bible story books?

What role does nora higuma play in the anime adaptation?

What powers do the characters have in 'Vicious'?

Are there any anime adaptations of popular mathematical books?