ganbatte.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
-Abraham Lincoln

I’m not sure how many people keep a diary of their own these days, much less in a phone. However, if everyone awakes one day to find that they could somehow predict their fate up to 90 days into the future, then what we get is all heck breaking loose similar to what happens in Mirai Nikki. Actually, for the purposes of making this an anime that can last longer than one episode, let’s limit this to 12 people.

Men and women of all ages get entangled in yet another survival game, in which they can decide to kill and live, or be killed and die. Sound familiar? Incorporating some Death Note and Mawaru Penguindrum vibes as I mentioned before, Yukiteru, the protagonist, gets a chance to change his fate to win the ultimate cliched prize: to become a god of the new world. Sure, no one ever says that they want to have superpowers or to become an ultimate being, but we all have thought along the same lines during at least one point in our lifetime. And why not, if given the chance? Throw in a deranged, yandere stalker girlfriend (one-sided for now) named Yuno and you got the gist of the show.

Hold your horses. Don’t go off saying I dislike the show or anything. In fact, I loved the manga and was glad to see an animated take come to light. Although I would like to rant about the quality a bit…but let’s leave that for now. Let’s talk about simple politics.

Yes, politics. The first thing that comes to mind can also possibly be psychology, which can definitely be discussed later on, when the characters are given more personality. But think of this. In politics, you have states, nations, countries, superpowers (no, the other superpower). Certainly, such nations must strive for a goal. That is, the goal of hegemony. Dominance. Influence. In essence, to become the leader and hold authority over other nations. To become a great power, or even a superpower.

How does this relate to Mirai Nikki at all? Well, a god is also another form that holds great power, superpowers, and definitely capable of influencing others. And here we have a small scale fight for hegemony, with 12 people instead of nations. Not that nations have the power to see into the future in real life, but they can predict things fairly well, to a certain extent.

If we all want to become hegemons, then why aren’t we all dead by now? You’ll find out soon enough.