Ask John: Why Is There So Little Psychological Anime?

Question:
I’ve read that one of the reasons Neon Genesis Evangelion is heralded is that focuses on psychology and the inner workings of the psyche of teenagers and adults. There are several obvious scenarios revolving around depression, suicide, and possibly even social anxiety disorder. There are only a few other anime that come to mind sharing similar themes: Boogiepop Phantom and the Escaflowne movie are two. It seems like there aren’t many other shows that have bothered to pick up the torch. Even “serious” anime tend to use events as reasons for bad moods/memories. Is there simply not enough room in the average series or movie to fit that sort of theme in? Or is it just something most anime tend to overlook?

Answer:
Evangelion is definitely respected for its emphasis on the psychology of its characters. In particular, Hideaki Anno explained in his introduction to Evangelion published with the debut of the manga series that the purpose of Evangelion was to encourage change – psychological change and maturation. Evangelion is the story of humanity’s attempts to eliminate feelings of loneliness, alienation, and separation, and the awareness that these conditions and feelings are what make human beings individual and unique. That’s quite a serious intellectual subject for an animated series, which may be precisely why so few anime do make psychology their primary theme. It’s much more common for anime to include psychology than actually be about psychology. Anime is primarily designed as entertainment, usually for younger viewers. So it’s almost counter productive for anime to be overtly analytical.

I don’t wish to create the misperception that anime is unintelligent or unconcerned with theoretical, analytical, and scientific ideas. Part of the reason why anime is so compelling to viewers is precisely because it does utilize realistic psychology. Anime characters are believable people. They may not act like average people, but they’re still recognizable as human characters with human personalities; they’re rarely pure one-dimensional artificial constructs that merely act out their roles. Typical anime characters have personal motivations based on realistic psychology. Anime villains aren’t evil just because they’re evil; they have desires and likes and dislikes. Their actions are motivated by their goals, not merely by the artifice that villains perform evil deeds.

We must keep in mind that most anime is intended for viewers who have finished work or school and want something relaxing and entertaining to watch and unwind with. Anime can be intelligent without pressuring rational evaluation and deconstruction. Occasionally shows like Evangelion do challenge viewers to evaluate social scientific theories and paradigms, but the main goal of anime is to provide a fun diversion that’s not condescending or insulting. Asking why so few anime investigate complex psychology is the same as asking why so few anime deconstruct religious devotion or the vagaries of human nature including discrimination and ideological conflict. Even “serious” anime frequently rely on tangible causes for psychological and social conditions because doing so creates a believable story framework that’s intelligent and obvious instead of being undefined or confusing. The strength and appeal of most anime lies in its ability to be intelligent casual entertainment. It’s rational and logical, albeit often fantastic, but it’s not frequently perplexing and obtuse. In the same way that most readers would quickly tire of reading if every book was as dense as James Joyce, viewers welcome occasional complex and challenging anime, but both animators and viewers don’t want to turn anime into a rigorous, disciplined analytical exercise.