Eleven as seen in the trailer for 'Stranger Things' Season 1 (Photo : YouTube/Netflix)
"Stranger Things" has become a cultural phenomenon and Netflix already renewed the series for Season 2. The show was set in the early 1980s and featured numerous tributes and Easter Eggs for the time period. Co-creators Ross and Matt Duffer most recently explained that Japanese was also a big influence.
Ross explained in an interview with Comic Book that the 1988 anime film "Akira" was one of his primary influences when making "Stranger Things." Matt stated that while "Akira" was a source he also stated he looked at a more recent anime, "Elfen Lied," as his inspiration.
"That ['Elfen Lied'] was really influential," Matt explained. "When I watched it I though it felt like an ultraviolent 'E.T.' There were a lot of things in there that I really liked and that made their way into the show, particularly related to the character of Eleven."
Both "Akira" and "Elfen Lied" focused on characters that were experimented on and given psychic abilities. These two anime series were also known for their high level of violence, gore and mature philosophical ideologies.
In "Akira," three children are experimented on and gain psychic powers. The majority of the film focuses on an experiment named Tetsuo and his friend Kaneda as the former tries to release the imprisoned psychic known as Akira.
"Elfen Lied" revolves around the character Lucy who is revealed to be an escaped experiment. The anime series focuses on the conflict between the new race of psychics and ordinary humans, with Lucy caught in the middle.
In "Stranger Things," the character Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is a girl with psychic powers who is kept as an experiment by the government, mirroring the characters from the two cited anime shows.
The show also played on other references to 1980s pop culture such as including posters of known 1980s movies by Steven Spielberg and Easter Eggs referencing author Stephen King, Heroic Hollywood reported. There are also subtle references such as the type of font used for the opening credits.
"Dungeons & Dragons," which is still a popular game today, was also referenced in the show and reflects how the game rose to massive popular during the time period. Several scenes also focus on popular bands and songs from the era.
"Stranger Things" Season 2 premieres in 2017.
