Ask John: Why Does Anime Include so Much Drama?

Question:
I’ll attempt to answer two separate but similar questions:

Is drama important in anime? I had watched many anime shows, and I seen a lot of characters going through dramatic situations. It’s like they sometimes get very emotional when their love ones are hurt, when a villain torture them, and even female characters are hurt the most. Even in comedy, there are some parts that get emotional. I guess this is how the anime creators show how human their characters are.

why does Japanese animators put a lot of drama within their animations, when the drama is not necessary. For example, when a hero has a girlfriend, she always gets in the way, trying to prevent him from fighting. And she usually takes a few minutes crying and asking when the badguy is standing right there. And why doesn’t the badguy attack at times like these?

Answer:
I don’t wish to seem rude, but I have to ask what the alternative would be. I think it would be unbelievable and unnatural to remain emotionless when a person’s loved ones are threatened or harmed. I find it difficult to imagine not becoming emotional when being taunted or tortured by a hated enemy. Dramatic, emotional outbursts are a natural and appropriate characteristic of many types of stories. These scenes of intense emotion bring a degree of naturalism and believability to anime, and they create empathy among viewers.

I must admit that anime is frequently melodramatic. Anime often employs exaggerated or predictable emotional reactions which may seem ridiculous or unbelievable to viewers. This tendency may reflect one of the differences in the perception of anime between America and Japanese viewers. American anime fans seem to abhor cliche and always demand that anime series distinguish themselves with their originality and uniqueness. On the other hand, Japanese viewers seem to approach anime more casually. Japanese viewers seem to sometimes prefer and even enjoy seeing recycled cliches and conventional situations in new clothes. While Americans may want to be challenged with anime and shown something totally new and original, Japanese viewers may enjoy the comfortable familiarity of predictability and sameness.

On one hand, anyone that’s watched a lot of anime has seen a cliche emotional sequence. But cliches are only cliche when compared to other examples. Even a cliche may have an appropriate and effective role in a story if the viewer accepts the cliche. There are, I assume, Japanese anime fans that appreciate seeing stock situations given slightly different interpretations in a variety of shows. Seeing similar sequences in different anime, for example, knowing that the main character will get a second wind upon seeing a friend injured or killed, establishes a sense of continuity within the genre. Anime fans who know what do expect, and are rewarded with exactly what they expect to see, feel a sense of camaraderie with the anime; it feels familiar and satisfying.

Anime which doesn’t have an emotional or dramatic component usually doesn’t sustain empathy with viewers. Dramatic and emotional climaxes create depth and tension; they give viewers moments to relate to and empathize with. That’s particularly why these moments are often highly stylized. In the Rurouni Kenshin anime, seconds are depicted in minutes. In countless anime heroes watch in stunned amazement while villains transform, or villains stand by and gloat while heroes are distracted and vulnerable because these moments create drama. Anime is, after all, fiction, so viewers have to allow certain liberties. Anime itself is a stylized art form, so viewers watching anime always have to navigate stylistic characteristics and choose which they accept and which they deem cliche or unbelievable.

I think that the inclusion of emotional tension or other dramatic scenes within anime is a necessity. The repetition of cliches allows viewers to more easily grasp anime, making it easier to watch and enjoy. Dramatic heights in anime narratives also create footholds for viewers to relate to and invest themselves in. Anime without these dramatic outbursts would be sterile and ultimately less moving.