ANIME is hugely popular with Gen Z, and with many adults who choose to gloss over many of the genre’s more questionable aspects. These are not often discussed:
Much of it is about schoolgirls
Stories about schoolkids aren’t exclusive to anime. Stranger Things and Heartstopper exist. However, anime does tend to focus on girls in absurdly fetishised uniforms whose special powers whip their clothes off when they undergo magical transformations. And you’re asked to watch without a hint of discomfort while feeling like you’ve been added to a register.
Humour rarely survives translation
It’s Japanese, it’s bound to contain cultural differences. Some are a fascinating insight into their centuries-old civilisation, but for every example of ikigai – the concept of finding value in existence – there’s a character like five-year-old Shin-chan who has the habit of impersonating an elephant by whipping his penis out.
Retrograde gender dynamics
Japanese society is more traditional than ours and anime reflects that, resulting in gender roles reminiscent of the 1950s as weary salarymen come home from a long day at work to bark at their insubordinate wives and ignore their children. Though depending on your political views, perhaps this is more aspirational than disturbing.
There are huge boobs everywhere
Not that you’re against large breasts, as your search history would confirm. But in anime they’re too often a needless creative choice that adds nothing to the plot. Plus, from the way they bounce and jiggle in tight costumes, it feels like this is why the artist got into animation and he frequently works one-handed.
Orgasmic voice acting
Anime connoisseurs will always choose to watch the original subtitled version over the plebian dubbed alternative. And while this may seem sophisticated, moments of female surprise, amazement or happiness always sound troublingly pornographic. Do these characters really have to groan in ecstasy after sipping a matcha tea? Do you?
Fandom of Japanese cartoons for teenagers is inherently creepy
The popularity of KPop Demon Hunters and Chainsaw Man can’t take away from obsessive viewing of cartoons being paedo-coded in our society. Even more so now nerd shops are filled with blue-haired teenage girls buying manga. Gone are the simpler days when Forbidden Planet was a haven for men to discuss sex comedy Golden Boy, in which the hero has a fetish for toilets recently used by beautiful women, in peace.
