Forum - View topicDoes anime reflect what's going on in the world today?
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gundam83
 Posts: 93 Location: Caribbean |
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My friend and I was having a chat recently and we were discussing how movies can reflect our society today. Then I wondered, what about anime can it do the same? My answer is yes and two anime titles come to mind:Gundam00 and Code Geass. Both stories talked about terrorism which is unfortunately a reality today.
So what are your thoughts on the question? 
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RHachicho
 Posts: 897 Location: Essex, UK |
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My answer is ... depends.
Allow me to explain while some things in Anime or indeed any fiction can be compared to real life situations such stories are often embelished or altered through bias or censorship. Terrorism for example is much more of a hornets nest than alot of people take it for. People would much rather believe in mad fundamentalist arabs than people who have been so oppressed and screwed over that they would trade their lives away for a chance at revenge. Some anime also praises "freedom fighting" making it out to be something cool or noble instead of the mad miserable struggle it probably is. The same can be said of almost any situation it is relevant .. but romanticised. |
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DKL
 Posts: 1962 Location: California, USA |
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To be honest, mostly no...
People will talk about stuff like Full Metal Alchemist or Code Geass or whatever, but I generally consider that stuff poor with regards to its relevance... There are usually better examples in live-action film that I can think of. That's not to say that anime outlives its usefulness in terms of film making, it's just that I don't really expect most anime to profoundly touch on contemporary issues without having to either beat you over the head with it or simply have no actual solid understanding of what's going on. Interestingly, something like, say, NieA_7 had a pretty solid foundation with regards to commenting on xenophobia and class issues, but what made the work more solid was that it wasn't so totally obvious about that (must've been the humor)... So, yeah... if there actually was relevance in anime, it had a tendency to be found in the most unusual places (such as Shinichiro Watanabe's work, for example). |
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nightjuan
 Posts: 1473 |
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If you mean including or making references to specific subjects that are part of the ongoing human experience in some way, shape or form, then yes. There's plenty of anime that would qualify to a greater or lesser extent.
But if you mean something more than that, it would seem to be the exception rather than the rule, to be honest, because you won't find too many examples that deal with relevant issues at length or in a serious way that isn't merely anecdotal and restricted by the conventions of the genre. I would argue, however, that Legend of the Galactic Heroes remains one of the most timeless and worthwhile examinations of politics and warfare in anime precisely because of the depth and amount of respect present in its treatment. It is a science fiction work, of course, but the core of its themes remain extremely relevant and even poignant to this day. Highly recommended for anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to see it yet. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I don't think it is the cat's pyjamas, but yes, Legend of the Galactic Heroes did take a considered look into terrorism before 9/11 popularised it amongst the general public. |
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Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4640 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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It sort of depends on which world you're talking about. These are Japanese shows we're talking about and while a US and many other countrie's audience doesn't quite realize the significance of NEET's, the crumbling of the salaryman system, school's integrating because of dropping birthrates and the continuing clash of the traditional and modern, Japan certainly does and these themes are often not the focus of a series, just something dropped in a line of dialog or part of the story no one dwells on. Still, it does still feel unique when a show like Eden of the East integrates so much it and still remains accessable to an audience that isn't conscious of it all.
And then of course you can bring Communication theory and Marshall McLuhan into it and argue that media inluences culture as much as it reflects it and there is no way that anime, as a prominent medium, cannot help but to mirror a fraction of the worldview. |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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Oh, absolutely! Here are some examples:
Strike Witches - discusses the use of stem cell research, though through magic rather than nature. You see, the prop pants are a metaphor signifying the use of cells which can be used with the body. Spice & Wolf - anyone who needs to understand what the hell happened in 2008 needs to watch the second story regarding over-valuing a market commodity. Instead of silver, replace with home mortgages (though reality is a tad more complicated, the gist is spot on). Lucky Star, Girl's High, Aria, et al - still proves teenage girls have nothing better to do than gab. Full Metal Panic - continues to teach us secret organizations will continue to blow stuff up against the rest of the world regardless what side's fighting. Civilians be damned. Kodomo no Jikan - continues to show how laws are continually inadequate so many, many, many more must be written in hopes of getting passed into law. Because nothing stops a child molester like "it's against the law". High School of the Dead - shows us completely how brain dead students really are when attending a public school. Oddly enough, I'm having a hard time picking out the zombies. |
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Mister V
 Posts: 1000 |
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Generally, you can find examples of it. The most recent and unexpected one would be Asobi ni Ikuyo. They stressed several times that the aliens had economic stability.
Otherwise, more serious shows will look at the eternal issues of human nature, blah blah. |
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nightjuan
Posts: 1473 |
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Terrorism is part of it, yes, but it also includes a fair amount of discussion about the consequences of foreign invasions and occupations as well as governance and political double-dealings in general. The kind of stuff that you're far more likely to find in live-action series or mainstream novels than in most anime. And as much as one might want to criticize the series for portraying Terraism (the Earth-centric fanatics) in a one-dimensional light, I thought that also provided some commentary on the dangers of cults and religious extremism. Granted, I am definitely a huge fan of the show, but its merits place it far above your average toy commercial or teen drama. I would say that allows me to give it a lot of slack in those areas where things don't work out perfectly. |
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KanjiiZ
 Posts: 661 Location: Central Coast |
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If Black Lagoon took place in Mexico, then maybe yes. I consider Black Lagoon a toned down version of Mexico's cartels. The only difference is instead of it being one girl with two guns, it's 100 guys with 200 guns. You're not gonna get away with it.
