| I found the title Terror in Resonance to be a very interesting concept. As i have only finished 2 episodes and the third is out soon, i figured I would start a discussion early on- specifically aimed at the thinkers out there; regarding what Terror in Resonance means. My thoughts: When Terror strikes- Man becomes lost, and when Man is lost- he is uncertain, and when Man is uncertain- he is ready to begin searching again for something that is certain. If terror happens to a collective group of people simultaneously, then this same process resonates within the lives of many. I believe this is Terror in Resonance. I will be excited to see how the anime develops this concept, and perhaps even how 9 and 12 will create or in some other way generate this "TOR." Questions to contemplate while the anime goes on: What is the result of mass terror on humanity? Does it make us act, think, or function in a different way to how we did prior? Does it make humanity turn inward or outward, isolate, or group up, believe or disbelieve in some deity, etc... What are your thoughts? |
Simulacra5202Jul 22, 2014 6:51 PM
| I find this to be a very interesting discussion, so I'll throw in my two cents. I'd first like to look at the title within the context of the story. The way I see it, on the most basic level, Terror in Resonance could refer to a possible resonance Lisa develops with Nine and Twelve in their terror, although I don't really want to go deep into this given we only have 2 out of 11 episodes to base these points off. I also really agree with the points you made in your post. In fact, I think Terror in Resonance could be somewhat applied to the post 9/11 world we live in. I, personally, was pretty young when 9/11 happened, but I'll always remember the way people felt united together - the way this tragic event resonated with enough people to unite people of different beliefs against a common threat. Of course, I look at this through the lens of an American who lives in a post 9/11 world, but I think it's also important to apply this idea to terrorism worldwide. At the same time, being a Ghost in the Shell fan, I sort of want to make the analysis that Terror in Resonance can even apply to the terrorist side of events to, perhaps building on the idea of the Stand Alone Complex analyzed in the GitS TV series. |
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| "It's not about the money, it's about sending a message." I'd like to think these two "Sphinxes" are similar to the Joker in "The Dark Knight." If you're not familiar with the Joker character, that's fine, I'll put a description of him in spoilers: Although equally fictional, Joker's terrorist attacks gets us to really think how humanity would act in a terrorized situation. Would they exhibit their "id" by trying to survive for themselves and letting others die, exhibit their "ego" by trying to logically find the best solution together, or exhibit their "super-ego" by trying to save others before themselves and counteracting the "id"? My thoughts on some of your questions would be based off of your analysis of the title, "Terror in Resonance." However, I'm on humanity's side, so I interpret "Terror in Resonance" in a positive light. I believe Nine and Twelve's attacks will bring out the surprisingly good side of people and get them to work together to become a more unified group. That's the "terribly" amazing ability of humanity to cope with obstacles: to come together as one. Like they say, people become stronger when they have a common enemy. We saw this recently with the Boston Marathon bombing, in which the city of Boston became solidified and overcame the tragic event together. Whatever the intentions of Nine and Twelve are (which we don't know yet), I believe their bombings might spark the "good" side of humanity once more and make the world a better place. |
| Good points all around, but I have yet to see the any sort of unified reaction from the Public shown in the story. However, I will quote myself on some stuff I noticed in episode 3: jimjameswhatever said: This show is not death note, please stop bringing it up lol. The themes aren't even the same (or so it seems) Given some things I have noticed this episode: - 9 and 12's only interactions with adults during childhood is a loveless one. - Lisa's childhood is also plagued with a huge disconnect from her parents - The mock 'puzzles and dragons' game is a perfect example of CONNECTION that the 3 children of the show lack. The seemingly insignificant comedic side character seems to be the only adult in the show that is truly interacting with those of a younger generation. His quip about Shibazaki getting old made me chuckle - Shibazaki's past: he lived in a town where everyone was old, and didn't leave the house during the summer: The time when children usually get the best time out of their childhood. Another example of disconnect. So far I'm not sure if the theme here is general disconnect between people, or disconnect between generations in Japan (similar theme in Battle Royale). I think it's both, but leaning towards the latter. jimjameswhatever said: In regards to Lisa, I'm only using the information given so far so don't judge me later on :P 9 and 12 have a goal in mind, they are, in some small way, connected to something despite lacking so many other things in their lives. Shibasaki is the same way. In a way he's the cliched cop that's so far into his work that other aspects of his life suffer. What about Lisa? Bullied at school, can't connect to the only family member she has, and is played with and thrown away by 9 and 12. She is, in a sense, empty. She doesn't belong anywhere, yet for some reason I have this feeling she'll be playing a role in having the other characters come to terms with the things they lost/lack and try to become whole. So far what I've seen in common