| I wouldn’t call the industry ‘apathetic’ to global issues. It’s just that the anime/manga industry is first and foremost an entertainment media industry, and real world problems just don’t sell for good entertainment. So if anything, blame the audience. One other thing to consider is the rise of cancel culture. One wrong step on a hot topic issue could mean instant death in the industry, even in Japan. So I’m sure big producers often want to stay away from anything too relevant. |
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UknwWhu said: Is escapism the core of the industry and not real world issues. I don't even know whether there is a manga detailing the wars, social ills or other political upheaval facing the earth. Is the industry apathetic to reality? Or is escapism content more commercially viable? There are definitely anime and manga that detail wars, natural disasters, etc., but as PerfectAzul said, it can become extremely controversial. Most of the time, when the authors take a stab at something, it is covered up by a metaphor or implied. I also think it is demographic thing because people are unlikely to pick a political manga unless its sprinkled it (in a non-serious way) |
| While I wouldn't say they're the norm, there are definitely shows that deal with such themes. A lot of the more political stuff is aimed at issues that are somewhat more prevalent in Japan like the declining birthrate, its xenophobic approach towards immigration or the rising NEET population. |
BebopHakushoJul 18, 2020 5:07 PM
| I'm not sure if I understood correctly but even animes like One Piece ( theoretically aimed for young viewers) have a lot of themes like slavery, racial discrimination or discrimination overall, social inequality, politics, etc. |
| "wars, social ills or other political upheaval facing the earth" LOL You mean, in the mentality of westerners millennials and zoomers and their "1st world problems". In Asia, thankfully, this collective stupidity did not arrived. They are like in 80's, focused in economy, work, money, rather than "social issues". And brace yourselves, we are seeing the second fall of western world, just like happened before the middle ages. It IS a great moment to be alive, nobody should complain of boringness. . |
Rob7Jul 18, 2020 4:55 PM
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UknwWhu said: Is escapism the core of the industry and not real world issues. I don't even know whether there is a manga detailing the wars, social ills or other political upheaval facing the earth. Is the industry apathetic to reality? Or is escapism content more commercially viable? Animation is consumed mainly as a form of entertainment and, since escapism is something that makes people happy, it is destined to have a lot of escapism. Escapism, however, is not in all shows or present at all the time. Even Chunibiyou is, at times, a show that asks to many to look inside themselves. To answer if escapism makes up the majority of the industry we need to analyze and measure the proportion of how much escapism is in each show in the industry agains't how many times it talks about the big political problems happening to most of us; and, unfortunately, we don't have this data. Now, are the people behind the industry mostly apathetic? It is hard to say: The world is a cruel place and artists know this, many of them make art that ignores this reality or ends up in happy endings but, even if some of them just don't care about the ploblems of Japan and the world another bunch of them does and just chose to make shows that ignore it because they want to relieve the pain of those who watch the shows. These people are not apathetic, but empathetic. (Also the same goes for western animation, I know this is an anime website but it is strange how we never talk about the very similar industry even when the topic is something that has barely anything to do with Japanese culture) PS: Sorry if it was hard to read, I'm not a native speaker and I'm pretty sure that text was understandable but I migth be supa wrong. |
N04L1TYJul 18, 2020 5:43 PM
| heh. |
| good storytelling doesnt try to force politics on you . |
| gundam or mecha shows in general for wars and politics recency bias says Trigger studio have done some like Promare for example deals with discrimination Brand New Animal deals with discrimination, cultural conflict and social conflict and multiculturalism |
Yes it doesn't force it but it totally can talk about it, you just gave death note a 10 and it is all about the morality of enforcing death on people, you know, like the very political discussion happening rigth now about if the death penality is moral or not. |
| heh. |
| Attack on Titan is about globalists vs nationalists well in the final arc that is |
| Legend of the Galactic Heroes is about politics and wars too i heard |
