I would like to examine the issue of gender roles in anime and how they are similar or different from modern Japanese society.
Originally I was interested in anime and the influence of this aspect of Japanese pop culture, through cosplay and other ways in which this influence is shown. After reviewing the websites I had found earlier and following some interesting links from those, my focus has changed a bit, though will likely incorporate cosplay and other aspects of Japanese pop culture that deal with or are influenced by anime.
I would like to examine the issue of gender roles in anime and how they are similar or different from modern Japanese society. I am still not certain if I will focus on both men and women or just look only at how women are portrayed in anime. I would also like to examine why people are depicted in a certain way in anime and see how anime reflects the views of Japanese society (or does not.).
While a common perception is that Japanese women are typically viewed as submissive and more conservative then American women, while these characters are present in anime, there are also wild outgoing women, completely contrary to stereotypes of Japanese women. I am certain that this is no longer completely the case and I hope by examining modern gender roles in Japanese society I can reconcile this concept of meek Japanese women with their different counterparts in anime.
Here are a couple of interesting sites that examined these issues: Gender and Gender Relations in Manga and Anime and
Casting Female Stereotypes in the Pacific Rim
One book you should be sure to look at is Ian Buruma's A Japanese mirror : heroes and villains of Japanese culture (Leyburn-Level 4 DS821 .B796 1984b)
It's 20 years old, but still one of the clearest introductions I know. It's also published as
Behind the Mask: On Sexual Demons, Sacred Mothers, Transvestites, Gangsters and Other Japanese Cultural Heroes
This is an interesting topic and I look forward to seeing what you come up with. I think it is a good idea to narrow your search a bit more an concentrate on gender roles in anime, but it also makes me wonder if there are also age related factors? I read on the webnotes like that it is mainly an adolescent and young adult phenomenon, but are there differences between 11-12 year olds and 18-20 year olds? This may be more than you wish to go into, but it could be interesting to look at particular anime tendencies that arise depending upon the gender and age of the person. Just an idea. Good luck!
Posted by: Julianne at October 12, 2004 04:50 PMI've seen a few anime movies and was trying to envision your approach to carving gender roles out of an industry that I believe was made by men for other men. Traditionally, female characters tend to be betrayed, harmed, even raped. The usually do not hold the main character role. And if ever, they are the antagonist. I am curious to follow up on your project and see where you go with it.
Posted by: Bob at October 13, 2004 12:26 PM