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Do you consider Westernization of anime to be a soft form of imperialism?

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Is forced anime Westernization a soft form of imperialism?
Yes
36.6%
26
No
63.4%
45
71 votes
Jan 5, 6:34 AM
#1

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Feb 2023
932
Imperialism, in a short way to describe it, is when a country invades a foreign land to steal resources for themselves. This often includes oil, natural gas, minerals, water, and many other materials people need for their survival. Many countries thought history have done this, with some of the worst offenders being the British Empire and the United States. Many other countries have been victims of imperialism, with some common victims being Africa, Latin America, India, and of course Venezuela.

Japan has also committed some horrific acts of imperialism, and has also been a victim of imperialism, particularly from the US. Beginning in the 1850s, when the Perry Expedition blew down Japanese cities with cannons, and forced them to open up trade with the US, they have been terrorizing Japan ever since, forcing them to do whatever the US wants, and when they don’t do what the US wants, Japanese people get harmed in many forms, including having atomic bombs dropped on them. Today, the US has many military bases in Japan, which they claim is to “protect Japan”, but in reality, they make life for Japanese citizens hell, while doing nothing to actually protect them. When Japanese politicians try and speak out against these injustices, the US convinces somebody to assassinate them, like in 1960.

The US has also forced Japan to make its various forms of entertainment, including anime, appeal to them, and not to Japanese people. They’ve done this through censorship, localization, having payment processors cut support when they don’t self-censor, and many more methods.

What do you think? Based on this information, would you consider the forced Westernization and censorship of anime to be a form of imperialism, even if it’s a softer kind than stealing oil, water, or other resources?
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Jan 5, 6:37 AM
#2

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Jul 2013
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Anime always was Westernized. Anime always was owned by Western companies.
I have approximately 1 terabyte of anime on my computer.
Jan 5, 6:44 AM
#3
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ForgotEyeWasHere said:
The US has also forced Japan to make its various forms of entertainment, including anime, appeal to them, and not to Japanese people. They’ve done this through censorship, localization, having payment processors cut support when they don’t self-censor, and many more methods.

Can you provide factual data that proves that the anime industry changed because of these?
E.g. the anime industry could still produce anime to the Japanese people, while the US distributors, streaming sites localize it, because it won't change what the Japanese people got.

Also, anime is inherently very American, because it was inspired by American cartoons.
Jan 5, 6:50 AM
#4

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Sep 2016
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It's more of a cross-cultural influence, rather than imperialism. Japan is influenced by Western countries, and Western countries are influenced by Japan.

Of course that influence is somewhat imbalanced, because the West as a whole is much bigger than Japan in almost every way.
*kappa*
Jan 5, 6:58 AM
#5

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Feb 2023
932
Reply to ktg
ForgotEyeWasHere said:
The US has also forced Japan to make its various forms of entertainment, including anime, appeal to them, and not to Japanese people. They’ve done this through censorship, localization, having payment processors cut support when they don’t self-censor, and many more methods.

Can you provide factual data that proves that the anime industry changed because of these?
E.g. the anime industry could still produce anime to the Japanese people, while the US distributors, streaming sites localize it, because it won't change what the Japanese people got.

Also, anime is inherently very American, because it was inspired by American cartoons.
@ktg The censorship of anime by payment processors has been widely documented. Funimation has admitted that Western companies go on to production committees to force Japanese anime to be made for a Western audience, and not Japanese audiences.
Jan 5, 7:07 AM
#6
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Do you ever make a post in that's not shit?
Jan 5, 7:14 AM
#7

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Nov 2025
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@ForgotEyeWasHere This. Payment processors acting as an essential service forcing foreign companies to play by their rules or lose services is a pretty clear case of cultural subjugation.
Jan 5, 7:32 AM
#8

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Mar 2008
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The official term is cultural imperialism and there is many academic essays and books on the topic of the West having a cultural imperialism over other countries including Japan. I am not sure any focus on anime solely though.