Bob-o-Dominador said: Yes it doesn't force it but it totally can talk about it, you just gave death note a 10 and it is all about the morality of enforcing death on people, you know, like the very political discussion happening rigth now about if the death penality is moral or not. good point surely they can talk about anything but sometimes ist kind of slippery slope it something different to talk about morality and specifically politics . morality is more something deeply philosophical. another important factor is that death note doesnt try to force any world view onto you. it lays out a situation and lets the viewer decide what they think about. and modifies that situation and asks again. most storys that try to get a political message across dont really do that . they try to convince you that one thing is good or another thing is bad. |
| People here talking about war, macroeconomics and global sociopolitical matters and me coming here with the growing amount of shows with nontraditional gender performances and LGBT visibility, which is also political. Lovely how people say that anime doesn't care about "SJW shit" when even a harmless fantasy CGDCT show throws a jab at the laws against same-sex marriage. It may be true that the anime industry became less aware of the global issues and focused more on the aspects within the Japanese society, but it hasn't stopped dealing with political themes in its own way. |
| Ah, the classic "It's just entertainment dude. Don't shove politics down our throats!" schtick, not realizing that a work can be made both to entertain and be particularly political, the users in question probably aren't aware of inventions such as "political thrillers. political satire, or anything that deals with any social problem whatsoever" |
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UknwWhu said: Is escapism the core of the industry and not real world issues. I don't even know whether there is a manga detailing the wars, social ills or other political upheaval facing the earth. Is the industry apathetic to reality? Or is escapism content more commercially viable? Escapism is more commercially viable because the consumer base for such forms of media is apathetic. Thus, there is no need for shooing off the consumer by dressing the whole thing with themes that are prevalent in RL. Furthermore, it's also bolstered by the not-so-charming work/life culture that Japan has. The last thing people want shoved down their throats is something they already know from news and the internet. Instead they would want to watch something that relieves stress. This isn't to say there aren't any shows. There are many, but they often go under the radar. If anything, I'd say Legend of Galactic Heroes is a fine example which tries to include such themes. There's some Mobile Suit Gundam works as well. Manga-wise, Oyasumi PunPun is a work that tackles social withdrawal and depression. Even a short hentai manga like Henshin has something to ponder about when it comes to drug abuse. |
 Truly a Divine Comedy  |
| Animanga usually does not depict those things in the same format as books and specialized articles and magazines, for instance, but they definitely have some good social commentary, at least the good ones. So I wouldn't say animanga is entirely alienated from the world, it's just not the intent to show some crude representation of it. |
  Grant me one hour on love's most sacred shores To clasp the bosom that my soul adores, Lie heart to heart and merge my soul with yours |
| I really have a bad time learning about this stuff that keeps being posted here, seems like some people just desperately need to have a superior reason to watch cartoons. Anime are just cartoons, you watch cartoons to have some form of entertainment, dunno what it's so complicate about that. |
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Heimur said: While anime is entertaining, I would say that's not its main focus by and large. Anime is an art form that invokes a myriad of thoughts and emotions. It expresses perspectives on the human condition in a way that something such as the Super Bowl or nonsensical cat videos does not.I really have a bad time learning about this stuff that keeps being posted here, seems like some people just desperately need to have a superior reason to watch cartoons. Anime are just cartoons, you watch cartoons to have some form of entertainment, dunno what it's so complicate about that. As for the OP, I'll just leave this quote from the legend who wrote something far more real than reality itself.  |
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| Anime and manga deal with environmental issues, racism, imperialism, demographic crisis, sexism/gender issues, civil strife etc. There are plenty of titles on these topics. For goodness sake I have seen hentai touch on relevant social issues. You should specify what you mean by this because objectively there are tons. In large sure escapism is going to be more attractive and I think in general a lot of people come here partially because that is what they are looking for but fact is again often by usually nuance there are plenty of commentaries on society and politics within the medium. I just don't get what discussion you are trying to start here because your premise is acting like the medium doesn't have plenty of this when it does. |
