Forum - View topicRant: Sexism in Anime
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Kikyo98
Posts: 4 |
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First of all, I'd like to say, thank you for allowing me to get this off my chest really, this has been bugging me for more than a long time so please forgive me for any rambling I might end up doing..
I've noticed a lot lately that there is so much sexism in anime, it's not funny. Now I know that there are things that are different in japanese culture, but I don't really subscribe to that really. Recently I purchased a copy of "This Ugly Yet Beauitful World", I was like "Ah, cool, this is from gainax, so it Has to be unique!" Much to my surprise and dissappointment, it was the Exact same as every other shojen(sp?) anime out there. All the girls were soft and docile, and all the guys were macho in some way. The main character was already committed to protecting the girl with his life, without even Knowing her mind you, and she was so submissive it makes me Sick. spoiler[And I know that Hikari did make a comment about the smell of blood at the end of the first episode, but that was the only part I did see where she wasn't acting totally dependant.] Not to mention the parts with the other regular girls who said something along the lines of "You're a girl, you should act a certain way.." This isn't the first time I seen this, Gundam SEED, where Kiria finds Cagalli, automatically treats her like she has No idea what she's doing. And then tries to force her into a bombshelter after saying "She's just a girl! Please let her go in!" If I was Cagalli I think I would've punched him in the stomach for making such a stupid remark. Another example is the fact that like it or not, it seems that mostly women are just suppose to sit back and be totally submissive while guys do most of the work, even in manga which is aimmed towards guys (Ex: Suzuka). Recently, Spike TV's Afro Samurai also seems to be taking the same path. But don't get me started on Spike TV, any station developed just for a specfic gender is sexists in itself, but it seems most girls are either maids, or something along the lines of geisha. Yes I am aware of historical references, but last time I checked, there were no cellphones or cyborgs in ancient japan. Now, let's not forget the guys, guys Also have been discriminated against, take Mysterious Play, it seems as it all the guys there are either macho, or totally lovey dovey to the point of causing diabetic shock. Not to mention the fact that it seems like Miaka doesn't do much but expect them to do work for her as well. I think Love Hina may be an example, but kind of a sideline. More like how most women protray all guys, same with Ai Yori Yoshi. Now, these sorts of anime aren't really sexist. More like protraying how people Are sexist. Not to say that the stories are nesscessarily good or bad either. But I'd like to see a bit more things tackling these issues. Well, I guess that's pretty much it. I hope I didn't offend any fans of a particular series, if I did I apologize. Thanks for your time. |
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psychotim
 Posts: 44 Location: Indianapolis, IN |
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Wow, you have been thinking about this for a very long time haven't you. You make some good points, I mean you not right or wrong, its your opinion. I respect that. The only show that im not sure about would be Afro Samurai. The only reason is becasue i have not seen it. Its on during a time when Im not at home watching TV. In "This ugly yet beauitful world" spoiler[she was "made" to be his fantasy girl], but its more or les the culture.
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Azathrael
 Posts: 745 |
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Considering that the majority of the audience (and also the targeted audience) are male, no wonder it's sexist. I think the content blatantly portrays sexism so instead of blabbering on and on about sexism, a few points instead.
I'm not sure how much research you've done outside of anime, but I'm sure women's issues are being discussed in Japan in the appropriate place and setting, as it still is being done so in the US. But in a business point of view, I see no reason why artists and companies who want to make money by targeting a certain audience should go out of their way to address social issues. It's like asking farms that grow chicken with hormones and growth pills to think about animal rights, or asking factories to think about the environment. These kinds of problems can't be tackled at an individual basis. Additionally, I think you misjudged Love Hina by far. I think that's a perfect example of sexism, where the man is portrayed to be inferior to the woman. No sexism whatsoever would mean that both man and woman would be portrayed as equals, no? Saying Love Hina is an example of how "most women portray all guys" isn't very plausible as it's not true, and there are plenty of other examples (ie. certain harem anime) in which the guy is skinny, weak, and pathetic and can't do anything without the girls. |
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smoochy
 Posts: 367 Location: Texas |
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The only problem I have with complaints against sexism is that women usually aren't pushing for equality with men within entertainment, but a superiority. I noticed you mentioned Spike being a gender-specific station, but then didn't mention the myriad of stations aimed only at women, and blatantly so. I don't see it so much as sexism as a complete misunderstanding of women. |
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KyuuA4
 Posts: 1361 Location: America, where anime and manga can be made |
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Well, a few things to know in Japan.
