Forum - View topicAre the japanese afraid? [Anime Taboos]
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Arkard
 Posts: 677 Location: Poland |
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I dont know if anyone of you had noticed but there is a certain number of topics that the japanese dont want to discuss in anime. But there is one of them that I would like to talk about. As I stated in some earleir topic, there is almost Zero anime that would focus on handicapped people (the physically or mentally challenged ones). Even in mangas this problem is highly avoided. Expect for the manga "Real" or the anime: "I want to become a 5th Grader" and "Momoko, Kaeru no Uta ga Kikoeru yo" I really cant recall that I saw a title that would deal with this "problem" (well its not a problem! - please dont kill me, I am just saying
 ) in such a human and naturalistic way. Of course there is more to it but lets get to the point!
Are the Japanese AFRAID to do those kind of production? Some may say Yes, some may say No. But I dotn really think its fear. The reluctance in producing this kind of anime is probably rooted inside japanese culture. I had the luck to meet some people from Japan and..... well I observed that they dont like to show any kinds of weaknesses. I mean - they are not like Polls that whine about everything  So I guess that could be it. They dont want to focus on "weaknesses". But its strange that for people who deal with many aspects of life to neglect such an unexploited field.
Or maybe there is somethign else to it? Well what do you think? Are the Japanese AFRAID to produce ANIME of this "genre"? PS if someone has a problem with what I wrote then PLEASE PM me - lets not make too many off topics. [EDIT - Topic Adjusted -C] Last edited by Arkard on Tue Nov 25, 2003 12:40 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Aaron White
Old Regular
Posts: 1365 Location: Birmingham, Alabama |
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Most anime is geared towards fantasy and wish fulfillment, so a serious depiction of any social challenge is unlikely. How many anime deal with cancer or AIDS? For that matter, how many Western TV shows and movies deal with handicaps?
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hellsing
 Posts: 248 Location: top of mt Fuji killing sin with Titus. |
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[quote="Arkard"]I don't know if anyone of you had noticed but there is a certain number of topics that the japanese don't want to discuss in anime. But there is one of them that I would like to talk about. As I stated in some earleir topic, there is almost Zero anime that would focus on handicapped people (the physically or mantally challened ones).
Mentally
That sucks that they dont usually make anime about that I think it would be a good idea to make an anime about handicapped people. 
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Judau
 Posts: 247 Location: Boston, MA |
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Well if you think about it, even on TV in your home country, I assume you don't constantly see disabled people... in general, whether it be wrong or not, it seems disabled people are only put in to convey a point or just to keep diversity and realism... in anime you just don't need that, I really cannot see a main character being physically disabled... although mentally... heh, you can argue quite a few.
 ;; Although, I just remembered, anyone who has seen .hack//SIGN knows one of the main characters is actually in a wheel chair (I don't think it is too much of a spoiler), and I think they really placed that in nicely and it added a lot to the character.
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Concrete Donkey
Posts: 17 Location: England, UK |
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Although japaneese anime seems to lack anything concerning disability, anime and manga are not the only form of Japaneese entertainment.
There is a live action japaneese show I know of called 'Beautiful life' about a relationship between a disabled Japaneese woman and a man who can look beyond her physical hardships. I have not watched it myself and havn't explored live action japaneese shows much but you can read about it at this link. http://jdorama.com/drama_36.htm I'm sure this isn't the only example of a Japanese show/film dealing or featuring disability and so I don't think the subject is taboo, it's just not done much. |
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Samurai CDZ
 Posts: 776 Location: Manhattan, KS |
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Maybe it's just not a big on the marketing end of things.
I don't think they are afraid, like Aaron said anime fantasy and wish fulfillment based. I don't want to come home and watch that kind of stuff on TV, it makes me feel sorry for them. I want to come home and watch some nonsense that will make me smile and forget my worries. Now if the main character of a anime went through an accident and became handicapped and they showed the troubles he goes through aclamating to his new situation I might be interested. Also there was the girl in Cowboy Bebop who was blind, although that was used as irony in the episode. |
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Arkard
Posts: 677 Location: Poland |
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Just on a side note
I dont if anyoen read my response to my own questions but I clearly staited I dont think its fear of showing challenged people. And come on! I am really not a freak of some sort that wont stop untill every anime will have a handicapped person
unfortunatelly I cant give you a good aniem example but as I was saying earleir their is manga (by the same mangaka of Slam Dunk). Its called REAL. And of the main characters is a wheel chair basketball player.