BilboBaggins365Jul 19, 2020 12:37 AM
Bayek said: As for the OP, I'll just leave this quote from the legend who wrote something far more real than reality itself. Time to be nitpicking - that is not really by JRRT. Here is an article tracing the quotation to its actual source (fantasy author U. K. Le Guin). But back to the OP: it depends on where you are looking, and certainly you can't give an all-encompassing answer. If you take any real social issue Japan has at present, and see throughout the whole spectrum of anime (not only one genre, demographic, or studio) what anime creators are saying about it, you immediately find all kinds of responses. Take just one easy example - Japan's relationship with WW2. It's clearly a subject that is very much alive, even after 75 years: WW2-themed anime crop up regularly every couple of years, and go from series that could be regarded as utterly escapist, like GuP or Strike Witches, to movies with a serious commitment to coping with the scars left by the war, like Grave of the Fireflies, In This Corner of the World, or The Wind Rises - each in its own way looking at the horrors of history fully in the face. There's no way one can cover all these with a generalization. |
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| Quite a few anime shows and movies tackle relevant issues. 3-Gatsu no Lion deals with depression and bullying. So does Koe no Katachi and Mob Psycho 100 too (I think... Haven't really watched that much of that show yet) Zankyou no Terror was flawed but dealt with terrorism. So did Psycho-Pass and Ghost in the Shell. A lot of movies deal with war and its consequences. If you are searching for strong female characters who try to deal with male idiots you are better served with quite a few kdrama shows but I am sure there are also Animes that I don't know that deal with that. |
| Stop trying to find realism in anime. "War, social ills or other political upheaval" Are your fucking kidding me? I don't want any of that shit in anime, NEVER. If that happens then I'm waging war against Japan's Anime Industry. But I believe that Japanese Otaku culture aren't like the rest of the idiots of these world. They will never let that happen. Just like @RadarDuker said, we already saw it happen in Hollywood movies. Now it's a SJW battleground, they have taken over American entertainment to shove political correctness down our throat. I also agree with @guestkun that Anime industry is so popular because they don't give a shit about SJW and all these bullshit. Some people are still trying to "correct" the anime industry for their poor view of certain group of people (No names mentioned). All I wanna say is leave them alone. It's Japan's work and I think Westerners shouldn't meddle in with their bullshit view of the world. Anime does cover some real world issues like bullying, depression, war, but in a different way unlike Western media. They don't shove it down our throats with fake information and political correctness. Japan's way of doing everything is different from what other people try to do. It is one of the reasons why I like Japan, it's because they don't care, they don't want to care. That's what I like. I hope Japan and everything about it stays the way it is, forever. |
 I said keep your hands on the table |
| Escapism nor World Issues are the core part of the Anime/Manga Industry. It's core is business entertainment. For money. Most of the audience is kids and teenagers, which is why there's more simple or generic comedy and action over more complex stories. In some stories of anime or manga there are some if not a lot of aspects to relatable issues of people and/or the world but it's never fully of the world's current problems. There may be a message through fiction of the plots and characters but never directly expressing as the real world now. For example. Anime/Manga stories do have stories or aspects of bullying, rape, murder, grief, sexism, sexual harassment, depression, unemployment, war, and conspiracy but ... either in its own form there's a learning message of either growth for the better or simple reality of it existing and maybe sometimes a hidden message to historic or recent issues in their time of production but... rarely if ever a direct attack to the world. At least, I don't think it's ever for political wars. I don't think story writers or fans care of a story relating to flawed education systems, bad presidents, etc. ... or rather it's extremely rare to relay into a story because most people don't have the thought or imagination for it. In any case, it definitely isn't its core. Maybe from the creator's (mangaka/writer) perspective, their story is partly intended to express their source of entertainment as an escapism or a message to the world but it isn't the industry's intention. The industry is only working for money for the most part. |
