Ask John: Why Are Themes in Anime So Obvious?

Question:
Why are anime so overt with their messages? It’s always been very visible to me that a lot of anime intentionally carry strong messages that are mainly presented through character dialogue. However, what’s struck me recently when comparing anime to Western (mainly American) film is that anime usually display their central messages much more loudly than many films do. While many films I’ve seen display their messages subtly through action and symbols, most of the anime I’ve seen almost “beat you over the head” with their messages and symbols.

Examples include shows like Naruto with it’s dialogue about how the characters will never give up and how some characters are similar to each other, shows like Gundam where characters repeatedly find out that there are good people on both sides of war, or RPGs that constantly say that the church is lying to you. I have seen relatively few anime shows where I was able to catch a somewhat subliminally displayed message like Gankutsuou in how it shows (without overtly talking about) the collateral damage that results from revenge.

Do you think this has something to do with the audience that each anime is aimed at? Or are there some subtle messages in a lot of anime that I have in fact missed?

Answer:
I’ll do my best to address this topic, but making direct comparisons may be difficult because the question doesn’t provide any examples of comparative Western film with implied morals or themes. Furthermore, as I’ve never made any claims about being very knowledgeable about video games, I’ll have to limit my response strictly to anime. In summation, the argument here is that Western film presents its themes and morals subtly, compared to anime, which frequently obviously expresses its thematic message through expository dialogue. The subject of this debate itself is difficult to conclusively address because the argument itself assumes that themes and messages within entertainment media are intentional and intended to be recognized by viewers. That itself is a tenuous argument because it’s often impossible to conclusively determine a distinction between intended theme in a film, and personal interpretation of a film. Individual viewers don’t always interpret films exactly the way film makers intended, and viewers sometimes interpret themes in films that the film makers didn’t consciously express in the film. In other words, the degree to which one can conclusively state that American live action films are more subtle and symbolic than Japanese animation is largely a matter of personal interpretation and not actually a conclusive fact at all. Furthermore, one must examine relative target audiences and the style of the works in order to make fair comparisons. For example, comparing a mainstream children’s program like Naruto to a live action art house films for adults is hardly an appropriate comparison.

Recently I’ve watched the American action movies including Spiderman 3, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4.0) and Transformers. I can’t say that any of these films were particularly subtle about expressing their moral messages. Spiderman 3’s points about the corrupting affect of power, the harm caused by selfishness and short-sightedness, and the necessity of doing honest work to earn just reward are all quite obvious. Fantastic Four 2’s theme that kindness and sacrifice begets kindness and sacrifice is likewise virtually as obvious as it could be. Die Hard contains a literal extended explanation of exactly what constitutes a hero, and why some people choose to be heroic. Die Hard also contains a literal monologue encouraging viewers to question authority and the truthfulness of packaged information. The Transformers movie likewise expresses the same theme in its epilogue that makes light of the protagonist’s parents’ blind faith in nationalism. Optimus Prime’s speech during the middle of the film, about the right of all living beings to be free of oppression, felt especially heavy handed to me. These films are all mainstream entertainment. Their purpose is not to provoke intellectual interpretation, but rather to provide simple, easily digestible entertainment that doesn’t feel completely empty and pointless.

Likewise, examples like Naruto and Gundam are also mainstream entertainment. Naruto, in particular, is targeted primarily at pre-adolescent and young teen boys. Anime like Naruto aren’t intended to create moral ambiguity or narrative complexity. They’re designed to be obvious and easily digestible. In fact, I’d argue that even anime like Naruto and Gundam, despite having overt morality and obvious exposition, still deserve respect for being children’s entertainment that express relatively adult themes like the painful and sometimes mortal consequences of violence, and the concept that principles like “good” and “evil” are often a matter of relative perspective instead of absolute, easily categorizable absolutes.

As I mentioned, fair comparison has to be made in relative context. Comparing Gankutsuou to Naruto is not a fair comparison because Gankutsuou is not nearly as mainstream as shows like Naruto, nor is it targeted at the same audience. Viewers looking for symbolism and literary subtlety can find it in anime intended for older, more astute viewers. Flag does an outstanding job of reminding viewers that wars disrupt lives and cultures, and that underneath and around the soldiers and conflicts and news broadcasts are individual civilians trying to live their daily lives. Gantz illustrates the foolishness and uselessness of selfishness and egotism without having to literally explain itself. Ghost in the Shell presents the idea that modern technology is advancing faster than the social philosophy or morality necessity to implement technology without harm. Gunslinger Girl expresses the point that relationships can’t develop without communication and understanding, although the anime never overtly states that point. Kurau ~ Phantom Memory stresses the theory that it’s actions and decisions that define humanity rather than mere physiology.

In terms of visual symbolism, last year I was impressed with some of the visual symbolism the film Children of Men. Placing dinosaur statues outside of an abandoned school is a relatively obvious representation of the extinction of mankind due to the absence of children, but imagery like a kitten clawing its way up the protagonists leg to illustrate that the protagonist will suffer by allowing a child to cling to him is less overt and more artistic. More recently, episodes of the Seirei no Moribito anime have illustrated character Chagum defending frogs from thoughtless children. Then episode 12 concluded with the visual symbolism of a snake drawing up behind a frog, foreshadowing an unseen threat approaching Chagum in the following episode.

I’m not so enamored with anime that I believe all of its is brilliant, high art. But I do believe that there are examples of artistic and intelligent anime if one should choose to look for them. Whether it’s Japanese or American, entertainment targeted at the lowest common denominator frequently dispenses with subtlety or symbolism. By nature of being intended for a broad audience, themes need to be made clear and obvious so that even the most unobservant viewers get the point. Works targeted at older, more thoughtful, or more intuitive viewers are able to be more subtle and literary. I think those principles apply to both American and Japanese cinema, so I don’t believe that American film is innately more or less intelligent, insightful, or artistic than Japanese animation. Rather, I’d say that there are plentiful examples of both superficial and obvious sermonizing, and examples of contemplative, artistic film in both American cinema and Japanese animation.