Ask John: Why is Intentional Use of Cliche Common in Contemporary Anime?

Question:
Archetypical characters have always been in anime, but lately there’s been a growing number of anime that self-consciously feature and almost celebrate archetype characters. Shows like Shakugan no Shana and Zero no Tsukaima deliberately cater to the apparent fanbase of “tsundere” characters. I guess this is also comparable to the whole moe thing that got real big half a decade back, and all the other fad archetypes in between (lolita, catgirl, gothic lolita, maid, etc.)

More interesting are the new generation shows like Suzumiya Haruhi and Kanon (2006) that simultaneously indulge in and parody archetypes – character personality types & storylines. What is up with Japan and its deliberate, fully conscious, rabid celebration of character archetypes? What is the appeal of that? Is it some strange Japanese thing that my gaijin brain can’t wrap itself around? Or am I looking too deeply into something that’s fundimentally simple?

Answer:
I don’t wish to seem racist or seem like I’m encouraging stereotypes. I also have to answer based on subjective impressions and second hand anecdotes. In essence, I’m making clear that my theory is just personal speculation that may be correct or may approach the truth, but may also be skewed or mistaken. My simple answer is that anime is the way it is because it’s popular with Japanese viewers. I think that Japanese viewers approach anime in a fundimentally different way than American viewers do. American viewers seem to expect anime to be constantly original and unique. Japanese businessmen are satisfied with anime that recycles successful and popular formula, and I think that Japanese viewers, and especially hardcore otaku, are pleased with comfortable routines, and even more pleased to have an ever increasing circle of anime and characters that adhere to particular archetypes and fetishes.

By its nature, anime is unique to Japan. By definition and nature, anime is foreign to Americans because it literally comes from another country. Anime is also foreign to Americans because there’s nothing exactly like anime in domestic American culture. Since anime is already foreign, I think that Americans have an unconscious expectation that anime be foreign. American fans have a tendency to complain about an excess of harem shows or magical girl anime or complain that virtually every contemporary robot anime is a rip-off of Evangelion because Americans want and expect anime to be constantly surprising and unusual. It’s difficult to reconcile the fascination with anime and the fact that much of anime is very similar and familiar. American fans want anime to be constantly revolutionary, diverse, and interesting in order to justify interest in it.

The reaction to anime seems to be different in Japan. While Americans may quickly tire of similar plots and characters, Japanese viewers seemingly welcome these trends; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many similar shows successively and simultaneously produced. If Americans constantly want to see something different and unique, Japanese fans seem to gravitate toward watching more and more of the same thing. Moe otaku and tsundere otaku want more and more moe and tsundere characters. There’s a certain comfort in being surrounded by one’s favorite thing. Catgirl fans may compare the characteristics of different catgirls. Maid fetishists may dream of being waited upon by maids, and may fantasize about what various characters would be like if they were maids. In essence, it may be that American anime fandom gravitates toward variety within selective genres while Japanese fandom gravitates toward intensity within very particular, narrowly defined categories.

Japanese television networks and video distributors are eager to fill viewer demands because doing so is profitable. As long as character classes like girl with glasses, girls in school swimsuits, girls in bloomers, French maids, girls with animal ears, Lolitas, cold and aloof girls, and so forth remain popular stereotypes, those are the types of characters that producers will pay animation studios to create. Kyoto Animation, which is literally outside of the Tokyo based sphere of anime studios, seems to adhere to convention by creating anime like Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu and Kanon that employ easily categorized character archetypes. But at the same time, in these shows Kyoto Animation subtly acknowledges and satirizes the very archetypes its finds itself using. Kyoto Animation’s Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu? likewise parodied Sagara Sosuke’s stolid soldierly attitude by carrying it to absurd excess. Kyoto Animation’s distinctive pattern of obeying convention but slyly winking at the audience may be one of the major reasons why many of their productions have become such fan favorites. They give viewers exactly what they want, along with a sly nudge and wink, as if to say, “We know that this is stereotypical and routine, but we still enjoy it anyway.”