between all the characters, is that they are lacking connection in one way or another. I really need to wait to see, but perhaps the "resonance in terror" is referring to a different sort of terror. Not the bombings, but the terror of being disconnected. What made that summer as a child so terrible for Shibasaki? Boredom is too petty, it had to have been something awful enough for him to remember it even as an adult. I believe it was that disconnect I mentioned before. To him, the bombing itself wasn't what pisses him off to this day, it was the fact that it robbed him of an opportunity to connect to those around him. 9 and 12 are robbed of given the connection of love. Lisa is robbed of having a real connection with friends (bullying does a number on people's self esteem), and robbed of a normal familial connection (her father left, her mother is possessive and selfish). To some, the connection to the people and things around them validate their existence and there's a terror in being uncertain to what your existence "means" in the world. This terror resonates among the characters, and that's what I'm seeing from the title. |
idontwannapostJul 24, 2014 4:47 PM
| This is actually an interesting topic, what is the "terror" in resonance? A lot of interesting points have been made here in just a few posts, and there is some validity in all of them. I'm personally seeing the "human connection" as the main point so far. The acts of terrorism are more of a backdrop. Therefore, I agree much with jimjameswhatever's thoughts on "connections". We were quickly introduced to several introverted characters in 9, 12, Shibazaki, and Lisa. Since their introduction we've been given tiny pieces of their backgrounds and motivations, and snippets of their "world view". Allow me, before I continue, to share with you the definitions of the word "Terrorism" as found on Dicionary.com: ter·ror·ism [ter-uh-riz-uhm] noun 1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes. 2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization. 3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government. World English Dictionary terrorism (ˈtɛrəˌrɪzəm) — n 1. systematic use of violence and intimidation to achieve some goal 2. the act of terrorizing 3. the state of being terrorized With that, let us take another look at our introverted characters and the disconnected society they live in. The world we've been shown is similar to the modern world we live in today, the disconnection between the human race is very real. I'm an american, so I cannot speak much about japanese society or it's current state; but I have lived through enough "terror" in my lifetime to understand the implications of this disconnection. As an example, I would like mention a popular meme that has made it's way around the internet multiple times; a meme of a family sitting around the dinner table. Each member of said family has their nose stuck in their phones or other smart devices, they do not look up at each other nor verbally discuss their days. The kids aren't telling their parents about their day at school, the parents aren't discussing their days at work. The world has become addicted to technology to the point that children no longer feel the need to play outside with their friends because they can just as easily connect with strangers around the world on their game consoles and social media networking sites. We can keep up with what's happening in the world through news feeds and youtube videos. We have remote controls and phone apps to control almost every aspect of our daily routines, I recently even found an article containing a discourse on a new insulin pump that is controlled by an app on the iphone. I sort of got off track there, but it still serves to demonstrate my point of a disconnected world. I don't know about some of you younger people, but I was brought up in a much different world in a much different way; and frankly, seeing the people and the world in the state it's in now fills me with terror when I think about the future we're making for those that will come after us. I think that is one of the many messages that this series is trying to portray to us. Moving back to the characters now, let's start with Shibazaki. An older man with a troubled past, a disgraced cop getting a second chance, and a brilliant mind from the previous generation. He grew up as a second-generation victim of Hiroshima in a town populated by the elderly, and from the looks of it was probably the only child in the entire town. I'm guessing at this because we didn't get shown other children, and it's not that far fetched if you think about the history of Hiroshima. He grew up lonely and disconnected from his own kind, and when he finally got out and became a cop he'd found something he excelled at. It was stated multiple times that he was the "Ace" in the First Division, that he had a family and had achieved a "normal" state of existence. But, as tends to happen when you involve yourself in the affairs of those with a station above your own lot in life, he was disgraced for trying to be the best he could be at his job. He lost everything and was sent away to sit in the corner with the dunce hat on, again being disconnected from his "normal" state of existence. I think the point of his character is to demonstrate complacency, after his disgrace he accepted his punishment honorably. He was already familiar with this disconnection and forced himself to be content with it, and that is a dangerous thing in and of itself. He demonstrated in the first episode that he still has the knack for his work, but only put the minimal, required amount of effort into his actions at first. We are now seeing him break away from that complacency and get a second chance, and he's definitely not lost his touch in his bitterness. But, in his exile, as he sat in complacency with