Anime and Tech?

[NemoDomus]

I have loved tech and software for about 9 years  now and I have been an anime and manga fan for about 3-4 years now. I was wondering similar to how there is extremely accurate sports anime out there is there any computing or programming aniems that are interesting to well programming and CS engineers. Animes or mangas that have realistic plot lines with tech and interesting breakdowns of technology. 

 

Obviously given that tech at this level is not exactly action packed a slice of life type anime is what I mean. 

 

Im even fine with any live action movies or TV shows

[Cyber]

Can't remember anime with realistic tech plots, but you may try these:

• 
  Battle Programmer Shirase
  


• 
  Serial Experiments Lain
  


• 
  Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
  

[StephenHorn]

I can't personally think of any anime that presents technology, programming, or electrical engineering at a high level of accuracy. Several are certainly highly detailed, and some are better-considered than others, but I can't think of a single one that is known for its high accuracy.

I've heard about Battle Programmer Shirase, but haven't seen it. So I won't say anything about it, except that a cursory search for clips leaves me suspect of its accuracy.

I've also never seen Serial Experiments Lain, either, but I really ought to seeing as it's described as one of the most important animes of its decade. And I have a particular bend towards "weird", which is also a frequent descriptor applied to its vision of a potential transhumanist future.

I have seen Ghost in the Shell, however, and it's easily one of my favorites. I would note that it, too, is very much in the realm of science fiction, lodged firmly into the cyberpunk genre:

• 
  Cyborg humans
  


• 
  Virtual reality internet ("cyberspace")
  


• 
  Invisibility camouflage
  


• 
  AI-controlled tanks
  


• 
  Themes of transhumanism
  

Stand Alone Complex is a classic. Its sequel, Solid State Society, is also very good, and more philosophical in nature. If that sounds like your cup of tea, I would also recommend the 1995 animated film.

[desertfish]

Not sure if it fits here but I'd like to mention Steins;Gate.   There's a computer game (more a visual novel) and TV series of it.  It's about a group of students discovering a form of time travel, and I found it pretty interesting in the way it presented those concepts.

[Yuki]

17 hours ago, desertfish said:

Not sure if it fits here but I'd like to mention Steins;Gate.   There's a computer game (more a visual novel) and TV series of it.  It's about a group of students discovering a form of time travel, and I found it pretty interesting in the way it presented those concepts.

Was about to say that as well. Haven't watched it but I did heard there's a lot of geeky stuff, like a reference to John Titor and the IBM 5150.

[StephenHorn]

18 minutes ago, Yuki said:

Was about to say that as well. Haven't watched it but I did heard there's a lot of geeky stuff, like a reference to John Titor and the IBM 5150.

The reference to Titor I remember being there. I don't recall the IBM 5150, doesn't mean it wasn't there, just that I don't recall it.

Steins;Gate is pretty good, and has a fascinating parallel-worlds interpretation of spacetime. I won't claim it's especially accurate to real-world physics or electronics, any moreso than any of the other animes listed here. Just a fair bit more clever and well-considered than most.

[Yuki]

3 minutes ago, StephenHorn said:

The reference to Titor I remember being there. I don't recall the IBM 5150, doesn't mean it wasn't there, just that I don't recall it.

I do recall seeing it in @Perifractic's video about it.

But yeah, probably should watch it. Sounds like one of those shows that makes you think, and would probably makes sense if physics worked that way so a time travel device would work.

[John Chow Seymour]

While not exactly what you want, you might also check out Space Brothers (Uchuu Kyoudai), set in the very near-future (2025) and focusing on JAXA (Japan's space program).  The tech level is realistic, and it's well-written, but it's more about the people than the tech.

And, well... I can't recommend it, but there's also Ubunchu!, in which a high school computer club decides to learn about Ubuntu Linux.  It's now over a decade old and out of date (can't watch YouTube on Linux, what?), but besides that it just isn't very well written.  It's kinda lame in my opinion but you can always decide for yourself: https://mangadex.org/title/24228/ubunchu

[BruceMcF]

Serial Experiments LAIN is a show that starts out a little weird and a little cutesy, and gets weirder as it goes ... and actually in the context of the story kind of explains the early cutesy-ness as well. What started at as a look at a possible internet is now more like a look at an alternate-reality internet, but it's still interesting SF.

In a similar vein is Den-noh Coil (aka Cyber Coil or Coil -- a Circle of Children), set "20 minutes into the future" (well, 2026) in a village that is the experimental ground for augmented reality technology.

Planetes, if you can find it, is also a good science fiction anime, about the people working to clean up the junk in earth orbit. And while a lot of mecha anime are fantasy shows just aimed to sell toys to pre-teen and early teen boys, F.L.A.G. is a much more grown up look at a more realistic style of mecha.