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Answerman - Why Isn't There Political Anime?

A good piece about politics would inform the viewer on a stance, both sides, and ultimately let them decide.

I've always been a bit surprised that the 1960's uprisings in Japan don't get some play in anime. There's a brief allusion to them in Sakamichi no Apollon, but that's about the only show I've seen that makes mention of that period. You'd think for a medium that targets adolescents and young adults that a show which portrays young people in the streets fighting for justice might have some resonance.

NGK wrote:

That's mostly under the cover of liberal smug-laced "political comedy".

This pretends as if the axe doesn't cut both ways.

Show me real funny conservative comedy and i'll show you a compendium of liberal comedians.

BadNewsBlues wrote:

NGK wrote: That's mostly under the cover of liberal smug-laced "political comedy". This pretends as if the axe doesn't cut both ways.

Show me real funny conservative comedy and i'll show you a compendium of liberal comedians.

protip: you can't

Everything by Mike Judge is pretty conservative, some more than others.

Japan also doesn't celebrate adolescent excess or even tacitly encourage it they we do in the West (and especially in America). In a culture that's generally still quite conformist, adolescence and young adulthood aren't generally seen as times for exploration and finding oneself.

Hetalia comes to mind, although that deals more with international politics.

There is a sense of respect in Japan so stories about Japanese politicians could be seen as being disrespectful. And of course TV stations wouldn't want to get in trouble so they're less likely to air a political anime. In America they don't care about disrespecting their leaders.

That doesn't mean there aren't politically-themed anime though. Two shows from Nakashima Kazuki, his screenplay for Imaishi Hiroyuki's Kill la Kill, and his stage play that was adapted by Mizushima Seiji into Oh! Edo Rocket, have explicitly political themes. Kill la Kill puts its cards on the table by opening with a classroom discussion about Nazism. Oh! Edo Rocket satirizes the hubris of a Shogunate that believes it can and should ban fireworks displays. Kawamori Shouji and Okada Mari's script for AKB0048 also harkens back to the Reforms, with galactic organizations intent on stopping young girls from singing and dancing before an audience.

Both installments of Nakamura Kenji's Gatchaman Crowds, but especially Insight, touch on similar themes. Insight presents a type of "soft" fascism where people cede their decision-making power to a friendly alien. The show is deeply concerned with the social and political effects of social media and instant communication.

@leafy Not comic related but sure, The Great Dictator is... great . Even Donald Duck went to war: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzH1iaKVsBM

The "Japan is conformist" claim, even to the degree it has a point, can be easily overstated because society always contains people with varying views, and there are always artists with different views.

DerekL1963 wrote:

Japan also doesn't celebrate adolescent excess or even tacitly encourage it they we do in the West (and especially in America). In a culture that's generally still quite conformist, adolescence and young adulthood aren't generally seen as times for exploration and finding oneself.

Ehh, I agree with the first part of your post, but I'm having a hard time seeing this, especially as regards anime. There's a decent number of anime that are about 青春 as a time for exploration and finding oneself

I kinda agree with Justin. There really isn't a market for political anime. Not only that,there isn't really a tradition of political satire in Japan like there is in places like the United States or Great Britain. We've made fun of politicians here for years. You rarely see stuff like that in Japan. I've seen real-life presidents show up in cartoons occasionally. I remember an episode of "Yogi's Treasure Hunt" in which a Reagan lookalike made an appearance. Politicians are frequently lampooned on "The Simpsons."
Remember the "Gintama" thing in which a Japanese politician was made fun of? If I remember correctly,the politician in question wasn't amused at the portrayal and threatened to sue the studio who made it, Needless to say,the studio got the message and never did it again. That's one of the reasons why you don't hear about Japanese versions of shows like "Saturday Night Live" or older shows like "Not Necessarily the News" or "Spitting Image" and that's because that sort of thing really isn't done in Japan. And,on a personal note,and I hope the mods don't get angry with me,but I'd love to see an American version of "Spitting Image." I saw some episodes when the series on American cable TV and as a special in the 80's. I hope that it's done someday. I'd love to see it.

Which reminds me: How well does the general mainstream in Japan understand their political process? Of the spots up for office, do they know where they stand in the hierarchy and what they're in charge of? Do they know what needs a majority, a supermajority, or just a plurality? If something passes X, where does it go, or is it ratified?