I'm doing some research on this for a pretty huge personal project. I really love the visual eye candy and the appealing high fantasy elements of this genre, which would make the perfect setting for the thing that I'm working on. I haven't done a thorough research on the subject yet, I just started going through the internet to look for references today and I suddenly realized that I actually don't know a lot of steampunk anime. And despite the fact that I love steampunk, I realized I don't really 'know' much about it either.
So far I had watched very little steampunk movies and anime like Howl's Moving Castle and Steamboy. Fullmetal Alchemist is of this genre; an anime that I have not watched. There's quite a lot of really good steampunk art online like this, this and this but I feel like it's not really all that popular. Or maybe thats just me. Or maybe it's the lack of steampunk genre in mainstream media being the reason that it's not as popular as can be expected.
In literature, only Jules Verne comes to mind. I need to read some of his novels again to refresh my memory. I read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea when I was like 12 or something. After doing a bit of digging, I found out the Golden Compass can be considered Steampunk as well. I had only watched the movie, but I don't remember steam technology as having a major part in the powering of the machinery in that world. But since they're historic, british and using alternative technology, it's considered sort of steampunk...I guess I'm not sure...I need to find this book.
From what I know, steampunk is a sort of historical fantasy, with lots of cool, quirky, eccentric gadgets, pretty trinkets with lot of gears (clockpunk is sub genre of steampunk) that are a feast to the eyes; it's a something that could had been in some alternate universe.I don't think there's any need for me to fully submerge myself in the culture to make my project since it's not focusing much on technological aspect. I can take a visual concept here, some fashion there, machinery and the architectures, et voila! But it would be great to know a bit more. So give your opinion on what is and what is not 'steampunk'. Do you even like it to begin with? What do you like about it? Do you even know of the existence of this genre and subculture before reading this post? Is it really not as popular as I imagined or am I deluding myself again?
Also please tell me if there's a steampunk inspired anime that you know about. Maybe a short fiction or any kind of literature. Or you can share a link/picture of any artwork, metalwork, accessories, designs, fashion relating to this topic :)
