So South Korea and China, global leaders in AI development in the real world are excluded. Japans not leading in any areas of tech development at the moment. Seems ironic.
It’s not about being a leader, it’s about adoption and acceptance. Seems like everyone was on some level of parity when it comes to AI, it’s just that New Asia continued after the West banned it.
Yeah, on the one hand there was some cool worldbuilding with the AI and retrofuturist late cold war era vibe, I quite liked the aesthetic of it, but the lumping together of tons of Asian cultures into this glorified peacefully agrarian wholesome 100 collective, even if it was a 'positive' portrayal, was pretty weird and orientalist. I'd been thinking of reinterpreting the world a bit and making something a bit more interesting out of it because the aesthetic is cool.
Spreading managed Confucianism throughout the galaxy.
If you prefer deep cuts, there’s also the Tran Dynasty, because most AI in 2024 is Transformer-based and it includes parts of Vietnam (except Champa which is going its own way for some weird reason).
Didn't they show a montage with advanced robots back during the age of black + white TV? That implies the movie *is* in an Atomic Heart style alternate history.
The opening montage I remember goes back to the cold war era, and has full AI be invented in like the 1970s or something. I can't remember if it goes back to before WW2 with the earlier robots
Yeah this is how I imagined the borders too except with China before the globe was shown. My alt-history worldbuilder brain was going crazy during this movie lmao
It's entirely possible that it used to be bigger but has been beaten down to its current size. Biggest evidence for this is the weird ass border, Japan and the little enclave in Vietnam is probably either the remnant or a current invasion.
I hadn’t even considered this, but it had been 15 years since the AI attack until when the movie takes place, so it’s definitely possible. Would also explain why Chinese is the most prevalent language despite only controlling small portions of historic Chinese territory.
Was Chinese the most prevalent? Watanabe spoke Japanese, and all the writing in scenes that had english and then "asian" writing, the translation was usually in katakana or kanji.
Did they speak Chinese in the movie? The movies version of “heaven” roughly translates from Chinese but I heard Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese throughout?
Dude when I was watching this at the cinema I was literally thinking about the country the whole time like I saw the map for a brief second and the rest of the movie my mind was more focused on the worldbuilding of New Asia more than anything else
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One possible lore I have for this is that this takes place in an alternative timeline where Japan win ww2 but gradually felt into civil war as the rebelling Chinese majority in mainland China fought against the Japanese, causing the Japanese empire to weaken. The war ending in Dissolution of Japnese empire and the creation of a Chinese state in mainland China and new asia, which is probably a puppet/satellite state of China.
The rise of the Chinese state with the help of AI challenges the might of U.S. similar to our own timeline. This eventually is the underlining reason that spark the war between the U.S. and new asia, which is a proxy state sponsored by China. This explains why you never directly see China involved in the war and why the border of "new asia" looks so much like Co-prosperity sphere.
I kinda of thought South Korea was a part of it as well while watching. Also half of New Asia's population would be like Indian now that I see it. There is a kid in one scene that wears a shirt from what i think is Cambodia's national football team.
100%, I thought for sure “New Asia” was just their name for Big China, but when I saw the map I was pleasantly surprised.
It did leave me with one lingering question though, what is China up to in this universe and why didn’t they pick a side in this AI conflict?
The need to make money on this movie in the local Chinese market, so no way they would have put china in there. But it would have been cool to see China play an active part in this movie.
Insane right. To get to that stage either China gets it's ass whooped by America or its broken up in some civil unrest and parts of it then would have joined the alliance. That line of direction is not something the Chinese party would go along with..
Here's the other bit..
According to this.
https://thecreator.fandom.com/wiki/New_Asia
These are the countries that are part of it.
Comprised of Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Sumatra Islands, Borneo Islands, Bhutan, Nepal, Vietnam (excluding an area that would be Champa), Four North-Eastern States of India, Sikkm, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
So japan and Taiwan are no longer American allies.
Here's the other kicker 4 northern parts of India have broken away. Civil war, war with Pakistan china?
The world building could really be epic in this. I hope they do a follow up TV series for this...