his lot in life, he became angry and bitter. As is wont to happen. Here we see another kind of terror, a theme that recurs with all of the characters, the terror of loneliness and of not having anywhere to fit in. In Shibazaki we also witness the terror of a man who is peerless, he is the greatest mind among his colleagues and therefore even though he is part of the team, again he is still alone. Moving on to Lisa now, she seems like she'll be one of the more complicated characters as this series progresses. Though, I could be wrong, it has been known to happen. Lisa lives the life of the modern day school girl, well at least the life of one type of modern day school girl. She suffers at home with familial issues, having been abandoned by a father who does not love her and having to put up with a mother who is obviously very ill. The mother seems to be controlling, obsessive, and very self-important. I could spend hours just on the damage of that particular terror alone. At home she is psychologically abused and tortured by her situation and her mother's actions. At school she is bullied and left out of the social groupings between the rest of the students, the typical outsider. I actually fell into that group in my day as well, so I can speak from experience here. It's horribly difficult to have to sit back and watch the rest of the world in motion, to see the other kids around you getting special treatment because they're athletic, rich, or come from influential families. It's even more difficult to see the other kids, who come from the "normal" middle or lower class able to fit in with this other students so well while you sit back alone. The jeers, jokes, and laughs at your expense take a serious toll on your psyche, and can often result in personality disorders such as low self esteem, manic depression, and in some cases the esteem issues can trigger narcissistic personality disorder where the person will put on the act of a narcissist in order to alleviate some of the pain and stress they are suffering inside. We've seen Lisa fall victim to pranks and be left out, we've watched as other students have made jokes at her expense, she is definitely suffering mental abuse. That is a very traumatic form of terrorism. Now we come to 9 and 12, who have been given the traumatic past of being abandoned as children and raised as some kind of experiment. They were taught that they are better off without love, without the familial bonds. They were taught to hate, and judging by what we've seen so far, most likely abused physically and mentally both. We know there was an accident and an escape, and that 12 had to watch friends die during the escape. That particular terror haunts him, and is most assuredly one of his strongest motivations. 9 is still the typical teen despite everything he suffered, though not without his own traumas and terrors. He displays the characteristics of a either a sociopath or a psychopath, it is difficult to determine this early on. But, like 12, he is also most assuredly battling his own inner demons, we are just yet to see them. I propose that Lisa will have a hand in his victory over his inner demons, it seems rather obvious at this juncture. They all seem to see the world from the outside looking in, they're all disconnected in some way, and have all suffered and continue to suffer their own forms of terror and fear. We saw in the latest episode that Lisa has run away from home and that Shibazaki has taken the lead of the investigating team in the Sphinx case, and has shown them his prowess and challenged Sphinx. We've seen that 12 seemed to be looking for such a challenge, and that they are still a few steps ahead. We've been given a piece of information about 9's involvement with Lisa. So, we're seeing the "resonance" of all of their terrors as they come together to form a complete story. Several incomplete lives coming together to form one complete life. As for the actual terrorism they are committing, there is some kind of reason that is yet to be revealed to us, and I don't really think we have enough information to speculate about it in this discussion. So, I think for now it's safe to leave it as expressionism and fanaticism being conveyed as a plot device to further the study of our characters. So, going back to the original poster's question... What does Terror in Resonance mean? I think it means the constant battle of terror within the human condition, and how it resonates among the rest of the disconnected world. I think it means, and/or represents, the battle that each and every one of us as human beings face each and every day. Waking up and entering this world that has become colder not in climate but in feeling, a world where people have become so distant that even the person sleeping beside you or in the next room are strangers to you. Terror in Resonance, to me, is the human condition vs the modern world. Sorry this has become quite long, but I hope you enjoy the read. I hope, also, that you can take something away from this and apply it to your own lives as well as maybe garner some form of understanding about the anime we're watching. |
The_BifJul 25, 2014 2:28 AM
| Odds are I'm not going to find my way back to a thread after my first post, it happens on occasion but not often. So, if I say something that offends you and you feel the need to force your opinion on me because obviously everyone should have your opinion or none at all, feel free to post it in the thread that I'll probably never see again. However, if you are interested in intelligent discourse, feel free to message me. |
