NO. 6: THE HOLY CITY

"How can humans be so cruel? So inhumane?"

LEISURE DYSTOPIA

• Conformity
• All problems solved
• Conditioning

CONFORMITY

NO PROBLEMS, REPORTED BY GOVERNMENT

• Hakuna Matata! It means...
• Crime rate close to zero

CONDITIONING

Control:
“No. 6―this city-state―never, ever forgives people who rebel against it.”
“That's precisely No. 6's plan―to govern human souls. To rule the hearts, minds, and even thoughts of people."

Atsuko Asano’s feelings towards modern life -- which is full of war and terrorism -- drove her to pen No. 6, a story of human nature and hope, as a way to fight back.

SHION

• Child prodigy
• Resident of No. 6
• Unsatisfied w/ "perfect life"
• Harbors a "violent criminal"...

NEZUMI

• Young terrorist
• Hates No. 6
• On the run from cops
• Until Shion saves him...

Fears of the Decade

• War
• Terrorism
• Complacency

Contemporary Events

• Iraq War
• Suicide Bombings Galore
• Global War on Terror

"A Grave New World"

• Nezumi = Terror
• Shion = Hope
• Shion Influences Nezumi
• Hope Quells Terror

The myth of pacifism

• Japan has banned military force
• No. 6 banned war. (Babylon Treaty)
• No. 6 uses weapons on people
• Japan's pacifist pledge may be futile

"I want to face off against reality, approach it in challenge, with No. 6 as my strength. I want to tear off that hide of what they call Reality or Human Beings, drag out what lies beneath, and build upon it not despair, but a story of hope.” Atsuko Asano (Book 1 Afterword)

-Nezumi

RESILIENCE

COMPLACENCY

HUMAN NATURE

"You don't understand...No amount of words would probably make you understand. That day, four years ago, I'd mostly given up. Giving up means the end of you. I knew that. But there was no way anyone would help me, or lend me a hand― that's what I honestly thought. I couldn't ask for help, I had nowhere to run.... I snuck into Chronos, so tired I couldn't move, and I thought about how it was only a matter of time until I was caught… I felt so― humiliated. I wondered if the whole reason I'd been born was just to die in humiliation like this....And then the window opened. You threw it open wide, didn't you. And then you spread your arms open...To me, it looked like you were calling, beckoning for me to come in..."

"...I thought― this was unbelievable, and it was happening right this moment. And you even left the window open when you ducked back inside…That window you left recklessly open was my stroke of luck. And the fact that you didn't call the Security Bureau on me, but instead treated my wound and even gave me food was another miracle. I found out for the first time that things like this could happen. That a helping hand could be extended miraculously like that.... you were the first one that taught me. Like all of these…thousands of stories here, you taught me that sometimes we encounter the most unexpected things."

"...And that's why I was able to survive....So you're right. There are times when people are saved by other people. And you're the one that taught me that. You were the only one that taught me that. The debt I owe for that is high― unfortunately for me."

Shion lived in No. 6 for sixteen years; Nezumi’s people were massacred by No. 6 and Nezumi wants revenge. Shion, though, rescued Nezumi from No. 6, and years later, Nezumi rescued Shion. For Shion, Nezumi’s been the strong one, but in this passage, Nezumi relveals how close he was to giving up. In No. 6, giving in to a world of destruction really is the end. Turning a blind eye to what’s going on around you can lead to your downfall. And that’s something that’s relatable to everyone these days. So much is going on in the world that we should be aware of. Shion is someone who keeps moving forward even though it’s difficult. Asano hates terrorism and war, and she wrote this novel as a way to fight it. Shion represents hope and determination. He tempers the hatred in Nezumi, because in the en…

THANK YOU

Works Cited

Pena, Charles V. "Nuclear Nonproliferation in the Post-9/11 World." Independant Policy Report (n.d.): 1-48. Independant Policy Report. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Japan ratified the Treaty for the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear weapons. No. 6 takes place after a nuclear war destroys most of the planet leaving few places suitable for human life. North Korea is near Japan and Japan is worried by their stockpile of nuclear weapons.

Green, H. Steven. "The Myth of Pacifism: Domestic Politics and Contradictory Ambitions in Japan's Security Policy." Southeast Review of Asian Studies 29 (2007): 218+. Questia School. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Japan has made using military force unconstitutional. No. 6 banned war under the Babylon treaty, but broke that treaty by building up an army anyways. In Japan many people take pride that their country has made such a large step towards maintaining peace, but others worry that Japan won’t be able defend itself or give military support to allies. Asano may be expressing that any attempt to completely ban war is futile.

"Complacency and Survival; We Are Not Rid of Terrorist Threat." The Washington Times (Washington, DC) 7 Sept. 2005. Questia School. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

"Inside Terrorism; Suicide Bombers Are 'Culture of Death'" The Washington Times (Washington, DC) 27 May 2003. Questia School. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Riedel, Bruce. "The Grave New World: Terrorism in the 21st Century." The Brookings Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
“The first decade of the 21st century was dominated by terror and terrorists.”
Connection to No. 6: No. 6 was written during the first decade of the 21rst century. The author has professed her distaste for terrorism, and reacts to it with her novel. One of the characters, Nezumi, can be described as a terrorist as he destroys the Correctional Facility of No. 6. He wants to ruin No. 6, but Shion teaches him that maybe, there’s a third way devoid of hatred. Asano writes about hope in a time of terror.

Asad, Shirzad. "Japan’s Gulf Policy and Response to the Iraq War." GLORIA Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
Despite [the prime minister’s] announcement approving the U.S. action against Iraq, all four Japanese opposition parties called the attack illegal under international law. Polls also found that about 80 percent of the Japanese public opposed the U.S. attack. Despite the government’s campaign, people’s view on the war mainly remained unchanged.
Why the peace-loving people pitched in: the Japanese viewed Saddam Hussein as a threat to stability that would result in the high oil prices contrary to Japan’s interests.
Connection: No. 6 was written during 2003-2011, during the same time as the Iraq War. The Japanese weren’t too pleased to be involved -- 80% opposed the U.S. attack.