And let's be honest with ourselves, anime doesn't reflect anything anymore. With shows like Mitsudomoe nowadays, they're don't have any sort of social commentary. |
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Mushi-Man
 Posts: 1537 Location: KCMO |
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It depends on the anime. Now obviously some series aren't trying to reflect the current issues or anything like that, they are simply trying to entertain people. But there are some which try very hard to put in social, political, or economic relevance into the anime.
For example Gundam 00 (as already mentioned) and FLAG both portray a semi-realistic picture of the current political and social environment of the middle east and what roll western nations play in it. There's also Ghost in the Shell which tries to be semi-realistic (again) portrayal of the current political system in Japan along with the rising philosophical issues of the roll of technology in modern society. You could also point to Serial Experiments Lain for that same philosophical point. And most commonly there are plenty of anime which deal with issues that hit closer to home for the Japanese natives rather than the western viewers. There's Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 which is pointing out the lack of preparations that Japan has taken in the Tokyo area to prevent earth quack damage. And then there's also Tokyo Godfathers which is pointing out the raising homeless problem in Japan. And even Eden of the East (as already mentioned) which tries to point out the issue of NEETS in Japan. Oh also there's Roujin Z which is supposedly a commentary on how modern society treats the elderly. |
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dewlwieldthedarpachief
 Posts: 751 Location: Canada |
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Generally speaking, whether or not a work intends to portray the world realistically or poignantly it cannot help but be a product of it's time.
I think Sci-Fi is a great example of this. Science Fiction often takes a stab at the world of tomorrow and the assorted technologies that come with it. A decade or two later though, you'll look back at stuff like Megazone 23 and know when it was made, be it for the style of the soundtrack and animation or the antiquated notions of where technology was headed; the industrial design presented in 80s content also captures the aesthetic of the time, what with the blocky look everything has. That gave way to the streamlined sort of designs that are still very common today in cars, electronics, and such.
You didn't specify if you meant just the film or the entire canon, so I hope you'll excuse me if I can't stand by while you overlook Stand Alone Complex and how it's basically centered around the dilemmas of terrorism in the modern era. The Ninja Consultants made an informative podcast on it; if you're a fan then by all means check it out. |
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3992 Location: New York state. |
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One could consider Serial Experiments Lain a look into what human society experiences with Internet technology now exploring the positives and negatives of its use as an extension of human communication and making use of the anonymity provided through the technology. The series also puts such a spin on how the technology effects human relationships with the wired world being an escape from reality that some people become so strongly attached to that they become disconnected with real-life social interactions, such as the case when the show's titular character spoiler[becomes more immersed in the wired world where it negatively effects the one friendship she makes in reality.]
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Hulten
 Posts: 74 |
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That's a good question, but if I were to take anything from movies now'ah days in contrast to reality in the U.S. I would have to say it portrays us as sarcastic, gun toting, narcissists, that take their lives for granted... I want to say its wrong buuuuut... yeah... Okay it can portray culture and maybe some current events, but I don't live in japan so I couldn't say if Anime was relevant to its situation as fare as its community and ethics go but it does , of course, show its culture through it. I could probaly say the same for its movies, but again I don't live there.
When it comes to America and movies I would have to say your right. When it comes to japan and Anime I'm not sure enough to say. |
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Mistmanov
 Posts: 27 Location: Belgium |
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Almost all media (books, movies, anime..) are completely filled with references to events, customs, etc in the real world. And even though they also often contain made-up elements, those elements can still tell you something about the culture in which they're envisioned.
Like.. the common shy male who is suddenly faced with an entire harem of willing beautiful females may just be an invention that never occurs in real life, but the popularity of this trope certainly tells us something about a segment of young Japanese men. Of course, in some cases it might be hard to distinguish the "this accurately portrays reality" from the "this points to some other feature of reality"; I can imagine someone thinking that the harem scenario actually happens all the time in Japan 
But yeah, that's what makes anime interesting to me (and it's also the reason why I like books from other cultures/times): it can subtly tell you something about other cultures, and figuring out what is part of the fun. Extremely blatant references are less entertaining for that reason. If everyone immediately knows with 100% certainty that X in a piece of media is related to Y in reality, it loses a bit of it's charm, and just becomes part of the "background". As a lame example: for me, the thing where everyone takes of their shoes when entering a house was somewhat charming. Nice to see. And when I saw it repeated in more series, I figured "hey.. they probably do that in real life". A Japanese person probably doesn't even notice it when the characters take off their shoes; for them a scene where people people take of their shoes may be just as interesting as a scene where people walk on the sidewalk. edit: as for "big world events" being reflected in anime: those will either fall into the "extremely blatant" category, or will be so general that they don't only apply to modern events, but also to events from the pasts. History very often repeats itself. If I were to make an anime about some country attacking some other country for a "good" reason, but with some hints that the attack might be inspired by selfish motivations, who am I referring to? The Iraq war might be the obvious candidate according to some, but there have been 2525345 other wars which fit that description. At that point, you're not so much talking about current events, but more about the human condition itself. "Why do people do X?" |
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