Ask John: Why Don’t Anime Characters Have…?

Question:
Why don’t anime characters have personal beliefs (other than Outlaw Star)? And what the heck is a Ctarl-Ctarl? Why don’t characters have sexual organs other than breasts?

Answer:
There are too many anime characters to name that have very strong personal beliefs and convictions. In fact, it is this very degree of characterization that helps distinguish anime from typical American cartoons and this depth of characterization that attracts many anime fans around the world. There are anime characters of all types that exhibit every conceivable type of personal conviction and determination. Just a handful of anime characters that present distinctly different types of personal ideals include Char Aznable of Mobile Suit Gundam, who is consciously willing to murder millions of earthlings in order to secure the independence of the space colonies from Earth control; Kaitou Jeanne of Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne is willing to risk her life battling demons because she believes that she’s on a mission assigned to her by God; Makino Tsukushi of Hana Yori Dango perseveres at a high class private school even when she’s bullied and feels that she doesn’t belong there just because she’s unwilling to give in to bullying and peer pressure. And Golgo 13’s insistence on successfully completing his assignments in the face of impossible odds is legendary. In fact, relative to some of the most effectively characterized personalities in anime, Gene Starwind of Outlaw Star is a relatively thoughtless character. It’s true that he seeks revenge, but his idealism and loyalty to his personal beliefs isn’t even remotely as strong or as determined as the personal ethics of anime characters including Griffith of Berserk, Himura Kenshin of Rurouni Kenshin, and Lufy of Gall Force.

A Ctarl-Ctarl is a cat-like humanoid alien race in Outlaw Star. The Ctarl-Ctarl are just one of many fictional alien races, not unlike Wookies, Hutts, Vulcans, or Romulans.

And just as there are too many examples of anime characters with strong personal beliefs to list, there too many anatomically accurate anime characters, both male and female, to even begin listing. Examples of anime characters with a complete set of accurately depicted reproductive organs come from virtually every genre of anime, from children’s programs like Crayon Shin-chan and the unedited version of Dragonball to adult anime titles like La Blue Girl and Cream Lemon. Accurately depicted nude lower bodies may not always appear in television programs such as Rayearth and Sailormoon because such graphic presentations are unnecessary. The fact that clear genitalia aren’t shown doesn’t mean that they aren’t there. After all, without such organs, how could Chibiusa of Sailormoon have come into being?