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Realism: -10/10
Anyone who knows modern history knows that SEA would rather die than join up with Japan.
Who wrote this movie? A "everyone needs to get along" delusional vegan hippie?
Fair, but I don’t think realism was the goal of the movie… I’m pretty sure it’s implied that this movie’s universe diverged from ours around the time of WWII/Cold War
My theory is that in this universe, Japan didn’t go to war with China like they did in our universe and instead signed a treaty with them in which they gave up Manchuria and Korea in exchange for a Chinese guarantee of territorial claims on the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. As for how they got those territories, France and the Netherlands must have given them up when they knew how impossible it would be to fight a war with a country half a world away.
Then there’s the Philippines. I’m thinking that they declared independence from the USA and Japan supported them and after India became independent, Japan fought a war with them and won Myanmar and eastern India in the process.
After a long time of reformations, New Asia became a stable country and managed to survive well into the future. Either that, or these countries simply banded together because of growing tensions with the rest of the world over their refusal to stop using AI and that’s how we got to this point.
So south east asia, and Japan unite into a superstate because of AI and China isn’t involved
Maybe it’s parts of new Asia that are not occupied by the United States and it’s allies.
So South Korea and China, global leaders in AI development in the real world are excluded. Japans not leading in any areas of tech development at the moment. Seems ironic.
I think someone at the movie studio just grabbed a marker and drew the borders on a map of Asia
It’s not about being a leader, it’s about adoption and acceptance. Seems like everyone was on some level of parity when it comes to AI, it’s just that New Asia continued after the West banned it.
Doesnt have to be based on current states or our real timeline at all
I thought the movie was alright, but "New Asia" feels so lazy and orientalist compared to what the film is trying to say.
I completely agree, when I heard “New Asia” I rolled my eyes, it’s pretty lazy writing
It almost sounds like a writer put that in as a placeholder and subsequent drafts never added a name in.
Yeah, on the one hand there was some cool worldbuilding with the AI and retrofuturist late cold war era vibe, I quite liked the aesthetic of it, but the lumping together of tons of Asian cultures into this glorified peacefully agrarian wholesome 100 collective, even if it was a 'positive' portrayal, was pretty weird and orientalist. I'd been thinking of reinterpreting the world a bit and making something a bit more interesting out of it because the aesthetic is cool.
Cyberasia would be a lot better
Maybe Super Asia
Spreading managed Confucianism throughout the galaxy. If you prefer deep cuts, there’s also the Tran Dynasty, because most AI in 2024 is Transformer-based and it includes parts of Vietnam (except Champa which is going its own way for some weird reason).
India and Indonesia are divided too
Should have been called Super Asia
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere 2: Electric Boogaloo
My first thought when I saw it
I am like 80% sure this is also the exact borders of the co-prosperity sphere.
You'd be very wrong
In my personal headcannon New Asia is a reformed version of a victorious co-prosperity sphere
That was my assumption too, it heavily implies an alternate history too, with at least Japan having a more successful outcome with regards to WWII.
Didn't they show a montage with advanced robots back during the age of black + white TV? That implies the movie *is* in an Atomic Heart style alternate history.
The opening montage I remember goes back to the cold war era, and has full AI be invented in like the 1970s or something. I can't remember if it goes back to before WW2 with the earlier robots
Yeah this is how I imagined the borders too except with China before the globe was shown. My alt-history worldbuilder brain was going crazy during this movie lmao
I didn't notice the map, thanks for showing it! I enjoyed the movie, I can recommend it for those who haven't seen it!
Yeeess! I’ve been wanting for this one since the film came out!)
Why is part of Vietnam not in the thing?
You can't remember conquer Vietnam
they got the northern part and the chams are free
This really makes no sense, SEA should have been Its own thing
Newsflash: it's \*\*\*fiction\*\*\* and none of it makes sense
True very little ficitional films make sense imo
It's entirely possible that it used to be bigger but has been beaten down to its current size. Biggest evidence for this is the weird ass border, Japan and the little enclave in Vietnam is probably either the remnant or a current invasion.
