Forum - View topicPortrayal of Women in Anime
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chrisb
 Subscriber Posts: 638 Location: USA |
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Don't know if this is an old topic but I just wanted to hear some opinions on the matter.
I've been watching anime since I was a small kid, and I used to watch Ranma and sure I enjoyed it but even at a young age it just felt like the girls weren't really portrayed as real women but as objects and there was no attractive looking girl who was like slightly overweight or nerdy. Sailor Moon, sure had the main characters as girls but they were always saved by the masked man. Now several years later I see pretty much the same thing. Sure girls in anime series are way more developed and sometimes they are even independent and strong but the female is always into the main guy and pretty much doesn't stand up for herself. And not one anime even now have atleast one semi unnatractive female as a main character. I know that people look for perfection in what they watch for entertainment but don't girls deserve a little more respect in anime? Harems feel worse because its like the girl has no personality and is only there for the guy to fall in love with. Although shows have come along like Nana, they seem to be overshadowed by harem shows. Yes I am a guy and I'll still watch anime in which the girl is head over heels in love with the main guy but shows like Tokimeki Memorial Only Love, Nadesico, and Love Hina just don't fall right with me. I just feel our American culture has come farther in showing women respectively in media (the females in Ugly Betty, Gray's Anatomy). Sure we aren't that far but atleast we don't have those "girls in bunny suit and on the beach and moaning for you" video games. So any thoughts on the subject? |
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omar235
 Posts: 1572 Location: Florida, Jacksonvile |
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I wouldn't say its like that now just cause its in anime. They do have anime that are harems with girls as the main chracters and guys after her...granted they aren't very common. I wouldn't say the girls are all pathetically fawning over a guy in a lot of anime though it may seem that way but in those same anime there is usally a guy who is willing to do anything to get the love of the ladies. Though in the earlier anime you named you have to remember women haven't always been at the top of society in Japan as you probably already know.
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mjgeo
 Posts: 133 Location: Australia |
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I don't want to get the topic side tracked, but just out of curiosity are there many anime shows that have an unattractive male as the main character?
I can't really think of any. Initial D maybe? But then again, I wouldn't consider any of the females in that show attractive either, perhaps due to the animation style. I'm sure there are a few, but perhaps the issue is that they want to make all the main characters attractive regardless of sex. I think it's important to look at both sides if you want a complete answer. |
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Wolverine Princess
 Posts: 1100 |
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Anime characters that are overweight that are actually attractive are certainly a rare breed. Yotsuba (on the left) from Negima immediately comes to mind, but I'm having an extremely hard coming up with anyone else. Cute nerds aren't such a rare breed, though. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Yomiko Readman from Read or Die, Naru Narusegawa from Love Hina (with the braids and thick glasses she wears to cram school), Hazuki from Ojamajo Doremi, and Ed from Cowboy Bebop. |
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LydiaDianne
 Posts: 5634 Location: Southern California |
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American TV culture hasn't gotten that far advanced when part of an episode revolves around who's panties are pinned to the bulletin board.
I think a lot of it depends on the anime you watch. I don't watch this series but I've read enough that the female lead of GITS isn't exactly licking some guy's boots...unless it's to distract him before she kicks his ass. And for a character that I do know about, Kaname Chidori of Full Metal Panic!, yes, Sousuke protects her that's his job, but when he's a little busy with the main bad guy, she isn't afraid to try and do her best to protect herself and try and get out of the situation that she's in. (The scene where she and her classmates were spoiler[kidnapped on their school trip]. Yes, she was scared to death, but she sucked it up and basically dealt with it, to the point where she helped Sousuke succeed. And there was also the part at the end of the series where she played "mind games" with Sousuke so that he wouldn't give up and she spoiler[took control of and save the submarine at the same time.] I think it depends on the anime you watch and the quality of writing. Some girls just flutter around and scream and giggle. Others sometimes do the same thing but when push comes to shove...they shove hard or at least to the best of their ability! Last edited by LydiaDianne on Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:59 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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CrazyCanuck
 Posts: 104 Location: Canada |
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You mean Full Metal Panic, right? |
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LydiaDianne
Posts: 5634 Location: Southern California |
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**removed head from LaLa Land, (sort of hard to do since I do live in California)** Fixed! |
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daxomni
 Posts: 2650 Location: Somewhere else. |
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It looks like you’re only at the first step of truly understanding where this is coming from. Did you know that many anime series and movies actually show women and girls in a much more POSITIVE light than Japanese culture itself? Yes, it's true. Until recently a single Japanese woman couldn't even buy a burial plot for herself; it was only available for men to handle. Japanese employers are still allowed to dictate what sex, age, and physical qualities a new hire will have, even though this is technically against their own un-enforced laws. Women have also traditionally had names that ended in “ko” which can be interpreted to mean “child”. This is just the tip of the iceberg and there are many other aspects of Japanese culture that favor men.
Also, you might want to be careful about how enlightened you make Western cultures sound. I work in the IT field, which is often claimed to be more forward thinking regarding women’s rights. It might look like this on the surface, but it’s no cakewalk for any of the women I work with. In fact, they are almost universally chastised by nearly all the men I work with whenever something goes wrong. I wonder if the wives and mothers of these men have any clue what they say about women in general at work. In any case, true equality probably remains centuries away at the rate we’re moving. |
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Craeyst Raygal
 Posts: 1383 Location: In the garage, beneath a 1970 MGB GT. |
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How far back do you want to go to find strong capable women in anime?
