Antecedentes Internacionales

In Clement’s novel, it is not long after the Hunter contacts Bob that the boy decides to work together with the symbiont. Once the initial confusion referenced in the previ- ous section passes, Bob as the inquisitive teenager cooperates with the Hunter and engages in detective work to find clues to the whereabouts of the Killer, all the while exchanging information about their respective species. With Hikaru, however, the steps by which she agrees to aid the alien are rooted heavily in her emotional perspec- tive and her resistance towards communication, and the exchanging of information is more an understanding of the other’s personal psychology rather than of the facts or ways of thinking of their respective species. Although Horizon contacts Hikaru as seen in figures 5.3 and 5.4, Hikaru does not interact with Horizon so much as talk at

the alien to make her feelings known without acknowledging its intent, and begins to truly communicate with Horizon only after a near-fatal encounter with Maelstrom. Upon meeting, the renegade alien severs Hikaru’s arm and escapes, which forces Horizon to take over her body and repair the damage before explaining to Hikaru the situation at hand. The portrayal of Horizon re-attaching Hikaru’s arm, seen in figures 5.5 and 5.6, draw attention to the differences in their emotional perspectives or, in the case of Horizon, lack thereof.

Figure 5.5. The panel flow changes between Hikaru’s and Horizon’s perspectives, with greater emphasis on Hikaru’s emotions (part 1). Source: Tadano Nobuaki. 7 Billion Needles, vol. 1 (New York: Vertical, Inc., 2010), 70-71.

Figure 5.6. The panel flow changes between Hikaru’s and Horizon’s perspectives, with greater emphasis on Hikaru’s emotions (part 2). Tadano Nobuaki, 7 Billion Needles, vol. 1 (New York: Vertical, Inc., 2010), 72-73.

In figure 5.5, Horizon has taken over Hikaru’s body. The two pages focus mainly on Horizon’s cold and rational assessment of the situation, indicated by the utter lack of expression on the Horizon-controlled Hikaru (hereafter H. Hikaru) as it reattaches Hikaru’s arm and does not react to the heavy amounts of blood splattered across the floor. Figure 5.5 also devotes multiple panels to the restoration of her arm, thus emphasizing the method- ical approach Horizon takes. More than simply showing Horizon’s logical nature, this portrayal provides a strong point of contrast to Hikaru, who in the pages immediately afterward reacts in the opposite manner compared to Horizon (figure 5.6). Unlike H. Hikaru’s blank facial expressions, Hikaru’s displays shock and dismay. Whereas every panel in figure 5.5 features either backgrounds or focuses heavily on small details such as the blood stains or the process of repair on Hikaru’s arm, most of the panels of figure 5.6 draw attention to Hikaru’s face. Five out of nine panels in figure 5.6 uti- lize abstract backgrounds that also bring the focus onto Hikaru’s reactions.

Hikaru’s speech reflects this as well, in the terseness of her outbursts, the placement of the word balloons, and in the fact that her words are primarily about expressing her own personal state of confusion owing to the loss (and re-gaining) of her arm. The manga juxtaposes the actions and responses by Hikaru and Horizon in order to emphasize the role of Hikaru’s emotions in interacting with the novum.

7BN also highlights this difference by having the panel flow directed by different elements depending on whether Hikaru or Horizon is the focus. With Hikaru, the flow is dictated by Hikaru’s physical expressions, specifi- cally her shocked and exasperated cries. After Horizon relinquishes control of her body, the panels focus on Hikaru’s face, their positioning bringing attention to Hikaru’s emotional reactions one panel after the other, which transition back and forth between confusion and anger. For Horizon’s pan- els, however, the pacing is slowed, giving the impression of a roaming eye. As Horizon reattaches Hikaru’s arm and assesses the situation, the reader’s view is directed through cues associated with the environment, as opposed to psychological or emotional expression. For Hikaru, flow is created and fostered by the immediate contrast between Hikaru’s physical expressions, while for Horizon visual priority is given to the objects and environment surrounding it, a view that focuses on the “external” as opposed to Hikaru’s prioritization of the “internal.”

