Anime Boston 2023: Why We Love Time Loops

Author: Samantha Ferreira

Editor: Samantha Ferreira

Date: 4/7/2023

Host: Dapplemii

In our uncertain world, it’s tempting to wonder how we would approach milestones in our life if we had the chance to do things over again. The prospect of having another chance to ask a crush out, retry a job interview, or avoid making a life-altering mistake. It comes as little surprise, then, that time loops have been a mainstay of fiction for more than a century.

Beginning with 1915’s Strange Life of Ivan Osokin, and finding mainstream success in beloved works like the 1992 film Groundhog Day, time loops invite viewers to wonder how a person could change the world if they could do things over again, and again, and again.

On Friday night, dozens of fans filed into a panel room on the second floor of the Hynes Convention Center. Panelist Dapplemii sat at the front, chatting with attendees and eager to begin her first-ever panel. Nearly every seat had been seen by the time she began her presentation. The panelist opened with a glib remark that time loops are “easy tragedy, and we love watching our characters suffer,” before presenting the character Flowey—a sentient flower who can force time to reset—from the 2015 video game Undertale as an example.

Afterward, she laid out the basic ground rules of a number of time loop stories, notably whether the audience is aware of the loop itself, whether the protagonist is aiming for an optimal outcome, or if they’re even trying to break the loop itself.  She used these premises to deliver her assessment of a handful of popular time loop works in Japanese media, from Higurashi: When They Cry, to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’s Endless Eight arc.

Dapplemii made a strong first impression as she discussed each work. She showed a natural aptitude for reading the room, and had impeccable timing for placing asides and jokes to keep the mood light. Her playful sense of humor and willingness to toy with her topic’s boundaries charmed the audience and had them wanting more.

Sadly, by the 25-minute mark, the presenter appeared to lose control of the subject. Rather than continue to explore additional time loop media, she began to veer off on tangents. Specifically, Dapplemii started discussing non-linear and asynchronous storytelling styles in works like Durarara!! And the video game 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. From there, she briefly explored parallel universes, highlighting AI: The Somnium Files/The Nirvana Initiative, Re:Zero, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 as examples.

By 10:00 PM, her presentation had concluded, without so much as a cursory mention of important time loop anime works, like Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, YU-NO, or All You Need Is Kill. Instead, as the presentation ended, a member of the audience informed her that she still had a half-hour to fill. She then started pulling prompts from the audience, which pushed discussions into American TV shows like The Good Place and Miraculous Ladybug.

By the time the panel ended at 10:30, I found myself awash with an expressed sense of disappointment. The overall presentation was as wide as a puddle and half as deep, despite its strong start. Though Dapplemii’s enthusiasm was palpable throughout, she showed very limited expertise on the overall topic. She ignored important works, and her overall knowledge about the topic ended in the year 2000.

That said, the panelist showed great aptitude for the topic when focusing on titles she was familiar with. She could bounce between details, and her overall charisma helped to pull viewers into the topic as a whole. Japanese media is brimming with time loop stories, and I would encourage her to attempt to pursue the topic further, in hopes of bringing the panel back in 2024.

That said, before pitching for next year, I would suggest that she further research the history of time loop media, and to watch and experience a larger selection of time-loop anime. Shows like ERASED, Zegapain, and The Tatami Galaxy will offer a glimpse of differing types of time loops, while the numerous adaptations of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time can illustrate how the format evolves over the years through the same story. Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer and Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2 will allow her to experience a single director’s take on a time loop story at two distinct points in their career. Finally, the films based on Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix will allow for a stronger grounding in one of the oldest time loop stories in anime and manga.

Time loops have a rich history in anime, and it is just disheartening that this panel couldn’t deliver on the promise they held. Still, I would love to see Dapplemii return with the concept after brushing up on the genre and broadening her horizons. Her genuine passion for the topic was infectious, and she could become a great advocate for time loop shows with a bit more preparation.