Zarutaku said:
It's more of a cross-cultural influence, rather than imperialism. Japan is influenced by Western countries, and Western countries are influenced by Japan.

Of course that influence is somewhat imbalanced, because the West as a whole is much bigger than Japan in almost every way.

Imbalanced influence, economic pressures and market domination is what cultural imperialism is about. It isnt same as the more traditional imperialism that uses military force.
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Jan 5, 7:41 AM
#9
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Jan 2023
67
If anime strip away its unique Japanese heritage to fit a "global" (lets call it Western) mold, it ceases to be a genuine expression of its home culture. we are already seeing changes in that but what is the point of losing your identity? im scared ngl.
Jan 5, 7:49 AM

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Sep 2016
24354
Reply to traed
The official term is cultural imperialism and there is many academic essays and books on the topic of the West having a cultural imperialism over other countries including Japan. I am not sure any focus on anime solely though.


Zarutaku said:
It's more of a cross-cultural influence, rather than imperialism. Japan is influenced by Western countries, and Western countries are influenced by Japan.

Of course that influence is somewhat imbalanced, because the West as a whole is much bigger than Japan in almost every way.

Imbalanced influence, economic pressures and market domination is what cultural imperialism is about. It isnt same as the more traditional imperialism that uses military force.
traed said:
Imbalanced influence, economic pressures and market domination is what cultural imperialism is about.

Uh ok, so human society is imperializing me, because it has much more influence on me than I have on it, makes sense ...
*kappa*
Jan 5, 7:50 AM

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Feb 2023
932
Reply to traed
The official term is cultural imperialism and there is many academic essays and books on the topic of the West having a cultural imperialism over other countries including Japan. I am not sure any focus on anime solely though.


Zarutaku said:
It's more of a cross-cultural influence, rather than imperialism. Japan is influenced by Western countries, and Western countries are influenced by Japan.

Of course that influence is somewhat imbalanced, because the West as a whole is much bigger than Japan in almost every way.

Imbalanced influence, economic pressures and market domination is what cultural imperialism is about. It isnt same as the more traditional imperialism that uses military force.
@traed The US has indeed done cultural imperialism on anime. They do this not just through government and military forces, but also corporate forces, such as Mastercard and other payment processors demanding the censorship of anime, or cutting off people's money.
Jan 5, 7:56 AM

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Mar 2008
53826
ForgotEyeWasHere said:
The US has indeed done cultural imperialism on anime. They do this not just through government and military forces, but also corporate forces, such as Mastercard and other payment processors demanding the censorship of anime, or cutting off people's money.

The payment processor thing was because of NGOs putting pressure on the companies. One is Australian based so it isn't just the US behind this.

Zarutaku said:
Uh ok, so human society is imperializing me, because it has much more influence on me than I have on it, makes sense ...

That doesnt fall under the definition. Just read up about it instead of making things up.
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Jan 5, 8:05 AM

Online
Feb 2016
16162
Yes, Ukiyoe is the only true Japanese art.
その目だれの目?
Jan 5, 8:12 AM

Online
Jun 2016
13986
No this is just revenge for messing with America's boats. Same with the Perry expedition. He knew Pearl Harbor would happen in the future and acted accordingly.
MEA·MENTVLA·INGENS·EST
Jan 5, 8:19 AM

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traed said:
That doesnt fall under the definition. Just read up about it instead of making things up.

I did and my analogy fits pretty well, human society imposes its rules and culture on me, but (almost) not vice versa, so there's an imbalanced influence, based on the size of each party. Analogously Japan and the West are both part of human society, so they are also influenced by it, but contrary to just me they are big enough to exert a noteworthy influence on it (and therefore each other as well), in varying degrees that depends on many factors.
ZarutakuJan 5, 8:45 AM
*kappa*
Jan 5, 8:41 AM

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That's a wild leap. The post is effectively "imperialism is real, and I don't like "censorship," therefore imperialism exists in anime, too."

