Ask John: Which Anime Use Amnesia Most Effectively?

Question:
Amnesiac characters in anime are a genre staple, and many characters have their entire personality built around this one trope. What do you think are the best examples of this storytelling device being used properly?

P.S. Please don’t forget to answer my question.

Answer:
Amnesia of one form or another, one cause or another, must be one of anime’s most common tropes. A Wind Called Amnesia and The Big O both occur within entire societies that have lost all memory of their past. Temporary amnesia appears as a plot device in anime series including Fushigi Yuugi, Bleach, 3×3 Eyes, Kanon, Durarara, Bounen no Xamd, and Scrapped Princess. The Ranma 1/2 and Code Geass television series routinely use the memory loss trope. Anime series including Noir, Madlax, Blood+, Angel Beats, Dance in the Vampire Bund, Casshern Sins, Loveless, and Kaiba, to name a few, are built around characters that are introduced without knowledge of their past. Using this concept properly, I think, should demand treating it responsibly and realistically. The Kimi ga Nozomu Eien television series is one of, if not the only, anime series to do so. Haruka’s amnesia in the KimiNozo anime has a plausible, realistic cause and is depicted and treated as a medical condition, not an intriguing or humorous plot device.

However, depicting memory loss as a realistic medical condition doesn’t necessarily lend itself well to the purpose of entertaining fiction. So the use of amnesia in anime shouldn’t, and practically can’t, be critiqued solely on “proper” use. A more informative discussion may be on the effective and interesting use of the plot device in anime rather than literally “proper” use. A small handful of anime titles spring to my mind as instances of amnesia used as a central plot device in an interesting way.

The Utawarerumono and Guin Saga television series are both high fantasy series starring heroic male characters that have sparse recollection of their identities and pasts. Both of these series take the somewhat unconventional and refreshing approach of depicting their protagonists as concerned but not preoccupied by their missing memory. Hakuoro, the protagonist of Utawarerumono, accepts his amnesia and moves on, building an entirely new life and identity. This process of re-education allows the viewer to experience the new world Hakuoro finds himself in along with him. Guin, the protagonist of Guin Saga, does pursue his past, but he doesn’t allow his curiosity about his past to interfere with the necessities of his present. His amnesia is a puzzle which guides his future and constantly works in the back of his mind, but it doesn’t dominate his every thought and action. As such, the amnesia theme colors the story but doesn’t overwhelm the story.

The Higashi no Eden story is similar in the respect that its main character is driven by curiosity about his lost past, but he doesn’t allow his amnesia to cripple his personality or his interaction with the present and future. Unlike most anime instances of amnesia, the memory loss in Higashi no Eden is intentional, artificial, and self-imposed. The amnesia isn’t just a disposable plot device introduced to add a twist to the story; what motivated the protagonist to erase his own memories, and what type of person he was before his memory loss are key mysteries that the series revolves around.

Although not groundbreaking in any respect, I’m fond of the third and fourth episodes of the early 2010 Cobra the Animation television series in which Cobra hits his head and temporarily loses his memory. The plot device is absolutely cliché, but I respect its particular execution in this instance. While Cobra loses recollection of his identity and past, his fundamental personality doesn’t change at all. Despite not knowing who he is, he remains a suave ladies man, a proud and belligerent fighter, and a man with a strong sense of personal justice. His amnesia strips him of his memories but doesn’t change who he is at heart. This isn’t a tremendously unique turn of events, but I don’t recall any other anime in which it’s presented so distinctly.

I can’t discuss the Suzumiya Haruhi movie in any detail because doing so will spoil the film for viewers yet to watch it. Suffice it to say that amnesia plays a pivotal role in the film, and it’s an effective plot device in the movie because the narrative reveals that the mysterious amnesia has a very appropriate and resonant explanation.