Anime is Literary

So I like anime. Big deal. So I don’t like dubbed anime. Big deal. Why?

For some reason, I seem to find more “literary” themes in the anime I’m attracted to, so to speak, than I do in most books I read. The Japanese version of anime always keeps plots and subliminal themes that seem to reveal so much more of the cruelty and hope of humanity than even some of the so called “masterpiece literature” we read in class.

To make a (not very strong) point, here are some themes and plots in my favourite anime – that is, the anime that I’ve watched that I fully enjoy, and that I don’t just watch for the sake of watching – that I’ve noticed as the years and episodes go by.

(And hopefully, if my family is reading this, they will not freak out about what they see. If you do, you might as well go whale on English teachers. Life is life, and life sucks sometimes. I have learned this, if nothing else, from my Literature class this year).

Yuugiou / Yuugiou: Duel Monsters / Yuugiou: Duel Monsters GX
- We all have an “other self” inside of us. Beautifully explained by the creator, Takahashi Kazuki.
- Ambitions, dreams, and ideals can be seen in an action as simple as playing a card game
- Morality of murder, suicide, crime, etc.
- Theme of reincarnation
- Theme of nihilism/existentialism
- Theme and limits of friendship
- Exploration of split personalities, IDD, and other mental disorders
- In GX: the criticism and exploration of the situations that induce homicidal behaviour
- Possession, destruction, helplessness of humankind against celestial and supernatural forces

Angel Sanctuary
- Morality of incest
- Is heaven all good? Is hell all bad?
- Reincarnation
- Criticism of divine judgement, morals, and laws
- Nihilism/existentialism
- Murder, suicide, genocide, etc.
- What exactly is love worth?
- War, calamity, end of the world

Hakushaku Cain / Godchild
- Incest, adultery
- Black magic (ie tarot reading, necromancy) and supernatural powers
- Corruption, hatred, war, civil unrest
- “Children that are hated by God” / “Children that cannot receive God’s blessing”
- Struggling against destiny/foreordination
- Murder, suicide, homicide
- Selfishness, selflessness
- Filial love = hatred
- Abuse
- Deceit, trickery
- Split personalities
- Heavy sacrilegious themes
- The story of Abel and Cain – did God truly hate Cain?

Trinity Blood
- Unrest between religion and the world
- The Vatican vs. Vampires
- War and peace
- “Let thine eyes be not averted” (I take this as “do not look away from the world/truth”)
- Finding true religion
- Abel and Cain
- Split personalities
- Hatred and love
- Death is unavoidable
- Truth vs. lies

Shaman King
-If twins are born, are they their own selves, or are they separate units of the same person?
-Whose ideals deserve to prevail, and whose deserve to die?
-Genocide, the establishment of a world for only the chosen people (Hitler ideals?)
-Commitment, either to the “right” or “wrong” cause – neutrality when given extremist options… or is neutrality even an option?
-Is killing criminals a crime? Does a higher being command us to kill? Is there any difference between killing and “execution”?
-Choosing sides
-Belief in oneself and in others

Tennis no Oujisama
-Idea of one being unable to progress (due to unwillingness to progress, not feeling the need to progress)
-Doing things on your own vs. teamwork
-Sacrifice for your goals
-Silent suffering
-Conflict of promises
-Constant struggle to overcome yourself

Death Note
-What is “good”? What is “evil”? And the struggle to determine the answer to these questions
-Is someone who kills a criminal a murderer?
-Psychological warfare, cat-and-mouse game
-Using other people, lying, deceit, doing whatever necessary in order to accomplish your goals
-Is a good intention that utilizes committing crime really a good intention?
-Who deserves to judge humankind? Is divine judgment best left to God, or should humans take the initiative?
-Ideas of terrorism, homicide, etc.
-Is what you get in the end what you truly deserve?
-Does power, or the want to gain power, delude you or cause you to lose your mind?
-Are some ideals worth fighting for, no matter how delusional they may be?



Fruits Basket
-Exclusion of people that are different
-Suffering at the hands of a corrupted Christ-figure
-Unconditional love
-Family secrets, curses, and the repercussions of such things

Meine Liebe / Wieder
-Should government change? Is democracy or monarchy the best option for a kingdom?
-Coming to realize one’s limits, one’s true self, one’s true beliefs
-War, tension between countries, choosing what is best for one and one’s country
-Struggle for power
-Dreams and hopes of youth vs. cruelty of the world’s reality
-Change
-Crumbling of the social classes – giving those of lower social status a chance
-Tradition vs. need to modernize

Wolf’s Rain
-World after the apocalypse
-Quest for “paradise” – does it even exist? Are only the chosen ones allowed to gain access to paradise?
-Sacrifice
-Suffering
-Banding with others for strength and companionship
-Hunting those that can save the world

… So, does this do anything to convince you that anime is not just a different set of cartoons?

If not, I know not what to say.