1. Subway train molestations 2. In Japan, Rape means Hello. (An Internet Joke) 
3. Japanese game shows with overly sexual themes - many involving women. Check YouTube if you wish. 4. Hentai manga is widely available; and people do read them in public. 5. We've seen plenty of perverted material come from Japan. Really makes you wonder. 6. O LOLI? 7. What's that word describing a game in Japan, where a man sneaks up behind a woman and exposes her private parts (in public)? Some of it is caught on video; and I remember seeing an animated gif on that. 
8. Panty vending machines. 9. Old Japanese school girl uniforms sold to old men willing to buy. And many more... NOTE: I have not been to Japan before; I merely read about these. If anything, this is a nice set up to a Truth vs Myth game.  
Then I suggest one of three things. Either: A. Go to Japan and complain about it. Good luck. B. Stop watching "offensive" anime. C. Live with it.
Then I'll recommend anime with the Girls with Guns theme. Take my word. They're very deadly.
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kolibri
 Posts: 712 Location: Vancouver |
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While this is a really condescending way of giving advice, there's some truth to it. I think the series that you've mentioned are all seinen, aimed for adult male audiences, and they cater for preferences of that demographic. I don't know your gender, but if you're a girl you should try shoujo or josei, they have totally different types of female characters. If you're a guy then you need to just dig deeper to find those series with a bit more realistic females - or go for some shounen series with no girls, I think that's better than those irritating female mask characters who serve no purpose. Maybe try to ask for recommendations for anime/manga with sensible female characters in the recommendations thread - or even better ask mods if you can start a separate thread for it, I think it would be of wider interest and I myself would love to see what people come up with. |
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CaRDz
 Posts: 35 Location: Rochester, MN |
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That's because sex sells: ANYWHERE. There is sex in music, art, and movies. It cannot be avoided since the popular culture of any mainstream media has had the sexified effects act on them since late 90's when thongs were invented, or so it seems.
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omar235
 Posts: 1572 Location: Florida, Jacksonvile |
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Hmm...well judging by her name and her womens rights speech then I think there is a good chance it is a she. You obviously realize that women having rights in Japan didn't always use to be right up their on the to do list and even with the rights they have now they are still being discriminated against, though I would think it is alot less then it use to be. I sorta understand your points but in "This Ugly Yet Beauitful World" wasn't it the girl who gave him his powers or awakened them when they met so really it isn't that she was reliant on him since if it wasn't for her he wouldn't be as powerful as he was before she came. Hmm does anyone know what time that show was set in? that aside she didn't seem all that submissive to me. Also Kira would have treated anyone that way cause he thought she was a civilian and more so a girl and he felt that he had an obligation to protect her from harm. I don't really remember the episode very well but I remember her looking spaced out when the enemy showed up, like most of the other civilians in the show and he was worried that if she didn't leave fast she would get caught in the fighting like his friends did soon after that (or did that happen before). A better example of shows that play to the submissive female stereotype would be harems like previously mentioned.
Also you may want to look into some shoujo titles which are usally all about the female side of the story...like what was already said these shows that you mentioned were inteaded for a male orientated audience, that doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't watch them, but it seems like you may have a problem with the way they portray women in some of them so the best thing to do is to avoid them if you really don't like that they do that. 
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icebeast
 Posts: 21 Location: Redmond, WA |
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Well I have noticed many themes shared among anime/manga but I really don't think that it is directly sexist in nature, rather much of anime/manga really seems geared towards teaching and enforcing Japanese culture and ideals.