The anime industry and the fanbase in Japan are just minding their own business, making and watching what they like, and enjoying the additional revenue from overseas. I doubt they care that much about what Americans or anyone outside Japan want.

They definitely don't care what you want, much less your handwringing about the supposed "imperialism."
Jan 5, 9:07 AM
lagom
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108733
anime is soft power itself so it can be considered cultural imperialism too

its simply a power struggle
Jan 5, 9:09 AM

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Soft imperialism no, cringe and annoying absolutely. I still personally want every localizer to lose their job, but the harsh imagery conjured up by the words "soft imperialism" strikes me as a bit excessive.
<-- the guy
Jan 5, 9:15 AM

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This would be true if anime was truly dominated by Western values and morals, but fortunately, that's not the case. Anime still largely caters to Japanese audience, as they should. Exceptions don't count as examples.
Jan 5, 10:02 AM
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Jan 2018
877
There are a lot of flaws in your premise. Perry didn't physically attack Japan, the threats were more than enough. If you care to look into the pre and post Perry Japanese climate, you'll find a fascinating story of some Japanese people determined to make Japan into a self sufficient powerhouse, some people who wanted to continue isolationism no matter who had to die, and the handful of men who stood in the gap, trying their best to allow Japan to be great without bloodshed. If you don't feel like reading, there are quite a few in depth documentaries on this era you can watch on Youtube.

I also want to give you credit for acknowledging imperialism is a sin every country of note is guilty of. I do wonder how well your argument holds up when you seriously look at the breadth of what Japan has done to other countries in the past up to even right now in the present. A non biased historian is never foolish enough to say one side is better than the other. That being said, it's hard to have sympathy for Japan if imperialism is the thrust of your argument.

To be frank, I flat out disagree with your issue with cultural changes and anime turning into something else. Starting with the Catholic missionaries centuries ago, Japan has always been shaped by the mores of the western world. No matter how successful they have been in maintaining sovereignty and making tons of laws to keep Japan Japanese, no culture can resist advertising. That's the reason America's success in dominating the cultural zeitgeist was only possible through Coca Cola and whatever else people from other countries wanted for themselves. Sovereign nations fought to the last man, woman, and child not to have overt occupation in countries all over the world. Meanwhile, Uber, Airbnb, and Netflix have more power than any nuke.

Even if you point at Demon Slayer and point out a more traditionally coded Japanese property achieving mega popularity, I assert a big part of that success is having characters that are appealing to a western audience with blond hair, blue eyes, and non traditional features. Which is an awesome thing to appreciate in that era of time in Japan. Cuz everybody knew entire clans of blonde haired characters were definitely a thing back then. Which leads down the rabbit hole of how advertising and quote unquote "cool factors" led and lead by mangaka, writers, and animators to make sure the rule of cool is defined by characters that don't look traditionally Japanese. Which is then reinforced by companies like Sheiusha giving the biggest spotlight to said characters. Because no matter where you are on the planet, making money rules everything.

My first anime was Super Book when I was 5 or 6. The main characters included a blonde little girl and being westernized, everybody had a western name. The anime was based on the bible, specifically the western interpretation of the bible, so jewish people didn't need to look like jewish people. I loved that anime as a kid. I think fondly of it now. And as an old school anime watcher with a ton of them shows under my belt, I'm not against artist liberties or western coded anime characters. Partially because that's because the way its always been. And partially because it means Atsushi Okubo and a handful of others like Oda get to create a space where everyone can have some representation. Cuz when you are perceived as the coolest, the rules change for what you can and can't do. You know, like how the world puts the USA on a pedestal.

Your premise, like many other people is that things are changing and you don't like it. But changes in the same vein are the reason you were even able to become a fan of anime in the first place, while Xenophobic people from Japan, the USA, and everywhere in between fought and fight to keep you away from Japanese culture so it can remain "pure." Those peoples failures are joy for people like us who get to have anime be a defining part of our lives despite knowing very little of the Japanese language.

