(SMT4) Scarcity of Tokyo's Smartphones
Dec. 19th, 2023 12:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rustyvanburace(Originally posted on my Tumblr on April 4, 2023; a couple slight revisions were made)
In the SMT IV/A duology, it’s established that smartphones are a rare commodity. This is because, of course, they’re able to use the Devil Summoning Program. But what IV also touches on is that phones aren’t just hard to come by – their scarcity is also being manufactured by the Ashura-kai in an effort to control Tokyo’s hierarchy.
Early on, there’s an NPC in Ueno who comments that most of Tokyo’s smartphones were thrown out while the rest are being kept by the Ashura-kai. Worse off, another NPC on the Tokyo map adds that Akihabara (a major source of electronic goods) has literally been blown away by the Ashura-kai. All just to keep phones and other coveted electronics out of people’s hands.
It’s commented throughout IV that the general public – those who aren’t Hunters or in the Ring of Gaea – are entirely dependent on the Ashura-kai’s protection. The distribution of Reds is one way they keep the people safe and, more importantly, loyal to them; the consolidation of who gets to be a devil summoner is another way. Without any means of protecting themselves from the demons outside, the people living in the underground districts have no other choice but to turn to the Ashura-kai or the occasional Hunter. And it’s through this consolidation of smartphones, among many other things, that the Ashura-kai are able to maintain and wield their influence over the public.
And I think them blasting Akihabara also says a lot about the Ashura-kai living in luxury and excess. Rather than raid the city for anything valuable or worth salvaging, they’d rather just blow it up without a second thought.
So how people get smartphones then is either down to pure luck (such as in Nanashi and Asahi’s case, which was why finding a phone was such a big deal to them); through the Hunter Association (based on what Fujiwara says to Navarre); or by joining up with the Ashura-kai. I suppose stealing from someone is another option too (haven’t found any NPCs confessing to that though).
Side note, I find it funny that even though there’s this big scarcity of smartphones, there’s still this Clearly Not Apple Store in Ginza that has untouched phones and laptops on display in working condition. Ginza is under the Ring of Gaea’s guardianship, but it’s still surprising no one has raided the store yet.
Unless the “Appolo” products are too trashy to be worth using. :P
In the SMT IV/A duology, it’s established that smartphones are a rare commodity. This is because, of course, they’re able to use the Devil Summoning Program. But what IV also touches on is that phones aren’t just hard to come by – their scarcity is also being manufactured by the Ashura-kai in an effort to control Tokyo’s hierarchy.
Early on, there’s an NPC in Ueno who comments that most of Tokyo’s smartphones were thrown out while the rest are being kept by the Ashura-kai. Worse off, another NPC on the Tokyo map adds that Akihabara (a major source of electronic goods) has literally been blown away by the Ashura-kai. All just to keep phones and other coveted electronics out of people’s hands.
It’s commented throughout IV that the general public – those who aren’t Hunters or in the Ring of Gaea – are entirely dependent on the Ashura-kai’s protection. The distribution of Reds is one way they keep the people safe and, more importantly, loyal to them; the consolidation of who gets to be a devil summoner is another way. Without any means of protecting themselves from the demons outside, the people living in the underground districts have no other choice but to turn to the Ashura-kai or the occasional Hunter. And it’s through this consolidation of smartphones, among many other things, that the Ashura-kai are able to maintain and wield their influence over the public.
And I think them blasting Akihabara also says a lot about the Ashura-kai living in luxury and excess. Rather than raid the city for anything valuable or worth salvaging, they’d rather just blow it up without a second thought.
So how people get smartphones then is either down to pure luck (such as in Nanashi and Asahi’s case, which was why finding a phone was such a big deal to them); through the Hunter Association (based on what Fujiwara says to Navarre); or by joining up with the Ashura-kai. I suppose stealing from someone is another option too (haven’t found any NPCs confessing to that though).
Side note, I find it funny that even though there’s this big scarcity of smartphones, there’s still this Clearly Not Apple Store in Ginza that has untouched phones and laptops on display in working condition. Ginza is under the Ring of Gaea’s guardianship, but it’s still surprising no one has raided the store yet.
Unless the “Appolo” products are too trashy to be worth using. :P