Hmmm, there's any number of strong-willed women from the Matsumoto universe. Lady Oscar from Rose of Versailles, Leona from Dominion Tank Police, Sylia Stingray or Priss from Bubblegum Crisis, the typical leading ladies of anything Satoshi Kon or Mamoru Oshii, Kino of Kino no Tabi....... Anime is as varied as its creators, and while there are a great number of shows and films designed almost purely for cathartic escapism (one of the greatest functions of entertainment, I think), there are just as many that explore fundamentals of all forms of human character. And, quite honestly, you're not going to find produce at the deli! Of course a harem/romantic comedy anime is going to be filled with attractive women. Sheesh, it's no different than an American sitcom. Would Three's Company have lasted as long without Suzanne Somers' breasts? |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18432 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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You're not watching the right titles. Kiddy Grade, Blue Gender, any Ghost in the Shell property except the second movie, any Bubblegum title, Chrono Crusade, Iria: Zeiram The Animation, either Armitage III movie, Crest/Banner of the Stars, Noir, Madlax, Revolutionary Girl Utena. . . all of these are titles with strong, independent female leads quite capable of acting without relying on a man and, in most cases, kicking serious butt in the process. Sure, some of them have relationships, but they don't rely on them. And these are only the ones I could think of quickly off the top of my head. Doubtless there are many, many more. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16963 |
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I was gonna mention Noir and Madlax and the Dirty Pair OVAs but already done. Yes it's true some women are portrayed as just objects and servants. The same is true for males as well. You just gotta look harder to find titles that don't do that. As for their "looks." Of course they're for the most part going to look attractive. I mean it's simple marketing. Most people simply want that and the "unattractive" leads just don't sell as much. Sure companies produce anime to show people new and wonderful stories but if they don't make money they can't very well continue now can they? Just try to keep an open mind. |
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chrisb
Subscriber Posts: 638 Location: USA |
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Ofcourse those anime are the exceptions(I've seen and enjoyed them all), I was just saying that it feels like these shows with strong independent female leads are overshadowed by the more typical stuff. Also I didn't mean to sound so obnoxious about the whole topic its just the way it sounds typed. I'm not saying our society is alot better when it comes to portraying women in media I just feel Japan's media treats them a bit worse, like I said we don't have a whole genre of video games of nude beach bunnies. I know our video games come close though (GTA anyone?) I'm also not saying I don't enjoy a few anime that succumb to showing women negatively but at certain times the shows don't sit right with me and I'm more inclined to watch something alot less haremish. The whole thing can be said about the bishounen/yaoi also I'm not just saying this falls under one genre and it can be said about males (ever seen an unnatractive anime hero?) If I did offend anyone by sounding obnoxious or high and mighty I do apologize. |
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PantsGoblin
 SubscriberEncyclopedia Editor  Posts: 2969 Location: L.A. |
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There is more, although, not that much. Particularly Yukie Kohchi of Takamare Takamaru! comes to mind as being my favorite (actually, she's the only one I knew of  ). I didn't know about that girl from Negima!, so thanks for that... I don't personally find her attractive though... Yukie's still my favorite.
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Azathrael
 Posts: 745 |
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Makes no sense. How does Hollywood sell 90% of its media? Sex and violence. With big, expensive explosions. It's a tried and true formula that hasn't been faced with any kind of trying opposition from people for excessive amounts. But that's getting away from the point I was trying to make.
Anime is a business. Consider the audiences. You'd be surprised at how many "normal Japanese people" don't watch anime. I met an exchange student from Kobe and he doesn't know what Fullmetal Alchemist is. He watches TV dramas, loves sports, and very outgoing in general. So guess who actually do watch harem anime or the likes: people who actually want to watch it. Is anyone going to say, "Oh no! The portrayal of women is so wrong! They deserve to be portrayed equally with men"? Anime (especially harem anime) is very far from representating modern Japanese society. I've never felt the need that they should limit such kind of content, simply to "respect women" when I bet women who would complain like that would even watch anime at all. |
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frouella
 Posts: 199 Location: 大阪 |
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I've thought about this subject quite a bit myself, and the conclusion I've come to is that the women in anime are made that way because the audience is predominantly male (catering to the audience). Also, I'm thinking that the stories and characters aren't created to be that true to life (i.e. fat, unattractive, etc.) because viewers can find people like that in their own lives; anime is generally designed as a form of escapism, so why not go all out and make everybody pretty, know what I mean? Plus, certain studies I've read have confirmed that we're genetically hard wired to like attractive people (though what constitutes "attractive" is still subjective), not to mention that while different cultures have different standards for beauty, all of those cultures hold people who meet those standards in high regard. Additionally, it is also true that Japan is lagging a bit when it comes to equal rights and treatment of women. When you figure that we're only doing okay in that regard here in the U.S., it makes the Japanese portrayal of women easier to understand. Not right, but easier to understand. Also, on a bit of a tangent, consider how many women in American cartoons/comics are fat, ugly, etc. I don't watch/read many, but no American-created characters immediately come to mind, either. I consider myself to be a **gasp!** feminist, so I do feel my share of righteous indination at the treatment of women in some animes (Elfen Lied, anyone?), but I also realize that at the moment I'm not the target demographic. Since the creation of anime is based on supply and demand, I simply don't buy the ones that I consider demeaning. It does make me happy when I find an anime with a strong female character that goes against stereotypes, but as things stand now, it happens far less often than I'd like. |
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