Violent Japanese Anime and Emotional Undertones

Japan is the only country in the world with nearly as much entertainment violence as the United States (Strasburger, 1995). Strasburger asks the question “If media violence contributes to real-life violence, why isn’t Japanese society more affected?” The portrayal of violence in Japanese anime is different than the portrayal of violence in American cartoons. The violence is more realistic and there is a greater emphasis on physical suffering, for example the consequences of violence are emphasized (Strasburger, 1995, 32). In the popular Japanese anime, “Elfen Lied,” the killing machine Lucy decapitates heads, chops of limbs, and severely injures other characters. When these characters die or become injured, they stay dead and chopped off body parts don’t miraculously grow back (see Appendix C). Despite the abundance of violence in this anime, it has emotional undertones that overcome the physical violence. The plot moves because of the emotional and heart-wrenching story behind each character, violence is just a side-show, and the theme of the anime is love and friendship. Take a look at the popular American cartoon, “Tom & Jerry,” where a cat and mouse literally chase each other and attempt to severely hurt or kill the other. That’s the whole plot of the cartoon, a cat trying to eat a rat and a rat trying to kill a cat. When one does inflict pain on the other character, they just get back up and continue their chase (see Appendix D). In Japan the “bad guys” commit most of the violence and the “good guys” suffer the consequences (Strasburger, 1995). The exact opposite happens in American cartoons. “In this context, violence is seen as wrong, a villainous activity with real and painful consequence, rather than as justifiable” (Strasburger, 1995, 33).

Strasburger, Victor C. (1995). Adolescents and the Media: Medical and Psychological Impact. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.