Genre Discussion: The Apocalypse

The idea of the world ending before our very eyes has manifested itself into entertainment over the years, with causes ranging from disease to angels attacking to zombies. I sure as heck like a good apocalypse story, but I should probably clear up some confusion. I'm not going to talk about "dystopias", because not all of the media within that particular genre have to do with the apocalypse. No, what I'm going to be talking about today is media with a setting the majority of Earth's population have died, and it's usually up to one survivor to tell the story. I will also not really mention zombie apocalypse stories, honestly because I haven't really seen or read any. I may check out this book called Love & The Zombie Apocalapse sometime soon, though, because it does look rather interesting. So, with that out of the way, I always find these stories, though repetitive in some respects, to be rather interesting and allows you to get a glimpse of what could potentially happen should the world end. It allows for great drama, characters, and stories if it plays its cards right. So, which medium is right for this genre? Sit back, relax, and read on to find out!

The Apocalypse in Books:

This is probably the most common form of telling the story of a potential apocalypse, since it's become a very popular genre in recent years due to the release of The Hunger Games, though it's technically not an apocalypse book. Despite this fact, people have been going ballistic for these books, with a few popular examples being The Darkest Minds, Angelfall (click here for my review on that), In The After, The 5th Wave, Finding Eden (by Megan Dinsdale, to clarify; there are two books with this title), The 11th Plague, and a ton of others that will unfortunately go unmentioned. To be perfectly and totally honest, I love these books. Though I haven't read all of the books mentioned, all of the books I've mentioned that I have read have been entertaining in the very least (The Darkest Minds, Angelfall, Finding Eden, and The Eleventh Plague), because they all provided an interesting experience. I have yet to read one that is truly fantastic beyond all belief, but it's a genre of books that I enjoy nevertheless. I give apocalypses in books a 9 out of 10.

Some books in the apocalypse genre.

The Apocalypse in Movies:

The apocalypse has made its appearance in movies almost as much as it has in books. Some examples are: The Day The Earth Stood Still (both its original and remake), Terminator, 2012, Resident Evil, WALL-E, Warm Bodies, Apocalypse Now, Oblivion, World War Z, The Host (movie), and This Is The End. One thing I have to give to movies is that they sometimes stray from the normal "apocalypse" setting; This Is The End most certainly takes a more comedic approach towards it (though I haven't seen it) and WALL-E uses its setting to establish what we are doing to the world, and how we should sustain it. So, when it comes to movies, there's a lot more variety than books. I give apocalypses in movies a 7.5 out of 10.

Some movies in the apocalypse genre.

The Apocalypse in Anime:

Apocalypse in anime...gee...Attack on Titan anyone? Just to prove how popular this genre is, the most popular anime of 2013 is without any doubt Attack on Titan, an anime about humanity's last stand against titanic man-eating monsters (hehe puns). Also, to prove another point about how popular this genre is, one of the most popular anime of all time, Neon Genesis Evangelion, is an apocalypse anime. Along with them, there's also Ergo Proxy, Coppelion, Wolf's Rain, Guilty Crown, and...Needless. Well, that's a review for another day, but seriously, I freaking hate this anime, and is a contender for my Worst Anime of 2013 award. But, like with movies, there is a lot of variety here, dealing with heavily psychological anime to action anime to god-awfully horrendous anime. Finally, another thing I've noticed about anime in this genre is the fact that most are Mech anime. I mean, it's to be expected, but still, it seems to be the stereotype of apocalypse anime. So, my message to those who are sketchy about anime within the genre, not all are about giant fighting robots. Just saying. I give apocalypses in anime a 6 out of 10, due to the putrid desecration of the human race.

Some anime in the apocalypse genre...and an abomination. Try to guess which is which.

Which Medium Suits This Genre Best?

To be perfectly honest, I think books suit the genre best. I love this genre, but I haven't seen too many movies within the genre and my experience concerning anime...has been fairly mixed (Needless is needless). So, based off of personal enjoyment, I would go with books. They're normally really good and enjoyable, so if you notice an interesting-looking apocalypse book on the shelf, pick it up. The best aspect about apocalypse books, in my opinion, is, if done right, the writing style. It has to be sharp and quick, resulting in excitement, and normally sports a strong character cast that is hardened by the experience. That is something that I can't find in paranormal romance books or any other book for that matter. However, this is only my opinion, and if you prefer this genre in another form of medium, go right ahead. 

By the way, as for apocalypse in normal TV, I think we all know that The Walking Dead dominates the screens, enough said. I have plenty of friends who enjoy the TV show, so if you want a TV series that isn't an anime and gives you weekly entertainment when it airs, go right ahead. I may not be a fan, but I acknowledge it as probably one of the best zombie apocalypse stories ever made.

See you guys soon!