Or to simplify my point, you walked into a department store that's been robbed of almost everything, see someone snatch a candy bar and point out the thief while other people carry out TVs and shopping carts piled high with food. While I'm not a fan of censorship, I also a person who watched a lot of anime with censorship (like toonami) and got along fine even when the entire point of the story was twisted into something else, like Goku being turned into Superman. I still found a way to get to the essence of the creators original intention for their stories and the new generations of anime watchers will too, whether people shove the truth down their throat or not.
MFDOOMEDJan 5, 10:06 AM
Jan 5, 10:04 AM
Voltekka!

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Sep 2017
5395
Anime should cater to Japanese audiences first and foremost, but I don't think you know what that word means.
Jan 5, 10:05 AM
lagom
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Jan 2009
108733
lolicon and shotacon are cultural imperialism or soft power by japan right? @desumaiden
Jan 5, 10:10 AM
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Jan 2018
877
Also, there are a ton of geopolitical reasons for American bases in Japan, mostly because China and Russia are the opps and we want to be able to respond swiftly if things get hot. I could go on and on but the fact is when you are the big dawg, other countries don't tell you what to do. Like China and Taiwan. If anime and other Japanese culture wasn't important to you, would you still care about US bases on Japanese soil?
Jan 5, 10:18 AM

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Feb 2022
3042
I see that two planes weren't enough x2
pero~ x1
Jan 5, 10:26 AM

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Jul 2015
14491
There is no "Le westernization of anime is to anime what flat earth is to science." answer, poll is invalid. It presupposes that everybody agrees wih the conspiracy theory that is the whole premise.
Prophetess of the Golden Era
Jan 5, 4:53 PM
BIKINI⚔️ARMOR

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No, i don't believe so but bad faith adaptations and localizations where the original context and meaning are changed is problematic.
Jan 5, 4:59 PM

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I do think crunchyroll and banking agencies are trying to globalize anime which is terrible for freedom of expression.
Jan 5, 5:10 PM

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Nice use of buzzwords.
Now show me these many "westernized" shows and don't come up with "anime is woke now bc they dare to show me queer characters". They always have been in anime.

It's pretty telling that this is almost always coming from people, who are a lot into gooner shows, while old Nippon Animation and Ghibli anime etc. always took western inspiration too, didn't sexualize children and teens and all.
TressymJan 5, 5:15 PM
Jan 5, 5:29 PM

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Anime was literally inspired by Western animation...

Also, no. That's just the result of globalization. Even ignoring that, can you list any ways that anime has been too "Westernized" these days without using buzzwords like "woke" and "DEI"? I'll wait.
If I had to choose between One Piece and a girlfriend...I think I'll go with One Piece
Jan 5, 5:56 PM

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@Catalano lmao

traed said:
The payment processor thing was because of NGOs putting pressure on the companies. One is Australian based so it isn't just the US behind this.

They've been censoring the same thing well before those NGO(s) popped up out of air. Especially for hosting eroge and doujins. All the way back to 2013 iirc.

@perseii That was true until just censoring the national release was not good enough anymore. They began going after the source.
@KiliianSleipnir see above
Jan 5, 5:57 PM

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As long as Japan laughs in tourists faces and does not even listen to their whining, they are harmless. You combat cringe by ignoring it.
Localisation is different subject. Their latest stunt with Umamusume is inexcusable and I can't wait to see them replaced with AI.
Jan 5, 6:05 PM
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I don't know, but anime that isn't Japanese doesn't make any sense and I don't watch it.
Jan 5, 6:11 PM

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Reply to Tressym
Nice use of buzzwords.
Now show me these many "westernized" shows and don't come up with "anime is woke now bc they dare to show me queer characters". They always have been in anime.

