After Impact

After Impact (後衝突) is a Yamataian multimedia franchise that originated as a 26-episode dōga television series in the mid-1990s. Created by Yanagi Hideaki and owned by Studio DAIKON, most of the franchise features a post-apocalyptic science fiction setting which revolves around various agencies and characters attempting to maintain order in the remnants of society, geopolitical conflicts over dwindling resources, and concepts of the value of human life and social order. Subsequent works deviate from this theme to varying degrees, focusing more on romantic interactions between the characters, plotlines or time periods not present in the original works, and reimaginings of the conflicts from the original works.

The popularity of the show spawned numerous additional media, including video games, radio dramas, audio books, a novel, pachinko machines, and several films. After Impact has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

Setting
The franchise is set in a post-apocalyptic world following an asteroid impact at the South Pole, termed the "Second Impact" (the "First Impact" was the one that created the moon). The Second Impact caused major tsunamis and ecological damage to the planet due to affecting the axial tilt, causing major humanitarian crises that led to various wars immediately after the Second Impact. These conflicts were compounded by the discovery of alien elements within the asteroid fragments, which provide seemingly unlimited energy generation and enabled mechas to be created.

15 years after the Second Impact, scientist Nakashima Masumi theorises that a second asteroid is approaching Ordis and would cause a Third Impact that would end all life on the planet. Nakashima and her colleagues have to convince the Yamataian government to prevent Third Impact at all costs, while the government is simultaneously defending Yamataian interests in the post-apocalyptic world.

Original Series
Particularly controversial were the last two episodes of the show, as the ending was considered confusing and abstract to many viewers and critics alike. Due to the studio running out of its entire budget, to the point that Yanagi and several senior staff members went days without proper meals, there is very little animation in the two episodes and they mostly consist of still images and lengthy monologues. Following the release of the finale, many death threats were sent to Studio DAIKON's office.