What I mean is that you see many roles over and over again which serve to teach Japanese people how to act, such as in many shonen series you see males who learn to be self sufficient and dutiful, and likewise many shoujo series focus on the female character falling head over heels for a guy and learning to be a good partner. Similar stuff occurs in America with say peoples' notion of an ideal body which comes almost entirely from pictures that they've seen of models in magazines; as well as say for instance fashion magazines which many American teens look to for ideas on how to dress. I think one of the things that you noticed was that many anime/manga carry a slight undertone of Japanese society which is that females have a place and that place is at a husbands side. In Japan females are much less likely to go to college then males, and even women who ultimately do become company workers can't rise very far in their jobs because of their gender and are even sometimes asked to leave under the grounds that they should focus on finding a husband. Basically I can understand some of your frustration as I don't really agree with Japan's views on the female gender; unfortunately the fact is your viewing a form of media which was developed in another country and which has different social standards which appear in almost all forms of Japanese media to some degree. My best advice, as someone else has already said, is to look for series which don't focus on gender roles. |
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KyuuA4
Posts: 1361 Location: America, where anime and manga can be made |
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Another thing to point out. Here in America. We're flat out culturally sensitive towards sex. The way the public reacts to sexual content in media is flat out pathetic.
What? We can steal cars, deal drugs, and kill tons of people in Grand Theft Auto - but not have porn? Get real. 
I've cited this many times - but explain to me how 10 seconds of exposure to Janet Jackson's nipple during a Super Bowl half-time constitute in millions of damages? It seriously does not make sense to me.
Seen some foreign (non-American) commercials? Some can be rather raunchy.
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trackstar1013
 Posts: 179 Location: Canada |
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I think a good example of a show where there is gender equality would be Ah! My Goddess. In this series the main character, who is male (Morisato,) is saved by the main supporting character, who is female (Belldandy,) initially. But throughout the show they both end up needing to be saved by each other on different occasions, so it swaps back and forth. In this series there are strong female characters and strong male characters.
But it’s true there are lots of series where the female character is perceived as weak, but at the same time there are lots of series where the main character is in fact female and proves to be stronger then most male characters. Take Angelic Layer for instance, the main character is female and her main rival is also female. There are others too: Kiddy Grade, Planetes, and one of my all time favourites Read or Die. There are many more, it all depends on where you look, if you are looking specifically for anime that depicts women in a degraded, sexist fashion then you will find them, but if you look for a series where the female characters are strong and influential, then you'll find them as well. |
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kolibri
Posts: 712 Location: Vancouver |
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Ok, so here are some of my favorites...
Bleach - yeah, I'll start with a shounen series. Forget ditzy Orihime, Rukia is a refreshingly independent and sensible female lead for a shounen fighting series. Other Bleach ladies are maybe a bit more stereotypical, but there's no shortage of strong females if that's enough for you - my personal favorite probably being the feisty Kuukaku Shiba. Another shounen series worth mentioning is the just started D. Gray-Man (we're talking about it here). So far the (friendly) female characters introduced have been un-typical anime girls, I quite like Lenalee who's got grace and integrity. There are strong female leads in seinen series too - my favorite would probably be Saki in Genshiken. She's a girly girl, but deep inside has a sense of justice and a heart of gold, and she's got the kind of realism about her that is often lacking. Planetes was already mentioned, and I wholeheartedly second that - not just the obvious Tanabe who can be a bit ditzy at times, but I especially loved Fee who was a career woman with a family, strong and independent without being a bitchy ice queen. I'm not sure if everyone would agree with me on Samurai Champloo - but I really like Fuu. She is warm-hearted and kind, yet spicy - although she does get into trouble a lot. And of course Haibane Renmei with all the lovely leading ladies, my special favorite probably being Reki who combined some motherly instincts nicely with a bit of bad girl thrown in. I'm not hugely familiar with shoujo I have to admit (it can get a bit too girly for my taste), but I try to get my hands on all josei I can. Which ain't much, unfortunately, but I can wholeheartedly recommend Ai Yazawa's Paradise Kiss (both anime and the manga) and Nana (I'm loving the manga, and the live-action movie was gorgeous - haven't seen the anime). She portrays her women as emotional but strong when needed, with potential and great character development. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6900 Location: Kazune City |
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KyuuA4
Posts: 1361 Location: America, where anime and manga can be made |
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But have yet to see any of 'em in a very bloody battle - with the caliber of the battles the males engage in. Something like Ichigo vs Kenpachi. |
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kolibri
Posts: 712 Location: Vancouver |
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There was Yoruichi vs Soifon, that was pretty big. Granted it wasn't epic like Ichigo's battles - but I don't think that's entirely necessary either. I mean that strong female character doesn't necessarily need be physically strong, or don't need to "kick ass". Most of the characters I mentioned don't 
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