It's pretty telling that this is almost always coming from people, who are a lot into gooner shows, while old Nippon Animation and Ghibli anime etc. always took western inspiration too, didn't sexualize children and teens and all.
Fukoku said:
Anime was literally inspired by Western animation...

Also, no. That's just the result of globalization. Even ignoring that, can you list any ways that anime has been too "Westernized" these days without using buzzwords like "woke" and "DEI"? I'll wait.

@Tressym @Fukoku Western influence has a history of not only removing LGBT characters from anime, but also introduced homophobia and transphobia to Japan in the first place. Homosexuality was never a crime in Japan until after the Perry Expedition forced Japan to open up to the United States, and they forced their values onto Japan, including their bigotry and anti-nudity values. Japan had a third gender called Wakashu that disappeared from Japanese culture due to Western influence.

This kind of stuff continues to this day. Western corporations, military, and government force themselves onto anime production committees in order to make them appeal to Westerners, and not Japanese people. Payment processors force Japanese media creators to self-censor, or lose their money, like Mastercard and VISA, by removing all NSFW content, including porn, nudity, or anything else that offends them.
ForgotEyeWasHereJan 5, 6:26 PM
Jan 5, 6:29 PM

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Reply to ForgotEyeWasHere
Fukoku said:
Anime was literally inspired by Western animation...

Also, no. That's just the result of globalization. Even ignoring that, can you list any ways that anime has been too "Westernized" these days without using buzzwords like "woke" and "DEI"? I'll wait.

@Tressym @Fukoku Western influence has a history of not only removing LGBT characters from anime, but also introduced homophobia and transphobia to Japan in the first place. Homosexuality was never a crime in Japan until after the Perry Expedition forced Japan to open up to the United States, and they forced their values onto Japan, including their bigotry and anti-nudity values. Japan had a third gender called Wakashu that disappeared from Japanese culture due to Western influence.

This kind of stuff continues to this day. Western corporations, military, and government force themselves onto anime production committees in order to make them appeal to Westerners, and not Japanese people. Payment processors force Japanese media creators to self-censor, or lose their money, like Mastercard and VISA, by removing all NSFW content, including porn, nudity, or anything else that offends them.
@ForgotEyeWasHere Literally none of the points you bring up besides the credit card thing have anything to do with your premise, unless you're trying to tell us an old fart from 2 centuries ago and some shady spy shit in 1960 are suddenly "westernizing" anime now in the 2020s.

Wakashu does sound like your typical patriarchal society's trick to let old men abuse teenagers, kinda like Bacha Bazi in Afghanistan. Unsurprisingly, women were left out of the deal...
Prophetess of the Golden Era
Jan 5, 6:41 PM

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@Deathko They serve as proof that it happens, happened to Japan, and is still happening now by money instead of violence.
Love Hina's mangaka entered the government for the very purpose of stopping western influence having its way with Japanese entertainment. The support he received in doing so shows it's not only him seeing it. The anime industry is less insular in financial dependence than manga is.
Jan 5, 6:47 PM

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Reply to ForgotEyeWasHere
Fukoku said:
Anime was literally inspired by Western animation...

Also, no. That's just the result of globalization. Even ignoring that, can you list any ways that anime has been too "Westernized" these days without using buzzwords like "woke" and "DEI"? I'll wait.

@Tressym @Fukoku Western influence has a history of not only removing LGBT characters from anime, but also introduced homophobia and transphobia to Japan in the first place. Homosexuality was never a crime in Japan until after the Perry Expedition forced Japan to open up to the United States, and they forced their values onto Japan, including their bigotry and anti-nudity values. Japan had a third gender called Wakashu that disappeared from Japanese culture due to Western influence.

