Find an example of modern satire and explain why it is satirical or comical
Humanity Has Declined is a twelve episode series that comes off as a normal anime. If a person were to casually watch this show, it would seem like every other slice of life anime out there. I myself made the mistake of thinking this show was nothing special but, when I rewatched it I realized that this shows is in fact well crafted. Throughout its twelve episodes, Humanity Has Declined criticizes the education system, social identity, sexual identity, organized religion, cooperate-driven consumerism etc. Humanity Has Declined is a modern, socio-political, horatian satire with lots of dark comedy.
Since there are too many satirical events in this show, I will focus on one specific clip from, The Fairies Factory, the first episode. In the first episode, the humans are lacking in food so the fairies began mass producing canned foods for the humans without their knowledge. The main character,Watashi, begins to investigate the origins of the food. Later on, she discovers the factory where the food is being produced. Along with her assistant, Watashi takes a tour of the factory and meets a receptionists that gives them a tour of the factory. On the tour, Watashi meets the robot that’s supposed to teach her everything she needs to know about bread.
As I said before, it is very easy to miss all the satire presented in this show, that is mainly because all of that satire is hidden behind the colorful, cute and vibrant animation. The most obvious and memorable satirical scene would be when Watashi meets Loaf, the robot. There’s a lot of exaggeration in this scene. One example would be when Loaf states that you can make bread out of anything and even trash would work. This part brings awareness to the fact that people may not know what’s in their food. He then goes on the say that synthetic food tastes worse than real food. This contradicts his previous statements about how good synthetic food is and creates a sense of irony. Loaf also asks everyone to eat him if they pity his existence. This is very ironic because Loaf is supposed to be proud to represent synthetic bread, instead, he pities his own existence and offers himself as food. His attempt at commiting suicide is a way of showing that you have to always be weary of the food you buy. It is also an example of dark comedy because it is taking a grave topic like suicide and presenting it in a comcial way. Loaf admitted that he was not a robot or a simple loaf of bread. He was actually carrot filled bread. The whole scene with the Loaf is a farce because it is a funny, improbable and extravagant situation.
Witty Satire 