OK - call me unsensitive but I dont see how woudl that be any offending. Like in the main post I talked about a movie "I want to become a 5th grader". I really couldnt watch it yet but I do know from a person who was closed to that production that the anime had some very moving moments. People are people. Handicapped or healthy. Its all the same. So to me I dont see how this woudl be offending in any kind. As long as they are showed how they are - without any colorisation.
well that would mean that every aniem is a happy ended fun filled enjoyment for the family. Which of course is not true. Some aniem can show use the hardships of life (Grave of the fireflies). Many of them show us death. Terrible death sometimes. So why dont concentrate on an imortant group of people that would make great anime characters. It would be new. Anime is not all Fantasy, Good and Wish-Come-True. |
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Aaron White
Old Regular
Posts: 1365 Location: Birmingham, Alabama |
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Grave of the Fireflies is the exception that proves the rule. Very rarely does something as serious as that come along in anime. Still, it's possible that someone will do a substantial anime about a handicapped person. Just don't hold your breath!
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SuperOnizuka
 Posts: 421 Location: When I look At the World- New Jersey |
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Not exactly afraid really. Look at all their elementary schools, everyone are in one sort of school. There isn't any specialized school for children with mental disabilities. In a way those children are being "mainstreamed" into the Japanese education system, being the belief that children are inherently good, and are able to get better.
That being said, I believe that may be the reason why they do not have mentally disabled people in the anime, becuase of their socialization process. Of course, I am not 100% correct, but I know that I am not entirely incorrect in this thought. But truth be told, there are not a great amount of mentally disabled individuals in Japan. But there is a heck of a lot of them in the US. Weird. As for handicapped individuals..I dun know. |
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The Ramblin' Wreck
 Posts: 924 Location: Teaching Robot Women How To Love |
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Well, how many American shows do you see about retarded people?
They've got to be able to market a show. I don't see that particular subject being conducive to key demographics. |
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Gekigangar3
Posts: 256 |
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I think what Tony K. means is people who are mentally disabled, things like Down Sydrome or Autism. Even when those people are portrayed seriously on a show it can still be offensive if not done perfectly. Where as someone being in a wheel chair although still a big handicap is not as big as mental retardation, because in a wheelchair it is easier to live a normal life than when you are retarded. So although the japanese may not mind putting a person in a wheelchair they still may be afraid to have someone with a severe mental handicap. |
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Nagisa
Moderator
 Posts: 6128 Location: Atlanta-ish, Jawjuh |
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Or rather, how many American shows do you see about retarded people that aren't blatantly making fun of them? I think it sort of goes back to the Japanese being respectful of handicapped people by not pointing them out and making token "sympathy" or "mockery" roles for them like in America (the irony of political correctness: the token characters American TV & cinema are forced to use often come off stereotyped and more racist than their exclusion would've been). |
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sacchan
Posts: 277 Location: Okinawa, Japan |
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There is a manga called "Kimi no Te ga Sasayaiteiru (Your hands are whispering)" with a main character who is deaf. It was made into a live-action drama series, too.
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Ian
 Posts: 149 Location: Thaxton, VA |
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Quite a damn bit of western TV shows and movies deal with handicaps. Ever heard of the Halmark channel, Lifetime channel, Oxygen channel? chuck full of handicap people. Handicap people here in the west is a sucker wayto rake in the ratings. We see handicap people and feel sorry for them, so they make good ratings. There are plenty of shows that have handicapped characters, some humerous some seriouse. But the respect thing does come into play. After watching Scary Movie, Not Another Teen Movie, American Pie and all this crap, one can only come to understand that in America, taboo is just a word. |
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v1cious
 Posts: 6235 Location: Houston, TX |
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wasn't Subaru in .HACK//SIGN handicapped?
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