This kind of stuff continues to this day. Western corporations, military, and government force themselves onto anime production committees in order to make them appeal to Westerners, and not Japanese people. Payment processors force Japanese media creators to self-censor, or lose their money, like Mastercard and VISA, by removing all NSFW content, including porn, nudity, or anything else that offends them.
@ForgotEyeWasHere

Okay, I can agree on your first statement.

But I still don't see how anime get westernized (or how it's more now than back then). That's always thrown around, while Tezuka got his inspiration from Disney in first place. Not due to imperalism, he just got exposed to another culture and their media due to globalization.
Also Nippon Animation and Ghibli adapted a lot of western works since Nippon Animation worked together with French and other studios on some projects. Having international partners is not the same as forcing someone else culture on them.
Jan 5, 6:56 PM

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Reply to deg
anime is soft power itself so it can be considered cultural imperialism too

its simply a power struggle
@deg a very interesting take. Makes a lot of sense too, a lot of people have favourable opinions about Japan because of anime.
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Jan 5, 6:57 PM

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@Tressym
The last anime with loli nipples was Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge which aired in... 2013.
Jan 5, 7:07 PM
lagom
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Reply to HellindiuM
@deg a very interesting take. Makes a lot of sense too, a lot of people have favourable opinions about Japan because of anime.
@HellindiuM heck this is recent news days ago
Anime Enhances Japan’s Diplomatic Power, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Says
https://animehunch.com/anime-enhances-japans-diplomatic-power-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-says/
Jan 5, 7:17 PM

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ForgotEyeWasHere said:
Fukoku said:
Anime was literally inspired by Western animation...

Also, no. That's just the result of globalization. Even ignoring that, can you list any ways that anime has been too "Westernized" these days without using buzzwords like "woke" and "DEI"? I'll wait.

@Tressym @Fukoku Western influence has a history of not only removing LGBT characters from anime, but also introduced homophobia and transphobia to Japan in the first place. Homosexuality was never a crime in Japan until after the Perry Expedition forced Japan to open up to the United States, and they forced their values onto Japan, including their bigotry and anti-nudity values. Japan had a third gender called Wakashu that disappeared from Japanese culture due to Western influence.

This kind of stuff continues to this day. Western corporations, military, and government force themselves onto anime production committees in order to make them appeal to Westerners, and not Japanese people. Payment processors force Japanese media creators to self-censor, or lose their money, like Mastercard and VISA, by removing all NSFW content, including porn, nudity, or anything else that offends them.

While you do have a good point with the sexuality and gender, you also need to remember that anime has been taking inspiration from Western animation since anime was born.

This is why blackface can be seen in older anime like Dragon Ball. Am I saying this is okay? Absolutely not. It’s a great thing that blackface is retired now. But they’re also just mimicking what they see from America who they are taking inspiration from.

Even if we don’t talk about Osamu Tezuka, Akira Toriyama was inspired by American martial arts movies starring either Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, I can’t remember who exactly. Hirohiko Araki took heavy inspiration with Western music like Led Zeppelin and Prince.

Which is a result of globalization and/or cross cultural interactions. Not imperialism.
If I had to choose between One Piece and a girlfriend...I think I'll go with One Piece
Jan 5, 7:25 PM

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Reply to Tressym
Nice use of buzzwords.
Now show me these many "westernized" shows and don't come up with "anime is woke now bc they dare to show me queer characters". They always have been in anime.

It's pretty telling that this is almost always coming from people, who are a lot into gooner shows, while old Nippon Animation and Ghibli anime etc. always took western inspiration too, didn't sexualize children and teens and all.
@Tressym

Westernized has become a buzzword too? Argh...almost everything is becoming a buzzword these days.
If I had to choose between One Piece and a girlfriend...I think I'll go with One Piece
Jan 5, 7:46 PM

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Reply to plebrepel
@Deathko They serve as proof that it happens, happened to Japan, and is still happening now by money instead of violence.
Love Hina's mangaka entered the government for the very purpose of stopping western influence having its way with Japanese entertainment. The support he received in doing so shows it's not only him seeing it. The anime industry is less insular in financial dependence than manga is.
@plebrepel Who forced Japan to try and imitate Disney? Who forced Japan to imitate america's RnB and italo-disco in the 80s?

