Ask John: Do Anemic Anemic Anime Characters Actually Reflect Real Life Japan?

Question:
I noticed in several dozen anime over the years ranging from a minor character in Kimagure Orange Road to primary characters like Misaki Nakahara in Welcome to the N.H.K. have a vaguely described physical affliction. The stories usually just refer to it as a weak constitution. Its inclusion usually defines the character as they are almost always weak, frail, catered to, and most are headed to an early grave. Is this something that really affects Japanese people? Are there really enough children born with a weak constitution for this to be as fairly common as it is in anime? Or is this just another trend in character style that get used a lot over the years?

Answer:
To be honest, I don’t know enough about contemporary Japan to make broad statements about the health of its general population. However, outside of obvious dramatizations and fiction including giant robots, giant monsters, supernatural creatures, and magical battles, much of what appears in anime does actually reflect ordinary Japanese metropolitan life, including bishonen, sailor fuku, and packed commuter trains. While I don’t know how commonplace ill health is among the collective Japanese population, mysterious illness, debilitating depression, and anemia do actually seem to be shockingly routine within Japan’s manga and anime creative community. In recent years high profile manga artists including Minekura Kazuya, Takenashi Eri, Ayamine Rando, Tomoko Ninomiya, Katsura Hoshino, Yoshihiro Togashi, Ai Yazawa, Takehiko Inoue, Oh Great!, and Kaho Miyasaka have all put their work on hiatus for varying lengths of time in order to recover their health. Merely a few days ago Suzumiya Haruhi, Lucky Star, Kannagi, Bakemonogatari, and OreImo score composer Satoru Kousaki publicly announced plans to take a hiatus from work to deal with vaguely stated “health issues.”

Actually, deaths at a young age seem disturbingly common among artists associated with the anime and manga industry. Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch opening theme vocalist Miyuki Kanbe died of sudden heart failure at age 24. Honey & Clover opening animation artist Nagi Noda died at 35. 36 year old mangaka and celebrity Ai Iijima was killed by pneumonia. 36 year old Samurai Champloo music composer Nujabes (Jun Seba) died in a car accident. 38 year old mangaka Kaoru Tada died of a cerebral hemorrhage after accidentally striking her head on a marble table. 40 year old Dragon Ball GT opening theme vocalist Zard (Izumi Sakai) had cervical cancer yet died due a fall from a staircase. Mangaka SABE passed away at 41. Fruits Basket opening theme vocalist Ritsuko Okazaki died at 44 from septic shock. Director Satoshi Kon died at age 47 due to pancreatic cancer. Hellsing & Tide-Line Blue director Umanosuke Iida passed away at 49 due to lung cancer. Iida took over directing the Gundam MS 08th Team OVA series after the series’ first director, Takeyuki Kanda, was killed in a car accident. Umi ga Kikoeru author Saeko Himuro died of lung cancer at age 51. Mangaka Keiko Tobe passed away at 52 of an unspecified illness. Mangaka Yoshito Usui died at 52 after accidentally falling off a mountain cliff. 53 year old voice actor Tatsuo Yamada passed away due to stomach cancer. Acclaimed animator Yoshinori Kanada died at 57 following a heart attack. 61 year old Minky Momo creator Takeshi Shudo died suddenly due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage.