Ask John: Why Are So Many Anime Characters Teenagers?

Question:
To be honest I get sick of anime stories always being centered around school kids. It’s like such a cheap gimmick for the basis of too many anime stories and characters. Why do you think Japanese manga artists and anime directors/script writers use it so much? Is it easy for the Japanese youth/reader to relate to? Does it bring a sense of reality to absurd fantasy adventures? Sometimes I wonder the reason Cowboy Bebop is so good is because Spike is not in high school and did not mysteriously meet a school girl who transported him to another world or gave him the power to control a powerful mecha. Don’t get me wrong, there are the classics like Eva, Escaflowne but generally you can always see these mediocre series coming.

Answer:
Preadolescent and teen protagonists are indeed the most common anime characters, and the motivation for this situation can’t be laid entirely on anime creators. Nor should the presence of adolescent characters automatically diminish the integrity or potential of an anime series. While shows like Cowboy Bebop, Monster, and Seirei no Moribito that star adult characters have been outstanding, series starring adults, like Zaizen Jotaro and Samurai Gun have been less so. At the same time, some of the greatest anime ever, including Evangelion, Utena, and Akira, have starred teens. A number of reasons explain the prevalence of school age kids as anime protagonists.

The majority of anime viewers are children and adolescents. Children characters provide imaginary friends and role-models for viewers to relate to and respect. While certain anime viewers appreciate story and character development and desire narratives that vary from the typical, the majority of anime viewers enjoy familiar, pleasant anime that doesn’t challenge convention or expectation too much. Some otaku enjoy being told an interesting story, but far more enjoy a story which they can relate to and immerse themselves in. School settings and the emotional stresses of adolescence are situations that the majority of anime viewers understand and empathize with very personally. So anime that depict these circumstances create a stronger connection and empathy with viewers than stories which may be fascinating but have little relation to the viewer. The mere prevalence of anime starring teens demonstrates the popularity of the convention. In the past two years anime including Cobra, Giant Killing, One Outs, Sarai-ya Goyou, Senkou no Night Raid, Yume wo Kanaeru Zou, Ristorante Paradiso, Mnemosyme, Golgo 13, Himitsu Top Secret, Toshokan Sensou, Ultraviolet Code 044, and Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo have starred entirely adult casts, yet none of these shows have become tremendously successful. However, during the same span of time, anime starring teen characters, including Macross F, Strike Witches, Toaru Majutsu no Index, Toradora, K-On, Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu, and Seikon no Qwaser, have become major hits.

Otaku expectation also comes into play. Especially devoted otaku expect and even demand certain conventions and modern traditions in anime targeted at otaku. Magical girl shows always include elaborate transformation sequences not just to save money by recycling animation but because otaku expect to see a weekly transformation sequence. The same principle applies to other aspects of anime. School settings allow animators and designers to create subtle, comparable differences in school uniform designs. A variety of school-centered anime allow otaku to compare shows based on common criteria. Hardcore otaku expect to find certain character types – the class representative, the occult obsessed girl, the rich girl, the lecherous boy, the aloof intellectual – in conventional anime and enjoy seeing and critiquing new incarnations and presentations of these stock character types. Anticipating these characters and critiquing their artistic execution serves as a sort of otaku game that heightens the anticipation and appreciation of these routine teen-oriented anime. Japanese fans approach these anime in such a way, which explains, in part, why demand for these types of anime remains strong in Japan. American viewers typically don’t approach, interpret, and evaluate anime in terms of how particular shows present and develop “traditional” tropes. So while Japanese otaku perceive an intriguing successful or unsuccessful interpretation of convention, American otaku simply see yet another typical show with typical character types.

Anime is a business. Manga creators write and draw because they love to create, and because they need to earn a living wage. Japan produces so much anime starring teen characters because viewers most demand anime starring teen characters. The presence of teen characters has always been a defining characteristic of anime. Viewers that reject anime starring teens are practically rejecting anime itself. Viewers who do want to see anime starring adults rather than more typical anime, however, do have options and titles to look forward to, including Supernatural, Rio: Rainbow Gate, Showa Monogatari, and Hyouge Mono that all debut early next year.