So far OP has been asked multiple times to describe the so-called "westernization" of anime and has done nothing but vomit a couple platitudes with no substance whatsoever and a bunch of buzzwords. Maybe if I take some shrooms and start drunk-posting incoherent shit about le censorship of greedy corporations (private entities) and how it's because of le bigotry of le imperialist murican state (public entity, but okay) and start babbling some shit, people will just nod along without asking questions too because it fits their preconceived notion that we live a period of oppression and that the world is being socially engineered by malevolent actors because we can't drink and drive or be racist a-holes like it's the 50s anymore.

The truth is, modern TV shows are way more violent and sexual in nature than older anime shows, so here's for censorship. Anime had LGBT content before the west did (at least as far as kids cartoons are concerned) and it's not going to change anytime soon. What's even funnier is that we both know that's not what OP cares about and he actually probably doesn't watch said shows; in fact, like most proponents of the "le westernization is killing anime" theory, he probably thinks "fujoshits are ruining anime" and just want to goon to big anime tiddies and lolis like it's the 2010s all over again. Despite a pretty extensive list full of classics and a huge 2010s list, he seems to have managed to avoid literally every common lgbt anime, something that can't be said about questionnable hentai.

TL;DR: OP is gentting nervous at the idea that the FBI might outlaw his hentai HDD.
DeathkoJan 5, 7:54 PM
Prophetess of the Golden Era
Jan 5, 8:01 PM
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japanese anime is already a form of imperialism, given its slopified product
japan realized they couldnt militarily face the west so they started taking it down from the inside by helping raise stunted generations of manchildren who are addicted to performative sexual perversion.
It taking a more western form is anime realizing its base of customers
Flick_onJan 5, 8:06 PM
Jan 5, 8:25 PM

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@Deathko Japan's brand of homosexuality and erotica and subgenres surrounding it developed independently of the west. It is not LGBT. Yuri and Lesbianism are not equivalents.

You talk about being influenced by the west by Disney and movies literature and what not, but the topic here is not taking influence it is coercion. To get influenced into making something by one's own volition, against to get influenced into making changes against one's will.
With the release of the Dragon Quest remake Horii Yuji was pissed off by American meddling in Japan in 2024. Costume censorship and A Type / B Type is in the Japanese version of the game. Don't need to tell you who's "influence" that is. In his words the restrictions are negatively influencing Japan. Given the popularity of Dragon Quest there is no justification for the changes.
Jan 5, 8:46 PM

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Reply to plebrepel
@Deathko Japan's brand of homosexuality and erotica and subgenres surrounding it developed independently of the west. It is not LGBT. Yuri and Lesbianism are not equivalents.

You talk about being influenced by the west by Disney and movies literature and what not, but the topic here is not taking influence it is coercion. To get influenced into making something by one's own volition, against to get influenced into making changes against one's will.
With the release of the Dragon Quest remake Horii Yuji was pissed off by American meddling in Japan in 2024. Costume censorship and A Type / B Type is in the Japanese version of the game. Don't need to tell you who's "influence" that is. In his words the restrictions are negatively influencing Japan. Given the popularity of Dragon Quest there is no justification for the changes.
@plebrepel Don't call it lgbt if it gives you eczema, Rose of Versailles is still a crossdressing show, Utena a lesbian one, and No°6 a gay one. I'm not going to play semantic games to avoid calling a cat a cat.

Wow, le evil west stiffled the creativity of some AAA generic game dev making a remake of a three decades old game (see the irony already?)? Or did the greedy japanese devs aim for the lowest age rating all over the world then blamed it on someone else when it blew up in their faces? Because the narrative that some kind of evil corporate american agent invited himself in their office and forced them to make a sitty ass lame redesign of the Warrior seems very much invented.