What does Terror in Resonance mean? I think it means the constant battle of terror within the human condition, and how it resonates among the rest of the disconnected world. I think it means, and/or represents, the battle that each and every one of us as human beings face each and every day. Waking up and entering this world that has become colder not in climate but in feeling, a world where people have become so distant that even the person sleeping beside you or in the next room are strangers to you. Terror in Resonance, to me, is the human condition vs the modern world. well said. |
| Hey look. Intellectual discussion. You know an anime is great when there are talks like this. Nice to learn of you gentlemen's insights. I'll keep myself updated to this thread. That is, until another subject of critique comes up in the anime, because that is when a new thread would most probably come out; most likely irrelevant to the concept of "terror." |
zetsu_shorenJul 30, 2014 7:11 AM
zetsu_shoren said: Hey look. Intellectual discussion. You know an anime is great when there are talks like this. Nice to learn of you gentlemen's insights. I'll keep myself updated to this thread. That is, until another subject of critique comes up in the anime, because that is when a new thread would most probably come out; most likely irrelevant to the concept of "terror." Intelligent discourse seems to be a rarity here, I've found only a few engaging topics such as this one. They seem to be difficult to keep alive, however, as is apparent with how little attention they receive. |
| Odds are I'm not going to find my way back to a thread after my first post, it happens on occasion but not often. So, if I say something that offends you and you feel the need to force your opinion on me because obviously everyone should have your opinion or none at all, feel free to post it in the thread that I'll probably never see again. However, if you are interested in intelligent discourse, feel free to message me. |
| How fitting that the 10th episode of this series will air on 9/11 (in NA at least)... It's either a coincidence or just really well-planned production. The_Bif pretty much hit it spot-on with his interpretation of humanity's plight against the modern world, but with the last episode the disconnection between people didn't seem all that alarming or pervasive as the main concept. Rather, after episode 4 the concept of Terror in Resonance is leaning more towards the terror of the "connections among the disconnected". Despite being strangers (hence "disconnected"), crises like the terrorist attacks bring these strangers together to discuss the same event (hence "connection.") To use an analogy, Nine and Twelve's attacks are the single ripple that will eventually cause a tidal wave. They pulled the trigger on this world by unleashing a number of terrorist attacks, including the info leak, and that trigger will be resonated throughout, bringing the seemingly disconnected world together. Empower the public and see what they make of it. After watching episode 4, that to me is what Terror in Resonance means. Now, my previous point stated that people become stronger when they have a common enemy, but I never defined who the common enemy is. I'd like to go out on a limb and say that Nine and Twelve are NOT the enemy. They are NOT trying hurt the public in any way, as seen by the lack of casualties. Rather, they are trying to get people to "fight" (not literally) ANOTHER common enemy along with them. They took that first step by releasing classified government information to the public, thus empowering them with knowledge. They are trying to expose their enemy's secrets to the public, and see what people make of that secret. So is the enemy the Japanese government? Well, we're not sure. However, we know that Nine and Twelve were experimented on; we just don't know what kind of experiments and where it was at. If revealing the contents of those experiments can shake the very foundation of the Japanese government and cause a massive public uproar, wouldn't that be terrifying in itself? Someone also linked a site that goes more into the whole Oedipus theme, for those interested (jimjames I think you read this already): http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WMG/ZankyouNoTerror |
pakokoAug 1, 2014 11:20 AM
| Great discussion. It would make best for such thing as this to exist more. |
| I fell behind on the series for a bit, but I've just caught up and I thought the new developments deserved mentioning here. With the addition of Five, and the games she seems to be playing against Nine and Twelve, the scope of Nine's plans seem to have been changed. The initial perception of what Nine and Twelve were doing has taken a 180. So, we bring ourselves back to the question of what is the "terror" in "resonance"? When I tackled this in my original post I covered Terror and it's definitions, to piece together how it reflects the plot devised by Nine and Twelve. So with this post, as Takuan suggested, let's look at Resonance. noun 1. the state or quality of being resonant. 2. the prolongation of sound by reflection; reverberation. 3. Phonetics. amplification of the range of audibility of any source of speech sounds, especially of phonation, by various couplings of the cavities of the mouth, nose, sinuses, larynx, pharynx, and upper thorax, and, to some extent, by the skeletal structure of the head and upper chest. the distribution of amplitudes among interrelated cavities in the head, chest, and throat that are characteristic for a particular speech sound and relatively independent of variations in pitch. 4. Physics. the state of a system in which an abnormally large vibration is produced in response to an external stimulus, occurring when the frequency of the stimulus is the same, or nearly the same, as the natural vibration frequency of the system. the vibration produced in such a state. a hadron with a very short lifetime, of the order of 10 −23sec. 5. Electricity. that condition of a circuit with respect to a given frequency or the like in which the net reactance is zero and the current flow a maximum. 