Horizon mentions that this conversation is their first “true exchange,”285

which brings attention to its significance as a breakthrough for Hikaru and her mental self-isolation. Although it is possible to read this development as an example of 7BN abandoning its science fictional roots for a story in favor of the emotional development of Hikaru, consider the novum of Needle and

7BN: what would happen if symbiotic aliens lived within us and influenced us both physically and mentally? In the case of Hikaru as a specific individual who represents not a “neutral” person but one whose psychological problems affect every aspect of her life, this alien presence completely circumvents the methods by which Hikaru silences and isolates herself from the world around her by forcing Hikaru into a perpetual state of dialogue that she cannot avoid. This creates a space of conflict and resolution within Hikaru that she could not

achieve without the novum, similar to the concept of “Human Instrumentality” in Neon Genesis Evangelion, where humanity as a whole shares a mind so that every individual may resolve their own problems.286 _{The influence of an alien}

symbiont on Hikaru’s physical state is shown through her superhuman ability to reintegrate a severed limb, but the mental transformation she undergoes is also clearly evident, and it relies on that emotional component of Hikaru’s character.

Both the novel and the manga build up to a direct conflict with the crim- inal alien, but the events surrounding that confrontation differ tremendously in terms of narrative and thematic values. For Needle, the Hunter and Bob’s confrontation with the Killer is a culmination of Needle’s emphasis on discov- ery, learning, and scientific deduction.287 _{In 7BN, although there is a small}

amount of detective work that goes into finding Maelstrom, it is a minor point compared to the psychological and therapeutic changes that occur in Hikaru as a result of Horizon. Instead, it is more important that the mission to find Maelstrom forces Hikaru out of her isolation, and that in the search for clues she ends up opening herself to other humans as well, befriending two girls named Saya and Nao. Although this could be seen as less intellectually stimu- lating than Needle’s detective approach, it also signifies the level of impact and change the alien presence (i.e. the novum) has on Hikaru. The context of the story turns this normal image of girls becoming friends into something more significant within the SF narrative, as the frivolousness of the girls’ conversa- tion with Hikaru (about which member of a band is cutest) has a deeper impact as a result of the psychological change she undergoes because of Horizon. This connection is highlighted in a scene where the two girls forcibly remove Hikaru’s headphones (figure 5.7) because, like Horizon, they are able to bypass Hikaru’s emotional barrier, though they are only in a position to do so because of Horizon’s influence on Hikaru.

286. Neon Genesis Evangelion, Platinum Complete, directed by Hideaki Anno (1995-96; ADV Films, 2005), DVD.

287. The Hunter and Bob realize the Killer is residing in Bob’s father because the Killer’s regenera- tive abilities made the normally careful Mr. Kinnaird unconsciously reckless.

Figure 5.7. The science fictional act of Horizon forcing Hikaru out of her isolation is replicated to a lesser extent by two human girls. Source: Tadano Nobuaki, 7 Billion Needles, vol. 1 (New York: Vertical, Inc., 2010), 122-123.

Like in the original Needle, volume 1 of 7BN ends with Horizon and Hikaru fighting the rogue symbiont, but the direction the manga takes from that point is very different from the novel, and involves not only Hikaru’s continued personal growth but also the transformation of the aliens themselves. The novel’s sequel,

Through the Eye of a Needle (hereafter TEN),288_{takes place when Bob is an adult}

who has been with the Hunter for many years. Two main narrative threads drive

TEN: figuring out the identity of someone who is trying to harm Bob, whom they fear might be the Killer back from the dead, and dealing with the breakdown of Bob’s body as a result of his long-term exposure to the Hunter. Through a pro- cess of deduction they discover that Bob’s assailant is a curious young boy who

has been testing Bob’s regenerative abilities derived from the Hunter, while they manage to trigger a signal to contact the Hunter’s comrades (who are able to heal Bob), thus showing how TEN maintains the investigative process that character- izes Needle.

In contrast, while both stories feature protagonists who have become more comfortable with their symbionts, the continued detective fiction-style narrative in TEN differs greatly from how 7BN and its focus on Hikaru resolving her trauma and the consequences that come out of doing so. For instance, not only does Hikaru become increasingly familiar with Horizon, but Maelstrom (whose equivalent in Needle perishes by the first novel’s end) also becomes an ally integrated into Hikaru’s physiology as an indirect con- sequence of her emotional transformation. As a result, the manga diverges so heavily from TEN that comparisons between the two narratives become increasingly tenuous. The disparity between the two continuations under- lines how the changes in 7BN affect the interpretation of the novum, in the sense that the presence of emotion can not only help to frame the ideas of the story in a different light but can also present new ones as well. The inter- actions between emotion and novum build on each other, creating more complex and elaborate views of the original concept of symbiotic relation- ships altering humanity.