| Promised Neverland manga has a page (small part) on world affairs: Riots & Coronavirus |
| Beastars for example got a pretty obvious message on masculinity and privilege, and even the most popular shows like My Hero Academia and One Piece got some amount of politics in them. But even then I think that they put first and foremost the escapism aspects (cool super powers, drama, fights, quirky characters and etc...) but that doesn't mean that they are completely apathetic. |
| Idk you tell me. Look, how can it be apathy just because it's escapist? In some context, sure, but like that line of thought can't be comprehensively rationalized. In the end, it's entertainment. Sure I do share the same hatred for the ideas of escapism with you myself (at least that's what I interpret from your question). But as long as it's entertaining, I find it okay, be it realism or escapism. Implementing some global ordeals as social commentaries doesn't mean it will be entertaining. Of course I know you're not looking for entertainment, but well, others do. Conclusively, realism is cool, escapism sucks fucking ass, like fuck escapists man they're dragging shit down. But well, if it's entertainment then who tf cares. |
| . . . |
UknwWhu said: You probably haven't familiarized yourself with enough manga and anime.Is escapism the core of the industry and not real world issues. I don't even know whether there is a manga detailing the wars, social ills or other political upheaval facing the earth. Is the industry apathetic to reality? Or is escapism content more commercially viable? Grave of the Fireflies is a pretty well known tragedy, and is set in the Second World War. Various series including Guilty Crown and Code Geass have a premise of championing Japanese sovereignty against oppressors. Tokyo Magnitude 8 is about an earthquake, while Coppelion is about life after a nuclear disaster. And I haven't watched/read Sazae-san but according to Wikipedia the title character is a feminist who was involved in a women's liberation group; that series has been ongoing since the 60s. And if you search the database you'll find that George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, have appeared in manga, and off the top of my head I can think of at least one instance where a knockoff-name version of one of these people was used. And those are US presidents...meanwhile, I at least know of a mention of a Japanese prime minister in a famous scene in Azumanga Daioh. And this isn't counting more subtle or on-the-side use of themes, such the dystopian world of Under the Dog, or the (rather blatant, and used for drama) discrimination against the cursed children in Black Bullet. (And this isn't even counting the variety of shows that pretty directly comment on, often poking fun at or otherwise uncharitably portraying, otakus and their stereotypes.) |
GlennMagusHarveyJul 19, 2020 5:25 PM
| Avatar character is Gabriel from Gabriel DropOut. |
| Some world affairs are pretty interesting except SJW themes. For example, I liked when in Kiznaiver they made fun of feminism in one scene since its really most ppl think. I prefer that anime should avoid world affairs cuz its are pretty gray area. |
| All weebs creatures of the galaxy, hear this message. Those of you who listen will not be struck by western animation. You will no longer know hunger, nor pain. Your Anime have come to lead you now. Our strength shall serve as a luminous sun toward which all intelligence may blossom. And the impervious shelter beneath which you will prosper. However, for those who refuse our offer and cling to their western animation ways… For you, there will be great wrath. |
| Miyazaki and his works were anti-war stories that he made from his experience during the WWII, obviously the anime or any work don't exempt from anything. |
| Anime does delve into national affairs (global affairs much less so) from time to time. Last year, Babylon dealt with the ethics and laws regarding suicide. Back in 2017, Sakura Quest dealt with the ramifications of urban migration; rural communities hemorrhaging people and dwindling economies all across Japan. I am curious if more series in the future will touch upon other societal issues like population decline in Japan or rural decline like Sakura Quest. Though I somewhat understand why such problems aren't tackled too seriously in most shows; we're getting bombarded with tons of terrible news and events every day that most feel powerless to do anything about. There are issues present in the societies presented by anime. However, the difference is that the main characters usually have the power and unbreakable will to make and succeed at bring about their desired changes. The problems are simplified as well; sometimes beating one big bad can change everything. What takes thousands of people (perhaps millions) to do in the real world, some characters can do solo or with their small crew. |
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