

A recurring story element that I've noticed is the accessibility of certain
evil/dark devices at midnight.

A few examples:

  1. In the [third episode](http://sailormoon.wikia.com/wiki/Mysterious_Sleeping_Illness!_Protect_the_Girls'_Hearts_in_Love) of _Sailor Moon_ , girls listen to a midnight radio show that is hosted by the antagonists illegally. Girls that wrote into the show and are read on air receive a brooch which steals their energy. 
  2. In _[Persona](http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Midnight_Channel)_ , there is a midnight channel which broadcasts the shadow of the person that is currently missing.
  3. In _[Jigoku Shoujo](http://myanimelist.net/anime/228/Jigoku_Shoujo)_ , there is a website that is only accessible at midnight, which will allow the user with a grudge to send someone to hell. 

Why do all three of these anime use midnight as a time for evil? What is
special about midnight that sets it apart from any other time?


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2016-06-02T22:37:19.307
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2016-06-03T02:32:28.023
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tropes
What is the meaning behind dark works often taking place at midnight?


This is an example of [pathetic
fallacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathetic_fallacy), more specifically an
[empathic
environment](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EmpathicEnvironment).
i.e. giving an environment a percieved emotion. It is a common literary
technique.

Some other examples include:

  * Rainy scenes when a character dies / delves into depression.
  * A calm breeze after turmoil has subsided.
  * A big storm buffets the castle walls as the evil king rages
  * The sun appears from the clouds as the characters see a new path to follow after being downtrodden
  * It snows and the land is harsh when a man is exiled from the city. 

In this case, midnight - is commonly associated with spookiness, feelings of
unease and the supernatural.

It also conjures images of darkness, which is commonly associated with evil -
where light is usually a good force.


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2016-06-02T22:53:06.977
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2016-06-02T22:53:06.977
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