Nihon SF ni okeru nanoteku ni yoru shakaiteki eikyô no hihanteki tenbô - Ganmu no kêsu sutadi (日本SFにおけるナノテクによる社会的影響の批判的展望ー『銃夢』のケーススタディPerspectives critiques du paradigme nano dans la science fiction japonaise - le manga Gunnm)
Résumé
In the wake of the cybernetic boom, the 21st century has witnessed the emergence of a new hype around the nano world. Even though the term nanotechnology had been coined by a Japanese scientist in 1974, it is Eric Drexler's Engines of Creation that stole the show in 1986 and drew the world's attention to the promises and threats of young nanotechnology. The dream of being able to rebuild the world - including the human body - atom by atom then set the nano race into motion. Science Fiction had already begun to look into the philosophical and social issues related to nanotechnology quite early, but the influence of Drexler's vision was so great that many narratives flourished in the late 80's. Manga, as the flag-bearer of the "Japanaoid" culture, was a particularly fitting medium for that purpose and Kishiro Yukito gave it a significant try with Ganmu (Battle Angel Alita), which provides an interesting material to look into how Japanese science fiction tackles the issues of nanotechnology.