Ask John: Does Chinese Culture Influence Anime?

Question:
Does Chinese Culture Influence Anime?

Answer:
Chinese culture, which is far older than Japanese culture, has had a significant influence on Japan, so of course Chinese influence is also evident in anime. Anime has been influenced by and has adopted elements of virtually every literary and cultural influence imaginable- from Shinto, Hindu, Chinese and Christian religions to Norse and Greek myth and Roman drama to European Restoration literature to American science fiction and Western novels and film to French new wave to Italian giallo. The Chinese influence on Japan, though, lies in the geographical proximity and racial similarity of Japan and China. Japanese Buddhism is in part attributable to Chinese influence, as is the use of Chinese ideographic writing (kanji). It’s been said that the mythic first empress of Japan, Himiko, was in fact a Chinese princess.

The Chinese influence in anime can be seen directly in the anime adaptation of the Chinese “Journey to the West” folk tale Saiyuki. Saiyuki was first adapted into anime form in Osamu Tezuka’s 1960 film Saiyuki and has since figured prominently into Monkey Magic, Dragonball, Midnight Eye Goku, and Gensomaden Saiyuki. Likewise, Senkaiden Houshin Engi is an adaptation of the famous collection of Chinese folklore Feng Shen Yan Yi.

Chinese characters appear in anime often as well. Notable examples include Shampoo of Ranma ½, Lynn Minmei of Macross, and Ling-Ling of 3X3 Eyes. The Tao priests of Outlaw Star and Shaman King, and Kuririn of Dragonball are based on the stereotypical image of Chinese monks. Like A Cloud, Like the Wind and Romance of the Three Kingdoms are both fictional accounts of Chinese history. Fushigi Yuugi and Juuni Kokki are both set in fictional worlds very similar to ancient China, and last year’s Legend of Condor Hero anime TV series is a Chinese fantasy drama created in anime form.