Save Our Songs. Il topos del distress signal nel fumetto e nell’animazione giapponese contemporanea

The present paper analyses the representation of the soundscape in Japanese comics and animation, focusing on the topos of the distress signal. First, I will examine how this topos has contributed significantly to the development of the science fiction imaginary in the twentieth century, and how it has spread through different socio-cultural contexts. Secondly, I will examine the crucial role of sound in comics and cinema, highlighting the various issues related to its representation in different media. Third, I will propose a comparison between Katsuhiro Ōtomo’s short story Kanojo No Omoide (1980) and its animated adaptation by Kōji Morimoto (Magnetic Rose, 1995), two works in which the topos of the distress signal has been developed through a complex process of remediation.