6. Also called mesomerism. Chemistry. the condition exhibited by a molecule when the actual arrangement of its valence electrons is intermediate between two or more arrangements having nearly the same energy, and the positions of the atomic nuclei are identical. 7. Medicine/Medical. (in percussing for diagnostic purposes) a sound produced when air is present. If we continue under the assumption that everything relates to the characters and/or people, then I believe definition 3b would fit the best. "The distributions of amplitudes among interrelated cavities", which causes us to look at the definitions of "amplitude". For the sake of keeping things short and easy to follow I won't copy all of the definitions here, but instead I will just say that this is the definition I've chosen from the list that seems to fit our topic: " 3. mental range, scope, or capacity." So, now we are left with this: "The distribution of mental range, scope, or capacity among interrelated cavities". For the word "distribution" I've chosen this definition: " 2. to disperse through a space or over an area; spread; scatter." So the "Resonance" is the act of spreading over an area the mental range, scope, or capacity among interrelated cavities. Now, we'll use simple word substitution and we end up with this: Resonance is the expanding of mental range/scope of the chosen(or connected) characters/people. In this case I believe it's safe to assume that the chosen/connceted characters/people would be Nine, Twelve, Five, Shibazaki, and in a wider extent the citizens of Tokyo. Which brings us back where we started, the "resonance" is the delivering of a specific messaage. We're yet to know specifically what that message is, but all we've managed to suceed in doing here is driving in a circle and ending up right back at square one. "Data! Data! Data! I cannot make bricks without clay!" At the end of my original post I came to this conclusion: What does Terror in Resonance mean? I think it means the constant battle of terror within the human condition, and how it resonates among the rest of the disconnected world. I think it means, and/or represents, the battle that each and every one of us as human beings face each and every day. Waking up and entering this world that has become colder not in climate but in feeling, a world where people have become so distant that even the person sleeping beside you or in the next room are strangers to you. Terror in Resonance, to me, is the human condition vs the modern world. So, I would amend that conclusion to the following: What does Terror in Resonance mean? I would conjecture that it means the terror, or fear, one feels when they realize that everything they thought they knew, everything they trusted and felt safe with, is a lie. It is, to me, coming to the realization that the comforts and luxuries we take for granted every day are the very ones trying to hurt us the most. Terror in Resonance is Nine and Twelve trying to show the people that the "safety" being provided to them is a deception to hide the dirty little secrets and control that the people they look up to have over them and don't want them to know about. I've rambled again, as I tend to do, and at a couple points even confused myself while we were driving in that circle with definitions and wordplay, but I feel that my conclusion is the only meaning I could reach with the available information. Terror in Resonance is the gaining of the knowledge that your world isn't what you thought it was, that your protectors are the ones trying to hurt you, and that the comforts you take for granted are nothing but means of control and deceit to keep pacified. The human condition vs the modern world, as I cocluded in my original post, turns out to be the distraction to keep us from seeing the truth. |
The_BifAug 22, 2014 6:09 PM
| Odds are I'm not going to find my way back to a thread after my first post, it happens on occasion but not often. So, if I say something that offends you and you feel the need to force your opinion on me because obviously everyone should have your opinion or none at all, feel free to post it in the thread that I'll probably never see again. However, if you are interested in intelligent discourse, feel free to message me. |
| Welcome to the agora of anime. |
 I REMEMBER TOUCH. PICTURES CAME WITH TOUCH. A PAINTER IN MY MIND. |
| After giving my last post some thought, I feel it is a bit confusing and probably should have been withheld until I have more information. But, I do not think I could have come to any other conclusion with the available information and thus left it here for discussion. If anyone has any thoughts, please feel free to elaborate. Data. Data. Data. I cannot make bricks without clay. |
| Odds are I'm not going to find my way back to a thread after my first post, it happens on occasion but not often. So, if I say something that offends you and you feel the need to force your opinion on me because obviously everyone should have your opinion or none at all, feel free to post it in the thread that I'll probably never see again. However, if you are interested in intelligent discourse, feel free to message me. |
| I The_Bif said: After giving my last post some thought, I feel it is a bit confusing and probably should have been withheld until I have more information. But, I do not think I could have come to any other conclusion with the available information and thus left it here for discussion. If anyone has any thoughts, please feel free to elaborate. Data. Data. Data. I cannot make bricks without clay. Excellent thoughts! I havn't logged on this site in well over a year and a half. So I apologize for not continuing this discussion. Thank you for all of your thoughts, they've helped to broaden my scope of "Terror in Resonance." |
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