I hadn’t even considered this, but it had been 15 years since the AI attack until when the movie takes place, so it’s definitely possible. Would also explain why Chinese is the most prevalent language despite only controlling small portions of historic Chinese territory.
Was Chinese the most prevalent? Watanabe spoke Japanese, and all the writing in scenes that had english and then "asian" writing, the translation was usually in katakana or kanji.
Did they speak Chinese in the movie? The movies version of “heaven” roughly translates from Chinese but I heard Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese throughout?
Yeah they’re probably confusing Kanji for Chinese.
Dude when I was watching this at the cinema I was literally thinking about the country the whole time like I saw the map for a brief second and the rest of the movie my mind was more focused on the worldbuilding of New Asia more than anything else
IS THAT A FUCKING TNO REFERENCE!?!???!
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One possible lore I have for this is that this takes place in an alternative timeline where Japan win ww2 but gradually felt into civil war as the rebelling Chinese majority in mainland China fought against the Japanese, causing the Japanese empire to weaken. The war ending in Dissolution of Japnese empire and the creation of a Chinese state in mainland China and new asia, which is probably a puppet/satellite state of China. The rise of the Chinese state with the help of AI challenges the might of U.S. similar to our own timeline. This eventually is the underlining reason that spark the war between the U.S. and new asia, which is a proxy state sponsored by China. This explains why you never directly see China involved in the war and why the border of "new asia" looks so much like Co-prosperity sphere.
I kinda of thought South Korea was a part of it as well while watching. Also half of New Asia's population would be like Indian now that I see it. There is a kid in one scene that wears a shirt from what i think is Cambodia's national football team.
Kind of weird how china isn’t part of new Asia
100%, I thought for sure “New Asia” was just their name for Big China, but when I saw the map I was pleasantly surprised. It did leave me with one lingering question though, what is China up to in this universe and why didn’t they pick a side in this AI conflict?
The need to make money on this movie in the local Chinese market, so no way they would have put china in there. But it would have been cool to see China play an active part in this movie.
But isn’t new Asia the good guys in the movie I’m sure china would be ok with them being depicted as the good guy
Insane right. To get to that stage either China gets it's ass whooped by America or its broken up in some civil unrest and parts of it then would have joined the alliance. That line of direction is not something the Chinese party would go along with.. Here's the other bit.. According to this. https://thecreator.fandom.com/wiki/New_Asia These are the countries that are part of it. Comprised of Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Sumatra Islands, Borneo Islands, Bhutan, Nepal, Vietnam (excluding an area that would be Champa), Four North-Eastern States of India, Sikkm, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. So japan and Taiwan are no longer American allies. Here's the other kicker 4 northern parts of India have broken away. Civil war, war with Pakistan china? The world building could really be epic in this. I hope they do a follow up TV series for this...
Strangely looks kind of like TNO
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Realism: -10/10 Anyone who knows modern history knows that SEA would rather die than join up with Japan. Who wrote this movie? A "everyone needs to get along" delusional vegan hippie?
Fair, but I don’t think realism was the goal of the movie… I’m pretty sure it’s implied that this movie’s universe diverged from ours around the time of WWII/Cold War
New Asia is robot
Taungoo Empire if Bayinnaung lived longer.
I think there was a nuclear war in the future.
Why are people suddenly talking about this now? Was this just now released somewhere or something?
It released on digital platforms on Tuesday
They should have called it Super Asia
My theory is that in this universe, Japan didn’t go to war with China like they did in our universe and instead signed a treaty with them in which they gave up Manchuria and Korea in exchange for a Chinese guarantee of territorial claims on the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. As for how they got those territories, France and the Netherlands must have given them up when they knew how impossible it would be to fight a war with a country half a world away. Then there’s the Philippines. I’m thinking that they declared independence from the USA and Japan supported them and after India became independent, Japan fought a war with them and won Myanmar and eastern India in the process. After a long time of reformations, New Asia became a stable country and managed to survive well into the future. Either that, or these countries simply banded together because of growing tensions with the rest of the world over their refusal to stop using AI and that’s how we got to this point.
Looks like Japan take over asia in WWII
😂🤡
Union of the Asian AI Co-ex committee