Japanese Pop Culture: From Anime to Robots and Beyond

Ron Morse began by noting that there really is not a body of entertainment in the United States targeting those in the six-to-sixteen year-old age bracket. The only children's entertainment is by Disney, and this is meant for a younger audience. Therefore, the success of Japanese animé or manga (comics) is due to the fact that it fills this niche. Such Japanese "soft power" is not limited as an export just to the United States, but is popular throughout the world, especially in other countries in Asia. Ironically, the model for Japanese animation was Disney: after World War II, Japanese animators watched and learned from Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Turning to the present, Morse said that Japan is now in the third generation of manga artists. He added that 90 percent of the animation today is viewed over the internet. Also, manga today is not drawn, but created on a computer. The Japanese government, stated Morse, is trying to get into the act. It is constructing "Tollywood" (a Tokyo version of Hollywood) in Tokyo Bay, which will be a massive facility for movie-making, including cartoons.

Maureen Donovan placed manga in its historical context. Although noted wood-block artist and painter Hokusai created the term in the 19th century, it was a group of cartoonists in the 1920s that promoted and popularized manga. A popular manga from the 1930s was a black dog who joined the army, and advanced in the ranks. In the 1950s, manga was very upbeat, trying to portray a Japan advancing out of the shadows of war into a brighter future. The most popular manga now is One Piece, which has surpassed one hundred million copies in sales. The main character is Luffy, a kind of pirate who once ate some "gum gum" fruit, enabling him to have a body like rubber. One particular difficulty for pirate Luffy is that he can't swim. There are six other manga which have surpassed one hundred million copies in sales. Donovan also stated that otaku (manga fans) are very fervent, and, because of modern technology such as the internet, are able to maintain global conversations about their favorite manga.

Antonio Levi advanced the discussion on manga by noting there were two processes involved in the art: encoding (what is sent by the author), and decoding (what is received by the reader). This might not be the same thing, especially when manga is crossing into a different culture. Levi sees manga creating new myths for the new millennium, and believes that the decoding process is lively and different. The most popular manga in the United States are of the science fiction and fantasy variety, such as the popular Sailor Moon, which is about schoolgirls who turn into space heroes. In America, the only serialized story-telling is the soap opera. Manga, on the other hand, can tell very long stories, with plot shifts and different character development. She pointed out that otaku does not mean just fan, but has more of a connotation of "world-class geek with no life." There are annual conventions, around the world, where otaku dress up (and sometimes cross dress) as their favorite manga characters.

Jennifer Robertson moved the discussion to the topic of robots. She stated that Japan leads the world in the development of robots for human society. A robot that can babysit and tutor children has just been released for sale. Paro, a cuddly seal-pup robot, entertains the elderly and has had some success in interacting with autistic children. Ri-man is a five-foot tall robot who can care for the elderly. Nuvo reacts to human speech, and if you program his camera, he can send images to your cell phone; e.g., if he is watching your children, you can monitor how things are going. There is also Kaori, the female sex robot, marketed as a device to help control sexually transmitted diseases and decrease sex trafficking. In the United States, robot research is done mainly by the military, as soldier substitutes. Conversely, in Japan, robots are used mainly to care for people and/or entertain them. Since Japan is the most "graying" society in the world, it is logical to develop humanoids to assist in the care of the elderly. There is also another social reason: Japan's birth rate is declining rapidly. If robots were able to take care of all the housework, perhaps women would feel that they had less chores and would thus be encouraged to have more children. The most advanced robots in the world today are Sony's QRIO and Honda's ASIMO. QRIO has its own emotions and can dance. Robertson concluded that the development of humanoid robots is a $5 billion industry in Japan, and growing.

Drafted by Mark Mohr, Asia Program Associate
Robert M. Hathaway, Director, Asia Program. Ph: (202) 691-4020