Who forced them to target the lowest age rating possible in the US? Who forced them to make the shittiest and laziest imaginable "redesign" to fix this issue? Nobody. Just a greedy corporate cog blaming it on other greedy corporate cogs in an obvious attempt at deflecting.

Fun fact: Japan was already censoring games for foreign audiences back in the 80s and 90s.
DeathkoJan 5, 8:52 PM
Prophetess of the Golden Era
Jan 5, 9:23 PM

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Deathko said:
Don't call it lgbt if it gives you eczema, Rose of Versailles is still a crossdressing show, Utena a lesbian one, and No°6 a gay one. I'm not going to play semantic games to avoid calling a cat a cat.

I like their breed of cats. I don't necessarily dislike the cat breed over here when they respect the difference of cultures.

Deathko said:
Because the narrative that some kind of evil corporate american agent invited himself in their office and forced them to make a sitty ass lame redesign of the Warrior seems very much invented.

It was overseas investment firms, again.
Deathko said:
Who forced them to target the lowest age rating possible in the US? Who forced them to make the shittiest and laziest imaginable "redesign" to fix this issue? Nobody. Just a greedy corporate cog blaming it on other greedy corporate cogs in an obvious attempt at deflecting.

Fun fact: Japan was already censoring games for foreign audiences back in the 80s and 90s.

I don't much disagree there. They don't care much about the overseas product which is fine. Only that the changes for the English version are left to a company paid to do it for them. They're always shit and I prefer a fan-translated whenever it's possible. But the difference here is the involvement of overseas companies into their domestic version of the game. Doing a dance for foreigner money (not customers but investment) is not good for creative freedom.
Jan 5, 9:46 PM

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1883
Oh dear. Here we go again. Reminder to everyone: You do not have to deepthroat Japan. I repeat: You do not have to deepthroat Japan. Just because it is banana shaped does not mean you gotta slurp and suck on it.

No, some bro in California translating an anime in a way you do not like does not make it imperialism.

No, a payment processor deciding to cut support for payments is not imperialism.

No, a woman talking on youtube about things she'd like to see change in anime is not imperialism.

Stop trying to live vicariously through a country, and stop trying make Japan (ie yourself) out to be a victim. You are not under attack by "the west." You are not under attack by immigrants, or feminism, or wokeness. We both know you hide in your bedroom because you are socially awkward, not because you are under any sort of assault. Turn off the computer and your gaming consoles, go outside, and meet people. Go to a sports game, or a bar, or get a job and go in to work. Just meet people. Speaking from personal experience, your awkwardness will largely dissipate and you'll realize most people are fine and it'll be easier to converse with other. Then you won't have to live in artificial fear to feel emotions.
Jan 5, 9:58 PM

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KittenCuddler said:
No, a payment processor deciding to cut support for payments is not imperialism.

Explain the status of loli eroge in Japan right now. Why is its unanimous popularity so disproportionate to its dwindling availability in stores?
What would you call the effect of an external entity pruning your resources in this manner?
Jan 6, 12:06 AM
Jan 6, 12:31 AM
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KiliianSleipnir said:
2 the amount of CASH moving into 'the otaku industry' as a whole FROM OUTSIDE JAPAN'S borders isn't even 50% OF THE GROSS INCOME! period. this is A STATED FACT by EVERY producer company/committee, TV network, Satellite provider, streamer, studio, manga/LN publisher etc. THE WHOLE shebang... is still MOSTLY funded by the Japanese public's spending

Btw, that's not true anymore.

A report from 2024:
"overseas revenue accounted for 56% of the total – or $14.25BN (JPY2.17TR) – while Japanese domestic revenues pulled in $10.97BN (JPT1.67TR) accounting for 44% of total income"
https://deadline.com/2025/10/japan-animation-industry-overseas-sales-chao-godzilla-1236602700/

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