So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: Neuromancer

Neuromancer by William Gibson

I like the movie, The Matrix. So, my friend strongly recommended Neuromancer. He said " if you like The Matrix, you have to read Neuromancer. It's the originator of cyberpunk like The Matrix."

I'm not familiar with science fiction. I learned by his explanation that the science fiction such as The Matrix is called cyberpunk. Before, I have seen the animated movie, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. I know the famous Japanese comics, Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊 Koukaku Kidoutai). I've ever read only one comic book of Ghost in the Shell series. I've read the Japanese comics, AKIRA, too. I found out that all of those were categorized as cyberpunk.

In Neuromancer, there are many various city images of Chiba City, the Eastern United States, Istanbul and a space colony. All of them are very likely future scene. The reason is that each smell of regions remains at the future of the cities in the novel. I was excited at author's imagination of Chiba City, because I'm a Japanese. Only the description of Chiba City will be able to shoot a two-hour movie. Eventually Blade Runner was created by only one city of the future Los Angels that was to all intents and purposes Shinjyuku Tokyo. I was overwhelmed by the enrichment of author's depiction of fiction. The author wrote so many new ideas that the novel possibly enables to shot for almost six movies.

Anyhow, Neuromancer was published on 1984 before The Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, AKIRA and Blade Runner. If Neuromancer had been the first time experience of cyberpunk, I wouldn't have been able to follow the description of frequent and quick scene changes of cyberspace. In fact, I've learned the cyberspace visualization without my knowing it.

No matter how colorful idea, I think that the theme of Neuromancer is serious. The main character doesn't care about his body but he exchanges the body messages in cyberspace at the end part of Neuromancer. How inconsistent human beings are!